UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 9, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

CBK launches the toll-free line for citizens 0800 222-55 (media)
Prime Minister Kurti’s address at the UN Security Council session (media)
Zulfaj: Kurti asked for the fourth time for the agreements to be signed (media)
Kadiu: Broadcast in Serbia stopped when Kurti started his speech (media)
Rama: A pointless session of the UN Security Council (media)
PDK: Kurti’s wrong policy made western powers agree with Russia, China (Koha)
Hoti: Last night for first time allies criticized us at a UNSC session (media)
Kupchan: Kurti and Vucic are making solution difficult by playing nationalist cards (RFE)
Rohde calls for a four-month transition phase for dinar prohibition (RTK)
Ramadani: U.S. named group that attacked on September 24 as paramilitary (RTK)
WB security discussed between Kosovo MPs and German delegation (Koha)
Juratovic: Serbs manipulated by Kosovo and Serbia, Vucic under tension (Ekonomia)
OSCE: Resignation of Serb judges and prosecutors, setback for justice system (media)

Serbian Language Media:

CBK opened ‘toll-free line’ for Serbs to get informed about regulation, but we were unable to get a line (KoSSev)
Vucic: Serbia spoke with facts about problems in Kosovo, Kurti responded with personal insults (Kosovo Online, media)
Elek: Vucic pointed out everything Kurti does to our people in Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)
Brnabic: Thursday's UNSC session historic, truth about Kosovo was heard (Tanjug)
Botsan-Kharchenko: UNSC session a glimpse of hope (Tanjug)
Szunyog: EU expects that Pristina does more on de-escalation and implementation of agreements (Tanjug)
Rohde: Kosovo Government to postpone CBK for four months (Kosovo Online, social media)
Abbott: CBK regulation unilateral and harmful action (Kosovo Online)
Member of Serbian Gendarmerie arrested at Jarinje (Kosovo Online)

International:

Kosovo Looks to Commercial Banks to Enable its Euro-Only Rule (Balkan Insight)
Hoti: Momentum for Kosovo-Serbia Agreement Has been Lost (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

CBK launches the toll-free line for citizens 0800 222-55 (media)

The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) said in a press statement today that “in order to provide additional information in a simple and understandable way for the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo launched the TOLL-FREE line 0800 222-55.”

The statement notes:

This line is dedicated to citizens of the Serbian community who live in the Republic of Kosovo and need to be informed correctly and concretely.”

We remind you that the Regulation on Cash Operations:

Does not prohibit or limit the receipt of funds in bank accounts in Euros, in licensed banks;

Does not limit the exchange activity of any currency carried out by bank or non-bank financial institutions licensed by the CBK;

Does not prohibit transfers from any country; and

Does not prohibit the possession and saving in any non-Euro currency (including the Dinar).

Therefore, all individuals have access to bank accounts and can receive funds in their accounts in Euros.

Citizens, who do not have an account yet, can open one at any bank according to the CBK Regulation on access to payment account with basic services, which for vulnerable groups and social schemes does not provide opening or maintenance fee as of 1 January 2024.

There are four bank branches only in the four northern municipalities, three micro-financial (lending) institutions and over 15 non-bank financial institutions for payments and exchange. The number of branches and offices of financial institutions operating in that area is increasing, as financial inclusion is the objective of the CBK.

Prime Minister Kurti’s address at the UN Security Council session (media)

Most news websites cover the full address of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the United Nations Security Council session on Thursday. Kurti said: “There is a deep and uncomfortable irony — and, frankly, a dystopian feeling — in responding to false allegations of human rights abuses made by a country known to have committed the last genocide of the 20th century, and a government that is currently one of the biggest authoritarian threats to regional peace and security.”

“This very Security Council established the ICTY in 1993 because of “horrific crimes' ' and “grave breaches” of the Geneva Conventions. The Serbian government throughout the ’90s ordered, planned, and committed murder, torture, mutilation, and rape, committing genocide in Srebrenica and in Kosova. Feminist legal scholars have extensively shown how rape was used as a tool of war. The brutality of what was committed changed international human rights law forever.``

“Out of this misery, Kosova emerged from the war as a symbol of the fight for dignity and the triumph of human rights. And we did not grow bitter. We have built ourselves into a forward-facing multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Republic, and a growing and robust democratic state. Sixteen years after independence, and a quarter-century after war and devastation, today we stand tall and proud — a republic for all, a multi-ethnic society of all.”

