Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 19 deaths, 279 new cases (media)
• Kosovo making preparations to issue COVID-19 digital passports (RFE/media)
• Kurti: Reciprocity towards Serbia is not an act of revenge (media)
• “Kurti to not debate Washington deal but insist U.S. appoints dialogue envoy” (Euronews Albania/media)
• Rizvanolli: No decisions on gas pipeline without cost information (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• EU envoy Lajcak due in Belgrade on Monday (N1)
• Lajcak met Serbian List’s representatives (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Two more people infected with Covid-19 in Gracanica (KiM radio)
• Resignation after insulting president and prime minister (KiM radio)
• Drecun: Lajcak attempts to give a dynamic to a died down dialogue (RTV Puls, Tanjug)
• Petkovic to Pristina: Plans to conquer North doomed (KoSSev)

International:

• Kosovo Minister Blames Falsified COVID-19 Tests on Wrongly Licensed Labs (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 19 deaths, 279 new cases (media)

19 deaths from COVID-19 and 279 new cases from the virus were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 1,269 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 12,464 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kosovo making preparations to issue COVID-19 digital passports (RFE/media)

Kosovo recognises COVID-19 digital certificates approved by the European Commission but is not part of the digital system for issuing such certificates, Radio Free Europe in Albanian reported.

The Ministry of Health said it is working closely with the European Commission to ensure the recognition of digital passports issued by Kosovo.

The inoculation process in Kosovo began in March and so far, 400,000 people have received both doses of either the AstraZeneca or the Pfizer vaccines, RFE recalls.

At present, the people vaccinated against coronavirus in Kosovo are issued with a vaccination card which also contains a QR code while authorities, said the Ministry of Health, have also designed a digital certificate and this is now undergoing necessary procedures so that it gets the approval from the European Commission.

Kurti: Reciprocity towards Serbia is not an act of revenge (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said today that there will be no meeting with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic before 6 October which is when the EU-Western Balkans summit is scheduled to take place in Slovenia. He said reciprocity towards Serbia is not an act of revenge but rather a concept that derives from equality as a value. 

“We want reciprocity so that Serbia lifts its barriers,” Kurti told reporters today but gave no date as to when such a move will be introduced. “You will most certainly be informed when we are ready to impose them.” 

He also spoke about the recent visit of the EU Special Representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak. “Lajcak stayed for three days in Kosovo, unlike other times when he would only stay for an hour or a day. He had a series of meetings with different actors involved in the issue of dialogue. He has begun to understand in greater detail the socio-economic situation of Kosovo,” Kurti said.

He added that the issue of opening archives was not discussed in the meeting with Lajcak. “We did not discuss reciprocity but I did tell him that European leaders have received a letter from me concerning violations that Serbia is committing.” 

Kurti made the comments at a press conference where he announced that public university education will as of 1 October be free of charge for all students in Kosovo. 

“Kurti to not debate Washington deal but insist U.S. appoints dialogue envoy” (Euronews Albania/media)

Vlora Citaku, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said Prime Minister Albin Kurti should not be debating the Washington agreement with the U.S. administration but should instead insist on the U.S. appointing a special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Citaku argued that the U.S. should not be in the supporting role in the process of dialogue but a direct participant.

On the issue of opening of archives, Citaku said that Serbia has requested the opening of the KLA archives since the beginning of the dialogue process as an attempt to, as she said, equalise its criminal and genocidal policies with the liberation war of Kosovo. “Serbia has entrapped the Kosovo delegation and I now fear that Serbia will refuse to help finding and shedding light to the fate of missing persons saying ‘you are not helping us so we will not help you’.”

Citaku said the Government of Kosovo has not been consistent when it comes to the dialogue with Serbia.  She added that she expects the government to come out with a ‘meaningful’ plan laying out the timeframe for the dialogue and providing assurances it will end in mutual recognition and also get the opposition’s support.

Rizvanolli: No decisions on gas pipeline without cost information (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, spoke at a press conference today about the Government of Kosovo considering the option of building a gas pipeline infrastructure. 

“We have been in continuous collaboration with partners, especially with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The MCC has allocated a grant of about $ 200 million that would be used for the partial construction of this infrastructure. MCC or any other organization would not finance the whole project, we are dealing with a bigger investment than that.”

