• UN Security Council discusses report on Kosovo (media)
• Kosovo President Osmani’s interview with Times Radio (media)
• Opposition parts start boycotting work of the Assembly (Koha)
• Kurti receives Szunyog and Davenport (media)
• Lajcak confirms, everything is ready for the 21 April meeting (RTK)
• Kosovo-Serbia license plate dispute proves hard to resolve (BIRN)
• European Parliament renews calls for visa liberalisation for Kosovo (Exit News)
• Kurti discusses with forensic experts possibility of aid to Ukraine (Klan)
• Kurti received human rights activist Natasa Kandic (media)
• In election of Kosovo’s top prosecutor, red flags ignored (BIRN)
• Haradinaj reacts after mention in Freedom House report (media)
• Kosovo Serb politician murdered for political reasons, brother says (BIRN)
• COVID-19: 22 new cases, no deaths (media)

UN Security Council discusses report on Kosovo (media)

One of the leading stories in the Kosovo media on Wednesday evening and this morning is the United Nations Security Council session about the situation in Kosovo.

Pristina and Belgrade must engage more actively in dialogue facilitated by the European Union (EU), the head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Caroline Ziadeh told the Security Council on Wednesday. “While this process has led to meaningful results on various practical matters, a comprehensive normalization of relations between the two sides so far continues to be elusive,” Ziadeh said in her first biannual address as the UN Special Representative. “Reconciliation and addressing grievances of the past should reinforce the pursuit of important strategic objectives,” she added.

Acknowledging the ongoing situation in Ukraine and its continued impact on European security and economy, Ms. Ziadeh reiterated that the resilience of democratic institutions throughout the Balkans is a crucial factor in maintaining a secure and democratic Europe.

However, shocks to Kosovo’s economy, were building up well before the onset of the conflict, she said, noting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In this context, finding practical modes of economic co-operation between Belgrade, Pristina and all neighbours in the region assumes greater urgency”.

Her call for cooperation came on the heels of the Serbian general elections. The UNMIK chief lauded the peaceful logistical exercise – supported by both sides – enabling 19,000 eligible voters to cast their ballots in special polling stations in Serbia. Regrettably, however, a solution to facilitate voter participation in Kosovo could not be achieved.

Following the recent reports of attacks targeting Kosovo Police, Ms. Ziadeh urged collaborative condemnation and swift action to bring perpetrators to justice. She also encouraged Pristina and Belgrade to seek a permanent solution to the issues regarding vehicle license plates and energy.

During these complex times, the Special Representative called upon leaders to be judicious in their actions and political rhetoric.

The senior UN official clarified that UNMIK’s role is neither an obstacle nor vehicle for the outcome preferred by one side or the other side. Rather, she explained, the Mission continues its legacy of institutional support, working in synergy with the UN family of agencies, funds, and programmes to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo. “UNMIK remains the locus of relevant knowledge, experience, and subject area expertise…supporting an active civil society, promoting new tools to help Kosovo reinforce the rule of law, contributing to the empowerment of women and youth, providing expertise and support".

Read SRSG Ziadeh’s full statement here: https://bit.ly/3jYMk7P

Read the UN Secretary-General’s report on Kosovo here: https://bit.ly/3K9qHMY

Media also widely report about the speech of the Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gervalla at the Security Council meeting. She is quoted as saying that that Serbia and Russia represent the biggest threat to peace in the Western Balkans. According to Gervalla, with Serbia continuing to arm itself, all countries in the region are threatened, as this country has an "army that is ready to attack".

“Last September, the Serbian president threatened our country with war. This happened due to a context on vehicle license plates. Vucic collected troops and sent fighter jets across the border for registration plates,” she said adding that it is not only Serbia's past that is endangering Kosovo. “It's the behavior of present-day Serbia that needs to change.”

During her speech, Gervalla also spoke about the recent attacks on members of the Kosovo Police near the border crossings with Serbia, calling them "terrorists" and blaming Belgrade for allowing them to happen.

The representative of the United States of America said that UNMIK must end its mission in Kosovo. He also said that maintaining stability in the Western Balkans remains critical.

"EU-mediated dialogue remains the best way forward. We support the EU plan to call on the leaders of the two countries to continue the dialogue. We call on Pristina and Belgrade to continue working for the missing. They have achieved tangible results so far," he said.

The Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation to the Security Council, Ana Evstigneeva, said that Russia's position on Kosovo remains unchanged, with Resolution 1244 as the legal basis. She said Russia expects from Pristina and Belgrade to reach "reasonable settlement and compliance under resolution 1244".

China's representative at the Security Council has said that a lasting political solution must be reached between Kosovo and Serbia. "In this process, the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Serbia must be respected," he said, reports Telegrafi. He said that Kosovo has taken some actions that have raised tensions.

Albania's representative to the UN Security Council, Ferit Hoxha, has said that those responsible for missing persons during the war in Kosovo and for the sexual violence of over 20,000 women should not go unpunished. He also stated that those who have recently attacked the Kosovo Police in the north should not go unpunished.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said in his address that the Kosovo Government banned the organisation of Serbian referendum and presidential elections held on 3 April. “This was the first time since 1999 that Serbian citizens were denied their right to vote. Kosovo institutions once again demonstrated their discrimination against approach,” Selakovic said.

Kosovo President Osmani’s interview with Times Radio (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in an interview with Times Radio on Wednesday that Russia has been continuously interested to destabilise Kosovo and the Western Balkans, and that it planned to do this through Serbia, which Osmani called a Russian proxy.

“There has been a constant Russian interest in destabilizing the Western Balkans, not only in Kosovo but also in other countries. Russia did this with concrete actions through their proxy, Serbia. They tried to create tensions at the border with Kosovo, destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Montenegro by organizing a coup there. In these countries, Russia has shown interest in destabilizing the Western Balkans. Because through the destabilization of this region, they would also destabilize the EU. There is truth to this: the process has gone slower than we hoped. The slower the process of the Western Balkans joining the EU, the more opportunities there are for Russia and its interests to be present in the region," she said.

Opposition parts start boycotting work of the Assembly (Koha)

The daily reports on its front page this morning that the meeting of three parliamentary committees, scheduled for Wednesday, were not held due to the absence of MPs from opposition parties. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said they will not attend sessions of the Assembly or decision-making processes in parliamentary committees if MPs from the ruling party do not support the formation of an inquiry committee for energy transactions and employments in the Kosovo Power Corporation.

Kurti receives Szunyog and Davenport (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti received in a meeting the Special Representative of the European Union Thomas Szunyog and the OSCE Ambassador to Kosovo Michael Davenport. They discussed about the establishment of legality by the government of Kosovo, through the harmonization of legal acts with primary legislation. They agreed that legitimacy is the basis and precondition of any action and consequently, the principle of good governance, by which the government is guided.

Lajcak confirms, everything is ready for the 21 April meeting (RTK)

EU Special Envoy for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak provided details from Wednesday’s meeting in Brussels between Kosovo and Serbian experts on the issue of license plates.

“Today, experts from Kosovo and Serbia met for the last time in the WG on licence plates ahead of the deadline on 21 April. With their work, they prepared the discussions of Chief Negotiators tomorrow. It’s now up to the Chief Negotiators to find an agreement on the way forward,” Lajcak wrote.

Kosovo-Serbia license plate dispute proves hard to resolve (BIRN)

A dispute over vehicle licence plates that sparked a blockade of the Kosovo-Serbia border last year is supposed to be resolved this week, but continuing tensions suggest that a deal remains difficult to achieve.

Six months have passed since drivers with Serbian vehicle registration plates have had to cover the state emblem on them with a sticker in order to enter Kosovo. Drivers who want to enter Serbia with Kosovo plates have also been obliged to apply a sticker to their plates.

The so-called sticker system was imposed in October 2021, after a 13-day blockade of the Jarinje and Brnjak/Bernjak border crossings by Serbs who had been angered by regulation changes on licence plates caused by a disagreement between Belgrade and Pristina.

Peter Stano, the EU’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said both sides were continuing to discuss options this week ahead of the deadline to resolve the issue on Thursday.

“The EU assisted both delegations in identifying solutions, but it is the responsibility of both parties to agree on a solution. We expect them to make progress by 21 April,” Stano told BIRN in written answers.

Read full article here: https://bit.ly/3EGcyWf

European Parliament renews calls for visa liberalisation for Kosovo (Exit News)

“The [European Council] must proceed urgently with the adoption of a visa-free regime for the citizens of Kosovo,” declares the European Parliament draft resolution for Kosovo. On Thursday, April 21, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) is set to approve Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel’s report on Kosovo, which includes several policy recommendations. The draft text of the resolution acknowledges that “Kosovo has not been granted visa liberalisation, although all benchmarks have been fulfilled since 2018.”

