Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: We’ve made substantial steps to de-escalate situation in north (media)
• Reuten: We received no signal that visa liberalisation for Kosovo is at risk (Express)
• Serwer: Escobar, Hill believe they turned Serbia to West, facts show opposite (media)
• Tahiri: This govt deceived everyone that expected economic development (media)
• Collaku: Government’s approach is irritating the EU (Nacionale)
• Explosive device thrown at house of Trepca board chair (Kallxo)
• Kosovo police find graffiti inciting violence in Zubin Potok (Nacionale)
• Kusari-Lila blames AAK for not protecting Museum of Music in Gjakova (Koha)
• Xhacka reveals priorities of Albanian Presidency of UN Security Council (Albanian Post)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Difficult to find a solution when the other side is looking for reasons for conflicts and attacks (RTS)
• Drecun: The pressure on Kurti weakening (RTS, Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Mijacic: Pressures will be great, while the deadlines will be short (N1) 
• Rekom: The countries of SFRY to stop hiding data on mass graves (KiM radio, N1, NMagazin)
• Turner: The US and European partners are looking for a solution to the Kosovo issue (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• A wake-up call for Kosovo’s prime minister (emerging-europe.com)

International:

• Várhelyi: If the Council wants to make enlargement happen, that is welcome news (EWB)
• How realistic is the 2030 target for EU enlargement? (EWB)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Osmani: We’ve made substantial steps to de-escalate situation in north (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, in a meeting today with Mike Turner, U.S. congressman and president of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said that “Kosovo’s relations with the United States are strategic and existential” and thanked congressman Turner “for the support to Kosovo on the state-building path.”

A press release issued by Osmani’s office after the meeting quotes her as saying “the unwavering commitment of the United States for the Kosovo cause has been necessary on our path toward independence and statehood”.

Osmani said that Kosovo’s objective is to join international organisations, such as NATO, the European Union, the Council of Europe, and others. She highlighted Kosovo’s cooperation with the United States in the areas of security and defence and mentioned Kosovo’s aspiration to join the Partnership for Peace first and then NATO, where the U.S. support is essential.

Osmani said that the Kosovo Intelligence Agency has close cooperation with U.S. intelligence services in addressing shared security challenges that can threaten peace and security in Kosovo and the region.

Commenting on the situation in the north of Kosovo, Osmani said that Kosovo has made substantial steps to de-escalate the situation and that it remains a constructive party in the process. She also highlighted “Serbia’s obstructions and destabilising actions in the north of Kosovo by criminal gangs directed by Belgrade”.

Osmani also reiterated the importance of the full implementation of all obligations deriving from the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid annex.

Reuten: We received no signal that visa liberalisation for Kosovo is at risk (Express)

Thjis Reuten, Dutch member of the European Parliament, who was also rapporteur at the European Parliament for visa liberalisation for Kosovo, told the news website today that they received no signals that visa liberalisation could be at risk. “When it comes to the visa-free regime for Kosovo entering into force from January 1, 2024, we have received no signal that it is at risk,” he said. “We are not experts in the procedure of removing visas and maybe this is something that should be looked up with the European Commission. We know that revoking individual visas is possible only in certain conditions and this cannot happen accidentally”.

Serwer: Escobar, Hill believe they turned Serbia to West, facts show opposite (media)

Professor at John Hopkins University and commentator on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said in an interview with Montenegrin media Pobjeda that the United States are favoring Serbia, and that U.S. Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, believe that “they have turned Serbia to the West despite obvious facts to the contrary”.

In a recent interview with the Voice of America, Hill defended Serbia’s Defence Minister Milos Vucevic, saying that his remarks that “Kosovo’s recognition will hit Montenegro and North Macedonia on the head” were not destabilising. According to Serwer, the lack of a reaction by the U.S. to Vucevic’s remarks is proof of the U.S. soft policy toward Serbia. “The U.S. position toward Serbia falls to a policy of appeasement. I don’t think this is going to change until the current diplomatic structure is in Serbia,” he argued.