“Recently there has been talk of an American gas and one thing needs to be clarified that when we are talking about the building of the infrastructure, we are not referring to the American gas or to that of any other country but simply about the infrastructure. In this case, the most studied option is the building of the infrastructure of the gas pipeline that Kosovo would have access to through North Macedonia to the natural gas market in Greece. This would be followed by the construction of a gas plant.”

Rizvanolli underlined that nothing would be decided without knowing the exact cost of such a project. “We need to know the total cost, who would finance it, how much loan we as a country would need to take, who would build the plant…”

Serbian Language Media

EU envoy Lajcak due in Belgrade on Monday (N1)

The EU Info Center said on Friday that European Union special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak will visit Belgrade on September 20-21.

A press release added that Lajcak is scheduled to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as well as representatives of the international community based in Belgrade, business community and civil society.

It added that Lajcak plans to “discuss the state of play on implementation of Dialogue agreements and the way forward in the negotiations on the comprehensive normalisation agreement”.

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

Lajcak met Serbian List’s representatives (Radio Mitrovica sever)

The President and Vice President of the Serbian List, Goran Rakic and Igor Simic met the EU Special Representative for the Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak. 

Rakic and Simic met Lajcak yesterday and discussed the dialogue, non-implementation of the agreement from Brussels, as well as the unfounded verdict against Ivan Todosijevic, which introduces a verbal offense for Serbs in this area, Goran Rakic said in a Facebook post, cited Radio Mitrovica sever. 

Rakic and Simic pointed out during the meeting that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has no alternative and that all open issues must be resolved exclusively through dialogue. They expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels, especially emphasizing the agreements in the field of energy and justice, as well as the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

“Failure to implement the agreement from Brussels harms the people in Kosovo and Metohija the most, and that situation must change as soon as possible if we strive for mutual trust and reconciliation,” Rakic and Simic pointed out.

Officials of the Serbian List conveyed special dissatisfaction to Lajcak over the verdict  to Ivan Todosijevic, by which he was sentenced to two years in prison, thus violating the basic postulate of democracy and the rule of law, which is freedom of speech, the foundation of European Union values, wrote Rakic in a FB post.

Two more people infected with Covid-19 in Gracanica (KiM radio)

In the area of the municipality of Gracanica, two more people were infected with the coronavirus, the Crisis Staff announced today.

As stated, the members of the families of the patients were given a measure of self-isolation.

The Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Gracanica calls for responsible behavior in order to suppress the further spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The municipal inspection intensively controls the observance of protection measures against the Covid-19 virus, and anyone who violates them will be punished, KiM radio cited the statement.

Resignation after insulting president and prime minister (KiM radio, Kosovo Online)

An audio recording was published on social networks yesterday, with the president of the Provisional Authority of Kosovo Polje, Boban Stankovic insulting the president and prime minister of Serbia with a series of vulgarities and swearing. In the meantime, Stankovic resigned, reported KiM radio

The recording quickly spread on social networks. Stankovic could be heard explaining to his interlocutors the details of the detention on Merdare by the Serbian police in January 2019. In that conversation, he cursed and insulted the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic and the Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic

Stankovic was once in a high position in the Independent Liberal Party (SLS) until January 6, 2020. After the SLS, Stankovic became a member of the Serbian Progressive Party, i.e. the Serbian List. In February this year, the Government of Serbia appointed him president of the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Kosovo Polje. 

As the portal Kosovo Online announced last night, Stankovic resigned from that position.

“I resigned for personal reasons,” Stankovic said briefly.

KiM radio reports that, however the author of the video is unknown, which reached the public on the first day of the campaign for the local elections in Kosovo, reported KiM radio.

Drecun: Lajcak attempts to give a dynamic to a died down dialogue (RTV Puls, Tanjug)

The President of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun, assessed that the EU Special Representative for the Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak was trying to give dynamics to the entire dialogue process, which died down due to the behavior of the Pristina side, RTV Puls reported, citing Tanjug. 

Drecun said that Pristina was trying to use the elections to delay the dialogue, although the two processes should not have anything to do with each other, but also that Belgrade should use the visit to warn Lajcak to give up on statements motivating and encouraging Pristina to continue with unilateral moves.

