UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 11, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani attends dinner hosted by Macron on eve of summit on AI (media)
Osmani meets US Vice President J.D. Vance (media)
Kosovo scores better in Corruption Perception Index for 2024 (media)
Investigations initiated following problems with CEC website (media)
CEC issues clarification on preliminary results for 21 polling stations (Telegrafi)
Kanin: Quarrels with the Americans did not help Kurti (RFE)
Haradinaj meets Guerot, discuss election flow and NATO membership (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: I expect problems regarding NIS, blockades destroying economy (Tanjug)
Trump congratulates Vucic on Serbia’s Statehood Day (media, social media)
Office for KiM reacts to attack on Djoric family home, says Self-determination supporters behind it (media)
Arsenijevic: We have achieved serious success, 3.200 votes for Serbian Democracy (media, social media)
Centre of Social Welfare employees in Zubin Potok released (Radio KIM)
Students organize third 15 Minutes of Silence vigil at Mitrovica North promenade tomorrow (Alternativna.com)

Opinion:

Kosovo election result: Gateway to rapprochement with the EU (The Guardian)
Bedri beckons … (media)

International Media:

Public perceptions of corruption in Balkans continue to worsen: Report (BIRN)
Tirana mayor arrested on corruption and money-laundering charges (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani attends dinner hosted by Macron on eve of summit on AI (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post today that “on the eve of the International Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence (AI) we were invited to a dinner hosted by President Macron at the Élysée Palace, alongside other leaders, executives of international organizations and prominent figures from the private sector”. She also said that “moments like these strengthen diplomatic and economic ties and open new opportunities for cooperation. Along with President Macron, US Vice President JD Vance, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Justin Trudeau, and many other world leaders, as well as leaders of some of the biggest global companies such as Google, Open AI, Alibaba, etc, we had the opportunity to discuss important topics in the interest of the people we represent”.

Osmani meets US Vice President J.D. Vance (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met in Paris today with US Vice President J.D. Vance. “On this occasion, she expressed deep gratitude for the alliance with the US, reaffirming the dedication to deepening cooperation in areas of common interest,” the President’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Kosovo scores better in Corruption Perception Index for 2024 (media)

The Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) said today that Transparency International published the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2024 which includes results for 180 countries around the world distorts levels of perception of corruption in the public sector based on credible reports from global organizations such as the World Bank, Freedom House, World Justice Project, Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index, Varieties of Democracy, Global Insights Country Risk - most of it which were published in 2023.

The #CPI this year shows that over half of the world’s countries are below the global average of 43 points and most of them have not made progress in fighting corruption in the public sector.

The region of South-East Europe and Central Asia, where Kosovo is also a part of, is the region with the almost lowest average in the world, mainly due to problems highlighted with the rule of law, growing autocracy, the estimation of free media and weak democratic institutions.

Kosovo for 2024 has scored 44 points and is ranked 73rd in the world rankings. Among the Western Balkan states, it is ranked after Montenegro and has left behind Albania, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since 2012, when Kosovo became part of the CPI ratings, its progress has been steady but slow, with a total of 10 points in the past 12 years.

Montenegro 46 points - country 65

Kosovo 44 points - country 73

Albania 42 points - country 80

North Macedonia 40 points - 88th place

Serbia 35 points - country 105

Bosnia and Herzegovina 33 points - country 114

After holding parliamentary elections and creation of new governing institutions, KDI branch of Transparency International in Kosovo demands that the fight against corruption be set as a priority and be guided by an effective national strategy accompanied by the necessary financial resources.

KDI requests new institutions that accountability and transparency in the public sector to be incorporated as basic standards of good governance in order to prevent misuse of public resources, nepotism and imbalance between powers.

Investigations initiated following problems with CEC website (media)

The Basic Prosecution in Pristina has announced that it has authorized the launch of investigations following problems with the Central Election Commission’s website. The Prosecution has announced that in cooperation with competent institutions, it will undertake investigative actions regarding any abuse or misuse of votes, following the falling of the CEC’s website on Sunday.

“Regarding any question, we inform you that the Basic Prosecution in Pristina has authorized the Kosovo Police, in cooperation and coordination with competent institutions, to undertake investigative actions or measures for any abuse or misuse of votes following the falling of the CEC website,” the Prosecution announced.

CEC issues clarification on preliminary results for 21 polling stations (Telegrafi)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has published the preliminary results of the elections after counting over 99 percent of the votes. However, the commission announced that the preliminary results for 21 polling stations cannot made public now, due to a problem with the storage of the election material. Valmir Elezi, spokesperson of the CEC, said that the data from these polling station cannot be updated now, since the opening of the ballot boxes cannot be done at this stage, but only when the counting process of the votes of the candidates for MPs begins.

