Albanian Language Media:

• Hovenier, Szunyog ask Kosovo to implement dialogue agreements if it wants membership in EU and NATO (RFE)
• Rohde: Kosovo to do its homework for Council of Europe membership (Telegrafi)
• Lajcak and Bislimi to meet in Pristina today (media)
• Maqedonci: NATO base in Albania, message to those that want instability (media)
• Kurti, Aliu visit construction sites of Pristina – Mitrovica road (media)
• Kosovo Police arrest Serb suspected of war crimes in Vushtrri region (media)
• Bieber: Risk of Banjska 2 not over; Serbia wants to test NATO (Telegrafi)
• Central Bank sends SMS notifying citizens about account access and the possibility of receiving funds in their Euro accounts (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• CBK calls for opening bank accounts by sending messages – help, confusion or discrimination? (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Expulsion of Serbs real reason for Pristina’s dinar ban (Tanjug, media)
• Dacic thanks Mexico for supporting Serbia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity (Tanjug)
• Serb arrested in Mitrovica North over alleged war crimes (Kosovo Online, media)
• Serbian List: Kosovo institutions to stop persecuting Serbs (media)
• Office for KiM: New arrest evidence of legal lynch and intimidation of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Bishop Teodosije and Abbot Sava visited archaeological remains of SOC Holy Mother of Hvostan Monastery (KoSSev, social media)
• Vucevic: We informed Vucic we have majority (media)

Albanian Language Media

Hovenier, Szunyog ask Kosovo to implement dialogue agreements if it wants membership in EU and NATO (RFE)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, and EU Head of Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, called on Kosovo on Monday to implement the agreements reached in the dialogue with Serbia if it wants to join the European Union and NATO.

Speaking at the “Bridging the Western Balkans: Parliamentary Diplomacy for Regional and Euro-Atlantic Cooperation” in Pristina, Hovenier said that Kosovo can move forward on the European path only through dialogue. “The international community wants Kosovo to advance on the European path, we have created the conditions for this, and the only way is through the EU-facilitated dialogue … We hope to see efforts to move forward,” he said.

Hovenier said that nothing prevents the implementation of the Agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “The international community and the partners would treat Kosovo differently if it implements the obligations, if it adopts the draft statute of the Association [of Serb-majority municipalities] which is not in opposition with the Constitution and if it moved forward with the decision of the Constitutional Court on the Decani Monastery,” he argued.

EU Head of Office, Tomas Szunyog, echoed Hovenier’s remarks and said: “I remember in 1997 when Richard Holbrooke said in Prague, if you want to be in NATO, then resolve bilateral relations with Germany, and the agreement was signed between Czechia and Germany in 1998, Vaslav Havel managed it, and they became members in 1999”.

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, on the other hand, blamed the Serbian side for the setback of the dialogue. “Dialogue means two parties; it is not a monologue … When you have a party that is against the dialogue and undertakes concrete actions such as what happened on September 24 when there was an attack against the Republic of Kosovo, and we pretend we have a dialogue in Brussels, then every student will realize that this is not what is learned at school about this process,” she said.

Rohde: Kosovo to do its homework for Council of Europe membership (Telegrafi)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said on Monday that Kosovo needs to do its homework in order to join the Council of Europe, regardless of the fact that it is close to membership. “Membership in the Council of Europe is very close, and we have pushed for this last year. We know how important it is … Kosovo’s membership is at the gates now and we know the conditions. But Kosovo has its homework to do, and this is what I mean when I say that the right decisions need to be made,” he said.

On the functions of the European Union in the region, Rohde said that “the appropriate tools or instruments of the European Union in the region are: the dialogue, the Berlin Process, bilateral engagement, we have the QUINT, and we have developed perhaps ways to increase progress. I feel like a “micro-manager,” we have the Franco-German plan, then the Ohrid Agreement, the Association’s statute. In the Berlin process, we have developed ideas for bilateral bases, to push things forward.”

