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UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 29, 2025

Albanian Language Media: 

 

  • Kurti: Kosovo has strong bilateral relations with the U.S. (media)
  • Lajcak: High-level talks after elections in Kosovo (media)
  • Lajcak meets his successor Sorensen (media)
  • NATO looking forward to work closely Sorensen as new EU special envoy (media)
  • Disinformation and foreign interventions in election processes in Kosovo (VoA)
  • Border management center calls on people to avoid Jarinje crossing (media)
  • Charges filed against a Serb for sexual violence during the war in Kosovo (Kallxo)

 

Serbian Language Media:

 

  • Vucic: A new government or elections, but there will be no interim government (media)
  • Protests across Serbia over assault on Novi Sad students (N1)
  • The EU does not want to comment on Vucevic's resignation (KiM radio, Beta)
  • Faith and protest: Serbian Orthodox Church faces backlash over statement (KoSSev)
  • The Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment in absentia for war crimes (KiM radio)
  • Lajcak: EU Intends to relaunch talks between Belgrade and Pristina at the leadership level (RTS, Kosovo Online)

 

International Media:

 

  • What does the resignation of its populist prime minister mean for Serbia? (The Guardian)
  • Serbian leader, trying to quell protests, Jettisons a key ally (The New York Times)

 

 

Albanian Language Media 

 

Kurti: Kosovo has strong bilateral relations with the U.S. (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with El Mundo that Kosovo has a strong bilateral relationship with the United States of America. “Kosovo has a strong bilateral relationship with the United States of America, based on its continued commitment to our sovereignty and our integration into the European Union and NATO. Kosovo is indirectly dependent on the United States and at the same time also on the relations that the United States maintains with the European Union, Russia, China and the Middle East. The United States has a lot of power and little time. I do not think they will change their position on Kosovo. We work closely with Washington. I think the difference between the Biden administration and the Trump administration probably lies in domestic policy issues,” he said.

 

Asked if it is time for Spain to recognize Kosovo, Kurti said: “it is paradoxical that Spain, a consolidated democracy, does not recognise Kosovo, a pro-European country opposed to Russian influence, while maintaining a close stance towards Serbia. I believe that the time has come for Spain to recognise Kosovo's independence. In addition to the declaration of independence, our recent history includes two crucial moments. The first was the liberation in 1999, made possible by NATO's intervention under the leadership of the then Secretary General, the Spaniard Javier Solana. The international community warned that Milosevic wanted to perpetrate a second genocide, this time in Kosovo, similar to what happened in Srebrenica. The second crucial moment came in September 2012, when the status of international supervision was lifted. For the first four years after our declaration of independence, Kosovo did not have full sovereignty. Pieter Feith, as the representative of the Kosovo International Monitoring Group, oversaw and had authority over our institutions, which limited our real independence”.

 

Read full interview at: https://shorturl.at/v3kte(link is external)

 

Lajcak: High-level talks after elections in Kosovo (media)

 

Miroslav Lajcak, whose mandate as EU special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue expires at the end of this month, said in an interview with RTS on Tuesday that the EU will start high-level talks in the dialogue after the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo. “We are preparing to start high-level talks after the elections in Kosoo. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has made it clear that she will be directly involved and that she wants to lead the process. An EU position, proposal, is being prepared for both parties, but I cannot talk about it in detail now. My successor Peter Sorensen who is an experienced diplomat and knows the Balkans well, will be there to help Kaja Kallas in this,” Lajcak said.

 

Lajcak argued that the dialogue is in a better state than when he took up his mandate, and that the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex were a success. “The roadmap toward normalization is in the interest of all,” he said.

 

Lajcak meets his successor Sorensen (media)

 

Outgoing EU special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, met on Tuesday with his successor Peter Sorensen. “Peter Sorensen today. Our handover briefings are in full swing to ensure a seamless transition,” Lajcak wrote in a post on X.

 

NATO looking forward to work closely Sorensen as new EU special envoy (media)

 

Spokeswoman for NATO, Allison Hart, said in a post on X on Tuesday that NATO looks forward to working closely with Peter Sorensen as the new European Union special representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. “Continued NATO-EU cooperation is key to maintaining stability in the entire Western Balkans region,” Hart said. 