“I inform you that the reason why the preliminary results for the political entities from 21 polling stations or 0.83 % of them have not yet been published is that after counting the votes of the political entities, the election material, including the results’ forms, were placed inside the ballot boxes and not on them, as provided for by the procedure. Therefore, the data from these polling stations cannot be updated now, as the opening of the ballot boxes cannot be done at this stage, but only when the process of counting the votes of the candidates for MPs begins,” he said.

Elezi further added that according to the latest update, the electronic results platform has uploaded data from 2,512 (99.17%) polling stations out of a total of 2,533. “The counting of ballots for political entities was completed on February 9”, Elezi said.

Kanin: Quarrels with the Americans did not help Kurti (RFE)

David Kanin, professor of European Studies at John Hopkins University, in an interview with the news website, said that the parliamentary elections in Kosovo showed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s quarrels with the American have damaged to an extent his party, the Vetevendosje Movement. He said that if Kurti is re-elected as Prime Minister, it is not clear if relations with the United States will improve. “It is very clear that people around President Trump are not satisfied with him, as was the case with the people around former President Biden,” he argued.

Kanin said “the Americans will push for a government that will be united – if not on nothing else – than on the readiness to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities”. “But I think it is too early to know who will be the Prime Minister, because I don’t know what talks are being held between the different parties”.

Asked about the biggest challenges of the new government, Kanin said “the first thing will be the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. Whether the new government will be willing to form it, given the American and European insistence, it remains to be seen. But this is also complicated by the fact that the Serbian government is in trouble too. Will [Serbian President] Vucic survive? Will the current protests overthrow him? So it also depends on what will be the government of Serbia, or what position Vucic will have towards the new government of Kosovo … There are a lot of uncertainties. Certainly the new government of Kosovo will have to set its domestic priorities too in terms of the economy, education, healthcare … followed by relations with the European Union, the issue of status because there are five EU member states that still don’t recognize Kosovo.”

Haradinaj meets Guerot, discuss election flow and NATO membership (Klan)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj, met today with the Ambassador of France to Kosovo Olivier Guerot. Through a post on Facebook, Haradinaj informed that they have discussed the flow of the 9 February elections. They also discussed deepening of relations between France and Kosovo and Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic perspective, with a special focus on NATO membership.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: I expect problems regarding NIS, blockades destroying economy (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday evening he expected major problems regarding Serbia's majority Russian-owned oil company NIS because the US and Russia were "growing increasingly apart on all positions", claiming that January had been the worst month for the Serbian economy due to protest blockades, Tanjug news agency reported.

"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we will have special meetings on that issue (NIS), but everything I had thought we would be able to get done without much political drama, with some sort of agreement and understanding on all sides, we will evidently not be able to", Vucic told Pink TV. "For us, there is no good solution for NIS", he said.

"I hope the blockades, which are detrimental to every citizen of our country, destroying our economy and destroying the possibility of investors coming to the country, will stop soon. That is just something that is very, very bad and people must know that. It will be felt when it comes to salaries and pensions", Vucic also said.

Trump congratulates Vucic on Serbia’s Statehood Day (media, social media)

US President Donald Trump has congratulated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and people of Serbia on the Statehood Day, saying on this occasion that the US fully supports the continuation of Serbia’s integration with Euro-Atlantic space and its efforts to promote peaceful and prosperous relations with neighbors and partners in the region. The congratulatory letter was published on Vucic’s official Instagram account., Serbian media reported.

“On behalf of the people of the United States, I send our best wishes to you and the people of Serbia as you celebrate Statehood Day.

I look forward to enhancing our partnership, as we build on the growing ties between our two nations and bring greater security and prosperity to the people of Serbia and the United States. I am pleased by our increased coordination and the resulting new bilateral investment opportunities in important sectors like technology and energy.

Serbia’s significant contributions to international security, whether support for the people of Ukraine as they defend against Russia’s aggression, or Serbia’s contribution to the multiple peacekeeping missions worldwide are greatly appreciated.

In the year ahead, I look forward to our work together to increase stability and economic development of the Western Balkans. The United States fully supports Serbia’s continuing integration with the Euro-Atlantic space and efforts to promote peaceful and prosperous relations with your neighbors and partners in the region”, reads the letter.

Serbia celebrates Statehood Day on February 15 and 16, the day when First Serbia’s Uprising Against Turks was organized in 1804 and the first Constitution of the-then Principality of Serbia was promulgated in 1835.

