UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 11, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani at meeting of leaders of region within Brdo-Brione Process (Koha)
Kurti and the U.S. deputy ambassador commemorate the September 11 attack (media)
Emin Hoxhaj appointed director of Agency for Protection of Classified Information (media)
Israeli Minister of Tourism to visit Kosovo (media)
Tahiri: We are committed to overthrow Kurti government (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Brdo-Brioni summit in Skopje, leaders on dialogue in the region and the European path (RTS)
Vucic: Correct and constructive discussion in Skopje (Tanjug, RTS)
Dacic: Kurti politically disoriented, he is the biggest threat to peace (Kosovo Online, Kurir)
Third hearing in case of Sladjan Trajkovic closed to public (Kosovo Online)
Office for KiM: Burned returnee house in Madjunsko; Serbian List: Attacks are a daily occurrence (KiM radio)
Protest organisers submit request for snap elections (N1)
Serbian opposition leader: We will focus on forming large bloc for elections (BETA, N1)

International:

Athens denies Kosovo PMs statement that it’s close to recognising independence (Euractiv)
Men Only: Kosovo’s Public Broadcaster Snubs High-Scoring Women for Top Posts (BIRN)
State Department Rebukes Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti For Uncoordinated Actions In North Mitrovica (The Pavlovic Today)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani at the meeting of the leaders of the region within the Brdo-Brione Process (Koha)

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, is participating in the annual meeting of the heads of state of the region within the Brdo-Brione Process.

Osmani is expected to give a speech and meet with the heads of the participating states.

“Grateful for the warm welcome from Presidents of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, Slovenia Natasa Musar, and Croatia Zoran Milanovic at this year's Brdo-Brijuni Process leaders' meeting.

Kosovo continues to play an active role in contributing to our region's future and is committed to our Euro-Atlantic path,” Osmani wrote on X platform.

The Brdo-Brione meeting is an annual multilateral event in which the presidents of the six countries of the Western Balkans as well as Slovenia and Croatia meet. The main focus is the process of enlargement of the European Union and the membership of the region in the EU.

The central topics of this year's meeting are the acceleration of the EU membership process, the fight against and reduction of the consequences of climate change in the region, as well as the creation of conditions for the stay of young people in the Western Balkans.

The Brdo-Brione process is a regional initiative co-founded by the Slovenian and Croatian presidents in 2010.

During her stay in North Macedonia, Osmani, along with the president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, and the president of Albania, Bajram Begaj, will participate in the inauguration ceremony of the monument of Saint Teresa in the space of the Embassy of Kosovo in Skopje.

Kurti and the U.S. deputy ambassador commemorate the September 11 attack (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the Deputy Prime Minister Donika Gervalla and the Deputy Ambassador of the USA in Kosovo, Alyson Grunder have paid tribute to the memorial plaque "Kosova remembers" of the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States of America, the government of Kosovo informed through a press release.

"In the following years, many different terrorist organizations and groups around the world were emboldened and inspired by the September 11 attacks, causing thousands of victims in terrorist attacks in many countries around the world. At that time, the American administration of President George W. Bush, vowed that terrorism would never end. More than two decades since then, the United States of America continues to lead the global war against terrorism, while many countries, including the Republic of Kosovo, have aligned themselves in this common war. Both the USA and Kosovo believe in the same democratic and civilizational values and share the same geopolitical positions and geostrategic positions as allied and friendly states", Kurti wrote on Facebook.

Kusari-Lila: International community should correctly assess who the destructive party is (media)

The head of the parliamentary group of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said that Kosovo has consistently been committed to implementing agreements with Serbia.

"I believe that Kosovo has consistently shown commitment to the implementation of agreements. A year has now passed since the French-German plan was introduced. "Serbia has always been a destructive party in the dialogue, as it was with the elections," she said.

"We expect at least the international community to have a fair and accurate assessment of who is the destructive party and who has escalated the situation. Kosovo cannot be unilaterally subject to treatment. We are committed to mutual recognition," she said.

