Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 2,236 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• US sends 35,100 anti-COVID-19 vaccines to Kosovo (media)
• Four Kosovo citizens evacuated from Afghanistan (media)
• Foreign Ministry approves visit of Serbian official to Kosovo (media)
• PDK: Ministry of Education is failing another school year (media)
• Police fines 509 people for not respecting anti-COVID Law (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 24 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Vucic: With requests for recognition Pristina freed Serbia’s hands (Kosovo-online)
• Petkovic on two-day visit in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• One of attackers against Nikola Peric arrested (Radio KIM)
• Serbian broadcaster says will boycott Twitter; Recalls NATO bombing (N1)
• Vucic: Serbia will always stand with Serbs in Kosovo, Republika Srpska (N1)
• Petkovic: Upcoming elections would increase anti-Serbian rhetoric (Radio KIM)
• Displaced people still cannot enter Kosovo through all administrative crossings (KoSSev)
• Randjel Nojkic: Sooner or later I expected rift within Serbian List (Danas)  

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 2,236 new cases, 8 deaths (media)

2,236 new cases with COVID-19 and eight deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 138 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 14,249 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo. 22,119 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. To date, 644,212 vaccines have been administered in Kosovo.

The Clinical and University Hospital Service of Kosovo (SHSKUK), has announced that there are 626 patients in Covid clinics and general hospitals.

CUHSK informs that 527 patients are confirmed with COVID-19 positive, where 470 are with oxygen therapy and 26 in aggravated health condition.

At University Clinical Center Of Kosovo, 236 inpatients, 201 of them Covid-19 positive, 185 with oxygen therapy: Infectious Diseases Clinic, 110 patients; Pulmonology Clinic, 36 patients; Pediatrics Clinic, 3 patients; Gynecology Clinic, 16 patients; Infectious Diseases Clinic 2 (Sports Medicine), 71 patients.

The U.S. sends 35,100 anti-COVID-19 vaccines to Kosovo (media)

The United States is sending a contingent of 35,100 vaccines against COVID-19 to Kosovo this week, said a White House official.

He told VOA that the vaccines are delivered through the COVAX program and are part of the United States’ commitment to play a leading role in the fight to end the pandemic around the world.

Doses for Kosovo are part of a half-billion-dollar purchase of the Pfizer vaccine secured by President Joe Biden earlier this summer.

The official said that the scientific teams and legal authorities of both countries have worked together to ensure the rapid and effective distribution of vaccines in Kosovo.

“We are proud to be able to deliver these safe and effective vaccines to the people of Kosovo. We are allocating these doses not to secure favors or draw concessions. Our vaccines do not come with an agenda. We are doing this with the sole purpose – to save lives,” he said.

Four Kosovo citizens evacuated from Afghanistan (media)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFA) announced that the four citizens of Kosovo with whom it has been in direct contact and has offered assistance after the escalation of the situation in Afghanistan, have been evacuated.

The press release states that since the escalation of the situation there, the MFA has been committed to identifying and assisting the citizens of Kosovo in order to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.

“MFA continues to keep open the emergency line number +383 45 492 316, and is available to provide assistance to all new cases that may eventually be reported in the coming period,” said in a statement MFA.

Foreign Ministry approves visit of Serbian official to Kosovo (media)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFA) has approved the request of the Serbian official Petar Petkovic, for permission to visit Kosovo.

The MFA Media Office confirmed to the Telegrafi that Petkovic will stay in Kosovo on 19 and 20 August.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFA) has approved the request for permission to visit the Republic of Kosovo for the Serbian official Petar Petkovic, on 19-20 August 2021. The request was made based on the Agreement on official visits signed in 2014 in Brussels. The official in question is obliged to respect the protocol and the agenda, and at the same time to refrain from political statements, inciting language and rhetoric against Kosovo. Any violation of these rules will have an impact on the MFA’s decision to reject the future requests from Serbia,” it is said in the response of the MPJD.

PDK: Ministry of Education is failing another school year (media)

Member of the leadership of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Muzafer Shala accused at a press conference the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for failing to make the necessary preparations for the start of the new school year on time, despite the aggravated situation from facing the COVID pandemic -19 and the increase in the number of cases infected with the Delta virus.

Shala said that it is unacceptable, disappointing and a failure of the government and the Ministry of Education that it has not managed to make the necessary preparations for the new school year to start on September 1.

“Unlike many countries that update the data of administrative instructions and guides on the preparations for the progress of education, in Kosovo such a thing has not yet happened by the MECT. In these moments when we are talking, the situation on the ground is alarming and many school principals we have asked say that no one has contacted them for anything,” he said.

Shala has raised a number of concerns about the situation and criticized the government and the Ministry of Education saying that instead of intensive preparations, they spent the summer vacation at the seaside and wedding salons and risk missing another new school year.

