Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Britain should send more troops to protect us from Serbian invasion (media)
• Lajcak meets chief negotiators; discussions on Dinar to continue on Monday (media)
• State Department: Discussions on Dinar must continue urgently (media)
• Osmani on Vucic’s threats against Kosovo: He will fail again (Telegrafi)
• Government spokesperson: Vucic, a hostage of the past and desperate (RTK)
• Roth: With Vucic at helm, no way for Serbia to enter the EU (media)
• COMKFOR Ulutas meets Quint ambassadors in Kosovo (media)
• Maqedonci announces second package of military aid for Ukraine (media)
• Haradinaj: I can make Kosovo a member of NATO (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: We pointed out all difficulties for Serbs in Kosovo (Tanjug, media)
• Petkovic: Solution must include continued Postal Savings Bank operations in Kosovo (media)
• Lajcak: Dialogue to be continued next Monday (media)
• State Department: Dialogue adequate channel to resolve problems related to CBK decision (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian List met Swedish Ambassador, tell him dinar decision has political not economic background (Kosovo Online)
• Vucic congratulates Putin on election win, informs him of situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)
• KFOR Commander met ambassadors, discussed security situation in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian Parliament fails to elect speaker, MPs in war of words (N1)

International Media:

• Albanian PM’s ‘Intimidation’ of Woman Journalist Condemned (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Britain should send more troops to protect us from Serbian invasion (media)

Most news websites cover an interview that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti gave to the Telegraph, highlighting his remark that Britain should send more troops to Kosovo to prevent a war in the Western Balkans.

There was only a “symbolic” NATO presence in the nation and it would not be enough to prevent an invasion by Serbia, Albin Kurti told The Telegraph in an interview in his office in Pristina.

The prime minister’s remarks came after Aleksander Vucic, the president of Serbia, hinted at an attempt to recapture Kosovo earlier this week, stating Belgrade would “wait for the best possible momentum and we will seize our opportunity”.

Asked whether Britain should increase its military presence in the region, Kurti said: “The UK is part of NATO and they act and operate in that fashion. I believe there should be more NATO troops in Kosovo.”

NATO has 4,000 troops on the ground in Kosovo, but Kurti said his country “could be even better protected” and that “NATO could and should be more engaged in Kosovo both militarily and politically” because of the threat from Belgrade.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/bBJ36

Lajcak meets chief negotiators; discussions on Dinar to continue on Monday (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Tuesday after meeting chief negotiators from Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels: “hosted the two Chief negotiators to discuss implementing the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation and other issues, incl. the impact of the decision on cash operations. We agreed to continue on this issue next Monday, while the Agreement will need to be addressed by the leaders”.

Kosovo’s chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, said in a post on X after the meeting that they discussed “the dialogue process meetings regarding the implementation of the Basic Agreement and Implementation Annex. Unfortunately, Serbia again refused the agreement and its implementation. Regarding the Central Bank of Kosova regulation on cash operations and transparency, parties will bring concrete ideas on what a short-term solution could look like, always respecting the said decision of the CBK. The Republic of Kosova stands by its offer to provide technical solutions based on the plan shared with Quint countries.”

Radio Free Europe quotes Bislimi as saying that by March 22, Kosovo and Serbia will present their proposals on the use of the Serbian Dinar in Kosovo, and that they will meet in Brussels next week to discuss options.

Koha quotes Bislimi as saying that at the meeting he mentioned “a series of Serbia’s violations about the agreements, including the agreement on the energy and telecommunications, and also its obstruction against Kosovo’s membership in international organizations”.

State Department: Discussions on Dinar must continue urgently (media)

Deputy spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel, said that discussions on the Dinar must continue with urgency. He said this when asked to comment on a statement by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani that part of an agreement was reached on the U.S. proposal about the Dinar.

He said that the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels is the venue to resolve issues like the Dinar.

“We welcome the discussions [in Brussels]. They were held within the EU-facilitated dialogue today and they included discussions on the new CBK regulation on the currency, and we believe that these talks must be held with urgency,” he said.

Patel also called on Kosovo and Serbia to de-escalate tensions.

Osmani on Vucic’s threats against Kosovo: He will fail again (Telegrafi)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in an interview with the news website on Tuesday, commented on a recent threatening statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, saying that it is yet another in a series of public statements by Vucic that “he will attack Kosovo”. “Same as in the past, he needs to know that he will fail, because all of Serbia’s efforts since 1998-99 and onwards to invade Kosovo and to get the territory of Kosovo have failed. First, because of the sacrifice of the people of Kosovo and our liberation war and second because we always had friends and freedom-loving nations that protected with us the most important values of freedom and democracy,” Osmani said.