Emin Hoxhaj appointed director of Agency for Protection of Classified Information (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has appointed Emin Hoxhaj as director of the Agency for the Protection of Classified Information, the government Office for Public Communication announced on Monday. Hoxhaj has been part of the Kosovo Police since 2001.

"Former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Mr. Hoxhaj has been part of the Kosovo Police since 2001, serving in various capacities, including as the Head of the Economic Crimes and Corruption Investigations Unit and more recently as the Head of the General Investigations Unit in Gjakova", the announcement states.

Israeli Minister of Tourism to visit Kosovo (media)

The Israeli Minister of Tourism, Haim Katz, has arrived for a two-day visit to Kosovo, at the invitation of the government Kosovo.

He will meet with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, President Vjosa Osmani and the Ministers of Economy and Foreign Affairs. Katz will become the first senior Israeli minister to make an official visit to Kosovo.

"The main initiative based on the visit is the signing of a tourism agreement and the strengthening of relations and partnership between the countries," says an official statement.

"Minister of Tourism Haim Katz will offer Israeli assistance for the economic and tourism development that Kosovo seeks to promote," the statement continued.

Today, the Israeli Minister of Tourism, Haim Katz, and the Kosovar Minister of Industry, Enterprise and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, signed a joint statement on cooperation in the field of tourism on Monday in Pristina. According to the press release, this declaration strengthens the bond between the two countries by helping to develop tourism in accordance with the principles of mutual respect and equality.

Kosovo became the first Muslim-majority European country to open an embassy in Jerusalem in 2021. Last June, it adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Tahiri: We are committed to overthrow Kurti government (media)

The head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri has said that they are engaging to overthrow the government.

In a statement for the meeting of the Presidency of the Assembly, he emphasised that Kosovo will not be in advantage at the meeting of September 14 in Brussels, between the Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, due to the measures imposed by the United States of America and the European Union. According to him, Serbia is at an advantage in the dialogue process.

“As long as we are sanctioned, we have some measures imposed by the EU and the USA, we cannot talk about Kosovo’s advantage. Serbia does not go sanctioned, but Kosovo does. This is a damage that the government has caused to Kosovo,” Tahiri said.

He criticised Kurti on the manner of leading the dialogue. “Kurti in this process is characterised by a lack of transparency. Kosovo continued its unfortunately isolated journey, and we are committed to shortening the life of this government. We will see the effect as a result of these measures in the following years. We will suffer the consequences in the coming years,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Brdo-Brioni summit in Skopje, leaders on dialogue in the region and the European path (RTS)

The leaders of the region are meeting this morning in Skopje, as part of the Brdo-Brioni process. It is another in a series of initiatives aimed at encouraging dialogue and accelerating the European integration of the Western Balkans. After an informal dinner hosted last night by the President of North Macedonia, the 12th Brdo-Brioni Summit officially begins today. Serbia is represented by President Aleksandar Vucic, reported RTS.

Before the ceremonial reception, the president of North Macedonia has bilateral meetings with leaders from the region. Some leaders arrived in Skopje last night, for a dinner organised by Pendarovski.

The dinner was attended by the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, then the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljka Cvijanovic, as well as the co-hosts of this initiative - the President of Croatia Zoran Milanovic and the President of Slovenia Natasa Pirc Musar.

The further process of European integration is the focus of today's summit.

As announced by the president of North Macedonia, they will discuss the European path, climate change and the emigration of young people from the region, which the leaders of the Western Balkans see as a big problem.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic , will arrive at the summit today, and he will address the media during the day.

It is expected that one of the topics that the leaders of the region will touch on is the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, because this is the last regional meeting before the continuation of the dialogue in Brussels, on September 14, where Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti will meet.

Kosovo president Vjosa Osmani represents Pristina.

