Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti to prosecution: They want to make this international news (media)

• Barduani: KFOR continues to play a crucial role (media)

• Kurti: Ambassadors to react swiftly against Serbia’s attacks and lies (media)

• Osmani: Kosovo belongs to all its citizens, but above all our children (media)

• Kosovo leaders’ condolences on passing of former US President Carter (media)

• KFOR troops conduct a series of patrol and surveillance activities in Istog (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Zaporozac: Employees expelled from Serbian institutions in Kosovo will receive salaries until they return to work (Radio Mitrovica sever, RTS)

• Gervalla on the promenade of North Mitrovica (KoSSev)

• Milos Jovanovic: The international conference would not bring "God knows what", the occupation should be declared (Danas, FoNet)

• Jesic: A referendum on Kosovo would be pointless, like if there was a vote on merging with the USA (N1, Danas, FoNet)

• Duda Kavecka: Overcome obstacles in Dialogue, refrain from unilateral actions (Kosovo Online)

• Students announce protest for New Year’s Eve (N1, nova.rs)

International Media: 

• Kosovo counts children’s wounds from Tik Tok challenges as Albania takes drastic measures (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti to prosecution: They want to make this international news (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview broadcast on KTV that he did not answer the special prosecution’s call for an interview as a witness in the case of state reserves, because according to him the prosecution wants to turn this into an international news by showing him entering the prosecution’s building. He accused the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution, Blerim Isufaj, calling him “the director” of a show he does not accept. “It is precisely this prosecutor Isufaj, who wants to direct a show where I enter the State Prosecution and thus an international news is created that the Prime Minister goes to the prosecution to be interviewed for a corruption case. The news would not say that I was called as a witness. This is their goal,” he said.

Kurti said he dares to tell the prosecutors that he will not go to their offices for an interview. “Prosecutors came to the Prime Minister’s Office before. I dare tell them I am not coming, so let us see if they dare come to us,” he said.

Barduani: KFOR continues to play a crucial role (media)

The commander of KFOR, Major General Enrico Barduani, said in an interview with Kosovapress, that the security situation in Kosovo is fragile and that the attack on the Iber Lepenci water canal was a threat to security. “The recent attack on the Iber Lepenci water canal reveals the fragility of the security situation in Kosovo … KFOR will work closely with Kosovo’s security institutions and the international community in support of security in the upcoming elections early next year. If the situation requires, NATO also has the capacity to immediately reinforce KFOR with different reserve units,” he said.

Barduani said that “there is still work to be done to meet the right conditions for a safe environment, including those that have a primarily political nature. I am referring explicitly to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the importance of it moving forward. Therefore, KFOR will continue its duty to guarantee security for all people living in Kosovo, and through its presence and daily activities throughout Kosovo, it will continue to create space for a political dialogue to ensure a long-term solution for outstanding issues”.

On the eventual opening of the main bridge on Iber River, Barduani said that KFOR has a transparent and consistent position and that any decision on the matter should be made through dialogue with the international community. “The Iber Bridge is a political and not a military issue,” he said.

Kurti: Ambassadors to react swiftly against Serbia’s attacks and lies (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Kosovo’s ambassadors and diplomats must react with determination, clarity and swiftly against “Serbia’s hybrid and kinetic attacks against Kosovo”. “You need to react swiftly. On every lie that Serbia or its elements spread about Kosovo, we need to react with our truth. You need to be active and proactive and contribute with swift responses … Your work is not only representation but also engagement in strengthening our position. Promoting economic interests and foreign policy are your primary duties, while democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and human rights are basic principles and values that should serve as guidelines for your work … The alliance, strategic partnership and friendship with the United States of America, the European Union, must be a priority. All NATO member states are countries where we focus on intensifying relations with them,” Kurti said in his address at the 7th edition of Conference of Kosovo’s Ambassadors.

Osmani: Kosovo belongs to all its citizens, but above all our children (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post on Sunday that she welcomed members of the Advisory Council for Communities and a group of children from all communities. “Kosovo belongs to all its citizens, but above all our children - the next generation of leaders. Together for an equal Kosovo for all!” Osmani said.

Kosovo leaders’ condolences on passing of former US President Carter (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Sunday that “on behalf of the Government and the people of the Republic of Kosova, I express my deepest condolences to the family of President Jimmy Carter and the American people on the day of his passing. A century after his humble beginnings in a working-class family in Plains, Georgia, President Carter leaves the world with a towering legacy of service to human rights and prosperity in the United States and beyond. May he rest in peace”.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said that “President Carter showed the world that leadership is about service, compassion, and an unshakable faith in humanity. He dedicated his life to peace, equality, and the betterment of all. We hold his family in our thoughts as we join our American friends in honoring his legacy”.

KFOR troops conduct a series of patrol and surveillance activities in Istog (media)

KFOR said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the Kinetic Battalion of the Regional Command West conducted a series of patrol and surveillance activities in the municipality of Istog. “The activities were conducted in extreme conditions due to the low temperatures and snow on the ground where the Italian soldiers operated,” the statement notes.

