• EU ambassadors meet Kurti; Orav calls for swift formation of government (media)
• Sorensen: Dialogue to continue with hope that 2026 will bring what 2025 could not (EO)
• Osmani: Dialogue should be focused on mutual recognition (media)
• Hamza meets Sorensen; “we discussed need for new institutions” (media)
• Suspect arrested for attack against KFOR and Police in 2023 (media)
• Possible coalition between LDK and Vetevendosje Movement? (Albanian Post)
• Havolli says LDK will not vote for Osmani’s reelection as President (media)
• US embassy shares Rubio’s statement on freedom and freedom of expression (media)
• “Decision to admit evidence does not mean judges must rely on it in the judgment” (media)
• Court blunder in Hague war crimes trial could jeopardise fairness (BIRN)
• Prosecution in Peja gives details about triple wounding in Decan (media)
• Father claims police assaulted his son; inspectorate initiated investigation (Kossev)
• Djuric: Withstood challenges to accept imposition of Kosovo independence (Euronews Serbia)

EU ambassadors meet Kurti; Orav calls for swift formation of government (media)

Most news websites report that EU Ambassadors and Heads of Mission in Kosovo met today with Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti. EU Ambassador in Kosovo Aivo Orav said they discussed perspectives for 2026, “commended the electoral process reflecting strong commitment to democratic principles and underscored the importance of swift government formation”. Orav also said that they “urged the swift ratification of the Growth Plan–related agreements to deliver benefits for the people of Kosovo. Also emphasized that the EU-facilitated Dialogue for normalization of Kosovo–Serbia relations remain essential for progress on their 🇪🇺 European integration paths”.

Sorensen: Dialogue to continue with hope that 2026 will bring what 2025 could not (EO)

EU Special Representative for Dialogue, Peter Sorensen, told reporters in Pristina today that the EU is continuing to work on dialogue-related matters “with the hope that 2026 will bring what 2025 could not”. He said that the parties need to meet and talk and that a meeting will be called by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas when the time is right.

“I am happy to be in Kosovo again. This is my first visit this year. Congratulations on the elections. I am looking forward to the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the government. We will continue to work on dialogue-related issues, with the hope that 2026 will bring what 2025 could not. It is precisely because of this reason that I started my visit here and then I will go to Belgrade this week. What we are aiming for is for both parties to meet and talk. We need to find a way for this to happen. The EU High Representative visited last year and said that a meeting will be called when the time is right. She will call the meeting, the parties will attend and then we will see how we can move forward,” Sorensen said.

Osmani: Dialogue should be focused on mutual recognition (media)

All news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met today with the EU special representative for dialogue, Peter Sorensen, and highlighted her call that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should focus on mutual recognition and the equal treatment of parties. Osmani argued that “Serbia has repeatedly violated the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex, violated Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, committed acts of aggression, and opposed Kosovo’s membership in international organizations”.

Osmani said the process of dialogue should have clear objectives and measurable results in the European integration process, and that the selective interpretation of the agreements harms the process.

Osmani welcomed the EU’s decision to lift the measures against Kosovo, saying it was an important step “towards restoring the full and equal partnership between Kosovo and the EU”.

Hamza meets Sorensen; “we discussed need for new institutions” (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Bedri Hamza met today with the EU special representative for dialogue, Peter Sorensen. “We discussed the need to constitute the new institutions, institutional stability and the importance to get Kosovo back on the European integration agenda. PDK remains committed to cooperating with international partners in the service of peace and regional stability,” Hamza said in a Facebook post after the meeting. 

Suspect arrested for attack against KFOR and Police in 2023 arrested (media)

Most news websites report that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, in coordination with police investigators from the Department for Serious Crimes and Organized Crime, has arrested a suspect – S.R. – suspected of attacking KFOR troops and the Kosovo Police in May 2023.

Possible coalition between LDK and Vetevendosje Movement? (Albanian Post)

The Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) have started talks about a potential ruling coalition agreement that would also include the post of Kosovo President. Even before the certification of the December 28 parliamentary elections results, the two parties have held meetings and discussions, the news website reports citing unnamed sources. One of the options discussed was for the LDK to get several ministries, and either the position of Assembly Speaker or that of the President.

Havolli says LDK will not vote for Osmani’s reelection as President (media)

Sokol Havolli from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said in an interview with KTV on Tuesday that this party will not vote in favor of Vjosa Osmani’s re-election as Kosovo President. “The election of the President requires political consensus. Osmani had the LDK’s support five years ago, with a general political agreement that she will represent unity but we know that she represented the interests of the Vetevendosje Movement more, and in the current circumstances we don’t feel any obligation to vote for her … If VV wants to take Kosovo to elections again over Vjosa Osmani’s position, that is not the responsibility of the LDK, it is the responsibility of VV,” he said.

Asked to comment on LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku’s statement on Tuesday that he will offer his resignation, Havolli said he should not leave his post as party leader.

US embassy shares Rubio’s statement on freedom and freedom of expression (media)

Several news websites report that the US Embassy in Pristina shared today a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who said that “our alliances with our European partners are built on our common principles, our common values … One of those values and principles, we hope, is freedom and the freedom of expression”.

