Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti warns of new attacks in Kosovo before and after the New Year (media)

• Kurti: Let prosecutors come to prime minister's office to interview me (media)

• CEC decision on non-certification of Serbian List, annulled (media)

• Svecla denied visit to the Valley: Serbia continues with provocations (media)

• MFA rejects Serbian minister's request to visit Kosovo (Albanian Post)

• Haxhiu: Serbia is obliged to arrest Radoicic according to Extradition Convention (EO)

• Government allocates €1,108,529 support for Albanian families in the Valley (RTK)

• Constitutional Court of Kosovo Specialized Chambers rejects Thaci’s referral regarding violation of fundamental rights (Klan)

• Kosovo leaders participate in Christmas celebrations (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Minister Ristic denied entry to Kosovo (Tanjug, RTS)

• Svecla refused permission to visit southern Serbia (N1, KoSSev)

• Appeals panel certifies Serbian List election ticket (N1)

• Serbian List: Our appeal accepted, CEC required to certify our list (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, KiM radio)

• Igor Simic denies reports of physical assault at Rudare celebration (Kosovo Online)

• UNMIK: CEC to support integrity of Kosovo electoral process (Kosovo Online)

• Djuric thanks Russian, Belarusian ambassadors for support on Kosovo issue (Tanjug, Danas, media)

• The light of good (KoSSev)

• Vucic: Under no circumstances will we recognize the independence of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

• Ferguson: Serbs in northern Kosovo need special support; we strive to help (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTV)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti warns of new attacks in Kosovo before and after the New Year (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has warned of ‘new attacks in the north that are expected to happen in the near future before and after the New Year.’ In a media conference, Kurti said that Kosovo’s institutions are committed to neutralizing this remaining method of Serbia as much as possible. He added that such terrorist attacks are challenging even for powerful countries.

“These are methods of challenging security in the Republic of Kosovo, which result not only in the violation and damage of vital infrastructure, the causing of interethnic incidents that Serbia strongly incites, then the causing of panic among citizens, and ultimately , also the creation of an image of an unstable country are expected to occur in the near future and especially before and after the New Year”, he said. “However, we are committed to neutralizing this remaining method of Serbia as much as possible. Despite the fact that such terrorist attacks are challenging even for powerful states,” Kurti emphasized.

Kurti: Let prosecutors come to prime minister's office to interview me (media)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has made a statement regarding the invitation that the Special Prosecution Office has sent to him as a witness in a criminal case that is being investigated. 

"There is communication between the prime minister's office and the prosecution's office and to tell you the truth, I cannot deal with this issue in the morning, afternoon, for days. I will deal with it when they come to the prime minister's office to interview me as a witness. I am open, I am ready, I am willing and interested in giving my statement as a witness to the Prime Ministery, as they have requested. Since this has been done in the past and there are confirmations of this in the Prime Minister's office, the prosecution itself knows them. Then I have offered some schedules when this could be done and I am expecting that I will deal with this issue precisely by testifying and not by declaring on the basis of testimony, which is not happening", said Kurti.

According to him, the prosecution knows very well what cases are in question. "It is not that the cases are very clear to me, but my legal advisors and the Ministry of Justice know all this, but the prosecution knows better than all of us together, that there have been cases in the past when the State Prosecution has come to interview the Prime Minister in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and I believe that we should not get away from this practice", Kurti said.

CEC decision on non-certification of Serbian List, annulled (media)

The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel has approved the appeal of the political entity Srpska Lista regarding non-certification to the Central Election Commission for the parliamentary elections of February 9, 2025.

The decision issued by the ECAP states that the CEC notification has been annulled on the grounds that Srpska Lista has submitted the documentation in accordance with the law on general elections and the accompanying CEC regulations. It also states that no decision was issued with the vote that took place at the CEC. It further states that the notification is contrary to the legal provisions in force, therefore the CEC is ordered to implement the ECAP decision.

