UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 16, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Borrell: Time to take responsibility and move towards the EU (media)
Kurti: We continue to be constructive and committed to open dialogue (media)
Escobar to visit Kosovo, meet Kurti, one day before Ohrid meeting (Indeksonline)
Krasniqi: We don’t support agreement in its current version (Kosovapress)
Haliti: I don’t believe there are people in PDK that will oppose EU plan (media)
Bunjaku: LDK has not changed position on agreement (EO)
Fehlinger calls on Romania to recognise Kosovo (Nacionale)
Albanian representatives in Presevo Valley issue joint statement (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic, Escobar discuss Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Tanjug, media)
Escobar: EU proposal about normalisation, not recognition (Tanjug, N1)
People’s Party launches initiative to call for referendum on EU proposal (KoSSev, media)
Serbian opposition call for protest against EU Plan on March 17 (N1)
Bishop of Backa Irinej: Church expressed stance on Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)
A new version of annexes is being drawn up, to be discussed in Ohrid, said Lajcak (FoNet, N1)
Serbian anti-western media financed by foreign companies (N1, CRTA)
Hovenier: “According to the European proposal, Serbia not obliged to remove Kosovo and Metohija from the constitution” (RTS, Tanjug, ATV)
Vucic thanks China for persevering friendship, support to Serbia (Tanjug)
Civil society appeals to Kurti and Vucic to sign the agreement: “Compromise is a pillar of democracy, not a concession” (KoSSev)
The last person arrested in the case of murder of Oliver Ivanovic, released from the custody (KoSSev)

International:

German Ambassador To Kosovo Upbeat On Prospects Of Normalisation Plan Between Kosovo, Serbia (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

KEK chief unionist: If wages not increased, we’ll leave Kosovo in the dark (Nacionale)
Too Many Children Suffering Abuse in Kosovo Schools, TV Show Hears (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Borrell: Time to take responsibility and move towards the EU (media)

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, said today that the March 18 meeting between Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will be different from previous meetings.

“This Saturday, I will convene a high-level meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. This time is different from previous meetings. Not just because I will meet President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti in the region, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, instead of in the familiar halls of the European External Action Service in Brussels. But also, because we will focus our discussion on the Implementation Annex of the recent EU Agreement that will result in far-reaching normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Both together will, in essence, result in normalisation of life of people in the region and open Kosovo’s and Serbia’s respective path towards joining the EU.”

“The Western Balkans are different from any other region in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. This is what I realised even before becoming the EU’s High Representative/Vice-President in December 2019.”

“One of the steps before becoming the EU’s head of foreign policy is a hearing in the European Parliament. During my exchange with the Parliament, special attention was paid to this region surrounded by the EU, and in particular my plans and ideas on the Dialogue on normalisation of relations, which at that point, the EU has been facilitating for almost 10 years. I committed myself on this occasion to conduct my first bilateral visit as HRVP to Kosovo and Serbia – a promise I kept.”

Read full text at: https://bit.ly/3JIK6XP Kurti: We continue to be constructive and committed to open dialogue (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti spoke today with the German Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin. Kurti tweeted after the meeting: “Ahead of the next high-level meeting in Ohër I spoke with German Special Envoy Manuel Sarrazin. We continue to be constructive, creative & committed to open & substantial dialogue toward an agreement for full normalisation of relations. I thanked him for his role and continuous support.”

Escobar to visit Kosovo, meet Kurti, one day before Ohrid meeting (Indeksonline)

United States Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, will visit Kosovo on Friday and is scheduled to meet Kosovo’s leaders. A spokesperson for the Kosovo government confirmed to the news website today that Escobar will meet Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The meeting will take place one day before the meeting in Ohrid between Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Krasniqi: We don’t support agreement in its current version (Kosovapress)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said in an interview with the news agency today that they will not vote in favour of the agreement with Serbia in the Kosovo Assembly, in the form it has been agreed based on the European plan. He said he was pessimistic that an agreement can be reached in Ohrid on Saturday, citing major differences over the implementation plan.

Krasniqi said that any agreement with Serbia must be sent to the Kosovo Assembly for ratification. “The agreement as such meets the criteria that are required by Article 18 of the Constitution and needs to be brought to the Assembly for ratification … The moment that this is achieved, we will continue our discussions, including meetings of the Steering Council, the presidency of the party, and open discussions, to decide on a final position. But I can tell you one thing that in its current format the agreement cannot have our support,” he was quoted as saying.

