Albanian Language Media: 

• Kurti hosts Orav, discuss elections and need to lift EU measures (media)
• Abdixhiku on certification of results: Democratic principles must be fully respected (media)
• Rohde: Serbia interfered in Kosovo elections by promoting votes for SL (media)
• Albanian President says “independent Kosovo” an irreversible reality (media)
• Sorensen meets Kosovo ambassador in Brussels (RTK)
• Barbano discusses on phone with Rodgers about Kosovo and region (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Xi: I attach great importance to development of Sino-Serbian relations (Tanjug, RTS, Danas)
• Petkovic: Rohde has gone beyond diplomatic frameworks and positioned himself as Kurti's spokesperson (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, Tanjug, Danas)
• Apostolovic met Sorensen: Serbia expects swift implementation of long-accepted obligations (Kosovo Online)
• Djuric in a visit to Israel (Kosovo Online) 

International:

• Why has the Serbian government launched the fight against “Vojvodina separatism”? (EWB)

• Trump's trio for the Balkans (DW)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti hosts Orav, discuss elections and need to lift EU measures (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti hosted on Tuesday the head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav. “Ambassador Orab positively assessed the February 9 election process, saying it was regular and without incidents and highlighted that it was positively assessed by Brussels too. Ambassador Orav congratulated the Prime Minister on the victory and results in the elections. Together they discussed further steps toward the formation of the Assembly and the new government of the Republic of Kosovo. They also discussed the necessity of lifting the European Union’s measures against Kosovo and the need to discuss Kosovo’s application for EU membership,” a press release issued by Kurti’s office notes.

Abdixhiku on certification of results: Democratic principles must be fully respected (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku met on Tuesday with the Italian Ambassador to Kosovo, Antonello De Riu, and highlighted the importance of the Central Election Commission concluding the counting of votes and certifying the results from the February 9 parliamentary elections, “while making sure that democratic principles are fully respected”.

Rohde: Serbia interfered in Kosovo elections by promoting votes for SL (media)

German Ambassador Jorn Rohde said in a post on Bluesky on Tuesday Serbia interfered in elections in Kosovo by promoting votes for the Serbian List. Rohde shared a post by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs which said that “the situation in Serbia remains deeply concerning: Activists face attacks and smear campaigns for raising their voices. Media and politicians need to act responsibly. Serbia is an EU candidate, and as such, we expect it to uphold the rule of law and human rights”. Rohde said “these attacks and campaigns extend beyond the Serbian border. As EEOM Chief Loiseau highlighted, Serbia interfered in the Kosovar elections by promoting votes for Srpska Lista. At the same time, Serbia baselessly accuses Kosovo of supporting genuine protests in Serbia without any evidence”.

Albanian President says “independent Kosovo” an irreversible reality (media)

Most news websites reported on Tuesday that Albanian President Bajram Begaj in his address at a ceremony organized by his Kosovo counterpart Vjosa Osmani, said that “the independence of Kosovo is an irreversible reality”. “Albania has and will continue to contribute for Kosovo because this is what our conscience tells us. Our support for Kosovo is support for our country too. We need to stand by one another in every area of life, economy, security and science. The independent Kosovo is a reality that cannot be reversed, a reality that was won with blood and sacrifice,” he said.

Sorensen meets Kosovo ambassador in Brussels (RTK)

The new European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen, met on Tuesday with Kosovo's ambassador in Brussels, Agron Bajrami. The latter, in a post on the X platform, said that he looks forward to cooperating with the EU to shape the Kosovo-Serbia normalization dialogue, which he said is focused on mutual recognition and the full opening of Kosovo's path towards rapid and merit-based integration into the EU.

Sorensen also wrote about this meeting on X, praising the meeting with Bajrami, and saying that he looks forward to working together towards the full normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Barbano discusses on phone with Rodgers about Kosovo and region (RTK)

The Head of EULEX Mission, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, has had a phone call with the Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Croatia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Kosovo, Richard Mason Rodgers. According to the post published on X, Barbano discussed with him issues of Kosovo and the region. “I had the pleasure of welcoming in a courtesy call H.E. Richard Mason Rodgers, Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Croatia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Kosovo and to discuss the current state of affairs in Kosovo and the region, while also exploring ways to strengthen our cooperation,” he wrote.

Serbian Language Media  

Xi: I attach great importance to development of Sino-Serbian relations (Tanjug, RTS, Danas)

In a letter to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that he attached great importance to development of Sino-Serbian relations and that he was ready to invest efforts with Vucic to boost strategic communication together and continuously strengthen the political trust between the two countries at high level, reported Tanjug. 

Xi wrote that he stood ready to invest efforts to fully unleash the potentials for cooperation in all areas and advance together with Vucic the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in a new era to contribute even further to the process of modernisation and the well-being of the peoples of the two countries, the press office of the president of Serbia said in a statement.

At the same time, Xi thanked Vucic for his Chinese Lunar New Year greetings and reiterated that China and Serbia were connected by an iron-clad friendship that was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

"During last year's successful state visit to Serbia, we exchanged views in detail and reached a broad consensus. We announced together the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in a new era, taking Sino-Serbian bilateral relations to a new historic high. Facing a complex global situation, China and Serbia are committed to the prosperity and development of their countries and to firm preservation of international justice and righteousness, which helps to strengthen the forces to build a community with a shared future for humankind. Your Excellency, please accept my good wishes," Xi also wrote in the letter to Vucic.

