• Kosovo accepts invitation to join Trump’s Board of Peace (Reuters)
• Osmani on Board of Peace invitation: A development of historic importance (media)
• Haradinaj welcomes Trump’s invitation to Osmani to join Board of Peace (media)
• Kosovo commemorates historic pacifist leader (Prishtina Insight)
• “Rugova taught the world courage and dignity are true paths to freedom” (media)
• Kurti meets Luxembourg PM on margins of World Economic Forum (media)
• New round of dialogue in Brussels today (Kosovo Online)
• Grenell: Vucic should follow the U.S. path, not the European one (Kosovo Online)
• Ulutas meets head of Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (media)
• Kosovo man arrested by Serbian authorities in September last year released (media)
• Different voices, same problems: Crisis of inter-community media in Kosovo (Kallxo)

Kosovo accepts invitation to join Trump's Board of Peace (Reuters)

Kosovo said on Wednesday it had accepted an invitation from the U.S. President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace”. “I am deeply honored by the President's personal invitation to represent the Republic of Kosovo as a founding member of the Board of Peace, standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the pursuit of a safer world,” Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani wrote on X. “America helped bring peace to Kosovo. Today, Kosovo stands firmly as America’s ally, ready to help carry that peace forward,” Osmani said.

Osmani on Board of Peace invitation: A development of historic importance (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed on Wednesday that she received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace, a new international organization established by the US in which Kosovo has been selected as a founding member. Osmani told reporters in Pristina that the invitation has historic importance for Kosovo. “First of all, because it is an international organization, Kosovo’s membership in an international organization as a founding member. Second, the organization is being established by the US. Third, because the US has chosen Kosovo among several countries as founding members, given Kosovo’s experience in state-building, peacebuilding, and alliances, an experience that can help in building peace in other countries of the world too,” she said.

Osmani said that the new international initiative has the potential to be one of the most successful in modern history, linking it directly with the leadership of the US President. “I have complete faith that this international organization will be among the most successful organizations in modern times. Primarily because of the brave leadership and vision of President Trump and the United States. And second, because it is based on the fundamental values of humanity, namely the importance of peace to achieve everything else, because without peace anything else is impossible. I have accepted the personal invitation from President Trump with great pride,” she said.

Osmani said that Kosovo’s participation in the organization does not include any financial obligations. “It is up to the countries to do this voluntarily. On all issues we are in coordination with the United States. Kosovo’s contribution will be substantial given our experience in peacebuilding,” she said.

Haradinaj welcomes Trump’s invitation to Osmani to join Board of Peace (media)

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj welcomed on Wednesday the invitation that US President Donald Trump sent to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani to join the Board of Peace. “The participation of Kosovo and Albania in the Board of Peace, as members of a structure that includes leaders of the democratic world in efforts to build and maintain peace, under the leadership of the United States and President Trump, is a window of hope for us. This participation strengthens Kosovo’s role as a constructive actor of peace and stability in the region and the world and it creates concrete opportunities to re-strengthen the strategic partnership with the US, which has been and still remains the main pillar of Kosovo’s security, state-building and Euro-Atlantic orientation,” Haradinaj said in a Facebook post.

Kosovo commemorates historic pacifist leader (Prishtina Insight)

On Wednesday, people, politicians, and diplomats in Kosovo gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo’s first President—the pacifist also known as the architect of the country’s independence.

President Vjosa Osmani, whose political career is closely connected to the party Rugova established—the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK—joined the former President Rugova’s family in Prishtina at his grave to pay him homage. She expressed that Rugova’s vision still guides Kosovo.

“President Rugova united the entire people of Kosovo around the cause of freedom, independence, and democracy—a cause that is still alive,” Osmani told the media.

Two decades have passed since Rugova’s funeral, when thousands of citizens gathered to bid their leader farewell. Even now, he remains a monumental figure in Kosovo’s history; a leader who worked tirelessly for independence—an independence which he unfortunately never got to experience.

