UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 28, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Maqedonci: Three brigades of Serbian Army along Kosovo border (media)
Svecla: 2023, a challenge for security, but successful year for police (Dukagjini)
Krasniqi: Monoethnic institutions are not good for Kosovo (Dukagjini)
Citaku: Most difficult and failed year since declaration of independence (AP)
33 Iowa National Guard soldiers to deploy to Kosovo on Friday (media)
Air corridors opened between Kosovo and Albania (RFE)
Ismaili: Economic growth this year 3.4%, in 2024 expected to be 4.2% (AP)
Abdixhiku “most undisciplined” MP, absent from 44 sessions (Demokracia)
Kryeziu: Northern mayors should resign, the petition delays the process (media)
Kurti meets second generation of the Citizen Diplomacy Program (media)
SBASHK: Kurti govt avoided dialogue with wrong approach to unions (RTK)
Cross-border theft of forests between Kosovo and Serbia (Kallxo)
KOMF writes to government: Social services risk closure in January (media)
Not even one fifth of properties in Kosovo owned by women (RFE)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: We’ll begin forming the parliament in January, nothing disputed (Beta, N1)
Dacic: Kurti trying to take advantage of the events on the domestic political scene (TV Prva, KiM radio, Blic)
PKS: The funds from the Development Fund are not for debts but for infrastructure (KiM radio)
Mijacic: There will be further obstructions of the dismissal of mayors (Kosovo Online)
Andric Rakic: "Overinflated" number of voters in the north could complicate the vote for the removal of the mayor (Kosovo Online)
Businessmen in the police station and fined because of the protest against the ban on Serbian goods (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

Perez: Brussels Feels Only Relief Over Vucic’s Victory in Serbia (BIRN)

International:

Kosovo's c-bank intl reserves up 5% y/y in Nov (SeeNews)
Kosovo Children with Autism Raise Funds with Seasonal Drawings (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Maqedonci: Three brigades of Serbian Army along Kosovo border (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with Tirana-based A2 CNN that “Kosovo continues to be under threat not only from attacks like the one in Banjska but also from the hegemonistic approach of Serbia’s institutions toward the Republic of Kosovo”. According to Maqedonci, three out of four brigades of the Serbian Army are deployed along the southern part of the border with Kosovo. “These three brigades have an operational capability along the border with Kosovo. This capability is enabled by the 48 forward operational bases of the army and the gendarmerie along the borderline,” he said.

Maqedonci further argued that the presence of the Serbian Army constitutes a threat not only for Kosovo but all Western Balkans. “They have been there for years, and they are there to threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. Armed groups can easily penetrate Kosovo’s territory. This is a synchronization with the aim of waging a hybrid war against Kosovo,” he said.

Svecla: 2023, a challenge for security, but successful year for police (Dukagjini)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla said today that the fight against organized crime, corruption and any form of illegality that threaten the security of Kosovo and its citizens will continue to be a priority for the government. Addressing a press conference together with Kosovo Police General Director Gazmend Hoxha, Svecla said that the government will continue to support the police force. He mentioned the September 24 attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo which resulted in the killing of police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. “It was a challenging year for the security of Kosovo, but also a successful year for the Kosovo Police. Last year we were faced with consequent attacks by Serbian structures against our police officers, and a terrorist attack that took the life of police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. The fight against evil must be an unwavering norm of our society,” Svecla said.

Krasniqi: Monoethnic institutions are not good for Kosovo (Dukagjini)

Kosovo’s Minister for Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said in an interview with TV Dukagjini on Wednesday, that monoethnic institutions are not good for Kosovo “as they damage the multiethnic spirit”. “For me [the Association of Serb-majority municipalities] was and remains an issue that has a basis in the law for local government, which provides that the municipalities are entitled to join in Association, and this is how I always see this issue. I believe that we in Kosovo need only instruments that serve co-existence and the multiethnic spirit, and that monoethnic institutions are not good for Kosovo and democracy in the country,” he was quoted as saying.

