• Osmani discusses dialogue with Serbia with Atlantic Council delegation (media) 
• Vela: SL, Belgrade won’t have right of veto to obstruct elections in north (Telegrafi) 
• Abazovic: I support Kurti-Vucic agreement, good basis for normalisation (Nacionale) 
• Haxhiu reacts to court’s decision to free Pajazitaj from charges (Kallxo)
• Party of Kosovo Serbs take part in elections, remain without wages (Albanian Post) 
• Vucic: Kurt will lead Mitrovica North after April 24 (Radio Free Europe) 
• Vucic to host Kosovo Serb representatives in Belgrade today (media) 
• Kosovo capital to equip gastronomy sector with noise measurement tools (BIRN) 
• The invisible burden on women journalists (Kosovo 2.0) 

 

Osmani discusses dialogue with Serbia with Atlantic Council delegation (media) 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted a delegation from the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council led by Senior Director Jorn Fleck on Thursday. The meeting focused on the latest developments in Kosovo and the region, future steps for Kosovo’s integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions, dialogue with Serbia, and possibilities of furthering the cooperation with the Atlantic Council.

Osmani said that Kosovo remains committed to sustainable peace in the region and beyond, and that Kosovo’s full integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions along with other democratic countries in the region is crucial to achieve this objective. She also talked about Kosovo’s constructive role and proactive approach in the dialogue with Serbia, and continued coordination between Kosovo and its international allies and partners.

Vela: SL, Belgrade won’t have right of veto to obstruct elections in north (Telegrafi) 

Chief of Staff to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Blerim Vela, said in an interview with the news website on Thursday that Kosovo’s authorities have been challenged by illegal structures and former police officers in the north, but according to him the latter have already lost the battle. “The Serbian List and Belgrade will not have the right of veto to obstruct elections in the north. They have caused this problem with their resignations. Elections will be held by Kosovo’s institutions and according to Kosovo laws,” he said.

Vela also said that “for elections we have also a plan B, but the citizens will be informed in due time. We will certainly make sure that the lives of Central Election Commission officers and the citizens of Kosovo are not put at risk”.

Abazovic: I support Kurti-Vucic agreement, good basis for normalisation (Nacionale) 

Montenegro Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, said in an interview for the news website on Thursday that Montenegro supports the Ohrid agreement between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Asked about the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, Abazovic said he supports the agreement and that it provides a good basis for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Abazovic also said that Kosovo and Serbia finding a common language would also be in the interest of Montenegro. “It is in the interest of Montenegro too to have a normalisation of issues in the Western Balkans. We are in favor of the two parties finding a common language and in agreement with the international community,” he said.

Asked about his relations with Prime Minister Kurti, Abazovic said they have good relations and that they could soon meet. “I believe very soon we will organise a visit, either the Prime Minister of Kosovo to come to Montenegro, or we can go to Pristina. He is always welcome,” he said.

Haxhiu reacts to court’s decision to free Pajazitaj from charges (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said on Thursday that the Supreme Court’s decision to free Naser Pajazitaj from charges of killing Donjeta Pajazitaj, is unacceptable. In her address at the Kosovo Assembly, Haxhiu said that this is one of the reasons why the government’s reforms in the judiciary are necessary. “I am commenting on the decisions of the Supreme Court because for me, it is unacceptable for a person who is sentenced to life in prison, is so easily freed from charges. This is why the reforms launched by the Ministry of Justice and the Government of Kosovo are important,” she argued.

Party of Kosovo Serbs take part in elections, remain without wages (Albanian Post) 

The Party of Kosovo Serbs, which will take part in the local elections in the north of Kosovo on April 23, said in a statement on Thursday that some of its numbers, who left Kosovo’s institutions in November last year, have not received their last wages that are paid from Serbia’s budget.

“Following an invitation from our country, Serbia, in November 2022, we all resigned our jobs and we transferred from the Kosovo system to the Serbia system. Namely, Serbia started paying our wages. All our colleagues received their wages, except us,” the statement notes.

For this, the PSK accused the Serbian List, the former mayor of Leposavic, and the head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic.

PSK representatives also said that they are forced to address Kosovo authorities and ask to be returned to the jobs they had until November 2022.

Vucic: Kurti will lead Mitrovica North after April 24 (Radio Free Europe) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that Serbs will not take part in the upcoming local elections in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, and that the governance formed after the process will have no legitimacy.

Asked what the situation will be for Serbs in the north of Kosovo, after the April 23 elections, Vucic told the Radio Television of Serbia, that “it will be bad, as in occupation” because “the governance will be formed by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti”.

“Kurti will lead Mitrovica North after April 24, and you can think about those authorities and democracy and legitimacy, with 2 percent of Albanians living there … Our people are concerned. What can they do? What can I do? Should I send tanks? I cannot defeat NATO and I don’t want us to die. I want things to be resolved in peace and to move toward normalisation,” Vucic said.

Vucic to host Kosovo Serb representatives in Belgrade today (media) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will host a meeting in Belgrade with the political representatives of Kosovo Serbs on Friday. The meeting is scheduled to start at 13:00 and a press release will be issued after the meeting. Gazeta Metro notes that the reason of the meeting is not known yet. The news website also notes that the main topic for Kosovo Serb representatives lately has been the extraordinary elections in the northern municipalities. The main party of Kosovo Serbs – the Serbian List – has said it will boycott the elections if their condition to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is not met.

Kosovo capital to equip gastronomy sector with noise measurement tools (BIRN) 

The Municipality of Prishtina has approved a regulation determining the working hours and acceptable noise levels of eating and drinking establishments, to prevent annoyance to citizens nearby.

After numerous complaints from citizens about the noise from cafes and bars, at the end of 2022 the Municipality of Prishtina approved a regulation to determine their working hours and acceptable noise levels.

From March 2023, the municipality has opened a call for such businesses to apply to be equipped with tools for noise measurement, a process expected to last until the end of April – with the possibility of an extension.

The regulation includes businesses such as cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs, while the schedule is determined based on whether they are in an urban, residential or rural area.

Working hours in cafes and restaurants, according to this regulation, must operate within a time frame of 7 am to midnight.

The working hours for these businesses will be determined with summer and winter periods. The summer period starts from April 1 to September 30, while the winter period runs from October 1 to March 31.

By special order, the Mayor may allow an extension of the schedule for two additional hours during the periods July 15-August 15 and December 20-January 10.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3MtCISd

The invisible burden on women journalists (Kosovo 2.0) 

The majority of journalists reporting from the field on most Kosovar television networks are women. They even report in dangerous situations, such as during the recent tensions in the north of Kosovo. They do it all: protests, parties, vox-pop and more. More noteworthy is that over the years there has been a marked increase in the number of women journalists covering politics, a field that has traditionally been dominated by men.

Despite the predominance of women journalists in the field and in politics, after the evening news when political talk shows infiltrate our homes, women start to disappear from the screen. We see instead panels of men. This perpetuates the idea that women’s voices and expertise are less valuable and that women are not valued contributors to social or political dialogue.

This gender imbalance and the reinforcing of harmful gender stereotypes is evident in the output of media outlets. This deprives us of different perspectives. Women, in particular, are far less likely than men to be featured as subjects in newscasts, perpetuating a distorted and biased view of society.

The discrepancy between the visibility of women journalists in fieldwork and in panel discussions and other media content was also highlighted in research published last month, which I led. The survey for this report included 265 women — journalists, photojournalists, moderators, editors, editors-in-chief, directors, lecturers and video editors — employed in all types of media organizations.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3KdXS3X