UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 30, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Official confirmation: Visa liberalisation on EU agenda on Oct 13 (Koha)
• Decision on strike suspension will be made today, announced on Saturday (Koha)
• UNICEF expresses concern over delayed start of the school year (media)
• Parents Council: If classes don’t start on Oct 3, mass deregistration (Indeksonline)
• Kurti: Kosovo and Germany have special friendship (media)
• Osmani receives credentials of new French Ambassador Guerot (media)
• Osmani meets FIFA President Gianni Infantino (media)
• Haxhiu: Info that cameras in Dehari case were taken by order of former minister (Kallxo)
• LDK leader: Government is strangling businesses, failing to support them (Koha)
• Mustafi wants Presevo Valley to be included in Kosovo-Serbia agreement (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Serbia to remain on European path, as independent and sovereign state (N1)
• Vucic, Sarrazin discuss Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, situation in region (Tanjug)
• Bo: Serbia, China example of mutual respect, cooperation (Tanjug)
• RFE: The EU's latest package of sanctions foresees an exemption for the Western Balkans (Kontakt plus radio, Danas)
• The Management Team, the only one responsible for drafting the ZSO statute, completed the work in August 2018 (Kosovo Online)
• Vulin: Serbia is not a reserve, we make our own decisions (N1)
• Gracanica Mayor statement on the municipality decision to exchange land (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• A text the author will never read – on the mad race between the government and the unions over the teachers’ strike (KoSSev)

International:

• Coffee Festival Helps Bridge Divide in City of Mitrovica (Prishtina Insight)
• Serbia’s Minorities Hope for Better Results in 2022 Census (BIRN)
• Montenegro Launches Probe Into Suspected Russian Spies (BIRN)
• North Macedonia Opposition Stalls ‘Open Balkan’ Free Flow of Workers (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• PriFilm Fest’s Controversial Prizes Spark Gender Debate (Prishtina Insight)
• Serbian Government allows some higher food prices (N1)
• Former SFRY New York mansion sold for $50 million (N1)

• Kurti thanks Lipavsky for Czech Republic’s visa liberalisation support (RTK)
• Von Cramon: France, Netherlands will not block visa liberalisation (T7)
• Osmani to attend inaugural meeting of European Political Community (media)
• Osmani meets Abbott and Knox, discuss political developments (RTK)
• Kurti calls on Serbs to register Kosovo license plates, gives Incentive (Exit)
• Lajcak meets Chancellor Scholz's advisor, discuss next steps in dialogue (Koha)
• SBASHK to announce vote results on strike suspension during weekend (Koha)
• Abdixhiku accuses government of arrogance and undemocratic behavior (media)
• Albania and Russia clash over Kosovo, PM welcomes fleeing Russians (Exit)
• How One Gesture Curbed Ethnic Discrimination (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media:

• Czech Foreign Minister: I have high expectations for visa liberalisation (media)
• Osmani: Crucial for visa liberalisation to conclude during Czech EU Presidency (media)
• FES: It’s not true EU engaged us to draft Association statute (Albanian Post)
• Assembly lacks quorum to extend energy emergency measures (media)
• Central Bank Governor refuses invitation to summit because of footnote (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• USA: Serbia's agreement with Russia surprising and a step in the wrong direction (VoA)
• Vucic and Hill on the details of cooperation between Serbia and the USA (Kosovo Online)
• Djuric met Escobar (Tanjug)
• Bilcik in Belgrade today, tomorrow with Vucic (Politika, Tanjug)
• Dendias talked to Lajcak, Borrell (Kosovo Online)
• Vucic: Serbia, China maintains steely friendship (Tanjug)
• Ziadeh with Von Cramon in Brussels on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (Kosovo Online)
• EP to request suspension of EU accession negotiations with Serbia (FoNet, N1)
• Ruling party ally calls for referendum on Russia sanctions (Danas, N1)
• Tadic: Vucic's disastrous failure at the UN regarding Kosovo's membership (KiM radio, N1, NIN, Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic: Tadic hurt by the successes of the Serbian government (Kosovo Online)
• Zubin Potok: A lawyer was hired because of the usurpation of land owned by Serbs (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Gracanica municipality exchanges 17 hectares of municipal land for 18 acres of private land (medijacentar.info, Kontakt plus radio, KoSSev, KiM radio, N1)