 

Disinformation and foreign interventions in election processes in Kosovo (VoA)

 

The Pristina-based fact-checking platform Hibrid notes that since the start of the campaign for the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo, every week it registers dozens of news reports with inaccurate information about the campaign. Festim Rizanaj from Hibrid told the Voice of America in Albanian that the sources of this content are domestic, but that dominating are those that come mainly from Serbia and Russia. “They have created several narratives about the elections, and the main one is the call to vote for the Serbian List because this entity represents Serbia in Kosovo and not other entities which they consider close to the current government. The other narrative is that (Prime Minister Albin) Kurti will manipulate the elections and damage the Serbian List and in a way allegedly carry out an ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo,” he said.

 

Head of the Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies Octopus, based in Pristina, Arben Fetoshi, said that the right for free elections as a foundation of democracy is now threatened more than ever by increasingly sophisticated interventions by autocracies. He made these comments during a discussion on foreign interventions in elections and their impact on the security and democracy in Kosovo. “Serbia’s hybrid war against Kosovo which can be defined as political, economic and security intervention, includes combined activities that undermine Kosovo’s democratic order and its international consolidation. [Serbia] has always considered interventions in local and parliamentary elections as a good opportunity for sabotage,” he argued.

 

Border management center calls on people to avoid Jarinje crossing (media)

 

Kosovo’s National Center for Border Management, in a statement issued on Tuesday evening, called on people from Kosovo to avoid the Jarinje crossing because of ongoing protests in Serbia. The centre said that the road in Kraljevo in Serbia is blocked and that protesters are not allowing vehicles to move. People from Kosovo have been advised to use other crossing points until further notice. 

 

Charges filed against a Serb for sexual violence during the war in Kosovo (Kallxo)

 

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo filed charges on Tuesday against a Serb [initials included] for war crimes committed against the civilian population in 1998-1999 in Kosovo. The trial will be held in absentia, because the suspect cannot be found by the judicial authorities. The prosecution said the defendant carried out sexual violence as a crime of war against an Albanian woman.

 

The news website also notes that the exact number of victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo is not known. According to a report by a U.S. government institution, the figure is believed to be up to 20,000 victims. 

 

Serbian Language Media  

 

Vucic: A new government or elections, but there will be no interim government (media)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, addressed the citizens last night from the "Serbia" Palace after the extraordinary session of the Government of Serbia.

He said that last night they fulfilled all the demands made by the students.

"We also resolved some issues that violate my principles, which concern pardons. The night at Autokomanda passed peacefully, without incident. We are satisfied with what we have achieved, although we are not naive that someone will jump with enthusiasm and say that the requirements have been met," said Vucic. 

Regarding the attack on the female student in Novi Sad, Vucic pointed out that he wanted to say what really happened.

"There has been scrabble on the SNS premises for several days now. They think they have the right to threaten the premises and the people in those premises. So also, the previous evening between three and four in the morning, almost always the same persons from the anarchist group in Novi Sad started scribbling, placing templates on the party premises. The guys from the party room went outside, pushed them away, removed them from there and that was fine. Then something scandalous happened that we don't understand, and that is that those guys... ran around Novi Sad and injured the girl. We cannot accept that after calling for dialogue and complete peace, anyone violates it in our name. The guys who did that did enormous damage to the country, the party and each of us," said Vucic among other things. 

He pointed out that the incident ''happened out of blue''. 

"Milos (Vucevic) and Milan (Djuric) pointed out that they, as citizens of Novi Sad, think they should resign," said Vucic.

The President of Serbia pointed out that after the resignation of the PM Vucevic, he has a clear procedure before him.

"We are proceeding with the confirmation of the resignation in the National Assembly, and from that moment there is a deadline of 30 days for the election of the new Government. If not elected, the elections will be called automatically,'' said Vucic. 

The President is obliged to initiate the procedure for the election of a new Government, he said. 

Vucic said that in the next 10 days, a decision will be made about elections or a new government. He added that considering the deadlines, most realistic was that the elections, if there were any, should be held in April, before the May Day holidays.

He said that there will be no transitional government, because he did not want to give power away, neither to plenums nor to the opposition, “and not because I am proud or arrogant, but because I will not give the most irresponsible people the opportunity to destroy the country, as they have already done”.

