UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 18, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti in Davos: Security of region, essential for European security (RTK)
Croatia offers support for CoE membership, Vucic complains to Lajcak about Kurti's policies (Koha)
Osmani: The Kosovo Army is getting stronger (Koha)
AAK, NISMA reach agreement on pre-election coalition (media)
Petition to dismiss Mitrovica North mayor could end on Thursday (Express)
Signing of petition by Serb citizens triggers reactions (Koha)
Rasic: Signing of petition in the north, an expected step (RTK)
Hetemi and Ugljanin: Petition is being influenced by Serbian List (media)
12 miners injured in Trepca (Radio Free Europe)
Bislimi: We allocated €3 mil for Presevo Valley this year (Lajmi)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: Kurti attempting to destroy dialogue, expel Serbs (Tanjug)
Vucic: I had many meetings, position of Serbs in Kosovo discussed with Lajcak (Tanjug, media)
Serbs in Kosovo face threats on daily basis, Vucic tells Lajcak (media, social media)
Lajcak believes Pristina’s announcements on terminating payment transaction will not lead to dangerous situation, hopes for solution (N1, BETA, KoSSev)
Kosovo Central Bank: As of February 1, Euro is only currency for cash transactions in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Serbian Democracy calls for signing petition against decision to allocate land parcel to Kosovo Interior Ministry (Radio KIM)
Traditional swimming for Holy Cross at Gazivode lake canceled (KoSSev, media)

International Media:

Kosovo North Serbs Collect Signatures to Dismiss Their ‘Unwanted’ Mayors (Balkan Insight)
Balkan Migrant Route Still Active Despite Falling Numbers – Frontex (Balkan Insight)
Serbian opposition leader says secret service tortured and threatened him (The Guardian)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti in Davos: Security of region, essential for European security (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, said that the geopolitical security of the region was discussed on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which he described as an essential topic. Kurti wrote on the X social network that it was a pleasure to meet with European officials at this Forum.

"It was a pleasure to be part of the panel today at the World Economic Forum to discuss the Western Balkan diplomacy dialogue with Ursula von der Leyen and well-known figures from the region and beyond. The geopolitical security of our region is essential for European security, therefore the topic is of great importance", Kurti wrote.

Croatia offers support for CoE membership, Vucic complains to Lajcak about Kurti's policies (Koha)

Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe and the path to EU integration were the subject of discussion in the meeting that Prime Minister Albin Kurti held with his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, on the sidelines of the Davos Forum in Switzerland.

In a post on the X platform, Plenkovic wrote that he and Kurt also talked about the situation in the region.

"I discussed the situation in the region with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. I congratulated him on the lifting of the visa regime, as well as expressed our support for membership in the Council of Europe and on the path to the EU," Plenkovic wrote.

The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic on the other hand, complained to the European emissary for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, that Prime Minister Kurti is jeopardizing the achievements in this process.

"Kurti is trying to prevent the payment of salaries and pensions for our people, which would mean not a silent, but a loud departure of Serbs from Kosovo. I ask for support not for Serbia, but for ordinary people in Kosovo, to enable them to continue living in their homes and territory, in accordance with the principles of 2015, but also in accordance with the new plan for the approved Association from the EU. If someone wants to destroy that too, what we are left with is the most serious and biggest threat to the dialogue so far", Vucic said.

Lajcak wrote on X that "We had an important discussion with Aleksandar Vucic about the latest developments in the Dialogue for the normalization of relations with Kosovo, as well as the next steps in the coming period. We also talked about urgent current issues".

The forum in Davos, Switzerland started on Monday night and closes on Friday.

Osmani: The Kosovo Army is getting stronger (Koha)

Kosovo President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, met the Minister of Defense, Ejup Macedonci and the commander of the Kosovo Security Force (FSK), Bashkim Jashari, whom she thanked for their commitment.

"The army of Kosovo is getting stronger day by day, as a reliable partner of the allied armies in NATO. Today I congratulated the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, and the Commander of the KSF, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, for the commitment of our defense institutions in their sacred mission," she wrote on Facebook.