“Decision to admit evidence does not mean judges must rely on it in the judgment” (media)

The Specialist Chambers of Kosovo said in a post on X that “a decision by the judges to admit evidence, does not mean that the judges must rely on it in the judgment. At the end of a trial, judges assess each piece of evidence in the context of all admitted evidence, & determine a weight and credibility to attach to it”. The chambers also said that “in coming to a judgment, the Trial Panel shall assess each piece of evidence in light of the entire body of evidence admitted before it at trial. The Panel will carry out a holistic evaluation and weighing of all the evidence taken as a whole, to establish whether or not the facts at issue have been established. It is not permitted under the rules to base a conviction solely on the testimony of a witness that the Defence did not have an opportunity to question”.

Most news websites note that the statement by the Specialist Chambers came after Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj expressed his concern that documents originating from Serbian authorities after 1999, a period when Serbia had no legal jurisdiction in Kosovo, are being used as evidence in the proceedings of the Specialist Chambers.

Court blunder in Hague war crimes trial could jeopardise fairness (BIRN)

The Kosovo Special Court’s decision to deny a request from Hashim Thaci and his co-defendants for a separate sentencing hearing – if they are found guilty – is deeply concerning and could have serious consequences for the trial’s fairness.

The Kosovo Special Court in The Hague has returned to business after the highly eventful year of 2025.

Much work remains to be done in concluding the protracted war crimes and crimes against humanity case against four veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA – Hashim Thaci, Kadri Vesili, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. The ultra-high-profile case has captured the attention not only of Kosovo and the Balkans but the international community as well.

The verdict – guilty, not guilty, or some combination – will reverberate throughout the Balkans, Europe, the United States and even the Middle East, where both Israel and Syria recognize Kosovo. And it will have major implications within Kosovo society.

In particular, will Hashim Thaci, former president of Kosovo, be found not guilty, and return to Kosovo as a possible political powerhouse? Or will he be convicted and spend years in jail, or possible the rest of his life, a sad fate for the person dubbed by former US president Joe Biden as the George Washington – founding father – of Kosovo?

Shortly before the court’s recess, the trial panel issued a scheduling order, which will govern the proceedings until their conclusion, likely sometime this spring. Unfortunately, the order includes a strange and questionable decision that could cast doubt on the fairness of the trial.

The panel denied the defendants’ request for a separate sentencing hearing if they are found guilty of one or more offences. Herein lies the problem. First, however, a summary of the case to better understand the context.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4hf3keva

Prosecution gives details about triple wounding in Decan (media)

The Basic Prosecution in Peja said on Tuesday that a suspect was arrested in Decan early on Tuesday morning after he had wounded a Kosovo Albanian and two Serbian nationals who were sitting at the same table in a caffe. “The suspect was arrested and the three wounded persons were immediately sent for medical treatment. Two of the wounded persons are of Serbian nationality and the other one is Albanian, a lawyer,” a spokesperson for the prosecution said.

The Serbian List said in a statement that the incident shows that Serbs in Kosovo are exposed to constant threats and that “it is the result of an anti-Serb atmosphere built for years”. The SL also said that the case needs to be fully clarified and those responsible must be held accountable.

Serbia’s Minister of Justice Nenad Vujic strongly condemned the attack saying that it could not be viewed as an isolated incident “but as a pattern of continuous violence against Serbs”.

Father claims police assaulted his son; inspectorate initiated investigation (Kossev)

The news website reports that the Kosovo Police Inspectorate has initiated a preliminary investigation over an alleged incident in Bistrica on Tuesday, after a Kosovo Serb man claimed that his 19-year-old son was assaulted by police at the Bistrica checkpoint. The father told Kosovo Online that police stopped his son and his friend. “My son gave them the documents … and the other boy had a sign of Red Star [football club] and the anthem of Serbia on his phone. They took his phone. First, they asked my son to translate what it means, and he told them that it is the sign of a football club. They asked him to remove the sticker from the phone but he refused to take the phone because it was not his,” the father said. He also claimed that the police officer took the phone, removed the sticker, and then “hit his son on the face with the phone”.

Djuric: Withstood challenges to accept imposition of Kosovo independence (Euronews Serbia)

Over the past 14 years, despite numerous challenges, Serbia and its leadership have managed to withstand pressures to accept the imposition of Kosovo’s independence, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said in an interview with Euronews Serbia, adding that there is a domestic consensus on this issue. He also said that Albin Kurti has done nothing to deserve a change in the European Union’s position or the lifting of measures that Brussels has imposed on Pristina.

Djuric said that Serbia’s national interests include the preservation of stability, independent decision-making, military neutrality, economic development, and efforts to improve demographic trends, and that there should be consensus around these priorities.

Asked whether greater U.S. involvement in the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue could be expected, he replied that, however much one might wish to attach importance to oneself and one’s problems, at a time when tectonic plates are shifting globally, it is unrealistic to expect key international actors to focus on this region unless there is a crisis—and Serbia, he stressed, will do everything to prevent such a crisis.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2crtdra5