Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 24 deaths, 1,029 new cases (media)
• Vitia: relief of measures against COVID-19, not expected (media)
• Bislimi: There will be no Kurti-Vucic meeting this month (RFE Albanian)
• Participation of Serbian official declared non-grata in Kosovo puts dialogue at risk (euronews.al)
• Kurti and Varhelyi talk about Afghan citizens sheltered in Kosovo (Koha)
• Kosovo Urged to Start Countering Russian Media Disinformation (Prishtina Insight)
• Kosnett meets Afghans in Bondsteel (Klan)
• The numbers of political entities for the October elections are announced (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• Bislimi: No elements for the meeting between Vucic and Kurti at the moment (KiM radio, N1)
• Varvitsiotis: Greece’s position on Kosovo remains unchanged (media)
• Resumption of Belgrade – Pristina dialogue in Brussels (B92, Tanjug)
• “Little Trump” on Kosovo: “Biden squandered everything” (Tanjug, B92, Blic) 
• CEC announced draw for ranking political entities on local elections, SL under the number 147 (Kosovo Online) 
• Orban: To find the southernmost line with Serbia to stop the migration wave (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

International:

• The Cocaine Market Is More Competitive And Violent (eurasiareview.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Western Balkan coal plants causing thousands of deaths (euobserver.com)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 24 deaths, 1,029 new cases (media)

24 deaths from COVID-19 and 1,029 new infections were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 3,266 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 22,223 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Vitia: relief of measures against COVID-19, not expected (media)

The Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, said that there will be no release of the measures even after September 13. He also spoke about the possibility of postponing the local elections.

During a press conference after the government meeting, he said that the decision on whether or not to postpone the local elections will be made after consultations with experts and the National Institute of Public Health.

As for the possibilities of shortening the election campaign, Vitia said that at the moment the measures are such that they prohibit dangerous gatherings and that these measures will be in force.

He said that they have drafted a capacity building plan for field hospitals.

“Based on the last days, we believe that this will not be necessary. We have also completed the recruitment of health personnel,” he said.

In addition, the Minister of Health said that there will be no release of measures after September 13.

“We have over 600,000 safe vaccines in our stocks, so citizens need to be vaccinated,” he said.

“Based on the analysis of NIPHK in the country, the third vaccine will be needed. We have started negotiations for the purchase of 1 million more vaccines,” Vitia said.

Bislimi: There will be no Kurti-Vucic meeting this month (RFE Albanian)

The head of the Kosovo delegation in the dialogue with Serbia Besnik Bislimi confirmed that there will be no meeting between the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the President of Serbia Aleksadar Vucic during this month.

“There is not enough tangible progress to organize a meeting of leaders,” Bislimi said after the meeting with the Serbian delegation, mediated by the European Union.

During the tripartite meeting, the only topic was the issue of missing persons.

The September 8 meeting was held despite the parties saying a day earlier that they had not even reached an agreement on the agenda of the tripartite meeting.

On September 7, the Kosovo delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, discussed with the EU the topic of missing persons, energy, license plates and official visits, after official Pristina barred the entry of the head of the Serbian delegation, Petar Petkovic.

According to the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Petkovic was barred from entering due to “provocative statements” he made during his last three visits.

However, the MFAE did not clarify which statements were in question.

Kosovo, according to Deputy Prime Minister Bislmi, does not want to discuss again the agreements reached earlier in the dialogue, but will only discuss their implementation.

For some agreements reached earlier, such as the one on license plates, which soon expires, as Besnik Bislimi has warned, Kosovo will use the principle of reciprocity.

The Serbian delegation, meanwhile, has insisted on discussing the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, the Justice Agreement, the official visit agreement and the issue of the missing. According to diplomatic sources, official Belgrade is insisting not to discuss the Comprehensive Agreement on the normalization of relations, but to first discuss the formation of the Association.

According to earlier warnings by the Kosovo delegation, the tripartite meeting is expected to discuss the issue of missing persons during the recent war in Kosovo. However, the fact that Velko Odallovic is part of the Serbian delegation is an obstacle on this topic as well, and the Kosovar side has said that it does not want to meet with him.