Citaku: Most difficult and failed year since declaration of independence (AP)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, said today that 2023 has been “the most difficult and failed year and failed year since the declaration of Kosovo’s independence in 2008”. She told a press conference in Pristina that Kosovo’s foreign policy has been characterized by “cacophony, lack of vision and numerous scandals”. “The only success of this government has been to hire advisors that get paid thousands of euros a month, and without any results for Kosovo. The irresponsible approach of the Kosovo government, the open and public confrontation with our main allies resulted in lowering of ambitions for Kosovo by the facilitators in the dialogue [with Serbia],” she said. “As a result, we ended up with an agreement that is neither comprehensive, nor final, nor centered around mutual recognition. We ended up with a draft statute accepted by Prime Minister Kurti, which in essence is a Constitution for the Kosovo Serbs and which creates a parallel system within our Republic”.

Citaku said that Kosovo has no access to hundreds of millions of euros in development funds dedicated to the Western Balkans.

According to Citaku, “with the holding of new elections next year, this detrimental and divisive mindset of this government will come to an end”.

33 Iowa National Guard soldiers to deploy to Kosovo on Friday (media)

Citing an article published by communitynewspaper.org, several news websites report that thirty-three Iowa National Guard Soldiers of Detachment 1, Company C (Medevac), 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, will deploy this Friday to Kosovo for a nine-month tour. This mission is in support of a NATO peacekeeping operation. Their primary mission will be to conduct live aerial medevac operations, refueling and maintenance support to U.S., coalition, and Kosovo Security forces. The NATO led international peacekeeping mission is an enduring one that’s focused on local and regional stability within the country and Eastern Europe. The community send-off ceremony will be held at the Waterloo Airport Army Aviation Support Facility (2245 W Big Rock Rd, Waterloo, IA 50703) at 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 29, and is open to the public. The unit will depart on military aircraft immediately following the ceremony as the unit heads to Fort Cavasos, Texas to complete pre-mobilization training.

Air corridors opened between Kosovo and Albania (RFE)

Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, said today that Kosovo has opened air corridors with Albania, and that flights to western countries will be shortened by almost 15 minutes. “Starting from January 1, our compatriots, in addition to traveling without visas, will also spare a lot of time,” Aliu said in a Facebook post, referring to the visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens which enters into force on January 1, 2024.

Ismaili: Economic growth this year 3.4%, in 2024 expected to be 4.2% (AP)

Kosovo Central Bank Governor, Ahmet Ismaili, told a press conference on Wednesday that the economic growth in Kosovo for this year will be 3.4 percent, and according to the Central Bank’s projections in 2024 it will be 4.2 percent. Ismaili also said that this project is accompanied by some uncertainties, “such as continuous geopolitical tensions, lower economic activity in the European Union, strict financial conditions, visa liberalization, and potential migration”.

Commenting on the inflation rate, Ismaili said that it dropped to 2.9 percent in the last quarter of the year. “The yearly average of the inflation is expected to close at 5.1 percent,” he said, adding that the inflation rate next year is expected to drop at 2.4 percent.

Abdixhiku “most undisciplined” MP, absent from 44 sessions (Demokracia)

A report by the Pristina-based Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) notes that members of the Kosovo Assembly have a total of 1,585 absences from sessions, or around 23 percent in every session. Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, leads the list of absences in assembly sessions, followed by New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) leader Behxhet Pacolli and Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Memli Krasniqi. Vetevendosje MP and Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly, Saranda Bogujevci, is also high on the list. The report also notes that “the Assembly has a problem with the parliamentary agenda, as it adopted 71 draft laws or a quarter of the legislative’s agenda”.

Kryeziu: Northern mayors should resign, the petition delays the process (media)

Kadri Kryeziu, former judge with the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, said that the resignations of the four Albanian mayors of the northern municipalities is the fastest way to early elections there, several news websites report. “The fastest way to solve the problem is for the mayors to submit their resignations. This is a moral act. The petition is a political strategy, it would delay the process and take a long time. If a petition is initiated, there needs to be a justification. These mayors have not violated the law, they are not legitimate, but they are legal. The administrative instruction has a constitutional basis, but the dismissal does not have a constitutional basis because they haven’t done anything against the law. The most righteous and fastest way is for them to resign for Kosovo’s sake,” Kryeziu is quoted as saying.

