UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 22, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Serbs in Rudare demand release of arrested and KP’s departure from north (Telegrafi)
Kosovo Police denies speculations about obstruction of buses in Shterpce (Express)
Kosovo Police calls for peaceful protest in north (Koha)
EULEX: We are closely monitoring security situation in north of Kosovo (media)
“Serbia's illegal structures are intimidating Serbs and attacking policemen” (Albanian Post)
Sources: Serbian structures oblige and threaten people to take part in protest (KP)
EULEX present at the entrance of the road to Leposaviq (Kallxo)
Osmani and Kurti appoint new KIA Inspector General (media)
Central Bank foresees 3-4 percent increase in economic growth next year (RFE)
PSD: Selective justice is not justice, it is confirmation of injustice (Paparaci)

Serbian Language Media:

Kilometres-long column of people in the north of Kosovo, a large number of people at the protest in Rudare (N1, KoSSev)
Serbian List, new speakers addressed protestors in Rudare (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, RTS)
Vucic before the protest in Rudare: Serbs not asking for much, only what belongs to all civilised people in Europe (media)
Radojevic: Barricades are reaction (RTS)
Jevtic: Police returns buses transporting Serbs from Strpce to attend protest in Rudare (Novosti, social media)
Vucicevic: “If Kurti goes against barricades that is road to bad direction” (RTS)
Brnabic: Kurti clearly showed his intentions (Tanjug, RTV)
EULEX: We closely monitor security situation in northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online, social media)
Vucic: KFOR fairer than some Western gov'ts, but I expect negative response (Tanjug)
Miscevic: Nobody imposes a condition Kosovo or the EU on Serbia (Danas, Beta)
Police officers from the south warned not to publish photos from the north, what happened in the previous days? (KoSSev)
What will happen to Pristina’s EU membership bid? (Danas, FoNet)
Statistics Bureau Chief: 61.000 to 62.000 Albanians live in Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja (Bujanovacke, FoNet)

International:

RSF Urges Kosovo to Protect Journalists From Attacks in North (BIRN)
Kosovo Photographer Tracks Down Country’s Rarest Fauna (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

Capital Expects First Electric Buses Next Year (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Serbs in Rudare demand release of arrested and KP’s departure from north (Telegrafi)

The protest in Rudare called by the local Serbs of Mitrovica north has ended without incidents. They demanded the release of those arrested, the withdrawal of police forces from the north, and the cancellation of the arrest list of Serbian suspects.

In addition to the chairman of the Serbian List, Goran Rakic, the mayor of Sterpce municipality, Dalibor Jevtic, the mayor of Zvecan municipality, Dragisa Milovic, the former president of the Basic Court in Mitrovica, Nikola Kabasic, and other participants also spoke. Dejan Pantic’s son, Predrag Pantic also addressed the crowd.

They said that they want peace, they want to stay and survive in Kosovo, that they have nothing against the Albanian people, but they are against the government of Albin Kurti.

In addition to Serbian flags and banners with various inscriptions, a large banner stands out in which it is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, "Kurti, Kosovo does not belong to your grandfather, it belongs to our grandfathers."

Demokracia reports that among the banners they held, one was against the German ambassador, Jorn Rohde. "Rohde, this is not your Germany, this is Serbia," it said.

Kosovo Police denies speculations about obstruction of buses in Shterpce (Express)

The protest in Rudare of Zveqan has ended peacefully. The Kosovo Police through a communiqué has denied the speculations about the alleged obstruction of buses in Shterpce, which were intended to go to the protest.

"Referring to the declarations and publications of some media outlets that allegedly buses with protesters, which were intended to go to the previous protest to be held in Rudare of Zveqan, were prevented by the Kosovo Police, are untrue and do not stand," KP announced.

"During the performance of legal duties and authorizations in order to guarantee the law and safety, a bus was stopped according to routine control procedures and during the verification of documents some persons did not accept to be legitimized by the competent authorities, therefore voluntarily out of their own free will) have not continued further," says the announcement of the KP.

Kosovo Police calls for peaceful protest in north (Koha)

Kosovo Police issued a press release calling for today’s protest in Rudare in the north of Kosovo to be peaceful. “Today in north Mitrovica a protest/rally will be held, therefore, in this regard, Kosovo Police recognising the right for public gatherings through peaceful protest, according to its official duties, will maintain order and public calmness and carry out its duties as provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo,” the statement notes.