Opinion:

• Croatia’s Ethnic Homogenisation Continues as Serb Minority Dwindles (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Belgrade's Russian Émigrés Grapple With New Lives In Serbia, The Ukraine War, And What Comes Next (RFE)
• Opening a window on audiovisual archives in the Western Balkans (tech.ebu.ch)

• Czech Foreign Minister to visit Kosovo today (media)
• Kosovo Foreign Minister: EU has no reason to deny visa liberalisation (VoA)
• Deputy Minister of Education believes classes will start on Oct 3 (RTK)
• Rohde: Kosovo and Serbia will have to make difficult decisions (Radio Kosova)
• Two foreign organisations drafting Association statute, Novosti reports (Koha)
• Lajcak and von Cramon discuss state of play in EU-facilitated dialogue (media)
• Chollet and Peach meet, “elevating focus of Serbia-Kosovo dialogue” (media)
• Albanian politicians see jailed Kosovo leaders in Hague (The Washington Post)
• Vucic: International pressure to recognize Kosovo (Albanian Daily News)
• North Macedonia opposition against Open Balkan, blocks laws (RFE)

Albanian Language Media:

• SBASHK: Let’s suspend strike until January, classes to start on Oct 3 (Express)
• SBASHK: Strike may be suspended temporarily but not stopped (Koha)
• Maragos: EU willing to continue support for Kosovo (RTK)
• German MP: Kosovo has deserved visa liberalisation for long now (Telegrafi)
• Vetevendosje MP denies reports he has decided to leave the party (EO)
• Serious violations suspected in Dehari case; Ministry suspends chief inspector (media)
• Police arrest seven people in anti-drug operation in Dukagjin region (Klan Kosova)
• Police arrest Russian national at Kulla crossing, had undeclared money (Express)
• Haradinaj recalls meeting with former U.S. Secretary of Defence (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic’s public address on all key issues on October 8 (Tanjug, media)
• Selakovic on Kosovo’s application to the CoE, Consultation plan signed with Lavrov, Vucic’s meetings (NMagazin, Beta, Kosovo Online, TV Happy)
• Russian Embassy: Hill’s statement is inappropriate (N1, FoNet)
• Djilas to US officials: Serbia must align its foreign policy with EU (N1)
• Drecun: Pristina is trying to destabilize the situation in every way (RTS, Kosovo Online)
• Today is the International Day of Bosniaks (KoSSev, Kosovo Online)
• Deputy PM: 700,000 citizens left North Macedonia in eight years (Beta, N1)

International:

• EBRD affirms Kosovo's 2022 economic growth f'cast at 4% (SeeNews)
• ‘This is a War’: Albania Struggles to Keep Lid on Hacked Data (BIRN)
• Two coal plants in Western Balkans go offline due to malfunctions (balkangreenenergynews.com)

• Osmani: Hopes should not be raised high for visa liberalisation (media)
• Czech EU Presidency to discuss free visa for Kosovo (Euractiv)
• Hopes raised; no new requirements for visa liberalisation (Lajmi)
• Osmani meets Under Secretary General of United Nations DiCarlo (media)
• Osmani: Returning to Kosovo, fully confident Kosovo is on right path (media)
• Konjufca to meet Vassilis Maragos today in Prishtina (media)
• Rohde: No threat of war between Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• Kosovo does not approve Petkovic visit; Foreign Ministry tells reasons (media)·
• Italian KFOR removes Serbian flag near Ibar Bridge (media)
• Citaku: Schools remain closed; Kurti wants to make Kosovo unlivable (media)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 27, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Prime Minister Kurti’s interview with Republik (media)
• Ternava: We support the teachers’ demands, but strike must end today (Klan)
• KFOR says KSF did not ask to go north; did Rakic and Petkovic lie? (Express)
• Carpenter: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, slow but steady progress (Telegrafi)
• U.S. Embassy: Russia-Serbia agreement, a wrong step! (Indeksonline)
• The Union of Education gives signs that the strike in education could end! (Gazeta Blic)
• Abdixhiku slams Kurti for Japan visit when education sector on strike (media)
• Osmani calls on Iranian women not to give up on their rights (Koha)
• International partners promise continued support for KSF (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Mayor Vulovic: "The situation in Zubin Potok still tense" (Blic, Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• KFOR, Mehaj on KSF in northern Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: EU to condemn Kurti’s war threats (Kosovo Online)
• Selakovic: Croatia has stepped beyond framework of EU policy (Tanjug)
• Kurti congratulated the European Day of Languages; The experience of Serbs from Kosovo bitter, they say - he brags about other people's results (KoSSev)
• Petkovic banned from visiting Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• The Socialists and Democrats MEPs: No accession talks if Serbia doesn’t align with sanctions on Russia (N1, media)
• Media published document signed by Lavrov and Selakovic – An ordinary plan of meetings, without those at highest level (Danas)
• Hill: I saw the Serbia-Russia Consultation Plan (FoNet, N1)

