Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 76 new cases, three deaths (media)
• Hoti: There will never be an association with executive competencies (media)
• Thaci: no one has mandate to speak on behalf of Kosovo on already closed topics (media)
• Pacolli: Thaci should call on PDK to bring down Hoti’s government (RTK)
• GLPS: Hoti’s government failed to create unity of political spectrum (media)
• Minister Haradinaj to visit Netherlands, skeptical state on visa liberalization (RTK)
• “Kosovo is not a Muslim country, but a country with Muslim majority” (Alsat)
• Violence against women: Political activists disrupt Kosovo PM Hoti’s speech (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Two newly infected with Covid-19 in Serb areas, eight people recovered (Kontakt plus radio)
• US DFC, EXIM Bank express interest in financing Nis-Pristina highway (N1)
• Von der Leyen: Future of Western Balkans in European Union (N1)
• Marko Djuric to take over as Serbia’s ambassador in Washington (N1, nova.rs)
• Vucic: Serbs, united and unanimous, can overcome all adversities (B92)
• Djuric tomorrow in Brussels on ZSO and property (Kosovo-online)
• UNS: Kosovo police banned journalists to report on desecration of church in Babin Most (Danas)
• New Israeli Ambassador to Serbia welcomes White House Agreements (N1)

Opinion:

• “America made a time bomb on European soil,” and it’s in Serbia (B92, Sputnik)
• Diplomacy is not “The Apprentice”. Serbia-Kosovo issue requires A long-term commitment (neweasterneurope.eu)

 International:

• The Western Balkans: Between the EU and a hard place (balkancrossroads.com)
• Kosovo President Thaci Hires US Diplomat as Consultant (Balkan Insight)
• US Signs Pledges on Building Serbia-Kosovo ‘Peace Highway’ (Balkan Insight)
• Israel’s deal with Kosovo, Serbia is diplomatic charade (Asia Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• International Democracy Day: UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations recalls ”OpisMEDIJavanje” campaign and fight against misinformation (KoSSev)
• Serbian citizens still not allowed free entry into EU (B92, Tanjug)

Albanian Language Media

COVID-19:  76 new cases, three deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health announced that 538 samples were tested for coronavirus during a 24-hour period, of which 76 resulted positive.

Meanwhile, 165 recoveries and three deaths were recorded over the same timeframe.

The highest number of new infections (12) is in the municipality of Pristina.

Hoti: There will never be an association with executive competencies (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said he is certain that there will never be an association with executive competencies in Kosovo.

At a discussion with the civil society ,Hoti said there will be no creative solution with Serbia, but only mutual recognition between the two countries. He evaluated the agreement reached in Washington on 4 September and informed that a delegation of U.S. agencies will visit Kosovo by the end of September, in order to begin with economic projects.

He especially highlighted the mutual recognition between Kosovo and Israel.

He noted that one year period of moratorium for non-application at international organisations, should serve in reaching the final agreement with Serbia.

Hoti added that the issue of the exchange of territories was never discussed during the three months of his leadership of the government.

Also, the Prime Minister said that they are now only drafting the final agreement in the framework of the dialogue and that there is no special agreement, but all will be incorporated in the final one.

Kosovo has not slid to a technical dialogue, he said. 

Thaci: no one has mandate to speak on behalf of Kosovo on already closed topics (media)

The Office of the President of Kosovo has issued a press release which says no one has a mandate to speak on behalf of Kosovo on already closed topics.

“Opening of the topics on the rights of communities and the Association of Serbian Municipalities in the Brussels dialogue, is a grave and a very dangerous mistake made by the Government of Kosovo. It is a blow to the statehood and a violation of the sovereignty of our state. These issues have been addressed and resolved within the Ahtisaari Package, which preceded the declaration of the independence, but also within the Brussels Agreement of April 2013, as well as with the decision of the Constitutional Court. Therefore, no one has a mandate to speak on behalf of Kosovo on already closed topics, in Brussels or anywhere else. Kosovo cannot and must not at any price allow the formation of a political entity within its territory, which would be a reproduction of the Republika Srpska in the territory of Kosovo.

The discussion tomorrow in Brussels, on the subject of the Association, is the beginning of the installation of the Republika Srpska inside the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. Whereas, the discussion on Kosovo’s properties with Serbia is contrary to the Constitution and the laws of Kosovo, and is a violation of the sovereignty of our state.