Serwer further said that Washington is silent about many things in relation to Serbia, including high-level corruption, Serbia’s threats to use force, Belgrade-funded attacks against NATO troops, Vucic’s refusal to engage in implementing the latest agreement in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. He said he believes Escobar and Hill are the reason for this. “My impression is that Hill and Escobar are confident that they have turned Serbia to the West, despite convincing and obvious facts to the contrary. It also seems that they give priority to Serbia, so that it can allow the shipment of arms to Ukraine,” he added.

Serwer said he believes that the letter signed by 60 high-ranking European MPs and members of the U.S. Congress and Senate, calling on the EU, U.S., and UK to change their soft policy toward Serbia, is not sufficient pressure. “They want a dramatic change in the current approach toward Serbia, but there is no indication that the executive authorities in the U.S. and the EU will do this,” he said.

Asked to comment on the Open Balkan initiative, which Hill openly promotes, Serwer said he believes this is another proof of the U.S. soft policy vis-à-vis Serbia. “Support for the Open Balkan is part of the soft policy,” he said.

Commenting on a letter that Montenegro’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miodrag Vlahovic, sent to Hill, Serwer said that Vlahovic was right. Vlahovic argued in his letter that the current policy is destabilizing the Balkans.

Tahiri: This govt deceived everyone that expected economic development (media)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said in a Facebook post today that “the United States, the country with the most powerful economy in the world, is trying to lower the costs of American families … while our government, for the last two and a half years, is only making the lives of the people more difficult”. Tahiri listed as arguments “the schoolbooks, wages in the public sector, the essential list of medicaments, pensioners, police officers, doctors, nurses, the north of Kosovo – the most sensitive point in Kosovo, sanctions, and attacks against the media”. According to Tahiri, the current government has deceived all those that were expecting economic development and the fight against corruption. “They are creating scandals in all areas to cover up for their failures and deceptions,” he argued.

Collaku: Government’s approach is irritating the EU (Nacionale)

Kosovo’s former Minister of European Integration, Bekim Collaku, called on the Kosovo government today to reflect on the concerns of the European Union. “As long as the requests of the EU are not fully met, the sanctions will remain in force, and we risk facing additional sanctions too. Prime Minister Kurti is aware that he has accepted a bad agreement for Kosovo and Kosovo has gained nothing in exchange,” he said in an interview with the news website today. “As a result, returning to normality and implementing the agreement, does not correspond with the interest of the Prime Minister and that of his party. The Association and broad autonomy for the Serbs, which is at the core of the Kurti-Vucic agreement, is the constant anxiety for Kurti and his party.”

Collaku argued that the government’s approach is irritating EU member states. “There is nothing unknown here. The requests of the EU and U.S. to de-escalate the situation in the north of the country are clear. On the other hand, the government and Prime Minister Kurti have intentionally not met the requests. This irresponsible approach by the government is irritating the EU and its member states. The government’s tendencies to manipulate or buy more time with unclear and half actions will bring no benefits,” he said.

Explosive device thrown at house of Trepca board chair (Kallxo)

An explosive device was thrown after midnight at the house of Trepca public enterprise board chief, Bahri Hyseni, in Mitrovica South. The latter confirmed the incident to the news website, saying that there were no injuries and that two vehicles of his family were damaged. “Last night around 01:00 after midnight, a hand grenade was thrown at my house. We were home, but fortunately there have been no injuries. There are only material damages,” Hyseni said. He confirmed that Kosovo Police went to his house. The news website tried to contact the police in Mitrovica South, but they were not available for comment.

Kosovo police find graffiti inciting violence in Zubin Potok (Nacionale)

Kosovo Police said in their 24-hour report that they found graffiti on a wall at the entrance of Zubin Potok with a message that incites hatred, division, and intolerance. The prosecutor has been informed and investigations are underway.

