Albanian Language Media:

• Mehaj: Russia wants to destabilise Kosovo at any cost (Kosovapress)
• Third dose of the vaccine in Kosovo in a matter of days (RFE)
• Citizens concerned with Delta Plus, ready to take third vaccine dose (EO)
• COVID-19: Six new cases, no deaths (media)
• Police seize 75 kg of drugs, three cars and cash, five arrested (media)
• Grenell comments on claims he asked for fall of Kurti I government (Express)
• Serbian Gendarmerie entering Kosovo in civilian clothes, residents say (Lajmi)
• Pendarovski: Kosovo no longer a priority for the U.S. (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 70 new cases registered in Serbian areas (Radio KIM)
• The next round of dialogue in Brussels on November 16 (RTS, Tanjug)
• Serbia against Kosovo membership in UNESCO (Kosovo-online, media)
• Vucic: Electricity prices for households unchanged, nuclear power under consideration (N1)
• Grenell visits Kosovo, talks to journalists at Merdare crossing point (B92, media)
• Bilcik urges reconciliation in Western Balkans (N1)
• Armistice Day marked in Pristina; the French ambassador calls for reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia (Kosovo Online, Ekonomia Online)
• State Department: We do not comment on why some countries were not invited to summit (Radio KIM)

Opinion:

• Legal framework for Kosovo Serbs tailored to Pristina (KoSSev)
• Turkey’s Pragmatic Policy in the Balkans has its Limits (Balkan Insight)

International:

• US Warns Berisha Not to Retake Albanian Democratic Party (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Group of young Albanians visited Visoki Decani Monastery (Radio KIM)

Albanian Language Media  

Mehaj: Russia wants to destabilise Kosovo at any cost (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Armend Mehaj, said on Wednesday that “the recent unrest in the north of Kosovo and the involvement of Russian diplomats, such as the case of a former UNMIK staff member several years ago, the involvement of Russian and Byelorussian officials as reporters who were then arrested by Kosovo Police, and the visit by the Russian Ambassador to Serbia with the Serbian troops near the border with Kosovo, are proof that Russia wants to destabilise Kosovo at any cost”.

Mehaj made these remarks during the annual conference of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter, held on Wednesday in Split, Croatia. He argued that the Balkans is targeted by Chinese and Russian threats.

Mehaj also said that Kosovo stands firm on the path of Western democracy and has a strong Euro-Atlantic orientation. “Confirming this position, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we tried to manage the situation, and we never accepted any donations from Russia or China,” he said. “Even in difficult times, we did not lose focus or orientation, because we believe in the permanent partnership and friendship and we embrace the values of the democratic world at all times.”

Third dose of the vaccine in Kosovo in a matter of days (RFE)

Kosovo is very soon expected to decide about the third dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 and the booster. “The decision will be made in a couple of days, because the committee for immunisation against COVID-19 has addressed the issue of the booster and the third dose,” the Ministry of Health told Radio Free Europe today.

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health recommended to the Ministry of Health back in September to start giving boosters. Boosters are being given in many world countries following recommendations by the World Health Organisation and other healthcare regulators.

Citizens concerned with Delta Plus, ready to take third vaccine dose (EO)

The confirmation of the first cases with the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 in Kosovo have caused concern among the people. Some citizens in Prishtina interviewed by the news website said they were ready to get the third vaccine dose if this would help prevent the further spread of the virus. 

“I would certainly get the third dose. I am vaccinated and I would like to appeal to all those that are not vaccinated, to get the vaccine, because this helps protect our families,” a citizen said.

Another citizen said the confirmation of the Delta Plus variant is a cause for concern. “This is very concerning. I got both doses of the vaccine … and it is certainly good to get vaccinated, because the situation is not good,” he said.

COVID-19: Six new cases, no deaths (media)

Six new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. 21 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 429 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Police seize 75 kg of drugs, three cars and cash, five arrested (media)

Kosovo Police and State Prosecution officials told a press conference in Prishtina today that during an operation they have arrested five persons, seized 75 kilograms of marijuana, and confiscated three cars and cash. The head of the narcotics investigation unit said investigations into the case began four months ago and that the raids were carried out in Prishtina, Mitrovica and Bardhosh.

Grenell comments on claims he asked for fall of Kurti I government (Express)

Richard Grenell, former U.S. Presidential Envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, neither confirmed nor denied claims by Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) senior member Arben Gashi who said that Grenell called for the fall of the Kurti I government.

