UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 31
• COVID-19: 260 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Zemaj: COVID-19 vaccines to reach Kosovo in February (RTK)
• Hoti: If Serbia pursued legal ways, vaccines would be allowed into Kosovo (Klan)
• Di Maio: EU should buy vaccines for Balkans (ANSA/Koha)
• LDK announces Avdullah Hoti as candidate for prime minister (media)
• Hoti: LDK is main favourite to win elections (media)
• Hoxhaj: Kurti and Hoti governments brought degradation in Kosovo (Telegrafi)
• Konjufca: Hoti and Hoxhaj together have fewer votes than LVV’s Haxhiu (T7/Telegrafi)
• Osmani’s initiative in coalition talks with Vetevendosje (Klan)
• Rama: KLA leaders being kept hostage (media)
• UK Embassy sends protest note to Ministry of Education over €1.8 million bid (Koha)
Belgrade Media Report 30 December
LOCAL PRESS
Vucic: Discussions on election conditions to be held with everyone from the opposition (Beta)
Dacic: Opposition needs to table proposals if it wants dialogue (B92/Beta)
Fajon: European Parliament has rules (N1)
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosnia & Herzegovina
B&H CEC publishes results for Mostar after processing 98% of polling stations (Oslobodjenje)
HNS files lawsuit against B&H CEC with Prosecutor’s Office of B&H (BHT1)
Tegeltija: Reconstruction of ‘Lipa’ camp will be conducted in next three to four months (O Kanal)
Montenegro
Becic and Krivokapic signed decision on dismissal of Dragutin Dakic, forwarded it to Djukanovic (CdM)
Republic of North Macedonia
VMRO and the Albanian opposition parties submit amendments to the census law (Republika)
Albania
Year-end press conference of Prime Minister Edi Rama (Radio Tirana)
Read More →UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 30, 2020
Albanian Language Media:
• COVID – 19: 234 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Kosovo requests from Italy help to ensure anti-COVID-19 vaccines (media)
• Osmani and Kurti discussed political situation with Viola Von Cramon (media)
• Osmani: Time has come for our soldiers to contribute to foreign peacekeeping forces (media)
• Hoxhaj: I am certain PDK will lead with future government (RTK)
• Musliu: PDK does not have any red lines even for LVV (media)
• AAK will run on its own in the elections (media)
• Ramadani expects anti-COVID vaccines to arrive in Kosovo by March (media)
Serbian Language Media:
• In Serbian communities in Kosovo 26 newly infected (KoSSev)
• Jevtic not satisfied with the return process, 273 people returned this year (KoSSev)
• KLI report: There is a culture of impunity in Kosovo, most of the accused politicians belong to PDK (KoSSev)
• Ambassador Djuric: We want the United States to be a part of Serbia’s recovery (B92, Politika)
• Office for KiM: Pristina is creating a climate in which attacks on Serbs are permissible (Kosovo-online)
• Russian Ambassador says vaccine to arrive in Serbia soon (N1, B92)
• Vucic offers help to Croatia following earthquake (BETA, N1)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation industry suffer the most damage during the pandemic, the IT sector the least (KoSSev)
• Trajkovic: Veton Surroi, Kosovo’s new leader (Kosovo Online)
International:
• Kosovo Is Losing Its Biggest Supporter In Congress; But It May Be Too Early For Serbia To Celebrate (RFE)
Humanitarian/Development:
• Two police officers suspended after video of an assault (Prishtina Insight)
• Unequal Damage, Fair Recovery? (Kosovo 2.0)
UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 30
• COVID – 19: 139 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• Kosovo Assembly adopts 2021 budget (media)
• Daka: These elections will be more costly (Koha)
• Kurti on new elections: People have already decided who to vote for (media)
• LDK meets today, to decide on its candidate for Prime Minister (media)
• Acting PDK leader Enver Hoxhaj to visit Albania today (media)
• “Biden will push for Association and Mini-Schengen in the dialogue” (Telegrafi)
• Pacolli’s advisor: We need to know exact date when vaccines will arrive (media)
• Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Haradinaj: KSF Search and rescue unit to be deployed to Croatia (media)
• In Muslim region of Serbia, Ottoman-era mosques perish (Balkan Insight)
