Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo Police confirms: Merdare crossing opened (media)
• Two trucks set on fire at a barricade in the north of Kosovo (media)
• New effort for final agreement; Scholz and Macron advisors visit Kosovo in Jan (media)
• UNMIK chief welcomes measures to deescalate tensions; calls for return to dialogue (media)
• German MP expects concrete actions from EU about situation in North (Albanian Post)
• The removal of the barricades hasn’t started yet (Paparaci)
• Krasniqi: Kosovo is going through one of the most fragile moments since it was declared an independent and sovereign state (Klan)
• “Those who believed they protected Serbia by setting up barricades, it is a lie directed by SL” (Telegrafi)
• Tahiri: Kurti made compromises with Serbia, this time he accepted Association (Koha)
• Abdixhiku meets head of OSCE in Kosovo, discuss situation in the north (Klan)
• Haradinaj: Thanks to USA and EU, solution from explosive situation in north found (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Removal of barricades to start Thursday morning (N1, media)
• Ziadeh (UNMIK) welcomed the removal of barricades and de-escalation (N1, media)
• KFOR: Serbian forces don’t need permission for movements in their territory (N1)
• Two trucks at barricade near Dudin Krs, Mitrovica North burned down (KoSSev)
• Dacic: It depends upon Kurti only if there will be escalation of conflict (Radio KIM)
• Djuric: Pristina lost “blank cheque” support for its behaviour from US and international community (RTS)
• US Ambassador Hill says Kosovo crisis requires political solution (Nova.rs, N1)
• Heightened combat readiness state of Serbian Army revoked (Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic: Trampling US-EU guarantees will not be easy for Pristina (Tanjug, TV Pink)
• Vucic to receive Nedeljkovic tomorrow (Danas)

Opinion:

• “Full escalation in Kosovo only postponed”: What’s next in 2023? (DW, Danas)

International:

• Serbia’s Vucic Says Kosovo Roadblocks To Be Removed (RFE)
• Village’s Xmas Lights Draw Thousands of Kosovars (Prishtina Insight)
• In northern Kosovo, conflict is avoided, for now (emerging-europe.com)

Albanian Language Media  

Kosovo Police confirms: Merdare crossing opened (media)

Kosovo Police said in a statement today that the Merdare crossing with Serbia has been reopened this morning at 09:50. “Based on the latest information, the road which was blocked on December 27, on the second kilometre in the territory of Serbia, was opened for movement this morning at 09:50. Therefore, we inform citizens that the Merdare border crossing is open for travel and has returned to full normality,” police said.

Two trucks set on fire at a barricade in the north of Kosovo (media)

Two trucks blocking one of the roads in Mitrovica North were set on fire early on Thursday, most news websites report. Kosovo Police issued a statement saying that there was only material damage and no persons were injured and that the incident is being investigated.

New effort for final agreement; Scholz and Macron advisors visit Kosovo in Jan (media)

Advisor to German Chancellor Olaf Sholz, Jens Plotner, and advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Bonne, will visit Pristina in January. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed the information on Wednesday and said that the two advisors will be joined by the U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar. “Yes, I believe they will visit Kosovo in the first half of January. I believe the U.S. Envoy will also join them in the meeting,” she said.

Osmani also said that the purpose of their visit is to intensify the dialogue and to reach an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

UNMIK chief welcomes measures to deescalate tensions; calls for return to dialogue (media)

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Caroline Ziadeh welcomes all measures to deescalate tensions in northern Kosovo, including removing barricades. She acknowledges the painstaking efforts of all parties, including international partners, to ensure the safety of the people of Kosovo across all communities, a press release issued by UNMIK notes.

SRSG Ziadeh stresses the importance of upholding commitments and resuming talks to fully address outstanding issues and normalise relations without delay. She expresses her appreciation for the steadfast resolve of international partners to foster dialogue in their pursuit of security and stability, in full respect of their mandates.