Rugova was born in 1944, in the mountainous village of Cerce near the western town of Istog. He was just six weeks old when both his father and grandfather were killed by Yugoslav Communist forces in January 1945. Decades later, he launched the struggle for an independent Kosovo based on peaceful resistance, drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Read more at: https://shorten.ly/S5ArB

“Rugova taught the world courage and dignity are true paths to freedom” (media)

The US Embassy in Pristina said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Charge d’affaires Anu Prattipati joined President Vjosa Osmani in honoring Dr. Ibrahim Rugova on the 20th anniversary of his passing.  “A visionary of peace, Dr. Rugova taught the world that courage and dignity—not violence—are the true paths to freedom,” the post notes.

Kurti meets Luxembourg PM on margins of World Economic Forum (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti met his counterpart from Luxembourg Luc Frieden on Wednesday on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “We discussed the economic and democratic progress of Kosova, as well as opportunities to expand innovation through various exchanges between our two countries. We are very grateful for the longstanding friendship we share with Luxembourg and look forward to even closer ties,” Kurti said in a post on X after the meeting.

New round of dialogue in Brussels today (Kosovo Online)

The news website reports that a new round of EU-facilitated talks between Pristina and Belgrade will be held in Brussels today. The Serbian delegation is led by the head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic. The meeting is expected to focus on the Declaration on Missing Persons. The delegation from Belgrade is also expected to insist on the urgent formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.

Grenell: Vucic should follow the U.S. path, not the European one (Kosovo Online)

Former U.S. envoy for the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue Richard Grenell said that Europe is in trouble, adding that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic should follow the path of the United States, rather than the European path. “Europe is in trouble—Brussels is suffocating your economies. Innovation is nearly dead. Companies do not grow within Europe. Vucic should follow the U.S. path—not the European path,” Grenell wrote on the social network X, commenting on a post by European Commissioner Marta Kos, who stated that earlier today in Davos she had discussed with Vucic the reforms Serbia needs in order to firmly remain on its European path and move forward with the Growth Plan.

Ulutas meets head of Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (media)

Commander of the NATO-led KFOR mission, Major General Ozkan Ulutas, held his first official meeting with Feride Rushiti, Executive Director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), KFOR said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “The meeting aimed to improve mutual understanding of Kosovo’s socio-cultural dynamics, particularly the long-term effects of war trauma and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) on all communities. It also emphasised the need to address intergenerational trauma and support efforts to recognise, hold accountable, and assist survivors. In line with KFOR’s mandate, such engagement contributes to fostering awareness, dialogue, and a safe and secure environment for all people in Kosovo,” the post notes.

Kosovo man arrested by Serbian authorities in September last year released (media)

Several news websites reported on Wednesday that a Kosovo Albanian, Hazir Haziri, who was arrested by Serbian authorities in September last year has been released. The news was announced by a Pristina-based attorney who said that Haziri is in good condition and that his release confirms that the arrest was ungrounded and based on groundless accusations. “This case also highlights the need for Kosovo citizens to have immediate legal aid whenever they are illegally stopped outside the country,” the attorney said.

Different voices, same problems: Crisis of inter-community media in Kosovo (Kallxo)

The suspension of international funding and the COVID-19 crisis are among the reasons that led several non-majority community media to bankruptcy, also leaving a number of journalists unemployed, the news website reported on Wednesday.

Kosovo has a diverse landscape of media producing content in different languages, including in the languages of non-majority communities, such as Serbs, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians.

Despite initiatives for these communities to have platforms for information in their languages, a small advertising market and temporary funding sources are seriously threatening the existence of a small number of existing platforms. Institutions are already recording a declining number of journalists and the closure of several community platforms.

Arsim Dreshaj, from the Independent Media Commission, said: “from annual periodic reports of licensed media and constant communication with the media, we can see a general trend of declining numbers of employees, including journalists from non-majority communities”.

IMC data show that in 2023-2024, eight community media outlets were closed. “Seven radio stations that broadcast in Serbian (five of them have not submitted a request for license renewal, while two of them relinquished their licenses). Meanwhile, a Bosnian radio station gave its license,” Dreshaj said. He also said that the reasons that led to a declining number of community media outlets are mainly financial. “According to IMC assessments, the gradual reduction of international funding had a direct impact on the volume and quality of content produced by non-majority community media”.