UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, March 15, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Escobar: U.S. has worked in favor of Kosovo, we hope Kosovo will listen to our concerns (media)
Kurti to Escobar: It is necessary that Serbia be held accountable for attack in Banjska (Koha)
EU announces meeting at level of chief negotiators in Brussels on March 19 (RTK)
NATO presence in Kosovo necessary for maintaining peace (media)
Escobar: We will hold government responsible for security of Serbs in Kosovo (Koha)
QUINT welcomes implementation of decision to register the lands of Monastery (RTK)
U.S. Ambassador to Serbia: Establishment of Association is a matter of time (media)
Maqedonci meets the British ambassador, discuss security in Kosovo (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Escobar after meeting Kurti: Emergent humanitarian issue, Pristina to be flexible on Tuesday (KoSSev, media)
Kurti after meeting Escobar: I stressed need to hold Serbia accountable for attack in Banjska (KoSSev)
Serbian List on changed signboards: They installed Albanized names of Serbian places (Radio KIM, media)
Language Commissioner: The order of languages on signboards had to be reversed (Radio KIM)
Pantic Pilja: Emergency meeting at Council of Europe on March 27, voting on Bakoyannis report (Kosovo Online)
Dacic meets with HCCH Secretary General (Tanjug)
Stoltenberg’s report says NATO crucial to Western Balkan stability (N1)
Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons: International community respects Albanian victims more than Serbian ones (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media

Escobar: U.S. has worked in favor of Kosovo, we hope Kosovo will listen to our concerns (media)

The US emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has met with prime minister, Albin Kurti. He was accompanied by the U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier.

"The United States of America remains the most committed partner of Kosovo, but I must say that the relations have some challenges, and these challenges come because of the treatment that is being done to the Serb community now. The decision of the CBK has caused difficulties for some citizens of this country. We are concerned, we will continue to work on this issue, it is an urgent humanitarian issue that must be addressed immediately and I hope that the government will be ready, will be flexible in its discussions in the dialogue on Tuesday '', Escobar said.

He added that he congratulated the prime minister for the decision on the properties of Decan Monastery, which was a difficult but necessary decision. "We had a very good discussion, the prime minister has promised that he will make some decisions on the proposals we have offered him", he added.

Ecobar has said that everything the USA has done has been for Kosovo. He added that after Ohrid, the USA supported Kosovo's candidacy for the Council of Europe, supported the democratic processes, including the elections in the north. "Everything we have done has been for Kosovo and we will continue to do so. In the meantime, we hope that Kosovo will listen to our concerns", said Escobar.

Kurti to Escobar: It is necessary that Serbia be held accountable for attack in Banjska (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that during the meeting with the U.S. emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, on Thursday, he emphasized the need for Serbia to be held accountable for the attack in Banjska of Zvecan, at the end of September.

"I thanked him for the support of the USA and emphasized the need to hold Serbia accountable for the attack in Banjska. I also informed him about the steps that our Government has taken in support of the transition of the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo and our readiness to address the ongoing issues", Kurti wrote on X.

EU announces meeting at level of chief negotiators in Brussels on March 19 (RTK)

The European Union has called a dialogue meeting for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia at the level of chief negotiators. Besnik Bislimi, chief negotiator of Kosovo, and Petar Petkovic of Serbia, are expected to meet on March 19, in Brussels.

This meeting was confirmed by the U.S. emissary, Gabriel Escobar on Thursday after the meeting with Prime Minister Kurti.

Chief negotiators are expected to discuss in Brussels the sequencing plan for the implementation of the Agreement on the path towards the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but also the issue of the Serbian dinar.

NATO presence in Kosovo necessary for maintaining peace (media)

NATO's military presence in Kosovo is essential for maintaining peace and stability in the entire Western Balkan region, according to the annual report published by the North Atlantic Alliance.

The report was presented by the head of the largest military organization in the world, Jens Stoltenberg.

The published document expresses support for the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. "Dialogue is the main platform for reaching a solution, which respects the rights of all communities and the construction of sustainable peace, which is beneficial to the security of Kosovo and the stability of the entire Western Balkans region", the published report states.

The report for 2023 also mentions last year's riots in the north of Kosovo, which led to an increase in the number of KFOR soldiers. "After the outbreak of violence in May and September, allies deployed nearly 1,000 reserve forces to the mission, the largest increase in a decade. This has enabled KFOR to triple the number of patrols and quadruple its presence in the north of Kosovo", the report states.

According to the published document, the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo now numbers 4,700 members.

Escobar: We will hold government responsible for security of Serbs in Kosovo (Koha)

The emissary of the United States of America, Gabriel Escobar, has said that Serbs in Kosovo must live safely and with dignity. For this, he added that they will hold the government of Kosovo responsible.