German MP expects concrete actions from EU about situation in North (Albanian Post)

The German MP from the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Knut Abraham has requested immediate action by the European Union to deescalate the situation in North Kosovo, as one of the demands of the Serbs, to release from detention the former policeman of Kosovo from the Serbian community, Dejan Pantic was fulfilled.

“The situation in Kosovo and Serbia requires immediate action. What is the EU High Representative Josep Borrell doing? Serbia’s saber rattling is dangerous, irresponsible and unacceptable. De-escalation is the order of the day. More real EU pressure on Belgrade is necessary,” he wrote on Twitter.

The removal of the barricades hasn’t started yet (Paparaci)

The removal of the barricades in the north of Kosovo has not yet begun, although the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, last night after the conversation with the Serbs from Kosovo, stated that the removal of the barricades will take place this morning. In the places where the criminals gathered until yesterday, today there is no one, while in the vicinity of Duda’s Rock, the trucks that created the barricade were burned. It is expected that the barricades will be removed after dark, report Serbian media from the scene.

Today it is quiet in North Mitrovica, EULEX patrols are visible throughout the city. The citizens with whom the “Radio Kim” team spoke support the removal of the barricades.

Krasniqi: Kosovo is going through one of the most fragile moments since it was declared an independent and sovereign state (Klan)

The chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi has said in a press conference that the citizens of Kosovo will remember 2022 as a bad year.

“I believe that we should make a balance of the whole year to understand more precisely why things are the way they are today, as well as why these recent developments prove better than anything else that Kosovo is going through one of the most fragile since it was declared an independent and sovereign state, and without a doubt a fragile and unprecedented moment in the last 23 years of our existence as a free country,” Krasniqi said.

Krasniqi emphasised that he and the PDK had previously warned that it would be such a year for the citizens with the governance of the Vetevendosje Movement, which according to him, has a weak cabinet and a poor governing program.

“They showed us what awaits us with the Kurti One government. This state will be remembered for three characteristics: economic stagnation, a year of social insecurity and a failed year of state politics,” Krasniqi said.

“Those who believed they protected Serbia by setting up barricades, it is a lie directed by SL” (Telegrafi)

The Kosovo Serb Party has reacted regarding the barricades placed in the north of Kosovo as well as ‘the abuse of the Serbian community there by criminal groups.’

“To all those who still believe that they defended Serbia and the Serbian people at the barricades, we wish that in the next 48 hours they will open their eyes and understand that everything was a lie. A lie directed by the Serbian List and its vice-president Milan Radoicic,” they announced.

Also, this party claimed that the people of the Serb community are being abused.

“The people are abused, they are forced to leave their jobs, stay for 19 days at the barricades, endangering the safety of all of us. If in sending a man to house arrest someone sees the victory of the Serbs, then that person is blind. The Kosovo Serb Party hopes that all those who blocked the normal movement of citizens in the north and forced them to go to the barricades will be held accountable.”

They have also called on the Serbian List to remove the barricades in the north.

“We once again call on the Serbian List not to wait for the movements of Pristina, but to remove their own barricades, which cause the most damage directly to the Serbs in the north of Kosovo,” wrote the Kosovo Serb Party on Facebook.

Tahiri: Kurti made compromises with Serbia, this time he accepted the Association (Koha)

The former chief negotiator of Kosovo in the dialogue with Serbia Edita Tahiri has said that Prime Minister Albin Kurti, after every tension in the situation, has made compromises with Serbia.

According to her, after the recent tension in the north, Kurti has accepted the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

“After every tension, Kurti made compromises with Serbia, after this great tension in the north, Kurti accepted the Association, this was confirmed by American Ambassador Hill,” Tahiri wrote on Facebook.

Abdixhiku meets head of OSCE in Kosovo, discuss situation in the north (Klan)

The chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku received the head of the OSCE mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, at the meeting.

During this meeting, current issues in Kosovo, the situation created in the north as well as the dialogue process were discussed.

Abdixhiku thanked the head of the OSCE mission, Davenport, for the continuous support that the OSCE has given to Kosovo in the development and democratisation processes.

