Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani: EU draft statute on Association not in line with Constitution (Koha)
• Rinkevics: EU restrictive measures against Kosovo must be removed (RFE)
• Orav: Association must be implemented (Sinjali)
• Maqedonci on memorandum: Bulgaria could join soon (media)
• Maqedonci meets McKinney, discuss security and achievements of KSF (media)
• Albania calls for Kosovo’s admission in the Council of Europe (Nacionale)
• Prosecution orders police to investigate the Ministry of Agriculture of Kosovo (RFE)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucevic writes to Mishustin in support of Vucic's initiative (Tanjug)
• CoE: We are deeply concerned by allegations of use of sound cannon (N1)
• Djuric: Resolution of issues through dialogue a precondition for region's progress (Tanjug, media)
• Djuric with Austrian FM: Rights of Serbs in Kosovo violated, we insist on formation of CSM (Kosovo Online)
• Inspection of businesses in Mitrovica North continues, Arsenijevic briefly apprehended (Radio kontakt plus, Radio KIM)
• Parliamentary opposition officially seeks transitional government in Serbia (N1)
• Student protests spark debate: Poll shows mixed public opinion (KoSSev)

International Media:

• Serbia angered by defence pact linking Croatia, Albania and Kosovo (BIRN)
• North Macedonia bids solemn farewell to nightclub fire victims (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani: EU draft statute on Association not in line with Constitution (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that she presented to EU Special Representative for Dialogue Peter Sorensen her remarks about the EU-proposed draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “At the meeting with the new EU representative, we presented in detail our remarks about the draft statute. We agreed to continue the discussions, because many of them are at the level of experts. This is about the EU-proposed draft statute, which I personally think is not in line with the Constitution of Kosovo or with the norms of the European Union, the standards of the Council of Europe and the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo from 2015. Such a draft statute cannot enter into force, and I don’t believe it would pass the test of the Constitutional Court. It was more of an introductory meeting. With the new EU leadership, we hope that balance will be restored [in the dialogue], because this would help the credibility of the process,” Osmani told a press conference in Pristina after meeting the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics.

Rinkevics: EU restrictive measures against Kosovo must be removed (RFE)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Thursday that the EU restrictive measures against Kosovo must be removed, while her counterpart from Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, said his country shares this position. “The restrictive measures must be removed. I don’t know if it will be two years since the measures entered into force, but the position of Latvia is clear: the restrictive measures must be removed and we will continue to advocate for this,” Rinkevics said at a joint press conference. 

Osmani thanked Latvia for its continuous support for Kosovo’s objective to join international organizations. “Latvia best understands Kosovo’s position, being that both our countries have a painful and very difficult history, and we are bordered with aggressive neighbors. However, both Latvia and Kosovo are deeply committed to Euro-Atlantic values, the principle of good neighborly relations, while safeguarding our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said.

Rinkevics said: “Latvia fully supports Kosovo’s integration in international organizations, and we had broad discussions about the membership in the Council of Europe. We believe this membership can pave the way to membership in other international organizations”.

Rinkevics also did not rule out the possibility of cooperation between Latvia and Kosovo in the field of defense. 

Orav: Association must be implemented (Sinjali)

The European Union Ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, said on Thursday that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities must be implemented as the agreement on this issue was ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo. “We hope that the agreements will be implemented. The Association of Serb-majority Municipalities must be implemented, and this is one of the few if not the only agreement ratified by the Kosovo Assembly with 2/3 of votes. So, if it was ratified it needs to be implemented. If the first step was made, the second step must be made too. But this goes for Serbia too, because if we talk about the obligation to not obstruct Kosovo’s membership in international organization, or if we take the Council of Europe for example, then they should not obstruct this,” he argued.

“We have the EU Special Representative for the Dialogue, and I don’t want to do his job and say what Kosovo needs to do in this respect. But again, the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities must be implemented. And now Peter Sorensen was here to listen to the political leaders, what are the expectations, what can be done, what cannot be done, and we will see when he comes back and what he will offer or ask the parties to do”.

