UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 26, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Belgrade’s destructiveness must not translate into slower EU integration for Kosovo (EO)
Bislimi: We sent Banjska report to EU; let prosecution publish it (Albanian Post)
After Oct 26, Kurti didn’t ask for additional discussions on Association or send comments to Brussels (Express)
Stoltenberg: Fragile situation, with potential tensions in Kosovo, Bosnia (RFE)
Who wants early elections? (RFE)
374 businesses registered in north of Kosovo, around 280 paid taxes (RFE)
Pajaziti: PDK has no responsibility for the Association (TeVe1)
Hoti: We’ll meet Serbian delegation on Jan 31; hoping to get archives (media)
Kosovar arrested in Serbia no longer worked for Interior Ministry (Indeksonline)
Over 20,000 electricity bills issued for January in north of Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

Stano: New elections in northern Kosovo should be held as soon as possible (Euronews Serbia)
KoSSev: Northern mayors consider possibility of filing appeal to court, to declare instruction for their replacement unconstitutional
KoSSev: Zeqiri refutes himself, filing of appeal not considered
O’Brien: Finding evidence of what happened in Belgrade election takes time (N1, Beta)
Petkovic informed Ambassador Gori that ''Pristina wants to expel Serbs with the decision to cancel the dinar'' (Kosovo Online)
Lucic: Problems of MTS.doo to be discussed in Pristina as of Monday (Tanjug)
Odalovic: Pristina’s decisions provoke and make lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult (RTS, Kosovo Online)
Vucic: Serbian embassy in Pristina “Svecla’s bad dream” (Kosovo Online)
Lawyer: Proceeding against Sladjan Trajkovic unlawful (Euronews Serbia)
Rasic responds to Strpce municipality authorities: ''Prosecutor's Office is seriously knocking on their door'' (KiM Radio)
Pendarovski: KFOR important for stability of Kosovo and entire region (KiM radio, Danas, Beta)

International:

Kosovo Removes Billboard In Volatile North With 'Honorary Citizens' Vucic, Djokovic, Putin (RFE)
‘It Is In the Best Interest Of All Impacted Parties,’ That Kosovo PM Albin Kurti Takes US Position On Suspension Of Serbian Dinar Seriously (thepavlovictoday.com)
Kosovo Navigates Formidable Challenges in Ambitious Bid for Digital Transformation by 2030 (Prishtina Insight)
Government Of North Macedonia Resigns Under Roadmap For General Elections (RFE)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Belgrade’s destructiveness must not translate into slower EU integration for Kosovo (EO)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that it is in Kosovo’s crucial interest for the process of normalization with Serbia to be separated from the process of integration in the European Union, because, as he argued, the normalization process depends more on Serbia than on Kosovo.

Kurti said that Kosovo is a champion in the Balkans in the processes of rule of law and economic development and that it is therefore unjust for Kosovo to remain hostage of Belgrade’s destructiveness. “In terms of rule of law, freedom of the media, human rights, political rights, civil freedoms, and the quality of elections, Serbia cannot even compare to Kosovo. Kosovo is a champion in the Balkans in terms of economic growth and social redistribution. Foreign investments have doubled. It is not fair for Kosovo’s economic and democratic process to be held hostage by Serbia’s destructiveness and its orchestration and funding of paramilitaries. I understand that the EU wants good neighborly relations. We too want good neighborly relations, but this also means mutual recognition. Belgrade’s destructiveness should not translate into a slower EU integration process for Kosovo,” Kurti argued.

Bislimi: We sent Banjska report to EU; let prosecution publish it (Albanian Post)

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, said today that Kosovo authorities sent a 48-page report to the European Union and every EU member state about the September 24 attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo. He said that the report cannot be published by the Kosovo Government but that it should be published by the prosecution. Therefore, he asked that opposition parties, just like the government, need to apply pressure on the prosecution. “Help us to get the prosecution to publish the report and to issue arrest warrants for Radoicic and all other criminals,” he said during his briefing at the Kosovo Assembly Committee for European Integration. He also argued that “as long as Radoicic roams freely and Serbia prepares and trains youths from Kosovo in its military camps, the security threat will remain permanent”.

