UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 16, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: The government cannot stop functioning (media)
Dehari sends letter to the President on constitutive session of Assembly (Koha)
Abdixhiku: LDK MPs will be in assembly tomorrow, we call on others too (media)
Bulgaria denies it is interested to join Croatia-Kosovo-Albania declaration (media)
SPO completes presentation of evidence in Thaci et al. trial (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Pristina Court sentences Dragisa Milenkovic to seven years in prison (RTS, media)
Marta Kos announced arrival in Belgrade (Beta, Danas, AFP)
Georgiev: Incorrect information on Bulgaria's interest in joining the military alliance of Croatia, Kosovo and Albania (Radio Mitrovica sever, Kosovo Online)
"Fatherland": Students and the opposition are not Kurti's allies – Vucic is (KoSSev)
Gogic: Kosovo has entered an institutional crisis; opposition showed that Kurti does not have a majority (Kosovo Online)
Maliqi: Kurti created the crisis himself, opposition showed there is no majority even for mandate verification (Kosovo Online)
Zakharova: EU threats to Serbia over potential Victory Day visit to Russia ‘Euronazism’ (Beta, N1)
New endeavor: Students to run relay from Novi Sad to Brussels (N1)
UG: New SBB owners sold Total TV to Telekom, which dropped N1 and Nova (N1)

Opinion:

Victims of a suffocating city (Kosovo 2.0)

International Media:

EU Looks to tighten visa rules: 61 countries face Visa-Free travel overhaul (RFE)
Adnan Merovci: Shadowing Kosovo’s first President through historic times (BIRN)
Denmark tackles prison overcrowding by sending the prisoners to Kosovo (voxeurop.eu)
New electricity tariffs approved in Kosovo (a2news.com)
Billboards and bullets: An Israeli spin doctor at the service of Serbia (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: The government cannot stop functioning (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that calls by opposition representatives for him not to go to the Prime Minister’s Office because of certification as an MP, are calls for suspending the state. “The formation of the Assembly was prevented yesterday because opposition parties, PDK, LDK, Serbian List and the AAK, did not vote in favor of the verification of mandates. They did not agree to formally assume the MP mandates, but they want me to no longer be the Prime Minister. We are performing our duties, and the government has effectively resigned since March 23 when we concluded the regular and four-year mandate. Since that day and until the assembly votes on the new government, our government carries out all responsibilities in line with the legislation in force,” he said.

Kurti said that the law on the government notes that the outgoing government needs to carry out its responsibilities until a new government is formed. He said that today’s meeting of the government is part of this process. “The state cannot have a vacuum in governance. The government cannot stop functioning … I assure the people that beyond the noise of some media of the former regime and of the oligarchs, who have gone so far as to register businesses in Serbia, the Republic of Kosovo is moving forward in economy, democracy, order, security and peace for all,” he said.

Dehari sends letter to the President on constitutive session of Assembly (Koha)

The Office of the President of Kosovo confirmed today that it received a letter from the chair of the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly, Avni Dehari, asking for an interpretation by the President about the situation created in the Assembly. The constitutive session on Tuesday failed after opposition parties did not vote in favor of the report of the committee for the verification of quorum and mandates, arguing that it is anti-constitutional, while the Vetevendosje Movement is adamant that they have respected the procedures. “The letter has just arrived in the President’s Office and the President’s legal team is analyzing it and will propose further steps to the President,” a media advisor for the President said.

Abdixhiku: LDK MPs will be in assembly tomorrow, we call on others too (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku said today that LDK MPs will be in the Assembly tomorrow at 10:00 referring to the 48-hour deadline after the end of the failed constitutive session on Tuesday. “The constitutive session of the Assembly of the Republic must be held and called at the latest every 48 hours. Tomorrow, at 10:00, as foreseen by the Regulation of the Assembly of Kosovo, LDK MPs will be present in the session that must take place,” he said in a Facebook post.

