• Bislimi meets Slovenia’s Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Anžej Frangeš (Indeksonline)
• Haradinaj will be part of ‘Morning Prayers’
• Protests Against Electricity Price Hike tomorrow; Executives Without a Position on the Announced Increase (Sinjali, media)
• Osmani to Oppose Electricity Price Increase Again
• Osmani at the World Government Summit (media)
• Vujinovic: The PDK would not reach Self-Determination (VV) even with Thaci (Kosovo Online)
• Former Serbian Diplomat Says There Is a Possibility That Russia Could Recognize Kosovo (RTK)

Bislimi meets Slovenia’s Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Anžej Frangeš (Indeksonline)

Acting First Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, welcomed the Special Representative of Slovenia for the Western Balkans, Anžej Frangeš, to a meeting.

Frangeš was accompanied by the Ambassador of Slovenia to Kosovo, Borut Blaj. They discussed developments in the country and the situation in the region. Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi emphasized the importance of forming a new government as soon as possible following the extraordinary elections of 28 December, as well as the adoption in the Assembly—among other matters—of international agreements and the Growth Plan with the European Union. Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi thanked Slovenia’s Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Anžej Frangeš, for the discussion and the meeting, wishing him a productive stay in Kosovo, media report.

Haradinaj will be part of ‘Morning Prayers’

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK),  Ramush Haradinaj, will take part in the annual National Prayer Breakfast ceremony, media report.

At this ceremony, the American President, Donald Trump, will deliver a speech, IndeksOnline reports.

“This event, which brings together thousands of participants from around the world, represents a powerful moment of unity, faith, and shared values.

It is very meaningful that Kosovo is represented at this important event, reaffirming the blessed friendship and the lasting partnership of our country with the United States of America,” Haradinaj said in a FB post.

Protests Against Electricity Price Hike tomorrow; Executives Without a Position on the Announced Increase (Sinjali, media)

One day ahead of the announced public protest against the increase in electricity prices, the acting Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, did not comment on KESCO’s request to raise tariffs by 21 percent.

During a visit to the “Isa Boletini” economic high school in Podujevë/Podujeva, where investments in energy efficiency were inaugurated, Rizvanolli said that the consultative report of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) should be received before any comments are made.

“In regards the request and any potential decision, or the price of electricity tariffs, we will review the consultative report once the ERO publishes it. At this stage, we cannot say anything. The ERO assesses these costs, which they consider to be reasonable,” Rizvanolli said, Sinjali reports.

Asked about the increase in electricity imports, Rizvanolli stated that this has occurred due to investments at KEK, adding that the same situation will continue during this year and the next.

Opposing the request for a tariff increase, a group of activists called for a protest on Friday.

Citizens expressed support for the call to protest but do not expect it to have an effect, Sinjali writes.

Osmani to Oppose Electricity Price Increase Again

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani will address the Energy Regulatory Office  regarding the new electricity tariffs, which are to be reviewed by the regulator and could potentially enter into force in April this year.

The three companies operating in Kosovo’s electricity sector—KOSTT, KEDS, and KESCO—have submitted their applications for maximum allowed revenues, requesting increases which, translated into percentages, amount to an approximately 20% rise in electricity prices in Kosovo.

Bekim Kupina, Media Adviser to President Osmani, told RTKLive that “the position of the Presidency will remain the same if there are changes or increases in tariffs.”

“In the event that there are changes or increases in tariffs, our position will remain the same, just as it has been in every case when the issue of price increases has been discussed. Once the call for comments is opened, we will submit our comments as we have done in previous years, guided by the public interest,” Kupina said.

Osmani at the World Government Summit (media)

Media are reporting on Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani  participation at the World Government Summit being held in the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing several of the leaders participating in the summit, Osmani said that “Kosovo’s history is a journey from survival to sovereignty.”, Koha writes.

She emphasized that, step by step and with the support of international allies, Kosovo has built a legal and regulatory architecture that places democracy at the center and justice as the main pillar of the state’s functioning.

“What was once fragile has today become resilient,” the President said, adding that Kosovo today is not only a beneficiary of international solidarity, but also an active contributor to it.

Osmani assessed that Kosovo’s experience demonstrates that resilient, rules-based societies guided by a shared purpose are not only inherited, but are also built through vision and determination. She stressed that the best way to honor the support of international partners is to share with the world the lessons learned from this journey.

Vujinovic: The PDK would not reach Self-Determination (VV) even with Thaci (Kosovo Online)

Security studies researcher Nikola Vujinovic assesses that if Hashim Thaci is not convicted in The Hague, his return to Kosovo would strengthen the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and make the opposition louder and more respectable, but that the PDK, even with Thaci, would not be able to reach the level of popularity that Self-Determination (Vetevendosje-VV) currently has in Kosovo, Kosovo Online reports.

Thaci would, Vujinovic believes, by returning to Kosovo’s political scene, reconcile the warring factions within the PDK and stabilize the party, where the struggle for leadership, as he says, is being waged behind the scenes.

“But they cannot reach Self-Determination for the simple reason that Mr Kurti has shaped the political framework in Kosovo in such a way that hatred toward Serbs is the dominant theme, and Self-Determination truly excels at that, if I may put it that way. As a result, you cannot outdo that, because the next step is killing people in the streets, and I think that Mr Thaci, who was quite cooperative during his presidency and while he was prime minister, would not do that,” he says.

Former Serbian Diplomat Says There Is a Possibility That Russia Could Recognize Kosovo (RTK)
Former Serbian diplomat Milan Protić believes that there is a possibility that Russia could recognize Kosovo, or at least refrain from using its veto in the United Nations Security Council, RTKonline reports.

“If this is activated this time, and how it will be activated, it will happen sooner or later,” he said on the Radar Forum, podcast of the newspaper Radar, RTK writes.

He was asked whether he knew more about Trump’s claims and whether a realistic scenario could be that, if the United States were to recognize Crimea and the four regions in eastern Ukraine that Russia has already incorporated into its constitution, Trump and Putin could reach an agreement in which Putin, in return, would say: “Fine, I will recognize Kosovo, since this is causing you problems.”

“Or simply not use the veto in the Security Council? That would be enough. It was clear even 20 years ago that this was a possibility. The moment you place the fate of a national issue in the hands of someone else, of a great power, you have to calculate that at some point, and in pursuit of its own interests, that great power may use it as a bargaining chip. This is completely logical. You don’t need to be a foreign policy genius to understand that such a risk exists, that such a possibility exists. Whether it will be activated this time and how it will be activated— it will happen sooner or later. Instead of negotiating and finding a solution yourselves, you handed that issue over to someone else.” , Protić said.