Commenting on the EU penalty measures against Kosovo, Bislimi said they were imposed after the escalation on May 29 with Brussels thinking that the Kosovo Government too was responsible and that the measures were aimed at de-escalating the situation. “Whatever additional measure that goes beyond this framework is an abuse of the instrument and measures of the EU to reach another objective which is difficult to discuss with the Kosovo Government,” he argued.

Bislimi said that Kosovo has met its obligations that were required for the EU to lift its measures. He said that there are still uncertainties among some member states about the situation in Kosovo, but that there is also pressure from some member states to have the measures lifted. “Probably there is a lack of clarity among the member states on which is the mechanism to lift the measures. But there is also frustration and pressure from member states as to why only Kosovo is under measures only for sending the four mayors to their offices, whereas Serbia is faced with no measures despite the terrorist aggression it committed,” he added.

After Oct 26, Kurti didn’t ask for additional discussions on Association or send comments to Brussels (Express)

EU spokesperson Peter Stano told the news website today that after the EU delivered the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to Kosovo, they received several initial comments from Kosovo and that they then responded in writing. “The draft was prepared with respect for Kosovo’s red lines and was adopted by the 27 EU member states and by the United States. The EU received some initial comments from Kosovo and responded to them in writing. However, after the meeting on October 26, 2023, during which Prime Minister Kurti agreed to the draft under the condition that it is signed by him and President Vucic, Kosovo did not ask for additional discussions on the matter nor made any additional comments,” Stano said.

Stano said that the formation of the Association is an earlier obligation for Kosovo and that the draft prepared by the EU, U.S., and renowned international experts, came after Kosovo failed to meet its obligation to present a draft, despite repeated calls by the EU and its member states.

Stoltenberg: Fragile situation, with potential tensions in Kosovo, Bosnia (RFE)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday in Brussels that NATO believes that the security situation in the Western Balkans is still very fragile with potential for tensions in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After meeting Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, Stoltenberg said NATO is ready to carry out its mandate in Kosovo to guarantee stability, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Western Balkans, the strengthening of NATO, and preparations for the upcoming summit in Washington, were the main topics of discussion at the meeting.

“The situation in the region of the Western Balkans remains fragile. The violence that broke out in Kosovo was unacceptable. This made NATO immediately deploy additional troops to Kosovo,” Stoltenberg said.

The NATO chief outlined the importance of supporting the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “The EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade is the only way forward to find a long-term solution,” he said.

Stoltenberg said that next week the North Atlantic Council, the highest political body of the alliance, will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina to show their unreserved support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also thanked Montenegro for their contribution to NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and for their constructive role for peace and stability in the Balkans.

Spajic said that for Montenegro, stability in Kosovo has special importance and that if needed Montenegro is ready to increase the number of its troops in KFOR. He said that Montenegro remains a faithful member of the Alliance and committed to advancing in the process of EU integration.

Who wants early elections? (RFE)

Almost everyone is talking about the possibility of early elections in Kosovo, including the ruling party, but officially no one says why Kosovo should go to new elections several months before the end of the government’s mandate. The news website asked the Kurti-led government about early elections but received no response. Representatives of the Vetevendosje Movement have said on several occasions that “it is good to go to early elections”.

“If the government thinks that it should conclude its mandate to the end, who am I to interfere?” Kosovo Assembly President Glauk Konjufca said in an interview with Klan Kosova in late December last year. He however also said that “it is good to go to early elections” so that “the legitimacy of the new government can address the challenges, instead of challenges orienting the character of legitimacy”.

For months now Kosovo has been under international pressure to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, to which it agreed with Serbia. In exchange, the international community wants Serbia to de facto recognize Kosovo. Both issues are part of what is known as the Ohrid Agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. And while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic insists that Serbia will not recognize Kosovo, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti wants the Ohrid Agreement to be implemented in its entirety.

Some analysts argue that it is precisely the issue of the Association that will force the Kosovo Government to early elections.

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Fitore Pacolli, said that the issue of early elections was not discussed in their party, but that she doesn’t rule out the possibility of it being discussed in the coming days. “Perhaps there will be discussions in the coming days, but for the time being there are no discussions in the chairmanship [of the Vetevendosje Movement] about early elections,” Pacolli said.

