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UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 24, 2025

Albanian Language Media: 

 

  • Osmani: Kosovo will continue partnership with new U.S. administration (media)
  • Grenell says Kurti “brought Kosovo-U.S. relations to a low point” (media)
  • Kurti invites Al-Falih to deepen cooperation (RTK)
  • Pula informs EU election observation mission about preparations (RTK)
  • Jashari meets with Scott to discuss security situation (media)
  • High air pollution in Kosovo; institute gives recommendations (media)
  • Reactions after Serbia expels 13 civil society activists, including Albanians (RFE)

 

Serbian Language Media:

 

  • Pantic Pilja: Pristina's request for CoE special guest status not on agenda for now (Tanjug)
  • Vucic: I am always ready for dialogue, there will be changes but no transitional gov't (Tanjug, media)
  • Serbian Government adopts program to support returnees and socially vulnerable in Kosovo (Alterntivna.com)
  • Arsenijevic: Kurti is making fun of Serbian people who live under two constraints and choose to retreat when he comes (KoSSev)
  • Grenell: Kurti supported Biden and Harris, yet they criticized him (Kosovo Online, social media)
  • Radio Gorazdevac and KoSSev support students (KoSSev)
  • Responding to calls for a general strike (N1)

 

International Media:

 

  • Serbia bars 13 foreign NGO workers as ‘unacceptable security risk’ (BIRN)

 

 

Albanian Language Media 

 

Osmani: Kosovo will continue partnership with new U.S. administration (media)

 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Thursday with Charge D’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, Anu Prattipati, and discussed the latest developments in Kosovo, including the commitment of institutions to maintain stability and promote democratic reforms. “The meeting also discussed the participation of the Kosovo presidential delegation at the inauguration activities of U.S. President Donald Trump. President Osmani reconfirmed Kosovo’s engagement and readiness to further the partnership with the new U.S. administration, based on shared values and strategic interests,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office noted.

 

Grenell says Kurti “brought Kosovo-U.S. relations to a low point” (media)

 

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, said in a post on X on Thursday that “the U.S. relationship with Kosovo suffered during Joe Biden’s presidency. Biden’s State Department and White House criticized Kurti’s actions and inability to grow Kosovo’s economy. Kurti picked political fights and took unilateral action. He brought Kosovo-U.S. relations to a low point. He was condemned by European leaders, NATO and Joe Biden’s team. Kurti endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and yet he was still criticized by them”.

 

Kurti invites Al-Falih to deepen cooperation (RTK)

 

The World Economic Forum in Davos is continuing its work, while on the sidelines of this event, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti Albin Kurti met with the Minister of Investment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Falih. A press release issued by Kurti’s office notes that he thanked Al -Falih for the continuous support for Kosovo. He informed him about the development and progress in Kosovo and invited him to further bilateral cooperation and increase investment opportunities in areas such as transport, environment, energy and tourism.

 

Pula informs EU election observation mission about preparations (RTK)

 

Representatives of the European Union election observation mission, led by the legal analyst of this mission, Eirini Skouzou, visited on Thursday the office of the Chief State Prosecutor, where they were received by the national coordinator for elections, the prosecutor from the Chief State Prosecutor's Office, Laura Pula.

 

"The National Coordinator for Elections, Pula informed the attendees about the engagement of the State Prosecutor regarding the protection of the free vote of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo for the national elections to be held on February 9, 2025. Also during this meeting, they discussed coordination between the prosecution offices and the National Coordinator regarding all activities of the State Prosecutor that will be undertaken in case of a violation of the electoral process, as well as including inter-institutional cooperation within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation for the electoral process, between the institutions dealing with the administration of elections and the review of electoral cases," the announcement of the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor states.

 

Jashari meets with Scott to discuss security situation (media)

 

The Commander of the Kosovo Security Force, Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, met on Thursday with Lieutenant General Peter K. Scott, Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Command in Naples (DCOM JFCNP). General Jashari briefed General Scott on the overall security situation in the region and in Kosovo, the Kosovo Security Force announced. He also briefed General Scott on the achievements of the KSF in accordance with the Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP), and on the development of the KSF's capabilities in the functional combat areas towards achieving full operational capabilities, in order to fulfill the KSF's mission.

