Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti agrees to Rasic’s request for Porfirije visit to Kosovo (media)
• Peach starts the series of visits of Western emissaries to Kosovo (Koha)
• Abdixhiku: State leaders owe the people an explanation (media)
• Citaku: Kurti must explain why allies are saying time is not for recognition (media)
• Mitrovica-Jarinje road will be closed for around 2 hrs due to barricades removal (media)
• S. Embassy explains “like” on Vucic’s tweet (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• President Vucic in his annual address talks about Kosovo, challenges ahead (N1, media)
• Vucic: Further nine countries revoked recognition of Kosovo (media)
• Zuroff: Honours for Deva an insult to memory of his victims (Tanjug)
• US State Department: No announcements about Escobar visit to Serbia (Tanjug)
• Vasic: Trajkovic’s health deteriorates, we will request house arrest (KoSSev)
• Pristina extends detention of Miljan Adzic (Tanjug)
• Vacancies for police officers in northern Kosovo announced (N1, media)

International:

• Serbian President Claims ‘Nine More Kosovo Recognition Withdrawals’ (BIRN)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Kurti agrees to Rasic’s request for Porfirije visit to Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Returns and Communities, Nenad Rasic, today requested from Prime Minister Albin Kurti to allow the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church to enter Kosovo as part of preparations for Orthodox Christmas, a press release issued by Kurti’s office notes.

“Patriarch Porfirije said that this afternoon he will arrive at the border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia and that he wants to enter without his security detail, although he has not made a request for the visit according to the provisions of the existing agreements. Minister Rasic and the Prime Minister have responded positively.”

“The statement by Patriarch Porfirije that he plans to enter Kosovo without a security detail is another proof that Kosovo is a safer country than Serbia”.

Peach starts the series of visits of Western emissaries to Kosovo (Koha) 

The United Kingdom's special envoy for the Western Balkans, Stuart Peach, will visit Kosovo on Thursday. Apress release from the Prime Minister's Office, announced that he will meet with Prime Minister Albin Kurti at 4:00 p.m. However, it has not been announced what will be the topic of the meeting between Kurti and Peach.

During January, it is expected that the EU emissary for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, the adviser to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will come to Kosovo. The dates of their visits have not yet been confirmed.

Abdixhiku: State leaders owe the people an explanation (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, recalls in a Facebook post that back in 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden sent a letter to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic calling for a comprehensive agreement with Kosovo centred on mutual recognition. “Therefore, mutual recognition, namely the recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Serbia was a central policy of the Biden administration … Exactly two years with the Kurti-led government, Kosovo’s international position seems clearly hurt. Now our main ally says that now is not the time for recognition. This position comes as a result of the populist irresponsibility, which for a policy of crowds, not only failed to benefit from this administration, but even irreparably damaged relations to a point where non-recognition is normal … The state leaders owe the people of Kosovo an explanation how they managed to get to this point in two years. Because their break-a-neck policy does not constitute any patriotic explanation,” Abdixhiku writes.

Citaku: Kurti must explain why allies are saying time is not for recognition (media) 

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, said in a Facebook post today that a comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, which does not include mutual recognition, is neither final nor comprehensive.

Citaku called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to explain why U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, recently said that mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia is impossible in this phase. “The Prime Minister must explain how the process has gone so bad that our allies are now telling us that now is not the time for mutual recognition? One needs to be extremely amateurish and unknowledgeable so that in the most suitable geopolitical context for Kosovo in the last 15 years, instead of an agreement on recognition, to have a new status quo, without recognition and with an Association [of Serb-majority municipalities]. This is the geniality of the Prime Minister,” she argued.

