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UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 28, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

 

  • Kurti seeks recognition from Spain (Nacionale)

  • Bislimi congratulates Sorensen on his appointment as new EUSR (Koha)

  • Krasniqi: A PDK-VV government is impossible, we have major differences (T7)

  • Malaj meets US envoy for Kosovo, talks about dialogue (Klan)

  • “Serbia is interfering in February 9 election process” (Kosovapress)

  • Nissinen: Kosovo should strengthen its resilience to hybrid threats (RTK)

  • Haxhiu accuses Lushtaku of personally attempting to attack Kurti’s escort (media)

  • Italian KFOR soldiers conduct crowd control exercise (media)

     

Serbian Language Media: 

 

  • The Government of Serbia extraordinary session at 7 pm; Vucic’s address at 8pm (media) 
  • Serbian Prime Minister submits irrevocable resignation, Novi Sad mayor resigns too (RTS, N1)
  • A group of young men from SNS attacked students in Novi Sad with baseball bats, a girl seriously injured (N1, KoSSev, media)
  • 24-hour blockade of Autokomanda junction concluded (N1)

  • Dacic: No police action at student roadblock overnight (N1)

  • EP S&Ds support Serbian student protesters (N1)

  • Elek: Serbian List and Serbia will always support families Kosovo (RTV)

  • Last witness in Dragisa Milenkovic’s case heard today, lawyer hopes for just decision (Kosovo Online)

     

International Media:

 

  • Challenging yet rewarding: Kosovo Albanian and Serb court monitors cooperate on war crimes trials (Prishtina Insight)
  • Serbia’s Prime Minister Resigns as Mass Protests Rock Country (Balkan Insight)
  • Serbia’s PM resigns after student protests linked to government corruption (The Guardian)

 

Albanian Language Media 

 

Kurti seeks recognition from Spain (Nacionale)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has told the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” the time has come for Spain to recognize the independence of Kosovo. However, asked by the journalist if he had any contact with the Spanish Government, Kurti said no. “Although we have had exchanges at some international conferences, these meetings have been more on a personal level, mainly between MPs, but not between representatives of the Government. Despite these meetings in international forums, there has been no direct or official dialogue between the governments of the two countries. There has been no formal way to address the issue and move forward with a possible diplomatic relationship," he reportedly said.

Bislimi congratulates Sorensen on his appointment as new EUSR (Koha)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi congratulated Miroslav Lajcak's successor, Peter Sorensen, on his appointment as the European Union mediator for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. "Congratulations to Peter Sorensen on his appointment as the new EUSR for the dialogue process. We wish him a successful mandate as a facilitator, with a balanced approach to the parties and negotiations as a key prerequisite for a successful process towards the full normalization of relations," Bislimi wrote on the social network "X".

Krasniqi: A PDK-VV government is impossible, we have major differences (T7)

 

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said in a debate on T7 on Monday that the PDK and the Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement have major differences and that this is the reason why they cannot form an eventual coalition government after the February 9 parliamentary elections. Krasniqi said the PDK prefers a coalition with parties that are now in the opposition. “We have essential differences not only about the past but about the future too and there is no room for a PDK-VV government, because we have major differences. We don’t have the same view about the economy, human rights, or freedom of speech,” he argued.

Malaj meets US envoy for Kosovo, talks about dialogue (Klan)

Albanian Ambassador to Kosovo Petrit Malaj met with the U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anu Prattipati. Through a Facebook post, Malaj said that they had a very constructive conversation. “It was a pleasure to meet with the U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Kosovo Anu Prattipati. We had a very constructive and friendly conversation, focusing on the relations between our two countries, political developments in Kosovo, the present and future of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue facilitated by the EU for the normalization of relations between the two countries. Both sides expressed their willingness to continue fruitful cooperation between our two embassies to fulfill joint commitments,” Ambassador Malaj wrote.

“Serbia is interfering in February 9 election process” (Kosovapress)

The Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies “OCTOPUS” held a roundtable to discuss foreign interference in elections and its impact on national security and democracy. The Director of the “OCTOPUS” Institute, Arben Fetoshi, said that Serbia’s hybrid warfare against Kosovo includes combined activities that undermine the democratic order. He added that Serbia is also interfering in the February 9 election process and in the political organization of Kosovo Serbs.

