Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Constitutionality, legality, decision-making are not negotiable (RTK)
• EU asks again Kosovo to resolve dinar issue through dialogue (Klan)
• Hoti: We didn’t get answer in Vienna why Serbia not opening archives (Klan)
• Svecla and Krasniqi in Mitrovica North : Serbia’s threats do not scare us (Koha)
• Bislimi: EU should be driving force for Western Balkans as well (RTK)
• Gervalla in Germany, discusses cooperation in security field (RTK)
• Hamza: There are sufficient funds for defendants in the Hague (EO)
• Haradinaj at White House National Security Council (media)
• Ramadani: KFOR did not allow Krasniqi to enter Zvecan municipality on Monday (media)
• Serbian inscriptions on Albanian houses in Kroi i Vitakut neighborhood (RTK)
• Kosovo police remove billboard with Serbian flag in Kroi i Vitakut (Reporteri)
• Limaj on opposition: I don’t know if they want to keep Kurti in power (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Hill: The Ohrid Agreement does not imply that Serbia recognizes Kosovo (N1, NMagazin, Beta, Bujanovacke)
• Vucic to address public tomorrow (Danas, RTS, media)
• Vucic: I informed Botsan-Kharchenko about Pristina’s latest unilateral move (Tanjug)
• Dacic: Kurti’s decision to ban dinar undermines dialogue (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)
• National Bank of Serbia: There can be no talk of an agreement with the CBK, a solution only through political dialogue (Tanjug, RTV, Kosovo Online)
• Prosecution: Two suspects Illegally provided medical services in Pristina (KiM radio, RTS)
• Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT): The action in the Center in Pristina instills fear and endangers the safety of Serbs (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)
• Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Detention of health workers exposes the criminal nature of Kurti’s regime (N1, NMagazin)
• EU concerned over fallout of Kosovo central bank decision (N1)
• Kosovo Central Bank: Komercijalna Bank voluntarily stopped operations (Beta, N1)
• Serbian DefMin says conscription not about Kosovo (N1, RTS)
• KoSSev editor in chief asked Vucic whether he agreed to abolish the dinar in Brussels; Petkovic reacted on X (N1, NMagazin, Kosovo Online)
• JUGpress: “EULEX informed about incidents with armed forest thieves, KFOR and the Serbian Army do not respond” (NMagazin)

International:

• What is (or was) Open Balkan? (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti: Constitutionality, legality, decision-making are not negotiable (RTK)

After paying homage at the memorial complex in Lupc i Poshtem, on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the fall of the martyr Elfete Humolli, Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti was asked about the CBK’s decision on the new regulation, which prohibits the use of the dinar currency. He said that the transitional phase started in December of last year and everything went well.

“Precisely the successful preparations for the implementation of the CBK regulation have alarmed the official Belgrade and they then tried to start a panic through a campaign trumpeted by the head of state there. With the information I have, everything is going well, but if there is any remark or complaint, we will address it with the highest seriousness and with the greatest speed”, Kurti said.

In response to the EU’s request for this issue, Prime Minister Kurti stated “the CBK is an independent institution of Kosovo, politicians cannot overlap the independent institutions of the state, because in this way we lose the character of the democratic republic for our independent country. The constitutionality, legality, decision-making of independent institutions cannot be negotiated by politicians”, Kurti said.

“Today we mark the 34th anniversary of the demonstration in which the student Elfete Humolli was killed by Serbian enemy forces before she turned 17. “Elfete, Mentor and all the nation’s martyrs testify to us the hours of our history and how dearly the freedom of the people and the liberation of Kosovo was paid,” Kurti said.

EU asks again Kosovo to resolve dinar issue through dialogue (Klan)

The European Union has issued today a communiqué regarding the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which is expected to enter into force today. The EU asks Kosovo to ensure a fairly long transition period and to find a negotiated solution to this issue within the EU-facilitated Dialogue.

“The European Union takes into account the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which is expected to enter into force today. The regulation aims to increase the transparency of financial flows, ensure financial stability and fight money laundering and counterfeiting”, the EU communiqué states.

