Albanian Language Media:

• President Osmani traveled to El Salvador (media)
• Government sends reform agenda on the Growth Plan to the EC (media)
• The Iber bridge in Mitrovica will open soon (media)
• EU: Decision to open the Iber bridge should be taken within dialogue (Reporteri)
• Deputy mayor of Zvecan, Natasa Tomanic, dismissed (RTK)
• Konjufca: Kosovo committed to values ​​and principles of Council of Europe (media)
• Maqedonci meets German MP, discuss development of KSF in recent years (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• The opening of the Ibar bridge on the agenda of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly today (Kosovo Online, RFE)
• KP announces the opening of the Ibar bridge, EU: The issue must be resolved through dialogue (KoSSev)
• Szunyog: Implementation of the agreement is crucial for the stability and progress of the region (Radio Mitrovica North, Radio Gorazdevac, KiM radio)
• The vice-president of the Zvecan municipality was relieved of her duties; Tomanic: I expected this, discrimination from the first day (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Djuric met Braathu: Serbia remains committed to preservation of peace, stability in region (Tanjug)

 

 Albanian Language Media

 

President Osmani traveled to El Salvador (media) 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has officially traveled to the Republic of El Salvador, at the invitation of the President of this country, Nayib Bukele. The announcement of the presidency informed that Osmani will participate in the Inauguration of the re-elected President Nayib Bukele. During her stay in San Salvador, Osmani will hold a series of meetings with state leaders of El Salvador, starting with President Bukele. 

"The focus of these meetings will be the strengthening of bilateral relations, interstate cooperation, as well as the strengthening of existing alliances and the creation of new alliances with countries in the Latin American region," the press release of the Presidency said. Osmani will also meet with representatives of other countries, with the aim of strengthening the international position of Kosovo, as well as advancing bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest. 

Government sends reform agenda on the Growth Plan to the EC (media)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, has indicated that Kosovo has sent to the European Commission the draft of the narrative and the complete agreed table of the reform agenda on the Growth Plan, where Kosovo has a share of 945 million euros. Through a post on Facebook, he said on Thursday that it will soon be approved at the level of the government. 

"Our country is the first in the region that has fulfilled this step and sent this document to the European Union, proving the high level of preparation, commitment and dedication in advancing the European integration process and benefiting from the window of opportunity that this initiative of the EU offers", said Bislimi. 

"The next step is the finalization of the list of projects, where the work is continuing in negotiations and consultations with the institutions of the European Union. Our country is expected to benefit from the Growth Plan, an amount of about 945 million euros, which will serve in the implementation of reforms and investment projects. Kosovo is continuously showing its will not only for full integration as before in the European family based on meritocracy norms, but also its willingness to achieve European standards and fulfill the necessary reforms", stated Bislimi. 

The Iber bridge in Mitrovica will open soon (media)

The warning about the opening of the bridge over the river Iber for vehicle traffic has been welcomed by the citizens of Mitrovica. The bridge was blocked by parallel structures that had set up barricades. The opening for traffic is foreseen with the agreement on the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations, within the so-called revitalization of the bridge, carried out with EU funds, but this has not happened so far. 

The opening of the bridge for both people and vehicles was recently announced by Kosovo police officials. In advance, such a decision was also made by the North Mitrovica Municipality Assembly, about a month ago.Contacted by RTK, the Kosovo Police, have said that they will implement any decision by the Kosovo Institutions regarding the opening of the Bridge over the Ibër River. 

Serbian List opposed the opening of the bridge claiming that the goal is to destabilize the situation. The citizens living in the northern part of the city welcome the opening of the bridge for the movement of vehicles, however Serb citizens in this city refuse to talk about this issue. 

Otherwise, the opening of the bridge was requested months ago by the ambassadors of Germany and France in Kosovo in an interview for RTK. This agreement was reached by Kosovo and Serbia in 2014, in order to remove the barricades and make the bridge operational. 

EU: Decision to open the Iber bridge should be taken within dialogue (Reporteri) 

The Office of the European Union has said that any decision regarding the Iber Bridge in Mitrovica should be made within the framework of the dialogue in Brussels.The spokesperson of the EU, Ioanna Lachana, has said that the opening of the bridge is an agreement reached in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. 

"The opening of the Mitrovica bridge is the subject of two agreements reached by the parties within the dialogue facilitated by the EU in 2015 and 2016. Despite the efforts of the EU for facilitation over the years, the bridge remains closed to traffic. Since this is an issue that belongs to the dialogue mediated by the EU, the negotiations and any decision regarding the bridge should be made within the dialogue with the participation of the official delegations of Kosovo and Serbia", Lachana told Klan. 

