Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 2,541 new cases, 14 deaths (media)
• Osmani signs agreement with U.S. for additional $ 3.8 million for Kosovo (RTK)
• President of the Specialised Chambers to visit Kosovo on 7 September (RTK)
• Government allocates 15 million euros for creation of new jobs (RTK)
• Kosovo and Northern Macedonia sign legal cooperation agreement (media)
• Isa Mustafa: The Association should not be established (media)
• Abbot: missing persons should not be used for political benefits (media)

Serbian Language Media:

       Verdict to Ivan Todosijevic upheld, Serbian officials react (media)

• Vucic thanks Azerbaijan and India for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty (Kosovo-online)

• KSF members again in Gracanica, Partes and Priluzje (Kosovo-online)
• WHO representative says situation related to Covid-19 deteriorating in Serbia (N1)
• Some 60,000 people in Serbia received third dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine so far (N1)

International:

• Kosovo Serb MP’s Jail Sentence for ‘Ethnic Hatred’ Upheld (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 2,541 new cases, 14 deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 2,541 new cases with COVID-19 and 14 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 604 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 23,845 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Osmani signs agreement with U.S. for additional $ 3.8 million for Kosovo (RTK)

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani today signed amendment 2 of the Grant Agreement for Development Objectives with the United States of America, with which Kosovo benefits an additional 3.8 million dollars.

This agreement was originally signed in November 2020. In May of this year, amendment 1 of the agreement which provides Kosovo with additional financial means in the amount of 1.6 million US dollars was signed. Whereas today, with amendment 2 of this agreement, Kosovo benefits additional $ 3.8 million, increasing the total value of the agreement to $ 38.4 million.

“This agreement aims at better service to citizens by accountable and effective governance institutions, as well as increasing opportunities for inclusive democratic and economic participation. The first development objective of the agreement focuses on the oversight of institutions by citizens and civil society, while the second adopts a broader approach to democratic participation,” reads a press release issued by the Office of the President. 

It aims for improvement and cooperation between citizens, civil society, businesses and the public sector in order for local communities to have a more favorable position in addressing Kosovo’s development challenges.

President Osmani thanked for the support of the new USAID Director in Kosovo, Mrs. Zeinah Salahi and at the same time congratulated her on the task.

Osmani emphasized the importance of USAID’s engagement in Kosovo in the development of society, as well as the strong U.S. support to Kosovo.

President of the Specialised Chambers to visit Kosovo on 7 September (RTK)

The President of the Special Court Ekaterina Trendafilova and the Registrar Fidelma Donlon will visit Kosovo on September 7, the Specialized Chambers announced.

According to the press release, Trendafilova and Donlon will talk about the mandate, work, and recent developments in the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo.

“The interactive event marks the start of an increased engagement of the President and the Registrar in the KSC’s outreach activities. In view of the health and safety regulations as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the President and the Registrar are taking the first available opportunity to travel to Pristina and meet with civil society and others,” reads the press release. 

Government allocates 15 million euros for creation of new jobs (RTK)

The government of Kosovo has made a number of decisions at today’s meeting.

The government has approved the legislative agenda for 2021 with some changes, and postponing of some draft laws. The government has introduced several other draft laws in the legislative program.

The government also decided to allocate 15 million euros for the creation of new jobs, through the support that will be provided to employees. The decision is in implementation of measure 1 of the Economic Revival Package.

At the meeting the government also decided on an amendment ‘in function of fulfilling one of the government priorities which provides for child allowances up to the age of 16, the implementation of which will be done gradually.’

Kosovo and Northern Macedonia sign legal cooperation agreement (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu has signed an agreement in the field of international legal cooperation with the Minister of Justice of Northern Macedonia, Bojan Maricic.

After the signing of the agreement, Haxhiu said that they are committed to strengthening relations with the countries of the Western Balkans.

“We are committed to strengthening relations with the countries of the Western Balkans. This is the first signing of agreements and will proceed with Albania. The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate civil proceedings, legal protection, in order for citizens of each party to enjoy the rights of legal defense,”she said.

The Minister of Justice of Northern Macedonia Bojan Maricic said that “The initiative for signing the agreement shows that we make policies to facilitate the procedures for the citizens of the two countries. I am convinced that the cooperation between Kosovo and Northern Macedonia will continue in exchange of experiences and harmonization of European legislation.”

Isa Mustafa: The Association should not be established (media)

The former Prime Minister of Kosovo accepted the establishment of the Association in 2015. Moreover, Isa Mustafa signed himself on August 25, in the capacity of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, the agreement that meant the implementation of this point and three others that were reached at that time in Brussels.

But, now 6 years later, he is saying that it is better not to create the Association.