"I will not avoid consultations, although I know that I will only receive insults and I don't know what else from those who today no longer have even two or three percent on the political scene of Serbia, but think that they are flattering someone by doing so," he said and added that he will send an invitation to consultations, and that he was also open for elections.

"The most important talks will be within the SNS. It is important for us that the country of Serbia is put in not an easy situation, under enormous pressure from the outside. Our stability and civil peace are threatened. Illegal behavior is supported here in every possible way and is considered normal," the President of Serbia said. 

Vucic previously participated in an extraordinary session of the Government of Serbia.

Protests across Serbia over assault on Novi Sad students (N1)

Thousands of citizens took to the streets across Serbia on Tuesday to protest a violent assault on university students in Novi Sad that occurred on the night between Monday and Tuesday.

A group of assailants, linked to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), armed with baseball bats attacked two separate groups of students in the northern Serbian city. One female student was seriously injured, while several others sustained minor injuries. Police in Novi Sad arrested four suspects on Tuesday in connection with the attacks.

The violence sparked widespread outrage, leading to significant demonstrations in Novi Sad, where local journalist Ana Lalic described the turnout as unprecedented.

“The timing of the resignations is strategic, aimed at avoiding another mass gathering, but I feel like it has only motivated people more to take to the streets. The most important thing is that there’s no going back now. With students like these, none of us should be worried – things can’t get worse, and I believe they will get better,” she said.

Protests over the assault on Novi Sad students were also held Tuesday in Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Nis, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Leskovac, Cacak and other cities.

The EU does not want to comment on Vucevic's resignation (KiM radio, Beta)

The European Commission (EC) has been informed about the resignation of the Prime Minister of Serbia, Milos Vucevic, but does not want to comment on it, as it is an internal political issue of that country, the EC spokesperson said at the press conference.

EC spokesperson Guillaume Mercier did not want to speculate about the future Government of Serbia but said that the EU encourages all political actors to engage in dialogue and refrain from escalating tensions, reported KiM radio, citing Beta agency.

He stated that he can repeat that the EU institutions closely monitor the current internal political situation in Serbia and the "mobilization of students and other groups".

He added that freedom of assembly is a fundamental EU right that should be protected and allowed to be enjoyed peacefully, with full respect for the rule of law and public order.

"We are concerned about the incidents against the protesters, and we expect the Serbian authorities to investigate," Mercier said. He added that they have and reports of another incident with a vehicle crashing into people and injuries to students, including last night in Novi Sad.

"We remind you that under European human rights law, the authorities must protect assembly participants from injury or violence by other people or groups who oppose or seek to prevent or disrupt these assemblies," the spokesperson said.

He emphasized that "citizen participation has a vital role in the development of a healthy and democratic society, including the promotion of transparency and accountability", which are values at the base of the EU and which Brussels expects all candidate states to join the EU to respect.

Mercier called on all those who support European integration to contribute to Serbia's progress towards the EU through dialogue and compromise.

"We remind you that the spread of disinformation and hostile political rhetoric, including against the EU and its citizens, has no place on the path to integration," he said.

Mercier said that all political actors should engage constructively in the political inter-party dialogue and redirect energy to implementing key reforms in the areas of the rule of law, human rights and to speed up the EU accession process in the interest of the people of Serbia.

Faith and protest: Serbian Orthodox Church faces backlash over statement (KoSSev)

Student protests that have gripped Serbia for months took an unexpected turn when the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) issued a statement critiquing the demonstrators, labeling them as inhabiting “parallel universes”. The statement elicited a strong reaction in Serbia, as well as criticism from theologians, clergy, and students alike.

The SOC’s statement, authored by Dusan Stokanovic, differentiated between students attending the Sveti Sava celebrations at the grandiose Temple of Sveti Sava in Belgrade and a group of students who came to the Sveti Sava celebration at the Serbian Matica with the intention of reading a poem by the president of the Serbian Matica, Dragan Stanic, from 1981, in which both the train station and the shelter are mentioned.

The statement accused the latter group of attempting to impose an “anti-Sveti Sava, anti-Christian, and anti-Serb narrative”, urging students to “choose the universe in which they want to live”.

Theologians Respond

In a striking rebuke, a group of 18 theologians, priests, monks, and nuns published a joint statement condemning the Church’s approach, Danas daily reported.