“Russia against the West and NATO to restore the red empire, Serbia against the entire region to achieve the Serbian world. Intervention strategies with disinformation, deceptive narratives, cyberattacks, secret financing and financial manipulation have become even more perfidious, as evidenced by the case of the November elections in Romania with fake accounts on social networks, with paid influencers and misuse of artificial intelligence”, said Fetoshi.

"A similar approach from Serbia is being observed for the parliamentary elections on February 9. Vucic's party has called for only the Serbian List to be voted for. Its government has mobilized to support it by all means, including using financial methods. Serbia's commitment to providing the Serbian List with the 10 guaranteed mandates in the Kosovo Assembly is not only about the goal of Russia’s control. Despite the historical and social factors that prevent direct Russian intervention, Kosovo cannot achieve normalization with Serbia until the 'Serbian List' is the political entity representing the Serbs of Kosovo," he added.

Part of this discussion was also the Ambassador of Finland, Matti Nissien, who said that the hybrid warfare against Kosovo is mostly manifested through disinformation campaigns aimed at ethnic divisions.

Nissinen: Kosovo should strengthen its resilience to hybrid threats (RTK)

Finnish Ambassador to Kosovo, Matti Nissinen, said that the Western Balkans faces unique challenges stemming from geopolitical tensions, foreign influence through information and economic exploitation, and support for anti-Western networks, which aim to hinder the aspirations of these states towards Euro-Atlantic membership. “As for Kosovo, these are manifested through disinformation campaigns, these are false narratives that aim to exploit ethnic divisions and undermine trust in institutions,” said the Finnish ambassador.

He added that geopolitical pressures, narratives that support the approach of opposing Kosovo’s independence create distrust and instability of infrastructure. According to him, these could be attacks like those on critical infrastructure, such as the recent attack in Zubin Potok, which demonstrates the need for improved protection measures.

The ambassador further added that he believes that Kosovo can mitigate the impact of external pressures and strengthen its democratic foundations. According to him, beyond national cooperation mechanisms to combat these phenomena, institutions should be built to monitor, influence and prevent malicious interference, and campaigns should be launched to improve media education that can empower residents to be able to distinguish between information that is reliable.

“Improving regional and multilateral cooperation by strengthening the partnership with the European Union and NATO, even in the absence of full membership, will at this point strengthen Kosovo’s security infrastructure and provide a platform for joint resilience initiatives and the empowerment of the public and democratic institutions. Transparency, the rule of law and equal opportunities are vital in terms of trust in government. By believing in democratic processes, Kosovo can ensure that its citizens remain united against external threats,” he said. Finally, the ambassador stated that Finland is ready to support Kosovo on its journey, by sharing experiences and cooperating to build a secure and democratic future for the Western Balkans.

Haxhiu accuses Lushtaku of personally attempting to attack Kurti’s escort (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu has accused the head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo branch, Sami Lushtaku, of personally attempting to attack the escort of the Prime Minister and the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti, at the election campaign on Monday in Skenderaj.

“Last night, Sami Lushtaku personally attempted to attack the Prime Minister’s escort. He blocked the Prime Minister’s vehicle with an official vehicle, 02Z, of the Municipality of Skenderaj, with the intention of attacking it,” Haxhiu wrote on Facebook.

The Vetevendosje rally in the election campaign in Skenderaj was accompanied by tensions Monday evening. The police had to intervene against a group of attendees who opposed the LVV rally. 

Italian KFOR soldiers conduct crowd control exercise (media)

Italian soldiers of the Kinetic Battalion of the KFOR Regional Command West conducted an intensive crowd and riot control (CRC) exercise. A statement issued by KFOR states that they were trained by their Hungarian colleagues of the Kinetic Reserve Battalion. “The exercises saw the soldiers face high fire flames that were generated by the launch of incendiary containers. The objective, in addition to learning how to manage the threat of fire, was also to learn how to react quickly while remaining calm in situations of danger and high psychological stress,” the statement reads. 

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

The Government of Serbia extraordinary session at 7 pm; Vucic’s address at 8pm (media) 

The extraordinary session of the Government of Serbia, following the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, is scheduled tonight at 7 pm, it was announced today.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, will address the citizens tonight at 8 pm, it was confirmed to Tanjug in the Presidency.

