Albanian Language Media:

• Leaders’ homage in Prekaz: Jashari family personify highest sacrifice (Telegrafi)
• Cameron mentions Kosovo visit: Investing in countries that need stability (media)
• Martens: If govt doesn’t act, Council of Europe doors remain closed (media)
• Surroi: The Decani Monastery as a turning point (Koha)
• Bajrami: We don’t coordinate with VV on vote for international agreements (media)
• Hoti: Level of capital investments in Mustafa’s government was bigger (media)
• Haradinaj: Kurti must manage relations with allies in a better way (Kanal 10)
• Basic Prosecution in Pristina issues statement on summon for Mehmetaj (media)
• Explosive device thrown at closed store in Ranillug, no injuries (Klan Kosova)
• Stradner warns about “another round” of escalation (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Workers of utility companies in northern Kosovo cannot withdraw their salaries (RTS)
• Novo Brdo residents after CBK’s decision: They want to expel us, what should we live from? (Kosovo Online)
• Economy minister says 60% of FDI from EU (Beta, N1)
• Dragisic: NATO base in Albania can be useful for Serbs in Kosovo (KiM Radio, Danas)
• Stosic: If number of Kosovo Serbs becomes a statistical error, solutions to their problems will not be of essential importance (Kosovo Online)
• Lajcak: Implementation of Basic Agreement blocked by Kosovo; formation of  A/CSM inevitable (Kosovo Online, Politika, Tanjug, Euronews Serbia, Nacionale)
• Antonijevic: Appointment of Nemec as EP Rapporteur good news for Serbs from Kosovo (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Dacic receives new Syrian ambassador to Serbia (Tanjug)

International:

• TikTok Used Across Balkans to ‘Slutshame’ Women and Girls (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

Leaders’ homage in Prekaz: Jashari family personify highest sacrifice (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s leaders and many citizens paid homage today at the Adem Jashari memorial complex in Prekaz on the second day of the Epopee of the Kosovo Liberation Army, where they expressed deep gratitude for former KLA commander Adem Jashari and his family who were killed by Serbian forces in 1998.

Following the homage, President Vjosa Osmani said that the Jashari family personify the highest human sacrifice in Kosovo’s history. “The Jashari family will forever remain a guide for present and future generations. As you can see not only during the Epopee, but also in different periods of the year, there are children from schools all over Kosovo that come here not only to learn about the history of Kosovo, but above all to be inspired by the example of the Jashari family and their courage,” she said.

Cameron mentions Kosovo visit: Investing in countries that need stability (media)

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in a video on X on the first 113 days in office also mentioned his visit to Kosovo. “I visited the Balkans where we’re investing in countries that need stability, like Kosovo,” he said in the video. Watch full at: https://shorturl.at/cdlmL

Martens: If govt doesn’t act, Council of Europe doors remain closed (media)

Michael Martens, a reporter with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, said in a post on X today that if the Kosovo Government does not act on the Constitutional Court’s ruling in favor of the land of the Decani Monastery, the doors of the Council of Europe will remain closed. Martens writes that “in May 2022, Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe. After Russia’s exclusion, it is quite possible that the necessary majority for Kosovo´s admission can be achieved. But there is a problem: It has to do with the Visoki Dečani Monastery (built around 1335), an architectural gem and an important Serbian orthodox pilgrimage site. It is no coincidence that it is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery has survived almost half a millennium of Ottoman rule and many wars. (The only epoch that really became dangerous for the monks was early Yugoslav communism under Tito, when the state took 800 hectares of land from the monastery.) But this is not about the undisputed historical and religious significance of the monastery, but rather about the here and now – about the rule of law in today’s Kosovo, an independent state since 2008: Various Kosovo governments, including the current one of Albin Kurti, have ignored several judgments and decisions of their highest courts (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court) according to which the monastery was awarded 24 hectares of land in a long-ranging judicial dispute. Long story short: When the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of a country render final, legally binding decisions, the government and authorities of that country cannot simply ignore them. But here so far, they have. For years. Rule of law does not come à la carte. You cannot pick which of the verdicts of a Constitutional Court you like and apply, and which you simply disregard. Because if you do, this has consequences. In this case: If the Kosovo government does not act, the doors to the Council of Europe will remain closed. This is a pity, as solving this dispute would be possible. Swiftly and without huge political cost. Even with a benefit, as respect for the rule of law is self-respect in any democracy.”

