Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 260 new cases, three deaths (media)
• Germany and France call for swift formation of government and election of President (media)
• CDHRF: Assembly reserved seats are at risk from Belgrade (media)
• CEC meets, counting of 500 polling stations is expected (Express)
• CEC decides: 494 polling stations will be recounted (media)
• Zemaj announces increase of COVID-19 cases (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• 57 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo on Saturday (Radio kontakt plus)
• The Comoros do not recognize Kosovo's independence, the position remains the same (RTS)
• OSCE: Media should be free to travel (KoSSev)
• Serbia receives 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 50.000 doses of Sputnik vaccines (N1, B92)
• Brnabic: Quality of life in Kosovo will depend on dialogue with Belgrade (Tanjug, Kosovo-online)
• Hodzic: Balje and Rexhepi did nothing for Bosniak community in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Office for KiM: Video surveillance in all schools in Serbian communities (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Electoral irregularities are no excuse for anti-gypsyism (Prishtina Insight)
• Palokaj: Kosovo to draft guidebook for international friends to hold them accountable 
• New 'Cold War' Will Fuel Tensions in Southeast, Central Europe (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Albin Kurti told BTA: Bulgaria and Kosovo share common goals and interests (BTA)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  COVID-19: 260 new cases, three deaths (media)

260 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 190 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. There are 6,706 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Germany and France call for swift formation of government and election of President (RTK)

The two main EU countries, Germany and France made a joint call for swift formation of the government and election of the President.

“Germany and France congratulate the citizens of Kosovo, Albin Kurti of the Vetevendosje Movement and MP Vjosa Osmani on the election results. We call for a swift formation of the government and election of the President, once the results are finalized,” German Ambassador Jorn Rohde tweeted. “Germany and France look forward to supporting an ambitious reform agenda, including strengthening the rule of law, and the fight against corruption and organised crime. Together with EU in Kosovo we will continue to support Kosovo in managing the COVID pandemic,” he added.

“Germany and France stand ready to support the continuation of the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia towards the European integration of both countries,” reads another tweet by Ambassador Rohde. 

CDHRF: Assembly reserved seats are at risk from Belgrade (media)

The Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms, through a press release, said that the reserved seats in the Assembly of Kosovo are being endangered due to the intervention of Belgrade through the Serbian List.

According to the CDHRF, smuggled votes are creating an imposed representation of non-majority communities, to the detriment of the true and legitimate representatives of these communities and in complete violation of the Constitution of Kosovo and human rights.

Full response:

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, members of non-majority communities enjoy special rights that can be taken as an example for countries with a more developed democracy than in Kosovo.

In this context, there are also the guarantees for the reserved seats that in the early elections of February 14, 2021 are being seriously endangered due to the intervention of Belgrade, through the Serbian List to change the architecture of representation of non-majority communities by smuggling votes for their favorites, in order for the Serbian List to control 2/3 of the MPs of non-majority communities.

Earlier, under threat, blackmail and using physical violence, all Serb political parties in Kosovo, which were integrated into the state and social structures of Kosovo and which worked for the integration of Serbs in Kosovo, were expelled from the political game in Kosovo as this whole process was opposed by Serbia, through the Serbian List.

The silent transition of the violent elimination of political parties representing Kosovo Serbs in the affirmative plan, created the conditions that in the last elections, this electoral violence and attempt for domination extend to non-majority communities, namely Bosniaks, Roma, Gorani, Ashkali and others.

 In this manner, with smuggled votes, an imposed representation of non-majority communities is being created, detrimenting the true and legitimate representatives of these communities and in complete violation of the Constitution of Kosovo and the human rights it guarantees, voluntary, without coercion, without political interference and completely independent to vote, elect or be elected.

This was flagrantly violated in the last elections, as was the voting process for non-majority communities, planned by Serbia and implemented by the Serbian List, was criminalized.

