UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 10, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Opposition leaves assembly session after request for debate denied (media)
Kusari-Lila reacts to published audio: No hybrid war can bring us down (media)
Kurti: Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, a priority (RTK)
Haradinaj accuses Kurti: Kosovo is being led by Serbia’s spy (media)
Osmani meets Slovenian counterpart, talk furthering alliance (media)
Hargreaves: Kosovo takes important step to address money laundering (media)
Osmani: Freedom and democracy will always triumph (media)
Kurti meets activists and citizens from Sandjak (media)
Outgoing COMKFOR Ulutas holds farewell meeting with Svecla (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Kasanof: Jadar project a huge potential for Serbia; progress in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue necessary (Kurir)
Vucic: We will sign major energy agreement with US next Wednesday (Tanjug, RTS)
Protest because of Arsenijevic’s arrest in front of police station in Mitrovica North (Radio KIM, KoSSev, Kosovo Online)
Lawyer: Arsenijevic detained based on order of prosecutor, but also reports from Visar Syla (KoSSev, Radio KIM)
Yet another recording of alleged conversation between Kusari and Radoicic – ‘Help me so I will help you’ (KoSSev)
Petkovic reacts to Rohde’s statement on CSM (Kosovo Online, social media)

Opinion:

Another Kurti’s victory: How did he get applause for escalation? (Alternativna.com)

International:

Kosovo gains regional free trade representation following Serbian goods’ ban removal (Prishtina Insight)
President Erdoğan to try to de-escalate Serbia-Kosovo tensions in tour (Daily Sabah)
Kosovo’s secret lobbying contracts a growing concern (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Opposition leaves assembly session after request for debate denied (media)

All news websites report that opposition MPs left today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly after their request for a debate about the publication of an alleged conversation between Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief Mimoza Kusari-Lila and former Serbian List deputy leader Milan Radoicic was not adopted. 50 MPs voted against the initiative and 34 MPs voted in favor of holding the debate, after which opposition MPs left the assembly hall in protest.

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, said in his address to the session that the PDK will not cooperate with Vetevendosje or vote in favor of any international agreement until Kusari-Lila is head of the VV parliamentary group. “We won’t cooperate, we won’t vote in favor of any international agreement or other matters until you have at the head of the [parliamentary] group a person that has contaminated this Assembly,” he argued.

Kusari-Lila reacts to published audio: No hybrid war can bring us down (media)

Head of the Vetevendosje Movement parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, took to Facebook on Wednesday to react to an audio recording published by Paparaci news website, in which she is claimed to be talking to former Serbian List deputy leader Milan Radoicic. Kusari-Lila said in her reaction: “they are trying to be his [referring to Radoicic] lawyer and servant. They are protecting Radoicic with soundbites and framed conversations with former MP Slavko Simic, the last conversation in June 2022, after which he was taken out of my office. It is clear that they have a great concern as they are making permutations of the same conversation for the fifth time. This time on the day of the court proceeding about the terrorist attack in Banjska. But it is futile. They will get the response on February 9. Radoicic and all his allies and supporters were defeated and will never again be able to return to Kosovo, unless with handcuffs. Those who are missing him, must get used to living without him. There is no hybrid war that can bring us down”.

Kusari-Lila told a press conference today that the published audio recordings were framed and that she reported the case to the police and the prosecution. “This is a manipulation and a framing that aims to question my integrity and personality … I had no communication with the Serbian List about the law on the minimum wage. The audio recordings which were published yesterday are framed and I went to see the Kosovo Police and the prosecution about this, and the case will continue. This will be added to the case from last year when I filed criminal charges against former MP Slavko Simic,” she said.

Kusari-Lila also said that she spoke only once with Radoicic and in Albanian, “when he was at large, it is true, when he [Simic] insisted to turn on the speaker phone, the idea was for a guarantee that there will be no more trouble in the north. And then there was no follow up. After a week, he [Simic] brought a threatening letter and that is when all communication with the Serbian List was cut off”.

Kurti: Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, a priority (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met today with the chairman of the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Sasa Magazinovic, thanking him for his continuous support for Kosovo’s membership in the organization. Kurti said membership in the Council of Europe remains a priority and that it would provide an additional framework and guarantee for the protection of minority rights.

