UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 17, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti met Rohde and German ambassadors from region, talk about road to EU (Reporteri)
Blast near the center for technical control of vehicles in north of Kosovo (media)
Bislimi: Region faces destabilizing efforts (media)
Haliti: Radoicic sent SMS threatening to kill politicians (media)
Sources: Close protection units now guarding Gervalla and Rasic (Indeksonline)
State Department: Countering corruption, Russian malign influence in WB (media)
Surroi comments on Zelenksy’s warning of new conflict in Balkans (media)
Osmani appoints Drilon Gashi as head of Kosovo’s diplomatic mission in Warsaw (media)
Haradinaj: Kurti changes his words three times a day, has lost his way (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

Rasic: The moment the CSM is adopted, the institutions of Serbia will be extinguished (KiM radio)
Petkovic: Kurti's minister Rasic trying in every way to make the CSM meaningless (Kosovo Online)
Letter of protest to France and Germany due to the removal of the memorial plaque in Pristina (Danas, FoNet, Beta, KoSSev)
Vucic: Pointless to respond to all lies, the move of the monument to Serbian soldiers (Tanjug)
Dacic: The removal of the memorial plaque is scandalous, the French Embassy in Belgrade will advocate for its return (Kosovo Online)
The European Commission proposes that visas be canceled for holders of Serbian passports in Kosovo (N1)
Ambassador to UNESCO: Serbia's election is a clear signal to Pristina that it has no support for unilateral moves (RTS)
Hill: Despite the difficulties, we recognize the common interests of Serbia and Ukraine (Kosovo Online, RTV, Tanjug)
Another trial for Vukotic in Pristina (Kosovo Online)
The detention of Sladjan Trajkovic extended again (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)
Serbia, North Macedonia sign Memorandum on construction of high-speed railway (FoNet, N1)

Opinion:

Kosovo and the Western Balkans Security Order after Banjska: Policy Recommendations from the Octopus Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies (media)

International:

Kosovo launches first women's football strategy (uefa.com)
Kosovo’s Thaci Didn’t Give Orders to Guerrillas: Trial Witness (BIRN)
Surge in Requests for Kosovo License Plates Signals Shifting Dynamics Among Local Serbs (Prishtina Insight)
John Hodgson: Out of spite I started learning Albanian (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti met Rohde and German ambassadors from region, talk about road to EU (Reporteri)

The German Embassy in Pristina has announced a meeting of the German ambassadors of Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in Pristina.

Ambassador Rohde on the "X" platform shared a photo from the meeting, as he claimed that they discussed regional issues.

“Together with my German colleagues from the region and Berlin, I kicked off the day with a thought-provoking discussion on regional matters and the path towards the EU. Thanks to Prime Minister Albin Kurti for the candid and insightful dialogue,” Rohde wrote.

Blast near the center for technical control of vehicles in north of Kosovo (media)

A blast occurred in Mitrovica North near the center for the technical government of vehicles on the night between Wednesday and Thursday. Kosovo Police said in a report that the walls and windows of an apartment were demolished from the blast. The incident is being investigated. Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told Albanian Post that the explosion most probably came from a hand grenade.

Bislimi: Region faces destabilizing efforts (media)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi has said that the states of the region need to cooperate in the face of destabilizing efforts led by Russia.

"Our region is facing destabilizing attempts which most likely the director is in Russia, but the actors are from the region itself. Kosovo's position in the region is not only related to the national interest but also to the contribution we can make to security... We support the growth plan for the Western Balkans. The European Union must be reformed and expanded. There should be no beneficiaries of the funds without embracing the values of the EU", he said.

At the table that the Committee for Foreign Affairs organized with the committees for foreign affairs and European integration of the Assemblies of Albania and North Macedonia, Bislimi said that Kosovo remains steadfast in fulfilling the EU criteria.

"Our commitment to meeting the criteria set by the EU is unwavering. We should see these criteria as a guide. Our journey towards the EU is a proof of our stability and determination to join the EU", Bislimi concluded .

