Albanian Language Media

•    Kurti on the 19th anniversary of LVV: I thank the people who support us so much (RTK)
•    Osmani: Freedom will have no meaning without justice for 1133 children killed during war (Klan)
•    EP Vice-President: I hope we will soon welcome Kosovo into big EU family (Express)
•    NATO: Our work remains ensuring peace and freedom of movement for all without distinction (Reporteri)
•    Ulutash: KFOR role remains essential, I will spare no effort (Reporteri)
•    UK Chief of Defense Staff: Our troops continue to support Kosovo's sovereignty (Reporteri)
•    Hovenier: NATO's entry into Kosovo ended the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Milosevic regime (Reporteri)
•    Lajcak talks with O'Brien about developments in Western Balkans (Koha)
•    Maqedonci in Brussels  to sign agreement on demining (media)
•    Serbian delegation leaves meeting in Sarajevo after "Kosovo's membership in CoE" mentioned (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

•    Vucic: Foreigners take only what they like from UNSCR 1244 (Tanjug, Dnevni avaz, media)
•    Pristina must be put under pressure to continue dialogue, Vucevic tells UK ambassador (Tanjug)
•    Petkovic: The decision to ban the import of Serbian goods into Kosovo threatens basic European values (Kosovo Online, TV Most)
•    Djuric: Serbia unequivocally supports Dayton Agreement; Vranjes: I did not bring or hand Sarajevo's protest note to Serbia (Tanjug)
•    Vladimir Orlic appointed director of Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (N1, media)

International:

•    ‘Administrative Silence’: FOI Requests Go Unanswered in Balkans, BIRN Report Says (Balkan Insight)

                                                           Albanian Language Media

Kurti on the 19th anniversary of LVV: I thank the people who support us so much (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the 19th anniversary of the establishment of the Vetevendosje Movement, through a post on his official page on Facebook, has said that the 19th anniversary of the Vetevendosje Movement is the largest entity in the Republic of Kosovo. "Today, our Movement turns 19 years since it was founded. 19 years of movement, 19 years of walking, 19 years of effort and commitment to leave deep traces in the political history of our country", wrote Kurti.

He further wrote that this walk was neither short nor easy, but deep convictions, right positions, a clear vision and with the people by its side have made, according to him, movement, progress, growth be the result. "The 19th anniversary finds the LVV as the largest entity in the Republic of Kosovo that also governs the country in accordance with our social democratic orientation", wrote Kurti, who on the occasion of this anniversary thanked the people who support him a lot.

"On this 19th anniversary, like every other anniversary, I thank the 60,500 members and activists of the Movement who do not stop working every day all over our country. Congratulations!" said the Prime Minister.

Osmani: Freedom will have no meaning without justice for 1133 children killed during war (Klan)

On the 25th anniversary of the liberation, Kosovo president, Vjosa Osmani, together with her counterpart from Albania, Bajram Begaj, paid tribute to the memorial plaque for the children killed during the war.

On her Facebook account, Osmani wrote that freedom will not have meaning without justice for the 1133 children killed during the last war in Kosovo, whose lives were cut off before they started well! "On Liberation Day, together with President Begaj, we honoured their memory", she wrote, among other things, in the post.

EP Vice-President: I hope we will soon welcome Kosovo into big EU family (Express)

The vice-president of the European Parliament, the Italian politician Pina Picierno, while mentioning the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kosovo, said that she expects that soon Kosovo will become part of the big family of the European Union. "Kosovo today celebrates its twenty-fifth year of liberation, which coincides with the anniversary of the end of the armed conflict after the withdrawal of Slobodan Milosevic's Serbian forces and the arrival of KFOR, as a NATO peacekeeping force," wrote the European MP on the X platform.

Picierno,  mentioned the need for Kosovo to join the EU. "I hope that soon I can welcome Kosovo to the big family of the European Union", wrote MP Picierno.

NATO: Our work remains ensuring peace and freedom of movement for all without distinction(Reporteri)

NATO has marked with a post on its official website, its intervention and achievements within these two and a half decades in Kosovo. "Today marks the 25th anniversary of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Our mission remains focused on maintaining a safe environment and guaranteeing freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo, impartially and in accordance with the UN mandate," the announcement states.

The entry of international troops made possible the return of over 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons within the territory of Kosovo to their homes, who had been forced to leave their homes during the conflict and had taken refuge in emergency camps in Albania and North Macedonia.

Ulutash: KFOR role remains essential, I will spare no effort (Reporteri)

KFOR has marked a quarter of a century of commitment and dedication to sustainable security throughout Kosovo and regional stability. The commander of KFOR, Ozkan Ulutash, in the ceremony held at the "Film City" camp, said that KFOR's mission represents the most tangible, long-term and unwavering commitment to Kosovo's security and regional stability.