“The EU notes that the regulation will also affect the financial support that Kosovo Serbs receive from Serbia. The EU is concerned about the consequences that this decision may have on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs and other communities throughout Kosovo due to the lack of prior consultation, especially about its impact on schools and hospitals, given the obvious lack of alternatives at this moment”, the communiqué continues.

According to the EU, the short transition period for the implementation of the regulation, combined with the lack of information and practical solutions for all affected communities, risk seriously complicating the lives of Kosovo Serbs.

Hoti: We didn’t get answer in Vienna why Serbia not opening archives (Klan)

Andin Hoti, chair of the Kosovo Government Committee for Missing Persons, in an interview with the TV station on Wednesday, commented on a meeting held in Vienna on the issue of missing persons. “It was an extraordinary meeting and necessary to reiterate our demands to learn about the fate of our families. Our demands are already known and public … What I can say from the meeting is that the Serbian side did not give an answer about the note we sent on June 1 to [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic. We received no answer about the [Serbia] archives and to be honest I did not expect an answer,” he said.

Svecla and Krasniqi in Mitrovica North : Serbia’s threats do not scare us (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Svecla, and the Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said on Thursday from North Mitrovica that Serbia’s threats do not scare them and they will continue building houses for Albanians in the four northern municipalities.

Svecla and Krasniqi visited the house under construction of an Albanian in North Mitrovica, which was sprayed with “extremist slogans”.

The Minister of the Interior has promised that the actors of this act will be brought to justice.

“The houses of Albanian owners that are being rebuilt, have been covered with extremist slogans that have no place in Kosovo. Any inter-ethnic hate speech, any language that incites violence is reprehensible. The actors will be discovered and brought to justice. As we said earlier, there is no place for Serbia and Russia in Kosovo”, Svecla said.

The Minister of Local Government Administration said that the government of Kosovo will guarantee citizens the basic right to return to their homes, while adding that “extremist slogans” show that Serbia is not interested in normality.

Bislimi: EU should be driving force for Western Balkans as well (RTK)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi has asked the European Union to use the same moral principles for the Western Balkans as in the case of Ukraine. His statement comes after the EU’s decision to allocate an aid package of 50 billion euros to Ukraine.

“Today’s EUCO decision indicates the importance of unity and togetherness. Same moral principles that should be a driving force also for the Western Balkans. In this sense, providing of finances for the Western Balkans Growth Plan, is a major step towards EU integration,” Bislimi wrote on X platform.

Gervalla in Germany, discusses cooperation in security field (RTK)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, has met with the head of the German Defense Commission, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. They discussed the security situation in Kosovo and the threats of Serbia’s continuous attacks against peace and security in the region, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“During this conversation held in the German Bundestag with the chairman and members of the Defense Committee, they discussed interstate cooperation in the field of security, the need to impose sanctions on Serbia for its destabilizing actions in the Western Balkans, as well as the continuation of support of Kosovo in professional, logistical development and membership in NATO”, reads the communique further. 

Hamza: There are sufficient funds for defendants in the Hague (EO)

Mayor of Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza, said on Wednesday evening that he is concerned about recent reports about the lack of funds for the defense team of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci at the Specialist Chambers in the Hague. According to Hamza, Kosovo has financial means to support the defense team and that this would pose no threat to the fiscal stability. “Moreover, I think it is our legal and moral obligation to defend the truth about the freedom of Kosovo … The Government of the Republic of Kosovo must not reduce the aid but rather provide more funds for the defense of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. This is what Croatia did for its generals, including Albanian generals. We should do the same,” he argued.

Haradinaj at White House National Security Council (media)

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) during his visit to the USA, announced that he met the director for the Balkans and Central Europe in the National Security Council (NSC), Mr. Jeremy Long. 

“In the meeting with Mr. Long appreciated the role of the National Security Council and the White House towards Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic perspective for NATO membership. I emphasized that the people of Kosovo consider friendship with America eternal. This country, as our strategic ally and the most reliable partner in every process, helped to liberate and build our statehood,” Haradinaj wrote.

Ramadani: KFOR did not allow Krasniqi to enter Zvecan municipality on Monday (media)

The former head of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Burim Ramadani, said that KFOR on Monday did not allow Minister Elbert Krasniqi to enter the facility of the municipality of Zvecan, to meet the mayor Ilir Peci.

