Albanian Language Media:

• President Osmani meets Latvian President Levits (media)
• PDK submits lawsuit against ERO board members (media)
• Ambassador Berishaj rejects allegations of money fraud (Klan)
• German reporter about Council of Europe: Russia out, Kosovo in? (Gazeta Express)
• COVID-19: 14 new cases (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: Sticker regime to remain in force (Tanjug)
• Movement of vehicles at Jarinje and Brnjak crossing points without problems (Tanjug)
• Vucic speaks with his Egypt counterpart, says Serbia grateful for understanding over Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Patriarch Porfirije’s message on occasion of Orthodox Easter (N1)
• Serbian President unveils Jasenovac victims memorial (N1)
• Selakovic: No major outpourings of support for Pristina in UN SC (Tanjug)
• 23rd anniversary of RTS bombing (RTS)
• US Assistant Secretary of State Donfried to visit Belgrade on April 26 (Tanjug)
• Bilcik: Serbia could face consequences over Russia sanctions (N1)

International:

• War Childhood Museum Exhibition Opens for the First Time in Prishtina (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

• American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo against pension savings withdrawal (Koha)
• Kosovo Government support bypasses minority communities because of high unemployment rate (Radio KIM)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  President Osmani meets Latvian President Levits (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani called on her Latvian counterpart, Egils Letvis, today for Latvia to support Kosovo’s path toward membership in NATO and the European Union. “Being that Latvia has a key voice in NATO and EU, I asked for Latvia’s support in our path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and reiterated that these alliances should always have their doors open for countries like the Republic of Kosovo,” Osmani said. She said that the first visit by a Latvian President to Kosovo comes at a difficult time for European and global security. 

At a joint press conference, Osmani also said that Kosovo will challenge threats coming from Russia and will stand determined to strengthen its democracy and freedom. She also said that if European countries stand united, they will be successful in the fight against tyranny. “I am confident that with our determination to strengthen democracy and freedom, we will challenge the threats coming from Russia. If we stand united, I am confident we will be successful in the fight against tyranny and autocracy,” Osmani said.

Osmani also argued that Serbia is blocking the progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue. Asked about the failure to reach an agreement on licence plates on Thursday, Osmani said the Kosovo side did their best as a constructive party to reach an agreement as requested by the EU. “We cannot be held responsible for the blockade caused by the Serbian side. I can assure you that Kosovo will be a constructive party and will continue to respect the highest European principles and standards. On the other hand, it is up to Serbia how they will act, but their actions have so far only blocked the progress in dialogue. In the coming days there will be more efforts to reach an agreement. The Prime Minister will continue to reiterate that the process is focused on mutual recognition. Mutual recognition is a precondition for long-term peace and stability in our region,” she said.

Latvian President Levits said at the press conference that it is very important for Kosovo to join international organisations, especially the Council of Europe. “We would welcome Kosovo’s membership bid at the Council of Europe. Latvia is supporting Kosovo in terms of visa liberalisation. We have noticed that last year Kosovo was very successful in the fight against corruption. I notice that there are some problems in terms of dialogue with Serbia, and I hope there will be progress in these talks,” he said.

PDK submits lawsuit against ERO board members (media)

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) submitted with the Special Prosecution of Kosovo a lawsuit against members of the board of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) accusing them of failing to implement the court's decision for freezing the billing of new electricity tariffs. 

PDK said that despite the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina to suspend the new prices, ERO continued to bill them and caused financial damage to 350,000 households across Kosovo. "All this unlawfulness is silently watched by the Prime Minister and the majority in the parliament and the government, which shows that they are in full accordance to ERO. The ERO board has decided to act above the law and the judicial decision and we will not tolerate this," said today Bajrush Xhemajli from the PDK. 

Ambassador Berishaj rejects allegations of money fraud (Klan)

Kosovo's Ambassador to Croatia, Martin Berishaj, has reacted to the report from the Slovenia-based Planet TV which alleged that he was involved in a suspected money laundering scheme.

Berishaj said he would sue the TV station. "It is not right to only be certain in justice and the truth. We need to defend justice and the truth. Otherwise defamation becomes the norm," he said. 

The media report said that Berishaj transferred large sums of money from his consulting company based in Montenegro to the leader of Freedom Party of Slovenia, Robert Golob. Berishaj is alleged to have acted as a middle man between a company in Serbia and the Slovenian politician. Planet TV said it discovered that Berishaj's company in Montenegro was founded only days before the first payment from Belgrade was made.

German reporter about Council of Europe: Russia out, Kosovo in? (Gazeta Express)

German reporter, Michael Martens, in a Twitter post quotes reliable sources as saying that Kosovo will very soon initiate the process of becoming a member of the Council of Europe. “Russia out, Kosovo in? Several reliable sources confirm that Kosovo will "very soon" initiate the process of becoming a full member state of the Council of Europe. Mathematically and politically, chances for success are deemed to be good. More in tomorrow´s edition of F.A.Z.,” Martens tweeted.

