Albanian Language Media:

• European Parliament calls on EU to lift measures on Kosovo (media)

• Prosecution seeks court order for Kurti’s appearance for interview (media)

• Krasniqi receives Prattipati at PDK headquarters, talks about elections (RTK)

• Early April, deadline for hearing SPO witnesses in The Hague (media)

• War veterans demand Special Court’s report on Thaci’s health condition (media)

• BILD: Italy preparing for possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo (media)

• Ukrainian politician: Serbia may take aggressive actions in the Balkans (Koha)

   

Serbian Language Media: 

• The Kurti's vote count: Kosovo election as a low-budget series (NIN, KoSSev)

• Special prosecution requests court to order Kurti to respond summons to testify (Kosovo Online, media)

• Brnabic: Strong Serbia-China friendship based on mutual respect, cooperation (Tanjug)

• Protests in Serbia, incidents in Belgrade, Novi Pazar (N1)

• Former Serbian health minister lends support to students (N1, Danas)

• 15 Minutes of Silence vigil to be held tomorrow at Mitrovica North main square (KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media 

European Parliament calls on EU to lift measures on Kosovo (media)

The European Parliament's draft report on Kosovo calls for the lifting of the European Union measures imposed in June 2023. "We call for the immediate lifting of the EU measures on Kosovo, which are no longer justified and are in contradiction with Kosovo's proven commitment to European values and alignment with EU policies," the draft states.

The draft also assesses Kosovo's commitment to EU integration. It underlines that Kosovo's future lies in the EU and efforts to bring Kosovo out of a grey area are in the interest of both Kosovo and the EU. The draft report supports Kosovo's application for membership in the European Union and invites member states that have not recognized Kosovo to do so without further delay. It also supports Kosovo's application for membership in the Council of Europe and the plan to join NATO's Partnership for Peace program.

The report also expresses support for the dialogue process for the normalization of relations with Serbia and welcomes and appoints Peter Sorensen as special envoy for dialogue.

Regarding the rule of law, significant progress is highlighted in the areas of justice, security and freedoms, the fight against organized crime and the functioning of the market economy. However, concern is expressed about the situation, which is said to be unsatisfactory in terms of corruption. Serious concern is also expressed about the systemic weaknesses of the justice system in Kosovo, especially regarding independence and respect for the separation of powers. In this regard, particular concern is expressed due to the criticism made by government officials against decisions in individual cases.

The report also highlights concern about the security situation. The attacks in Banjska and Iber Lepenc are condemned and the perpetrators of all these violent acts are demanded to be brought to justice. In particular, it is regretted that Serbia has not brought to justice the perpetrators of the attacks in Banjska, including Milan Radoicic.

The author of the draft is Riho Terras, rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament. This document will be presented to the Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee on Thursday, February 20. After amending the draft, it must be approved by this committee, while at the beginning of the summer, it will be voted on in a plenary session when it receives the version of the European Parliament Resolution.

Prosecution seeks court order for Kurti’s appearance for interview (media)

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo has submitted to the Basic Court in Pristina a request for acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti to appear to give evidence as a witness in the suspicions of misuse of state reserves. The news was confirmed by the spokesperson for the Basic Court in Pristina, Mirlinda Gashi, announcing that the request is being reviewed by the court. “The request from the Special Prosecution has been received and is currently in the process of being reviewed by the court,” Gashi said on Wednesday.

The Special Prosecution had summoned the acting Prime Minister to testify on December 11. Since then, Kurti has stated that he is ready to testify, but emphasized that prosecutors can interview him in his office, a practice that he says has been followed before.

The state reserves case includes businessman Ridvan Muharremi and officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Irfan Lipovica and Hafiz Gara, as suspects.

Krasniqi receives Prattipati at PDK headquarters, talks about elections (RTK)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi, received in a meeting the Charge d’Affairs of the U.S. Embassy, Anu Prattipati. They discussed the February 9 elections. In a Facebook post, Krasniqi said that respecting the will of the people and concluding the process in a democratic manner, as Kosovo deserves, were part of the discussion.

“PDK believes that the country needs a new, stable and responsible government as soon as possible. Regardless of the political circumstances, our commitment for the good of citizens and the strengthening of state institutions remains unwavering,” his post reads.

