UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 2, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

COVID-19: 17 new cases, two deaths (media)
Ahmeti: Almost half of Prishtina residents have passed COVID-19 (Telegrafi/KP)
Kosovo and Albania have differing stances on Mini-Schengen (Koha)
Kurti meets Lajcak at the Prespa forum (RTK)
Kosovo purchases Turkish-made armoured vehicles (Zeri)
Kllokot mayor indicted on charges relating to February elections (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Brnabic: Regional cooperation improves quality of citizens’ lives (Kosovo-online)
Reeker: US supports Lajcak and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (Blic, Tanjug)
Rakic and Stoltenberg on the security situation in Kosovo (KiM radio)
Office for KiM: Boy beaten up in Gojbulja village (Radio KIM)
Brnabic attends the first Prespa Forum Dialogue today (Tanjug, B92)
Stefanovic: ''Better for Kurti to prepare for Brussels, instead of going to the north'' (Kosovo Online, Vecernje Novosti, B92)
Dacic: Compromise in dialogue is real situation on ground (Radio KIM)

Opinion:

The time is ripe for substantial electoral reform in Kosovo (Gazeta Express/Kossev)
Kurti vs Vucic or the continuation of the fight by (international) legal means (KoSSev)

International:

Stoltenberg: Kosovo force important for the region and NATO (AP)
Serbian President Voices Hesitation Over Embassy’s Jerusalem Move (Balkan Insight)
Slovenia Takes Over EU Presidency Amid Wave of Criticism (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

Manifesta 14: how the art biennial is set to reclaim Pristina’s abandoned public spaces (The Calvert Journal)

Albanian Language Media

COVID-19: 17 new cases, two deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 17 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. Eight persons recovered from the virus during this time.

The total number of active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo is 172.

9,565 vaccines have meanwhile been administered in the last 24 hours.

To date, a total of 196,829 vaccines have been administered in Kosovo while 47,141 persons have received the second dose.

Ahmeti: Almost half of Prishtina residents have passed COVID-19 (Telegrafi/KP)

Mayor of Prishtina, Shpend Ahmeti, said at a press conference today that 47 percent of residents of the capital have passed COVID-19. At the same time, 48 percent of the municipality's healthcare staff have already been infected with the virus.

In presenting the findings of two surveys conducted in the municipality, Ahmeti said that the reason behind a low number of new infections in Prishtina is also due to the fact that many citizens have already passed COVID-19.

Kosovo and Albania have differing stances on Mini-Schengen (Koha)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said at the Prespa Forum today that he shares the disappointment over the EU's decision not to open negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania saying the move is discouraging for the region.

"As a country which has been promised visa liberalisation I understand your disappointment but we need to be careful. The EU is slow and lacks unity but is our best hope and best alternative not because we have no other solution but because we are part of this region," Kurti said. "Instead of being frustrated by the EU we need to ask ourselves what future we want and what we want to achieve because, at the end of the day, we are far from perfect. A large part of the responsibility lies with the EU but we also need to do our homework."

Speaking about Mini-Schengen, Kurti explained why Kosovo is against the idea: "It is an initiative that has no vision for the region and as such the Republic of Kosovo strongly rejects it and I would encourage you all to focus on the EU agenda and trans-Atlantic relations instead. Discontent with the EU should not be instrumentalised by countries that do not want NATO or that support the Russian Federation."

Kurti meets Lajcak at the Prespa forum (RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti is today participating in the second day of the international conference taking place in North Macedonia.

At the sidelines of the event, Kurti and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla met the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

In Prespa, Kurti also met Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama and the leader of North Macedonia's Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) Ali Ahmeti.

The forum will discuss topics relating to trans-Atlantic relations and the return of synergy between the EU and the U.S. on the Western Balkans.

Kosovo purchases Turkish-made armoured vehicles (Zeri)

Zeri quotes reports from the Turkish news outlet, Anadolu Agency, saying that Kosovo has purchased the Turkish armored vehicle Vuran, manufactured in collaboration with leading Turkish defense firms.