Police fines 509 people for not respecting anti-COVID Law (media)

Kosovo Police is continuing to punish citizens who do not respect the anti-Covid law. According to the latest data published by the Police, 509 citizens have been fined in the last 24 hours.

Kosovo Police through a press release has asked all citizens, institutions and businesses to respect the latest decisions made by the government against COVID-19.

Serbian Language Media

24 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)

Out of 77 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 24 tested positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced today, Radio KIM reports.

The new cases were registered as follows: seven in Zvecan, six in Leposavic, five in Zubin Potok, four in Mitrovica North and one each in Gracanica and Gnjilane.

Currently there are 74 active cases in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo. 

Vucic: With requests for recognition Pristina freed Serbia’s hands (Kosovo-online)

President Aleksandar Vucic said today Pristina has violated the Washington agreement by requesting some countries to recognize Kosovo, thus freeing Serbia’s hands and showing Serbia the direction it should take, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“I have seen the latest requests of the minister of defense in Pristina, who said he requested Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan and some others to recognize Kosovo. It is good that they informed us about this issue and I thank them for that”, Vucic told journalists.

He noted this represents violation of the Washington agreement, and thanked Pristina for freeing Serbia’s hands, adding that anyway this agreement was valid until September only.

“They showed us the direction we should take and we will do our job”, Vucic said.

Petkovic on two-day visit in Kosovo (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic will visit Kosovo on August 19 and 20, Radio KIM reports.

On the first day of the visit Petkovic will attend a celebration in Priluzje village, Vucitrn municipality and a ceremony in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. After the Holy Hierarch’s Liturgy, a sermon by the Bishop of Raska and Prizren Teodosije is planned, and Petkovic will also address the gathered people, the statement reads.

From 12 o’clock, Petković will visit the villages of Ibarska Slatina, Socanica and Lesak in the municipality of Leposavic.

In Ibarska Slatina village Petkovic will visit the family of a single father of three minor girls, Miljan Jovanovic, whose family house was built with the funds of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, through the local self-government.

At 1 pm in Socanica, Petkovic will visit the renovated elementary school “Vuk Karadžić”, and at 2:10 pm in Lesak the reconstructed elementary school “Stana Bačanin”. Funds for the adaptation and rehabilitation of both schools were provided by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

On the second day of the visit, on Friday, August 20, at 10 am, Petkovic will visit the University Center in Mitrovica North.

From 12 o’clock, a visit to Gracanica is planned. All activities of director Petkovic will be carried out in compliance with epidemiological measures, the statement said.

One of attackers against Nikola Peric arrested (Radio KIM)

Kosovo police arrested one person for the involvement in a physical attack against a young Serbian man, Nikola Peric in the village of Zebnica in Novo Brdo, Radio KIM reports. During the attack on August 9, Peric sustained serious head injuries and was treated in Gnjilane hospital.

Following the investigative action police came to information related to the vehicle used in this case, registration plates have been identified as well as the owner of the vehicle, who has been arrested and assigned 48-hour detention, police said in a statement. It was also said he admitted his involvement in the attack, and that he doesn’t know two other persons who were in his car. 

The police added in a statement there is a suspicion that the reason for the attack against Nikola Peric could be an earlier dispute that took place in a bar in the village. Police continue investigation into this case.

Nikola Peric was beaten up near his house, after returning cattle from pasture. He said two persons attacked him, while the third one remained in the black BMW vehicle.

Serbian broadcaster says will boycott Twitter; Recalls NATO bombing (N1)

The reactions to Twitter’s decision to label several Serbian media as state-affiliated, including the country’s two public broadcasters – RTS and RTV continued on Wednesday with the RTS saying it would boycott the social network as long as the decision was in place, N1 reports.

“Twitter’s decision to label some of RTS accounts on that platform as ‘the Government affiliated’ forces us to reassess our presence on the network or ask the (European Broadcasting Union) EBU and other organisations RTS, as the public broadcaster, is a member of, for their opinion“, RTS said in a statement.

It added it was dangerous for media people, especially journalists, to be labeled as the allies of the authorities.

“Last time when RTS was labeled as such, it was declared a ‘legitimate target,’ and NATO killed 16 our colleagues in its 1999 bombing“, RTS recalled. It added that besides it “remains an unpunished war crime, it is also a dangerous precedent that many use to attack media people around the world“.

It added it would not advertise on Twitter’s accounts marked in any way.

“It is unacceptable that a technical platform, as Twitter describes itself, adds any text to our publication without our demand or consent. In this case, it’s labeling and inadmissible pressure on the media, especially an EUB’s member“, the public broadcaster said.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3z1WBpO

Vucic: Serbia will always stand with Serbs in Kosovo, Republika Srpska (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an Instagram post that the country will face increasing pressure over Kosovo and the Republika Srpska (Serb entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina), N1 reports.

Speaking in a video recorded during his recent visit to Bajina Basta in western Serbia along the border with Bosnia, Vucic said that Serbia will always be with the Serbs in Kosovo and the Republika Srpska (RS).