The CDHRF stands in solidarity with the voters of non-majority communities, whose votes have been violated by Belgrade through smuggling of votes by voters of other nationalities, in this case of Serbian nationality, who have been predominant in eliminating the real representatives of non-majority candidates. - majority, in the concrete case of that Bosniak, Roma, Gorani and Ashkali.

CDHRF requests the recount of votes in all polling stations where it is suspected that there were smuggled votes that affected the result of candidates for the non-majority community who in this case were harmed by being eliminated from the opportunity to represent the community to which they belong.

Non-majority parties must follow the legal path, after the certification of the results in order to protect and realize their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and, in this regard, will have the unreserved support of the CDHRF.

If even after this electoral crime, which is a direct intervention of Serbia, through the Serbian List, is passed without taking legal and constitutional actions, then a very dangerous precedent will be justified that, indirectly or directly, depending on how many deputies will to be controlled by the Serb List, representatives of the non-majority community will suffer the fate of Serb political parties in Kosovo which are almost excluded from the political process and decision-making for the fate of Serbs who have integrated or want to integrate in Kosovo.

This should not be allowed in any way, otherwise the voting process, especially for members of the non-majority community will not make sense for the fact that their votes will be decided in Belgrade and not in Pristina.

It would be good and even necessary after the announcement of the preliminary results, the investigative bodies to investigate the suspicions raised by the candidates and political parties of the non-majority community for manipulation of the votes from Serbia and the Serbian List. Realistically, if the Bosniak Initiative in North Mitrovica is voted mainly and in some cases (from some Serb municipalities) exclusively by Serb voters, then, in itself, suspicions arise based on clientelistic, smuggled and political purposes.

CEC meets, counting of 500 polling stations is expected (Express)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) today will present a report from the Counting and Results Center, with some recommendations for the recount of about 500 polling stations.

This was confirmed by the CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi.

"I can confirm that a report from the Counting and Results Center with some recommendations for recounting about 500 polling stations, will be presented at today's meeting of the CEC, and of course that CEC members will review and make a meritorious decision," Elezi said.

He also showed how he came to these recommendations.

"The CRC has come to these recommendations because these polling stations could not pass the audit process. The reasons are various and mainly have to do with the wrong transfer of votes in the form of political entities and the form of candidates; as well as because in a large number of polling stations the candidate or candidates have more votes than the political entity," Elezi added.

The CEC meeting will be held today at 13:00.

Meanwhile, candidates from some of the parties have demanded a recount of votes.

CEC decides: 494 polling stations will be recounted (media)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) decided in today’s meeting to recount 494 polling stations. The CEC has divided the polling stations into four categories, which will be recounted, due to inconsistencies in the results forms.

According to the CEC, the reasons for the recount are related to incorrect transfer of votes in the form of political entities (35 polling stations); incorrect transfer of votes on the candidate form (6 polling stations); the candidate or candidates have more votes than the political entity (370 polling stations); and the subject has votes while the candidates do not and vice versa (83 polling stations).

Chief Executive Officer of the CEC Secretariat Burim Ahmetaj said that in 370 polling stations a candidate has more votes than the subject, recommending that these polling stations go to the recount.

"The process of scanning the results that are left in the two municipalities is continuing. From the voting service, out of 19 thousand packages evaluated so far, over 22 thousand envelopes have been approved, the rest are rejected and over 31 envelopes out of 19 thousand packages have been processed,” Ahmetaj said.

"Regarding the process of the election material of the candidates, the CRC has processed almost all the forms that have not had technical problems. There are 35 polling stations that could not pass the audit. The third category that has the largest number of polling stations is that the recount should be noted where there are 370 polling stations where a candidate has more votes than the subject and due to this reason, there is the recommendation to have a recount,” he added.

Whereas, Sami Kurteshi has requested that a commission be created to verify each vote separately.

Kurteshi even said that the list of those who were denied votes from abroad was never published.