“Our Government’s dedication to democracy, rule of law, and human rights has bolstered both our economy and internal unity. Since the NATO intervention, we’ve actively engaged with numerous international allies to establish democratic and efficient institutions.”

Read full address at: https://shorturl.at/prCV7

Kurti also said in a post on X this morning that “the adversity Kosovo has faced has strengthened our dedication to human rights. We are committed to ensuring that the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulation protects all citizens against crime and terrorism, and that Kosova Serbs receive assistance for a smooth transition”.

Zulfaj: Kurti asked for the fourth time for the agreements to be signed (media)

Jeton Zulfaj, advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, said in a post on X on Thursday “PM Albin Kurti for the FOURTH TIME asked to sign the Agreement between Kosova and Serbia on normalization of relations reached in Brussels. Now at the United Nations Security Council. Here is the chronology: 1. 27 February, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. 2. 18 March, 2023 in Ohrid, North Macedonia. 3. 26 October, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. 4. 08 February, 2024 at the United Nations Security Council. Serbia does not want normalization.”

Kadiu: Broadcast in Serbia stopped when Kurti started his speech (media)

Klisman Kadiu, advisor to Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi, said in a post on X on Thursday that “in Serbia they stopped the broadcast when PM Kurti started his speech. Censorship. It is a pity that Serbs there don’t have the opportunity to hear about reality and truth. Vucic is in great panic and fear, in front of a progressive and democratic republic Republic.”

Rama: A pointless session of the UN Security Council (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a post on X today that the UN Security Council session on Thursday “was a pointless session”. “The UN Security Council is clearly not the venue for anything related to Kosova. As two sovereign countries aspiring for EU membership, Kosova and Serbia should fully concentrate on the EU-facilitated dialogue and focus on reaching agreements on financial circulation, postal service, double taxation, and all other issues benefiting the day-to-day lives of ordinary people, while also securing a peaceful future for the next generations. As we stand by Kosova in deterring any external threats, Albania will continue to emphasize to the Kosova leadership the importance of close coordination with its key allies. Standing firmly and continuously together with them shows a sense of statehood, vision and responsibility, while any instance of standing alone on the path to full recognition diminishes the country's standing in the public realm of international relations,” Rama tweeted.

PDK: Kurti’s wrong policy made western powers agree with Russia and China (Koha)

The deputy leaders of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku and Enver Hoxhaj, reacted after the extraordinary session of the United Nations Security Council requested by Serbia after the entering into force of the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo which determines the Euro as the only currency for payments in Kosovo.

Hoxhaj, who is also a member of the Kosovo Assembly, criticized the Kosovo Government for a wrong policy. He claimed that the Kurti-led government made the western powers agree with Russia and China, something, which according to him, does not happen on any topic.

“At the UN Security Council, the leading western powers like the U.S., Britain and France, don’t agree on any international topics with their eastern opponents, Russia and China, but a wrong domestic and foreign policy by the Kurti Government has made all of them to agree on Serbia’s calling a session of the Security Council which shows the bad international standing of the Republic of Kosovo as a country without orientation”.

Meanwhile, Citaku in a Facebook post criticized the Government of Kosovo saying that Kosovo’s word at the United Nations is important only if it is supported by the allies. She said that one needs to listen to the speeches of Kosovo’s allies, including the U.S., most of whom at the session called for the postponement of the CBK’s decision.

Hoti: Last night for first time allies criticized us at a UNSC session (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Avdullah Hoti, argued in a Facebook post that the facing off at the UN Security Council between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was unnecessary, unproductive, and damaging for Kosovo. Hoti said last night was the first time that the main allies criticized Kosovo at a discussion of the UN Security Council. “This approach by the Kurti government does not serve Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration. It is regrettable that Kosovo’s right actions, which no ally disputes in the constitutional aspect, is coming back at us like a boomerang because of a wrong policy where every state action is part of the electoral interest of the ruling party,” he said.

Kupchan: Kurti and Vucic are making solution difficult by playing nationalist cards (RFE)

Charles Kupchan, professor at Georgetown University and former director of European affairs at the United States National Security Council, has said that the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti is taking unnecessary provocative actions.