COVID-19: 14 new cases (media) 14 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 10 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 438 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.    

Serbian Language Media

  Petkovic: Sticker regime to remain in force (Tanjug)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic, who is also Belgrade's chief negotiator in the dialogue with Pristina, said on Thursday that September 30 agreement on a sticker regime for vehicle registration plates would remain in force, Tanjug news agency reports.

"That means the sticker regime will continue until a permanent solution is found at a high level", Petkovic told reporters in Brussels yesterday afternoon, where he met with EU Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak and Pristina delegation earlier in the day.

He said both the EU and Lajcak had confirmed the outcome of the meetings.

Petkovic also noted that Pristina proposed no solution to the registration plate issue over the past six months.

Movement of vehicles at Jarinje and Brnjak crossing points without problems (Tanjug)

Movement of vehicles at administrative crossing points of Brnjak and Jarinje in northern Kosovo, day after negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on licence plates bore no result, continues in the same manner as over the last six months, Tanjug news agency reports.

One of the drivers, with registration plates from central Serbia, told Radio Mitrovica sever everything remains the same as over the last months.

“After checking passengers and vehicles, I received a pack of stickers in order to continue the trip”, he said.  

Vucic speaks with his Egypt counterpart, says Serbia grateful for understanding over Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had a phone conversation with the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al Sisi and thanked Egypt for its understanding of Serbia’s positions when it comes to Kosovo issue, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Vucic also voiced expectations that Egypt will continue offering active support to the interests of Serbia on this issue in international organisations.

The two interlocutors also said they will continue working to foster further century old friendship between the two peoples, and strengthen cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.

They also agreed there is a potential to develop economic relations in the areas of agriculture, tourism, culture, health, telecommunications, construction, industry, science and research projects as well as defence, Serbian media reported. 

Patriarch Porfirije’s message on occasion of Orthodox Easter (N1)

Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Patriarch Porfirije in his message on the occasion of Orthodox Easter said he prays for a swift and unconditional peace in Ukraine, adding the war was a defeat of each man, N1 reports.

“Each war, anywhere and at any time, causes losses and is a defeat of a human dignity, it is a defeat and shame of each man as God’s icon”, Patriarch Porfirije said.

He added the Church “feels compassion and the suffering of all Orthodox Christians, brothers and sisters, we feel compassion and the suffering of all the people in this world, seeing how the conflict on Ukrainian soil and across the world are deepening further”.

He also said that “We are one humankind and we are called to be one. We pray to the resurrected God to establish peace as soon as possible and unconditionally, end the suffering and return all the refugees to their homes”.

In part of his message dedicated to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija Patriarch Porfirije said “that their Mother Church shall always be with them, as it was the case thus far”. He also said the Church is aware of their struggles and temptations, adding that Kosovo and Metohija were a spiritual and national cradle of Serbia.    

Serbian President unveils Jasenovac victims memorial (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic unveiled a memorial plaque to the victims of the Croatian World War II Jasenovac death camp at the site of the Staro Sajmiste (Lager Semlin) camp on Thursday.

The plaque was unveiled on the banks of the Sava river in Belgrade which has been named the Shore of the Jasenovac Victims by the Belgrade city authorities. The Staro Sajmiste camp was on the side of the river governed by the Nazi puppet Independent State of Croatia whose troops guarded the camp. The death camp was intended for Jews and was one of the first places in which the Nazis used gas trucks to kill people. Jasenovac was a camp mainly for Serbs from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina who were executed brutally by Ustashe (Croatian fascist paramilitary formation), N1 recalls.

Vucic told the unveiling ceremony that Belgrade had a death camp in the Banjica suburb and Staro Sajmiste “unlike other execution sites which were kept hidden”. He said that the Jasenovac death camp was “one of the most horrifying execution sites” in the former Yugoslavia during WW 2 and recalled that “the bodies of the people killed there were thrown in the Sava River and washed up where the memorial plaque was placed”.

The Serbian President said that “mankind does not have the right to a third world war”. “Serbia wants peace and Serbia wants life for itself and all others at this difficult time which has affected Europe and the world”, he said, adding that “in future we have to preserve the peace to avoid ever paying for anything with lives”.

Serbia observes its National Holocaust, WWII Genocide and other Fascist Crimes Victims' Remembrance Day on April 22.

See at: https://bit.ly/3vzHfZ2 Selakovic: No major outpourings of support for Pristina in UN SC (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Thursday his impressions from Wednesday's UN Security Council session on the latest report on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) were very strong as there had been "no major outpourings of support for Pristina", Tanjug news agency reports.

"This time, there was not only no choir of support and, in certain cases, the support was more than tepid, but nearly all member states - even those that recognized Pristina - condemned certain behaviour by Pristina, such as the ban on the holding of the January 16 referendum on amendments to the Serbian constitution as well as the April 3 presidential and parliamentary elections", Selakovic said. 

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Selakovic said Serbia had received "more than firm support" from all UN SC member states that do not recognize unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, including from India, Ghana, Brazil, China and Russia.

