Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 42 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Zemaj: COVID-19 situation stable, we are preparing for autumn and winter (Telegrafi)
• Prime ministers Hoti and Rama address joint Kosovo-Albania meeting (media)
• Kosovo, Albania sign cooperation agreements (media)
• Thaci discusses dialogue with Lajcak (media)
• Kosovo appoints chargé d’affaires to Israel (media)
• President Thaci meets Ombudsperson Qelaj (media)
• Swiss authorities arrest three Kosovo citizens for alleged ties with terrorism (RFE)

Serbian Language Media:

• Two cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio)
• Russia takes over presidency of the UN Security Council, puts Kosovo on the UN agenda (Tanjug, B92, TASS)
• Djuric: Hoti’s provocations mustn’t remain without EU’s response (RTS)
• Boehler: DFC committed to Balkan’s development, China brings neocolonialism (Beta, N1)
• EU’s Várhelyi: New international players in Western Balkans challenge for bloc (Beta, N1)
• Wesley Clark: Serbia-Kosovo agreement useful only with reduced influence of China and Russia (Danas, VoA)
• Varhelyi: EU’s strategic interest is to bring W. Balkan countries closer (N1)
• Milic to Haxhiu: There is no single court verdict or indictment for genocide in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Serbian ministers not taking part in joint session of Kosovo and Albanian governments (Kosovo-online)
• Hodzic: Demolition of illegally constructed shops in North Mitrovica is suspended (Kosovo-online)

Opinion:

• Vucic and Dodik Have Every Reason to Dread a Biden Presidency (Balkan Insight)
• Serbia is Playing With Fire, Delivering Arms to Armenia (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Kosovo: Trying for a normal life in a divided city (Deutsche Welle)
• Kosovo War Veterans’ Leader Challenges Arrest at Hague Court (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Serbia gets first reading room for blind persons (N1, FoNet)

Albanian Language Media

COVID-19: 42 new cases, no deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said today that 42 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the last 24 hours.

54 persons have meanwhile recovered from the virus during this time and no deaths were recorded.

The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (13).

Zemaj: COVID-19 situation stable, we are preparing for autumn and winter (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Health Minister Armend Zemaj said that while the pandemics situation in Kosovo was difficult in the past months, it is now under control. However, he noted, the preventive measures should continue to be respected.

“We have a relatively calm situation now and the number of new infections and deaths is falling,” Zemaj told Telegrafi.

He said that preparations put in place for the reopening of the schools have given positive results despite a number of schools having had to take measures following outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. “If we continue this dynamic and this caution, we will be able to move forward.”

Zemaj noted that health authorities are now preparing for autumn and winter by increasing capacities to deal with a possible surge.

Prime ministers Hoti and Rama address joint Kosovo-Albania meeting (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti said today at the joint meeting of Kosovo and Albania in Tirana that agreements signed between the two governments herald a new stage in the cooperation between Kosovo and Albania. 

“All are focused on improving the lives of the citizens. They demonstrate the commitment of the two governments to move forward.”

Speaking about the work of the Kosovo government since he took the post of prime minister, Hoti mentioned the agreement signed in Washington for economic normalisation with Serbia as one of the major achievements. “The U.S. agreement is being considered historic and in time the whole political spectrum will come to realise its importance for the stability in the region,” he said. 

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama in his remarks announced intensification of efforts to eliminate the border between Albania and Kosovo. “Our ambition is to eliminate the border in the function of implementing four EU liberties in our region starting from the simplest one: removal of border between Albania and Kosovo,” he said.

Rama also slammed the EU for not granting visa liberalisation to Kosovo which he said is not because Kosovo did not fulfil its part of the obligations but because it is being used by certain EU countries due to their internal dynamics.

“I don’t know what I should believe regarding visa liberalisation for Kosovo. There is nothing left to do but to reiterate that non liberalisation is shameful for the EU, an unerasable shame, ” Rama said.

Commenting on the mini Schengen initiative, Rama said he was glad there were no more taboos about it. “It is a project that will also lead to Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia which can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts,” Rama noted.

Kosovo, Albania sign cooperation agreements (media)

The governments of Kosovo and Albania signed today in Tirana fourteen agreements aimed at deepening their cooperation. 

The agreements include cooperation in the field of health, culture, natural disaster response, education, social welfare. The two governments also agreed to complement agreement on cooperation in security and in the establishment of the 5G digital corridor. 