Maqedonci on memorandum: Bulgaria could join soon (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with ATV on Thursday that the memorandum between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia, leaves the door open for other countries too. “The initiative for this agreement was raised during my visit to Zagreb last year when I discussed it with Minister Nanosic. We talked about the possibility of trilateral cooperation, including Albania, while always leaving open the door for other countries in the region that share the same Euro-Atlantic values,” he said.

Maqedonci said the agreement is not aimed at threatening anyone, but rather to increase cooperation between countries in the region that have shared interests in defense and security. “This is an initiative for stability and security in the Western Balkans,” he said.

Maqedonci said that they are in contact with other NATO member states and that Bulgaria is one of the countries that could soon join the agreement. 

During the interview, Maqedonci also said that Kosovo will have an important role in Defender Europe 2025. “Even more involved than in Defender Europe 23, Kosovo in Defender Europe 25 will be not only a host country and participate with military units, but it will also be the country where a senior U.S. military command will be established and which will lead all training in the Western Balkans,” he said.

Maqedonci meets McKinney, discuss security and achievements of KSF (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, met on Thursday with the USEUCOM Deputy Director, Chris McKinney, and U.S. Embassy Charges d’Affaires, Annu Prattipati. He said they discussed “the security situation in Kosovo, the achievements of the Kosovo Security Force, the increase of military capabilities, where we see the United States as a strategic partner, especially in developing the defense industry”. 

Maqedonci said he thanked McKinney for the continuous support in training and in different infrastructure projects, “and we agreed to intensify cooperation and finalize projects for the professional and tactical development of the KSF”.

Albania calls for Kosovo’s admission in the Council of Europe (Nacionale)

Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Elisa Spiropali, called on members of the Council of Europe to admit Kosovo as the newest member of the organization. In her address to the Conference of Parliament Speakers of CoE member states in Strasbourg, Spiropali said: “it is difficult to find another country which after 26 years of freedom and 17 years of independence has built such a vibrant democracy like Kosovo. Therefore, Kosovo’s admission in the Council of Europe, which is supported by the Parliamentary Assembly, is my main request from this conference”

Prosecution orders police to investigate the Ministry of Agriculture of Kosovo (RFE)

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution said on Thursday that it has authorized the Kosovo Police to carry out investigations at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, into suspicions that public officials of the ministry were involved in criminal offences. The prosecution said in a media release that the suspicion relates to the renovation of a premise that was once used by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, and which is now managed by the ministry. The statement notes that public officials are suspected of “abuse of official duty”, “abuse in public procurement” and “forging of documents”.

Serbian Language Media  

Vucevic writes to Mishustin in support of Vucic's initiative (Tanjug)

Serbian caretaker Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on Thursday he had written to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to ask, at the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, for the participation of the investigative and security authorities of Russia - a strategic partner of Serbia and a brotherly country - in the process of establishing the full truth about events at a March 15 protest in Belgrade, Tanjug news agency reported.

"I believe that world-renowned Russian experts would be of significant assistance to our security services in establishing the scale of maliciousness of claims about the use of a 'sound cannon', floated by a part of the anti-state opposition", Vucevic wrote in an Instagram post.

He noted that he had pointed out to Mishustin the significance of "a historic moment when Serbia is facing the most forceful attacks on its sovereignty and freedom-loving spirit, which, throughout history, it has always defended alongside the brotherly Russian nation".

On Wednesday, Vucevic also sent a letter to US Vice President JD Vance asking for US investigative authorities’ involvement in examination of allegations of the use of “a sound cannon” or similar device at the March 15 protest in Belgrade. 

CoE: We are deeply concerned by allegations of use of sound cannon (N1)

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteurs Axel Schafer and Victoria Tiblom voiced concern over the escalation of tensions in Serbia and allegations that a sonic weapon was used at the March 15 peaceful protest in Belgrade, N1 reported.

