UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 05, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Lajcak plans to organize meeting of chief negotiators in coming days (media)
Kosovo marks 26th anniversary of KLA Epopee (media)
Kurti says it isn’t true he’s ruining relations with internationals (EO)
Hoxhaj: Serbia wants to north municipalities to be tensest point in Europe (media)
Kurti joins call for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release, more humanitarian aid (media)
Italian unit of Operational Reserve Battalion ends 4-month deployment (media)

Serbian Language Media:

People hope for agreement on dinar because of dire consequences regulation caused (KoSSev)
Milovic: Clinical Hospital Centre work impeded after dinar abolishment; patients lack food and medication (Kosovo Online, TV Pink)
Pantic Pilja on debate in PACE: Bakoyannis will not give positive opinion on Kosovo if three conditions are not met (Kosovo Online)
Sentenced to three and a half years in prison for planning terrorist attacks in Pristina and against Serbian police at Merdare (Kosovo Online)
Council of Europe: There is pressure on journalists, media capture in Serbia (Beta, N1)
A worker of the national park "Šar planina" in Strasbourg won a case against Serbia (Kontakt plus radio, FoNet, N1)
The commemoration of 20 years since the March pogrom next week in Gracanica (Kontakt plus radio)

Albanian Language Media

Lajcak plans to organize meeting of chief negotiators in coming days (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said today in Pristina that Brussels wants to see more progress on the implementation of the Basic Agreement, which was reached one year ago. After meeting Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi, Lajcak said that they discussed several issues, including the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulation which among other points denotes the Euro as the only official currency in Kosovo.

“We discussed a long list of issues. Most important is the implementation of the Basic Agreement and it is in the interest of all to have progress on the implementation of this agreement. This is the best agreement we could have reached. If there were a better agreement, we would have reached it. So it is in the interest of all to implement it. The agreement contains all the answers, what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. The only question is when the implementation of the points will happen. We have spent a lot of time taking the necessary steps and there is also fear from both sides about what the other party will do. But I believe that these issues can be simply resolved,” he said.

Lajcak said he plans to organize a meeting between the chief negotiators in the coming days. “We had a meeting last week at the level of experts in Brussels. The meeting was constructive, and we managed to find answers to several questions. But there are questions that go beyond the mandate of these experts, and we discussed these issues with Bislimi. Our communication will continue, and I plan to organize a new meeting at the level of chief negotiators in the coming days,” he said.

Asked about the draft statute of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Lajcak said that he discussed it with Bislimi. “It was part of the discussions we had with Mr. Bislimi. I am sorry but I really need to catch the plane back to Brussels,” he said.

A press release issued by the Kosovo Government after the meeting notes that it focused on advancing with the implementation of the Basic Agreement. Bislimi said that the agreement needs to be implemented through a fair, equal and balanced sequencing plan between the parties and that the signing of the agreement would be a guarantee for its acceptance and implementation. He said that Serbia’s refusal and the letter of Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic last December do not contribute to the spirit of the dialogue and the full implementation of the agreement.

Bislimi said that the EU penalty measures against Kosovo should be lifted as soon as possible, as they are unfair and that final steps need to be made towards their removal.

The press release also notes that:

“Furthermore, regarding the journey of the Republic of Kosovo towards membership in the Council of Europe, it was clarified by emissary Lajçak that Kosovo’s membership in this organization is not related to the dialogue process, and that they are two separate processes.”

“On the CBK Regulation, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi clarified that this is not part of the dialogue process, and it is not the subject of negotiations between the parties. Also, assured Mr. Lajçak that the Government is interested in ensuring the continuation of Serbia’s financial support for Kosovo Serbs in the field of education, health and social protection.”

“During the meeting, other issues related to the dialogue process were raised, such as the progress of the implementation of the energy agreement with an emphasis on the non-cooperative approach regarding the maintenance of the interconnection lines; that for license plates, and telecommunications. On the latter, the concern about Serbia’s ongoing violations and interference in frequencies within the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, concerns raised by both ARKEP and KPM, was addressed.”

“Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi also addressed the issue of illegal KU passports, on which he underlined that this proposal continues to be unfair and that it damages the dialogue process.”