“We always get the same questions from the media. You need to look to the future. I have answered this question many times. No, I did not say that. I made it clear to Kosovo leaders what the U.S. policy is and that we were not going to waste our taxpayers’ money in policies and programs that that government was undermining with the 100 percent tariff … I made it clear to Kosovo leaders that this was not a good economic policy and that we were not going to support it. I never proposed any such political decision,” Grenell was quoted as saying.

Serbian Gendarmerie entering Kosovo in civilian clothes, residents say (Lajmi)

Residents of the village of Karaceva still fear that members of the Serbian Gendarmerie could cross the border into Kosovo, the news website reports. 22 years after the war in Kosovo, residents of Karaceva say that they cannot find peace and are faced with problems defending their lands. They have repeatedly called on the Prime Minister and President of Kosovo to be more alert and to apply pressure on Brussels for Belgrade to stop destructive actions that have caused fear and panic among these residents.

Selver Lenjani, leader of the local community and representative of the residents of Karaceva, told the news website that Serbian Gendarmerie have not been seen in their village lately but that they fear they could be entering dressed in civilian clothes. “They are entering that area in civilian clothes now only because we don’t have permanent police patrols on the main road of the village,” he added. 

Pendarovski: Kosovo no longer a priority for the U.S. (Telegrafi)

North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski said on Wednesday that Kosovo is no longer a priority for the United States of America. “Our American friends should not be upset, but I will repeat again that for a long time now Kosovo is not in the radar of U.S. priorities. I’m not saying that they [the Americans] don’t care about the region, about us or about Kosovo, but Kosovo is no longer a priority of U.S. foreign policy and will never be the way it was in 1999,” Pendarovski said.

Serbian Language Media

Covid-19: 70 new cases registered in Serbian areas (Radio KIM)

Out of 154 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 70 were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced, Radio KIM reports.

New cases were registered as follows: 27 in Leposavic, 19 in Mitrovica North, ten in Zvecan, seven in Zubin Potok, four in Gracanica, two in Gnjilane and one in Strpce.

Meanwhile, 92 persons have completed a two-week isolation period.

Currently there are 544 active cases in the Serbian areas in Kosovo. 

The next round of dialogue in Brussels on November 16 (RTS, Tanjug)

The next meeting of the main negotiators in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be held in Brussels on Tuesday, November 16, reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), citing agency Tanjug..

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija confirmed for Tanjug that the director, Petar Petkovic, will participate in the dialogue scheduled for November 16.

According to the Office, the main topic of the new round of dialogue is the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), referring to the EU statement from September 30.

European Union spokesman Peter Stano told Radio Free Europe (RFE) that the Belgrade and Pristina delegations would continue to discuss the implementation of previous agreements, open issues and how to move forward, reported RTS.

Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic and head of the Pristina delegation, Besnik Bislimi last met in late September when an agreement was reached on de-escalation in the north, following tensions over Pristina’s decision on Serbian license plates.   

In the meantime, on October 21, the first meeting of the working group formed as a result of the agreement reached between the parties was held, which has a mandate to find a permanent solution for the license plates.

The working group is chaired by EU representatives, and representatives of Belgrade and Pristina are participating in it.

This group must present, no later than April next year, the proposed solution at the highest level, i.e. President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. 

However, there are no indications that Vucic and Kurti will meet soon, i.e. before April, according to RFE.

EU spokesman Peter Stano insists that the dialogue has not stopped.

“We are focused on achieving results and solving problems through hard work. The dialogue has not stopped and continues with the daily engagements and work of the EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajcak – not only with the parties, but also within the EU, in the wider region and on the international scene,” Stano concluded.

Serbia against Kosovo membership in UNESCO (Kosovo-online, media)

It is not UNESCO’s mandate to make political decisions relating to the statehood, Serbian Ambassador to UNESCO Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili said yesterday during debate at 41 session of the UNESCO General Conference reacting to the statements of the Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka who advocated for Kosovo membership in this organization, Kosovo-online portal reports.

Rastovac Siamashvili pointed out that one of the crucial prerequisites for unobstructed implementation of the UNESCO’s mandate was depoliticization of its work.

She termed the calls for politicization and misuse of UNESCO “as an instrument to affirming illegal, unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, contrary to the international law, including the legally binding UN SC Resolution 1244” as “utterly concerning”.

She noted that what UNESCO needs was more unity and not divisive lines and creation of rather dangerous precedents. She also said that “in the case of so-called Kosovo the lack of moral credibility and sincere commitment to UNESCO’s principles was more than evident”.  