Memli Krasniqi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the biggest opposition party, argues that Kosovo needs early elections, and that the party expressed this position in July last year. “It is now evident that this government, in the last three years, has only brought damage and regress to our country and has shown complete inability in every area,” he argued.

Krasniqi also said that he hopes that the political parties “will agree as soon as possible about the date of early elections”.

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, said his party is ready to go to early elections but that it will not request them. He argued that the elections need to be held in the regular timeframe, because the current government has little time until the end of its mandate. According to Haziri, the Kurti-led government could itself provoke early elections because it is “faced with obligations” from the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia, and especially the process related to the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

Deputy leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Pal Lekaj, too believes the option of early elections is linked to the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “I expect there will be elections … But I also think that only the international pressure to implement the Association will force the government to go to elections,” he said.

374 businesses registered in north of Kosovo, around 280 paid taxes (RFE)

In 2023, Kosovo collected around 2 million euros from taxes of registered businesses in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north – Mitrovica North, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok. Around 93 registered businesses in these municipalities have not paid their tax obligations and the debt amounts to around €270,000.

The Kosovo Tax Administration told the news website that in the north of Kosovo there are a total of 374 registered businesses, but they did not respond to the question if they have any information about the number of unregistered businesses there.

According to a study by the Pristina-based Kosovar Institute for Advanced Studies – GAP – in March 2023 there were around 97,000 active businesses in Kosovo, and 5,235 businesses were owned by members of minority communities, of which 30 percent are owned by members of the Serb community.

On January 23, the news website reported about the closure of businesses in the municipality of Leposavic, as a result of increased control over unregistered businesses in the north of Kosovo.

One of the owners of such businesses from Leposavic confirmed to Radio Free Europe that for seven years he was working illegally and did not pay taxes or other obligations. He said that in the future he would try to report his profits and see if it would benefit him. He also said that other businesspeople too, that have worked illegally, have started registering their businesses.

The news website further notes that Kosovo Police in cooperation with Kosovo Customs and the Tax Administration, in the last two months, carried out raids in warehouses and stores in the four northern municipalities, after receiving information that they were operating illegally.

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, called on businesspeople to register their businesses.

Pajaziti: PDK has no responsibility for the Association (TeVe1)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) member Zenun Pajaziti, in an interview with the TV station, said that the PDK has no responsibility, nor is it involved in the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo. “If the Prime Minister had asked the opposition to become part of a joint decision on the Association, the PDK would have certainly assumed its responsibility. Now we are not a factor in the negotiations process. Our partners gave us the latest version [of the Association]. The Vetevendosje Movement has a full mandate, and they need to administer this now,” he said.

Hoti: We’ll meet Serbian delegation on Jan 31; hoping to get archives (media)

Head of the Kosovo delegation for missing persons in talks with Serbia, Andin Hoti, said in an interview with Front Online that they will meet the Serbian delegation on January 31 and that they expect to get more information about missing persons from the last war in Kosovo. “We have an extraordinary meeting of the working group on January 31, the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia. We believe the EU will also take part in the meeting, and we hope that we will get information or access to the archives we have requested from Serbia. And if we get this then we will certainly continue with more excavations. In 2023 our excavations were mainly based on the analytical reports we received from different actors, mainly from the International Committee of the Red Cross,” he said.

Kosovar arrested in Serbia no longer worked for Interior Ministry (Indeksonline)

Citing unnamed sources, the news website reports that a Kosovo citizen who was arrested in Serbia after 18 kilograms of marijuana were found in his vehicle, was no longer working for the Kosovo Ministry of Interior Affairs, despite reports in some media. The suspect was suspended from duty in August 2023 on suspicion of abuse of duty.

Over 20,000 electricity bills issued for January in north of Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, said today that over 20,000 electricity bills have been issued in the north of Kosovo for January. He said that “from an institution that had negative deviations for years, KOSTT [the Kosovo Transmission System Operator] is now being criticized for positive deviations”. “We also have the unresolved problem of issuing interconnection lines, and the unresolved problem of the accumulated debts of KOSTT … I think that in these cases we need a more principled position by the [EU] facilitator in order to resolve these issues as soon as possible,” Bislimi said in his briefing to the Kosovo Assembly Committee for European Integration.

