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STORY: UN / KOSOVO
TRT: 05:14
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 09 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
09 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo:
“On 25 March, the Constitutional Court decided that the Assembly still had 34 days to elect a President. Let us hope that differences can be bridged, a new President can be elected and that new legislative elections can be avoided.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo:
“I commend the active participation of all communities in the municipal elections held in October and November, as well as the timely establishment of local government administrations across Kosovo. In northern Kosovo, the return of Kosovo Serb mayors marked an important step toward their re-engagement in local institutions. At the same time, this process has not been without challenges. In my recent meetings with some of these mayors, I heard concerns about incomplete handovers, administrative gaps and language barriers.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo:
“From the outset, I have sought to establish an open and constructive working relationship with as many people and communities as possible and – guided by resolution 1244 – to focus UNMIK’s efforts on supporting dialogue and engagement, especially where the daily lives of people across communities are affected. I hope to have a regular and sustained dialogue with the authorities in both Belgrade and Pristina, despite their divergent views, including on the work of UNMIK.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo:
“UNMIK is not immune to the financial crisis facing the Organization. The Mission has recently implemented a contingency plan reducing encumbered positions by almost 30 per cent.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Marko Đurić, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serbia:
“Let me be absolutely clear: in the current circumstances, UNMIK is not only relevant, it is indispensable. Its mandate, grounded in resolution 1244, has not been fully implemented. This is not a technical matter. It is a matter that directly affects the safety, rights and daily lives of people on the ground.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Marko Đurić, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serbia:
“The Republic of Serbia remains firmly committed to supporting such a rule in the protection of fundamental human rights of Serbs in Kosovo, and under policies pursued by the government of Mr. Albin Kurti. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are increasingly marked as the other. Their identity is used as a basis to limit the rights of Kosovo Serbs, restrict their movement and target their homes, property and religious sites.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Glauk Konjufca:
“The obstacle to peace and normalization of relations remains Serbia, which is neither interested in normalizing relations with Kosovo nor joining the EU. They are trying to deny our region the much-needed stability, prosperity and full integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. We call on Serbia to come to terms with reality and recognize Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state and stop holding its society and entire region hostage to aspirations of regaining regional hegemony.”
16. Wide shot, Security Council
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Glauk Konjufca:
“Our efforts in Kosovo have one of the most advanced minority protection frameworks in Europe. Our concerns remain, however, that Serbia and other malign actors continue to weaponize minority rights and exploit the multi-ethnic character of Kosovo to promote division, disorder and undermine our democratic institutions and peaceful coexistence.”
18. Wide shot, Security Council
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Tammy Bruce, Ambassador, Deputy Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The Security Council should not measure effectiveness by how long a mission survives. It should measure effectiveness by whether peace has become durable institutions, capable, and that the mission is no longer needed in Kosovo. The answer is clear. The conditions on the ground, the capabilities of local institutions and the stable presence of other actors, especially those from the EU, all point in the same direction. The UN mission has reached the end of the road.”
20. Wide shot, Security Council
21. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasiliy Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Mr. President, in these challenging circumstances, it is unacceptable to reduce the frequency or to change the format of Security Council meetings on Kosovo. Nor is it acceptable to reduce the budgetary and staffing ceiling of UNMIK, which continues to perform the essential task of contributing to the maintenance of stability in the province.”
22. Wide shot, end of Security Council meeting
“Let us hope that differences can be bridged, a new President can be elected and that new legislative elections can be avoided,” the new chief of UNMIK said, briefing the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo.
Peter Due, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) noted today (9 Apr) the return of Kosovo Serb mayors to local institutions in the north as a positive step but said “this process has not been without challenges,” citing “incomplete handovers, administrative gaps and language barriers” raised by mayors he had met with.
He also said UNMIK had “implemented a contingency plan reducing encumbered positions by almost 30 per cent” in response to the UN's broader financial difficulties.
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said UNMIK remained “indispensable,” noting that its mandate under resolution 1244 had “not been fully implemented.” He said Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were “increasingly marked as the other” and that their identity was being used “as a basis to limit the rights of Kosovo Serbs, restrict their movement and target their homes, property and religious sites.”
Glauk Konjufca said “the obstacle to peace and normalization of relations remains Serbia, which is neither interested in normalizing relations with Kosovo nor joining the EU.” He called on Belgrade to “come to terms with reality and recognize Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state,” saying it was “holding its society and entire region hostage to aspirations of regaining regional hegemony.”
Konjufca said Kosovo had “one of the most advanced minority protection frameworks in Europe” and said Serbia and “other malign actors continue to weaponize minority rights” to “promote division, disorder and undermine our democratic institutions.”
US Deputy Representative Tammy Bruce said the Council “should not measure effectiveness by how long a mission survives,” pointing to the capabilities of local institutions and the EU presence on the ground. “The UN mission has reached the end of the road,” she said.
Russia's Permanent Representative Vasiliy Nebenzya said it was “unacceptable to reduce the frequency or to change the format of Security Council meetings on Kosovo,” adding that any reduction in UNMIK’s budget or staffing was equally unacceptable. The mission, he said, continued “to perform the essential task of contributing to the maintenance of stability in the province.”
