Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani takes part in World Forum in Berlin (media)
• Kurti hails cooperation agreement between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia (media)
• Sorensen meets Kosovo Albanian and Serb civil society representatives (media)
• Rafuna and Zeka meet Sorensen, talk about attracting foreign investments (Klan)
• AJK condemns pressure and threats against KoSSev journalist (media)
• KFOR American soldiers patrol in northern Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic on the alliance of Croatia, Albania and Kosovo (Kosovo Online, TV Pink)
• MFA of Serbia: Military Alliance of Albania and Croatia with Pristina authorities is an open provocation (RTS, Kosovo Online, media)
• KoSSev journalist faces threats from North Mitrovica municipal official (KoSSev)
• Kosovo Journalists’ Association condemns threats against KoSSev journalist, calls for investigation (KoSSev)
• Terras: The Serbian community in Kosovo not at risk, but certainly facing challenges (Kosovo Online)
• Sorensen’s first visit to Pristina: Energetic start, many unresolved issues (Kosovo Online)
• Sorensen visited the Gracanica monastery (KoSSev)
• Odalovic: Serbia in the most complex situation in the search for the missing (Radio Mitrovica sever, Kosovo Online, RTS)
• Laura Kovesi: We are investigating how EU money was spent, not the accident in Novi Sad (RTS)
• Students in Belgrade pay tribute to North Macedonia club fire victims (N1, media)
• General Staff building on Europa Nostra endangered heritage list (N1)

International Media:

• Kosovo’s Hashim Thaci prevented from attending father’s funeral (BIRN)

   

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani takes part in World Forum in Berlin (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani took part on Tuesday in the World Forum on the Future of Democracy, Tech and Humankind in Berlin. “Today in Berlin at the World Forum 24, I had the privilege of sharing Kosovo’s journey—one of resilience, determination, and an unshakable belief in democracy. For centuries, our people have fought for freedom and independence, refusing to accept anything less than the right to determine our own future. For Kosovo, democracy is not just a system of governance—it is the essence of who we are. It is liberty, peace, and security made real. Our unwavering commitment to these ideals is not just our past—it is the foundation of the future we continue to build,” Osmani said in a post on X.

See Osmani’s full address here: https://shorturl.at/kPB7S

Kurti hails cooperation agreement between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Tuesday that the ministries of Defense of Kosovo, Albania and Croatia, signed “a joint declaration on cooperation, which will strengthen our defense capabilities through collaboration, including the development of new technologies”. He also said that “this is an important step in regional cooperation and defense vision, which will contribute to the security of the region as a whole”.

Sorensen meets Kosovo Albanian and Serb civil society representatives (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Peter Sorensen, met on Tuesday with Kosovo Albanian and Serb civil society representatives. “The voices of civil society matter and need to be heard to advance normalisation of relations across society. Very happy to sit down with both Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb representatives to hear their ideas and points of view, including on the implementation of Ohrid,” he wrote in a post on X.

Rafuna and Zeka meet Sorensen, talk about attracting foreign investments (Klan)

Head of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Lulzim Rafuna, accompanied by the executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce, Arian Zeka, met on Tuesday with the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Peter Sorensen. A press release issued by the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce said the meeting focused on key issues related to Kosovo’s integration in the regional market, challenges faced by businesses in the exchange of goods and also opportunities to attract foreign investments. Rafuna highlighted the importance of regional economic cooperation and improving conditions for a more favorable environment for investors. 

AJK condemns pressure and threats against KoSSev journalist (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) said in a statement on Tuesday that it was informed that the journalist from the KoSSev portal in North Mitrovica, Dragana Vukosavljevic, has been threatened by an official of the North Mitrovica Municipality and has been subjected to pressure. Vukosavljevic had reported on the failure to register newborns in this municipality, using the responses of the civil registry official, F. Stavileci, after several attempts to obtain official information on the matter. According to the portal’s report, the official threatened the journalist, saying that she would send the police to the newsroom. AJK strongly condemns the threats and obstruction of the work of journalist Vukosavljević and calls on the Kosovo Police to conduct the necessary investigations professionally. AJK also calls on the North Mitrovica Municipality to carry out an internal investigation into the incident. The Association urges the mayor, Erden Atiq, and the municipal administration he leads to ensure transparency in decision-making and to engage in providing responses on matters of public interest to journalists of all nationalities.