“The upcoming local elections in Kosovo can only be an excuse but not a real justification for delaying and postponing the resumption of dialogue, especially holding a new summit,” Drecun said, adding that Pristina was obviously using the new situation to prolong the talks.

Lajcak’s visit to Pristina aimed at preparing a new summit, but it is interesting, he added, that a new meeting at the technical level was scheduled only for the end of October.

“Things are being agreed here if an agreement can be reached in order to be verified at the summit,” reminded Drecun, who assessed that Lajcak now wants to somehow give new dynamics to the entire process that died down due to Pristina’s behavior.

He said that ”Lajcak should be energetically warned to give up on the statement which motivates and encourages Pristina to continue with unilateral moves”.

“I am primarily referring to Lajcak’s latest statement that his mandate is in fact such that it should end with full international recognition of Kosovo and the establishment of control over the entire territory. I do not know who gave him that mandate and this can only encourage Pristina to continue with unilateral moves,” said Drecun.

Drecun warned that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was once again resorting to extreme and unilateral measures and announced reciprocity.

“I think that everything he does in the dialogue is faking, he is not sincerely committed to the dialogue, he is not committed to reaching any agreement on any issue, even the one they insist on, and that is the issue of the missing,” Drecun said, reported RTV Puls. 

Petkovic to Pristina: Plans to conquer North doomed (KoSSev)

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic said that ”Belgrade is well aware of the obsession of politicians from Pristina with the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija and that making any secret plans for its conquest, are in vain”, reported portal KoSSev. 

The statement comes after last night’s appearance of the President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, in the Klan TV show Rubicon. 

Reminding that there are parallel institutions in the North of Kosovo, Konjufca expressed his belief that Pristina is working on a plan to increase its presence in North Mitrovica.

“I’m talking about what I believe is happening, I’m not saying it will happen one day next year, but I believe that security institutions, the whole architecture of security institutions, starting with the security forces, the Ministry of Defense, the Interior Ministry, the director of intelligence together with the Prime Minister, they are drafting such a plan, i.e. a plan to be more efficient in implementing the presence of Kosovo institutions in that part of the country, “Konjufca said in Rubicon, reported KoSSev.

Meanwhile, the director of the Office for KiM said that Belgrade was aware of the “obsession” of politicians from Pristina with the northern part of Kosovo. 

He said that in vain are “any secret plans to conquer the north”, and that such a scenario was “doomed – just as no one would be able to extinguish the Serb areas south of the Ibar, and assimilate the Serbs who live there”, reported KoSSev. 

“We will continue to be present wherever the Serbian people are, to invest, build and work in Serbian communities,” Petkovic specified.

He advised Pristina officials that instead of “threatening to conquer the north”, it would be much smarter for them to start forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities, because, as he added, that is the only plan that has a future when it comes to the Serbian areas in Kosovo

“On the announced provocations by Pristina that it will increase its military, security or police presence in the north of the province, I can only tell Albanian politicians not to try to threaten, let alone carry out such actions because Belgrade will not allow it,” Petkovic stressed.

In the end, he states that Belgrade is ready to resolve all open issues with Pristina in dialogue and at the negotiating table, but also that “instead of a constructive hand of cooperation, Albanian politicians are calling for armed conflicts and threats”, portal cited.

“In such an atmosphere, it is not possible to build coexistence and a basis for the normalization of relations,” concluded the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

International 

Kosovo Minister Blames Falsified COVID-19 Tests on Wrongly Licensed Labs (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo Health Minister Arben Vitia told BIRN Kosovo’s TV show Kallxo Pernime on Wednesday that several labs in the country had obtained their licenses illegally, which had led to cases of falsified COVID-19 test results.

“We are paying a price for the way these laboratories are licensed to do these tests,” Vitia said, adding that the Health Ministry’s internal audit unit “has found violations … the skipping of procedures  … with the way the licensing of these laboratories has been done … the licencing of a big number (of labs) to do these tests (for COVID-19) without prior criteria”.

Vitia said there had been cases of labs obtaining licensed within 2 or 3 days, expressing shock over the clear violation of procedures.

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