“LDK calls on all certified MPs and all parliamentary parties to be present in the session. At the same time we call on the government that claims to have resigned but is paradoxically still holding government meetings and making decisions, to resign and to submit their resignations to the Kosovo Assembly,” Abdixhiku said.

Bulgaria denies it is interested to join Croatia-Kosovo-Albania declaration (media)

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said that Bulgaria is aware of the initiative for military cooperation between Albania, Croatia and Kosovo and that is carefully analyzing the text of the joint declaration signed by the defense ministers in Tirana on March 18. “The public information suggesting that Bulgaria has expressed unofficial interest to join the declaration is not true,” he said.

SPO completes presentation of evidence in Thaci et al. trial (media)

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) said today that it has completed its presentation of evidence in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. The trial opened on 3 April 2023. In presenting its case, the SPO has called testimony from 125 witnesses live in court. Around 3,000 SPO exhibits have been admitted into evidence in multiple languages. And the SPO has made a total of 1,430 filings in this case to date.

“The willingness of witnesses to testify has been extremely important and I recognise their courage in giving evidence in court,” the Specialist Prosecutor said.

The Specialist Prosecutor also expressed gratitude to all who have made it possible for the SPO to present its case.

Serbian Language Media

Pristina Court sentences Dragisa Milenkovic to seven years in prison (RTS, media)

A three-member trial panel in Pristina, composed of Albanian judges, has sentenced Dragisa Milenkovic to seven years in prison in the first instance, for allegedly committing a war crime, reported RTS.

Dragisa Milenkovic is charged with participating as a guard in alleged war crimes against the civilian population in prisons in Lipljan and Pristina during the conflict in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999.

Milenkovic was arrested on June 21, 2023, in Kisnica. The indictment against him was filed six months later.

According to data from the Pristina Prosecutor's Office, around 30 indictments were filed in 2023 and 2024, mostly against Serbs.

Of that number, 26 indictments are against persons in absentia. The number of indictments for alleged war crimes has been increasing since 2021. Over the past year, three convictions were handed down for three individuals, two acquittals and one confirmation of the indictment.

The verdict against Dragisa Milenkovic is the first war crimes this year.

Milenkovic's defense has the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals in Pristina.

Marta Kos announced arrival in Belgrade (Beta, Danas, AFP)

The expectations of the European Union (EU) from Serbia are "almost the same" as those expressed by thousands of demonstrators across the country for months, said European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, whose visit to Belgrade is scheduled for the end of April, reported Danas.

"Serbia must return to the European path," said Marta Kos in an interview published today for European Newsroom.

"What we are asking from Serbia in its candidacy for the EU is almost the same as the protesters in Serbia," said the EU official.

She added that "it is about respect for the rule of law, the fight against corruption and transparency in public procurement".

The European Commissioner, who will visit Belgrade at the end of April, said that she expects the next government to be "pro-European and reformist".

Georgiev: Incorrect information on Bulgaria's interest in joining the military alliance of Croatia, Kosovo and Albania (Radio Mitrovica sever Kosovo Online)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Georg Georgiev, pointed out that the information suggesting that Bulgaria has expressed an unofficial interest in joining the agreement on strengthening defense cooperation between Croatia, Kosovo and Albania is incorrect, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing BTA (Bulgarian News Agency).

As reported by BTA, he replied in writing to MPs Dzipo Dzipov and Elisaveta Belobradova that Bulgaria is aware of the initiative of Albania, Croatia and Kosovo and is carefully analyzing the text of the Joint Declaration signed by the defense ministers of the three countries in Tirana on March 18.

"Information in the public suggesting that Bulgaria has expressed an unofficial interest in joining the declaration is incorrect," underlined Georgiev.

The response states that the MFA received an official copy of the signed document via a verbal note from the Embassy of Albania in Sofia on March 25.

"At no time was the ministry, nor the Bulgarian side, consulted about the initiative by its proponents, nor an official invitation to join was sent," explained Georgiev.