"The processing of votes from abroad, we are following the entire procedure in the CRC and we have remarks that I want to mention: We have some justifications on the cases when people have applied and it turns out that they have not applied, there are cases where the application has been rejected, but in fact it has not been rejected and this is an issue that leaves many dilemmas," he said.

"There are cases when in some municipalities where there are no members of the Bosniak community, the Bosniak parties get a lot of votes, it is discussed in public, however, CEC remains silent," Kurteshi added.

Zemaj announces increase of COVID-19 cases (RTK)

The acting Minister of Health, Armend Zemaj, spoke today in the meeting of the Committee for Coordination and Situation Assessment with COVID-19 about the epidemiological situation in Kosovo.

He said that based on data collected by the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, the situation with the pandemic is under control.

"Through the data collected by NIPHK, the pandemic situation is under control and there is no tendency for any alarm of any nature. The epidemiological situation shows a symbolic decrease in the last two weeks by 1.16 percent, but with signs of the possibility of an increase in positive cases this week," Zemaj said.

He also spoke about the predictions on the situation with the pandemic in the coming days, presneted by the NIPHK.

"There are three scenarios that have been presented by NIPHK, according to the easy scenario, the hitting rate will be 1 percent, with a mortality rate of 3.3 percent. In the second scenario, the stroke rate will be 2 percent, with a mortality rate of 5.3 percent. And the harshest scenario based on the statistics of the current epidemiological situation with COVID-19 in the region and the world, the hitting rate is expected to be 3 percent of the population with a mortality rate of 7.1 percent," said Zemaj.

"According to the projection of the Institute, until February 21, taking into account the number of positive cases and deaths from COVID-19, the number of patients will vary from 312 to 321 cases, the average 317 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, which will present an increase of 6.9 percent, while the number of deaths is 4 to 5 deaths," Zemaj said.

     

Serbian Language Media

  57 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo on Saturday (Radio kontakt plus)

57 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo on Saturday, Radio kontakt plus reports. 

Out of 142 tested samples new cases were registered as follows: 20 in Mitrovica North, 15 in Zvecan, 12 in Leposavic, six in Gnjilane, three in Strpce, and one in Zubin Potok, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced. 

At the same time 13 persons have completed a two-week isolation period. 

Total number of active cases in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo is 364. 

Since the outbreak of the pandemic a total of 107 persons have died in the Serbian areas in Kosovo due to Covid-19 related complications.  

The Comoros do not recognize Kosovo's independence, the position remains the same (RTS)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Comoros informed the Embassy of Serbia in Nairobi that the position of the Union of the Comoros on the issue of non-recognition of Kosovo remains unchanged, reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

Recently, the leader of the NKA and former Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Behgjet Pacolli, announced that he again managed to secure the recognition of the Comoros Islands.

The Serbian Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, received an official note from the Comoros Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the Note on the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Pristina and allegations in some media about it, did not originate from that Ministry and should be treated as if it does not exist.

"Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Union of the Comoros expresses its respect to the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Nairobi and with reference to the note No. 071/2021 of 17 February 2021 on information that appeared in foreign media about the alleged note of the Chamber Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the so-called the state of Kosovo, has the honor to inform it that the alleged note does not originate from the Comoros’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and must be considered a null and a void document," the Note said, the Serbian embassy in Nairobi announced.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Union of the Comoros thanked the Embassy of Serbia in Nairobi for the cooperation, with expressions of great respect.

RTS recalled that the Comoros recognized Kosovo's independence in 2009, as the 59th country in the world to do so, but that recognition was withdrawn on November 7, 2018, as announced by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic.

OSCE: Media should be free to travel (KoSSev)

“We are concerned with the denial of entry of journalist crews in recent days”, OSCE Mission in Kosovo reacted after several news crews from central Serbia were not allowed to enter Kosovo, KoSSev portal reports.

“Such actions not only contribute to the difficulties that journalists face in conducting their work, but also send a negative message about press freedom and the tolerance for a pluralistic media landscape”, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo tweeted.

This mission also underlined that the media should be free to travel and report objectively.

