Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti with video address for Serb community in the issue of the Dinar (media)
• Central Bank: The Dinar has not been banned (media)
• New graffiti signed by Northern Brigade in the north of Kosovo (media)
• Protest for Dinar can escalate the situation, municipal officials say (Koha)
• Serwer: Serbia is the problem, Serbs the solution (media)
• Biserko: Vucic under pressure, especially because of Banjska (media)
• Seven persons investigated for maintaining illegal structures in Dukagjin (media)
• Osmani congratulates new President of Finland (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: The Serbs in Kosovo will not accept ‘meaningless lies’ and propaganda of Albin Kurti (Tanjug)
• Pensioners in the north of Kosovo call for a public rally, SL shares its support (KoSSev, TV Most)
• Diocese: We have a duty to raise our voice against terror; appeal to Serbs to show courage, national unity, and patience (KoSSev)
• NGOs respond to statements by Albin Kurti’s party (media)
• Derikravic announced a hunger strike, demanding that TAK return more than 310,000 euros of “illegally seized VAT” (KoSSev)
• How many more times residents of Miroce village must seek intervention? (KoSSev)
• New graffiti in the north: “When the army returns to Kosovo, the Northern Brigade lives” (KoSSev)
• Seven Serbs under investigation after the closure of the PA of the municipalities of Pec, Klina and Istok (Kosovo Online)
• After the Security Council session (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti with video address for Serb community in the issue of the Dinar (media)

All media covered on Sunday Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s video address for the Serb community about the issue of the Serbian Dinar in Kosovo, highlighting his remarks that the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo does not stop Serbia from giving financial aid to Serbs in Kosovo and that Kosovo has not banned the Dinar. Kurti said that any other interpretation of the CBK regulation is a campaign based on false information. “Kosovo has not banned the Dinar, the same way it hasn’t banned the Dollar, the Pound or the Swiss Franc. The only change is that from February 1, money cannot cross the border in bags, the same way it cannot happen in any other democratic country, but needs to be done through bank accounts in Euros,” Kurti said.

Watch full video address at: https://shorturl.at/distW

Central Bank: The Dinar has not been banned (media)

The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said in a video message on Saturday that the Serbian Dinar has not been banned in Kosovo. “Dinar, like any other currency (Dollar, Pound, Franc, etc.) is allowed to be possessed and stored as physical value (savings), account savings, conversion in financial institutions. So, the Dinar has not been banned,” the video message says. On the question “if payments from Serbia prohibited”, the video message notes that “any citizen with a bank account in any of the Republic of Kosovo’s licensed banks can accept transfers to their account in Euro, regardless of whether the sender initiated the transfer in Euro, Dinar or any other currency. So payments from Serbia are NOT prohibited”.

Watch video message at: https://shorturl.at/dANXZ

New graffiti signed by Northern Brigade in the north of Kosovo (media)

Most news websites reported on Sunday that in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, new graffiti were seen on Sunday with the messages “When the [Serbian] army returns to Kosovo” and “The Northern Brigade lives”. Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told Radio Free Europe that the prosecution has initiated a case for “spreading of hatred” and that the authors of the graffiti are not known year. The news website recalls that the Kosovo Government declared the Northern Brigade and the Civil Protection as terrorist organizations in late June 2023. It is believed that these organizations operate in the north of Kosovo and that they have hundreds of members.

Telegrafi news website quotes security experts as saying the new graffitis are a security alarm. Nuredin Ibishi, security expert, said “the reality is that the Northern Brigade and the Civil Protection are still on the ground and there is still a possibility for new tensions. [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic is still aggressive not only with his statements but also preparing terrorist groups that can be infiltrated into Kosovo,” Ibishi told TV Dukagjini. Fidan Ukaj, political commentator, said the graffiti should be an alarm for local and international institutions. He said the parties should return to the table of talks. “These graffiti show that the group which fled to Serbia [after the September 2023 attack in Banjska] could have elements that have returned. It should also be an alarm for international actors, including KFOR, that the group which fled to Serbia should be brought to justice and not protected by Vucic,” he argued.

Protest for Dinar can escalate the situation, municipal officials say (Koha)

The call of the Association of Serb Pensioners for an all-popular protest in Mitrovica North on Monday, and supported by the Serbian List, according to municipal officials there can further escalate the situation. The protest, which is scheduled to start at noon, is against the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo which notes that the Euro is the only currency for cash operation payments in Kosovo.

Nexhat Uglanin, chair of the Municipal Assembly of Mitrovica North, said on Sunday that the Serbian List and Serbia are responsible for calling the protest and that their aim is to create new tensions in the north. “We know that every worker of the parallel structures in the north is obliged to take part in the protest on Monday,” he argued.

Serwer: Serbia is the problem, Serbs the solution (media)

Several news websites covered an interview that U.S. political commentator on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, gave to Sinjali.

What progress has been made towards the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in recent years?