Belgrade Media Report 29 December 2020
United Nations Office in Belgrade
Daily Media Highlights
Tuesday 29 December 2020
LOCAL PRESS
Vucic: Serbia has not violated the Brussels agreement (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)
Djuric: Serbia will fight to improve overall relations with US (Tanjug)
Jeremic: Main purpose of Mini Schengen is efficient reception of migrants (Centar/Beta)
German official: Serbia recognizes that Kosovo’s independence cannot be annulled (DW/Beta)
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Schmidt: I cannot comment media rumors (Avaz)
New Head of OHR with favors of West to Russia (EuroBlic)
Minister Lucic argues that migrant crisis is not responsibility of B&H Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees (FTV)
Ruznic: Minister Cikotic has let USC citizens down, I will not hold working meeting with him (N1)
Recount of votes from seven polling stations in Mostar begins (O Kanal)
Ukrainian Embassy to B&H requests meeting with Turkovic to discuss gifted icon (BHT1)
Montenegro
Amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion adopted (CdM)
Krivokapic: Despite opposition’s obstruction, violation of Constitution and laws, parliament passed changes to the Law on Religious Freedom (Vijesti)
Bosniak Party: New govt doesn’t strive for genuine reconciliation (CdM)
Republic of North Macedonia
Zaev: If there is no consent from the opposition, a census will not be held (Republika)
Albania
Cabinet reshuffles/Olta Xhacka, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Niko Peleshi, Minister of Defense (Radio Tirana)
Meta decrees Bejtje, 7th member of the Constitutional Court (Radio Tirana)
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
Turkey fully supports Serbia-Kosovo dialogue: FM Çavuşoğlu (Anadolu Agency)
Read More →UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 29, 2020
UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 29, 2020
Albanian Language Media:
• COVID-19: 109 new cases, eight deaths (media)
• Osmani: Anti-COVID vaccines, only after April (Radio Free Europe)
• NISMA in coalition talks with PDK (media)
• Abrashi: We paid special attention to implementation of Washington agreement (KP/Klan)
• Weber: Thaci’s departure from politics to be seen as collapse of post-war political elite (Koha)
• Following resignation, Cakaj denies joining election race in Kosovo (Indeksonline)
Serbian Language Media:
• In Serbian communities in Kosovo 30 new cases of Covid-19, one death (Kontakt plus radio)
• European Commission aid package to help Western Balkans with vaccination (N1)
• Serbian government pandemic Crisis Staff bans New Year celebrations (N1, FoNet)
• Jevtic: Repanovic family house in Osojane robbed for the seventh time (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic on Serwer: I do not play with meaningless statements (Kosovo-online)
Opinion:
• COVID-19 only exacerbated Kosovo education’s preexisting conditions (Prishtina Insight)
Humanitarian/Development:
• Strong magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Croatia (aljazeera.com)
Read More →UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 29
• COVID – 19: 181 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• Government doesn’t want Serbia’s help for anti-COVID vaccine (Lajmi)
• Serb doctors in the north refused vaccines from Serbia (Kallxo)
• Vaccines with a political dose in the north (Radio Free Europe)
• Kosovo Assembly adopts 2021 draft budget in first reading (media)
• PDK MP: We voted in favor of 2021 budget, although it’s not the best (media)
• “Kurti 2 government in February, we will have majority in parliament” (media)
• Hoti: LDK candidates for PM not chosen in TV studios (media)
• Osmani aims President, Assembly President posts from coalition with VV (Koha)
• LDK, VV clash over diaspora voters in CEC meeting (Express)
• COVID – 19 vaccination kicks off in Central, Eastern Europe (Balkan Insight)
• Engel: Kosovo, Albania will always have a special place in my heart (media)
Belgrade Media Report 28 December
LOCAL PRESS
Brnabic in parliament: Focus on rule of law in coming period (RTS/RTV/Tanjug)
Vucic presented three main goals for the next year (B92/Tanjug)
Drecun: EU doesn’t have political capacity to force Pristina to form ZSO (Radio Belgrade)