“I do not think this is in the interest of Kosovo. If we go back to 1999 and immediately after 2008, Serbia was seen as a problem, Serbia was seen as a country that made life difficult, inciting trouble in the north of Kosovo and refusing to engage in the normalization of relations,” Kupchan told RFE.

According to him, both leaders – Kurti and the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, have stuck to the disputes of the past, instead of focusing on the future. He said that relations between Kosovo and Serbia are going backwards, not moving forward.

“There was the issue of identity cards, license plates, the installation of (Albanian) mayors in the north, for whom a very small percentage of the population voted… now they are telling the Serbs that they cannot use dinars anymore, there is only one official currency and that is euro. Are these things justifiable? Yes, because every sovereign country should be able to say that we have our own currency, the euro… or have an authority responsible for issuing license plates. But it seems that Kurti is taking these actions by playing a nationalist card, which makes the progress of the Ohrid Agreement difficult,” he said.

Kupchan said the same about Vucic, that "he plays with his nationalist card, he does and says provocative things, too".

According to Kupchan, the decision on the dinar should be postponed. "If we see what Kosovo benefits from the cost of such a decision, I think it should be put on hold."

Rohde calls for a four-month transition phase for dinar prohibition (RTK)

The Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has asked the government of Kosovo for a transition phase of four months regarding the implementation of the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which prohibits the dinar as a currency for carrying out transactions.

“My colleague from the European Union, Tomas Szunyog, clearly states why we need a long period of transition and information about the CBK regulation. With its four-month campaign before the visa liberalization, the Kosovo government has shown that it knows how to communicate properly. We need it again now,” German ambassador wrote.

Prime Minister Kurti has emphasized that the local authorities will allow a transition period of one month, so that the citizens of the Serb community are better informed about the new CBK regulation. The latter has today launched a free telephone line to inform all Serb citizens in Kosovo who are uncertain about the new regulation.

Ramadani: U.S. named group that attacked on September 24 as paramilitary (RTK)

The former chief inspector of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Burim Ramadani, has said that at the United Nations Security Council meeting, the United States of America has officially named the group of Serbs who attacked on September 24 in Banjska as paramilitary.

"American Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, last night made it clear at the UNSC, among other things: The United States reiterates our condemnation of the coordinated, violent Serbian paramilitary attacks on the Kosovo Police near the Banjska Monastery on September 24, which resulted in the tragic death of a Kosovo police sergeant. Four months have passed since this attack and Serbia still has not demanded accountability from those involved in its planning and execution. In fact, the self-proclaimed leader of the attack remains free in Serbia," Ramadani wrote on Facebook.

WB security, discussed between Kosovo MPs and German delegation (Koha)

Kosovo Assembly’s committee for the foreign affairs and diaspora held on Friday a meeting with the delegation of the Group for South-Eastern Europe at the German Parliament. Head of this committee Arbereshe Kryaziu-Hyseni said that they discussed security in the Western Balkans.

“Their idea was to meet with MPs of the states of the Western Balkans to discuss current developments and the idea is to ensure creation of stability and peace for the states of this part of Western Balkans. Today, we discussed with these representatives the current situation in the Republic of Kosovo, and I am pleased to once again listen to the German representatives about the great support that they have given to us,” she said.

Juratovic: Serbs manipulated by Kosovo and Serbia, Vucic under tension (Ekonomia)

German politician from the Social-Democratic Party (SPD) Josip Juratovic, spoke about the turbulence in Serbia due to the manipulation of elections by the party of the President Aleksandar Vucic. Speaking about the Serbs in Kosovo, he said that they are concerned and being manipulated by Kosovo and Serbian politics.

“I think that as far as these tensions are concerned, if you follow the press, including in Serbia, I myself have to express this time after time. A lot is happening in Serbia right now. In Serbia, people are in the streets demanding more democracy and are against the autocratic regime which is becoming stronger and more massive in Serbia, and Vucic is put under massive pressure. Now also, with the recent elections, the entire manipulation and domination in the election process shows that he is under unbelievable pressure to keep the government or the system, and in this situation, it is clear that he seeks any possibility to come out of internal political criticism with issues of foreign policy,” he said.

