Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani and Orav discuss consultative meeting with party leaders (media) 
• Osmani received EU Election Observation Mission report on 2025 parliamentary elections (media)
• Balje: Will listen if Osmani has proposals to get out of crisis (Indeksonline) 
• Ombudsperson: Specialist Court is not guaranteeing a fair trial (AP)
• Haxhiu on extradition of Kosovar to US: Concrete proof of rule of law (Koha)
• Terras on Costa meeting Vucic: EU can't allow these diplomatic failures (media)
• Rohde: Cancellation of Trendafilova's conference raises major concerns (media)
• GLPS: Failure to establish institutions cost Kosovo non-membership in CoE (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Djuric: Kosovo is not and will not become CoE member (Tanjug)
• Mistrust of Serbs in Kosovo (Danas, FoNet)
• Workers of Ibar Vodovod company told to leave premises, take their personal belongings (KoSSev, media)
• Trial of four Serbs accused of alleged involvement in attack on Municipal Election Office continues (Kosovo Online, media)
• Lawyers on trial of four Serbs, presentation of new evidence (media)
• KP raided the Institution for Sports, Youth and Specialized Services in North Mitrovica (Kosovo Online)
• Rohde on cancellation of Trendafilova’s press conference following pressure from KLA veterans (Kosovo Online, social media)
• What is attitude of new pope about Stepinac and Kosovo: "Politics do not change so quickly" (KoSSev, Beta, RTS, Danas)
• Serbian high-schoolers to EP: “Break the silence, stand by Serbian youth who have risen in fight for European values” (N1)

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani and Orav discuss consultative meeting with party leaders (media) 

The Office of the Kosovo Presidency announced that President Vjosa Osmani received today the head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Avio Orav. They discussed holding of the consultative meeting with political party leaders, which will be held on Thursday from 15:00 hours, after the 15^th failure to constitute the Assembly.

The visits that were assessed as important by senior EU leaders to Kosovo were also discussed, “including today’s visit of the President of the EU Council, Antonio Costa, as a strong signal of the EU’s support for Kosovo’s European integration.” 

Osmani received EU Election Observation Mission report on 2025 parliamentary elections (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani received today the head of the European Union Election Observation Mission, MEP Nathalie Loiseau, who submitted the final report of this mission regarding the 2025 parliamentary elections.

According to the announcement of the presidency, Osmani emphasized that the presence of this mission, at her request, proves Kosovo’s commitment to transparency, accountability, the rule of law and the fulfillment of the highest democratic standards.

"President Osmani stressed that the 2025 parliamentary elections were a testament to the political and civic maturity in Kosovo, emphasizing that this electoral process, which was conducted in a calm and orderly manner, confirmed that democracy in Kosovo is alive, stable and in continuous progress," the announcement says.

Among other things, the Head of the Election Observation Mission congratulated Osmani on the commitment of Kosovo to the protection of democratic values ​​and the peaceful organization of the elections. She appreciated the maturity shown by the people of Kosovo, as well as the full cooperation offered to the observation mission.

They also discussed the report’s recommendations for further improving the democratic process.

Balje: Will listen if Osmani has proposals to get out of crisis (Indeksonline) 

MP from the Bosniak community, Duda Balje, told the news website that she will attend a meeting called by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani to break the deadlock in the Assembly. “Yes, the President has invited us at 16:00. We will not be together with the Albanian political parties. There is a separate invitation for non-majority communities. We will talk about the possibilities of moving forward. We have to see what decisions will be made … I will go there tomorrow to listen to the President if she has any proposals to get out of the crisis. And then we will decide together with the parties,” she said.

Ombudsperson: Specialist Court is not guaranteeing a fair trial (AP)

Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj met today with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers President Ekaterina Trendafilova and expressed a series of concerns about the trial of leaders of the former Kosovo Liberation Army in the Hague. He criticized the manner of collection of evidence in the proceedings, “especially when it comes to evidence secured from the Republic of Serbia – a state that has had a hostile position against the Kosovo Liberation Army and whose part the defendants were”.

Qelaj argued that the way the Specialist Court is functioning has created a situation which raises doubts about the independence of the courts that function in this mechanism. 

Qelaj commented on the surveillance of conversations and visits to the defendants in detention. “We consider that although these measures may be allowed by law, they violate the principle of privacy, family lives and can negatively impact an effective defense, if these surveillance measures happen also in relation with the defense team of the defendants,” he said.

Qelaj also expressed concern about the duration of the detentions. “The duration of the detentions and the lack of replacing it with alternative measures creates the impression that the Court does not trust the Kosovo institutions that they can guarantee the respect of conditions and an unobstructed process,” he argued.