 

According to the announcement, General Jashari also emphasized the KSF's contribution in the international arena in maintaining peace and security, including the KSF's deployments abroad. They also discussed the KSF's support for Ukraine in line with the objectives of NATO and its member states. "More specifically, General Jashari informed General Scott about the KSF's contribution to the training of Ukrainian troops, combat duties in the "INTERFLEX" operation and the training of Ukrainian contingents in EOD. General Jashari expressed his readiness to increase cooperation between the KSF and KFOR," the announcement further states.

 

High air pollution in Kosovo; institute gives recommendations (media)

 

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said in a statement on Wednesday that cities in Kosovo, and Pristina in particular, are faced with high levels of air pollution. The institute recommended in a Facebook post that people should avoid going out in places with polluted air, especially in the morning and evening hours, and especially for people with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, children and pregnant women. The institute said that if people must go out, they should wear masks. 

 

Reactions after Serbia expels 13 civil society activists, including Albanians (RFE)

 

Serbia expelled 13 foreign nationals on Thursday who were attending a workshop for non-governmental organizations from nine different countries. The authorities in Belgrade stopped them and then expelled them on the night between January 21 and 22, saying that they constituted “a security threat”. Two Albanian nationals were among the people that were expelled. 

 

The Erste Foundation, one of the organizers of the workshop, told Radio Free Europe that late on January 21, Serbian authorities interviewed 13 participants and then banned them from entering Serbia for one year. “This incident is very worrying. Together with our partners we are continuing to closely follow the situation. We are deeply sorry that the participants of our workshops had to go through this experience, and we reaffirm our commitment to civil society,” a press release by the Erste Foundation noted.

 

The European Union said in a statement that it was concerned by the incident and called on Serbia to respect human rights in line with European and international standards. “We are concerned by arrest and expulsion of peaceful civil society activists from Serbia who come from EU member states and the region of the Western Balkans. Civil society plays an important role in building a healthy democratic society. These values are at the core of the European Union and are also crucial for the future of Serbia as a candidate country and for its people,” a spokesperson for the European Commission in Brussels said.

 

Serbian Language Media  

 

Pantic Pilja: Pristina's request for CoE special guest status not on agenda for now (Tanjug)

Pristina's request to be given special guest status in the Council of Europe (CoE) is not on the official agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Political Committee for now, Biljana Pantic-Pilja, who heads the Serbian Delegation to PACE said Thursday, noting that she did not expect the request to be debated at all during an upcoming PACE session, Tanjug news agency reported. Pantic Pilja added that the regular PACE winter session was scheduled to begin on January 27 and end on January 31 and that PACE committees will hold regular sessions during that time, too. According to her, there was no support in PACE for Pristina's request.

"We have presented the argument that it makes no sense to give them special guest status because only a state can have such status and it would be used in Albin Kurti's campaigning for the upcoming elections, and this is neither the time nor the place to debate that. For now, I am optimistic it will not be on the agenda", Pantic Pilja said. Last December, Belgrade also succeeded in getting Pristina's request off the agenda of the PACE Political Committee.

Vucic: I am always ready for dialogue, there will be changes but no transitional gov't (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday evening he would always be offering dialogue to students who were blocking faculty buildings in Serbia, adding he was always open to receiving them and speaking with them, Tanjug news agency reported. He also announced there would be serious changes in Serbia but no transitional government.

Speaking about a major rally to be held in Jagodina, central Serbia, on Friday, he said he was preparing a speech about the future and about where Serbia wanted to be heading to. The speech will also be about what should be done in Serbia, he said. He said a movement to be established would start taking in members from March 15 and would likely be registered on June 28. According to him the rally in Jagodina was not a counter-rally as it was not aimed against anyone.

