Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti and Vucic expected to participate at Economic Forum in Davos next week (Reporteri)
• Osmani expects that U.S. Congress will approve sale of "Javelins" to Kosovo (RTK)
• Kosovo to host again "Defender Europe" (Klan)
• Viola von Cramon starts her four-day visit to Kosovo on Monday (Klan)
• Spanish FM: Recognition of Kosovo passports not related to agreement with Catalonia (Klan)
• GAP: Large migration of Kosovars expected in the first quarter of the year (media)
• Bajqinovci: Association should be designed by the Kosovo government (media)
• Court session of four Serbs suspected of riots in the north postponed (media)
• Kosovo-Albania trade exchange in 2023 set record with around €440 million (Albanian Post)
• Kosovo, North Macedonia sign agreement for Tetovo-Prizren road (Indeksonline)
• CDHRF: Installation of cameras in Pristina, in complete violation of human rights (Reporteri)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic: Serbs in Kosovo live in a situation of permanent danger (Kosovo Online)
• Situation in Kosovo calm but fragile - KFOR Commander (Tanjug)
• Serbian Democracy calls on citizens to sign petition and prevent reconstruction of police base in Mitrovica North (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
• Preliminary hearing of four Serbs cancelled, case files without translation into Serbian language (KoSSev)
• Malfunction on electric grid in Caglavica repaired after more than a month (Radio KIM)
• Submission of requests for diploma verification as of Monday at municipal building in Mitrovica North (KoSSev)
• European Parliament will most likely not discuss Serbian elections next week (Tanjug)

International:

• Serbia says it is disappointed with possible US sale of anti-tank missiles to Kosovo (AP)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Kurti and Vucic expected to participate at Economic Forum in Davos next week  (Reporteri) 

The World Economic Forum that will be held in Davos, Switzerland, and will last until January 19, starts next week.

The Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has said that he feels happy that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, will participate in this forum.

"Next week, the World Economic Forum will start in Davos. With all the main important topics, "Achieving security and cooperation in a broken world" resonates especially for Kosovo, the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the entire Western Balkans region. Glad to see both Albin Kurti and Aleksandar Vucic will be present,” he wrote on X platform.

Osmani expects that U.S. Congress will approve sale of "Javelins" to Kosovo (RTK)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said that Kosovo is entering a new and decisive phase of strengthening state defense capacities.

"This includes the development of the Kosovo Security Force in accordance with NATO standards and the deepening of relations with our strategic partner, the United States of America. As the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the KSF, I express my gratitude to our defense institutions, which for years worked to fulfill the criteria for qualification in the Military Sales Program of the US State Department", she wrote on Facebook.

Osmani expressed special thanks to Secretary Blinken with whom she discussed the approval of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program in July 2022, for the US Department of Defense and the United States Congress, which has already officially announced Kosovo's intention to purchase weapon defense systems through the FMS program.

As stated in the US Government's substantive statement: "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security goals of the United States by enhancing the security of a European partner that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe. The proposed sale will also increase Kosovo's long-term defense capacity to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to meet state requirements in the field of defense." I am fully confident that the Congress will support this possible sale to the most pro-American country in the world, as an act that will increase security in Kosovo, in our region, as well as in the European continent," Osmani wrote.

Kosovo to host again "Defender Europe" (Klan)

Kosovo will once again host the "Defender Europe" military exercise that will be organized in 2025. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, Liridona Gashi, confirmed the news for Klankosova.tv.

"Yes, Kosovo will again be the host of Defender Europe, which will be organized in 2025. As for your clarification, all the objectives of the KSF in Defender Europe 2023 have been fulfilled, the only activity that was canceled last year in this exercise was DV DAY, the day when the practical execution of the exercise would take place in front of distinguished visitors as a recapitulation of all the activities that were carried out during all the days of the exercise", Gashi said.

Last year, Kosovo was excluded from the exercise "Defender Europe 2023" as a measure of the United States of America after the tensions in the north of the country.

Viola von Cramon starts her four-day visit to Kosovo on Monday (Klan)

Member of the European Parliament and Permanent Rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, will stay in Kosovo for four days.

She will start her visit on Monday, January 15, when she will also hold a press conference.

Von Cramon has been vocal in support of Kosovo for years, both on the issue of visa liberalization and on the situation with Serbia in general.