Kosovo and Albania further pledged to set up a joint fund to support Presevo Valley. 

Media report that Serb representatives in the Kosovo Government, Deputy Prime Minister Goran Rakic and Minister for Communities and Returns Dalibor Jevtic, did not travel to Tirana to attend the meeting.

Thaci discusses dialogue with Lajcak (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci had a video conference with  the EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

“Good discussion about the dialogue b/w #Kosovo & Serbia, and Kosovo’s path to the EU, w/ EUSR @MiroslavLajcak. Reiterated that Kosovo is committed to a dialogue for mutual recognition, as the only way to ensure lasting peace in the region & accelerate the EU integration process,” Thaci wrote on Twitter. 

Also on Twitter, Lajcak said: “Had a very useful video-conference with President @HashimThaciRKS this morning. I informed him about our achievements so far in the Flag of European Union-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. His extensive Dialogue-experience could prove helpful for further progress in the process ahead.”

Kosovo appoints chargé d’affaires to Israel (media)

Kosovo has appointed Ines Demiri as its chargé d’affaires to Israel.

“Looking forward to this great challenge that involves my greatest passion to deepen relations between Kosovo and Israel,” Demiri said in confirming the news.

Demiri works in Kosovo’s foreign service and currently serves as first secretary in the New York Consulate.

President Thaci meets Ombudsperson Qelaj (media)

President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci met today the new Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj.

Thaci emphasised the important role of the Ombudsperson Institution in guaranteeing human rights: “The institution of the Ombudsperson has already a tradition of protecting the rights of our citizens regardless of political, ethnic and religious differences.”

Swiss authorities arrest three Kosovo citizens for alleged ties with terrorism (RFE)

Radio Free Europe reported that authorities in Switzerland arrested four persons on suspicion of having ties to militant Islamic groups of IS and Al Qaeda. 

Three of the persons arrested are from Kosovo and the fourth from North Macedonia. 

Serbian Language Media

Two cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio)

The Crisis Staff in the North Mitrovica announced today that two new cases of coronavirus have been registered, and two persons recovered in Serbian communities in Kosovo, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Out of 31 processed samples, two new cases of infection were recorded in Zvecan.

One case of recovery was registered in North Mitrovica and one in Strpce.

A total of 3 positive PCR confirmed persons were hospitalized and all were treated at the Health Center in Mitrovica North. 

The measure of home isolation was determined for 39 people.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 5,328 people have been tested, of which 1,013 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

There are currently 42 active cases. So far, 933 people have been cured.

Total number of patients by municipalities: North Mitrovica 294, Zvecan 165, Leposavic 178, and Zubin Potok 109.

A total of 267 patients have been registered in Serbian areas south of the Ibar so far.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, 38 people have died in Serbian communities in Kosovo.

Russia takes over presidency of the UN Security Council, puts Kosovo on the UN agenda (Tanjug, B92, TASS)

During its presidency of the UN Security Council in October, Russia will hold talks on the situation in Kosovo, Syria, Yemen and the Middle East peace process

This was announced today by the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.

“Among the important issues on the SC agenda for October, we would like to highlight the discussion on the political and humanitarian aspects of the situation in Syria, the state of affairs in Kosovo, the Middle East peace process,” she said, as TASS reports.

As she said, other important events during the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council are ministerial discussions on the situation in the Persian Gulf and annual open discussions on women, peace and security.

See at: https://bit.ly/30pgvM2

Djuric: Hoti’s provocations mustn’t remain without EU’s response (RTS)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Marko Djuric said “insolence of the Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti knows no limits, since he, now on a daily basis mocks the European Union and Belgrade by saying that the topic of Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is a closed topic for him”, RTS reports.

Djuric added that Hoti’s provocations must not remain without the EU’s response. Hoti earlier said the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is a closed topic, concluded in 2013, adding dialogue would not stop because of Pristina.

In a statement delivered to the media, Djuric further assessed “Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is unique in a sense that one of the parties involved doesn’t even feel a need to justify itself over non-implementation of the agreement, nor is it exposed to any sanction by the mediator in the dialogue”.

“Pristina can’t be trusted, because the messages coming from it witness about irreparable lack of political culture and incapability of current political structures to adopt basic rules of a civilized behavior obviously obligatory for anyone but them”, Djuric said.

