Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 2,033 new cases, six deaths (media)
• Krasniqi: PDK supports a final agreement that does not undermine state sovereignty (media)
• LDK: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to conclude in mutual recognition (media)
• Haradinaj: Kosovo-Serbia agreement to include mutual recognition under existing borders (media)
• Tahiri: EU to speak in a clear voice, avoid ambiguous communication (media)
• Analysts view Escobar, Lajcak visit as pressure on dialogue and Association (RFE)
• Government to ERO: Block tariff to be 1,000 instead of 600kWh (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 140 new cases, three deaths registered in Serbian areas (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Dialogue cannot be treated as a monologue of one side that blackmails; return to the negotiating table (media)
• UNS, Cup: Systematic discrimination of Serbian media outlets (KoSSev, Kosovo-online, TV Most)
• Yugoslav Army General who signed agreement ending Kosovo war dies (N1)
• Brnabic says April elections crucial (N1, Happy TV)

Opinion:

• Diplomacy over War; Truth over Lies (Gazeta Metro/media)

International:

• Džihić: The awakening of civic movements has imposed the logic that change is possible (EWB)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Could Sundance stormer ‘Hive’ be Kosovo’s first-ever Oscar contender? (euronews)
• “We are losing the Balkan lynx” (balcanicaucaso.org)
• Media: Kosovo has lowest minimum wage in Europe (Beta, N1)
• Kosovo Albanians Join Video Campaign to Support Folk-Dancing Teacher (Balkan Insight)
• NGO LINK with the support of UNMIK encourage the development of youth entrepreneurship (Radio Mitrovica sever)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 2,033 new cases, six deaths (media)

2,033 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said in its daily report. 3,329 persons recovered during this time. 

There are 32,906 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Krasniqi: PDK supports a final agreement that does not undermine state sovereignty (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said that his party supports the achievement of a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia which ensures mutual recognition.

In a social media post following the meeting with the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Gabriel Escobar and the EU Special Representative for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, Krasniqi said: “PDK supports the dialogue as a mechanism for achievement of a final, comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia which ensures mutual recognition, without undermining the state sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order.” 

LDK: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to conclude in mutual recognition (media)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) issued a statement following the meeting of its leader Lumir Abdixhiku with U.S. and EU envoys, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak saying that Abdixhiku presented the views of the party on the political situation in Kosovo, particularly on the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia process.

Abdixhiku is said to have reiterated the view that LDK supports the dialogue which, he added, should conclude in mutual recognition and full normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia “by respecting Kosovo’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order.” 

LDK concluded that it remains a “credible” partner to the United States and European Union in important processes Kosovo goes through.

Haradinaj: Kosovo-Serbia agreement to include mutual recognition under existing borders (media)

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) took to Facebook to comment on his meeting today with U.S. and EU envoys, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak. 

“I reaffirmed our commitment for a Comprehensive and Legally binding Agreement, whose epilogue is mutual recognition under existing borders and which respects the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo, [and] which can only be achieved through the active role of the United States of America.”

Haradinaj added that in the meeting, where he also had the opportunity to meet the new Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier, he thanked the interlocutors for the engagement of the United States and the European Union for Kosovo.

Tahiri: EU to speak in a clear voice, avoid ambiguous communication (media)

Edita Tahiri, Kosovo’s former chief negotiator in dialogue with Serbia, underlined the importance of the joint visit of EU and U.S. envoys, Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar. 

“This is the time when the European Union should officially state that it is engaged in the dialogue that is focused on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, just as the U.S. and President Biden did,” Tahiri wrote on Facebook.

She added that only such a pledge on the part of the EU would make the Escobar-Lajcak visit meaningful.

Tahiri further argued that the Government of Kosovo should ask the EU to declare support for a mutual recognition-centred agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. “It is time for the EU to speak in a clear voice and avoid the previous practice of ambiguous communication.”

Analysts view Escobar, Lajcak visit as pressure on dialogue and Association (RFE)

On the second day of their visit to Kosovo, the U.S. envoy to Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met leaders of opposition parties. Yesterday they met institutional leaders, President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Political analysts in Pristina, reports Radio Free Europe in Albanian, view the visit of Escobar and Lajcak as pressure on Kosovo to renew dialogue with Serbia and to establish the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. 

Arton Demhasaj, from the non-governmental organisation “Cohu”, said that Kurti’s statement that they will “take the best practices of Kosovo, but also of the European Union and also bearing in mind the practices and ways Serbia applies because we should not have citizens or communities who are privileged in one place and discriminated in another”, reveals he faced pressure on the issue of the Association. 