“Kosovo remains maximally committed to regional cooperation and the path of countries of the region toward the European Union,” Kurti said.

Haradinaj accuses Kurti: Kosovo is being led by Serbia’s spy (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj in a statement to the media today accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of being “Serbia’s man”. Commenting on the publication of an alleged conversation between Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief Mimoza Kusari-Lila and former Serbian List deputy leader Milan Radoicic, Haradinaj said: “there were agreements for governance, for power, and for many other things in the past, but this if the first time in the history of Kosovo’s existence that Albin Kurti united the votes of Albanians with the Serbian List and against the Kosovo Liberation Army. It was also confirmed that for this vote they agreed behind Kosovo’s back. This shows that Kosovo is being led by Serbia’s man, Serbia’s spy”.

Osmani meets Slovenian counterpart, talk furthering alliance (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met in Dubrovnik with her Slovenian counterpart, Natasa Pirc Musar. “Kosovo and Slovenia have stood by side for years, encouraged by shared values. With President Pirc-Musar we talked about our mutual commitment to further strengthen and advance our alliances,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post.

Hargreaves: Kosovo takes important step to address money laundering (media)

UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, said in a Facebook post today that “money laundering is a serious threat to Kosovo’s economy, enabling corruption and undermining growth”. He also said that “today, Kosovo has taken an important step to address this threat with the launch of its Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Network (JMLINK), modeled after the UK’s Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT). Supported by the British Embassy’s Anti-Money Laundering project, JMLINK will bring together law enforcement, regulators, and the financial sector to share intelligence, disrupt criminal networks, and protect Kosovo’s economy from those who seek to undermine it”.

Osmani: Freedom and democracy will always triumph (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a Facebook post today that in her address at the Ukraine-South-East Europe Summit in Dubrovnik, Croatia, she reiterated that lessons from the past remind us that accommodating the aggressor never brings sustainable peace. “The aggressor must never be rewarded with the land of the victim. The same way they failed in Kosovo, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the barbaric forces will fail in Ukraine too. Freedom and democracy will always triumph,” she said.

Osmani also said that Kosovo’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine “is deeply rooted in the painful experience of our people. This is why we continue to support the right of the Ukrainian people for freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Kurti meets activists and citizens from Sandjak (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Wednesday in Pristina with activists and citizens from Sandjak, including Amina Nuraj, an activist of the Albanian national issue in Sandjak. A press release issued by the government notes that “Prime Minister Kurti expressed his welcome and pleasure to welcome them to the government. He got to know closely the life and activity of each participant and the difficulties they face due to the lack of democracy in Serbia and the regime there. Ms. Nuraj spoke about the position of Albanians in Serbia and especially in Sanjak, addressing the challenges, threats and daily oppression of the Serbian state apparatus against them, which violates the rights of Albanians there. Prime Minister Kurti expressed his full and unreserved support for the Albanians of Sanxhak, their causes and efforts in the path of protecting their human rights and freedoms”.

Outgoing COMKFOR Ulutas holds farewell meeting with Svecla (media)

Outgoing commander of NATO’s peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, Major General Ozkan Ulutas paid a farewell visit to Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, today. “Major General Ulutas expressed his gratitude for the strong cooperation and dialogue held, in support to KFOR’s efforts. Major General Enrico Barduani from Italy will assume command of the mission, on 11 October 2024,” the post notes.

Serbian Language Media

Kasanof: Jadar project a huge potential for Serbia; progress in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue necessary (Kurir)

In his first interview with the Serbian media, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the United States of America for the Western Balkans, Alexander Kasanof spoke to Kurir television in the morning program about relations between Serbia and America, Kosovo, but also about the Middle East and Ukraine and the elections in America.

