Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani: Trump recently prevented escalation by Serbia in Kosovo (media)
• Haziri on Osmani’s remarks: The situation is way more serious (media)
• MPs to meet today in 45th attempt to form new Kosovo Assembly (media)
• Special prosecution investigating contract for new bridges over Iber (Koha)
• Protest in front of Lipjan police station on Saturday over 27-year-old death (media)
• Ombudsperson visits Leposavic, meets with residents of Leshak (RTV21)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Djuric: Serbia always on side of peace, UN Charter (Tanjug, Beta, Danas, media)
• Starovic: We rely on KFOR troops to halt construction of two new bridges over the Ibar (Kosovo Online, Newsmax Balkan) 
• Leposavic residents presented a series of problems to Ombudsperson, proposed to open an office in the North (Kosovo Online) 
• Sutanovac met with Netanyahu in Washington (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani: Trump recently prevented escalation by Serbia in Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed the statement of U.S. President Donald Trump that he recently prevented a possible escalation by Serbia in Kosovo. During a lecture in Washington, Osmani said that Trump was clear in his statement that he was talking about the recent weeks. She said this does not concern developments in 2023 or in 2020, but very recent developments. “From the security information I receive every day, Trump prevented a recent possible escalation. We’re not talking about 2023, or 2020, but very very recent developments,” she said. 

Osmani said that one should not underestimate the possibility of such developments and recalled the 2023 attack in Banjska. She added that the threats coming from Serbia are constant and that they should not be underestimated. 

Osmani said that Trump has done everything in his power to ensure peace is preserved throughout the Western Balkans. “And certainly this stops with refraining Serbia,” she argued.

Osmani said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “has remained trapped in the mindset of the 1990s and the 2023 attack in Banjska is proof of this”.

Osmani said that Kosovo cooperates closely with all levels of the US government – be it in security and intelligence, defense and policy – with the aim of “protecting peace together”. “We have our institutions which are doing an excellent job in collecting information and we work with individual partners to confirm the information collected by our institutions. So we are never alone,” she argued.

Osmani also expressed appreciation for NATO soldiers in Kosovo saying that they do “an amazing job in ensuring security and stability”.

Haziri on Osmani’s remarks: The situation is way more serious (media)

Several news websites report that Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader Lutfi Haziri, in an interview with ATV on Thursday, commented on Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani’s statement that US President Donald Trump very recently prevented an escalation by Serbia in Kosovo. “The situation is way more serious, because this is not declassified information,” Haziri argued. 

MPs to meet today in 45th attempt to form new Kosovo Assembly (media)

Most news websites report that MPs will meet today in the 45th attempt to form the new Kosovo Assembly. The Vetevendosje Movement is insisting on a secret vote for the new Assembly Speaker, while parties that have been in the opposition in the previous mandate are rejecting this as unacceptable approach. 

Special prosecution investigating contract for new bridges over Iber (Koha)

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo confirmed to the news website on Thursday that it has started investigations into the contract for the construction of two new bridges over the Iber River in Mitrovica. “The Special Prosecution does not have competencies to assess or approve an infrastructural project, but we stress that the role of the Special Prosecution is to act based on the legislation in force in cases where there is suspected abuse of public funds … This investigation does not have to do with any opposition to the project but with meeting legal obligations, in defense of the public interest and the rule of law, in order to guarantee a fair and legal administration of public resources,” the prosecution said.

Protest in front of Lipjan police station on Saturday over 27-year-old death (media)

Several news websites reported on Thursday that the brother of Agon Zejnullahu, who passed away during a police arrest in Lipjan, has announced that a protest will be held in front of the police station in Lipjan on Saturday at 11:00. “The institutions have a primary task: to care maximally for our lives, and this did not happen in the case of Agon. We call on all of you to join the protest. The protest is going to be peaceful, without any political connotations and with a single request: justice for Agon. Let this be the last time that a citizen loses their life as a result of failure by those that need to protect them,” the brother said in a Facebook post. 

Ombudsperson visits Leposavic, meets with residents of Leshak (RTV21)

The TV station reported on Thursday that Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj visited the village of Leshak in the municipality of Leposavic where he met with residents of Leshak who presented to him their complaints about a decision to demolish 12 of their houses. The municipality of Leposavic, following a request by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, had decided to demolish the houses claiming they are illegal constructions. But the decision was temporarily suspended after an intervention by Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, paving the way to dialogue aimed at finding a solution. Qelaj said after the meeting that there is a law on illegal constructions and that every municipality is obliged to have a register for such constructions. “It must be verified whether those buildings pose a risk.  There is a possibility of finding a compromise because the municipality, the ministry and each authority must always start with policies that are in the interest of the people. I will look at the possibilities to resolve this issue,” Qelaj said.

Serbian Language Media

Djuric: Serbia always on side of peace, UN Charter (Tanjug, Beta, Danas, media)

“Serbia is always on the side of peace and the UN Charter, and always loyal to the principles that are safeguarding its borders, too - in Kosovo-Metohija and anywhere else,” Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Thursday in Rome, where he was attending a conference on reconstruction of Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters, Djuric said Serbia would be present anywhere where discussions were underway about helping civilians who were suffering and added that Serbia remembered that Ukraine had helped it rebuild its power grid after the 1999 bombing and NATO aggression.