Very little. Acceptance of documents and license plates. Payment of electricity bills. Good things that should have happened long ago.

What are the main obstacles hindering the normalization process between Kosovo and Serbia?

The main obstacle is Serbia’s resistance. But Kosovo has also failed to do all it could to ensure the comfort and loyalty of its Serb citizens, which is a vital part of normalization.

How do you assess the role of the European Union in facilitating dialogue and reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia?

The EU has failed to use its leverage with Serbia. It has used leverage with Kosovo, but inappropriately and without results.

What impact could the recent political changes in Kosovo and Serbia have on the normalization process?

Not much. In Serbia, Vucic remains very much in charge. In Kosovo Kurti and Osmani remain in charge.

How do you see the role of the United States in promoting stability and peace in the Western Balkans, particularly regarding Kosovo-Serbia relations?

Washington has done poorly in recent years. It was a serious mistake to prioritize the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, which in my view can only come with recognition.

What steps should be taken to address the remaining issues in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, such as the status of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo?

Pristina should be taking unilateral action to ensure the comfort and loyalty of its Serb citizens, as indicated above. This will require much greater effort to meet their needs, allow Serbia’s legitimate subsidies to flow, and protect their property, in particular at the monastery in Decan/Decani.

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

Biserko: Vucic under pressure, especially because of Banjska (media)

Sonja Biserko, leader of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, said in an interview with Antena M on Sunday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is under tremendous pressure not only because of major irregularities in the December elections but especially because of the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year, “because it was a security threat for the entire region and Europe and the west reacted immediately”. “The report by the Kosovo Government was very detailed and convincing,” she added.

Seven persons investigated for maintaining illegal structures in Dukagjin (media)

The Kosovo prosecution confirmed that seven persons are being investigated for their activities as part of Serbia’s illegal structures in the Dukagjin region. The news comes one week after Kosovo Police carried out an operation against illegal structures in three municipalities int eh region.

Osmani congratulates new President of Finland (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani congratulated on Sunday that the newly-elected President of Finland Alexander Stubb. “I look forward to working together to build on the excellent ties between Kosovo and Finland, and in standing up for our shared values of freedom, democracy and justice,” Osmani said.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: The Serbs in Kosovo will not accept ‘meaningless lies’ and propaganda of Albin Kurti (Tanjug)

”The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not want any meaningless lies and propaganda of Albin Kurti, they want their hard-earned salaries and pensions, which the government in Pristina is stealing from them by trying to abolish the Serbian dinar,” said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, on the occasion of yesterday’s video address of PM Albin Kurti, reported Tanjug.

“While Kurti cancels payments and social benefits to Serbs, while he closes clinics and municipalities, while his government beats and shoots them, Kurti’s tragicomic video addresses will not make anyone believe him or obey him. Kurti will not watch that movie!” Petkovic stated in the announcement.

He adds that Kurti, in his usual ”eyeless tirade of lies and misinformation, went the furthest today, accusing the specialized British company “Henderson” of smuggling Serbian currency,” reported Tanjug.

Pensioners in the north of Kosovo call for a public rally, SL shares its support (KoSSev, TV Most)

KoSSev reported, citing TV Most, that a “Great public protest rally” will be held in North Mitrovica on Monday. The Pensioner Association confirmed this to TV Most. The same association also announced the rally to the Kosovo Police. After several more pro-regime portals shared the news, the largest Kosovo Serb party Serbian List shared its support. On the same day, the Delije fan club in Belgrade called on the state to “stop the emigration of Serbs from Kosovo”.

Pensioners at the head of the public action

“On Monday at 12 o’clock in Kosovska Mitrovica, the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija will hold a large public protest gathering to draw the attention of the entire world and the international community to their disenfranchised position, particularly due to the decision of Pristina and Albin Kurti to abolish the dinar, which threatens their survival on their hearths,” TV Most reported, referring to the Pensioner Association.

The Association said that they expect a large number of their compatriots: health workers, educators, social welfare beneficiaries, students and youth.

“In one word, all those whose existence is directly threatened by unjust measures from Pristina,” TV Most reported.

Read more at:  http://tinyurl.com/2y64ukua

Diocese: We have a duty to raise our voice against terror; appeal to Serbs to show courage, national unity, and patience (KoSSev)

The Diocese of Raska and Prizren sent an appeal to Kosovo Serbs to “show dignity, courage, strength, national unity, and patience,” warning that Pristina’s “terror” is at hand. The Church, they added, has the duty to “raise her voice against terror” when her people are “suffering injustice”, reported KoSSev in English last night.

They underscored that it is Pristina’s goal for the Serbs to be forced “to flee and abandon the lands on which they have lived for centuries,” and accused the Kosovo authorities of arrogant behaviour which is namely “an expression of cowardice and blind hatred.”

“We are not in a position to decide on political solutions, but we have a duty, regardless of the society we live in, to do everything in our power to ensure the dignity of all people, their human and religious rights and freedoms are respected.”