Djuric also noted that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is Pristina’s obligation, and as long as it has not been established with all agreed authorities, it is impossible to think of any crucial progress in the dialogue.   

Boehler: DFC committed to Balkan’s development, China brings neocolonialism (Beta, N1)

The executive director of the US Financial Corporation for International Development (DFC), Adam Boehler said on Thursday the agency was committed to the economic development of the Western Balkans and strengthening the sovereignty of the countries in the region, unlike China, whose approach is “a kind of neocolonialism”.

“Chinese investments always come with some conditions. The Chinese do not invest in the region out of goodwill and mercy, but to spread influence. The Chinese approach is a kind of neocolonialism. Our job is to invest in those countries to strengthen their sovereignty,” Boehler told reporters at a telephone briefing.

On Wednesday, Serbia’s President Aleksandra Vucic and the Chinese ambassador to Belgrade Chen Bo agreed that the two countries’ friendship was made of steel.

Thursday’s briefing followed last week’s visit of the US Government delegation to Greece, Kosovo, Serbia, Israel and Morocco. Boehler said the results of the new DFC office in Belgrade work would be visible after some time and that the analyses would take “several weeks or months”.

“We have to go through certain procedures. The first step was the field trip and meetings with representatives of dozens and dozens of companies. The next step may be letters of intent, and then agreements. It’s not something that ends quickly, but it’s real,” Boehler said.

He added the “real intentions” of the US were proven by the visit of the delegation which included representatives of six American institutions, DFC, USAID, the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, the Ministries of Trade and Energy and the National Security Council. NSC).

“We are very committed to the region we visited. Our commitment will be seen over time. That is the first step, and there will be a lot more from us,” Boehler, who symbolically opened the DFC office with Serbia’s PM Ana Brnabic during his visit to Belgrade earlier this week, told the briefing.

He said the DFC would continue to implement what it committed itself to, regardless of the outcome of the presidential elections in the US on November 3, because that agency had the support of both Democrats and Republicans.

The director of the newly opened DFC office in Belgrade office John Jovanovic, said the American delegation in Serbia specifically discussed investments in several projects.

He failed to give more details but said the priority projects were the “Peace Motorway” and the railway line that would connect Serbia and Kosovo.

“Some of these projects are ongoing, and we will try to provide financial resources to both sides to improve their economic cooperation,” Jovanovic said.

He added at the meetings in Belgrade, the support of micro, small and medium-sized firms and the encouragement of cooperation between young entrepreneurs from Serbia and Kosovo were also discussed.

See at: https://bit.ly/34gbTcl

EU’s Várhelyi: New international players in Western Balkans challenge for bloc (Beta, N1)

The European Union’s Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi said on Thursday that an increased presence of the ‘international players’ in the Western Balkans was a challenge for the EU and that the bloc should consider its role in the new environment.

“It’s not surprising to see more international players in the region considering its investment’s, particularly in the energy and transport sectors. A long-term risk from that must not be underestimated. Our responsibility is to determine our role in such an environment,” Várhelyi told the ‘Tirana Connectivity Forum’ in Albania.

“Ever since the 1990s, the EU has been supporting the Western Balkans to build and modernize the energy and transport infrastructure. Until today, we secured 11 billion Euro in the European Commission (EC) grants and the European Investment Bank (EIB) loans,” the Commissioner recalled.

He announced the EC would adopt the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans which would support the long-term social-economic recovery of the region and its ‘European convergence’ with the EU.

Later, Thursday, Várhelyi tweeted he had a good exchange with the Western Balkans ministers ahead of the adoption of the plan.

 “The Western Balkans needs strategic and selective investments in the areas which will enable the sustainable economic development and enhance the convergence with the EU in years ahead,” Várhelyi said.

He added the focus would be on transport and energy links and the improvement of the infrastructure as a key to economic development.

Várhelyi said the EU aimed at sizing up the competition in the region in which, according to him, the countries’ governments should play an active role.

See at: https://bit.ly/3l5NP2z

Wesley Clark: Serbia-Kosovo agreement useful only with reduced influence of China and Russia (Danas, VoA)

Former NATO commander Wesley Clark stated that the agreement on the economic normalization of Serbia and Kosovo could be extremely useful only if the influence of China and Russia in the region is reduced, quoted Belgrade daily Danas.  