Haliti: I don’t believe there are people in PDK that will oppose EU plan (media)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, believes that the EU plan for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia must be supported. He is optimistic that the PDK too will support the plan, which has already been accepted by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

“I don’t believe there can be people in the PDK that will oppose this agreement,” Haliti said in an interview with teve1 TV station.

Haliti also argued that if former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was in Kosovo, the agreement would have been signed a long time ago.

Bunjaku: LDK has not changed position on agreement (EO)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Valentina Bunjaku, said in an interview with the news website today that the LDK has not changed its position on the agreement with Serbia, adding that an acceptable agreement for LDK needs to be centred around final recognition. “Absolutely not, and you shouldn’t expect the Democratic League of Kosovo to change its position. In parliament, and our leadership, we have said that we are in favour of talks with Serbia for a sustainable and final solution,” she said.

Fehlinger calls on Romania to recognise Kosovo (Nacionale)

Gunther Fehlinger, President of the Austrian Atlantic Council, called on Romania to recognise Kosovo’s independence. “I call Romania 🇷🇴 to recognize Kosovo 🇽🇰 now, that would be kind thanks for all the effort your friends in West make to get you into Schengen and Eurozone and OECD,” Fehlinger wrote on Twitter.

Albanian representatives in Presevo Valley issue joint statement (Telegrafi)

Albanian political and institutional representatives in Presevo Valley have issued a joint declaration calling for equal rights as those envisaged for Serbs in the European plan for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

They call for the full realisation of the collective rights of Albanians in line with the highest standards of respective documents of the United Nations, the European Union, and the Council of Europe, as well as respective practices, and their addressing within the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and the European proposal.

They call for a substantial increase of international monitoring into the position of Albanians in Presevo Valley.

They also call for the inclusion of the issue of Presevo Valley Albanians in the talks between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels with the aim of equalising the position of Albanians in Presevo Valley with the position of Serbs in Kosovo.

“We call on the Serbian Government to implement all its obligations toward Presevo Valley and the implementation of all agreements signed with international mediation,” the declaration further notes.

They also say they condemn the erasing of addresses of Albanians in Presevo Valley that temporarily live abroad and called for the immediate stop to this discriminatory practice and the restoring of all rights that have been denied to these Albanian families.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic, Escobar discuss Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Washington's special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar on Wednesday to discuss the process of normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations, establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities and possibilities for finding sustainable and compromise solutions in the EU-facilitated dialogue, read the statement of the presidential press office.

Vucic reiterated Serbia's unchanged position regarding preservation of peace and stability in the region and solving outstanding issues between Belgrade and Pristina, with emphasis on full implementation of all agreements signed to date and protection of state and national interests.

Vucic thanked the US for supporting the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as well as for its engagement in terms of the security and protection of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, reported Serbian media, citing the statement.

Escobar: EU proposal about normalisation, not recognition (Tanjug, N1)

US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar said on Thursday an EU proposal on normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations was an agreement on normalisation, rather than mutual recognition.

Addressing a press conference at the US embassy in Belgrade after a two-day visit during which he met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and PM Ana Brnabic, Escobar said he expected the leaders in Belgrade and Pristina to be able to hear each other.

He said they should discuss the way forward towards signing the agreement and think about ways of overcoming obstacles.

Escobar added that the US position was that Kosovo was an independent country with territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that Washington believed that mutual recognition would be beneficial to the entire region.

He also said UN membership for Kosovo would bring faster EU integration of not only Kosovo and Serbia, but the entire region as well.

People’s Party launches initiative to call for referendum on EU proposal (KoSSev, media)

Head of opposition People’s Party (NS) caucus group Miroslav Aleksic handed over to Serbian Assembly Speaker Vladimir Orlic a request to convince a parliament session with a single item on the agenda – passing decision to call for obligatory referendum on Franco-German proposal on Kosovo and Metohija, this party said in a statement, KoSSev portal reports.

“Should Orlic refuse to call the session, we will initiate collecting signatures from citizens necessary to hold the referendum”, Aleksic told a news conference in the Assembly of Serbia.

He said that people as sovereign holders of the power in Serbia must be asked in line with the Constitution of Serbia if they want to accept or reject that agreement.