Government spokesperson: Vucic, a hostage of the past and desperate (RTK)

Spokesperson for the Kosovo Government, Perparim Kryeziu, said in an interview with RTK on Tuesday that the recent statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is not the first time that he is making threats against Kosovo. “This is not the first time that the President of Serbia makes such statements revealing his objective to invade Kosovo. In an earlier case, he also referred to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said.

Kryeziu said that Vucic’s threat came at the anniversary of the agreement on the implementation annex of the Basic Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. “Such statements cannot be discarded or ignored or qualified merely as statements for internal consumption. They need to be watched with high diligence and condemned harshly by the international community. As a hostage of the past and desperate that he cannot turn back time, Vucic hopes that the methods of the past can one day be a solution for the future,” he said.

Roth: With Vucic at helm, no way for Serbia to enter the EU (media)

Several news websites cover a reaction by Michael Roth, chairman of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, to a recent statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said that the West must choose between Serbia or Kosovo. Roth argued that “President Vucic misunderstood something. The EU accession perspective applies not only to Serbia but to all Western Balkan states including Kosovo. There is no such thing as “either Serbia or Kosovo”. But Vucic is right, with him at the helm there is no way for Serbia to enter the EU.”

COMKFOR Ulutas meets Quint ambassadors in Kosovo (media)

Commander of NATO’s peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, Ozkan Ulutas, met on Tuesday with ambassadors of the Quint countries in Kosovo. KFOR said in a statement that “the meeting provided an opportunity to share views on security trends in Kosovo and across the region, on the International Community’s steadfast commitment to regional stability, and on KFOR’s daily efforts to implement its UN mandate and to support the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.”

“KFOR continues to implement its mandate – based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – to provide a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement, at all times and impartially. #KFOR is the third security responder, after the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law (EULEX) mission, respectively, with whom we work in close coordination,” the statement also notes.

Maqedonci announces second package of military aid for Ukraine (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci said on Tuesday that “Kosovo will continue to support Ukraine in its heroic war against Russian aggression. Today at the UDCG meeting, I announced our second package of military aid for Ukraine, consisting of mortar rounds. First package with trucks, tactical and armored vehicles will be delivered next week”.

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, shared Maqedonci’s announcement adding that “although Ukraine doesn’t yet recognize Kosovo, the Kosovar government is assisting Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invasion by supporting them with military equipment. Very much commendable, chapeau!”

Haradinaj: I can make Kosovo a member of NATO (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said in an interview with RTV21 on Tuesday that he is confident he can make Kosovo a member of NATO. “I am capable within a short period of time to make Kosovo a member of NATO, the same way we made the army. No partner of Kosovo has lack of trust in the AAK and in myself. The U.S. UK, Germany don’t have lack of trust in me. I have helped maintain the trust,” he said.

Haradinaj argued that “in the list of duties that the U.S. and other security allies give us, there is no alternative”. “We cannot be late or dispute anything. We want to join NATO. Give us the list of homework and Kosovo will do them,” he said.

According to Haradinaj, “Kosovo’s membership in NATO would mean security for the Kosovo Serbs too” and this discussion is more important than the discussion on the Dinar.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: We pointed out all difficulties for Serbs in Kosovo (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday that, at a Brussels meeting with Pristina’s chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi and the EU Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, Belgrade’s delegation had pointed out everything that posed a difficulty for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reported. Speaking to reporters after the nearly three-and-a-half-hour trilateral meeting, Petkovic said the direct discussions had taken place following insistence from the Belgrade delegation.

Petkovic said that, first and foremost, the delegation had insisted on the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities as the principal issue related to the fate and the future of the Serbs, adding that the Serbian dinar was the other important issue, given Pristina’s decision to ban the currency in Kosovo, which he noted posed difficulties to the Serbs.

“We spoke about numerous incidents, closure of Serbian institutions, Serbian ambulance in Pristina, conduct of (Kosovo) police towards Serbs, about the very difficult position of the Serbs and dinar regulation affecting those Serbs receiving social assistance but also our institutions”, Petkovic also said.

Petkovic: Solution must include continued Postal Savings Bank operations in Kosovo (media)

For Serbia, it is important to find a solution in the dialogue with Pristina that will include continued operations of the Postal Savings Bank in Kosovo, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in Brussels on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after a new round of the Brussels dialogue, Petkovic noted that the Serbian bank had been operating in Kosovo since 2018 and has five branch offices there.

In cooperation with the Post of Serbia, it has been executing money transfers in areas south of the Ibar River and it has over 50,000 accounts belonging to individuals as well as institutions, he said.