Surroi: The Decani monastery as a turning point (Koha)

Founder of KOHA Media Group, peace and independence negotiator for Kosovo, journalist and writer, Veton Surroi, writes in an opinion piece today that the Constitutional Court of Kosovo’s decision on the Decani monastery should be implemented immediately as a rule of law obligation, sign of cultural and religious sensitivity and readiness for Council of Europe membership. A possible turning point.

Looking to the future, Surroi said that in 2030 the Decani monastery will be the same wonderful site built with western sacral architecture for the needs of an eastern sacral site. It will also be a living sacral site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a part of the religious – cultural heritage of the Serb people in Kosovo and the Serb people throughout the Western Balkans, a part of the religious and cultural heritage of the Republic of Kosovo and its citizens, and one of the important world cultural heritage sites protected by the UNESCO. Surroi said that he would like to imagine the Decani monastery to have another two special dimensions for Kosovo: an oasis of the culture of peace, and a turning point for Kosovo’s European perspective. “An oasis of the culture of peace would mean that the Decani Monastery, with a broad territory and unruined from constructions, to serve as a gathering place for a cultural, metaphysical, dialogue. A point of meetings between architects and poets, painters, and thinkers. To be visited by Albanian highschoolers to understand the importance of the religious stories of frescos for Serbian culture, Byzantine culture, and Christianity as whole. Namely, to understand an important dimension of the culture of the Republic of Kosovo. And this can happen only through cooperation between the Decani Monastery and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, but possible only if the Monastery brotherhood and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo feel comfortable with one another. And this is not the case today,” he writes.

The registration of the property of the Monastery, Surroi writes, now seems as a turning point for Kosovo on many issues. First is the rule of law: state agencies need to respect the judicial decisions, even more so those coming from the highest instance such as the Constitutional Court, and the Kosovo Cadastral Agency together with the Cadastral Agency in Decan, must implement the decision.

Second is the feeling of mutual respect and legal security between Kosovo’s authorities and the brotherhood of the Decani Monastery and the Serbian Orthodox Church in general. The Constitutional Court made a decision in 2016 and dilemmas in the public space that focused entirely on the fact that the land was initially given to the Decani Monastery by the Government in Serbia in the years of occupation (1997) did not help build mutual trust; the act of registration [of the property] can be an important turning point to imagine the Decani Monastery in the context of an oasis of the culture of peace, confirmed with the legal security provided by the Republic of Kosovo.

And third, the registration of the property can be a turning point for a European aspiration of Kosovo. In the final steps in the process of considering Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, the registration of the property of the Decani Monastery would be a very necessary sign of Kosovo’s commitment to both the rule of law and to building trust between its cultures and religions. Without this sign from Kosovo, not a single step can be made forward in terms of membership in the Council of Europe.

One of the most important decisions for Kosovo’s foreign policy and its European path is completely ripe. In fact, in all its three dimensions, verifying the strengthening of the Republic of Kosovo as a state of law, sensitivity towards culture and religions, and the dialogue between them, and lastly, confirming the European path of the country.

Bajrami: We don’t coordinate with VV on vote for international agreements (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Hykmete Bajrami, said in an interview with Front Online that there is no need to coordinate with the ruling party – the Vetevendosje Movement – to vote on international agreements in the Kosovo Assembly. “We don’t have to coordinate at all because we don’t vote on international agreements to do favors to the Vetevendosje Movement. We vote on international agreements when we are certain that they will improve the lives of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,” she said.

Bajrami highlighted several agreements that the LDK opposed. “We opposed an agreement where the Ministry of Finance took a €40 million loan for social schemes. We have some votes in favor and some votes against the agreement on the prison in Gjilan, and there is also the agreement of OPEC which we have opposed since day one,” she said.

Hoti: Level of capital investments in Mustafa’s government was bigger (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Avdullah Hoti, argued in a Facebook post today that the level of capital investments during Isa Mustafa’s term as Prime Minister was bigger than now during the Kurti-led government. He said that in 2017 when the budget of Kosovo was €1.8 billion, 19 percent of the budget went for capital investments, and that in 2023 when the budget was €3 billion, only 12 percent went for capital investments. According to Hoti, the approach of the current government will not bring development.