“Hard times are in front of us, the pressure over Kosovo will increase, the pressure over the Republika Srpska will increase but my message to our people … is that Serbia will always be with you”, Vucic said in a video post.

He added Serbia will always provide help to them. “We can’t leave our people in the lurch and we won’t. That is the message to our people in Kosovo, that is the message to everyone everywhere. Serbia will always be with its people”, Vucic said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3xZX4r6

Petkovic: Upcoming elections would increase anti-Serbian rhetoric (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in a meeting with UN Secretary General Representative and Head of UN Office in Belgrade, Mary Jamashita that attacks against the Serbian people in Kosovo, their properties and holy shrines occur on a daily basis, adding there were more than 90 attacks this year, which surpasses the total number of incidents that occurred during entire last year, Radio KIM reports.

Petkovic also voiced expectations that international organizations and institutions on the ground will fulfill their tasks and create conditions in which attacks against the Serbs and other non-Albanians will not be tolerated.

He also informed his interlocutor about the two last round of negotiations in Brussels, saying Pristina has demonstrated major irresponsibility by rejected to agree to two crucial topics of the EU’s draft relating to intensifying efforts to find missing persons and restraint from unilateral acts that would lead to destabilization of the situation on the ground.     

“This all increases our concerns for the security of Serbian people and for preservation of peace and stability on the ground. Also, upcoming local elections, would certainly add to already excessive aggressive, anti-Serbian rhetoric of Pristina, that would, we fear, increase pressure on Serbs in the province and additionally endanger their security”, Petkovic warned.

At the end he assessed that despite Pristina’s insistence to create an environment that is not conducive for the dialogue, Belgrade is truly interested in talks to create conditions for lasting stability and peace in the region.   

Displaced people still cannot enter Kosovo through all administrative crossings (KoSSev)

Displaced persons from Kosovo whose IDs were issued in the police directorate relocated to towns in central Serbia, can enter the territory of Kosovo at only two administrative crossings – Brnjak and Jarinje, KoSSev portal reports.

Milica Andric from New Social Initiative non-governmental organization told Beta news agency that the freedom of movement of all residents of Kosovo who have old, yet valid, IDs issued in Kragujevac, Prizren, Nis, Jagodina, Krusevac, or Vranje, where the police directorates from Kosovo were relocated, is restricted as they are not allowed to pass through all crossings with central Serbia, North Macedonia or Montenegro.

In the last couple of days, several displaced citizens told the Beta agency that they were not allowed to enter Kosovo from Montenegro – at the administrative crossing Kula, on the road Pec-Rozaje, because they had “old“ ID cards.

“According to the Belgrade and Pristina agreement, citizens who have old documents can enter Kosovo from central Serbia only at three out of five crossings – Brnjak and Jarinje, and occasionally Merdare. Everyone who travels from Montenegro should head toward the Brnjak crossing“, Andric explained.

When asked by Beta to comment on the decision of the Kosovo authorities to restrict the freedom of movement of displaced citizens, Andric described it as discriminatory.

“Displaced persons should not be blamed for the unresolved relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and they must not be discriminated against. Even if they wanted to, they would face problems in obtaining Kosovo documents“, Andric added.

In her words, this problem should have been resolved within the Brussels talks – “because it arose 10 years ago in Brussels when an agreement on freedom of movement was reached“.

She also said she is not aware whether Serbian List officials in the assembly or the government of Kosovo initiated a resolution to the problem regarding the personal documents of 250,000 displaced persons.

Serbian List and mayor of Mitrovica North Milan Radojevic didn’t respond to Beta’s request for comment.

Randjel Nojkic: Sooner or later I expected rift within Serbian List (Danas)

Political analyst Randjel Nojkic said he expected sooner or later rift within the Serbian List, adding the finds reaction of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija to the candidacy of Branimir Stojanovic for a mayor in Gracanica “inappropriate”, Danas daily reports.

Serbian List said earlier Stojanovic “divides” the Serbian people in Kosovo, while the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said only Serbian List candidates will have the support of the official Belgrade and Serbian state.

“I think it is not right to divide people in such a manner, in particular in a situation in which Serbs in Kosovo are. They practically divide them into patriots and those who are the enemies (of Serbia) which is inappropriate and incorrect”, Nojkic said.

As he said, according to his sources, there was dissatisfaction within the Serbian List for quite some time and that is why “Belgrade makes maximal efforts to please them”.

“It gives them certain positions, authority and so on. Then they are silent, respectively they do not voice their anger and dissatisfaction publicly”, Nojkic said, adding this was the moment “when dissatisfaction reached its culmination”.

“Serbian List acts the way it acts because they are all well taken care of in material, financial and any other aspect. However, dissatisfaction that surfaces among the people speaks that they (Serbian List) do not have credibility to come to the people and tell them how they live well and how the Serbian List enabled them this or that”, Nojkic said.