He also announced there will be serious changes but no transitional government whatsoever, adding that he was not only referring to the national government but to local authorities as well. Commenting on allegations he would have the Constitution amended so that he could run for president again, Vucic said he has no desire for another presidential term and no intention to change the Constitution of Serbia.

Serbian Government adopts program to support returnees and socially vulnerable in Kosovo (Alterntivna.com)

The Serbian Government has adopted a conclusion on the program of providing aid to returnee and vulnerable households as well as the program of financial resources for the payment of aid to the most socially vulnerable population in Kosovo for this year, the Government said after the session last night.

In relation to the Program of financial resources to provide assistance to returnee and vulnerable households, the Government said "conditions have been created to ensure that this category of population overcomes existential threats" and "contributes to improving the quality of life, sustainable survival and return to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija".

In relation to the Program for the distribution and use of financial resources and for the payment of aid to the most socially vulnerable population, the Government added that "it should contribute to a significant improvement of the social situation in the territory of the southern Serbian province".

Arsenijevic: Kurti is making fun of Serbian people who live under two constraints and choose to retreat when he comes (KoSSev)

“When he (Albin Kurti) comes, people here retreat to their own house arrests”, this is how Serbian Democracy leader Aleksandar Arsenijevic responded to the latest statements of Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti. Earlier in a video clip published on social media, Kurti in an apparently homely atmosphere and company, recounted his last visit to Mitrovica North, ahead of the second announced pre-election rally that he had in Mitrovica South. “One person blows the whistle, not two, not ten, but one person. Only one person was blowing the whistle, disturbing North Mitrovica. Out of thousands of Serbs, one blows the whistle. Do you understand?” Kurti told those gathered around him. Jokingly, Kurti presented the fact that “it went from rocket launchers to whistles” as a “great progress”. All this caused laughter from those present, KoSSev wrote.

As the portal further reported Kurti was in fact talking about the evening, when Arsenijevic was arrested just a few meters from Missini cafe, the only person that evening who was prevented from moving to the bottom of the promenade and who protested by blowing the whistle.

He makes fun of the Serbian people who live under two constraints

In a statement to KoSSev, Arsenijević said that Kosovo Prime Minister “further mocks the Serbian people” in this way. “Despite the fact that he is already humiliating the Serbian people, in this way he makes fun of them even more and persistently tries to present the North as a conquered territory and that the Serbs are cheering for it”, Arsenijevic noted. And actually, he said, it’s only a matter of people living under two constraints. On one hand, as he said, is the Serbian List, and on the other Kosovo special police and Pristina authorities.

He wasn’t the only one, but even if he was - he was arrested

Arsenijevic refuted Kurti that one Serb blew the whistle at that time, claiming that the entire Serbian Democracy leadership was on the promenade that day. But he also said if there was one Serb only as Kurti says, “that one bothered him and he was arrested. When Kurti needs to come, I repeat now, the streets are cleared of garbage, dogs and Serbs who are not suitable for him”. 

Asrenijevic also said he understands that Albin Kurti is bothered by the actions of Serbian Democracy because “by blowing the whistle, we expose his propaganda and lies - how great everything is”.

Grenell: Kurti supported Biden and Harris, yet they criticized him (Kosovo Online, social media)

Richard Grenell, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for special envoy, in a post on X social platform said Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has damaged relations between Kosovo and the United States, adding that the former president and vice president of the U.S., Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, whom Kurti supported, have criticized him for his unilateral actions. Grenell wrote that the U.S. "suffered" with Kosovo during President Joe Biden's term, Kosovo Online portal reported. He also said the State Department and the White House criticized Kurti's actions and his inability to develop the Kosovo economy.

"Kurti picked political fights and took unilateral action. He brought Kosovo-U.S. relations to a low point. He was condemned by European leaders, NATO and Joe Biden’s team. Kurti endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and yet he was still criticized by them”, Grenell said, reminding of Kurti's post from last July, in which Kurti, after Biden announced he would run for the U.S. presidency again, wrote that he was "one of the greatest friends and tireless advocates for Kosovo".