KFOR American soldiers patrol in northern Kosovo (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that American soldiers assigned to Regional Command East “conducted a routine patrol in northern Kosovo to ensure freedom of movement and overall safety. 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  

Vucic on the alliance of Croatia, Albania and Kosovo (Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated last night that Serbia understood the message sent by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo in the field of defense, and emphasized that Serbia has its own doctrine which will ensure stability and defense against any potential aggressor.

Vucic, speaking for TV Pink regarding the defense alliance formed today between Albania, Kosovo and Croatia, said he was very concerned about their actions. 

He pointed out that Croatia, in terms of its military, is a very powerful country, but also stated that for the first time, Serbia has a stronger army.

"We understood them, and we are very concerned about what they are doing. We have our doctrine, and I am sure we will succeed in preserving stability and defending ourselves from any potential aggressor," Vucic emphasized.

He repeated that the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a major issue.

"A big problem is the issuing of warrants for the three highest officials of the Republic of Srpska. They cannot move freely. I will do everything I can in discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Europeans to find a way to de-escalate the tensions. This is chaos," the Serbian president stated.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/55v45sr5

MFA of Serbia: Military Alliance of Albania and Croatia with Pristina authorities is an open provocation (RTS, Kosovo Online, media)

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia will urgently request detailed clarification from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Croatia and Albania regarding the signing of a trilateral memorandum of cooperation in the field of defense, in which these two countries, along with the illegitimate representative of the authorities in Pristina, have taken steps that undermine regional stability.”

"Serbia, as a country that guarantees peace and military neutrality in the Balkans, rightly demands answers about the nature and goals of this security cooperation. It is especially disturbing that this military alliance is being formed without consultations with Belgrade, with the direct involvement of a structure that has no international legitimacy, and which poses a security threat to the Serbian people and the entire region," the statement said.

It emphasizes that the obvious political message of this initiative will not be ignored.

"It is evident that this memorandum is not the result of accidental cooperation, but rather a targeted strategy aimed at isolating Serbia and strengthening paramilitary structures in the southern Serbian province, in violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1244," they added.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bdz996zp

KoSSev journalist faces threats from North Mitrovica municipal official (KoSSev)

Fatime Stavileci, an official and former head of the Civil Registry Office in the Municipality of North Mitrovica, yesterday issued a threat involving the Kosovo Police and exerted undue pressure on the work of a journalist from the KoSSev portal.

KoSSev reported that earlier yesterday morning, KoSSev journalist Dragana Vukosavljević contacted Stavileci by phone while investigating reports that the Municipality of North Mitrovica had suddenly halted the registration of newborns and deaths.

Municipal officials had previously directed journalist Vukosavljević to Stavileci as the key person in the Civil Registry Office while she was seeking information on another registration issue on February 25, after the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to recognize Serbian documents.

As she had done before, Stavileci courteously provided the information available to her, directing the journalist to relevant ministries in Pristina, explaining that she was “not authorized beyond confirming that registrations had been suspended and could not provide further details.”

However, after the article containing information of public interest was published, journalist Vukosavljević received a phone call from Stavileci with the following message:

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/yc64mwnz

Kosovo Journalists’ Association condemns threats against KoSSev journalist, calls for investigation (KoSSev)

The Kosovo Journalists’ Association (AGK) has strongly condemned threats and interference in the work of KoSSev journalist Dragana Vukosavljević, urging the Kosovo Police to conduct a professional investigation into the matter.

AGK’s reaction follows an incident involving Fatime Stavileci, an official and former head of the Civil Registration Office in North Mitrovica, who pressured and threatened the journalist after she published an article based on information provided by Stavileci.

In response to the incident, AGK issued a statement condemning the threats against Vukosavljević and the attempts to obstruct her work.

„AGK strongly condemns the threats and interference in the work of journalist Vukosavljević,” the association stated.

The organization called on the Kosovo Police to conduct a thorough and professional investigation and urged the North Mitrovica local government to launch an internal inquiry into the matter.

Furthermore, AGK called on North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atiq and the municipal administration to ensure greater transparency in decision-making processes.

“We urge the local government to commit to providing answers on matters of public interest to journalists of all nationalities,” the statement concluded.

Terras: The Serbian community in Kosovo not at risk, but certainly facing challenges (Kosovo Online)

The European Parliament's rapporteur for Kosovo, Riho Terras, emphasized in an interview for Kosovo Online that the Serbian community in Kosovo is not at risk, but that it is certainly facing challenges. He also said that both Belgrade and Pristina are expected to implement what has been agreed upon.