The portal recalled that over the last ten days, three different groups of journalists did not receive a permit to enter the territory of Kosovo, the Serbian journalist associations recently confirmed.

In addition to the journalists of RTV Pink and RTV Kraljevo, the entry ban was also imposed on an RTS crew, which waited for four days at the Jarinje crossing for Pristina’s response as to why they were not allowed to enter the territory of Kosovo.

See at: https://bit.ly/2ZGdyG6 Serbia receives 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 50.000 doses of Sputnik vaccines (N1, B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Sunday morning the shipment of 150,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses at the Belgrade Airport ‘Nikola Tesla’, N1 reports.

“This required a lot of efforts and our friends in the United Kingdom and India. I asked (PM) Boris Johnson and other officials in the British government, I am grateful for their support. Let me thank India’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and the price for these vaccines were the most favorable. We managed to secure the vaccines at very favorable prices and they will be available to our citizens as of tomorrow”, Vucic said.

Meanwhile B92 reports that 50.000 doses of Sputnik vaccines arrived at Belgrade’s airport this morning. Minister without portfolio Nenad Popovic welcomed the shipment saying it was about the 50.000 of the first component of the vaccine by which the same number of people would get inoculated.

Popovic expressed satisfaction over delivery pace, adding the purchase of two million vaccines from Russia has been agreed and the complete shipment should be done by end of March or first half of April.

Also, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that at midday another shipment of 46.800 doses of Pfizer vaccine should arrive in Serbia.

Brnabic: Quality of life in Kosovo will depend on dialogue with Belgrade (Tanjug, Kosovo-online)

The quality of life of all citizens in Kosovo depends upon the dialogue with Belgrade, and that was why I was surprised to hear the statement of Albin Kurti, that for him the dialogue with Belgrade comes as a sixth or seventh priority, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said.

She added a pragmatic politician would always think first about the quality of life of the citizens.

“There is no perspective at all, neither European or economic one without agreement with Belgrade”, she told Happy TV.

Brnabic also said it depends upon dialogue (with Belgrade) if someone is going to invest in Kosovo and open new employment possibilities, adding that no one would invest in the areas that are unstable and have uncertain future.

“That is why I do not understand Kurti’s statement, but perhaps I am the way too pragmatic”, she said.

Brnabic also noted it would be “a priority number one” for her, since it is a precondition to improve the situation in Kosovo.

She also opined there is no strong interest in Pristina for the tests, medicaments and vaccines against corona, adding that Serbs in Kosovo and all other Serbian citizens there will always have at their disposal tests, medicaments and vaccines.  

Hodzic: Balje and Rexhepi did nothing for Bosniak community in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

The President of the Civic Initiative "United Community", Adrijana Hodzic reacted to the accusations made by her opponents in the electoral race that there was a secret agreement between the Serbian List and her initiative, by saying that the Bosniak community was dissatisfied with its representatives in Kosovo institutions, Kosovo-online reports citing Pristina-based Ekonomia Online.

Hodzic emphasized that the Bosniak community was in a terrible situation, without developed infrastructure and proper education. According to her, although it is the third largest in Kosovo, the Bosniak community has no decision-making power.

Asked about the accusations of her political opponents who claim that there was an agreement between the Serbian List (SL) and her initiative that a certain number of SL votes go to the Initiative, Hodzic responded that she won each vote on the basis of the program she presented.

"People who have worked with me know that I keep my word and they trust me. I expected to have the support of all communities, but to be honest, I was surprised by such great support from the Serbian community. Serb-majority municipalities are not mono-ethnic. In these municipalities, there are also people of other ethnicities who supported me. Therefore, we cannot say that the votes in Leposavic come only from Serbs. There is Klokot which is multiethnic. Also, Čabra village in Zubin Potok municipality where Albanians live. In North Mitrovica, the majority of Albanians supported me", she said.