"President Biden’s statement marks the end of an era. The world — especially Kosova — is a better and safer place because of his exceptional contribution. For this, we will always be grateful," Kurti had written at the time.

Radio Gorazdevac and KoSSev support students (KoSSev)

In an expression of solidarity to the students and their demands, Media Group Gorazdevac will symbolically interrupt its work on January 24, in the period form 11:52 to 12:07, while KoSSev portal will publish the illustration in a sign of support, KoSSev portal reported.

During this period the website of Gorazdevac Media Group will not be available and a message of support to students will be displayed. The Radio will also stop broadcasting at the same time. Radio Gorazdevac journalists will follow the first 15-minute silent vigil organized in Mitrovica North to tribute the people who died in Novi Sad railway canopy collapse and in support of students.

“We believe that solidarity with students and their struggle for justice and transparency is an obligation of all of us wishing for a more just society. For years we bear witnesses and report on numerous cases of corruption within the system of the Serbian Government in Kosovo, under pretext of support to the local population. Those misuses have never had their epilogue, nor was anyone held responsible for them, while our enquiries addressed to those responsible remained without answer. That is why we decisively and unequivocally extend support to students who bravely stand up against corruption and for justice, reminding all of us about the values, many have forgotten about”, Media Group Gorazdevac said. 

Responding to calls for a general strike (N1)

The response to the general strike called for Friday, January 24 “was huge on social media” on Thursday with a wide range of people and businesses saying they would not be working, N1 reported.

The calls for a general strike came from a number of people and organizations, including the student protesters. Friday’s general strike was preceded by strikes by lawyers and teachers who will be joined by culture institutions, libraries, NOGs, caterers and the hospitality industry, entrepreneurs and others including employees of the Serbian power company. A student protest Instagram account said: “Not going to work, not going to classes, not doing our daily activities. Take freedom into our hands! Your participation will make a difference”. Teachers’ unions said schools would go on strike as would the Belgrade History Archive and theatres across Serbia.

Media observing the strike include N1, Nova, Danas, Sport Club, the Beta and FoNet news agencies all of which will take a break between 11:52 and 12:07 (the time of the daily 15 Minutes of Silence in memory of the people killed at Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse). Publishers and bookstores have also said they will join the strike as will the Association of Musicians of Serbia, Cineplex Serbia movie houses and others in the film and audiovisual industry. Civil society organizations include the Curuvija Foundation, Belgrade Center for Security Policy, CRTA democracy watchdog, Youth Initiative for Human Rights and YUCOM lawyers for human rights who said they would provide legal assistance. The strike will also be joined by informal IT industry organizations in Belgrade and Novi Sad.

 

International Media

 

Serbia bars 13 foreign NGO workers as ‘unacceptable security risk’ (BIRN)

 

Foreign NGO workers who were interrogated by police between Tuesday night and Wednesday after attending workshops in Belgrade, and then banned from Serbia as a security risk, told BIRN they saw it as intimidation.

 

All of them were given the same document, cancelling their stay in Serbia and banning them from the country for a year.

 

The document, which BIRN has seen, says: “The state body responsible for the protection of the security of the Republic of Serbia … has determined that the stay of the appointed [person] represents an unacceptable security risk.”

 

It refers to one of the legal reasons why people can be banned from the country – “protecting the security of the Republic of Serbia”.

 

One of the NGO workers, Stefanija Neagoe, from the Bucharest-based organisation Ateliere Fara Frontiere, said she and other people were taken to a police station in the middle of the night, “so we could not contact our embassies or reach out for help”.

 

One of the biggest problems, Neagoe told BIRN, was they were not given any explanation. She said she thought “it was a form of intimidation, a form of trying to send a signal to the region, trying to flex their [official] muscles and show off their strength”.

 

Neagoe, together with some 20 other people, participated in two days of workshops held by the NGO Academy in Belgrade on Monday and Tuesday.

 

On returning to their hotel, around midnight, they were approached by police in plain clothes who told them to come to the police station. They were taken in groups in unmarked cars.

 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/KjNSX