UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 12, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Serbia is aggressive; this makes us cautious, not scared (media)
Kurti in Caber: 15 internet stations set up in the north (Kallxo)
Gervalla begins official visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels (media)
Serwer: There is an aggressor in north Kosovo, we should be clear who (media)
Begaj: Kosovo needs to listen more to advice from U.S. and EU (media)
Vllasi: Dinar to be removed from dialogue agenda; an imaginary problem (media)
Kurti commemorates Serbia’s PM on 21st anniversary of assassination (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Containers were solution for Serbs to live, vote, receive medical treatment in and from now on for payments of wages and pensions (KoSSev)
NGO Aktiv opens telephones lines for residents to get information and report problems with deposits and disbursals in dinars (Radio KIM)
Viola von Cramon: Attacks orchestrated by bots of the Kurti's government (N1, KoSSev)
Lucic: Telekom Srbija as the biggest company in Kosovo bothers Pristina (KiM radio, Tanjug, TV Prva)
Raska-Prizren Diocese: Caring for our sanctuaries is not an act of hatred but a civilizational duty and a matter of religious freedom (media, social media)
Djuric after photo with Radoicic: I’m in contact with Serbian representatives, I still like to meet with them (KoSSev)
Rada Trajkovic: The Serbian and Kosovo secret services trying together to discredit Marko Djuric (KiM radio, Danas, Beta)

International:

Expanded Institutionalism: North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atic (Prishtina Insight)
Photo of Serbia’s Ambassador to the US with Kosovo Serb Kingpin Radoicic Draws Reactions (Prishtina Insight)
Religious And Social Conservatives In Kosovo Block Controversial IVF Bill (RFE)
Concerns Grow over AI-Generated Abusive Content among Children (Balkan Insight)
Secret Trade: Serbia Hides Arms Exports to Israel after Hamas Attack (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

In Sickness, Ethnic Barriers in Kosovo Often Fall (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Serbia is aggressive; this makes us cautious, not scared (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti attended today the inauguration of the State Training Centre for Cyber Security in Kosovo. After the ceremony, Kurti was asked by reporters to comment on a report by the U.S. intelligence community according to which there could be a risk from increased interethnic conflicts in the Western Balkans. Kurti argued that “conflicts are not interethnic; it is not the ethnic difference that causes conflict but rather the autocracy in Belgrade which is linked to the despot in Moscow. We have warned for some time now that non-democratic countries in our region too, not only in eastern Europe, are a threat to security and peace but certainly no one can know this better than the United States. What we can do is make our best preparations with what we can and in this regard, we inaugurated the State Training Center for Cyber Security”.

Kurti also talked about new investments in the Kosovo Security Force. “I also had the honor together with the commander of the Kosovo Security Force to see these 15 multifunctional trucks of a German company that we have now included in the Kosovo Security Force. We bought 10 of them, and the other five we got as a donation. So this the partnership we are engaged in, we both purchase and get donations, so that the territorial integrity, sovereignty and security of our citizens is inviolable. It is clear to us that our northern neighbor is aggressive, and this makes us more cautious but never scared,” he said.

Kurti in Caber: 15 internet stations set up in the north (Kallxo)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that 15 new internet stations have been installed in the north of Kosovo by the Telecom of Kosovo. He said in a Facebook post that he visited the village of Caber in Zubin Potok where the basic station was replaced, adding that the Telecom is led by the quality of public services and not “own financial benefits”. “Electronic communications are a right and need of citizens and the Telecom of Kosovo provides and guarantees this to the citizens,” he said.

Kurti also said that the leader of the Union of Workers of the Telecom, Lamih Balaj, has called on judges and prosecutors to be in the service of the people, “and not in the service of oligarchs that want to continue to snatch and cripple the Telecom”.

Gervalla begins official visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, began today an official visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels where she will meet senior officials of NATO civilian and military structures and also ambassadors of NATO member states.

