• Osmani signs Kosovo’s membership in Trump’s Board of Peace (media)
• Trump launches Board of Peace that some fear rivals UN (Reuters)
• Kurti in Davos: Kosovo is achieving continuous improvement (RTK)
• Kurti meets Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Industry (media)
• KFOR and Kosovo Police conduct Incident Command Walkthrough (media)
• German ambassador visits municipalities in the north of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• LDK to initiate parliamentary inquiry into “mismanagement” in energy sector (media)
• Kosovo power supply steadies after TPP unit restart (SeeNews)
• Trump's son-in-law visits Albania to advance resort project (SeeNews)
• Serbian police intervention at University alarms academic community (BIRN)

Osmani signs Kosovo’s membership in Trump’s Board of Peace (media)

All news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani signed Kosovo’s participation in the Board of Peace launched by US President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland today, becoming a founding member of the organization. The media also published videos of Osmani shaking hands with Trump at the signing ceremony and focused on Osmani’s brief conversation with Trump. Indeksonline reports that Osmani is being affirmed as an outstanding leader in the Balkans, becoming the first woman leader in the international initiative for peace and stability.

The US Embassy in Pristina posted a video from the signing ceremony. Watch at: https://shorturl.at/DgdHP

Trump launches Board of Peace that some fear rivals UN (Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, initially designed to cement Gaza's rocky ceasefire but which he foresees taking a wider role worrying to other global powers, although he said it would work with the United Nations.

"Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations," Trump said, adding that the U.N. had great potential that had not been fully utilised.

Trump, who will chair the board, invited dozens of other world leaders to join, saying he wants it to address challenges beyond the stuttering Gaza ceasefire, stirring misgivings that it could undermine the U.N.'s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.

While regional Middle East powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as major emerging nations such as Indonesia, have joined the board, global powers and traditional Western U.S. allies have been more cautious.

Trump says permanent members must help fund with a payment of $1 billion each, and Reuters could not immediately spot any representatives from governments of top global powers or from Israel or the Palestinian Authority at the signing ceremony.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the board's focus would be on making sure the plan for peace in Gaza was fulfilled but that it could also "serve as an example of what's possible in other parts of the world".

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/2iSsl

Kurti in Davos: Kosovo is achieving continuous improvement (RTK)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who is staying in Davos for the World Economic Forum, said in an interview with RTK on Wednesday that he has presented international partners investment opportunities in Kosovo. “We present all our international partners and potential partners investment opportunities in Kosovo, we will have a government that is a partner not only in the market or a platform for cheap production, but also a state with favorable fiscal policies and opportunities to engage our youth who are energetic, talented and multilingual,” he said.

Kurti said Kosovo offers unique opportunities to create new branches and businesses by being at the heart of the EMEA region. “Kosovo offers unique opportunities for establishing branches or new businesses in our country, which is at the center of the region commonly known as EMEA - Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa,” he said. 

Kurti also said that Kosovo is experiencing continuous economic growth. “It is an economy that grows year after year, and foreign-owned enterprises, compared to four years ago, have increased by 55%,” he said.

Kurti meets Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Industry (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Davos with the Minister of Economy and Industry of Estonia, Erkki Keldo, in Davos. Kurti praised the partnership and cooperation with Estonia as a member of the EU and NATO, as well as the support of our Euro-Atlantic integration. “With Estonia, we share similar security realities and a commitment to sovereignty, democracy and sustainability,” he said.

A press release issued by Kurti’s office notes that they discussed Estonia’s successful experience in the field of technology and the opportunities for exchanging experiences and deepening cooperation in digital services, innovation, infrastructure and energy.

KFOR and Kosovo Police conduct Incident Command Walkthrough (media)

Several news websites report that soldiers from the RC-E Maneuver Battalion serving under the NATO-led KFOR mission and members of the Kosovo Police conducted an Incident Command Walkthrough, which allowed the rehearsal of procedures and coordinated methods that ensure high operational readiness and an effective response for any security challenges. KFOR said in a Facebook post that such exercises highlight the effective coordination and cooperation between KFOR and the Kosovo Police, which support KFOR’s ongoing mission to maintain a safe and secure environment in Kosovo. 