Petkovic: We are used to attacks from Pristina, unthinkable for someone to place politics above health (RTS/Tanjug)
Belgrade and Pristina still far from converging positions (Beta)
Federici: Security in Kosovo stable (Kurir/Beta)
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosnia & Herzegovina
B&H CEC orders recount of ballots at seven polling stations in Mostar (Nova BH)
Inzko confirms to Austrian media he could be replaced by former Agricultural Minister of
Germany Schmidt; RS officials deem it is good that Inzko leaves (ATV)
Cvijanovic believes B&H does not need High Representative (RTRS)
Ukraine reportedly demands from B&H to return Orthodox icon previously gifted to Lavrov (BHT1)
Turkovic: No formal request for determining the procedure and path of the icon from Russia to B&H was received by B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hayat)
Situation in migrant camp in Lipa on verge of humanitarian disaster (Nova BH)
Cikotic: USC authorities made situation with migrants more complicated (O Kanal)
UK to transfer military engagement from EUFOR to NATO (Nezavisne novine)
Montenegro
Krivokapic met with heads of caucuses: Dismissals of DPS staff after amending certain laws (Dan)
SDP demands registration of SPC and that property provisions remain (CdM)
Krivokapic proposed adding one more point on the agenda for parliament sitting (CdM)
Republic of North Macedonia
Zaev: We wanted to be brothers with Bulgaria, but now they want to be our fathers (Kanal 5/Republika)
Mickoski: If Bulgaria doesn’t drop its hardline demands, Macedonia needs to stop the talks and end the 2017 treaty (Republika)
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
Alexandar Vucic: The Balkan Stream gas pipeline in Serbia is filled with gas (Neftegaz.RU)
Read More →UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 28, 2020
Albanian Language Media:
• COVID – 19: 181 new cases, eight deaths (media)
• Hoti discusses with Varhelyi Serbia’s illegal smuggling of anti-COVID vaccines (Koha)
• Loncar: Vucic proposed to bring Covid-19 vaccines to all communities in Kosovo at beginning of January (Indeksonline)
• Kosovo Parliament to decide on Budget 2021 today (Express)
• Recica: PDK does not have special requests for approval of the budget (RTK)
• Haradinaj-Stublla travels to Turkey (RTK)
• Quni: We will soon become members of the Adriatic Charter (Koha)
• Hoti: There are several candidates for PM in LDK, each, better than the other (RTK)
• Daka: Organising elections, a challenge (RTK)
Serbian Language Media:
• 48 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo on Saturday (Kontakt plus radio)
• Vucic: Did anyone ask Ms. Haradinaj which provision of the Brussels agreement we violated with the vaccines? (Kosovo-online)
• Petkovic: Politics has no place in preserving the health of citizens (KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio, RTS, Politika)
• Petkovic: Season of hunt for Serbs is not closed even at time of pandemics (Kosovo Online)
• Loncar for Indeksonline – Vucic proposed to bring Covid-19 vaccines to all communities in Kosovo at beginning of January (KoSSev)
• Fr. Ilarion: Let us not strive for imaginary happiness because it lies in our hearts (KoSSev)
• Serbia to send Covid-19 vaccines to BiH’s Republika Srpska entity (N1)
• NATO-led KFOR: Security in Kosovo stable (BETA, N1, KIM Radio)
• Permission of “Hortikultura” needed for Serb funerals at Pristina Orthodox cemetery? (Radio KIM, Gracanica-online)
• Milorad Arlov banned to enter Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Halimi: How to trust the Kosovo judiciary after the embarrassment with the trial for the murder of Ivanovic? (Kosovo Online, Politika)
• HLC: On Nenad Arsic’s sentence after insight and analysis of the first-instance verdict (Radio KIM)
International:
• Kosovo Protests ‘Illegal’ Arrival of COVID-19 Vaccines in North (Balkan Insight)
Read More →UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 28
COVID – 19: 215 new cases, 4 deaths (media)
No Kosovo-Serbia agreement without status discussion, Lajcak tells Klan Kosova
Assembly expected to vote on 2021 budget today (media)
PDK to support 2021 budget bill (media)
PDK: Governments allowed Serbia undermining Kosovo’s sovereignty (media)
Kosovo Government: No information vaccines entered by legal channels (media)
