UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 17, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Scholz, Macron and Meloni letter to Kurti: We support Lajcak's draft (media)
Stano: We cannot assess Association draft, without knowing content (RFE)
Presidency: Government's letter sent to CoE, without consultation with Osmani (RTK)
Knaus: European trio's letter was sent before Kosovo government's letter (RTK)
President Osmani met ambassadors of U.S., Germany and UK (ekonomia)
Prime Minister Kurti met with Prime Minister of Montenegro (ekonomia)
U.S. Ambassador to NATO: Issue of four Alliance countries that do not recognize Kosovo, must be addressed (Reporteri)
Abdixhiku on Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ letter: Spectacular failure, international shame (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic, O'Brien discuss situation in region, Kosovo (Tanjug)
Civil Society Report on Human Rights in Kosovo in 2023 presented (Radio KIM, social media)
Andric Rakic: Kosovo must submit draft CSM statute prepared by EU to Constitutional Court (Kosovo Online)
Mijacic: Any advice to Pristina at expense of existing EU demands won’t lead Kosovo to CoE (KoSSev)
Stano: Content of CSM draft statute proposed by Kosovo government unknown, it was discussed neither with EU nor Serbia (Kosovo Online)
War crimes indictments raised against two Serbs (Radio KIM)
203 requests to switch Serbian to Kosovo driver’s licenses submitted thus far (KoSSev)
Djuric to visit Hungary Friday (media)

International:

Western Balkan Leaders See EU Development Plan For Region As Sign Of Bloc's Commitment (RFE)

Albanian Language Media

Scholz, Macron and Meloni letter to Kurti: We support Lajcak's draft (media)

The three European leaders, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, on Wednesday, sent a letter to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, which was made public on Thursday, regarding the path of Kosovo's membership in Council of Europe.

"Unfortunately, the steps you propose do not address the urgent need for decisive steps towards the establishment of the Association and risk further undermining the Dialogue facilitated by the EU. First, the draft statute presented by the EU Special Representative for Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, is not just a 'gentleman's proposal'. It is a solid model, carefully designed with the help of European lawyers and experts, based on existing best practices in Europe. It fully takes into account all your red lines as well as the constitutional and legal framework of Kosovo. As such, it enjoys our full support. Let's emphasize once again that we do not want a dysfunctional Kosovo", says the letter of the European leaders, which is a response to the letter of Prime Minister Kurti, which he delivered to them at the end of April.

The letter also emphasizes that the Association is in no way comparable to Republika Srpska and that the necessary step according to them is to send the draft of the Association to the Constitutional Court.

At the end of the letter, regret is expressed that Kosovo has not yet taken concrete steps regarding the Association, until the prime minister is informed that "the ball is in his court".

At the end of the letter, they expressed regret that Kosovo has not yet taken concrete steps regarding the Association, while the prime minister is informed that "the ball is in his court".

The RTK correspondent, Gjeraqina Tuhina, in a direct connection from Brussels, said that this letter has nothing to do with the letter from Minister Gervalla, and that it is a coincidence that the third letter of the European leaders was published in the media at the same day, although it was sent to Kurti a day before.

"Leaders answer to leaders, in this case the prime minister, not the ministers. So, it is not a reaction to today's letter issued by Minister Gervalla, but as a response to the letter that Prime Minister Kurti delivered to Chancellor Scholz, President Macron and Prime Minister Meloni, at the end of April,” Tuhina said.

She recalled that in Kurti's letter addressed to them, he had left open a possibility to review Lajcak's draft statute, but only after it had first been reviewed by the most eminent jurists of the Council of Europe.

Stano: We cannot assess Association draft, without knowing content (RFE)

The EU spokesman, Peter Stano, said that the draft compiled by the government of Kosovo should also be discussed with Serbia and the bloc, which mediates the dialogue between the two neighboring countries since 2011.

"The content of a statute, which the government of Kosovo has announced to compile, is unknown and has not been discussed with Serbia, nor with the mediator [of the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue] the EU. Therefore, it is impossible to assess its compatibility with the 2013 and 2015 agreements at this stage," Stano told Radio Free Europe.

Stano said that the EU welcomes the readiness finally expressed by Kosovo to engage, since "unfortunately, since 2013, Kosovo has not taken any steps towards the establishment of the Association, and thus towards the strengthening of minority rights, even though there have been many occasions to do so".

"It is important to recall that the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority is an obligation not implemented for a long time by Kosovo, which emerges from the 2013 dialogue agreement. This is the only dialogue agreement that has been ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo with two-thirds of the votes. Therefore, it is a clear obligation of Kosovo, according to international law," he added.

"The dialogue facilitated by the EU and Kosovo's request for membership in the Council of Europe are separate processes. However, both the EU and the Council of Europe are based on respect for the law, respect for human rights and the protection of the rights of minorities", emphasized Stano.

