UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 26, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Health Minister doesn’t rule out schools switching to online classes (Koha)
AAK MP: Two people succumbed to COVID-19 at Infectious Clinic today (Lajmi)
Protest in downtown Prishtina against energy tariff increase (Telegrafi)
PDK against tariff increase; calls ERO to draft another report (Indeksonline)
Hovenier confirms Escobar and Lajcak visit to Kosovo next week (RTK)
Kosovo in the service of the U.S. for Ukraine (RFE)

Serbian Language Media:

Trajkovic and Spahiu about AKK launching investigation against SL officials (KiM radio)
Good defense relations between Britain and Serbia (N1)
Brnabic: Brussels visit successful (Tanjug)
Empirica: New measures of the Government of Kosovo affect the freedom of movement of citizens (KiM radio)
Training of Serbian Army members in Bujanovac base to secure the administrative line with KiM (Kosovo-online)
Davenport: OSCE ready to collect ballots for future Serbian elections, subject to consent of all (Kosovo-online)
Petkovic with Dmochowski on rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

International:

EU Warns Serbia Against Genocide Denial (Balkan Insight)
Book Review: Balkan Muslims, a Community in Danger? (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

Movie on March violence in Kosovo wins audience award in movie festival in Trieste (Kosovo-online)
European Fund: Pollution in Balkans causes large number of premature deaths (Beta, N1)

Albanian Language Media

Health Minister doesn’t rule out schools switching to online classes (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health, Rifat Latifi, did not rule out the possibility of schools switching to online classes if the situation with COVID-19 deteriorates. “It would be a major problem if we close schools. We have allowed schools to decide whether or not they want to switch to online classes. I am aware that if we close schools, the economy would be hit hard, and we agreed on this measure. If the situation deteriorates, then we would have to close schools for a certain period of time,” he said.

Latifi said the restrictive measures against the virus will be continuously reviewed and that the committee for the management of the pandemic will meet every Thursday. He also said that if the situation in hospitals gets worse, then services will be reduced.

AAK MP: Two people succumbed to COVID-19 at Infectious Clinic today (Lajmi)

Two people succumbed to COVID-19 at the Infectious Clinic in Prishtina today, according to Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP Shemsedin Dreshaj. He said this during a meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Committee on Health, where Health Minister Rifat Latifi is reporting about the epidemiological situation.

The AAK MP also said: “All countries were battling Omicron one month before us. Omicron cannot be stopped with measures at the border … Four deaths were recorded from the virus in the last four days. Two people succumbed to the virus today at the Infectious Clinic”.

Dreshaj also criticised the medical staff, especially at the Infectious Clinic, for not respecting the restrictive measures against the virus.

Protest in downtown Prishtina against energy tariff increase (Telegrafi)

A protest with the motto “Not a single cent more” was held in downtown Prishtina today against the increase of energy tariffs. Protesters demanded that the bloc tariff proposed by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) not to be approved and called for the nationalization of the Kosovo Energy Distribution Company (KEDS). The ERO has opened the public discussion for the new energy tariffs until January 28.

ERO Board Chairman, Ymer Fejzullahu, in a four-hour meeting with the Kosovo Assembly Committee for Economy, justified the proposal for increased energy tariffs from February 1 to March 1 saying they were obliged to do this.

“Based on the legislation in force, ERO has presented the consultative report for setting the tariffs. We all know that all of Europe has been engulfed by the energy crisis, and Kosovo is not immune to this. In line with our mandate, we had to review the tariffs,” he said.

PDK against tariff increase; calls ERO to draft another report (Indeksonline)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Ferat Shala told a press conference in Prishtina today that this party is against the increase of energy tariffs starting from February 1. He argued that despite early warnings by the PDK, the government planned to increase energy tariffs as the only solution to the crisis.

“We believe this is not the time to increase energy tariffs. There are several reasons for this, starting from the high inflation, the pandemic and the winter season, with taxpayers being heavily affected by these factors. Instead of offering alternatives to emerge from the crisis, the government continues to oppose alternative energy projects. It said no to the U.S. gas, it said no to strategic investors and it said no to all other alternative sources,” Shala said.

Shala also called on the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) to withdraw its initial consultative report, and within an optimal timeline to draft a professional and comprehensive report free from political influence from the government.