Spanish FM: Recognition of Kosovo passports not related to agreement with Catalonia (Klan)

Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, denied that the recognition of Kosovo's passports by Spain, after Brussels allowed Kosovars to travel without visas through the countries of the Schengen zone, was the result of a negotiation with the Junts party (the party of the former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont).

"Not at all", he said firmly when asked about the recognition of the Kosovo passport and a possible connection to the negotiation with Junts.

In an interview with "Cadena Cope" this Thursday, Albares wanted to deal with this issue after reading "really absurd things about it".

As he explained, the countries that do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state – five in the European Union – have accepted Kosovars’ passports so that they can enter the Schengen area as agreed in March at the European Council.

That being said, he emphasized that the recognition of passports "does not at all" mean the recognition of Kosovo or its sovereignty and that it is something "fully supported and approved by the Spanish legal councils, as well as by the legal councils of the rest of the countries".

GAP: Large migration of Kosovars expected in the first quarter of the year (media)

Out of 1,000 respondents, 28 percent of them plan to immigrate to the Schengen Area in the first quarter of this year. This was said in the presentation of the GAP Institute Report "Tendency to emigrate from Kosovo after visa liberalization: Impact on the workforce".

According to the report presented on Friday, the main reasons cited by citizens are the economic conditions, while the sectors that will be most affected by emigration are construction, hotel and gastronomy, the trade sector and the production sector.

Blendi Hasaj, senior researcher at GAP, said that the Institute has conducted a research where it surveyed over 1000 people. According to this finding, it is expected that 28 percent of the population will emigrate during the first period of this year.

"Our focus has been on those dynamics that are expected to happen in the labor market. In order to see which sectors will be affected the most, what is the solution, we have also analyzed what are the main drivers that citizens are emigrating and what income their families have. According to KAS statistics, from 2012 to 2022, 338,000 citizens, 18.8 percent of Kosovo's population, emigrated from Kosovo.

Anisa Zogaj, senior researcher at GAP, said that Germany is the main destination for emigrants and that economic conditions are among the main reasons that encourage citizens to emigrate.

"Only in 2022, 41,553 citizens immigrated and in this year the active labor force decreased by 21,571 people, while the non-active labor force decreased by 14,698. The sectors that are expected to be largely affected by the departure of workers, the construction sector would be affected by 18.7 percent, the hotel and gastronomy sector by 18.7 percent, the trade sector by 18.1 percent and the manufacturing sector by 12.9 percent. Most of the citizens who are expected to emigrate are those who have completed high school", she said.

Bajqinovci: Association should be designed by the Kosovo government (media)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Mefail Bajqinovci, said in a debate on TV Dukagjini on Thursday, that it is best for the Kosovo government to design the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “I think it would be best if it is designed by the locals, namely the government of Kosovo, and not to bring an Association or something else that can maybe affect other parts of the Constitution of Kosovo,” he argued. He also said that he is not against the draft statute proposed by the Europeans, but that he favors an Association designed based on the Constitution of Kosovo

Court session of four Serbs suspected of riots in the north postponed (media)

The Basic Court in Pristina has postponed the court preparatory session of four Serbs suspected of causing the riots in the north of Kosovo in June 2023. The decision came following a request by the defense attorneys. “I believe that to hold the preparatory session in the current circumstances would be to violate the rights of all the defendants. I propose that today’s session is postponed and for the prosecution to offer the defendants all completed files of the case, translated in the language of the defendants,” one of the defense attorneys said.

Kosovo-Albania trade exchange in 2023 set record with around €440 million (Albanian Post)

The Alliance of Kosovo Business (AKB) said today that research it conducted into the trade exchange between Kosovo and Albania shows that the exchange had increased greatly in 2023 compared to 2022. The Alliance said that the trade exchange in 2023 “set a new record with imports and exports between businesses, with Kosovo importing from Albania around €326 million, and Kosovo businesses exported €113 million to Albania”. AKB President Agim Shahini said that “regardless of political and government relations, the businesses, citizens and consumers on both sides increased cooperation and mutual interest for the benefit of national economic growth”.