Kurti meets second generation of the Citizen Diplomacy Program (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in a meeting with the second generation of the Citizen Diplomacy Program on Wednesday, said that “the experience of the program will serve us all to have as many successes as possible in affirming the Republic of Kosovo, justice and its successes, but also in improving our international image, where emigration also plays an important role”. “Both in the academic and entrepreneurship aspect, as well as in the cultural and social aspect. That’s why we are here to help each other, so that the Citizen Diplomacy Program will be more and more successful, with new achievements from year to year,” Kurti is quoted as saying in a press release.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: We’ll begin forming the parliament in January, nothing disputed (Beta, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he is not afraid of the opposition, its protests and fabricated and prearranged reports by election observers claiming massive irregularities.

He said Austrian politician Andreas Schieder, who robbed his own party, is the one talking about irregularities and alleged election fraud.

“He allegedly saw theft. Do you know what he actually saw? He saw what they presented to him. He saw 496 ballots that they submitted to the Republic Election Commission, which are all in order,” said President Vucic. He added that everything had been prearranged.

“But they won’t get away with it. We won’t let them steal the people’s will. Vox populi, vox dei – the voice of the people is the voice of God,” stressed Vucic.

The President said the Republic Election Commission (RIK) will do its job and release the final results.

“We will begin forming the parliament in January, and that’s that. There’s nothing disputed, no big philosophy,” said Vucic.

Commenting on the people arrested at the Serbia Against Violence Sunday protest, he said these are people and children who had been encouraged by the opposition leaders to demolish the city.

“You told them to do that. Not anyone else, but you. You got them into this situation. I hope you’re at least a little bit ashamed of that,” Vucic told the opposition leaders. He emphasized that they proved, like many times before, that they are prepared to destroy other people’s lives just so as to seize power.

Dacic: Kurti trying to take advantage of the events on the domestic political scene (TV Prva, KiM radio, Blic)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and head of the Bureau for the Coordination of Security Services Ivica Dacic said that it will not be a surprise that in Kosovo Albin Kurti tries to take advantage of what is happening on the "internal political scene", reported KiM radio.

Dacic told TV Prva this morning that "there is a constant synchronization between what happens on the inner stage and what Kurti does".

He pointed out that Serbia is a constructive factor in the dialogue, while Kurti, by refusing to implement what was signed more than ten years ago, calls into question the credibility of the EU.

"Serbia will not give up its national interests. We are not ready for blackmail and the introduction of new topics into the dialogue. These protests are taking place in order to weaken the position of Serbia, but there is no giving up on our state policy," said Dacic.

He added that there will probably be a concentration of pressure on Serbia in February to do as much as possible on the issue of Kosovo.

"It would be good to meet that period in an era of political stability, that is, with constituted state bodies and to have a political majority at all levels," said Dacic.

He pointed out that there are no dilemmas or obstacles for this at the republican level, and that he is sure that a solution will be found for Belgrade as well.

"I don't see the need to go to the elections again. If someone got mandates, then they should use them, repeating the elections would be a waste of time," said Dacic.

Dacic said that the violent protests in front of the Belgrade City Assembly were not a surprise, that it was announced, there was information that something like that could happen.

"The conclusion from the meeting of the Security Services Control Bureau is that there was an attempt to destroy institutions, and therefore the constitutional order," said Dacic.

He added that the police acted according to their powers, even less than that.

"Of course, the police and the prosecutor's office will continue to react in accordance with the law and there will be no preferential treatment," said Dacic.

PKS: The funds from the Development Fund are not for debts but for infrastructure (KiM radio)

"Funds from the Development Fund cannot be used for current spending, nor for covering any debts," believe the Party of Kosovo Serbs, reported KiM radio.

The PKS reacted to yesterday's statement by the Minister of Finance in the Government of Kosovo, Hekuran Murati, that four municipalities in the north will pay the debt for the consumed electricity to KOSTT from their own budget and the budget of the Development Fund for the North.

"The intention of the Government of Kosovo to steal funds from the Development Fund for the North and use them to settle the alleged debt for electricity is evidence of an undisguised desire for the economic destruction of the North and the prevention of all capital investment projects," says the PKS.