Haxhiu on extradition of Kosovar to US: Concrete proof of rule of law (Koha)

Kosovo’s acting Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said the extradition of a person from Kosovo to the United States suspected of cyber crimes is concrete proof of Kosovo’s unwavering commitment for rule of law without exception or compromise. “This act is a major step toward building trust in justice and strengthening international cooperation with the United States of America. This is a result of the steps we are taking to prove that Kosovo is a country where crime has no shelter,” Haxhiu said in a Facebook post.

Terras on Costa meeting Vucic: EU can't allow these diplomatic failures (media)

European Parliament’s Rapporteur Riho Terras has criticized the European Council President Antonio Costa for meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “Despite the opposition of MEPs from 14 different Member States, European Council President Costa still decided to meet Kremlin’s best buddy President Vucic. The EU cant allow these kinds of diplomatic failures!” Terras said in a post on X.

Rohde: Cancellation of Trendafilova's conference raises major concerns (media)

Germany’s Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde, through a post on the social network "Blue Sky", said that the cancellation of the conference of the head of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Ekaterina Trendafilova raises "major concerns".

“The Kosovo Specialist Chambers are part of Kosovo’s legal system and informing the public is a core pillar of its mandate. The cancellation of the press conference following pressure from KLA veterans raises serious concerns,” Rohde said. He stressed that the authorities must ensure that the court can carry out its work without hindrance.

GLPS: Failure to establish institutions cost Kosovo non-membership in CoE (media)

In a reaction on Wednesday, the Group for Legal Political Studies (GLPS) in Pristina said that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe met in Luxembourg for its annual meeting but Kosovo’s application for membership was not discussed, adding that this situation came about “as a result of the incompetence of parliamentary political forces.”

“This situation is, among other things, a result of the inability of parliamentary political forces to compromise on the formation of a stable legislature and government after the elections of February 9 this year,” the reaction states. This organization added that the failure to constitute the Assembly is costing Kosovo its aspirations for integration. It said that failure to process the application could lead to the vote being postponed to May 2026.

The GLPS also mentioned the possibility of Russia’s membership in the Council of Europe, saying that this would make Kosovo’s membership impossible.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric: Kosovo is not and will not become CoE member (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said on Wednesday Pristina's application for Council of Europe (CoE) membership was not on the agenda of a CoE Committee of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Tanjug news agency reported. "The most important news for all citizens is that, today, Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia's southern province, is not and will not become a Council of Europe member", Djuric said.

He added it was important Quint states had not backed the inclusion of Pristina's application in the agenda, and noted that diplomatic activities by Serbia - above all, top-level activities by President Aleksandar Vucic in discussions with European leaders - had also prevented Kosovo from becoming a CoE member last year.

"In an address to the Committee of Ministers, I warned of the fact that, as we mark the anniversaries of both the UN Charter and the Council of Europe, we must not forget that, 22 years ago, Serbia was admitted to the Council of Europe in its borders as a democratic state. We are a country that firmly stands by the principles of international law, and we advocate democratic principles, rather than ethnocratic and ethnonationalist principles", Djuric said.

Mistrust of Serbs in Kosovo (Danas, FoNet, social media)

Distrust, insecurity and a sense of abandonment dominate the attitudes of Serbs in Kosovo, according to the results of the "Trend Analysis 2024", presented by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Aktiv in Belgrade, reported Danas. The survey, conducted between June and December last year, mapped the views of the Serbian community on the political, security, economic and social situation in Kosovo, in one of the most politically unstable periods in recent years, NGO Aktiv announced.

Among other things, the results showed that as many as 91.2 percent of respondents believe that the situation in Kosovo is developing in the wrong direction, while only ten percent believe that life will be better for Serbs in the next three years.

More than half of those surveyed - 57.9 percent cited political instability as a key challenge, 72 percent do not trust any political party or actor, while 86.9 percent did not want to name any leader that they trust who represents the interests of Serbs.

In terms of institutional trust, KFOR (2.55), Government of Serbia (2.49), Office for Kosovo and Metohija (2.33) and OSCE (2.31) were rated the best, while the Government of Kosovo, Serbian ministers and deputies in Kosovo institutions received the lowest ratings.

According to the NGO Aktiv, people believe that their expectations have been systematically betrayed and that political actors, both from Belgrade and Pristina, have not shown enough responsibility towards their own community.

When it comes to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, skepticism dominates, where almost half believe that the dialogue will not bring any changes, 31.4 percent believe that it will worsen the situation, and only 19.9 percent see the possibility of a positive outcome.