Kusari-Lila blames AAK for not protecting Museum of Music in Gjakova (Koha)

Former mayor of Gjakova municipality and head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, blamed the current local government for the destruction of the Museum of Music in Gjakova. She claimed that the municipality led by mayor Ardian Gjini, who is a member of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, was not interested in maintaining the museum which was burned on Wednesday. “Who set the Museum of Music on fire, is a question that needs to be answered by the competent authorities. But who lacked the interest to maintain and protect the museum, this is known. The municipality of Gjakova, under the current government, lacked the interest and attention to seriously deal with this cultural heritage site. The site suffered total degradation before it was finally burnt,” she said.

Gjini, on the other hand, said on Wednesday after the burning incident, that all exhibits were earlier removed from the building.

Xhacka reveals priorities of Albanian Presidency of UN Security Council (Albanian Post)

Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka, revealed in a statement to the media today the priorities of the Albanian presidency of the United Nations Security Council, mentioning a platform of cooperation that guarantees the distribution of humanitarian aid across the world and an activity dedicated to the illegal Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“The presidency comes at a difficult time, when the world is faced with serious crises. The Presidency of the Security Council gives us the opportunity to decide which crises situations require the special attention of the Security Council,” Xhacka said.

Xhacka said that in the last 20 months, Albania has accumulated a wealth of experience at the Security Council table. “There are two important moments of this Presidency. One is the platform of cooperation that guarantees the distribution of humanitarian aid across the world at a time of crises. The other activity of our Presidency is dedicated to the illegal Russian aggression against Ukraine,” she said.

Xhacka also said that Albanian diplomacy will organise a high-level Open Debate at the Security Council about the war in Ukraine.

   

Serbian Language Media

 

Vucic: Difficult to find a solution when the other side is looking for reasons for conflicts and attacks (RTS)

"We could have sat for 10 hours, it would be difficult to find a solution when you talk to people who don't want to look for a solution, when you talk to people from Pristina who are looking for reasons for the conflicts and the attack on the Serbian population in the north of Kosovo. We also have some other indicators, I'm not saying these things by accident," said Vucic in response to a journalist's question whether he had heard new ideas about reviving the dialogue from the EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak.

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, after today's tour of the reconstructed Raska-Novi Pazar road, pointed out the existence of the same, as he says, "narrative" in many parts of the former Yugoslavia, reported RTS. 

Vucic said that it does not occur to him to call Bosniaks from Sarajevo and Bosniaks from Pazar a different people and hold anything against them, adding that he expects that then, as he says, nothing will be held against us either.

"Kurti wants to have his Serb henchmen, the ones from the drug clans. You have that one who ran a drug cartel, so because he was blackmailed, he had to agree to be one of his closest collaborators. He gathers those and the other henchmen for petty money, and ‘go ahead, speak against Belgrade, Serbia and the Serbian people as a whole’," said Vucic. 

As he stated, there are many problems, and we are thousands of miles away from establishing the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

According to him, the CSM would solve the problem of the building in Mitrovica, and many other buildings.

KiM radio reported, citing Beta agency, that Vucic also said "there are many ideas, only solutions are running out," answering the question of whether there were any new ideas for the situation in Kosovo at yesterday's meeting with Lajcak. 

Drecun: The pressure on Kurti weakening (RTS, Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever))

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun opined today that the attention of the EU and the USA is currently focused on organizing a high-level meeting in Brussels, which, in his opinion, is wrong because attention should be directed on de-escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo.

Commenting on yesterday’s visit of the EU SR for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, Drecun told RTS that he did not see what the result of the high-level meeting could be and added that attention should be focused on removing the reasons that led to situations like this, that is, to remove the reasons that caused the Serbs to leave the institutions.