Haliti: Radoicic sent SMS threatening to kill politicians (media)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, said in an interview with RTV21 today that Milan Radoicic, who led the armed group that carried out the attack in Banjska on September 24, sent an SMS threatening to kill political leaders if his apartment and restaurant in the north of Kosovo are touched.

"Milan Radoicic threatened from Raska [Serbia]. The threat was sent through an SMS to the Kosovo Police saying 'if you touch my restaurant and apartment in the north, I will kill you because I have people. I will kill the leaders of political parties and I will kill people in Kosovo'. They got scared and provided protection for political leaders (Memli Krasniqi and Lumir Abdixhiku). Maybe both of them should have refused the police protection because they are safe in Kosovo. And Radoicic can come to Kosovo and kill anyone if he dares," Haliti said.

Sources: Close protection units now guarding Gervalla and Rasic (Indeksonline)

The news website learns from unnamed sources that in addition to two opposition leaders, LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku and PDK leader Memli Krasniqi, who are being guarded by Kosovo Police Close Protection units, these units are now also guarding Minister for Diaspora, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, and Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic. The news website could not get an official confirmation about the two government ministers.

The same sources told Indeksonline that another two officials, Leposavic deputy mayor Dragana Miletic, and Trepca mining complex director, Enis Abdurrahmani, have also requested the same police escort and that their requests have not been adopted yet. “The Directorate of Kosovo Police has not yet adopted the requests of Leposavic deputy mayor and the Trepca enterprise director. Both have continuously received threats and this is why they have asked for close protection,” the source said.

State Department: Countering corruption, Russian malign influence in WB (media)

All news websites cover a statement by the U.S. Department of State issued on Thursday which notes that “the Department of State is designating two individuals and 12 entities from the Western Balkans connected to Russia’s malign influence in the region and the corruption that enables it. The Department is designating Misa Vacic, a Serbian politician, for participating in Kremlin-organized illegitimate annexation referenda in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine in September 2022. The Department is also designating Nenad Popovic, a former Serbian government official, and his associated companies. Popovic maintains close ties to the Kremlin and uses his network for corrupt schemes to build personal wealth.”

The statement also notes that “the Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on eight individuals and six entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro, and North Macedonia that directly facilitate Russian influence or whose corrupt activities benefit from Russian influence. These individuals and entities also impede critical reforms and progress toward EU accession. With these designations, the U.S. Government aims to change the behavior of those involved and combat local corruption, organized crime, and the illicit deals and influence peddling that advance Russian malign influence.”

Surroi comments on Zelenksy’s warning of new conflict in Balkans (media)

Founder of KOHA Media Group, Veton Surroi, commented in a post on X on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski’s statement that Russia could be laying the groundwork for a new conflict in the Balkans. Surroi wrote: “Western Balkans have been low investment-high return area for Russia vs. NATO/EU throughout this century. And with no substantial change in Western policies, will continue to do so. Zelensky's words obviously carry the special weight of fighting Russia.”

Osmani appoints Drilon Gashi as head of Kosovo’s diplomatic mission in Warsaw (media)

Kosovo president, Vjosa Osmani, has announced that she has appointed Drilon Gashi as head of the diplomatic mission of Kosovo in Warsaw, Poland. Osmani said that this marks a historical and important moment in the relations between the two countries.

"I am happy that we appointed Mr. Drilon Gashi, a successful Kosovar-American, as head of our mission in Warsaw. This marks an important historical moment in our relations and reflects our commitment to promote even stronger ties between Kosovo and Poland," Osmani wrote.

