• US calls for implementation of Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (RFE)
• Haradinaj hails the NDAA: “US stands with Kosovo” (EO)
• Kurti: Kosovo suffered biggest measures not from EU but from opposition (media)
• PACE delegation to observe the December 28 parliamentary elections (media)
• Hoxhaj: Without strong defense, dialogue with Serbia is dangerous (Express)
• Krasniqi cites “unlawful actions” by mayors of four northern municipalities (EO)
• Germany reaffirms strong support for KFOR and NALT (Sinjali)
• First female president of Kosovo Academy for Arts and Sciences elected (media)
• Govt extends mandate of diploma verification commission till March ’26 (Kossev)
• Remains of missing persons could be at location earlier excavated by UNMIK (Koha)
• Don’t blame the Hague tribunal for amnesia about war crimes (BIRN)

US calls for implementation of Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (RFE)

The agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, reached in February 2023 with the mediation of the European Union, represents a positive step in the normalization of relations, and both Kosovo and Serbia need to aim at swift progress in the implementation of the Annex of the agreement. This is said in the National Defense Authorization Act adopted by the US Congress and signed into a law by US President Donald Trump on December 18. “After sufficient progress is achieved, the US must look into initiatives to strengthen bilateral relations with both countries,” the text notes, adding that this includes bilateral strategic dialogue and concrete initiatives to further economic ties and investments.

The Act also notes that the United States must continue supporting a final and comprehensive settlement between Kosovo and Serbia, based on mutual recognition, and not based on territorial exchanges, divisions or other border changes along ethnic lines in the Western Balkans, and that it must support pluralist democracies in the region as means to prevent the resumption of ethnic conflicts.

Haradinaj hails the NDAA: “US stands with Kosovo” (EO)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said today that the National Defense Authorization Act in the United States which has now entered into force, is the best news of the day and “a reconfirmation of the US policy toward Kosovo and the Balkans in general”. He notes that the NDAA rejects any idea for divisions, territorial exchange or border changes on ethnic basis in the Western Balkans. “It supports Kosovo’s perspective for NATO membership, and that of the whole Western Balkans, which is fully in line with our orientation that Kosovo’s membership in NATO is the foundation of our security and our development as a state and society. This Law clearly outlines the US policy for the implementation of the Agreement on Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia and the final objective of mutual recognition,” he said.

Kurti: Kosovo suffered biggest measures not from EU but from opposition (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that he welcomes the removal of EU measures but also accused the opposition saying that they inflicted the biggest financial measures on Kosovo. At the caretaker government meeting today, Kurti blamed the opposition for failing to vote on the Growth Plan and three agreements with the World Bank, amounting to over €1 billion. “The Republic of Kosovo suffered the biggest financial measures not from the European Union but from the parliamentary opposition. Last month, despite our insistence, the Assembly was dissolved without voting on the EU Growth Plan at the value of €800 million and three agreements with the World Bank in the value of over €120 million, so a total of over €1 billion, due to the lack of vote and willingness by the opposition,” he said.

According to Kurti, the EU measures were unfair from the beginning, “because first the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo did not cause the escalation in the four northern municipalities, and second, the de-escalation was a merit of Kosovo’s institutions”.

PACE delegation to observe the December 28 parliamentary elections (media)

A 6-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by Yunus Emre (Türkiye, SOC), will travel to Kosovo from 27 to 29 December to observe the early elections to the Assembly of Kosovo.

The delegation will meet leaders and representatives of the main political parties (including parties representing non-majority communities), the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, the Chairperson of the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel, as well as representatives of the international community, NGOs and the media, before observing the ballot on 28 December.

An expert of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts – will provide legal support during the visit.

Hoxhaj: Without strong defense, dialogue with Serbia is dangerous (Express)

Former Kosovo Foreign Minister and candidate for MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said today that Kosovo needs to react with determination to Serbia’s efforts to “destabilize the region and question Kosovo’s statehood”. “Serbia is trying to ruin the Balkans order, rewrite history and to question the existence of the state of Kosovo. This is why we need to increase our budget for defense, our defense capabilities and also the number of Kosovo Security Force troops in the coming years,” he said.

Hoxhaj said that Kosovo’s sovereignty is protected through a clear policy and in partnership with international allies.

On the process of dialogue with Serbia, Hoxhaj said that Kosovo cannot continue with the same approach. “On the dialogue, Kosovo needs a new resolution in the Assembly. There are now new circumstances in Europe and in the world. There was also the aggression in Banjska and we must not sit at the table of dialogue without mutual recognition [with Serbia] and without guaranteeing the defense and security of Kosovo,” he argued.

Krasniqi cites “unlawful actions” by mayors of four northern municipalities (EO)

Kosovo caretaker Minister of Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said in a Facebook post today that mayors of the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo acted against the law when they proposed additional points in the agenda of the municipal assemblies with the aim of withdrawing from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities.