"The notification of the Central Electoral Commission, dated 23.12.2024, is annulled and the CEC is ordered to certify the political entity Lista Srpska and the candidates of this political entity, according to the recommendation of the Office for Registration, Certification and Financial Control of Political Entities at the CEC, dated 22.12.2024, for the elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo to be held on 9 February 2025," it was stated in the decision published by the ECAP.

Svecla denied visit to the Valley: Serbia continues with provocations (media)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has announced that Minister Xhelal Svecla has been denied a visit to Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac by the Serbian government on the grounds that the Interior Minister's stances are directed against the Serb community in Kosovo and against peace and stability.

According to the MFA, despite the fact that all procedures foreseen for such official visits of government and state representatives of Kosovo to Serbia have been followed according to the Brussels Agreement on Official Visits, the government of Serbia has rejected the request to allow this visit. "The pretext for the refusal was the stances and actions of Minister Svecla, which, according to the government of Serbia, are directed against the Serb community in the Republic of Kosovo as well as against normalization, peace and stability. The government of Serbia has regularly refused visits by senior government officials of the Republic of Kosovo over the past two years, especially when it comes to visits to the Presevo Valley, Medvedja and Bujanovac. In addition to the visits of Minister Svecla, visits by other ministers of the government cabinet of the Republic of Kosovo have also been regularly refused, the last of which was the visit of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Hajrulla Ceku, announced days earlier, on December 19, 2024," the MFA statement announced.

Furthermore, the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of the Republic of Kosovo, Ms. Donika Gervalla, announced at the beginning of this year, respectively, on February 27, 2024, to participate in the Reception for the Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kosovo, organized by the Liaison Office of Kosovo in Serbia, was refused without any valid justification and a few hours before Ms. Gervalla arrived at the border point.

"Such actions of the government of Serbia have the clear aim of maintaining tensions with the Republic of Kosovo at a high level. They are part of the continuous provocations, which Serbia carries out on a regular basis and with the aim of causing conflicts, where the terrorist acts in Banjska and Iber-Lepenc are the most visible manifestation of these intentions on the part of Serbia," the MFA statement says.

MFA rejects Serbian minister's request to visit Kosovo (Albanian Post)

The Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed to Albanian Post that it has rejected the request for a visit by the Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia, Dejan Ristic, to Kosovo. This decision, according to the MFA, comes after the Serbian government previously refused to allow visits by most of the senior representatives of the Kosovo Government to Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac. "This position has become even more severe in recent months and is in violation of the Brussels Agreement on Official Visits," the MFA's response to the AP states.

According to the MFA, Minister Ristic had planned to stay in Kosovo from December 24 to December 26. On Wednesday, the Serbian state banned the visit of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, to the Presevo Valley. Days ago, the Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Ceku, was also denied a request to visit the Presheva Valley.

Haxhiu: Serbia is obliged to arrest Radoicic according to Extradition Convention (EO)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said that Kosovo has requested that the name of Milan Radoicic be entered into the Interpol system. "We have requested that his name be entered into Interpol, and according to the Extradition Convention, this has the legal force of a request for temporary arrest for the purpose of extradition. So, procedurally, according to this Convention, Serbia is obliged to arrest the chief terrorist Milan Radojicic and other terrorists within 40 days, so it is a temporary arrest. It asks Kosovo to make a request for extradition. And of course we would do it, that's how we do it with other cases, then within the deadline Serbia is obliged to hand him over to Kosovo. The placement of Radojicic in Interpol has the legal force of a request for temporary arrest with the aim of extradition to Kosovo," she said.

Government allocates €1,108,529 support for Albanian families in the Valley (RTK)

Among other decisions during an e-meeting on Wednesday, the government of Kosovo has decided to allocate €1,108,529 support for all Albanian families in the Valley who are engaged in agriculture. " €1,108,529 of support were allocated for all Albanian families from Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc, who are actively engaged in agriculture according to the public call of the Albanian National Council (NKC), including funding for programs from the public call of the NKC for the advancement and socialization of children with special needs. The request of the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers for savings and allocations has been approved," the government announced.