Serbian Language Media

Stano: New elections in northern Kosovo should be held as soon as possible (Euronews Serbia)

European Union spokesperson Peter Stano said yesterday new local elections in northern Kosovo should be held as soon as possible, assessing as positive that the process started with collection of signatures to recall the mayors, Euronews Serbia reports.

“The EU positively notes that the process has started as Kosovo Serbs have collected signatures to start the process of recalling the mayors, in accordance with the administrative instruction. The EU calls on Kosovo authorities to ensure smooth continuation of the process", Stano told Tanjug news agency.

He recalled the EU has repeatedly emphasized, among other things, in the Council's December conclusions, that normalization of relations and implementation of obligations from dialogue are essential conditions for the European path of both Belgrade and Pristina.

KoSSev: Northern mayors consider possibility of filing appeal to court, to declare instruction for their replacement unconstitutional

KoSSev portal said today it got confirmation that Albanian mayors in four northern municipalities are considering the possibility of filing an appeal to Kosovo Constitutional Court with the aim to declare administrative instruction unconstitutional and prevent their removal from office.

On a day when the first petition to oust mayors in the north had been submitted to the Central Election Commission, four mayors whose dismissal was requested met in Leposavic.

Izmir Zeqiri (Zubin Potok), Ilir Peci (Zvecan) and Erden Atic (Mitrovica North) were guests of Leposavic mayor Lulzim Hetemi this week and the meeting was attended by Ministry of Local Self-Government Administration officials. Zeqiri briefly announced the meeting, saying they discussed “about all challenges and problems”. According to unofficial information, the portal had earlier, the possibility of filing an appeal to the Constitutional Court was also discussed.

Today, Zubin Potok mayor Zeqiri confirmed to KoSSev that this topic was discussed in a meeting. “We only considered it, we have not made decision yet”, he said. Asked when a decision could be made, Zeqiri said they will be informed, stressing one more time “that they only talked about” filing an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

KoSSev: Zeqiri refutes himself, filing of appeal not considered

KoSSev portal reported that one hour after the news was published on its website based on confirmation from one of the northern mayors – that possibility is being considered to file an appeal to Constitutional Court aiming to declare administrative instruction for their dismissal as unconstitutional, the same mayor in a new statement to the portal refuted himself.

“There has been a misunderstanding in the communication”, Zubin Potok mayor Izmir Zeqiri told the portal. “Perhaps we wrongly understood each other because of the language barrier. We (the mayors) had that collegial meeting, we considered nothing, nor we agreed what we should do”, Zeqiri said in a new statement.

O’Brien: Finding evidence of what happened in Belgrade election takes time (N1, Beta)

Finding the evidence of what happened in the Belgrade election is something that’s building over time, US State Department senior official James O'Brien said in Washington, adding that what the US sees as important in Serbia is stability and the implementation of democratic reforms. Asked if the US has to choose between reform and stability in the Western Balkans, especially in Serbia, speaking at the German Marshall Fund, O’Brien said “this is the question I ask myself every day.”

“Look at the Serbian election, I think we still don’t know whether there’ll be a government in Belgrade from this election. International observers actually did not look at that election. So, finding the evidence of what happened in Belgrade is something that’s building over time. But we’ll see whether there’s a government that’s formed,” said O’Brien when speaking about America’s priorities regarding Europe.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs pointed out the fact that, at the December 17 elections, the opposition parties in Serbia won 200,000 more votes than in the April 2022 election.

“At the parliamentary level, the opposition parties emerged with 200,000 more votes and many more parliamentarians than they had had before. In many areas, that’s a mark of a place that is allowing some kind of a different way forward,” said O’Brien.

He explained that, in the current alignment of the Western Balkans, Serbia “does pretty well by investment and economic standards.”

“The incomes in Serbia keep going up, the growth in Serbia keeps going up, more high value investment goes into Serbia. If we want the other states and the people in those other states to have the same opportunity, we have to encourage reform, even at the risk of some instability,” said the US diplomat.

O’Brien also commented on this week’s Western Balkans – European Union meeting in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje on the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans that was adopted by the European Commission in November.