Haradinaj: Thanks to USA and EU, solution from explosive situation in north found (Koha)

The chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said through a post on Facebook that the situation with the barricades in the north has been resolved thanks to the United States of America and the European Union.

“Thanks to America and the EU, once again a solution was found from an explosive situation in the north of the country. As always, this time it was proved that the partnership with the US and the EU has no alternative,” he wrote.

Serbian Language Media 

 Vucic: Removal of barricades to start Thursday morning (N1, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said after talks with Kosovo Serbs in the Serbian town of Raska late Wednesday that the removal of the barricades in north Kosovo will start on Thursday morning, but that “the distrust is not removed”, reported N1.

He said the talks were “anything but easy”.

“People asked that there be no cameras, so they could speak their minds, express their fears, they talked about everything,” said Vucic, adding that the general opinion is that “today was a good day for our people”.

“Nothing bad happened to any Serb today. We got papers that mean something to us in a formal and legal sense, we will be able to talk about law and justice, other people’s promises,” he said.

The President read the conclusions of the people at the barricades listing the things they demand in general, but also from him as the president, and from the state. He explained that they want his support for everything that is to follow because they say they “have no faith at all in (Kosovo Prime Minister Albin) Kurti”.

“If the arrests continue, they (Kosovo Serbs) will close the north of Kosovo forever, they will set up barricades that will never be removed and that will be a border for Pristina that they will never cross. They are asking for a promise that there will never be recognition of Kosovo and Metohija (the official name for what the Serbian authorities consider to be the county’s southern province) and that Kosovo and Metohija remain as the territory of Serbia. I asked them to respect what I came for, to ask them to start removing the barricades and give a chance to talks, peace and trust,“ Vucic said.

He added that they have to “trust those people that they will honour what they said and prevent such behaviour by the Kurti regime”.

“If that doesn’t happen, all I can say is that whatever you decide, I may or may not agree with it, but your state will stand by you. As far as I am concerned, if they start arresting Serbs because of the barricades, anything you do after that, you will have the support of the state of Serbia and my personal support,” said the Serbian President.

Head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said Wednesday that Serbia received guarantees from the US and European Union (EU) that the demands of Serb protesters would be met, and that Kosovo Serbs would not be arrested for setting up the barricades in north Kosovo.

State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel and Spokesperson of the EU High Representative, Nabila Massrali issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on all sides to show maximum restraint.

“We welcome the assurances of the leadership of Kosovo confirming that no lists of Kosovo Serb citizens to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests/barricades exist,” the joint statement said, reported N1.

Ziadeh (UNMIK) welcomed the removal of barricades and de-escalation (N1, media)

The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and Head of the UN Mission (UNMIK) in Kosovo, Caroline Ziadeh, welcomed all measures to de-escalate tensions in the north of Kosovo, including the removal of barricades, the mission announced, reported N1.

Ziadeh, as stated, ”recognizes the painstaking efforts of all parties, including international partners, to ensure the safety of the people of Kosovo across all communities,” the statement read. 

The Head of the UN Mission “stresses the importance of adhering to commitments and continuing talks in order to fully resolve open issues and normalise relations without delay”, cited Serbian media.

In a statement, Ziadeh expressed her gratitude “for the steadfast resolve of international partners to foster dialogue in their pursuit for security and stability, with full respect for their mandates”, reported Serbian media.

KFOR: Serbian forces don’t need permission for movements in their territory (N1)

KFOR said on Wednesday that the Serbian armed forces do not need its permission for movements and training on the territory of Serbia, N1 reports.

“Following reports that the Serbian Minister of Defence, Milos Vucevic, and the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic, a few days ago visited units of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) deployed in the Raska area, about 2 kilometres from the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Kosovo, it is useful to recall that the Serbian Armed Forces do not need authorization from KFOR to move and train on Serbian territory”, a KFOR press release said adding that Serbian forces are required to inform KFOR HQ only if some units need to go closer than 1000 metres from the ABL.