Lajcak and Bislimi to meet in Pristina today (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a Facebook post on Monday that the main point of his agenda in Brussels last week was the meeting between representatives of Kosovo and Serbia “on finding answers to open questions on the recent decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo on cash operation – more specifically the issue of Serbia’s assistance to people living in Kosovo”. Lajcak said he welcomed “the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively in finding a sustainable solution for the communities affected. The meeting was an important first step; however, many political questions remain, and additional talks will be needed in the days to come. This is why as the immediate next step I will have a follow up discussion with Kosovo First Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator Besnik Bislimi.”

The Kosovo Government meanwhile said in a statement that Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the EU-facilitated talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, will meet Lajcak in Pristina this morning. 

Maqedonci: NATO base in Albania, message to those that want instability (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, said on Monday that the opening of the NATO air base in Albania has a strategic impact on the whole region of the Western Balkans because it ensures greater stability and “sends a clear message to all those that want to destabilize the Western Balkans”.

Commenting on the overall security situation in Kosovo, Maqedonci said the situation is currently quiet but that the threat remains real. “The threat remains real because of two key elements, this including the hegemonic approach of the Republic of Serbia toward its neighbors, and the deployment of Serbia’s military units in the southern part of its territory. Three out of four brigades of the Serbian army are deployed in the south and there are also 48 bases that Serbia has built along the border with Kosovo. All this militarization is a threat to the Western Balkans,” he said.

Kurti, Aliu visit construction sites of Pristina – Mitrovica road (media)

All news websites reported on Monday that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, visited the construction sites on the extension of the project on the Pristina – Mitrovica road. “This part is known to have a very high traffic density and it is good news for all the citizens of Pristina, Mitrovica, but even wider than that, since this becomes part of much bigger and wider regional connections,” Kurti said. 

Aliu said that after fulfilling all obligations related to the payments of expropriated properties for the needs of the project, the construction works of the segment which connects the corridors and highways, include the expansion of the existing road by transforming it from a two-lane road lanes on a road with two separate directions, each with two lanes 3.75 meters wide, and auxiliary lanes on both sides with a width of 2 meters, as well as other infrastructure facilities and structures.

“We are extremely interested in having supervision, having quality work, and having work done within the deadline. We will first pay attention to the segment up to Vushtrri, which is responsible for solving the traffic problem as soon as possible. We will respect the standards and specifications required by the project,” Aliu said.

With a contract value of €25 million, the project is financed by borrowing from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) in co-financing with the Saudi Fund for Development (Saudi Fund for Development SFD).

Kosovo Police arrest Serb suspected of war crimes in Vushtrri region (media)

Kosovo Police said in a joint statement with the Special Prosecution on Monday that it arrested a Serb suspected of “war crimes against the civilian population – sexual violence” in 1999 in the municipality of Vushtrri. The suspect was arrested in Mitrovica North and following the prosecutor’s decision was sent to 48-hour detention.

Bieber: Risk of Banjska 2 not over; Serbia wants to test NATO (Telegrafi)

Florian Bieber, Austrian political commentator of the Balkans, said in an interview with the news website on Monday that “seeing Serbia’s tendencies, there could be another incident similar to the one in Banjska in the north of Kosovo last year”. “Now as far as the Banjska incident is concerned, it is very clear that we don’t know what happened exactly. It is very possible that it was not planned well, because it went wrong. There is no doubt that there is another person behind the butcher that was involved in the attack, Milan Radoicic. The group fired their weapons. They were military people and acted illegally. Therefore, there should have been a bigger investigation to find out who were the people that carried out the attack and for the perpetrators to be held accountable. There needs to be a clear international position on this matter,” he said.

According to Bieber, a continuation of this is expected, including Serbian threats at the border in order to test the determination of NATO to protect Kosovo.

“Again, the attack in the north of Kosovo was clearly orchestrated. Vucic kept silent on the day of the armed incident. This goes to show that such incidents can happen when high-level actions of military and paramilitary groups get out of control,” he added.

