UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 3, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Maqedonci: Kosovo at risk from Serbia’s continuous threats (Kosovapress)
KFOR publishes video of Italian Lagunari specific training in north (media)
LDK’s Haziri criticizes Kurti, says he has “no merit for visa liberalization” (media)
Hasani: Serbia is shifting pressure on Kosovo (Gazeta Express)
Vogel: Trump’s return would be a misfortune for Kosovo (AP)
The Guardian view on state capture in Serbia: a problem for Balkans, EU (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: I do not care about reports by foreign media, but only about Serbians (Tanjug)
Branimir Stojanovic, Milazim Krasinqi on situation in northern Kosovo, dialogue (RTK2, Radio kontakt plus)
Nastic on exclusion of Serbs from Kosovo from visa liberalization, terms it as farce and shameful act (Kosovo Online)
Vucic rejects opposition demands for international investigation (N1, BETA)
Haziri on statements about attacks from Serbia, Kurti and Osmani are trying to divert attention from other problems (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media

Maqedonci: Kosovo at risk from Serbia’s continuous threats (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with the news agency on Tuesday that Kosovo is at risk from Serbia’s continuous threats and that the latter is supporting what he called “armed paramilitary groups”. He said that Serbia has deployed three military brigades to the southern part of its territory and that it has established 48 operational bases along the border with Kosovo.

According to Maqedonci, the European Union is hesitating to impose sanctions against Serbia for the act of aggression in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year. He also claimed that “Serbian state structures supported the attack in Banjska” and that it was aimed at the breakaway of the north of Kosovo. He said that there is still a risk that similar cases can happen again.

Maqedonci said that the development of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is happening in line with NATO standards and that he is optimistic that Kosovo is close to NATO membership. “However, we know that becoming a member state of NATO is a political decision and it also relates to the hesitation of some non-recognizing countries to support the initiative. I also think that with the support of our main strategic partners, the United States of America, but also other NATO member states, we will become a member of NATO and we will resolve the problem of non-recognizing countries,” he added.

KFOR publishes video of Italian Lagunari specific training in north (media)

Most news websites cover a video published by the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) of a training by Italian Lagunari conducted in the north of Kosovo on December 30. “KFOR is fully focused on the daily implementation of its mandate – based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – to provide a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement,” the Facebook post notes.

See video at: https://shorturl.at/rtGT0

LDK’s Haziri criticizes Kurti, says he has “no merit for visa liberalization” (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, argued in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Prime Minister Albin Kurti has no merits for visa liberalization. “A government and a prime minister under political, economic, and financial penalty measures for not keeping his word and implementing state obligations, has no merit for visa liberalization, which came after a seven-year delay. The time has come to apologize for the seven-year blockade and to tell the people when the sanctions will be lifted,” Haziri said.

Hasani: Serbia is shifting pressure on Kosovo (Gazeta Express)

Former President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Enver Hasani, in an interview with the news website said that the U.S. and the European Union will not hold Serbia responsible for the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year. “According to the request of the international community, the only responsibility that Serbia has consists in holding responsible the perpetrators of the terrorist act in Banjska. The state of Serbia will do this in the future because everything is monitored by external factors. The state of Serbia gave its approval for this,” he said.

Hasani did not rule out the possibility of acts of revenge for the loss of Serb lives in Banjska but said there would be no war. “The war rhetoric has been used from the beginning to legitimize Serb political and territorial autonomy. There is nothing else there,” he said.

Hasani also argued that by accepting the agreements in Brussels and Ohrid, Kurti has laid the foundations for what is called a material constitution, opened the status of Kosovo and gave up on mutual recognition with Serbia.

Vogel: Trump’s return would be a misfortune for Kosovo (AP)

Toby Vogel, co-founder and senior associate of the Berlin-based Democratization Policy Council (DPC), argued in an interview with the news website that the idea of a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia could be revived if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November and if Richard Grenell is appointed Secretary of State.

Commenting on the EU-facilitated talks between Kosovo and Serbia, Vogel said that it is no longer a high-level issue for the EU mainly because of other challenges on the international arena.

On the international community’s request for Serbia to de facto recognize Kosovo’s independence, Vogel said that this would not help resolve the problem between the two sides because in his opinion the de facto recognition would leave Kosovo in a legal limbo for years to come and the status quo would continue.

Asked if the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities would pass the test of the Constitutional Court in Kosovo, Vogel said “it is clear that the problem with the Association is not necessarily only about the constitutional structure and the formal competencies, but also with concrete matters such as Belgrade’s ability to directly finance municipal services while sidestepping the government in Pristina. This would give [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic internationally adopted and guaranteed leverage of direct influence over matters related to Serbs in Kosovo”.