“I think that what is currently happening, we discussed about this, is certainly Vucic’s effort to show how important he is for Serbs here in Kosovo. We were yesterday also in Mitrovica North. People are very concerned and many of them are being manipulated or left behind by everyone, both by Serbia and by Kosovo here. They are in fact in a vacuum,” he said.

OSCE: Resignation of Serb judges and prosecutors, setback for justice system (media)

The OSCE mission in Kosovo has assessed that the resignation of Serbian judges and prosecutors in the Mitrovica region in 2022 is a step back for the justice system there.

In the report on the impact of the 2022 mass resignation of Kosovo Serb judges, prosecutors and administrative personnel from the justice system in the Mitrovica region, the OSCE has highlighted the negative impact on the processing of cases after their resignation.

"After the integration of the Kosovo Serb judicial staff in 2017, these resignations were a big step back for the justice system in Mitrovica. The report of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo states that this has resulted in the reduction of the capacity of the court and the prosecutor's office to administer justice, which has undermined the right to a trial within a reasonable time and has damaged access to justice. said Michael Davenport, head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

As a result of the sudden and significant shortage of staff, the OSCE has said that the Basic Court and the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Mitrovica experienced a significant drop in the rate of court proceedings and a reduction in the caseload from 75% to 59% in the courts and from 75% to 57% in the prosecution.

Further, the report emphasizes the necessity of measures to address these issues and restore the efficient and impartial functioning of the justice system in Mitrovica.

Serbian Language Media

CBK opened ‘toll-free line’ for Serbs to get informed about regulation, but we were unable to get a line (KoSSev)

Kosovo Central Bank (CBK) announced a phone number today which citizens can call to get informed about the latest CBK regulation on payment transactions, KoSSev portal reports. “Citizens dialing the number 0800222-55 will get information in relation to this regulation and general information”, Kosovo Central Bank said in an announcement.

However, KoSSev portal writes today it is not possible to make a connection with this number.

This number, however, is impossible to get. When one dials 0800222-55, on some phones it even appears “Serbia” as notification about location of the number, and the line is interrupted swiftly. The call is impossible to make also by using Kosovo prefix code +383, the portal said.

Vucic: Serbia spoke with facts about problems in Kosovo, Kurti responded with personal insults (Kosovo Online, media)

After the UN Security Council session, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that Serbia's messages had been substantive, clear, accurate, responsible, and serious, while Albin Kurti had responded with personal insults. He noted that it was fortunate that they had lacked more serious arguments.

"In the end, you saw an argumentation based on personal hatred, on lies about opposition leader Sandulovic, EP resolutions, and various other nonsense, about the genocide we have been committing since (Ilija) Garasanin. This is the kind of argumentation when you cannot respond to the arguments related to the CSM, attacks on both Stojanovics (Gotovusa shooting case), on Dragisa Galjak, when you cannot address why you are harassing employees in Serbian clinics, health centers, and municipalities, what kind of robust democracy it is when the turnout is three percent. Then you have to resort to personal insults, and it's good that they showed it, that they lacked more serious arguments", Vucic told reporters.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/tKVY4

Elek: Vucic pointed out everything Kurti does to our people in Kosovo (Danas, Kosovo Online)

Serbian List President Zlatan Elek said President Aleksandar Vucic during his address to the UNSC session last night presented the stances on the need to respect the rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and to end persecution against them, Danas daily reports citing Kosovo Online portal.

He termed the speech as precise, with details and facts, which pointed out everything “that Albin Kurti does to our people” and also demanded protection for our people.

“I am glad that all states, in particular US and France, and here I also think of Russia and China, pointed out the importance and demanded suspension of CBK decision to ban dinar in payment transactions, condemned Pristina’s actions and demanded to put an end to incursion into provisional authorities, to put an end to unilateral and uncoordinated actions. We also heard that every second or third word in Vucic’s speech was the need for dialogue and peace in those areas”, Elek said.

He also said there could be progress and improvements on the ground if Quint states, primarily, US, UK, Germany and France are seriously thinking what they have said.

Brnabic: Thursday's UNSC session historic, truth about Kosovo was heard (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Thursday's UN Security Council session on Kosovo was historic and that, during Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's speech, the world had heard the truth about the plight of Serbs there, Tanjug news agency reports.