The Assembly of Kosovo must urgently address this dangerous step of the Government of Kosovo in the Brussels dialogue. It also urgently needs to vote on a resolution banning the prime minister from negotiating Kosovo’s internal affairs and topics that endanger the internal state order,” reads the press release. 

Pacolli: Thaci should call on PDK to bring down Hoti’s government (RTK) 

Fitore Pacolli, MP from the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) called at today’s press conference on President Hashim Thaci to withdraw his signature from the 2015 Agreement on Association for Serb-majority Municipalities.  She also requested from President Thaci to invite the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to vote on the motion for bringing down the government.

“We just saw the statement of the President and we reacted on this very point in time,” she said.

She further added that LVV considers signing of the agreement which includes Kosovo’s moratorium on applying at international organisations, to be harmful and anti-constitutional.  

“This means that Kosovo will set a footnote again. Kosovo will willingly not apply at different organisations, such as UN, WHO, UNESCO, and in order to become a member at these organisations, there is no need for lobbying, only work. These pledges risk calling into question the status of Kosovo and this means Kosovo’s surrendering to Serbia… This moratorium also affects NATO, so Kosovo does not have the right to apply for NATO membership,” she said.

Enver Dugolli from LVV also criticized Hoti’s government for claiming that they are working for NATO membership.

“Hoti’s government is not aware that NATO is an international organization,” Dugolli said.

GLPS: Hoti’s government failed to create unity of political spectrum (media)

“Hoti’s government has failed to create unity within the coalition and with the political spectrum in general. Among other things, this executive has one of the biggest number of deputy ministers in the last 13 years,” assesses the Group for Judicial and Political Studies (GLPS) in its report on the first 100 days of the leadership of Hoti’s government.

Executive director Aberesha Loxha said despite the fact that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) promised during the election campaign a small government with 12 ministries, the same ended up doubling the number of deputy ministers.

“With the nomination of 46 deputy ministers, we assess that it is the second government with the highest number in the last 13 years in Kosovo. Hoti’s cabinet is characterized by major gender inequality, there are only three female ministers at 16 ministries, and only eight deputy ministers,” Loxha said.

According to her, this government has not offered any perspective on reforms.

She also criticized the government for lack of initiative to fight corruption at justice bodies.

Manager of GLPS programs Njomza Arifi, said the government has failed on testing citizens for COVID-19.

“Dialogue was accompanied by lack of transparency, and both in Brussels and Washington discussions, Hoti’s government failed to create unity and consensus of the political spectrum. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has commenced weak diplomatic practices in interest of the governing entities,” she said. 

Minister Haradinaj to visit Netherlands, skeptical state on visa liberalization (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora announced that she is on her way to visit the Netherlands, the state which expressed skepticism on visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

“Departed Prishtina for The Hague, for an official visit to meet counterpart Minister Blok, reaffirming excellent Kosovo – Netherlands relations, exchange views on recent developments, visa liberalization and deepen ties by signing a bilateral agreement.

Also meeting our dear Diaspora members in the Netherlands,” Haradinaj-Stublla wrote on her Twitter account. 

“Kosovo is not a Muslim country, but a country with Muslim majority” (Alsat, Koha)

Israeli non-resident Ambassador to North Macedonia Dan Oryan told Alsat on Tuesday evening that Kosovo is not a Muslim state, but a state with Muslim majority.

Asked why the U.S. President Donald Trump and the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu assessed Kosovo as a Muslim state after the reach of the agreement in Washington, Oryan said this was interpreted in this manner because it is important to Israel that a country with Muslim majority accepted Jerusalem as capital.

“Initially, the Prime Minister said it clearly that Kosovo will be…I suppose this is what you are talking about, the first Muslim state that will open its embassy in Jerusalem, and the reason is that you have to understand how we see this here for many years now,” he said.

Oryan explained that the fact that a small number of countries has recognized Jerusalem as capital is concerning. 

“And in a way, when we saw that a country which has Muslim majority, it is certainly not a Muslim country, but a Muslim majority that says it clearly that we are going to open embassy in Jerusalem, was more than important to us. And I suppose that it was interpreted in that manner with this intention. But the meaning certainly is not that Kosovo is a Muslim country. But the fact is that it has so many Muslims, and yet they understood that this is our homeland, and this is the heart of Hebraic people, is important to us,” he said. 

Violence against women: Political activists disrupt Kosovo PM Hoti’s speech (Express) 

Two members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) disrupted the speech of Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti while he was discussing Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. The two political activists stormed the stage and asked Hoti why the dialogue with Serbia is more important than the lives of Kosovo women exposed to domestic violence. 

