Albanian Language Media:

• Hovenier: Normalization process ultimately ends with mutual recognition (media)
• Osmani proposes national program for the army (Koha)
• 165 persons wanted over different offenses in the northern municipalities (media)
• Tahiri: Kurti’s government is forming the Association (Klan) 
• Isufaj approved removal of Radoicic arrest warrant, cannot disclose reasons (EO)
• O’Brien slams Dodik: No right of secession, full stop (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• North Mitrovica MA voted: Land near the Military Overhaul allocated to the Kosovo’s  MIA (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, Kontakt plus radio) 
• The Serbian Democracy Party on the decision of Kurti’s government to request the return of the alleged debt for electricity in the north of Kosovo (Danas)
• ‘Don’t celebrate the holidays of non-Muslims’ posters in General Jankovic: Four people detained (KiM radio, KoSSev)

International:

• Kosovo Teen’s Shop Window Decorations Bring Festive Cheer (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

Hovenier: Normalization process ultimately ends with mutual recognition (media)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said today in a video message for the New Year 2024, that “in 2023, though we have experienced some difficult moments together, a lot of progress has been achieved that we should acknowledge and celebrate. Above all, our U.S.-Kosovo partnership and friendship remains strong”.

Hovenier also said that the process of normalization between Kosovo and Serbia will ultimately end with mutual recognition “as both seek to advance their EU path”. “Implementing the Basic Agreement and its implementation annex is a major step towards that future,” he said. 

See full video message at: https://shorturl.at/jxHN8

Osmani proposes national program for the army (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani promised today a state program based on seven main pillars to improve the working and living conditions of recruits of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF). During the certification ceremony of 325 new soldiers of the KSF, held in Ferizaj, Osmani said that she and her staff drafted a proposal for the program this year. “This year together with my staff we worked on drafting a proposal for a state program based on the following seven pillars: first is the execution of added hazard payments, the execution of payments for working in shifts or overtime, third is life and health insurance, fourth is building and operationalizing a military hospital up to the third care level for military personnel, police officers and their families, as well as the families of KSF soldiers and police officers who fell in the line of duty, and for the families of KLA martyrs, invalids and veterans, fifth is improving the quality of food and transport, sixth is securing proper accommodation and seven is creating a loan fund with special terms for KSF soldiers,” Osmani said. She also said that the Office of the President will cooperate on making the required legislative amendments for the program.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who also attended the ceremony, said that this generation of KSF recruits are special because they are the highest number of graduates. “Our army is growing and will be continuously developed with new members that want to serve their country, just as the fearless eagle that you have embedded on your uniforms. This sense of pride is a result of a great teamwork: ministerial investments for the training and education of soldiers and supplies with new weapons and equipment, and your spiritual investment and readiness to protect your country’s future. From today you are the newest pillar of the Kosovo Security Force,” he said.

165 persons wanted over different offenses in the northern municipalities (media)

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, in an interview with Zeri, said that 165 persons are wanted over different offenses in the northern municipalities in Kosovo. “The number of citizens wanted in that zone is 165,” he said.

Tahiri: Kurti’s government is forming the Association (Klan) 

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, told a press conference today that the draft statute, which is the basic element for forming the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, is happening for the first time with the Kurti-led government. “Today, Kurti can say that the proposal came from one side or the other, but this is the proposal of the engagement in the dialogue the last two years. This is a product of the Ohrid agreement, this is a product of the Brussels agreement. The starting point of the Association is the agreement for self-management reached in Ohrid,” he argued.

Isufaj approved removal of Radoicic arrest warrant, cannot disclose reasons (EO)

Chief prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, Blerim Isufaj, said today that he gave the approval to remove the arrest warrant for Milan Radoicic, but that he cannot disclose the reasons behind the decision. “I gave the approval. I cannot make the reasons public. These are sensitive matters, and subject of investigations,” he said. “The arrest warrant for Radoicic is completely an internal matter of the Prosecution. You can rest assured that we cannot disclose further details about the cases we work on. He was never in detention. The arrest warrant was removed for a time, and meanwhile it was reinstated.”

O’Brien slams Dodik: No right of secession, full stop (media)

Several news websites report that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien, reacted to a statement by President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, about his intention to break away from Bosnia and Herzegovina. O’Brien wrote in a post on X: “In Dayton, we discussed, and everyone there understood, that there was no right of secession. Full stop. The US will act if anyone tries to change this basic element of Dayton.”

Serbian Language Media

North Mitrovica MA voted: Land near the Military Overhaul allocated to the Kosovo’s MIA (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, Kontakt plus radio) 

KoSSev portal reports that the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly adopted a decision at the session today, out of the originally announced agenda – by which the plot of land near Military Overhaul was assigned to the Kosovo MIA. It is a plot number 02606-2, with a total area of 27,400 square meters.

The decision to assign it to the MIA was adopted immediately at the beginning of the Assembly session in this municipality – as the 2nd item on the agenda.

“Request of the MIA of the Republic of Kosovo for the allocation of plot number 02606-2, with an area of 27,400 square meters in North Mitrovica”.