Serbian Language Media  

Zaporozac: Employees expelled from Serbian institutions in Kosovo will receive salaries until they return to work (Radio Mitrovica sever, RTS)

On the occasion of the latest incursions of the Kosovo Police into Serbian institutions in Kosovo and the expulsion of workers, the vice-president of the Serbian List, Ivan Zaporozac, told RTS that the leadership of the Serbian List spoke with the directors and workers of those companies and that in agreement with the Office for KiM and the State of Serbia, they were guaranteed that they would continue receive their personal income, until the conditions are met to return to work. Milovan Drecun, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Internal Affairs, said that Kurti invested a lot in compromising the Serbian List to find a way to ban it from participating in the elections, reported on Saturday radio Mitrovica sever.

Albin Kurti's party is again trying to block the participation of the Serbian List in the elections in Kosovo. The Self-Determination filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Kosovo against the decision that candidates of the Serbian List must be verified despite the veto placed on them by Kurti's people in the Kosovo CEC.

The vice-president of the Serbian List, Ivan Zaporozac, told RTS that ''the Supreme Court must decide within five days on the appeal of Self-Determination, that is, on the participation of the Serbian List in the elections''.

"You saw, they are not giving up their intention to prevent the SL from participating in these elections even though it is against their legislative procedure. But the fact is that the hatred for everything Serbian is worse than that, and they showed that in the previous 4 years of their rule in Pristina," said the Zaporozac among other things.

Previously, on the occasion of the closure of three institutions by the Kosovo police, which worked in the system of the Republic of Serbia, the leadership of the Serbian List held a meeting with the employees on Friday.

Gervalla on the promenade of North Mitrovica (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal wrote on Saturday that North Mitrovica continues to be a favorite destination, both for the highest representatives of the Kosovo authorities, as well as for citizens from the south, and during the New Year holiday season, also for the Albanian diaspora.

On the promenade further towards the city, every day, especially during the weekend, larger and larger groups of walkers from the south pass by, then back to the bars on the promenade, which, since opening, are guarded by Kosovo policemen in approximately the same number as the guests, some in civilian clothes, some with long barrels, reported KoSSev on Instagram.

The case was the same on Saturday, according to KoSSev, when Donika Gervalla-Schwartz paid a visit. 

"The north of Kosovo and Mitrovica are an inseparable part of our Republic. There is no force that can stop the expansion of Kosovo's sovereignty in every part of its territory," said Donika Gervalla-Schwartz, after a walk in North Mitrovica.

And diplomatically for the end: "Long live Mitrovica of Isa Boletini! Long live independent, free, and democratic Kosovo! The Republic of Kosovo lives in the trinity of Ibrahim Rugova, the dream of fallen heroes, the ideas and wisdom of Academician Fehmi Agani, the heroism of Adem Jashari and the cannons of Safet Boletini!".

KoSSev also reported that at the very end of the North Mitrovica promenade for days, i.e., from the installation of New Year's wigwams, loud music is played, mostly in Albanian.

According to this portal, a live acoustic concert was held on Sunday, where, along with some foreign rock hits, also a song in Albanian could be heard ''Is there anything like you, o my Albania".

Milos Jovanovic: The international conference would not bring "God knows what", the occupation should be declared (Danas, FoNet)

The president of the New Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Milos Jovanovic, told FoNet that in the case of Kosovo, Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council (UN) must be respected, "including those parts that refer to the return of a certain number of Serbian security forces to our southern province ".

In the Kosinus series of interviews, he assessed that all agreements reached by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with Pristina open a "Pandora's box of secession, break up Serbian territory, and condemn Republika Srpska to ruin." He believes that the agreements reached are anti-constitutional, anti-state and that they implicitly recognize Kosovo's independence. As he assessed, direct dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is not possible at this moment, and even an international conference would not bring "God knows what."

"The position of the New Democratic Party of Serbia is clear - Serbia should declare the occupation of part of the territory," Jovanovic stressed.

He recalled the Declaration of the New DSS from February this year, which, due to the "flagrant and continuous" violation of Resolution 1244 in Kosovo, demanded that Serbia declare the occupation of that part of the territory.

His party has always supported the idea of a frozen conflict, because it is of the opinion that it is possible to gain time until a solution good for Serbia is reached.

He marked as a lie that both the European Union and Kosovo are possible for Serbia.

"I think it's time for everyone to publicly declare whether they are ready, for the sake of some kind of integration into some kind of state-like international organization, to sacrifice the future, past, roots, identity and mortgage the survival of their own people," said Jovanovic.

Regarding Kosovo's eventual membership in the UN, he is explicit that it will never be an option for him.

Jovanovic rejects the possibility of calling a referendum on the status of Kosovo, because he believes that there is no referendum on an unconstitutional issue. He is critical of the formation of the A/CSM, because he thinks that this "returns everything to the framework of secessionist institutions and the secessionist legal order."

The leader of the New DSS, however, estimates that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti will never allow the formation of the A/CSM.