Hovenier confirms Escobar and Lajcak visit to Kosovo next week (RTK)

United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier took to Twitter today to say “my team & I look forward to welcoming Special Representative Escobar to Kosovo next week. Progress on the EU-facilitated Dialogue remains the best way to ensure Kosovo leaders can deliver for citizens & Kosovo is recognized & takes its rightful place as a world leader.”

Kosovo in the service of the U.S. for Ukraine (RFE)

Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia have expressed their support for Ukraine, at a time when tensions between this country and Russia have reached their peak. Western countries warn that the situation could quickly escalate into a Russian attack against Ukraine, although Moscow denies this. Russia has been positioning its troops at the border with Ukraine for weeks now, and also on the Ukranian peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense expressed its readiness to make available certain components of the Kosovo Security Force to the United States of America, in this case this is requested for a mission.

Colonel Sefer Isufi, Head of Strategic Communications at Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense, told the news website that everything that the Kosovo Security Force has achieved so far – in terms of developing its capabilities and operational capacities – it has done so thanks to the “irreplaceable support” of the U.S.

“Given our natural and very strong alliance with the United States, we are fully committed to supporting the United States and its forces in every mission where they believe they can engage our professional military components,” Isufi said. “The U.S. knows best which components of the KSF it can engage, or integrate within NATO forces, into eventual defense operations of Euro-Atlantic values - which is also the vision and aspiration of Kosovo.”

Last year, the Kosovo Security Force was for the first time part of an international peacekeeping mission in Kuwait, together with U.S. troops.

Serbian Language Media

Trajkovic and Spahiu about AKK launching investigation against SL officials (KiM radio)

The Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency (AKK) has launched an investigation against Serbian List officials, as they have not regularly reported their assets or income. "It is blackmail," Rada Trajkovic believes, while for Nexhmedin Spahiu this is a "normal thing", reported KiM radio.

The president of the European Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, Rada Trajkovic believes that the problem is "a large number of serious criminal projects in Serbian communities", wrote the radio.

"We have privatizations that, in the end, make the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO) meaningless, because Serbs will be left without municipalities that can sustain themselves with infrastructure and with what they have within its area. It is a perfidious, parallel incitement of Serbs to deal with the personal problems of certain people from the Serbian List, and in background to keep institutional ownership in the territory of the municipalities where Serbs live, "she said.

For professor and political analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu, initiating proceedings against Serbian List officials is a normal thing.

"Reporting property is a duty under the laws of Kosovo, as well as under the laws of Serbia. When it comes to the officials of the Serbian List, they should report all their income, both to the Serbian agency and vice versa," he said.

Trajkovic added that the Ski Center Brezovica has incredible tourist potential, and that it is very important for the population of Strpce and the surrounding area to be employed there and have income, but ...

"Suddenly, you have the Kosovo Trust Agency doing that (founding a new company in Brezovica and fiscalizes it - ed.), and you have very mild reactions from the Serbian List and Belgrade. The Serbian list was blackmailed by its own crime; to get themselves out, they keep silent. This is also happening in Novo Brdo, where we also do not hear anything being done with the former mayor who entered into a series of projects that most directly endanger that municipality," said Trajkovic.

Professor Spahiu stated that it is not forbidden in Kosovo to have income from the government of another state, but that reporting such income is mandatory.

"The law on property registration is there to prevent corruption. It is likely that those who want to cover up corruption are also covering up their property status. How right the AKK is, in fact, has yet to be proven," Spahiu concluded.

Rada Trajkovic is of the opinion that the representatives of the Serbian List no longer have the credibility to fight for the places where Serbs survived and that they most directly endanger the survival of Serbian municipalities.

"Almost no official of the Serbian List is without a criminal record. That is one of the biggest problems for us. In the end, it is blackmail, something that compromises Vucic, so we do not have any reaction from the state. So, we are in a very serious problem on both sides," concluded Trajkovic.

Good defense relations between Britain and Serbia (N1)

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, who is paying an official visit to Great Britain, discussed the two countries' relations in the defense area with the UK Defense Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood and the chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Serbia of the Lower House of Parliament Andrew Bridgen.

Stefanovic said he was satisfied with the current military cooperation, underlining the significance of joint exercises of the two armies, which contributed to strengthening the operational capabilities of the Army of Serbia (VS), and joint participation in UN and EU missions.

Ellwood added that the relations between the two countries were good, especially in the defense area, but there was room for further improvement.