Haradinaj: Kurti changes his words three times a day, has lost his way (Nacionale)

Former MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Daut Haradinaj, said in an interview with the news website that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti changes his positions three times a day and that he has lost his way. He argued that by accepting the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, Kurti is inflicting historical damages to Kosovo. “He has lost his way and doesn’t know where he is. I am surprised by opposition MPs who are staying silent. They see that historical damage is being inflicted on Kosovo and they close their eyes before this situation. This is weird. This is not about a Prime Minister or the Association of a Prime Minister, but about Kosovo. I think that this Association will be a timebomb within the Republic of Kosovo, because we are giving it executive powers and a mini Republika Srpska is happening in Kosovo,” Haradinaj said.

Serbian Language Media

Rasic: The moment the CSM is adopted, the institutions of Serbia will be extinguished (KiM radio)

Minister for Communities and Return in the Government of Kosovo, Nenad Rasic told KiM radio, regarding the Draft Statute of the CSM that appeared in the media in an unofficial version of 45 points, that "that institution, whatever it is called, association or self-government, will be in considerable measures related to the work of the prime minister" and that with the establishment of the CSM, the institutions of the Republic of Serbia will be extinguished.

The draft statute for the CSM, which was recently announced to the public by Burim Ramadani, the former head of the Kosovo Information Agency, should provide a self-governing framework for Serbs within the existing municipal level of local self-government according to the laws of Kosovo - primarily in education and health, social protection, financing, donations and the like, reported KiM radio.

The key areas for the Serbian community, such as education and health, will be regulated as private service providers.

"I'm sure there will be many more additions in the process. I, for one, do not understand what that means, I am just giving one example, what does private Serbian health care or independent Serbian health care mean? I would really like someone to explain that to me. And in addition, it says that the second or third point is that the secondary health care, that already exists, is placed under the chapter of private Serbian health care. So is it private or is it healthcare, which is already provided for by the secondary level of management in Kosovo institutions. Therefore, although the document is not credible, someone has put a lot of effort into it, as there are a lot of very pragmatic and accurate points that refer to certain structural areas that are within the institutions".

The bottom line, he says, is that the future CSM must have good cooperation with the Government of Kosovo, especially with the Prime Minister.

"The institution as such will have to have a bond with the central institutions and that bond should not be based on the principle that both parties must agree on something. In my opinion, not a very short process awaits us".

"The institutions of the Republic of Serbia will be extinguished"

Rasic says that the CSM is presented to the Serbs as something big, but that it will not resemble anything like that. "It is presented as if it will be some institution that will solve all our problems, but in my opinion, it is not like that at all", except that it will have a president of the Assembly and three vice presidents, he emphasizes.

"The moment that happens, all the institutions, not just some, but all the institutions that are financed by the budget of the Republic of Serbia are simply shut down or will be shut down. Some say that the most logical method or the most logical assumption in this case is for all those institutions that are now financed by the Republic of Serbia to be simply transferred to that institution that can later be called the Community of Serbian Municipalities and thus give them the possibility that they can operate in a legal way for Kosovo institutions under the auspices or patronage such as in this case, the CSM".

That functioning, Rasic emphasizes, will only be possible under the laws of Kosovo. "To be clear, we will not have 200 nurses in one small health center that is designed for five, we will not be able to have, unfortunately, 300 teachers in a school with 500 students and so on. There are standards that must be met in different sectors”.

He says that according to this statute, which was leaked to the public, a more practical program is foreseen. "The structure will be changed and that is what our citizens should understand. The moment the CSM is adopted, these institutions that we know now under the Republic of Serbia will disappear, they will be incorporated into this other institution that does not have the capacity to receive all those employees in that classic example".

He emphasizes that the expectations of the Serbs in Kosovo regarding the CSM are high and irrational. "On the other hand, I am afraid that we will face an ugly future in which we will not be part of the negotiation and decision-making process, but we will again have to receive a finished matter, a fait accompli that says - "adapt or do what you want". That is why I would like that process to last a little longer so that maybe we can still find some foundation for us in the sense that through those central institutions we can impose some opinions that could later be applied both in the statute itself and in the actual application of the implementation of the CSM".