“As for the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), their deployment, according to existing agreements, requires prior concurrence from the KFOR Commander to go in the north of Kosovo”, it said and added that KFOR can engage with legitimate representatives of the local community in northern Kosovo as part of the concurrence process.

KFOR said that it has the capability and personnel to provide a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities under its UN mandate and continues to monitor the situation closely.

Two trucks at barricade near Dudin Krs, Mitrovica North burned down (KoSSev)

Two trucks used as a barricade on a new bridge leading from Mitrovica North towards Mitrovica-Raska regional road, near the place called Dudin Krs burned down last night, KoSSev portal reports.

The portal said its reporter visited the spot, said the fire had been extinguished, however large material damage was caused. The reason for the fire is unknown yet. Number of media teams were present, and two EULEX vehicles were also seen there briefly. Police region North said the case had not been reported to them.

On the other hand, the main seat of Kosovo police in Pristina and only after numerous media reports confirmed the trucks had been set on fire.

“Based on official information, in the early morning hours it was stated that two heavy vehicles (trucks) that were at a barricade have been set on fire on the location known as Dudin Krs in Mitrovica North”, the police said, KoSSev portal reports. 

Dacic: It depends upon Kurti only if there will be escalation of conflict (Radio KIM)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said it depends only upon Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti if there will be an escalation of the conflict in northern Kosovo, Radio KIM reports. He added the issue of possible escalation was the “central issue” worrying all international community stakeholders.

“The international community has a problem because it doesn’t want to accept reality, and reality is that the main reason for possible escalation of the conflict, and it is Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti, must be controlled. Representatives of the international community in their talks with the Serbian side clearly say that as long as Kurti is in power, there will be neither peace nor peace agreement in Kosovo”, Dacic said.

He also noted the main problem in Kosovo is the fact that Pristina does not fulfil internationally undertaken obligations.

“If someone tells Brussels agreement does not exist and there are no talks to establish Community of Serb Municipalities, or when Serbs in Kosovo get arrested without any reason, when there are constant intrusions of special police units in the north contrary to all reached agreements, then some come and ask why are Serbs protesting? Serbs have the right to peaceful political protest because of Pristina’s unilateral acts”, he underlined. 

Djuric: Pristina lost “blank cheque” support for its behaviour from US and international community (RTS)

Serbian Ambassador to US, Marko Djuric told RTS that the agreement made yesterday means a step ahead in the legal protection of the Serbs in northern Kosovo, adding Pristina has lost “blank cheque” support for its behaviour from US and international community.

He also said a rational approach was needed to reflect on what has happened in northern Kosovo over the last 20 days.

“I urge citizens of Serbia to get acquainted with two other elements of the talks that were held and agreement that was made, materialised in a joint statement of the EU and US on one side and KFOR announcement on the other”, Djuric said.

Asked what guarantees were that this political agreement will be honoured, given that already signed agreements have been violated, Djuric responded guarantee for it were determination and resolution of Serbs who peacefully protected their rights at barricades over the last 20 days.

He also said the results of those talks could be measured by reactions from Pristina.

“You could see that Kurti’s regime accuses its own court for grand treason because Pantic was sent to house arrest”, he said, adding if everything was good they would not call protests in Pristina in front of KFOR bases.

Commenting on the role of the US in the latest talks, Djuric said Washington had a concrete role, adding he is not saying so just because Serbian national interest is to advance relations with the US. He said he was in touch with US envoy for Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, and they were in contact with US Ambassador in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier. 

US Ambassador Hill says Kosovo crisis requires political solution (Nova.rs, N1)

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill told Nova.rs that the current crisis in Kosovo requires a political solution which can be found through dialogue. He said that everyone involved is trying to get to the point where the situation calms to tackle political issues which need to be resolved.

The ambassador said that he understands the frustration of Serbs in Kosovo which have been in place for some time. He said that the Serb community has been in Kosovo for centuries and has the right to know what their future will be. According to him, efforts have to be invested so that the Serb community can live and feel good in their homes in Kosovo.