Haradinaj-Stublla: Serbia threatening Kosovo’s national security (media)
Selimi calls on judiciary to investigate vaccine delivery in the north (media)
Reshitaj questions vaccines being used in the north (media)
Kurti: Vetevendosje aims to have over 65 seats after new elections (Koha)
Police stop Serbian official from entering Kosovo (media)
Kosovo: Top politicians sent to Hague to face war charges (Balkan Insight)
2020 showed that Kosovo’s social contract needs rethinking (Prishtina Insight)
Belgrade Media Report 24 December 2020
United Nations Office in Belgrade
Daily Media Highlights
Thursday 24 December 2020
LOCAL PRESS
Petkovic to von Cramon: Serbia not calculating with issue of Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTV)
Dacic and Cubrilovic on Improving Cooperation between Serbia and RS (Tanjug/Beta/RTS)
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosnia & Herzegovina
IOM leaves ‘Lipa’ center (BHT1)
USC Assembly, Operational Group for Monitoring of Migrant Crisis in USC hold sessions (BHT1)
Tegeltija: B&H carries too big burden in migrant crisis (ATV)
Mostar local elections ballots transferred to B&H Central Election Commission; B&H CEC publishes new preliminary results (O Kanal/Nova BH)
HDZ B&H Board Mostar criticizes fact that results local elections in Mostar have not been published yet (N1)
Covic and Plenkovic call on relevant B&H authorities and international partners to protect integrity of Mostar elections (Dnevni list)
Russian Foreign Ministry states that Russia handed over to B&H Embassy in Moscow icon that Dodik presented as gift to Lavrov (BNTV)
Montenegro
Montenegro and UK are committed to improving cooperation within the framework of bilateral defense projects (CdM)
URA Main Committee supports the amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion (CdM)
Markovic to URA: Reconciliation is not built on the acquisitions of an abducted state and dethroned dynasty (CdM)
Republic of North Macedonia
Buckovski expects a response from Bulgaria after New Year (Republika)
Maas: Germany not giving up on finding solution for dispute between Skopje and Sofia (DW/MIA)
Albania
Meta decrees sixth member of Constitutional Court (Radio Tirana)
Varhelyi: Significant achievement, completes the list of conditions for the first intergovernmental table (Radio Tirana)
OSCE Ambassador praises election of sixth member of Constitutional Court (ADN)
Soreca considers the appointment of the 6th member of the Constitutional Court a significant achievement (Radio Tirana)
US supports free and fair elections in Albania (ADN)
Kim met with the newly appointed minister of Interior Çuçi (Radio Tirana)
UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 24, 2020
UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 24, 2020
Albanian Language Media:
• COVID – 19: 331 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• “Healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses to get first vaccines” (media)
• Mustafa: Court’s ruling was unjust and unprofessional (media)
• Vetevendosje’s Haxhiu: We don’t plan to talk about coalitions (media)
• PDK’s Haliti does not rule out coalition with Vetevendosje (media)
• Serwer: Fall of Hoti-led government doesn’t produce political instability (Koha)
• Pause in the Kosovo – Serbia dialogue (Radio Free Europe)
Serbian Language Media:
22 new cases of Covid-19, three deaths registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
Brnabic first European PM vaccinated against coronavirus (KoSSev, N1)
Vasic: I expect verdict of acquittal in Arsic’s case (Radio KIM)
Dusan Janjic: I would not exclude possibility of Serb being Kosovo Prime Minister (Kosovo-online)
Viola von Cramon: Vučić’s statement on independence of Kosovo is not his final say (Kosovo-online)
Petković reacts to latest statement of von Cramon (Radio Mitrovica sever)
Majority of Serbian citizens support EU membership (N1)
Opinion:
• Kosovo can’t allow the dialogue to continue in this form (Prishtina Insight)
International:
• Kosovo pins U.N. membership hopes on Biden presidency (Reuters)
• Switzerland, Serbia set to vaccinate before EU (Politico)
Humanitarian/Development:
• Kosovo Opera and Ballet Law Dances Around Hall Issue (Balkan Insight)
Read More →LINKS
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