“We are very concerned about the escalation of tensions in the country, which led to a protest of at least 100,000 people in Belgrade on Saturday 15 March. This was one of the largest ever held in Serbia”, the statement reads.

The rapporteurs said the protest was largely peaceful, but that an “unusually disturbing noise” broke a 15-minute moment of silence, causing a “minor stampede” in the centre of Belgrade, and that there are reports of dozens of people being treated at the health centre for ailments that could have been caused by “so-called ‘sound cannons’” that “may have been used to disperse the rally”.

“We are deeply concerned by these allegations and call on the authorities to shed light on them and to provide immediate medical and psychological assistance to all victims”, the statement also said.

Djuric: Resolution of issues through dialogue a precondition for region's progress (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met with Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich on Thursday to discuss the traditional and historical friendship between the two peoples as well as current political and security affairs, Tanjug news agency reported.

He thanked Belarus for its firm, principled and consistent support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia as well as for Belgrade's efforts to resolve the Kosovo issue through dialogue and respect for UNSCR 1244.

Ambrazevich is heading a Belarusian delegation that is in Serbia for political consultations between the MFAs of the two countries. Djuric said Serbia-Belarus relations were based on traditional friendship and close historic ties and added that Serbia appreciated the solidarity shown by Belarus in the toughest of times.

Commenting on current political and security affairs in the country and the region, Djuric noted that Serbia was striving to be a factor of stability and advocated a resolution of all of the most important issues through dialogue and in a peaceful manner, which he said was a necessary precondition for continued economic development and progress of Serbia and the region as a whole, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

Djuric with Austrian FM: Rights of Serbs in Kosovo violated, we insist on formation of CSM (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric spoke yesterday with Austrian Federal Minister for European and Foreign Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger, informing her that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo are being violated daily, and that Belgrade will continue insisting on the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM), which is crucial for securing the rights of the Serbian people. The Austrian Minister emphasized that Pristina and Belgrade should engage constructively in dialogue and move forward toward normalizing their relations, Kosovo Online portal reported.

During the phone conversation, Djuric pointed out that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has been stagnating for years, with the Serbian people facing daily pressure, which has led to the displacement of 15% of Serbs from Kosovo's territory just last year. He stressed that Belgrade will continue to insist on the formation of the CSM, which is extremely important for realizing the collective, political, and other rights of Serbs in Kosovo, which have been significantly undermined in recent times, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“Just spoke to my colleague @markodjuric. Serbia’s #EU path is our common goal, and we will continue to support you in the necessary reforms. #Kosovo and #Serbia need to engage constructively in the #BelgradePristinaDialogue and move forward towards normalisation of relations. This is key when it comes to their #EU path! Also stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and fostering a genuine dialogue to overcome divisions in society”, the Austrian Minister wrote in a post on X social platform.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/58fuv48w

Inspection of businesses in Mitrovica North continues, Arsenijevic briefly apprehended (Radio kontakt plus, Radio KIM)

Municipal inspections have confiscated yesterday a certain amount of coffee for coffee machines in a technical equipment and electronic appliances shop “Smart Shop”, respectively “Viva Net” in Mitrovica North under the pretext that expiration date was not indicated on packages, Radio Kontakt Plus reported. As Radio Kontakt Plus said it learnt on the spot that expiration date exists on original packages, but that inspectors did not accept this explanation.

During the control, inspectors tried to forbid a Radio Kontakt Plus reporter from recording the event, saying that the premise at that time “was their working place”. The situation was additionally ‘heated up’ when inspectors asked Kosovo police to apprehend leader of Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijevic who recorded confiscation of coffee.

Arsenijevic: “This is unbelievable”

As Arsenijevic explained he came to the shop to buy headphones, but found inspection there and started recording. He added that inspectors told him “it was a provocation” and that it was forbidden to record, asking Kosovo police to apprehend him. “I moved ten meters away, but the police came in large numbers and apprehended me with the explanation that ‘they have to take me to the police station’”, Arsenijevic said. He said the police took him to the station, he explained the situation and they released him.