“Membership in UNESCO, a true symbol of joint efforts of the international community to protect world cultural heritage, certainly can’t be linked with intentional and systematic destruction of the Serbian heritage in the Province, with a perfidious aim to erase the traces of centuries long presence of the Serbian people in this area”, she said.

“That is why four monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in our Province were included on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger List”, she underlined.

Rastovac Siamashvili also said she finds unacceptable the address of the Albanian Foreign Minister with numerous remarks relating to the part of Serbia’s territory, as the latter is truly and actively engaged in promoting the good neighborly relations and stability in the region.

“We urge Albania to encourage Pristina to take part in the dialogue under the EU’s auspices as the only adequate format to find mutually acceptable solutions for all the topics”, she said, adding it was an obligation of all UN members states to restrain from meddling into internal affairs of other UN member states.

This relates to Albania as well, particularly given its future membership at the UN Security Council as non-permanent member, Rastovac Siamashvili underlined.

Vucic: Electricity prices for households unchanged, nuclear power under consideration (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that electricity prices for households would remain unchanged, adding the country could consider nuclear plants as a source of power, N1 reports.

Speaking during a tour of the Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant, Vucic said that the price of power for companies would be set on Monday. According to the president, new power prices have been agreed with the Chinese Zijin which, he said, is one of the biggest power consumers in the country. “We are talking to others in terms of a framework we can sustain. That agreement has to be above cost but more than it is now so that we can stimulate future investments”, he told reporters.

He also said that the Nikola Tesla B power plant, which is under reconstruction, will mean “salvation for Serbia” once it goes online late in November, adding that there will no longer be any problems with power supplies. Vucic said that once the power plant is back on the power grid, Serbia will no longer have to import electricity for 200 Euro or more a megawatt. “Once we secure reserves and new facilities from renewable sources we will look into nuclear plants”, he is quoted as saying.

Grenell visits Kosovo, talks to journalists at Merdare crossing point (B92, media)

Former US envoy Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Richard Grenell visited Kosovo and addressed journalists this morning at Merdare crossing point, B92 reports.

Grenell said he was in Kosovo as a private citizen, not as a representative of the American administration, but also that he was frustrated with the events during the last few weeks.

“First of all, I am no longer with the US government. I come here as a private citizen. I am only here as a private citizen from the Trump administration and I come because we are frustrated”, Grenell was quoted as saying.

The former U.S. diplomat pointed out that many in the United States are frustrated because the historical “economic agreement reached in the White House” is not being applied.

“Many of the Trump administration and many Americans are frustrated because we saw a historic agreement – an economic one, which we agreed on for the people of Kosovo and the people of Serbia is not respected. It was not done for governments. It was not for political, but economic development. Too many young people from Kosovo and Serbia moved to Germany, Hungary, Poland because they couldn’t get good deals. If you look at what we negotiated, we have launched a historic flight between Pristina and Belgrade. We did it because the business community told us we needed it in order to provide job opportunities. Many in the West think that the conflict in the region continues, and then jobs don’t move here, so what has happened in the last few weeks is frustrating for the United States”, Grenell said.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Hae181

Bilcik urges reconciliation in Western Balkans (N1)

The European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik called on Serbia to continue reconciliation efforts with other countries in the region, N1 reports.

“I have repeatedly called for rejecting glorifications of war criminals”, he wrote in a Twitter post published after two days of tensions over a mural of convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal General Ratko Mladic in central Belgrade. Two human rights advocates and an opposition politician threw eggs and paint at the mural which Mladic supporters later cleaned up amid a strong police presence which the authorities said was intended to prevent violence.

“As EP’s Rapporteur for Serbia, I urge Serbia and Western Balkan countries to continue their efforts for reconciliation and to strengthen good neighborly relations at all levels”, Bilcik wrote.

Armistice Day marked in Pristina; the French ambassador calls for reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia (Kosovo Online, Ekonomia Online)

Embassies of France and Germany marked Armistice Day today in Pristina, thus marking the end of the fight in the First World War, on November 11, 1918, reported Kosovo Online, citing Ekonomia Online. 

French Ambassador to Kosovo Marie Christine Butel said that this day marks the end of what remained in the collective memory as the Great War and that it is part of the common heritage for more than a century.

“This place where the remains of the dead rest, where homage is paid today, proves that in Kosovo, in addition to the allied soldiers of the Kingdom of Serbia, French soldiers who fought in the Balkans were also killed,” said the French ambassador.