Early April, deadline for hearing SPO witnesses in The Hague (media)

April 4 of this year is the last date scheduled for hearing SPO witnesses in the Specialist Chambers in the case against Hashim Thaci and others, announced Prosecutor Matt Halling. During the media conference on the progress of the case, Halling said on Wednesday that by April 15 they will submit the final written motions, including non-verbal motions and relevant evidence. “This is the date that is planned,” said the prosecutor.

“Next week we have two witnesses, for March we have one witness, and we will provide updates on other witnesses scheduled for March, as soon as we have that update... Some of the remaining witnesses have complicated issues related to security, preparation, cooperation with third countries, however we are doing the impossible, within our capabilities,” said prosecutor James Pace.

“At the moment the only confirmed witness for the March block is witness W04403, the other witnesses we will call, we have not yet identified,” Pace said. “We do not have 50 or 100 witnesses. Only 20 witnesses remain and I told you some will come to the courtroom, some will be admitted under rule 153, 155, we will give you the changes within this week and there will be very few witnesses left,” Pace said.

Rules 153 and 155 determine the admission of written statements and transcripts, instead of oral testimony. “We have calculated that there are at least 10 witnesses who remain to be heard in the March block, but there are a lot to prepare for the 10 and if they are not called we need to know. By the end of next week, the prosecution should let us know whether there will be other witnesses in addition to the one we already know will be coming. At least we should know that by the end of this block we should be prepared for one, two or ten witnesses, because there is a huge difference in terms of our personnel resources”, Kadri Veseli’s lawyer, Rodney Dixon, has requested.

“Yes, the number mentioned by the lawyer is 10 witnesses remaining, but of these 10, many or some of them will pass under rule 153,154 or will be removed from the witness list altogether. We do not think that all 10 witnesses will be heard in the March block, nor will they be heard beyond this date. But as far as setting a deadline is concerned, this is arbitrary”, Pace responded.

War veterans demand Special Court’s report on Thaci’s health condition (media)

The Organisation of War Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army has expressed concern about the health condition of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci. They issued a statement saying that they are outraged by the silence of Kosovo institutions, which according to them, are not reacting to the injustices of the Specialist Chambers and are also not keeping the public informed about their health condition. “We demand from the Specialist Chambers to provide a clear and official report on the health condition of former president Thaci and our comrades who have been unjustly held in detention for over four years,” the statement reads among others. 

BILD: Italy preparing for possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo (media)

The well-known German newspaper Bild has reported that Italy is preparing for the possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo. “According to Bild’s data, Italy is preparing for the possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo. The European allies would then be alone in the Balkans against Putin’s friend, Aleksandar Vucic, and his powerful Serbian army,” the article says.

“US President Donald Trump has ruled out a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe. According to Bild, Western security services and Western politicians fear that the talks that began in Riyadh could lead to the end of the presence of American troops in large parts of Europe. To support its sources, Bild also quotes a security official in Eastern Europe. “According to our information, this is related to Putin’s demands for 2021, which are the withdrawal of American troops from all NATO countries that joined the alliance after 1990,” the newspaper quotes the security official.

Ukrainian politician: Serbia may take aggressive actions in the Balkans (Koha)

Oleksiy Goncharenko, member of the Ukrainian Parliament, has told the news website that the possibility of Serbia taking “aggressive actions” against the Balkan states is not ruled out and that conflicts may be present in the coming years. Conflicts in the Balkans, according to the Ukrainian politician, could be initiated by Serbia based on “what Russia is doing in Ukraine”.

“In my opinion, Serbia, looking at what Russia is doing in Ukraine, could also take aggressive actions. Unfortunately, the coming years could be filled with military conflicts around the world and the Balkans, unfortunately, may not be excluded”, he said.

While the issue of a ceasefire in Ukraine is being discussed, he added that it is quite controversial, but hardly achievable. “Final agreements in Riyadh (in Saudi Arabia) are impossible. Now we are starting to hear and see some possible plans for agreements and general outcomes on both sides, without any clear result. According to my information, the negotiations have not gone well for the Russians. They were expecting something, but they received a Donald Trump-style offer, which they did not like very much”, Goncharenko said in a response to Koha.

