UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 17, 2023

Kurti: Serbia must recognize Kosovo; association contradicts Constitution (media)
Kurti invites the communities: Become part of the Kosovo Police (Klan)
Escobar and Lajcak to visit Kosovo and Serbia this week (RFE)
Kurti commemorates Oliver Ivanovic on 5^th anniversary of assassination (RTK)
Fajon: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should start as soon as possible (media)
Slovenia FM refuses to discuss ambassador’s alleged financial scandal (BIRN)
Gervalla: We’ll never accept an association that violates Constitution (media)
Abdixhiku: Kosovo doesn’t need agreement that doesn’t include recognition (media)
Gervalla: Derecognition from Togo happened in 2019 (media)
Kosovo seeks arrest of 18 wartime massacre suspects (BIRN)
Kosovo woman breaks prejudices by taking village leader role (BIRN)
Albanian President awards William Walker with High Title (ANA)

Kurti: Serbia must recognize Kosovo; association contradicts Constitution (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview for La Stampa that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is mutual recognition. "The normalization of relations must have mutual recognition at its core. Serbia must recognize Kosovo. I believe that the EU proposal of last September can serve as a good basis for further discussions towards this democratic goal. International pressure is required," Kurti said.

He emphasized that the Association of Municipalities with a Serb majority has failed the test of the Constitutional Court in Kosovo. Kurti added that an ethnic association contradicts the spirit of the Constitution.

"My predecessors have concluded 33 agreements in ten years, in the talks in Brussels. One of them is the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority. The only agreement that failed the test of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo. Therefore, we find ourselves in this predicament. I think that Kosovo guarantees the highest level of minority rights. Especially for the Serb minority. Our country is made up of 93% Albanians, almost 5% Serbs, the rest are Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, Turks and Gorans. We unilaterally apply the principles of our Constitution written by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari in the period before the Declaration of Independence. It is about the highest European standards. An ethnic association of municipalities contradicts the spirit of our Constitution," he stressed.

Kurti invites the communities: Become part of the Kosovo Police (Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in a video message in Serbian has invited citizens from minority communities to become part of the Kosovo Police, saying that the police is in the service of everyone.

"On this occasion, I invite all citizens of all communities living in Kosovo, Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Gorani, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, Croats and Montenegrins, to take advantage of this opportunity, apply and commit to the security of all citizens within the municipalities in the north of the Republic of Kosovo," Kurti said.

The positions remain open until January 26.

This call comes after more than 600 Serb policemen had resigned from the police following the arrest of former policeman Dejan Pantic, who is accused of attacking the offices of the Municipal Electoral Commission in North Mitrovica.

Escobar and Lajcak to visit Kosovo and Serbia this week (RFE)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, is expected to visit Kosovo on January 20, and then Serbia, to prepare the ground for the continuation of the high-level dialogue in Brussels. Radio Free Europe learns from diplomatic sources that Lajcak will be accompanied by the U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

Meanwhile, the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security, Peter Stano, told reporters that the dates of Lajcak's visits will be announced in when it is considered appropriate by the delegations and relevant offices of the European bloc in Pristina and Belgrade.

The two envoys have recently acted jointly in order to increase the likelihood of success in the dialogue. In Brussels, they have said several times that the EU-US joint engagement has proved useful in persuading the parties to reduce tensions.

On January 9, Escobar and Lajcak met with the ambassadors of the NATO countries, with whom they discussed the situation in Kosovo and the region, and presented to them the plans for the continuation of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, which is mediated by the European bloc.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels have announced that Kosovo and Serbia will soon be visited by the special envoy of France, Emmanuel Bonne, and that of Germany, Jens Plotner, but currently it is not specified whether these two diplomats will accompany Escobar and Lajcak.

However, according to sources, a broad agreement has already been reached to support the French-German proposal for a basic agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has said that this proposal is a "European proposal" and has the support of all EU states. The USA also supports this plan.

According to sources in Brussels, during the meetings that Escobar and Lajcak will have in Pristina and Belgrade, the main focus will be the proposal for a basic agreement and the organization of high-level dialogue meetings as soon as possible, in in order to reach an agreement on this proposal.

Regarding a new meeting between the leaders of the dialogue, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the diplomats in Brussels did not mention any date, but said that "we are working to make this happen as soon as possible and this depends on the will of both parties and their willingness to achieve concrete results."

The aim of the European bloc is for the Kurti-Vucic meeting to take place before the end of January.

The last time Kurti and Vucic held a round of talks was on November 21, 2022.

Meanwhile, the topic of discussions during the visit of Escobar and Lajcak is expected to be the recent tensions between Kosovo and Serbia - which kept the north of Kosovo blocked for 20 days at the end of 2022 - and the implementation of the agreements reached in the dialogue.

Kosovo is under pressure to start work on the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, which, according to the USA and the EU, is an obligation of Pristina.

Kurti commemorates Oliver Ivanovic on 5^th anniversary of assassination (RTK)

On the 5^th anniversary of the assassination of Oliver Ivanovic, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti commemorated him through a video, saying that his thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Ivanovic.

A statement issued by the Kosovo government quotes Kurti as saying that Ivanovic was a person dedicated to fighting for the interests of his community and city.

"He did this by being open, honest, always sharp on the issues that mattered, but also respectful to those with whom he disagreed. I would like his memory to remain alive, his memory as a man who worked for a stable future and for a multiethnic Kosovo," Kurti said in his commemoration.