Constitutional Court of Kosovo Specialized Chambers rejects Thaci’s referral regarding violation of fundamental rights (Klan)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo’s Specialist Chambers has rejected the appeal of former President Hashim Thaci regarding allegations of violation of fundamental rights. According to the decision, the referral concerned the regime of special investigative measures imposed by the single judge against the accused during his detention last year. Thaci had claimed that the imposition of the measures violated certain articles of the Constitution of Kosovo and the European Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. He also complained that the monitoring of his non-privileged conversations violated his right to privacy and certain aspects of the guarantee of a fair trial.

“The Panel determined that Thaci’s complaint did not demonstrate a violation of his constitutional right to privacy and consequently ruled that this aspect of the referral was inadmissible, in accordance with Rule 14 (f) of the Rules of Procedure of the Specialized Chamber of the Constitutional Court (“the Rules of Procedure of the Specialized Chamber of the Constitutional Court”),” the notice states.

The Panel also found that Thaci’s complaint regarding the right to a lawyer and the right to remain silent is inadmissible.

“The Panel found that these complaints are premature, given that no judicial proceedings have been initiated in this matter and there has been no final decision regarding the charges,” the notice states.

According to the notice, all available legal remedies in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo, the Law and the Regulations of the Specialized Chamber of the Constitutional Court have not been exhausted.

Kosovo leaders participate in Christmas celebrations (media)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, announced that on Tuesday she was at the Bondsteel camp for Christmas. Her two daughters were also with Osmani. “Christmas among the many soldiers at Bondsteel, who are also away from their families this holiday, but united with the citizens of Kosovo around the values ​​of peace, unity and love,” she wrote on Facebook.

Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, participated in the Christmas Day Mass in Pjetershan, Gjakova. The Vetevendosje Movement, through a post on Facebook, announced that Kurti also participated on Tuesday in the Christmas Vigil Mass at the Saint Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina. “Dear Christian believers, congratulations on this significant date! I hope that Christmas brings close to our minds and hearts that care and love for others should not be seen as privileges. They are a responsibility towards everyone who wants to live with dignity. Christmas is also gratitude and appreciation. Therefore, this Christmas holiday, let us reflect with gratitude and appreciation for what we have in each other. Every year, this period finds us close to family and friends with the unsparing hope that the good in man and society never ceases to blossom. May the best be done for everyone, especially for those who sacrifice themselves for others! Merry Christmas! ", Kurti wrote.

Serbian Language Media  

Minister Ristic denied entry to Kosovo (Tanjug, RTS)

The Serbian Ministry of Information and Telecommunications said that institutions in Pristina had denied entry to Kosovo to Minister Dejan Ristic on Tuesday evening. Ristic was to attend a ceremony that will mark the 80th anniversary of the Jedinstvo weekly, the only remaining Serbian-language print media outlet in Kosovo. 

In spite of the fact Ristic's visit had been announced in a timely manner in line with an established procedure, it was banned an hour before he was due to cross the administrative line between central Serbia and Kosovo, the Ministry said in a statement.

"We stress that this is not the first unpleasant situation the Pristina provisional self-government institutions have put Ristic in," it also said, noting that a car carrying Ristic had been intercepted by Pristina's so-called police on the Pec-Decani trunk road on July 29, 2021, and that Ristic - who was visiting the province in his capacity as the director of the Genocide Victims' Museum - had subsequently been taken to a so-called police station in Decani and interrogated.

"By obstructing freedom of movement and detaining the director of a national cultural institution, the Pristina authorities demonstrated that they do not stop at even the most drastic illegal actions. This time, they have taken a step further in their undemocratic activity," the Ministry said. It added that the decision to deny entry to Ristic represented "yet another overt example of the violation of the right to free movement, freedom of public information and freedom of expression for Serbs in that part of our homeland," the statement said.

