Albanian Language Media:

• State Department: Pressure on Serb police officers in north is unacceptable (RFE)

• Stano: EU condemns threats against new Serbian police officers (Kosovapress)

• U.S. Embassy: Decision on municipal building in Mitrovica North, contrary to our demands (RFE)

• Abbott and Barbano meet, discuss situation in north of Kosovo (media)

• Suspected abuse with communities’ funds, Ombudsperson starts investigations (Express)

• Ibrahimi: Government did not view as partners from the beginning (KTV)

• Hoxhaj: Kosovo must always be in line with U.S. and European allies (media)

  Serbian Language Media:

• Brnabic: Serbia respects Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty (N1)

• Serbian FM says ready for talks with UK officials (N1)

• Petkovic: Kurti is the only generator of the crisis in the Western Balkans (Kontakt plus radio)

• Ukrainian president’s advisor denies Von Cramon’s claims (N1, Blic, KiM radio)

• US Embassy: 'Liberation' of the municipal facility decided without coordination (KiM radio, RFE)

• RFE: The US worried about the resignations of Serbian police officers in the north of Kosovo (Danas, Beta)

International Media:

• Kosovo Inaugurates Monument in Gratitude of Albanians Who Saved Jews during Holocaust (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media

State Department: Pressure on Serb police officers in north is unacceptable (RFE)

The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it was “deeply” concerned by the recent resignations of new Serb police officers in the north of Kosovo as a result of pressure and said that it was unacceptable that “someone, including actors linked to Serbia, exert political pressure against individuals that want to join” the Kosovo Police.

“The Kosovo Police offers crucial services for all communities and citizens of Kosovo. We condemn every effort to undermine diversity within its ranks,” a spokesperson for the State Department told Radio Free Europe on Wednesday.

The State Department also called on Kosovo and Serbia to return to the dialogue for the normalisation of relations.

Stano: EU condemns threats against new Serb police officers (Kosovapress) 

EU spokesperson Peter Stano told the news agency on Wednesday that the EU is deeply concerned about the resignation of nine new Kosovo Serb police officers, saying that the EU condemns the threats against police officers and that intimidation and threats must be stopped immediately. 

“The composition of the Kosovo Police should reflect and represent the society they serve and protect. Non-majority members of the Kosovo Police have a role to play in contributing to the safety of their community through community-oriented policing. We condemn the psychological pressure, intimidation, and threats of revenge against the Serb members of the Kosovo Police, which are said to have motivated the resignation of newly recruited police officers. Any kind of intimidating or threatening behaviour towards Kosovo Serb police officers, including actors connected to Serbia, is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately. Any such intimidation is against the spirit of the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The institutions of Kosovo must be comprehensive and multi-ethnic and the EU underlines that a sustainable solution to the issue of the return of Kosovo Serbs to the institutions of Kosovo must be found within the EU-facilitated dialogue,” Stano said.

U.S. Embassy: Decision on municipal building in Mitrovica North, contrary to our demands (RFE)

The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo said on Wednesday that the decision of Mitrovica North local authorities to remove the Serbian institutions from the municipal building in the Bosnian neighborhood was not coordinated with the international community nor its demands to not undertake any steps that could lead to escalation. The embassy told Radio Free Europe on Wednesday that the U.S. advised the Kosovo government, including the northern mayors, to refrain from actions that increase tensions. "We believe that these actions, which were not coordinated with the international community, are contrary to our requirements for avoiding actions that may escalate tensions or may be perceived as escalations," the U.S. Embassy said. 

Abbott and Barbano meet, discuss situation in north of Kosovo (media)

British Ambassador to Kosovo Nicholas Abbott and EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) Head Giovanni Pietro Barbano met on Wednesday and discussed the situation in the north of Kosovo. Abbott said after the meeting: “It was my pleasure to meet the Head of Mission of EULEX, Giovanni Pietro Barbano.  We discussed the situation in the north of Kosovo and I reiterated the UK’s full support for EULEX’s role and the continuing good cooperation between our Embassy and EULEX”.