Kosovo, North Macedonia sign agreement for Tetovo-Prizren road (Indeksonline)

Government officials from Kosovo and North Macedonia signed today an agreement to co-fund the project for the construction of the Tetovo-Prizren road. The document was signed by Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure Liburn Aliu and North Macedonia Deputy Minister for Transport Bekim Rexhepi. The latter said that groups from both parties held several meetings to find an optimal solution on the trajectory of the road. “Today is an important day for the citizens of North Macedonia and Kosovo because we are starting a new chapter of enlarging the regional connection road network … Based on the feasibility study, we offered several options for the road and an acceptable option for both countries was the construction of a 6.4-kilometer tunnel. The new road will start from Tetovo through Kodra e Diellit, Brodec and will end at the Veshalla settlement on the side of North Macedonia,” Rexhepi said.

Aliu said that “this is an exceptionally important road that does not link only Prizren with Tetovo, but also with the Ibrahim Rugova highway that links Pristina with Durres and Tirana, and creates possibilities of connecting to corridors at the regional level”.

CDHRF: Installation of cameras in Pristina, in complete violation of human rights (Reporteri)

The Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms has reacted after the announcement by the Municipality of Pristina that security cameras with artificial intelligence will be installed in the capital.

In this reaction, it is stated that the installation of cameras in the capital is in complete contradiction to human rights and that CDHRF strongly opposes the installation of cameras with artificial intelligence, since according to them, the installation of cameras is not foreseen by the legislation in force, and they violate privacy.

"In this context, CDHRF strongly opposes the installation of cameras with powerful artificial intelligence because it is not foreseen by the legislation in force and in a brutal way creates conditions for violation of privacy and human rights. Surveillance cameras can be placed only in areas where there is a reasonable suspicion of criminal offenses and with the permission of

law-enforcement bodies or in spaces where the expectations for privacy violations are small", the response states, among other things.

   

Serbian Language Media

  Dacic: Serbs in Kosovo live in a situation of permanent danger (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today Kosovo is an issue of the highest national and state interest for Serbia, adding that Serbs in Kosovo live in a situation of a permanent danger, Kosovo Online portal reports.

He also said Serbia neither explicitly nor implicitly will recognize unilaterally declared Kosovo independence. Dacic made those remarks speaking at the New Year’s reception for diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assessing that the situation in Kosovo is extremely difficult and complex.

“In addition to the fact that return to Kosovo has not yet been made possible for more than 200,000 internally displaced persons, the fact that in the past year alone 13 percent of Serbs left Kosovo is of additional concern, due to the continuous terror and pressure that Pristina exerts on the Serbian population”, Dacic said.

He added “it is of crucial importance for us to unconditionally ensure the survival and safety of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija, which is why we remain a constructive factor in the dialogue despite the fact that Pristina has persistently refused to fulfill its obligations assumed long ago for more than a decade”.

Situation in Kosovo calm but fragile - KFOR Commander (Tanjug)

KFOR Commander Major General Ozkan Ulutas said on Friday the situation in Kosovo was calm overall but remained "fragile following a rise of tensions in the past months".

"NATO has deployed hundreds of additional troops. We have quadrupled KFOR's presence in north Kosovo and tripled the number of patrols, including along the administrative boundary line. Our mission's strength is currently approximately 5,000 troops, with contributions from 28 countries from NATO allies and partners. These are prudent steps to ensure that the KFOR Mission continues to fulfill its UN mandate based on UNSCR 1244/1999 to provide a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement, at all times and impartially", Ulutas said in an interview to Tanjug.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/AJZ35 Serbian Democracy calls on citizens to sign petition and prevent reconstruction of police base in Mitrovica North (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

As Serbian Democracy said in a statement the aim of the petition is to recall the illegal and undemocratic decision of the Mitrovica North Municipal Assembly to allocate a land parcel, known as a Military Overhaul to Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs, Radio KIM reports.

The land plot in question has cadastral number 02606-2 and includes almost three hectares in Mitrovica North.

Mitrovica North citizens can sign a petition on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 14.00 hrs, near the Tzar Lazar Monument in the center of the town. Serbian Democracy urged all citizens to spend two minutes of their time to prevent seizure of a Military Overhaul land parcel and reconstruction of a new police base in the north of Kosovo. Arsenijevic said all citizens have the right to sign a petition.

“It is on us as a subject registered by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to establish a template and collect signatures. The next step is to handover signatures to Mitrovica North Municipal Assembly Chair”, Arsenijevic said.

