UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, April 25, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Assembly to meet today in another attempt to elect Assembly Speaker (media)
EU says it is in Kosovo’s interest to form new institutions ASAP (media)
Haziri: LDK’s position on Assembly Speaker remains the same (Indeksonline)
PDK: We will not vote for Albulena Haxhiu as Assembly Speaker (Indeksonline)
Kurti reacts to Porfirije’s meeting with Putin in Moscow (media)
Osmani: Russia using Serbia as satellite to undermine everything we built (Koha)
Barduani meets Sorensen, exchange views on security situation in region (media)
Advisor: President asked parties to propose new candidates for CEC (Express)
“Kosovo and Finland, allies in protecting democratic values” (media)
Osmani bestows Presidential Military Medal to Finnish Defense Forces (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Djuric meets Botsan-Kharchenko: Firm Russia’s support on Kosovo issue in international arena (Kosovo Online, media)
Iraq maintains position on non-recognition of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Three former prison guards arrested on Monday sent to one-month detention (KoSSev)
New KFOR troops from Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands arrived in Kosovo (KoSSev, social media)
Vucic to receive Cypriot President Christodoulides on Friday (Tanjug)
Tabakovic: Serbia was one of Europe's fastest-growing economies in 2024 (Tanjug)
University of Belgrade Rector writes to PM, proposes new meeting (N1)

International Media:

Kosovo court detains former prison guards suspected of war crimes (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Assembly to meet today in another attempt to elect Assembly Speaker (media)

Most news websites report this morning that members of the Kosovo Assembly will meet today and there will be another attempt to elect the Assembly Speaker and the Deputy Speakers. In the previous session, Vetevendosje’s candidate for Assembly Speaker, Albulena Haxhiu, failed to get the required number of votes.

Haziri: LDK’s position on Assembly Speaker remains the same (Indeksonline)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lutfi Haziri said on Thursday that their position on the election of the Assembly Speaker remains the same. “Our position is the same. The LDK will not change its position on Friday [when the constitutive session of the Assembly will be held again]. The first party that won the most votes must elect the Assembly Speaker and form the government. If they cannot do this, they need to open the way for others. Everything is regulated by the Constitution,” he said in an interview with Indeksonline.

PDK: We will not vote for Albulena Haxhiu as Assembly Speaker (Indeksonline)

Senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Mergim Lushtaku said in an interview with the news website on Thursday that they will not vote for Vetevendosje’s candidate for Assembly Speaker, Albulena Haxhiu. He also said that the PDK will meet on Friday morning before the assembly session to discuss its further steps.

EU says it is in Kosovo’s interest to form new institutions ASAP (media)

A spokesperson for the European Union on enlargement told Kosovapress news agency on Thursday that it is in Kosovo’s interest to form the new institutions as soon as possible. “What I can say is that it is in Kosovo’s interest to form the institutions, and this is very important in terms of implementing the European reforms and moving forward on this path. It is also important for other issues, such as the Growth Plan, because as you know the Assembly of Kosovo needs to be constituted in order to continue working in this regard,” the spokesperson said.

Kurti reacts to Porfirije’s meeting with Putin in Moscow (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti reacted on Thursday evening to a recent meeting between the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kurti wrote in a post on X: “A concerning development emerged from yesterday’s meeting between the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch and Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Serbian Orthodox Church has long played an active political role, but the explicit alignment in the meeting’s transcript is revealing—especially ahead of Aleksandar Vucic’s upcoming visit in May. The Patriarch called for a broader geopolitical realignment under Russian leadership, reiterating that the [Serbian] "small boat, sailing on rough seas, should always be tied to a big Russian ship" He also suggested that Serbia’s stance on its neighbors—Kosova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro—is contingent on Russia’s global position. This is not religious diplomacy, it's a strategic partnership of authoritarian regimes, placing the region at serious risk. Kosova, however, stands firm in its democratic principles and aspirations and unequivocally rejects revisionist agendas driven by authoritarian powers”. He also included a link to the transcript from the meeting: https://shorturl.at/VJ1Ea