Earlier, the Kosovo government said that Odalovic was the main figure in Slobodan Milosevic’s regime in Kosovo and that he should be questioned about missing persons and not be part of a commission on missing persons.

The meetings of this round of talks in Brussels are important for organizing a high-level meeting between the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. The Kurti-Vucic meeting is expected to take place in late September.

The last high-level meeting was held on July 19, but it did not produce any concrete results.

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the EU, started in 2011. This process is said to aim at the full normalization of relations between the two countries. 

Participation of Serbian official declared non-grata in Kosovo puts dialogue at risk (euronews.al)

Kosovo refuses to participate in the meeting organized by EU’s Special Envoy for the dialogue Miroslav Lajcak as Veljko Odalovic is also to attend.

Odallovic has been designated as ‘persona non-grata’ following claims that he was a key figure in Slobodan Milosevic’s regime.

The dialogue at the technical level between Kosovo and Serbia resumed on Tuesday in Brussels mediated by the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak. The two parties will also meet on Wednesday. Kosovo will be represented by chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi and Serbia from Petar Petkovic.

Bislimi, who also holds the post of vice-premier, said that Tuesday’s meeting was mainly on the implementation of the agreement on energy, license plates, and missing people from the war.

This is the second round of talks at the technical level, while in September a high-level meeting between Kosovo’s PM Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been anticipated.

Kurti and Varhelyi talk about Afghan citizens sheltered in Kosovo (Koha)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, held a telephone conversation, in which they discussed the commitment of Kosovo in sheltering Afghan citizens displaced by the conflict in Afghanistan. 

Prime Minister Kurti informed Commissioner Varhelyi about the actions of the relevant authorities in providing full care to 683 Afghan citizens, who are currently in Kosovo out of 2,000, which can be a maximum at once.

“The readiness of the government of the Republic of Kosovo to offer its assistance in this humanitarian issue, has the dimension of alliance and partnership with the United States of America, with whom we are in contact and coordination since mid-July,” Kurti is quoted as saying in a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Kosovo Urged to Start Countering Russian Media Disinformation (Prishtina Insight)

A report by a Pristina-based think-tank urged the Kosovo government to start taking action to oppose Russian media narratives that seek to undermine the statehood and sovereignty of Kosovo.

A report published on Tuesday by the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development, KIPRED, about the potential for Russian media disinformation to undermine Kosovo’s statehood urges the authorities to address UN member states with an appropriate strategy to counter it.

The executive director of the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development, Lulzim Peci, told a press conference that the authorities are doing nothing to counter what he called the “Russian diplomatic war against Kosovo”.

“The reactions of Kosovo’s institutions have come without a proper policy on how to act towards Russia and the same institutions have not built any narrative about the Russian state,” Peci said.

The report, entitled ‘Kosovo Observatory: Russian Diplomatic War and Media Disinformation’, analysed statements, press conferences, articles and other documents from Russia that were published from June 1 to August 15 this year.

Peci said the report calculated that “out of 500 news articles that directly or indirectly related to Kosovo, 96 or 19.2 per cent of them contained misinformation”.

According to the report, the largest number of articles containing misinformation were published by Sputnik Serbia (71 items), followed by TASS (nine), Russia Today (four), UNZ (four), Sputnik International (three), Russian Insider (two), The Duran (two) and Newsfront (one).

The report concludes that Russia is trying to undermine Kosovo’s statehood and Western engagement in Kosovo and the region, and to change the narratives about war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, thus undermining the foundations of international justice.

Russian media articles have also accused Kosovo of oppressing local Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church, and of disrespecting an agreement to establishing an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

The report warns that a critical moment has come at the end of a moratorium agreed in Washington for Kosovo not to actively seek membership of international organisations and for Serbia not to campaign against Kosovo’s recognition.

“This moment can be used by Russia to work together with Serbia to implement an aggressive campaign for the derecognition of Kosovo,” the report says.

