Albanian Language Media:

• Tajani meets Osmani: The future of the Western Balkans is in the EU (RTK)
• Kurti and Abazovic sign agreement on air services between Kosovo and Montenegro (media)
• Konjufca: Without the Serbian parties in the elections, there is no Association (media)
• Svecla on elections in the north: I am convinced that whole process will end peacefully (media)
• Kurti honors the victims and survivors of sexual violence during the war (media)
• The CEC reduces the number of voting centers in the north from 44 to 19 (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic presents five conclusions after meeting with Serbs from Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Patriarch: Prayer for peace more powerful than any weapon (Tanjug)
• Petkovic says he should be in Kosovo for Easter, announced visit to Pristina (Kosovo Online)
• Kovac in a meeting with Vucic on problems Serb sports associations face in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Conclusions from yesterday’s meeting will be binding for Serbian negotiating team (media)
• Jeremic: Why elections when Vucic would be defeated in a referendum (FoNet, N1)
• Orthodox Christians mark Good Friday (N1)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Tajani meets Osmani: The future of the Western Balkans is in the EU (RTK)

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, during her visit to Italy, met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Antonio Tajani.

"I confirmed the government's commitment to the Balkans to President Vjosa Osmani. We are also on the front line in Kosovo for security and stability with the NATO-KFOR mission," Tajani wrote on Twitter.

The Italian chief diplomat wrote that "the future of the Western Balkans is in the EU".

Kurti and Abazovic sign agreement on air services between Kosovo and Montenegro (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met today with the acting Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abzovic.

During this meeting, they signed the agreement for air services between Kosovo and Montenegro. After the signing, Kurti said that this agreement offers new opportunities for the development of civil aviation.

"The agreement that we signed today offers new opportunities for the development of civil aviation, it enables the shortening of air routes and flight time by 15 minutes," he said.

In the last year, we have increased trade exchange with Montenegro, compared to 2021, in 2022, Kosovo's exports to Montenegro have increased by 50 percent," Kurti added.

"I thank the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for his extraordinary hospitality. I am more than convinced that Montenegro and Kosovo are setting a regional example of how to cooperate," said Montenegrin PM.

"Our focus even today in the meeting was the standard of living of the people of both Kosovo and Montenegro and I think we are on the right track to develop some projects which I had called for historical Montenegro.They concern infrastructure. I like to emphasise that our idea was to create easier access for the citizens of the two countries," Abazovic said.

Konjufca: Without the Serbian parties in the elections, there is no Association (media)

The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca, said after the Presidency meeting, that without the participation of Serb political parties in the April 23 elections, there can be no formation of the Association.

According to him, Kosovo cannot be conditioned by Serbia to hold elections for the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo.

"I think that the position of the QUINT countries and the international community was very positive. Without the participation of the Serbian List, without the participation of the Serb political parties in the elections announced on April 23, there is no formation of the Association."

"I think that Kosovo does not need to move at all, prior to developments in this direction. We cannot be conditioned by Vucic, by Serbia, that they decide when there will be elections or not in Kosovo".

Konjufca has said that they have received guarantees from internationals that the elections will not be postponed more than once and that this issue has ended.

Svecla on elections in the north: I am convinced that whole process will end peacefully (media)

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, in the report to the European Integration Commission, spoke about the elections in the north, which will be held on April 23.

"As far as the issue of elections is concerned, the Kosovo police, but also the entire Ministry of Internal Affairs is at the disposal of the CEC, so that these elections can continue and end successfully. For us, it is imperative that these elections be held in a calm, safe atmosphere, both for the organisers and for the citizens themselves," he said.

Svecla expressed his conviction that the election process will end peacefully and successfully.

"It is important that the institutions of Kosovo are continuing with the organisation of the election process, as it is best. I am convinced that this whole process will end smoothly and successfully, overcoming the problems I mentioned," he continued.

He said that there are improvements in terms of the rule of law and security there. During this report, Svecla announced that the police are currently conducting an action against misuse of electricity in the north.

The minister also spoke about the resignation of the Serb policemen in the north.

"We didn't have policemen in the north, we had people in uniforms that we gave them weapons, they received orders from the enemy state. We are in the process of recruiting our citizens, from different communities who have started the treatments to become part of the Police and who will be loyal. The Kosovo Police has not lost anything from the resignation of the policemen in the north, who have served Serbia. As for the mayors of the municipalities in the north, it is their political decision," he said, among other things.

Kurti honors the victims and survivors of sexual violence during the war (media)

On the memorial day of the survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo, announced this year by the government, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, honored the victims and survivors of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo.

With tributes to the ‘Heroines’ memorial, Kurti commemorated the victims of sexual violence, who are no longer among us, as well as honored the survivors for their unparalleled strength.