“KFOR did not allow Minister Elbert Krasniqi to enter the facility of the Municipality of Zvecan. The event happened this Monday, January 29, 2024, in the afternoon while the Minister of the Government of Kosovo went to meet the Mayor of the Municipality of Zvecan”, Ramadani wrote.

He added that this is a disturbing indication of the stage in which KFOR seems to have decided to exercise its powers.

Serbian inscriptions on Albanian houses in Kroi i Vitakut neighborhood (RTK)

Albanian houses in the Kroi i Vitakut neighborhood in North Mitrovica are filled with Serbian inscriptions. In the houses that are being rebuilt by the government of Kosovo, it is suspected that the Serbs have placed inscriptions such as “Russia”, “Wagner” and “Kosovo is Serbia”, to cause fear for the Albanian citizens who want to return to their lands, reports the article which also carries the pictures of the houses with the inscriptions. 

Kosovo police remove billboard with Serbian flag in Kroi i Vitakut (Reporteri)

The Kosovo Police removed a billboard today in the Kroi i Vitakut neighborhood in Zvecan. The news was confirmed by the Police deputy director for the northern region, Veton Elshani.

“Today, the Kosovo Police secured the Kroi i Vitakut neighborhood while the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Local Government were visiting. During this time, the billboard that was on the hill nearby has also been removed,” Elshani said.

Limaj on opposition: I don’t know if they want to keep Kurti in power (media)

Leader of the Social Democratic Initiative of Kosovo (NISMA), Fatmir Limaj, in an interview with RTV21, criticized opposition parties for lack of coordination and said that the opposition “cannot find its way”. “It is not understandable for the opposition to have the current luxury toward failures. There is an opposition that cannot find its way. The question is whether this opposition does not know or does not want, or if it wants Kurti to stay in power,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Hill: The Ohrid Agreement does not imply that Serbia recognizes Kosovo (N1, NMagazin, Beta, Bujanovacke)

American Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill stated that the Ohrid Agreement does not imply recognition, but normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, reported portal NMagazin. 

Hill told the Bujanovacke portal that Serbia has fulfilled a good part of that agreement, and the most important thing that remains is to find a way for Kosovo to join international organizations.

On the other hand, as emphasized by the ambassador, Serbia has the right to the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO).

“In Kosovo, they see the ZSO as a kind of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the ZSO has no resemblance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, everyone has the right to their opinion, but not to twist the facts. Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo first care about education and health and through ZSO have the right to do so,” Hill said.

He emphasized that the meaning of the Ohrid Agreement is “the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia”.

“That people, while crossing checkpoints at border crossings, do not think about politics, but about increasing the quality of their lives,” he said.

He stressed that he believes in normalization because, as he said, “everything is possible if people want to talk”.

Today, Ambassador Hill visited the Bujanovacke newsroom, where he got acquainted with the conditions under which the portal works.

Vucic to address public tomorrow (Danas, RTS, media)

The Service for Cooperation with the Media of the President of Serbia has announced that Aleksandar Vucic will address the public on Friday, February 2 at 1 p.m., at the Palace of Serbia in New Belgrade, reported Danas. 

The address is expected regarding the situation in Kosovo and the decision of the Pristina authorities to penalize the use of dinars in traffic, and to make the euro the only means of payment.

Vucic: I informed Botsan-Kharchenko about Pristina’s latest unilateral move (Tanjug)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, today received the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko, and on that occasion informed him about the latest unilateral move by Pristina, reported Tanjug. 

“I informed Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko about the latest unilateral move by Pristina, clearly directed against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as about the possible consequences of this irresponsible act of Kurti’s regime,” Vucic wrote on his Instagram account “buducnostsrbijeav”.

He stated that they also discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between Serbia and the Russian Federation, as well as other regional and international issues of common interest.

Dacic: Kurti’s decision to ban dinar undermines dialogue (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Thursday a decision by Pristina’s PM Albin Kurti to ban the Serbian dinar in Kosovo undermined dialogue, reported Tanjug.

