Albanian Language Media:

• LDK, PDK reach co-governance agreement in Prishtina municipality (Telegrafi)
• Haxhiu: We won’t give up on vetting process (Kosovapress)
• Kraja: Kosovo made concessions to Serbia; Association biggest blow (media)
• Hoti: Serbia trying to remove Albanians from Presevo Valley (media)
• Another false alarm for explosive device at Prishtina bus station (media)
• Prime Minister and Health Minister on pandemic: We must not relax (media)
• COVID-19: 107 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 36 new cases, two deaths registered in Serbian areas (KoSSev)
• “Kosovo can go to Olympic games, but Kosovo Serbs can’t take part in referendum” (Radio KIM)
• Serbian Patriarch expresses respect to health care staff in Christmas message (FoNet, N1)
• Surlic: International community views status of K. Serbs and ZSO only through prism of whether Kosovo will achieve independence (KoSSev)
• 20 US military police officers to deploy to Kosovo (KoSSev, AP)

International:

• Montenegro Leads Region in Sudden Surge in COVID-19 Cases (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• KFOR donates medical equipment to health house in Vidanje returnee village (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media  

LDK, PDK reach co-governance agreement in Prishtina municipality (Telegrafi)

The news website learns that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) have reached a co-governance agreement in the municipality of Prishtina. Meanwhile, the Vetevendosje Movement – center in Prishtina, said that their members in the municipal assembly will attend today’s session which will elect the head of the assembly. The Vetevendosje Movement said in a statement that it will not block any processes and that it will take part in the voting.

Haxhiu: We won’t give up on vetting process (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said in an interview with the news agency that the Ministry of Justice will submit to the Kosovo Assembly this month amendments to the legal package for the prosecutorial system, which derive from the 2021-2026 Rule of Law Strategy and which got the green light from the Venice Commission. Haxhiu also said that she will not give up on the vetting process despite opposition from the European Union.

With the State Chief Prosecutor nearing the end of his mandate, Haxhiu said she believes the position should be held by a person that enjoys moral and professional integrity and is not influenced from outside. “I believe a seven-year mandate is too long for a chief prosecutor that is not professional and who is influenced from outside; therefore, I believe that the post should be held by a person that has moral and professional integrity, who is independent vis-à-vis the competencies and who knows how to manage the prosecutorial system, so that we don’t have failures in cases that have attracted major public attention … There should be no amnesty for those that have abused power and who are responsible for the damages we are seeing in Kosovo today,” she said.

Haxhiu argued that the vetting process would be the most thorough reform of the judiciary and that it is now high time to move forward. “This is an urgent need. We need to work on this, and we are engaged in this on a daily basis, despite possible concerns. Of course, I am interested to address the concerns be it with the EU Office or with other EU representatives … There is a general agreement to meet and talk about the steps we need to make. There is no resistance or opposition to the process, but it seems there is a need to meet again and make detailed plans about the path we need to follow. But we will not give up on the vetting process,” Haxhiu said.

Kraja: Kosovo made concessions to Serbia; Association biggest blow (media)

Academy of Arts and Sciences of Kosovo (ASHAK) president Mehmet Kraja said in an interview with RTK that almost all agreements reached so far in the EU-facilitated dialogue are concessions that Kosovo has made to Serbia. “What I think is most sensitive and problematic is that almost all agreements reached with Serbia so far, are concessions that Kosovo has made to Serbia,” he said.

Kraja argued that most of the agreements even lack preambles and signatures. “If you look at the agreements, one by one, it is not known who reached them or how they were reached. Most of them even lack preambles and signatures. Oftentimes these agreements do not say anything, these are not inter-state agreements, because Serbia would certainly not agree to this,” he added.

Kraja criticised what he called the lack of constructive ambiguity and the lack of transparency by Kosovo’s delegations toward the people. “What is disappointing for me is the fact that our people, since the Vienna agreement and onwards, they never told us what was happening. They never said what kind of concessions we were making to Serbia”.

Commenting on the agreement for the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Kraja argued that it was the biggest blow to Kosovo. “It is arguably the biggest blow to Kosovo … I don’t want to accuse anyone, but I am saying that they should’ve been more careful when reaching such agreements. Even now there are major defects in the interpretation of that agreement. First, it does not meet the criteria of international agreements because it was not ratified by both parliaments [Kosovo and Serbia]. So it is a unilateral agreement,” he said. “If Serbia recognises Kosovo, then the Association would not be a problem for Kosovo. There is no problem with administratively linking the municipalities. Recognition implies the guarantees of borders and relations with the respective state”.