He warned that barricades put up by Serbs in northern Kosovo following the arrest of several of their countrymen are an evident problem which the Serbs see as a protest. He is quoted as saying that he understands why everything happened but it was time for people who set up barricades to remove them and voiced hope they are prepared to do that.

He added he hopes the political process will continue with less tension to resolve important issues such as the way the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) will operate. The CSM is an agreed obligation, and we are now dealing with ways to implement it, he said.

Heightened combat readiness state of Serbian Army revoked (Kosovo Online)

The state of the heightened combat readiness of the Serbian Army has been revoked as per decision of the President Aleksandar Vucic, who is also Supreme Commander, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The heightened combat readiness of the army was declared on December 26, because of the situation in northern Kosovo, the portal recalled. 

Petkovic: Trampling US-EU guarantees will not be easy for Pristina (Tanjug, TV Pink)

The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said last night’s discussions with Kosovo-Metohija Serbs had been complex and difficult but that, most importantly, unity had been achieved and that Serbia stood with its people and backed the decisions of Serbs in the province, reported Tanjug.

“Last night, we demonstrated that it is only through joint forces that we can secure the survival of our people in Kosovo-Metohija,” Petkovic told Pink TV, adding that the Serbian authorities were aware of the scale of the terror Kosovo-Metohija Serbs were subjected to.

He said trampling US and EU guarantees would not be easy for Pristina.

“These agreements and guarantees will become a part of all agreements we are invoking, and we have secured something that is an integral part of our fight in the international arena. We have received guarantees Pristina will not be able to trample so easily without a reaction by the US and the EU, because those are their guarantees and their word,” Petkovic said.

He noted that the US and the EU guaranteed there would be no arrests of Serbs in Kosovo.

“The Serbs have said openly they do not trust US and EU guarantees but, on the other hand, we provided guarantees that we will stand with our people. We cannot trust Kurti and it is better to have a paper like this that we can stick to,” Petkovic said.

“Under the guarantees, the ‘Kosovo Security Force’ cannot go to the north of Kosovo without consent from the KFOR commander and political representatives of Kosovo Serbs,” Petkovic added.

Vucic to receive Nedeljkovic tomorrow (Danas)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will receive tomorrow at 10.00, Nikola Nedeljkovic, a young Serb man arrested by Kosovo police on June 28, at Gazimestan, who completed yesterday (December 28) his 6-months prison sentence for allegedly “inciting ethnic hatred and discord” and was subsequently released, Danas daily reports.

Nedeljkovic will be received at the Presidential General Secretariat building in Belgrade, while the media can cover the preliminary part. It was also planned that Vucic will address the media after the meeting. 

Opinion 

“Full escalation in Kosovo only postponed”: What’s next in 2023? (DW, Danas)

This year in Kosovo ends with announcements that barricades will be removed, but tension and mistrust remain, reported Danas daily, citing Deutsche Welle. 

DW asked analysts in Belgrade and Pristina whether there could be any progress in the dialogue in 2023.

Director of research at the Belgrade Center for International and Security Affairs (ISAC Fund), Igor Novakovic, does not share the optimism of Lajcak, that an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo could be reached next year. 

“They made that Franco-German proposal, which was taken upon by the European Union, but to break through anything, a much greater engagement of the EU on the ground is needed. For years, they did not see themselves as a key geopolitical actor, but now it must engage,” said Novakovic.

According to Novakovic, new is the statement of the American special envoy for dialogue, Gabriel Escobar, who announced that the USA will take over the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) and, with or without the government of Kosovo, make a proposal on what it should look like. “Escobar said that they plan to start talks on the CSM only in April, and that means that those deadlines are very flexible,” says Novakovic. 

At the same time, he recalls that the Kosovo Assembly ratified the 2013 agreement: “Ratification means that these provisions have become part of the legal system of Kosovo and that they have a stronger force than domestic laws. In other words, all preconditions exist regardless of the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to implement certain solutions. The problem here, however, is that the political elite in Pristina have demonized the ZSO so much that they simply cannot back down. What I am afraid of is that the American process around the Community will not result in practical application on the ground,” says Novakovic.