International:

• Ned Price: We Desire To Be A Partner To The Countries Of The Western Balkans (thepavlovictoday.com)
• Serbia Rules Out Recognizing Russian Referendum in Occupied Ukraine (Balkan Insight)
• Slim chance for Serbia’s progress towards the EU by the end of the year, relationship with Russia remains the biggest problem (EWB)
• Junior Ruling Party Turmoil Could Shake North Macedonia Govt (BIRN)

• President Osmani interview with the Voice of America
• Defence Ministry refutes Serbian media reports about KSF in north (media)
• Jasharaj: Strikers are united despite attempts to divide us (Ekonomia Online)
• Kurti travels to Japan to attend funeral of former PM Shinzo Abe (media)
• Osmani meets Albanian diaspora in US, “immense support for Kosovo” (media)
• Ex-Minister for European Integration: Visas could be lifted on Oct 13 (Klan)
• “New agenda expected in talks between Prishtina and Belgrade” (Express)
• Kurti: Kosovo a multilingual society, value of our country (RTK)
• Berisha: Rama is acting like Belgrade’s lawyer (Euronews Albania)
• Kanal 10 Director Arben Ahmeti arrested for domestic violence (media)

Albanian Language Media:

• Visa liberalisation for Kosovo on the EU agenda on October 13 (Radio Free Europe)
• Strike in education continues; Jasharaj: Regrettably there is no movement (RTK)
• An elementary school in Prishtina decides to end strike (Kallxo)
• Hoxhaj: Solution must be found for pupils to return to schools (Telegrafi)
• Haradinaj to Kurti: End the strike, or resign (media)
• Croatian Foreign Minister: Next months crucial for Kosovo-Serbia deal (Albanian Post)
• Selimi: Kosovo leadership should think a bit (media)
• EU concerned over strengthening Serbia-Russia relations (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Office for KiM: Incursion of KFS to north is direct threat to Serbian people (Radio KIM)
• Serbian List: The incursion of the KSF into the Zubin Potok territory a gross violation of the agreement, whose guarantor is NATO (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• EU: Serbia cannot strengthen relations with Russia in the circumstances of aggression and crimes in Ukraine (Beta)
• Vucic to Lavrov: Serbia committed to UNSC Resolution 1244 (N1)
• What did Serbia and Russia sign – a scandal or continuation of a technical matter from 1996? (N1, media)
• Brnabic visits family of Nikola Nedeljkovic (Radio KIM)
• US Ambassador wants explanation of Serbia-Russia document (N1)
• Serbian FM: We can not accept results of referendums in Ukraine (N1)
• The Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) delegation in the US for talks on Kosovo and Serbia's foreign policy (FoNet, N1)

International:

• Russian Mobilization Prompts Exodus to Serbia, Turkey (Balkan Insight)

• SBASHK: Prime Minister, Govt not interested to resolve situation (media)
• Albin Kurti reelected as leader of Vetevendosje Movement (media)
• European MPs want Serbia’s path to EU stopped after deal with Russia (Koha)
• Kurti: Serbia-Russia deal should alarm Western democratic centers (media)
• NATO brings reserve troops to Kosovo for training amid unrest fears (Reuters)
• The European Political Community, as an aid to the enlargement process (RFE)
• Kurti: Massacre in Upper Abri, most inhumane committed by Serbia (media)
• Serbian List claims KSF entered the north, call on NATO to react (media)
• WB country manager calls for reform in social protection in Kosovo (media)
• Serbia says it won’t recognise Russia’s staged votes in occupied Ukraine (RFE)