"Let me honour their service and sacrifice and honour those who lost their lives serving this mission. Without the commitment of hundreds of thousands of men and women who have served under KFOR over the past 25 years, NATO would not be able to play such an important role in Kosovo and the Western Balkans. The role of KFOR remains essential. I am honoured to continue to share this journey with you and will spare no effort, along with thousands of men and women in uniform, from NATO allies and partners, whom I am proud to command." stressed Ulutash.

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, representatives of the EU, EULEX, OSCE, UNMIK, numerous ambassadors of countries contributing to KFOR troops, as well as religious leaders participated in the ceremony.

UK Chief of Defense Staff: Our troops continue to support Kosovo's sovereignty (Reporteri)

The UK Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, said that British soldiers served and are continuing to serve in support of Kosovo's sovereignty. "Today we marked the service and sacrifice of members of our Armed Forces who served in the British and NATO operations in Kosovo, as well as our troops who continue to support the sovereignty of Kosovo even today through NATO's KFOR mission. Thank you," British Admiral Sir Tony Radakin wrote on X.

Hovenier: NATO's entry into Kosovo ended the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Milosevic regime (Reporteri)

The Ambassador of the United States of America, Jeffrey Hovenier, was present at the marking of the 25th anniversary of the entry of NATO forces into Kosovo. 
"Today I joined Kosovar officials and honoured guests to mark the 25th anniversary of the entry of NATO forces into Kosovo, ending the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Milosevic regime," the U.S.embassy quoted Hovenier.

"The United States is proud of the important role it played, together with allies, to stop these horrors and to support all the people of Kosovo to realise their future as a sovereign, independent, multi-ethnic and democratic state", concludes Hovenier's quote from the American Embassy in Pristina.

Lajcak talks with O'Brien about developments in Western Balkans (Koha)

The Special Envoy of the European Union for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, met on Wednesday with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O'Brien. Lajcak announced that during this meeting they discussed the developments in the Western Balkans. “Always a pleasure to welcome Jim O'Brien to Brussels. We talked about the developments in the Western Balkans and our expectations for the next period", he wrote on the "X" platform. 
Maqedonci in Brussels  to sign agreement on demining (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Macedonci, has travelled to Brussels where he will sign the agreement which made Kosovo part of the coalition of demining, which functions within the Contact Group for Defense of Ukraine.

"In addition to training in the field of demining, KSF is supporting with its instructors the combat tactical training program for Ukrainian recruits within the framework of the multinational Operation Interflex in the United Kingdom. Also, Kosovo has so far sent two military support packages to Ukraine. 25 years ago today, NATO entered Kosovo, and now every day that passes, Kosovo is closer to joining NATO! For safety and for peace, for the republic!", Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.

Serbian delegation leaves meeting in Sarajevo after "Kosovo's membership in CoE" mentioned (Koha)

During the first day of the annual meeting of the representatives of the defence and security committees of the parliaments of Southeast Europe, in Sarajevo, the Serbian delegation and the vice-chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radovan Kovacevic, interrupted the speeches of representatives of Kosovo and left the conference.

This was announced by the member of the Kosovo delegation, Arber Rexhaj, through his Facebook account, on June 12. Rexhaj wrote that the Kosovo delegation faced inappropriate behaviour from the Serbian delegation. According to him, there were attempts to close the microphones of the speakers from Kosovo, but "didn't succeed".

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Foreigners take only what they like from UNSCR 1244 (Tanjug, Dnevni avaz)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday UNSC Resolution 1244 spoke of the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its legal successor, Serbia, but that foreigners took "only what they like" from that resolution.

"What they like in UNSCR 1244 is that they can send NATO troops to Kosovo, but they do not like the idea of Serbia sending up to a thousand of its army and police troops. So, it (the resolution) is valid in one case, but not valid in the other case, which should apply to Serbia," Vucic told Sarajevo-based Dnevni avaz in an interview.
He said KFOR would invoke UNSCR 1244 and the Brussels Agreement every time and that Serbia needed to meet all commitments, while a Community of Serb Municipalities could not be established because it might not be in line with the so-called Kosovo's constitution.

"But I guess the other thing is in line with the Constitution of Serbia. To a high degree, that is the reason we have a war in Ukraine today, because that is how the Minsk agreements and everything else had been interpreted, too," Vucic noted. Speaking about the situation in the region, Vucic said:
"Our situation in the entire Balkans will calm down - and everything will be different - the moment we take matters into our own hands and start solving our problems by ourselves."

Pristina must be put under pressure to continue dialogue, Vucevic tells UK ambassador (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Milos Vucevic received UK Ambassador to Belgrade Edward Ferguson on Wednesday.

Vucevic noted that he was concerned over the situation in Kosovo and underscored “Pristina must be put under pressure to ensure dialogue was continued and the terror against Kosovo and Metohija Serbs stopped”.

Vucevic said preservation of regional peace and stability was Serbia's goal and noted that a UN General Assembly resolution on Srebrenica was not contributing to cooperation or building good relations, the Serbian government said in a statement.