“The fact that Kurti said he supports preserving Kosovo’s integrity and sovereignty and that all should be equal in a way shows there is pressure for the Association. Other information remains to be seen in the coming days but most likely, the main request of Mr. Escobar and Mr. Lajcak was for (Kurti) to withdraw from the current positions he holds,” Demhasaj said. 

According to analyst Imer Mushkolaj the positions expressed by the United States in support of Kosovo’s integrity and sovereignty as well as those of the EU that it does not wish to see another Republika Srpska in Kosovo, lead to conclude that a solution is being sought. Mushkolaj suggested that the one such solution would be something in between the 2013 Agreement on Association and the position of Kurti that such a mechanism should not be formed at all. 

Government to ERO: Block tariff to be 1,000 instead of 600kWh (Koha)

The Government of Kosovo presented the comments it submitted to the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) concerning the proposal to increase energy price for those whose monthly energy consumption exceeds 600 kilowatt-hours. 

Minister of Finance and Transfers, Hekuran Murati, said in a press conference that the Government has proposed to ERO to apply the new prices to consumers spending more than 1,000kWh, split into 500kwH during daytime and the second half spent during nighttime. 

“We consider that for such a short time it is difficult for families to immediately adapt. Those households that do not exceed this threshold, there will be no effect from the price movements and increases,” he said. 

Serbian Language Media

Covid-19: 140 new cases, three deaths registered in Serbian areas (KoSSev)

Out of 255 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 140 tested positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced today, KoSSev portal reports. At the same time three persons passed away.

New cases were registered as follows: 35 in Mitrovica North, 25 each in Leposavic and Gracanica, 12 each in Zvecan and Gnjilane, 11 in Priluzje, nine in Strpce, five each in Zubin Potok and Kamenica and one in Pec.

Currently there are 1.257 active cases of Covid-19 in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

Deceased persons were one from Mitrovica North and two from Leposavic, bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the Serbian areas in Kosovo to 202.

Petkovic: Dialogue cannot be treated as a monologue of one side that blackmails; return to   the negotiating table (media)

The messages placed yesterday by the political leaders from Pristina show a true absence and every thought of an honest and constructive approach to the dialogue with Belgrade, said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic in a statement, reported Serbian media.

Their unfounded accusations cannot be interpreted differently that official Belgrade “blocks the dialogue” and that it is a “long list” of agreements that Belgrade allegedly did not fulfil, as Vjosa Osmani irrationally claimed, Petkovic said in the statement. 

“And the reality is completely different – it is 3,206 days since Pristina refuses to form the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and it has been many years since Pristina does not allow the search of nine locations in Kosovo and Metohija, for which Belgrade has reliable information that hides the remains of those missing in the war,” read the statement.

Petkovic adds that it has been nine years since Pristina refused to implement agreements in the field of energy, but rather generated an energy crisis.

All of these, it is stated, are issues of vital importance for the Serbian people in Kosovo, which Pristina systematically ignores, together with numerous other violations of the agreement

“To be completely clear, Belgrade is firmly and unequivocally committed to dialogue and the process of normalisation of relations, but dialogue cannot be treated as a monologue of one side that blackmails at the negotiating table, but as a process of joint search for a compromise solution,” Petkovic said.

“Instead of using deceptions, it would be best for Pristina to return to the negotiating table in Brussels and stop refusing talks with the Serbian negotiating team, which was the case in the previous six months,” Petkovic concluded.

UNS, Cup: Systematic discrimination of Serbian media outlets (KoSSev, Kosovo-online, TV Most)

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo (DNKiM) have sent a public protest note to Kosovo government for not allowing four Serbian language media teams to cover yesterday’s press conference of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti with US Envoy for Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar and the EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, KoSSev portal reports.

They have also asked that the organisers of the gathering extend an apology to the journalists of those media teams.

Euronews in Serbian reporter Andjelka Cup told UNS that people from the government’s protocol office didn’t let the Serbian journalists cover the event, as she said, because of alleged epidemiological measures, although it was permitted to have up to 30 people in the room. In addition to Euronews, correspondents of Belgrade-based Prva TV, Serbian public broadcaster RTS and Gracanica-online reporter were not allowed to enter.

