UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 16, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Konjufca: We don’t fear Vucic’s threats (media)
Kurti: We never had greater support from the people than now (Kallxo)
Konjufca: Democracy is maintained through civic engagement (Indeksonline)
Haxhiu: Internationals must pressure Serbia to hand over criminals (EO)
Kurti and Rasic meet with Canak and Bojovic in Pristina (media)
Kandic: Closing of Serbia’s institutions in Kosovo, not a ‘terror by Kurti’ (media)
Luhrmann to arrive in Kosovo today, will meet Osmani (media)
Stradner: Another Vucic’s nonsense as he seeks attention from West (media)
Georgiev: Let’s accept the truth, Serbia has recognized Kosovo (media)
Kosovo welcomes Ukrainian journalist Kostyantyn Grygorenko (media)

Serbian Language Media:

The EU welcomes Belgrade's request for the return of Serbs to Kosovo's institutions (RFE)
Serbian Foreign Ministry: Pristina’s political structures violate Serbs’ human rights (FoNet, N1)
Son of arrested Panitc: Only fault of my father was that he did not want to sell his apartment and property (Kosovo Online)
Vucic approves initiative to reintroduce mandatory military service in Serbia (Tanjug, N1)
Aleksic on mandatory military service (N1)
Miletic from Zvecan issued financial fine and suspended sentence over last year’s May 29 events (Kosovo Online, media)

Opinion:

What does the US election mean for Kosovo? (Kosovo 2.0)
From whistle to Kalashnikov, from actor to masked criminal: Arsenijević as a protagonist of disinformation (Alternativna.com)

International:

From behind a curtain, Kosovo teen films military turmoil (BIRN)
Vucic maneuver to stay with and against the West by destabilizing Kosovo (media)
Worst floods in decades claim lives in Central, Southeast Europe (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Konjufca: We don’t fear Vucic’s threats (media)

Most news websites quote Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca as saying that Serbian President Aleksandar “Vucic is trying to save what he no longer has, and he is threatening Kosovo through press conferences. We don’t even care about these threats. We don’t fear them, and we are not concerned because in that part [in the north of Kosovo] are Kosovo’s institutions”.

According to Konjufca, if the previous political class was in power now, the north of Kosovo would end up in negotiations, “but this has not been our option; our option is constitutionality”.

Commenting on the indictment against 45 people about the attack in Banjska in September last year, Konjufca said that in political terms it is an indictment that has hit the target. “The objective of the terrorist group was to annex one part of Kosovo. Some people made jokes about this claim, but it was not a joke and it was true. Second, the terrorist group had the backing of Serbia, and fourth there was an attempt to destroy Kosovo’s constitutional order and national security. There was also the aspect of major financial criminality at stake,” he argued.

Kurti: We never had greater support from the people than now (Kallxo)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in his address to the General Assembly of Women for Vetevendosje, claimed that this party has never had greater support from the people than now. He said that Vetevendosje’s results in the February 2021 general elections must be repeated and surpassed. “Now to move on the elections ahead of us [February 2025]. We never had more time to prepare for elections than now. We never had greater support from the people than now. Therefore, the results we achieved in February 2021, should be repeated and surpassed,” he said.

Kurti also talked about gender equality saying that “when it comes to the Assembly and the Government, we can freely be proud of the progress that Kosovo has achieved”. “Nevertheless, it is not enough to call for more women in parliament or in government, if we don’t insist at the same time for more policies that support women,” he said.

Konjufca: Democracy is maintained through civic engagement (Indeksonline)

With Kosovo Assembly’s marking the International Day of Democracy, Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca said this day is important to highlight the ideals of freedom, equality and justice, to build inclusive society, and react to increased attacks and tendencies that are aimed at undermining and challenging democracy. He also said that it is important to acknowledge the democratic progress Kosovo has achieved so far by standing alongside the democratic world in safeguarding the ideals of democracy especially at a time of major global challenges. “Democracy is maintained through civic engagement, because it reflects our shared values and aspirations. It is everyone’s duty and obligation to be active participants in decision-making and to advocate continuously for positive changes,” he added.