“In conclusion, he informed the emissary of the steps that the Government is taking, such as the support of two thousand jobs in the four northern municipalities, as well as mentioned the latest UNDP report which found an increase in the sense of security among Serbs of Kosovo, from 15.3% and 33.8% as it was in the past two years, to 37.6%.”

Kosovo marks 26th anniversary of KLA Epopee (media)

The leading story in today’s media in Kosovo is the 26th anniversary of the epopee of the former Kosovo Liberation Army. The epopee is held annually on March 5 and marks the death of KLA commander Adem Jashari and his family as well as other fighters who died in battles with Serbia’s forces. The Kosovo Assembly held today a solemn session honoring the epopee.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the Kosovo Assembly meets every year to honor the Jashari family on March 5,6 and 7. “The resistance of the Jashari family is unique, a natural product of those that organized rebellions against the Ottoman Empire and the Serbian regime. The freedom for which Adem Jashari fought today has turned into a place where the law rules. Freedom was the condition of life, and it became the condition of his death. Adem Jashari is the individual name that we can refer our freedom to,” he said.

President Vjosa Osmani said that the events in Prekaz, 26 years ago, “determined our fate as a people and state, and that KLA commander-in-chief Adem Jashari was a visionary, and that his courage knew no boundaries”. “Now more than ever we need unity on issues of national interest as means to strengthen integrity and to remember those that sacrificed themselves for our freedom. Kosovo is our motherland, and it deserves our unwavering commitment every day,” she said.

Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca said that the “sacrifice of the Jashari family has raised the people of Kosovo to the highest level of dignity and pride”. In his address to the Kosovo Assembly solemn session, he said that “the Jashari family led by Adem and Hamza and all their family members, women and men, elderly and children were sacrificed collectively in the direct fight for freedom”.

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Anton Quni, said in his speech that Kosovo must safeguard its relations with international friends. “Today we are free and independent, but we need to work hard and develop our country the way it deserves, to make our army part of NATO, and Kosovo part of the EU, safeguard Kosovo’s friendships, and never close the door on our allies, and never allow our enemies to step on our doors. We owe this to Adem Jashari and the Jashari family,” he said.

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, said in his address that the former leaders of the KLA – Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi – who are on trial in the Hague are protecting the righteous fight of the KLA. “In 1990, Thaci and Selimi were sentenced with the Jashari group by a Serbian court, but their fight was righteous, and we hope that they will emerge victorious from the current process,” he said.

Kurti says it isn’t true he’s ruining relations with internationals (EO)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti denied allegations that he is ruining the relations with Kosovo’s allies, following recent developments surrounding the entering into force of the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo. Asked to comment on statements by his political opponents that he is inflicting great damage on Kosovo, Kurti responded shortly by saying “that is not true”.

Hoxhaj: Serbia wants to north municipalities to be tensest point in Europe (media)

Senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, said on Monday that “now is a time when our opinions are shared by war, peace, and security, like never before … Threats in Eastern Europe can often spill over to the Balkans, but threats to Kosovo’s security originate in Serbia, and with geopolitical support by Russia”.

Hoxhaj said that “the violence in the north [of Kosovo], the act of aggression in Banjska and the current situation show that Serbia’s objective is to turn the municipalities in the north of Kosovo into the most tense point of security in Europe, outside Ukraine”. He said that therefore “it is crucial to restore the political process in the north with elections, with the participation of the Serb community in police institutions, rule of law and judiciary. Today there is an institutional vacuum, be it in the relation of the Serb population with the municipalities in the north, and an institutional vacuum in the relation of local Serbs with the government and central institutions”.

Hoxhaj said that in his opinion the dialogue with Serbia is important not only for the normalization of inter-state relations but also for regional security, which can be achieved only through not a basic but a comprehensive agreement with mutual recognition as a final agreement. “Third, the state-building of Kosovo needs to conclude and until this happens, as a basic precondition for security, the highest priority of Kosovo and our partners must be membership in NATO,” he concluded.

Kurti joins call for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release, more humanitarian aid (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X today that he joins the call by the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other world leaders “for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages' release, and increased humanitarian aid. The civilian deaths and suffering in the months since Hamas's terrorist attack are an urgent call for swift & decisive action.”