The conversation took place in the "Svetozar Markovic" University Library, which was built almost 100 years ago thanks to the initiative of the Serbian scientist Mihajlo Pupin and the money of the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

- First of all, I am pleased to be here and to have the opportunity to talk. In Washington, we see a unique opportunity before the entire region of the Western Balkans, this is an opportunity for further integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures, and especially with the EU, this is an opportunity for Serbia and for its neighbors, and we believe that it is extremely important to take advantage of this opportunity because it offers the prospect of many things for the people of the region, but also great economic opportunities, as well as stronger democracy and various freedoms that are extremely important. Most importantly, we believe that it offers a unique opportunity to forget the past, the wars of the nineties and nationalism and all that it did in this region. This is a great time to take advantage of this opportunity, the reform agenda, which is in front of all countries, including Serbia, and to move forward on the path of European integration - said Kasanof at the very start.

Kasanof referred to further negotiations regarding the Pristina side, and the sanctions under which Albin Kurti is due to unilateral moves:

- I hope, precisely because we know that the situation is difficult, we have to continue working on it, to make progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. It is extremely important that we find a way to move forward in that dialogue so that we can progress towards peace, a sense of tranquility and normality between Kosovo and Serbia.

The two neuralgic points of the region are Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, so whether Kasanof sees the possibility of the conflict spilling over into our region:

- Unfortunately, history teaches us that conflicts can spill over even though we try to prevent them, however, this is part of the reason for my visit to this region, so I am talking to the governments in Sarajevo, Belgrade, and Pristina, which is my next stop. The goal is to work together, to prevent the possibility of conflict and to really take advantage of this moment, that is, to turn the page on the relationship from the bad episode of the past, and to prevent the conflict from spilling over.

At a time when almost all Western Europe is on the path to rapid energy diversification, Kasanof referred to the importance of Serbia also being on that path:

- That is very important, Serbia has done a great job in its energy sector and partly because of that, we signed an intergovernmental agreement on energy with Serbia a few weeks ago. We support the Serbian government's efforts to diversify its energy supply. I would like to mention, although it is not technically related to energy, that the lithium mine in Jadar offers a huge potential, not only for Serbia, but also for Europe.

Kasanof also spoke about presidential elections in the US and Ukraine.

Vucic: We will sign major energy agreement with US next Wednesday (Tanjug, RTS)

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia would sign a major energy agreement with the US next Wednesday.

"We will sign an extremely important energy agreement next week. Implementing that energy agreement will mean a lot for our country in the future, and secure what is important and what will be providing us with electricity literally for years, which is not easy in the modern world. The agreement will be signed on Wednesday," Vucic said at a press conference with Fernandez.

He thanked the US official for visiting Serbia.

"It is both an honor and a privilege for us, and an opportunity to discuss the most important, or one of the most important aspects of our relations with the US. We had a good, long, and substantial discussion," Vucic said.

Protest because of Arsenijevic’s arrest in front of police station in Mitrovica North (Radio KIM, KoSSev, Kosovo Online)

A large number of people gathered this morning in front of the police station in Mitrovica North to protest the arrest of Serbian Democracy leader Aleksandar Arsenijevic, Radio KIM reported.

Protest was joined by people from Pristina University with a seat in Mitrovica North and the hospital. Serbian List representatives Zlatan Elek, Dragisa Milovic, Ivan Zaporozac, Serbian Democracy members, Arsenijevic’s family and civil society activists were also present. They blow whistles in front of the police station.

The KoSSev portal reported that several hundred people gathered. They carry banners with messages “Is the EU concerned” and “Bravo EULEX, you taught them well”. The banners include the ones with Albin Kurti’s photo with a whistle protesting in Kosovo Assembly with a message “May they just keep doing things in order” and the other one with inscription “The judge, the jury and the executioner” in reference to Kurti. Protestors also carry a message “From your democracy, I turn blue” with photos of the Serbian boys wounded in a shooting incident on Christmas Eve near Strpce two years ago, and of a local Serb taxi driver wounded with firearms by Kosovo police at their check point at Bistrica bridge, in Zvecan municipality.

Members of the Serbian Democracy handed over to Kosovo police threats they received on social media, demanding those threats be dealt with by police. They also placed in front of the police station printed photos of Kosovo police officers from social platforms showing nationalistic symbols, that of KLA and “Greater Albania”, as well as their comments. Serbian Democracy called upon police to deal with this, because such acts, as they said, provoke Serbian people but also “incite hatred”. “Instead of arresting us for whistles. This is that professional police, democratic one”, it was said.

