UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 31, 2021

Kurti and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donfried talk about Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
President Osmani decreed the Law on the Budget of Kosovo for 2022 (media)
Dialogue, the biggest challenge for the Kurti Government in 2022 (Koha)
Kurti meets Kosovo’s Security Council (media)
Osmani and Kurti meet heads of security institutions (media)
OSCE Condemns Desecration of Serb Gravestones in Kosovo (BIRN)
Chinese cameras from the American black list, through Serbia in Kosovo (RFE)
Enlargement crisis and its consequences: Key events in the Western Balkans in 2021 (EWB)
COVID-19: 53 new cases, no deaths (media)

Kurti and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donfried talk about Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti had on Thursday a telephone conversation with the U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried.

In this conversation, they talked about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, where Donfried said that the meeting between the leaders is important, and that there should be an agenda with topics, always in function of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo.

As for the dialogue, the head of the government of Kosovo said that he has always been active and constructive in the dialogue, while the agreement should focus on mutual recognition.

Further, Donfried thanked Kurti for sheltering Afghan refugees, where according to her, Kosovo on this occasion has demonstrated that it is a reliable partner of the United States of America.

Donfried also thanked Kurti for Kosovo's participation in the Democracy Summit.

"Prime Minister Kurti on the other hand thanked for the invitation for Kosovo to be part of this summit and said that he welcomes and is encouraged by the fact that President Biden has declared crime and corruption a threat to national security for the U.S. but also for democracy worldwide," reads the communiqué of the prime minister.

Further, Kurti mentioned the achievements that, according to him, Kosovo has made this year.

President Osmani decreed the Law on the Budget of Kosovo for 2022 (media)

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani - Sadriu, has decreed the Law on the Budget of Kosovo for 2022.

“The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani - Sadriu, pursuant to Article 80 (2) and Article 84 points (4 and 5) of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, has decreed the promulgation of Law no. 08 / L-066 on budget allocations for the budget of the Republic of Kosovo for 2022, approved by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, on 17.12.2021, and accepted by the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, on 29.12.2021 ”, it is stated in the decree of President Osmani.

Dialogue, the biggest challenge for the Kurti Government in 2022 (Koha)

Dialogue with Serbia is being seen as the biggest challenge for the Kurti Government in the coming year.

According to political science professor Belul Beqaj, the issue of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities could be a key point in this process. He said that this issue will turn Prime Minister Kurti against himself, as well as Kosovo.

"We cannot move forward without resolving this. The issue is simple, but it is getting complicated for no reason. Let us come up with a proposal adapting to the Constitution .... Serbia does not agree, we know, but we will be cooperative," he said.

Meanwhile, he stated that vetting is the main challenge of internal affairs.

Professor of Economics Berim Ramosaj said that the government of Kosovo must build creative alternatives. According to him, the only solution is cooperation with internationals to build an Association that "does not destroy the system of Kosovo."

"There are alternatives, giving power or building an association that does not touch the system. Let's do it with the internationals. And under no circumstances should we accept an association as we see it on paper," he said.

Meanwhile, Lulzim Peci from the KIPRED Institute said that the American administration is returning to the region with heavy artillery, alluding to the selection of new ambassadors.

He warned that Kosovo has not yet seen the pressure that will come from the administration of President Joe Biden.

"If we continue with this story, we will lose this administration to make an agreement. We will remain isolated. No one can force de-isolation and make us part of the international community. Kosovo's luck is that we do not need UN membership for NATO and EU membership. Since Serbia is sitting in a three-legged chair, the legs are moving away and the moment of truth will come to show where thye will go. We should not miss the historic chance," he said.

Kurti meets Kosovo’s Security Council (media)

The Kosovo Security Council held its last meeting this year under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

The meeting was announced by the Office of the Prime Minister, through a press release, as it is said that the meeting was invited to discuss the security situation in Kosovo.

"With the wide participation of all senior institutional representatives, in the meeting, in addition to the security situation in the country, we discussed projects that contribute to the field of security and defence," a statement read, adding that the institutions of Kosovo remain committed to maintaining order, public safety and the rule of law throughout the territory of Kosovo.

Osmani and Kurti meet heads of security institutions (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti met yesterday heads of Kosovo security institutions - Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla, Minister of Defence Armend Mehaj, Kosovo Security Force Commander Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, Kosovo Intelligence Agency Director Petrit Ajeti, and General Director of the Kosovo Police Samedin Mehmeti.

The topic of the discussion was end-year reporting and preparations and challenges for the coming year.