In a statement to KoSSev, Cup said that discrimination of journalists reporting in the Serbian language doesn’t happen for the first time. She recalled last year’s visit of Lajcak in Pristina in June, together with the-then US envoy Mathew Palmer, where journalists reporting in the Serbian had shortages of translation equipment, and the EU in its explanation said they had not expected that big number of the Serbian media outlets.  

“Also we have never received the agenda of Lajcak’s visit, unless someone from Kosovo institutions decides to send us part of the agenda concerning them, and then if we do not get that either, we run after our Albanian colleagues to tell us the place and the time. The next form of discriminiation is the limit relating to the questions, if the questions are allowed and we manage to attend the event. For example, there are three questions for the Albanian colleagues, and one for us. In one word, there is no information about conferences for the media, or there are no conferences (…)”, Cup said.

She also explained that no regular notifications to the Serbian media were provided from Kurti’s cabinet. Cup said that for example they have received recently an invitation to cover the laying of the wreath ceremony in Podujevo, but have not received information about yesterday’s event.

KoSSev portal said that for years they have not received statements from the Kosovo government about any event, the same as no information from the Serbian List is delivered to this portal. The portal said it demanded on several occasions that such a practice changes.

UNS and DNKiM pointed out that such acts endanger the right to information, guaranteed by international conventions. They also said this is yet another in a series of violations of the rights of the Serbian community, and the least journalists deserve was an apology.

Petkovic to point out to Escobar and Lajcak discriminatory relationship towards Serbian media (Kosovo-online)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in a post written in English on Twitter said that (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti’s discriminatory attitude towards Serbian media, who were not allowed to follow Kurti’s press conference with US envoy to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and EU special envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajčák, was inadmissible, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Inadmissible discriminatory relationship of @albinkurti towards Serbian media at yesterday’s conference in Pristina! Four media reporting in 🇷🇸 language were disabled to do their job. I will point this out, among other things, in Belgrade to @MiroslavLajcak and Gabriel Escobar”, Petkovic said.

Simic: Discriminatory attitude towards Serbian media

Vice President of the Serbian List, Igor Simic wrote on Facebook last night he strongly condemns the fact that it was not possible for the representatives of the media reporting in Serbian language to attend the conference at which Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak spoke about their visit and talks with Kosovo officials, TV Most reports.

Simic said this was a “discriminatory relation towards the Serbian media”, but also a “reflection of respect for the rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija”.

“What disgraceful behaviour towards the media reporting in the Serbian language! However, it is also a reflection of respect for the rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. I strongly condemn the discriminatory attitude towards the Serbian media!” Simic wrote on Facebook.

Yugoslav Army General who signed agreement ending Kosovo war dies (N1)

The Yugoslav Army (VJ) general who signed the Kumanovo Agreement to end the war in Kosovo is reported to have died, N1 reports.

General Svetozar Marjanovic (77) signed the agreement in the North Macedonia city of Kumanovo, just over the border with Serbia, on June 9, 1999 ending the NATO air campaign against what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Under the agreement, the VJ and Serbian police withdrew from Kosovo, allowing the deployment of NATO and Russian troops. The Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) also openly entered urban areas which were the strongholds of the VJ and Serbian police.

The Agreement came after five days of negotiation in Kumanovo. The outcome of the negotiations was announced by General Jackson, followed by General Marjanovic.

The Agreement on Military-Technical Cooperation was signed by General Marjanovic for the VJ and Serbian police General Obrad Stevanovic with British General Michael Jackson signing for NATO, creating KFOR. The UN Security Council adopted resolution 1244 a day later. Under that resolution, the FRY was to be allowed to deploy 1,000 soldiers to guard Serbian churches, monasteries and historic sites but those troops were never sent back to Kosovo. It also called for the establishment of the Ground Safety Zone in southern Serbia.

Brnabic says April elections crucial (N1, Happy TV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Tuesday that the elections in April are crucial because the authorities still have a lot to do, N1 reports.

Brnabic told Happy TV that the Serbian economy has been developed and strengthened thanks to the efforts of President Aleksandar Vucic. According to her, the April 3 elections will decide whether the country continues along the same path. “If we do and have four or five years of stability, since the presidential term in office is five years, that would be it. Serbia would be out of the decades-long tunnel”, she said.

“We would become a country strong enough to prevent anyone from doing anything to it, with no danger of some politicians, tycoons coming back just so they can steal. We should be proud of the success that Vucic dreamed of, but we would not have done this without the support of the people”, Brnabic said.

The Prime Minister said that none of the authorities before the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) took power gave any consideration to the environment, adding that she would “defend our policy and position to the death”. “We thought about it and invested when no one talked about it… I don’t see any plan from the people who are opposed”, she said.

