UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 26, 2026

Rutte: NATO expects Belgrade to determine responsibility for Banjska attack (media)
Kurti and Hargreaves talk about importance of swift formation of institutions (media)
Osmani meets OSCE Head of Mission McGurk (media)
CEC chief and OSCE Ambassador discuss election process (media)
Elshani explains how 140 kilos of explosive were discovered in the north (Klan)
Hoti: When you offer your resignation, the case is closed (T7)
SL: Special experts’ team will deal with resolving the law on foreigners (Kossev)
Osmani: Systematic discrimination against Albanians in Serbia is no longer invisible (media)
Trucks block Merdare: EES harms everyone, consequences will be felt abroad (Kosovo Online)
Truckers across Western Balkans block borders over new EU travel rules (BIRN)

Rutte: NATO expects Belgrade to determine responsibility for Banjska attack (media)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that the Alliance expects the authorities in Belgrade to determine responsibility for the attack in Banjska in Kosovo in September 2023 and the attacks against KFOR troops in spring of that year, most Kosovo Albanian and Serbian news websites report. Rutte said he has a personal relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and that they have known each for many years. “But of course, we expect him to determine responsibility for what happened a few years ago, and this concerns two issues. For both of them, he has promised a full determination of responsibility,” Rutte said.

Rutte made the remarks in his address at the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also confirmed NATO’s support for the EU-facilitated talks on normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kurti and Hargreaves talk about importance of swift formation of institutions (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti and UK Ambassador to Kosovo Jonathan Hargreaves discussed on Monday the importance of concluding the election process and the formation of new institutions as soon as possible, all news websites report. Kurti also thanked the ambassador for the close cooperation and the UK’s continuous support for Kosovo.

Osmani meets OSCE Head of Mission McGurk (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Monday with the OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Gerard McGurk, with whom she discussed the latest political and institutional developments in Kosovo. “The process of the parliamentary elections of December 28th was discussed at the meeting, with the President emphasizing the importance of the swift establishment of institutions. President Osmani and Ambassador McGurk also discussed the importance of continued cooperation between the institutions of Kosovo and the OSCE in order to strengthen democracy and the rule of law,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes.

CEC chief and OSCE Ambassador discuss election process (media)

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission chairman Kreshnik Radoniqi met with OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Gerard McGurk, on Monday and briefed him about the CEC activities toward finalizing the vote recount and the announcement of the final election results. McGurk commended the CEC on organizing the election process, and the steps it took to evidence problems during the counting of votes for MPs. “He also highlighted CEC’s commitment to protect the integrity of the vote and the election results,” the CEC said in a press release.

Elshani explains how 140 kilos of explosive were discovered in the north (Klan)

The news website reported on Monday that Kosovo Police had seized 140 kilograms of explosive during a search in the north and according to the authorities the explosive was produced in Serbia. Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, said in an interview with Klan Kosova that “while on patrol, police units received information that in a certain place there may be illegal weapons, and they entered that place and conducted a search. During the search, they came across a large amount of explosives, which we believe was manufactured in Serbia”.

Elshani also said that the demining unit successfully withdrew the explosive and that investigations are underway to clarify how it ended up there.

Hoti: When you offer your resignation, the case is closed (T7)

Avdullah Hoti, who recently announced his candidacy for leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), in an interview with T7 on Monday, commented on party leader Lumir Abdixhiku’s offer to resign his post. “The night of [the parliamentary] elections, Lumir Abdixhiku has resigned. In internal discussions, he said he would offer his resignation to the assembly of the LDK. A public official is obliged to honor his statement. Based on his statement that he will offer his resignation to the LDK assembly, I have informed the public that I will ask for the trust of party delegates to lead the LDK,” Hoti said.

SL: Special experts’ team will deal with resolving the law on foreigners (Kossev)

The Serbian List said on Monday that international representatives have decided to form a special experts team that will deal with resolving the issue of the Law on Foreigners. “At the initiative of the Serbian List, international representatives have decided to form a special experts team to deal with solving this problem,” the party said. It also added that it held dozens of meetings with representatives of the international community and that according to them, thanks to these efforts, “it has succeeded in postponing the implementation of these laws until concrete and sustainable solutions are found”.

Osmani: Systematic discrimination against Albanians in Serbia is no longer invisible (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Monday that the advancement of the Presheva Valley Discrimination Assessment Act in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee “sends a clear message: systematic discrimination against the Albanian community in Serbia is no longer invisible or tolerated”. She argued that Serbia has “continuously carried out authoritarian violations of minority rights, including the deliberate passivization campaign to ethnically cleanse through administrative means, suppression of the Albanian language, exclusion from public institutions, discrimination in education, economic marginalization, and intimidation by central authorities”.

Trucks block Merdare: EES harms everyone, consequences will be felt abroad (Kosovo Online)

Truck drivers who today blocked the Merdare crossing over the implementation of the European Entry/Exit System (EES) told Kosovo Online that measures coming from Brussels negatively affect everyone, and that the consequences of the blockades will also be felt abroad. They say that drivers should be exempt from the new measures until a permanent solution is found, which is why they are requesting a meeting with representatives of the European Council and warning of more radical actions if their demands are not met.

Employer Ljubisa Nejdanovic said that the Brussels measures affect both drivers and employers. “We came here today because of the problems facing our international transport—both us as employers and our drivers. This concerns the Schengen area rule of 90 days in 180, which does not cover us and leads to various problems. Drivers who exceed 90 days in Schengen are treated as criminals, deported, and banned from entry for six months to two years. These are mostly people who work and make their living from this job,” Nejdanovic told Kosovo Online.

Truckers across Western Balkans block borders over new EU travel rules (BIRN)

Road freight companies across the Western Balkans erected road blockades on Monday in protest against the new European Union Entry-Exit System – EES, which was rolled out at the end of last year, and is designed to strengthen security for travellers from non-EU countries.

Western Balkan transport operators say the EES rules and other EU regulations could threaten their competitiveness and reduce their income. Drivers say the rules will create operational and administrative burdens that could force many out of work.

At the protest in Montenegro, held at nine border crossings and the port of Bar, 137 registered freight companies with several hundred drivers organised into groups, the Association of International Freight Transporters of Montenegro told the media.

Similar protests were launched on Tuesday by operators in Bosnia, Serbia and North Macedonia, who blocked roads leading to neighbouring EU countries.

In Serbia, where all crossings from the Serbian side were blocked, Nedjo Mandic from the Association of Transporters of Serbia told media that the first request is that negotiations with the European Commission actually begin. “Invite us to negotiate, with a commitment to find a compromise within the next 60 days. During that time, don’t arrest our drivers, don’t deport them if they come in with all the necessary and correct documentation and don’t break the rules,” Mandic told N1 after the blockade started.

In North Macedonia, starting on Monday at noon, some 370 trucks owned by freight carriers blocked freight traffic at all border crossings in the country, effectively stopping traffic to the European Union and transit through the region.