The spokeswoman of the EU Office in Kosovo invited the parties to implement any agreement reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue. "The EU remains ready to facilitate the talks. The EU also asks everyone to refrain from any provocative actions that could endanger the stability on the ground and distract the parties from the implementation of the Agreement on the Road to Normalization of Relations - which should be their top priority," Lachana said.

Deputy mayor of Zvecan, Natasa Tomanic, dismissed (RTK)

The Mayor of Zvecan has today dismissed the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality, Natasa Tomanic. RTK sources have learned that the decision regarding Tomanic was made on Thursday at the meeting of the Municipal Assembly of Zvecan that was held at 10:00 hours, where 17 votes were in favor of the dismissal, none against and no abstentions. The dismissal has been confirmed for RTK by the mayor of Zvecan, Ilir Peci. 

According to him, the deputy mayor has exceeded her powers at work several times. In addition, she has put constant pressure on Serb officials in the municipality of Zvecan, and as a result, three Serb officials have resigned in the last few days. 

The last trigger for her dismissal was an agreement that the deputy-mayor made with an Italian company about premises owned by the municipality of Zvecan. 

Konjufca: Kosovo committed to values ​​and principles of Council of Europe (media) 

Kosovo’s Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca hosted on Thursday a meeting with the head of the Council of Europe office in Kosovo, Mary Ann Hennessey. They discussed commitment to further strengthen democracy and human rights in Kosovo and the cooperation with the CoE office in Kosovo for these common goals. 

Konjufca said that Kosovo remains committed to the values ​​and principles of the Council of Europe, democracy and human rights, including the commitment to the most effective parliamentary work in this direction. 

The head of the CoE office in Kosovo, Mary Ann Hennessey, thanked Konjufca for the reception, expressing readiness to continue the joint work for further strengthening of democracy and human rights. 

Maqedonci meets German MP, discuss development of KSF in recent years (media) 

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, met the German MP Peter Beyer.

"In the afternoon I met the MP of the German Bundestag Mr. Peter Beyer, a very good connoisseur of Kosovo and developments in the country. I informed Mr. Beyer about the security developments and the destructive role of Serbia for peace and security in Kosovo and the Western Balkans, but also about the development of the Kosovo Security Force in recent years within the comprehensive transition plan of our army". 

"At the same time, I requested that the assistance and partnership with Germany be further deepened. Cooperation with Germany as a member state of NATO is essential for the development of our army but also for peace and security in the country and the region", Maqedonci wrote.

 

Serbian Language Media

 

The opening of the Ibar bridge on the agenda of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly today (Kosovo Online, RFE)

On the agenda of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly session today will be the question of opening the Ibar bridge, reported Kosovo Online, citing Radio Free Europe.

The President of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, Nedzad Ugljanin, told RFE that councilors will discuss the "security situation for the opening of the bridge", which since 1999 has divided the city into the southern part, populated by Albanians, and the northern part, populated by the Serbian majority.

The decision to open the bridge was made in the Municipal Assembly in April last year, but it has not yet been implemented. Ugljanin said that the majority of municipal councilors are currently not in favor of "increasing tensions", although last year they supported the decision to open the bridge to traffic.

"Tensions are already high... It no longer depends on the Municipal Assembly, it depends on the security agencies how they will act," added Ugljanin.

According to him, it is important to create a "climate of peace and tolerance", because the citizens of North Mitrovica, from all communities, as he stated, "have been living under tensions for years".

KP announces the opening of the Ibar bridge, the EU: The issue must be resolved through dialogue (KoSSev)

The EU urges everyone to refrain from any provocative actions that could jeopardize the stability of the ground, the European Union said in response to KoSSev’s inquiries regarding the announcement of the possible opening of the main bridge on the Ibar in Mitrovica.

In a guest appearance on Teve1 two nights ago, the deputy commander of the KP for the region north, Veton Elshani, announced that the main bridge on the Ibar will soon be opened. He revealed that he and his superiors are reviewing the way the bridge opening would be carried out, reported KoSSev last night.

Read more at:  https://tinyurl.com/3bhsxyth

Szunyog: Implementation of the agreement is crucial for the stability and progress of the region (Radio Mitrovica North, Radio Gorazdevac, KiM radio)

The head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, spoke in an interview with Radio Gorazdevac about the current political situation and challenges in Kosovo, emphasizing that his mandate was marked by relative political stability, but that there were many factors that created the challenge.

"This was a period of relative political stability with actually a large number of issues related to the adoption of laws and reforms that were successfully implemented," Szunyog said.

He emphasized that the EU placed a new emphasis on the enlargement process for the entire WB as one of the solutions to the challenges the region is facing. He also emphasized the importance of implementing the agreements reached through dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

"Both sides must focus more on the implementation of what was agreed," he pointed out.