Goncharenko is among rare politicians in Ukraine who has demanded the recognition of Kosovo. He said that the war has slowed down the process, but added that he will do “everything to achieve this”.  “Ukraine has not yet recognized Kosovo for reasons that are completely unclear to me. I have long spoken about the need for such a step and have made efforts to convince my colleagues in the Ukrainian parliament. I have even submitted a draft law. Now, due to the war, this process has slowed down, but I will do everything I can to approve this document in the future,” the Ukrainian politician said.

Serbian Language Media

The Kurti's vote count: Kosovo election as a low-budget series (NIN, KoSSev)

Seventeen years have passed since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence. A formal meeting of the government was held, a blue-yellow flag was raised at the ceremony, and flowers were painted on the "Newborn" monument in Pristina, which changes its appearance every year. PM in technical mandate Albin Kurti gave a speech during the election process, which still is ongoing, about freedom, democracy, and strong institutions. The only thing is that on the eighth day after the closing of the polling stations, those powerful institutions are unable to count all the votes and announce the final results, all with new advanced software, reported KoSSev, citing NIN. 

What is the software for, and in addition does not work 

Kosovo Central Election Commission failed only an hour after the polls were closed, when it's new platform crashed. There were also announcements about a hacker attack on the website of the election commission. When it comes to municipalities with a Serbian majority, such as Zubin Potok, Leposavic and Zvecan, the CEC only started counting votes from the mentioned places yesterday in the evening hours, i.e., a week after the closing of the polls, wrote NIN on Monday. 

In the previous days, the Office for KiM warned that the CEC does not enter data from polling stations, and director Petar Petkovic wrote that the votes for Serbian List (SL) do not match the data of the CEC. The Serbian List fears that the sluggishness of the CEC actually opens up space for the manipulation of the votes of the Serbs, and that according to some new calculation, they could lose one of the ten seats in the Kosovo Assembly.

Based on the figures, which are still not final, the situation is as follows: Kurti's Self-determination could reach a maximum of 59 mandates, while all opposition parties, if they were to unite and receive the support of the SL and representatives of the Gorani, could have up to 62 parliamentary seats - thus a narrow majority. Hypothetically, it is possible for Albin Kurti to lose power without going to new elections, but the question is how expedient it is, bearing in mind that the government, which depends on one or two votes of support in the parliament, can be overthrown by even the slightest political motion or petty interest, wrote NIN.

On the other hand, if a possible agreement would mean sending Kurti to the opposition, who raised inter-ethnic tensions and complicated life for Serbs in Kosovo at the slightest sign of a drop in the Self-Determination rating, it might be worth a try. If one reads between the lines the messages of the officials of the new administration in Washington, one gets the impression that the change of government in Pristina would meet with the approval of the USA. It is certainly better for the representatives of the Serbs to exercise some kind of influence by participating in the institutions of Pristina, than to watch from the sidelines, wait for what will happen next and issue statements.

Three possible scenarios

Editor-in-Chief of Radio KiM Goran Avramovic told NIN the only certain thing is that the voting process is over, and that the elections as such are not, if one takes into account the post-period of the announcement of the results, first the preliminary ones, then the official ones, and then the process of forming institutions. According to him, the situation is completely uncertain and there are several different scenarios that could happen, starting with Albin Kurti's Self-Determination, possibly forming a government with representatives of non-majority communities, including the Serbian one.

"It's hard to believe that if we know the relations between the Serbian and Albanian communities in the previous four years, let's not go further back. Another scenario is that the non-majority communities together with the parties of the late President Ibrahim Rugova and former President Hashim Thaci form the Government. But such a government or coalition would indeed be very fragile and most likely would not last long," explained Avramovic.

As the third scenario, he mentioned elections to be held again, after two failures in the formation of institutions. According to Avramovic, that is not too likely now either, and we have to wait for more time to pass before we seriously consider that possibility, but it is not impossible.

"What is certain is that local elections are expected in Kosovo in the fall and presidential elections next spring. Whoever manages to eventually form a government in this situation will face a political problem during the election of the president, because the president is not elected directly in the elections. Therefore, the position of the president is decided by the assembly, which requires two-thirds of the votes in the parliament. At this moment, it is very hard to believe that any party could get those eighty plus votes, which certainly hints at new elections in the spring of next year at the latest," Avramovic believed.

The interlocutor of NIN talked about what such complicated political circumstances meant for Serbs.