“The Western Balkans is waiting for final approval of the European Growth Plan for the region. The key thing about this is that, in exchange for certain reforms, the states of each state, on its own, with no veto from another, will be able to benefit from participating in parts of the European single market,” he said.

O’Brien said the Growth Plan is a “really innovative project” that will begin to show effect already over the course of this year.

He added that, though there are certain differences from one state to another, the Western Balkans region has a good opportunity for progress.

Petkovic informed Ambassador Gori that ''Pristina wants to expel Serbs with the decision to cancel the dinar'' (Kosovo Online)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met today with the Ambassador of Italy, Luca Gori, whom he informed about the difficult living conditions of the Serbian people, which will be impossible if Pristina abolishes the dinar as a means of payment in Kosovo, reported Kosovo Online.

As announced by the Office for KiM, Petkovic "pointed out that the measures announced by Pristina on February 1, which refer to the cancellation of payments with Serbia and the dinar as a means of payment on the territory of Kosovo, are an attempt to definitively and completely exclude and expel the Serbian people from their centuries-old homes from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija".

Petković reminded that banning the use of dinars in Kosovo would lead to a humanitarian disaster, because Serbs and Serbian institutions survive and function thanks to financial contributions coming from central Serbia.

"It is completely clear that this decision by the Pristina regime is aimed at the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija," said Petkovic, adding that this will obstruct the dialogue and negates the process of formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in the crudest possible way, considering that in the signed agreements, financial support for Serbs is foreseen through the competence of the CSM.''

Petkovic also discussed with Gero the signed petitions for the removal of mayors in north of Kosovo, and noted the continued commitment of Belgrade to dialogue.

Lucic: Problems of MTS.doo to be discussed in Pristina as of Monday (Tanjug)

Telekom Serbia Director General Vladimir Lucic told the media today that during his recent visit to the State Department he was preparing for meetings he will start having as of Monday with international community representatives in Pristina, Tanjug news agency reports. He added that he will point out the aggressive approach of the Albin Kurti-led administration towards Telekom Serbia’s daughter company MTS.doo registered in Kosovo.

He also said he is an optimist ahead of the talks and hopes that the problems MTS.doo faces in Kosovo would be resolved.

“They attempted to completely shut us down in August (last year) and showed what their ultimate goal is. They did not manage back then, and now they moved to plan B, to make our business more difficult, by limiting our businesses and preventing us from taking a small network cable operator in Gracanica. They also attempted retroactively to take away from us network cable operators that we acquired already in 2019 and also issued an unreasonable fine to us in the amount of one million and half euros”, he said.

He also warned that employees of the Data Centre in Zvecan are intimidated by the entrance of Kosovo police officers armed with long-barreled arms to their premises, adding that such an attitude towards this company must end.

Odalovic: Pristina’s decisions provoke and make lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Decisions of Pristina authorities lead by Albin Kurti deeply provoke, complicate and make the lives of Serbs in Kosovo difficult. Chairman of the Serbian Government Missing Persons Commission Veljko Odalovic said, RTS reports.

“Institutional terror which (Albin) Kurti established by occupation of northern Kosovo and Metohija, now continues by making decisions that deeply provoke and irritate. He is not a man of peaceful solutions, he is a man of incidents and he opted to round up that conditional quasi-statehood in a violent manner”, Odalovic said.

“The Interior minister of the self-declared state said that only the Serbian embassy would be left in Kosovo from Serbia”, Odalovic added, noting that recently removed billboard with honorary citizens in Zvecan municipality should not bother anyone. He also said that on the other hand monuments were erected to those who took part in crimes and murders of Serbs in Kosovo.

Commenting on ousting northern mayors Odalovic said it was absurd to demand that more than 50 percent of registered voters, respectively 22.500 people vote for their dismissal as according to administrative instruction, while those four mayors were elected with around 1.500 votes in total. He expressed concern that once the process entered procedure further bureaucratic issues and prolongation would be created and that Pristina will do anything it can to make the process more difficult.

Vucic: Serbian embassy in Pristina “Svecla’s bad dream” (Kosovo Online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commenting on yesterday’s removal of a billboard in Zvecan featuring photos of honorary citizens of this municipality and remarks of Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla who was present during the removal, said Serbian embassy in Pristina “is Svecla’s bad dream, a nightmare”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

He reminded Svecla that Kosovo in line with the UN Charter, UNSC Resolution 1244 and Serbian Constitution is part of Serbia's territory. “It was and it will be”, Vucic said, answering journalists' questions.