“As the number of domestic violence cases is surging, you have not said a word,” PSD member Teute Rrusta was heard yelling as she interrupted Hoti’s speech. She said that Kosovo women are denied their basic rights and reminded that this was the reason why she and her colleague, Natyra Kuqi, decided to disrupt his speech.

Natyra Kuqi asked the prime minister why he is organizing debates on dialogue with Serbia and has done nothing to prevent violence against women, reminding him the case when a man in Mitrovica stabbed his wife several times, at the presence of their children. She also said that a court in Pristina has reduced the sentence of a man who killed his wife and their nine-year daughter. “Why is dialogue more important than women lives?” Kuci asked the prime minister. 

Hoti answered briefly to the women activists saying that “no man can defend women rights better than me.” The incident occurred on Wednesday at an event organized by the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) when the Prime Minister Hoti was invited to discuss the ongoing dialogue with Serbia.

Serbian Language Media

Two newly infected with Covid-19 in Serb areas, eight people recovered (Kontakt plus radio)

Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica announced today that two positive cases have been recorded in Serbian communities in Kosovo, and eight people have recovered, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Out of 44 processed samples, one positive case was recorded in North Mitrovica and one in Kosovska Kamenica.

In the north of Kosovo, five patients were cured – two each from North Mitrovica and Zvecan, one from Leposavic.

In the areas south of the Ibar, three recovered cases were recorded – in Strpce, Kosovska Kamenica and Priluzje.

A total of 20 positive PCR confirmed persons were hospitalized, of which 17 patients were treated at the Health Center in North Mitrovica, one patient was placed in Belgrade’s “Dragisa Misovic” hospital, and two in the Nis hospital. 

The measure of home isolation was determined for 38 people.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 5,097 people have been tested, of which the presence of the corona virus has been confirmed in 990 people.

There are currently 58 active cases. 

So far, 895 people have been cured.

Gracanica municipality Crisis Staff announced that there were no new cases of coronavirus on the territory of the municipality since September 6, reported KiM radio yesterday. 

Also, there are no hospitalized persons, it is added in the announcement of the Crisis Staff.

Von der Leyen: Future of Western Balkans in European Union (N1)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the future of the Western Balkans is in the EU.

“Trust is the foundation of any strong partnership and Europe will always be ready to build strong partnerships with our closest neighbours. That starts with the Western Balkans,” she told MEPs in her first state of the European Union speech in the European Parliament.

According to Von der Leyen, the decision six months ago to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia was truly historic. “Indeed, the future of the whole region lies in the EU. We share the same history, we share the same destiny,” she added.

The Commission President said that the Western Balkans are part of Europe – “and not just a stopover on the Silk Road”.

She said that the Commission will soon present an economic recovery package for the Western Balkans focusing on a number of regional investment initiatives.

See at: https://bit.ly/2RD3JEN

US DFC, EXIM Bank express interest in financing Nis-Pristina highway (N1)

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) signed non-binding letters of interest to help finance a highway between Serbia and Kosovo, a press release said.

“Following the historic economic normalization agreement signed by Serbia and Kosovo on September 4, 2020 in Washington, DC, US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Chief Executive Officer Adam Boehler and Export-Import Bank Chairman Kimberly Reed signed Letters of Interest (LOI) with Serbia and Kosovo to help finance construction of The Peace Highway. This project would connect Nis and Pristina and has long been a key piece of normalization talks between Serbia and Kosovo,” it said.

Boehler is quoted as saying that the highway will “drive economic development and regional integration” and “serve as a powerful symbol of the new, transformative relationship between these neighboring countries”. “DFC, in partnership with EXIM, is committed to advancing this peace process by investing in projects that create jobs and bring sustained economic benefit to both countries,” he said. Reed said that the highway is an important step toward economic cooperation between Belgrade and Pristina.

“The Export-Import Bank of the United States is committed to supporting projects that both advance economic development and employment in the region, and support American exports and workers,” Reed said.

The press release said DFC and EXIM plan to send delegations to Belgrade and Pristina later this month to discuss the highway and other projects. It added that DFC will also lay the groundwork to open its first office in the region. “A permanent DFC presence in Belgrade will facilitate implementation of priority projects like the Peace Highway that will support job creation and economic growth in the region,” it said.

“The letters of interest are non-binding and will be followed by standard due diligence conducted by both agencies before financing is formally committed,” the press release said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3huXygI

Marko Djuric to take over as Serbia’s ambassador in Washington (N1, nova.rs)

The Nova portal was told by unnamed sources in the top ranks of the authorities that Marko Djuric, head of the government Office for Kosovo and Metohija, will be appointed Serbia’s ambassador to the United States.