"In such a situation, it is difficult to believe that the participation of Serbs in the institutions would significantly contribute to their betterment, because the institutions themselves will not be stable. However, because the situation will be extremely complicated, it is to be expected that the Serbs will be somewhat left alone to try to consolidate their life in Kosovo," pointed out Avramovic.

Commenting on the commemoration of the seventeenth anniversary of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, as well as the "Newborn" monument in Pristina, which now has flowers painted on it, Avramovic said that this symbolism was extremely accurate, if you look at “the statements of representatives of the international community”.

"There is a post by German ambassador Jorn Rohde on FB in which he talks about it as a country with great institutions, remarkable progress, economy... Like on "Newborn", flowers bloom, birds sing, streams flow... Honey and milk basically. Of course, this has nothing to do with the situation on the ground, because also people who are treated in Pristina must buy a whole lot of medical material to receive adequate treatment. Kosovo is still the poorest entity or zone in Europe, I'm talking about the gross social product," pointed out Avramovic.

He recalled that Kosovo was still under the measures of the EU, adding it remains to be seen what measures would come from the administration of the new American President, Donald Trump.

Waiting for Godot and the final results

Lawyer and activist from North Mitrovica Marko Jaksic said the process of counting votes in Kosovo has become a low-budget series and adds that Godot would arrive sooner than we would know the final results. According to him, the software, which was a donation from Germany, instead of simplifying and facilitating the election process, has completely complicated it so that the regularity of the election was increasingly questioned. Jaksic said that according to the known preliminary estimates of the results, Kurti may be the biggest loser of the election because he lost about ten percent of support and failed to reach the set goal and result from the previous time, which was more than half of the votes.

"Obviously, the only Self-Determination policy directed against the North of Kosovo, the Serbs and Serbia is not a light motive for the majority of Albanians, and some have not forgotten his past pre-election promises related to higher wages, higher standards and a better life, i.e. that an ordinary Albanian has nothing to do with the fact that his Serb neighbor suffers under a police beating. According to the first announcements, no one from the opposition will cooperate with him, which complicates the post-election combinatorics. Those who say that the process of forming a new government will last until the final legal deadlines are not wrong, so maybe there will be new elections", noted Jaksic. 

He did not rule out the possibility that, under the influence of the international community, a government they believe to be more "progressive" would be formed, which would include a coalition of opposition parties and minorities. There, Jaksic continued, the participation of the Serbian List would be questionable, because Kurti has corrupted it and turned it into a bogeyman so that every Albanian party was afraid of cooperating with it. He reminded that in the past the SL was a reliable coalition partner to everyone from the current opposition, without achieving the terms of coalition agreements or any greater rights for Serbs, but with success in achieving personal benefits and positions for its members.

"With a strong Kurti in the opposition, whose nationalism and anti-Serb hysteria would then be unlimited, such a government, which would be weak in itself, and which would meet the expectations of international partners related to the formation of the A/CSM and the process of reintegration in the North, would not last long, so I don't believe that anyone from the opposition is in a hurry to take over that hot potato," observed Jaksic. 

When it comes to the votes of the Kosovo Serbs, Jaksic said that for now there are two conflicting pieces of information: one was announced by the SL, that it won all ten reserved mandates, and the other was the results before the collapse from the CEC website, where Kurti's minister Rasic's party had enough votes for one mandate.

"Serbs were the subject of a struggle between two extremes and conflicting policies. One of the official Belgrade, who unreservedly and absolutely supported only Serbian List, and the other of Kurti, who wanted to ensure legality and legitimacy to his current minister from the Serbian community, which was illegal all the time, by helping him get a mandate. The decision of most Serbs to support the SL was not surprising, even though they have the worst opinion of it, because as strange as it sounds, even the worst Belgrade is their strongest ally," said Jaksic.

"The essential power of the representatives of the Serbs in the Assembly of Kosovo is only to prevent changes to the constitution and vital laws that require two-thirds support from the minorities. All participation in the work of the assembly, starting with the Return coalition and 22 MPs, until now have not brought a single amendment that improves the position of Serbs, while participation in the government was reduced to the possibility of employment and maximum in reconstruction of returnees' houses. Serbs are a necessary decorum both in the assembly and in the governments in Kosovo, which create the appearance of multi-ethnicity, and by no means equal citizens, which is what every civilized society strives for," claimed Jaksic. 

