Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani meets U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Louis Bono (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo, an unwavering ally of U.S. in Europe and the Balkans (media)
• Kurti rules out possible coalition with opposition parties (Koha)
• Rohde: Germany will continue close cooperation with any future govt (media)
• Turkish KFOR soldiers patrol in the north of Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Djuric spoke with the assistant for Europe and Eurasia at the State Department (Tanjug)
• The CEC accredited around 60 local and international media for monitoring the parliamentary elections (KiM radio)
• A car with Serbian license plates burned near Podujevo, suspected that there was a person inside (KiM radio, KoSSev)
• Rod Blagojevich: Kurti condemns Serbs for various reasons; this is his method of ethnic cleansing (Kosovo Online, RTS)
• Velvet in Serbia (pescanik.net)
• ANEM steps out of government working group (N1)

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani meets U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Louis Bono (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Wednesday in Washington D.C. at the State Department, with Assistant Secretary of State Acting Louis Bono, “and discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Kosovo and the United States in line with the objectives of President Trump Administration and advancing cooperation in the fields keys such as defense, economy, peace and regional stability and Euro-Atlantic integration of our country”. “The stronger the cooperation with the US, the stronger and secure Kosovo will be!” Osmani said in a Facebook post.

A press release issued by Osmani’s office quotes her as “highlighting the importance of strengthening regional security and the need to have a strong preemptive position in the face of constant threats from Russia, Serbia and other malign actors. In this respect, President Osmani highlighted the need for close cooperation to safeguard peace and stability in the region”.

Osmani also talked about the importance of Kosovo joining NATO, saying that it would not only strengthen security in Kosovo and the region but would also be in line with U.S. strategic objectives for peace and global security. “She confirmed that Kosovo has already increased the defense budget to 2 percent of the GDP and is in the process of further increasing the budget to meet the strategic objective of NATO membership”.

Osmani: Kosovo, an unwavering ally of U.S. in Europe and the Balkans (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, during her stay in the U.S., addressed the Inter-Parliamentary Security Forum in Capitol Hill, saying that “the U.S. investment and engagement in Kosovo, is in the service of our security and development and also in line with the objectives of the Trump administration … Kosovo is an unwavering ally that strengthens the influence of the U.S. in Europe and the Balkans”.

Kurti rules out possible coalition with opposition parties (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister and leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, visited Prizren on Wednesday where he ruled out a possible coalition government with opposition parties after the February 9 parliamentary elections. “Until February 9 let us even spare even our sleep but not our work. This is the only way we can make sure that we will get over 500,000 votes and a victory that enables us to govern safely and by ourselves, to decide by ourselves and without needing anyone else, those that have obstructed us and did not wish well for the country. In this case I want to confirm once again that we have tried a coalition with them, and it lasted for 51 days [referring to an earlier ruling coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo – LDK]. Believe me that this time it would not even last for five hours. So we won’t form a coalition with them. We are in coalition with the people,” he argued. 

Rohde: Germany will continue close cooperation with any future govt (media)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said on Wednesday that Germany will continue its close partnership with any future Kosovar government. “In recent days, I met with heads of political parties running for the upcoming Kosovar elections. Democratic elections and the plurality of parties are key for our democracies. Germany will continue its close partnership with any future Kosovar government,” Rohde wrote in a post on X.

Turkish KFOR soldiers patrol in the north of Kosovo (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that “Turkish soldiers assigned to Regional Command East conducted a routine patrol in northern Kosovo to ensure stability and freedom of movement in the area. These efforts are part of KFOR’s daily mission to guarantee a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo”.

Serbian Language Media  

Djuric spoke with the assistant for Europe and Eurasia at the State Department (Tanjug)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, reiterated yesterday, in a telephone conversation with the assistant for Europe and Eurasia at the Department of State, Louis Bono, Serbia's firm determination to cooperate with the new American administration in order to strengthen political, economic and other aspects of bilateral relations, as well as to assert itself as one of the key partners of the USA in Europe.

The head of Serbian diplomacy expressed satisfaction with modern bilateral relations, recently crowned by the initiation of the Strategic Dialogue as an additional platform for cooperation between the two countries in many areas, the ministry announced.

"With the mutually expressed readiness for strategic talks on the further improvement of our relations, we have laid the foundation for a new chapter in our long joint history," assessed Djuric.

The CEC accredited around 60 local and international media for monitoring the parliamentary elections (KiM radio)

The Central Election Commission held a meeting where it accredited a number of local and international media that will follow the voting process on February 9, reported KiM radio yesterday.

According to CEC data, around 60 local and international media with more than 600 representatives have been accredited.