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

Workers of Ibar Vodovod company told to leave premises, take their personal belongings (KoSSev)

Workers of a public utility company Ibar Vodovod functioning in the Serbian system in Mitrovica North were told this morning to leave the premises, which they did so, KoSSev portal reported. 

The Ibar Vodovod company, functioning in the Serbian system was taken over yesterday by the Regional Directorate of Mitrovica Water Company from the south, assisted by Kosovo police. This morning officials of this company from the south and their director Bashkim Kurti entered the premises of Ibar Vodovod company.

Kosovo police were again present. In addition to Kosovo police there were Italian Carabinieri also present in front of the building. Director of the company in the Serbian system Zoran Vucinic was present in the building this morning, as were members of Kosovo police, while employees gathered in front of the management building. They told KoSSev portal they were ordered by Mitrovica director Bashkim Kurti not only to leave the premises but also take away their personal belongings.

They also said it remains unknown if they would return to their working places. In addition to the offices, workshops were closed as well. Director of the company in the Serbian system, Zoran Vucinic upon exiting the building joined his workers, but did not give statements. Asked what happened inside, he kindly asked not to give a statement as he can’t do it.

After the  workers took away their personal belongings, the lock on the entry door had been changed, the portal added. 

Trial of four Serbs accused of alleged involvement in attack on Municipal Election Office continues (Kosovo Online, media)

The trial of four Serbs, Milun Milenkovic, Dejan Pantic, Aleksandar Vlajic and Momir Vakic over alleged involvement in the attack on Municipal Election Office in Mitrovica North, continued today at the Basic Court in Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reported. The prosecution accuses them of “carrying out a terrorist act”.

The prosecutor in the case, Bekim Kodraliu submitted as evidence the jacket Dejan Pantic wore on the day of his arrest, claiming that the same jackets were worn by members of “Northern Brigade” and “Civilian Protection”. According to the prosecutor “material evidence demonstrates that Pantic had a significant role in his organization, and also in events when an attack on Municipal Election premises were carried out”. He also submitted a Kosovo Government decision to declare these two organizations “as terrorist organizations”. 

The judge assessed that the dark grey jacket in question was produced by a Waikiki company.

Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic said the jacket in question had no markings at all, it was an ordinary jacket and anybody could buy it. “In no way can the prosecutor prove claims from indictment with this material evidence”, he argued.

Another lawyer, Predrag Miljkovic said the decision of Kosovo Government to declare “Civilian Protection” and “Northern Brigade” as “terrorist organizations” came into force six months after the attack on the Municipal Election Office took place. “We dispute this decision as part of the process. This is the fifth or sixth time that the prosecutor submits as evidence in a main hearing something he knew about before the hearing process started”, Miljkovic said.

Panotovic also objected to the evidence and proposed the court not to accept it as material evidence. “In all photos by which the prosecution wants to prove that persons on those photos had uniforms same as Pantic allegedly have, you can see that all persons wear different jackets. This evidence refutes claims of prosecution that Dejan Pantic is guilty of what he is accused for”, Pantovic said.

During the protest of local Serbs in Mitrovica North in front of the Municipal Election Office, on December 6, 2022, two bombs and two stun grenades were thrown. No one was injured in this incident. Milun Milenkovic and Aleksandar Vlajic are in detention, while Dejan Pantic and Momir Vakic are free pending trial.

Lawyers on trial of four Serbs, presentation of new evidence (media)

Following presentations of material evidence today in a trial of four Serbs over their alleged involvement in the attack on Municipal Election Office in Mitrovica North on December 6, 2022, defense lawyers of those accused Ljubomir Pantovic and Predrag Miljkovic said prosecution “was inventing new evidence” and that indictment has been refuted, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Ljubomir Pantovic, defense lawyer of Dejan Pantic said prosecution is doing all it can only to “fabricate and invent evidence against defendants”. Take the example of this jacket, presented as evidence, he added.

“An ordinary jacket, which my client bought in a shop, prosecution wants to depict as a military, paramilitary jacket, a jacket of Civil Protection from Mitrovica North, and it is absolutely not true (…)”, Pantovic said. “(…) the prosecutor has an indictment which has been refuted and dismantled, and he is now attempting to save it, but I want to believe he will not succeed so, in relation to all four defendants”, Pantovic said. He added that the prosecutor was bringing in new evidence, which represented violation of the law, as this evidence should have been submitted to defense while indictment was raised.