Haxhiu: Internationals must pressure Serbia to hand over criminals (EO)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said in an interview with the news website that after the indictment was filed about the attack in Banjska in September last year, it is very important for the international community to pressure Serbia into handing over the people accused of the attack. “What I find important is for Serbia to hand over the chief terrorist [Milan] Radoicic and also other terrorists that carried out the terrorist attack in Banjska. And for our international partners to put pressure on this, and not ask Kosovo to give evidence to Serbia, because the only authority that has the competency to investigate and try this case is the Republic of Kosovo,” she said.

Haxhiu also said that Serbia should have been sanctioned for the attack in Banjska. “While we were in negotiations, Serbia carried out the terrorist attack in Banjska and Serbia cannot hide the fact that it was behind the attack … Our international partners should have imposed measures and sanctions against Serbia, and not on Kosovo who is constantly making efforts to wield sovereignty and not allow its integrity to be violated. Unfortunately, measures were imposed against Kosovo and not against a country like Serbia that carried out the terrorist attack,” she said.

Kurti and Rasic meet with Canak and Bojovic in Pristina (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, accompanied by Returns and Communities Minister Nenad Rasic, met this morning in Pristina with the co-founder and former leader of the Social Democrats of Vojvodina, Nenad Canak, and the Metropolitan of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Boris Bojovic. Mark Baskin, professor and senior advisor to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, also attended the meeting.

Kurti talked about relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the situation in Ukraine, saying that “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has clearly revealed the threats that authoritarian regimes pose to neighboring countries”. “He [Kurti] highlighted the importance that the democratization of societies, party pluralism, rule of law, promotion and protection of human rights and regional cooperation have in confronting these threats, alongside the continuous support for Ukraine in its liberation war – which Kosovo is strongly supporting with all its capacities,” Kurti was quoted as saying in a press release.

Kandic: Closing of Serbia’s institutions in Kosovo, not a ‘terror by Kurti’ (media)

Natasa Kandic, human rights activist and founder of the Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Centre, said in a post on X that the closing of Serbian-run institutions in the north of Kosovo is not a “terror” by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, but rather a result of the agreement within the EU-facilitated for the dissolution of such institutions. “Serbia and Kosovo are legally obliged to implement the agreements signed since 2013. The closing of institutions financed by Serbia outside Kosovo’s legal system is not a ‘terror by Kurti’,” Kandic said. She also argued that “without Kosovo’s institutions, there can be no protection for Serbs”.

Luhrmann to arrive in Kosovo today, will meet Osmani (media)

Most media report that German Minister for Europe, Anna Luhrmann, will stay in Kosovo today and is scheduled to meet Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.

Stradner: Another Vucic’s nonsense as he seeks attention from West (media)

Ivana Stradner, research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, commented on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s decision to reinstate compulsory military service, calling it “nonsense as he seeks attention from the West”. Stradner also said that “it is funny to read comments online - Serbs are making hilarious jokes about how they will disobey this order. Meanwhile, nationalistic pro-Vucic people send their kids to study in the West and international schools in Serbia”.

Georgiev: Let’s accept the truth, Serbia has recognized Kosovo (media)

Several news websites cover an interview that Serbian journalist Slobodan Georgiev gave to Danas highlighting his remarks that when it comes to Kosovo, Serbs need to face the truth and that is that the agreement has been reached to a large extent and that Serbia has in fact recognized Kosovo’s independence. He argued that the agreement on Kosovo was reached in Ohrid last year and that it is not clear to him why EU and U.S. representatives say that more work is needed. “The agreement has been reached and as we can see it is being implemented. Kosovo has full administration over the territory of the north and that is it,” he said.

Kosovo welcomes Ukrainian journalist Kostyantyn Grygorenko (media)

Several media cover a press release by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo which notes that Ukrainian journalist Kostyantyn Grygorenko and his wife Svitlana Grygorenko have joined the "Journalists in Residence—Kosovo" program. Mr. Grygorenko was welcomed at the airport in Pristina on Sunday evening by the Executive Director of AJK, Getoarbë Mulliqi, Adem Sylejmani, Field Coordinator, Leonita Morina, Project Assistant, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bernardeta Palucaj Lekaj and Kushtrim Nreci, and Kosovo Police officials. AJK has been implementing this program since April 2022, enabling Ukrainian journalists who fled the fighting to continue working as journalists in our country. The Journalists in Residence Kosovo program by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo is implemented within the Voices of Ukraine support program framework. The program, led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, is part of the Hannah-Arendt Initiative and is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Government of Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

The EU welcomes Belgrade's request for the return of Serbs to Kosovo's institutions (RFE)

The spokesperson of the European Union (EU) Peter Stano welcomed the parts of the address of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, that refer to the return of Kosovo Serbs to the institutions of Kosovo, reported Radio Free Europe.

