UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 27, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

MFA: Serbia's statement after Kenya's recognition is direct and alarming threat against Kosovo (media)
In announcement of recognition, Kenya refers to Pacolli as special envoy of President (nacionale)
Orav: Normalization of relations, crucial for European future (RTK)
Maqedonci and De Riu talk about cooperation in field of security and defense (RTK)
Kurti: Mother Ferdonije lives her loneliness fivefold (RTK)
CEC asks those who want to become MPs, to resign from government (Klan)
CEC certification of election results opens way to constitutional deadlines for formation of new government (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

Analysis of portal and social networks of Kosovo Interior Ministry: Systematic violation of Law on Use of Language (KiM radio)
Kosovo Post places its sing on premises of former Postal Savings Bank in Zvecan (KoSSev)
Trial of Sladjan Trajkovic continues today by hearing witnesses (Kosovo Online)
Vasic: The prosecution is not providing us with evidence, we cannot defend Trajkovic in full capacity (Kosovo Online)
Brnabic says de-recognition campaign of Kosovo to continue (Tanjug)
Serbia set to receive first pre-financing funds under EU Growth Plan, Tanjug learns (Tanjug)
Bajatovic: There will be more delays of US sanctions on NIS (Tanjug)
Protesters blockade major Belgrade bridge in support of educators (N1)

International Media:

Kosovo PM pranked by Russians pretending to be Latvia’s President (Balkan Insight)
Are Serbia’s protests finally forcing the EU to speak up? (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

MFA: Serbia's statement after Kenya's recognition is direct and alarming threat against Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying that Serbia is not interested in normalizing relations with Kosovo. This follows Wednesday's reaction of the Serbian state after Kenya's decision to recognize Kosovo's independence.

“In its statement, Serbia cites the UN Charter, the Non-Aligned Movement and its relations with Kenya to portray itself as a victim. However, the world knows it all too well. This is the same Serbia, led by many of the same individuals, that started four wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, that committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. This is the same Serbia that still glorifies convicted war criminals who ordered the mass murder of civilians, women and children. Today, Serbia continues to deny and defy justice, as evidenced by its shameful opposition to the UN General Assembly Resolution on the genocide committed in Srebrenica. Serbia refuses to open its state archives, preventing the world from knowing the full truth about the systematic atrocities committed by its police, army and paramilitary forces in Kosovo, brutal massacres such as those in Recak, Izbice, Krushe e Madhe, Poklek, Podujeve and Meje, which we remember every year. Many of Serbia's political and military leaders have been tried and convicted by the Hague Tribunal for their role in the systematic killings and mass expulsions of Kosovo Albanians. This Serbia has no moral authority to lecture any country on international law, let alone Kenya, the country that has recognized Kosovo in a fair and legal manner," the statement reads.

In announcement of recognition, Kenya refers to Pacolli as special envoy of President (nacionale)

Kenya on Wednesday became the latest country to recognize the independence of Kosovo. The Department of State for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, through an article published on Wednesday evening on the X network, refers to Pacolli as the special envoy of President Vjosa Osmani. “Kenya has recognized Kosovo as a state” – the post of the Department of State for Foreign Affairs begins.

“The declaration of independence by Kosovo on February 17, 2008 received the support of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2010. Kenya has recognized Kosovo in the interest of international peace and security, territorial integrity and support for the strengthening of relations with states in the Balkans” – it is written further.

Pacolli is mentioned in the following paragraph: “In this regard, President William Ruto today (Wednesday) met with the special envoy of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Behgjet Pacolli, at State House in Nairobi.”

Orav: Normalization of relations, crucial for European future (RTK)

The Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav, in an exclusive interview with RTK2, has emphasized the importance of the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, stressing that this process is of crucial importance for the future. “I cannot imagine how Serbia or Kosovo can join the European Union without the normalization of relations,” Orav said.

He said that this is a key step towards stability and integration into European structures. “Financial assistance or our money is only a tool to help implement reforms and to help both sides prepare for membership in the European Union,” he said.