Vucic: Correct and constructive discussion in Skopje (Tanjug, RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told journalists in Skopje, North Macedonia, that discussion at the Brdo-Brioni Summit was very correct and constructive, RTS reports. We spoke mostly about relations of the Western Balkan towards the EU and about what we could request, he said.

“We have left problems for Thursday in Brussels”, he said, adding that there were discussions about the European Union.

Membership of Western Balkan states in the EU by 2030 are nice wishes, but who am I to destroy the optimism and ambitions of some others, Vucic added.

According to him the meeting was correct, adding that a difficult week is ahead.

Dacic: Kurti politically disoriented, he is the biggest threat to peace (Kosovo Online, Kurir)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that peace in Kosovo was preserved only thanks to the responsible and serious attitude of Serbia and that the greatest threat to peace is Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, reported Kosovo Online, citing Kurir.

Dacic, regarding Kurti's statement that the EU should return the visa regime to Serbia, said that the Kosovo prime minister is politically disoriented.

"Now he has become an adviser to the EU and the USA, so he tells them what they should do. His amnesia is astonishing, but we are here to remind him of the obligations he has not fulfilled for ten years. Instead, Kurti is now talking about punishing Serbia," said Dacic.

He asked what exactly the Western partners could complain about Serbia.

"Peace in Kosovo and Metohija was preserved only thanks to the responsible and serious attitude of Serbia. Kurti is the biggest threat to peace, because everything he did was to further escalate the situation. He must be reined in if we sincerely want to preserve peace; Serbia will not give up on it, no matter what Kurti says and no matter who he advises," said Dacic.

Third hearing in case of Sladjan Trajkovic closed to public (Kosovo Online)

Third hearing in the case of Sladjan Trajkovic, former member of Kosovo police, is taking place at the Basic Court in Pristina today. Trajkovic is accused of allegedly committing war crimes during the conflict in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The hearing is closed to the public.

Previous two hearings, when the indictment was supposed to be read out, have been postponed because the prosecution did not hand over complete documentation to the defence lawyer of Trajkovic.

Trajkovic was arrested on December 15 last year in Bosniak Mahala settlement of Mitrovica North and remains in detention ever since.

In November last year, Trajkovic along with his other colleagues in the north left Kosovo police in discontent with the violence exerted by Pristina authorities against the Serbs in northern Kosovo, the portal recalled.

Trajkovic pleaded not guilty to all accounts of indictment

Sladjan Trajkovic pleaded not guilty to all accounts of the indictment, his defence lawyer Dejan Vasic said. He also said they filed an objection to the attitude of the prosecutor in relation to delivery and presentation of the evidence, given that they have not received some of the evidence yet.

Vasic also noted that the hearing was closed to the public and he is not able to talk about charges and related acts that Trajkovic is unfoundedly accused of.

Office for KiM: Burned returnee house in Madjunsko; Serbian List: Attacks are a daily occurrence (KiM radio)

The returnee house of Ranko Janackovic in Novo Selo Madjunsko in the municipality of Vucitrn was set on fire yesterday, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced, reported KiM radio.

According to the Office for KiM, this is the third time Janackovic's house has been set on fire. They, as they pointed out, do not want to sell their property and were planning to return. They have been living in Priluzje since 1999.

"There is no doubt that behind this barbaric and uncivilised act is the intention of the extremists to use fire and violence to expel the Janackovics from their native land, which they do not want to alienate", the Office points out.

Representatives of the Government Office called on the international community to ensure the safety of Janackovic and other returnees.

"So that the attack on that family is not just a dash in their reports, we ask that they most seriously understand all the anguish and hardships that all Serbian returnee families are facing and that they concretely engage to ensure their survival".

The Office promised to provide assistance to the seven-member family after this incident.

Serbian list: Attacks are an everyday occurrence

The Serbian List claims that the fire was set and that the house was almost completely burnt, reported KiM radio.