AAK, NISMA reach agreement on pre-election coalition (media)

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) led by Ramush Haradinaj and NISMA led by Fatmir Limaj reached an agreement for a pre-election coalition on Wednesday. After the signing ceremony, Haradinaj told a press conference that the agreement comes as a sense of responsibility for Kosovo citizens, who according to him have been ignored and even abandoned by the current government. “Take for example the way that the teachers were treated during the strike of the unions. This is only one of the numerous cases that show the government’s indifference toward the citizens’ needs,” he said.

Haradinaj also argued that “Kosovo’s citizens today pay the highest energy tariffs in the region, whereas this government has been an open opponent of investments in the energy sector”. “We are in a difficult economic position because the government is benefiting from ways that don’t serve the people,” he added.

Limaj said the agreement is good news for the political landscape and Kosovo citizens. “The current situation requires the unification of forces that have something to offer and want to change the way that the country is developed and positioned. There are many important issues for the people of Kosovo, and which they want to see improved,” he said.

According to the agreement, the two parties agree to create a joint Front for Kosovo and steps to include other parties in the coalition.

Petition to dismiss Mitrovica North mayor could end on Thursday (Express)

Deputy chair of the municipal assembly of Mitrovica North, Skender Sadiku, told the news website on Wednesday that the required number of signatures for the petition to dismiss the mayor could be reached by Thursday. He said the deadline is until January 22 but that there was a great number of citizens that signed the petition. “I don’t know the exact number, but there has been a high turnout and according to the initiating group the required signatures will be collected by tomorrow [Thursday] … The signatures will then be sent to the Central Election Commission,” he said.

Signing of petition by Serb citizens triggers reactions (Koha)

The collection of signatures for the dismissal of four mayors of northern municipalities has prompted reactions of officials of institutions and opposition parties. President Vjosa Osmani has considered this process as a legal right. However, officials of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), have seen this process differently.

Betim Gjoshi, a member of the leadership of this party, wrote on Facebook that the photos from North Mitrovica, where Goran Rakic and Igor Simic are leading Serbian citizens who are signing the petition, are clear evidence that everything is in full coordination with Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

"It will forever be remembered that this process is directed by Belgrade and has the approval of the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, whose party is busy coordinating behind the scenes with the Serbian List and the super-criminal Milan Radoicic. Prime Minister, there is no need for questions or clarifications. Everything seems crystal clear: You are in coordination with Belgrade and the Serbian List. Prime Minister, the photographs from the north of Kosovo show your coordination and agreement, to take the mandate from the leaders who are not from the Serbian List", Gjoshi wrote.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Haradinaj government, Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla, has also emphasized that this process is coordinated by Prime Minister Kurti, and added that it is a clear consequence of not defining the Serbian List as a terrorist organization by Kosovo institutions.

"So, the attack in May 2023 on KFOR, Kosovo Police, journalists and also the terrible terrorist aggression in Banjska organized and executed by Radoicic of the Serbian List (under the leadership of Vucic) that left the hero Afrim Bunjaku dead - all they must be 'forgotten and silenced'. Let's not forget that the Ibri Bridge still does not unite but divides and the Association is waiting for us at the doorstep. The re-establishment of the criminal organization Serbian List in the northern municipalities after all the horror that happened last year - will be fatal for Kosovo", she wrote.

Former director of the Legal Office in the Ministry of Local Government, Shkelqim Jakupi, said that the petition is being organized under pressure, and according to him, political organizations of the Serbian state and criminal organizations have influenced here.

He emphasized on Wednesday on KTV's "60 Minutes" show that the signing of the petition should be done with the free will of the citizens, and according to him, there are Serb citizens who are dissatisfied with the whole process.

Rasic: Signing of petition in the north, an expected step (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, said in an interview with RTK that the political representation in the four mainly Serb inhabited municipalities in the north of Kosovo was not in line with the majority and that this was the reason why the idea for a petition to dismiss the four Albanian mayors was initiated.