According to KoSSev, this item was added to the agenda just before the session itself.

In the original agenda, sent to KoSSev in advance from this municipality, this item was not on the agenda. 

Portal reports that on the plot of the former Military Overhaul of the Yugoslav Army, there are several institutions that function according to the Serbian system – the Municipality, i.e. the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica, two public utility companies – Standard and Vodovod, a bus station built with funds from the European Union, a railway station, newly built sports hall. There is also an unfinished building that was supposed to be a meeting place for schools relocated from the south in 1999, as well as a school for teaching in the Romani language, and the works there were stopped this summer by the municipality of North Mitrovica.

KoSSev reports that the session was still ongoing when the article was published. 

KoSSev recalled that the MIA was previously assigned to manage Radoicic’s villa on Lake Gazivode, and then the Rajska Banja tourist complex.

And previously, in several disputed expropriations – the MIA of Kosovo was assigned plots of land in the North where bases have already been built, reported KoSSev.

The Serbian Democracy Party on the decision of Kurti’s government to request the return of the alleged debt for electricity in the north of Kosovo (Danas)

The Serbian Democracy party indicates that Pristina’s new decisions are directed against all agreements reached, whose guarantor is the EU, are not a surprise, reported Danas daily. 

“The latest in a series of discriminatory decisions by Pristina — in connection with the claim of an alleged debt of 12 million euros for used electricity from four municipalities with a majority Serb population — was made in order to once again directly question the survival of Serbs in these areas,” they state in the announcement.

As it is added, Pristina is demanding payment of the alleged debt from the funds that are directed to the development of majority Serb areas and partially from the budget of the municipalities in the following year. The collection of these claims would mean the blocking of the accounts of all four municipalities, they indicate.

The party believes that this move was made to block the work of local self-governments at the very moment when — after the upcoming local elections — Serbs would once again take over the management of municipalities.

“Serbian democracy calls on all international factors, which are the guarantors of the agreements reached, to react immediately and stop the unilateral actions of Pristina, which are obviously aimed at more intensive emigration of the Serbian people from Kosovo. With these moves, Mr. Albin Kurti further complicates the normalization of relations and continues elemental ethnic cleansing, and again appropriates something that does not belong to him,” they say.

They remind that the Fund for the Development of the North of Kosovo is not Mr. Kurti’s private property, and therefore, he cannot dispose of something that he does not own.

“The funds from the Fund for the Development of North Kosovo are intended for the development of municipalities and represent the public good of all citizens in the given municipalities — Severna Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. The goal of the Kosovo authorities is not to collect electricity. It involves a demonstration of force over the Serbian population, which is the majority in those municipalities, and forcing this people to leave the areas where they have lived since time immemorial. With these moves, the Kosovo government continues to implement its plan to reduce the number of Serbs in the whole of Kosovo, especially in the North of Kosovo,” says the Serbian Democracy party.

‘Don’t celebrate the holidays of non-Muslims’ posters in General Jankovic: Four people detained (KiM radio, KoSSev)

The Kosovo police detained four people in the Djeneral Jankovic (Han e Elezi) after the New Year’s tree in the municipality’s yard was set on fire early in the morning, and then posters with the inscription “New Year is not our holiday, do not celebrate non-Muslim holidays” were discovered, reported KiM radio. 

Firefighters then localized the fire, and a case of “causing general danger” was initiated, the Kosovo police announced.

A few hours later, a police patrol in this place noticed graffiti in several streets with the inscription “New Year is not our holiday, do not celebrate the holidays of non-Muslims”, and initiated a case of “causing discord and intolerance”. The police, in cooperation with the prosecutor, launched an investigation for the criminal offense of “inciting discord and intolerance” – they add.

After the investigation and review of the footage from the surveillance cameras, the police identified and then arrested the four suspects yesterday. 

After the interview, by the decision of the prosecutor, three suspects were taken into custody, while one person was later released through the regular investigation procedure, due to the suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of “inciting discord and intolerance”.

International 

Kosovo Teen’s Shop Window Decorations Bring Festive Cheer (BIRN)

When a 15-year-old Kosovo girl wrote on Facebook that she wanted to decorate shop windows to raise cash to help her single mother, retail outlets in the cities of Gjakova/Djakovica and Pristina responded enthusiastically.

Shop windows in Gjakova/Djakovica and Kosovo’s capital Pristina are more festive than usual this year after business owners responded to a Facebook post from 15-year-old Renea Morina saying she would paint window decorations to help out with her family’s living costs.

“I live with my mum, who is a single mum, and I expressed the desire to paint, for symbolic fees, to help with expenses,” Morina, a violin student at the Prenk Jakova high school in Gjakova/Djakovica, wrote on a local Facebook page.

Renea Morina painting a Christmas tree at the window of a business. Photo: Courtesy of Renea Morina

After the post was shared by the satirical Kosovo-based Facebook page Cool n Fresh Magazine and then went viral, Morina was hired to paint the windows of businesses in Pristina as well as Gjakova/Djakovica.

In many city streets, Morina’s window decorations are some of the only joyful sights.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/efim8