23rd anniversary of RTS bombing (RTS)

Serbian national broadcaster (RTS) in an article published today recalled the 23rd anniversary of its bombing during NATO air campaign against Serbia, killing 16  employees who were at their working places that evening. More than 100 people were working in the evening shift on RTS at the moment of bombing.

RTS building was struck with bombs during the news broadcast at six minutes pass 2 a.m. on April 23, 1999. RTS said that for the first time in the history of war a media outlet was targeted after being previously declared as “legitimate military target”. NATO justified the bombing of the Serbian state television by saying it was a legitimate target, RTS added.

Only former RTS director Dragoljub Milanovic was held responsible for the deaths. In 2002 he was sentenced to ten years in prison over failure to respect the order of the Federal Government and relocate the employees and technical equipment from the RTS building in Aberdareva Street in Belgrade.

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), Trade Union of the RTS, and Union of the Journalists of Serbia (SINOS) ahead of the anniversary said NATO as the most powerful military organization by bombing RTS “has committed a war crime, introduced a practice of attacking media outlets in international conflicts and despite all of it, none of those responsible in the NATO structures were hold accountable at any court for it”.

UNS said in a statement that Amnesty International in its report from 2000 said that “NATO forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law, which lead to illegal killings of civilians, and among the cases it mentioned was also the case of 16 RTS killed employees, that they qualified as a war crime”. 

US Assistant Secretary of State Donfried to visit Belgrade on April 26 (Tanjug)

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried will travel to the Western Balkans from April 25 to 29, and visit Pristina and Belgrade on April 25 and 26, Tanjug news agency reports.

According to a statement released by the US Embassy in Serbia, Donfried will review prospects for progress in the US-supported, EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue "toward an agreement on normalised relations centred on mutual recognition".

While in Belgrade, she will "urge Serbia to advance reforms for its European integration, enhance regional stability and prosperity, discuss opportunities for further energy diversification, and broaden our bilateral security and economic ties".

"She will reiterate the need for Serbia and Kosovo to re-engage in the EU-facilitated Dialogue", the statement also said.

During the tour of the Western Balkans, Donfried will also visit Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

Bilcik: Serbia could face consequences over Russia sanctions (N1)

European Parliament Rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik said on Thursday that Serbia would face unspecified consequences if it fails to impose sanctions on Russia, N1 reports.

Radio Free Europe reported that Bilcik told the European Parliament Foreign Policy Committee that he hopes official Belgrade will align with European Union decisions on Russia. “Sovereign states take sovereign decisions but sovereign decisions also have consequences on international partnerships, alliances and European integration”, he said at the presentation of his draft resolution which calls Serbia to align with EU policies.

“I hope the decisions taken in Serbia following the elections will reflect Serbia’s European tendencies”, he added.

   

International 

  War Childhood Museum Exhibition Opens for the First Time in Prishtina (BIRN)

The personal experiences and belongings of Kosovar children from the 1998-1999 war, which are part of the collection of the War Childhood Museum, were presented to the public in Kosovo for the first time on Saturday. The War Childhood Museum Exhibition opened at the National Gallery of Kosovo in Prishtina on Saturday. It exhibits the personal experiences and belongings of Kosovar children from the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. The War Childhood Museum is the first museum in the world to focus exclusively on war-affected childhood, according to the organizers. The first permanent exhibition of the Museum of War Childhood opened in Sarajevo in 2017 and was initially dedicated to the experiences of children from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The idea for the exhibition travels to Kosovo as well, showing the experience of the children from the last war of Yugoslavia. 

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3OyhOzF    

Humanitarian/Development

  American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo against pension savings withdrawal (Koha)

The American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo (AmCham) said in a statement today it was concerned over legislative initiatives that would enable Kosovo citizens to withdraw savings from the Pension Trust. “The American Chamber strongly believes that such measures are in opposition with the purpose of the pension savings fund and that these measures would have short-term socioeconomic benefits,” the statement notes.

Kosovo Government support bypasses minority communities because of high unemployment rate (Radio KIM)

Decision of the Kosovo government to offer support to people in the private sector was good, however, it was bad that no way was found to support minority communities affected by higher unemployment rate, Executive Director of non-governmental organisation Syri i Vizionit Veton Mujaj opined, Radio KIM reports.

“Those 100 euros for other people, students, pensioners, and the private sector are really needed because of the price hikes and the crisis, but it is very bad for those unemployed who have not received that aid. This should be provided for other ethnicities living in Kosovo, because the unemployment rate among minority communities is much higher. The government should have found a way to help those people as soon as possible, because they need it the most (…)”, Mujaj said.

The Ministry of Finance earlier said the application period for the financial aid is open from April 21 to May 20, 2022. Those employed in the public sector do not need to apply as they would get subvention with the salary in April. The financial aid in the amount of 100 euros is dedicated to all workers in the private sector whose salaries do not exceed 1000 euros, Radio KIM recalled.