Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti registers as MP, fails to answer about government formation again (Koha)

• VV convinced it has required votes to form government (Koha)

• Albanian President Begaj to arrive in Kosovo today (Koha)

• Delegation of French MPs in Kosovo gathered information on dialogue with Serbia (Klan)

• Kearns on EP’s lifting measures against Kosovo: Calls to be considered (RTK)

• PDK meets delegation from Britain – political developments in Kosovo discussed (media)

• Russian hackers allegedly attack website of Kosovo Center for Security Studies (RTK)

   

Serbian Language Media: 

• Petkovic: Intimidation of Serbs and arrests as per secret list to drive them out of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

• Systematic violation of Law on Languages: Kosovo police (Radio KIM)

• Vucevic: New gov't to be comprised of some current ministers and many new names (Tanjug)
• Kragujevac students call for expert government to restore functioning institutions; Novi Sad student set criteria for members of expert government (N1)
• Vucic: I entered the ICU myself, sixth student demand met (N1)
• The university in protest: Protest today in Belgrade due to the expulsion of foreign citizens (N1)
• Kallas to host the Western Balkans heads of diplomacy in an informal dinner on Sunday (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti registers as MP, fails to answer about government formation again (Koha)

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti registered as a member of the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday, a procedure for those who won the mandate during the February 9 elections. However, Kurti again did not answer journalists' questions about the formation of the new government. “I have a meeting at 11 o’clock,” Kurti told the journalists who followed him to get answers.

VV convinced it has required votes to form government (Koha)

Vetevendosje Movement MPs have expressed their confidence that they have enough votes to form a government in the constitutive session on April 15. 

Asked if they have sufficient votes to form the government, Acting Minister of Finance Hekuran Murati said, “Definitely yes.” “The Constitution requires 61, The more the better,” he told the media.

Agim Bahtiri also expressed his confidence that VV would form a government.  However, he did not indicate who would LVV form the government with. “I think so... the numbers are of MPs, 61 and more. It will be done with MPs of the Republic of Kosovo”, he replied.

MP Halil Thaci was more specific. According to him, Albin Kurti will be elected prime minister with 63 votes. “With 63 votes, Albin Kurti will be the prime minister, while Glauk Konjufca will be the speaker of the parliament,” he said.

Kurti himself has on several occasions refused to answer whether they have sufficient numbers for a new government.

Albanian President Begaj to arrive in Kosovo today (Koha)

Albanian President Bajram Begaj will arrive for a two-day visit in Kosovo today. He is expected to meet with heads of parliamentary political groups. Begaj will also be in Gjilan from 13:30 hours, where he is scheduled to meet with the mayor of the municipality Alban Hyseni.

Afterwards, he will meet with the heads of parliamentary groups. He will also have conversations with personalities from the city of Gjilan, including political prisoners, representatives of associations that emerged from the war, writers, and artists.

Delegation of French MPs in Kosovo gathered information on dialogue with Serbia (Klan)

A delegation from the French National Assembly, consisting of MPs Marine Hamelet, Frederic Petit, Pierre Pribetich and Jean-Louis Roumegas, stayed in Kosovo for 4 days (April 7-10). The French Embassy in Kosovo said that this delegation carried out an information visit to Kosovo regarding the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

They had the opportunity to exchange views with most of the Kosovo political leaders, President Vjosa Osmani, the Acting Speaker of the Parliament, Glauk Konjufca, the acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the leaders of LDK and PDK, Lumir Abdixhiku and Memli Krasniqi.

The delegation is said to have also met with the bishop of the Raska-Prizren diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Teodosije, as well as representatives of civil society and the Kosovo media.

The delegation also held meetings with the Commander of KFOR, General Enrico Barduani, and the Head of the EULEX mission, Giovanni Barbano.

Kearns on EP’s lifting measures against Kosovo: Calls to be considered (RTK)

The European Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee voted on Wednesday on the draft resolution on Kosovo, which, among other things, calls for the immediate lifting of EU measures. Alicia Kearns, MP of the United Kingdom, described this step as belated but extremely welcome news. “Belated and extremely welcome news – balance must be restored in the world, and especially in the EU’s approach to the Balkans. I hope these calls will be taken into account,” she wrote on “X” platform. 

