UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 23, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani: When removal of mayors is confirmed, I’ll set election date (media)
Osmani: Women are the axis of the history of the people of Kosovo (RTK)
Konjufca: Greater involvement of women in politics is needed (Klan Kosova)
Citaku: Kurti creating crises with allies to cover up government scandals (media)
Defence Ministry: We’re waiting for American offer for Javelin missiles (Express)
Sandulovic: I experienced hell; I was close to ending up like Navalny (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

Health workers in Gracanica: Our livelihoods in danger, patients particularly at risk (Kosovo Online)
Queues in Mitrovica North, persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities wait for payments (Kosovo Online)
Dacic says USA wants Serbia as a key partner, but under one condition (Danas, Kosovo Online)
Starovic: Situation in Kosovo complex, it is high time for reaction of international community to follow (RTS)
Petrich: Unacceptable rejection of talks, Pristina put the EU in a difficult position (Kosovo Online)
The Serbian flag removed from the Zvecan fortress (Beta, NMagazin, KoSSev)
Thieves shot at returnee in Bica in attempt to steal his sheep (Radio KIM)
Threats, attacks, pressure: State of media freedom in Serbia has not improved (N1)
Sutanovac: “Rama feels the need to show he's a greater Albanian than Kurti” (Kosovo Online)

International:

Two Years On, Balkan States Remain Divided Over Ukraine War (BIRN)
Does the EU Growth Plan provide anything new for Western Balkans countries? (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: When removal of mayors is confirmed, I’ll set election date (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that the Central Election Commission is sending for confirmation the signatures for the removal of mayors in the north of Kosovo. She said that once the removal of mayors is confirmed, she will set the date for new municipal elections there within 30-45 days, Nacionale reports. “You know that it is the right of citizens in all municipalities to ask for the removal of mayors through a petition. This is foreseen with the applicable legislation in Kosovo. In addition to this, the line ministry has also adopted an administrative instruction that foresees the procedures,” she said.

Gazeta Express highlights in its coverage of Osmani’s press conference her statement that the lifting of EU measures on Kosovo is linked to the holding of elections in the four northern municipalities. “We need to move forward always in line with the law and the foreseen procedures,” she said.

Osmani said that the EU measures on Kosovo are unfair. “The process of dialogue was damaged mostly by the lack of balance in the dialogue. Kosovo on the one hand is under unfair measures, while Serbia on the other hand despite its act of aggression [attack in Banjska] has not faced any measure. This not only damages [the process of dialogue], but it also encourages Serbia to continue carrying out destabilizing actions in our region,” she argued.

Osmani also said that all institutions of Kosovo must treat the allies not only as important but also existential. “I encourage all institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, everyone engaged in politics, to do everything in their power to treat these relations especially with the United States, the United Kingdom and EU member states, who have always stood by our side, not only as important but also as existential for the success of our country, because history has proved this,” she said. “Kosovo is a state, and it is certainly a developed and consolidated democracy but let us not forget that we have great security problems too. At our borders we have a state that every day aims to carry out aggression against Kosovo, every day it thinks about taking away our territory … In these challenges, we need our allies and partners. So not only as a sign of appreciation for what they have done in the past but also as a vision for what we need in the future. Kosovo cannot move forward on its own. In fact, no country in the world can move forward on its own”.

Osmani said that the use of the Serbian Dinar in Kosovo can be solved through a “several-hour meeting” with relevant institutions. Asked about the EU’s invitation to discuss the issue in Brussels, Osmani said that reporters should ask “Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi about the invitation, but I think that these issues can be resolved in Kosovo when there is readiness. These are simple issues that should have never caused disagreements, but sometimes the lack of timely communication causes this”. “What is being called the Dinar issue is not an issue of the Dinar at all. No one is asking for the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulation not to be enforced or to be annulled. Everything that is being asked is for a transition plan that takes into account all the needs of ordinary citizens that receive financial aid from Serbia. This issue can be resolved here in Kosovo, and in fact it shouldn’t have become an issue at all. There should have been no clashes with our allies. If there is readiness, a meeting between relevant institutions that can last for several hours, concrete steps can be decided, based on the law, and we get the support of our allies for its enforcement, because if this issue is not resolved in time, it can create further problems,” Osmani argued.