Lawyer Predrag Miljkovic said this was the fifth or sixth case of prosecution presenting new evidence, although the proceeding is nearing its end. He also accused the prosecution of wanting to support the indictment in all possible ways.

“You saw it today. The terrorism got narrowed down to a simple Waikiki jacket (…)”, Miljkovic said, adding that “entire story on terrorism, with all strong wording, came down to that jacket, which, as the prosecutor said, is even water-resistant”.  

KP raided the Institution for Sports, Youth and Specialized Services in North Mitrovica (Kosovo Online)

Several plainclothes police inspectors entered the building in which the Sports, Youth and Specialized Services Institution in North Mitrovica, which is in the Serbian system. According to Kosovo Online it happened around 1:00 p.m.

There are currently inspectors in the building who have demanded that the workers come and remove their personal belongings from the building, reported Kosovo Online. 

The Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North region, Veton Elshani, said that the police are providing assistance to the officials of the Municipality of North Mitrovica to, as he said, recover their property.

Rohde on cancellation of Trendafilova’s press conference following pressure from KLA veterans (Kosovo Online, social media)

“The Kosovo Specialist Chambers are part of the Kosovar legal system & informing the public is an essential pillar of its mandate. The press conference's cancellation after pressure from KLA veterans raises grave concerns. Authorities must ensure that the court can execute its work unhindered”, German Ambassador in Pristina, Jorn Rohde wrote in a post on Bluesky social network.

The press conference of Kosovo Specialist Chamber President Ekaterina Trendafilova who is visiting Kosovo was cancelled in Pristina yesterday “in the interest of public safety”, as her spokesperson Angelika Griep said, following the protest of KLA veterans who discharged smoke bombs in front of a hotel where press conference was supposed to take place.

Kosovo police blocked the entrance to Sheraton hotel, while those gathered chanted “KLA, KLA”. 

What is attitude of new pope about Stepinac and Kosovo: "Politics do not change so quickly" (KoSSev, Beta, RTS, Danas)

This morning, the Archbishop of Belgrade, Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, speaking about the Vatican's position on the rejection of the canonization of the former Zagreb Archbishop and Cardinal Alojzij Stepinac (1898-1960) and the issue of Kosovo in the context of the election of the new Pope Leo XIV, said that "politics do not change so quickly", reported KoSSev, citing BETA news agency. 

"Politics don't change that quickly, that's one thing. If you know the Vatican and the Catholic Church, who always say that we have time, since we believe in eternity - views don't change, especially political ones", Nemet told RTS. 

According to Cardinal Nemet, the issue of Cardinal Stepinac, vicar general of the army in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during the Second World War, certainly enters into semi-political topics, stating that it is a church problem, but even more so a Croatian-Serbian problem.

"We live in the shadow of that problem, but it is not the most important for us. I still suggest - let the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Croatia solve it, and the pope, regardless of who is there, will accept that solution", said Nemet.

When it comes to Kosovo, he said that things are not changing there either and that it is known exactly what the conditions are for that.

"It's not like it will change from one day to the next. We need a new law on religious freedom and the rights of religious communities to be respected. That's still somehow missing," said the Belgrade archbishop.

What are the possibilities for the Pope to visit Serbia?

Asked whether a visit of the new pope to Serbia can be expected, Nemet said that Leo XIV said in a conversation with him "just things to calm down a bit" regarding his election, and there would be time to discuss everything.

He stated that he knew the new pope from before, that they had both personal and business relations, when he became responsible for all the bishops in the world, and that they maintained regular contacts.

"I can say we know each other, I can't say we're friends, because it's a different relationship, there's no time for that. I think it's a good thing for us and our environment that the pope is a man who is not burdened by history. Americans are not burdened by our problems and petty quarrels in these areas, and I think his openness to peace, cooperation and dialogue will be good for us as well," Nemet said.

Serbian high-schoolers to EP: “Break the silence, stand by Serbian youth who have risen in fight for European values” (N1)

A letter from Serbian high school students was delivered to the EP in Brussels, urging European Union institutions to “break the silence and stand by the Serbian youth who have risen in the fight for shared European values.”

The letter was presented to the European Parliament on behalf of Serbian high school students by Nikola Matic, a student from the First Belgrade Grammar School, who helped organize the students’ ultramarathon to Brussels. Among the runners was Maja, also a student from the First Belgrade Grammar School, whose schoolmates surprised her with a warm welcome in Brussels.

First Belgrade Grammar School students have vowed to maintain their school blockade until Maja and Nikola return to Serbia.

Read the full text of the letter from Serbia’s high school students to the European Parliament at: 

https://shorturl.at/oRIbf