“If there is a legal and constitutional way to avoid it as an international obligation, which Kosovo has taken by law, it would be better not to establish it,” said Mustafa.

“I do not see any commitment from the EU and the U.S. to dialogue and the implementation of the agreements, other than a sporadic statement,” Mustafa told Front Online.

Abbot: missing persons should not be used for political benefits (media)

The British Ambassador to Kosovo Nicholas Abbot stated today that Pristina and Belgrade should communicate to share information on missing persons openly and in a spirit of cooperation rather than confrontation.

Abbot, during his speech at the forum “The need to de-politicize the issue of missing persons!” also said that missing persons, their families, and NGOs dealing with the fate of the missing should not be used as a soccer ball in the political arena in the process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

According to him, the issue of human suffering like that of missing persons should not be politicized nor used for political gain.

“Politicians on both sides may take a position to defend their policies but we want to see relevant Kosovo institutions committed to the missing. Family members should exercise their right to know all the legislation that is available,” he said.

The executive director of QBPZH, Bajram Qerkinaj, said that they have organized this forum to seek de-politicization of the issue of missing persons, because according to him, someone should take responsibility for the work that is not being done.

Serbian Language Media

Verdict to Ivan Todosijevic upheld, Serbian officials react (media)

The Appellate Court in Pristina upheld the verdict of the Basic Court sentencing Ivan Todosijevic, President of Zvecan Municipal Interim Authority and Serbian List MP to two years in prison over his statement related to Racak, Serbian media report.

Todosijevic who was the Minister of Local Self-government Administration at that time made a statement on Racak in a ceremony marking 20th anniversary of NATO bombing in Zvecan. He said the reason for NATO aggression against the-then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ) “was the so-called humanitarian disaster in Kosovo and fabricated Racak”.

Following the statement he was deposed of the ministerial post and the court proceeding initiated against him for the alleged “incitement to national, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance”.

Reacting to the verdict Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija said “that Pristina judiciary by shameful decision to upheld the two-year in prison verdict to Ivan Todosijevic has caused irreparable damage to the reconciliation process in Kosovo and Metohija”.  

The Office added by this decision the security situation of each and every Serb in Kosovo has been impaired.

“By such a scandalous decision based neither on justice nor the law, the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija has been dangerously impaired since the verdict to Ivan Todosijevic is a verdict to any Serb striving for the truth”, the statement reads.

The Office announced urgent consultation with Serbian List representatives, adding the response would be “decisive and strong”. The Office also said that such an approach bans Serbs from the right to freedom of speech, expression and thoughts. They also noted the verdict represents the most flagrant violation of the Brussels agreement, given that point 10 on judiciary clearly says majority of the judges of Serbian ethnicity ought to decide in the cases coming from the Serbian areas. Judges of the Albanian ethnicity only decided on the case of Ivan Todosijevic in both instances.

Serbian List in their reaction said “the verdict to member of Serbian List presidency and MP Ivan Todosijevic was politically motivated and most explicitly demonstrated anti-Serb actions by Kosovo institutions”. Serbia List added they would have consultation with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and reconsider participation in the upcoming local elections in Kosovo. The Serbian List also said the Brussels agreement on judiciary has been violated, given that the judicial panels in both instances were mono-ethnic, respectively consisting of the Albanian judges exclusively.

Kosovo-online portal reports that Serbian judges working in the courts in northern Kosovo have started a boycott today over the verdict to Ivan Todosijevic. They cited the same violation of the Brussels agreement regarding composition of the judiciary panels as the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and Serbian List said earlier. The same portal later reported that Serbian judges working in the courts south of the Ibar RIver also started a boycott. 

Serbian Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic said the verdict of the Appellate Court in Pristina was “yet another evidence of double standards”. He added this verdict may create certain legal practice to bring similar verdicts in the future as well and that no one must dare say something that runs contrary to “official history”.

He recalled recent opinion piece on Jasenovic (WWII death concentration camp in Croatia) published in Jerusalem Post (the newspaper faced with critics removed the article and issued a public apology later) and asked how much should be authors of that article be punished for saying, as he said, that Jasenovac was almost a camping site.

“How much this was denial of the crime, and about an event for which there is no any court verdict it was a massacre of civilians, one mustn’t say anything”, Dacic said.  

Vucic thanks Azerbaijan and India for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty (Kosovo-online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has received credential letters from Ambassador of Azerbaijan Kamil Khasiyev and Ambassador of India Sanjiv Kohli and expressed gratitude to both countries for their respect of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Vucic wished them successful diplomatic mandates, the press statement added.

Talking with Khasiyev, Vucic said Serbia attaches particular importance to the strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, adding it was necessary to work together on fostering economic and any other type of cooperation.

