• Osmani meets US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau (media)
• “Women’s equal participations in elections fundamental to quality of democracy” (media)
• DiA: Majority of candidates for MPs belong to 31-50 age group (media)
• Serwer: Kosovo in the NDAA but not necessarily a priority (Koha)
• KSF will soon receive “Panzerfaust” 3 anti-tank weapons from Germany (Koha)
• “SkyCC” case; Chief Prosecutor: Value of seizures around €80 million (EO)
• Court orders 30-day detention for former member of Serbian interior ministry (Sinjali)
• AJK welcomes court’s decision on election of Independent Media Commission chair (media)
• Kosovo activist still fighting for justice for wartime sexual violence survivors (BIRN)

Osmani meets US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau (media)

One of the leading stories in the media on Monday evening was Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani’s meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Washington D.C. Osmani expressed the appreciation of the people of Kosovo for President Donald Trump signing the Law on the National Defense Authorization Act, for US support for Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, for Trump’s vision for dialogue to be based on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, for supporting Kosovo’s membership in NATO and for increased strategic economic investments.

Osmani also talked about the latest developments, the security situation in the region, and the importance of pushing forward the Kosovo – US Strategic Dialogue, as a crucial platform to strengthen bilateral partnership and advanced cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Osmani reiterated Kosovo’s commitment to the alliance with the United States and its readiness to work close with the Trump administration as reflected by removing tariffs on US products, the agreement on third country nationals, aligning with US foreign policy, full harmonization of the list on foreign terrorist organizations based on the executive orders of President Trump, and also through other actions that prove Kosovo’s support for the Trump administration.

On relations between Kosovo and Serbia, Osmani expressed her appreciation for the clear policy of the Trump administration that the dialogue should be based on mutual recognition and for the fact that it rules out dangerous ideas for border changes or divisions. “This approach is necessary in order to maintain peace and stability in our region,” she said.

At the second bilateral meeting with Landau this year, Osmani reiterated that Kosovo would continue to walk alongside the United States, “Kosovo’s eternal ally”.

“Women’s equal participations in elections fundamental to quality of democracy” (media)

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo said in a Facebook post on Monday that leading up to the early parliamentary elections, the mission with funding from France is holding workshops across five regions of Kosovo with representatives of key election bodies, civil society organizations, and the media, and that the main event was held in Pristina on Monday. “The aim is to examine the persistent underrepresentation of women in politics and public life, assess the effectiveness of related legal and institutional mechanisms, and explore the roles of different institutions and actors have in advancing gender equality. The event was opened by Kreshnik Radoniqi, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, and Zenel Leku, Chairperson of the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel. It was followed by high-level discussion panels with French Ambassador Olivier Guerot, OSCE Ambassador Gerard McGurk, and representatives of civil society and the media. Participants agreed that: women’s equal participation in elections is not only a matter of fairness but fundamental to the quality of democracy; closing the gender gap requires more than laws; it demands political will, accountability, and cultural change; quotas alone do not guarantee political power for women; institutions, political parties, and the media all share responsibility; there must be coordinated support from the international community,” the post notes.

DiA: Majority of candidates for MPs belong to 31-50 age group (media)

Several news websites cover a Facebook post by the Pristina-based Democracy in Action which notes that the majority of candidates for MPs in the December 28 parliamentary elections belong to the 31-50 age group and that a considerable number of candidates are under 30.

Serwer: Kosovo in the NDAA but not necessarily a priority (Koha)

The news website reported on Monday that Kosovo’s inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act as well as the reaffirmation of mutual recognition as the basis for a final agreement with Serbia have been interpreted as a positive signal for continued US support for Kosovo. US expert on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, however, notes that the inclusion of these formulations does not necessarily reflect a strong political consensus in the United States, but rather a reaction to intensive efforts by lobbyists seeking to change the traditional U.S. policy toward Kosovo. “While I like the language that Congress has adopted, it would be a mistake to interpret it as an unambiguously positive sign. The reason this language is included is that lobbyists are working intensively to overturn the traditional U.S. policy, which favors Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as mutual recognition with Serbia. This is an attempt to block the lobbyists, and it will work up to a point. But the President has a

On the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Serwer said that Kosovo should continue to have mutual recognition as its primary objective, but also said he was skeptical if this law makes the goal more achievable than before.

