Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti gives details about cost and construction of Prizren-Tetovo road (Kallxo)

• Symbolics of Kurti’s visit trigger reactions from Pendarovski and Vucic (Koha)

• Mustafi reacts to Vucic’s statement against Kurti (media)

• Hoti: Serbia not respecting agreement to open missing persons archive (TeVe1)

• Kosovo joins Open Government Partnership (RTK)

• Trial against former KLA leaders resumes today (RTK)

  Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic on Kurti’s visit to North Macedonia, says “Greater Albania“ promoted in Tetovo (KoSSev, media)

• Kurti’s visit in North Macedonia caused reactions from country and Serbia (KoSSev, media)

• Pendarovski condemns display of Albanian nationalist symbols in North Macedonia (N1, Radio KIM, KoSSev)

• Office for KiM honors Gorazdevac victims (N1, media)

• Serbian List: As per rule, when criminals are not punished, crimes reoccur again (Radio KIM, Kosovo Online, media)

• EULEX: Documents handed over, Kosovo authorities have jurisdiction (Radio KIM)

• Army of Serbia ranked as 58th in world (N1)

International Media:

• As Poverty Rises, More Romany Children In Kosovo Are Being Forced To Beg (RFE)

• The West’s ‘see no evil’ approach to Serbia’s Vucic is destabilizing the Balkans (CNN)

• Controversial Singer’s Show Stirs Protest Against Kosovo Film Festival (Balkan Insight)

• North Macedonia Leftists Slam Renaming of Anti-Fascist Brigade Street (Balkan Insight)

• Serbia’s Vucic ’Does Not Think’ Ukraine Will Recognise Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

• Bosnia to Investigate Online Admirers of Livestream Mass Shooter (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti gives details about cost and construction of Prizren-Tetovo road (Kallxo)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in a Facebook video commented on his visit to Prizren where he was received by Mayor Shaqir Totaj and said that they also discussed about the construction of the Prizren-Tetovo road. He said that according to the initial estimates, the infrastructure project will cost around €200 million. “From this amount, around €150 million will be invested in the 6.4 kilometer tunnel through the mountain of Korf (Vrtop), which is approximately 600 meters longer than the one in Kalimash. And around €50 million will go on the construction of the road on both sides of the tunnel which will link these two very important cities both for the lives of the citizens and for the economic and touristic potential,” Kurti said.

Symbolics of Kurti’s visit trigger reactions from Pendarovski and Vucic (Koha Ditore)

The daily reports on its front page today that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s visit to North Macedonia, where he met leaders of Albanian opposition parties, triggered reactions from North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski. The latter condemned the inauguration of a road in Cair in Skopje with the name of Adem Demaci and the use of “Autochthonous” flags by some participants in the event. Pendarovski also said that the organisers of the rallies in Tetovo and Cair should be legally sanctioned. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic too reacted to Kurti’s visit accusing him of wanting to destabilise the region and trying to promote what he called the idea of a “Greater Albania”. 

Mustafi reacts to Vucic’s statement against Kurti (media)

Ragmi Mustafi, former vice president of the Albanian National Council and now political advisor to Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, reacted to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s allegations that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti promoted a Greater Albania during his stay in Tetovo and Cair in North Macedonia. Mustafi wrote in a Facebook post that Vucic should better undertake immediate measures to stop the discrimination, passivisation and criminalizing speech against Albanians in Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac. “He should also implement the international obligations from the three agreements signed with the political representatives of the Valley, rather than engage in such unacceptable discourse,” Mustafi said.

During his visit to Tetovo, Kurti advised the government of North Macedonia to be closer to Kosovo, Albania and Bulgaria than to Serbia, whereas Vucic claimed that Kurti was trying to incite unrest not only in North Macedonia but also in the south of Serbia.

Hoti: Serbia not respecting agreement to open missing persons archive (TeVe1)

Head of the Kosovo government’s commission for missing persons, Andin Hoti, said on Sunday that Serbia must open the archives of missing persons. “24 years have passed since the war and many of the witnesses have either died or are of a certain age and are not able to give information. Every day it is becoming more and more difficult to find out the fate of the missing. That is why we are urgently asking Belgrade to open its archives. The great hope (for finding missing persons body remains) are the archives in Belgrade.”

Hoti recalled that a statement on missing persons was approved in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia in May in Brussels, but that it is not being implemented. “Serbia must implement our demands. And one of our demands is that of 1 June for the opening of some of the archives that I requested from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, but it is Brussels that must act in case of non-implementation of these demands,” he argued.