“Continuously obstructing and/or making impossible the work of Serbian-language media outlets and jeopardising the security of Serbian media professionals in the territory of Serbia's southern province, the Pristina authorities have again demonstrated their essentially antidemocratic and discriminatory character," the Ministry said.

It also expressed concern and regret over the irresponsible move by the Pristina authorities and called on the international community to "condemn the antidemocratic decision with determination."

Svecla refused permission to visit southern Serbia (N1, KoSSev)

Kosovo’s Internal Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla was banned from entering southern Serbia on Wednesday, just hours after a press release said that Serbian Information and Culture Minister Dejan Ristic was not allowed into Kosovo.

The KoSSev news portal said that Svecla was scheduled to visit the Presevo valley and meet with officials of the National Council of Albanians which represents the Albanian national minority in Serbia. The municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja have a large ethnic Albanian population.

It quoted a Kosovo Internal Affairs Ministry statement that claimed all the required procedures on official visits were followed but that the Serbian government refused the request for the visit saying that Svecla’s actions and statements are directed against the Kosovo Serb community and the efforts to normalize relations for the sake of peace and stability.

The Ministry statement accused official Belgrade of refusing the request for the visit in order to keep tensions high.

Appeals panel certifies Serbian List election ticket (N1)

An appeals panel overturned the Kosovo CEC’s decision not to certify the Serbian List ticket for the coming parliamentary elections.

According to media in pristina, the Commission decision was overturned after the panel found that the Belgrade-backed Serbian List did submit its paperwork in line with the law, adding that the CEC decision was not in line with the law and ordered it to certify the SL ticket. 

Serbian List: Our appeal accepted, CEC required to certify our list (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, KiM radio)

The Serbian List has confirmed in a statement that the Election Panel for Appeals and Complaints has accepted their appeal against the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to certify the candidates on their list for the parliamentary elections on February 9th.

"After attempts by Albin Kurti and his followers to unlawfully prevent the participation of the Serbian List in the elections on February 9, 2025, through the Central Election Commission, we inform the public that the appeal against this illegal decision, which our legal team submitted to the Election Panel for Appeals and Complaints, has been accepted. This supports our assertion that the SL complied with all legal electoral procedures and that the attempt to eliminate the SL from the electoral process and electoral engineering was done with the aim of favoring Serbs suitable to Kurti, and that it was all carried out directly under his orders and politically motivated," read the Serbian List’s announcement.

They emphasize that the CEC is obligated to act according to the ruling of the Election Panel for Appeals and Complaints and certify the SL to participate in the elections.

"It remains to be seen whether the CEC will continue to violate the law and its own regulations and act under direct political pressure from the authorities in Pristina," added the SL. 

Igor Simic denies reports of physical assault at Rudare celebration (Kosovo Online)

The Vice President of the Serbian List, Igor Simic, has denied allegations circulating in Kosovo media and social networks that he was physically attacked during a celebration in Rudare last night. He refuted these claims, dismissing them as untrue, reported KoSSev last night.

Reports of Simić being attacked have dominated Kosovo media today, with outlets suggesting that he sustained physical injuries during the incident.

However, Simic has clarified that the situation was a misunderstanding and far less dramatic than portrayed.

Veton Elshani, Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North, confirmed that an individual did suffer minor injuries at the event.

According to Elshani, the injuries were caused by shards of a broken glass, rather than an assault. He emphasized that it was a minor incident and that authorities would question those involved to clarify the details, although no formal case has been opened.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/2nkvckew

UNMIK: CEC to support integrity of Kosovo electoral process (Kosovo Online)

The UN Mission in Kosovo announced that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Caroline Ziadeh, is concerned that the CEC has not allowed the Serbian List to participate in the upcoming elections on February 9, reported Kosovo Online.

On the "X" platform, UNMIK called on the CEC to support the integrity of the Kosovo electoral process and to strictly adhere to the relevant legal framework.