Office for KiM reacts to attack on Djoric family home, says Self-determination supporters behind it (media)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija said the attack on Djoric family home in Lipljan taking place two nights ago is “yet another evidence by which Albin Kurti supporters clearly demonstrate their ideology is to expel and intimidate Serbs”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

As the Office for KiM said in a statement Self-determination supporters pelted stones at Djoric family house while celebrating electoral victory on Sunday evening, breaking the window during the incident.

“The Djoric family is a frequent target of Albanian attacks in this municipality, and they suffered stoning of their house several times already as well as other attacks, therefore they are rightly concerned for their safety”, Office for KiM said.

The Office said members of Lipljan Municipal Interim Authority spoke with the family, adding the damage caused to their house will be compensated. The Office called responsible institutions and international representatives not to turn blind eye “to provocation of Albanian extremists against Serbian people”.

Arsenijevic: We have achieved serious success, 3.200 votes for Serbian Democracy (media, social media)

Leader of the Serbian Democracy Aleksandar Arsenijevic said last night that his party won 3.200 votes at parliamentary elections, adding it is a serious success one year after the party was established, Kosovo Online portal reported. “After only a year of existence we entered the struggle and won the victory as so far the strongest opposition party with 3.200 votes”, Arsenijevic said in a post on X social platform.

He said it was a serious success despite “all pressure, blackmails, and vote buying”, adding that the party faced two systems, one from Belgrade and one from Pristina.

“The struggle went on several fronts where opponents invested dozens of millions of euros, while we did not present a single can. Thank you to each of 3.200 hearts from the heart”, Arsenijevic said in a video address.

That, he added, is 3,200 whistles. "It was difficult for you, but now rest assured that every whistle we blow is 3,200 whistles blowing at the same time and protesting. Each of our votes is worth 3,200 of your votes. Thank you for your courage", Arsenijevic said.

Centre of Social Welfare employees in Zubin Potok released (Radio KIM)

Four female employees of the Centre for Social Welfare in Zubin Potok arrested by Kosovo police on Friday have been released, police confirmed to Zubin Potok.info portal, Radio KIM reported.

The employees of the Center were arrested under suspicion of allegedly trying to influence voting rights of the beneficiaries of this Centre at Kosovo parliamentary elections.

Kosovo police intervened upon a report that these employees were allegedly blackmailing one person to vote for a particular political party or his social assistance will be terminated.

Students organize third 15 Minutes of Silence vigil at Mitrovica North promenade tomorrow (Alternativna.com)

Students in Mitrovica North will organize a third 15 Minutes of Silence vigil tomorrow to pay tribute to the 15 victims of Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse. The vigil will take place at Mitrovica North promenade on Wednesday, near Tzar Lazar Monument and will start at 11:52, Alternativna.com portal reported.

This is the fourth action organized to commemorate the victims of Novi Sad railway station tragedy in Mitrovica North, and the third one organized by students. The first one was organized by Mitrovica North resident Srdjan Djordjevic.

On February 8, the first 15 Minutes of Silence vigil was organized in Zubin Potok.

Opinion

Kosovo election result: Gateway to rapprochement with the EU (The Guardian)

Seventeen years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, its future remains shadowed and compromised by relations with Belgrade. More than a decade of normalisation talks have so far been a road to nowhere, stymied principally by Serbia’s refusal to recognise its former territory’s right to the attributes of nationhood. In the country’s four northern Serb-majority municipalities, the deadlock has occasionally turned deadly as Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, has attempted to enforce sovereignty, resisted by Belgrade-backed rebels.

There are tentative grounds for hoping that the outcome of Kosovo’s latest election on Sunday, in which Mr Kurti’s ruling party came first but lost its majority, can deliver a route out of this impasse. Mr Kurti’s understandable but sometimes heavy-handed moves to demonstrate Pristina’s control over the north – such as imposing ethnic Albanian mayors after a mass election boycott by ethnic Serbs – have been strongly criticised by both the European Union and the US. On the eve of the poll, Richard Grenell, the newly appointed US special envoy for special missions, said that relations between Washington and Pristina had “never been lower”.

Meanwhile the EU has imposed sanctions that have so far cost one of the poorest and smallest nations in Europe about €150m (£125m). The prospect of a new coalition government in Pristina opens up the possibility of a less intransigent and more pragmatic approach. Both main opposition parties campaigned on the need to improve relations with western partners, and anxiety over Kosovo’s isolation at a perilous geopolitical moment was one of the election’s major themes. If the new Kurti administration can move beyond sometimes strident nationalist rhetoric and get Brussels and Washington back onside, that will be overwhelmingly in Kosovo’s interest.