Presidency: Government's letter sent to CoE, without consultation with Osmani (RTK)

The president's media advisor, Bekim Kupina, said that President Osmani only supports positions and actions previously consulted, coordinated and agreed with the institution of the Presidency, "as a constitutional institution with clear competences in the field of foreign policy and as the guardian of constitutional functioning of institutions".

"This letter is not like that. It may have been consulted and coordinated with individuals outside the institutions, who published this letter today, but not with the Presidency. Any derivative of the letter of commitment signed by the three institutions must also be coordinated and approved by these three institutions in advance", Kupina told RTK.

He announced that President Osmani, throughout the day, continued consultations with allies about the issue of membership in the Council of Europe, "as she has done for a long time, with the aim of unblocking this process".

"Consequently, President Osmani will support every action towards the realization of this goal, in full accordance with state interests and the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, efforts are being made to convince the member states to call an extraordinary session as soon as possible, where they will vote in favor of Kosovo's membership in this organization", Kupina said.

Knaus: European trio's letter was sent before Kosovo government's letter (RTK)

Gerald Knaus, from the European Initiative for Stability, clarified that the letter that the European leaders sent to Prime Minister Albin Kurti regarding Kosovo's membership path to the Council of Europe was sent before the letter that was sent to the Council of Europe by the government of Kosovo.

"This letter was sent before today's letter by the government of Kosovo, offering the best way to resolve the issue of the Association this May once and for all. It is clear that any draft statute of the Association must meet the criteria of the Council of Europe. What Kosovo offered today fulfills them and can be sent to the Constitutional Court,” Knaus said.

"The idea in Belgrade that Serbia must approve any Association would give Serbia a veto on Kosovo's progress and simply ensure that nothing ever happens. Which, of course, is what the Serbian leaders say they want: Kosovo "should never join" the Council of Europe", Knaus wrote on the "X" platform.

President Osmani met ambassadors of U.S., Germany and the United Kingdom (ekonomia)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, received on Thursday in separate meetings the ambassador of the United States, Jeffrey Hovenier, the ambassador of Germany, Jorn Rohde, as well as the ambassador of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Hargreaves. In these meetings, they disc used the membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe and the coordination for unblocking the process of Kosovo's membership in this organization. Regarding this process, on Thursday during the day the President also talked with ambassadors of other allied countries.

Prime Minister Kurti met with Prime Minister of Montenegro (ekonomia)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Kotor with the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajic. In their first bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Kurti and Prime Minister Spajic talked about the bilateral relations between Kosovo and Montenegro, about regional cooperation and that on the common path of European integration, as well as about the opportunities for increasing commercial exchanges and experiences in different fields. They also discussed the infrastructure projects that connect the two countries, emphasizing their importance for citizens on both sides of the border.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO: Issue of four Alliance countries that do not recognize Kosovo, must be addressed (Reporteri)

The Ambassador of the United States of America to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Julianne Smith, has called on the countries of the Western Balkans to focus on their Euro-Atlantic aspirations and on the values of open and democratic societies.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Smith called on NATO members from the Western Balkans to commit more to achieving the alliance's goal of each member spending at least 2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on defense, especially given the security situation and Russia's occupation of Ukraine.

She also called on Serbia not to deepen cooperation with Russia and China, repeating the American warning against trade with Chinese companies, while saying that now is not the time to strengthen relations with Russia, as Moscow has started the biggest war in Europe since World War II.

"Russia is doing what it can to unleash a flood of disinformation campaigns, which often misrepresent NATO's intentions. They often try to assert that NATO is directly engaged in the war in Ukraine, which is absurd and untrue," said Smith, emphasizing that Russia is the aggressor that started the war in Ukraine.

The American ambassador to NATO has said that progress in the dialogue with Serbia, mediated by the European Union, is important for Kosovo's progress towards NATO integration.

Smith has said that the US is engaged in the fight against misinformation in the Western Balkans region. "We cooperate closely in the face of the challenge of misinformation, with all our partners and allies in the region, and we encourage our friends to keep the focus on our common values, on democracies and multi-ethnic societies", she said.

“We have a situation where four members of the alliance are countries that do not recognize it, and we must take this into account. And, this must be addressed before the alliance can move forward with any kind of formal partnership between the alliance and Kosovo. But, for obvious reasons, I think that NATO is fully supportive of what the EU is trying to do, despite the fact that the alliance has a mission in Kosovo, we believe that everyone should aim for progress in guided dialogue and mediated by the EU. Only with additional progress in that direction can we move on to the bigger issues regarding Kosovo's relationship with the alliance,” she said.

Abdixhiku on Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ letter: Spectacular failure, international shame (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku, has said that the letter of the three allies of Kosovo’s independence and state journey does not simply expose a populist Prime Minister who manipulates national feelings to the detriment of state interests, but it exposes Kosovo as a state that does not know how to be serious in the international arena.