Vucevic and Ferguson also discussed comprehensive bilateral cooperation as well as opportunities to strengthen it and noted that economic cooperation between the two countries had seen dynamic development in the past several years.

Vucevic noted that there was potential to strengthen the partnership in numerous fields, especially in energy and energy transition, as well as in infrastructure projects.
He said strategic investments and finding sustainable solutions for achieving energy stability through green energy were one of the priorities for Serbia and added that he was confident there was great potential for cooperation with the UK.

Ferguson said the UK was especially interested in cooperation in energy and renewables and noted that Serbia had excellent projects on which the two sides could cooperate in the future.

Petkovic: The decision to ban the import of Serbian goods into Kosovo threatens basic European values (Kosovo Online, TV Most)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, told TV Most that the decision by the Government of Kosovo to ban the import of goods from central Serbia, made a year ago, is shameful and scandalous.

He stated that this measure grossly undermines the most basic European values: the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital.

Even after a year and despite Serbia's appeals to the European Commission and other relevant institutions, there has been no progress, Petkovic said.

"This is a shameful, scandalous decision that has been in effect for a year now, with no one doing anything to force Kurti to abandon such a scandalous decision. If Serbia or Belgrade had done something like this, I don't know what they would have done to us. I don't know how they would have crucified and punished us again. But when Albin Kurti does this, when the so-called Kosovo, the West's darling, does this, everyone remains silent and pretends to be completely unaware, even though it is a violation of the most basic European values on which the European Union itself is based, namely, the free movement of capital, goods, people, and services. This means that the four types of freedom are directly threatened in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic emphasised.

He added that some sort of discussion is ongoing between the EU and Kosovo, within the framework of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and that the issue of freedom of movement should be the first and main topic to discuss European integration at all. Petkovic stressed that the ban on Serbian goods causes millions of euros in damage, with the people in Kosovo, according to him, suffering the most consequences due to Kurti's decision, especially being deprived of basic necessities and other goods from central Serbia.

"Such a decision has been in effect for a year, and although we are the only ones talking about it and continually addressing the European Commission and other relevant institutions within the EU, there has been no progress, and in the end, it turns out that everything Kurti does against the Serbs is silently accepted," Petkovic concluded.
Djuric: Serbia unequivocally supports Dayton Agreement; Vranjes: I did not bring or handed Sarajevo's protest note to Serbia (Tanjug)

Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandar Vranjes on Wednesday to discuss current topics and affairs of mutual significance.
Djuric noted that Serbia wanted the best possible cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina and was fully committed to further deepening of political, economic, cultural and all other relations.

Underscoring Serbia's unequivocal support for the Dayton Agreement, which honours the territorial integrities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska as its entity, Djuric noted Serbia's firm commitment to preservation of regional stability and dialogue as the best means of resolving all outstanding issues.

He said recent statements by Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency member Denis Becirovic and Bosnia and Herzegovina FM Elmedin Konakovic were not helping the relations between the two states, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

Vranjes: I did not bring or handed protest note to Serbia

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandar Vranjes said on Wednesday he had neither brought nor handed Sarajevo's protest note to Serbia over the recent All-Serbian Assembly.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Serbian FM Marko Djuric, Vranjes said he wanted to clarify an unsuccessful attempt by Bosnia and Herzegovina FM Elmedin Konakovic to lodge a protest note to Serbia.

"I have neither brought that note nor handed it to Serbia. They (Sarajevo) tried to do that through me. The Bosnia and Herzegovina FM has no right to create foreign policy actions or the Bosnia and Herzegovina foreign policy. That is a competence of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Vranjes said.
He said he had come to thank Serbia for its consistent attitude towards the Dayton Agreement as it had been written and signed, as well as for its consistent position regarding relations within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"That is very important because, today, we live in a time when many things are being interpreted, and reading something as it had been written is the least frequent way it is being done," Vranjes said.

Vladimir Orlic appointed director of Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (N1, media)

The National Security Council has approved the appointment of Vladimir Orlic, a Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) official and MP, as the new director of the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), according to a statement from the office of the President of Serbia.

During the council meeting, chaired by President Aleksandar Vucic, the current security situation was reviewed with a particular focus on the state of affairs in Serbia.

Vladimir Orlic has served as an MP for the ruling SNS in multiple terms and was the head of the Serbian Parliament from 2022 to 2024.

International Media

‘Administrative Silence’: FOI Requests Go Unanswered in Balkans, BIRN Report Says (Balkan Insight)

Public institutions in the six Western Balkan countries routinely refuse to respond to freedom of information requests, and it’s getting worse, a new report from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network warns.

Public institutions in the Western Balkans have become more reluctant to answer Freedom of Information, FOI requests, journalistic inquiries, or give interviews, a new report based on BIRN’s journalists’ work during 2023, launched on Wednesday, in Tirana, Albania, concluded.

The practice of so-called ‘administrative silence’ – the stonewalling of FOI requests and inquiries – has become widespread, the report found.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mr39ysdp