Suspected abuse with communities’ funds, Ombudsperson starts investigations (Express)

The Kosovo Ombudsperson confirmed to the news website on Wednesday that it has started investigations into abuses or eventual violations of human rights by the Office for Community Affairs which operates within the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo. The decision to start investigations came after a complaint by eight Serb non-governmental organisations about a government decision to allocate funds to NGOs and the media. “The institution of the People’s Attorney confirms that it has opened a case for investigation into this matter,” the media office confirmed. 

Ibrahimi: Government did not view as partners from the beginning (KTV)

Head of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, Sazan Ibrahimi, said in an interview with the TV station on Wednesday that for the first time the Kosovo government drafted the Law on Property Tax without consulting the municipalities. He argued that “the arbitrary adoption of the law will jeopardise the budget of municipalities”. “Financial autonomy has directly been threatened by the arbitrary adoption of the law by the government and the Assembly without a single consultation with the mayors of municipalities. We believe that the budget of municipalities will be threatened too,” he said.

According to Ibrahimi, the Kurti-led government has not engaged in partnership with the Association of Kosovo Municipalities since it took power.

Hoxhaj: Kosovo must always be in line with U.S. and European allies (media)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and former Kosovo Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that “Kosovo must always be in line with the U.S. and European allies. Since the annexation of Krimea in 2014 and until now when the Russian aggression in Ukraine is happening, Kosovo has maintained a principled position and it has sided with its allies in support of Ukraine. In 2014, when I was Foreign Minister, we were the first in the Balkans to impose sanctions on Russia. But this support did not translate into a change in position by Ukraine toward Kosovo … The fake hysteria created in the last couple of weeks that Ukraine will recognise Kosovo was an internal political invention and had nothing to do with the reality abroad!” Hoxhaj argued. According to him, Ukraine is getting closer to Serbia while misusing Kosovo, and that “this was best proven during Prime Minister Kurti’s visit to Greece, he was the only leader from the region who did not have a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy”.

Serbian Language Media

Brnabic: Serbia respects Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty (N1)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told the Third Crimea Platform Summit that Serbia fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Reuters said that Serbia joined the Crimea platform, “signaling a swing away from Russia” a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic met in Athens.

She said in her online speech that „our commitment to upholding the principles of international law, territorial integrity and political independence of states,“ adding, „We genuinely empathize with … the Ukrainian people and Ukraine who have a true friend in Serbia,” Reuters said.

Radio Free Europe quoted her as saying that Serbia regrets the suffering of the Ukrainian people and that Belgrade will continue devoting attention to the humanitarian situation and providing aid. I want to confirm Serbia’s readiness to take part in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and stress our readiness to support Ukraine’s European integration by passing on our experience, Radio Free Europe quoted her as saying.

Serbian FM says ready for talks with UK officials (N1)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic expressed readiness to continue talks with British officials during a meeting with UK government official Peter Wilson , a press release said on Wednesday.

Dacic and the Director General for Europe at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office “highlighted” the mutual interest and willingness to further deepen cooperation between Serbia and the UK in all areas of common interest, it added.

The press release said that they discussed bilateral political and economic cooperation, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other topical international relations and agreed that there is room to improve cooperation especially in the economy.

Petkovic: Kurti is the only generator of the crisis in the Western Balkans (Kontakt plus radio)

Regarding the statement of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that there has been a de-escalation in the north, the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, issued a press release.

Petkovic said that "all incidents and provocations in the north of Kosovo come solely and exclusively from Albin Kurti, as the only generator of the crisis in the Western Balkans".

"By generating tensions in the north of Kosovo, Pristina is trying to cover up the results of its disastrous policy. There are no such spins that Kurti can use to mask the fact that the international community sees in him the source of instability in the north of Kosovo, which is why the punitive measures against Pristina are still in force," said Petkovic.