AA reported that at the first stage, two units of the vehicle will be delivered to Kosovo.

Vuran is described as a multi-purpose armoured vehicle which has been in the inventory of Turkish security forces for some time and which has high mobility and survivability enabling it to operate in harsh climatic and geographical conditions.

Kllokot mayor indicted on charges relating to February elections (media)

Special Prosecution of Kosovo has submitted a lawsuit against Mayor of Kllokot municipality Bozidar Dejanovic for his role in 14 February general elections.

The prosecution claims Dejanovic was involved in undermining the free will of the voters, an offence sanctioned under Kosovo's Criminal Code.

Serbian Language Media

Brnabic: Regional cooperation improves quality of citizens’ lives (Kosovo-online)

The region should continue with European integration, but also place the focus on regional cooperation that can improve quality of the lives of citizens, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said at the Prespa Forum in Ohrid today, Kosovo-online portal reports.

She added once she landed at the airport she received a message there is no roaming charges any more, stressing these were concrete things citizens can benefit from.

“(…) This is the value I strive for and I am looking forward to such projects”, she said.

Brnabic also noted one should have in mind difficult political issues as well, such as Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, but there are also many other things that can be done for the citizens.

“We owe that to our generations. If we don’t do that, we would remain the only people living in the region who would continue arguing”, Brnabic said.

Talking about Euro-Atlantic integration Brnabic noted that Serbia remains committed to joining the EU, but not NATO. “We are a military neutral country that has great bilateral relations with the US, and we are now having those relations strengthened in all the areas”, Brnabic underlined.

Reeker: US supports Lajcak and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (Blic, Tanjug)

Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker said today that the United States supports the special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, who, as he says, works with his deputy, Matthew Palmer, reported daily Blic citing Tanjug agency.

Reeker said at the Prespa Forum in Ohrid that Lajcak and Palmer went to Pristina and Belgrade together to coordinate activities.

- We have encouraged both Kosovo and Serbia to continue negotiations with seriousness and urgency, and we welcome the talks that are being held at a high level - Reeker said at the panel attended by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Johannes Hahn

He stated that the "two sides" are very far apart, and that dialogue is a way to bridge the differences.

He explains that the Agreement on normalization brings ''normal state", which means, as he says, mutual recognition, which, according to him, will enable the countries to "put things in context" and move towards a more prosperous life in the future.

- That requires flexibility, compromise and thinking about the future. We want to see more of that, and I am convinced that our partners from the European Union would also want that - said Reeker.

Rakic and Stoltenberg on the security situation in Kosovo (KiM radio)

Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The main topic of the meeting between the two officials was the security situation in Kosovo, reported KiM radio.

According to the statement, Rakic said during the meeting that yesterday's meeting was a good message for the Serb and other minority communities in Kosovo.

He emphasized that in the past period, there were about 70 attacks on Serbs in Kosovo, their property, property and religious buildings of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"Every kind of such incident indicates a clearly directed message against the Serbian people that they are not welcome and that returnees have nothing to look for in their homes," Rakic pointed out.

He added that he believes that joint work and coordination can help calm the situation when it comes to incidents, and stressed that KFOR "must remain a guarantor of peace and stability in Kosovo in the future, and that the Serbian people appreciate NATO's decision that the members of Kosovo security forces are not coming to northern Kosovo".

Office for KiM: Boy beaten up in Gojbulja village (Radio KIM)

13-year old boy N.P was beaten up in the village of Gojbulja, near Vucitrn by a group of Albanians, Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement, Radio KIM reports.

Director of the Office Petar Petkovic said the attack took place while the boy was alone on his way home after playing football. The boy sustained bruises and hematomas and was transferred to the Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North, Petkovic added.

Doctor Turkovic from Clinical Hospital Center in MItrovica North said that the boy is in stable condition, and is recovering from injuries.