In March, BTA recalled, Albanian Defense Minister Pirro Vengu said that Bulgaria has shown interest in that initiative, and Kosovo Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci told Turkish television TRT that there was confirmation from Bulgaria that it wants to join that military alliance.

"Bulgaria maintains excellent bilateral relations with all three countries - two of them are NATO allies, and the Bulgarian military contingent is part of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR), whose primary task is to ensure peace and stability," said Georgiev.

Regarding the defense cooperation agreement between Serbia and Hungary, signed on April 1, Georgiev said that he could not comment on the bilateral document to which Bulgaria is not a party.

"Fatherland": Students and the opposition are not Kurti's allies – Vucic is (KoSSev)

The national movement of the Serbs from Kosovo "Fatherland" assessed that the Serbs from Kosovo made a "full contribution" to the rally of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, held on April 12 in Belgrade, and that, instead of spontaneous participation, they were brought to the event with the help of buses from Kosovo, including those allegedly from ''companies close to the Kurti's Self-Determination''.

"It is an understatement to say that, unfortunately, the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija fully contributed to Vucic's rally on April 12 this year. Like students, they tried to walk to Belgrade, but what happened was what the National Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija 'Fatherland' predicted, which is that they walked half of the way, and the government took them on buses for the other half," the statement said.

The movement estimates that "there were almost 10,000 Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija at the rally, which is almost one third of the number of demonstrators present in Belgrade."

The press release states that "like last time, Vucic's friend Albin Kurti came to the rescue", and that buses from transport companies from Kosovo - "such as Albakosu, Barilevaturs and others" transported the participants to Belgrade.

"It only shows that neither the students nor the opposition are Albin Kurti's allies, but it is Aleksandar Vucic. He helps him, as he did last time, when it was the hardest for him," says the Movement.

The announcement also adds that certain Serbs from Kosovo allegedly participated in the incident in which the journalist of KTV television from Zrenjanin, Nemanja Sarovic, a former party colleague of Aleksandar Vucic, and now his fierce critic, was attacked.

"This kind of behavior of the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija is a unique case in the world. They support the ruler who sold and betrayed them, which borders on political masochism and political perversion," said the movement.

The movement also assesses that the meeting itself "experienced a debacle", stating that "there were more people at the meeting in Novi Pazar than in Belgrade". They believe, moreover, that the Archive of Public Meetings even increased the number at this meeting.

"By accepting the Franco-German proposal in point two of that proposal, Aleksandar Vucic accepted both the de jure and de facto independence of Kosovo and Metohija."

They warn that even parties that publicly present themselves as patriotic did not condemn this move:

"What is strange is that a large number of such false patriots such as the Serbian Radical Party, the Socialist Party of Serbia, and the Movement of Socialists did not condemn the acceptance of that agreement. And silence is a sign of approval."

The movement ironically comments on the name of the rally:

"It is unusual that the meeting was held under the name 'We will not give Serbia'. It would have been more suited for Vucic, 'I will not give power', because by accepting the Franco-German plan, he has already given away 16% of Serbia's territory."

They also state that "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" has been turned into a "place of shame of the current regime".

In the end, the Movement makes serious accusations against President Vucic, primarily for national treason, referring to criminal laws.

"He will certainly be tried not only for treason, but also for the rapid violation of the current constitution, crime and thievery, which is at such a level that it is unheard of in Serbia. For comfort, he will not be alone in prison. He will also be accompanied by those from the Serbian List who were fully complicit in the treason. First, various Rakics, Eleks, Zaporozacs, Vulovics, and others," the statement of the ''Fatherland'' movement stated.

Gogic: Kosovo has entered an institutional crisis; opposition showed that Kurti does not have a majority (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo has entered an institutional crisis and found itself in a situation that no one expected. In the short term, the opposition has benefited from the suspension of yesterday's constitutive parliamentary session because it demonstrated that the leader of the Self-Determination Movement, Albin Kurti, despite winning the most seats, does not have a majority, political analyst Ognjen Gogic told Kosovo Online.

