UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, March 16, 2023

Advisers to European leaders: Form Association, avoid reinterpretations (Koha)
Geoana: It is time for Kosovo and Serbia to make compromises (Koha)
Lajcak: Stability of Western Balkans more important than ever for EU (media)
U.S. Envoy to Kosovo says EU Plan for normalizing relations with Serbia is 'significant step' (RFE)
Rohde: With an ideal result in dialogue, non-recognizers will get to recognize Kosovo (RFE)
Kurti meets European Parliament President Metsola (media)
Kurti: Implementation plan of agreement must contain concrete details (media)
Mandl: Historically Serbia was aggressor, and Kosovo the victim (Klan Kosova)
PDK presents to Sarrazin its reservations about French-German plan (media)
Kosovo's application will not be considered at CoE May summit (Koha)
President Osmani asks India to reconsider decision on Donjeta Sadiku (media)
Kosovo streets filled with garbage after cleaning workers' strike (Anadolu Agency)
5 million euros per year spent on artificial fertilization in private clinics (Prishtina Insight)

Advisers to European leaders: Form Association, avoid reinterpretations (Koha)

In an exclusive column for Koha, the advisers of the three European leaders, the French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have called on Kosovo and Serbia to avoid the reinterpretation of the commitments, undertaken after "setting a new basis by the EU for Kosovo-Serbia relations". "This would mean jeopardizing this unique opportunity and the risk of blocking the road to EU membership," Emmanuel Bonne, Jens Plotner and Francesco Talo, wrote on Wednesday, a few days before the meeting of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on the issue of implementation of the European Plan.

According to the authors, these efforts come after the brutal Russian attack on Ukraine, and they add that ‘Russia has returned a full-scale war to our continent’. They emphasize that the most obvious obstacle is the unresolved relationship between Serbia and Kosovo, which is also a matter of European security.

All three have reiterated that Kosovo should form the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority. The authors emphasize that Kosovo must fulfill its obligations for the protection of the Serb community, including taking steps to create an association/community of municipalities with a Serb majority and guarantee a high level of protection of Serbian religious and cultural heritage sites.

They also call on Serbia to "come to terms with the fact that Kosovo is a neighbor that has a European perspective and its own place in the international community."

According to them, blockades, violence, threats, and nationalist rhetoric made the daily life of citizens in the north of Kosovo difficult.

They added that courageous leadership is required for the advancement of the relations, and according to them, the time for decision-making is now.

Geoana: It is time for Kosovo and Serbia to make compromises (Koha)

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Wednesday that it is time for Kosovo and Serbia to make compromises. Through a post on Twitter, he announced that he met with the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak.

“Good to speak again with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak. NATO strongly supports ongoing diplomatic efforts with Belgrade and Pristina led by the EU. It's time for both sides to make compromises. Our commitment to lasting stability in the Western Balkans, including through NATO_KFOR is rock-solid,” Mircea wrote.

Lajcak: Stability of Western Balkans more important than ever for EU (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Wednesday that the stability of the Western Balkans is more important than ever for the EU. He argued that relations between Kosovo and Serbia are a key problem for the whole region. “Accepting the agreement would send a positive message for the whole region,” he said.

Lajcak said that the annex of the European plan will be discussed at the meeting in Ohrid on Saturday. “Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti have agreed that there is no need for new talks on the text of the agreement. Now the sequence of next steps, timelines and who needs to do what, needs to be determined. We have created annexes for the implementation of the agreement. Following my talks in Pristina and Belgrade, a new version of the annex is being prepared and it will be discussed in Ohrid on Saturday,” he said.

U.S. Envoy to Kosovo says EU Plan for normalizing relations with Serbia is 'significant step' (RFE)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said on March 15 that a proposal by the European Union on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia marks "significant" progress and that a comprehensive agreement appears within reach.

“The United States does not assess that a better deal is available at this time. This is a significant step forward”, Hovenier said in Pristina, adding that the agreement and its implementation will bring “real benefits, practical, political, and economic.”

“It is an interim agreement, and the United States stands strongly behind and with a position we’ve maintained for years that we do look forward to an ultimate final agreement that is eventually centered at mutual recognition. That is the goal. This gets us much closer,” Hovenier added.

Hovenier spoke to journalists in Pristina a few days before Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic are due to meet in North Macedonia to discuss the implementation of the EU proposal they agreed to in Brussels last month.

The EU proposal, previously known as the French-German plan, does not oblige Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence, but the two countries would recognize each other's documents, such as passports, diplomas, and license plates.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/429wKLD

Rohde: With an ideal result in dialogue, non-recognizers will get to recognize Kosovo (RFE)

German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde told Radio Free Europe that he is "sure" that Kosovo will be recognized by the non-recognizing states of the European Union, if there are results in the normalization of its relations with Serbia.

Rohde encouraged the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, Albin Kurti and Aleksandar Vucic, to use the March 18 meeting in Ohrid to reach an agreement on the implementation of the EU plan for the normalization of relations.