Bridgen said that Serbia had a significant role in the region’s stability and that economic cooperation was the area in which there was the most room for improving relations between Great Britain and Serbia.

Brnabic: Brussels visit successful (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said late on Tuesday her one-day visit to Brussels had been successful and added that her meetings with EU officials demonstrated the EU's commitment to Serbia, Tanjug news agency reports.

Earlier, Brnabic met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, newly-elected European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the head of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister and the EU commissioners for enlargement and justice

"That is something that does not happen often, and it shows how committed the EU is to Serbia and how much attention it is devoting to reforms we have carried out in the past few months, including in the referendum", Brnabic told reporters.

She said all EU officials had congratulated Serbia on the success of the recent referendum on constitutional amendments concerning the judiciary, and added that this was important for rule of law.

"It was a hectic day but definitely a successful one. I think all this says what Serbia's status is at this time with regards to the EU", Brnabic added.

See at: https://bit.ly/3KHCJ1n

Empirica: New measures of the Government of Kosovo affect the freedom of movement of citizens (KiM radio)

Members of the Empirica advocacy platform call on the Kosovo government to reconsider the latest decision on epidemiological measures, which, as they say, affects freedom of movement.

"It is completely clear that the measures introduced by the Government in Pristina are not adequate to the moment," states Empirica.

The members of the Empirica advocacy platform express deep concern over the consequences that these measures may cause for citizens when entering Kosovo.

Based on an administrative instruction signed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine or a negative PCR test is required for those with two (2) doses of the vaccine.

"The rapid introduction of these new measures, without any time limit for the preparation of citizens, is seriously affecting freedom of movement in the area. This is another part of the worrying pattern of behavior of the Kosovo government, when decisions like these are made without warning or consultation, giving citizens little or no time to plan their activities in accordance with those decisions."

Empirica remind that the Government of Northern Macedonia, mayors, and groups of citizens in Presevo and Bujanovac, as well as members of the Kosovo Serb community, have already expressed concern over the decision of the Government of Kosovo, which, as they state, speaks about the wrong moment, content, and application of the decision.

''Students, people who must travel to Kosovo and from Kosovo for various reasons, as well as individuals who have recently received a second dose of the vaccine and thus have not yet qualified for the third dose (six months from the second dose), people who for health reasons cannot be vaccinated, they bear the greatest burden of the negative consequences of the new measures. Moreover, due to expensive PCR tests in the region, citizens with limited economic opportunities will be disproportionately affected by such measures. Finally, this decision could have the potentially negative effect of discouraging the Kosovo Serb community members from traveling to Serbia for vaccination, which will further reduce the capacity for an adequate social response to the Covid-19 pandemic."

Members of the Empirica Advocacy Platform urge the Government of Kosovo to reconsider the decision, taking into account the concerns expressed by the communities and do everything in its power to ensure that the free movement of people and goods continues unhindered, while taking reasonable steps against further virus spread that will minimize social consequences.

Training of Serbian Army members in Bujanovac base to secure the administrative line with KiM (Kosovo-online)

Serbian Ministry of Defense in a press release issued Tuesday said an intensive training of the Serbian Army members for the realization of tasks on securing the administrative line with Kosovo and control of the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) was underway at the “South” base near Bujanovac, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Continuous training of members of the Serbian Army maintains and improves combat readiness for efficient implementation of tasks along the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija, in cooperation with other security bodies of the Republic of Serbia and KFOR, in order to ensure a peaceful and safe environment for all citizens in this part of Serbia”, Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The training is realized on the battlefield simulator, medical simulator and modern training equipment for shooting from infantry weapons, which are located in the Training Center of units for multinational operations. In that way, as it is stated, with minimal expenditure of material resources, high training of soldiers and officers for the realization of fire and tactical tasks in a real environment is being provided.

Training on simulators and training equipment is part of the comprehensive preparations and training of members of the Serbian Army for engagement in the GSZ, primarily on the prevention of illegal crossings, activities of extremist groups and organized crime, the statement added.

Davenport: OSCE ready to collect ballots for future Serbian elections, subject to consent of all (Kosovo-online)

OSCE Mission in Kosovo representatives met Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office for Kosovo and Metohija representatives, and one of the topics discussed related to the rights of communities in Kosovo, Kosovo-online portal reports.