“We propose to the Assembly the following question for referendum: Do you support acceptance and implementation of the Agreement Proposal on Normalisation of Relations between “Kosovo” and Serbia, so-called German-Franco proposal – YES or NO”.

Aleksic called on parties, organisations, individuals, those who oppose acceptance of the agreement but also those who consent with acceptance of the agreement – to support holding of a referendum.

“Because this is about the most important national issue and the citizens must declare”.

He also said nobody has the right to misuse the power and make decisions on behalf of citizens, without asking what they think of it.

“Should the Constitutional Court have taken the stance, as it had not, there would be no need perhaps to hold a referendum. However, the Constitutional Court remains silent on acceptance of the proposal by President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, although this agreement envisages recognition of “Kosovo” and enables Pristina to become member of all international organisations, which directly runs contrary to the Constitution of Serbia”, Aleksic said.

He also accused President Vucic of “violating the oath he gave in the Parliament on the Constitution and Miroslav’s Gospel”.

Serbian opposition call for protest against EU Plan on March 17 (N1)

Four conservative opposition parties called a protest for the day before Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is due to meet with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to hammer out a roadmap to implement the European Union-proposed agreement to normalise Belgrade-Pristina relations, N1 reports.

The leaders of the Dveri Movement, Oathkeepers, Movement for Renewal of Serbian KIngdom and the New Democratic Party of Serbia (NDSS) called for a protest in front of the Serbian Presidency on Friday, March 17 to warn the authorities not to accept the proposed agreement which, they said, could lead to Belgrade recognizing Kosovo.

The EU proposal was presented to Vucic and Kurti earlier this month but it was not signed. EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak met in Pristina and Belgrade with top officials to prepare the Saturday, March 18 meeting in Ohrid. US envoy Gabriel Escobar met with Vucic in Belgrade and is due in Pristina before going to Ohrid.

Bishop of Backa Irinej: Church expressed stance on Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)

Bishop of Backa Irinej said Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) “explicitly decided on and expressed its stance on Kosovo and Metohija”, Danas daily reports. Commenting on public calls urging the Church to voice its stance on Kosovo and the so-called European proposal he said that “there is no more deaf person from the one wishing not to hear and no more blind one from the one wishing not to see”.

In an op-ed for Politika daily, Bishop Irinej said “as if the Church had not said it all and everything it concerns her, day after day requests were coming for her “to take a stance” on European proposal”.

Bishop Irinej recalled that SOC issued a statement after Patriarch Porfirije was “informed about provisions of the said document” and it happened on January 20, on a day of Patriarch’s Porfirije Saint Guardian Family Day, attended by president of the state, Aleksandar Vucic.

Bishop Irinej once again recalled the stances Patriarch Porfirije made on January 20, which among other say that “Kosovo and Metohija is integral and inalienable part of the Republic of Serbia”.

And also that “preserving Kosovo and Metohija within the borders of the Republic of Serbia was a constitutional obligation and imperative, both for Church and the state”.

“If some find unclear or insufficient the stance of the Patriarch and the Church on Kosovo and Metohija, then for sure this is about lack of understanding of what the Church is about and what its role in the world is”, Bishop Irinej said.

A new version of annexes is being drawn up, to be discussed in Ohrid, said Lajcak (FoNet, N1)

European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak said on Wednesday that relations between Belgrade and Pristina are the key problem blocking normalisation in the Western Balkans region, reported N1.

N1 reported that he said, during an online conference on Europe and Russia in the Balkans, that Moscow’s ability to interfere in the region would be diminished if Belgrade and Pristina accepted the EU proposal to normalise their relations. According to him, the stabilisation of the Western Balkans is more important than ever for the EU following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said the next steps and time frame needs to be defined and added that annexes have been drawn up to implement the EU-proposed agreement. A new version of annexes is being drawn up and will be discussed in Ohrid on Saturday, he said.

Serbian anti-western media financed by foreign companies (N1, CRTA)

Germany’s ARD TV said that some Serbian media which are spreading pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiments are earning advertising revenue from foreign companies operating in the country.

The station said those media enjoy the support and backing of the Serbian authorities. It named TV stations Pink, Happy, Prva and B92 and the tabloid dailies Informer and Vecernje Novosti.

ARD quoted figures from the CRTA NGO which show that more than 60 percent of all advertising revenue in the country comes from companies registered in European Union member states, the US or Switzerland. It said that about a dozen German companies spent more than a million Euro on advertising in the media in Serbia in 2022.