Opinion

Diplomacy over War; Truth over Lies (Gazeta Metro/media)

By Jeff Hovenier, United States Ambassador to Kosovo 

The world is watching Russia’s pattern of unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine.  Russia’s actions are a threat not only to Ukraine, but to Europe and to the international rules-based order.  Our aims are simple.  We stand with our allies and partners to support European cohesion, strengthen our transatlantic relationship, and reinforce democratic states and institutions.  We do this to improve the lives of both citizens of the United States and citizens of Kosovo.

And we do this together.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been crystal clear:  the United States will not negotiate about Europe, without Europe.  We will not negotiate about Ukraine, without Ukraine.

The Real Threat

Over the past two decades, Russia has invaded two neighboring countries, interfered in others’ elections, used chemical weapons to conduct assassinations on foreign soil, wielded gas deliveries as a political tool, and violated international arms control agreements.

In 2014, after millions of Ukrainians protested for a democratic future, Russia manufactured a crisis, invaded and occupied Ukraine’s territory in Crimea, and orchestrated a war in eastern Ukraine with Russian personnel and with armed groups it leads, trains, supplies, and finances.  This war has claimed more than 14,000 Ukrainian lives.  Russia continues to occupy parts of both Georgia and Ukraine today and has failed to honor its commitment to withdraw forces from Moldova.  And now Russia’s actions, including building up more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, are causing a renewed crisis not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe.

President Putin disingenuously blames Ukraine for Russia’s unprovoked military buildup.  But Ukraine’s military posture and the NATO alliance have always been purely defensive in nature.  Unlike Russia, Ukraine has upheld its commitments under the Minsk agreements, which were designed to ensure a cease-fire in Donbas.

What Putin truly fears is that democratic values and the exercise of human rights will continue to gradually erode his grip on power.  Responding to those fears, Russia has been unrelenting in its efforts to undermine Ukrainian democracy through disinformation and military intimidation.  In short, Russia’s actions are dangerous and destabilizing.

Support for Ukraine

The United States and Kosovo are committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  Along with our allies and partners, we will assist Ukraine in its efforts to defend itself against further Russian aggression.  We will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to advance democratic and anti-corruption reforms and restore and secure its internationally recognized borders.

European and U.S. Security Interests Are at Stake

As Secretary Blinken said when he spoke in Berlin on January 20, there is a lot at stake here.  We are talking about the future of Ukraine, true, but also about the principles that have made the world safer and more stable for decades.

We are deeply invested in what is happening in Ukraine because we respect these principles, which underpin international peace and security: that the borders and territorial integrity of a state cannot be changed by force and that it is the right of countries to make decisions for themselves and to determine their own future.  All members of the international community should face costs if they don’t live up to the solemn obligations that they undertake.

To allow Russia to violate those principles with impunity would send a message to others around the world that these principles are expendable.

Call to Action

The United States wants to continue building the international coalition of partners in Europe and elsewhere who see this threat with clear eyes.  Our friends in Kosovo are critical to this effort.  Our shared Transatlantic unity and resolve is the most effective tool we have to counter Russian aggression.  We are committed to diplomacy, and we made clear that the diplomatic path provides the only durable solution for everyone.

However, if Russia chooses that second path and further invades Ukraine, we are ready and aligned with our partners and allies to impose massive consequences on Russia, as recently confirmed by the G7, the EU, and NATO.  These would be significant sanctions – financial, economic, and others that we have not imposed in the past.  We would also shore up the defenses of Ukraine and NATO as necessary, the very thing Putin claims not to want.

Russia’s threat to Ukraine is a threat to democratic values everywhere.  Americans and Kosovans must stand together with Ukraine to ensure a free and stable Europe, which is in the best interest of the people of democracies, be they Americans or Kosovans or others around the globe.

International

Džihić: The awakening of civic movements has imposed the logic that change is possible (EWB)

Civic initiatives and protests showed that many citizens in the region are deeply dissatisfied with the lack of accountability of the ruling regimes and ready to actively engage in their societies, stated the brief “Unleashing the Potential for Change through Social Movements and Civic Initiatives”, published by Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG).