"Ziadeh expressed concern about the recent non-certification by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the list of candidates submitted by the Serbian List. A certification process that is transparent and free from political considerations is imperative to ensure free and fair elections in Kosovo. As such, UNMIK calls on the CEC to support the integrity of the Kosovo electoral process and to strictly adhere to the relevant legal framework," they said.

Djuric thanks Russian, Belarusian ambassadors for support on Kosovo issue (Tanjug, Danas, media)

Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors to Belgrade, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and Sergei Malinovsky, on Wednesday and thanked them for their countries' principled position on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia as well as for the support on the Kosovo issue.

Djuric also highlighted the significance of the countries' support within international organisations when it comes to Kosovo, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

With the ambassadors, Djuric discussed the most significant aspects of Serbia's bilateral relations with Russia and Belarus, the political and economic situation in the Western Balkans as well as current geopolitical topics.

The light of good (KoSSev)

By Sasa Jankovic

Dear Iljir,

It has been quite some time since I last wrote to you, mainly because I was waiting for an opportunity to write about something beautiful and good—a rare occasion amidst our „endless abnormality.“

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your previous letter. I completely agree with you that the West, too, is slipping into crisis – of every kind: a crisis of political vision and values, a crisis of principles, a crisis of legitimacy in institutions of power, a crisis of efficiency – not to mention the classic forms of crises: security and economic ones. Five to ten years ago, I used to provocatively tell my Western friends that Serbia was „avant-garde“ for their countries, in the sense that phenomena already visibly taking root in Serbia would eventually spread in their own states and societies, as they underestimated the allure of such evils. I take no pleasure in seeing this prediction come true, nor in the fact that role models are now so hard to find. Our faltering societies would rise more easily if they could find solid support in the stable and functional democracies of the world. However, if we must, we shall rise on our own.

And here we come to the development that has given me the opportunity to write again, with reality-based optimism: the student protests across Serbia!

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/3ptpjt3b

Vucic: Under no circumstances will we recognize the independence of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated last night that Serbia will not recognize the independence of Kosovo under any circumstances and will continue to conduct an independent and sovereign policy, in accordance with its national interests.

At the SNS forum with the youth “Future, not past”, Vucic commented on the protests in Serbia, saying that today some are 'forced to do dirty work for money', which, he said, currently suits foreign powers, for at least three reasons.

“First, they are trying to settle everything regarding Kosovo as soon as possible, and they see that, as long as I am president and this government is in power, we will not recognize the independence of Kosovo under any circumstances,” the President of Serbia declared.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/4uu86u2x

Ferguson: Serbs in northern Kosovo need special support; we strive to help (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, RTV)

The UK Ambassador to Belgrade, Edward Ferguson, stated that all communities in Kosovo must be protected and that the Serbian community in the north is no exception, noting that they require special support, reported Kosovo Online, citing Diplomacy&Commerce magazine. 

In an interview with "Diplomacy & Commerce" magazine, when asked about the chances that the Kosovo issue will stop "killing" Serbia's relations with Western countries that recognize Kosovo, Ferguson replied that Belgrade and Pristina must find ways to resolve open issues between themselves.

"Britain and Serbia start from different positions because we recognize Kosovo as a sovereign independent state. But what is important is what we can agree on. And we agree on most things. I agree that all communities must be protected and must be able to live safely, develop their businesses, and raise families. For example, the Serbian community in northern Kosovo is no exception. They need special support, and we try to help them wherever we can. Serbia must utilize the potential we have discussed to resolve open issues with many of its neighbors. This is not only Kosovo but also Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, etc.," said Ferguson.

Asked where there is still room for improvement in the relations between Serbia and the United Kingdom, he answered that some progress has been made, especially in the area of trade.

"This year, for the first time, we have exceeded the annual trade value between Serbia and the United Kingdom of one billion pounds. What is particularly interesting and exciting to me is that the largest growth has been recorded in the most modern sectors - new technologies, digital sector, renewable energy, and similar," Ferguson stated.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/42pkk64v