UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, May 15, 2023

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia continues in Brussels (RFE)
Lajcak: I expect chief negotiators to be ready to agree on next steps (media)
Osmani hosts USG: Kosovo, model for promoting Women’s Agenda (media)
World Bank Group’s New Strategy in Kosovo Supports Competitiveness for Higher Job Creation and Living Standards (worldbank.org)
Kosovo Opens Auction for First Solar Park (BIRN)
Conference calls for stronger collaboration among prosecutors investigating war crimes in Western Balkans (BIRN)
Kurti to meet mayors of municipalities today (RTK)
KSF launch search for Serb man from Strpce who went missing (Kosovapress)

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia continues in Brussels (RFE)

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia continues today in Brussels with a meeting between the chief negotiators. The focus of the meeting will be on the implementation of the Agreement on normalisation and its annex.

Kosovo chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, and Serbian delegation chief, Petar Petkovic, will initially hold separate meetings with the EU Special Representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, followed by a joint meeting. The meetings are scheduled to start in the morning, and their duration will depend on the pace of discussions.

The news website notes that this will be the first meeting between the chief negotiators after the high-level meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on May 2. The leaders agreed on a joint declaration on missing persons and the first draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities was also presented at the meeting.

Today’s meetings are expected to continue discussions on these issues and also discuss the current situation in the Serb-majority northern part of Kosovo after the April 23 local elections there.

Lajcak: I expect chief negotiators to be ready to agree on next steps (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, wrote in a Facebook post about his latest visits to Kosovo and Serbia, saying that he stressed the need to fully focus on normalisation and implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the annex accorded in Ohrid.

“Great to be back in Brussels after my visit to Kosovo and Serbia, where I travelled to prepare the ground for the next round of Chief Negotiator's meeting in Brussels. My first stop was in Pristina, where I met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and First Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi. During the meeting, we discussed the expectations for the upcoming meeting in Brussels, and I emphasized the need to fully focus on the normalization and implementation of the Brussels Agreement and its Ohrid Annex. I also stressed the importance of avoiding any uncoordinated moves that could potentially derail the process.”

“I then proceeded to visit the north of Kosovo to meet with different interlocutors from civil society and political parties and discuss recent developments. Unfortunately, what I heard left me worried. Hence, I reiterated the need to avoid any possibility of escalation and fully focus on normalization,” Lajcak wrote on Facebook.

“My visit then continued to Belgrade, where I met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Director of the Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic. During our meeting, we discussed the way forward on the implementation of the 27 February Agreement and its 18 March Annex to prepare for the meeting in Brussels taking place tomorrow. I expect that both Chief Negotiators will be ready to agree on concrete next steps towards the implementation of the Agreement”.

Osmani hosts USG: Kosovo, model for promoting Women’s Agenda (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted on Saturday the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. As Osmani informed, the meeting discussed advancing the Women’s Agenda. “The meeting also discussed the need to work closely with UN institutions on supporting the survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo. Osmani said that it is important to have direct engagement with the survivors, which is also in the spirit of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The President said that Kosovo serves as a model for promoting and advancing the agenda,” the press release notes.

Osmani said that the continued organisation of the International Forum for Women, Peace and Security, is an example of the commitment of the Republic of Kosovo to further advance this agenda, by aiming to create a safe, more peaceful and more inclusive environment for women and girls, by empowering their role in every process. In this respect, Lacroix said that this agenda is a high priority for the United Nations too.

Among other things, the meeting also discussed the latest developments in the dialogue with Serbia, with Osmani reiterating that Kosovo continues to be a constructive party in the process and committed to long-term peace and stability in the region.

World Bank Group’s New Strategy in Kosovo Supports Competitiveness for Higher Job Creation and Living Standards (worldbank.org)

The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors discussed the new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Kosovo for FY2023-2027, to support the country in accelerating its competitiveness for higher job creation and living standards. The new strategy for Kosovo outlines priorities for World Bank Group (WBG) engagement in the country over the next five years, which will contribute to greater public service efficiency and quality, more formal private sector jobs, and increased environmental resilience.

The CPF aims at delivering a comprehensive WBG program of lending operations and advisory services and analytics. The International Development Association (IDA) lending projects in the pipeline will support investments in early childhood development, health sector strengthening, greening and cleaning contaminated sites along with fiscal policy, competitiveness, and green growth reforms. The indicative resource envelope during the first three years of the CPF period amounts to US$127 million in IDA 20 financing and is provided on concessional terms, with zero or very low interest charges and long repayment periods. The overall CPF program also includes a portfolio of 11 active IDA and Trust Fund-financed projects totaling US$365 million. During the CPF period, the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), will leverage conventional and innovative lending and advisory instruments to support the financial sector, build resilience, and help develop an export-oriented manufacturing sector. IFC’s committed portfolio in Kosovo stands at US$13.6 million as of March 31, 2023. MIGA will continue to provide political risk insurance to facilitate cross-border investments in strategic sectors such as the financial sector.