Rasic believes that the establishment will not be so soon, considering the insistence of the Prime Minister of Kosovo on signing the agreement from earlier. He notes that the elections in the USA are coming up, as well as the elections for the European Parliament, which, as he expects, will further delay the process, but at the same time opens up space for capacity building and the possibility to do something positive for, as he said, the life issues of Serbs in Kosovo.

Petkovic: Kurti's minister Rasic trying in every way to make the CSM meaningless (Kosovo Online)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said today that Nenad Rasic, Minister for Communities and Return in the government of Albin Kurti, is trying in every possible way to make the Community of Serbian Municipalities meaningless.

"Kurti's minister Rasic wants in every way to make the CSM meaningless by order of his boss and does not understand the dialogue at all! The one who said that the CSM is an association of ''Djivdjans''', is the last one who can comment on the Community," wrote Petkovic on the "X" social network.

He added that CSM is very important for all Serbs in Kosovo.

"The agreement from 2013 and 2015 foresees the continuation of the functioning of all Serbian institutions, which, unlike the current situation, will be protected under the CSM cap. Kurti's minister continues to invent, because that's all he knows!" said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

He also conveyed Rasic's statement for KiM radio in which the minister wrote that "the moment the CSM is adopted, the institutions of Serbia will be extinguished."

Letter of protest to France and Germany due to the removal of the memorial plaque in Pristina (Danas, FoNet, Beta, KoSSev)

Several experts and lecturers at domestic and foreign universities sent today a letter of protest to the embassies of France and Germany in Belgrade and Pristina and to the foreign ministries of those countries, demanding that the monument dedicated to Serbian soldiers, at the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, be immediately returned to its original place, reported Danas.

The signatories of the letter appeal that the memorial plaque be immediately returned to its original place, without delay,

to apologize to the public in Serbia and to the descendants of fallen soldiers, who are also among the signatories of this letter.

The signatories of the letter include geneticist Miodrag Stojkovic, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Aleksandar Kavcic, assistant professor at York University, Slobodan Tomic, research associate at the Institute for Serbian Culture, Pristina-Leposavic, Petar Ristanovic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, Milan Krstic and many others stated that they were "deeply disturbed by the news that, at the initiative of the French and German embassies in Pristina, a monument at the Pristina cemetery was moved, which was dedicated to Serbian soldiers who died during the Balkan Wars and the First World War."

"This act is unacceptable; it represents a revision of history, and it is an expression of disrespect for the fallen allied soldiers. This procedure also contradicts European values - it violates the right to dignified honoring and cherishing the memories of those who fought for peace and freedom in Europe," the letter states.

KoSSev portal published the letter in its entirety, as well as the list of signatories, see more at: https://tinyurl.com/vj6vsj4c

Vucic: Pointless to respond to all lies, the move of the monument to Serbian soldiers (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday evening it was pointless to respond to all the lies being spread against Serbia and to the move of Serbian soldiers monument who fell during the Balkan Wars and WWI, reported Tanjug last evening.

"It is impossible to respond on a daily basis to their lies and to the pointless removal of a Serbian tombstone at the Pristina cemetery, because whenever you wonder what is in the minds of people who do that, you cannot draw any conclusions whatsoever," Vucic told reporters at the Open Balkan wine fair when asked to comment on claims by US geopolitical analyst George Friedman that Serbia was gearing for war.

He noted that “Friedman was an Albanian lobbyist” and that he had been hearing such lies since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.

"We need to keep building our country, move forward and have the highest possible growth to overtake the EU countries that are ahead of us," Vucic added.

Dacic: The removal of the memorial plaque is scandalous, the French Embassy in Belgrade will advocate for its return (Kosovo Online)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic told Kosovo Online that moving the memorial plaque to Serbian soldiers at the cemetery in Pristina is a scandalous move and that the ambassadors of France and Germany in Belgrade have been contacted because of this.