German ambassador visits municipalities in the north of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

German Ambassador to Kosovo Rainer Rudolph and his deputy Christian Bottcher visited the municipalities of Leposavic, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Mitrovica North. “As with all municipalities in Kosovo, we stand ready to jointly explore ideas to foster economic growth and further strengthen our bilateral relations … A fruitful exchange with the newly elected mayors and their teams on current challenges and future prospects. Cultural highlight: a short visit to the Devine Vode Monastery,” the German Embassy said in a Facebook post.

LDK to initiate parliamentary inquiry into “mismanagement” in energy sector (media)

Visar Azemi, member of the chairmanship of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), told a press conference in Pristina today that once the new Kosovo Assembly is formed, the LDK will initiate a parliamentary inquiry into what he called mismanagement of the energy sector. He said that recent power cuts are clear proof of “scandalous management”. “Once the Kosovo Assembly is constituted, we will ask for an immediate parliamentary inquiry about the responsibility of the current crisis, a full and independent audit of energy transactions through the years, and the depoliticization of energy institutions, because the latest appointment prove a concerning tendency to establish party-control in the sector and violating institutional professionalism and independence,” he argued.

Kosovo power supply steadies after TPP unit restart (SeeNews)

The Transmission System and Market Operator (KOSTT) said on Wednesday that Kosovo is no longer experiencing power shortages after a 340 MW unit of the Kosova B thermal power plant (TPPs) was brought back on stream. KOSTT said on Tuesday it had recorded an average imbalance of around 211 MWh, after the unit was shut down temporarily for a technical examination. Kosovo Electricity Supply Company (KESCO) said on Tuesday that Kosovo has been experiencing power cuts since Wednesday amid extraordinarily high demand driven by low temperatures.

Trump's son-in-law visits Albania to advance resort project (SeeNews)

Jared Kushner, U.S. president Donald Trump's son-in-law, is visiting Albania's southern city of Vlora to discuss the development of a resort project on the nearby island of Sazan with representatives of an unnamed architectural studio, local media reported on Wednesday. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, Trump's second child, arrived at the Ionian coastal city earlier in the day, the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, ATA, reported.

Atlantic Incubator Partners, a U.S.-based investment firm backed by Kushner, submitted a project for the development of a 45-hectare luxury resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan right across Vlora's coast in December 2023. The project's investment value has been estimated at 1.4 billion euro ($1.64 billion). The project will be developed in partnership with the Albanian government, which will be represented by a special purpose vehicle, Albanian State Development & Real Estate registered in June, the government said back then.

Serbian police intervention at University alarms academic community (BIRN)

Academics in Serbia have reacted with anger after police on Wednesday night dismantled a protest blockade by students and professors at the Faculty of Philosophy at Novi Sad University, which was triggered by the dismissal of faculty professor Jelena Kleut.

After news spread of the sacking of Kleut, a supporter of the student-led anti-government protests that have gripped Serbia for over a year, students and professors blockaded the faculty in the northern city university from inside.

Dean Milivoj Alanovic called police and used a megaphone to urge the protesters to “calmly and dignifiedly leave the faculty”. But after they refused, police pushed everyone out of the building.

Smiljana Milinkov, a professor at the faculty, told BIRN that “it is unacceptable for the police to expel students and professors from a faculty in such a brutal and violent manner while they are peacefully gathered there”.

The incident was the latest flashpoint between protesters and authorities in Serbia, where protests initially sparked by the 2024 Novi Sad railway station disaster have unsettled the government.

Amid the ongoing public discontent, the authorities have repeatedly been accused of putting pressure on protest supporters who work for educational institutions and the public administration.

Kleut lost her job at the faculty because the Senate of the University did not elect her to the position of full professor.

“Jelena Kleut is not the first, and she will not be the last. Teachers and professors have been losing their jobs in primary and secondary schools in recent months as well,” said Milinkov.

“The same is happening to colleagues and professors at other faculties,” she added, citing the example of the State University in Novi Pazar, where several professors have lost their jobs recently.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/mtsyi