“In that regard, we are certainly not surprised by such moves because he keeps coming up with new moves that could obstruct the process of negotiations over the long term. In fact, he is undermining further dialogue because, if you keep making such moves, which raises the question of what kind of plan and sense of purpose someone has and what their credibility is as a dialogue participant,” Dacic told Pink TV.

He said the ban on the dinar would make everyday life more difficult for Serbs in Kosovo. 

“Under the Brussels Agreement, Serbia can help various Serb institutions in Kosovo-Metohija and provide money to them. What is worrying here is that, after every such idea he (Kurti) gets, you have a reaction by the international community in which it appeals that the issue be delayed,” Dacic noted.

National Bank of Serbia: There can be no talk of an agreement with the CBK, a solution only through political dialogue (Tanjug, RTV, Kosovo Online)

The National Bank of Serbia said today that there can be no talk of an agreement between the Central Bank of Kosovo and the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) and that the only possible thing is to insist on the political format of the talks, as well as that the issue must be resolved exclusively within the dialogue at the existing level, reported Kosovo Online, citing RTV.

The NBS responded regarding the latest statements of the representatives of the Kosovo government and said that it is necessary to immediately put an end to the discriminatory, illegal and outrageous measures introduced by the institutions in Pristina, in order to enable the smooth transport and distribution of dinars and to prevent the denial of basic conditions for the life of Serbian population in Kosovo, it was said among other things.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, said on Wednesday that the institutions asked the Central Bank leadership to establish a line of communication with the National Bank of Serbia to find appropriate mechanisms for the funds coming from Serbia, recalled Kosovo Online.

Prosecution: Two suspects ‘Illegally provided medical services’ in Pristina (KiM radio, RTS)

KiM radio reported that the Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo announced this morning that in cooperation with the Kosovo Police, an investigation was carried out in a facility that was used for the provision of medical services in Pristina. Two people were suspected and questioned, as well as several witnesses. After the discussion, they were all released, the Basic Prosecutor’s Office announced.

They state that it was established that medical services were provided in ”an illegal manner in the facility in Pristina, and that criminal proceedings were opened for the criminal offense of Illegal performance of medical or pharmaceutical activity”.

They point out that an investigation was carried out on the basis of a notification about the illegal operations of the non-governmental organization “Centar” in Pristina, so the chief prosecutor of the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Pristina, together with the prosecutor of the Serious Crimes Department of the Economic Crime and Corruption Unit, went to the scene, and that the necessary investigative measures were taken in coordination with the Kosovo Police, Kosovo Customs and the Health Inspectorate.

During the action, as they say, material evidence that will be used in the criminal proceedings was taken, while the facility was closed by the decision of the Health Inspection, according to the statement.

KiM radio recalls that yesterday, KP members broke into the premises of the Center for Peace and Tolerance NGO, where the infirmary of the Pristina Health Center was located, according to the Serbian system, and several medical workers were taken to an informative interview. At the same time, the ambulance of this institution was confiscated.

In addition to providing health services to the remaining Serbian population in this city, this facility was also a gathering and socializing place for about forty Serbs, mostly old people, who remained to live in this city after the war.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Detention of health workers exposes the criminal nature of Kurti’s regime (N1, NMagazin)

”The police raid on the premises of the outpatient clinic used by the Serbs in Pristina and the taking of the health workers to the police station where they were held for several hours and released only last night around midnight, exposes the brutal and criminal nature of Albin Kurti’s regime and once again reveals his true intentions,” the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in the statement for media. 

”Health workers, who are protected from abuse by international conventions and rules of civilized treatment, even in times of war, are for Kurti and his thugs only the personification of Serbia and a legitimate target for harassment,” the Office announced.

‘“By doing so, it shows the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija that even those who are guaranteed safety and dignity in the entire civilized world are not protected.’’

“The outpatient clinic, which has been working as a department of the Pristina Health Center since 2005, has been providing health services to a small number of remaining Serbs, residents of Pristina, who were also told in this way that they are not desirable and that they do not even have the right to health care. Although this clinic has been operating for almost 20 years, now Pristina is targeting it and the health workers with long pipes in the form of new intimidation and persecution of Serbs,” the Office for KiM pointed out.