Petkovic said he will inform representatives of the international community about this incident, and request security protection in Gojbulja village, an ethnically mixed area, be raised to the higher level.

He pointed out the attack took place on a day when NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was visiting Pristina and said that preserving security and peace are the main priorities of the KFOR Mission.

Serbian List condemned the attack against the Serb boy saying “it demands from responsible bodies to at least once find and punish perpetrators of the attacks against the Serbs”.

Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic reacting to the incident urged all relevant stakeholders to react.

“I call upon all international representatives in Kosovo, Kosovo police and all responsible institutions to undertake appropriate measures, arrest and punish perpetrators of such a hypocrite and holligan attack against the underage boy of Serbian ethnicity who was injured in the attack by Albanians”, Rakic said.

Brnabic attends the first Prespa Forum Dialogue today (Tanjug, B92)

Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, will participate today in the Prespa Forum, to be held in Ohrid.

Brnabic will speak at the high-level plenary session, which starts at 12 o'clock, the government's Office for Cooperation with the Media announced. The topics of the panel are preserving and reviving the European perspective of the region, successes and challenges in the Western Balkans, as well as joint work on managing the future.

The Prespa Forum Dialogue (PFD), organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, is being held on Thursday and today in Ohrid and Oteshevo, with the presence of about 300 leaders and high-ranking officials from the region, the EU and the USA.

The goal of the gathering, entitled "Western Balkans: The Missing Puzzle for Completing Europe", according to the organizers, is to inspire and promote good neighborly relations and cooperation.

Through discussions and suggestions, participants should contribute to strengthening the stability of the Western Balkans region and project a positive image of the region. The forum is being held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev.

The UN Secretary General sends warmest greetings to the participants in the first Prespa Forum Dialogue, adding that "this region is incredibly resilient and full of potential. I urge you to put women and young people at the heart of your decision-making, as they can hold the key to fostering sustainable development at all levels".

"The United Nations accompanied North Macedonia on every step of the “road to Prespa”. We will continue to offer our support across the region as it implements the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals", UN Secretary General concluded.

See at: https://bit.ly/3Aoxb6H Stefanovic: ''Better for Kurti to prepare for Brussels, instead of going to the north'' (Kosovo Online, Vecernje Novosti, B92)

We are preparing for everything. And we are not in the fourth year of government, it is the 100th day. I believe that the "Republic of Kosovo" will be present everywhere. Thus, Kosovo's PM, Albin Kurti answered the question whether he would visit the north of Kosovo, portal Kosovo Online reported citing Belgrade based daily Vecernje Novosti.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Nebojsa Stefanovic told Novosti that "this is another of Kurti's brilliant statements which confirms that he has no idea how to make the life of Albanians in our southern province better, let alone Serbs''.

"Instead, he is threatening with an empty rifle, since nothing he says will happen. He will not take over the north of Kosovo and Metohija by force, and he knows very well why he cannot and must not do that," cited portal Kosovo Online.

Stefanovic also pointed out that Kurti, with his statements on the ZSO, to which formation Pristina committed itself, once again confirmed that the Brussels Agreement was still a bone in the throat of the Pristina administration, even though they signed it themselves:

"I also want to remind him that there is no 'Republic of Kosovo', and thanks to President Vucic, whom the Kosovo Albanians mark as the main opponent of this idea, today they are only further from their goals".

The director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic told Novosti that Kurti's message that he was "ready for everything" was well understood and that ''we just ask him not to play with the issue of security of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, and to remember what the people think about him, when he tried to walk through this part of the province at the beginning of the year", reported Kosovo Online.

He added that politics cannot be built on hatred and animosity towards everything Serbian and said:

-That is why it is better for Kurti to prepare for Brussels, instead of going to the north of the province, where difficult talks on all open issues await him, instead of spending energy on futile threats - quoted the portal.

Dacic: Compromise in dialogue is real situation on ground (Radio KIM)

Serbian Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic in an interview with DW said that compromise in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should imply something that was in the interest of both sides, adding he “doesn’t know if that is possible”, Radio KIM reports.