PDK meets delegation from Britain – political developments in Kosovo discussed (media)

The Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Vlora Citaku, hosted today a delegation from the United Kingdom, consisting of British MP Alex Sobel and member of “City Leaders”, Cllr Helen Hayden. According to the announcement, Citaku expressed her gratitude for the continuous contribution of the United Kingdom in building democratic institutions in Kosovo.

The British delegation was interested in current political developments in Kosovo, the challenges of youth and the empowerment of women in decision-making institutions, expressing their readiness for further cooperation. At this meeting, Citaku was accompanied by the leader of the Democratic Youth and the newly elected MP, Arbnora Salihu, as well as the chief of staff of PDK leader, Ardian Arifaj.

Russian hackers allegedly attack website of Kosovo Center for Security Studies (RTK)

The Kosovo Center for Security Studies announced that its website has been taken offline as a security measure due to cyberattacks allegedly being carried out by hacker groups linked to Russian and Serbian networks. The center announced that despite these attempts, its website remains intact, although it is currently offline for security reasons. Meanwhile, the Information Technology teams within the Kosovo Center for Security Studies are handling the case with the aim of making the website functional.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: Intimidation of Serbs and arrests as per secret list to drive them out of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director, Petar Petkovic said in relation to the arrest of 16 Serbian pilgrims over the weekend in Kosovo that it is an attack on the Serbian Orthodox Church and its believers, because a large number of them are visiting monasteries in Kosovo. He added the aim of it is to intimidate and drive Serbs away with the arrests, and close Serbian monasteries, Kosovo Online portal reported.

He said the “arrests at every corner” are a major problem Serbs in Kosovo face, in particular Serbs visiting from central Serbia wishing to see the monasteries, but also internally displaced persons who had to leave their homes in 1999 and the years after.

“They are arrested at every corner, in particular if they cross administrative lines”, Petkovic said, adding that arrested pilgrims were visiting Visoki Decani Monastery and the Holy Mother of Levis Church in Prizren. Recalling that 12 Serbs were arrested in Prizren, and four in Djakovica who were sent to one-month detention because police found an orchard tools and two small knives for private use in their vehicle trunk, Petkovic said Pristina wanted to make up a media story and a spin “it was about a terrorist act” and that these people “were disguised Serbs pretending they were pilgrims”.

“What is bothering them (Pristina) is a living church, that Serbs still go to pray in Kosovo and Metohija. This way a message is sent to them, aiming to intimidate them, that anyone thinking of visiting the monasteries may face the same destiny ... .Same as for displaced persons, arrested for alleged war crimes, and then released. Intimidation at every step, aiming to drive Serbs away and close monasteries. This is all Albin Kurti’s game with intention to additionally provoke Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo, in order to cause their inappropriate reaction, so Pristina could use even more excessive force”, Petkovic said.

Systematic violation of Law on Languages: Kosovo police (Radio KIM)

Mitrovica North-based civil society organization Aktiv and Radio KIM continue scrutinizing respect for the Law on Use of Languages by Kosovo institutions, with Kosovo police website and social media accounts being checked this time.

“FOR YOUR SECURITY STEPS SAFE IN TRAFFIC!”, “These advices administer President of Municipality, and also at OSJB and here diversity enough is highlighted”, C(o)me you, not the news about you”, “Together for more safe Kosovu” – these are some of many examples of the language “barriers” people find when attempting to access information in the Serbian language on the official website of the Kosovo Police, Radio KIM reports.

Systematic violations of the Law on Use of Languages in Kosovo remained a problem for years, despite the legal framework guaranteeing equal use and status of the Serbian and Albanian languages as two official languages in Kosovo. This way, non-majority communities, using Serbian language, remain deprived of access to crucial information. The European Commission 2023 pointed out this problem in several segments of its report from 2023.

Adherence to the language rights by Kosovo police is of crucial importance to ensuring equal access to justice and safety for all citizens, in particular in the north of Kosovo, where many citizens expressed concerns over the fact that majority of the Albanian police officers deployed there do not speak Serbian language.

Although the Law on Police clearly stipulates the obligatory communication in both official languages, it often occurs in practice that members of the Serbian community face language barriers when reporting incidents, asking for information or exercising their rights with institutions.   

Kosovo police to some number of Serbian media delivers press statements almost exclusively in Albanian language only. When press statements are sent in Serbian, they come with hours-long delays and as per rule, with poor, almost incomprehensible translation.

