UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 18, 2023

Prime Minister Kurti’s meetings in Davos (media)
Will he meet with Vucic in Davos? Albin Kurti responds (euronews.al)
Kosovo’s Deputy PM Bislimi in an unannounced visit to Berlin (Klan)
Trial against Thaci et al; The Hague announces upcoming conference (media)
“Visa-free in the European Union next year” (RTK)
Quitters need not apply? Warily, Kosovo starts to refill protesting Serbs’ vacated posts (RFE)
Slovenia urges Serbia, Kosovo to start normalization talks (Anadolu Agency)
Walker: Belgrade wants to use Serbs and Albanians in north as chess pieces (euronews.al)
NATO Military Committee to meet in Brussels; discuss on Kosovo too (Express)
Opposition criticises Kurti for his statement on Ivanovic (Koha)
Ethnic tensions have created a political 'volcano' that could erupt anytime (Yahoo.uk)

Prime Minister Kurti’s meetings in Davos (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, met the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum that is being held in Davos, Switzerland.

He thanked her for Finland's contribution to Kosovo before and after the declaration of independence. Kurti emphasized the good relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the prime minister of Finland expressed support for Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and the European Union.

There was talk about increasing the number of Finnish soldiers in the NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo to 70.

Kurti emphasized that the government of Kosovo is committed to structural reforms in the economy, politics, rule of law and functional democracy in accordance with European standards, for good neighborly relations and regional cooperation.

Within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kurti met the President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, José Manuel Ramos Horta and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adaljiza Magno. The media office of the Prime Minister's Office announces that the meeting highlighted the unique relationship between Kosovo and East Timor as well as the similar history of foreign rule in both states.

Prime Minister Kurti thanked President Ramos Horta for the support given to the Republic of Kosovo. They stressed that the signed agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations, March 9, 2022 between Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of East Timor, strengthened the cooperation.

With a statement on Twitter, Kurti informed that he has also met the Minister of Investments of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al Falih. They shared their visions on green energy, infrastructure investments and tourism. "We look forward to welcoming him to Kosovo. Also, I expressed my gratitude for the support given over the years," he wrote.

Will he meet with Vucic in Davos? Albin Kurti responds (euronews.al)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that his meeting with President Aleksandar Vucic in Davos depends on the EU’s special envoy, Miroslav Lajcak. Kurti said this in an interview for the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, while adding that they are interested in achieving a complete normalization of relations between the two countries, based on mutual recognition.

Asked if he would meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (in Davos) and seek a solution to the deadlocked relations between Belgrade and Prishtina, Kurti replied:

“That depends on the EU special envoy, Miroslav Lajcak. We are interested in achieving a complete normalization of relations between the two countries, based on mutual recognition. We are always ready for a constructive dialogue.”

Kosovo’s Deputy PM Bislimi in an unannounced visit to Berlin (Klan)

Citing unnamed sources, Klan Kosova reported that Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, travelled to Berlin in an unannounced visit. The same source said that Bislimi returned to Kosovo late on Tuesday and that he was accompanied by the German Ambassador to Kosovo.

Trial against Thaci et al; The Hague announces upcoming conference (media)

The Specialist Chambers of Kosovo in The Hague have announced that on January 18, a preparatory conference will be held for the trial in the case against the former president of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, and other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

The conference is scheduled to be held at 9:30 am on Wednesday.

“As it was announced during the last conference on the progress of the case, the Second Trial Panel has scheduled the preparatory conference for the trial in the case against Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi on January 18 at 09:30 AM”, states the announcement of the Special Chambers of The Hague.

“Visa-free in the European Union next year” (RTK)

After the Czech Republic, the presidency of the European Union belongs to Sweden. In an interview with RTK, the Swedish ambassador to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, expressed optimism that in January 2024 Kosovars will enjoy visa liberalization. He promised that during his mandate in Kosovo he will lobby for the cooperation of Swedish and Kosovar businesses.

"Now the point of discussion is in the European Parliament, and I understand the disappointment of Kosovars," he said. Wesretlund said that he has started consultations with other EU member states on how to proceed with Kosovo's EU membership application.

Quitters need not apply? Warily, Kosovo starts to refill protesting Serbs’ vacated posts (RFE)

Few would argue that Kosovo's public sector, with the largest share of overall employment in the entire Western Balkans at around 30 percent, couldn't do with some trimming.

Instead, though, it's poised for a potential hiring binge, prompted by another crisis in this fractious corner of the region.