Arsenijevic also said that during recording, one of present inspectors, Fatir Berzati, told him “It is not us to blame, because you did not pass on elections”, to what Arsenijevic responded that “in Mitrovica North he won twice more votes that current mayor Erden Atiq”.

“If they want (to look at it) from the political side, I have twice as much legitimacy to be where I am, and as a free citizen I have the right to record on public space. There are already problems existing with that municipality, they threatened a KoSSev journalist. The idea is to (have) some savagery situation and the attitude in Mitrovica North municipality. I didn't even have a whistle. This is unbelievable”, Arsenijevic told the media.

Radio kontakt plus reported that inspections of restaurants and business premises in Mitrovica North continued, but it was not able to obtain official information about these actions from the Mitrovica North municipality. 

Parliamentary opposition officially seeks transitional government in Serbia (N1)

The parliamentary opposition in Serbia has officially called for the formation of a transitional government, referred to as the “Government of People’s Trust”, N1 reported.

“The formation of a transitional government is the only solution to overcome the crisis we have been facing since the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad. In addition to us standing before you, this has also been discussed by the non-parliamentary organizations Go-Change and Proglas, indicating a broad consensus on how we can emerge from this crisis”, Miroslav Aleksic, the leader of the People’s Movement of Serbia (NPS), told a press conference at the Serbian Parliament.

Aleksic said the NPS had presented a draft concept for a transitional government back on February 4. “We have reached a high level of agreement and consensus on a joint proposal, which means that the opposition standing here before you is working together effectively. The deadline for forming the transitional government starts from today, even though we believe that it started, and that the government was toppled much earlier, when (former Prime Minister) Vucicevic handed in his resignation”, Aleksic said. According to him, the government has lost its legitimacy.

Student protests spark debate: Poll shows mixed public opinion (KoSSev)

For months, students across central Serbia have been in a state of protest, organizing demonstrations under the banner of “15 Minutes of Silence“, hosting gatherings and drawing unprecedented crowds to their cause. Their demands for change have garnered widespread public support, including solidarity from citizens in North Mitrovica. However, not everyone shares their enthusiasm.

In a recent vox pop conducted by KoSSev, opinions on the student movement varied widely. Some view them as a new generation teaching their elders about the fight for rights, while others see them as a threat to national stability. Many, however, were reluctant to speak on the matter publicly.

Diverging views on the student movement

“They are right. They have the right to fight for their future“, one North Mitrovica resident stated, expressing support for the students in the blockade who have rallied under the slogan “Pump It“. When asked about the contrast between the protesters and “Students 2.0,“ a group that camped in Pioneer Park and were labelled “ćaci,“ and referred to by that name even by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the resident sided with the former.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/rPnSc

 International Media 

Serbia angered by defence pact linking Croatia, Albania and Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

A defence agreement between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, calling for joint responses to common security challenges, has drawn a furious response from Serbia, which called it a threatening move.

A defence agreement signed between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo has sparked a diplomatic spat with neighbour Serbia, which still sees Kosovo as part of its territory and does not recognise its independence.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Croatia and Albania of starting an “arms race” in the region by signing the concord with what he called the “provisional institutions” in Kosovo, meaning the country’s government.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/PIbpn

North Macedonia bids solemn farewell to nightclub fire victims (Balkan Insight)

Funerals for those killed in Sunday’s fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia took place in Kocani and several other towns, as the official investigation into the blaze led to more detentions.

Funeral processions for dozens of mostly young victims of the weekend’s deadly nightclub fire were due to take place on Thursday in Kocani, the town where the vast majority of the fatalities were from.

At least 30 victims will be bid a final farewell at the town cemetery and at cemeteries in nearby towns and villages. Local media reported that mourners had already started to gather in the morning ahead of the funerals due to begin at around noon.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/WIJNR