"Before the session began, it was expected to see whether Kurti had a majority to elect the speaker of parliament, which would then suggest there is a majority for forming a government. All eyes were on that. No one expected the twist that occurred, the assembly failed to constitute itself," Gogic emphasized.

He explained that the situation, in which MPs refused to verify their own mandates, is entirely new and came "like a bolt from the blue," catching everyone unprepared.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/d5vnxt9h

Maliqi: Kurti created the crisis himself, opposition showed there is no majority even for mandate verification (Kosovo Online)

Political analyst Shkelzen Maliqi stated that the constitutive session of the parliament revealed how divided Kosovo is after the February elections, and that the current caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti is personally to blame for the institutional crisis that followed.

"After these elections, Kosovo is a divided society. Voters distributed party strength in such a way that, without minorities, especially without the Serbian minority, the Serb List, it is very difficult to form a new government. No one has a majority, even though Self-Determination won a convincing victory," Maliqi told Kosovo Online.

Commenting on the failure of the constitutive session of the Kosovo parliament, the analyst said the situation would be resolved within 48 hours, but that the opposition demonstrated to the ruling party that it does not have enough votes, not even for the verification of mandates.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4yxdcjj5

Zakharova: EU threats to Serbia over potential Victory Day visit to Russia ‘Euronazism’ (Beta, N1)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described as “Euronazism” the European Union’s threat to reject Serbia’s bid to join the union if the country’s leader Aleksandar Vucic attends the Victory Day Parade in Moscow.

“If this is the case, then Euronazism is being revived before our eyes,” the Russian news agency TASS quoted her as saying.

She added that, “80 years ago, this is how the fascists forced those who were considered ‘second-class citizens’ to abandon their homeland, ethnicity, and faith.”

Zakharova was reacting to a report by the British daily The Telegraph, which said that Serbia could be blocked from joining the European Union if its president travels to Russia next month to attend the Victory Day ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, which is being organized by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to The Telegraph, European officials warned Vucic that his visit would be a breach of the bloc’s membership criteria and would derail Serbia’s EU ambitions.

“We need to ensure that they understand that certain decisions come at a cost. The consequence is them not joining the European Union,” The Telegraph quoted, Jonatan Vseviov, the secretary-general of Estonia’s ministry of foreign affairs, as saying.

The daily reported that Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s top foreign diplomat, said EU foreign ministers had discussed prospective member states attending the ceremony in Moscow, at a gathering on Monday.

“What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the May 9 parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe,” Kallas told reporters after the meeting.

Following a phone conversation with Putin in March, Vucic said it was “particularly important and a special honor“ for him to confirm the arrival of the delegation he will lead to Moscow on May 9, for the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, where he said he would “proudly represent Serbia on Red Square.”

The Telegraph said Kallas has been forced to warn other EU members not to attend Putin’s Victory Day ceremony.

Slovakia, an EU country with close ties to Moscow, has also been invited to the event next month, and its Prime Minister Robert Fico said last year that he wound attend, the daily reported.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who is considered Putin’s closest ally in Europe, will not be attending, reported The Telegraph.

New endeavor: Students to run relay from Novi Sad to Brussels (N1)

Just as their fellow students arrived in Strasbourg by bicycle, Serbian student protesters have announced a new challenge — a relay run from Novi Sad to Brussels, where the European Parliament will hold a session in May that includes a discussion on the situation in Serbia.

On Friday, April 26, a team of 16 runners will set off from Novi Sad to Brussels, reads an announcement posted on the Instagram account “Trkaci u blokadi” (protesting runners). The relay ultramarathon has been timed to align with the European Parliament’s schedule, and the action will include delivering letters to European Union officials.

“On the same day our cyclists reached Strasbourg, we are announcing that our ultramarathon relay team will also run. They have already run to Kragujevac, Nis, and Belgrade — now they will run to Brussels,” the students announced on Tuesday evening.