The sources did not know when Djuric would be appointed. Some of the sources said he would be in Washington in the next two to three months. Djuric will take over from Ambassador Djerdj Matkovic whose term in office expired, leaving the post vacant.  

Djuric has headed the Office for KiM for several years only as acting director.

See at: https://bit.ly/2ZHt7xO

Vucic: Serbs, united and unanimous, can overcome all adversities (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbs, if united, can overcome all adversities, face all the problems and ensure the future of Serbian children, B92 reports.

Vucic made these remarks on the occasion of the Serbian Unity Day, a holiday that Serbia and the Republic of Srpska mark together this year on September 15.

“There are no higher and more important values than the unity of our people and the freedom for which our ancestors fought, for which we will fight in the future”, he added.

He recalled that we celebrate the day of the breakthrough of the Salonika front (in WWI), when, on September 15, Serbian soldiers, who went through the hell of Albania and lost 50 percent of their comrades during the war, were joined by volunteers from other Serbian regions.

“There were 10 percent of them from Herzegovina, Bosnia, Lika, Krajina, Banija, Kordun, all parts where Serbs lived. A Serb could not accept the obligation to fight against Serbs and joined our only red, blue, white flag, which still unites us today”, he added.

Vucic emphasized that it is important that even today, when we face numerous challenges and pressures from the world, when we see that, regardless of our economic successes, our people still face difficult days – the answer must be unity, harmony and struggle by using smart political means, for the freedom of our people.

See at: https://bit.ly/3hECZhU

Djuric tomorrow in Brussels on ZSO and property (Kosovo-online)

The Belgrade and Pristina delegations would meet on Thursday, September 17 in Brussels to continue the talks at technical level, Office for Kosovo and Meothija announced Kosovo-online portal reports.

The Belgrade delegation led by Marko Djuric would talk about establishing the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO) and property issues, the statement added.

The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue was renewed following 20 months of a stalemate, with a video conference of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avduallah Hoti on July 20, the portal recalled. 

UNS: Kosovo police banned journalists to report on desecration of church in Babin Most (Danas)

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo requested responsible Kosovo institutions to launch an investigation and punish, as they said, unlawful and discriminatory behavior of the Kosovo police which banned media teams yesterday to report on the desecration of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Babin Most village, near Oblic, Danas daily reports.

The journalists’ associations said in a statement that upon hearing the news on desecration of the church media teams went to the spot and found there a priest, local Serb representatives and members of the Kosovo police.

“Police officers who were in the church’s yard throw out media teams who came there during several-hour long investigation conducted inside and outside of the church, under explanation it is forbidden to record them. First the team of “Voice of America” and RTV KIM were thrown out and after that other teams and correspondents”, UNS said in a statement.

The police officers yelled at journalists and threw them out of the church complex “although there was no sign that should secure the place of the burglary and theft”, the statement added. 

The journalists’ associations noted that members of the Kosovo police harshly violated the law, by discriminating against journalists and media professionals and expressed concern that police with yesterday’s attitude and stance towards the journalists covered up or kept secret information about this event.

The journalists’ associations urged OSCE, EULEX, Kosovo Police Inspectorate and Ministry of Internal Affairs to launch an investigation over this, as they said, unlawful and discriminatory behavior of the Kosovo police and inform the public about the results. 

New Israeli Ambassador to Serbia welcomes White House Agreements (N1)

New Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Yahel Vilan told Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that Serbia is on his country’s so-called green list which means that Serbian nationals do not have to undergo quarantine, N1 reports.

A press release from the president’s cabinet said that Vucic received Vilan’s letter of accreditation and added that the president expressed satisfaction with the constant progress in the political dialogue and economic cooperation between Serbia and Israel. Vucic is quoted as saying that the two peoples show respect for and solidarity with each other and recalled that they shared tragic fates through history, especially during World War II. Vucic also said that there is no room in Serbia for anti-Semitism. 

Ambassador Vilan welcomed the outcome of the recent Belgrade-Pristina talks at the White House, adding that he carefully followed Vucic’s engagement in bringing the two countries closer together.

Opinion

“America made a time bomb on European soil,” and it’s in Serbia (B92, Sputnik)

Since the Clinton administration, the USA has uncritically taken the side of the Kosovo Albanians. They only deepened the problem, which set off a time bomb in the EU.