Kosovo joins Open Government Partnership (RTK)

Kosovo has joined the Open Government Partnership, an international initiative that includes 76 national governments, Prime Minister Kurti and Local Government Minister Krasniqi announced. Kurti wrote in a Twitter post: “Thrilled to announce that Kosova has joined the Open Government Partnership, an international initiative that includes 76 national and 104 local governments and fosters transparency, accountability and innovative approaches to public engagement”. Krasniqi said in a Facebook post that “through this organization, we join the nations of the democratic world, committing ourselves to the common principles of open, responsible, and innovative governance, engaging in increasing the participation of citizens in decision-making."

Trial against former KLA leaders resumes today (RTK)

The trial against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army will resume today at the Specialist Chambers in the Hague. 15 witnesses have testified so far in the court proceedings. The indictments include crimes allegedly committed by KLA members against civilians and persons that did not take part in fighting from March 1998 until September 1999. The indictment claims that Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi have individual responsibility for the crimes committed in the context of an armed conflict in Kosovo and that they were part of a broad and systematic attack against persons suspected to have been against the KLA.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic on Kurti’s visit to North Macedonia, says “Greater Albania“ promoted in Tetovo (KoSSev, media)

“(Albin) Kurti’s visit to Tetovo and the events in North Macedonia represent a huge scandal“, Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic said during his guest appearance on TV Pink, KoSSev portal reports.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid an unofficial visit to North Macedonia on Friday and met with the mayors of Skopje municipalities Cair, Visar Ganiju, and Tetovo, Bilal Kasami. During this visit, he said that this country should keep “close to Kosovo, Albania, and Bulgaria and away from Serbia and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic“.

In the North Macedonia capital, Kurti and Albanians marked the renaming of a street once called “Second Macedonian Strike Brigade“ to “Adem Demaci“ Street.

In Tetovo, behind these Albanian officials, a flag with a map of “Greater Albania” was displayed, along with the Kosovo and Albanian flags.

“The idea of “Greater Albania” was promoted there, the symbols of a great Albania were displayed. He (Kurti) was presented as the prime minister of all Albanians and the prime minister of Tetovo“, Vucic told TV Pink.

Read more at: rb.gy/lla3n

Kurti’s visit in North Macedonia caused reactions from country and Serbia (KoSSev, media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in an unofficial visit to North Macedonia on Friday during his meetings with the mayors of the Skopje municipalities Cair, Visar Ganiju, and Tetovo, Bilal Kasami, said that this country should keep “close to Kosovo, Albania, and Bulgaria and away from Serbia and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic“. Kurti’s statement caught the attention of Serbian media and public, KoSSev portal reports.

However, the public in North Macedonia has been disturbed by another matter altogether over the last two days, the portal writes further. In the North Macedonia capital, Kurti and his compatriots marked the renaming of the now-former “Second Macedonian Strike Brigade“ Street to “Adem Demaci“ Street. In Tetovo, behind these Albanian officials, a flag with a map of “Greater Albania” was displayed, along with the Kosovo and Albanian flags. According to media reports, while the Macedonian national anthem was not played, the Kosovo anthem could be heard.

“Open destabilization of North Macedonia“

Kurti’s recommendation that Skopje should keep close to Albania, Bulgaria, and Kosovo, as well as away from Serbia, is an impertinence and nonsense because he makes such statements at a time when he is openly engaging in the destabilization of North Macedonia –  Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said reacting to Kurti’s statements.

He added that Kurti came to North Macedonia to “incite the most extreme political structures of the Albanians“ in that country, as well as to “promote the fascist project of the so-called “Greater Albania”“.

“Demaci nothing to do either with Skopje or North Macedonia“

The North Macedonia public and the media, however, focused on other events related to the visit of the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

The media, as well as the opposition parties, emphasized that it was an unofficial visit, but an official meeting of Kurti with two North Macedonia mayors of Albanian ethnicity, noting that the protocols at these events were unconstitutional and “scandalous“.

Read more at: t.ly/uGlIn

Pendarovski condemns display of Albanian nationalist symbols in North Macedonia (N1, Radio KIM, KoSSev)

The North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski said that the display of the flag of the so-called “Greater Albania” and nationalist symbols at the rallies in Tetovo and Skopje, on the occasion of the private visit of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, promotes chauvinist ideas and incites ethnic hatred and intolerance, N1 reports.

He requested that the organizers are held responsible for that.

