• Osmani meets US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Nicholas J. Giacobbe (media)
• “Special Police presence is unnecessary if barricades are removed” (media)
• Hoxhaj: Backed by Russia, Serbia threatening entire region (Euronews Albania)
• Threats at the borders as means of political pressure (Radio Free Europe)
• Visions of the dialogue (Kosovo 2.0)
• Phillips: China, not Russia, is the greater threat to Kosovo (BIRN)
• ICRC refutes media report that Ukshin Hoti remains were found (Kallxo)
• EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say (Reuters)
• COVID-19: Eight deaths, 68 new cases (media)

Osmani meets US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Nicholas J. Giacobbe (media)

The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani received on Tuesday in a meeting the Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Kosovo, Nicholas J. Giacobbe, with whom she discussed the latest developments in the country after the decision for reciprocity on license plates with Serbia.

President Osmani said Serbia is trying to destabilize the situation, which according to her is a continuation of Russian-Serbian efforts to undo the US, EU, and NATO achievements in Kosovo and in the region.

In this context, President Osmani said that the decision of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo to implement the license plate reciprocity is legal. She emphasized the fact that the implementation of this measure by Kosovo institutions is in full compliance with the Agreement reached in Brussels, which has not been implemented by Serbia.

President Osmani also made it clear that Kosovo does not intend to at any given time escalate the situation. In particular, she emphasized that the main commitment of the country’s institutions is the upholding of law and order and the protection of every citizen of the Republic. On the process of dialogue, President Omani confirmed that Kosovo remains committed to its continuation and reiterated the importance of equal treatment of the parties involved in it.

Giacobbe said that for the United States, the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo is inviolable, adding that dialogue is the right way to move ahead.

“Special Police presence is unnecessary if barricades are removed” (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said on Tuesday that Serbs turned down a proposal by COMKFOR Franco Federici to unblock the situation in the north which foresees among other issues to remove the barricades and to replace members of Kosovo Police special units with KFOR troops at the border crossing points of Jarinje and Bernjak. Svecla said Kosovo authorities agreed to the proposal but that it was refused by Serbs.

“Being that KFOR has offered additional engagement and has offered to provide security to our border police with additional troops at the border crossing points, we said that once the barricades are removed, the presence of the special police there will no longer be needed. But the offer of the KFOR Commander was turned down by extremist elements and in doing so they proved that they are not worried, as they said earlier, about the presence of special police but that their goals are deeply political and damaging for the sovereignty of our country,” Svecla said.

The Serbian List issued a media statement on Tuesday evening saying that they have turned down COMKFOR’s proposal. “Following consultations with our citizens, we unanimously turned down the proposal. Our people and we as their representatives are not ready to agree with Prishtina’s intention to put us in a ghetto and abolish the right to freedom of movement, which has been the modern European value for decades and which should also apply to Serbs in this area,” the statement notes.

Hoxhaj: Backed by Russia, Serbia threatening entire region (Euronews Albania)

Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo’s former foreign affairs minister, said that PM Albin Kurti’s decision to impose reciprocity for license plates was ‘the right choice’. He said that the fact that it wasn’t implemented since the 2011 agreement, indicates how unstable is the status quo in Kosovo.

According to Hoxhaj, it is time to resolve the disputes between Prishtina and Belgrade and suggests that it can be achieved if the dialogue goes through a restructuring.

“I think it is time to rethink on reformatting the dialogue and speak solely about mutual recognition and discuss technical issues”, said Hoxhaj.

Kosovo’s ex-diplomacy chief stressed that the current situation is not a test for Kosovo and Serbia, but for the West and Russia.

“Undoubtedly, the recent developments have also a geopolitical dimension. Serbia’s out in the public military threats, the mobilization of the army and their placement near the border with Kosovo, as well as Vucic’s minacious language and the presence of the Russian ambassador in a military barrack in southern Serbia, point out that this whole thing is also a test for the relations between the West and Russia, therefore the EU and the US must be more determined”, declared Hoxhaj.

The former minister believes there is a connection between the recent developments and an incident that took place in Montenegro a few days ago, where Serbs sparked a civil conflict, adding that both Russia and Serbia are trying to restore their influence in the Western Balkans.

“I don’t think that Vucic is reacting only on behalf of Serbia. Definitely, there is some coordination with Russia and this means that Kosovo’s integrity and sovereignty are under a direct threat from Belgrade, but above all, it is an attempt to threaten the entire region. An effort to produce insecurity in the Balkans in order to block the integration process”, he said.

For Hoxhaj, the government of Kosovo must maintain a clear stance on the agreements reached, but also needs to think about the next steps for the dialogue process, as the reciprocity on vehicles is only a technical move, while more importance must be attributed to the political and diplomatic plan.