“This practice goes against the Law on Self-Government (Article 47.2) which determines that only members of the assembly have the right to ask for additional points on the agenda during the session, and only on urgent matters of public importance. Every request for additional points must be voted by the majority of assembly members (Article 47.3). There is no legal provision that foresees a right by the Mayor to propose additional points during the assembly session. Moreover, the practice of non-adopting additional points as ‘special point’ but only adopting the daily order constitutes a procedural violation because the initial proposal came from the mayor, as an authority that does not have the legal competencies for this action. As a result, the points that were proposed in this manner did not go through the required legal procedures and are considered unlawful and question the legitimacy of decisions based on them. Respecting legal procedures is not a formality but a guarantee for democratic functioning, transparency and rule of law at the local level. Beyond the procedural aspect, by initiating this matter, the Serbian List is once again proving openly that it aims to cause divisions between communities, intolerance, distrust and tensions, by displaying lack of readiness to cooperate with the other municipalities within the Association. The communities in Kosovo, without a doubt, have an interest in integrating and cooperating with each other for economic development, security, a peaceful life and to strengthen mutual trust in all areas of society, in line with the democratic values and integration processes of the European Union. Unfortunately, through this initiative, the Serbian List is once again proving that its objective is to follow Serbia’s interests in Kosovo and to cause divisions, distrust and tensions, and not to represent the interests of the Kosovo Serbs, integration and their well-being in society,” he said.

Germany reaffirms strong support for KFOR and NALT (Sinjali)

The German Embassy in Kosovo said in a Facebook post today that at the KFOR Troop Contributing Countries Conference, Charge d'Affaires of the embassy, Christian Bottcher reaffirmed Germany’s strong support for KFOR and the NATO Advisory Liaison Team (NALT). 

“Our soldiers play a vital role in ensuring a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement in Kosovo. Their commitment is a powerful symbol of peace and cooperation in Europe. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those serving in these missions for their dedication and service,” the post notes.

First female president of Kosovo Academy for Arts and Sciences elected (media)

Several news websites report that Justina Shiroka-Pula has been elected president of the Kosovo Academy of Arts and Science, becoming the first ever woman to head the institution. Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku said in a Facebook post that the Shiroka-Pula’s election is historic, and that throughout her life Shiroka-Pula had broken barriers and stereotypes by opening new doors and pathways for young women. Former Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said Shiroka-Pula’s election “marks not only a personal success, but also an important step for equality and representation of women in the highest institutions”.

Govt extends mandate of diploma verification commission till March ’26 (Kossev)

The Kosovo Ministry for Communities and Returns said today that the government has extended the mandate of the commission for the verification of Serbian diplomas in Kosovo until March 2026, the news website reports. The decision was made in today’s government meeting following an initiative for the Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Nenad Rasic. The ministry said in a Facebook post that the decision has significant importance “for a large number of citizens, especially for youth and people with high education, because it enables the continuation of the verification of diplomas and paves the way to employment, professional development and the enjoyment of basic working rights”.

Remains of missing persons could be at location earlier excavated by UNMIK (Koha)

The remains of one person and some other skeletal remains were found in the region of Rahovec and are believed to be victims of events related to the conflict in 1998. Ditor Haliti from the Forensics Institute said the remains were sent for verification and that the number of victims that could be found in the location could go up to eight. “This is a location that was earlier excavated by The Hague tribunal and UNMIK teams, but thanks to the analytical work of the International Red Cross and our institutions, we reached the conclusion that there could be more victims, missing persons, buried there, because they were not excavated in the past. The number could go up to eight, we cannot know precisely, and it could even be a smaller number,” he said.

Kushtrim Gara from the Kosovo government’s committee for Missing Persons, said that the case dates to the summer of 1998 when Serbian forces buried the bodies of over 40 victims in an attempt to conceal the crimes. “I am saying they were buried because of [respect] their family members, in this case they [Serbian forces] dug a hole in this location,” he said.

Gara too said that there were earlier excavations at the site but that after analyzing the data, the commission concluded that not all mortal remains were excavated in 1999, 2002 and 2007. 

Don’t blame the Hague tribunal for amnesia about war crimes (BIRN)

Opinion by Olivera Simic.

Eight years after the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal closed, as the memory of its work fades, new generations know increasingly little about even the worst wartime atrocities.

On December 21, 2017, the first ad hoc international criminal court established by the United Nations since the post-World War II Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals completed its work.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, held its closing ceremony at the historical Hall of Knights in The Hague, attended by high-level state officials, diplomats, UN officials and representatives of other international organisations who had gathered to applaud the ICTY’s achievements.

The ICTY was celebrated that day as “groundbreaking”, not only for dispensing accountability to those responsible for war crimes but also for contributing to the “healing process” for victims, documenting the “undeniable truth and facts of past tragedies”. According to the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, this would “ensure that the world will not forget, that history cannot be re-written [and that] victims’ voices will continue to resound down the decades”.

Read more at: http://tiny.cc/inmw001