"We also stand on the side of international public law, on the side of the UN Charter, and that is our clear message, always and everywhere. I think my participation and attendance here is good for Serbia's image, especially in the Western, the European part of the international community," Djuric said.

He added that a summit between US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov was underway at the same time.

"Any effort that can lead to a reduction of tensions in global relations or contribute to a resolution of this tragic conflict in which innocent human lives are being lost is something that we always support. Serbia is on the side of peace, Serbia is on the side of the UN Charter, Serbia is loyal to the principles that are also safeguarding our own borders in Kosovo-Metohija as well as anywhere else, and that is why we can look anyone in the eye and help anyone as much as our modest capabilities allow," Djuric noted.

Starovic: We rely on KFOR troops to halt construction of two new bridges over the Ibar (Kosovo Online, Newsmax Balkan) 

Serbia’s Minister for European Integration, Nemanja Starovic, stated that the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue has been in crisis ever since Albin Kurti assumed leadership of the Pristina institutions.

Starovic emphasized that Serbia was relying on KFOR forces to prevent Kurti’s latest escalatory move—what he described as an attempt to build two new bridges over the Ibar River.

Speaking as a guest on Newsmax TV, Starovic stressed that a pattern of unilateral measures has been established, through which the dialogue process was being completely disregarded.

“These unilateral actions have harmed the Serbian people and serve two purposes: first, to increase pressure on the Serbian population to leave Kosovo and Metohija—unfortunately, around 15% have left in recent years since Kurti took power—and second, to provoke a reaction from Serbia that would drag us into a war. It would be a conflict where, based on a pre-defined pattern, NATO would side with Albin Kurti, regardless of who initiated the conflict or what triggered it,” the minister stated.

Starovic reiterated that Serbia was counting on KFOR forces to prevent the construction of two additional bridges over the Ibar.

“In these far from easy circumstances, what we can do is continue and intensify our support to our people, because I believe there is hardly a single Serbian household or family in Kosovo and Metohija that is not, in one way or another, receiving assistance from Serbia—and we will definitely continue with that. As for what we rely on—unfortunately, not much on the European Union in this situation—the only force that has the ability, and has already shown it, to stop Kurti’s most escalatory actions are the KFOR troops. They are tasked with ensuring peace, security, and the protection of the most vulnerable populations, and I hope it is precisely those forces that will stop Kurti in this case,” he concluded.

Leposavic residents presented a series of problems to Ombudsperson, proposed to open an office in the North (Kosovo Online) 

Ombudsperson of Kosovo Naim Qelaj was in the north of Kosovo, where after visiting Lesak he held meetings with residents and representatives of the civil sector in Leposavic. On that occasion, he was informed about a number of problems that they face every day - from the issue of personal documents and displaced persons to the supply of electricity and the behavior of police officers.

One of the key problems relates to displaced persons, who, despite earlier care by the Office for KiM and the Commissariat for Refugees, are now being asked to move out of their apartments. residents also expressed their concern about the announced demolition of houses in Lesak, which were built near the police station.

During the conversation, it was proposed to open an ombudsman's office in Leposavic, to make the institution more accessible to residents from the north.

Aleksandar Rapajic from the Center for Representation of Democratic Culture pointed out that the civil sector supports the work of the ombudsman.

"The visit was organized by the ombudsman's office, which came to the north of Kosovo primarily to learn about the problems of the families in Lesak, whose houses located next to the police station, were announced to be demolished and also with other problems faced by the residents here, in the north of Kosovo. We from the civil sector support the work of the ombudsman and try to be a bridge, a contact between residents and the institution, so that people can try to solve some of the problems they have. And, as we know, there are really many problems and they keep piling up every day," said Rapajic. He added that the process of demolishing the houses will take time.

"Residents in Lesak have a number of institutional mechanisms at their disposal to raise the issue of their houses. The municipality tried to solve it quickly, within a month, but it turned out to be impossible. It is true that the houses were built on state and not private land, but within the law passed in 2018 there are different options for legalizing those buildings — which does not mean that they will actually be legalized in the end. residents have the right to submit a request and enter the legalization process, so I believe it will take longer than the municipality planned. We will see what happens next," Rapajic said.

As part of the visit, the ombudsman also spoke with the mayor of the Leposavic municipality, Lulzim Hetemi, to whom he conveyed the problems presented to him by the residents.

Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj announced that, to get closer to the residents, "open days" will be organized when residents will be able to submit complaints directly.

Sutanovac met with Netanyahu in Washington (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

Serbian Ambassador to the US Dragan Sutanovac met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Thursday.

The parties devoted special attention to humanitarian issues, including the case of Alon Ohel, a Serbian-Israeli citizen held captive by Hamas since October 2023.

Sutanovac reiterated Serbia's demand for Ohel's urgent release, noting that safeguarding the human rights and the security of all civilians was a universal value consistently advocated by Serbia. In a cordial and open discussion, Sutanovac and Netanyahu confirmed the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Israel, as well as a mutual commitment to strengthening them politically, economically and in terms of security, read a post on the ambassador's Instagram account. Ambassador noted that Serbia deeply appreciated the historical friendship with the Jewish people, as well as the firm support the two countries provided to each other in difficult times.

Netanyahu thanked Serbia for its principled positions and the support for Israel in the international arena, as well as for its deep understanding of the challenges faced by the Jewish people.