Mitrovica-Jarinje road will be closed for around 2 hrs due to barricades removal (media)

The Kosovo Police has announced that today the KFOR units will remove the damaged trucks, which were located in the location called "Zhazhe Stream". The police have announced that from the morning one lane of the road will be closed for traffic due to the work and safety reasons. While at noon, the road will be completely closed for traffic in the direction of Mitrovica - Jarinje for around two hours, until the heavy vehicles are removed, to enable the free movement of vehicles and citizens. Furthermore, the announcement states that during this time, police units will assist KFOR, as well as re-orient traffic.

U.S. Embassy explains “like” on Vucic’s tweet (media)

The United States Embassy issued a reaction on Twitter after several media reported that its Twitter account had liked a post by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in which he said that some countries have revoked their recognitions of Kosovo.

The U.S. Embassy said in the post: “Let's be clear: Kosovo's independence is a fact. Our primary goal is to support Kosovo as it takes its rightful place in European and Euro-Atlantic structures. We categorically oppose any effort to call into question Kosovo's independence and sovereignty.” 

“The U.S. Embassy official Twitter account did not intentionally "like" any posts on Twitter in the past 24 hours. As noted previously: when we have a position to articulate, we do so via official, attributable statements - not by a social media "like."

 

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

President Vucic in his annual address talks about Kosovo, challenges ahead (N1, media)

In his annual address to the nation on Wednesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he would not be amending the Constitution to allow him to be president for more than two terms, and announced that, “in the first half of next year,” he will no longer be a political party leader, N1 reports.

“This is my last term of office, I will not be amending the Constitution, none of that… In the first half of next year I will also not be a political party leader”, Vucic is quoted as saying.

The President assessed that the year 2023 will be more difficult than 2022 in Europe and in the world, and that it will also affect Serbia.

Speaking about the Kosovo issue, Vucic said Serbia cannot stand up to the great powers, but that as many as 106 world countries do not recognize Kosovo independence, and 84 do.

He announced that Serbia will fight against Kosovo membership in UNESCO where two-thirds of the vote is required for admission to membership. “They’ll have a difficult time with that”, he said.

Asked if Serbia has a solution to the Kosovo issue, that is, what is it Serbia could propose in the event of a new dialogue, Vucic said “we stick to our Constitution” and, in addition to that, “we are prepared to talk about a countless number of compromise solutions, but they have to be compromises, not humiliation of Serbia”.

Commenting on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s request for the reinforcement of NATO troops in Kosovo, Vucic asked why it was normal for more Germans but not for more Serbs to go to Kosovo. “And why are you calling NATO if you are so strong”, Vucic said, adding that the barricades in north Kosovo were in place for 20 days and Pristina authorities were unable to remove them.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Iz7UNA

Vucic: Further nine countries revoked recognition of Kosovo (media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday tough challenges were ahead of Serbia regarding Kosovo issue, adding that a further nine countries had derecognised Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

Speaking at an annual press conference at the Palace of Serbia, Vucic said that at this moment as many as 106 countries did not recognise Kosovo  and that 84 countries unequivocally recognised it, while the position of three countries on the matter was "unclear."

"We have nine that have withdrawn their recognitions - Somalia, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Eswatini, Libya, Guinea, Antigua and Barbuda, Maldives, Saint Lucia - we are waiting for a tenth one", he said.

Tough challenges are ahead regarding the Kosovo and Metohija issue and peace and stability have barely been preserved, Vucic said, noting that Belgrade had provoked no one.

Zuroff: Honours for Deva an insult to memory of his victims (Tanjug)

The director of Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Efraim Zuroff, says the Centre consistently opposes a renovation of Mitrovica house of a documented WWII Nazi collaborationist Xhafer Deva, Tanjug news agency reports.

In a statement to Tanjug, Zuroff said honours for Deva sent a horrible message to Kosovo society and were a terrible insult to the memory of his numerous victims.

Zuroff made those remarks in relation to the Pristina authorities' announcement that Deva's house in Mitrovica South will be renovated.

“Deva was a Nazi collaborator”, he said. “That is why it is very disturbing to learn that renovation plans have been renewed”, Zuroff said, adding that “Deva is a person symbolising the Albanians' collaboration with the Nazis and the role those persons had in crimes committed against Serbs and Jews”.