Terras recently called for the lifting of EU measures against Kosovo, noting that the European Parliament's position has been very clear on this matter from the beginning.

"The former High Representative of the EU, Borrell, assessed that Kosovo has delivered on the requirements formulated by the EU in June 2023 and recommended lifting of the measures. Now this is on the table of the Council – all EU 27 need to agree, which obviously is a challenge. The Parliament's position is and has been very clear from the beginning – the measures are unnecessary and unfair," Terras says.

How to revive the dialogue? Do you expect the Community of Serb Municipalities to be formed during your mandate?

The facilitation of the Dialogue is the job of the EUSR for the Dialogue – Peter Sorensen has just started; I believe his vast experience and background will contribute to the revival of the Dialogue. The Association of Serbian Majority Municipalities continues to be a key cornerstone of the Dialogue, but I do not have the crystal ball to set the deadline.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yxpvcybb

Sorensen’s first visit to Pristina: Energetic start, many unresolved issues (Kosovo Online)

Peter Sorensen, the European Union's Special Representative for the Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, continued the route of his predecessor Miroslav Lajcak – first a visit to Pristina, then Belgrade. At the end of the first day of his three-day visit to Kosovo, Sorensen described his discussions with local officials as a "good start." During his first visit to Kosovo, Sorensen did not reveal plans for the continuation of the dialogue but instead he "gauged the pulse" of both the government and the opposition to see whether this process could move forward.

The European draft statute for the Community of Serbian Municipalities, the security situation in Kosovo, and the prospects for the lifting of the European Union's punitive measures against Kosovo were the topics Sorensen discussed with the President and Prime Minister of Kosovo, opposition representatives, and the commander of KFOR.

Despite Sorensen’s visible energy and his extensive experience, according to sources from Kosovo Online, much effort will be required to unfreeze the dialogue and implement the agreements reached – or to start from scratch.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/ujya8777

Sorensen visited the Gracanica monastery (KoSSev)

The EU's special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Peter Sorensen, visited the Gracanica monastery yesterday, reported KoSSev. 

"His Eminence Teodosije, (SOC) Metropolitan of Raška and Prizren, received today at Gračanica Monastery the European Union's Special Representative for the Belgrade–Pristina Dialogue, Mr. Peter Sørensen, together with his associates.

During the meeting, Metropolitan Teodosije emphasized the need for adequate long-term institutional protection of the #Serbian #Orthodox #Church in #Kosovo and Metohija, along with its faithful people and sacred sites. He also underlined the importance of respecting the identity, fundamental religious freedoms, and property rights of the Church.

Metropolitan Teodosije noted that this issue is of great significance for fostering stability among all communities in the region and for preserving peace," read the Decani Monastery post on X.

Odalovic: Serbia in the most complex situation in the search for the missing (Radio Mitrovica sever, Kosovo Online, RTS)

The President of the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Veljko Odalovic, emphasized yesterday at the session of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva that Serbia is facing the most complex situation in the search for the missing since establishing relations with the relevant institutions responsible for searches in the former Yugoslavia.

The reasons for this, according to Odalovic, include the fact that requests for searching for missing persons have been sent to multiple parties in the region, as well as the significant passage of time since their disappearance. Odalovic, who led the Serbian delegation—including representatives from the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue—presented Serbia's Second Periodic Report on the Implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in Geneva. Odalovic particularly pointed out that the Republic of Serbia is unable to monitor the implementation of this convention in Kosovo, as the administration of that territory was entrusted to UNMIK under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

He also highlighted the current situation, the living conditions, and the repressive measures imposed on the non-Albanian population, particularly members of the Serbian community in Kosovo, who, as he stated, are deprived of their rights, subjected to ethnically based discrimination, and face systemic and institutional violations of civil and political rights, according to the statement.

Representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Justice pointed to the constitutional reform and ongoing judicial processes in recent years, particularly in terms of alignment with EU legal standards and amendments to the Criminal Code, which would classify enforced disappearances as a separate criminal offense.

Representatives of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue emphasized that Serbia has a well-established legal framework regulating public participation, including the involvement of civil society organizations in the legislative process and public policy formulation.

The Chair of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, Olivier de Frouville, stated that the issue of enforced disappearances remains a serious societal problem until the missing are found and represents an obstacle to inter-state cooperation. He stressed the necessity of political cooperation and the development of an institutional and legal framework to resolve enforced disappearances. He noted that the issue of missing persons remains relevant even 35 years later and continues to be a potential source of conflict in the region.