Kosnett to Afghans in Bondsteel: U.S. will provide them with permanent housing (Klan)

A team from the U.S. Embassy led by Ambassador Philip Kosnett visited Afghan refugees sheltered in the Bondsteel military camp on Monday.

In a Facebook post, the U.S. Embassy stated that the U.S. will provide permanent housing for Afghans. 

“On Monday, an Embassy team led by Ambassador Kosnett welcomed the first group of U.S.-affiliated Afghans to their temporary home in Camp Bondsteel. While ensuring that families are comfortable during their stay, U.S. government teams are working all the time to meet the requirements to take Afghan partners to their permanent homes,” the post reads.

The numbers of political entities for the October elections are announced (Klan)

The Central Election Commission has drawn lots for the ranking of political entities certified in the Local Election, to be held on October 17.

By lot, the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) will hold the number 144, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) will have the number 160 while the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will compete with the number 177.

The Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) will hold the number 119, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) will hold the number 121, while the Social Democratic Party will hold the number 127.

Serbian Language Media

Bislimi: No elements for the meeting between Vucic and Kurti at the moment (KiM radio, N1)

Another round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina at the technical level, mediated by the European Union, has ended in Brussels. The representative of the Kosovo delegation, Besnik Bislimi stated after the meeting that there are currently not enough elements for the meeting between the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, reported KiM radio, citing broadcaster N1.

Bislimi announced that the next meeting at the technical level should be held at the end of October, after which, if there is progress, a meeting at the highest level could be considered.

As Bislimi said, only the missing was discussed at the trilateral meeting, and he pointed out that it was agreed to open the archives, as well as to participate in the exchange of the remains identified so far.

“Serbia was looking for KLA archives, but they do not exist. However, we have state archives about the KLA,” said Besnik Bislimi, reported KiM radio portal.

Varvitsiotis: Greece’s position on Kosovo remains unchanged (media)

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis says that Greece’s position on the status of Kosovo remains unchanged and emphasizes that Athens strongly supports the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in order to reach a comprehensive, legally binding agreement, in accordance with international law and the EU acquis, reported Serbian media, citing Beta and Euroaktiv. 

Varvitsiotis said that the firm and merit-based perspective of the membership of the Western Balkan countries in the EU is in the interest of the Union itself, but at the same time a key stimulus for transformations in the region.

He stressed that Greece fully supports any individual initiative that could encourage further progress in the region and serve as a preparatory step on the road to the EU and announced that a regional Balkan forum would be held in Thessaloniki on September 15th.

Asked whether the recent raising of the Kosovo Office in Athens to a higher-level led to the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, Varvitsiotis said that “as is well known, Greece’s position on Kosovo’s status remains unchanged”.

“At the same time, it is well known that Greece has followed a constructive approach towards Pristina, in line with our strategic goal of strengthening stability and security in the Western Balkans. In this regard, Greece has hosted the Kosovo Trade and Economic Affairs Office in Athens since 2019, with an aim to facilitate our bilateral cooperation. Without implying status issues, we have recently decided to rename it the Office of Kosovo’s Interests in Athens,” Varvitsiotis said.

He also stressed that Athens “strongly supports the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and firmly believes that the implementation of what has already been agreed remains crucial”.

“After two recent meetings between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti … it is crucial that both sides intensify their work on reaching a comprehensive, legally binding agreement, in line with international law and the EU acquis,” the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister added. 

Varvitsiotis said that it was very important for Greece that “Serbia accelerates its progress and becomes a member of the European family as soon as possible”.

“It is a natural place for Serbia. Serbia is a key partner of the EU. The Serbian government’s priority to accelerate reforms on the European path with special emphasis on the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption was an important step in the right direction. In this context, we welcome the country’s wise decision to adhere to the new enlargement methodology, which makes the enlargement process more credible, predictable, dynamic and influenced by stronger political governance,” he said.

He underlined that the “time frame” for Serbia’s accession to the EU depends on the “speed and quality of reforms” and that “it is crucial to continue fulfilling the reform obligations and to achieve tangible results in their implementation”.