“The pressure on Albin Kurti is weakening, he is toying with de-escalation, creating some illusion. There are no indications that the police from the north will withdraw, only the intensity of terror against Serbs has apparently decreased - arrests are still being made. The first steps for the formation of the CSM still haven’t been made either, and until that is resolved, I think it is pointless to organize summit meetings,” he said. 

He added that it seems that the intention was for them to show that something is being done and that they’re “praying to God” that there would agree on something at that meeting but added that there are no real solutions.

Drecun pointed out that he cannot find any rational reason to believe that Kurti is ready to reach a political agreement and restore the situation before this crisis in the north, that is, before the Serbs left the institutions.

“He continues to take unilateral steps, you have also seen the attempt to evict Serbian institutions from the building in North Mitrovica. The municipality of North Mitrovica was admitted to the Association of Kosovo Municipalities and immediately started with comments that the CSM is not needed. Kurti has his own goals and he is realizing them step by step. Instead of putting pressure on him, significantly stronger pressure, we see the centre of gravity shifting to both sides” Drecun said.

Drecun reminded that the French President Emmanuel Macron warned both Belgrade and Pristina as well.

Drecun added that after that, the focus is being shifted to pressures on Belgrade so that it would accept what it said was unacceptable (for Serbia).

“We said that we will not accept or implement two points from the French-German proposal, which is to establish relations with Kosovo on the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty, which is de facto recognition, and to provide them with the chance to become members of international organizations,” he highlighted.

As he said, he is worried about the fact that Kurti is preparing to end the occupation of the north of Kosovo, which is why he is preparing “Army of Kosovo”.

“When you put together the steps taken by Pristina, when you see the steps taken by the USA and NATO, the announced meeting between Vjosa Osmani and Stoltenberg, the question arises why the accelerated preparations for completing the formation of the Army of Kosovo before the end of the agreed deadline, which expires in 2029, if the combat use of that formation is not being prepared,” Drecun said.

He added that an agreement was recently signed between the USA and Kosovo on the security protection of confidential information, and that the American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said on behalf of the USA that this agreement will contribute to the exchange of intelligence data that will ensure “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo”.

It indicates that such agreements are signed in order to exchange information in crisis conditions, which can be seen in the example of the war in Ukraine.

Also, Drecun said that instead of introducing regular military service in Kosovo, which should happen in 2028, there is arming and training of young men, and there is also a statement by the new Minister of Defence, Maqedonci, that causes the greatest anxiety.

According to Drecun, Maqedonci said that the obligation of KSF to enter the north with KFOR permission will be lifted, and according to Drecun, he did not say so because it was his wish, but because he had an agreement with one of the countries - USA, Germany, Turkey...

He also pointed out that the new KFOR Commander is a Turkish general, that the Turkish contingent in KFOR is the strongest, and that the contingents of Albania, Great Britain and Germany have doubled.

“You also have the situation with armaments, which all indicate that military actions are being prepared in the north of Kosovo, and then we have the key thing - the deployment of units in the north, which represents a partial occupation of the north. Kurti’s goal is to completely occupy the north of Kosovo, that is, to occupy it militarily, and for that he needs additional forces. It is the army of Kosovo in the making, the current KSF. To achieve this, he declared two organizations as terrorists in order to find justification for the fact that he needs an army to deal with terrorists,” said Drecun.

He pointed out that if such preparations are being made, and he believes that they are being made in an obvious manner, then this means that they are planning to completely occupy the north of Kosovo with all the police and military capacities at their disposal.

“Kurti is trying to buy time to end that situation, which can be extremely dangerous for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” Drecun concluded. 

Mijacic: Pressures will be great, while the deadlines will be short (N1) 

Dragisa Mijacic from the Institute for Territorial Economic Development told N1 that in the coming period, will follow, one the one hand, pressure on the Kosovo authorities to withdraw from administrative facilities and to create conditions for the organization of elections. On the other hand, a lot of pressure will be exerted on Serbia to convince the Serbs in Kosovo to participate in those elections. 