He also referred to the seventeenth anniversary of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. According to Jaksic's view, the anniversary came at a time of reawakened nationalism, complete and undisguised ethnocracy of the Kurti regime, and a never more unequal position of the Serbs.

"Multi-ethnic Kosovo, as a condition for recognition by the USA and other Western powers, experienced a complete collapse during the reign of Self-Determination, and this illusion is still artificially maintained by its protagonists only because they still do not want to admit to themselves that the recognition of independence was a mistake", Jaksic assessed.

Special prosecution requests court to order Kurti to respond summons to testify (Kosovo Online, media)

Kosovo Special Prosecution has filed a request to the Court to order the outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti to appear before prosecution and testify in the case of public reserves, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The request for the witness to appear at the prosecution was filed last week. Should the court approve the request, Albin Kurti would have to appear as a witness. On the contrary, according to the law, he may be issued a financial fine and after that brought to the court. If the court decides on this request, the preparatory acts will start in the first week of March.

"The request was filed last week. The court was supposed to issue it these days. It is a request for an order to the witness to appear in the prosecution. If he fails to appear, he can be fined and, after the fine, brought in. Albin Kurti must come himself. If he does not implement the court's decision, that order is also sent to the police, and then the police take over and execute the decision", Kosovo Online portal said, citing sources of Kallxo.

Kurti was called by the prosecution as a witness to present his version of events related to public reserves cases, in which businessman Ridvan Muharemi and officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Irfan Lipovica and Hafiz Gara are suspected.

In this case, the prosecution also implicates the head of this ministry, Roseta Hajdari, already interviewed by the prosecution as a suspect. So far, the prosecutor's office has sent three summons to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in a row, but he has not responded positively to any of these summons. 

Brnabic: Strong Serbia-China friendship based on mutual respect, cooperation (Tanjug)

Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic met with the Chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Yang Wanming in Belgrade on Wednesday, and noted she was proud Serbia had hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping twice, Tanjug news agency reported.

"The strong partnership between Serbia and China is based on mutual respect, friendship and strategic cooperation, which is advancing constantly", an official statement quoted Brnabic as saying.

The parties agreed the strategic partnership between Serbia and China, established in 2009, had been deepened further during Xi's historic May 2024 visit to Serbia, when bilateral relations were raised to the level of a Community with a shared future in a new era. Brnabic especially noted the significance of parliamentary cooperation, which is developing intensively.

Protests in Serbia, incidents in Belgrade, Novi Pazar (N1)

A driver rammed through a crowd of protesters in the city of Novi Pazar while 3 elderly men hurled abuse at protesters in the Zemun neighbourhood of Belgrade on Tuesday, N1 reported.

In Novi Pazar, a student was injured when a driver rammed through a crowd of protesters. Two student orderlies tried to stop the man from driving through the crowd and one was knocked down by the car, injuring his arm. The student said that he tried to jump back but was hit by a rear-view mirror and thrown against a parked car while his fellow student managed to avoid the driver. The driver did not stop. Local media said that the incident was reported to the police. In Zemun, a crowd observing the daily 15 Minutes of Silence came under verbal assault by 3 elderly men while, as N1 said, police officers stood by.

The protest in silence has been observed since for the 15 people killed at Novi Sad Railway Station when a concrete awning collapsed in front of the station on November 1.

Former Serbian health minister lends support to students (N1, Danas)

Former Serbian Health Minister Danica Grujicic voiced her support for student protesters, reported the Belgrade daily Danas. When asked if her presence in Kragujevac during the protest indicates support for the students’ demands, she briefly replied - yes. 

Grujicic was seen in Kragujevac on Saturday, February 15, during a mass protest organized by Serbian students. Grujicic, a renowned neurosurgeon and former director of the Serbian Institute for Radiology and Oncology, was on the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ticket, and served as Health Minister from 2022 to mid-2024.

15 Minutes of Silence vigil to be held tomorrow at Mitrovica North main square (KoSSev)

A group of students from Pristina University with a provisional seat in Mitrovica North will organize another 15 Minutes of Silence vigil at the main city square, KoSSev portal reported.

The vigil will start at 11:52, near the Tzar Lazar Monument, the portal added. The students also called on citizens to join the vigil.

The vigil will be organized to pay tribute to 15 victims of Novi Sad railway station tragedy, which took place on November 1. The last vigil was organized on February 12, at Mitrovica North promenade.