The participants agreed on the need to intensify efforts to locate missing persons and resolve the issues that continue to burden societies in the region.

Laura Kovesi: We are investigating how EU money was spent, not the accident in Novi Sad (RTS)

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the possible misuse of EU funds in connection with the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station, confirmed in an interview with RTS the chief European prosecutor Laura Kovesi. 

She stated that the loans were granted by the European Investment Bank for the reconstruction of the railway and the station. In the specific case of Serbia, we received a complaint from a private individual and that was the basis for opening this investigation, said Kovesi, stating that she expects the cooperation of the Serbian authorities, reported RTS.

Prosecutor Kovesi emphasized that the European Public Prosecutor's Office will not investigate the accident itself, in which 15 people lost their lives, but that it is responsible exclusively for possible embezzlement of European funds. The courts in Belgium or Luxembourg are competent for the procedure because the headquarters of the potentially damaged institutions are located there, Kovesi stated. She expects cooperation from the prosecutor's office in Serbia in providing information and evidence.

Students in Belgrade pay tribute to North Macedonia club fire victims (N1, media)

A group of student protesters and Belgraders gathered on Tuesday outside the North Macedonian Embassy in the Serbian capital to pay tribute to victims of the Kocani nightclub tragedy.

Mourners laid flowers and lit candles in a solemn remembrance ceremony that was also attended by the North Macedonian Ambassador.

Students from Belgrade’s Faculty of Media and Information Science had organized the gathering through an Instagram post Monday evening, inviting citizens to join them in honoring both the Kocani and Novi Sad victims.

General Staff building on Europa Nostra endangered heritage list (N1)

Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute have placed the General Staff complex in central Belgrade on the 2025 list of 7 most endangered heritage sites, reported N1.

The 7 Most Endangered monuments and heritage sites in Europe program was launched in 2013 dedicated to saving Europe’s heritage at risk to mobilize expertise, halt unsuitable development, and/or ensure public and private support, including funding. Each listed site is eligible for an EIB Heritage Grant of €10,000 to assist in implementing an agreed activity that will contribute to the site’s preservation.

The 7 sites were selected based on their heritage significance and cultural value, as well as on the basis of the serious danger that they are facing as well as the engagement of local communities and commitment to save the sites.

The General Staff complex in central Belgrade is considered an iconic symbol of modernist architectural heritage in Serbia designed by Nikola Dobrovic and built between 1953 and 1964 to house the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense. Significant parts of the building were severely damaged during the NATO airstrikes in 1999.

The press release recalled that a recent announcement that the Serbian government signed an agreement with a private US investor to demolish the complex to make space for a hotel and real-estate redevelopment project have sparked public outrage. “The proposed redevelopment would destroy a protected building and would have a massive detrimental impact on the protected historic administrative quarter in the centre of Belgrade. Moreover, such a redevelopment would be in breach of the legal protection of this architectural and urbanistic ensemble, which was introduced in 2005 but removed at the end of 2024 by the Government of Serbia in violation of the provisions of the National Law on Cultural Heritage and against the expert view of the national Institute for Monuments Protection,” it said.

The complex was nominated by Europa Nostra Serbia with the support of 22 organisations and academic institutions.

 International Media 

Kosovo’s Hashim Thaci prevented from attending father’s funeral (BIRN)

Kosovo’s former President, Hashim Thaci, currently in detention at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, was not permitted to attend the funeral in Kosovo on Tuesday of his father, who died just days after Thaci was granted a visit by the court.

Luka Misetic, Thaci’s lawyer, wrote on X on Tuesday that “Thaci will not be attending today’s funeral” even though “a request was made by Mr Thaci yesterday [on Monday] before 2pm to attend today’s funeral”.

Thaci is on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is also awaiting trial for obstruction of justice and tampering with witnesses in his ongoing case,

Haxhi Thaci, the father of the former president, was buried on Tuesday in the village of Buroje in Skenderaj/Srbica. Hashim Thaci’s son, Endrit, said at the funeral that his “grandfather never gave up in the face of illness.

Referring to Hashim Thaci’s final visit, he said his grandfather “waited every hour for the hospital door to open for him, he did not give up and came back to life several times. Three hours of conversation that day – they spent a lifetime, both father and son. Both sought freedom, liberation.”

Hashim Thaci visited his father at the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo on Thursday last week.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/8l2Ug