Serbian Democracy vice-president Stefan Veljkovic told protestors this is a peaceful civic protest, aiming to express dissatisfaction over police repression in the north of Kosovo, and that this gathering is not only dedicated to Arsenijevic but also to all people who can find themselves in the same situation tomorrow. Veljkovic said they will not stop with protests, they will keep blowing the whistles and protest peacefully.

Arsenijevic’s mother Zorica said the arrest of her son was “an act of repression, because he peacefully and democratically protested and did not endanger anyone”. The protest ended with a walk to the main bridge at Ibar River and announcement to take place tomorrow as well unless Arsenijevic was released

Lawyer: Arsenijevic detained based on order of prosecutor, but also reports from Visar Syla (KoSSev, Radio KIM)

Leader of Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijevic was detained yesterday and sent to 48-hour detention because he blew the whistle to Mitrovica North mayor, Erden Atiq at the city’s promenade. Arsenijevic is currently staying at a detention unit in Mitrovica South.

He would appear at the court today or tomorrow, his lawyer Jelena Krivokapic told KoSSev portal. She said the detention came following the report for alleged harassment, filed by Visar Syla, municipal official who was in the company of Atiq, when Arsenijevic blew the whistle, to once again express political protest. In expressing the protest Arsenijevic was joined by members of his political party, and a number of people at Mitrovica promenade and the main city square.

Arsenijevic was arrested five times already for blowing the whistle, but would get released soon afterwards, with a fine issued to him. This time, the arrest was made based on the order of the prosecutor with accusations of alleged harassment and he has also been sent to 48-hour detention.

Civic activists and Serbian Democracy condemned the arrest, arguing that the right to protest had been violated, and that the arrest was ungrounded and politically motivated.

Krivokapic said she visited Arsenijevic yesterday and he is holding up well. “He is well, he is holding up well. He said he did not hope this would happen because he did nothing wrong. He said he kept the distance of 10 meters and in no way endangered anyone”, Krivokapic said, adding she did not expect either that Arsenijevic will be sent to 48-hour detention.

“I was appalled when I heard it. He gave an excellent statement. The protest is his right guaranteed by the Constitution, conventions. I do not know why they decided to detain him”, Krikokapic said.

She also said so far she did not receive any case file from prosecution, but she would have them once Arsenijevic goes to court. “They can take him to court today (Thursday) or postpone it for tomorrow (Friday), if they want to prolong, because 48-hours expire the day after tomorrow. I do not know what they will decide”, she said.

Arrest because of report from Visar Syla

Asked to comment on the statement of Kosovo police that Arsenijevic was arrested based on the order of prosecutor, Krivokapic said procedure is not violated but that however “they lacked any argument why it was done. Practically it comes down to ‘we got bored with you, let’s take you to prison’. Police acted professionally, but the thing is that they kept criticizing him, "you go around and blow the whistle, you bother people”. This goes beyond common sense, to speak in that way about the man who is involved in politics and protests”, she said.

She also said at least two reports filed by Visar Syla against Arsenijevic preceded the order of the prosecution. Syla is Atiq’s chief of cabinet.

“Visar Syla filed criminal reports against him. Probably the aim was that this comes from the same person, because Arsenijevic described him as someone deciding about everything, that mayor is not asked about anything. Arsenijevic also said he did not follow him (Syla)”, she said.

Krikokapic also said Arsenijevic clearly said he is protesting because the local authorities are “against Serbs”, adding the aim of his arrest is “to move him away from public life”.

Yet another recording of alleged conversation between Kusari and Radoicic – ‘Help me so I will help you’ (KoSSev)

Milan Radoicic did not want to become an obstacle for passing the Law on Minimum Wages and for appointing a candidate for Constitutional Court judge. He informed Mimoza Kusari-Lila about that. The intercepted conversation between Radoicic and Kusari-Lila proves the attempt of the Self-determination caucus chief to coordinate with de-facto head of the Serbian List, KoSSev portal reported today citing Pristina-based Paparaci.

