UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, June 10, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kosovo to hold local elections on October 12 (media)
Kurti mentions last year’s attack on Iber Lepenci water canal (media)
Germany asks Serbia to cooperate with Kosovo over Iber Lepenci attack (Koha)
Kosovo authorities inaugurates new police station in the north (media)
Svecla: Rapid border intervention unit will serve at police station in Izvor (media)
Serbia orders one-month detention for former Kosovo police officer (media)
Limaj ready to solve the crisis: We don’t want government posts (media)
Abdixhiku calls for unity government “to overcome political impasse” (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic issues call to dialogue to "all who think differently" (Tanjug)
Serbian List terms Kurti’s visit in northern Kosovo “cheap political game to conceal failures” (Kosovo Online, media)
Kurti and ministers visit north; Serbian opposition politician detained during protest (KoSSev, media)
Serbian Democracy Vice President Veljkovic detained and released after protest incident in North Mitrovica (KoSSev, media)
Former member of Kosovo special police arrested in Serbia sent to one-month detention (KoSSev)
Belgrade University rector: Meeting on Monday most constructive so far, PM understood our demands (N1)
Academic community stages protest outside Serbian Government building (N1)

Albanian Language Media

Kosovo to hold local elections on October 12 (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani announced on Monday that the local elections will be held on October 12 this year. A press release issued by her office notes that “the decision was made following a careful consideration of the proposals made by political entities, as well as after a full analysis, in accordance with constitutional and legal deadlines”. Osmani also called on “all political parties, civil society organizations and citizens to approach this process with full responsibility in order to guarantee a comprehensive, orderly and fair process”.

Kurti mentions last year’s attack on Iber Lepenci water canal (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, said on Monday that during his visit to Mitrovica he also stayed near Ujman/Gazivoda Lake. Several acting ministers were also with him. He mentioned last year's attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal, while praising the work of the enterprise in repairing the damage that had been caused. “As part of our support as a government to the public hydro-economic enterprise Iber-Lepenc, we recently returned to use one of its properties in the municipality of Zubin Potok, which was previously outside the control of the enterprise, because it was owned by illegal parallel structures. There is now law and order, efficient services for citizens and inclusiveness,” Kurti wrote in a Facebook post.

Germany asks Serbia to cooperate with Kosovo over Iber Lepenci attack (Koha)

The German Embassy in Kosovo told the news agency on Monday that Serbian authorities need to cooperate with Kosovo in shedding light on the attack against the Iber Lepenci water canal in the north of Kosovo in November last year. The embassy said it regrets that Serbia has not yet responded to Kosovo’s request for mutual legal aid with regards to the attack against the Iber Lepenci water canal. “We highlight the importance of Serbia meeting its obligations and we encourage them to cooperate fully and without delay – as this has to do with respecting the agreements that were reached in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and prove commitment to their implementation,” the embassy said.

Kosovo authorities inaugurates new police station in the north (media)

Kosovo's authorities inaugurated a new police station in Izvor, Zvecan, located just two kilometers from the boundary with Serbia. Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who attended the inauguration, said the facility will serve border security efforts and help prevent illegal activities. The foundation stone for the police station was laid in November last year.

During the inauguration ceremony, Kurti noted that under the Brussels agreements, the crossing between Kosovo and Serbia in Zvecan was supposed to be an integrated crossing point. However, he said, this has yet to be realized "because Serbia continues to disregard the agreements”. “We are here today, six and a half months later, to inaugurate the new Border Surveillance Police Station here in Izvor, Zvecan, the Republic of Kosovo, an impressive facility which costs around €750,000 and covers a total area of nearly 4,000 square meters. It will provide dignified working conditions for police officers and enable high-quality performance in preventing smuggling and any other illegal activities,” Kurti said.

Svecla: Rapid border intervention unit will serve at Police Station in Izvor (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday about the inauguration of the new police station in Izvor, Zvecan. "The Rapid Border Intervention Unit will serve in the border area with Serbia, at this Police Station, which will now protect the border with all its capacities and prevent illegal activities that threaten the security of our Republic. We will continue our unreserved support for the Kosovo Police, as a guarantee of a safe Kosovo, with full sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Svecla said.

Serbia orders one-month detention for former Kosovo police officer (media)

Serbian authorities have ordered one-month detention for former Special Operations Unit (SOU) police officer Arbnor Spahiu, two days after they arrested him. This was announced by lawyer Arianit Koci, who wrote on Facebook on Monday that he will travel to Serbia and that the decision was unfair and politically motivated “and without any evidence or factual basis”. Koci, committed to Spahiu's defense, has requested that Kosovo institutions also engage directly in this case, demanding a public reaction from caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani.

Spahiu has been questioned by Serbian authorities regarding the attack in Banjska, which occurred in September 2023, although the former police officer had left the Kosovo Police in November 2021.

Limaj ready to solve the crisis: We don’t want government posts (media)

NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj said on Monday that they would vote for the constitution of the new Kosovo Assembly but not in exchange for posts in a Kurti-led government. “We are ready to give our three votes in the Assembly and ask for no posts in the Kurti government,” he said in an interview with A2CNN.

