Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: I cannot make any mistake with the Association (media)
• Osmani: I didn’t say Association draft in line with Constitution (Albanian Post)
• Lajcak informs CoE member states about challenges in dialogue (Express)
• Two arrested for espionage detained for 48 hours (Express)
• Kosovo government excludes some properties from expropriation in north (RFE)
• Surroi: Association is not biggest problem of Kosovo; it dates before 1999 (media)
• Tony Blair to visit Kosovo (Koha)
• Three agreements on legal cooperation with Sweden are finalized (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Lajcak in the CoE: I informed the countries about the challenges in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (RTS)
• Bilcik: Community of Serbian municipalities an absolute priority (Tanjug)
• BIA denies connection with persons arrested in Urosevac suspected of espionage (N1, NMagazin, KoSSev, media)
• Certain private plots exempted from the decision on expropriation in the north of Kosovo (RFE)
• Roads are being dug again in the North; KP: We prevent smuggling; Bisevac: They prevent locals from accessing properties (KoSSev)
• European elections and the Brussels dialogue: Disappointed expectations and new calculations (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: I cannot make any mistake with the Association (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in an interview with Tirana-based A2CNN on Wednesday, said that he cannot make any mistake on the issue of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, and that Serbia cannot ask Kosovo to implement a point of an agreement which Serbia itself has violated. “The Association is included in two agreements from a total of 39 agreements that my predecessors made with Belgrade. The agreements are there, and I cannot deny their existence. However, the agreement of 2013 signed by Thaci and Dacic, has 15 points, six of them are about the Association. From its favorite agreement, Serbia wants us to respect and implement six out of 15 points. It has violated 60 percent of the agreement, and it doesn’t want to implement it. In 2022, Belgrade gave the order in the north for officials to withdraw from the Kosovo system. You cannot ask me to implement 40 percent of the agreement when you violate 60 percent of the agreement,” he said.

Commenting on the draft on the Association prepared by EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, Kurti argued that the draft should be sent to the Venice Commission. “I made my offer, which should be initially accepted in principle. I cannot bring the spirit and the letters, without the offer being accepted. They still insist that we need to have normalization of relations with Serbia, but if they remove it from the equation, then we will deal only with internationals. Lajcak and other European commissioners can send their draft to the Venice Commission. I will send my document to the Constitutional Court. If Vucic agreed with the basic agreement, why should not I accept it. But if the Association is removed, and the package is ruined, I cannot accept that. We stand behind our right. The pressure should be put on Belgrade,” Kurti said, adding that the document that was presented to him was a “non-paper”.

Kurti said that the answer to why the agreements between Kosovo and Serbia are not being respected is in Belgrade, and that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, according to him, is trying to destroy the Ohrid Annex and the agreement reached in Brussels. 

Osmani: I didn’t say Association draft in line with Constitution (Albanian Post)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani stated on Wednesday in a statement to the media that she was not the one who announced the draft statute of the European Union for the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo.

It was the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, who had declared in November last year that the modern European draft status for the Association, which he had accepted, "is carefully written according to the letters of the Constitution".

"As for the draft of October of last year, as president I have not declared it in accordance with the Constitution nor can I do such a thing, this is the competence of the Court only, but I have expressed concerns about at least three capital topics that are included in that statute, which must be dealt with in advance before we talk about any eventual implementation".

According to Osmani, the Office of the President demands that the Association respects the Constitution, territory, and functionality of Kosovo, as well as to be in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the 2015 document. “As president, I fight for only one thing - constitutionality,” she said.

Lajcak informs CoE member states about challenges in dialogue (Express)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, visited the Council of Europe where he informed the member states about the challenges in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. He added that unity is the key to strengthening the position of the EU in the Western Balkans region. “A good return to Strasbourg after almost two years. I appreciated the opportunity to inform EU Member States on the current situation and challenges ahead in the EU-facilitated Dialogue. EU unity is key to strengthening our political position in the Western Balkans,” Lajcak wrote.

Two arrested for espionage detained for 48 hours (Express)

The Special Prosecutor's Office has announced the arrest of two people suspected of espionage. The Special Prosecutor's Office announces that in cooperation with the Police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency they conducted raids in two locations in Kosovo where they arrested two persons with Kosovar citizenship suspected of the criminal offense of "Espionage".

"The Special Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kosovo informs the public opinion that after several months of investigations, today in cooperation with the Kosovo Police and the KIA, it conducted raids in two locations in Kosovo and arrested two persons with Kosovar citizenship, suspects for committing the criminal offense of "espionage", from article 124 of the KPRK."

The suspects were detained for 48 hours.