"We welcome the willingness expressed by President Vucic to continue participating in the dialogue led by the EU. We positively see the call for the participation of Kosovo Serbs in the elections in Kosovo and the reintegration of Kosovo Serbs into all Kosovo institutions that they left in 2022," Stano said in a written response.

He reminded that the EU consistently called on Belgrade to encourage and Pristina to facilitate the reintegration of Kosovo Serbs.

In his address on September 13, Vucic requested the calling of local elections in the north of Kosovo, the return of Serbs to the police and judiciary, and the withdrawal of special police forces from the north of Kosovo.

The fulfillment of that request is, according to Serbia's position, a prerequisite for progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with the mediation of Brussels.

'Incendiary rhetoric endangers security'

Stano said that inflammatory rhetoric and unilateral actions are contrary to dialogue.

"They threaten the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the safety of citizens," Stano said.

He repeated the EU's call to de-escalate the situation and to full and immediate implementation of the agreement. He called on both sides to confirm constructive engagement in the normalization process.

"The dialogue agreements foresee the steps and procedures for this to happen, especially in accordance with the Kosovo legal framework. In this context, the implementation of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority is very important," announced Stano.

On this occasion, he confirmed the EU's intention to hold a round of dialogue at the level of the main negotiators on Tuesday, September 17, but for now it remains uncertain whether there will be a joint meeting.

According to RFE, negotiators Petar Petkovic from Belgrade and Besnik Bislimi from Pristina confirmed their arrival in Brussels on Tuesday, while there is an unofficial confirmation that they will talk separately with the EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

RFE's sources from Brussels state that both sides tried to dictate the agenda of the trilateral meeting, that they did not agree to what the other side asked for, and that they ignored the original European agenda proposal for the talks.

Serbian Foreign Ministry: Pristina’s political structures violate Serbs’ human rights (FoNet, N1)

The Serbian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on Sunday saying that the political structures in Pristina are systematically violating the basic human rights of Kosovo Serbs and thus undermining the fundamental values of modern Europe in Kosovo right before the eyes of those who should be defending these values, reported N1.

It said that the struggle for the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo was also a defense of regional stability and European values, which should be an integral part of life for all Europeans.

The ministry stressed that the Serb people fought on the right side of history in both World Wars, suffering enormous and irreplaceable losses while battling against imperialism and evil ideologies. Their sacrifices are foundational to the Europe we know today, and we expect that the values for which our compatriots died should also be guaranteed to Serbs in Kosovo, said the Ministry.

Son of arrested Panitc: Only fault of my father was that he did not want to sell his apartment and property (Kosovo Online)

Tomislav Pantic (84) from Istok, arrested by Kosovo police under suspicion of allegedly committing war crimes against civilian population during the conflict in Kosovo was sent to one-month detention and transferred from detention unit in Pristina to prison near Podujevo, his son Aleksandar Pantic told Kosovo Online. Pantic’s defense lawyer Vasilije Arsic told the media earlier his client is accused of “cattle theft” in the village of Crnce, near Istok.

Aleksadnar told the portal the only ‘fault’ of his father was that he did not want to sell his apartment and land, and because he was a director of Dubrava, an agricultural cooperative in Istok. He also said his father was of poor health and has three stents implanted. “The last information I have is that he is in difficult condition and since Friday he has not gotten up from the bed in prison”, he said, adding that his father was never a member of police or military forces.

"We lived in Istok, where we had an apartment, and in the village of Crnce, where my father and grandfather were born, we have fifteen hectares of land, while our house was demolished. Even after the displacement, my father and I often visited the apartment and the property. I recently cleared one plot of rubbish and waste with the intention of building a small house so that we would have a place to stay when we tour the property", he explained. He pointed out that he and his father often came to Kosovo to visit the property, because they had no reason to fear the Kosovo police since, as he said, they were "clear before God and the people".

He added the only true thing is that his father was at the helm of the agricultural cooperative at the beginning of the conflict in Kosovo, when all cattle released in the fields were collected and brought in to feed them and to avoid the spread of infections. Aleksandar added they went to Kosovo last week upon receiving a call from a Istok municipal official that their records in the property documents were wrongly inserted and they needed to correct it, voicing suspicion the arrest of his father was planned.