In an interview for Radio Gorazdevac, Escobar from Peja, where he met with the mayor Gazmend Muhaxheri and the young people from several communities, said that the Serbs in Kosovo are suffering because of the Central Bank Regulation, which prohibits the use of the dinar.

"I wanted to come to this city, to listen to the stories of people first-hand about how they were affected by the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo. It is hard to listen to these stories and remain indifferent. There is a community here that is really suffering. There are people who are facing real problems due to the lack of opportunities to receive pensions", said Escobar.

A few hours before the meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, Escobar emphasized that "he really wants to work with the government of Kosovo in the hope of finding urgent solutions".

Escobar has told the Serbian community in Kosovo that the USA is here and that "it wants the Serbs in Kosovo to live in safe and dignified conditions".

"And we will continue to work on it. And as for the government of Kosovo, they have the responsibility to achieve this and we will hold them accountable for this. I think that all people in Kosovo can count on American support for Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, all those who live in this country. I hope they can feel the American support and the American partnership," added Escobar.

The Mayor of the Municipality of Peja, Gazmend Muhaxheri, said that during Thursday's meeting with Escobar, both parties assessed the joint journey in the integration processes of Kosovo with the United States as vital.

In his statement, the US special envoy briefly referred to the French-German proposal, in the context of current problems. "In the longer term, we still have to work hard to implement the historic normalization agreement we reached last March. So we will continue to work", Escobar said.

QUINT welcomes implementation of decision to register the lands of Monastery (RTK)

The heads of missions of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union welcome and congratulate the government of Kosovo for the action to implement the decision of the Constitutional Court of 2016, which confirms the ownership of the Monastery of Decan by several hectares of land.

According to QUINT, the instruction of the Kosovo Cadastral Agency to register this land in the name of the Monastery of Decan and ensure that this action has been completed represents an important step forward for the Kosovar authorities in line with European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

"As we stated in May last year on the anniversary of the decision of the Constitutional Court, the implementation of the rule of law and respect for the independence of the judiciary are obligations of all democratically elected governments and necessary preconditions for the integration of Kosovo into the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions," states the communique of the Quint published on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo.

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia: Establishment of Association is a matter of time (media)

The ambassador of the United States of America in Serbia, Christopher Hill, has commented on the latest developments in the talks between Kosovo and Serbia and the visit of the U.S. emissary Gabriel Escobar to Kosovo. He has said that Escobar has sent very harsh mesages. According to him, the dinar is a big problem at the moment, but the essential issue is the Association of Serb Municipalities.

"However, what is comforting is that everyone understands that it is necessary to solve this problem. The American negotiator for the Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, was in Kosovo and sent quite harsh and clear messages to the Kosovar leadership. Some problems must be solved, and the issue of removing the dinar is the freshest and perhaps the most difficult," Hill told Euronews Serbia.

"However, the fundamental issue that needs to be resolved and which has already been agreed upon in the past is the Association of Serb Municipalities. With the establishment of that Association, all other problems such as parallel structures or the use of the dinar will be solved. It's only a matter of when, not if. The logic is very clear, both sides have already agreed on this, this is what the EU wants and it will be realized", Hill said.

Maqedonci meets the British ambassador, discuss security in Kosovo (RTK)

The Minister of Defence, Ejup Macedonci, received on Thursday the new ambassador of the United Kingdom in Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves. Macedonci said that they talked about topics related to the issue of security in the country.

“In the meeting with Ambassador Hargreaves, we discussed the Interflex operation and the military cooperation so far between Kosovo and the United Kingdom, which in strategic terms has a unique role for the stability, security and Euro-Atlantic perspective of the country and the entire region. We agreed that the excellent bilateral relations will continue to develop further", Maqedonci wrote.

Serbian Language Media

Escobar after meeting Kurti: Emergent humanitarian issue, Pristina to be flexible on Tuesday (KoSSev, media)

“It is about an emergent humanitarian issue that we need to address immediately, and I hope that the government is prepared to be flexible in this discussions on the dialogue on Tuesday”, US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar said in Pristina after meeting Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, KoSSev portal reported.

He made those remarks in relation to the Kosovo Central Bank decision that banned dinar in payment transactions. Due to this decision payment of wages and other allowances in Serbian dinars had been made difficult and the main hardship relates to the issue that around 100.000 beneficiaries receiving payments and other wages from the Serbian budget are now not able to receive those funds regularly or unobstructed.

“We had a very good discussion and I made it very clear that no one can hear the stories from some of the most vulnerable members of this community – which is the disabled, the retired and students, and not be moved by their stories of how this decision has affected them. The prime minister acknowledged that and he did promise that he would look into some of the proposals that I made to him today”, Escobar said, answering the journalist’s question related to the dinar issue.