“Take it or leave it”

Visar Ymeri, director of the Pristina Institute for Social Policy “Musine Kokalari”, has a slightly different opinion. He sees the current crisis, which was on the verge of conflict, as a prelude to the decision to form the CSM: “I think that this situation in the North is useful for both leaders in order to bring the idea of compromise closer to their people. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has already started talking about ‘two paths – either war or dialogue’. Something similar is heard in Pristina – ‘either CSM or war,'” says Ymeri.

Ymeri sees Escobar’s message as follows: Kurti “will either start forming the CSM within the given period, or he will have to start thinking about how to leave power. And there is a third possibility – that we get a document, as is the case with the Franco-German plan, which will be the framework for how the CSM will look and function. That paper will again come from a country from the international community and will be presented to us as a ‘take it or leave it’ document. If that process is started, the formation of the CSM will not necessarily have to be completed, but it will be enough to open the door to talk about the second part of the EU plan, which Vucic is very reluctant to negotiate,” Ymeri told DW.

Novakovic, however, sees Belgrade’s red line in just such a scenario: “What I think Belgrade will not give in to is the issue of the formation of the CSM. There will be no talk of new negotiations until what has already been agreed is fulfilled.”

Ymeri sees the cause of the latest crisis and barricades in the north in the conflict between these two approaches – the beginning of negotiations on the CSM, then its formation after reaching a comprehensive agreement or the formation of the CSM, then negotiations on a comprehensive agreement.

So far “chess has been played”

While the formation of the CSM is a condition of the Serbian List for the return of Serbs to Kosovo institutions, the conditions for removing the barricades were the withdrawal of the Special Units of the Kosovo Police from the north, as well as the release of the three arrested Serbs. On Wednesday, after two and a half weeks of barricades, at the request of the special prosecutor, one of the arrested, Dejan Pantic, was transferred to house arrest. That, along with the guarantee given by Kosovo to the EU and the USA that there will be no arrests for participating in protests and barricades, was enough for the decision to withdraw the barricades, which is expected to be implemented in the coming days.

Two former Kosovo police officers were charged with undermining the constitutional order, attempted murder, terrorism, and war crimes. The credibility of those accusations is widely questioned in the Serbian community in Kosovo, and the frequent appearances of alleged lists of suspects for war crimes or organized crime, which now include several hundred Serbs, are seen as an attempt to intimidate the community. Serious frustrations in the community were also caused by the months-long presence of heavily armed Albanian special forces in majority Serb areas, and five police bases built in Leposavic and Zubin Potok on private property that was expropriated only after the construction of the bases began and without consultation with the local Serbian community.

This condition, it seems, was not discussed in the negotiations in recent weeks, but at a meeting with Kosovo Serbs in Raska on Wednesday. Vucic promised that he would advocate for the situation with the special police to return to the period from February 2022, when their presence was intensified. 

However, months of jumping from one crisis to another in the north of Kosovo lead to the conclusion that the full escalation was only postponed, not avoided. “If the persecution of Kurti continues, the new barricades will close the north to Pristina institutions forever,” said representatives of the Kosovo Serbs.

Visar Ymeri told DW that he does not rule out the political will of the residents in the north, but still believes that “the eruption in the north was orchestrated and controlled”: “It may not be the result of an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, but everyone did their part. That doesn’t guarantee that the situation won’t escalate further, but up until this point it seemed like a game of chess. Both parties reposition themselves before continuing the dialogue. Kurti tried to show that he can achieve sovereignty by using the police forces of Kosovo, the rule of law, while Vucic says that he is actually the one who controls the North.”

And 2023 will be the “year of stagnation”?