Vucic will also participate in the extraordinary session of the Government of Serbia at 7 pm.

Serbian Prime Minister submits irrevocable resignation, Novi Sad mayor resigns too (RTS, N1)

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said during an extraordinary press conference in Belgrade today that he is resigning from his post, Serbian public broadcaster RTS reported.

"What leaves deep consequences for society is a serious division. It was absolutely thought out from abroad, meanly thought out, an attack on education. Misunderstanding of each other, countless arguments and conflicts throughout Serbia. No matter how much we called for easing of passions, there was always as per some evil scripts something happening, as if it was an invisible hand creating a new incident and creating tensions in society", Vucevic said in his extraordinary address.

“The thing that overshadowed this government was the Novi Sad tragedy, the loss of 15 lives, with 2 seriously injured. From that moment Serbia seems to have been stuck in that tragedy”, he said, adding that the tragedy was politically abused with attempts to capitalize on the loss of lives.

As N1 reported Vucevic said he is resigning because he believes he is objectively responsible for the attack on students in Novi Sad last night in front of Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) offices in this city. He also said he spoke with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic this morning and that he has accepted his arguments and resignation. As he said he expects attackers on students in Novi Sad to be arrested and their criminal accountability established. 

“I will perform my duty until the new prime minister is elected. At this moment, the entire government is in a technical mandate, with the resignation of the prime minister, the entire cabinet ‘falls’ figuratively speaking, practically the entire government is in resignation”, Vucevic said. We will carry out our duties professionally and responsibly until election of some new government or some new or different political decision, he added. 

Vucevic confirmed that Novi Sad mayor, from Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ranks, Milan Djuric will also resign his post. Djuric later in a day submitted his irrevocable resignation. 

"As a responsible man and a responsible politician, I submit my irrevocable resignation from the post of Novi Sad mayor. Stability and calming of tensions as well as ending further divisions in society are key conditions for further progress and development of Novi Sad as well as improvement of the lives of people of Novi Sad”, Djuric said. 

Resignations of Vucevic and Djuric, as well as publishing all documents related to reconstruction of Novi Sad railway station was the first demand of Novi Sad opposition and students following the Novi Sad railway station tragedy claiming lives of 15 persons and seriously injuring two more.

A group of young men from SNS attacked students in Novi Sad with baseball bats, a girl seriously injured (N1, KoSSev, media)

Thugs armed with baseball bats assaulted two groups of students overnight in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad in front of the offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

An N1 reporter was told that a girl student was seriously injured with a dislocated jaw and bruising all over her body while several others were treated for light injuries. They were assaulted putting up stickers saying 3 Months, 3 Bridges, alluding to plans to block three bridges in Novi Sad where 15 people were killed on November 1 when a concrete awning collapsed at the recently-reconstructed railway station.

The assault started after the students put a sticker on a garbage can outside the SNS offices. Two thugs walked out of the offices and assaulted the student who put up the sticker, the girl recorded the assault with her phone before it was grabbed from her and the video deleted. The students managed to get away but were chased down the street, beaten and kicked and run down with a car.

The thugs assaulted a second group of students, seriously injuring a girl.

An N1 reporter in Novi Sad said that the Vojvodina Clinical Center and the police did not immediately react to requests for comments.

Today students in Novi Sad went to the premises of SNS, saying "we are giving the police a deadline until 4:00 p.m. to arrest those responsible"

"We all know what happened last night. We are giving the police a deadline until 4 pm to absolve themselves of responsibility, to arrest all those responsible for what they have done. The police have up to 4 hours to do it, otherwise we will hold them responsible as well. We always consider SNS responsible. Because of their corruption, 15 people were killed, so eight were killed and now one girl was beaten," said a student in front of the Faculty of Philosophy.

The students stated that they would go in front of the SNS premises in Strazilovska Street in Novi Sad "to greet them and to announce that they will be there at 4:00 p.m."

Because of the attack on students in Novi Sad, citizens and professors previously gathered in front of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad to support the students.