Dacic added the situation on the ground was such “that Serbia has no full sovereignty in Pristina, nor Pristina has it in the north of Kosovo and this should be resolved with a compromise”.

“Can that situation on the ground be changed except by the war? Can it be changed, for example, by compromise? It can. Better with compromise? Therefore, for me compromise was a real situation on the ground”, Dacic was quoted as saying.

“And you know we are now getting into a situation that whoever talks about it (Kosovo) implies that Serbia should recognize Kosovo. We should not start from that. Is there a situation for someone to propose a solution which would represent a compromise of Serbian and Albanian interests? For now, no one wants to deal with that, no one wants to take over responsibility”, Dacic said.

Responding to a question if Belgrade at a certain moment would recognize Kosovo, Dacic said it will not accept any unilateral solutions.

“There should be talks and continue the dialogue. I underline it once again, for me it is acceptable anything that could represent some compromise encompassing interests of the both sides. But you are asking me now about something I am not taking part in”, Dacic said.

He also said that in Berlin they were disappointed with the stance of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti not to recognize previously signed agreements, respectively his stance that they should be looked at, before a decision on continuation of the dialogue.

Talking about the missing persons issue, Dacic said it should be a priority, but this was not only about missing Albanians, but also about other missing persons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and missing Serbs in Kosovo.

Opinion

The time is ripe for substantial electoral reform in Kosovo (Gazeta Express/Kossev)

Op-Ed by Tomáš Szunyog, Head of the EU Office/EU Special Representative in Kosovo published in Gazeta Express and Kossev

The year 2021 is an electoral year in Kosovo as were so many years before. In February, Kosovo held early parliamentary elections, and in autumn municipal elections are due in October.

The EU deployed a team of experts to follow the electoral process during the February elections. In addition, together with other representatives of the international community posted in Kosovo, we organized a Diplomatic Watch. As a result, a comprehensive, professional report was prepared, with concrete recommendations for improvements. I presented the report of the elections experts to the President, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission. The report complements previous recommendations prepared by the EU Election Observation Missions since 2013. Unfortunately, none of these recommendations requiring changes in the legal framework have been implemented.

I believe it is time to address these recommendations and to launch the long overdue electoral reform process.

Electoral reform is a quest that requires significant political commitment and compromise by all. I know that electoral reforms were initiated in the past but they were never concluded successfully. I like the famous Simon Sinek’s quote that ‘leadership is not about the next elections, it’s about the next generation’. I very much hope this principle would be the driving force for engaging into a comprehensive, inclusive and substantial reform that will provide Kosovo with a modern electoral framework. This is necessary to show Kosovo’s commitment to enhancing good electoral practice through a sustainable and clear process that complies with international standards and ensures integrity.

It is important to complete the work well before the next general elections. Today, it looks like a very distant perspective but there is no time to lose. The work should start already this year. Experts’ assessments indicate that both legislative changes and technical amendments require intensive work.

I am optimistic that this time the political parties, institutions and civil society will genuinely engage and be part of the positive work that will have a positive impact on the integrity of the future elections.

I encourage all political stakeholders in Kosovo to re-launch the initiative for improving and strengthening the electoral process. A very first step would be the creating of an Ad-Hoc-Committee in the Assembly.

The EU is willing and ready to be a part of the process to support Kosovo according to European standards and best practices.

Kurti vs Vucic or the continuation of the fight by (international) legal means (KoSSev) By Milos Hrnjaz

The main purpose of this column is to briefly analyze these proposals from the standpoint of international law, with an analysis of another issue that was greatly discussed in the previous period – the announcement of a possible lawsuit against Serbia for genocide it allegedly committed in Kosovo and Metohija.