As OSCE said on its Twitter account, Head of the Mission, Ambassador Michael Davenport reiterated readiness of the OSCE to collect the ballots for future Serbian elections, subject to consent of all relevant institutions.

“Useful to brief @MFASerbia and @KancelarijaKiM on @OSCEKosovo mandate, including support for rights of non-majority communities in #Kosovo. @DavenportOSCE reiterated OSCE readiness to collect ballots for future Serbian elections, subject to consent from all relevant institutions”, OSCE wrote.

Petkovic with Dmochowski on rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met with Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Artur Dmochowski and discussed with him endangered human and civic rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo, Kosovo-online portal reports citing the statement from the Office for KiM.

As the statement said, Petkovic in particular touched upon recent events when Serbs were deprived of the right to vote in a referendum on Constitutional amendments, which as he said represents an additional pressure along with attacks and provocations that last for months.

He also recalled that 136 ethnically motivated crimes against the Serbs, their properties and the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church took place in Kosovo during the last year.

Petkovic mentioned the case of Dragica Gasic, the first woman returnee in Djakovica town, as the “most blatant” example of human rights violations, noting that engagement of the OSCE in the cases of human rights violations affecting returnees was of particular importance.

He also informed his interlocutor about announcements of Pristina officials that they will ban Serbs from voting on future Serbian elections in Kosovo, including the upcoming elections due on April 3.

International

EU Warns Serbia Against Genocide Denial (Balkan Insight)

At a press conference with Serbia’s prime minister, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that “there is no place in Europe for genocide denial” or the glorification of war criminals.

Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said after an EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Council meeting in Brussels on Tuesday that genocide denial and the glorification of war crimes “is not compatible with European values”.

Humanitarian/Development

Movie on March violence in Kosovo wins audience award in movie festival in Trieste (Kosovo-online)

A movie “Mrak” (Darkling) by director Dusan Milic has won audience award in a 33 movie festival in Trieste, were it also had a world premiere, Kosovo-online portal reports.

This psychological thriller was inspired by true events that took place during the March 2004 pogrom in Kosovo in 2004. The movie depicts the lives of Serbs, under constant fear, the portal said, and a girl Mila narrates the story, living along with mother and grandmother in a mountainous area in Kosovo, after her father and uncle went missing. The family is guarded by friendly Italian KFOR soldiers, however their replacement changes everything.

The movie is a joint Serbian-Danish-Bulgarian-Italian-Greek production, and will be featured in Belgrade on February 26, during the notable Fest festival.

Well-known Serbian-Danish actress Danica Curcic, Darren Pettie, Slavko Stimac and Nikola Rakocevic act in this movie.

European Fund: Pollution in Balkans causes large number of premature deaths (Beta, N1)

Air pollution in the Western Balkans is the cause of many premature deaths in the region, as well a shorter life expectancy and deteriorating public health, the European Balkans Fund said on Wednesday while implementing the third phase of the 'United Balkans for Clean Air' campaign with partners from the region in January.

That is why, it adds, air quality should be improved as soon as possible and public health through better health systems.

This campaign phase aims to inform citizens about the consequences of pollution on mortality and health in the Western Balkans, with an invitation to the people in the region to join the fight to improve air quality and prolong the lives of all.

According to the latest data from the European Environment Agency, poor air quality kills more than 30,000 people a year in the region. At the same time, the European Union’s joint research centre points out that air pollution contributes to a reduction in life expectancy of 0.4 to 1.3 years in Western Balkans, the Fund said in a statement.

Studies show, it adds, that coal-fired power plants in the Western Balkans alone are responsible for economic damage from health costs of between 1.2 and 3.4 billion euros a year.

The 'United Clean Air Campaign' says it calls on the authorities to define the reduction of air pollution as a national, regional and international priority and to integrate it into all planning processes, to increase budget funding for pollution control and to establish pollution monitoring systems.

It also calls for establishing a multisectoral partnership at local, national and regional levels to improve pollutant control and air quality. The prevention of non-communicable diseases caused by poor air quality should be integrated into environmental and health policy priorities.

The 'United Balkans for Clean Air' campaign is an initiative of the European Balkans Fund in partnership with Eco Forum from Zenica, Environmental Territorial Management Institute from Tirana, Sbunker and Balkan Green Foundation from Pristina, Air Care from Skopje, OZON from Podgorica, Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment and the Belgrade Open School.