Police also said that “knowing the circumstances and the fragile security situation created by criminal groups in the north of the country and the tendency to destabilise the situation, Kosovo Police calls on all citizens to have additional attention and care in calling the protest, to protest peacefully and not fall prey to any provocation.”

EULEX: We are closely monitoring security situation in north of Kosovo (media)

The EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) said in a statement today that they are “closely monitoring the security situation in northern Kosovo through our increased presence on the ground”. The mission said its units are conducting reconnaissance patrols, including patrols on foot in Mitrovica North and Zvecan. “Bearing in mind the volatile security situation in northern Kosovo and the setup of additional barricades, EULEX regularly adapts its posture to reflect the situation on the ground, and in cooperation with the Kosovo Police and KFOR,” the statement notes.

Vela: Serbia's illegal structures are intimidating Serbs and attacking policemen (Albanian Post)

The chief of staff of the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, Blerim Vela, has said that the illegal structures of Serbia are committed to intimidation of Serbs in the North and attacks on policemen.

“The reality is that Serbia’s illegal and criminal structures have engaged in coordinated intimidation of local Serbs and attacks on Kosovo Police officers and institutions,” he wrote on Twitter.

According to him, the barricades have blocked freedom of movement, “while the actions of criminal groups are against the rule of law.”

Sources: Serbian structures oblige and threaten people to take part in protest (KP)

Citing unnamed sources, the news agency reports that Kosovo Serb citizens in the north are reportedly being forced to take part in today’s protest in Rudare. According to the sources, Serbs are being threatened and blackmailed to go to the protest, through various forms used by Serbian institutions. A Serb citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Kosovapress that “last night two Serb workers of illegal structures in the area came to my house and threatened me that if I don’t go to the protest, they will stop the salary I receive from Serbia and the pensions of my parents. I was so worried I didn’t sleep all night”.

Another Serb citizen said that even sick people that need medical treatment at home, have been obliged to take part in the protest so that the protest looks as big as possible. “One of my neighbours who is ill and stays at home, has been forced to take part in the protest, otherwise they will stop the aid he receives and he won’t be able to receive treatment in any Serbian health institution,” she said.

Serb citizens told the news agency that they are not interested in politics. “I don’t care about politics, I want to have money to live and to have a safe life,” one of them said.

EULEX present at the entrance of the road to Leposaviq (Kallxo)

EULEX teams were seen today on the main road that leads to Leposaviq, in addition to the Kosovo Police that have been stationed there for several days now.

On the 13th day of barricades in the north, the Serbs have warned of a protest at 12:00 in Rudare, Leposaviq. The so-called 'Crisis Headquarters from the north of Kosovo' has said that the protest will be the most massive that has ever happened.

"We invite the Serbian people living in Kosovo to the most massive protest that has ever happened, which will be held on Thursday on December 22 at 12:00 at Rudare cross" the Crisis Headquarters reportedly said.

Osmani and Kurti appoint new KIA Inspector General (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti were informed on Wednesday by the Inspector General of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency Burim Ramadani of his resignation from this position. They thanked Mr. Ramadani for his service in KIA since 2019 and wished him success in his further professional engagements, a press release issued by the President’s Office notes. It also says that following consultations, Osmani and Kurti appointed Kujtim Shala as the new KIA Inspector General, who was until now engaged with the Kosovo Security Force.

Central Bank foresees 3-4 percent increase in economic growth next year (RFE)

Governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo, Fehmi Mehmeti, said today during the end-of-year conference that Kosovo is expected to have an economic growth of 3 to 4 percent in 2023. He said the predictions are the same as those by the International Monetary Fund.

Mehmeti said that Kosovo’s economy was impacted by global developments, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, which cut off the supply chain. “Kosovo’s economy started 2022 with a better perspective as a result of a successful year in 2021 and which was characterised by 10.75 percent growth. However, during 2022, the change in global dynamics and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, accompanied by an increased inflation, changes in monetary policies, increased interest rates, and a slower pace in world trade as a result of the stop in the supply chain was reflected in Kosovo too,” he said.

Mehmeti also talked about the remittances which make up an important component in Kosovo’s economy. He said that this year remittances amounted to over €1 billion and a 5.5 percent increase.