CEFTA into SEFTA

At the end of 2006, the CEFTA Free Trade Agreement was signed by the following parties: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and „UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244“ (CEFTA – Central European Free Trade Agreement). At that time, Kosovo had not yet declared independence, but after it declared independence in 2008, the issue of its membership in international and regional organizations became an extremely important issue. Among other things, the question arose as to the way Kosovo could be represented in regional organizations, which Serbia would agree to. At one point, Serbia refused to participate in regional meetings due to the participation of Kosovo representatives, fearing that this could be interpreted as implicit recognition of Kosovo. Although certain authors rightly pointed out that this fear was mostly unfounded or at least excessive (Predstavnici Kosova i Srbije na međunarodnim skupovima – Tatjana Papić – Peščanik (pescanik.net). The Agreement on Regional Representation and Cooperation was signed on February 24th, 2012 (Договор о регионалном представљању и сарадњи (srbija.gov.rs). It stipulates that Kosovo will be presented with an asterisk, i.e. a footnote stating: “This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and the Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.” However, the CEFTA text has not been changed in this context, bearing in mind the procedure envisaged for it in Article 48 of this Agreement. The analysis carried out by certain organizations criticized the passivity of Pristina institutions in the context of the lack of insistence that such things change (Regional-Cooperation-in-the-Western-Balkans_Regional-Economic-Area-the-mini_schengen-and-the-Common-Regional-Market-WEB-1.pdf (balkansgroup.org).

Albin Kurti’s statement that the existing free trade agreement in the region (CEFTA) should be replaced by a new one (SEFTA) can probably be interpreted as part of his broader agenda, which insists on full equality of those participating in the negotiations. Given that it is probably unrealistic to expect a change in the text of CEFTA, the establishment of a new organization could possibly provide what Kurti requested – representation „on an equal footing“.

International

Stoltenberg: Kosovo force important for the region and NATO (AP)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Kosovo on Thursday and reassured local leaders that the international Kosovo Force will remain in place to secure regional peace and stability.

Stoltenberg was in the Kosovar capital Pristina where he was also to visit the NATO-led mission, known as KFOR, and show “NATO’s commitment to peace and stability in the Western Balkans.”

NATO has been leading KFOR since 1999, with more than 3,700 troops from 27 countries.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3hbrxNV Serbian President Voices Hesitation Over Embassy’s Jerusalem Move (Balkan Insight)

As the deadline established by the Washington agreement for Serbia to move its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem expired on Thursday, Serbia’s head of state expressed uncertainty over the commitment.

President Aleksandar Vucic, answering media questions, said only that Serbia will decide when and whether to move the embassy to Jerusalem in accordance with international law and its own national interests.

“Israel, meanwhile, has recognised Kosovo, we are talking to the Americans and the EU, and we will, in accordance with international law, but also with the interests of Serbia, and those interests have changed since Israel recognized Kosovo, make decisions in the future, respecting friendship with Israel, but also respecting ourselves,” Vucic told the media.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3jASGvd Slovenia Takes Over EU Presidency Amid Wave of Criticism (Balkan Insight)

Slovenia is taking over the rotating presidency of the European Union amid claims that the right-wing government led by Janez Jansa is undermining democracy and rule of law.

Slovenia formally took over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union on Thursday, announcing its focus as tackling the coronavirus pandemic and recovery, enhancing resilience to future crises, and EU enlargement.

To mark the occasion, Slovenia’s top state officials, led by Prime Minister Janez Jansa, hosted European Union officials at Brdo, an estate near the town of Kranj.

Humanitarian/Development

Manifesta 14: how the art biennial is set to reclaim Pristina’s abandoned public spaces (The Calvert Journal)

Manifesta 14 will be taking place in Kosovo next year. In the process, the European contemporary art biennial plans to revive Pristina’s abandoned urban spaces.

Taking place between 22 July and 30 October 2022, the upcoming edition of the biennial, curated by the Italian design bureau CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, will ask locals, designers, and architecture students for ideas on how to transform the city’s abandoned public spaces into community hubs. Throughout the summer, Manifesta will organise events at these sites when locals can drop by and share their ideas.