Meanwhile KoSSev reported that Mitrovica North Municipal Assembly Chair Nedzad Ugljanin said the petition is in line with the law. Ugljanin added he forwarded the request to the Ministry of Local Governance Administration and received a response from them this morning saying that “the Ministry approved the request. Meaning – everything is in line with the law. We will deliberate on his request at the next, regular session of the MA”, he said. 

KoSSev portal also said measurements on the parcel in question were carried out yesterday. Kosovo police were present during the measurements and confirmed it was about cadaster officials. The portal said it addressed Mitrovica North Municipality several times yesterday seeking details if those were official of the municipal cadaster department, if the parcel that has been allocated to the Kosovo Interior Ministry was measured and why the measurements had been conducted, but received no reply by the time of publishing the article.  

Preliminary hearing of four Serbs cancelled, case files without translation into Serbian language (KoSSev)

Preliminary hearing of the four Serbs accused of allegedly “committing terrorist acts” scheduled today at Basic Court in Pristina special department has been canceled because case files delivered to defense were incomplete. The new hearing is scheduled on January 30, at 9.30, KoSSev portal reports.  

Dejan Patnic, Milun Milenkovic Lune, A.V. and M.V with their defense lawyers were present in the courtroom, and it was expected that the indictment will be read today.

Family members of Milun Milenkovic were also present. He was arrested mid June 2023 at Mitrovica North city center. The defense proposed detention measure to Milenkovic be commuted to house arrest, and proposed the bail in amount of 30 thousand euros, adding the bail should be convincing reason for the court and prosecutor that Milenkovic will not flee and would respond to court summons.

Defense lawyer of A.V. Milos Delevic said the indictment translated into Serbian was submitted only today because of which the defense did not have sufficient time to compare evidence with delivered case files. Ljubomir Pantovic, defense lawyer of Dejan Pantic, agreed with Delevic, adding it was necessary to deliver indictment prior to the preliminary hearing. He said conditions were not in place today to hold a preliminary hearing.

Lawyer of M.V. Dejan Vasic emphasized that selectivity prosecution is applying towards Serbs “is becoming terrifying”.

Prosecutor Afrim Shefkiju said it was the fact that they did not manage to translate all case files, adding it will “be completed in a few days”. 

Malfunction on electric grid in Caglavica repaired after more than a month (Radio KIM)

KEDS teams have repaired the malfunction on the electric grid in Caglavica because of which the Media Centre in this settlement and four more households were without one electricity phase since December 8, last year, Radio KIM reports.

KEDS teams previously said underground cable near Media Centre was damaged, caused by construction works on a socially owned property in Caglavica, where the new neighbor is building the house. The malfunction had been repaired after several reports to KEDS by the Media Centre and a report to the Kosovo police in Gracanica.

Submission of requests for diploma verification as of Monday at municipal building in Mitrovica North (KoSSev)

Submission of requests for diploma verification issued by the University of Pristina with a provisional seat in Mitrovica North is possible as of Monday at the municipal building in Mitrovica North, KoSSev portal reports.

Verification of diplomas will be carried out every working day, from 8.30 to 15.00 in the municipal building, the portal added. 

European Parliament will most likely not discuss Serbian elections next week (Tanjug)

The European Parliament will most likely not discuss the recent Serbian elections at next week's plenary session in Strasbourg after political groups have failed to reach a consensus on the matter, Tanjug learns.

However, there is a small likelihood of the issue being put on the session's agenda on Monday, Tanjug's sources said.

The sources said the Social Democrats had requested that it be included in the agenda but that other political groups believed it was too early to debate the Serbian elections before a final report by international observers. MEP and Rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik has said he did not anticipate any international inquiry into the elections and noted that they had been executed well. 

   

International 

  Serbia says it is disappointed with possible US sale of anti-tank missiles to Kosovo (AP)

The United States has received Kosovo's request to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles, the U.S. ambassador to Serbia on Thursday told President Aleksandar Vučić, who expressed "deep disappointment."

The U.S. The State Department said later Thursday that it approved the possible sale of the 246 missiles and related equipment to Kosovo for an estimated cost of $75 million.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security of the United States by improving the security of a European partner which is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe," the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/2r94z32r