UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 11, 2023

Osmani slams Borrell over Association comments, says Vucic can’t be “normalized” (media)
Kurti meets Council of U.S. Ambassadors, informs them about dialogue with Serbia (media)
Konjufca: Kosovo will not accept models that aim to undo the state (media)
Association will also be an administrative authority, with a distinct legal identity, but which does not form a third power (Albanian Post)
Power: It takes political courage to reach a lasting solution in dialogue (media)
“Draft statute of Association must be consistent with Kosovo’s laws,” says Serbian minister (euronews.al)
European Parliament adopted resolutions on Kosovo and Serbia (EWB)
Svecla on EP report: We share common concerns about challenging situation in north (Koha)

Osmani slams Borrell over Association comments, says Vucic can’t be “normalized” (media)

Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani said on Wednesday that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia “cannot fall into Aleksandar Vucic’s trap”. Speaking to journalist Ilva Tare for the Atlantic Council in Washington DC, Osmani said that relations between countries must be normalized, but not the Serbian President himself.

“The dialogue is very important, with a goal of mutual recognition. This notion is being used by the EU because of their neutral stance. The goal is to normalize and the process shouldn’t be used to normalize Vucic, so that he can appear like a pro-European leader, which he’s not. Let’s be honest. We’re facing an autocrat,” Osmani said.

“Serbia has never apologized for the genocide and is the only party that must be asked to commit to the dialogue,” Osmani said. She also said that it’s very dangerous to only be focused on the Association of Serb Municipalities and ignore other issues.

“There are almost 40 agreements we’ve reached and the list of violations on Serbia’s part is very, very long. Only last week, Serbia committed eight violations of recent agreements. We must not fall into Vucic’s trap, that is to postpone and delay the dialogue,” warned Osmani.

She slammed the draft statute on the Association proposed by the Managing Team as a “Republika Srpska”. According to the president, Serbia is not interested in minority rights, but only cares for an instrument that will continue to challenge Kosovo’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Osmani also opposed the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, who said that the Managing Team’s proposal is not final, but is the starting point for discussions on the Association.

“The starting point must be the Constitution of Kosovo and not a proposal of Serbia, aiming to create another ‘Dodik Republika’ or even worse in our region. This must be unanimously denied as a very dangerous model and not be seen as a foundation for negotiations,” Osmani said.

Kurti meets Council of U.S. Ambassadors, informs them about dialogue with Serbia (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, together with his Chief of Staff Luan Dalipi, hosted on Wednesday a delegation of the Council of American Ambassadors.

"In the meeting, Prime Minister Kurti also updated the members of the visiting delegation with the latest developments in terms of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, with the agreement on the Basic Agreement and the implementation plan, the behavior and actions of Serbia towards them and with the positions and proposals of of the Republic of Kosovo in last week's meeting in Brussels," the government announced through a communiqué.

Kurti also discussed with them Kosovo's relations with the U.S.

"In front of the ambassadors and their guests, Prime Minister Kurti said that the USA is a key partner, friend and ally of our Republic. He informed them about the country's economic and democratic progress as well as the growing cooperation between the two countries, highlighting here the $236.7 million agreement with the MCC signed last year, and the housing of Afghan refugees in Kosovo," reads the press release.

Konjufca: Kosovo will not accept models that aim to undo the state (media)

Kosovo Assembly President, Glauk Konjufca, in a meeting with the Council of American Ambassadors, chaired by Timothy Chorba, President of the Council, said that Kosovo will not accept models that aim to undo the state and diminish the executive powers within the territory of Kosovo.

He said that the Government of Kosovo is committed to finding a common solution in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

"The government of the Republic of Kosovo is extremely committed to dialogue and finding the best solution for the citizens of both states, but under no circumstances will models that endanger the state and the freedom of the citizens of Kosovo be accepted," Konjufca was quoted as saying in a press release.

Thanking the diplomats for their and the American state's continuous contribution to the development of the countries of the Western Balkans, with special emphasis on Kosovo, Konjufca emphasized that meetings of this nature are a good opportunity to stay closer to each other and to address topics that are of vital interest to the region.

Kosovo is the most important project of the international factor, which resulted in stopping the genocide of Serbia and paved the road to independence, Konjufca said.