A press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that Gervalla’s visit takes place “at a time when Europeis going through critical challenges, constant threat to peace and security as well as malignant influence in Europe and our region. Within today's meetings, the message of our country as an important and contributing factor for peace and security in the region and beyond will be conveyed. The Republic of Kosovo shares common values with NATO. Over 90% of its citizens support NATO and EU membership. During these meetings, Minister Gërvalla will seek the deepening of cooperation and the acceleration of Euro-Atlantic integration processes until full membership in NATO of the Republic of Kosovo.”

Serwer: There is an aggressor in north Kosovo, we should be clear who (media)

U.S. political commentator on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, commented on a post on X by Jakub Bielamowicz from the Institute of New Europe, who quoted a report by the U.S. Intelligence Community according to which the Balkans will face increased violence in 2024. Bielamowicz highlighted from the report the parts that note “clashes between Serb nationalists & Kosovar authorities led to deaths & injuries, incl to NATO troops” and “Dodik is taking steps towards de facto secession of his Republika Srpska”. Serwer said in his reaction: “This is mistaken. One incident was a Serb attack on NATO troops. In a separate incident, Kosovo police successfully stopped a Serb plot intended to provide the excuse for a Serbian military advance into Kosovo. There is an aggressor in northern Kosovo. We should be clear who.”

Begaj: Kosovo needs to listen more to advice from U.S. and EU (media)

Albanian President Bajram Begaj, in an interview with the Radio Television of Albania, said that Kosovo needs to implement the international obligations it has assumed. “The integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo are unquestionable. It is a great fortune that KFOR is in Kosovo and it guarantees Kosovo’s security and borders. Every decision that Kosovo needs to make to implement its obligations as a state, it would be good to take them in consultation and with approval and to listen more to the advice from the U.S. and the EU,” he argued.

Vllasi: Dinar to be removed from dialogue agenda; an imaginary problem (media)

Azem Vllasi, Pristina-based attorney and former political leader, said in an interview with Kosovo Online today that the issue of the Serbian Dinar should be removed from the agenda of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, because it is not a real but rather imaginary problem. “It is not clear to anyone how the dialogue will continue. If the disagreement is because of the removal of the Dinar [for payments in Kosovo] then it should be removed immediately from the agenda because it is not a real problem but an imaginary one. The Central Bank of Kosovo has taken all the necessary steps so that payments in Euros reach the accounts of beneficiaries,” he argued.

Kurti commemorates Serbia’s PM on 21st anniversary of assassination (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X today that “on this day, 21 years, Zoran Djindic [Serbian Prime Minister] was assassinated. This is the price he paid for having a pro-Western and pro-reform stance, which included Milosevic's going to The Hague. The threats to the lives of those who challenge authoritarian power still persist.”

Serbian Language Media

Containers were solution for Serbs to live, vote, receive medical treatment in and from now on for payments of wages and pensions (KoSSev)

Belgrade, Pristina, Washington and Brussels have found solution for the better lives of Serbs in Kosovo, after 20 years of negotiations – Serbs in containers – this is how journalist Branislav Krstic reacted following opening of Postal Saving Bank improvised branch offices near the crossing points of Jarinje, Brnjak, Konculj and Merdare.

As he said, “containers” are often used as a solution for the Serbs.

“Serbs vote in them, Serbs live in them, receive medical treatment in them, and as of today, there comes our happiness, they would get their wages and pensions in them”, Krstic wrote in a post on Facebook.

He said it is about “continuation of humiliation, degradation, discrimination and violation of collective rights of the Serbs”. “I wonder if soon you plan that Serbs go to get their food in containers?!? Or to allocate a container to each Serb and then (let them go) in convoy on tractors”, he added.

NGO Aktiv opens telephones lines for residents to get information and report problems with deposits and disbursals in dinars (Radio KIM)

Mitrovica North-based NGO Aktiv informed the public that two telephone lines have been opened for the purpose of reporting problems with deposits and payments in dinars for people residing in Kosovo.

“NGO Aktiv informs the public that two telephone lines have been opened for reporting issues with payments and deposits in dinars for citizens residing in Kosovo. In this way, we aim to document the problems citizens face in accessing earned wages, using dinar payment cards, pension checks, social allowances, levels of awareness, as well as the extent to which competent institutions have been able to respond to citizens' needs, including potential consequences on the economy in predominantly Serbian communities across Kosovo.