“The pressure will be great because the deadlines are short,” Mijacic said. “They are determined by the European and American elections of the following year”.

“If we don’t solve this problem now, it will be solved sometime in 2025, and it is not certain how to preserve peace until 2025. What does this mean? This means that Kosovo mayors, Albanian mayors will remain in Serbian areas in the next two, two and a half years. That is simply unimaginable,” Mijacic pointed out.

Which way will things go? Towards normalization or postponing the solution? The answer could be clearer after the next meeting in Brussels, reported N1.

Rekom: The countries of SFRY to stop hiding data on mass graves (KiM radio, N1, NMagazin)

The non-governmental organization Rekom Reconciliation Network assessed that in the countries of the former SFR Yugoslavia the issue of the missing is "extremely politicized" and called on the governments of those countries to stop the policies of hiding data and documents about mass and individual graves, reported KiM radio. 

In a statement on the occasion of the International Day of the Missing, Rekom assessed that in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, a culture of public silence is being created about massacres and murders after which the bodies of the victims disappeared, "thereby disappearing the crucial physical symbol of remembering the dead."

"Rekom reminds that the remains of 1,608 killed in the area of Srebrenica in July 1995, 370 in Vukovar in November 1992, 50 in Kraljane in Kosovo in April 1999, 16 in Dojnice after the entry of international forces into Kosovo have not yet been exhumed. Most of the missing (11,364) are men between the ages of 30 and 50, and over 1,000 women and children," the statement said.

Rekom called on the governments of post-Yugoslav countries, national institutions and commissions for missing persons to stop the policies of hiding data and documents about graves, with the deliberate delay of exhumations of known locations of mass graves, and to solve the problem of identifying the remains that are kept in morgues.

Turner: The US and European partners are looking for a solution to the Kosovo issue (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Republican US Congressman Michael Turner told RTS that the United States, together with European partners, is working to find a solution to the Kosovo issue, reported Kosovo Online. 

Turner says that the US is looking at how to support the European dialogue and their efforts and to jointly contribute to the solution, and when asked if he trusts Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Pristina, he replies that credibility is gained through actions, and that there are a number of actions that need to be fulfilled which, he adds, is a matter of credibility.

When asked if the US administration has a mechanism to force Pristina to fulfil what was promised 10 years ago, first of all, the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, Turner says that the most important thing is that the international community works together.

"The most important thing is for the international community to work together, as well as the EU and the US, and for our partners to find a solution together, and that is what America will continue to do. My way here is not about Kosovo. My way is about the region," Turner told RTS.

As he stated, his first goal is to recognize the bilateral relations between Serbia and the United States.

"Our focus and why I am in Serbia is development, economic cooperation, positive trends, and I congratulate Serbia on what it has achieved when it comes to our relations and on the military side, too," said Turner, reminding that there is a partnership of the Ohio National Guard and the Serbian army.

He points out that there are open issues in the region, and that he talked with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, about Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, on which issues, as he stated, the US should focus on and how they could contribute.

Turner is from Ohio, while in 1995, when the peace agreement was signed in Dayton, he was the mayor. He remembers that period as a period of hope because, as he says, "the incredible war atrocities in the Balkans were shocking for the world and for Europe and for the United States".

And with the Dayton Peace Agreement, he adds, an opportunity for peace was seen.

"We are coming to 2025, which will be the 30th anniversary of the agreement. There are still things we need to do. I think that Bosnia has been somewhat left with an unmanageable Dayton structure. That is why I called many times for Dayton 2," he said.

When asked if the US understands the attitude of the Republika Srpska when officials say they want the original Dayton, that they do not want to be deprived of the competences that belong to them as an entity, that they do not want foreign judges in the Constitutional Court, Turner says that the State Department is working very actively with all partners to try to engage in a dialogue that can lead to some solution.

