• Escobar: We must redouble efforts to reach a compromise agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• KFOR: Kosovo’s airspace remains open (Kosovapress)
• “Russia’s war on Ukraine makes Western Balkans integration an urgency” (VOA/media)
• NATO: Ukrainian troops to remain serving in Kosovo (Koha)
• Kosovo condemns the missile attack on Albanian Consulate in Kharkiv (media)
• On International Women’s Day, marches not celebrations to take place in Kosovo cities (media)
• UN Secretary-General Guterres: A Sustainable Feminist Recovery (Koha)
• Public Pulse poll records decrease of satisfaction with Kosovo institutions (media)
• Serbs in Kosovo Govt ‘Refused to Meet’ EU Kosovo Rapporteur (BIRN)
• Kosovo war widow’s inspirational tale told in film ‘Hive’ (Reuters)
• COVID-19: 23 new cases, one death (media)

Escobar: We must redouble efforts to reach a compromise agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (media)

The United States Embassy in Serbia published an opinion piece authored by Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and special envoy to the Western Balkans, where he said that “the world has changed because of Russia’s war on Ukraine.”

Escobar said efforts towards the reaching of a compromise agreement between Kosovo and Serbia need to redouble calling at the same time for a stop to actions threatening stability and progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Russia must not be allowed to hold back the progress of the countries of the Western Balkans, Escobar added. “Russia is not looking out for the best interests of these countries.  Your economies are tied to Europe.  Your biggest trade partners and investors are in the European Union.  And your future is in Europe as full-fledged members of the European Union.”

“There is much work to be done here in the Western Balkans.  Work to integrate the region economically.  Work to find durable compromise and lasting solutions for unresolved border disputes.  Let us use this crisis to ensure future generations here in the Western Balkans live in countries fully integrated into the European Union, in a Europe whole, free, and at peace.”

“Russia’s war on Ukraine makes Western Balkans integration an urgency” (VOA/media)

Voice of America in Albanian reports that the U.S. State Department said that Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine makes clear the increasing urgency of the European integration of the Western Balkans.

The view was expressed by a State Department spokesman in response to a request for comment from VOA, after 19 members of the U.S. Congress urged the administration of President Joe Biden to increase diplomatic engagement in the Western Balkans. The members of Congress also called on the U.S. administration to promote the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

KFOR: Kosovo’s airspace remains open (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s airspace remains open to Russian aircraft despite the request from Kosovo institutions to KFOR to close it, Kosovapress reports.

Daniele Riggio, KFOR’s press officer, said that KFOR remains focused on the daily implementation of its UN mandate in securing a safe environment and freedom of movement for all communities living in Kosovo. He added: “The airspace over Kosovo remains open. The KFOR Commander maintains primary authority on the use of airspace over Kosovo, as per the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999.”

Yesterday, Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, said that Kosovo institutions have asked KFOR to close Kosovo’s airspace to Russian aircraft, in line with the decision of the Government. “KFOR promised to take the request under serious consideration,” she said.

NATO: Ukrainian troops to remain serving in Kosovo (Koha)

A contingent of 40 Ukrainian troops serving in Kosovo with KFOR will not be leaving, a NATO official told Koha.

NATO said the Ukrainian troops will continue serving in Kosovo. “We welcome the continuous contribution of Ukraine in our KFOR mission and its daily efforts in support of all communities living in Kosovo and in strengthening the stability throughout the Western Balkans region,” the official said.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla said on Monday that Kosovo institutions are trying to create conditions to receive families of Ukrainian troops who are currently serving under KFOR.

Kosovo condemns the missile attack on Albanian Consulate in Kharkiv (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has condemned the Russian attack on Albania’s Honorary Consulate in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine which the media said demolished the building but no casualties were recorded.

Calling the attack unacceptable, the Ministry “once again calls for end of Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory,” and reiterated that the Government of Kosovo stands by the institutions and the people of Ukraine.

On International Women’s Day, marches not celebrations to take place in Kosovo cities (media)

A march has been scheduled for today in Pristina and several other cities of Kosovo on the International Women’s Day to protest violence against girls and women.