Hoti: Serbia trying to remove Albanians from Presevo Valley (media)

Avdullah Hoti, former Prime Minister of Kosovo, said in an interview for AFEDS, that the actions of the state of Serbia against Albanians in Presevo Valley have been continuously discriminatory. “The three municipalities inhabited by Albanians are the most underdeveloped. The quality of physical, health and educational infrastructure there is visibly less developed compared to other municipalities in Serbia that are similar to the municipalities of Presevo Valley. Public investments, which bring changes to the quality of life, have been lacking in that region for a long time,” he said.

Hoti expressed concern over Serbia’s actions at erasing Albanians from the civil registries in the three municipalities. “Such administrative actions are discriminatory, and they violate basic human rights. Through these actions, Serbia is trying to remove Albanians from their lands. Many families have already suffered from these actions, but these methods will not prove successful. These actions must be stopped at once. The European Union and other Western countries must react strongly against Serbia’s actions,” he argued.

Another false alarm for explosive device at Prishtina bus station (media)

Most news websites report on another false alarm today about an explosive device at the Prishtina main bus station. Kosovo Police said in a statement that they received an anonymous call this morning that explosive devices were planted at the bus station. “After the controls by competent units, nothing was found. Police units withdrew from that zone and investigators are working to resolve all circumstances related to the case,” the police statement notes.

Prime Minister and Health Minister on pandemic: We must not relax (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Health Minister Rifat Latifi, during a visit to a vaccination center today, called on the people to get vaccinated and respect the anti COVID measures as the only proven tools in the fight against the virus. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office notes that Kurti and Latifi said the government is doing its best and together with health authorities is continuously monitoring the epidemiological situation in consultation with local and international experts. “Every action and step taken by the government will be based on the latest scientific data about the Omicron variant of the virus,” the press release notes. “The experience of other countries shows that the increase in new cases and the increased number of hospitalised patients can be swift and merciless.”

COVID-19: 107 new cases, no deaths (media)

107 new cases with COVID-19 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Four persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 740 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Covid-19: 36 new cases, two deaths registered in Serbian areas (KoSSev)

Out of 94 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 36 were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced today, KoSSev portal reports.

Also, two people passed away.

New cases were registered as follows: 12 in Mitrovica North, nine in Leposavic, five in Zubin Potok, four each in Zvecan and Strpce and two in Gracanica.

Deceased persons were from Zubin Potok and Mitrovica North bringing the total number of deceased persons in Serbian areas to 194 since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Currently there are 114 active cases of Covid-19 in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

Also, a total of 28.179 persons have been tested so far, and out of this number 8.409 persons were positive since the pandemic started. 

“Kosovo can go to Olympic games, but Kosovo Serbs can’t take part in referendum” (Radio KIM)

Referendum on constitutional amendments in the Republic of Serbia is scheduled on January 16 this year. The ballot papers have already been printed and the citizens will be asked a question – are you in favor of confirming the act on changing the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia? There will be two options “yes” or “no” that they can choose. It has not yet been definitively confirmed whether Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija will be able to use this option. (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti says – no, Radio KIM writes today.

The Serbian Republic Election Commission said the total number of voters in Serbia at the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments is 6.510.233, however, without providing details if the voting will take place in Kosovo as well.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurit said at the end of last year that “there will be no referendum of Serbia on the territory of Kosovo”, Radio KIM recalled.

“You can’t ban people from declaring regardless how much it suits you or not”, journalist and President of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), Zivojin Rakocevic said.

“This is the first major shock of this kind for Kosovo Serbs as it has been demonstrated to them factually and practically that they can’t choose or decide, that they can’t choose in line with their will or opt for any option. When all this with the Kosovo system started everybody from the international community were saying – your documents will be valid, your rights will be the same, your freedoms will be the same and you will be equal in everything. Today, it turned out that we are not equal at all, do not even have minimal rights, and the minimal right is that as a free man you choose if you want something or you do not want it”, Rakocevic said.

He added this is yet another paradox of the Serbian community in Kosovo.

“Kosovo can take part in the Olympic games, but Kosovo Serbs can’t take part in a referendum that their state is calling for. It is an odd paradox, our lives are ongoing in this paradox, and that is why it is very important to find a creative solution to overcome this frustration, the latest in a row, but very strong and important for our survival and development”, Rakocevic added.

Djordje Vukadinovic, political analyst from Belgrade, assessed the statement of Albin Kurti that he will not allow holding of referendum as “yet another provocation”.

“(…) the international community is the only one who could change it, but obviously they do not have strength or willingness (to do so) or simply do not want it. Kurti may act as a master of the situation because to the great extent he is allowed to do so by the international community, being it by their acts or lack of them, or by passively accepting his stances”, Vukadinovic explained.

Kosovo Serb politician and leader of Progressive Democratic Party (PDS) Nenad Rasic recalled that during previous years representatives of the Kosovo authorities were asking support from the OSCE to organize elections called for by Serbia, and they should do that again. However, he added, “knowing the stances of prime minister Kurti, stances of the government, in my opinion such a call of the Kosovo institutions to the OSCE will not happen”.