Osmani: Russia using Serbia as satellite to undermine everything we built (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said during a two-day visit to Finland that Russia is using Serbia as a satellite to undermine everything that Kosovo has built together with its allies. In her address at the University of Helsinki, she said that Russia’s goal is to ruin every achievement that Kosovo has made together with all its allies including Finland. “Precisely because both our countries know the high price that is paid for freedom, we have stood alongside Ukraine since the first day of Russia’s aggression. Equally important with fighting against Russia’s ambition is to understand that it is using satellite countries to pursue its goals. In our region, Russia is actively using Serbia as a satellite to undermine everything that we, together with our allies, have built with so much hard work and everything that we are continuing to build every day,” she argued.

Osmani said that it is very important “for countries like Finland and Kosovo to articulate their opposition against countries that have territorial ambitions and genocidal mindsets”. “Today, as we witness the return of aggressive, expansionist and imperialist ideologies, we need to reaffirm our engagement for a free and peaceful Europe. This is possible only if countries like Kosovo and Finland continue to speak up. As we do now, we need to speak out against Russia’s increasing territorial ambitions, against its genocidal mindset and against its efforts to destabilize our common democratic achievements and our way of life,” she said.

Osmani also said that Kosovo has built strong democratic institutions, an economy led by the youth and a foreign policy firmly anchored on Euro-Atlantic values.

Barduani meets Sorensen, exchange views on security situation in region (media)

Commander of the NATO-led KFOR mission, Major General Enrico Barduani, hosted on Thursday the EU special representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Peter Sorensen, and EU Head of Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav.

“Today’s visit in Kosovo was the second one in Mr Sørensen's tenure; as such, he did not miss the opportunity to exchange views with the COM KFOR on the developments in the security situation across the region. COM KFOR underlined KFOR’s efforts on ensuring a safe and secure environment for all people living in Kosovo and in support of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, wherein KFOR and the EU act in permanent coordination. General Barduani highlighted KFOR’s steadfast commitment to support all efforts by the International Community, for the benefit of lasting security across Kosovo and regional stability,” KFOR said in a Facebook post.

Advisor: President asked parties to propose new candidates for CEC (Express)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has called on political parties to propose candidates for the Central Election Commission, a spokesperson for Osmani’s office confirmed to the news website on Thursday. The Law on General Elections in Kosovo notes that the mandate of CEC members is linked to the certification of parliamentary elections. The law notes that no later than 30 days after the certification of results of parliamentary elections, the President must ask the parliamentary groups to propose their candidates for the CEC.

Osmani meets Valtonen, thanks her for Finland’s strong support (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, during her stay in Helsinki, met with the Foreign Minister of Finland, Elina Valtonen, and thanked her for “Finland’s steadfast support for our Euro-Atlantic integration path and for our membership in international organizations, and I reiterated Kosovo’s deep commitment to strengthening our interstate partnership”.

Osmani bestows Presidential Military Medal to Finnish Defense Forces (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X on Thursday that at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, she bestowed the Presidential Military Medal upon the Finnish Defense Forces - in recognition of their unwavering commitment and tireless support to peace and security in Kosovo since 1999, as part of the NATO-led KFOR mission. “We are profoundly grateful to Finland, and to every Finnish soldier who has stood shoulder to shoulder with us - helping to safeguard peace, protect freedom, and build a better future for generations to come,” she said.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric meets Botsan-Kharchenko: Firm Russia’s support on Kosovo issue in international arena (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met yesterday with Russian Ambassador to Belgrade, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and discussed with him different areas of bilateral cooperation, Kosovo Online portal reported.

During the meeting Djuric reiterated gratitude of Serbia for the principled stance of Russia in terms of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, as well as for the firm support on Kosovo issue in international arena.

Noting cultural, spiritual and historic ties between the two peoples, head of the Serbian diplomacy also expressed confidence that relations will be nurtured and further developed in the spirit of traditionally close ties, reads the statement.

Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko handed over the congratulatory message of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Djuric, over his re-appointment as foreign minister, the portal added.