24-hour blockade of Autokomanda junction concluded (N1)

A blockade of Autokomanda junction in Belgrade concluded today at 10.00, after 24 hours. Large number of students blocked the intersection at Franchet d’Espérey Boulevard, organized in shifts. They were joined by citizens, but also farmers who came with tractors from early on Monday morning. Except for one incident, the atmosphere was positive throughout the day, students played basketball, tennis, volleyball... During the night, bikers and taxi drivers joined them. From half past five, the tenants of the surrounding buildings brought them their morning coffee. In the morning, drivers greeted them with sirens. Following the end of the blockade students also cleaned the area where they were staying.  

Dacic: No police action at student roadblock overnight (N1)

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic dismissed social media claims about planned police intervention against students protesting at Belgrade’s Autokomanda junction. The minister rejected rumors that police would take action during the night against participants in the 24-hour roadblock protest.

Dacic said that police officers and members of the Emergency Situations Sector “have been tasked with ensuring the safety of participants, which they successfully carried out during the day”.

“We urge the event marshals to remain in close contact with the police so that the event can proceed smoothly and without any security issues”, he said.

The protest began at 10am on Monday, and aside from one incident, it has maintained a positive atmosphere with various sports and social activities. The students have invited citizens to join them, organizing four-hour shifts and asking all participants to follow agreed rules and respect marshal instructions.

EP S&Ds support Serbian student protesters (N1)

The Socialist and Democrat European Parliament group on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Serbian student protests over the lack of accountability for the 15 deaths at Novi Sad railway station.

“The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament stand in solidarity with Serbian students who are demanding justice and accountability for the fifteen lives lost in a deadly collapse of the train station roof in Novi Sad, which triggered mass protests against the ruling elite under the slogan ‘Corruption Kills’. The group firmly supports the people’s right to protest and strongly condemns any acts of intimidation, violence against protesters, and oppression of foreign citizens,” a press release said.

It quoted S&D Vice-President Kathleen Van Brempt as saying that they are closely following the student protest and fully support their call for justice and accountability from Serbia’s key institutions. She expressed concern about the severely restricted functioning of the Serbian parliament. “In current circumstances, without fully respecting European values and rules, there can be no progress for Serbia on its path towards the EU, no opening of new chapters or clusters in the accession negotiations. Nevertheless, we will continue to stand with the people of Serbia who are demanding justice and democracy,” she said.

EP Rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula said that “reports of intimidation and violence against students in the streets, including the involvement of secret services and hooligans linked to the ruling party, are deeply troubling”. “We strongly condemn any form of intimidation or violence against protesters,” he said.

“We reiterate our call to Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, to uphold European values – democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. This includes the obligation to provide credible information to the public, rather than spreading the narrative of a ‘Western-backed colour revolution’, used by the ruling party and pro-government media only to discredit the protesters,” he added.

Elek: Serbian List and Serbia will always support families Kosovo (RTV)

The Serbian List delegation headed by Zlatan Elek visited today the eleven-member Ristić family from Babin Most in Obilic municipality, RTV reported. During the visit Elek said the Serbian state and Serbian List will always support families in Kosovo.

“We will continue to provide support, not only before the elections, I see that there is no lack of support here, that it is continuous. You will certainly continue to have support from the state of Serbia, and from the Serbian List, we are here for everything we can help in accordance with our capabilities. We don’t want to promise what we can’t fulfil, neither before the elections nor after the elections. Here, as you can see, the actions show everything. Such a beautiful house, paved road, employed young people, this is the policy that Serbian List stands for”, Elek noted.

Head of the household Nenad Ristić thanked the representatives of the Serbian List for the visit, but also for the help they continuously provide.

“The house was built for us by Dalibor Jevtić, while he was in the Ministry of Returns. This help is a big incentive, if it wasn’t for that, how would we do it. They made the road for us; how else would we manage without it. There is no survival without their help, and with them it’s a lot easier .... We grow peppers, the earnings are not bad, but a lot of work has to be done”, Ristic said.

Last witness in Dragisa Milenkovic’s case heard today, lawyer hopes for just decision (Kosovo Online)

The last witness in the case of Dragisa Milenkovic from Kisnica village, near Gracanica, accused of allegedly committing war crimes while working as a prison guard, was interviewed today at the Basic Court in Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reported. Milenkovic’s defense lawyer Jovana Filipovic said the verdict is expected soon, expressing hope that the court will make a just decision.