He also said he doesn’t believe that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic requested from the international community in Kosovo to organize a referendum. Asked if the international community would react on its own, without being requested to do so by neither Kosovo nor Serbian authorities, Rasic said “of course they will not react”, and that he has not heard or seen that any of them he met mentioned a referendum.

Radio KIM also said it has sent an inquiry to the Office for Kosovo and Metohija asking if referendum will take place in Kosovo and whether the Office requested from Kosovo institutions and international community to enable its holding, however no response was provided by time of publishing the news.

Serbian Patriarch expresses respect to health care staff in Christmas message (FoNet, N1)

The Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije expressed “great respect and gratitude” to doctors and health care staff in his Christmas message to the faithful, N1 reports.

The Serbian Orthodox Church marks time using the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on January 7.

Patriarch Porfirije also called the faithful to pray for the recovery of the sick and the end of the pandemic. He called the public to abide by what he called the reasonable measures and recommendations from the government.

“The Church is calling everyone to abide by the reasonable measures and recommendations of the government and other institutions in states and areas where our people live during the pandemic but also reminds everyone to avoid exclusion and show respect for human liberties as the highest and most valuable of God’s gifts to man”, the Patriarch said in the Christmas message.

He said that nature has a long memory and suffers injustice but strikes back sooner or later. “We have to respect nature, nurture and safeguard it as the most valued of God’s gifts”, he said and added that the pandemic is a warning that nature is not a peaceful home for mankind if it stops living in harmony with the order established by God.

“In the holiday joy of Christmas we send greetings and prayers to our sisters and brothers at home and abroad wherever Orthodox Christian Serbs live, especially those in Kosovo and Metohija, our spiritual and national cradle”, the Patriarch said.

Surlic: International community views status of K. Serbs and ZSO only through prism of whether Kosovo will achieve independence (KoSSev)

“I will ask the international community – the USA, the EU, and all those who more or less support Kosovo’s independence, whether they will react in the same manner if Kosovo Serbs stop participating in their elections, or, God forbid, if they say there will be no such elections in the north –Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, said at the annual press conference in Belgrade, commenting on Albin Kurti’s statement that he would not allow Serbian January referendum to be held in Kosovo Serb communities, KoSSev portal recalled.

Commenting on this statement and on the stance of international community regarding Serbs in Kosovo and Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO), Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade Assistant Stefan Surlic said Vucic’s statement was more hypothetical, noting it does not mean he truly believes that such a move should be made.

He also argued that the international community is not really interested in the status of Serbs in Kosovo.

“The international community views the status of Serbs in Kosovo and the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO) only through the prism of whether Kosovo will achieve independence, i.e. whether it will be easier for Serbia to unblock Kosovo at the international level, if it gets the ZSO“, Surlic said.

That is why, according to him, Vucic’s message about not holding elections in the north is a “conditional threat“ in a sense “what if we take the same step back?“

20 US military police officers to deploy to Kosovo (KoSSev, AP)

Twenty military police officers with the Kentucky National Guard are preparing to deploy to Kosovo for a yearlong mission, KoSSev portal reports citing AP.

Soldiers with the 438th Military Police Company based out of Murray are expected to deploy Wednesday, a statement from the National Guard said.The soldiers are trained in force protection, anti-terrorism, area security and police intelligence operations. 

They will provide military police liaison officer support as part of Operation Joint Guardian, the statement said.

International

Montenegro Leads Region in Sudden Surge in COVID-19 Cases (Balkan Insight)

As the number of newly infected people in Montenegro rises by 450 per cent in two weeks, authorities call on the population to avoid big gatherings over Orthodox Christian Christmas period.

The number of new COVID-19 cases is rising fast in Montenegro, where authorities on Wednesday urged citizens to respect health measures and avoid large gatherings during the Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

Institute for Public Health data on Tuesday registered a daily record of 2.590 new infections, bringing the total number of active cases to 14,623 – a large number in a country of 620,000 people.

Read more at: https://cutt.ly/7UXI6zU

Humanitarian/Development

KFOR donates medical equipment to health house in Vidanje returnee village (KoSSev)

KFOR has donated valuable medical equipment to the health house located in the returnee village of Vidanje, Klina municipality, KoSSev portal reports.

As KFOR announced on its official Facebook account, donation aims at advancing capabilities of the health house to offer qualitative services to the entire village population.

The equipment KFOR donated includes medical devices such as twelve-lead electrocardiograph, surgical aspirator, electronic thermometer, professional pediatric handheld aneroid sphygmomanometer, compact pulse oximeter, and refrigerator for doctor’s office.