Limaj argued that the solution for the deadlock lies in political willingness and not in the constitution, the courts or even the President. He argued against the calculations of parties that were in the opposition in the previous mandate. “While we get caught up with these calculations, geopolitical circumstances change and we can lose on many issues and to Kosovo’s detriment,” he said.

Limaj said that the first party needs to form the majority in parliament, and that the second and third party and so on need to set aside their individual egos and offer cooperation to emerge from the crisis. “I believe that at the end of the day we will come to a political agreement. I am sure of this. I believe that Kosovo will soon have its new institutions because there is no other way,” he said.

Abdixhiku repeats call for unity government “to overcome political impasse” (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku repeated on Monday his call for a unity government, “on the urgent need to overcome the political impasse,” while stating that his call was rejected by each subject. “Our call last night for a Unity Government – for a joint exit from the crisis – was impulsively rejected this morning. Not with debate. Not with dissent, but with a priori rejection. In some cases, even with offense – as if they don’t know how to give an opinion without offending,” Abdixhiku said in a Facebook post.

According to him, after the rejection, the “usual unusual” continued. “With the comfort of sessions that only have a serial number as content; the 30th in a row the day after tomorrow. This must not be our new normal. The current situation is a political caricature,” he wrote.

"I did not propose the Unity Government, the transitional one, the inclusive one, for the LDK. Not for myself. I proposed it because the state is blocked. Because there is no functional Assembly. Because there is no functional Government. Because there is no legitimate representation. Because, above all, there is nothing else sincere that is happening behind the scenes, that leads us towards an approximation of a solution - whatever it may be. Things do not change by themselves by waiting. Therefore, we will continue to offer solutions. We will continue with the public presentation of the 15-point Agenda - a document that gives direction, clarity and purpose to unity itself; until new parliamentary elections. As a fulfillment of the vacuum until then; as the only content for getting out of the crisis,” Abdixhiku wrote.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic issues call to dialogue to "all who think differently" (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic issued a call to dialogue to "all who think differently" on Monday. "Once again, I call on all who think differently that we start talking to each other at all levels and seek agreements. The more common denominators we find, the better it will be for our country", Vucic noted in an Instagram video. "We need to live together, we have only one fatherland, which is Serbia", he added.

"Thank you again to the citizens, endless thanks to the people in Zajecar and Kosjeric for the enormous trust", Vucic added, referring to Sunday's local elections in the two municipalities.

He said that "after many months of terror in the streets, unlawful and illegal conduct, suppression of the rights and freedoms of all those who think differently", the elections in Zajecar and Kosjeric were over and that he wanted to ask all people, regardless of their political affiliations, to say what they thought and what their views on the future were "so that, united, we can focus on Serbia and on what we need to do in the coming period to live better and improve our country's international image, bring in investors and increase salaries and pensions".

Serbian List terms Kurti’s visit in northern Kosovo “cheap political game to conceal failures” (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian List said in a statement on Monday that sudden visit of outgoing Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Interior Minister Xelal Svecla to the north of Kosovo was an attempt to divert the public's attention from the fact that after several months Kurti has not managed to constitute the Kosovo Assembly nor improve position of his own people, Kosovo Online portal reported.

"Today, Albin Kurti and his errand boy, interior minister Svecla came to North Mitrovica, followed by dozens of heavily armed special forces members, trying for the umpteenth time to hide their own failures with cheap political games. This sudden arrival is another in a series of attempts by Albin Kurti to divert the public's attention from the fact that even after several months he has not managed to form an assembly in Pristina, nor improve the position of his own people. As always when he suffers defeat in a political or institutional sense, when the misdeeds of his associates are unveiled, Kurti resorts to a proven scenario: attacks on Serbs, Serbian institutions, unfounded arrests and incursions, or raising tensions in Serbian communities", Serbian List said in the statement.

Serbian List also warned international community that such Pristina’s approach represents, as it was said, a serious threat to peace and stability on the ground, calling on all stakeholders in the region “to put an end to supporting Kurti’s arbitrariness and stand up in defense of basic human and political rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija”.

Kurti and ministers visit north; Serbian opposition politician detained during protest (KoSSev, media)

Kosovo outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti, accompanied by the ministers, visited North Mitrovica yesterday in an unannounced trip marked by a heightened police presence and an incident involving the detention of a local Serbian opposition politician, KoSSev portal reported.

The visit began in the morning hours, with Kurti and the Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, briefly entering the North Mitrovica municipality building. The two did not make public statements. According to social media reports, Kurti then continued to South Mitrovica for a reported meeting with Bedri Hamza, the PDK candidate for prime minister and current mayor of South Mitrovica. In addition to meeting Mitrovica North and Mitrovica South mayors, Serbian media later reported that Kurti accompanied by the Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla opened a Kosovo police station located in the village of Izvor, in Zvecan municipality, only two kilometres away from the administrative boundary line with central Serbia.

In the report on the visit KoSSev portal said that all this happened in a day which saw the 29th unsuccessful attempt to constitute the Kosovo Assembly and President Vjosa Osmani calling for local elections on October 12.