PSD: Selective justice is not justice, it is confirmation of injustice (Paparaci)

The Social Democratic Party has opposed the decision of the Specialist Chambers after its decision on the conviction of the former commander of the KLA, Salih Mustafa. Nol Nushi from this party said that the expression of the judge "In the name of the people" is unacceptable for every citizen of Kosovo. According to him, with this reasoning, that court does not belong to that people and does not originate from the will of the people.

“At the beginning of the session where the judge wants to sentence Commander Cali, she starts with a very big political explanation as to why this court is the people's court. Normally, those courts that act on behalf of the people do not give such explanations. That explanation of that judge exactly shows us that that court does not belong to people and does not originate from the will of the people," Nushi said.

During the symbolic action in front of the EULEX offices in Kosovo, the PSD said that special justice is not justice. We are not against justice, we are not against any judgment that has justice as its essence, but special justice is not justice, selective justice is not justice. it is a confirmation of injustice, and it is causing great damage to Kosovo in every aspect, even in the history of its liberation war and in its foundations, which is the independence that comes from the just war of the KLA," he said.

Nushi has invited all citizens of Kosovo to protest on Saturday against the Specialist Chambers, after its decision on the conviction of the former KLA commander, Salih Mustafa to 26 years in prison.

Through the walls in front of the EULEX offices, the activists of this party wrote in English the sentence "Not in my name."

Serbian Language Media

Kilometres-long column of people in the north of Kosovo, a large number of people at the protest in Rudare (N1, KoSSev)

The barricades in the north of Kosovo have been going on for 13 days, and at noon the protest that the Serbian List announced as the biggest protest ever began - at the barricades in the village of Rudare. Milica Andric Rakic from the New Social Initiative told N1 that there is a multi-kilometer column of vehicles with citizens coming to the protest.

Through the gathered crowd, a large Serbian tricolour flag, several dozen metres long, was unfurled.

Citizens carry banners - "With faith in God, and for Christmas and Christmas Day", "President Vucic, we trust you", "Because there is no going back from here", "Justice for Dejan, Miljan and Sladjan", "Rohde, this is not Germany , this is Serbia", as well as a large banner with the message: "Kurti, Kosmet is not your 'private dowry', this is our heritance!".

Representatives of the Serbian List attend the rally, from the North but also south of the Ibar. Dalibor Jevtic, Milan Radojevic, Igor Simic, Vucina Jankovic, Goran Rakic, Srdjan Vulovic, Ljuljana Subaric...

The son of the arrested former member of the Kosovo Police, Dejan Pantic, is also attending the large protest at this place.

Since this morning, the presence of the international missions KFOR and EULEX was increasing in Rudare. As confirmed this morning by EULEX, they are monitoring the security situation together.

A helicopter patrols the sky above those gathered in Rudare, reports portal KoSSev.

Kosovo police, meanwhile, announced that they will take care of public order and peace during today's protest as well and called on those gathering to be especially careful - "not to fall for provocations, so that the protest goes peacefully".

The stage from which the speakers are speaking was set up yesterday, and the Serbian List prepared a special video for this occasion, showing individual guards of the barricades with the message that they are not criminals, as accusations are coming from the international community and Pristina about the presence of armed gangs.

During that time, the special police units that were stationed yesterday and set up a checkpoint near the Bistrica bridge near Banjska are still there.

Milica Andric Rakic is among the citizens who got out of their vehicles and walked towards Rudare because of the large crowd and the column going from Kosovska Mitrovica to Rudare.

She points out that, although she cannot see the place where the protest is being held, several thousand citizens can probably be expected from the crowd on the roads.

Citizens coming from the south of Kosovo are also on their way to Rudare. Citizens who started from Strpce reported problems with the Kosovo police. The mayor of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, announced on Twitter that they issued fines to everyone who does not have a Kosovo identity card.

Andric Rakic says that for 20 months, the Serbian community has been organising protest rallies for various reasons, but that protest did not bear fruit, so there was a radicalization of the way of expressing protest, resulting in the abandonment of institutions, and since that did not bear fruit either, barricades followed.

Although after the visit of Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak, it seemed that there would be negotiations, everything went quiet again, which may be the result of the breaks and vacations that most of them take. So that's supposed to be the reason for the protest. And the main reason for the protest was Albin Kurti's statement that he could not rule out the victims of barricade removal and dissatisfaction with the statements of representatives of the international community, Andric Rakic told N1.