Regarding the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Butel said that the process is difficult and should be developed in a constructive and open spirit.

“Our history reminds us that peace is a delicate balance that must be maintained at all times. Dialogue, although long and difficult, is a necessity that must be developed in a constructive and open spirit. This is the path that Kosovo and Serbia must now take to reach reconciliation and be able to build a common future,” she concluded.

German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde said that today we remember the history that enabled the unification of the people.

“We stand here together as part of our history that has united us as Germans, French and Europeans in general. Germans and French were once bitter opponents and are now friends, partners, neighbors and united in the EU. This should also give confidence and to the others in the world, enemies can become friends. Deep divisions can be overcome,” Rohde said.

The ceremony was also attended by the head of the EU Office, Tomas Szunyog, Ambassador of Great Britain, Nicholas Abbott, and other domestic and international representatives.

State Department: We do not comment on why some countries were not invited to summit (Radio KIM)

President Joe Biden undertook an obligation to be a host of the Summit on Democracy to strengthen our commitment to positioning democracy and human rights at the core of US foreign policy, reads the replay of an unnamed US State Department official to Voice of America inquiry about the summit, Radio KIM reports.

As Voice of America reported the virtual event is planned to take place on December 9 and 10 this year.

The response also added that participants come from already established, but also from emerging democracies, civil society and private sector, without specifying exact number and individual guests.

“An innovative and strong commitment to the defense against authoritarianism, ways to deal with and fight corruption as well as promote respect for human rights in the country and abroad will be required. The Summit on Democracy points to President Biden’s deep conviction that it was necessary for democracies to unite, learn together, support one another and work together to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges”, an unnamed State Department official said.

Asked about participants from the Western Balkans and why some countries, as per media reports, were not invited to the summit, the official said that they “will not comment on internal deliberations as to why some countries were not invited”, adding that the US wanted states from different regions and with different social and economic characteristics to be included and presented at the summit.

Opinion

Legal framework for Kosovo Serbs tailored to Pristina (KoSSev)

By Dragutin Nenezic

ASM

Bearing in mind the fact that the focus of Serbian politics in Kosovo and Metohija (hereinafter: KiM) has been recently fixated on the formation of the so-called Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (hereinafter: ASM), as part of the obligations undertaken in Brussels, it seems that it is necessary to reassess Pristina’s view of this.

Namely, the documents signed by the representatives of Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels in 2013 (entitled First Agreement of Principles Regulating the Normalization of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina; hereinafter: the Framework Document) and 2015 (entitled Association/Community of Serb Majority Municipalities in Kosovo – General Principles / Key Elements; hereinafter: the ASM Document) envisages the establishment of the ASM as per Pristina’s regulations (item no.2 of the Framework Document and item no.1 of the ASM Document).

In that sense, Belgrade’s policy is completely irrelevant, keeping in mind that it is not a source of law in Pristina. Therefore, it would be more expedient to take a look from the other side of the so-called administrative lines and analyze the scope of Brussels documents within Pristina’s legal system. This text is an attempt to examine where the implementation of the Brussels documents as per the Pristina regulations can lead to, i.e. what are the possible legal consequences of accepting such a course of events.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3c4oxQ1

Turkey’s Pragmatic Policy in the Balkans has its Limits (Balkan Insight)

The Recent crisis in Bosnia has highlighted the adaptability – and limitations – of Turkish policy in the Balkans.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently hosted in Ankara Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, to discuss the political crisis in Bosnia triggered by Dodik’s threat to abandon state institutions. At the beginning of November, Bosnia’s Bosniak leader, Bakir Izetbegovic, visited Erdogan in Istanbul to address the same issue.

Few months ago, Turkey was also busy in the Balkans.

In late August, Erdogan embarked on a small three-day Balkan tour, visiting Bosnia and Montenegro. In Bosnia, Erdogan was a witness at the wedding of Izetbegovic’s daughter, Jasmina.

Then September brought a flurry of meetings: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu travelled to Serbia to open a Turkish consulate in the city of Novi Pazar, part of the southwestern region of Sandzak, straddling both Serbia and Montenegro and mainly populated by Bosniak Muslims; Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited Erdogan in Istanbul; and Erdogan met Croatian President Zoran Milanović on the margins of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ankara’s latest engagement with the region shows that Turkey’s Balkan policy can adapt to change and is guided by pragmatism rather than by ideological concepts of Neo-Ottomanism, a school of thought that presumes that modern Turkey needs to restore its geopolitical influence across former Ottoman territories.