Vucic approves initiative to reintroduce mandatory military service in Serbia (Tanjug, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he approved reintroduction of mandatory military service, which was abolished in the country in 2011. If the Government adopts this decision, military service will last 75 days.

“I want to believe that the Government of Serbia will adopt that decision. I want to believe that you all understand how much we need a strong army, how much more we will have to buy weapons, to create them. It is not our desire to attack anyone. Nor will we do that. But our desire is to deter all those who are threatening us every day“, Vucic said at the ceremony for the promotion of 177 cadets of the Military Academy and the Medical Academy to the first officer ranks.

Vucic recently stated Serbia was considering the introduction of military service lasting 60 plus 15 days, which would be mandatory for men, while women would still serve on a voluntary basis.

Aleksic on mandatory military service (N1)

MP and leader of the opposition People's Movement of Serbia (NPS) Miroslav Aleksic described the government’s recent announcement on reintroducing mandatory military service as “propaganda and marketing”, N1 reported.

“I completed military service in barracks, I know what that is, the training lasted six months. I fail to see how anyone can be trained, in 75 days, to operate sophisticated military equipment that they’re telling us about on a daily basis”, he told Glas Sumadije.

“The real question isn’t about military service itself, but whether we’re preparing for war. If so, with whom and why?” he asked. He said he believes the other essential question is the outflow of professional soldiers. “If we started the process of professionalizing the military, why have we come to a situation where professional soldiers are leaving the army? It seems to me that they were guided by the logic that Serbians love the army and that it’s good for young people. Maybe it is, but in terms of security, it won’t make it stronger compared to the current moment”, he said. He added that his party will consult with experts and take an official stance on this matter.

Miletic from Zvecan issued financial fine and suspended sentence over last year’s May 29 events (Kosovo Online, media)

Slobodan Miletic from Zvecan pleaded guilty today on the accounts of two criminal acts he is accused of in relation to the events occurring in Zvecan on May 29, last year. According to the verdict, Miletic was sentenced to a suspended sentence of two years and financial fine in the amount of 9.500 euros, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Detention measure to Miletic will be revoked upon payment of the financial fine. He was arrested on May 10, this year, at Jarinje crossing point and remains in detention ever since.

He pleaded guilty on accounts of two acts “endangering official persons” for which he was sentenced to two years suspended sentence and for “participating in a group carrying out criminal act of hooliganism” for which he was sentenced to six months in prison commuted to financial fine in the amount of 9.500 euros.

Miletic was initially accused of four criminal acts, and two were dismissed from the indictment, including “anti-constitutional acts” and “endangering persons under international protection”.

Opinion

What does the US election mean for Kosovo? (Kosovo 2.0)

Opinion piece by Nicholas Kulawiak, editor at Kosovo 2.0.

A view of Harris and Trump from Prishtina.

Since NATO’s intervention in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, the U.S. has been an important player in Kosovo’s politics and society, for better and for worse. But for many years, who the U.S. president was and which party they belonged to did not matter much for Kosovo. Under Bill Clinton, a Democrat, the U.S. led NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign in Kosovo to halt Serb forces’ killing and ethnic cleansing campaign of Albanians. Subsequently, George W. Bush, a Republican, pushed for Kosovo’s independence during his presidency, which spanned 2001 to 2009.

Barack Obama’s victory in 2008 — to which a promise to withdraw U.S. troops from an increasingly disastrous war in Iraq was key — brought important changes to U.S. foreign policy. Obama argued that “the tide of war is receding, and America is looking ahead to the future that we must build,” a future, he believed, that lay across the Pacific rather than Atlantic. This meant a deprioritization of the Middle East and especially Europe. Articulating an integrated diplomatic, military and economic strategy aimed at checking China’s rise while still cooperating with it in areas of mutual interest, commonly referred to as the “pivot to Asia,” became one of Obama’s main foreign policy objectives.

This emphasis on Asia came on the heels of Kosovo’s independence, and in 2012, Obama celebrated the International Steering Group’s decision to end its supervision of Kosovo’s independence, stating that Kosovo now assumed “full responsibility” for ensuring that the rights and values expressed in its declaration of independence would be accessible for all citizens. This came soon after the beginning of the European Union (EU)-mediated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in March 2011, a process that the U.S. has supported while emphasizing that it is not a direct party to.