"In a society that the regime in Pristina advertises as the most democratic, attacks on Serbs are an everyday occurrence and say the opposite of what Kurti and the others present to the international public", Serbian List said.

They pointed out there is a real danger that this case, like the previous one, will not receive a judicial epilogue and perpetrators will remain unknown.

And for this reason, they appeal to the international community to make maximum efforts and "put pressure on the Kosovo police to stop hiding the attackers of Serbs and their property, and to find and punish those responsible".

At the same time, they called on KFOR and EULEX to increase their presence in Serbian areas.

Protest organisers submit request for snap elections (N1)

Representatives of the Serbia Against Violence protest organisers submitted Monday to the Serbian President’s Office a request for the calling of early parliamentary and local Belgrade elections, N1 reports.

The document reads that “Serbia is facing a deep social and economic crisis. The everyday institutional, legal, verbal and physical violence is not abating, the economic and social crisis affects all layers of society, the demands of the people who have been protesting for months are ignored. We need responsible people in politics who will solve problems rather than ignore them”.

“We expect a swift reply, not stalling. We demand elections separate from the regular ones, provincial and local. We demand that they be held by the end of the year…If we do not get free elections, they will get a campaign on the streets until the end of the year”, leader of Democratic Party Zoran Lutovac said.

Serbian opposition leader: We will focus on forming large bloc for elections (BETA, N1)

Leader of the opposition People’s Movement of Serbia Miroslav Aleksic said Monday that the movement will fully focus on the formation of a large bloc for the next elections within the Serbia Against Violence group, BETA news agency reported.

Aleksic told the daily Nova that “the government has forced the opposition to fight using all available means so as to divert attention away from the fact that the institutions in the country have been destroyed and that the regime behaves as if it has privatised the state of Serbia”.

Regarding the parliament blockade, Aleksic said the opposition has an obligation not to just sit in the parliament and pretend everything is alright, but to do something that can produce results.

“We believe that the calling of early parliamentary elections, which should be held by the end of the year, is the way out of the crisis in Serbia. Until we get a deadline, a date, until the President of the Republic declares himself on the matter, we will continue our activities, both out on the streets with the Serbian citizens, and in the Parliament”, he added.

International

Athens denies Kosovo PMs statement that it’s close to recognising independence (Euractiv)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Greece is close to recognising Kosovo’s independence, taking the lead among the five EU member states that do not recognise it, but Athens told EURACTIV that nothing has changed. Greece, Slovakia, Romania, Spain, and Cyprus do not recognise Kosovo’s independence, unilaterally declared in 2008 following the 1998-1999 war with Serbia, of which it was a former province. Speaking on Polish television on Sunday, Kurti said, “We have worked hard in the diplomatic aspect so that they join the majority of the EU countries. Greece is at the forefront of these countries, which is close to recognising Kosovo’s independence. This is also shown by the status of our Office in Athens.”

Greece has a UNMIK-accredited Liaison Office in Pristina, while Athens has a Kosovo Economic and Commercial Affairs Office. In 2021, it was upgraded to an Office of Interest, and while it cannot fly the Kosovo flag outside, it can issue visas. Athens also recognises Kosovo-issued passports. But when asked by EURACTIV about Kurti’s statement, a Greek government source commented, “The Greek position has remained unchanged.” Rumours have swirled for some months that Greece could be next to recognise Kosovo. In March of this year, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited Kosovo for the sixth time, meeting with Kosovar counterpart Vjosa Osmani.

In a statement, the head of state praised Greece’s dedication and ongoing support for visa liberalisation and Euro-Atlantic integration in Kosovo. “The meeting also covered Kosovo-Greece relations, in which President Osmani showed readiness to strengthen the further bilateral relationship,” the Kosovo presidency stated in a press release at the time. But days later, during a visit to Serbia, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said that nothing would change. “There is always pressure at the diplomatic level, but this has not affected our position; we have consistency in politics,” Sakellaropoulou said after meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.