She pointed out that she was surprised how Duda Balje and Emilija Rexhepi fought to keep their places in the institutions by attacking her, even though, as she said, they were representing the Bosniaks for 20 years and yet did nothing for them.

Office for KiM: Video surveillance in all schools in Serbian communities (Kosovo Online)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced that all primary and secondary schools, as well as preschool institutions in Serb areas in Kosovo, would be covered by video surveillance, reported portal Kosovo Online. 

According to the announcement of the Office, the goal of the action was to raise the safety of children staying in those institutions to an even higher level.

"By the end of February, about 70 schools and kindergartens where children stay in Serbian areas will be covered by cameras with a modern video surveillance system," the Office said.

Assistant director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Svetlana Miladinov, said that the realization of equipping institutions with video surveillance began at the end of last year, and the plan was to cover all facilities with security cameras by the end of next month.

     

Opinion

  Electoral irregularities are no excuse for anti-gypsyism (Prishtina Insight)

A closer look at the election of MPs representing Kosovo’s ethnic non-majority communities is clearly required after the results on February 14, but deploying racist tropes is completely unjustified.

Quite some time ago, a well-known politician of Roma origin in Romania, who also happened to be a representative for the community in the Romanian Parliament, said the following: 

“Our gypsies are stupid. They could at least be crafty but they aren’t. They are just primitives and they manage to irritate the entire society which is already watching them closely […] They run through the country and Europe barefoot, slimy and dirty, wearing clothes which are more likely to disgust you than make you feel sorry for them […]”

Romanian media received his declaration almost ecstatically, but the real question is why he would say something so degrading about his own community.

It is no secret that Roma have been used as a scapegoat in numerous societies over the centuries. I once wrote that Roma have always been considered lower than serfs, and in some instances have even been legally enslaved. 

Our communities have always been kept in degrading conditions and excluded from society, partly in order to make sure that poor non-Roma did not rebel against their lot in life. Even now, in many villages the ‘best’ Roma is the guy who still works for the locals, morning to evening for whatever they will give him – “the best Roma in the village.” 

The rest, who do not want to work for the ethnic majority, are “bad Roma” and seen as rebellious and/or traitors. In these situations, non-compliant Roma are not regarded as good people, and can even be considered as criminals – you are no good for the purpose you are supposed to serve and therefore must be eradicated.

It is scary to see that in today’s society there are still such opinions, and that it takes only an irresponsible media report or statement from a public official to bring to life the worst in people within a blink of an eye. 

Lately, we are once again witnessing a wave of discriminatory expressions against Roma on social media provoked by recent election results, and allegations that the winning Roma representatives entered into a clandestine arrangement with Srpska Lista. 

“We’ll see at the Assembly if they are connected with Srpska Lista and if they are they better go to Serbia as they have no place here,” one commenter wrote. Others were more direct: “Never trust a gypsy.”

See more at: https://bit.ly/2ZFW64x Palokaj: Kosovo to draft guidebook for international friends to hold them accountable 

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj argues in an opinion piece that if one recalls all the demands of the international community from Kosovo in the last 30 years, Kosovo has scored impressive results in accepting and implementing them. “Now, many international officials that ask from Kosovo ‘to give something’ might not know this. Perhaps the only demand that no one in Kosovo implemented, or did not want to implement, was the fight against organised crime and corruption,” he writes.

“When we see the election results today, especially the way that representatives of minorities were elected, and the blocking means of the Serbs, we see that even the Ahtisaari Package was not ideal for Kosovo. It brought Kosovo its independence. But it created many obstacles for Kosovo too. Knowing that there is no other option, Kosovars agreed to the package. But the EU and Serbia did not. This was the origin of divisions in the EU and NATO over Kosovo’s status. These divisions and the failure of the EU and NATO to respect the agreement started one year before Kosovo declared its independence.”

