UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, June 13, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kosovo leaders thank NATO for military intervention in 1999 (media)

U.S. and UK remember 12 June 1999 (media)

Osmani: Arrest of criminal groups, necessary for non-repetition of actions (Koha)

Rama: Kurti, Vucic to decide for themselves, but region is not only theirs (media)

Palokaj: Suspension of visa liberalisation not an option (KTV)

Osmani talks with Milanovic, thanks Croatia for continued support (media)

Abazovic: I don't like Kurti's disagreement with internationals (media)

Belgium to open its embassy in Pristina (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic says talks with Serbs from Kosovo difficult, concerned over situation (RTS, Tanjug)

Brnabic: Situation in Kosovo to be main topic of House of Lords dinner (Tanjug)

Quint ambassadors did not attend ceremony organized by Osmani and Kurti (Kosovo Online, N1)

International Media:

The Pursuit of ‘Stabilocracy’ in Kosovo has Failed (BIRN)

Kosovo: Decades-long search for missing persons continues (Al Jazeera)

Voices from Prishtina Pride (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Kosovo leaders thank NATO for military intervention in 1999 (media)

Kosovo’s leaders organized a reception on the occasion of Liberation Day, where they thanked the international allies for the intervention in 1999, Koha reports. Prime Minister Albin Kurti, thanking NATO, said that history is trying to repeat itself every five decades. "Liberation came after many pains, losses, and sufferings of the people of Kosovo, after the sacrifice of Jasharaj and the KLA war, after many massacres and a genocide that was stopped by the largest military alliance of the democratic world and the history of mankind, NATO. We are an Illyrian people by roots, and free by being. We love freedom very much, we love it for others, not only for ourselves, because as American President Abraham Lincoln tells us, those who deny freedom to others do not deserve it for themselves. We try to learn history with the goal of not repeating it again. But apparently history takes us to the exam every 3-4 or 5 decades to test itself if it can be repeated", he said.

President Vjosa Osmani said that the Liberation Day is an important date in the new history of Kosovo. Osmani, at the reception organized on the occasion of Liberation Day by her, Speaker of Parliament Glauk Konjufca and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, emphasized that on June 12, 1999, Kosovo gained a right that lies at the core of its existence and that fulfilled its centuries long aspiration. "This day closes a dark chapter of our past and is proof of the indomitable will of those who fought for liberation and the endurance of those who endured the horrors of slavery," Osmani said.

Telegrafi news website reports that U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier and Quint ambassadors did not take part in the reception on Monday. The ambassadors of Switzerland and Austria, and the Commander of KFOR were seen at the reception. The main opposition parties – PDK, LDK and AAK – also did not attend. Asked if the Quint ambassadors boycotted the event, media advisor to President Osmani, Bekim Kupina, said that all Quint countries had representatives at the reception. “The reception in honor of June 12 was a joint organisation by the Office of the President, the Assembly, and the Government of Kosovo. There was no boycott. In attendance were ambassadors of several European and Asian countries, the Commander of KFOR, and some diplomatic offices were represented by their deputy ambassadors,” he said. “All Quint countries had their representatives at the ceremony. Therefore, it is not true that the state ceremony for June 12 was boycotted”.

Some news websites reported on Monday evening that “the Quint ambassadors boycotted the reception”, while others noted that “the state reception on Liberation Day was held without the presence of ambassadors of allied countries”.

U.S. and UK remember 12 June 1999 (media)

Through a post on Facebook, the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo recalled June 12, the day when NATO forces led by the American and British forces entered Kosovo. “Today, 24 years ago, many Kosovars were able to return home, thanks to NATO, which brought peace and stability to Kosovo and the region,” the embassy noted. "Today, more than ever, we must remember the importance of maintaining peace for a democratic and prosperous future of Kosovo”.