“He was one of the people who supported an extremist genocidal ideology”, Zuroff said, adding that, in February 2022, he had appealed to the EU to halt the renovation project, which it undertook together with the UNDP, and that he had subsequently been informed that the project had been scrapped.

Deva was involved in the establishment of the “Skanderbeg SS” division, known for its crimes against Serbs and Jews, Tanjug news agency recalled.

During WWII, Deva was Mitrovica mayor and interior minister of Albania.

He was decorated by Adolf Hitler in 1944.

US State Department: No announcements about Escobar visit to Serbia (Tanjug)

The US State Department on Wednesday said it had no announcement to make at this time about a possible visit to Serbia by special Western Balkan envoy Gabriel Escobar after Orthodox Christmas.

The State Department was responding to a Tanjug query whether Escobar would travel to Belgrade next week.

Earlier in the day, Tanjug was also told that the State Department's senior adviser Derek Chollet would not be travelling to the Western Balkan region for the time being.

We have no announcement to make about trips at this time, the State Department said in response to a query whether Chollet would soon visit the Western Balkans.

In mid-December, Chollet cancelled a trip to the Western Balkans due to a coronavirus infection, but said he would visit the region at the beginning of this year.

Vasic: Trajkovic’s health deteriorates, we will request house arrest (KoSSev)

Dejan Vasic, defence lawyer of former Kosovo police officer Sladjan Trajkovic, arrested on December 16 last year under charges of allegedly committing war crimes, said the health condition of his client has deteriorated significantly, adding he will request current detention be replaced with house arrest, KoSSev portal reports.

Vasic, who is also representing another Serb arrested in northern Kosovo recently, Miljan Adzic said that in a day or two a decision on his detention will also be made.

Vasic said Trajkovic’s health deteriorated following a surgical procedure to remove a lump on his head and the wound got infected, adding his client needs specialist’s medical treatment. He also said Trajkovic has underlying health conditions, including diabetes and liver cirrhosis.

He pointed out that Trajkovic is strongly motivated to take part in the investigation and prove his innocence, as well as that he has nothing to do with charges made against him. 

Pristina extends detention of Miljan Adzic (Tanjug)

The lawyer of Miljan Adzic, a Serb from Zvecan recently arrested by Kosovo police, said on Thursday that the basic court in Pristina had extended his detention for two more months, Tanjug news agency reports.

In a statement to Tanjug, lawyer Milos Delevic said the defense would appeal the decision and request that Adzic be transferred from a detention unit in Podujevo to Mitrovica.

Delevic said he believed Adzic would be cleared of all charges as the prosecutor's office had produced no concrete evidence against him and conducted no investigation.

According to Tanjug, Adzic has been charged with minor offences he allegedly committed during last year's protests in Zvecan.

Vacancies for police officers in northern Kosovo announced (N1, media)

After over 500 police officers from the Serb community in north Kosovo quit their jobs at the beginning of November last year, the Kosovo police announced Wednesday a competition for the admission of new police officers, N1 reports.

Although the Kosovo police did not specify the number of job openings, it noted that all members of minority communities are eligible to apply.

Applications will be accepted from January 5 until January 26, and the Kosovo police gave a detailed list of application requirements and criteria, KoSSev portal said.

 

 

International 

 

Serbian President Claims ‘Nine More Kosovo Recognition Withdrawals’ (BIRN)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday claimed that nine more countries had withdrawn recognition of Kosovo.

Vucic told the media that, “as things stand in the world today, as many as 106 countries do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, only 84 unequivocally recognize it, [and about] three countries are not clear”.

“We have nine that have withdrawn their recognition: Somalia, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Eswatini [former Swaziland], Libya, Guinea, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and the Maldives,” Vucic said, adding that “we are waiting for the tenth”.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3CrPuut