“Kosovo should always aim for mutual recognition. But I have no reason to believe that this is more likely today than it was before the law was signed. Likewise, I have no reason to believe that the Administration will support Kosovo’s membership in the EU or NATO. The President’s national security strategy is hostile to the EU. He has not been a supporter of NATO enlargement. The main point here is to block or slow changes in U.S. policy that could be harmful to Kosovo. There are people pushing for these changes. Blocking them requires constant vigilance,” he said.

KSF will soon receive “Panzerfaust” 3 anti-tank weapons from Germany (Koha)

The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) will soon receive anti-tank weapons “Panzerfaust 3” from Germany. Sources from the Kosovo Ministry of Defense confirmed to the news website that procedures for purchasing the weapons have concluded and that they are expected to be delivered to the KSF soon. The news website also notes that this news comes one week after it was reported that Kosovo signed a three-year agreement with AM General to purchase modern mobile artillery systems “HUMVEE Hawkeye 105mm Howitzer”.

“SkyCC” case; Chief Prosecutor: Value of seizures around €80 million (EO)

Chief prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, Blerim Isufaj, said that the value of seizures in the “SkyCC case” also called “Broken Sky” was around €80 million, making it the biggest case in terms of seizures. The investigations into the organized crime case had resulted in the arrest of 33 suspects. “The case is sensitive and all the suspects have been in detention. The case has a great priority for us. We don’t preempt the outcome of the case, but we can guarantee that the investigations are being conducted with professionalism and as a priority,” Isufaj said.

Court orders 30-day detention for former member of Serbian interior ministry (Sinjali)

The Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered a 30-day detention for a former member of the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs, who was arrested in relation to the abduction of Kosovo Serb Milan Vukasinovic in November this year. The suspect was arrested on December 20 in Leshak in a joint operation by the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency. The news was confirmed by Kosovo caretaker Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla who said that the arrest relates to Vukasinovic’s abduction by Serbian structures inside Kosovo’s territory. Svecla said the suspect had worked in Kosovo Police according to the 2013 agreement but that he later resigned. He also said that the suspect is believed to have cooperated and constantly provided support for Serbia’s security structures.

AJK welcomes court’s decision on election of IMC chair (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) said in a statement on Monday that it welcomes the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina to approve a lawsuit by the Kosovo Law Institute about the election of the chair of the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and declaring the election unlawful. The AJK argued that Besnik Berisha’s election as IMC chair was done unlawfully and that it was an open attempt to establish political control over the IMC by the Kosovo government. “The decision of the Basic Court today restores lawfulness, and independent institutions must take into account the need to fully respect the legislation in force during important decision-making processes,” the statement notes.

The AJK also said it engages for the IMC to remain politically independent so that it can carry out its constitutional role of monitoring and regulation of TV and radiophonic broadcasters in Kosovo.

Kosovo activist still fighting for justice for wartime sexual violence survivors (BIRN)

Since meeting a girl who was raped during the war in 1999, Veprore Shehu has been seeking support and justice for survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo, fighting societal stigma and official reluctance to act.

In the summer of 1999, after the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo, Veprore Shehu met a 17-year-old girl who was pregnant as a result of rape.

The girl’s “very patriarchal” family in the western region of Gjakova/Djakovica had forbidden the girl from leaving home, Shehu recalled, and had told her brothers she had a liver condition that had caused her stomach to swell.

“It was to protect the child from the stigma,” Shehu said, describing the immediate postwar period in Kosovo as one of “acute trauma and emergency”.

When the girl went into labour, it fell to Shehu, who was working for the Kosovo arm of the women’s rights and aid organisation Medica Mondiale, to take her to the hospital, where the girl gave the baby up for adoption.

“Normally in these cases we don’t assume that a 17-year-old girl who was sexually abused would raise a child,” Shehu said.

The heartbreaking case marked the start of a career in caring for women victims of war crimes.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3bh8382y