Haradinaj: Kurti must manage relations with allies in a better way (Kanal 10)

Senior member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Daut Haradinaj, said in an interview with the TV station today that Prime Minister Albin Kurti must manage the relations with Kosovo’s allies in a better way. Commenting on U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier’s criticism against Kurti on the issue of the Serbian Dinar, Haradinaj said: “the ambassador is not a tourist here. He represents the policies of the United States in Kosovo and we have seen many reactions lately … I am calling on the Prime Minister to manage relations with our allies in a better way”.

Haradinaj criticized one part of the opposition in Kosovo saying that “they were asleep” when Kosovo and Serbia reached the agreement in Ohrid. He argued that the opposition should have supported the agreement and called for its immediate implementation.

Basic Prosecution in Pristina issues statement on summon for Mehmetaj (media)

The Basic Prosecution in Pristina said in a press release that it has closely followed the debate about Albanian Post reporter Lirim Mehmetaj and that it had received a private criminal indictment against Mehmetaj from D.M. The prosecution said that the chief prosecutor will analyze the actions of the prosecutor in the case [which issued a summon for Mehmetaj] and assess if the prosecutor eventually surpassed competencies and which would not be in compliance with the law. “The State Prosecutor remains committed to the respect of the freedom of speech and other human rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution and the legislation in force,” the statement notes.

Explosive device thrown at closed store in Ranillug, no injuries (Klan Kosova)

A Serbian national notified the Kosovo Police that an explosive device was thrown at his store which is out of service in the village of Ranillug. Police said in a report that the explosive device is believed to have been a hand grenade. “Except for material damages, there are no injuries. The case is being investigated,” the police report notes.

Stradner warns about “another round” of escalation (media)

Several news websites in Kosovo cover an interview that Ivana Stradner, specialist in security and information and political commentator of the Western Balkans, gave to Slobodna Bosna, highlighting her claim that “Russia will continue its efforts to destabilize the region and challenge NATO this year too, especially in Kosovo and North Macedonia”.

“We saw last year when 90 KFOR troops were wounded in fighting in the north of Kosovo. What did NATO do? Nothing. And then Banjska happened several months later,” Stradner said, warning that “another round” of escalation can happen this year by pro-Russian structures in North Macedonia and that this would complicate things for Kosovo and NATO. “In 2023 we saw round one of the escalation, and we can expect round two. Last year, Russian media waged a strong disinformation campaign before the attack in Banjska that the West would open another front. They always do this before the situation escalates.”

Serbian Language Media

Workers of utility companies in northern Kosovo cannot withdraw their salaries (RTS)

Several hundred employees of the public utility companies in Mitrovica North gathered in front of the Postal Saving Bank in this town today, attempting to withdraw salaries that have been paid to them from the Serbian budget, RTS reports.

There is no money available at the ATMs of this bank, while only 10.000 dinars (approximately 95 euros) can be withdrawn at counter desks, until reserves of money are available.

Employees of the Standard company from Mitrovica North were queuing today, because Pristina authorities for more than a month did not allow distribution of dinars in Kosovo. In addition to the individuals receiving wages and other allowances from the Serbian budget, institutions including health, education and kindergartens are also affected.

Novo Brdo residents after CBK’s decision: They want to expel us, what should we live from? (Kosovo Online)

Novo Brdo residents, where according to stories the first dinar was minted, feel upset following Central Bank of Kosovo decision to ban dinar in payment transactions, because they now need to travel to towns outside of Kosovo, Bujanovac or Vranje to withdraw their money, which incurs additional costs to them, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Zoran Stankovic told the portal that by banning dinar, Pristina authorities want to carry out “silent expulsion of Serbs”.

Bojan Stojanovic said he will go to Bujanovac to withdraw his pension, which would cause additional costs to him. “It is very difficult, I need to either pay for a transport or go with my vehicle. This all costs. And then long waiting at the border. It is the same in the neighborhood, everyone is complaining. It is difficult, there are people in wheelchairs, they cannot walk”, he said.