One of the organisers, “We are marching, not celebrating” association, said they will march today against femicide. “Murders of women are normalised, mediated and controlled by public and private patriarchal institutions. Femicide – killing women because they are women – shows that every woman is insecure, and our insecurity will have to be a state emergency. This is why this Mach 8 finds us revolted against the systemic violence against girls and women and their murder.”

UN Secretary-General Guterres: A Sustainable Feminist Recovery (Koha)

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres argues in an opinion piece on the occasion of the International Women’s Day that a sustainable and equal recovery for all is only possible if it puts progress for women and girls at its centre.

He highlights the frontline roles of women during the COVID-19 pandemic and on key issues ranging from climate action to activism for peace and justice. The Secretary-General calls for more women in leadership positions in government and business and for bold quotas to ensure equal participation in political decision-making.

“Gender inequality is essentially a question of power”, he writes. “Uprooting centuries of patriarchy demands that power is equally shared across every institution, at every level.”

Public Pulse poll records decrease of satisfaction with Kosovo institutions (media)

The UNDP and USAID published the most recent Public Pulse, based on an opinion poll conducted from 20 October to 4 November 2021 that involved 1,306 respondents from all ethnic communities in Kosovo.

The findings showed that the level of satisfaction with the performance of the Executive was recorded at 47.6%, a decrease of 11.5 percentage points from the May 2021 poll when it stood at 59.1%. The satisfaction level with the work of the Prime Minister was recorded at 53.2% (59.5% in May 2021), while that of the Kosovo Assembly Speaker stood at 55.4% (59.2% in May 2021). The level of satisfaction with the President was recorded at 55.2% as compared to 63.7% satisfaction rate recorded in May 2021. There was an increase in the satisfaction rate of the Office of the Chief Prosecutor, with 34% satisfaction rate (30.8% in May 2021).

Whereas the largest share of those dissatisfied with political direction in Kosovo was highest among Kosovo Serbs (47.6%), 32.6% of Kosovo Albanians were dissatisfied with current political direction. The ethnic community that had the largest share of the members that were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the political direction were among other Kosovo communities (40.5%).

The October-November 2021 Public Pulse poll also enquired about the most pressing problems Kosovo is currently facing and found that top three major issues reported during this survey were unemployment (26.7%), poverty (24.3%) and environment (10.1%).

Find the Public Pulse Brief XXI here: https://bit.ly/362t1He

Serbs in Kosovo Govt ‘Refused to Meet’ EU Kosovo Rapporteur (BIRN)

MEP and rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament Viola von Cramon said on Friday that Kosovo Serb representatives refused to meet her on her visit.

Viola von Cramon on Friday said she had met Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and other officials but was not received either by Serbian representatives in the government or by the mayor of Serb-dominated North Mitrovica.

“I met Serbian representatives, but not the mayor of northern Mitrovica and not the Serbian representatives in the government. They rejected our request to meet, and I am really sorry for this. It was a useful meeting with civil society and we had a full picture of the situation in the north,” she said.

Concerning inter-ethnic violence, “as for attacks from one ethnicity or another, we have recently seen a lot of misinterpretations and false information so it is difficult to comment on them,” she told journalists.

“Often these situations are used to instrumentalize  other purposes or lead to some counterattack,” she stated.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3sP4uy7

Kosovo war widow’s inspirational tale told in film ‘Hive’ (Reuters)

The true story of a Kosovo war widow who defied tradition to launch a successful business enterprise is told in “Hive”, a film its director hopes will educate viewers about overcoming the traumatic aftermath of conflict.

Fahrije Hoti was 28 when she lost her husband, along with almost the entire male population of her village, in the 1998-99 uprising of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority against repressive Serbian rule.

Needing to provide for her family, the mother of two set up Kosovo’s first female-only agricultural cooperative with other war widows.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3Mw8pYw

COVID-19: 23 new cases, one death (media)

23 new cases of COVID-19 and one death have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said in its daily report. 137 persons recovered during this time.

There are 1,021 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.