During working hours from 8 am to 4 pm, an NGO Aktiv officer will be available to record all reports. After 4 pm and before 8 am, you can send an SMS to notify us. We encourage citizens to report any issues related to this matter so that we can assess the extent of the problem and identify the obligations of institutions towards citizens”, reads the statement.

Telephone numbers to report those issues are: 0038166 9955305 and 00383 49 393974.

Viola von Cramon: Attacks orchestrated by bots of the Kurti's government (N1, KoSSev)

The rapporteur of the European Parliament for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, thanked the former Kosovo president, Atifeta Jahjaga, for her "clear words" about the organized lynching of civil society activists in Kosovo.

Von Cramon, retweeting Jahjaga's post on the X social network, said that she saw exactly that tone in "many young and influential people in Kosovo, with whom they built their society."

"I hope that these dirty, unjustified attacks orchestrated by some of the government's bots will be overcome soon," Von Cramon said, reported N1, citing KoSSev.

Previously, Jahjaga said that the organized lynching of civil society activists in Kosovo and friends of Kosovo through social networks is unacceptable.

She claims that this violates freedom of speech, but also, as she says, "the values we are committed to in order to build a society."

She added that the contribution of civil society in every phase of Kosovo's development "has been and will be irreplaceable".

"I demand that these attacks stop and that the institutions of Kosovo defend freedom of speech," Jahjaga emphasized.

Insults and accusations that she is a "Russian spy"

The announcement of the former Kosovo president was followed by numerous negative comments, primarily by those who defend the Kosovo authorities.

These comments are dominated by insults, as well as accusations about her as a "Russian spy". Almost without exception, the comments are negative with numerous accusations against her and the Serbs and Serbia.

Although the former Kosovo president in her post on the social network "X" did not specify what kind of "organized lynching" she was talking about, on the other hand, for days representatives of civil society, as well as public figures from other spheres of life in Kosovo, have been exposed to criticism of what they describe as "an organized army of bots", reported KoSSev.

The latest wave of criticism from apparently Albanian users of this network has been aimed at the adviser of the European Parliament's rapporteur for Kosovo, Djordje Bojovic, but also those from Pristina, as well as international officials who came to his defense.

Lucic: Telekom Srbija as the biggest company in Kosovo bothers Pristina (KiM radio, Tanjug, TV Prva)

The general director of Telekom Serbia, Vladimir Lucic, said today that Pristina is trying to shut down Telekom, because as the biggest company in Kosovo it bothers them , reported KiM radio, citing Tanjug.

Lucic said that now the situation in Kosovo is better regarding Telekom Serbia, but that Pristina periodically tries to put pressure on them.

"First, in August, they tried to disconnect us, then when they failed, they started harassing us and tried to charge us some big fine from the past, as well as take some cables from us. But with the help of the international community, we managed to reject that part as well. So now it works stably. However, we are always on our guard, because it usually happens that when we manage to prevent one pressure, Kurti's administration comes up with something else," Lucic told TV Prva. He added that now they are successfully fighting to survive and work without problems, cited KiM radio.

Raska-Prizren Diocese: Caring for our sanctuaries is not an act of hatred but a civilizational duty and a matter of religious freedom (media, social media)

Raska-Prizren Diocese reacting to yet another attack on the Diocese in Kosovo media issued the following statement - “On the Telegrafi portal, Bekë Berisha, a member of the Kosovo Parliament and chairman of the defense and security committee, made unfounded and severe accusations against the Serbian Orthodox Church regarding the recent visit by Bishop Teodosije and his clergy to the archaeological site of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin of Hvostan near Istok on March 4th this year. Immediately following the visit, this site was vandalized by unidentified individuals who damaged the fence around the Monastery compound”, Serbian media reported.