Speaking about the formation of the new government, Orav stressed that the process of forming a government often takes a long time after elections. “I have heard complaints that this process in Kosovo is taking too long, but the most important thing is that the will of all voters is taken into account in a proper way,” said Orav. According to him, it is extremely important that the election results reflect the wishes of people, regardless of the duration of the negotiations.

Maqedonci and De Riu talk about cooperation in field of security and defense (RTK)

Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, hosted in a meeting the Italian Ambassador to Kosovo, Antonello De Riu. This was announced by the Italian Embassy through a post on social networks.

“Ambassador Antonello De Riu met with the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, to discuss cooperation in the field of security and defense, with a special focus on cooperation between the ministries of the two countries. The talks focused on the implementation of the bilateral plan, joint training initiatives and military education programs,” the Italian Embassy said in a statement about this meeting.

Kurti: Mother Ferdonije lives her loneliness fivefold (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that March 27 marks the date when Ferdonije Qerkezi last saw her five family members… He wrote that “now, Mother Ferdonije lives five times the loneliness. She does not see her four sons and her husband. She misses them every day, morning and evening. They are gone”.

“Now, she has an entire nation by her side. We all think of her, remember her and sympathize with her always, but especially on March 27. This is the date that Mother Ferdonije now marks. The day when in 1999 she last saw her five family members, her beloved sons: Artan, Armend, Ardian and Edmond and her beloved husband Halim. They were forcibly abducted and disappeared by the armed forces of Serbia”, he wrote. He emphasized that “the Qerkezi family home is now a museum. The dates that are marked are days of memory and pain.”

“Mother Ferdonije is a symbol of our national resistance. Her heart is the strongest testimony of human resistance. She herself is the powerful keeper of the memory of the Serbian genocide in Kosovo. Her pain is our obligation, never to forget,” he wrote.

CEC asks those who want to become MPs, to resign from government (Klan)

A day before certifying the results of the February 9 national elections, the Central Election Commission has asked members of political parties to resign if they are in positions within the government. This is because Article 26 of the Law on Government adopted in 2022 states that if a member of the government has won a seat in the Assembly of Kosovo after new elections, he or she must resign before the date of certification of the elections.

CEC certification of election results opens way to constitutional deadlines for formation of new government (Nacionale)

After the Supreme Court rejected the VV's appeal against the final results, the way has been opened for the certification of the results of the February 9 elections. This action by the CEC, which will take place today at 16:00, marks the end of an important process and the beginning of an even more important one. The certification of election results also marks the start of the flow of constitutional deadlines for the formation of new institutions. After this action by the CEC, no political party has reason to prolong the process of establishing new institutions.

Although the Vetevendosje Movement is not agreeing with the Supreme Court, this decision is not expected to drag out the process. The elected MP of this party, Fitore Pacolli, yesterday warned that VV will appeal this decision of the Supreme Court and will file a request for the assessment of the constitutionality of the Supreme Court's decision with the Constitutional Court.

Eugen Cakolli from Democracy in Action assessed that the party's announced actions in the recess do not delay the certification of the election results. "Even procedurally, it is extremely difficult to believe that the Constitutional Court can issue a decision within a day on any temporary measure - without taking into account the fact that in the past, the Court has taken months to decide on electoral complaints, and no retroactive legal effect has been produced. On the other hand, the CEC's delay in scheduling the meeting to certify the results tomorrow at 4:00 PM - almost 24 hours after the Supreme Court's decisions - when it could have easily done so much earlier, given that the complaints have not brought any change to the final results announced almost two weeks ago, is meaningless and unnecessary," Cakolli wrote on his Facebook profile.

Serbian Language Media

Analysis of portal and social networks of Kosovo Interior Ministry: Systematic violation of Law on Use of Language (KiM radio)

Non-compliance with the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo remains a serious and long-term problem, which significantly burdens both institutions and citizens, reported KiM radio.

NGO Aktiv and Radio KiM launched a campaign last week to point out shortcomings in the implementation of the law and encourage institutions to solve this problem.

According to KiM radio, this week the focus was on Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and partly the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo (PIK), whose announcements this media and Aktiv NGO will deal with in detail next week.