The Office reminds that several tens of thousands of Serbs once lived in Pristina, and that the few remaining are now a “thorn in the eye” of Albin Kurti, “because they remind him every day that the Serbian people do not intend to give up their southern province and what is rightfully theirs and it belongs to justice”.

“This unprecedented act of violence, even in the atmosphere of Kurti’s reign of terror, shows that Pristina will stop at nothing to make it impossible for Serbs to even think about a normal life and requires an urgent and sharp reaction from the international community,” the Office said.

Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT): The action in the Center in Pristina instills fear and endangers the safety of Serbs (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)

The Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT) warns against, as they say, inappropriate activities during yesterday’s police raid on premises used by Serbs in Pristina and point out that they bring fear to the entire Serbian community, but also threaten the safety of the employees of this non-governmental organization, reported KiM radio.

At the same time, they also respond to the accusations of the Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Svecla, stating that the CPT does not provide any medical services, as well as that his statement yesterday is absolutely untrue and based on baseless claims, demanding apology from him.

They remind that the center in Pristina has existed for more than twenty years, that it was established with the help and approval of the UNMIK administration, KFOR, Doctors Without Borders and numerous other international organizations that supported the Center as the only safe place for gathering the few remaining Serbs, Roma, Turks , Bosniaks and Gorani in Pristina.

“The only accurate information from yesterday’s presentation is that occasionally doctors from the enclave visited the Center to measure the blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol of the remaining old Serbs in Pristina, but it was not mentioned that these services were also often used by police officers from the police station located directly next to the Center,” they state in the statement.

They also point out that over the years this center has been the subject of interest of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Kosovo Police, with the sole intention of taking over the Center’s premises.

They also state that the premises belong to the municipality of Pristina, which gave its property first to the Fire Station, and then to the Komercijalna Bank for use.

“In 2012, a decision was made to continue the Center’s work until a better solution is found for the relocation of the Center for Communities in Pristina”.

”A solution has not been found to date, but the desire of the Ministry for spaces that do not belong to them still exists. Since 2012, the NGO Center for Peace and Tolerance Pristina has moved its headquarters to Gracanica, and the Center for communities remains with a unique function, which is to serve as a gathering place for the remaining Serbian and other minority communities in the city,” the announcement states, reported KiM radio.

EU concerned over fallout of Kosovo central bank decision (N1)

The European Union expressed concern on Thursday about the possible fallout of Pristina’s decision to make the Euro the only legal currency in Kosovo.

The Central Bank of Kosovo issued a decree in mid-January making the Euro the only legal currency as of February 1, effectively banning the Dinar which is widely used in majority-Serb areas. A large number of Kosovo Serbs rely on income from Serbian institutions and companies for their livelihood.

“The EU is concerned about the consequences that this decision might have on the daily lives of Kosovo Serbs and other communities throughout Kosovo due to absence of prior consultation, in particular on its impact on schools and hospitals, given the apparent absence of alternatives at this moment,” a press release from the European External Action Service said.

“The EU notes that the regulation will also affect the financial support that Kosovo Serbs receive from Serbia. … The short transition period for the regulation’s implementation, combined with a lack of information and practical solutions for all affected communities, risk seriously complicating their lives,” it said.

“The EU urges Kosovo to ensure a sufficiently long transition period and to find a negotiated solution to this issue in the framework of the EU-facilitated Dialogue,” the press release said.

Kosovo Central Bank: Komercijalna Bank voluntarily stopped operations (Beta, N1)

The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said “the banking activity of Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd – Branch in Mitrovica, has come to an end.”

The CBK said this action comes as a result of the supervisory dialogue in the period August-September 2023, which resulted in a plan for voluntary liquidation.

“This plan, after revision, received the consent of the CBK on 6 October 2023, to be concluded with the decision of 9 January 2024, for the closure of branches and all sub-branches in the Republic of Kosovo, effective from 31 January 2024,” said the CBK.

After the passing of the deadline for banking operations with citizens, at the end of the day on 31 January 2024, all citizens’ bank deposits have been closed, so the Central Bank of Kosovo suspended the activity of this bank branch in Kosovo.