“(…) Regarding Bishop Teodosije’s visit, it is crucial to emphasize that the visit was organized in coordination with representatives from the EULEX international mission and the Kosovo police due to previous illegal activities at this location. The Holy Virgin of Hvosno site is listed under this name in the Law on Special Protected Zones adopted by the Kosovo Parliament, which stipulates that no activities or work can occur in Special protected zones without the consent of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Council for the Implementation of Protected Zones (IMC). Unfortunately, Kosovo authorities often disregard this law”.

“Given that Mr. Berisha apparently is not familiar with Kosovo's law, despite being a member of the Parliament, he should be reminded that the law was enacted to protect Serbian Orthodox Church sites in Kosovo, which have been repeatedly attacked and desecrated over the years. As a result, 45 locations were designated as special protected zones, additionally including the Serb village of Velika Hoča and the historical part of Prizren city, home to several medieval Serbian Orthodox churches”.

Read the full statement at: rb.gy/9wqemm

Djuric after photo with Radoicic: I’m in contact with Serbian representatives, I still like to meet with them (KoSSev)

“I would have been disappointed if a negative campaign was not launched on the occasion of my recent return. Even if it’s pretty pitiable“, the Serbian Ambassador to the United States, Marko Djuric, commented after a photo of him with Milan Radoicic was published on Twitter by “RKS News”, KoSSev portal reported.

The photo was then shared on other social networks. It shows Djuric and Radoicic sitting alone at a table in a restaurant.

When the photograph showing the Serbian Ambassador to the US and the former vice-president of Serbian List, against whom this country introduced sanctions for corruption and who is most likely now wanted by INTERPOL, was taken remains unknown, the portal added.

International

Expanded Institutionalism: North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atic (Prishtina Insight)

The Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, told Kallxo Përnime show that he has implemented institutionalism in a municipality where, according to him, previous local governance institutions have “used segregating politics”.

Having served as mayor of the northern Kosovo Serb-majority municipality of North Mitrovica for almost a year, Erden Atic states that he has reformed the municipality’s institutions and halted unauthorised construction projects.

“One of the best things I have done is expanding institutionalism in the municipality, starting with state symbols. We have tried to make some capital investments and cooperate with the Serbian community,” Atic told the Kallxo Përnime Show on March 8, 2024.

Enough residents of North Mitrovica have signed a petition for the dismissal of Atic, paving the way for potential upcoming new local elections. Atic emphasised that previous mayors “have operated more as administrative offices and not as institutions of the Republic of Kosovo”.

Atic took office after the controversial local elections in April 2023. He stated on the March 8 broadcast that as mayor he has had to adopt “security protocols almost like the Prime Minister and President and have to operate in the field with close protection and armoured vehicles”.

“In late June 2023, the Municipality building was attacked with a military grenade,” Atic further stated.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/rwE49 Photo of Serbia’s Ambassador to the US with Kosovo Serb Kingpin Radoicic Draws Reactions (Prishtina Insight)

A photo that circulated online over the weekend of Serbia’s Ambassador to the US, Marko Djuric with Kosovo Serb kingpin Milan Radoicic, blacklisted by the US and wanted by INTERPOL for the attack against Kosovo police in Banjska in September 2023, stirred reactions.

Over the weekend, a photo surfaced on social media showing controversial Kosovo Serb businessman Milan Radoicic with Serbia’s Ambassador to the US, Marko Djuric.

Djuric, former head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo, called the reactions to the photo a negative campaign against him. Djuric claims that he never hid his public contacts related to his job, and that he met with Kosovo Serbs regularly as well as with Albanian leaders “charged with indescribable war crimes against my people before domestic and international courts”.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/cjmCK Religious And Social Conservatives In Kosovo Block Controversial IVF Bill (RFE)

Placard in hand on the front steps of Kosovo's national assembly here late last month, Blende Asllani and her fellow activists wanted to send a clear message.

"Secular state, where?" one of the signs read, signaling the demonstrators' fear that public policy is falling prey to outsized religious influence in the Balkans' newest state. "Does IVF in private hospitals destroy the family?" read another at the February 29 protest in front of Kosovo's parliament, organized by the We March, We Don't Celebrate collective and joined by other groups.