It was the second week of June in 2022, the article further continues, and Mimoza Kusari-Lila was attempting to secure the votes to pass the Law on Minimum Wages in the Kosovo Assembly and she coordinated with the Serbian List for this reason as well.

In fact, she coordinated with the factual chief of this political party, Milan Radoicic, as the media said, proven by audio recording obtained by Paparaci. At the moment of communication, Kosovo authorities were looking for Radoicic and he was on the US blacklist. Radoicic had been fleeing Kosovo authorities since January 18, 2019 and was blacklisted by the US in December 2021.

The communication was made with mediation of Slavko Simic, Serbian List member. The moment the phone conversation started Simic informed Kusari-Lila that he arrived at Milan Radoicic and proposed that she speak directly with him.

“Hey colleague, I arrived at Milan, there he is so you can talk with him”, Simic tells Kusari Lila. “Hajde”, she responds.

“Hello compatriot, do we hear each other?”, Radoicic asks. “Yes, yes, I hear you”, she responds. “Great, how are you, are you working hard”, Radocic asks a Self-determination official. “There it is, I was in the Assembly, had some meetings, now I am free, going home”, she responds. Then conversation touches upon legislative agenda, precisely the Law on Minimum Wages and voting for the candidate for Constitutional Court judge.

At that time, the portal recalls, there was a process to appoint two judges of the Constitutional Court. The first vacancy for two judges failed in a session held on May 5, 2022, few weeks before the alleged conversation between two of them took place.

The vacancy was again opened in November of 2022. Enver Peci managed to obtain sufficient votes for being a judge at the Constitutional Court.

“Ok, ok. Look, Slavko told me that you need our votes for the law on minimum wages and for voting for the judge at Constitutional Court”, Radocic further claimed. “Yes”, she confirms. According to a media report, coordination about votes of Serbian List MPs then continues between Radoicic and Kusari-Lila. He expressed his readiness “to help with this” but with some requests for which he asks Kusari-Lila to talk to her boss.

“I see no obstacle in helping you with that, but we have some request that you should see with your bosses to help”, Radoicic then says. She did not decline Radoicic’s “offer”. “Let’s see it now”, she says. Before saying goodbye Radocic recommends Kusari-Lila to meet Slavko Simic on Monday. “Here it is, since that law (will be voted) on Tuesday, you will see Slavko on Monday, and we will certainly stay in touch, so I greet you now and pass it to Slavko”, Radoicic said.

After he gave the phone to Slavko Simic, Slavko confirms that he will meet with Kusari-Lila on Monday with the promise that they will “agree”. “Ok colleague, see you on Monday, to continue making an agreement”, Simic said. “See you on Monday”, Kusari-Lila responds.

The draft Law on Minimum Wages was in principle adopted at Kosovo Assembly on June 14, 2002, few days after this alleged conversation between Kusari-Lila and Radoicic took place. Despite the fact that the Serbian List voted for the law in the first reading, Self-determination announced it secured a sufficient number of votes for its adoption. LVV MP Armend Muja termed involvement of the Serbian List in voting for the law and presence of opposition MPS as “game of opposition”.

Petkovic reacts to Rohde’s statement on CSM (Kosovo Online, social media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said today statement of German Ambassador in Pristina, Jorn Rohde that Pristina for admission to the Council of Europe would not have to establish Community of Serbian Municipalities, is a “culmination in making the dialogue and agreements in Brussels meaningless”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“Statement by Jörn Rohde that PR will not have to form the CSM to be admitted to the @coe is the culmination of making the Dialogue & agreements in Brussels meaningless. If Rohde intends to abolish the achievements of Dialogue and reward PR for deceptions, he should say so clearly”, Petkovic said in a post on X social platform.

“It is unbelievable that anyone in the EU political and diplomatic community considers at all admission of Pristina to the CoE, in a moment when Albin Kurti’s regime carries out an extensive legal, political and physical violence against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”, Petkovic added.

He also said “the imperative of respecting human rights and undertaken obligations must prevail over any short-term political interest”. “If opposite, then Europe by relativizing and neglecting the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, negates itself”.