Dacic also states that they received assurances from the French embassy in Belgrade that they were not aware of what happened, reported Kosovo Online.

"We estimate that this is a scandalous move, especially since it comes from some countries that should know very well how much Serbia contributed to the victory in the First World War and that present themselves as our friends. With that in mind, I gave the order to my assistant for bilateral cooperation to invite the French and German ambassadors to a conversation and to point out to them the inadmissibility of such a procedure. We received assurances from the French embassy in Belgrade that they were not aware of what happened and that they will advocate for everything to return to the previous state," said Dacic.

The European Commission proposes that visas be canceled for holders of Serbian passports in Kosovo (N1)

The European Commission proposed to abolish visas for citizens of Kosovo whose passports are issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, reported N1.

The European Commission proposed to the European Parliament that EU Regulation 2018/1806 so that the holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo, issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, are exempted from the requirement of having a visa when crossing the external borders of the Union members, for a stay of no longer than 90 days in any period of 180 days.

Given that visa liberalization for citizens of Kosovo enters into force on January 1, 2024, the European Commission considers that the reasons for the exclusion of holders of Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of the MUP of Serbia no longer exist, i.e., that all citizens of the Western Balkans region should have benefits from visa-free travel to Schengen countries.

N1 recalls that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said in April, speaking about visa liberalization for citizens of Kosovo, that he believes that the problem of Serbs from Kosovo who do not want to take a Pristina passport will be solved by the New Year.

Ambassador to UNESCO: Serbia's election is a clear signal to Pristina that it has no support for unilateral moves (RTS)

Tamara Rastovac Siamasvili, ambassador to UNESCO, told RTS that Serbia's third consecutive election as a member of the Executive Council is a clear signal to Pristina that it does not support any unilateral moves in requests for membership in that organization.

Serbia was re-elected as a member of the Executive Council of the UNESCO Organization. The third consecutive election is an indicator of the reputation of our country and a constructive approach that insists on compromise, dialogue, inclusiveness, said Siamasvili.

"Any request for membership in the organization should go through the executive council, where Serbia will be a member. Secondly, the way we were elected is an indicator of the support we have among the membership, which will be a clear signal to Pristina as well. Of course, it is always better to be inside a body, and not outside, because you have access to information and wider maneuvering space for lobbying, and we have many friends in UNESCO," said Tamara Rastovac Siamasvili.

Hill: Despite the difficulties, we recognize the common interests of Serbia and Ukraine (Kosovo Online, RTV, Tanjug)

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill said today, after signing the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, that despite all the difficulties, it is possible to recognize that Serbia and Ukraine have common interests that can be developed in the future, reported Kosovo Online, citing RTV.

"The memorandum of understanding is signed in difficult circumstances for Ukraine, when we see aggression against that country. Despite the difficulties, we see that Serbia and Ukraine have common interests," Hill said.

Hill stated that economic cooperation is important for the two countries, as both strive to become part of the single European market.

"Serious discussions are being held on the issue of access to the single European market, and I think it is appropriate for both countries that see themselves as members of that market and could become one, to start cooperating in the fields of economy," concluded Hill.

The memorandum on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine was signed by the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine Gennadiy Chyzhykov and the Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of PKS Mihailo Vesovic.

Another trial for Vukotic in Pristina (Kosovo Online)

Another trial for Zoran Vukotic in connection with the alleged war crime committed in the territory of the municipality of Vucitrn is underway in the Basic Court in Pristina, his lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic confirmed to Kosovo Online.

"Instead of judging him all at once, they judge him every two years for a new event. This is not recorded in history. He is being tried for an alleged war crime committed on the territory of the Vucitrn municipality," said Vlajic.

At today's hearing, Vukotic is represented by lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic.

The portal recalls that on November 7, the Supreme Court of Kosovo confirmed the verdict of Zoran Vukotic, who was already sentenced to 13 years in prison for war crimes against the civilian population

Vlajic then said that he would submit a request for protection of legality because the sentencing of Vukotic exceeded the legal maximum sentence.