“The overall pace of EU-Serbia negotiations will continue to depend on the progress of reforms, with special emphasis on chapters on the rule of law. Comprehensive normalization of relations with Pristina remains a key element in Serbia’s negotiating framework,” he added.

Varvitsiotis noted that “Greece believes that in a time of growing global challenges and divisions, a solid and merit-based perspective of the Western Balkans’ full membership in the EU is in the political, security and economic interests of the Union itself, as well as a key driver and driver of transformation in the region.” 

“We hope to hold the first intergovernmental conference with Northern Macedonia and Albania as soon as possible, in accordance with the set conditions. We also warmly welcome the explicit intention of the Slovenian EU presidency to keep the enlargement issue high on the agenda, thus increasing the EU’s credibility and we are ready to work together during the presidency in that direction,” he added.

He expressed hope that the EU-Western Balkans summit on October 6, organized by the Slovenian presidency, would be a step further towards the economic convergence of the Western Balkans with the EU and that it would yield tangible results.

Asked whether there was a real political will in the EU to revive the enlargement process, Varvitsiotis said that “the Western Balkans is a region of strategic interest to the EU as an integral part of Europe” and that “there is a common belief that the region has no other way that the European integration”.

The deputy head of Greek diplomacy pointed out that the situation caused by the Covida-19 pandemic delayed the enlargement process, as well as that there were “issues that divide the European community” and moments that “require a compromise solution in order to preserve the unity of the Union”.

Varvitsiotis  expressed confidence that “the new EU enlargement methodology and the latest Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, with the mobilization of around 20 billion euros in investment with an additional nine billion euros in IPA assistance, could provide the long-term and sustainable development of the region needed for further progress in the European integration”.

He emphasized that Greece “consistently supported the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans and that it is constantly working to ensure that the issue of the Western Balkans remains at the top of the EU agenda”.

“We fully support any individual initiative that could encourage further development and progress of the region and serve as a significant preparatory step on the countries’ European path,” he said, announcing that a special Balkan Forum would be held in Thessaloniki on September 15 and that ”our Western Balkan partners will have an opportunity to share their vision of the EU and have their voices heard”.

Varvitsiotis also said that it was wrong to distinguish between the economic and political integration of the Western Balkans.

“According to the EU Treaty, fulfillment of both political and economic criteria is a precondition for membership. We should not forget that decisions on reforms are first made at the political level, followed by direct or indirect economic and social influence,” he added.

He pointed out that, accordingly, “in order to build an appropriate institutional framework for European integration, the Western Balkans must continue its reform efforts”.

“All other activities or initiatives, such as the mini Schengen or the Common Regional Market, are fully welcome and could serve as an added value to further modernization and regional integration on the path of the countries of the region towards the EU,” he added.

Speaking about the Conference on the Future of Europe, he expressed the expectation that it would provide an opportunity to hear the voice of its citizens.

Speaking about the situation in Afghanistan and a possible new wave of refugees, the Greek deputy foreign minister said that the EU “does not have a clear position on its migration policy and the New Pact on Migration and Asylum being negotiated” and ”is not ready to face a new migrant crisis over Afghanistan”.

Resumption of Belgrade – Pristina dialogue in Brussels (B92, Tanjug)

Talks between the delegations of Belgrade and Pristina continue today in Brussels, within the technical dialogue mediated by the European Union.

EU spokesman Peter Stano confirmed for the Tanjug agency that two days of technical talks will be dedicated to “the current open issues and the next steps in the dialogue”.

The main negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina, Petar Petkovic and Besnik Bislimi, were supposed to meet at the end of August, but due to the illness of the representatives of Pristina, that round of technical talks was postponed.

EU Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak later scheduled a new date for talks in early September.

On Tuesday, both delegations had bilateral talks with Lajcak and EU mediators, and a trilateral one, of Belgrade, Pristina and EU mediators, is planned for today. Before this round of dialogue, Petković said that the Belgrade delegation would insist on five issues that had already been agreed upon earlier, and whose implementation Pristina either violates or completely rejects.