The Guardian view on state capture in Serbia: a problem for Balkans, EU (media)

Most news websites covered an editorial by The Guardian “on state capture in Serbia”.

“According to Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, the country’s recent parliamentary elections were the “cleanest and most honest” in its history. They were also a triumph for his misnamed Serbian Progressive party (SNS), which won by a landslide. But the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe had a different take.”

“The 17 December poll, said a statement by its international observer team, took place in “unjust conditions”, marred by “bias in the media, pressure on public sector employees and misuse of public resources”. Instances of intimidation and “serious irregularities” including vote-buying and ballot-stuffing were noted. Other allegations have been made that Bosnian Serbs were bussed-in en masse to fraudulently vote in Belgrade.”

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: I do not care about reports by foreign media, but only about Serbians (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday he did not care about reports by foreign media outlets or the opinions of foreign governments, but only about the opinion of Serbian citizens, Tanjug news agency reports.

Asked to comment on reports by German media outlets which said Serbia needed a different opposition, Vucic added that he did not care about who outside of Serbia wanted a different government and a different opposition in the country.

"I do not care, leave it to them to think about that, it is the citizens of Serbia I am interested in. I do not care what foreign media and foreign governments say, they should be dealing with themselves - many of them have more problems than we do. What the government will be like is up to the citizens of Serbia", Vucic said.

Branimir Stojanovic, Milazim Krasinqi on situation in northern Kosovo, dialogue (RTK2, Radio kontakt plus)

Politician Branimir Stojanovic from Gracanica and political analyst Milazim Krasniqi from Pristina told RTK2 they expect 2024 to be a year of advancing the dialogue, implementation of the reached agreements, adding that the current situation in northern Kosovo is untenable.

Speaking about the situation in the north, leader of Serbian Peoples’ Movement Branimir Stojanovic said “much can be told about what happened in the north, but not that those are normal circumstances in which people would (like to) live”.

“Because today we have a semi-crisis situation there, a semi-war situation in which you have a large number of police officers, completely disproportionate to any real need. We have a demonstration of force, we have constant pressure on that population, instilling fear into people's lives, that is primarily the task of all those policemen who are there, and I hope that there will be enough sense to understand that in this way you cannot build a relationship with population. If you want to build trust, you can't do it by force", Stojanovic said.

Political analyst Milazim Krasniqi said he thinks the situation in the north is untenable. “(…) the very fact that Serbs are not in institutions points out that one cannot talk about stability. You cannot ensure stability with police only, therefore a way should be found to hold elections there as soon as possible, a modality should be found to establish a Community of Serb Municipalities and within that framework to go towards realization of that agreement, called Franco-German plan. Without political dialogue the situation there is tense and untenable”, Krasniqi said.

Nastic on exclusion of Serbs from Kosovo from visa liberalization, terms it as farce and shameful act (Kosovo Online)

Member of the German Bundestag Zaklin Nastic told Kosovo Online portal that exclusion of Serbs from Kosovo from visa liberalization represents “a shameful act of the European Union and farce on respecting the rights of minority communities because of which the Union should halt this process”.

According to her this was a blatant example of discrimination against minorities, and at the same time reveals an absurdity of the current situation. Asked if she expects that the European Parliament and the EU Council would soon harmonize decision that visa liberalization also applies to Serbs from Kosovo who have passports issued by Serbian MIA Coordination Directorate, Nastic said the visa liberalization should be halted “until a rightful consensus for all people living in Kosovo is reached”.

Vucic rejects opposition demands for international investigation (N1, BETA)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday rejected opposition demands for an international investigation into allegations of election fraud, BETA news agency reports.

He told reporters that elections in Serbia “are an issue for state institutions”. Speaking at the construction site of a tunnel through Fruska Gora Mountain, Vucic said that the December 17 elections had “never fewer objections”. He added that Serbia Against Violence opposition coalition officials signed every polling station record. “The foreign observers from their sister-parties signed the records. They came up with problems when they realized that they lost Belgrade convincingly”, he said.

Haziri on statements about attacks from Serbia, Kurti and Osmani are trying to divert attention from other problems (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Democratic League (LDK) Vice President Lutfi Haziri, assessed in an interview with Dukagjini that year 2023 was marked by the degradation of relations with the European Union and the United States of America, and regarding the frequent statements of Kosovo president and prime minister that attacks from Serbia are possible, he says these are attempts to divert public attention from other problems that Kosovo is facing, Kosovo Online portal reports.