Threats at the borders as means of political pressure (Radio Free Europe)

Serbia’s military actions near the northern border with Kosovo, are intended as messages of threats against Kosovo’s security institutions and are also aimed at testing the NATO mission in Kosovo – KFOR, security experts, Rrustem Berisha, former Minister of the Kosovo Security Force (now the Ministry of Defense) and Nuredin Ibishi, a former member of the Kosovo Assembly, said in interviews with the news website.

According to them, since the end of the war in Kosovo, in June 1999, this is the first time that Serbia has deployed its military troops near the border with Kosovo and has conducted maneuvers with helicopters and military aircraft near the border crossing point in Jarinje.

The situation became tense after the implementation of the decision of the Government of Kosovo on the measure of reciprocity with Serbia for license plates, on September 20, when special units of the Kosovo Police were deployed near the border crossings in Jarinje and Brnjak, while local Serbs blocked the roads with heavy vehicles, as a form of opposition to the Government decision.

On September 25, Serbian military helicopters maneuvered near the border point in Jarinje, while for several days, military planes maneuvered at both border crossing points. On September 27, members of the Serbian Army were deployed near the border with Kosovo, in Rudnica, Serbia.

On Monday, KFOR said it had stepped up patrols in those areas.

Rrustem Berisha, former Minister of the Kosovo Security Force (now the Ministry of Defense), told Radio Free Europe that since 1999 there was not a case when Serbia deployed military forces very close to the border with Kosovo. The Serbian side, according to him, is challenging security institutions in Kosovo, including international ones, such as KFOR.

Security expert Nuredin Ibishi, a former member of the Kosovo Assembly, says Serbia’s actions near the border with Kosovo, which include the deployment of military forces and maneuvering warplanes, are a threat to local and international security forces in Kosovo. According to him, this behavior of the Serbian state could produce dangerous consequences for the region, if not stopped.

Visions of the dialogue (Kosovo 2.0)

Dialogue. For anyone in Kosovo, as well as perhaps in Serbia, the word conveys a very specific meaning. For the last decade there has been one never ending dialogue, the dialogue. That is, of course, the Brussels dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, or as it is formally known, the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina.

Launched in March 2011, the dialogue aims to achieve “a comprehensive legally-binding agreement addressing all outstanding issues in order for Kosovo and Serbia to progress on their European paths, create new opportunities and improve the lives of the people.”

The last decade has seen its fair share of meetings and historic summits, of breakthroughs and breakdowns. Initially a slew of technical agreements and compromises were signed dealing with telecommunications, border management and education, to name a few. But many of the agreements were only partially implemented and the process has been plagued from the beginning by a lack of transparency.

For a time it seemed a lot was happening, but nothing was changing. A land swap proposal in 2018 sparked fears across Europe of renewed ethnic strife. The U.S. appointed their own special envoy and the EU responded in kind. The White House brokered a half-baked agreement between the parties, to the dismay of Brussels. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, sensationalist non-papers and general enlargement fatigue in the region, the dialogue plods on.

Kosovo’s brief tariffs on Serbian goods put a halt to discussions for a while, but with clear political majorities in power in Kosovo and Serbia, some suggested that the time could be right for a breakthrough. Now with the recent row regarding license plates heightening tensions in Kosovo’s north, there is yet another obstacle on the path to resolution.

As both sides rear for yet another round, K2.0 asks: what does the dialogue look like today? How did we get here and where are we going?

Before high-level discussions resume, we are bringing you informed conversations from people with unique and varied perspectives on the dialogue. This is the first set of interviews in a series of three. The conversations took place in early to mid-September, prior to the latest reignition of tensions in Kosovo’s north.

Read full story here: https://bit.ly/3D0QBPP

Phillips: China, not Russia, is the greater threat to Kosovo (BIRN)

Opinion piece by David L. Phillips, Director of the Program on Peacebuilding and Human Rights at Columbia University. He served as a Senior Adviser and Foreign Affairs Expert at the US State Department during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.

Kosovo needs a steely-eyed response to the malign intentions of Russia and, more importantly, China, and the US can help.

Russia has been Serbia’s primary protector, providing security assistance and diplomatic cover aimed at undermining Kosovo’s state-building and efforts to gain greater global recognition.

Today, however, Russia’s influence is waning. China has filled the breach with economic diplomacy; Kosovo and other countries in the Western Balkans should recognise Beijing’s growing influence and guard against its malign activities.