OSCE Condemns Desecration of Serb Gravestones in Kosovo (BIRN)

The OSCE Mission and mayor of Gracanica have condemned the vandalism of over half-a-dozen Serbian graves in a village cemetery in the centre of the country, demanding a thorough investigation.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo has condemned the desecration of a Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Gracanice/Gracanica, a Serb-majority municipality where a number of tombstones were damaged.

“Incidents like this cause distress among local communities and require the active response of institutions to provide reassurance to the public and prevent such cases from reoccurring,” the OSCE Mission said on Thursday.

“The Mission joins the call of the Kosovo Police asking anyone with information about this incident to come forward to help resolve this case, and commends police for responding by sending regional investigative and forensic units to the cemetery,” it added.

Earlier this week, media have reported that unknown persons have damaged seven tombstones at the cemetry in the village of Kishnice/Kisnica in the central Gracanica municipality.

On December 27, Kosovo Police said they had engaged “specialized investigators to shed light to this case”.

“Competent investigations teams, including these from forensics, went to the scene and carried out examination procedures,” police said.

Local authorities have also condemned the incident. Gracanica mayor Ljiljana Subaric said that the “sacred sites of the Serbian people and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church continue to be targets of vandals and extremists.”

She added: “We are disappointed, but we are not surprised. Despite everything, we will continue to build our Gracanica for all people without any ethnic, religious or cultural differences.”

Chinese cameras from the American black list, through Serbia in Kosovo (RFE)

Serbia, through the institutions it has in Kosovo, has bought the video surveillance system of the Chinese company that is under the sanctions of the United States of America (USA), dedicated to schools in 12 municipalities of Kosovo, learns Radio Free Europe (REL).

As can be seen from the documentation, the video surveillance systems of the Chinese brand Dahua, which Serbia buys for schools in Kosovo, also have the option of face recognition.

According to the US Department of Commerce, Dahua Technology is a Chinese company, which since 2019, is on the US blacklist due to its connection with human rights violations and the Chinese campaign of repression against Uighurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

On December 16, the Provisional Body of the Municipality of Gjilan in Kosovo, an institution managed by Serbian structures and recognized by the Kosovo authorities as a parallel institution, entered into a contract for the procurement of this video-surveillance system with Neva Company 2020 DOO, based in Ranilug / Ranillug, also a Serb-majority municipality in Kosovo.

Under the contract, the company has undertaken to deliver, install and put into operation the video surveillance equipment within 30 days.

As can be seen from the documentation, the funds were provided by a decision of the Office for Kosovo of the Government of Serbia. The value of the signed contract is about 39 thousand euros (4,587,480 dinars).

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3HpRMKQ

Enlargement crisis and its consequences: Key events in the Western Balkans in 2021 (EWB)

Another year went by without the renewed momentum for the EU accession process of the Western Balkans, and the consequences of the stagnation were clearer in 2021 than before. Crises in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro, yet another lost year for Albania and North Macedonia, as well as damage to EU’s public image, especially in the first months of the year, should all act as a wake-up call for Brussels and European capitals. That is, if the old and the new leaders are ready to hear it.

Several positive developments in the region, such as the establishment of a roaming-free zone, were few and far in between. Otherwise, the picture for the pro-European citizens of the region was bleak.

European Western Balkans brings you the most important events and developments in the Western Balkans in 2021.

The vaccine diplomacy

Mostly thanks to the procurement of large quantities of Chinese Sinopharm jabs, for the first couple of months of 2021, Serbia was among the leading European countries in terms of vaccinations per capita. At the time when other Western Balkan countries were still waiting for their deliveries, thousands of citizens from neighbouring countries flocked to Belgrade and other cities to get their first doses.

These developments influenced public opinion in the countries of the region. China and Serbia profited from “vaccine diplomacy”, while European Union missed the opportunity to score points, according to subsequent polls. EU did provide large quantities of doses to the Western Balkans in spring and summer, but it was the speed, it turned out, that counted the most.

By the second half of the year, the biggest challenge became not how to procure vaccines, but how to motivate the sceptical population to take the jabs.

Kurti and Osmani take over

February snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo could be described as a political earthquake. Vetëvendosje! (LVV), led by Albin Kurti came in first but, unlike the close result in 2019, this time all other lists were left far behind. The electoral success of the party, which won more than 50% of the vote, was boosted by a coalition with Guxo!, founded by then parliament speaker Vjosa Osmani. As a result of the election, Kurti returned to the office of the Prime Minister, while Osmani was elected as the fifth President of Kosovo since the declaration of independence in 2008.

Kurti’s government, however, was soon faced with a disappointment of some of its voters, resulting in unsatisfactory results for the party in October-November local elections. With the energy crisis hitting Kosovo particularly hard, Kurti’s potential first full term is turning out to be increasingly challenging.