On Liberation Day, the UK Embassy in Kosovo highlighted the development of Kosovo and the partnership between the two countries over more than two decades. It said that June 12 is exciting for many of the British soldiers who were welcomed in Kosovo 24 years ago. "Today we mark the anniversary of the entry of the first British troops into Kosovo as part of KFOR on June 12, 1999. It is an emotional day for many of our colleagues in the British Army who will never forget that day and the reception they received. It is also a moment to reflect on how far Kosovo and our partnership with you have developed during the 24 years since then," the embassy said.

Osmani: Arrest of criminal groups, necessary for non-repetition of actions (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Monday with German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde. A press release issued by Osmani’s office notes that they discussed the latest developments in the north of Kosovo and the steps being taken, in coordination with international partners. Osmani is said to have expressed deep gratitude for the service and professionalism demonstrated by KFOR soldiers, as noted, in dealing with violent criminal groups in the north of the country.

"In this case, President Osmani emphasized that facing justice for the criminal groups supported by Serbia, which attacked the Kosovo Police, members of KFOR and EULEX, journalists and citizens, is necessary as a guarantee to prevent the repetition of such violent actions", the press release notes.

Osmani also highly valued the cooperation with Germany and confirmed the steadfast partnership and readiness for a close coordination in the future, as it is said, with the aim of maintaining peace, security and long-term stability in the country and the region.

Rama: Kurti, Vucic to decide for themselves, but region is not only theirs (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Monday that his draft proposal for the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority has been well received by allies and partners. He argued that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic each decide for themselves but added that the region is not only theirs.

"To those who have opposed it [the draft statute] without even knowing the content and unfortunately, both in Pristina and Belgrade, saying that they do not expect and do not want to hear about a proposal from Albania because according to them, each of the two parties should make the Association according to their own mind, I say two things: firstly, those who talk like that are still living with communism in their heads when politics was about 'who said it' and not 'what they said' and secondly, they are right that each of them decide for themselves, but this region is not only theirs, it is also ours, it also belongs to some others. Therefore, if it is more convenient for them to play wars for a quarter of a century, after the war is over, while neither side can open way to the other, no war, but no shot to cross the borders because there is America, it is NATO and our great allies are running out of patience because they are looking for final peace, I can tell them that we, not only are not at all interested in that war game, but more than that, we're totally against that game ", he said.

Rama made these comments on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the creation of the Socialist Party, where he said that the Socialists have always been on the side of Kosovo, as he emphasized, unlike the Democratic Party of Sali Berisha, which he criticized for the persecution of KLA militants.

Palokaj: Suspension of visa liberalisation not an option (KTV)

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj said in an interview with the TV station on Monday that suspending visa liberalisation is not among the measures that the international community is looking into vis-à-vis Kosovo after the situation created in the north. He argued that for visa liberalisation to be suspended there need to be reasons related to security and migration and not political reasons. “If tensions continue then in addition to being a political disappointment it could constitute a threat to security too and this could be used as an argument in the future, but for the time being, visa liberalisation is not among the measures that are being considered,” he said.

Palokaj also said that there will be no new meetings between Kosovo and Serbia, until Kosovo announces new elections in the four northern municipalities. “We are in a situation where the international community will not agree with half steps; they expect concrete steps for the requests they have made … They now say that although the implementation of the agreement and the dialogue are important, a priority is to lower tensions in the north. The European Union has returned to where it was before the agreement, in a situation where it is managing the crisis and not working on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” he argued.

Osmani talks with Milanovic, thanks Croatia for continued support (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Twitter post on Monday that she had a telephone conversation with her Croatian counterpart, Zoran Milanovic. “Updated him on ongoing developments in Kosovo and thanked Croatia for its continued support as a significant contributor to regional stability, and for their strong support for Kosovo on the international stage,” Osmani tweeted.