Albanian Post too highlights Osmani’s remark that “the Serbian Dinar should not have created clashes with the allies”.

Telegrafi quotes Osmani as saying that “Kosovo cannot have a single sustainable success without cooperation and support from its allies … Therefore, both the Constitution and the allies, they don’t exclude one another”.

Indeksonline quotes Osmani as saying that after elections in the European Union, there could be a new facilitator for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. “These are crucial months in the dialogue, because the EU elections are in May. After the elections, there will be new commissioners, new officials, that will take over the process of dialogue. Most probably even a new facilitator from what I have been told by Lajcak himself, whose mandate is until August, if I am not mistaken,” she said.

Osmani: Women are the axis of the history of the people of Kosovo (RTK)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that “women are the axis of the history of Kosovo in different state-building stages”. “At the axis of the history of our people and Kosovo, both during the times of peaceful resistance and also during the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, also during the postwar state-building process, and even today as we continue to strengthen our position on the international arena, it has been precisely the role of women that has pushed forward decisively peace and security in our country and beyond,” Osmani said at the regional conference “Parliamentarism and Resolution 1325: Perspectives from the Western Balkans”.

Osmani said that the participation of women in peace and security processes is not only a matter of equality and justice but also the cornerstone for achieving long-term peace and stability in Kosovo, the region and beyond.

“My office, with the support of the office of Secretary Blinken, will establish the Center of Excellence, which has become part of the U.S. strategy for women, peace, and security. I expect that within this office we will increasingly consolidate new partnerships and implement initiatives and projects that strengthen the role of parliaments and the role of women in them,” Osmani said.

Konjufca: Greater involvement of women in politics is needed (Klan Kosova)

The regional conference “Parliamentarism and Resolution 1325: Perspectives from the Western Balkans” is underway at the Kosovo Assembly. Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca said: “It is good that the Kosovo Assembly has gathered us here today to address this topic, the role of assemblies in the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. I want to thank the group of women MPs who, regardless of party differences, are working strongly to promote the empowerment of women in political and public life. This activity is the best evidence of this cooperation”.

“The main objective of the agenda for women, peace, and security is the positioning of women as equal partners in all areas related to peace and security. Kosovo is the best example of the commitment to implement global agendas although oftentimes we are limited to speak at these bodies where we are not members yet”.

Konjufca argued that although there are many women involved in politics, their numbers are far fewer than those of men, and that this needs to change. “The involvement of women in peace and security processes is a precondition for sustainable peace and democracy. We have a great number of women involved in politics, and in the sectors of justice and security, but their numbers are far fewer than those of men and this needs to change,” he said.

“Kosovo has a woman president too,” he said and referring to President Vjosa Osmani said “you truly deserve a special thank you because you are a great supporter of this cause, and it is a daily part of your work”.

Citaku: Kurti creating crises with allies to cover up government scandals (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, argued in a Facebook post today that “the Prime Minister and members of the Vetevendosje continue to create crises and conflicts with allies. Their public quarreling with the U.S. and the EU has brought them only one good thing. It is overshadowing the consequent scandals in domestic governance. Yesterday a Vetevendosje official was appointed director of KEK [Kosovo Power Corporation]. This comes after the arrest of the former Director who was also an official of Vetevendosje”.

Defence Ministry: We’re waiting for American offer for Javelin missiles (Express)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense told the news website today that after the end of the 30-day period, Kosovo is not waiting for the American offer to purchase the Javelin missiles based on the offer and the plan of the Kosovo Security Force. A spokesperson for the Ministry said that the total cost of the procurement is estimated to be US$ 75 million including the training of soldiers to use the system. “This procurement aims to increase the defense capacities of the Kosovo Security Force to guarantee the protection of the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Kosovo based on its constitutional mandate,” the spokesperson said.

Sandulovic: I experienced hell; I was close to ending up like Navalny (Klan)

Leader of the Serbian Republican Party, Nikola Sandulovic, in an interview with Klan Kosova today, talked about January 3 when he was taken by members of the Serbian Intelligence Service. “The event of January 3 was a terrible message for Europe, the world, the region, in an atmosphere of political intolerance against any person that talks about peace and reconciliation between the Serbian and the Albanian people,” he said. “I experienced hell and only thanks to God I am alive. Also thanks to the great reaction of the international community that did everything in its power so that I would not end up in a prison hospital, where I would use my life. You saw how Navalny ended up in Russia, I would have the same fate”.