He made claims that "the fragile peace in Kosovo and Metohija is preserved thanks to the composure of the Serbian people, who for months do not succumb to the daily provocations of the regime in Pristina."

Petkovic reminded that the members of the special unit of the Kosovo Police are still around and inside the municipal buildings in the north.

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija pointed out that "illegal mayors in the north are making moves that directly endanger the lives of Serbs".

"They are arrested for the spoken word, etc. This is what Kurti's de-escalation looks like," added Petkovic.

Ukrainian president’s advisor denies Von Cramon’s claims (N1, Blic, KiM radio)

An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy denied claims by Viola von Cramon MEP that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic offered his counterpart weapons if Kyiv doesn’t recognize Kosovo.

Mikhail Podolyak told N1 that Von Cramon’s claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) was not true. “There certainly is no truth in that, that is speculation. The meeting between the presidents of Serbia and Ukraine is undoubtedly important. Communication is needed at all levels. We need to understand each other’s position, understand why one side has a certain stand,” he said.

Podolyak said that Ukraine is being transparent about the way it arms its troops, saying everything about weapons procurement in official statements which includes who the munitions suppliers are. “We have official statements, and they disclose the source of munitions. At this moment we have no official statement saying that we get munitions from Serbia,” he said.

US Embassy: 'Liberation' of the municipal facility decided without coordination (KiM radio, RFE)

The United States Embassy in Kosovo states that the local authorities in North Mitrovica did not make the last decision to "liberate" the municipal building (where Serbian institutions are located) in coordination with the international community.

The embassy points out that this decision is not even in line with the requirements not to take actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation.

In their response to Radio Free Europe, they underline that the US has advised the Government of Kosovo, including the mayors in the municipalities in the north, to refrain from taking any actions that could increase tensions.

"Although we are aware that municipal elections in April 2023 in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo were mandatory under Kosovo laws and recognized the results as legitimate, bearing in mind the extremely low voter turnout in those elections, a number of American officials expressed our expectation that the elected mayors, including the (mayor) of North Mitrovica, will make special efforts to respond to the concerns of all residents and community members," said the spokeswoman of the US Embassy in Kosovo.

RFE: The US worried about the resignations of Serbian police officers in the north of Kosovo (Danas, Beta)

The US State Department today expressed concern over the latest resignations of Serbian police officers in the north of Kosovo and assessed that "it is unacceptable that anyone, including actors associated with Serbia, exert political pressure on individuals who want to join the Kosovo police."

The spokesperson of the State Department in his response to Radio Free Europe pointed out that "the Kosovo police provide vital services to all communities and citizens of Kosovo."

"We condemn any effort to undermine diversity within its ranks," the response states, calling on Kosovo and Serbia to return to dialogue on the normalization of relations.

At least seven Serbian police officers resigned last week, for which the Kosovo authorities blamed the official Belgrade, which did not publicize the allegations.

International Media

Kosovo Inaugurates Monument in Gratitude of Albanians Who Saved Jews during Holocaust (Prishtina Insight)

The Albanian families from Kosovo who rescued the Jews during Holocaust, have been honored with the "Wall of Honor" in the Kosovo capital.

The “Wall of Honor”, a new monument inaugurated on Wednesday in Prishtina, will stand as a sign of gratitude for the sacrifice of the 23 Kosovo Albanians that  rescued Jews during the Holocaust.

The monument was placed in a park in Prishtina, close to Dodona neighborhood, in the presence of some of the rescuers’ descendants, political leaders, and the U.S. and German ambassadors.

The inauguration was made possible by the Albanian-American Foundation and the Kosovo-Israel Friendship Association.

The director of the Albanian-American foundation, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi said that they have gathered to honor the Albanians who risked their lives and saved the Jews.

“We are gathered, in my opinion, to bring the sacrifice and the achievements of the past into the present and look forward into the future with great hope,” she added.

Read more at: https://t.ly/54_yU