UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 24, 2025

Prattipati meets mayors of four northern municipalities (media)
Krasniqi: Northern municipalities leaving AKM, coordinated and unlawful decision (Express)
Kosovo’s allies expect swift formation of institutions after Dec 28 elections (Express)
PDK’s Hamza confident that former opposition will form the new government (media)
PDK, LDK and AAK included dialogue with Serbia in programs, VV did not (Koha)
Kosovo Serb ex-police commander denies role in village massacre (BIRN)
Former Pristina Mayor Ahmeti charged with incorrect declaration of wealth (RFE)

Prattipati meets mayors of four northern municipalities (media)

Most news websites report that US Embassy Charge d’affaires Anu Prattipati met on Tuesday with the four newly inaugurated mayors of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic and Kosovan Serb civil society representatives in northern Kosovo. “She underscored U.S. expectations for transparent, effective governance, equitable service delivery, and the importance of engaging with public safety institutions committed to serving all communities,” the US Embassy said in a Facebook post.

Krasniqi: Northern municipalities leaving AKM, coordinated and unlawful decision (Express)

Kosovo caretaker Minister for Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said on Tuesday that the decision of the four Serb-majority northern municipalities to withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities was coordinated and unlawful. He argued that beyond the procedural aspect, the Serbian List was also proving its objective to cause divisions and tensions between the communities.

Krasniqi said that the Law on Local Self-Government provides that only municipal assembly members can request to add points on the agenda and only for urgent matters and that the mayor does not have this right. Meanwhile, the Albanian members of the Mitrovica North municipal assembly opposed the decision to leave the AKM and said that the municipality belongs in the association.

Kosovo’s allies expect swift formation of institutions after Dec 28 elections (Express)

Kosovo’s allies expect that Kosovo will hold fair and democratic elections on December 28 and that it needs to form the new institutions quickly. UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, said that Kosovo will need a stable government. In an interview with the news website, he said that cooperation and compromise among the parties after the elections will be crucial. “Above all, I hope that these will be the last elections for a longer period of time! Kosovo needs a stable and determined government, and not further cycles of election uncertainty. My message for the political parties is clear: whatever the results are, cooperation and compromise will be essential to enable the swift formation of institutions in the new year. Kosovo is faced with challenges and important opportunities, and the prolonged political deadlock will only delay the progress. A more quiet and civilized tone between the parties than what we heard in February will help create conditions for a constructive dialogue and stability,” he

PDK’s Hamza confident that former opposition will form the new government (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and candidate for Prime Minister, Bedri Hamza, said on Tuesday he was certain that the former opposition will form the new government after the December 28 parliamentary elections.

“If you ask me what my preference is for the new government, I have said this before and I will continue to say it, my preference is for the new government to be formed by parties that were in the opposition in the previous mandate. This means the PDK, LDK, AAK and non-majority communities,” Hamza said in an interview with Klan Kosova. “In my opinion and based on my assessments this will be the composition of the new government both because of our programs and beliefs, and also because we have some conceptual differences with some other parties. So this is what I expect will happen.”

PDK, LDK and AAK included dialogue with Serbia in their programs, VV did not (Koha)

The dialogue with Serbia has been included in the programs of most parties that aim to win the December 28 parliamentary elections, and the Vetevendosje Movement is the only party that has not mentioned the dialogue progress.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has promised a coordinated, fair and sustainable process of dialogue, saying that dialogue with Serbia is a complex challenge that requires maturity, internal unity and full coordination with Kosovo’s strategic allies. “The PDK-led government will conduct the dialogue in close coordination with the US and EU; it will protect the sovereignty and constitutional order of Kosovo; aim for a sustainable and internationally implementable agreement. No process of dialogue can be conducted to the detriment of Kosovo’s state interests,” the PDK program notes.

The LDK said in its program that it will not implement agreements from the dialogue that can be against the Constitution. “The LDK pledges to respect international obligations, in full compliance with the constitutional order of the republic, the territorial sovereignty of Kosovo and the unitary character of the state. Any internal organizational arrangement will be led by the government of Kosovo and must be guided by the Constitution. Agreements and actions that supersede the Constitution are neither recognized nor accepted by the Democratic League of Kosovo,” it said.

The LDK also believes that dialogue with Serbia must conclude with mutual recognition. “In every phase of dialogue, the position of the LDK is unwavering: mutual recognition is the final objective: the territorial and constitutional integrity of the Republic of Kosovo is non-negotiable, and every agreement must strengthen Kosovo’s international standing and not weaken it,” the program notes.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has pledged to implement all the agreements. “A final agreement with mutual recognition would establish permanent peace in this part of Europe. Kosovo will meet its obligations in cooperation with its allies, especially with the US and the EU, with the sole objective of mutual recognition. Membership in all Euro-Atlantic structures is not only a right but also an obligation of this generation. We need to do our homework and in this mandate everything will be focused on fulfilling the obligations that Kosovo has in the integration process,” the party’s program notes.

Njomza Arifi, head of the Pristina-based Group for Political and Legal Studies, said that any party that will lead the next government will be under pressure to implement all the agreements and resume high-level meetings in Brussels.

Kosovo Serb ex-police commander denies role in village massacre (BIRN)

Dragutin Naskovic, a wartime police commander in the eastern Kosovo village of Zheger/Zegra, in Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality, pleaded not guilty to war crimes charges on Tuesday at Pristina Basic Court.

“I don’t feel guilty of any of the allegations I am charged with,” Naskovic told the court after the prosecutor read the indictment.

“I was not at the scene when the criminal charge happened. I was not even [police] commander in Zheger village. I was displaced to Novobrdo [Novoberde],” Naskovic added, referring to another village, some 35 kilometres away.

Ajshe Ferati, the prosecutor, said that Naskovic, during March to April 1999, as commander of a police sub-station in Zheger, “did not take any measure to prevent looting, deportations and the murder of 29 Albanian civilians”.

The indictment says that on March 30, 1999, Serbian police forces, some of them under Naskovic’s command, entered Zheger, which made Shaqir Ukshini, a local resident, leave his house in fear with some of his family to take shelter in a safer house.

When Ukshini returned home, he found his father killed and his mother missing. “Under stress and traumatised, he immediately went to Zheger police station to report the case and when he reached the station, he met the defendant and told him what happened… but the defendant, instead of helping him to find the victim, addressed Ukshini with the words: ‘She was killed too,’” the indictment says.