The CBK added that “Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd – Branch in Mitrovica was licensed by CBK for operation in 2007 and has operated with the Branch in Mitrovica and eight (8) sub-branches across the territory of Kosovo.”

According to CBK, there is enough bank offices, financial and non-banking institutions operating that reasonably cover the needs of the Serb community in Kosovo.

Serbian DefMin says conscription not about Kosovo (N1, RTS)

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said on Thursday that the possible reinstatement of mandatory military service has nothing to do with the situation in Kosovo.

He told the state TV (RTS) that the country’s defense system is “visibly eroding” and losing sme 60,000 reserve personnel a year due to age while getting just 1,500 new personnel. “What state could sustain that,” he said.

According to the Defense Minister, Serbia’s military is not the same as it was 10 years ago but the issue is personnel. “We put forward the arguments to reinstate conscription following a suspension of 13 years,” he added.

KoSSev editor in chief asked Vucic whether he agreed to abolish the dinar in Brussels (NMagazin, N1)

The editor of the KoSSev portal, Tatjana Lazarevic, assessed that the latest decision of the authorities in Pristina to abolish the dinar in Kosovo is part of the implementation of the European plan for this territory, and that everything is part of the agreement from Brussels, reported portal NMagazin. 

She assesses that this decision of Pristina was not a surprise, and therefore calls on the authorities in Belgrade to answer the most important questions related to this topic.

“I would like to ask a question to President Vucic, has it been agreed, and how was the mechanism agreed on the cooperation of the two central banks, Kosovo and Serbia? It is important to hear from Brussels to answer the question of how quickly these decisions are implemented? As the transformation of everything into Kosovo institutions is taking place quite quickly on the ground, I assume that the mechanism of two banks will also be established quite quickly,” Lazarevic pointed out.

She sees the abolition of the dinar as a form of payment in Kosovo as a political and monetary measure by Pristina. She reminded that the Kosovo authorities reached an agreement on this measure with the international community.

“The partners they are talking to, recognize Kosovo’s independence and support a single currency in Kosovo. It is the euro, although, I emphasize, the euro is not an officially introduced currency, but it is used,” she says.

Speaking about how that decision will affect citizens of Serbian nationality, she said that employees of state-owned companies were “encouraged” last year to transfer their accounts to Postanska Stedionica (Postal Savings Bank). We had a problem getting official confirmation, but even then, something like that could indicate that “behind the scenes it was being agreed upon”.

“According to the agreement from Brussels, especially when talking about the Community of Serbian Municipalities, there should be one financial institution, and it was ‘guessed’ that it would be Postal Savings Bank,” explained interviewee N1.

She stated that it was clear to all those who closely follow the events in Kosovo that the Pristina authorities would start “hunting for currencies” after the events in Banjska. “Whoever wanted to understand the situation could do so,” Lazarevic pointed out.

She points out that there was knowledge that there was discussion in Brussels about the abolition of Serbian financial institutions, and that the obligation was for Belgrade to work on withdrawing the dinar by December.

She emphasizes that it is a basic question for the authorities in Belgrade, whether they discussed in Brussels the moves of Pristina that have followed since the beginning of this year. She stated that despite all objections and strong statements from both sides, the agreement from Brussels is respected and consistently applied on the ground.

When asked what the direct consequences of the change from dinar to euro accounts will be, she answers: 

“When the West says ‘concern’, it only refers to the transition period, whether it will be long enough to be able to switch currencies. The key limit for the West is that there should be peace in Kosovo, and this is their basic thesis in conducting politics here. One of the reasons why SNS was brought here, i.e., the right-wingers, is to maintain peace, and someone who guarantees that everything will end peacefully. And that is why the West is worried about how this decision will affect the poorest categories of the population. And there are basic problems of great concern, above all for social categories”.

Petkovic’s reaction on X

“President Vucic never discussed or negotiated the abolition of the dinar, as maliciously claimed Tatjana Lazarevic on the tycoon’s favorite TV channel N1. That is a brutal lie! The only ones who traded national interests were Solak’s opposition favorites. President Vucic will forever fight for the interests of the Serbian people in the province, and we will not give up, no matter how much some in Pristina or Belgrade wish for it,” wrote Petkovic on platform X, along with sharing N1’s article on Lazarevic’s statement for that media.