“That bully policy with support of those, from whom he should not have it, he thinks he can mistreat our people - our people have endured even worse, but not forever, just slowly", Vucic said. Vucic added Serbia will do its utmost to preserve peace and guard it from “such irresponsible individuals as Albin Kurit and his servants in the government”.

Lawyer: Proceeding against Sladjan Trajkovic unlawful (Euronews Serbia)

Dejan A. Vasic, defense lawyer of Sladjan Trajkovic, accused of allegedly committing war crimes in Kosovo, said his client pleaded not guilty in a trial that is closed to the public, Euronews Serbia reported. Vasic also claims that the entire proceeding is conducted in an unlawful manner.

“In my introductory remarks I have drawn attention to the court again that the entire proceeding has been carried out fully unlawfully. I said that from the moment of Sladjan’s arrest, and later during investigation and now before the judicial panel all undertaken acts were absolutely and fully unlawful”, Vasic said, adding that he filed an appeal to the Court of Appeals earlier.

Another member of the team, Jelena Krivokapic said upon the Court of Appeals dismissing their complaint, they will file an appeal to the Supreme Court seeking protection of legality.

Health condition of Sladjan Trajkovic is also poor and his family and defense lawyers for months requested that he be given adequate medical treatment and moved from detention to house arrest, Euronews Serbia reported.

Trajkovic is a former member of Kosovo police, who resigned from service in November 2022, along with all his Serbian colleagues in the north. Prior to becoming a Kosovo police officer in 2013 he passed all security verification by both Kosovo and international institutions.

Rasic responds to Strpce municipality authorities: ''Prosecutor's Office is seriously knocking on their door'' (KiM Radio)

Minister for communities and returns, Nenad Rasic said people in the municipality are "panicking" because, as he pointed out, their illegal flow of money has been stopped thus replying to the Strpce municipality accusations after the dismissal of the director of the Management Board of the Brezovica Ski Center. Rasic added in his statement for KiM radio that for many of them, ''the Prosecutor's Office is seriously knocking on their door".

Rasic said two days ago, a meeting was organized in Brezovica, which was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Communities and Return, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and representatives of the National Park and the Agency for Agriculture. He said representatives of the municipality were invited to the meeting, but they did not come.

"The conclusions we reached were not reached by any municipal body or Board of Directors in the last 15 years - from clearing the snow, to regulating sledding, and all the way to the agreement to build a new route, i.e. an additional road to the ski resort, because that can completely strengthen capacities".

He also notes that jurisdiction will be taken "for people who work illegally or build something".

When asked by the Municipality of Strpce via a press release, "what powers does the Ministry of Communities and Return have in the Ski Center of Brezovica and convenes meetings on the management of the Ski Center?", Rasic replied that the management of the Municipality of Strpce was in "pain'' because of, as he says, it was identified that the bars were operating without a permit, without any decisions of the Board, or with decisions with which "the former director worked on illegally".

"Those people who are trying to present these activities of ours, which will be very specific and will happen very quickly in the interest of the citizens of Strpce, probably with such people, when you prevent the flow of money that they have illegally, is where they panic the most. For many of them, the Prosecutor's Office is seriously knocking on their door," says Rasic.

On the dismissal of the director of the Management Board of the Ski Center, Rasic says that the new Board is "the most precise and meticulous".

At the same time, he states that the Privatization Agency provided support for investments in the Inex ski center.

"I'm really interested in who, in this strengthening of capacity for the municipality, which is inhabited by a majority of Serbs, is against the strengthening of capacities that can provide the hospitality industry with a large increase in capacity."

Rasic says that during the last year, the earnings at the Ski Center were 210-220 thousand euros, and that this season, the income has only been that much so far. "Which means that this year's income will be twice as much as last year's income. I want to say that someone up there lied a lot, so now that the situation has been accurately determined, it can be seen that the income is significantly higher. Therefore, it will be shown, it will be seen".