"All those who commit a crime in Kosovo must be brought to justice and I regret that the perpetrators and those who ordered this crime have not yet been brought to justice. The commitment of all relevant institutions is needed to find and punish those responsible for his murder," Kurti said.

He said that Ivanovic’s murder affected the whole society. This crime, according to him, killed not only Oliver Ivanovic, but also the political pluralism of the Serbs.

"Kosovo will be steadfast in its commitment to be a multicultural and multi-ethnic society where people feel safe, can speak their minds and treat each other with respect, even if they disagree. In this way, we will all preserve the memory of Oliver Ivanovic," Kurti said.

Fajon: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should start as soon as possible (media)

Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, called on Kosovo and Serbia to start negotiations on the French-German proposal sponsored by the European Union for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations.

She made these comments in Pristina as part of her ongoing visit and after the meeting she held with her Kosovar counterpart, Donika Gervalla.

The Slovenian chief diplomat emphasized that they are concerned about the security risks in the Western Balkans, therefore, according to her, Slovenia offers support for the integration of Kosovo, KosovaPress writes.

“Slovenia is a friend of Kosovo, but I am not only in the name of the Foreign Minister, but I can say that I know Kosovo and we will offer Kosovo support for the integration of Kosovo in any way”, she emphasized.

The Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister, Tanja Fajon, also expressed her country’s support for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Meanwhile, she congratulated the citizens of Kosovo for the successes they have jointly achieved in terms of visa liberalization.

Slovenia FM refuses to discuss ambassador’s alleged financial scandal (BIRN)

On a visit to Kosovo, Slovenian FM Tanja Fajon refused to comment on the alleged corruption case involving the Kosovo ambassador to Croatia, Martin Berishaj.

On her visit to Kosovo, Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Tanja Fajon, refused to discuss alleged financial impropriety by the ambassador to Croatia, telling a press conference that, “the issues related to this case are dealt with by the justice system and I will not comment.”

In April 2022, it was reported that the ambassador of Kosovo, Martin Berishaj, was involved in a financial scandal after the Slovenian media outlet Planet TV reported that he had received about 600,000 euros from the Serbian branch of GEN company to his consulting company in Montenegro and then transferred the money to a Slovenian politician, Robert Golob, who is now Prime Minister.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla, after a meeting with Fajon, added that they cannot dismiss an ambassador just because of “various media speculations, without having any facts”.

“An ambassador is dismissed at the moment when there are factual reasons …[but] I do not have a single piece of information that such violations have occurred or that violations of this nature are occurring,” said Gërvalla.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3GO2o7y

Gervalla: We’ll never accept an association that violates Constitution (media)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla, said on Monday that Kosovo will not look for ways to implement an association, “which violates the Constitution of the country”.

“What will be the course of the talks in Brussels within the framework of the final agreement, what will be the concessions that Serbia will be willing to make in relation to the rights of minorities in Serbia, and many, many other topics, remains to be discussed in the framework of the dialogue”, Gervalla said in a joint conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, when he was asked about the implementation of the agreement for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

“However, the Association for which the parties have agreed in Brussels, but for which the parties have agreed to be implemented only after it has passed the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, cannot be implemented because it violates the constitution and a Government, something that he should never have done, is to take decisions that violate the laws and the constitution of the country”, Gervalla added.

Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the Association in 2013 and then in 2015 on the principles for its establishment. In 2015, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found that the agreement is not in full harmony with the Constitution.

Serbia demands that Kosovo implement the agreements reached, but the Government of Kosovo has come out declaring that it is against a mono-ethnic association.

Abdixhiku: Kosovo doesn’t need agreement that doesn’t include recognition (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku said that LDK leadership unanimously agreed that Kosovo does not need a basic agreement that does not include recognition.

"Today, we held a meeting of the Presidency of the Democratic League of Kosovo, as well as a meeting with the heads of Branches. In both meetings, with complete unanimity, the position of the LDK on the dialogue process was reconfirmed. In our assessment, of our membership, Kosovo does not need a basic agreement that does not contain recognition. Our country needs a final agreement that basically has mutual recognition between the two countries - as independent and sovereign states. Any deviation from this strategic orientation is the irreparable irresponsibility of the current government. In this process, close coordination with allies remains vital for the Euro-Atlantic future of our country," Abdixhiku said.

Gervalla: Derecognition from Togo happened in 2019 (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, said on Monday that Kosovo’s derecognition from Togo happened in 2019 and not in the mandate of the current government. “The least that should happen after this repeated propaganda and campaign against Kosovo is a united position toward the propaganda of Dacic and Vucic, and not only about ‘derecognitions’,” Gervalla argued.

Kosovo seeks arrest of 18 wartime massacre suspects (BIRN)

Kosovo’s Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu said on Monday that “for the first time, serious efforts are being made to deal with war crimes” after the Pristina authorities announced they are seeking 18 Serb suspects for arrest over the 1999 Recak/Racak massacre.

“This is the news that the public and the families of those who were killed have been waiting for years,” Kosovo Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Kosovo has asked Interpol, via the UN’s Kosovo mission UNMIK, to issue ‘red notices’ calling on states around the world to arrest the suspects.

“These suspects, if they are arrested in third countries, then extradition procedures will start and the state that arrests the suspect will decide if they will be extradited to Kosovo or to Serbia,” Amer Alija from the Humanitarian Law Centre Kosovo, an organisation that monitors judicial processes for war crimes, told BIRN.

The suspects could also be tried in absentia in Kosovo under legal changes adopted in 2019 and then further amended in 2021 to make it easier to try people who live outside the country and cannot be brought to court.