Opinion

Another Kurti’s victory: How did he get applause for escalation? (Alternativna.com)

By Sanja Sovrilic, journalist

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was once again sent a message - "create a problem, then diminish it a bit and you will get rewarded for it." He was told so not only by the representatives of the most powerful Western countries in Kosovo, but also by the highest officials of Serbia.

The first truck with Serbian goods passed through Merdarr, after 16 months of prohibition, according to the non-existent decision of the Kosovo Government. In this name, congratulations are pouring from all over. The ambassadors of Germany and France were the first ones to react, joined by the US ambassador in Kosovo, as well as the EU Office. Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic also welcomed this decision, saying it was "a good effort by the German side, which promoted the new phase of the CEFTA agreement." This effort is at the same time a further step towards full membership of Kosovo in CEFTA. But let's start from the beginning.

On June 14, 2023, after Serbia arrested three Kosovo police officers, Kosovo introduced a ban on the entry of Serbian goods into Kosovo. The decision was never made officially, nor was it announced by the Kosovo Government, however, it was implemented based on the verbal statements of Kosovo officials. Ten days later, the Kosovo policemen were released, but the measure remained in force. In the first months, this measure underwent several, also verbal, changes.

Originally, the ban applied to all trucks with Serbian license plates, but it turned out that some of them contained goods from abroad, mostly from Germany and Switzerland. Then the decision was amended, so trucks with Serbian license plates and foreign goods could enter Kosovo.

Behold, Pristina officials then later remembered Kosovo production and economy depend on raw materials from Serbia, and that the largest share of procurement, for example, of wheat and construction materials for Kosovo comes from Serbia. So, the decision was amended once again, and remained in force for readymade products only, that is, in the part that mostly harmed people who are used to them, but also entrepreneurs from the Serbian community.

All along, Kosovo officials justified the decision by saying it was “a security measure” aimed at preventing illegal activities from Serbia, including arms smuggling, and the Banjska case served as their argument, despite the fact that the ban was introduced long before the armed conflict in this village took place.

However, considering that ban applied to readymade products only and not to raw materials, an explanation of Kosovo government was it may be that weapons could be smuggled in milk, Plasma biscuits or snacks, but not in wheat and construction materials.

A deafening silence of the international community was ongoing for more than a year, while the decision was inflicting damage upon people, mainly those from the Serbian community, followed by other decisions which made their lives even more difficult.

On Monday, Kosovo Prime Minister confirmed that the decision was partially revised and that goods from Serbia may enter Kosovo through Merdare only, with increased controls. It is not possible to bring goods through Brnjak and Jarinje, crossing points in the north, where collected customs revenues go to the Fund for Development of the north.

By all accounts, Kosovo, which has not completely abolished this decision, will also receive praise at the meeting on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, on October 14 in Berlin. This paves the way for Kosovo's full membership in CEFTA.

How much damage this decision caused to people remains unknown, and it seems that no one, but them only, cares about that. The Kosovo Prime Minister has created a situation in which one gets the impression he made a concession and gave something, while in fact he took away, like a favorite child in the house taking away from a sister/brother all the toys, then giving back one, and parents buy him more toys as a reward. Kurti's tactic of escalating ten steps, changing the situation on the ground, and then taking a half step back has proven very successful, so there is no reason not to continue this streak of "winning" moves.

International

Kosovo gains regional free trade representation following Serbian goods’ ban removal (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo will represent itself in the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, and no longer be represented by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

Kosovo Minister of Entrepreneurship, Industry and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari announced on Wednesday, at a press conference, that Kosovo will represent itself at the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, an initiative between six Western Balkan and Moldova that promotes free trade and aims a free regional market similar to the EU.

“From today, in joint committee meetings, Kosovo will be represented by its institutions, without (UN Interim Administration in Kosovo) UNMIK’s presence,” the minister said. She explained that “UNMIK’s participation has been removed from CEFTA, and this comes as a result of Kosovo’s numerous efforts, consistency, and commitment to regularise its position in this mechanism.”.

Prior to the minister’s press conference, the German ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde, praised the decision, writing on X that “indeed good news for Kosovo and the entire region: CEFTA has been unblocked and from now on, Kosovo will be represented by its own officials, as it should be, rather than by UNMIK. A major step forward for equal representation and participation in this regional body.”