Hovenier: “According to the European proposal, Serbia not obliged to remove Kosovo and Metohija from the constitution” (RTS, Tanjug, ATV)

The US Ambassador in Pristina, Geoffrey Hovenier, said yesterday that the European proposal on normalisation did not mention in any of the 11 points that Serbia was obliged to remove Kosovo and Metohija from its Constitution, reported RTS.

"I did not see that this issue was raised through the 11 points of the European proposal, so I do not believe that it is a specific element of the current talks," Hovenier said, RTS reported, citing Pristina based ATV.

He pointed out that the long-term American and European vision was to integrate Kosovo into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, as well as Serbia. In his opinion, “the recognition of Kosovo can be a condition for Serbia's membership in the European Union,” reported RTS, citing ATV.

"As far as I understand, Serbia has a great interest in joining the EU, at least it is a declared aspiration. I am not a European diplomat, but as far as I understand from the criteria for membership in the European Union, I think that in Chapter 35, Serbia would be asked to recognize Kosovo as an independent state as a condition for joining the EU," Hovenier told ATV, reported RTS.

He said that he fully believed in the EU, but that ''the process and mechanism through which, as he stated, Serbia will recognize the so-called Kosovo, is not yet known''.

"ASM (ZSO) is an existing obligation, it would be good for Kosovo"

The American ambassador in Pristina also stated that the agreement for the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities, signed in Brussels, was not negotiable, as well as that the latest points of the Franco-German proposal, now called "European", can no longer be negotiated adding that this was the official and confirmed position of the USA.

"Our position is that it is an existing obligation, but also that it would be good for Kosovo. I held a meeting with all interested parties on January 31 and I heard many different actors, but there was not a single Serbian representative at that meeting who did not express the desire to one way, or another see the establishment of the Association,'' said Hovenier.

He added that there are many options for what the ASM (ZSO) could look like.

He emphasised that the US was clear and did not believe that it was appropriate for “Kosovo to agree to anything that would be in conflict with the constitution.”

He said that the focus and expectations of the US were to reach an agreement in Ohrid, after which all parties would participate in the April elections in the north of Kosovo, including the Serbian ones, but that the elections must be democratic and safe for all participants, reported RTS.

Vucic thanks China for persevering friendship, support to Serbia (Tanjug)

We are grateful to our Chinese friends for their persistent commitment to respect of UN SC Resolution 1244, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic wrote in a post on his avucic Instagram profile on Wednesday, thanking China and its President Xi Jinping for their persevering friendship and support.

Peace must remain a legacy of mankind from which we will draw the strength for global strategic stability that will ultimately result in common, sustainable security of all countries, Vucic said.

"Just like PR China, Serbia advocates strict compliance with the fundamental principles of international law. As a permanent UN SC member, PR China has always been committed to preservation of peace, providing diplomatic support to Serbia's territorial integrity and our attempts to defend the international legal order," Vucic added.

He noted that China's engagement in Serbia's infrastructure, energy and mining sectors had been a significant boost to the Serbian economy, job creation and opportunities for citizens, also helping to promote cooperation and exchange between the two peoples.

"I thank President Xi and PR China for the persevering friendship and support. Long live our steely friendship! Long live China! Long live Serbia!" Vucic concluded in the post, published on occasion of an online meeting that was a part of dialogue between the Communist Party of China and other political parties from around the world.

Civil society appeals to Kurti and Vucic to sign the agreement: “Compromise is a pillar of democracy, not a concession” (KoSSev)

Members of some Serbian and Kosovo civil society organisations sent a joint appeal to the Serbian President and Kosovo Prime Minister to accept and sign the EU agreement, that is, to reach a compromise on the implementation annex at the upcoming high-level meeting.

Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, and Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, will meet this Saturday in Ohrid to discuss the implementation annex of the agreement. They previously agreed on the basics of this agreement on February 27th in Brussels.

Ahead of the meeting, diplomatic activity has intensified. International officials are discussing the dialogue in Brussels and future steps – both with each other, as well as with representatives of Belgrade and Pristina.

Last night, 19 members of CSOs issued a joint appeal to two officials.

“We, the undersigned members of the civil society, through this joint letter appeal to leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to accept and sign the agreement proposed by the European Union (EU), as well as reach a compromise on the implementation annex at their upcoming meeting on March 18, 2023.”