The analyses titled ‘Continuing the campaign for language rights: Ministry of Internal Affairs in focus’ available at: https://tinyurl.com/2yxjmu67

Kosovo Post places its sing on premises of former Postal Savings Bank in Zvecan (KoSSev)

Sign of Kosovo Post Office has been placed on the premises of the former Postal Savings Bank in the very centre of Zvecan town, next to the premises of a closed Serbian Post Office, KoSSev portal reported.

As the portal further wrote, the logo of Post of Kosovo was placed on the glass window, and schedule of service provisions and official name were highlighted. Also, a sign with the name Post Office, Zvecan, first in Albanian and then in Serbian along with notification of working hours were installed.

The portal said the traces of sealing made by the Kosovo Privatization Agency are still visible on this building. The sealing notice from August last year is still on the door, but the Privatization Agency sealing tapes and police tape have been broken.

Unlike the exterior, the interior of the building is not refurbished. As seen on the spot there is still a part of the old inventory inside, on which works are being carried out. It is not known when the office will start working, the portal added. Some Albanian media also reported that the same office appeared in Zubin Potok.

KoSSev portal recalled that Pristina authorities have closed in May last year, all the branch offices of Serbian Postal Savings Bank in northern Kosovo, total five of them and Treasury Administration functioning within the Serbian Ministry of Finance. Four months later, in almost the same action, all offices of the Post of Serbia were closed, including three in Mitrovica North, two in Zvecan, one in Zubin Potok and three in Leposavic.

Trial of Sladjan Trajkovic continues today by hearing witnesses (Kosovo Online)

The trial of Sladjan Trajkovic accused of allegedly committing a war crime against the civilian population in Vucitrn municipality in 1999, continues today at the Basic Court in Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reported.

As announced, it is time to interview the witness of the prosecution, S. M. Also, the defence will again request the abolition of the measure of judicial custody and introduction of a milder measure of house arrest, said lawyer Dejan Vasic.

Sladjan Trajkovic was arrested on December 15, 2022 in South Mitrovica and has been in custody since then. The trial was resumed for the third time in October.

Trajkovic was a member of Kosovo police, and left the service when Serbs from the north left Pristina institutions on November 5, 2022. Before joining the police, he passed all security checks, both by Kosovo and international institutions.

Vasic: The prosecution is not providing us with evidence, we cannot defend Trajkovic in full capacity (Kosovo Online)

Sladjan Trajkovic's defense attorney, lawyer Dejan Vasic, pointed out that today's hearing was postponed because the Prosecution did not submit the evidence to the defense, that is, the witness statements they gave before and during the investigation. Vasic explained that in this way they were prevented from defending Trajkovic with their full capacity.

At today's hearing in the Sladjan Trajkovic case, S.M. was supposed to be questioned, but the evidence was not submitted to the defense, so the hearing was postponed.

"Even today, we were faced with one problem that constantly accompanies this trial, which is that the prosecution does not provide the defense with evidence, witness statements that they gave before and during the investigation. This is the twentieth or thirtieth piece of evidence that we are looking for at the trial, and we are desperately trying to get it. Today's trial was interrupted because his statements from the previous proceedings are missing. We are at a stage where we cannot fully defend Sladjan before this court because we do not have the evidence at the disposal of the prosecution," said lawyer Vasic.

Vasic points out that the statements made before UNMIK and EULEX are as if they do not exist.

"I am beginning to suspect that those missions, which were supposed to provide us with peace and legality, hid those statements. There is no other explanation that they do not exist or that the Special Prosecutor's Office will not give them to us. There is no other explanation. We will continue to fight for equal treatment," Vasic added.

Lawyer Jelena Krivokapic pointed out that she is under the impression of today's trial because the prosecutor proposed hearing the mother of the protected witness at this stage of the proceedings.

Krivokapic adds that the protected witness was honest and that she did not mention Sladjan Trajkovic anywhere in her statement.