“The text is tendentious and condescending, culminating in a poorly constructed false dilemma,” they wrote.

“We have one thing to say about such an unworthy statement: Not in our name!”

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/mr5wva7p(link is external)

The Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment in absentia for war crimes (KiM radio)

The Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office filed a new indictment in absentia against C.K. of Serbian nationality due to the criminal offense of "war crime against the civilian population".

According to the Special Prosecutor's Office , C.K. committed sexual violence, as a war crime, against a victim of Albanian nationality, during the war conflicts in Kosovo in 1998-1999. 

"The Special Prosecutor's Office proposed to the Court that the main trial be held in absentia because the defendant C. K. is unavailable to the judicial authorities," they state, referring to the law.

They add that the legal requirements from Article 234 of the Criminal Procedure Law for filing an indictment in absentia have been met, according to the announcement.

The case was handed over to the Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina for further proceedings, according to the Special Prosecutor's Office.

Lajcak: EU Intends to relaunch talks between Belgrade and Pristina at the leadership level (RTS, Kosovo Online)

Miroslav Lajcak, the outgoing EU Special Envoy for the Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue, has stated that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is in a better state than when he started his mandate in the spring of 2020, although normalization of relations has not progressed. In a farewell interview with RTS, he mentioned that the EU plans to relaunch talks at the leadership level following elections in Kosovo. He emphasized that the Union is preparing proposals for both sides in a process that will be led by the European Chief of Diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, with the support of experienced Danish diplomat Peter Sorensen, reported Kosovo Online in English. 

Lajcak cited "enormous mistrust between the two sides," violence in Zvecan, and a "terrorist act" in Banjska during 2023, as well as a series of unilateral moves by Pristina detrimental to the Serbian population in Kosovo, as reasons for the failure in implementing agreements from Brussels and Ohrid.

Lajcak acknowledged that in 2024 the dialogue lost momentum and was not a main priority for leaders during a year that was electoral both in Europe and America.

Mr. Lajcak, how do you assess the current state of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the normalization of relations compared to the spring of 2020 when you began your mandate?

I began dealing with the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in April 2020. At that time, dialogue did not exist; there had been no dialogue since 2018. My first task was to revive the dialogue and bring it back to Brussels. We managed this quite quickly, with the first leaders' meeting in July of that year.

To date, we have had 14 leaders' level meetings and 31 at the level of chief negotiators. I have visited Belgrade and Pristina 28 times each. We have also had numerous meetings with leaders at international gatherings. We have achieved concrete results: a solution for the issue of missing persons, a resolution for the energy situation in northern Kosovo, and travel with personal ID cards.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/46pnnw3b(link is external)

 

International Media

 

What does the resignation of its populist prime minister mean for Serbia? (The Guardian)

 

Milos Vučević quit in an attempt to calm political tensions after months of anti-corruption protests led by students

 

Serbia’s populist prime minister, Miloš Vučević, has resigned in an attempt to calm political tensions after months of anti-corruption protests.

 

The protests began in November, after the outdoor roof of a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 15 people. The disaster soon became a flashpoint as people across the country seized on it to express their broader dissatisfaction with Serbia’s increasingly authoritarian rule and demand greater government transparency.

 

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/4w6fm487(link is external)

 

Serbian Leader, Trying to Quell Protests, Jettisons a Key Ally (The New York Times)

 

Demonstrations around Serbia pose a challenge to the decade-long hold on power by President Aleksandar Vucic, who spurred his prime minister to step down.

 

Battered by weeks of student-led street demonstrations, Serbia’s strongman leader Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday sacrificed his prime minister in an effort to calm protests that had engulfed towns and cities, posing a major challenge to his decade-long grip on power.

 

Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, a close ally of President Vucic and nominal leader of their Serbian Progressive Party, said he was stepping down so as “not to further raise tensions in society” — just hours after Mr. Vucic demanded “an urgent and comprehensive reshuffle of the government.”

 

A master at maneuvering within Serbia’s deeply polarized politics, and between Russia and the West, Mr. Vucic has a long record of throwing allies overboard, at least for a time, and catching fractious opposition parties off balance. Opponents have struggled to challenge him in elections but have jumped on protest movements led by students and others outside party politics.

 

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/58hx7sbj(link is external)