"The thing is, it can't be imposed from the outside," adds Turner.

He believes that it can be seen through the work of the US ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, that Serbia is a priority for Washington.

"This is certainly the case on the military side, but also on the economic side. Because we have strong bilateral ties, American companies invest in Serbia. You can see that the capital is recognition for what Serbia has achieved," emphasizes Turner.

When asked that military cooperation between Serbia and the USA is easier than political cooperation, as well as whether one can get the impression that there is more understanding for Serbia's neutral position on the military side than on the political side, Turner states that he does not agree with that.

"I think that on the political side there are strong relations between our two countries. A bilateral relationship is established at the level of governments before it is implemented by different departments, ministries, and agencies. That is one of the reasons why I am here," said Turner. 

Answering a question about next year's elections in America, Turner says that party elections are primary, and that everyone is competing against each other.

"I am a big fan of democracy; I also know that Serbia has a long democratic tradition. We have to wait for the democratic process to take place. And it will certainly be a very lively election cycle," concluded Turner. 

 

Opinion 

  A wake-up call for Kosovo’s prime minister (emerging-europe.com)

Albin Kurti was elected on the premise that he would attend to Kosovo’s socio-economic malaise, lift its people from ashes of the war, give them hope, and restore their dignity. Sadly, more than two years later Kurti has little to show for his promises.

Over the past two years I have written several opinion pieces about the situation in Kosovo and how successive governments have in fact failed their people.

But when Prime Minister Albin Kurti assumed power, I felt gratified that Kosovo finally elected a prime minister who would rise to the occasion and lift his country from its 12 years of doldrums.

With the best intensions however, Kurti’s priorities did not fall in line with what the public wants and needs. He became obsessed with what Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić says or does, and in particular he wanted to assert his power on the ethnic Serbian community in Kosovo as if his country’s true independence rests entirely on this community pledging allegiance to Kosovo’s flag.

I still believe that Kurti can change course and put his country on a trajectory consistent with his vision to make Kosovo an independent and prosperous democracy if he only reprioritises his domestic and foreign agenda.

There are five facts that Kurti seems to ignore which could have dramatically changed the course of Kosovo for the better.

Read more at:https://t.ly/Oo2ZK      

International 

  Várhelyi: If the Council wants to make enlargement happen, that is welcome news (EWB)

TOLEDO – European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi reacted today to the proposal by President of the European Council Charles Michel that the EU and the candidate countries should be ready for enlargement by 2030.

“What I think is that if this is a message from the Council that the Council wants to finally engage and make a big leap to make enlargement happen, this is welcome news”, Várhelyi said to journalists in Toledo, where he is participating in the informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich).

He added that the Commission has always been ready to make any proposal that would lead to there.

“I don’t think that it is a question of dates. I think it is more of a question of will, and also the question of delivery; delivery on the side of the EU but also delivery on the side of our partner countries in the Western Balkans or the other three candidate countries”, the Commissioner said.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/37pyxe77 How realistic is the 2030 target for EU enlargement? (EWB)

At this week’s Bled Strategic Forum, President of the European Council Charles Michel proposed the year 2030 as the target by which both the EU Member States and the candidate countries should be ready for enlargement. While the speech showed that this policy is now indeed higher on the agenda of the Union, the question of whether there will actually be new EU members in the next seven years is still open, as both the Union and the candidates are moving slowly to meet the necessary conditions.

EU officials have been reluctant to offer a specific date for future enlargement, ever since the previous European Commission released a strategy that indicated 2025 as a potential year for admitting new members. The EU was careful not to commit itself to this year too strongly, and it was later silently abandoned.

Michel’s proposal, therefore, comes after years of ambiguity about the readiness and the timeline for enlargement. It is made in the context of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which already in its early phases produced predictions that accepting new members will return to the agenda due to geopolitical considerations. Not long afterward, Ukraine and Moldova became official candidate countries, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/5n8ehfud