Serbian Language Media

Health workers in Gracanica: Our livelihoods in danger, patients particularly at risk (Kosovo Online)

Health workers from central Kosovo gathered today in front of the Post Office in Gracanica to express their displeasure over the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo to ban payments in dinars, adding they are worried about their lives as well as the existence of patients, who, as they say, are in a much more difficult position, Kosovo Online.

General medicine specialist Dalibor Stojanovic said that health workers spontaneously gathered today at the place where they received their salaries in dinars until February 1 to express their peaceful protest and dissatisfaction with the latest events in Kosovo.

"Until now, we received our salary in dinars, at this place, however, from February 1, with the decision of the Kosovo authorities, we are forced to go to the nearest Komercijalna banka branch in Kursumlija for our salaries, as most people here already know. For most of us, this is additional harassment, an additional expense. A few days ago, my colleague had to take a day off to go and apply for a payment card. She had to be harassed both on one side and on the other side of the administrative crossing. She waited there for three hours, precisely to complete one of the most ordinary administrative procedures that we have carried out here so far. Not to mention other administrative procedures and services that we performed, such as the request for the permitted minus, for which we will now have to cross 80 km in one direction to raise our salary, which we earned by doing our job as health workers," Stojanovic said.

He pointed out that patients are in a particularly difficult situation.

"You know yourself that certain patients have to pay a co-payment for some services. Now that dinar is banned, all of this puts the provision of health care at risk, and calls into question our livelihoods, our stay and survival in these areas. Not to mention the people who receive other financial supplements, such as the minimum wage, they will now not only have to travel that extra 160 km to withdraw their income, but they will have to give a good part of their earnings to organize themselves and go to the first branches where they can withdraw their earnings," Stojanovic pointed out.

Pediatrician Zorica Jovanic pointed out that health workers might manage in some way and asked how people who do not have the conditions to do so will do it.

Queues in Mitrovica North, persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities wait for payments (Kosovo Online)

Long queues of citizens, including persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities, can be seen in Mitrovica North in front of the Postal Saving Bank attempting to withdraw their paid allowances, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Gathered citizens expressed strong dissatisfaction over the current situation, given that the majority of them are not able to go to central Serbia to withdraw the money there because of their lives being difficult already and poor health conditions.

Ivana Rakic, mother of a child with disabilities asked who is bothered and feels endangered by children with disabilities to take away from them the means used to survive.

“What they do to us today is shameful and inhuman, I can not find words to express myself. What international missions in Kosovo serve if they do not undertake absolutely nothing for human rights of the most vulnerable persons?”, she asked, adding that survival of people depends upon receiving aid and funds from Serbia, including aid for those with disabilities, child allowances, social remittances, minimal salaries and pensions.

She also said that parents of children with disabilities in addition to their struggle, living in fear for 25 years, without medications and Serbian goods (due to import ban), are not left without the only help that Serbia was providing to them.

Nenad Pantovic, a person with disability, said the basic funds for medical treatment had been denied to him.

“The turn has come now that I can not withdraw my pension and social aid. I, as a person with a disability, need to go to central Serbia, to withdraw my own money. It is very difficult for my medical treatment and to buy medicine. I do not know what the international community and the missions are doing, this is a shame (what is being done) to those people, not only to me, but also to elderly persons who will not be able to withdraw the means that they earned by working for 40 years”, Pantovic said.

Dacic says USA wants Serbia as a key partner, but under one condition (Danas, Kosovo Online)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, indicated that the USA strives to be a key partner of Serbia, but that the condition for this is that official Belgrade agrees with their position on Kosovo, reported Danas Online, citing Kosovo Online.

Dacic believes that leading the country in that direction would cause great dissatisfaction among the citizens of Serbia.

"It is not disputed that the USA wants us to be their key partner, but on the condition that we agree with their position on Kosovo. They tell us not to talk about the past and we should say okay. If Vucic says that we will not deal with Kosovo, that we will recognize it, let it into the UN, and we would be the leader. And our people would curse us," said Dacic for Kurir TV.

He stated that the West "has no mechanisms" to pressure Kosovo PM Albin Kurti but has for the elections in Serbia to be investigated.

He also referred to the relationship with the opposition and their meetings with European representatives and emphasized that such behavior harms Serbia.