They note that these funds can only be used to finance infrastructure projects of general interest to municipalities and citizens.

"We call on the representatives of the EU in Kosovo, which is also the guarantor of the Brussels Agreement, as well as the embassies of the Quint countries to take seriously this insidious intention of the Government of Kosovo and prevent the looting of the Fund, which aims at the infrastructure development of the north and nothing else," they said in the statement.

Mijacic: There will be further obstructions of the dismissal of mayors (Kosovo Online)

Coordinator of Working Group for Chapter 35 of National Convention on the European Union, Dragisa Mijacic, told portal Kosovo Online that collecting signatures within the petition for the removal of mayors in the north of Kosovo will be a form of pressure on the authorities in Pristina to organize new elections, but that he does not believe that this will happen in the near future.

According to Mijacic even the first step to initiate the petition was accepted with a heavy heart and it is likely that the next one will be accompanied by various obstructions.

“There is also the question of whether the Administrative Instruction on the procedure for initiating a petition issued by the MLGA is in accordance with the Constitution or not, so one of the obstacles may even be that the Constitutional Court in some process shows that the instruction is unconstitutional and that therefore, the initiative fails,” Mijacic said.

He said that Serbs in the north have organized themselves in municipalities to collect signatures, but it remains to be seen how it will be accepted in Pristina, adding that there will be probably various technical, administrative, and legal obstacles in order not to call elections in the northern municipalities soon.

When asked how meaningful the elections for mayors are if there are no new elections for municipal assemblies, i.e., councilors, Mijacic said that it would certainly be good to organize elections for both mayors and councilors and that there might be some possibility to organize general elections as well.

However, pointed out, it means nothing if there is no formation of the CSM, which Serbs from the north and other parts of Kosovo are interested in. Negotiations on the formation of the CSM, he opined, may be more important than organizing the elections themselves.

“What is most important at this moment is for the Kosovo government to implement the conclusions of the European Commission from June 3, which require the removal of mayors from municipal buildings and police units from those buildings,'' recalling that the EU introduced some kind of punitive measures against Kosovo because of it.

He also noted that a recent survey by Kosovo analysts showed that there are somewhat more positive attitudes of Albanian society towards the formation of the CSM.

“And that is the biggest issue, while other issues such as the organization of elections in the north may not be crucial now. The key is to preserve peace in the north, composure, so that there are no incidents that would be a threat to the lives of citizens, police, members of KFOR, journalists... The most important thing is to get into the political currents, and then, of course, at some point organize general elections for councilors and mayors, so why not also for members of the Kosovo Assembly, so that everything that was accepted within the dialogue process could be implemented,” Mijacic concluded.

Andric Rakic: "Overinflated" number of voters in the north could complicate the vote for the removal of the mayor (Kosovo Online)

Program manager of the New Social Initiative NGO, Milica Andric Rakic, told Kosovo Online portal that the process of petitioning for the removal of mayors in North Kosovo is going much slower than it should be.

She said that a part of responsibility bear one part of local officials when it comes to this procedure, but on the other hand, it is possible that Kosovo institutions are consciously delaying the process, specifically the MLGA, adding that she does not believe that the CEC will excessively politicize the process, because as soon as the conditions were created for the procedure to go to the CEC, some things happened faster. According to Andric Rakic, it is evident that this will be a complicated process and that it will take longer than it should.

She opined that collecting 20 percent of signatures based on the Voters List is not impossible, but the question is what to do next.

“According to the Law on Local Self-Government, 20 percent of signatures is only the first step, and after that a local referendum must be organized, where 50 percent of registered voters must vote for the removal of the mayor. It is a much more complicated step, which is difficult to achieve, not only because of the conditions we are in and the great political tensions, but also because the voter lists are inflated,” she stated.

According to the Kosovo Voters List, there are 45,000 voters in the municipalities in the north, and according to Andric Rakic, this is not a realistic figure.