Abazovic: I don't like Kurti's disagreement with internationals (media)

Montenegro Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said on Monday that he does not like the disagreements between the Kurti-led government in Kosovo and internationals, but that he is certain that the government would very soon level the communications and a common solution will be found. "This is the issue in the Balkans, we are not a superpower, we are very small states, we are microstates. It is true that Kosovo is bigger than Montenegro, but we cannot cancel either the influence or the friendship with the main allies that we have, first of all, here we are talking about the United States of America and the European Union, therefore some kind of communication should be found. This is not a criticism of the government, but I am saying it after some messages that have arrived which may not sound so nice, I am convinced that in the future there will be a leveling of those messages and support from these countries,” he argued.

Abazovic also talked about Serbia's approach to the situation in the north. "It was complicated by the political situation in Serbia, as I think what has happened in the north has unfortunately suited the government of Serbia, because they want to take the focus off some problems that they have within their own country and I think that in this case the north of Kosovo is also used for political maneuvers,” he said.

Belgium to open its embassy in Pristina (media)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Hadja Lahbib, met with the Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla, on Monday, and informed her that they will open an embassy in Pristina. "In our meeting, I informed my Kosovar counterpart, Donika Gervalla, about our decision to open an embassy in Pristina. We also discussed the recent violence in the north of Kosovo. All parties must take measures to reduce tensions", Lahbib said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic says talks with Serbs from Kosovo difficult, concerned over situation (RTS, Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he is very much concerned over the situation in Kosovo, adding that Serbia was always ready for compromise, RTS reports. He extended the request that, as he said, fake mayors be removed from municipal buildings in the north.

Vucic also termed the talks with the Serbs from Kosovo as difficult, same as the talks he had with European and US representatives.

“Let them (mayors) resign, we are ready for compromise, but the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities must start, we have to talk, the talks are the only cure, but I am asking you that finally someone undertakes something and someone does it”, Vucic said.

He also said that the Serbian Army from the highest combat readiness moved to a slightly milder readiness state, but that Serbia has a significant and sufficient part of forces to always help the Serbian population in Kosovo.

Vucic underlined that the Statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities can only be drafted by the Serbian Management Team, as it was agreed in Brussels. He added he was not interested in the proposal of the statute that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama sent earlier and that he had not seen it.

Brnabic: Situation in Kosovo to be main topic of House of Lords dinner (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said Monday she believed the current situation in Kosovo would be the main topic of a dinner she would attend in the UK's House of Lords in the evening, Tanjug news agency reports.

"I believe the situation in Kosovo will be the main topic during a dinner in the House of Lords this evening. The UK special Western Balkans envoy, Lord Stuart Peach, has picked collectors from the House of Lords, so we will have a completely open working dinner without media presence and, in that sense, we will be able to be open and honest to each other", Brnabic said.

"This is a situation of extreme instability, violations of all rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, storming of municipal buildings in the north of the province, and I hope we will be able to count on better understanding and communication between the UK and Serbia after the working dinner this evening as well as after tomorrow's meetings", she said.

Quint ambassadors did not attend ceremony organized by Osmani and Kurti (Kosovo Online, N1)

Quint ambassadors in Kosovo did not take part in a ceremony ‘liberation day’ organized by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and PM Albin Kurti, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The portal said that only ambassadors of Switzerland and Saudi Arabia attended the event. Leaders of the opposition parties were not present either.

Belgrade-based N1 reported on the event under the headline that “Quint ambassadors snub Kosovo liberation day ceremony”.

As N1 reported Pristina authorities fell out of favor with the Quint countries and their allies following unrest in the north of Kosovo which broke out over the government’s decision to bring in newly-elected ethnic Albanian mayors of majority-Serb municipalities using force. The mayors were elected in a vote that Serbs in Kosovo boycotted.

International Media

The Pursuit of ‘Stabilocracy’ in Kosovo has Failed (BIRN)

Kosovo’s foreign ‘influencers’ have clearly decided that the best way to ‘stabilize’ the region is to appease Serbia.

If you look at the developments of the last few months in the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo, it is clear that forced paper solutions hardly bring real progress.

Initially, the most recent agreement between the two states was hailed as a “milestone” – until unrest soon broke out again in northern Kosovo. Both countries probably had little faith in the highly praised agreement.