"On the day of survivors of sexual violence during the war, we paid tribute to the 'Heroinat' memorial complex. Today and every other day, we honour the memory of women and men who were violated during the war. This date will forever be imprinted in the note and honour of the work and sacrifice of the people who were violated during the last war in Kosovo. Their sacrifice will forever be recognized by generations, reminding us again of the importance of commitment to the justice they deserve. Kosovo and its people will never forget the genocidal project of Serbia and all the crimes in the last war in Kosovo. We will seek justice for each victim," Haxhiu wrote on her Facebook account.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Xelal Svecla, the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, the Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, the leader of the parliamentary group of the Vetevendosje Movement Mimoza Kusari Lila, Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Gender Equality in the Office of the Prime Minister, Edi Gusia, the head of the Governmental Commission for the Recognition and Verification of the Status of Persons Violated During the War in Kosovo, Leonora Selmani, as well as other representatives of institutions, also participated in the tribute.

The CEC reduces the number of voting centers in the north from 44 to 19 (Koha)

The Central Election Commission (CEC), at the meeting held on Friday, has decided to reduce the number of voting centers for the April 23 elections that are expected to be held in the four municipalities in the north.

This proposal was approved with 8 votes in favor and one abstention. The proposal was presented at the meeting by the member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo in the CEC, Arianit Elshani.

In this meeting, it was also decided that the number of polling stations will be reduced from 69 to 34, while it was decided that the number of voters per polling station will increase from 750 to 2,000 voters.

   

Serbian Language Media 

  Vucic presents five conclusions after meeting with Serbs from Kosovo (Tanjug)

After a discussion with Serb representatives from Kosovo in Raska, central Serbia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic presented a set of five conclusions regarding the position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Tanjug news agency reports.

He said the first conclusion was that Belgrade would take arbitrary measures against drivers of vehicles with Pristina's “RKS” licence plates in case Pristina continued to obstruct the freedom of movement of Serbs in Kosovo.

He said a proposal would be made to the Serbian government to adopt conclusions regarding Pristina's violations of a vehicle licence plate agreement with Belgrade.

"It (the proposal) will request an urgent reaction from the EU and other bodies and institutions worldwide to ensure that the interim Pristina institutions immediately stop violating the licence plate agreement and ensure full and unobstructed freedom of movement to Serbs whose vehicles have legal and legitimate plates issued by the Republic of Serbia. We are asking for nothing more but for Pristina to comply with agreements from the dialogue as well as with all other relevant documents of international law", Vucic said.

"In case they reject that compromise solution and continue to obstruct the freedom of movement of Serbs and other citizens using legal and legitimate Republic of Serbia plates, the Serbian side will respond with significant and adequate measures to protect the constitutional order. Of course, those will be political measures", Vucic said.

"We, too, will be taking arbitrary measures against those with “RKS” plates, in line with what our state authorities adopt", he said.

The second conclusion is that Belgrade will demand urgent and unconditional establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, Vucic said.

He noted that the Community was the absolute precondition for a return of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs to Pristina's institutions and for any kind of political activities on their part in the future.

He said the Pristina interim institutions were obliged to ensure the Community was formed exclusively in line with four relevant agreements reached in the dialogue to date, and noted that this was also a part of an implementation act accepted by Pristina in Ohrid.

Vucic said the third conclusion was that Pristina's special police forces must withdraw from the north of Kosovo-Metohija.

"They are illegally in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, where they brutally terrorise Serbs who live there - all representatives of the international community are well familiar with this and, starting from today and everywhere, we will be requesting a withdrawal of those units - I believe, unsuccessfully", Vucic said.

The fourth conclusion is that we will request that elections in the north of Kosovo-Metohija be held after the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, he said.

Vucic also said the fifth conclusion was that the Republic of Serbia would take all legal, political, economic and other measures to ensure the protection of the lives and the fundamental human and political rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

He explained that this was chiefly about comprehensive social and economic progress in Serb communities.

Patriarch: Prayer for peace more powerful than any weapon (Tanjug)

In his Easter message, Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church called on all believers to multiply their prayers for peace and for keeping Kosovo and Metohija a part of Serbia, and noted that "an indirect or direct, a de facto or de jure alienation of the province from the state of Serbia is unacceptable”, Tanjug news agency reports.

He also called for prayers for peace in Ukraine and noted the necessity of preserving the Serbian language and the Cyrillic script.

"Let's unify and multiply our prayers for life in peace for our people everywhere, so that our own or anyone else's suffering may never happen again. You must know that a prayer for peace by believers, a prayer for peace by the Church, is more powerful than any weapon. The bishops and the believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church, whose first name is the Patriarchate of Pec, firmly and unchangeably hold the position that alienation of Kosovo and Metohija from the state of Serbia, indirectly or directly, de facto or de jure, is unacceptable", the Patriarch said in the message.

"We pray to the Saviour and advocate living together, in mutual respect and understanding with Kosovo and Metohija Albanians."

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3mxm9dg

Petkovic says he should be in Kosovo for Easter, announced visit to Pristina (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said he announced his visit in Kosovo to Pristina institutions on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.

He said he plans to visit Visoki Decani and Draganac monasteries.