The ultramarathon route will take the runners through: Novi Sad – Osijek – Virovitica – Varazdin – Graz – Oberpullendorf – Vienna – Seitensetten – Salzburg – Munich – Ulm – Stuttgart – Strasbourg – Metz – Luxembourg – Liege – and finally, Brussels.

The students are expected to arrive in Brussels on May 11.

UG: New SBB owners sold Total TV to Telekom, which dropped N1 and Nova (N1)

United Group expresses strong disappointment with the actions of e&Etisalat PPF Telecom Group, the owner of SBB and Yettel in Serbia. The company has publicly shared false information, claiming that we were the ones who sold Total TV to Telekom — a blatant untruth. In reality, contrary to their public statements, PPF acquired SBB in its entirety, which included both the cable network and Total TV.

After the acquisition, the new owner of SBB went on to sell Total TV to Telekom Srbija. On the very same day it took over, Telekom removed N1 and Nova S channels from the Total TV offering.

We are at a loss to understand why e&Etisalat PPF Telecom Group, after finalizing the purchase of SBB, has chosen to act so unprofessionally and unfairly toward N1 and Nova S — in much the same way as the Serbian regime, which sees these credible and highly rated channels as undesirable.

Despite having signed an exclusive agreement that would make N1 and Nova S available on Yettel’s cable platform, the channels have still not been added — even though 45 new channels have recently been added to their other network, SBB. The only explanation offered has been an unconvincing claim about platform modernization. We made a clear and direct offer to Yettel to provide full technical support to ensure immediate access to N1 and Nova for users, but our offer was ignored. Instead of expanding access to these channels for more viewers across Serbia, the sale of Total TV has had the opposite effect — cutting off N1 and Nova from tens of thousands of households.

We are publicly asking whether e&Etisalat PPF Telecom Group is under political pressure from Serbian authorities, or whether there is a secret agreement to suppress viewership of N1 and Nova S. At a time when Serbia is facing a deep political and social crisis, e&Etisalat PPF Telecom Group appears to be complicit in the erosion of media freedom, neglecting its responsibilities to both its users and the public.

Opinion

Victims of a suffocating city (Kosovo 2.0)

Opinion piece by Agron Demi, a civil society activist and the founder and executive director of the Atlas Institute.

We are in the midst of a health emergency.

The first thing I remember from when I arrived in Prishtina in fall 2001 to begin my studies is the intense smell that hit me the moment I got off the bus. It was a suffocating odor that burned my nose and triggered a sharp headache. Only later did I realize that the heavy smell came from sulfur dioxide — a gas released by the burning of coal in the power plants that still supply Kosovo with energy.

Coming from the rural municipality of Kamenica, I wasn’t used to this kind of pollution. As the months and years went by, I no longer noticed that suffocating smell. I assumed that government efforts to reduce pollution had been successful. That is, until a few months ago, when I met a German investor visiting Prishtina for the first time. He mentioned the same choking smell to me — and that’s when I realized: it wasn’t that filters in the thermal power plants had improved. Rather the “filters” in my own sense of smell had adapted to the odor of burning coal.

As someone who primarily engaged in the fields of political science, public administration and socio-economic issues, air and environmental pollution were not always my main focus — until I became a parent in 2018. After that, I became much more sensitive to everyday problems like the deafening noise of traffic that can rupture your eardrums, blocked sidewalks that prevent you from walking freely, the lack of safety for pedestrians, the absence of green spaces or parks and stray dogs that attack out of fear and hunger. I also became increasingly aware of the practices that directly contribute to air pollution.

I became more aware of the dangerous dust particles released by power plants and cars, the lack of greenery and public spaces that could help clean the polluted air, the absence of a functional public transportation system that could reduce our dependence on cars, the burning of garbage in neighborhoods, the release of methane from uncontrolled landfills, which pollutes the air we breathe every day and the feeling of collective fatigue that sets in when the city becomes uninhabitable — people begin to accept that reality as something normal.