Serbian List, new speakers addressed protestors in Rudare (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, RTS)

KoSSev portal writes today that in addition to the Serbian List representatives, new speakers addressed protestors at Rudare today, including Marko Jaksic, associate of the late Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice (SDP) leader Oliver Ivanovic and Predrag Pantic, a son of arrested former Kosovo police officer, Dejan Pantic, who was the first one addressing the gathering.

Predrag Pantic thanked people staying at the barricades erected following the arrest of his father, adding that “arrest of his father was only a drop which overflew the glass in the sea of unilateral acts, arrests and mistreatments of Serbian people”. He recalled that his father was immediately declared guilty, called “terrorist and criminal” by those who are neither a judge or prosecutor. He stressed the rights of his father have been violated and it has been the 13th day since the family had not spoken to him or heard from him.

Serbian List President Goran Rakic said “the terror we endure every day, secret lists, arrests and mistreatment by special police of Albin Kurti are the reasons for today’s gathering. We want to send a message that we want peace and freedom. Considering that the international community is bothered by barricades, but is not bothered by mistreatment of Serbs, I want to say that we are the ones on their own land, and can not remain silent to injustice, beating of our people nor accept to silently disappear from our land”.

“Gentlemen from the international community, excuse us because we can not stay idle while they trample over us (…). I know you know it, but let me say it once again, the solution to this crisis is in Pristina”, he said.

Strpce mayor and Serbian List official Dalibor Jevtic urged the international community to wake up and bring Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti “to reason”.

“(…) I do not expect Kurti and his ministers will hear any of the messages we send today, but I do expect from international community to wake up and understand, that barricades, the protest, large number of people at the barricades will wake them up and make them understand it is not our desire to spend days at barricades, but it is our obligations when facing violence and exodus by institutions, when Albin Kurti threatens us. That is why I am kindly asking you, stop him, until it is not late”, Jevtic said.

Serbian List Vice President, Igor Simic told Pink TV before the protest that until now “we had not had opportunity to hear clear statements of international representatives when Serbs were mistreated and abused by Pristina”.

“What is important to say is that the key to resolve this situation we are currently in is in Pristina, in the hands of those sending heavily armed special police against barehanded population, threaten Serbs at barricades that they will remove them by force and that there will be casualties”, Simic said.

Stressing that Serbs in Kosovo today face major problems affecting their survival and that today’s gathering represents unity of the Serbian people, and not of political representatives, Marko Jaksic said he is one of the people from Zubin Potok whose private property has been confiscated.

He added “Albin Kurti confiscated that property, by declaring it to be of public interest not to build windmills park there, but to reconstruct police bases for heavily armed police officers who humiliate people and want to drive us out from there”.

He said by staying at barricades Serbs want to point out injustice they suffer. “International community is not ready to hear our problems, nor it understands barricades, they do not get that they point out to extremist attitude of Kurti’s government, and it is full of understanding for reconstruction of special police bases in the north”, Jaksic said.

Director of kindergarten in Leposavic, Zorica Jovanovic said every child should have the right to peace and freedom, however we witness today that children in the north cannot simply go out and play, without hearing sirens (warning of danger) on the streets.

Former mayor of Zvecan Dragisa Milovic said people at barricades are neither terrorists or armed gangs, but ordinary citizens wishing to live in peace with their children. He called on KFOR, UNMIK and EULEX “to protect Serbs from terror, persecution and unfounded arrests”.

Former president of the higher court in Mitrovica, Nikola Kabasic said that “Kosovo government started institutional conflict with Serbs, by different combination of a hybrid and institutional war aiming to persecuting Serbs”. He also urged political disputes to be left aside and that all Serbs unite in defence of the rights of Dejan Pantic and other Serbs whose rights have been violated.

“None of us feels secure, because each of us is on the list that is circulating”, he said, adding the words “terrorists, criminals” are the most common phrases heard when talking about Serbs. “We fight against Serb terrorists – this is how they dehumanise us, and make every fight against us as legal as far as they are concerned”, he said. He also accused the international community of being “indifferent and uninterested” for the problems of the Serbs.