This is the opinion of Dragomir Andjelkovic, a political analyst, about the position of US President Donald Trump, that the 20-year-old Kosovo conflict was mismanaged, which was expressed by Richard Grenell, a mediator in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Sputnik reports.

Grenell, at the same time, did not specify what Trump meant when he said this.

Andjelkovic believes that Trump clearly, in this way, condemned America’s policy on this issue, which was pursued in the earlier period.

“Of course, Washington cannot abruptly make a turn from what the then US administration did, but Trump is aware that these are bad frameworks, and that something should be changed. I think that his statement is very favorable for us, because it refers, at least rhetorically, to what America did to Serbia regarding Kosovo,” Andjelkovic is convinced.

Sputnik’s interlocutor adds that this does not mean that the United States will give up on recognizing Kosovo, because they will never create a discontinuity in relation to their policy, even when it is radically different in relation to the previous administration.

“So, they will not annul the policy of their predecessors, but we can expect more understanding for the Serbian side, and a willingness to reach a compromise at some point. But we cannot expect radical moves such as moving away from the concept of ‘independent Kosovo”, Andjelkovic concluded.

He believes that Trump, when he spoke about the mismanaged conflict, probably meant the aggression against the FRY that took place 20 years ago.

“It is clear that America’s greatest mistake is certainly that it carried out an aggression against a sovereign state, to occupy a part of its territory. And then allowed Islamic fundamentalists to do whatever they wanted. The same fundamentalists later became a danger to America, because the largest number of members of extreme Muslim formations in the Middle East, in relation to the number of inhabitants, came from Kosovo. That is their first mistake,” says Andjelkovic for Sputnik.

Another mistake relates to America’s behavior after taking control over Kosovo, because it did nothing to establish a legal framework.

“That is, they let that zone become mafia territory, and finally, they recognized it as a state. Instead of agreeing on a model that would satisfy the Serbs, the division of Kosovo or something else… This is how they gave the Albanians what they wanted, and now it is difficult for anyone to persuade them to make any compromise”, notes Andjelkovic.

See at: https://bit.ly/2RsMDcQ

Diplomacy is not “The Apprentice”. Serbia-Kosovo issue requires A long-term commitment (neweasterneurope.eu) 

The Trump Administration’s Serbia-Kosovo agreement may achieve short-term successes, but it could also result in long-term negative consequences for the two adversaries.

On September 3rd and 4th, the White House brokered a strange agreement between Serbia and Kosovo in an attempt to promote economic normalisation of relations between the two states. President Donald Trump hailed the agreement as “historic” no less than four times. His family members and close associates, including Robert O’Brien (national security advisor), Richard Grenell (special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo talks) and Kayleigh McEnany (White House press secretary) soon followed suit.

When most pundits think of historic agreements, the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), Paris Peace Treaties (1947) and the Dayton Accords (1995) come to mind.  What happened at the White House more closely resembled The Apprentice – a reality show that gave the illusion of Trump’s success in neat 60-minute episodes – rather than a momentous agreement. 

Political theatre

Shortly before the White House talks kicked off, a special advisor to the president alleged during a background briefing that Trump “has been a part of the [Serbia-Kosovo] discussions” on a regular basis. The senior advisor claimed that Trump made proposals on what Washington should “push forward” and “how we prioritize these economic projects.”   

See at: https://bit.ly/3hEFxfY

International

The Western Balkans: Between the EU and a hard place (balkancrossroads.com)

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a context for new escalation of regional tensions and geopolitical competition in the Balkans. As recent months saw the breakdown of the Chinese “mask diplomacy,” Russian-Serbian “historic brotherhood” and the interruption of the White House’s Serbia-Kosovo peace initiative, the European Union re-emerged as the region’s key ally and the only true stabilizing force. Nevertheless, as the policy paper shows, despite its extensive financial capacity and its enlargement perspective, the EU is still far from having secured its position in the region.

On the one hand, heightened regional and geopolitical tensions still provide numerous opportunities for new Balkan crises in the coming months. On the other hand, the EU and the Western Balkans do not see eye to eye on a number of issues related to the enlargement process, which has been the foundation of their relationship. Their divergent views and interests have in recent years caused many misunderstandings and in some cases mistrust between the EU and Balkan countries.

The EU position in the region is already being tested by the lack of cooperation and coordination between the EU and US-led initiatives for Belgrade-Priština dialogue, which is continuing in early September with separate meetings having been scheduled in the White House and Brussels. This discord within and between the EU and US spells new trouble not only for the dialogue itself, but for the entire Balkans, as it further weakens EU and US influence and creates new space for self-serving Chinese, Russian, Turkish or other interests.