“Why reinvent the wheel now and make the already difficult position of the Serbs even more difficult when the solution already exists? It is just a matter of whether someone wants that solution or not. Or simply wants an expulsion of the Serbs as the ultimate objective”, Petkovic said. The most important thing for Serbia is to find a solution that will enable Serbian citizens in Kosovo to receive payments from Belgrade, he said, referring to Pristina’s ban on the Serbian dinar.

“The Republic of Serbia makes payments to all the accounts of our citizens regularly and in a timely fashion. The problem is that the payments cannot be received either at the Postal Savings Bank or post offices south of the Ibar because there are no dinars”, Petkovic also said.

In a statement to Pristina-based Koha daily, Pristina’s chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi said Belgrade and Pristina would by Friday propose ways of resolving the issue and added that he expected it to also be discussed next week.

Lajcak: Dialogue to be continued next Monday (media)

The EU Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak announced on Tuesday discussions about cash operations in Kosovo would be continued in Brussels next Monday, Tanjug news agency reported.

“Hosted the two Chief negotiators to discuss implementing the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation and other issues, incl. the impact of the decision on cash operations”, Lajcak wrote in a post on the social media network X after a trilateral meeting with the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina, Petar Petkovic and Besnik Bislimi.

“We agreed to continue on this issue next Monday, while the Agreement will need to be addressed by the leaders”, he added.

State Department: Dialogue adequate channel to resolve problems related to CBK decision (Kosovo Online)

The State Department believes that the dialogue is an adequate channel to resolve the problems related to the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) decision and that talks on dinar should continue as soon as possible, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

Patel, responding to a journalist’s question on the US stance on CBK’s decision, welcomed the Tuesday’s talks between Belgrade and Pristina under EU’s mediation. He added US calls for these talks to continue with urgency, the portal added.

Serbian List met Swedish Ambassador, tell him dinar decision has political not economic background (Kosovo Online)

Serbian List representatives, including head of the party, Zlatan Elek met yesterday with Swedish Ambassador in Pristina Jonas Westerlund and discussed with him the problems faced by Serbian people in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reported.

As Serbian List said in a statement they also discussed the current security situation, with particular emphasis on the institutional repression carried by Pristina authorities against the Serbian people. Elek thanked the Swedish Ambassador for his interest in the problems of the Serbs and voiced expectations that the international community will undertake concrete steps to prevent the exodus of the Serbian people from Kosovo and invalidate the unilateral decision of Pristina.

During the meeting, Serbian List in particular emphasized that the decision on dinar which affects every Serb in Kosovo does not have economic but rather political background, aiming at endangering survival of the Serbs in Kosovo, the statement added.

Vucic congratulates Putin on election win, informs him of situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on Tuesday and presented to him a letter for Vladimir Putin in which he congratulated the Russian President on his re-election and explained the difficult situation Serbs in Kosovo are faced with.

“I used the discussion with Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko to present to him a letter for President Putin of the Russian Federation, in which, besides congratulating him on the electoral win, I explained the gravity of the situation facing the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the significant political challenges that are ahead of Serbia, expressing gratitude to the Russian Federation for its support for the territorial integrity of Serbia”, Vucic wrote in a post on his official Instagram account.

KFOR Commander met ambassadors, discussed security situation in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Views on the security situation in Kosovo and across the region were shared in a meeting of KFOR Commander and ambassadors in Kosovo, on firm commitment of the international community to the regional stability as well as daily efforts of KFOR to implement its mandate and support Belgrade-Pristina dialogue under EU’s mediation, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Read the full KFOR’s announcement on the meeting at: https://shorturl.at/orDVZ

Serbian Parliament fails to elect speaker, MPs in war of words (N1)

The new Serbian Parliament continued its constitutive session for a second day on Tuesday without electing a speaker but with a war of words between the ruling coalition and opposition MPs, N1 reports.

As N1 reported, ruling coalition MPs continued their attacks on their opposition counterparts who warned that the accusations and insults could grow into a physical confrontation.

The majority Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has nominated former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic for Parliament Speaker. The session will continue on Wednesday.

International Media 

Albanian PM’s ‘Intimidation’ of Woman Journalist Condemned (Balkan Insight)

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama declined to answer questions from journalist Ambrozia Meta and instead touched her face – a gesture condemned as intimidating by media rights organizations.

Edi Rama was strongly criticised on Tuesday for allegedly intimidating Ambrozia Meta, a journalist for Albanian television channel Syri TV, by touching her cheek after ignoring her questions at a press conference in Tirana.

Rama made the allegedly intimidating gesture and then walked off after Meta asked him about an investment project on the island of Sazan – an environmentally protected area – where it has been reported that Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, will be involved in building properties for the tourist trade.

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