“Highlighting provocative nationalist iconography that promotes great-power chauvinist ideas ignites ethnic hatred and intolerance, which unequivocally attacks the basic principles and values of the (Ohrid) Framework Agreement, as well as the concept of Macedonia as a multi-ethnic state”, Pendarovski said in a written statement delivered to the media.

Office for KiM honors Gorazdevac victims (N1, media)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija said it has been 20 years since the armed attack on Serbian children spending time near Bistrica River in Gorazdevac village in Pec municipality, in which two children were killed and four more seriously wounded, N1 reports.

“Two children lost their young lives because of the insane ideology of hatred, which is directed towards the entire Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, its culture, spirituality, alphabet and general lasting”, the Office said on the occasion of the anniversary.

It also stressed that this ideology has not been abandoned to this day and that it has numerous supporters, inspirers and sponsors in Pristina, which is particularly worrying.

The Office also recalled that the investigation of this case had been closed and perpetrators not found yet.

Serbian List: As per rule, when criminals are not punished, crimes reoccur again (Radio KIM, Kosovo Online, media)

“Today marks the 20 years since the monstrous crime in which, unfortunately to this day unknown villains, shot at innocent Serbian children, who were bathing at the Bistrica River in Gorazdevac, not realizing that they would be showered down with deadly bullets that forever ended the childhood of Ivan Jovovic and Panta Dakic, wounded four Serbian children, and shrouded this Serbian village of Metohija into black” Serbian List said in a statement on anniversary of Gorazdevac crime, Radio KIM reports.

Serbian List stressed that Gorazdevac crime, same as other crimes committed against Serbs in Kosovo, remains unsolved and without court epilogue to date, noting that “the most horrible is the fact that this crime had been committed before the eyes of dozens of thousands of international military and police forces members who came with a mission to ensure peace and security for all citizens, including the Serbs”.

“To make things even worse, instead of finding and punishing those responsible, EULEX representatives have closed the investigation and handed over the work on this case to Kosovo institutions, which never shed the light on a single crime against the Serbs”.

Serbian List warned that if criminals are not punished, the crimes will reoccur again, adding that 20 years later on the Christmas Eve Serbian children, Stefan and Milos Stojanovic, are again shot at, this time in the village of Gotovusa near Strpce. Serbian List recalled that eight months after this crime, despite the evidence that an Albanian member of Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) shot at children there is no verdict in this case yet.

EULEX: Documents handed over, Kosovo authorities have jurisdiction (Radio KIM)

The EULEX Mission told Radio KIM that in December 2018, the police, prosecution and court files as well as accompanying evidence were handed over to the Kosovo authorities. This way EULEX responded to Radio KIM's question "why the investigation into the murder of Ivan Jovovic and Panta Dakic and the wounding of four more children in Gorazdevac was closed", Radio KIM reports.

Mentioning 495 cases of organized crimes, 434 war crimes cases, missing persons lists, cases on which only EULEX worked, the Mission said that "after completion of the handover process, the competent Kosovo authorities have full responsibility for the case files and accompanying evidence handed over by EULEX".

Five years after the Gorazdevac case was handed over to Kosovo judicial authorities, it is not known what happened to the material and whether the case will be reopened.

Earlier yesterday, the father of the murdered Panta Dakic, Milisav, told journalists that no one was informing the families. He called on international and domestic institutions to get involved in solving this case.

Radio KIM recalled that EULEX closed the Gorazdevac crime case in 2011 due to, as they said, lack of evidence.

Army of Serbia ranked as 58th in world (N1)

The Global Firepower website published the annual ranking of strongest and weakest national armed forces across the globe, positioning Serbia as the 58th strongest army in the world, N1 reports.

Factors such as the amount of military equipment and soldiers of each country, as well as their financial situation, logistical capacities and geographical conditions, among others, were taken into account during the evaluation.

The USA has the most powerful army in the world, according to the Global Firepower.

On this list, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked as the 133rd, Croatia as the 69th, Montenegro the 128th, and Kosovo, which is also included on the list, as the 134th.

International Media

As Poverty Rises, More Romany Children In Kosovo Are Being Forced To Beg (RFE)

The smell of sizzling meat wafts through the air of the cobblestoned streets of Prizren, as locals and tourists alike soak up the atmosphere of one of Kosovo's more picturesque towns at the foothills of the Sharr Mountains, many lounging in the outdoor seating of restaurants and cafes.

As they enjoy the local delicacies in the sweltering summer heat, small children, dressed in tattered clothes, dart in and out of the tables, palms extended, asking for handouts.