Abdixhiku wrote on Facebook that ‘Kosovo's partners are not party militants, while when the Prime Minister visits them, he gives them an overview of the bankrupt state as a governmental success. ‘The international subjectivity of Kosovo is not an electoral platform on which votes are taken.’

"After they got the address of the recipients of the letter wrong - guess what - after they changed the whole dialogue strategy at the end, they undid all the positions and with it they lost all the arguments of inaction in time; after they considered diplomacy as a cafe of militants where their populist nonsenses are sold, the Republic of Kosovo remained lost, ashamed and again heavily conditioned", Abdixhiku wrote on Facebook.

"The state of Kosovo and our citizens do not owe their future to a man who plays with the obligations of statehood and who ruins the reputation of the state of Kosovo so badly. Giving up the Euro-Atlantic journey is a tragedy. And we must prevent this abandonment as a people, as a state, as a generation whose future is being taken hostage by one man".

He further demanded the resignation of the Kurti Government, which would pave the way for the dissolution of the Assembly and new elections. "The populists must face their capital failures, the great national loss! The resignation, then the dissolvement, finally the elections and the victory of normal politics".

Serbian Language Media

Vucic, O'Brien discuss situation in region, Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien in Kotor, Montenegro, on Thursday to discuss the current regional and geopolitical situations, progress in the Western Balkans' EU accession process and opportunities for further strengthening of relations and expanding Serbia-EU cooperation. They met on the sidelines of a Western Balkans-EU summit in Kotor, Montenegro.

"Even though we disagreed on most issues concerning Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia appreciates US engagement when it comes to insistence on implementation of agreements reached in the dialogue, including, above all, on establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities", Vucic wrote in a post on his official Instagram account.

He said he had taken the opportunity to point out the challenges and pressure facing Serbia, reiterating that Serbia was, sincerely and without reservations, advocating preservation of peace, stability and cooperation but that it would never give up fighting for the truth, justice and defense of its state and national interests. Vucic added that he had thanked the US for supporting the pro-reform and European path of the entire region, which he said would, above all, be reflected in new opportunities and better life for all citizens.

Civil Society Report on Human Rights in Kosovo in 2023 presented (Radio KIM, social media)

Several non-governmental organizations from Serbian, Albanian and Roma communities presented a joint report on the human rights situation in Kosovo, noting as crucial problems – femicide, domestic violence, minority communities faced issues, but also insufficient activities of the Kosovo government to address those problems, Radio KIM reported.

New Social Initiative Director Jovana Radosavljevic emphasized that 2023 was very difficult for the Serbian community and explained what problems this community was facing.

“Before everything, there is a continuous ban on importing goods from Serbia, that entered into force on June 14, last year. This measure also includes print media (newspapers) from Serbia. Also, in October 2023, we had seen critical escalation because of importing medications from Serbia. One of the crucial issues that marked 2023 is the presence of special police units in the north of Kosovo. One of the problems are also decisions of the Kosovo Government relating to expropriations of the properties in the north, namely in Leposavic and Zubin Potok municipalities. These properties include 138 hectares and were foreseen for the purpose of building bases of Kosovo police”, Radosavljevic explained. As problems she also mentioned arrests of Serbs, recalling the wounding of two Serb boys in Gotovusa on Christmas Eve in 2022.

Read the full report at: https://shorturl.at/bjzF1

Andric Rakic: Kosovo must submit draft CSM statute prepared by EU to Constitutional Court (Kosovo Online)

Milica Andric Rakic, New Social Initiative program manager criticized Kosovo government's announcement to submit a draft statute for the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) based on a proposal by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to the Constitutional Court. She stated that the Quint countries have made it clear that Kosovo must submit the EU-prepared draft statute. She believes this move by Pristina is unserious and aimed more at domestic audiences than at meeting international demands, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Andric Rakic doubts that the EU will view this proposal favorably. Regarding Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla's claims that consultations on the draft statute have begun with Serbian community representatives, Milica Andric Rakic stated she is unaware of such consultations.

International Media

Western Balkan Leaders See EU Development Plan For Region As Sign Of Bloc's Commitment (RFE) A 6 billion-euro ($6.5 billion) development plan for the Western Balkans is a clear signal of the European Union's commitment to the economic and democratic transformation of the Western Balkans, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said on May 16 at a summit of the region's six leaders. The European Union approved the plan -- 2 billion euros in grants and 4 billion euros in loan guarantees -- in November to help the countries of the Western Balkans accelerate reforms and economic growth. The plan envisaged by the EU is meant to speed up both the region's economic growth and its integration with the EU norms and legislation that would eventually bring membership in the bloc. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yxn8zjb5