In 2018, Vukotic was found guilty and sentenced to six and a half years in prison for war crimes against the civilian population, i.e., for the alleged abuse of Albanian civilians detained in the prison in Smrekovnica from May 3, 1999, to the beginning of June 1999.

The detention of Sladjan Trajkovic extended again (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)

Sladjan Trajkovic, accused of war crimes against the Albanian population in 1999 in Vucitrn, has had his judicial custody extended for another two months, his lawyer Dejan A. Vasic confirmed for Radio KiM.

Trajkovic was arrested on December 15 in Bosnjacka Mahala in North Mitrovica, a little more than a month after he left the police with his fellow police officers.

Lawyer Vasic asked for a mitigation of the measure, given that, as he claims, Trajkovic is in a bad state of health.

"On the fifteenth of February it will be one year since Sladjan was detained. The defense asked the court to mitigate this measure, in accordance with the current practice in Kosovo for this type of criminal offense, considering that many additional cases were successfully implemented while defendants were released pending trial".

As he states, he and his client are strongly motivated to demonstrate the groundlessness of the accusations at the upcoming main trial.

"I will present this argument to the Court of Appeal in the appeal that I will file in due course," said Vasic.

Serbia, North Macedonia sign Memorandum on construction of high-speed railway (FoNet, N1)

Serbian Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic and North Macedonian Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bocvarski signed on Friday in the Serbian Government a Memorandum on cooperation between the ministries on the construction of a high-speed railway between the Serbian city of Nis and the North Macedonian capital of Skopje.

The Memorandum was signed in the presence of Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her North Macedonian counterpart Dimitar Kovacevski.

Brnabic told a press conference that Serbia has completed the section of the high-speed railway from Belgrade to Novi Sad, and that the Novi Sad – Subotica section should be completed by end of next year, and expressed hope that Hungary will finish its part of the railway from Budapest to the border with Serbia by the end of 2025.

She said Serbia will fund the construction of the high-speed railway to Nis from grants and loans, and that an agreement has been reached with North Macedonia to continue the railway to Skopje.

“We will set up a joint working group with a clear action plan,” said Brnabic.

Kovacevski said the two countries’ governments are working to improve the economic and social position of their citizens, to increase the efficiency of the business community and look for solutions in the times of an economic and energy crisis and geopolitical turmoil.

“Cooperation within the region is important to us in order to show through these results that we are ready for cooperation and membership in the European Union,” said Kovacevski, emphasizing that the focus must remain on the European Union, where the Western Balkans countries belong.

Opinion

Kosovo and the Western Balkans Security Order after Banjska: Policy Recommendations from the Octopus Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies (media)

Several news websites cover an analysis by Jasmic Mujanovic, Political Scientist and commentator on the Western Balkans, on the September 24 attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo.

Introduction

The Serb nationalist paramilitary attack in Banjska, in northern Kosovo, which resulted in the deaths of one Kosovo police officer and the wounding of two more, represents the most serious instance of violence in the country since the end of the 1999 war and the accompanying NATO intervention.

In Banjska we see demonstrative proof that Belgrade has a renewed willingness to use violence to shape political conditions in neighboring states. The direct involvement of Serbian state security services in the attack – through their suspected provision of weapons and munitions, the use of their facilities for the attack’s preparation, and the known links of the attackers to the upper echelons of the Serbian leadership – demands a substantial reaction from Quint capitals and Kosovo’s own government.

The following report lays out five policy recommendations to appropriately respond to the events in Banjska, ensuring above all that Belgrade will not risk any further escalation of violence. Credible consequences and the establishment of convincing deterrence capacities in Prishtina are key to ensuring both the stability of Kosovo and the entire Western Balkans region. If Serb nationalist elements are allowed to believe that violence is once again a permissible tool of political influence, they will not merely endanger the security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Kosovo. In time, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro too are likely to be targeted. The same would also result in still further democratic backsliding in Serbia, which would then likewise increase the odds of interstate conflict in the region.