Vucic before the protest in Rudare: Serbs not asking for much, only what belongs to all civilised people in Europe (media)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, addressed the Serbian people in an Instagram video, before today's protest in Rudare, saying that it is "a big, popular and democratic protest of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, and from the north and south and all areas where Serbs live in Kosovo and Metohija", reported Serbian media.

- Serbs are not asking for much, they are only asking for what belongs to all civilised people in Europe. What everyone else has the right to, only the Serbs were denied. To be free, to have the right to move, to go to schools and hospitals, to protect the lives and perspective of their children. They demand the release of those who were arrested without any reason. They are asking for those who came with long pipes without the right to occupy the north of Kosovo and Metohija to withdraw - said Vucic.

The President of Serbia said that the Serbs demand "that the arrest lists, made by the regime in Pristina, be abolished because the Serbs stood up to their terror".

- And for the return to their institutions, which is something other than the removal of the barricades, they are asking for the formation of the CSM (ZSO), which was the first condition in the Brussels Agreement. For all that, as the president of Serbia, I will always support them and I will not hide from the great and powerful in the world, and when I say this, I will also be responsible enough to call them to preserve peace, to preserve composure, patience because peace is in the greatest interest of Serbs and Serbia and our people in Kosovo and Metohija. Long live the Serbian people in Kosovo, long live Serbia - said Vucic.

Radojevic: Barricades are reaction (RTS)

Serbs in northern Kosovo continue protesting at barricades for the 13th day in a row. They said they will remove barricades once Pristina releases Dejan Pantic, Miljan Adzic and Sladjan Trajkovic and special police units withdraw from the north, RTS reports.

Former Mitrovica North mayor and member of the Crisis Committee, Milan Radojevic told RTS that “barricades are not action, but rather reaction and they are not aimed against Pristina and Albanians. They serve exclusively as a defence mechanism of the Sers in northern Kosovo”, he said.

Speaking for RTS news edition, Radojevic said the reason for today’s protest are the latest threats from Pristina by interior minister and prime minister, Xhelal Svecla and Albin Kurti, who recently told British newspaper The Guardian that removal of barricades may not exclude the casualties.

“Today we want to show the faces of our doctors, professors, nurses, medical technicians, mothers and fathers whom Kurti wants to strike and whom he wants to liquidate. Those are serious threats. Today we want to show our faces, how many of us are there, what we fight for and what we preserve. We are not only defending the life in northern Kosovo, we are also defending the right of Serbs to return, the right of the Serbian Orthodox Church to return the land to Visoki Decani Monastery, for Cyrilic alphabet, we defend rights of all Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”, Radojevic siad.

He added all options Serbs have in political and institutional dialogue to fight for their rights have been exhausted and that they appealed to international representatives that acts Pristina undertakes have become unbearable.

“(…) new arrests of our citizens, new bases in northern Kosovo, usurpation of private properties, those are things we can’t go over. This was a forced move (…)”, he said, adding Serbs also requested closure of four newly built police bases, constructed on usurped properties in northern Kosovo.

Radojevic noted Serbs extended their hand for talks and reconciliation, and it still lingers in the air, however they didn’t have an interlocutor in Pristina.

He also said the only armed groups Serbs in the north fear are those from Kosovo police. “With their attitude, lack of language knowledge, provocative photos on social media they affect Serbs not to have trust in them”, he said.

Jevtic: Police returns buses transporting Serbs from Strpce to attend protest in Rudare (Novosti, social media)

Kosovo police stopped and returned buses transporting Serbs from Strpce who were on their way to attend protest in Rudare settlement in Zvecan, due at noon today, and issued fines to all those who did not have Kosovo ID cards, Strpce mayor Dalibor Jevtic said, Novosti reports.

“Serbs from the south of Kosmet en masse today wanted to attend a peaceful protest in Rudare. Kosovo police stopped and returned buses transporting Serbs from Strpce and issued fines to all those who do not have KS ID cards. An example of democracy and freedom that (Albin) Kurti is talking about”, Jevtic said in a post on Twitter.

In a second post on Twitter Jevtic said that Kosovo police also stopped private vehicles, took records about passengers with a message that “they should behave, otherwise in case of problems we will know who is guilty for it”. He also said by doing so, Pristina attempted to abolish a democratic right to peaceful protest to the Serbs in Kosovo.