The witness S.H. of Albanian ethnicity was interviewed today. He also worked as a prison guard and was a shift leader to Dragisa Milenkovic.

Filipovic said, although the witness could not remember many things, his testimony goes in the favor of Dragisa Milenkovic.

“{….} what he said certainly goes in favor of Dragisa Milenkovic and his defense claims..”, Filipovic said, adding that none of those persons, affected parties, that were read to the witness, have ever complained about Dragisa Milenkovic or any other prison guard in detention centres in Lipljan and Pristina, where he worked, and that is what is important to us.

“In case those affected, claiming they were mistreated by Dragisa, have really been mistreated, it would be logical that they complain to their superior, who was an Albanian, but that did not happen as we could see”, Filipovic underlined. She added what this witness has said today helped them verify important facts.

Dragisa Milenkovic was arrested on June 21, 2023, in Kisnica village where he lived with his family. He remains in detention ever since.

 

 

International

 

Challenging yet rewarding: Kosovo Albanian and Serb court monitors cooperate on war crimes trials (Prishtina Insight)

 

As part of the project “Facilitating Inter-Ethnic Cooperation through Monitoring and Reporting on War Crime Cases,” two court monitors—one from the Albanian community and one from the Serbian community—joined forces to monitor and co-produce articles on war crime cases in Kosovo, aimed at strengthening transparency, fostering reconciliation, and contributing to transitional justice.

 

For six months, Slobodan Stosic, a court monitor from North Mitrovica, frequently travelled to Prishtina to join his Albanian colleague in monitoring war crime trials. Together, they attended 15 court sessions addressing cases that remain deeply sensitive for both the Albanian and Serbian communities in Kosovo more than a quarter-century after the war ended. 

 

Reflecting on the experience, Stosic emphasised the importance of professionalism in their work.

 

“My experience in regard to professional cooperation was on a high level with Kallxo employees. The monitored cases included Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Gorani community members, and all of these factors need to be addressed to ensure the proper monitoring process and unbiased reporting,” he said.

 

The opportunity for Stosic was made possible thanks to a partnership between Prishtina-based Internews Kosova, I/KS, and the North Mitrovica-based NGO ACDC which exemplified the project’s mission to promote professional collaboration and build bridges between ethnic groups. 

 

Key objectives of the project included raising public awareness by publishing unbiased articles about war crime cases, fostering dialogue through initiating discussions to deepen understanding of war crimes, and enhancing judicial transparency.

 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/Lt86d(link is external)

Serbia’s Prime Minister Resigns as Mass Protests Rock Country (Balkan Insight)

Amid growing public discontent over the handling of the Novi Sad railway station tragedy, Milos Vucevic announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as prime minister.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on Tuesday morning amid ongoing student protests over the deadly collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station on November 1 – and also over the government and ruling party’s aggressive response to public attempts to commemorate the victims.

Vucevic is the third minister to resign over the Novi Sad disaster, after minister of construction, transport and infrastructure Goran Vesic and internal and external trade minister Tomislav Momirovic quit in November. Vucevic said his decision was triggered by violent attacks on groups of students in Novi Sad on Monday evening.

“I think that this policy to which I belong, the party I lead… must show the highest degree of responsibility… must show that it is the most responsible. And that’s why after this event last night in Novi Sad, my irrevocable decision is to resign from the position of prime minister,” he said.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3ndvfn7t(link is external)

Serbia’s PM resigns after student protests linked to government corruption (The Guardian)

Miloš Vučević steps down following a wave of demonstrations sparked by the deaths of 15 people who were killed when a railway station roof collapsed. Serbian prime minister Miloš Vučević has resigned in the last few minutes, The Guardian wrote at noon today. His resignation comes just a day after Serbian students staged a daylong blockade of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade with the support of farmers, stepping up pressure on the president, Aleksandar Vučić.

The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the collapse of a roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which killed 15 people.

His resignation comes after president Vučić sought to open a dialogue with the protesters and indicated on Monday he would reshuffle the government. The wave of student-led demonstrations began as a protest against government corruption after the collapse of a roof of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad on 1 November, which killed 15 people. On Monday, the demonstrators occupied the Autokomanda junction, where two major roads from the south-east converge on the way to Belgrade’s centre.