According to the communique from the Assembly, Konjufca has expressed readiness for deepening cooperation to the American diplomats.

Association will also be an administrative authority, with a distinct legal identity, but which does not form a third power (Albanian Post)

The draft Statute for the Association of Serb Municipalities, proposed on 2 May in Brussels by the Management Team composed of Kosovo Serbs and formed with the Implementation Plan of the 2013 Agreement, contradicts exactly this agreement and the general principles of 2015, reads an exclusive document that Albanian Post got hold of, written by a senior international diplomat familiar with the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

According to the same document, the Association will be neither what Serbia wants nor what Kosovo is able to offer, but a mixture of “a forum for inter-municipal cooperation, a body to protect the interests of the Kosovo Serb community and an administrative authority with limited and legally regulated tasks.” The document is a detailed commentary on the Statute of the Association proposed by the Management Team as well as on the further steps of the process of the establishment of the Association and presents the view of the international mediators on what the Association will be.

“As drafted, the proposed Statute contradicts the agreements of 2013 and 2015 and the spirit of the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations,” the document reads. “The Association is more than just a municipal forum of coordination and cooperation unlike the government in Kosovo portrays it, but it also does not form a third level of power, as the government in Serbia likes.”

Power: It takes political courage to reach a lasting solution in dialogue (media)

Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, stayed in Serbia on Tuesday and Wednesday. From Belgrade, she is expected to come to Kosovo. Power met President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is at the top of the agenda of the senior official of the administration of President Joe Biden. "Our main message on behalf of President Biden is how important and how much we want to support this normalization process and how encouraged we are by the progress that has been made. We know that there is a lot of skepticism if this will eventually produce a solution, also a lot of skepticism about where the roads will lead for Serbia, for Kosovo," said Power on Tuesday night in Belgrade, in front of journalists.

And in a press conference she held in Belgrade after the meetings on Wednesday, as reported by the "Fonet" news agency, Power added that "political courage is needed to reach a stable solution, acceptable to both parties, in dialogue".

“Draft statute of Association must be consistent with Kosovo’s laws,” says Serbian minister (euronews.al)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, is against Serbia’s involvement in drafting the Association statute. Speaking of the proposal of the Managing Team, Rasic said they would need to be in harmony with the Constitution of Kosovo, to later decide on which levels they can collaborate.

“This statute ensures the non-involvement of the regime structures, in this case, the Progressive Party [of Aleksandar Vucic] in Belgrade in the electoral process in Kosovo. One of the guarantees in any agreement process, is the fact that all agreements must be based on the laws and Constitution of Kosovo. According to me, the Managing Team should be a technical group, who will decide on which levels to collaborate, consistent to the laws of Kosovo. But I haven’t seen this,” declared Rasic.

Rasic said the European Union and former negotiators are also to be blamed for this. Rašić then explained that he would gladly lead a managing team if Prime Minister Albin Kurti asked him to.

Speaking of the draft-vision presented by the Government of Kosovo related to the Association, Rasic considered it a good foundation. According to him, Kurti wasn’t at fault for dismissing the Managing Team after they presented their draft statute on the Association. However, Rasic reasons that Kurti’s act is just to buy some time.

European Parliament adopted resolutions on Kosovo and Serbia (EWB)

The European Parliament adopted on Wednesday resolutions on Kosovo and Serbia and urged both sides to engage in the Belgrade – Pristina Dialogue, and secure without delay a comprehensive, legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations based on the principle of mutual recognition.

In the report on Serbia, MEPs say accession negotiations with Belgrade should advance only if the country aligns with EU sanctions against Russia and makes significant progress on EU-related reforms.

They specifically mention progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions, and a commitment to shared European rights and values. MEPs stress the importance of aligning with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, especially with regards to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

European Parliament is concerned about the recent decrease in public support for EU membership in Serbia, which they consider is a result of long-standing anti-EU/pro-Russian political rhetoric spread via government-controlled media and government officials.

According to the report, the result of a gross failure from government representatives to face up to and come to terms with Serbia’s past.

MEPs want the EU to reconsider the extent of its financial assistance to Serbia if support for anti-democratic politics continues, and call on the European Commission to ensure all EU expenditure is fully in line with the EU’s own strategic goals and interests.