Havis Jashari said he lives from dinar payments he receives. “You need to take the car, the one who has it, and go to Bujanovac or Vranje to withdraw the money. We live from this money, we do not have jobs, we work nowhere, here if I find to work something privately we work, if not we will die. No one is employed from my house. My child underwent surgery, same as my wife, the child is sick, but we have nothing. What is 100 or 200 euros, nothing. You cannot live with that money. We need to pay for everything, water, waste, utilities, everything. They give you bills and ask nothing, and you need to pay. If you do not pay they take you to the court, where they assess what you have in your house and then take everything from you. What should we live from, the air?”, Jashari said.

Serbian Minister of Economy says 60% of FDI from EU (Beta, N1)

Economy Minister Slobodan Cvetkovic told the Kopaonik Business Forum that 60 percent of the Foreign Direct Investments in the country are from the European Union making it a strategically important trade partner.

“Geography is a very important parameter in Serbia-EU trade. We are practically an integral part of the EU,” Cvetkovic said. According to him, Serbia-EU trade stands at 39.1 billion Euro with investments from the EU at 4.5 billion Euro.

He said that Serbia is interesting to investors from the EU because it is geographically close with an educated workforce that is cheaper than in the Union along with stimulation for foreign investments and fuel prices lower than in the rest of the region.

The minister said one of the effects of economic cooperation with the EU is the higher levels required of manufacturers in Serbia.

Dragisic: NATO base in Albania can be useful for Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio, Danas) 

“It is quite normal for NATO to open bases in its member states. I think this is the strengthening of NATO’s southern wing, therefore, nothing unusual, we could have expected that,” Zoran Dragisic, a professor at the Faculty of Security in Belgrade, told Danas daily, commenting on the opening of the NATO air base in Albania, reported KiM radio.

”Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama said that Albania, a NATO member that does not have its own fighter jets, has opened a renovated communist-era airbase to serve NATO aircraft amid a growing threat from Russia,” reported KiM radio, citing Danas.

Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi said that the base in Kucove will be a strategic point for NATO operations and for the defense of peace.

“Everything is expected from the eastern front. And we must be ready to defend ourselves with the only winning formula before us: the unification of our defense forces and capacities,” said Peleshi. According to Dragisic, that base means nothing for Serbia itself.

“All the countries around us are either in NATO or want to join NATO. The only country that has officially said that it does not want to, is Serbia,” said Dragisic, adding the fact that by strengthening NATO’s southern wing, ”our security is indirectly strengthened, given that Serbia has the highest possible degree of cooperation with NATO that a non-member country can have”.

According to Dragisic, ”NATO in our environment is not hostile towards us”. However, says Dragisic, this base may have significance for Serbs living in Kosovo.

“In the case of an attempt at the so-called ‘Kosovo storm’ that some hawks in Pristina are advocating, I think that NATO from Albania will be able to intervene much faster and help the KFOR forces in Kosovo. Generally, as far as the Serbian population in Kosovo is concerned, it can be of help to the KFOR forces, which are the only ones in Kosovo that guarantee the safety of the Serbs,” said Dragisic.

KiM radio recalled that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said opening of the NATO air base in Albania was an important step in strengthening the presence of the Alliance in the region because “where there is NATO, there is peace and stability.” Osmani said on the X social network that the tactical air base would contribute to increasing security “in the region and beyond”.

The Kucove airbase was built in the fifties of the last century. A few days before the inauguration, three Bajraktar drones, which Albania bought from Turkey, were sent to this base, reported Danas, citing RFE.

Stosic:  If number of Kosovo Serbs becomes a statistical error, solutions to their problems will not be of essential importance (Kosovo Online)

Slobodan Stosic, Program Manager of the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) NGO, said that key moment this year for the Serbian community in Kosovo will be the holding of elections for new mayors in the north, while the survival of the Serbian community will be determined by how the issue of the use of the dinar will be resolved, reported portal Kosovo Online.

He said that ”the policy of PM Albin Kurti was aimed at reducing the rights of Serbs or bringing them to a minimum level, which leads to the mass emigration of the Serbian community from Kosovo”.