"Not only did the global public hear again about the plight of Serbs and other non-Albanians in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, but it also heard for the first time, from the president of Serbia, clear arguments and evidence that what Albin Kurti and the provisional self-government institutions in Pristina are doing is a crime against humanity", Brnabic told the RTS, referring to a series of planned, systemic moves by Pristina that have culminated in a ban on the Serbian dinar in Kosovo.

She said Pristina was creating unbearable living conditions for Serbs in Kosovo and causing "irreparable harm" to their survival, and noted that this was a "crime against humanity."

Botsan-Kharchenko: UNSC session a glimpse of hope (Tanjug)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said today holding of the UNSC session on Kosovo is a glimpse of hope that this issue must return under the deciding auspices of the body of this world organization.

There is no doubt that the UNSC session represents progress, but is not a turning point in resolving the crisis in Kosovo, Ambassador Kharchenko said. “Now everything goes in one good direction, that we spoke about for a long number of years. Kosovo must, as an issue, return under the auspices of the UNSC given that Belgrade-Pristian dialogue shows there is nothing out of it, and what is also an even more serious problem is that there are not changes on the ground, respectively there are deteriorations. The Security Council must be more involved based on Resolution 1244 as it is the only base that exists in the international community as a framework to resolve the crisis”, Kharchenko said.

Szunyog: EU expects that Pristina does more on de-escalation and implementation of agreements (Tanjug)

Head of the EU Office in Pristina, Tomas Szunyog said Brussels expects from Kosovo to do more on de-escalation in the north and starts fulfilling agreements from Brussels and Ohrid, Tanjug news agency reports.

Szunyog told Teve 1 that the EU is ready to lift punitive measures for Pristina, and listed three issues on which they expect progress.

According to him, Pristina must advance in de-escalation in the north and withdrawal of police forces from municipal facilities’ surroundings in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north, carry out elections in four northern municipalities and fulfill agreements made in Brussels and Ohrid.

Rohde: Kosovo Government to postpone CBK for four months (Kosovo Online, social media)

German Ambassador in Pristina, Jorn Rohde said the Kosovo Government should extend the transition period of Kosovo Central Bank decision (CBK) for four months, as it was the case with visa liberalization campaign, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“My 🇪🇺 colleague Tomas clearly states why we need a sufficiently long transition and information period for the CBK regulation. With its 4-month campaign before #Visalib, the 🇽🇰 government has shown that it knows how to communicate properly. We need that again now!”, Rohde said in a post on X social platform.

Abbott: CBK regulation unilateral and harmful action (Kosovo Online)

UK Ambassador in Pristina, Nicholas Abbott said last night that he respects the integrity of Kosovo Central Bank and its right to enact new regulations but emphasized he has an issue with the manner on how regulation, which abolished dinar, is being implemented.

"We are focused on the impact on payments coming from Serbia for citizens, social benefits, pensions, as well as for institutions, whether in healthcare or education", Abbott said. He added appropriate explanations to affected people were lacking.

"To make changes that require regulations, people need to understand what they can do, what might happen, to understand – if they do not have a bank account in euros, how they can obtain one, when their money will be available... That is a significant issue related to the healthcare and education systems that relied on payments from Serbia. No one disputes that (…)", Abbott noted.

He also said the CBK regulation was a unilateral action by Kosovo and therefore harmful, suggesting that issues related to this regulation would be better managed through the normalization dialogue process.

International

Kosovo Looks to Commercial Banks to Enable its Euro-Only Rule (Balkan Insight)

As Kosovo readies to enforce a euro-only policy, its Central Bank is floating a plan for commercial banks operating in Kosovo to convert Serbian payments to euros, sidestepping an interstate agreement.

Kosovo is attempting to sidestep an unlikely interstate agreement with Serbia on implementation of a recent regulation on cash operations by Kosovo’s Central Bank, CBK.

The regulation, which entered into force on February 1, despite international calls for a postponement, aims to fight counterfeit money. It simultaneously enforces a euro-only policy, so banning transactions in Serbia’s currency, the dinar, which is still used daily by Kosovo Serbs, especially in the Serb-majority north.

As Serbia does not recognise the statehood of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, Serbian commercial banks and other financial institutions handle domestic transactions to Kosovo.

By time of publication, Serbia had strongly opposed starting transactions in euros to Kosovo, and experts told BIRN that, in order to do this, it would need to change its regulations.