At the session, it was decided to accredit media from countries that ''do not recognize Kosovo's independence'', but if it is noticed that they call Kosovo by unconstitutional names in their reports, the accreditation will be revoked.

A car with Serbian license plates burned near Podujevo, suspected that there was a person inside (KiM radio, KoSSev)

On Tuesday, a car with Serbian license plates burned down in the village of Glavnik (Gllamnik) in Podujevo, and it is suspected that one person was also in it, reported KiM radio.

This was confirmed for Koha by the chief prosecutor of the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina, Zejnulah Gashi, who said that the Golf 7 car had Serbian license plates.

"Yes. It is suspected that there are human bones in the car. The car has Serbian license plates. The investigations are continuing," he said.

In addition to police teams, forensic units were also on the scene.

Rod Blagojevich: Kurti condemns Serbs for various reasons; this is his method of ethnic cleansing (Kosovo Online, RTS)

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich stated that Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti is condemning Serbs for various reasons in Kosovo, and that this is his method of ‘’ethnically cleansing’’ the Serbian people, reported Kosovo Online, citing RTS.

"Kurti is condemning Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija for various reasons. This is his method of ethnically cleansing the Serbian people. Many countries have rejected the independence. That declaration made in February 2008 was rejected by many countries," he told RTS.

Upon arriving in Belgrade, Blagojevich also met with President Aleksandar Vucic. 

"He reminds me a lot of President Trump. They are tall, good leaders, and very dedicated to developing their country's economy. It's incredible what Vucic has managed to achieve. I came on a direct flight from Chicago to Serbia. This is the first direct flight from a Balkan country to America," said Blagojevich.

Blagojevich believes that Trump's re-election opens great opportunities for relations between the two countries.

"My country did a terrible thing to your country in the 1990s. I opposed it as a member of the Democratic Party, but that was not enough. It's no different from what Russia is doing in Ukraine, and my country and the hands of our leaders are also not clean, and I believe the Serbian people feel betrayed. I think President Trump will work on improving our countries' relations," said Blagojevich.

In one of Joe Rogan's most influential podcasts, Blagojevich spoke about the bombing of Yugoslavia.

"Rogan has a lot of followers in the United States and is very influential. And ultimately, it's very important that he supported President Trump, because he ended up winning. He is very educated and intelligent, but he knew nothing about the bombing in March 1999. It was a good opportunity to discuss this approach to the relationship between America and Serbia," Blagojevich said.

Velvet in Serbia (pescanik.net)

I live in Prague, but I follow the student protests in Serbia daily. Completely hypnotized, I feel as if they have started something similar to what was started in my city in November 1989 by Czechoslovakian students – that which later became known as the Velvet revolution. I am convinced that students from Belgrade have given birth to another European non-violent revolution and that we will soon learn its name.

On November 17, 1989, the independent student association STUHA planned a commemorative event in Prague for the 50th anniversary of the closing of Czech universities by the Nazis. The official purpose was to honor the memory of student Jan Opletal, killed in 1939 while taking part in anti-Nazi demonstrations, but certain groups of students also intended to express dissatisfaction with the current social situation and call for changes. At the students’ request, dissident organizations did not participate in the preparation and organization of the rally, so that the authorities would have no reason to ban or suppress it. The rest is history.

Each era has its own context, so comparisons are seldom appropriate, and often in poor taste. Nevertheless, when I look at the Serbian youth, whose fathers and grandfathers initiated the destruction of a beautifully imagined utopia, the Velvet Revolution comes to mind. That utopia, unfortunately, took with it many lives, hopes and dreams.

But let’s go back to the present. Referencing the media coverage of student protests, director Jasmila Žbanić noticed a very important thing – that many journalists fail to emphasize that students in Serbia today represent the most democratic and progressive movement in Europe, because they organize themselves through plenums, (self-governance) without a leader. The entire blockade of universities is led by student plenums, where everyone can express their opinion, and decisions are made by popular vote.

Žbanić believes that the young people of Serbia are the hope not only for the Balkans, but also for all of Europe. In her opinion, students at European universities should give them as much support as possible, because similar movements will soon be needed in Germany, Austria and many other countries.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/9z5n5z39

ANEM steps out of government working group (N1)

The Serbian Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) said on Wednesday that it decided to freeze its status in the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, joining other journalists and media organizations, reported N1.

A press release recalled that a number of civil society, journalist and media organizations ended their cooperation with the legislative and executive authorities including membership in government and ministry working groups, ad hoc working groups and other state body instruments. “That includes the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists formed more than 10 years ago under an agreement between the Internal Affairs Ministry (MUP), Higher Public Prosecution and 7 media and journalist associations,” it added.

The ANEM press release said the decision was taken because of the drop in efficient processing of attacks on journalists in 2024.