“Only in relation to the Serbian Single Electoral Roll, which is 10,000 more. There were about 35,000 of us in the Serbian Electoral Roll in the last elections. Clearly these numbers are ‘overinflated’ and that actually reaching 50 percent of that figure, realistically means reaching some 70-80 percent of voters who can exercise their right to vote. It is very complicated to implement it,” she said among other things.

Businessmen in the police station and fined because of the protest against the ban on Serbian goods (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Online reports that businessmen Dudan Gasic and Nenad Bozovic were summoned to the police station today to give statements regarding the peaceful protest of businessmen against the ban on the import of Serbian goods to Kosovo. Gasic said after giving a statement at the station, they were fined with a fine of 100 euros each and are characterized as organizers.

Gasic states that Bozovic and himself denied that they were the organizers of that protest and states that they did not do it because they wanted to "get away with it", but because that meeting had no organizer, that is, businessmen and citizens held it on their own initiative without any organizer.

Asked about the petition, Gasic says that the signing of the petition continues and will last until tomorrow, that is, until Friday.

"When the signing of the petition is finished, we will agree on who will go to the meeting. It will not be the organizer, but someone who makes the most sense to go to that meeting, who will present the story as it is. This is a story from the people, it is not related to politics, we want the basic right - to buy and eat and drink what we like to eat and drink, and whether it is from Serbia, China, Turkey, Bangladesh, let that be our choice," said Gasic.

Opinion

Perez: Brussels Feels Only Relief Over Vucic’s Victory in Serbia (BIRN)

Opinion by Alejandro Esteso Pérez is a political scientist and researcher specialising in EU enlargement and Western Balkan politics. He is a 2023 Fellow at the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and an external lecturer on contemporary Western Balkan politics at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).

To almost nobody’s surprise, the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, of President Aleksandar Vucic declared a sweeping victory at the latest elections held on December 17. Not only did SNS garner an absolute majority in the National Assembly, taking 130 out of 250 seats, but it was also able to retain power in the vast majority of the over 60 towns and municipalities, plus in the northern province of Vojvodina, that were likewise called to the polls.

Election day was marred by blatant episodes of irregularities, possibly among the most hostile ever registered. To the already usual instances of mass recruitment, and erasure, of voters, observers bore witness to the establishment of an illegal voting station at the Belgrade Arena, to which tens of citizens from the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska were allegedly transported in buses to vote. It was also reported that representatives of the opposition received threats from the police on the eve of the vote, and were physically attacked on the day itself.

Beyond, and despite, the few messages of concern from the West regarding the dubious transparency, fairness and freedom registered in these elections, Vucic’s astonishing win is, in fact, a blessing for the European Union. In a current context where the President is set to remain head of state until at least 2027, and where the traction of the “Srbija protiv nasilja (“Serbia against violence”) protests has failed to seriously contest the supremacy of SNS, both Belgrade and Brussels are now able to keep indulging in their years-long tale of mutual convenience and co-dependence.

International

Kosovo's c-bank intl reserves up 5% y/y in Nov (SeeNews)

Kosovo's central bank said that the international reserves it held at the end of November totalled 1.386 billion euro ($1.25 billion), up from 1.313 billion euro at the end of the same month in 2022.

Compared with October, the central bank's international reserves were 2% higher at the end of November, the central bank said in a data release last week.

Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) decreased by 5%, totalling 153 million euro, as the reserve position in the IMF declined to 24.5 million euro by the end of November 2023, compared to 25.4 million euro at the end of November 2022.

Kosovo Children with Autism Raise Funds with Seasonal Drawings (BIRN)

On a stall at the annual festive market in Pristina, volunteers sell cards featuring drawings by children with autism to raise money for an NGO providing training and educational services.

As well as hot chocolate, soft drinks and cakes, one of the stalls at the annual seasonal market in Kosovo’s capital Pristina is selling brightly-coloured cards with pictures drawn by children from the local NGO Autizmi Flet (Autism Speaks Up).

The cards with their images of Santas, reindeer, Christmas trees and other festive motifs help raise funds for the children with autism who are being helped by Autizmi Flet, a training and education centre founded by parents in January 2015.

“The cards are made every year by the children and all the funds go to the organisation,” said Riga Raci, 18, who is volunteering for a second year on the stall this year.