In relation to the protest in Rudare Jevtic said Serbs are united, and have a clear message – we only want to live in peace and be the ones on their own. He added the aim of Albin Kurti was clear, ever since he took the power – “that there should be no Serbs neither north or south of the Ibar River, or to only have those wishing to be obedient to him”.

Vucicevic: “If Kurti goes against barricades that is road to bad direction” (RTS)

Serbian Minister of Defense, Milos Vucicevic said today if Kosovo Prime Minister “Albin Kurti goes against barricades that would be a road to bad direction leading to a disastrous scenario”, adding that Serbia “in this case will not wait for refugees’ convoys at Jarinje and Brnjak and that everyone thinking so is having a wrong presumption”, RTS reports.

“There will be no new “Bljesak” and “Storm” and there will be no new March 2004. If somebody thinks that we will wait for refugees’ convoys at Jarinje and Brnjak with bottles of water and sandwiches then it is a wrong presumption and opinion. I would not like to see that scenario and I hope it would not cross anyone’s mind to check whether we are serious or decisive”, Vucicevic said.

Asked what will happen if KFOR refuses a request of the Serbian Government for returning up to 1000 of its security personnel in Kosovo, Vucicevic said Serbia must receive additional guarantees that KFOR is capable of preserving peace for all citizens in Kosovo. He also voiced hope the West will not allow incidents to happen in Kosovo.

Brnabic: Kurti clearly showed his intentions (Tanjug, RTV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has shown his true intentions and values when he said that removal of barricades in northern Kosovo may not exclude casualties.

“When he speaks of casualties he speaks about the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Meothija who are at those barricades, and I will recall that women, youth, elderly people, teachers who hold online classes for secondary schools’ students are at the barricades”, Brnabic said.

She also expressed concern over Kurti’s statement, adding it reflects clear intention of Pristina “to ethnically cleanse Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija”.

EULEX: We closely monitor security situation in northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online, social media)

EULEX said it closely monitors the security situation in northern Kosovo through increased presence on the ground, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“We are closely monitoring the security situation in northern Kosovo through our increased presence on the ground. The 🇵🇱 members of our Formed Police Unit and the 🇮🇹 and 🇱🇹 members of our Reserve Formed Police Unit from the European Gendarmerie Force are conducting reconnaissance patrols, including patrols on foot in Mitrovica North and Zvečan/Zveçan. Bearing in mind the volatile security situation in northern Kosovo and the setup of additional barricades, EULEX regularly adapts its posture to reflect the situation on the ground, and in cooperation with the Kosovo Police and KFOR”, EULEX said in a post on Facebook.

Vucic: KFOR fairer than some Western gov'ts, but I expect negative response (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday in Baku the KFOR Mission in Kosovo was acting in a way that was much fairer than the actions of some Western governments, but noted that he expected a negative response to Belgrade's request for redeployment of up to 1,000 Serbian security personnel there, Tanjug news agency reports.

"I expect them to issue a negative response, they are capable of performing their duty and KFOR's behaviour is much fairer than that of some Western governments. Unlike everyone else, they are behaving in line with UN SC Resolution 1244 in a serious and responsible way", Vucic told reporters at the end of an official visit to Azerbaijan.

He said Azerbaijan's President Ihham Aliyev had told him earlier in the day that only small countries were obliged to respect international law, while powerful ones could rely on the law of the stronger.

Vucic said this was true and added that those who were stronger were able to do what they wanted, but noted that, "when you are cornered, you have nothing to lose until the end".

See at: https://bit.ly/3VclRUF

Miscevic: Nobody imposes a condition Kosovo or the EU on Serbia (Danas, Beta)

Minister for European Integration Tanja Miscevic said yesterday in Belgrade that nobody forces Serbia to choose between Kosovo and the European Union (EU), reported daily Danas.

At the presentation of the new edition of the European Journal at the High School in Zemun, she stated that it was Serbia's duty to normalise relations with Pristina.

"There is no condition, Kosovo or the EU. No one is forcing Serbia to define its direction towards the European Union in that way," she said.

Expressing the hope that the current crisis in the north of Kosovo will end peacefully, she said that this crisis was actually one of the "effects of the failure of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina".

She also added that the opening of new chapters within the framework of European integration depends on many factors, but that she was not burdened by the date but by what has been done.

"It is much more important for us when we will start closing chapters," she said and added that many areas are now at the European level and that this was more important than the moment of entry into the Union.