At the same time, Escobar also said he commended Kurti for the decision on Visoki Decani Monastery land, adding it “was a difficult but right decision”.

Kurti after meeting Escobar: I stressed need to hold Serbia accountable for attack in Banjska (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal wrote last night that after US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar said Pristina is expected to be flexible on Tuesday in relation to the “emergent humanitarian issue” referring to the consequences that Kosovo Central Bank decision had on one part of the population in Kosovo, Albin Kurti chose to put Banjska case in the foreground.

“Great to meet with the State Department Envoy for the Western Balkans, Escobar. Thanked him for the US support and stressed the need to hold Serbia accountable for the Banjska attack”, Kurti said in a post on X media platform, the portal added.

And while Escobar in his address to the media said that Kurti had promised to look into some of the proposals he made to him, Kurti said that he also informed Escobar “of steps that our government has taken to support the transition of CBK regulation and our readiness to address ongoing issues”. Kurti did not mention the meeting on Tuesday, the portal also said.

Serbian List on changed signboards: They installed Albanized names of Serbian places (Radio KIM, media)

Serbian List in reaction to the installation of new signboards with the names of places in the northern Kosovo, including the Albanian names first, followed by Serbian names, said that by this act and by removal of signboards written in Cyrillic alphabet language rights are being violated and also provisions made by Pristina itself, Radio KIM reported.

“Today in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, contrary to the agreements and provisions made by Pristina itself, Kosovo institutions abolished the Cyrillic names of the Serbian places and municipalities on the signboards in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and installed Albanized names of the Serbian villages and cities first, and then on the second place names written in Latin alphabet”, Serbian List said in a statement on Thursday. “Kurti’s regime once again demonstrated that for them rights of the Serbian people, obligations deriving from agreements and rules stipulated by the laws which are in favor of the Serbs, have no significance”, the statement added, noting that even the highest legal acts in Kosovo guarantee the right to Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet.

Referring to Kurti as “sheer nationalist” and “Serb-hater”, Serbian List also said that Kosovo Prime Minister “deepens ethnic division in those areas, in a hope that this way he will score political points and votes at the next elections”. They also accused Kurti that with his acts “he makes the inter-ethnic area toxic as nobody did like that before”.

Serbian List also urged international representatives to publicly condemn those acts and violation of the rights of the Serbian people to language, alphabet and the right to use toponyms which they have used for centuries. “It is time to act, not express concerns”, the statement concluded.

Language Commissioner: The order of languages on signboards had to be reversed (Radio KIM)

Kosovo Language Commissioner Slavisa Mladenovic reacted following the installation of new signboards in northern Kosovo, with Albanian names being the first on them, Radio KIM reported.

“The Law on use of languages stipulates equality of official languages, however, the topographic signs should also take into consideration an ethnic composition of the very same populated places. The order of the languages on those signboards had to be reversed”, Mladenovic said in a post on Facebook.

The Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure started placing new signboards in the north of Kosovo, by using Albanian names first, followed by Serbian names of the places. Number of Serb political parties reacted, including the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, stressing that this way the law on use of languages is being violated.

The Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS) announced it will address the Office of Language Commissioner regarding this issue. “We hope that neither the Office of Language Commissioner in Pristina that we have addressed, nor international representatives that we will acquaint with this latest March pogrom against the Serbian language during the Kurti’s “democratic” 2024 year will remain silent”, the party said in a statement. It added they are concerned over the latest action of the Kosovo Government and that this was conflict with remaining Serbs.

Pantic Pilja: Emergency meeting at Council of Europe on March 27, voting on Bakoyannis report (Kosovo Online)

Head of the Serbian Parliament Permanent Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Biljana Pantic Pilja told Kosovo Online portal that an emergency meeting of Council of Europe Political Committee has been scheduled for March 27th, which included voting on the opinion of rapporteur for Kosovo accession to the Council of Europe, Dora Bakoyannis.

She recalled that there had been three requests from Bakoyannis regarding Kosovo entry into the Council of Europe, and it had been announced two days ago that Kosovo would fulfill one of them - concerning the return of land to Visoki Decani Monastery.

"And probably, I am now prejudging, assuming that she wants to inform the Committee that there is progress in their behavior and that one of the conditions is fulfilled. Whether she will now go back on her word and whether the Committee members will say that this is enough and that other conditions do not need to be fulfilled, I do not want to prejudge, but this emergency scheduling of the meeting, even though we have a session in Strasbourg on April 15th, where they could have informed us about this, frankly, does not inspire confidence in me", she said.