Kosovo government excludes some properties from expropriation in north (RFE)

From the final decision of the Kosovo government on the expropriation of lands in Leposavic and Zubin Potok – municipalities with Serb majority – were excluded several private parcels, only of those citizens that have won cases in courts, an attorney told Radio Free Europe on Wednesday.

The Kosovo government initiated the expropriation in the two municipalities in mid January last year, when it declared several parcels there as “immovable properties with special public interest necessary to implement infrastructure projects of public interest”. Based on the initial decision of the government, the total area of the planned expropriation was around 104 hectares in Leposavic and around 33 hectares in Zubin Potok. However, the final decision dated May 30 notes that 96 hectares will be expropriated in Leposavic, which is eight hectares less than the initial plan.

Spokesperson for the Kosovo government, Perparim Kryeziu, told Radio Free Europe that the final decision of the government was made in compliance with the final verdicts of the Kosovo court which have asked for some parcels to be excluded from the expropriation process. “The court has been clear in its conclusion that the majority of plaintiffs had no legitimacy to initiate legal proceedings because they could not prove their ownership of the land which is subject to expropriation. The government has acted based on the court’s decisions and the legislation in force,” he said.

Surroi: Association is not biggest problem of Kosovo; it dates before 1999 (media)

Veton Surroi, founder of KOHA Media Group and publicist, said in a debate on TV Dukagjini on Wednesday, that the issue of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is not the most important problem for Kosovo. “No it is not. The problem is the relation that we need to establish between us and the international community over an unfinished conflict. Being that there is no readiness in Serbia to conclude the problem, Kosovo needs to assess its functionality, in the principal sense, to have an internal debate on how a more functional Kosovo can look like. It needs to integrate the opinions of non-majority communities in this reform and to speak openly with the international partners about its objectives. Kosovo cannot be held hostage with one obligation or another,” he said.

Surroi argued that the Kosovo government has shown seriousness in terms of security in the north. “This government has shown seriousness in addressing the security gap in the north. It showed seriousness by being consequent in treating the principality of solutions in Kosovo and whenever there is social consensus, the government and the opposition need to meet and see what needs to be changed in the constitutional system in order to make it more efficient. What do members of non-majority communities need to feel safer and better,” he said.

Surroi also said that the idea of the Association “was not born in 2013, it was born before 1999. The territorialism or the Serbian territorial solution has been projected in books in the 1990s. For the first time I saw the issue of the Association in roundtables that Kouchner organized, where Trajkovic came with maps how these Serb municipalities should look like. This is nothing new”.

Tony Blair to visit Kosovo (Koha)

Former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will visit Kosovo in the coming days, the Kosovo Assembly announced on Wednesday. In an announcement of the Assembly about the Thursday's meeting, it was noted that the first item on the agenda of the meeting of the Presidency of the Assembly will be the appointment of the solemn session for Tony Blair's address to the MPs of Kosovo. The exact day of his visit is not known. 

Three agreements on legal cooperation with Sweden are finalized (Express)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice said on Wednesday that three agreements (Agreement for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters; Agreement for the transfer of convicted persons; as well as the Extradition Agreement) for legal cooperation between Kosovo and the Kingdom of Sweden have been finalized.

The announcement of the Ministry states that in the coming months the ministers of the two countries will put their signatures on the three agreements.

“The agreements will serve to further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries and facilitate the legal procedure in the field of legal aid, they also help and increase the results of the fight against transnational crime and strengthen the state subjectivity of the Republic of Kosovo,” the statement notes.

Serbian Language Media 

Lajcak in the CoE: I informed the countries about the challenges in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (RTS)

The EU's special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, announced that he discussed the current situation and upcoming challenges in the EU-mediated dialogue at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg with EU member states.

''Had the honor to participate in the 1500th meeting of CoE Ministers' Deputies and brief about the EU-facilitated Dialogue. Close cooperation of our two organizations is important to support and promote shared values, including protection of national minorities and rule of law,'' announced Lajcak in a post on X. 

In a separate post on X, he stated that he also spoke in Strasbourg with the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mathieu Mori, about how to strengthen local administration in the north of Kosovo.

Bilcik: Community of Serbian municipalities an absolute priority (Tanjug)

The EP rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik said on Wednesday the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo was an absolute priority that must be delivered on.

"I think that that has been made very clear, also from the resolutions of the European Parliament - I have always insisted on that - but also from the public statements by the many European politicians. At the same time, there is also quite a bit of homework to be done on the side of Serbia," Bilcik told Tanjug in an interview.

He said that, in the dialogue with Pristina, Belgrade had played "a very constructive role over the years, and a number of achievements have been done."

"I think there is, at least on paper, light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to how this dialogue should proceed and how this dialogue may end, but there are still some serious obstacles on the way, and I hope that this dialogue continues and actually brings results," he said.