Szunyog expressed the hope that Kosovo and the region will continue to progress towards European integration and achieving stability, and that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will accelerate and lead to concrete results. There is a way to ensure security without stopping trade between Kosovo and Serbia In June last year, the GoK decided to ban the import of Serbian products, citing security reasons as the basis for this measure. This decision was partly a response to the escalation of tensions in the north of Kosovo, especially after the conflict in Zvecan at the end of May, as well as the alleged kidnapping of three Kosovo police officers who were later released.

"I think this is presented by the Kosovo government not as a ban on trade, but as a security measure in response to security. Our interpretation is that this should be a short-term measure and not last for several months, almost a year," Szunyog said. He expressed his belief that there are several ways to ensure security without completely suspending trade between Kosovo and Serbia.

"I think there are technical ways to ensure that illegal smuggling of goods is prevented, and I hope this is something that will be seriously discussed," Szunyog said.

At the same time, Szunyog pointed out that the EU has accepted and presented a new growth plan for the region, which emphasizes the importance of creating a regional market.

"The path to the single market is the regional market, and I repeat, the free movement of goods is one of the basic principles of the European Union and should be applied here as well," Szunyog told Radio Gorazdevac.

The head of the EU Office in Kosovo expressed concern over the recent action of the Kosovo authorities, which he sees as uncoordinated and inconsistent with the international community.

"This is an action that does not contribute to the de-escalation of the security situation in the north. This is certainly not helpful. This is something that disappointed us."

When asked about Kosovo's ability to implement the rule of law in the north of Kosovo, given that the majority of the population in that area is made up of the Serbian community, Szunyog sees positive developments.

"If you look at the practical questions, which concern everyday life, I think they have been answered." He highlighted the positive steps towards the recognition of documents and improvement of security in the north. When it comes to building trust between the Kosovo authorities and citizens in the north of Kosovo, Szunyog stated that there is progress, but that there is still room for improvement.

"We have the issue of the verification of diplomas from the university in North Mitrovica... We also have quite an impressive number of Kosovo Serbs applying for positions in the police, but also in other institutions," he said. Szunyog highlighted four key problems that Kosovo is facing.

The first two problems relate to the fundamental values of the EU, such as democracy, the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organized crime, while the third relates to economic growth and the fourth to the energy transition and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. When asked by journalists about initiatives to improve the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Szunyog pointed out:

"We actually have an agreement... It will be part of future potential negotiations on the accession of Kosovo. So, we have an agreement, we need to push both sides to implement the agreement." Despite the existence of the agreement, he expressed frustration at the lack of progress in implementation.

"My colleague and friend Miroslav Lajcak has a saying that you can lead horses to water, but you cannot make them drink water. We are where we are," Szunyog concluded in an interview with Radio Gorazdevac.

The vice-president of the Zvecan municipality was relieved of her duties; Tomanic: I expected this, discrimination from the first day (Radio Mitrovica sever)

The deputy president of the municipality of Zvecan, Natasa Tomanic,  was dismissed from this position yesterday. The decision was made at the Zvecan Municipal Assembly session yesterday, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing RTK. 

Tomanic's dismissal was confirmed for RTK by the mayor of the municipality of Zvecan, Ilir Peci. He said that the decision was made with 17 councilors votes for the dismissal of the vice president. According to him, the vice-president repeatedly exceeded her authority at work.

Tomanic: I expected a dismissal, discrimination against Serbs has been going on since the first day

Natasa Tomanic said that she expected this decision, and that discrimination against Serbs has been ongoing since the first day.

She also pointed out that "everything that the president of the municipality, Ilir Peci, said is a lie."

"I expected this, from the first day there was discrimination, not only against me, but against all Serbs. I'm interested in what kind of frauds are these, starting with employment contracts, social assistance, projects, and everything else... Everything the mayor said was a lie. In fact, nothing is being done, money from the budget is just being spent," she said.

Peci also said that this decision was justified because Tomanic exerted constant pressure on ''Serbian officials in the municipality'', which is why, as stated, ''three of them resigned'', reported Radio Mitrovica sever.

Djuric met Braathu: Serbia remains committed to preservation of peace, stability in region (Tanjug)

Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with the head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Jan Braathu, on Thursday.

Djuric noted that Serbia remained committed to preservation of peace and stability in the region and wanted to strengthen its partnerships and friendly relations with countries around the world in the coming period.

He said the situation in Kosovo was one of the biggest challenges to Serbia and noted that there was no progress on normalisation of relations and that Serbs living in the province faced various forms of pressure, discrimination, and provocations on a daily basis.

Djuric said Serbia was grateful for the many years of assistance and support from the OSCE mission in areas that were substantial for the country's further progress, especially in EU integration, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.