Until things in Kosovo are finally resolved, he warns that there will always be a risk of conflict and reiterates that the solution must be in accordance with resolution 1244.

Jesic: A referendum on Kosovo would be pointless, like if there was a vote on merging with the USA (N1, Danas, FoNet)

When it comes to Kosovo, the priority is the people and their interest, not the territory, Goran Jesic, one of the initiators of the Solidarity, Self-Defense, Liberation initiative, told FoNet.

"For me, as a politician, the key factor is any agreement that will improve the quality of life of the citizens of Kosovo and protect minority rights, in this case the Serbs," Jesic explained in the Kosinus interview series. He believes that reaching an agreement on Kosovo is the only possible reality.

According to Jesic, calling a referendum on the status of Kosovo would be pointless, "like if there was a vote on whether Serbia should merge with the United States of America."

"Calling a referendum on issues that you cannot influence is pointless in my opinion," specified Jesic. 

Between the dialogue and the international conference, he points out that dialogue is always smarter, but he does not see that it is possible now. "Nevertheless, you should do everything to have a dialogue," he said. 

He supports the formation of the Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities (A/CSM), "if there is an interest of the citizens of Kosovo of Serbian nationality to create such a community."

When asked about the European Union or Kosovo, he replied that those two things have nothing to do with each other.

"I feel like a European and I believe that the creation of Serbia as a modern state with the rule of law solves all issues," emphasized Jesic. 

Commenting on the possibility of Kosovo becoming a member of the United Nations (UN), Jesic reminded that there is "de facto majority recognition of Kosovo as a Republic".

"We should do everything to protect the people there and think about the people, not about the territory," Jesic repeated.

He believes that a frozen conflict is not a solution and that it is just a crisis that has been pushed under the carpet and that can explode any day.

Duda Kavecka: Overcome obstacles in Dialogue, refrain from unilateral actions (Kosovo Online)

Kamila Duda Kavecka, the Chargé d'Affaires at the Polish Embassy in Serbia, expressed that there are obstacles in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia that need to be overcome, emphasizing the necessity to refrain from unilateral actions as they always lead to tensions, reported Kosovo Online, citing Tanjug. 

In an interview with Tanjug, when asked whether the Polish presidency of the EU, starting January 1, could lead to progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Duda Kavecka described it as a challenging topic with existing barriers that need to be overcome.

"We hope and keep our fingers crossed that progress is possible. The dialogue faces some obstacles, but it is still crucial for both Serbia and Kosovo to meet the expectations of both sides. At the same time, I think it is very advisable to refrain from unilateral actions because they always lead to some tensions. You know, probably we just need to appoint a new special representative for the dialogue. We are keeping our fingers crossed for him or her. We will see how it will be, but we hope for the best," said Duda Kavecka.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/4rb72fj2

Students announce protest for New Year’s Eve (N1, nova.rs)

Students involved in the blockade have announced a major protest for December 31 in Belgrade.

“At a time when the whole world is celebrating, we must show that there is no reason for celebration in this country—not before justice,“ the students  said in a statement.

The protest will begin at Pionirski Park from 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM. At 11:00 PM, a march will start from Pionirski Park to Student Square.

The New Year’s celebration itself will be held entirely in silence, as students emphasized that at 11:52 PM, 15 minutes of silence will begin at the square to honor the 15 victims of the tragedy that occurred on November 1 in Novi Sad, when a canopy collapsed, as reported by Nova.rs.

After the commemoration, student performances are planned. The organizers particularly emphasized that the event is a non-partisan, student initiative.

International Media

Kosovo counts children’s wounds from Tik Tok challenges as Albania takes drastic measures (Prishtina Insight)

Some schools in Kosovo were alerted that some of their secondary school students tried a new challenge from TikTok and broke their arms and hands. On the other hand, after a teenager in Albania reportedly killed a 14 year old, the government decided to shut down the application, temporarily.

On the morning of December 9, Jakup Bahtiri received a surprise call.

“A 9th grade student’s arm was injured,” Bahtiri, the director of “Vëllezërit Frashëri” primary school in Lipjan, some 18 kilometers from the Kosovo capital, Prishtina, told Prishtina Insight. 

“At first we took the girl to the emergency room, where she was found to have a tiny crack,” he added.

This was not a random case of students’ injuries by playing in the school’s courtyard. He found out that she had harmed herself, reportedly as a result of the so-called TikTok “Superman Challenge.” 

Bahtiri said that upon receiving the information, the case was reported to the Kosovo Police and to the Lipjan Municipality Education Directorate. This is just one of five cases of students being self-harmed because of this TikTok challenge in Lipjan.

Only three days before, another student was reported to have been harmed in a primary school in the Municipality of Istog while participating in the “challenge.” Another Kosovo municipality, Mitrovica, counted seven cases of students being harmed for the same reasons within a few days.

In neighbouring Albania, more drastic cases stirred outcry when a 14 year old was stabbed to death by one of his peers close to his school in the capital of Tirana. The government decided to ban TikTok just a few weeks later. 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/3QYoC