“I should be with our people in Kosovo and Metohija for Easter. I am still waiting for the response, although you know how Pristina acts on many occasions when it comes to my visits. I will never give up from those visits, this is my duty and job”, Petkovic told TV Pink. 

Kovac in a meeting with Vucic on problems Serb sports associations face in Kosovo (KoSSev)

“Which mother would send her child to compete at their leagues and cities, where in 99 percent cases there is not a single Serb man or Serb woman left there, and who were expelled 24 years ago and never returned again”, President of the Sports Association in Kosovo, Goran Kovac asked Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic in a meeting with Serbs from Kosovo that took place in Raska yesterday, KoSSev portal reports.

This way he also responded to the calls from Pristina directed to the Serb clubs in Kosovo – to officially register, respectively as they said “become part of the legitimate sports system” in Kosovo.  

Kovac confirmed that a letter from Kosovo police on banning competitions “which are not organised by registered sports organisations within Kosovo system” was also delivered to some sports clubs in Pomoravlje region, and handed over those letters to Serbian President.

Kosovo government still made no announcement regarding this letter, neither confirmed nor denied it, while on the other hand, Igor Uljarevic, President of Football Association in Kosovo and Metohija within the Serbian system told KoSSev portal that this letter was also submitted to district football association and some clubs south of the Ibar River.

As Kovac said citing the letter, point 3 says that organisers who organise and hold sports games and events contrary to the Kosovo laws should be identified and measured in coordination with prosecution and responsible courts should be undertaken against them. 

Petkovic: Conclusions from yesterday’s meeting will be binding for Serbian negotiating team (media)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said that an important meeting was held yesterday with representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and pointed out that the five conclusions adopted at the meeting will be adopted by the Government of Serbia, as well as that they will become the framework of the negotiating team of Serbia.

Petkovic told TV Pink this morning that the fact that the Serbian state leadership attended the meeting shows how much the country attaches importance to Kosovo and the Serbian people.

“The meeting was an opportunity to discuss all of the problems that plague the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The decisions from the meeting were divided into a political part, which were adopted at the meeting, and which will be formalised at the Government session, and they will be binding for the Serbian negotiating team. Others were part of the economic package for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which was met with the enthusiasm of Serbs. This package shows the determination of the state to continue fighting for the Serbs. We will reduce unemployment, we will employ 600 people with secondary education, 100 people with higher education, 50 nurses and doctors. We increased the compensation to 20,000 dinars, and yesterday it was agreed that it also applies to the employees of the Trepca mine, the companies Simpo and Jumko”, Petkovic said.

Jeremic: Why elections when Vucic would be defeated in a referendum (FoNet, N1)

Leader of the opposition People’s Party Vuk Jeremic called on the political organisations that advocate Serbia’s territorial integrity and the principle of democratic decision-making, and on all those who will be “glad to see the regime’s back as soon as possible” to support the initiative for a referendum on rejecting the Franco-German proposal for a solution to the Kosovo issue.

“I don’t get those who demand early elections in which the regime would win for sure…and at the same time they oppose a referendum in which the regime would definitely be defeated”, Jeremic told the media in Subotica while talking to the people signing the People’s Party initiative for the calling of a referendum.

“It is difficult to understand this in any other way but as a calculation so at to join, after such election, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s regime in power or maybe get a few more seats and marginally improve one’s position in parliament”, the People’s Party quoted Jeremic as saying.

Neither of these options is in the interest of the people or morally acceptable, said Jeremic.

He said the only thing that is in the interest of the people is for Vucic’s “hands to be tied so he cannot commit high treason” in Kosovo and that he finally suffers his first defeat which will be followed by a second, a defeat in the parliamentary elections and then a final fall from power.

“Today a referendum is the only electoral process in which Vucic’s government can be defeated and in which Serbia can reject a plan by which it accepts the independence of its southern province”, said Jeremic, adding that a vast majority of people in Serbia are against the Franco-German agreement.

Orthodox Christians mark Good Friday (N1)

Orthodox Christians in Serbia are marking Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary.

Good Friday is believed to be the saddest day in Christianity. On this day, Jesus Christ was taken to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to be crucified. Looking upon the people and soldiers who tortured him, Jesus said “Forgive them father for they know not what they do”.

Fasting is part of the Good Friday tradition among Serbian Orthodox faithful. The Easter fast that lasts 7 weeks ends on Saturday before Easter Sunday. Good Friday is also the day when Easter eggs are dyed a traditional red to symbolise the blood of Christ. In most households the custom is to paint the first egg red and call it the “keeper of the house”.

There is also no singing, no celebrations and no divine liturgies on Good Friday, and there is no ringing of church bells from Thursday to Easter Sunday because, in the Orthodox Church, they symbolise joy.

The Orthodox Church uses a different system to calculate the date of Easter than the Catholic and Protestant churches. According to those calculations, Easter sometimes falls on the same date for all churches and sometimes, like this year, it falls on different dates.

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on April 16 this year. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are national holidays in Serbia.