"It is impossible for someone from Brussels to come and say we brought you a new president or prime minister. No, first you have to win the elections, not to please Viola von Cramon or those who have nothing to do with Serbia. Until they understand that, they are far from reality and will harm Serbia. They want the institutions to be paralyzed and not work. You saw how they behaved at the first session of the parliament where mandates were verified," said Dacic.

He assesses that with such behavior the opposition in Serbia is supporting Pristina.

"It is the gossiping of Serbia and support for Kurti, so these are all topics that are not new. I participated in the negotiations with the opposition, we accepted all their proposals. I am not satisfied with the results of the election either, so I did not ask for any investigation," the minister concluded.

Starovic: Situation in Kosovo complex, it is high time for reaction of international community to follow (RTS)

Situation related to dinar in Kosovo is very complicated, serious and demands an urgent reaction from the international community, State Secretary in Serbian Ministry of Defence, Nemanja Starovic told RTS. He emphasized it is important for it to happen in upcoming days.

We see harsh rhetoric from the EU, and in particular from the US, but it is high time that this rhetoric is followed by concrete punitive measures and finding an ad hoc mechanism to prevent humanitarian disaster and enable distribution of payments, he added.

Speaking about the invitation of Miroslav Lajcak for a meeting in Brussels on February 27, Starovic said holding of this meeting is under huge question mark, given that Besnik Bislimi does not want to talk at all about the issue of dinar.

“Of course we will try to use this opportunity as well and appeal on European mediators, international community as a whole to urgently, and here I underline, we speak about days, not about weeks or months, find certain practical solutions, but as I said earlier, I am personally skeptical solution can be found in the format of Brussels dialogue for this very serious problem, which does not derive from the process of the dialogue”, Starovic said.

Petrich: Unacceptable rejection of talks, Pristina put the EU in a difficult position (Kosovo Online)

Brussels must act decisively, because refusing to talk is unacceptable behavior, said former European Union envoy for Kosovo Wolfgang Petrich, after the refusal of Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, to respond to Brussels' invitation to discuss the issue of banning the Serbian dinar in Kosovo, reported Kosovo Online.

"My attitude towards that measure, which surprised me, is a critical one. I believe that every such issue, no matter how politically legitimate or not, should be discussed," Petrich told Kosovo Online. He pointed out that it is necessary to reach an agreement with those who are affected by this measure, namely the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, but also the Albanians and others who receive Serbian pensions.

"When I heard about that measure, I said that it was not a wise political decision of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, because I believe that it only increases tensions. The senseless creation of a situation that increases tensions is something that should be rejected," Petrich added.

He said that now that the decree has been passed, a transitional solution, the path of compromise should be found with the help of the EU and the support of the USA.

"First of all, it is necessary to look at the benefits and harms of the affected. This is the key thing to deal with soon," he said. Although, he says, he does not know what is being thought about in Brussels, he has no doubt that he should act decisively.

"Refusal to talk is an unacceptable attitude," Petrich emphasized.

He also reminds that this is an election year, and in such circumstances, politics often "tests the limits, how far one can go without consequences".

"This was obviously the thinking in Pristina, bearing in mind that in June the elections for the European Parliament will be held, and then the new European Commission will be established. This has put Pristina in a difficult position because it is not fully effective. Of course, there is still Lajcak, Borrell, there is a European administration dealing with that issue, but the political weight is declining. If the election campaign is being conducted, there is no new European Commission, it has not been decided whether Lajcak will continue the mission, who will lead the foreign EU policy... These are all issues that will be resolved for several months, which is why I am pessimistic that there will be a good solution before the elections," explains Petrich.

That is why he believes that at any cost, and with increased pressure from Brussels, an attempt must be made to reach at least a transitional solution, so that the citizens do not suffer.

When asked whether it is possible to have another round of dialogue at the highest level before the European elections, he replies that it is speculative whether the dialogue in the phase immediately before the elections is expedient or whether both sides are waiting for the elections for the European Parliament and in the USA to be held.

"The elections in the EU and the USA will significantly determine the new scenario and the new political environment, as well as the possibilities for negotiations," Petrich said.

The Serbian flag removed from the Zvecan fortress (Beta, NMagazin, KoSSev)

Unknown persons removed the Serbian flag and mast from the Zvecan fortress, and the police say that the case has not been reported to them, reported NMagazin , citing KoSSev.