Children begging, especially Roma children, is not a new phenomenon in Kosovo or elsewhere in Europe. However, activists as well as police there say the problem is getting worse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They say Kosovo's communities of Roma -- mostly Serbian-speaking -- as well as Askhali and Balkan Egyptian -- Albanian-language speakers who claim origins in ancient Egypt -- not only struggled with the virus but received, on average, a fraction of the aid doled out by Pristina to soften the economic blow.

Already longtime victims of discrimination, these communities are reportedly even more vulnerable now, activists say, and children may be paying the price amid reports of increased begging and trafficking of such children, sometimes by their parents or relatives.

Read more at: https://t.ly/1QrQA

The West’s ‘see no evil’ approach to Serbia’s Vucic is destabilizing the Balkans (CNN)

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States and European Union accelerated their pivot towards Serbia. Rather than juggling the contradictory demands of pluralistic and fractious Balkan states, Western capitals focused the bulk of their efforts on a singular target.

Their policies had two aims. First, to bring Serbia into the Western fold, away from Russia. Second, to allow their respective administrations to focus more fully on supporting Ukraine.

Traditionally one of Moscow’s closest allies in Europe, Belgrade has long tried to tread the line between its historical ties to Russia and a potential future of closer European integration. Western diplomats have sought to pull Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic from the orbit of his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, by pledging a swifter path to EU membership while simultaneously warning of isolation if they break rank.

But, 18 months on, some observers say the current approach has been all carrot and no stick, and as a result is failing to achieve both of its aims.

Serbia has refused to participate in all rounds of EU sanctions against Putin. And Serbia has continued to pursue its own interests in the region with diminishing accountability, stirring conflicts abroad to distract from discontent at home, safe in the knowledge they will not be rebuked in the West.

Read more at: https://t.ly/TMbH5

Controversial Singer’s Show Stirs Protest Against Kosovo Film Festival (Balkan Insight)

Dozens of people protested against Kosovo’s renowned DokuFest film festival after photographs of a performance by queer feminist singer Peaches in the city of Prizren caused controversy on social media.

Protesters joined a rally called by the local Islamic Community on Friday afternoon in front of the main mosque in the southern Kosovo town of Prizren to protest against the annual DokuFest documentary festival after it hosted a concert by the Canadian feminist electro-pop singer artist Peaches, an LGBT cultural icon.

Photographs posted on social media from Peaches’ performance at DokuFest earlier in the week, which featured the singer and two dancers wearing body-revealing costumes, caused outrage among social conservatives in Kosovo.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hbwzn

North Macedonia Leftists Slam Renaming of Anti-Fascist Brigade Street (Balkan Insight)

Activists from the opposition Left party protested against the renaming of a street currently named after a World War II anti-fascist Partisan military brigade to instead honour Kosovo Albanian hero Adem Demaci.

Youth activists from the small opposition Levica (Left) party protested on Friday against the renaming of Second Macedonian Strike Brigade Street in Skopje by placing little placards with the names of some 300 Partisan fighters from the anti-fascist unit who were killed during World War II along the length of the street.

“These names will remain here as a reminder, as long as the authorities allow it,” Levica said in a video posted on Facebook.

“This is an attempt to relativise the anti-fascist struggle, a struggle through which we founded this state,” the party added.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2t76uks8

Serbia’s Vucic ’Does Not Think’ Ukraine Will Recognise Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

President Aleksandar Vucic said that Ukraine is a "friendly country" to Serbia and if it recognised Kosovo as an independent state, it would undermine its insistence on its own territorial integrity.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Happy TV on Thursday that he thinks his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky will not decide to recognise Kosovo’s independence.

Vucic said that if the Ukrainian authorities recognise Kosovo, they “would destroy all their principles, what the defence of their position is based on, they would destroy everything”.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/teudfab9

Bosnia to Investigate Online Admirers of Livestream Mass Shooter (Balkan Insight)

The Bosnian authorities said they will investigate people who expressed support online for a gunman who killed his ex-wife, two other people and himself while livestreaming the shooting spree in the town of Gradacac on Instagram.

“The Federal Interior Minister, Ramo Isak, will ask the Federal Police Administration and the Interior Ministry of the Tuzla Canton to investigate all individuals who, on social media, supported the murderer and glorified the crime committed after the gruesome murders in Gradacac,” said Ervin Musinovic, the Federal Interior Minister’s chief of office.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yc7by8ke