“Our Ministry drafted this plan according to the needs and the signing of citizens there is an expected step … I believe that if elections are held [in the north] there will be a satisfactory turnout,” he said.

Rasic said he is willing to cooperate if he is invited to help draft the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “I have said from the beginning that international obligations cannot be erased. The document is relevant, regardless of whether it is called an Association or self-management. I believe that on the international arena it will be seen as a great step by Kosovo when the draft statute of the Association is prepared and I think it will strengthen Kosovo on the international arena,” he said.

Hetemi and Ugljanin: Petition is being influenced by Serbian List (media)

The mayor of Leposaviq, Lulezim Hetemi, has said that the petition for the dismissal of the mayors in the north is being influenced by the Serbian List.

He added that if the required signatures that would lead to his dismissal are collected, he will no longer enter the race for mayor of Leposavic.

"It is influenced, we know even earlier that they have been influenced, there were violent protests here five or six months ago, all of them were organized by criminals and the Serbian List", he told RTK.

The chairman of the North Mitrovica municipal assembly, Nexhat Uglanin, also spoke about the petition for the removal of the mayors in the north, saying that the petition in this way is undemocratic, as it is being done under pressure and blackmail.

The mayor of Zubin Potok, Izmir Zeqiri told Klan Kosova that these initiatives for his and his colleagues’ dismissal, will not succeed.

12 miners injured in Trepca (Radio Free Europe)

12 miners of the Trepca mining complex suffered injuries on Wednesday as they were transporting sulfuric acid, but none of are reported to be in critical condition. Officials at the Mitrovica general hospital said that 12 miners sought medical assistance and that two of them suffered more serious injuries to their eyes.

Bislimi: We allocated €3 mil for Presevo Valley this year (Lajmi)

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, met on Wednesday in Pristina, with Shaip Kamberi, the only Albanian member of the Parliament of Serbia, and discussed the position of Albanians in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. Bislimi said that continuous cooperation is important to address “the systematic oppression and discrimination” of Albanians in Presevo Valley. “The commitment and engagement of the [Kosovo] government continues to be productive this year too. We have allocated €3 million for the Valley this year. This financial support is one million more than in 2023, with the aim of unreserved support to safeguard and promote national identity, tradition, culture, and language,” Bislimi said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Kurti attempting to destroy dialogue, expel Serbs (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday in Davos he had requested EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak to stop Pristina PM Albin Kurti's attempt to destroy dialogue by halting payments of salaries and pensions to Serbs in Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

Speaking to reporters, Vucic said Pristina's announcement that it would stop payment transactions with central Serbia was an attempt to abolish the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and expel Serbs from Kosovo, adding that he hoped the international community would not allow that to happen.

Asked whether his meetings with Lajcak and US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia James O'Brien had given him an impression they were aware of the danger that would result from Pristina's threat materializing, Vucic said it was not his job to speak on behalf of European or US officials. "But I will speak with the Germans, the French and everyone else about this issue because I believe everyone must understand what this is about. This is about an attempt to abolish dialogue and expel Serbs from Kosovo, and that is the essence of things. I think they are aware of the consequences and hopefully they will help to ensure such things do not happen", he said.

Vucic: I had many meetings, position of Serbs in Kosovo discussed with Lajcak (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he had had many meetings in Davos, including, most importantly, with EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

Speaking to reporters, Vucic said he had pointed out to Lajcak that Pristina's PM Albin Kurti wanted to stop payments of salaries and pensions for Serbs in Kosovo and that this would mean even more departures of Serbs from there. "I requested support for our people and that they be allowed to live in their ancestral homes", Vucic said.

Speaking of other meetings he had, Vucic said his meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chairperson Borjana Kristo had addressed strengthening the cooperation between the two countries. He said he had met with intelligence chiefs of the most important European countries as well as with representatives of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office. Vucic added he had also had a long discussion with Ukrainian FM Dmitro Kuleba about all matters concerning Ukraine's EU path.

Serbs in Kosovo face threats on daily basis, Vucic tells Lajcak (media, social media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he had had an open discussion in Davos with EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, whom he told that Pristina's moves put all past achievements of the normalization process in question.