As the KoSSev portal writes, the time when the flag was removed is not known.

The Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North, Veton Elshani, said that the police have nothing to do with this case and that an investigation cannot be initiated.

"We have not received any complaint or report for that, so no procedure can be initiated. Also, the police have nothing to do with the case," Elshani told KoSSev.

Arsenijevic, leader of Serbian Democracy report case of flag removal to Kosovo police

Aleksandar Arsenijevic, leader of the Serbian Democracy in a video post published on his profile on X social platform said that he wanted to report the case of flag removal from Zvecan fortress to the Kosovo police station in Zvecan, but that police officer, as he claimed, under the pretext that he came to the station to provoke, and not report (the case), hit him in the stomach. Arsenijevic also said video surveillance cameras on a police station have recorded it.

Adding that he feels unsafe at this police station, he requested to be taken to another police station to report the case of flag removal from Zvecan fortress.

Thieves shot at returnee in Bica in attempt to steal his sheep (Radio KIM)

Last night unknown persons attempted to steal a flock of sheep belonging to a Serb returnee in Bica village, near Klina, Sladjan Remistar, by firing a shot from firearms, Radio KIM reports.

Remistar told Radio Gorazdevac that last night before midnight he was on his way to check on the flock of sheep as one of them gave birth. “At that moment I heard voices in Albanian language planning to flee as I was approaching. Then a shot from firearms was heard, and I got down, waiting for them to go away. After ten minutes I dared to return home and called the police. They arrived in a few minutes and conducted an investigation. Later in the day they came to continue the investigation”, he said.

He opined it was obviously an attempt to intimidate him, probably with a goal of forcing him out of the village. There are only five returnees living in Bica village.

Threats, attacks, pressure: State of media freedom in Serbia has not improved (N1)

The state of media freedom in Serbia has not improved, reads the conclusion of the latest Alternative Report on the implementation of the revised action plan for Chapter 23 published by the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS).

Law enforcement is ineffective, journalists work under pressure, and the state violates media pluralism, the report added.

The report entitled „Freedom of Expression and Media Pluralism 2023“ says that, although according to the Report on the Implementation of the Action Plan for Chapter 23, all activities are successfully implemented, in reality the activities of the authorities, in the part that concerns the protection of journalists and media legislation, are insufficient to contribute to a better situation in this area.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/2hk5mdhp Sutanovac: “Rama feels the need to show he's a greater Albanian than Kurti” (Kosovo Online)

President of the Council for Strategic Policies and former Defense Minister of Serbia, Dragan Sutanovac, says he doesn't believe that anyone in Tirana "with even an ounce of intelligence" thinks in terms of someone planning to attack Kosovo, which is why he views the statements from Albanian officials, implying that such a scenario might occur, and Edi Rama's message that any attack on Kosovo is an attack on Albania, as serving internal needs and rousing emotional fervor among citizens, both in Kosovo and Albania, reported Kosovo Online in English.

Sutanovac interprets Rama's statement, “pledging Albania's support for Kosovo even if things escalate to the use of weapons”, as part of an internal struggle over who will lead all Albanians.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/33nzaprp

International

Two Years On, Balkan States Remain Divided Over Ukraine War (BIRN)

Most former Yugoslav countries have been supporting Ukraine since the Russian invasion, recalling their own wartime suffering in the 1990s. But Serb officials remain sympathetic to their allies in Moscow, defying EU calls for solidarity against aggression.

When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many people across the Balkans were shocked, remembering the all-too-recent traumas of the 1990s wars.

But the divisions that have continued to plague the former Yugoslav region since the 1990s were highlighted again in Balkan states’ differing reactions to Russia’s attempt to use force to subjugate its Western-looking neighbour.

While politicians in countries like Croatia and North Macedonia issued condemnations, pro-government media in Serbia celebrated the full-scale invasion, parroting the Kremlin line about a ‘special military operation’ to counter a NATO threat.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country “unfailingly respects international legal norms… but also respects its traditional friendships”, a reference to his country’s longstanding ally, Russia.

On the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, BIRN examines how Balkan states have responded to the ongoing war since then, how they have dealt with Ukrainian refugees and whether they have offered military aid as well as verbal support for Kyiv.