What was found on the Kosovo police website?

Website – Part of the website in Serbian, inlcudes all categories listed in Albanian language exclusively. Also, poor translation of some words and sentences is noticeable.

Incomprehensible translation – Under ‘news’ category translation of specific information into Serbian language takes very weird forms, and almost incomprehensible content (examples include: specialized unit to handle explosive devices controlled explode grenade). Moreover, a large number of news in the Serbian language part of the website is presented in Albanian language only, although it is evident there is a section of the website to publish content in Albanian. Also, ‘ijekavica’ a dialect which is not commonly used in the spoken Serbian language in Kosovo is also used.  

Video gallery – Information about video material in the section of the website in Serbian language is in the Albanian language exclusively.

Numerous grammar mistakes – Under category ‘administration for operations’ numerous errors are noticeable, starting from grammatic ones to those which do not reflect the real context of the sentence because of poor translation.

Special forces unit – If one wishes to look at this category in Serbian it will not be possible. When choosing the Serbian language, the website directs the user to the main page. This category can be seen only in Albanian language. The same applies to the category ‘department for intelligence and analytical affairs’ and this section apart from the headline contains no other information in Serbian language.

Administration of Borders – Names of crossing points in the Serbian section of the website are written in Albanian language only. At the same time, numerous mistakes, grammar mistakes and declination mistakes are noticeable. The situation is identical with the category ‘administration for investigation’.

“Administration for human sources” – This is a direct translation from Albanian language, which is incorrect. The correct translation would read Department of Human Resources.

“Department of s(u)pporting services” – One more example of wrong translation. Unlike in the Albanian section of the website, apart from the name, there is no other information in Serbian provided under this category.

Regional Directorates – Again category in Serbian includes numerous grammar mistakes and poor translation, while names of some cities and towns are written in Albanian language only or in poor Serbian. Names of some of the regions on this section of the website are written in English language.

Incomprehensible translation – Almost the entire category related to the security of the communities is poorly translated, with numerous grammar mistakes and translations that do not reflect the real sense of the sentences.  

Numerous problems are also observed in all other sections, including the magazine, contact details, informative campaigns, employment opportunities, lack of documents and reporting mechanisms.

Social media

Facebook – Name of institution is in English language. All material posted and activities are in the Albanian language only. The exception relates only if a criminal act took place in the north of Kosovo or vacancies have been announced. Almost the entire video material, including police actions and informative campaigns are in the Albanian language only, same goes for accompanying text, unless the information relates to specific actions in the north of Kosovo. Public events organized by this institution are presented in the Albanian language exclusively.

X – Name of institution is in English. Activities and announcements are in Albanian, same goes for photos and illustrations. The same situation is with video materials, there is no accompanying text in Serbian language.

YouTube – Situation here is slightly better compared to other social media accounts of Kosovo police. Bilingual video material is noticeable. However, apart from some informative campaigns, Kosovo police actions are in Albanian language exclusively, without accompanying text in Serbian. 

Vucevic: New gov't to be comprised of some current ministers and many new names (Tanjug)

Serbian caretaker Prime Minister and Serbian Progressive Party leader Milos Vucevic said on Thursday the next government would be composed of some current ministers as well as many new names, Tanjug news agency reported.

"I think there are people in the current government who deserve to remain ministers, and there are positions where changes are needed. I believe there will be many new people", Vucevic said in an appearance on Pink TV, adding that the number of ministries would remain the same as any change would require amendments to the Law on the Government and Ministries. He said Serbia would get a new government by April 18 and added that, if he was PM-designate, he would avoid forming a cabinet on Good Thursday or Good Friday.

Vucevic said he had spoken with PM-Designate Djuro Macut on several occasions and that he was ready to share his experiences with his successor. He also said he believed the new government would bring new energy and new optimism and that Macut was the best solution not only in terms of his professional resume but also as someone who was capable of establishing much-needed dialogue with all interested parties.

Kragujevac students call for expert government to restore functioning institutions; Novi Sad students set criteria for members of expert government (N1)

University of Kragujevac students called for the formation of an expert government that would restore the functionality and credibility of public institutions, demonstrate a willingness to listen to and act on the legitimate demands of students and citizens, and lay the groundwork for rebuilding the rule of law and democratic principles.