“If Kurti’s goal is to reduce the Serbian population to a statistical error, then the solutions that will be found will have no essential meaning for the citizens. If the number of Serbs remains so small, we can expect that bilingualism will be abolished, and if the A/CSM ever comes, it will not make any sense in those circumstances,” says Stosic.

When asked who can prevent the Serbs in Kosovo from losing political importance, Stosic said both an international factor and Serbia.

“The international factor has a crucial influence here; I mean European countries and America as the leading countries in the normalization process. But Serbia should also lead a more initiative-taking policy, not to be just a silent observer, but to offer or look for some solutions that would be sustainable and good for the citizens,” believes Stosic.

Regarding the decision of the CBK to abolish the dinar as a means of payment, he pointed out that according to some estimates, about 70,000 to 90,000 citizens use the services of the Republic of Serbia in the form of salaries, pensions, child allowances or social assistance.

“Now they would have to go to central Serbia to withdraw their funds and convert them into euros, which requires additional costs. All these issues regarding the dinar, like the others, should be resolved through the A/CSM,” Stosic pointed out.

Lajcak: Implementation of Basic Agreement blocked by Kosovo; formation of A/CSM inevitable (Kosovo Online, Politika, Tanjug, Euronews Serbia, Nacionale)

The establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement are conditions for Kosovo membership in international organizations, as well as for the continuation of its path towards the European Union, the EU Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, stated in an interview for Nacionale published yesterday, cited Kosovo Online in English.

Lajcak notes that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti refused to even initial or formally submit the Basic Agreement to the United Nations.

“These were proposals from the European Union to provide additional guarantees and to further strengthen the status of the Agreement, as Kurti persistently demands. But likewise, initialing or formally sending the agreement to the UN was not sufficient for the Kosovo Prime Minister, who seeks formalization through the bilateral signing of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia,” Lajcak said.

He adds that the Basic Agreement and its implementation remain blocked by Kosovo, which, according to him, “should take just a small step.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/38a3469f

Antonijevic: Appointment of Nemec as EP Rapporteur good news for Serbs from Kosovo (Kosovo Online, social media)

Lawyer and human rights activist, Milan Antonijevic said appointment of Slovenian politician Matjaz Nemec as EP Rapporteur is good news for visa liberalization of Serbs from Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“Appointment of Matjaz Nemeza as EP Rapporteur is good news for visa liberalization for Serbs from Kosovo. We are waiting for the results and solution so the visa liberalization will finally apply to all Western Balkans citizens”, Antonijevic wrote in a post on X social platform.

“The European Parliament Internal Affairs Committee has officially appointed me as rapporteur for the abolition of visas for Kosovo Serbs, who are holders of special passports and the only ones in the Western Balkans who need a visa to travel to the EU. I hope for a quick acceptance”, Nemec said in a post on X social platform earlier.

Dacic receives new Syrian ambassador to Serbia (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic received the new Syrian Ambassador to Belgrade Mohammed Haj Ibrahim on Tuesday. According to a statement released by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dacic welcomed the ambassador and expressed the confidence his work in Serbia would be successful.

In a cordial discussion, the parties agreed that Serbia and Syria were connected by traditional and sincere friendship based on mutual understanding and solidarity and that there was mutual readiness to strengthen the cooperation further in areas of mutual interest.

Dacic thanked Syria for its principled and consistent support for safeguarding the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, the statement also said.

International 

TikTok Used Across Balkans to ‘Slutshame’ Women and Girls (Balkan Insight)

A BIRN analysis of hundreds of videos uploaded by TikTok users in eight Balkan countries shows the platform has become a hub for abuse of women and girls based on their appearance and actual or perceived sexual behavior – ‘slutshaming’.

Seven years ago, when she was 13, Nora took a picture of herself in the mirror, wearing sports shorts and top after basketball practice, and shared it with her friends on Snapchat. It was when a boy from another class in her Kosovo school reshared the picture – without her consent – that the abuse began.

Attacked by older girls, sexualised by boys, the ‘slutshaming’ spread from one social media platform to another.

“The shaming and targeting were a heavy burden, especially for a 13-,14-year-old child,” Nora [not her real name] told BIRN.

Read more at: rb.gy/xbq9bf