Italian unit of Operational Reserve Battalion ends 4-month deployment (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a statement on Monday that the Italian unit of the Operational Reserve Battalion concluded its four month-deployment, with a ceremony held in Peja. The unit consisted of the 186th regiment of Italian paratroopers “Folgore” and additional personnel from the Italian Army and Carabinieri. Colonel Giovanni Corrado, Commander of the regiment “Folgore,” was honored with the non-Article 5 NATO medal, in recognition of his excellent services. “I would like this to be a moment of recognition of the spirit with which this splendid and heterogeneous group of people tackled and accomplished their mission,” he said. KFOR Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Federico Bernacca, expressed his appreciation to Colonel Corrado and his troops for their invaluable contributions. “Women and men of the Operational Reserve Battalion, your daily actions have demonstrated the credibility and effectiveness of your role. You have risen to the challenge, and you have honored the prestige of the Italian flag in this region of strategic importance for the Alliance, through your unconditional service,” he said. Bernacca also highlighted KFOR’s continued security efforts across Kosovo to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for the benefit of all communities.

Serbian Language Media

People hope for agreement on dinar because of dire consequences regulation caused (KoSSev)

It has been more than a month since Kosovo Central Bank regulation entered into force, abolishing dinar in payment transactions, respectively banning shipment of dinars from central Serbia to Kosovo to pay wages, pensions and other allowances people receive from the Serbian budget, KoSSev portal reports today.

The regulation caused dire consequences, KoSSev interlocutors from Mitrovica North agreed. Young people go mainly to Raska to withdraw their wages there, while pensioners stay in long queues in front of the Postal Saving Bank to withdraw their pensions.

Some told the portal an agreement that would enable them to continue receiving their incomes in whatever currency is a solution to the newly created situation saying “let them give us whatever they want, only to have something to live on”, while other said that “they prefer dinar, and can not be without dinars”, expecting “dinar to return”.

KoSSev portal said as it was the case with previous Vox pop polls, younger people avoid cameras, while those a bit older and elderly decide to respond to journalist’s questions.

They all agreed that Kosovo Central Bank has caused dire consequences, primarily affecting the poorest categories of population, pensioners, and persons with disabilities.

“Our voice matters? No one is asking us for anything. The situation is clear for us living here, it has been clear for a long time”, a female interlocutor told KoSSev.

“It is hard, you have no money, you can only look at. Horrible, I do not know how long it will last, I do not know”, another female respondent said.

“They left us without anything. I am retired, I am 73 year old, where should I do, to hang myself? So many years I have worked, and now what? Who is going to help me?”, a female pensioner from Mitrovica North said.

“We are left to the mercy and cruelty of Pristina for them to implement the way they know and the way they interpret their so-called democracy”, male resident of Mitrovica North said.

Young go to Raska, older to queues

Due to lack or insufficient amount of money at the only Serbian bank that operates with dinar in Kosovo – Postal Saving Bank – citizens are forced to go to central Serbia if they want to withdraw their allowances.

“I can go to Raska, but there are many people that it is not worth it for them to go there. Secondly, they can not go because of health issues, and thirdly, the queues are being formed at crossings for two-three hours. This all is degrading, what freedom of movement”, Mitrovica North male resident said.

Most elderly people said going to Raska is not an option for them. They attempt to withdraw the money at the Postal Saving Bank with daily limits imposed and money being available at desk counters only but not on ATMs.

“Those who are retired are waiting in queues. As much as they give us. They say 10.000 (approximately 85 euros) is a limit”, female pensioner told the portal. She said she does not plan to go to central Serbia and withdraw the money there – we live here, we are waiting for a pension here.

Milovic: Clinical Hospital Centre work impeded after dinar abolishment; patients lack food and medication (Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

Clinical Hospital Centre in Mitrovica North deputy director Dragisa Milovic, said the work of this health institution had been significantly impeded, in particular following the abolishment of dinar, adding that patients lacked food, medication, and sanitary materials the most. He appealed to the international community to react.

Milovic told Pink TV that the Clinical Hospital Centre in Mitrovica North was the only institution where Serbs could work and receive medical treatment, emphasizing that all other hospitals and clinics had been, as he said, ethnically cleansed, with the Clinical Hospital Center Pristina relocated to Gracanica.

He added that healthcare institutions, which were predominantly Serbian, operated "under impossible conditions", facing pressure from Pristina for the past 25 years.