• Escobar reconfirms support for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (VOA/media)
• Hovenier, Bislimi discuss Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
• Kurti: Serbs in Kosovo can vote in referendum through mail or liaison office (media)
• EU wants Serbia’s referendum to be allowed in Kosovo (Koha)
• Vucic warns of consequences if Serbia’s referendum is not allowed in Kosovo (Koha)
• Stoltenberg: NATO intervened in Kosovo to stop atrocities (media)
• COVID-19: 424 new cases, one death (media)
• IMF projects 7.5 percent economic growth for Kosovo (Klan)
• Used To Free Electricity, Kosovo’s Bitcoin Miners Are Now Facing Difficult Times After Ban (RFE)

Escobar reconfirms support for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (VOA/media)

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar gave an interview to Voice of America in Albanian where he spoke about the situation in the Western Balkans region and also about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the “Open Balkan” initiative.

Asked on what the U.S. considers are the chances for an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia at a time when, as VOA reporter put it, the divisions between the two countries have deepened, Escobar said: “Remains to be seen. We are starting this year with renewed energy and an added emphasis on the functioning of the dialogue,” he said, adding that will soon travel to the region and together with the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak will “signal our support for the dialogue.”

“I hope we will make progress. But i I have to say that in this direction, the issue of Serbia and Kosovo is not simply connected to the United States and Europe but also our colleagues in the region.”

Escobar then commended Albania’s role. “Tirana speaks to the two sides constructively and fully supports our efforts to create a sustainable relationship between Serbia and Kosovo, which we appreciate.”

Answering a question on the “Open Balkan”, Escobar said that the initiative cannot be effective without the participation of all countries in the region. “This is the condition on which we support it: First it needs to fulfil the Berlin standards that the European Union has placed. Second, be open to all countries and practically won’t function without all on board.”

Hovenier, Bislimi discuss Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, met yesterday Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in dialogue with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi.

Hovenier took to Twitter to comment on the meeting. “Productive discussion with Kosovo First Deputy Prime Minister @BislimiBesnik on the United States’ commitment to Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration & our mutual desire to see Kosovo achieve normalized relations centered on mutual recognition through the EU-facilitated Dialogue,” he wrote.

Kurti: Serbs in Kosovo can vote in referendum through mail or liaison office (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti had a telephone conversation with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Kurti said on Twitter that he conveyed to Borrell the position of the Government of Kosovo: “Serbs in Kosova w/ dual citizenship can vote in Serbia’s referendum by mail or in the liaison office in Prishtina. A referendum in the sovereign territory of another state is not a practice accepted by any democratic country.”

EU wants Serbia’s referendum to be allowed in Kosovo (Koha)

The European Union has asked the Government of Kosovo led by Albin Kurti to reconsider the position on Serbia’s referendum, scheduled for 16 January, taking place in Kosovo, Koha reports. The Government maintains that the Kosovo Serbs will be able to vote in the referendum either through mail or through Serbia’s Liaison Office in Pristina.

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said that until a solution is reached, the Government of Kosovo should continue implementing practices applied so far in such processes. “We are aware of Serbia’s request to the OSCE to conduct a ‘vote collection’ in Kosovo for the next Serbian referendum and Kosovo’s subsequent refusal. There is no agreement within the EU-facilitated dialogue on Serbian elections taking place in Kosovo. However, there is a well-established practice for the parties to communicate through the OSCE ahead of any elections in Serbia to agree on ‘vote collection’ arrangements,” he said, adding that such practices were conducted in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

“The EU has always encouraged these talks and is ready to facilitate any new talks between the parties if requested. Serbs in Kosovo should be able to exercise their democratic right and cast their ballots in a timely manner, including in Serbian elections. Citizens should not pay the price for political disputes, especially when it comes to participating in democratic processes. We call on the parties to find a mutually acceptable solution, including a review by Pristina, to continue the established practice of collecting votes until a permanent solution is found,” Stano continued.