In the absence of constructiveness from the parties, Rohde mentioned the possibility of sanctions from the EU. He also said that the two countries have been promised additional investments as a reward for constructiveness in the dialogue.

Rohde said that Kosovo must fulfill the nearly 10-year obligation to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority. "By founding the Association we hope to integrate the Serbs of Kosovo within the state."

He also said that, without recognition, he does not see any country in the EU.

Kurti meets European Parliament President Metsola (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Wednesday with the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. “Honored to be received by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, whom I thanked for @Europarl_EU's support of Kosova’s chief European integration goals: visa liberalization and accession to the EU. I look forward to working closely with President Metsola on these and other shared priorities,” Kurti tweeted after the meeting.

Kurti: Implementation plan of agreement must contain concrete details (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has continued his meetings in Strasbourg with senior officials. Kurti also had a meeting with the chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament, MEP David McAllister.

“Thus setting an example and providing evidence that quality democracy and economic development can go hand in hand. Kosovo’s application for membership in the European Union, apart from an early orientation and goal, also came as a result of progress in the country, which was also recognized by the EU Report on the country. In the meeting, it was discussed precisely about Kosovo’s application and the way forward, and about the finalization of the visa liberalization process for the citizens of the Republic”, the communique of the government of Kosovo states.

Prime Minister Kurti and MEP McAllister also discussed the dialogue process facilitated by the EU, the European proposal for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, agreed in Brussels on February 27, and the meeting that is expected to be held this weekend in Ohrid, Macedonia. North. Regarding the implementation plan of the Basic Agreement according to the European proposal, the prime minister said that it should contain concrete details and be comprehensive.

Mandl: Historically Serbia was aggressor, and Kosovo the victim (Klan Kosova)

Member of the European Parliament, Lukas Mandl, said on Wednesday that Serbia and Kosovo should never be seen the same way, as historically one was the aggressor and the other was the victim. Referring to the high-level meeting in Ohrid on March 18, Mandl said that some very important decisions are expected to be made. “In the coming week, some very important decisions are expected to be made and we must not think that these two countries are the same because historically one was the aggressor and the other was the victim. During this time, we have seen that one country did not stand in favor of Russian sanctions and the other country was fully in support of the sanctions and in full compliance with our security policy,” he said.

PDK presents to Sarrazin its reservations about French-German plan (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi, had a telephone conversation with the special envoy of Germany for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin. Krasniqi said that he has discussed with the German diplomat the European proposal, already accepted by Prime Minister Kurti.

"As in the other meetings of these days, I reiterated to the emissary Sarrazin the position of the PDK and the reservations we have in relation to this proposal, which is insufficient for Kosovo," Krasniqi informed through a post on Facebook.

He said that he has announced in Washington, Brussels, and the Assembly of Kosovo, the five points which should be the pillars of a final, comprehensive, legally and internationally binding agreement with Serbia.

"All of which were in line with the state interest of Kosovo and the positions of our international partners".

Krasniqi said that unfortunately, as a result of stubbornness and lack of coordination with allies, Prime Minister Kurti has failed in the dialogue process ‘by not fulfilling our state requirements and goals.’

Kosovo's application will not be considered at CoE May summit (Koha)

Kosovo is not expected to be on the agenda of the Council of Europe Summit even one year after the submission of the application for membership in this body. The summit chaired by Iceland will be held on May 16 and 17, and Kosovo submitted its application on May 12 last year.

Even though the main countries within the Council supported Kosovo's aspirations for membership, they linked the issue to progress in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. The German Embassy has warned that the lack of actions regarding the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority does not facilitate the achievement of the necessary majority for membership.

Representatives of civil society organizations cited the lack of activity and cooperation of the government of Kosovo as the reason for this, while the Foreign Ministry did not tell about the actions taken regarding the postponement of Kosovo's application.

President Osmani asks India to reconsider decision on Donjeta Sadiku (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani reacted on Wednesday to the decision of Indian authorities to prevent the participation of boxer Donjeta Sadiku in the World Boxing Championship that will be held in India. “The decision to prevent Donjeta Sadiku from taking part in the World Boxing Championship is a blatant violation of international sporting standards. As an @IBA_Boxing member, Kosovo is entitled to participate under its flag and anthem. We urge India to reconsider their decision,” Osmani wrote in a Twitter post.

Kosovo streets filled with garbage after cleaning workers' strike (Anadolu Agency)

Piles of garbage are on the streets in Kosovo's capital Wednesday after cleaning workers launched a strike demanding a raise Monday.

Cleaners in Pristina demanded a salary raise of at least €70 ($73.94), which would bring the current pay averages for workers to €400 ($422.11) per month.

Mayor Perparim Rama said other sectors of the municipality have begun collecting the city’s trash.

But Anadolu observed garbage bins overflowing on many streets and squares.

The cleaning company for the city later announced that worker demands o were accepted and the situation would return to normal later Wednesday.