The protest was part of an emerging legislative and regulatory battle over in vitro fertilization (IVF) -- a medical procedure where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body, typically in a laboratory dish -- and other fertility treatments in Kosovo, a male-dominated, mostly Muslim country of around 2.2 million people.

The argument in Kosovo has been simmering on and off since a proposed law on reproductive health began making the rounds in March 2023. In the draft bill , women are granted access to IVF treatment regardless of whether they are single, in a same-sex or any other type of relationship.

But a smattering of lawmakers, including those from Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling Self-Determination party, are leading opposition to the bill in its current form. They want IVF and other assisted pregnancies restricted to couples in order to safeguard the institutions of marriage and family. They say they fear "accidental incest" -- where people who were conceived with the assistance of sperm or egg donors unintentionally enter into sexual relationships with their biological relatives -- and have argued that children conceived outside the womb should have the right to know their father.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bdd77v8c Concerns Grow over AI-Generated Abusive Content among Children (Balkan Insight)

Children using AI to generate pornographic imagery and mock their school friends is a growing concern in the region. Authorities say they have few such cases, but NGOs warn the phenomenon is widespread and must be addressed in law.

In February, Serbia’s public broadcaster reported that an unspecified number of 13-year-old boys were suspected of using AI apps to create nude images of their female classmates and teachers at a Belgrade school and then shared them in chat groups. Parents and teachers were outraged, but, according to a BIRN investigation, the case is just one among many across the region.

A simple Google search turns up dozens of free apps offering users the ability to ‘undress any girl for free’ or ‘remove clothes simply and fast’.

Aimojo.pro, which analyses AI tools, has identified more than 30 undress AI tools, many of them free to use. The apps offer customisable options, including age, body type, and personalisation of AI companions, enabling the creation of AI girlfriends and explicit content via deep learning algorithms to digitally remove clothing. Some are free if used within the chat app Telegram, which is frequently used for the sharing of inappropriate content in secret channels.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/lprvK Secret Trade: Serbia Hides Arms Exports to Israel after Hamas Attack (BIRN)

BIRN has found out that Serbia has made at least two major arms or ammunition shipments to Israel since the October 2023 Hamas attack, despite a veil of secrecy covering the deals.

Serbia’s Ministry for Trade denied BIRN’s Freedom of Information Act request about arms export to Israel from the period of October 2023 until February 26, 2024, calling the data “strictly confidential”.

“In regards with the asked information, we inform you that [it] carries markings of a certain degree of secrecy, in accordance with the Law on Data Secrecy,” the ministry responded.

“The aforementioned decision stipulates that the secret data of the ministry is ‘data of interest to the Republic of Serbia, i.e. data of interest for the work and performance of work under the jurisdiction of the ministry established by law’,” it added.

“That secret data means ‘information, documents, their reproductions, i.e. copies and materials containing classified information, regardless of the form or medium on which they are recorded or stored, as well as systems, devices, projects, plans, objects, assets, structures and businesses related to classified data.”

The ministry said delivering such data would also involve disclosing data considered a “business secret”.

Humanitarian/Development

In Sickness, Ethnic Barriers in Kosovo Often Fall (Balkan Insight)

In Kosovo, Serb doctors treat Albanians, and Albanian doctors treat Serbs, suggesting that mutual trust, after all, is not completely lost.

Paediatrician Milorad Todorovic considers it a blessing to have been born in an area of eastern Kosovo where Serbs and Albanians of his generation grew up speaking each other’s language.

Today, it means he has a steady flow of Albanians coming through his private paediatrics clinic in the town of Gjilan/Gnjilane, where Albanians are the majority.

Under Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, political tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have recently been running high over a string of issues left unresolved since Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and Serbia refused to recognise it.

Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, on the whole, lead largely parallel lives, abetted by years of parallel public institutions in Serb areas funded by the Serbian state, including health services.

But when it comes to treating sickness, in many cases the barriers fall.

“The nephews of my Albanian teachers are now my little patients,” said 63-year-old Todorovic. “Anyone who needs care and who respects the rules is treated here, including Albanian children. I cannot change reality or cure frustrations; my job is to focus on the health of children.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3cxbw86n