Petkovic: Rohde has gone beyond diplomatic frameworks and positioned himself as Kurti's spokesperson (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, Tanjug, Danas)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, criticized the German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, for what he described as open support for Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and a clear animosity towards the Serbian List, reported Kosovo Online.

Petkovic, commenting on Rohde's statement that “Serbia interfered in the elections in Kosovo”, emphasized that the German ambassador has once again stepped out of diplomatic boundaries and proclaimed political neutrality.

"The German diplomat in Pristina, Jorn Rohde, has once again stepped out of diplomatic frameworks and at least proclaimed political neutrality and positioned himself as a spokesperson for Albin Kurti, repeating his clichés and disinformation, ignoring obvious facts. Therefore, let’s go step by step. It is clear that Kurti is disturbed by the overwhelming victory of the Serbian List and the support of the Serbian people in the recent elections, and would rather see his subordinate Nenad Rasic in the parliament, to whom he is trying to give a parliamentary seat by all possible dishonest means. However, we are surprised that even the German representative does not hide his favorites nor his animosity towards the Serbian List, which represents the will of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said. 

He questioned how it was possible that Rohde did not speak out against the manipulations by the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the fact that only Serbian votes have not been counted even ten days after the election. Furthermore, Petkovic criticized Rohde for failing to notice, as he put it, ‘the rioting’ and provocations with Albanian flags in the center of North Mitrovica.

"As Mr. Rohde didn’t see that, he also didn’t want to see the direct support Albin Kurti gave to the so-called student protests in Belgrade, which he unequivocally expressed in Zagreb on December 13, 2024, while simultaneously attacking official Belgrade, just as he is doing today. The support that was all over the Pristina media, the German representative forgot to mention," noted Petkovic. 

Petkovic is convinced that it bothers Rohde that Belgrade supported the SL, the only party fighting for the interests of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

"But what Mr. Rohde saw and what bothers him a lot is that Belgrade supported the Serbian List, the only party that fights for the interests of the Serbian people in KiM and represents the lifeline of our people in Kosovo and Metohija with Belgrade. And we will never hide this support, just as we will continue to help the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Now it is clear who Mr. Rohde's favorites were in the recent elections, but with the greatest support for the SL, Serbs have said what they think about Pristina's favorites," Petkovic concluded.

Apostolovic met Sorensen: Serbia expects swift implementation of long-accepted obligations (Kosovo Online)

Serbia's Ambassador to the EU, Danijel Apostolovic, met with the EU's Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sorensen.

Apostolovic conveyed to Sorensen that Serbia remains fully committed to the dialogue and the normalization of relations with Pristina.

He also emphasized that Serbia expects the swift implementation of obligations that were accepted long ago.

“A productive first meeting with the newly appointed EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sorensen. Serbia remains fully committed to the dialogue on normalizing relations with Pristina and looks forward to reinvigorating this process while expecting the rapid implementation of obligations that should have been fulfilled long ago,” stated the Serbian Embassy to the EU on its profile on the social network ‘X’.

Sorensen stated that he looks forward to working on improving the normalization process.

“I appreciate today’s discussion with Ambassador Apostolovic. We look forward to working together on advancing the full normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo,” wrote Sorensen.

Djuric in a visit to Israel (Kosovo Online) 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Marko Djuric, will begin his visit to the State of Israel today, February 19, during which he will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country, Gideon Sa'ar. 

During his stay in Jerusalem, Minister Djuric will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center and the Jerusalem Patriarchate, announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

Djuric paid an official visit to the Russian Federation yesterday and the day before.

 International Media 

Why has the Serbian government launched the fight against “Vojvodina separatism”? (EWB)

Since the outbreak of current mass protests throughout Serbia, “defence of Vojvodina from the separatist aspirations of some people” has become commonplace in the public speeches of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and his associates. The narrative was given particular visibility on 15 February, when the so-called “Declaration on Vojvodina” was adopted at the pro-government rally in the town of Sremska Mitrovica.

The document states that the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is “an inseparable part of… the identity of modern Serbia, and just as Serbia does not exist without Vojvodina, so Vojvodina cannot exist outside Serbia”.

The topic of the status of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina within Serbia was extremely marginal in the public for a long time before the current revival by the ruling party, and there are no signs that there is any significant support for separatism among the local population. According to the 2022 census in 2011, 68% of Vojvodina’s inhabitants were Serbs, which was a slight increase compared to the 2011 census, while the rest were members of national minorities – Hungarian, Roma, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian…

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/msbzwenv

Trump's trio for the Balkans (DW)

President Trump's new team for the Balkans includes some familiar faces with close ties to Serbia: son-in-law Jared Kushner, former special envoy Richard Grenell and ex-governor Rod Blagojevich.

The first weeks of Donald J. Trump's second presidency have shown that The New York Times hit the nail on the head with its Inauguration Day headline: "The Deal Maker in Chief Is Back."

Trump's foreign policy also seems to show that his beloved "deals" will remain a dominant theme of his second administration.

There have already been three indications of this: The US is willing to continue sending military aid to Ukraine in return for access to its reserves of raw materials such as rare earths and lithium, the "takeover" of the Gaza Strip to create a "Riviera of the Middle East," and — a Trump classic — a "Trump Tower" in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/ytckhz5h