However, Turkey’s initial silence during the current Bosnian crisis, despite Erdogan’s ambition to be a mediator, shows that Ankara has its limits in the Balkans.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3F75XTL

International 

US Warns Berisha Not to Retake Albanian Democratic Party (BIRN)

Ignoring warnings from the US ambassador not to retake the leadership of the opposition Democratic Party, Sali Berisha claimed he has collected enough signatures to summon a party convention – and oust its current chief.

The former leader of Albania’s opposition Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, on Wednesday claimed he had collected enough signatures to provoke new elections in the party, in a clear challenge to the current leader Lulzim Basha.

The announcement came after the US Ambassador in Albania Yuri Kim warned that Washington will not cooperate with the Democratic Party if Berisha returns to its helm.

Berisha was declared persona non grata in the US by the State Department in May, which cited his involvement in “significant corruption”, “misappropriation of public funds” and interference in “public processes.”

Berisha’s move comes at a time of internal turmoil for the party, which experienced an unprecedented third defeat in a row in general elections held in April.

On Wednesday, he informed journalists he had collected “more than enough delegates’ signatures” to call a party convention which he wants held on December 8, to symbolically mark the day in 1991 when the Democratic Party was established as the first new political party after more than 45 years of iron comunist rule.

“This convention will give Albania the most victorious opposition it ever had,” he told media.

Berisha has been involved in several town hall meetings all over the country since he was suspended from DP caucus in September, under pressure from the United States.

US Ambassador Yuri Kim warned that the US, a key ally of the country, will not cooperate with a party led by him.

“We will not be engaging with anybody who is designated by the Secretary of State. That’s a worldwide policy and it has nothing to do with individuals, but as a general matter of policy, we cannot imagine a scenario in which I or any of my successors is going to be pretending that everything is OK and that we just go and have coffee with somebody who is designated by the Secretary of State for significant corruption. It’s not going to happen,” Kim told Tirana-based Top Channel TV on Wednesday.

The Democratic Party also slated Berisha’s announcement. Secretary General Gazmend Bardhi insisted that Berisha had not “collected a quarter of the signatures that are needed”, and said no convention will be held.

“What we saw today was a great mockery of the Democrats. The Democratic Party is a party that functions based on its statute,” Bardhi underlined.

However, Basha’s problems are growing. He faced the wrath of the Youth and Women’s forums of the party after he announced that both forums will undergo new elections. Youth Forum leader Belind Kellici did not recognize Basha’s decision, joining Berisha ranks.

The same scenario occurred with the Women’s Forum where Basha’s call for new elections drew resistance from forum leader Albana Vokshi. She called Basha’s decision “arbitrary, usurping – and ridiculously done through a phone call”.

Under the previous term of the Socialist government, the Democratic Party boycotted parliament for more than two years. However, it took part in general elections on April 25, losing against to the Socialists. The result was the first time a party in Albania won a third mandate in a row.

Berisha, now 77, was Albania’s first democratically elected president from 1992 to 1997 but his rule was marked by human rights violations and election rigging.

He fell from power after fraudulent pyramid schemes swallowed several hundred millions of dollars from a poor and unsuspecting population – which the government failed to warn people about and properly supervise. His rule ended in turmoil and public disorder.

He returned to power as prime minister after his Democratic Party won the general elections in 2005 on an anti-corruption campaign, gaining back the trust of people alienated by the ruling Socialist Party’s own corrupt rule. His term in office was marked by several scandals involving his own family members, but no charges were raised.

Berisha lost the 2013 parliamentary elections to Socialist leader Edi Rama in 2013 and resigned as head of the Democratic Party, but remained a powerful figure in the party.

Humanitarian/Development

Group of young Albanians visited Visoki Decani Monastery (Radio KIM)

A group of Albanian children from neighboring Isnic village visited Serbian Orthodox Church Visoki Decani Monastery yesterday, Radio KIM reports.

Despite some restrictions due to the pandemic, Visoki Decani Monastery remains open for visitors, Monastery said, along with the photo of young visitors.

“A group of Kosovo Albanian children from the neighboring village of Istinic/Isniq visited Visoki Decani Monastery. Despite some restrictions due to the pandemic our Monastery remains open for all visitors. Cultural and religious heritage must bring together all people of good will”, the Monastery wrote on Twitter.