According to this paper, local civic initiatives and new forms of civic engagement prove to be worthy of further attention for exploring democratization potentials in the region. The authors stressed that, with their focus on tangible and concrete issues that are affecting the daily lives of citizens, they have a high mobilization potential and ability to cut across ethnic divides and enhance citizens’ sense of agency.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3s6e5PA

Humanitarian/Development

Could Sundance stormer ‘Hive’ be Kosovo’s first-ever Oscar contender? (euronews)

Last January, filmmaker Blerta Basholli was just happy she had made it into the Sundance Film Festival with her debut feature ‘Hive’.

The Albanian-language film about a woman who starts her own business after the Kosovo War was an inspirational gem, but Basholli hadn’t even dared to dream of just how far they would go.

Not only did it become the first film in Sundance history to win the top three awards in the world cinema competition, it now has a strong chance of becoming Kosovo’s first Oscar contender in the best international feature category one year on.

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

“We are losing the Balkan lynx” (balcanicaucaso.org)

The results of the latest surveys on the Balkan lynx, the lynx subspecies present only in the mountains of North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo, do not bode well for the future of one of the most endangered mammals in Europe

“Devastating results”. Thus the report of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme  , the international team responsible for the protection of the Balkan lynx, describes the progress of the latest camera trap survey that took place in 2021.

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

Media: Kosovo has lowest minimum wage in Europe (Beta, N1)

The media in Pristina said on Tuesday that Kosovo has the lowest minimum wage in Europe.

The reports said that the minimum wage for people under the age of 35 is 130 Euro while the minimum wage for people over that age is 170 Euro a month. The reports said that the minimum wage has not been raised since 2011, adding that the Kosovo government is planning to raise the minimum wage to 250 Euro for the period ending in 2025.

The media said that Kosovo ranks below Albania with a minimum wage of 248 Euro, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 300 Euro, Turkey with 328 Euro, Bulgaria 332 Euro and North Macedonia with 359 Euro a month.

See at: https://bit.ly/3IYuP25

Kosovo Albanians Join Video Campaign to Support Folk-Dancing Teacher (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo Albanian celebrities and politicians posted videos of themselves on social media doing Albanian folk dances in support of a high school teacher who was harshly criticised online after posting his own dance videos on TikTok.

An online support campaign was launched on Monday after a Kosovo biology teacher was targeted with derogatory comments online after posting videos on TikTok of himself dancing to folk music.

Valon Canhasi, founder of social media agency Hallakate, posted a video of himself dancing to Albanian folk music at his office on Monday and urged others to follow suit to support teacher Lulzim Paci after critics claimed that his actions were inappropriate for an educator.

“I invite all of you to make a video dancing in your office or in your home,” Canhasi wrote on Facebook as he initiated a folk-dance ‘challenge’ under the hashtag #profachallenge.

Teacher Paci, from the town of Vushtrri/Vucitrn, was subjected to sustained criticism on social media after he posted several videos of his folk dances.

Among the critics was ruling Vetevendosje party MP, Fjolla Ujkani, who called on the high school director and the Vushtrri/Vucitrn Education Directorate to fire Pacik for “improper and degenerate acts”, which she claimed contravened the duty of a teacher to instil values in young people.

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

NGO LINK with the support of UNMIK encourage the development of youth entrepreneurship (Radio Mitrovica sever)

NGO Link from North Mitrovica has started a project called “Support to youth entrepreneurship through small grants” in which, as the project states, “young people and women aged 14 to 35” will be given the opportunity to develop their business skills, but also to make money in the end, if they make an effort, reported Radio Mitrovica sever.

Executive Director of the NGO Link Milan Dobric told the radio that the goal of the project which this organisation is implementing in cooperation with UNMIK, is to support the business endeavours of young people and women. 

“Since we all went through a difficult period during the pandemic, the idea was to support businesses in some way, which may already exist, of course I refer to small businesses, but also some new businesses that young people from our environment may want to be engaged in. The idea was to gather 20 teams, where the team would be composed of at least two and at most five people,” Dobric explained. 

He added that the participants will acquire new skills related to business through a one-month training, working with competent coaches. 

“For example, in these trainings they can learn what business is and what it is not, how business develops and how prototypes of products and services are created. And the ideas they can apply for can be various. They don’t have to be from the IT field, i.e. from the field that we mostly engaged in. An idea can be an application, but it can also be some solutions, for agriculture or anything else,” he explained. 

The project is not intended exclusively for beginner businesses, but it is desirable that the ideas with which participants apply are new. And if they turn out to be really good, there will be a reward. 

The deadline for registration of participants began about ten days ago, but there is still enough time for those interested to apply and use this opportunity for training.  More information about the project itself can be found on our Facebook page “Local Initiative Link” or on the website linkkosovo.org.