“We won’t stand by and watch the future fall apart in silence. We refuse to accept that political loyalty alone qualifies someone to run the country. That is why we are advocating for an expert government, one made up of professionals with knowledge, integrity, and experience, rather than obedient political appointees,” students protesters from the University of Kragujevac said on Instagram.

They said they support such a government because institutions no longer serve the people, but instead operate as political tools, as well as that young people, students, and citizens have been completely shut out of political decision-making and the processes that directly affect their daily lives.

“The students are not asking for power — we are asking for power to return to its true purpose: serving the people,” the Kragujevac student protesters emphasized.

Novi Sad student protesters released their criteria for the selection of ministers in a proposed expert government, along with a set of restrictions that would apply to it. The majority of University of Novi Sad schools and colleges have backed the proposal for the formation of an expert government, which they see as the only viable solution to the ongoing social and political crisis in Serbia.

Their first criterion is a complete lack of ties to the executive and legislative branches of government. Specifically, the students say that ministers in the expert government must be individuals who have never held positions in either of these branches, nor have they held any political office. “This criterion is crucial to ensure a politically neutral approach to decision-making, free from party influence or political pressure. In this way, the selection of ministers will be based on expertise, not political affiliation,” the students explained.

The second is that candidates must not be affiliated with any political parties or movements. “Ministers must not be members of political parties, nor should they be involved with political movements that have participated in or attempted to participate in elections. This is to preserve their independence and prevent any form of political manipulation,” the students wrote in an Instagram post. They added that this condition aims to ensure that the new ministers are guided solely by the interests of the public and their professional expertise. The students also believe that candidates must be recognized experts with proven experience and accomplishments in their respective fields. Their knowledge and competence, they say, should be backed by relevant academic, professional, or research-based work.

Vucic: I entered the ICU myself, sixth student demand met (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he went to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University Clinical Center of Serbia (UKCS) on his own initiative to visit those injured in the nightclub fire in the North Macedonian city of Kocani, N1 reported.

Earlier this week, Serbian student protesters made their sixth demand, seeking accountability for the unauthorized entry of individuals and journalists into the (UKCS) intensive care unit (ICU), where patients injured in the North Macedonia nightclub fire were being treated.

“Nobody wanted to let me in, it was my decision. They don’t need to chase anyone; I entered by myself. The proud Aleksandar Vucic, whose idea it was to renovate the Clinical Center, and because it’s so modern, these people had somewhere to come. Sixth demand met, I did it myself, I’m the one to blame”, Vucic told Serbian reporters in Paris after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The university in protest: Protest today in Belgrade due to the expulsion of foreign citizens (N1)

The university in protest called citizens to a gathering on the Republic Square in Belgrade today, and the reason is the expulsion of foreign citizens from Serbia for freely expressing their opinions and supporting student protests. The protest is scheduled for 19:00.

"We do not agree to Serbia becoming a country that punishes solidarity and where free opinion is treated as a threat. Expulsion of foreign citizens is unacceptable! We stand for a Serbia where free-minded people can express their views without fear of reprisal. We will not allow repression to become the norm. Come and stand together in defense of freedom of opinion and express solidarity with all those who have been unjustly expelled," the statement said.

N1 recalled that the Croatian citizen Arien Stojanovic Ivkovic, who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, got a job, got married and started a family, the Serbian authorities decided to deny her hospitality after 12 years of living in the Serbian capital, expel her from the country and ban her entry for a year. She was given seven days to relocate her entire life.

Four Croatian citizens were expelled from Serbia in the past few days, and in the last three months there have been 15 such cases, Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Hidajet Biscevic told N1 Belgrade afterwards.

Kallas to host the Western Balkans heads of diplomacy in an informal dinner on Sunday (Kosovo Online)

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Callas, will host an informal dinner for foreign ministers from the Western Balkans on Sunday, April 13.

During the working dinner, the ministers will discuss key topics related to the European integration of the region, as well as security challenges and regional cooperation.

"During the working dinner, the ministers will discuss how to improve the EU's engagement with partners from the Western Balkans," the statement said.

Earlier this week, Kallas made her first visit to the Western Balkans, during which she stayed in Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She stated in Podgorica that the EU is "dissecting mistakes" and what is working and what is not in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, in order to give life to the process of normalization of relations.

From Tirana, she said that "Kosovo and Serbia cannot move towards the EU without full normalization of relations.’’