Iraq maintains position on non-recognition of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Ministry Secretary General Dusan Kozarev met yesterday Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Iraq in Belgrade, Mayada Abdullah Yassin, who reaffirmed Iraq’s strong support for Serbia regarding Kosovo issue, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Kozarev and El Adami discussed strengthening the ties between the two countries, concluding that the relationship is friendly and based on decades of mutual understanding and respect, as well as shared commitment to an independent, interest-driven foreign policy in a complex global arena.

The Iraqi side reiterated its firm stance of support to Serbia regarding Kosovo issue, while both parties emphasized their readiness to continue mutual support in all areas of shared importance, according to a statement from the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/rgTTb

Three former prison guards arrested on Monday sent to one-month detention (KoSSev)

The Basic Court in Pristina has decided to render one-month detention to three former prison guards, two Serbs arrested in Lipljan and one Gorani arrested in Pristina under the charges of allegedly committing war crimes in Kosovo, KoSSev portal reported.

On Monday, April 21, a Serbian man B.T. and a Serbian woman N.C. were arrested at two different locations in Lipljan while Gorani man M.I. was arrested in Pristina, the portal recalled.

Their detention lawyers argued that charges against them were not substantiated with concrete evidence, it was not precisely said what acts defendants allegedly carried out nor who alleged victims were. One day after the hearing, the court made a decision to send the three arrested persons to one-month detention citing “real and founded danger” that if free they “may flee”, “influence witnesses” and “destroy evidence”. The arrested persons have the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals.

New KFOR troops from Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands arrived in Kosovo (KoSSev, social media)

“A flag raising ceremony was held today at KFOR Headquarters, in Camp Film City, Pristina, to welcome back Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands as troop contributing countries to the NATO-led KFOR mission. Since early 2024, five additional European Allies have started contributing to the mission, in support of NATO’s efforts in Kosovo, including France and Portugal, in January and September 2024, respectively”, KFOR said in a post on their official Facebook account on Thursday.

“Major General Enrico Barduani, KFOR’s Commander, presided over the ceremony. He expressed his appreciation for the arrival of new personnel and underscored that KFOR’s further growth attests to our collective, steadfast commitment to lasting security across Kosovo and regional stability, including through support to the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina”, the statement added.

KFOR also said it continues to contribute to a safe and secure environment for all people and communities living in Kosovo, in accordance with its long-standing UN mandate – based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 and in close coordination with respective security responders.

Vucic to receive Cypriot President Christodoulides on Friday (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will host Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Belgrade on Friday. President Christodoulides will be on a working visit to Serbia until Saturday.

A tete-a-tete meeting of the two presidents at the Palace of Serbia is scheduled for 10.05 am Friday, the press office of the President of Serbia has announced in a statement. A plenary meeting of Serbian and Cypriot delegations to be headed by Vucic and Christodoulides is scheduled for 10.50 am, it also said.

President Nikos Christodoulides arrived last night in Belgrade and was welcomed by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric at Nikola Tesla airport. Serbian Ambassador to Cyprus, Suzana Boskovic-Prodanovic and Cypriot Ambassador to Serbia, Andreas Photiou were also present.

Tabakovic: Serbia was one of Europe's fastest-growing economies in 2024 (Tanjug)

National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic, who is also Serbian Governor at the International Monetary Fund, represented Serbia at a Washington meeting of the Swiss Constituency on Thursday, Tanjug news agency reported.

"In 2024, Serbia maintained high GDP growth dynamics of 3.9 pct, which is one of the highest rates among European economies. Relative to the pre-pandemic level, the current figure is more than 18 pct higher", Tabakovic noted at the meeting.

"Since last May, inflation returned within the target corridor of 3±1.5 pct, and by the year’s end it is expected to be close to the target midpoint”, she added. “We have preserved the relative stability of the exchange rate of the dinar against the euro and secured record high FX reserves, more than twice their pre-pandemic level in 2019. We have considerably increased our gold reserves, which now account for around 15 pct of our FX reserves”, she also explained.