-I believe that any opportunity for negotiations, especially under the auspices of the United States, is a positive step, just as any opportunity to take measures for economic development is also a favorable circumstance. However, this is a process that has lasted for almost two decades and is also burdened with many difficulties, which are still far from being solved,” Clark told the Voice of America.

Large foreign investments sometimes bring “political tails”, said Clark. 

“I follow very carefully the pattern of foreign investments that come to Serbia from Russia, China and some other countries. I also follow the political consequences of those investments. I believe that the government of Kosovo should take this into account in its own policy,” said the retired American general.

Asked to assess the approach of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, often referred to as the “four-pillar reliance policy” – Washington, Brussels, Beijing and Moscow – Clark said that “for Serbia, this may be feasible only if President Vucic can control the influence of foreign investors through his security services.” 

“When Russia and China invest, they in turn expect a certain political concession. Such an approach is also problematic from the point of view of the European Union,” he added.

A particular difficulty in the faster progress of the region is the Kremlin’s efforts to turn the Western Balkans as a whole into its sphere of interest, believes Wesley Clark, adding that this is the Kremlin’s policy since the beginning of armed conflicts in the region during the 1990s.

He cited his talks with Russian generals during the 1995 peace talks on Bosnia and Herzegovina as an example.

According to them, as he said, the Western Balkans is a Russian sphere of interest, which they want to regain and control, and once they take control, they deny others the prerogatives of freedom.

“We Americans do not believe in spheres of interest. Our approach is that every nation should work in its best interest and that countries should cooperate in finding common interests, never looking for spheres of influence,” the former NATO commander-in-chief told the Voice of America.

Varhelyi: EU’s strategic interest is to bring W. Balkan countries closer (N1)

European Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Friday it was a strategic interest to bring Southeast European countries which were not members closer to the EU, N1 reports.

He was speaking via video link at a conference on EU enlargement organized by the European Commission’s Representation in Croatia.

Varhelyi said it was important to achieve stronger economic convergence between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in the years ahead. He recalled that a US $ 3.3 billion package had been adopted to help them deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Matteo Bonomi of Rome’s Institute of International Affairs told the panel that the crisis caused by the pandemic had shown that it was necessary for the EU to have a common agenda as well as closer cooperation with the Western Balkan countries, adding that countries could not be successful on their own.

He added the issue of EU enlargement coincided with the issue of European values and the rule of law in the EU. Democratic values are the DNA of the enlargement process.

See at: https://bit.ly/2Gq45wm

Milic to Haxhiu: There is no single court verdict or indictment for genocide in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

Director of the Center for Euro-Atlantic studies Jelena Milic in reaction to the statement of former Kosovo Justice Minister Abulena Haxhiu “that Serbia has committed genocide in Kosovo and not Kosovo in Serbia” said there is no single court verdict (international) or indictment for the genocide in Kosovo.

“There is no single court verdict (international) or indictment for the genocide in Kosovo. This (statements on genocide committed by Serbia in Kosovo) became a commonplace of not only Kosovo officials but also commentators and members of the organizations that were financially supporting them for years”, Milic wrote on Twitter.

Milic also said that such advocacy for transitional justice in the Western Balkans is concerning, in particular when it comes from a person who was a justice minister.  

Serbian ministers not taking part in joint session of Kosovo and Albanian governments (Kosovo-online)

Ministers from Serbian List in Kosovo Government do not participate in the joint session of Kosovo and Albanian governments, Kosovo-online portal reports citing Pristina-based Koha outlet.

According to Koha, Deputy Prime Minister Goran Rakic and Minister for Communities and Return Dalibor Jevtic are not attending the sessions.

Representatives of the Serbian List have not participated in joint sessions of the two governments before.   

Hodzic: Demolition of illegally constructed shops in North Mitrovica is suspended (Kosovo-online)

Chief Executive Officer of Mitrovica North Municipal Administration Adrijana Hodzic confirmed that the proposal to postpone the process of removal of temporary and illegal buildings built on public areas in the municipality was adopted, but also called on users of these facilities to appoint their representatives who will cooperate with municipal authorities and work on finding a solution for the process, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Removal of temporary and illegal facilities built on public land of the territory of Mitrovica North municipality is suspended until the representatives of temporary and illegal facilities, on one hand, and municipal authorities on the other, come to an agreement”, Hodzic said during the MA session held yesterday. She did not specify for how long the demolition of the disputed buildings would be postponed.