The people of Kosovo remain the only one in the region unable to move freely. This while the country is constantly ranked higher than some regional countries in corruption and human rights indexes, which the resolution acknowledges.

By way of example, in Freedom House’s latest report, published on Wednesday, Kosovo was the only country in the Western Balkans whose democracy score improved amid a regional, 18-year decline.

The Parliament also, “fully supports Kosovo’s intention to apply for membership of the Council of Europe,” but it remains cautious of the country’s intention to apply for EU membership.

“There is no fast-track procedure [to accession] and that the normalisation of relations with Serbia is necessary for Kosovo to advance on its European path,” it states.

Dialogue with Serbia has stalled after several failed meetings as the parties cannot agree on a common agenda.

The EP also expresses its regrets that “five EU Member States [Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece] have not yet recognised Kosovo and reiterates its call for them to do so.”

Kurti discusses with forensic experts possibility of providing aid to Ukraine (Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with the Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu met the experts of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and those in charge of DNA issues at the Kosovo Forensic Agency.

The announcement issued by the government of Kosovo states that during the meeting, the possibility of engaging some of the Kosovar forensic experts in the territory of Ukraine was discussed, as Kosovo assistance to the country that has been under severe military attacks of the Russian Federation for two months.

In the coming days, communication between the government and forensic experts about this form of assistance to Ukraine will be intensified, Klankosova.tv reports.

Kurti received human rights activist Natasa Kandic (media)

The issue of missing persons during the war in Kosovo was the topic of a meeting between the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the human rights activist and director of the Humanitarian Law Center Natasa Kandic.

Prime Minister Kurti reiterated the approach of the government of Kosovo with full seriousness, on the issue of persons missing by violence. He stressed that for him as Prime Minister and for the government of Kosovo, it is very important to work with local and international mechanisms, in order to close open wounds.

It was also emphasized that Wednesday’s roundtable chaired by the chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons, Victims of Sexual Violence and Petitions was organized without prior coordination with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Office of The President and the Speaker of the Assembly, which has prevented the presence of three leaders of these institutions at the table.

In election of Kosovo’s top prosecutor, red flags ignored (BIRN)

In electing Blerim Isufaj to the powerful post of Kosovo’s Chief State Prosecutor, little heed was paid to the shortcomings identified by a review body.

A Complaints Commission examining the much-criticised election of Kosovo’s new chief prosecutor found numerous discrepancies in how the candidates for the powerful post were scored, but Blerim Isufaj was unanimously endorsed anyway.

Public sector recruitment in Kosovo has long been dogged by political interference and a lack of transparency; few posts are more important for Europe’s youngest state than that of chief prosecutor, yet Isufaj’s election met with swift criticism from envoys of the United States and the European Union.

A meeting of the Complaints Commission, in which BIRN participated as a monitor, concluded that the 11-member Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, KPC, which elects the chief prosecutor, displayed inconsistencies in the way it scored the candidates.

Read full article here: https://bit.ly/3jUsHhn

Haradinaj reacts after mention in Freedom House report (media)

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and former Prime Minister, took to Facebook on Wednesday to react to a Freedom House report which mentioned him as a person with ties to organised crime and high-level corruption. “Dear citizens … I want to assure you that both as Prime Minister and now, I have worked and continue to work for the rule of law and democracy,” Haradinaj said.

Kosovo Serb politician murdered for political reasons, brother says (BIRN)

The brother of Oliver Ivanovic testified in court that the Kosovo Serb politician was murdered in 2018 for standing up against the main Belgrade-backed political party in Kosovo. Miroslav Ivanovic, the brother of the murdered Oliver Ivanovic, told Pristina Basic Court that he believes that the Kosovo Serb politician was killed four years ago for political reasons.

“It is certain there was no other reason but a political one,” said Miroslav Ivanovic, a former judge at the Mitrovica Court of Appeals, who testified on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The conflicts he had that involved the most aggression were directed towards [Belgrade-backed Kosovo Serb party] Srpska Lista, as a political organisation. [The disputes’] essence was political, specifically over the elections for mayor of Mitrovica,” he added.

Read full article here: https://bit.ly/3jW52No

COVID-19: 22 new cases, no deaths (media)

22 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 33 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 436 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.