"Allegedly, she wasn't there, and they couldn't present her and hear her earlier. The defense objected to that since the protected witness gave her statement where she didn't accuse Sladjan of the crime he is charged with. Now suddenly the mother, who was in the house, knows better what was happening than the daughter, so I don't see why the prosecutor is doing that. A colleague protested and objected to it. We wouldn't have minded if we hadn't noticed the intention to correct the statement of the daughter. It is obvious that it was the intention. Mothers are emotional.... but the daughter didn't mention Sladjan anywhere. It's not right and I'm really struck at the intention of the prosecutor, I'm really disappointed from that point of view," said Krivokapic.

Brnabic says de-recognition campaign of Kosovo to continue (Tanjug)

Serbian Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic said today Serbia will continue its pursuit to retract recognitions of Kosovo, adding that new de-recognitions are expected soon, Tanjug news agency reported.

Reacting to the post on X social network by former Belgrade chief technical negotiator and deputy leader of the Serbian opposition Freedom and Justice Party, Borko Stefanovic that Kenya recognized Kosovo five months after wife of the Serbian President, Tamara Vucic visited this country, Brnabic said Tamara Vucic is blamed for something in relation to Kosovo by Stefanovic, while Kosovo declared independence at the time Stefanovic was member of the ruling party in Serbia, adding that the-then authorities reacted to it “with a press statement”.

Serbia set to receive first pre-financing funds under EU Growth Plan, Tanjug learns (Tanjug)

In the coming days - by the end of next week at the latest - Serbia will receive the first EU pre-financing funds under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, having met all the required conditions, Tanjug's diplomatic sources in Brussels said on Wednesday.

Under the 6 bln euro package, every beneficiary in the region can receive pre-financing funds amounting to 7 pct of the total if it meets the conditions. Serbia met the last formal condition after its parliament ratified an EU-Serbia loan agreement on March 13 as part of a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, the diplomatic sources said.

The pre-financing funds available to Serbia total 101.8 mln euros, sources in the European Commission told Tanjug on Tuesday. Under the Growth Plan, Serbia is to have 1.58 bln euros available in grants and very favourable loans until 2027.

Bajatovic: There will be more delays of US sanctions on NIS (Tanjug)

Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic said on Thursday he expected another delay of US sanctions on Serbia's Russian-majority owned oil company NIS, Tanjug news agency reported.

"There will be more delays of US sanctions, which is good for Serbia, but we cannot expect more than 30 days because that is bureaucracy. They (the US) know what you can do in 40, 45 days... NIS has an 80 pct share of the Serbian market, you can hardly substitute that with imports from other countries", Bajatovic said on Pink TV in a comment on a NIS request for another deferral of sanctions.

Following a change of the ownership structure in the company, it should be taken off the Specially Designated Nationals list to launch the procedure of lifting the sanctions, but that will not be the case, he said. "If you read the document on sanctions by the US regulatory body OFAC, we have changed the NIS ownership structure, and Gazprom now has an 11 pct stake, Gazprom neft - which is under sanctions - has around 46 pct, nearly 30 pct is property of the state of Serbia and the rest are small shareholders", Bajtovic said.

He said the sanctions on NIS were political in nature and had been introduced by the Biden administration in a last-ditch attempt to make it more difficult for current US President Donald Trump to establish peace. Recently, the Serbian Government has written to the US administration in support of the NIS request. The sanctions were deferred in late February for the first time.

Protesters blockade major Belgrade bridge in support of educators (N1)

A three-hour blockade of Branko’s Bridge, one of Belgrade’s main thoroughfares, took place on Wednesday at the invitation of student protesters, N1 reported.

In their social media posts, the students explained that the blockade, under the slogan “To the Bridge Because We’ve Had Enough”, was organized to support the educators from Belgrade schools. As planned, protesters gathered at several assembly points around the city, on both sides of the river, and marched through the city streets to converge at the bridge at 3 pm.

On their way to the bridge, representatives from the IT community, along with university and high school students, educators, and citizens, blew whistles and chanted “Students Have Risen”. They carried banners such as “Rebellious University, Rebel Yourself” and “Future Educators Are Here”, as well as Serbian flags and flags of their respective University of Belgrade schools.