Central Bank sends SMS notifying citizens about account access and the possibility of receiving funds in their Euro accounts (media)

The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said in a statement on Monday that within the framework of the Plan for facilitated Implementation of the Regulation on Cash Operations, it notifies the public that it is utilizing the operators to send citizens SMS messages about bank account access and the possibility of receiving funds in their accounts in Euro. “Additionally, the CBK would like to inform everyone that, pursuant to the CBK Regulation on Access to Payment Account for Basic Services, anyone who still does not have an account can open one at any bank, and for vulnerable groups and social scheme participants as of 1 January 2024, there is no opening or maintenance fee,” the statement notes.

Full content of the sent SMS:

Dear citizens,

Receive money through bank account in Euro.

Save and exchange in any currency.

Open an Account for Basic Services, with no opening and maintenance fee.

080022255

https://bit.ly/0800callBQK

Serbian Language Media 

CBK calls for opening bank accounts by sending messages – help, confusion or discrimination? (KoSSev)

“Dear citizens, receive the money through your bank accounts. Keep and exchange (the money) in any currency. Open the account with basic services, without fees for opening and maintaining” – this is the message that Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) sent to citizens informing them about recent regulation on currency it adopted. KoSSev portal said it checked if those messages have reached the citizens.

Later on its website and Facebook account, CBK also informed those who do not have the accounts yet that they may open it in one of the banks in Kosovo and in accordance with CBK regulations on payment accounts, free of charge for beneficiaries of social remittances as of January 1, 2024.

Who did receive messages?

KoSSev portal said it wanted to check if residents of Mitrovica North received those messages. Although those measures mainly intend to inform citizens in the Serbian areas, where dinars are still being used, only few citizens from Mitrovica North, users of Kosovo IPKO mobile network confirmed that they have received those messages. On the other hand, it was not the case with several dozens of other citizens that the portal contacted, including the journalists of the portal and members of their families.

Messages received in the south, Sentic: Discrimination based on perception

The portal said Serb citizens living south of the Ibar River received those messages. Some received the messages although they do not have opened accounts in dinars. One of them is Kosovo Deputy Ombudsperson, Srdjan Sentic who never had an account in dinars and who termed this practise as “discrimination based on perception”. “Because it is being sent to the Serbs regardless if they have or not dinar accounts. It is yet another stereotype Kosovo authorities apply towards the Serbian community”, Sentic said.

What was (not) said in the message?

The portal further said that apart from the possibility to open the account without a fee, the message does not include the answer to the most important problem created by implementation of the CBK regulation for the Serbian citizens receiving the payments in Kosovo and working in the Serbian system.

In other words this message does not answer several questions, including – Will Kosovo banks accept employment contracts from the Republic of Serbia system, will the money paid by Serbia be transferred through Central Bank of Kosovo, how and in which currency the CBK will distribute the money further to those employed in the Serbian system or those receiving remittances or other funds from Serbia, will Serbia pay its beneficiaries through Kosovo bank accounts in which case already high “interstate” commission would be also included?

It has only created confusion among those citizens living south of the Ibar River who received the message, the portal added.

At the end the portal concluded by saying it has attempted to contact CBK free-toll number 0800 222 55 for complaints and information, introduced as a first measure to explain the regulation, on several occasions but that for days no one is answering that number.

Petkovic: Expulsion of Serbs real reason for Pristina’s dinar ban (Tanjug, media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in a meeting with German Ambassador to Belgrade Anke Konrad that expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo and abolition of Serbian institutions were the real reasons behind Pristina’s ban on the Serbian dinar, which took effect on February 1, Tanjug news agency reported.

Petkovic said it was easy to see through Pristina’s intent to close the subject of forming the Community of Serb Municipalities by making such a decision as agreements signed to date envisioned Belgrade as a provider of financial support to Serbs in Kosovo. Petkovic added Belgrade will continue insisting on the establishment of the Community, the Office for KiM said in a statement.

He said a recent Brussels meeting had addressed the “completely unreasonable and dangerous decision” by Kosovo PM Albin Kurti to ban the dinar and put into question payments of salaries, pensions and social benefits to 100,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo. Petkovic said the decision also thwarted the operation of schools, hospitals, kindergartens and other Serbian institutions there.