See at: https://bit.ly/32wWaWG

Kosovo President Thaci Hires US Diplomat as Consultant (Balkan Insight)

President Hashim Thaci has engaged his former critic William Walker, a veteran US diplomat who was the head of the OSCE’s Kosovo mission during wartime, on a contract worth 35,000 euros.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and the Walker Foundation, a body set up by William Walker, the wartime head of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission, have signed a contract worth 35,000 euros, which will be funded by the state budget, BIRN has learned.

The five-month agreement for consultancy services between the Office of the President of Kosovo and the Walker Foundation, which BIRN has seen, started in August 2020 and is worth 7,000 euros per month, a bill footed by the Kosovo taxpayer.

The procedure did not involve a public procurement process

The foundation is tasked with providing expertise on Kosovo’s international image, its diplomatic efforts and its Euro-Atlantic integration.

See at: https://bit.ly/3mo6SXj

US Signs Pledges on Building Serbia-Kosovo ‘Peace Highway’ (Balkan Insight)

US investment institutions have signed non-binding contracts with Serbia and Kosovo on building a so-called ‘Peace Highway’ – the first fruit of the US-brokered economic normalization deal signed in Washington on September 4.

The US International Development Finance Corporation, DFC, and the US Export-Import Bank, EXIM, signed Letters of Intent on Tuesday with Serbia and Kosovo on building a new motorway between them in the first concrete move made by the US after it brokered an Economic Normalization agreement between the two countries in the White House on September 4.

The new so-called Peace Highway would connect Nis in south-central Serbia and Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. “The Peace Highway will drive economic development and regional integration by connecting Nis and Pristina. It will also serve as a powerful symbol of the new, transformative relationship between these neighboring countries,” the CEO of the DFC, Adam Boehler, said. 

The US created the DFC in December 2019 as a new economic soft power tool as American rivalry hots up with China. It is focused on investing in low and medium income countries.

See at: https://bit.ly/2RwDr7k

Israel’s deal with Kosovo, Serbia is diplomatic charade (Asia Times)

The recent package deal among Israel, Kosovo and Serbia is a fine example of diplomatic window-dressing by the US, intended to shore up President Donald Trump’s sagging poll numbers.

As announced, Serbia will move its embassy to Jerusalem. The deal also stipulates that Kosovo and Israel will recognize each other and that Pristina will open an embassy in Jerusalem. If it does so, Kosovo will become the first Muslim-majority country with diplomatic representation in Jerusalem. Also, no European country currently operates an embassy in Jerusalem.

The deal already has attracted strong opposition within Israel and Serbia, and from both countries’ key partners, namely the European Union, Russia and Turkey. For this reason, it is unlikely ever to come to fruition.

See at: https://bit.ly/3c0Fj1C

Humanitarian/Development

International Democracy Day: UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations recalls ”OpisMEDIJavanje” campaign and fight against misinformation (KoSSev)

The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York recalled, on the occasion of International Democracy Day, the ”OpisMEDIJavanje” campaign created by the KoSSev portal and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo.

”As states address COVID19, it is critical that they uphold basic principles of legality, including journalistic ethics,” the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations tweeted, also recalling that UNMIK has been active in the fight against misinformation through a media literacy campaign created with the KoSSev portal.

See at: https://bit.ly/3kpqlFw

Serbian citizens still not allowed free entry into EU (B92, Tanjug)

The EU has not returned Serbia to the list of third countries that are allowed free entry into the EU, Tanjug has learned in Brussels.

Although the issue of returning Serbia to the list of countries for which there are no restrictions on entry was raised in the working bodies of the EU Council, the ambassadors of the member states removed this topic from today’s meeting.

“The ambassadors did not discuss that topic, so there are no changes on the list,” German diplomatic sources told Tanjug.

Diplomatic sources state that some member states, led by Greece, advocated that the borders of the EU be opened to the citizens of Serbia due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation.

“The prevailing assessment is that the situation” has not stabilized enough”, both in Serbia and in the EU”, the EU Council told Tanjug unofficially.

It is added that the latest figures on the epidemiological situation in Serbia, which Brussels has, go “a little over” the EU criteria of 16 infected per 100 thousand inhabitants.

The list of third countries for free entry into the EU is revised every two weeks.

See at: https://bit.ly/2H7QL03