In a post on his official Instagram account, Vucic added that the meeting with Lajcak had addressed the situation in Kosovo and daily threats to the Serb population there, which he noted were a jeopardy to peace and stability in the region.

"I reiterated that Serbia continues to pursue a responsible policy based on dialogue and international law but also warned that, with its moves, Pristina is putting in question all that has been achieved to date in the process of normalization of relations", Vucic wrote in the post.

Lajcak believes Pristina’s announcements on terminating payment transactions will not lead to dangerous situation, hopes for solution (N1, BETA, KoSSev)

EU special envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak said on Wednesday in Davos he believes that Pristina’s announcements it would abolish payment transactions between Kosovo and central Serbia will not lead to the dangerous situation and that a solution without negative consequences will be found, N1 reports.

Asked if the situation, following Pristina’s announcements, has become dangerous, Lajcak said on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos “that at this moment he does not wish to make any assessments”.

“I brought up that issue in the conversation with Kosovo chief negotiator (Besnik) Bislimi. I kindly asked him to give me answers to several important questions, I passed that information to Brussels, and our services are now analyzing the situation. We expect them to come out with a common official position very soon”, Lajcak said.

Kosovo Central Bank: As of February 1, Euro is only currency for cash transactions in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Central Bank announced yesterday that in a meeting held on December 27, board of the bank adopted Regulation on Cash Transactions, according to which the only currency that can be used in Kosovo for cash transactions in the cash and payment system is Euro, which means that as from February 1, when this regulation enters into force, it will not be able to use Serbian Dinar, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The Bank said in a regulation posted on its website that other currencies can be used in Kosovo only “as valuables for safekeeping in physical form or on bank accounts in non-euro currencies, for international payments in non-euro currencies and for foreign exchange activities".

It was also said the exchange of currencies can be done in Kosovo only though institutions licenced by Kosovo Central Bank offering that service. According to this regulation, which enters into force on February 1, all other provisions that are in conflict with this regulation are put out of force, from the moment of its entry date.

Serbian Democracy calls for signing petition against decision to allocate land parcel to Kosovo Interior Ministry (Radio KIM)

Serbian Democracy said it will collect signatures against decision to allocate land parcel known as Military Overhaul in Mitrovica North to Kosovo Interior Ministry and construction of police base there on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 10.00 to 14.00 hrs near Tzar Lazar Monument in this city, Radio KIM reports.

The collection of signatures started on January 13 and 14. The decision of the Mitrovica North Municipal Assembly to allocate to the Kosovo Interior Ministry a land parcel of almost three hectares caused dissatisfaction of citizens. 1.870 signatures of Mitrovica North citizens, holders of Kosovo ID cards, respectively 10 percent of registered voters are needed for petition.

Traditional swimming for Holy Cross at Gazivode lake canceled (KoSSev, media)

Traditional swimming for Holy Cross on the occasion of Epiphany, that was taking place every year on January 19, at Gazivode lake, has been canceled, Raska-Prizren Eparchy said in a statement, KoSSev portal reports. Security concerns were the reasons for cancellation, the portal added.

"Unfortunately, the Diocese is not able to organize the traditional Epiphany swimming for the Holy Cross at Gazivode lake this year, due to organizational and security reasons", the Eparchy said.

This is the first time in recent history that this traditional manifestation in northern Kosovo has been canceled, the portal wrote.

International Media

Kosovo North Serbs Collect Signatures to Dismiss Their ‘Unwanted’ Mayors (Balkan Insight)

The lengthy process to dismiss Albanian mayors from four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo started on Wednesday amid confidence that enough citizens will support it.

Hundreds of residents of municipalities in Serb-majority northern Kosovo on Wednesday signed petitions to dismiss mayors they don’t want.

Veselin Radovic from Leposavic said he hoped enough signatures will be collected in time for the petition to go through. “We are satisfied with the signatures we collected today so I hope the initiative will be successful,” Radovic told BIRN.