On the claims that the Ski Center is being handed over to the Albanian businessman B.M. who is illegally building in the municipality of Strpce, Rasic claims that the mentioned businessman was in the hotel at the same moment when the meeting was held, and that he has nothing to do with it.

"The man was not involved in the conversations, nor could he be involved in any way".

He emphasizes that at this meeting, a step forward was made to improve the conditions at the Molika Hotel, both for the hotel itself and for the employees. "The municipality of Strpce is happy because it has this capacity that can be well used for all citizens, Serbs and Albanians, and the growth of the entire economy in Strpce, and they are engaged in petty theft by issuing illegal permits. I'm not happy about that, but the Prosecutor's Office is knocking on their door," repeated Rasic for KiM radio.

Pendarovski: KFOR important for stability of Kosovo and entire region (KiM radio, Danas, Beta)

The President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, visited the KFOR regional command in Pec today and expressed his support for this NATO mission, stressing its importance for the stability of Kosovo and the entire region, reported KiM radio.

In the Regional Command - West of the KFOR mission, Pendarovski met with members of the Macedonian contingent and had a meeting with the commander of that regional command, Colonel Francesco Ferrara.

"With the participation of 65 members (in KFOR), our country as a member of NATO makes an active contribution to strengthening peace and stability in the region and beyond," said Pendarovski.

As announced by the Cabinet of the President of North Macedonia, at the meeting with Ferrara, Pendarovski was informed about the goals and overall activities of that command in support of peace and security in Kosovo.

Pendarovski, as stated in the announcement, pointed out that their mission has an added value, because, as he said, "they serve in a country that is our neighbor and friend and with which we have deep historical, cultural and economic ties."

The President of North Macedonia told the members of the Macedonian army in KFOR that their presence in Kosovo deepens and strengthens those relations even more.

During today's working visit to Kosovo, Pendarovski previously met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albina Kurti in Pristina.

International

Kosovo Removes Billboard In Volatile North With 'Honorary Citizens' Vucic, Djokovic, Putin (RFE)

Kosovar authorities remove a billboard featuring pictures of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, in Zvecan, north Kosovo, on January 25.

A billboard with the pictures of "honorary citizens" including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, tennis player Novak Djokovic, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, has been taken down in the Serb-majority Kosovo town of Zvecan. Kosovar Internal Affairs Minister Dzeljalj Sveclja and the local self-government minister, Eljbert Krasnici, oversaw the removal, saying there is no place in Kosovo for figures who represent "dictatorship and aggression." Zvecan is near where an attack on Kosovo police occurred in September that left four dead -- a local police sergeant and three of the attackers.

‘It Is In the Best Interest Of All Impacted Parties,’ That Kosovo PM Albin Kurti Takes US Position On Suspension Of Serbian Dinar Seriously (thepavlovictoday.com)

What gives the State Department confidence that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti will take the US position on the Kosovo Central Bank decision to suspend the Serbian dinar seriously? The Pavlovic Today asks Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.

The State Department says, “It is in the best interest of all impacted parties” for Kosovo PM Albin Kurti to take the US position on reversing the course on the suspension of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo seriously. That is what the Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told The Pavlovic Today when asked what gives the State Department confidence that PM Kurti will take the US position seriously.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/3jkpdha2

Kosovo Navigates Formidable Challenges in Ambitious Bid for Digital Transformation by 2030 (Prishtina Insight)

Embarking on a mission to digitize public services by 2030 is imperative for Kosovo to align with global standards, yet serious challenges lie ahead.

Kosovo aspires to shift the majority of its public services online by 2030, leveraging advanced digital infrastructure. The newly approved strategy for the digital agenda, endorsed by the country’s government, seeks to digitize the nation and bolster the number of IT experts.

In 2025, Kosovo anticipates possessing a fully digitized atlas of fixed broadband infrastructure, with gigabit connections expected in all public institutions by 2026. The strategy targets comprehensive coverage by a 5G network in 2030, with a goal of having 100 percent of essential public services accessible online. Additionally, the document outlines plans for 90 per cent of the country’s citizens to utilize digital identification, while 100 per cent of medical data will be stored digitally.

Significant changes are projected in citizen education. As per the strategy, 5 percent of the population is anticipated to become active IT specialists, while the remaining 95 per cent will be equipped with fundamental digital skills.