Neither NATO nor the EU can afford another multifront crisis in the region, especially given the sharp decline in global geopolitical conditions since February 2022. Accordingly, the recommendations in this report, if implemented, would not only significantly improve the stability and security of Kosovo, but would also likewise secure the interests of the West in maintaining a peaceful environment across the Western Balkans.

That, in the final analysis, is also the key analytical thrust of this text: stressing that it is in the interests of the Euro-Atlantic community, first and foremost, to have a sovereign, democratic Kosovo, whose security is credibly maintained by its own law enforcement and security services. In this respect, Serbia, on its present course, is an adversary, not a partner. But by cementing Western support for and commitments to Kosovo, we can, in time, ensure that Serbia’s political class will recognize that its current maximalist trajectory is a losing proposition: internationally, but also domestically. A strong, sovereign Kosovo state – along with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro – are far and away the greatest tools available to the Euro-Atlantic community to finally facilitate genuine acceptance in Serbian society that the Yugoslav Wars are over, and that the Serb nationalist-expansionist project – whether styled as “Greater Serbia” or the “Serbian World” – have been defeated.

International

Kosovo launches first women's football strategy (uefa.com)

The Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) unveils its vision with a special ceremony in Pristina.

Women's football in Kosovo has a brighter future thanks to the launch of the FFK's first dedicated strategy devoted to developing the game.

The strategy coes to life following consultation with both UEFA and FIFA, focusing on key areas including: participation, competitions, education, national teams, elite journey, communication and marketing, good governance and leadership.

Through the strategy, the FFK aims to empower girls and women to engage with the game, in turn challenging and reshaping societal perceptions.

The launch ceremony took place in Pristina, featuring senior and youth national team players, as well as referees and club representatives.

Agim Ademi, FFK president: "I am proud that we have achieved such a thing in cooperation with UEFA and FIFA and with the work carried out by the team. This strategy is a big step in the development of women’s football in our country. Women’s football is our priority and we aim to increase the participation of girls and women in all aspects of football through this strategy. In addition to this strategy, we are also creating the right opportunities for girls to join football through the improvement of the sports infrastructure."

Valbona Gashi, FFK head of women's football development: "Our new strategy will help improve conditions for the women's football community and create new player pathways, while improving our infrastructure, both now and in the future.

"Since 2016, UEFA has been one of our main supporters and we have achieved a lot of projects together. With our commitment, we will now be able to influence participation growth, the development of competitions, education, national team and elite pathways, communications and marketing, and governance and leadership."

Forty-seven of Europe's 55 national member associations now have dedicated women's football strategies, with 17 associations benefiting directly from UEFA’s tailored support in creating their own strategies, fine-tuned to individual associations’ circumstances and stage of development.

Kosovo’s Thaci Didn’t Give Orders to Guerrillas: Trial Witness (BIRN)

Former Kosovo Liberation Army officer Sadik Halitjaha told the trial of Hashim Thaci and other wartime guerrilla leaders in The Hague that contrary to prosecution claims, the KLA’s General Staff didn’t give orders and the guerrilla force didn’t have a defined military structure.

Sadik Halitjaha, former deputy commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s Pashtrik Operational Zone, told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague this week that the KLA’s General Staff did not give his fighters orders, and even military regulations were compiled at the operational zone level.

Halitjaha also told the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants that attempts to give the KLA a proper army structure remained on paper.

“I don’t remember having received any order” from the General Staff, Halitjaha told the court on Friday.

The prosecution is seeking to prove that Thaci and his three co-defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi, who are on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, were responsible as senior KLA officers for crimes committed by their subordinates.

Halitjaha said on Monday that there were no agreed protocols between the KLA’s various operational zones and the General Staff. But in the Pashtrik zone, where he was deputy commander, he and others compiled their own regulations.