It is about forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities, clarifying the fate of the missing, implementing the agreement on justice, freedom of movement and official visits, and implementing energy agreement.

See at:https://bit.ly/38OAPKB

“Little Trump” on Kosovo: “Biden squandered everything” (Tanjug, B92, Blic) 

Former Envoy of former U.S. President Donald Trump for Belgrade – Pristina dialogue, reiterated that the world welcomed the signing of the Washington Agreement.

In the author’s article written for the U.S. portal “Federalist”, Richard Grenell pointed out that the “historic negotiations” from September 4, 2020 were squandered by the current U.S. President Joe Biden.

“It was Donald Trump’s vision for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize their economic relations and help usher-in a complete Balkan-wide revitalization. President Trump believed that the perceived conflict was impacting job creation and economic development for everyone involved. He also believed that the strategy of constant political talking, led by the Europeans, was not working”, Grenell stated in the author’s text for the American website Federalist.

Grenel added that “unfortunately for the Balkans, the Biden Administration took the opposite position.”

“President Joe Biden continues to ignore Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, and the entire region and has decided he just doesn’t want to get involved. He has no presidential envoy for negotiations and there are no discussions or plans for the region inside his White House. There are no high-level visits planned by U.S. officials and no dates for Balkan leaders to come to the U.S.”, Grenell said. The former envoy adds that Biden transferred the process to the European Union, to Brussels.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3jPI9fg

CEC announced draw for ranking political entities on local elections, SL under the number 147 (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo online reported today, citing Ekonomia online, that the Central Election Commission of Kosovo conducted a draw for ranking order of political entities on the ballots for the local elections.

In the elections on October 17, the Social Democratic Initiative will be under the number 119 on the ballot, while the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) will be under 121, Vetevendosje 144, and the Serbian List 147.

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) will have the number 160 on the ballot, while the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will be under the number 177.

Kosovo online recalled that the Serbian List announced that it would consider whether to participate in the local elections due to the verdict against Ivan Todosijevic, who was sentenced to two years in prison for presenting his position regarding Racak.

Orban: To find the southernmost line with Serbia to stop the migration wave (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban stated today that Hungary knows what to do about the new migration wave, and that is to find the southernmost line together with Serbia, where that wave could be stopped, reported Kosovo Online, citing Tanjug.

He said at a joint conference with the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, that he could not rule out that the wave of migration would intensify, and that the situation in Afghanistan indicates a real danger.

According to him, there is a mass of about four million people inside Afghanistan who are moving to safer areas and who are looking for a way out of their situation.

“They can move through Turkey to Western Europe. We know what we have to do, and that is to find the southernmost line together with the Serbs where we can stop them. The big question is how Germany will react to the new wave, because if a new German government follows the old policy, we will open a corridor. If they do not allow it, we will strengthen our border, but we need to see how Germany will react,” Orban said.

International 

The Cocaine Market Is More Competitive And Violent (eurasiareview.com)

More violent, diverse and competitive: these are the main characteristics of the cocaine trade in Europe. The new Cocaine Insights Report, launched today by Europol and UNODC, outlines the new dynamics of the cocaine market, which represents a clear threat to European and global security. The report was launched as part of the work programme of CRIMJUST – Strengthening criminal justice cooperation along drug trafficking routes within the framework of the Global Illicit Flows Programme of the European Union.

The fragmentation of the criminal landscape in source countries has created new opportunities for European criminal networks to receive a direct supply of cocaine, cutting out the intermediaries. This new competition in the market has led to the increased supply of cocaine and consequently to more violence, a trend developed in Europol’s Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2021.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3A6O5Gk

Humanitarian/Development

Western Balkan coal plants causing thousands of deaths (euobserver.com)

Air pollution from coal-powered plants in the western Balkans has caused 19,000 deaths over the past three years, a new report from the CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air revealed on Tuesday (7 September).

Nearly 12,000 of those deaths (3,700 in the western Balkans themselves, and 7,000 in the EU) are attributed to emissions caps being exceeded by coal plants located in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

See more at:https://bit.ly/38SsS7j