They assessed that proposed agreement by the EU is an important step in the right direction for normalisation of relations, and European integration, and will have a positive impact at the community level to foster better interethnic relations.

“We understand that the proposed agreement by the EU is not satisfactory for either side, however, the continuation of the current status quo will have far worse consequences, and lead to new tensions, which will make the life of the citizens in both societies harder and less secure.”

They stated that the citizens expect their leaders to engage with each other and make compromises that will facilitate the European integration process for both sides and the region as a whole.

“Compromise is a pillar of a democratic society, and it is not a concession,” they concluded. Read more at: https://bit.ly/3lovFPh The last person arrested in the case of murder of Oliver Ivanovic, released from the custody (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reported that Milan Mihailovic, who was arrested in October last year because of his alleged involvement in the murder of a Serbian politician, Oliver Ivanovic, was released yesterday.

The prosecutor in the case against him has failed to gather evidence for the criminal acts he was charged with. And besides being accused of being "directly connected to the group that took Ivanovic's life", Mihailovic was also accused of being part of an "organised criminal group that carries out activities in the North".

His legal representative, Miodrag Brkljac, confirmed for KoSSev that Mihailovic was released yesterday and that he has been with his family in Leposavic since last night.

"After five months of detention, by the decision of the judge for the preliminary proceedings, he was released from judicial custody. He is now in his apartment in Leposavic with his family," he said.

This measure was revoked, but the judge, as the lawyer explains further, introduced another measure - reporting to the police station twice a week, reported KoSSev.

International

German Ambassador To Kosovo Upbeat On Prospects Of Normalization Plan Between Kosovo, Serbia (RFE)

“All of these non-recognizers have always said if there is a positive dynamic on normalization, they will rethink their position,” Jorn Rohde, the German ambassador to Kosovo, said. “To me, it’s more or less a slam dunk.”

The German ambassador to Kosovo has predicted that all European countries that have not recognized Kosovo will do so if there are results in normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Jorn Rohde said in an interview with RFE/RL on March 15 that he is sure that Kosovo will be recognized by the EU states that have not yet recognized it thus far, if there are results in the normalization process.

The EU states that have yet to recognize Kosovo are Greece, Spain, Romania, Slovakia, and Cyprus.

“All of these non-recognizers have always said if there is a positive dynamic on normalization, they will rethink their position,” Rohde said. “To me, it’s more or less a slam dunk.”

Rohde said this is another reason why it is so important that negotiators of an agreement on a proposed normalization plan now under consideration are able to get it “over the line” and that they “don’t miss the bus.”

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic are due to meet over the coming weekend in North Macedonia to discuss the implementation of the EU proposal they agreed to in Brussels last month.

“Time is not on Kosovo’s or Serbia’s side. We need to overcome this permanent crisis management, and the EU -- 27 countries [and] the U.S. -- we’ve invested a lot,” Rohde told RFE/RL.

Humanitarian/Development

KEK chief unionist: If wages not increased, we’ll leave Kosovo in the dark (Nacionale)

The head of the new union of the Kosovo Power Corporation (KEK), Nexhat Llumnica, warned the institutions today that this union will undertake radical measures if their wages are not increased. He said during a protest that if their demands are not met, they will leave Kosovo in the dark.

Llumnica also said that the power corporation needs new staff and called on the institutions to open new vacancies. “I feel very bad because they leave the country because of unemployment, whereas KEK lacks 2,000 staff. I call on the respective institutions to open new vacancies and employ young people, because our staff are overloaded,” he said.

Llumnica also argued that KEK is the only public company that does not have a collective agreement.

Too Many Children Suffering Abuse in Kosovo Schools, TV Show Hears (BIRN)

Cases of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse in Kosovo schools are alarmingly rife - and the authorities are slow to react to them, BIRN Kosovo's TV show heard on Wednesday.

Sexual, physical and mental abuse of school pupils in Kosovo is one of the biggest challenges for Kosovo’s Social Welfare Centres, after domestic violence, due to the high number of psychological, physical and sexual abuse cases in schools, BIRN Kosovo’s TV show Kallxo Pernime heard on Wednesday

Vehbi Mujku, from Pristina’s Social Welfare Centre, told Kallxo Pernime that “in 2022 the Centre had 450 cases of [abuse of] minors, and 70 percent of this abuse was in schools”.

“We are in schools almost every day treating these cases, mainly beatings of students, narcotic substance use, knives and weapons,” Mujku added.