Following the mass resignation of thousands of ethnic Serbian police and other officials in November 2022 to protest Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti's latest "reciprocal" measure in a long-running fight for recognition from neighboring Serbia, Kosovo's national police force this month announced a call for applicants from minority communities.

Other institutions, including the judiciary and mayoral offices, could follow suit, although officials acknowledge that red tape, potential disciplinary proceedings, and looming elections all factor into their timelines.

It's the latest twist in a nearly 15-year effort to press Pristina to more fully integrate ethnic Serbs into Kosovo's public sector since the mostly Albanian province declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

And even residents of North Mitrovica, one of the four mostly Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo where most of the resignations took place, are divided over whether the Serbs who resigned will -- or should -- be allowed back into the system.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3ZJHMWM

Walker: Belgrade wants to use Serbs and Albanians in north as chess pieces (euronews.al)

William Walker, former head of the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Kosovo, the man who saw and testified to the world the massacre of Recak on January 15, 1999, says that the request for the formation of the Association shows that Belgrade wants to play with the north of Kosovo.

In an exclusive interview for Euronews Albania, Walker said that the government in Belgrade wants to use both the Serbs and the Albanians in the north as chess pieces.

According to him, until the Serbs of North Mitrovica understand that they are citizens of Kosovo, there will always be issues and conflicts in the North.

“I am not a fan of the option of isolating communities, as in the case of the Serbian minority that wants to create the Association. I understand why the Serbian community is looking for it. They continue to enjoy playing games in the north of Kosovo. I think that the government in Belgrade wants to use both the Serbs and the Albanians in the north as chess pieces. I hope that at some point, the Serbs of North Mitrovica will understand that they are Kosovars, but of Serbian ethnicity. They should consider themselves citizens of Kosovo. If they don’t understand this, then we will always have problems,” he emphasized.

Walker also said that it is unacceptable that the former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci and other former KLA commanders are still in prison.

“I would like the international community to set up a court, not to judge Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, and others. It was unacceptable to keep them for years in cells, at a time when the majority of the most terrible crimes, several thousand war crimes, were committed by the Serbian police and they are not in The Hague. Where is justice? Where is the accountability of those who committed these horrid war crimes at that time? I think that the establishment of this Special Court is a farce, as far as justice is concerned”, he emphasized.

NATO Military Committee to meet in Brussels; discuss on Kosovo too (Express)

The news website reports that the highest body of NATO, the Military Committee, will meet today and tomorrow in Brussels, and among other issues will also discuss the situation in Kosovo and the mission of KFOR.

Opposition criticises Kurti for his statement on Ivanovic (Koha)

A statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti about late Kosovo Serb political representative Oliver Ivanovic, on the fifth anniversary of his assassination, has triggered reactions from opposition parties. In a video message, Kurti praised Ivanovic and called for the resolution of the murder case. “On the other hand, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said Kurti’s praise of Ivanovic was not right based on the past of the Serb politician, who until the day of his assassination was tried for ordering the killing of Albanians in Mitrovica North in 1999,” the daily notes.

Ethnic tensions have created a political 'volcano' that could erupt anytime (Yahoo.uk)

After US state department counsellor Derek Chollet recently visited Kosovo in a bid to calm tensions flaring in the north of the country, he said Washington’s priority was to prevent “violence metastasising” (spreading) between Serbs and Albanians.

“The last thing any of us wants right now is a crisis in this part of the world given that we have the biggest crisis since the second world war not too far away,” Chollet told journalists. He added that: “We don’t want to be in a crisis diplomacy. First, licence plates, then barricades, we don’t want something else next week.”

The US diplomat was referring to a crisis late last year over car license plates in north Kosovo, which borders Serbia. More than a decade after Kosovo – formerly an autonomous province of Serbia – unilaterally declared independence, Serbia has never recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state.

Serbs living in the north of Kosovo, similarly, do not acknowledge Kosovo’s independence and overwhelmingly regard themselves as part of the Republic of Serbia. Many have therefore continued to use car license plates issued in Belgrade. Last November, the Kosovo government began the implementation of a plan to outlaw these license plates, triggering the mass resignation of Serbs from state jobs.

Although Serbia and Kosovo subsequently reached an EU-mediated agreement, the situation flared up again following the arrest on December 10 of Dejan Pantić, a former Serb police officer, who was charged with organising a “terrorist act” against the Central Election Commission (CIK) and Kosovo Police. Kosovo authorities claimed that Pantić had attacked CIK officials and police. Serbs responded by erecting barricades and blocking several main roads.