"I will mention one issue that I feel should be dealt with..., and that is the attack and the events in Banjska. I know this is not on the radar at the moment, but it is an issue which is going to be a recurring issue. Unfortunately, since that attack, Serbia, in that dialogue, also in the eyes of the European partners, has lost some standing. And I think that standing can be regained by full and constructive engagement in dialogue, but also when it comes to a consequential closure of the attack in Banjska," Bilcik said.

BIA denies connection with persons arrested in Urosevac suspected of espionage (N1, NMagazin, KoSSev, media)

The Security-Information Agency in Serbia denies that two people who were arrested in Kosovo for alleged espionage in any relationship with this agency, reported NMagazin. 

The KP arrested two people in Urosevac who are suspected of espionage and cooperation with the Security Information Agency of Serbia, writes Gazeta Express, referring to their findings.

Sources of the newspaper Gazeta Express state that the suspects B.Sh. and M.Q. and according to their knowledge, the Kosovo Intelligence Agency had a key role in the arrest of the two suspects, reported KoSSev.

"The Security and Information Agency resolutely denies all attempts to spread fake news by the temporary Albanian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, that the two persons who were arrested today in Urosevac under the charge of committing the crime of espionage are in any relationship of cooperation with the Agency," stated from BIA.

Certain private plots exempted from the decision on expropriation in the north of Kosovo (RFE)

From the final decision of the Government of Kosovo on land expropriation in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, private plots were exempted, but only for individuals who won this case in court, reported Radio Free Europe. 

This was confirmed for Radio Free Europe (RSE) by Nebojsa Vlajic, one of the lawyers who represented the dissatisfied residents before the Kosovo judiciary.

In January 2023, the Government of Kosovo initiated the process of expropriation in the municipality of Leposavic and Zubin Potok, when it declared a part of the land "immovable property of special public interest, needed for the implementation of infrastructure projects of public interest". The total area of the planned expropriation was around 104 hectares in Leposavic and 33 hectares in Zubin Potok, based on the government's preliminary decision.

However, in the final decision of the Government of Kosovo from May 30, it is stated that in Leposavic, the subject of expropriation will be 96 hectares, which is eight hectares less.

Roads are being dug again in the North; KP: We prevent smuggling; Bisevac: They prevent locals from accessing properties (KoSSev)

After several series of closures, for Pristina, "illegal roads" in the North of Kosovo, these days at least two more have been dug - in the village of Banje on the territory of the municipality of Zubin Potok. The KP again cites the prevention of smuggling as the reason, while, on the other hand, a local politician says that the locals are prevented from reaching their properties.

One of the founders of the Serbian People's Movement, Milija Bisevac, informed the public about the new "digging" of roads.

"In addition to the false expropriation that was carried out in Zubin Potok, the Kosovo Police continues to dig up and destroy local roads in the village of Banje," Bisevac said in a video address from the road. He states that this makes it impossible for the locals to get to their properties and cultivate the land that most of them live from. 

"Today we visited the village of Banje, where the villagers complained to us that three days ago, special units with heavy machinery and excavators came and dug up the village roads. Only a hundred meters from here are their farms, meadows, forests that they cultivate every day. They are now unable to pass. There are five such obstacles that the KP dug up under the pretext of fighting against smuggling and crime," Bisevac said.

Kosovo's portal turned to the KP for confirmation of the allegations, but also for an explanation of the reason for the closure of these roads.

This portal reported that they were not able to contact the deputy commander of the KP for the North region, Veton Elshani. KoSSev cited Zubin  Potok INFO reporting that this police official, however, confirmed last evening that two village roads were dug up near the village of Banje. He marked them as illegal due to suspicion of smuggling goods.

And while Bisevac was also looking for a reaction from the international community, as reported by this media from Zubin Potok, Elshani said that KFOR was informed about the action.

On the other hand, he told the residents of the village of Banje who were affected by digging up the roads that they should inform the police, who will then contact the border patrol, to find a solution.

European elections and the Brussels dialogue: Disappointed expectations and new calculations (Kosovo Online)

About 342 million citizens of the European Union with the right to vote will have the opportunity to vote in the elections for the European Parliament from June 6 to 9. The results of these elections will influence who will be the next president of the European Commission, but also the shaping of future European policy towards the Western Balkans, as well as the continuation of the dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina, reported Kosovo Online in English.

A total of 720 deputies are elected to the European Parliament, and this institution, together with the EU governments, decides on key laws for the 27 members of the Union, but also on the fate of the candidate countries and the most important issue for Belgrade and Pristina - the normalization of relations.

"The dialogue did not fail because we believe that in the end it will be possible for the two parties to come to an agreement, and we are here to help them in that".

It is one of the two sentences that could be heard too often in recent years from the now departing European officials.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/2n33v4bs