The new dynamics of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina was conditioned by ‘’the Russian invasion of Ukraine’’, Ymeri points out. The first agreement on normalization was called like that, because it was known that there would be a second one, he explains. However, he says, the war in Ukraine has influenced the Western powers, especially the EU, but to some extent the US, to lose the will to wait for the parties to come to an agreement on their own. Instead, he believes, they will propose agreements that can be accepted by both parties: “Thus, the talks were called a dialogue, because it was expected that the parties would come to an agreement with each other and so far, the agreements formally had that nature, although there was mediation. But now that is clearly changing, the principle will be – this is a document, both sides agree, this is what you asked for. We are moving from dialogue to a negotiation style where we receive ready-made documents, and we are asked to accept them with the possibility of accepting some minor objections,” Ymeri told DW.

Novakovic expects Serbia to respond positively to such an invitation: “Vucic and Dacic said that they certainly do not want Kosovo in the UN, and that other matters can be negotiated. What I certainly expect is that Serbia will not refuse the invitation, even if those relations are reformulated from dialogue to negotiations. They will not refuse the invitation and will be ready for a certain kind of compromise.”

What Novakovic does not expect is the realization of the proposals of certain opposition parties in Serbia: “Dialogue will not return to the United Nations. The European Union, i.e., Brussels, will remain the place where the two sides will meet”.

And yet, Novakovic does not predict the success of the new approach due to the resistance to the formation of the CSM: “The way I see things, it seems to me that 2023 will again be a year of stagnation. I would not rule out the possibility of some kind of limited conflict, which is very possible because the leaders themselves from both sides certainly cannot control the situation in every sense and in every place. That is one possible scenario. And the EU, given the current situation, without a stronger, more concrete offer for both sides and without investment in resources and people, cannot expect any greater success.”

International 

Serbia’s Vucic Says Kosovo Roadblocks To Be Removed (RFE)

The roadblocks set up by ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo will be removed within the next 24 to 48 hours, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said early on December 29 following calls by the United States and the European Union to de-escalate tensions in the volatile region.

It was not immediately clear when the actual work will start on dismantling the barricades.

Trucks that had formed a roadblock in the northern city of Mitrovica had been set on fire early on December 29, apparently by ethnic Serbs who did not agree with Vucic’s call, RFE/RL correspondents reported from the area.

Northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs are a majority, has been on edge since November, when hundreds of ethnic Serbian policemen, judges, and prosecutors walked off the job in protest at a decision by Pristina to ban Belgrade-issued license plates inside Kosovo.

On December 28, Washington and the European Union voiced concern about the tense situation in the north of Kosovo, where authorities had closed down the main border crossing with Serbia at Merdare after protesters set up a roadblock on the Serbian side.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3VLcj3j

Village’s Xmas Lights Draw Thousands of Kosovars (Prishtina Insight)

The joyful, twinkling Christmas and end-of-year decorations in Pjetërshan lure visitors of all faiths and none to the village.

It has become a tradition that the small village of Pjetërshan, in Gjakova, puts up its best decorations for Christmas to adorn the village. 

The bright lights placed carefully on the trees of the main church of the village attract many to visit the church. Apart from the Christian believers who live in the villages nearby, they attract many Muslims from the rest of Kosovo as well. 

When a new priest came to the parish some five years ago, little did he know that his initiative would make the village so popular. 

“It is something that the Albanian people missed. It is an environment that gives warmth to all of those who visit it, but also to those who see it through social media,” Fr Marjan Ukaj, the parish priest, says.

Since they turned on the lights, on December 1, they have had around 10,000 visitors, the priest told Prishtina Insight.

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

In northern Kosovo, conflict is avoided, for now (emerging-europe.com)

Armed conflict between Kosovo and Serbia has been avoided. For now, that’s as much as anyone can hope for.

In the end, Prishtina offered the tiniest of olive branches, and Belgrade accepted.  

Early on December 29, Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, said that Serbs living in northern Kosovo would end their blockade of roads into and out of the region.  

Serbs, who make up the vast majority of northern Kosovo’s population, have been blocking roads for several weeks in protest at the arrest of a former policeman. The blockade has led to the most serious escalation of tensions between the two countries in years. On Tuesday, Serbia said that its army was at its “highest level of combat readiness”. 

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3WwX1jK