The Diocese of Raska and Prizren said that Kosovo Serbs are confronting “an extremely difficult situation.”

Read more at:  http://tinyurl.com/2v9hj2xz

NGOs respond to statements by Albin Kurti’s party (media)

The statement signed by non-governmental organizations Aktiv, Advocacy Center for  Democratic Culture (ACDC), Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), and New Social Initiative regarding the statements made by Albin Kurti and the political party he leads, reported media.

“We are deeply concerned with the fact that on Saturday, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti publicly praised his party’s role in opposing:

• Decentralization as a model of multi-ethnic governance mechanisms created by Martti Ahtisaari, which gave crucial self-management rights to non-majority communities,
• the proclamation of Special Protective Zones around Serbian Orthodox heritage sites,
• double majority requirement (“non-democratic MP veto” as Kurti sees it) that prevents majority rule when it comes to amendments of laws of vital interest for non-majority communities
• and other provisions of the Ahtisaari plan.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/2bzmvbyj

Derikravic announced a hunger strike, demanding that TAK return more than 310,000 euros of “illegally seized VAT” (KoSSev)

The former owner of the cable operator – Lika d.o.o. from Zvecan, Zarko Derikravic announced once again that he will go on a hunger strike this Monday, in protest of the fact that two years ago, the Tax Administration allegedly confiscated more than 310,000 euros from him illegally. This institution has denied Derikravic’s allegations.

Zarko Derikravic is the former owner of the company Lika d.o.o. – cable operator from Zvecan. The company operated from 2013 until December 10, 2019, when a contract was signed on the transfer of full ownership to the company MTS d.o.o. for the amount of 1,200,000 euros.

According to Derikravic, however, on April 6, 2022, the Tax Administration of Kosovo withdrew money from his account allegedly without any written notification, added value-added tax (VAT) and capital gains in the amount of 313,000 euros, and informed him about it two months later.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/bp9up7u5

How many more times residents of Miroce village must seek intervention? (KoSSev)

For the third time, we address the public through the „Citizens Write“ section of the KoSSev portal, hoping that public awareness will at least help to initiate a solution to the problem we, the landowners in the vicinity of Miroce village, Vucitrn municipality, are facing. In our first address, we outlined the general facts of our shared problem, and in our second, we detailed the nature and dimensions of the issue, as well as our appeals to local and higher Kosovo institutions and representatives of international institutions and media outlets in Pristina and Belgrade.

In this third address, we wish to emphasize that all efforts so far have proved unsuccessful, and for 23 years, we have been unable to manage our private property: to cultivate it, lease it, sell it, nor can we request the rebuilding of our demolished houses and other destroyed structures.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/4nau3r2f

New graffiti in the north: “When the army returns to Kosovo, the Northern Brigade lives” (KoSSev)

Graffiti with the inscription “When the army returns to Kosovo, the Northern Brigade lives” has been sprayed in several towns in the north of Kosovo yesterday morning.

A day before the “public rally” announced by pensioners and supported by Serbian List, and a day after the Delije fan club displayed the slogan “State, protect Serbs from Kosovo” in Belgrade, new Northern Brigade graffiti appeared in North Mitrovica.

The message “When the army returns to Kosovo… the Northern Brigade lives” was spray painted on the wall of a residential building downtown.

The messages are written in red and blue.

According to media reports, the same graffiti also appeared in Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/mtkcm4az

Seven Serbs under investigation after the closure of the PA of the municipalities of Pec, Klina and Istok (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Online in English reported on Saturday, citing Koha, that the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Pec confirmed that an investigation was being conducted against seven people after the closure of the Provisional Authorities of the municipalities of Pec, Istok and Klina.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/53zc3wcw

After the Security Council session (KoSSev)

Op Ed By Dragutin Nenezic

The session of the Security Council, which was vociferously announced to our public, has been held. Since not even a formal announcement was made after, which can be seen on the official website of the SC, its effects can be assessed as limited to the diplomatic-rhetorical sphere. As always, let’s go in order.

It appears as if the UNMIK representative’s presentation was the most comprehensive one, covering the core of the problem due to which the session was convened – the fact that the dinar is both a de facto and legal means of payment in Kosovo, which I have already written about, and which UNMIK knows best since it is based on its regulation.

The address of the Serbian president seems somewhat toned down compared to the announcements. There was no express reference to e.g. to the Convention on Genocide, which can be interpreted in different ways – as a diplomatic concession, or a tactical move – and the weeks and months ahead will tell. If that is set aside, everything that could be heard has already been mentioned several times and is well known, and it is worth mentioning that it was announced in diplomatic language that delaying the implementation of the CBK decision is not enough, although there was no concrete proposal on how to stop the implementation of that decision.

Kurti’s address was so generic that one can already reasonably suspect that artificial intelligence is involved in writing it. All the common things were there, reinforced by references to obscure characters and appearances from the fringes of decency.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/5a85uvb7