Vucic warns of consequences if Serbia’s referendum is not allowed in Kosovo (Koha)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic in an interview with Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) warned of consequences if Kosovo Serbs are not allowed to vote in the referendum organised by Serbia.

“My request to the entire international community is to inform their child that it nurtures and cares so much for, that agreements have to be respected. The consequences will be very serious if this happens, more serious than the Albanians and Quint assume,” he said.

Stoltenberg: NATO intervened in Kosovo to stop atrocities (media)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council that focused on the situation in Ukraine that NATO’s intervention in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina was aimed at stopping atrocities. He also rejected the idea of NATO being responsible for the breakup of Yugoslavia.

“We went in to stop atrocities. That was the case, and end bloody wars. That was the case in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and also in Kosovo after years of failed attempts to find a negotiated solution. Then there was a need to go in – broad support to go in – and to stop atrocities, also in Kosovo,” he said in response to a reporter stating that NATO went into Kosovo without a UN resolution.

“Yugoslavia broke down, not because of NATO. There were internal reasons why Yugoslavia broke down. NATO came in much later, based on the UN mandate, to stop atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. So the whole idea that NATO used military force to change borders on the Balkans is wrong. The borders in former Yugoslavia changed because of internal reasons in former Yugoslavia. And actually we had several people from these countries, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, at the table telling that story, and they know that it was not NATO, but actually the internal conflicts within Yugoslavia that led to the demise of Yugoslavia. Yes, NATO went in but that was to stop atrocities, to protect people and to stop, for instance, what we saw taking place in Srebrenica,” Stoltenberg said.

COVID-19: 424 new cases, one death (media)

424 new cases with COVID-19 and one death were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. 89 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 2,417 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

IMF projects 7.5 percent economic growth for Kosovo (Klan)

The International Monetary Fund said that Kosovo’s economy is rebounding from its deepest recession in a decade, driven by improved vaccination rates, renewed mobility, policy actions and extraordinary support from the diaspora.

“After contracting 5.3 percent in 2020, real GDP is projected to grow by 7.5 percent in 2021,” the IMF executive board said.

It added that the fiscal response to the pandemic provided lifelines for households and firms and cushioned the impact of the shock on those most affected by the pandemic. “On the back of a strong rebound in revenues, the fiscal policy stance tightened to an almost balanced position in 2021 from a deficit of close to 8 percent of GDP in 2020. However, its drag on the economy was more than offset by extraordinary diaspora inflows and sustained increases in net credit to the private sector. Inflation in 2021 is forecast to have increased to more than 5 percent (year-on-year) due to higher energy and food prices, which rebounded to their pre-pandemic levels.”

Used To Free Electricity, Kosovo’s Bitcoin Miners Are Now Facing Difficult Times After Ban (RFE)

Dragan says he makes up to 2,000 euros ($2,270) a month mining cryptocurrency in a mostly Serb enclave in the north of Kosovo, about five times the average monthly income in one of Europe’s poorest countries.

Making it all the sweeter is the fact Dragan pays nothing for electricity, used in abundance in such energy-demanding operations involving complex computer calculations to verify transactions.

But now Dragan, who didn’t want to use his real name, tells RFE/RL’s Balkan Service that he is putting a halt to his cryptocurrency mining activities.

His decision came after authorities in Kosovo announced on January 4 a blanket ban on cryptocurrency mining amid an energy crisis in the Southeastern European country of some 1.8 million people. Kosovar police have carried out raids in recent days, confiscating hundreds of high-tech devices used in cryptocurrency mining.

Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli described the action as an “emergency measure” due to the crisis, although experts have questioned whether the government has such a right as Kosovo has no law regulating cryptocurrency mining.

In December 2021, Kosovo announced a 60-day state of emergency to deal with the energy crunch exacerbated by a shutdown at one of the country’s two coal-fired power plants, forcing Pristina to import power.

Energy prices have soared across Europe amid a spike in demand for natural gas as economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and fresh tensions with Russia, which supplies one third of Europe’s gas.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3fiweU6