He also said the upcoming visit of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev would give a new dimension to the cooperation between the two states, and extend his cordial regards to him. He expressed particular satisfaction as Serbia together with Azerbaijan that is chairing the Non-Aligned Movement this year will organize an important anniversary in Belgrade, 60 years since establishment of the Movement. He also thanked Azerbaijan for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Talking to Kohli, Vucic thanked India for consistent policy and principled stance to respect Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also thanked India for solidarity expressed during Covid-19 pandemic, respectively for the help provided to Serbia to purchase vaccines Indian Serological Institute developed in cooperation with AstraZeneca.

Ambassador Kohli recalled it was President Vucic who opened a new era in relations between two states by his visit to India in 2017 when he was the prime minister making the first visit of the high Serbian official to the country in 30 years. Vucic also expressed hope Prime Minister Narendra Modi would accept the invitation and attend the Non-Aligned Movement anniversary in Belgrade, due in October this year. 

KSF members again in Gracanica, Partes and Priluzje (Kosovo-online)

A day after Kosovo Security Forces under “the pretext of distributing epidemiological masks installed booths in Gracanica and Partes, military vehicles were seen in Priluzje as well”, Kosovo-online portal reports citing Vecernje Novosti daily.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija reacted yesterday to the presence of KSF members in the Serbian areas saying “it was about dangerous provocation carried out under the pretext of implementing epidemiological measures”. Serbian List said there “is no single medical reason to distribute masks in the Serbian areas in Kosovo apart from obviously planned in advance provocation aiming at intimidating Serbian people ahead of the upcoming local elections in Kosovo”.

RTS reported that while yesterday KSF members were in Gracanica with armoured Humvee vehicle, this time they came with Land Rover jeep. 

WHO representative says situation related to Covid-19 deteriorating in Serbia (N1)

The World Health Organization representative in Serbia said that the number of new coronavirus cases is expected to continue rising.

Dr Marijan Ivanusa told N1 it’s clear the situation will continue deteriorating, adding the number of new cases will double in the next few weeks. “The situation is bad and I expect the daily count to stand higher than 3,000 new cases next week and at more than 5,000 a day in mid-September which will be a huge burden on the healthcare system”, he said.

Ivanusa appealed to the public to get vaccinated and abide by the measures already in place. He said vaccination is absolutely necessary despite the fact that people can still get sick after they are inoculated, especially by the delta strain.

Some 60,000 people in Serbia received third dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine so far (N1)

Zoran Bekic, the vaccination coordinator at the Belgrade Fair, the largest immunization point in the country, said Wednesday that so far, over 59,000 people had received the third, so-called booster anti-coronavirus shot, N1 reports.

He added that people mostly opted for the PfizerBioNTech booster, regardless of which one they were fully vaccinated with at least six months ago. They can choose among four vaccines in Serbia: Sinofarm, Sputnik V, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

The mass vaccination in Serbia started on January 19, and health authorities allowed the booster dose on August 17.They said people with a weak immune system were a priority, but anyone who wanted additional protection could get it after the e-government sent them an SMS or e-mail. Those who want the third vaccine can ask for it even if not officially informed.

Bekic said doctors recommended the booster of the same vaccine but that people could choose whatever type they wanted.

He added that 5.7 million vaccines were administered in Serbia, 2.9 of which were the first dose by Tuesday.

The country’s authorities are not satisfied with the number of vaccinated people and call on those who refused immunization to change their minds since it is proven to be the most effective way for curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.

International 

Kosovo Serb MP’s Jail Sentence for ‘Ethnic Hatred’ Upheld (BIRN)

Serbia protested after a Kosovo court confirmed a two-year prison sentence for MP Ivan Todosijevic for claiming that a massacre of Kosovo Albanians by Serbian forces in the village of Racak/Recak in 1999 was fabricated.

The head of the Serbia’s government’s office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, said on Wednesday that the confirmation of the two-year sentence handed down to Kosovo MP and former minister Ivan Todosijevic was a “shameful, unacceptable and political verdict”.

Kosovo’s Court of Appeal upheld the verdict from 2019 that convicted Todosijevic of ethnic, racial or religious intolerance for his comments about the January 1999 massacre of 45 Kosovo Albanians in the village of Racak/Recak, which he claimed was staged.

In the Court of Appeal’s decision, issued on June 24 but made public on the court website on Tuesday, it said that it “finds the defence claim that the facts were wrongly determined to be unfounded”.

It said that Todosijevic’s comments “could incite hatred, division, intolerance between ethnic groups in Kosovo” and went too far to be acceptable under laws guaranteeing freedom of expression.

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