Opinion

Vucic and Dodik Have Every Reason to Dread a Biden Presidency (Balkan Insight)

Serbia – and the Bosnian Serbs – got far less from Donald Trump than they once expected – but if Joe Biden wins the White House on November 3, they both face the prospect of a more hostile American administration.

With only a few weeks left before the US presidential election, Western Balkan political circles are bracing for the result. While the polls appear to suggest a decisive win for the Democrat Joe Biden, significant actors in the region are still holding out for another upset win by Donald Trump.

Understandably so; rarely has an American election mattered more to the region since the early days of the Yugoslav crisis, when Bill Clinton ousted George Bush for the Oval Office seat in 1992.

See at: https://bit.ly/34hCpSG

Serbia is Playing With Fire, Delivering Arms to Armenia (Balkan Insight)

As world attention focuses on the fighting in the Caucasus, discoveries that Serbian weapons have been sold to Armenia put Belgrade’s relations with important allies at risk.

This July, the “frozen” conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia started to thaw as fighting broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, claiming 16 lives.

Azerbaijani troops found ammunition and shells produced in Serbia among their Armenian adversaries. The discovery not only shook the strategic partnership between Serbia and Azerbaijan; the biggest danger for Serbia was it also risked upsetting both great and regional powers with interests in the Caucasus conflict.

Serbia dodged that bullet that time, as these powers all had other priorities elsewhere.

However, with the renewal of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan and recent allegations of fresh discoveries of Serbian military equipment among Armenian forces, the question is whether Belgrade will be so lucky the second time.

The discovery of Serbian ammunition among Armenian forces in July put Belgrade’s ties with Baku in serious trouble. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Serbia’s chargé d’affaires in Baku for a grilling. This episode was bad news for Serbia; Azerbaijan is one of the six countries with which Serbia has a strategic partnership agreement, alongside Russia, China, the UAE, France and Italy.

Over the past 12 years, Serbia and Azerbaijan have supported each other in their respective territorial disputes. Baku has supported the Serbian case on Kosovo, and Belgrade has supported Baku on Nagorno-Karabakh.

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

International

Kosovo: Trying for a normal life in a divided city (Deutsche Welle)

Twenty years after the Kosovo war, the city of Mitrovica in the north of Europe’s youngest state remains divided between ethnic Albanians and Serbs. What’s life like for people who live on one side and work on the other?

The Ibar River flows through Mitrovica, effectively dividing the city and its inhabitants. Those living on the south side are mostly ethnic Albanians, whereas the north is inhabited mostly by ethnic Serbs.

Few of the city’s inhabitants dare venture across the main bridge, which acts as a de facto border and is blocked to vehicular traffic. Heavily armed Italian troops patrol the bridge as part of NATO’s international peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force (KFOR).

See at: https://bit.ly/3n7711X

Kosovo War Veterans’ Leader Challenges Arrest at Hague Court (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans’ Organisation leader Hysni Gucati claimed that he was unlawfully arrested for alleged obstruction of justice and witness intimidation after he received leaked documents from war crimes cases.

Hysni Gucati appeared at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Thursday after the KLA War Veterans’ Organisation’s leader was transferred from Pristina, where he was detained during a raid on its headquarters sparked by the leaking of confidential case files.

No indictment has yet been issued by prosecutors, who said they will file charges within 30 days, but Gucati’s defence used the hearing to question the legality of his arrest.

“Mr. Gucati has already challenged in writing the lawfulness of the arrest and the transfer [to The Hague], as well as the warrant,” said defence lawyer Jonathan Ellison Rees.

See at: https://bit.ly/2SiEZ5f

Humanitarian/Development

Serbia gets first reading room for blind persons (N1, FoNet)

The first digital reading room for the blind persons has been opened in a student dorm in Belgrade, the Beograd Student Center said on Friday, N1 reports.

The reading room and library at the Mika Mitrovic student dorm is the first of its kind in Serbia and will meet the needs of the blind, partially sighted and handicapped persons, a press release said, adding that students will have access to various technologies to help with their studies and the reading room will provide privacy. The technology includes digital reading devices which can magnify printed text or turn it into digital or audio format. 

The reading room is also adapted for wheelchair users.

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