The Western Balkans have been Russia’s strategic priority since NATO intervened to prevent the genocide of Kosovo Albanians in 1999. Russian President Vladimir Putin is still seething at America’s unipolar moment. He is not motivated by Slavic solidarity, but by anti-Americanism and hostility to western liberal values.

Russia and China work in tandem. Premier Xi Jinping and Putin are united through their sense of historic humiliation. They oppose the integration of Western Balkan countries into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic is a malleable figurehead eager to do their bidding.

China has surpassed Russia as the leading authoritarian influence in the region. It has also replaced Russia as Serbia’s great backer. While Russia seeks to foster chaos and instability, China is systematically taking steps to integrate and control the economies of Balkan countries.

Chinese debt diplomacy

Russia’s influence is diminishing not only in Kosovo, but throughout the region. Montenegro joined NATO in 2017 over Russia’s objections, followed by North Macedonia. Romania blocked Russian arms shipment to Serbia in July 2019. The following year, Serbia cancelled its participation in “Slavic Brotherhood” military exercises with Russia and Belarus.

Serbia and China, on the other hand, have found common ground through China’s Belt and Road Initiative, BRI. Its financing saddles countries with debt and fuels corruption. China benefits by capturing resources needed for its economic growth. Montenegro is especially vulnerable to China’s ravenous drive to control ports and infrastructure.

Read full piece here:

ICRC refutes media report that Ukshin Hoti remains were found (Kallxo)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in an email to the news website that some media reports that the remains of Ukshin Hoti, a professor of international law and philosophy who was arrested by Serbian forces before the war in Kosovo, were found are not true. “The ICRC would like to strongly emphasize that such reports are completely inaccurate and not based on any information received from the ICRC … Inaccurate reporting only adds to the concerns of the families of missing persons,” the response notes.

EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say (Reuters)

The European Union, fearing a political backlash in member states, can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries once promised a place in the club, according to four diplomats and an internal document.

An impasse over a declaration for a summit of EU and Balkan leaders on Oct. 6 is a low point in the EU’s strategy to bring Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia into the bloc. It coincides with a flare-up of tension at the Kosovo-Serbia border.

At the summit, the EU planned to restate its promise made 18 years ago to give “its unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans,” according to a draft summit declaration dated Sept. 11 seen by Reuters. That has undergone at least two rounds of talks with no agreement, diplomats said.

EU states would not disclose their positions, but wealthy northern countries such as Denmark, France and the Netherlands fear a repeat of the rushed accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 and the poorly managed migration of eastern European workers to Britain that turned many Britons against the EU.

Bulgaria is against North Macedonia joining because of a language dispute.

Even if some language is finally agreed, the malaise reflects paralysis in the EU’s plan to build a “ring of friends” from Ukraine to Tunisia by offering closer ties, trade and aid.

Instead, China and Russia are encroaching with investments and influence. In January, Serbia was the first European country to receive Chinese COVID-19 vaccines for mass inoculation.

The EU is also indirectly exacerbating tensions in the region of 20 million people, diplomats say, because Balkan citizens dreamed of joining the EU after the ethnic wars of the 1990s as Yugoslavia disintegrated.

NATO troops stepped up patrols in Kosovo on Monday near border crossings which have been blocked by local Serbs angered by a ban on cars with Serbian licence plates entering the country. read more

Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence and has begun military manoeuvres near the border.

“They have to misbehave to be noticed,” said a senior EU diplomat in Brussels involved in Balkan policy. “There is deterioration in the Balkans that stems from the lost interest in EU capitals.”

The EU and the United States have appealed for calm and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began a three-day trip to the six Balkan countries on Tuesday to show the EU executive’s commitment to the region.

In her first stop in Albania, von der Leyen said she stood by the pledge that “Albania’s future is in the EU.” read more

But the EU’s credibility has been damaged, particularly after France and the Netherlands temporarily halted the enlargement process two years ago and Bulgaria is now blocking it.

Kosovo and Serbia feel let down by the United States, after being invited to the White House a year ago by then President Donald Trump to seal a deal to normalise economic relations, only to see it fall through. The EU has not kept its promise to allow Kosovo visa-free travel.

Pro-enlargement states, including Austria, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and the Baltic countries, chide Germany and France for failing to press Bulgaria to lift its veto. Albania’s progress has also been halted because it is tied to North Macedonia in the enlargement process. read more

“As long as you have so many member states, for one reason or another, who believe that it is not right to extend the EU community further, then we are really going nowhere,” said John O’Brennan, an expert on EU integration at Maynooth University in Ireland.

COVID-19: Eight deaths, 68 new cases (media)

Eight deaths from COVID-19 and 68 new cases with the virus have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 323 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 3,342 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.