JUGpress: “EULEX informed about incidents with armed forest thieves, KFOR and the Serbian Army do not respond” (NMagazin)

The European Union Mission for the Rule of Law in Kosovo (EULEX) has been informed of the concern that you mention, the Regional Information Agency JUGpress answered a question regarding incidents with armed groups of forest thieves who, according to the locals, are invading the territory of Serbia from Kosovo, stealing wood and they are armed, reported portal NMagazin. 

”We asked the EULEX mission if they were informed about the theft of the forest from the administrative line of Kosovo – Serbia in the territory of the municipality of Kursumlija, as well as if they undertook any activities to ensure the safety of the population across the administrative line, in the territory of Serbia.”

” The mission has a mandate to support selected institutions of the rule of law in Kosovo. Within the scope of that mandate, EULEX supports the Kosovo Police in the field of international police cooperation. More specifically, EULEX facilitates the exchange of police information between the Kosovo Police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia in accordance with the protocol on police cooperation between the two entities. In accordance with its mandate, the Mission will supervise any criminal proceedings that are under the jurisdiction of the Kosovo authorities in this matter,” the statement said.

Despite the diplomatic response, we hope that action on the ground will be more concrete in this matter.

”We have not yet received answers from KFOR and the Serbian Army to questions related to this phenomenon of armed forest thieves crossing the administrative line.”

”We asked KFOR if it received information about these incidents through official channels from the Serbian authorities, as required by procedure, and what they did to ensure the security of the administrative line.”

”We asked the Serbian Army if they informed KFOR about this, as they are required by mutual communication and on the basis of the Kumanovo Agreement, as well as whether is true that in that area, along the administrative line with KiM, there are no more members of the army, as the locals claim? If it is true, on whose orders and when was the army withdrawn?”

”Residents of Kursumlija villages, which are located along the administrative line with Kosovo, have been warning for years that armed groups, which enter with tractors from the territory of the Podujevo municipality, are cutting wood and that there are cases when they have even shot at the residents. Because of all this, a few days ago a protest was organized in Kursumlija.”

In one such incident on August 28, 2014, when a gendarmerie patrol was attacked in the area of the village of Orlovac, municipality of Kursumlija, which was securing the place of attack and theft of the forest, Stevan Sindjelic was seriously wounded, who succumbed to his injuries at the VMA in Belgrade, reported the portal, citing JUGpress. 

Because of this, the then prime minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, visited Kursumlija in those days, who announced new measures and aid to the population of the villages in this municipality, which are located along the administrative line with Kosovo. In the meantime, some of these villages are almost deserted, and the promised help for a better life and survival has still not arrived, reported NMagazin.

International 

What is (or was) Open Balkan? (Kosovo 2.0)

From Mini Schengen to southeast Europe’s largest wine fair.Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama spent five years promoting the regional economic integration initiative ultimately known as Open Balkan. That is why it was such a surprise when he abruptly said that Open Balkan had “fulfilled the mission for which it was born,” in a July 1, 2023 interview with Albanian Euronews. This was the end of Open Balkan, Rama implied, before stating that the focus should now be on the EU-led Berlin Process for the European integration of Western Balkan countries.

At the time, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Rama’s partner in promoting Open Balkan, seemed to take the news hard. “I do not believe Rama said this,” Vučić said, “I hope I can see him soon.” When offered the opportunity to clarify months later, Rama commented that “Open Balkan has fulfilled the mission of making everyone in the region, but also everyone outside the region, aware of the strategic and vital importance of regional cooperation.”

Open Balkan’s main champions seem to disagree about whether the initiative still exists, but it was not ever entirely clear to observers whether Open Balkan ever actually existed in a tangible sense. K2.0 takes a look at what Open Balkan is, or was, or was supposed to be.

What are the basics?

The idea of locally-driven regional integration in the Balkans dates back to the 1990s, when then-Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano proposed a Mini Schengen area, or common regional economic zone. Rama began resurfacing the idea in 2018, and in 2019 he announced plans to form a new version of Mini Schengen alongside Vučić and then-North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. 

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