According to Petkovic, by not sending its chief negotiator to Brussels, Pristina had continued to obstruct dialogue and jeopardize efforts to normalize relations, while Belgrade, as always in the past, had demonstrated it believed that dialogue is the most efficient barrier to escalation of tensions and a guarantee of security to the Serbs. Petkovic said Serbian Postal Savings Bank and Post of Serbia branch offices needed to continue to operate in Kosovo as that was the only way to ensure the Serbs could receive their incomes.

Dacic thanks Mexico for supporting Serbia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic met with the Director General for Europe at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jennifer Feller on Monday, thanking Mexico for its consistent support for Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Tanjug news agency reported.

Feller is in Belgrade for a meeting of a mechanism of bilateral political consultations. In a cordial and friendly discussion, the parties said they were pleased with the high level of bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries, connected by traditional friendship, mutual respect, understanding and support, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

They highlighted intensive cooperation on joint efforts towards respect of the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Serb arrested in Mitrovica North over alleged war crimes (Kosovo Online, media)

A Serb, Z.N., 70 years old was arrested in Mitrovica North yesterday for allegedly committing war crimes, in Vucitrn municipality, Kosovo Online portal reported.

According to Kosovo police he is suspected of “committing war crimes against civilian population – sexual violence” in 1999 in Vucitrn municipality. Z.N. was sent to 48 hour detention.

Serbian List: Kosovo institutions to stop persecuting Serbs (media)

Arrest of Zivorad N. internally displaced person from Vucitrn in Mitrovica North yesterday is continuation of pressure exerted on Serbian population in Kosovo in line with established practise that it only takes to be an adult Serb in 1999, to be accused for the war crimes, Serbian List said in a statement, Kosovo Online portal reported.

It added that such unfounded persecution of Sebs leads towards further escalation of the situation on the ground instead of having the situation calming down and moving into a positive direction. Serbian List also criticized EULEX for not coming out publicly with information about processes against the Serbs accused of war crimes who spent years in prison innocent, noting that majority of those people leave Kosovo afterwards as they do not want “to challenge their destiny and go through the hells of Kosovo casemates again”.

Serbian List demanded from Kosovo institutions to stop persecuting Serbs, release Zivorad N. and all other arrested, enabling them right to be released while pending trial, and not turn detention into prison sentences lasting for several years. 

Office for KiM: New arrest evidence of legal lynch and intimidation of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija reacting to the arrest of Zivorad N. in Mitrovica North yesterday, suspected of allegedly committing war crime in Kosovo said it was about “legal lynch and intimidation, that takes place nowhere in Europe but in Kosovo”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The Office for KiM demanded from the international community to finally start guaranteeing the minimal human and civic rights and conditions for dignified life to the Serbs in Kosovo, as well as “prevent criminals from Pristina from arresting and mistreating people without evidence”. It also said that this arrest is “yet another evidence of conducting an ethnic cleansing in Kosovo”.

The Office also recalled that in the past several dozen Serbs were arrested under accusations of allegedly committing war crimes, just to turn out shortly after the arrests that they were guilty because someone eyed their properties or because they looked at someone the wrong way. 

Bishop Teodosije and Abbot Sava visited archaeological remains of SOC Holy Mother of Hvostan Monastery (KoSSev, social media)

Raska-Prizren Eparchy Bishop Teodosije and Visoki Decani Monastery Abbot Sava Janjic visited yesterday the archaeological remains of Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Holy Mother of Hvostan Monastery, near Istok, KoSSev portal reported. The visit was organized in coordination with the EULEX team, the portal added.

“Raska-Prizren Eparchy Bishop Teodosije with Decani Abbot Sava, in coordination with the EULEX team visited archeological remains of Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Holy Mother of Hvostan Monastery near Istok. This location is one of the 47 special protected zones in Kosovo laws”, the post on X social platform said. 

Vucevic: We informed Vucic we have majority (media)

Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Milos Vucevic said on Monday representatives of the SNS-led Serbia Must Not Stop electoral list had informed Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic it had a majority to form the new Serbian government.

Following consultations with Vucic at the Presidency of Serbia in central Belgrade, Vucevic told reporters the list would in about ten days inform the president and the public of the new government’s makeup and of “who has been put forward as PM designate so that the president can give that person a mandate”.