“It is unbelievable that even to this day there are senior officials in the EU and NATO that use the term ‘unilateral declaration of independence’ in Kosovo’s case. In the history of declarations of independence, there was no declaration that is less unilateral than Kosovo’s declaration. Declarations of independence are unilateral in nature, because an entity declares itself a state and expects others to recognise it. But the declaration of independence, since its preparation and until the end, was a completely multilateral act, starting from the drafting of the Constitution, the design of the flag and the composing of the anthem according to ‘international instructions’.” 

“In addition to finding modalities to secure a satisfactory status for the Serb community in Kosovo and for Serb Orthodox religious sites, the international community was also careful to accommodate the needs of the European Union in all legal provisions in Kosovo. Starting from EULEX and the EU Office. Even though Kosovo did everything according to ‘international instructions’, the EU and NATO to this day do not treat Kosovo as an independent state. The EU does not have a delegation in Prishtina and Kosovo does not have a mission in the EU”.

“Kosovo and the EU don’t have diplomatic relations. Whenever we remind the EU about this, they defend themselves with the financial means they have give to Kosovo. And there is no doubt that they have helped Kosovo. Kosovars must be forever grateful about this. And they are. There is no other people that has more reasons to be disappointed in the EU, but no other people loves the EU more than the Kosovars”.

“While in Kosovo it is still a blasphemy to oppose the demands of ‘international friends’, which is also logical, because it relates to the collective memory that they have saved us, the time has come for Kosovo to calmly to remind its friends that there are some pledges that they have failed to deliver”.

“At a time when Kosovo is given new promises, but with demands for new compromises, perhaps we should look back at what happened with the previous promises, starting with pledges to support the Ahtisaari Package and all the way to visa liberalisation.”

“And when younger generations of politicians in Europe have a better understanding, then they will also be more understanding of Kosovo’s hesitation to become a victim to the needs of Serbia and other countries that have not recognised Kosovo.”

New 'Cold War' Will Fuel Tensions in Southeast, Central Europe (Balkan Insight)

The fresh crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West is having a ripple effect in many countries and regions – including in the Balkans and Central Europe – where Russian and Western interests collide.

In his first foreign policy speech, new US President Joe Biden summarized his international agenda in one sentence: “America is back.”

Paradoxically, Moscow may have been somewhat relieved to hear that chaotic confrontation with the US under Donald Trump will be supplanted by a more orderly, albeit tougher, relationship with Biden.

Biden’s speech also confirmed that the Kremlin should brace itself for numerous challenges both at home and abroad. The new US administration, more experienced and better coordinated than its predecessor, means business when it says Russia needs to be contained.

The Kremlin is already putting itself on full combat alert to counteract the reinvigorated US on various fronts, ranging from Europe and the Balkans to the post-Soviet states and even domestic politics.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3ulXCXW      

International

  Albin Kurti told BTA: Bulgaria and Kosovo share common goals and interests (BTA)

Bulgaria and Kosovo share common goals and interests, Albin Kurti, leader of the Self-Determination movement, said in an interview with the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency that won a landslide victory in Kosovo's February 14th snap election with almost 48 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary data.

Kurti described Bulgaria as a close ally of Kosovo and said Pristina could learn a lot from Sofia about European integration. The Self-Determination leader says Kosovo will apply for EU candidate status and hopes his future government will work closely with Bulgaria on both Pristina's European integration and the development of bilateral relations. in which a much more dynamic economic and cultural exchange can be achieved.

Albin Kurti emphasized that Kosovo's integration into the EU is a process that is progressing too slowly, pointing out that the country has not yet received visa liberalization, although it has met all the criteria. He expressed his intention to work intensively with the five member states that have not yet recognized Kosovo's independence - Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus. Kurti said he would try to convince them that they should not be afraid to recognize Kosovo's independence and that they should not compare themselves to Serbia, which he said committed genocide in 1999. The leader of the Self-Determination Party said that the Balkans and the EU are very important to each other and that the integration of the six countries of the Western Balkans, which are still outside the Union, must be completed as soon as possible.

See at: http://bit.ly/37DrBk7