Police officers from the south warned not to publish photos from the north, what happened in the previous days? (KoSSev)

Gazmend Hoxha, director of operations of the Kosovo police, confirmed in an interview with Kallxo that the members of the Kosovo police were ordered not to publish the photos they take while performing their duties in the north. For days, some pages on social networks shared photographs of KP members, including special forces, some of which included their personal details, national symbols, gestures, or messages. A few days ago, these pages stopped publishing the mentioned content, and some posts were even removed, reported portal KoSSev yesterday.

Hoxha said in the show Kallxo Pernime that the police officers were warned and received clear instructions that this should not happen again, as well as that they will be sanctioned if they continue taking photos. He added that there has been an improvement in this regard ever since.

“Perhaps it was an expression of emotion, but our police officers should not stoop to such a level,” said Hoxha.

“Police officers have just received instructions not to use images or other symbols that can be seen as a provocation or threat to citizens living in these areas.”

Aleksandar Arsenijevic, the founder of the CI Serbian Survival (Srpski Opstanak), who made a guest appearance on the same show, also addressed this issue.

Arsenijevic confirmed that the Serbs in the north do not feel safe after seeing the photos of the Kosovo Police in the north, saying that the Albanian policemen do not give them a sense of security.

“Citizens of Serbia, when they see all this on social networks, do not feel safe. Imagine a Serbian policeman in Pristina, in Gracanica, if he held up three fingers, he would be hanged,“ said Arsenijevic.

To the journalist Jeta Xhara’s question, why he did not bring and show photos of the masked Serbs who attacked the journalists, Arsenijevic said that he “cannot find them”.

“If I had found them, I would have brought them… if there were any… I do not justify violence. I am telling you how the citizens feel, I am telling you what is happening, that no one feels safe,” he said.

Facebook campaign – “heroes” protecting the north

In the previous days, several pages on social networks, as well as a couple of portals, published photos of Albanian members of the Kosovo police in the north. In the photographs, they are shown posing with weapons. Along with the photos, these sites and pages also shared announcements and messages referring to the heroic deeds during their stay in the north.

International

RSF Urges Kosovo to Protect Journalists From Attacks in North (BIRN)

Reporters Without Borders calls for better protection for journalists reporting from the volatile north of the country, where at least four attacks on journalists have been recorded in five weeks.

International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, RSF, has called on Kosovo authorities and international security missions in the country to provide a better protection for journalists reporting from the north of Kosovo, where tensions have increased in recent months.

“The alarm signal sent by the wave of attacks against journalists in northern Kosovo must be taken seriously by Kosovo Police, the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) before there is another tragedy,” Pavol Szalai, Head of RSF’s European Union and Balkans desk, said on Thursday.

“We urge them to carry out a rapid and thorough investigation into these attacks, and to take additional protective measures in coordination with associations of journalists representing the two ethnic communities,” Szalai added.

Tensions have spiked in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo where on December 9 local Serbs set up barricades on two roads leading to the Jarinje and Bernjak crossing points with Serbia.

This was in reaction to the arrest of an ethnic Serbian former Kosovo Police officer. The government then closed the two crossing points and an uneasy standoff has persisted since then.

Humanitarian/Development

Capital Expects First Electric Buses Next Year (Prishtina Insight)

Prishtina is due to see its first electric buses from 2023, which will aid the city’s green transition.

Electric buses will circulate the streets of Prishtina for the first time in 2023, in an attempt to lower air pollution in the capital.

The Mayor of Prishtina, Përparim Rama, signed a contract of 10 million euros with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD for the purchase of 30 buses, six of which will be electric and 24 of the EURO VI model that are in accordance with the oil emissions standard, on December 15.

The buses will be owned by the municipal company Urban Traffic, which currently covers seven lines in the capital.

Rama, during the signing of the agreement, said the incorporation of the first electric buses was a key step in the city’s green transition.

“The incorporation of the first electric buses in the city is a key moment towards the green transition. This will have a tangible impact on the lives of our citizens and will take meaningful steps towards a healthier and cleaner Prishtina. We are very proud to continue a close cooperation with our partner EBRD,” Rama said.

An environmental activist from the organisation “Active Citizens”, Flutra Zymi, told BIRN that she welcomed the decision even though she would like to see more such buses.