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UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 18, 2022

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UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 18, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Visa liberalisation should not remain hostage of any technicality (media)
• Rohde: A speedy solution for visa liberalisation is needed (Klan Kosova)
• Escobar tomorrow in Kosovo, to meet leaders of opposition (Gazeta Express)
• Kusari-Lila responds to criticism: I have Kurti’s full support (Kosovapress)
• Serb accused of killing 33 Kosovars in Peja in ’99 arrested in Budapest (Indeksonline)
• Initiative against Marty report; Rama writes to CoE member states (Telegrafi)
• Gjini: The document exists, I have seen it (Gazeta Express/T7)
• Abdixhiku: I cannot say Kurti is an associate of Serbia; but he is damaging (Telegrafi)
• Hoxhaj at foreign policy forum in Berlin, meets German Foreign Minister (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

• UN Security Council today on Guterres’ report on the situation in Kosovo (media)
• Vucic discusses Belgrade-Pristina dialogue with Lajcak (N1)
• Petkovic with Lajcak: Pristina induces tensions (Radio KIM)
• Selakovic to address UN SC session on Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Vulin in New Delhi: Closer cooperation with Interpol (N1)
• Varhelyi: EU views Serbia as ally (N1)
• Deputy Russian Foreign Minister: We would be disappointed if Serbia introduced sanctions (N1, Sputnik, NMagazin)
• “KLA” graffiti in Susica (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Roadmaps to ‘final solution’, two Germanys, minority rights and parallels with Ukraine (KoSSev)
• The enlargement package 2022 – Another Groundhog Day (EWB)
• “Kosovo in UN would lead towards “Great Albania”” (Danas, Kosovo Online)

International:

• Serbian Alleged Gang Leader Tells Trial: ‘We Served State’s Needs’ (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• UNICEF: The war in Ukraine pushing millions of children into poverty; Kosovo and Albania the most threatened in the WB (KiM radio)
• Stanisavljevic: 86,000 migrants registered in Serbia in 2022 (Tanjug)
• Milan from Djurakovac takes third place in his Yugo in the autoslalom near Pristina (KoSSev)

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Albanian Language Media:

  • Osmani: Visa liberalisation should not remain hostage of any technicality (media)
  • Rohde: A speedy solution for visa liberalisation is needed (Klan Kosova)
  • Escobar tomorrow in Kosovo, to meet leaders of opposition (Gazeta Express)
  • Kusari-Lila responds to criticism: I have Kurti’s full support (Kosovapress)
  • Serb accused of killing 33 Kosovars in Peja in ’99 arrested in Budapest (Indeksonline)
  • Initiative against Marty report; Rama writes to CoE member states (Telegrafi)
  • Gjini: The document exists, I have seen it (Gazeta Express/T7)
  • Abdixhiku: I cannot say Kurti is an associate of Serbia; but he is damaging (Telegrafi)
  • Hoxhaj at foreign policy forum in Berlin, meets German Foreign Minister (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

  • UN Security Council today on Guterres’ report on the situation in Kosovo (media)
  • Vucic discusses Belgrade-Pristina dialogue with Lajcak (N1)
  • Petkovic with Lajcak: Pristina induces tensions (Radio KIM)
  • Selakovic to address UN SC session on Kosovo (Tanjug)
  • Vulin in New Delhi: Closer cooperation with Interpol (N1)
  • Varhelyi: EU views Serbia as ally (N1)
  • Deputy Russian Foreign Minister: We would be disappointed if Serbia introduced sanctions (N1, Sputnik, NMagazin)
  • “KLA” graffiti in Susica (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

  • Roadmaps to ‘final solution’, two Germanys, minority rights and parallels with Ukraine (KoSSev)
  • The enlargement package 2022 – Another Groundhog Day (EWB)
  • “Kosovo in UN would lead towards “Great Albania”” (Danas, Kosovo Online)

International:

  • Serbian Alleged Gang Leader Tells Trial: ‘We Served State’s Needs’ (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

  • UNICEF: The war in Ukraine pushing millions of children into poverty; Kosovo and Albania the most threatened in the WB (KiM radio)
  • Stanisavljevic: 86,000 migrants registered in Serbia in 2022 (Tanjug)
  • Milan from Djurakovac takes third place in his Yugo in the autoslalom near Pristina (KoSSev)  

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Osmani: Visa liberalisation should not remain hostage of any technicality (media)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, met today with a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Parliament led by the chairman of this committee Sergio Souza Pinto, whom she thanked for Portugal’s support to Kosovo. Osmani discussed with the Portuguese delegation the interstate relations and Portugal’s support to the process of visa liberalisation and membership in the Council of Europe. She stressed that the European Commission has recommended the lifting of visas for Kosovo as it has met all the criteria. “Hence, political decision-making during the Czech Presidency is more than urgent and the entry into force of visa liberalisation should not remain hostage to any technicality,” Osmani is quoted as saying in a press release.

Rohde: A speedy solution for visa liberalisation is needed (Klan Kosova)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said today that a speedy solution for visa liberalisation for Kosovo is needed. “The future of Kosovo is in the European Union,” he said during a roundtable on the topic “European Agenda 2022”. “Germany has supported Kosovo for reforms in three strategic areas: good governance, the green agenda and employment,” he said. 

Rohde also said that the Balkans is part of the European Union and that the membership of the six countries is a priority for Germany’s foreign policy. “For integration in the European Union, Germany has continuously supported Kosovo’s institutions. Allow me to explain one more thing, the German Chancellor has said that the Balkans is part of the EU and that the membership of these six countries is a priority for German foreign policy,” he is quoted as saying.

Escobar tomorrow in Kosovo, to meet leaders of opposition (Gazeta Express)

United States special envoy for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Gabriel Escobar, will visit Prishtina tomorrow and meet with leaders of the opposition at the U.S. Embassy, the news website learns from unnamed sources. In addition to his meetings with government officials, Escobar has reportedly invited PDK leader Memli Krasniqi, LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku and AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj to a meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Kusari-Lila responds to criticism: I have Kurti’s full support (Kosovapress)

Head of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said in an interview with the news agency that their parliamentary group is a model of internal democracy and denied claims by LVV MP Haki Abazi that she is undermining debate in the group.

Kusari-Lila said Abazi should use internal mechanisms to express any complaints, including the General Council of the Vetevendosje Movement. She also said she has the full support of party leader and Prime Minister, Albin Kurti. “This is a debate that should be held at the General Council. According to my information, such a debate was never held or initiated. I was proposed by the party leader and voted by the majority of MPs as head of the parliamentary group,” she said.

Serb accused of killing 33 Kosovars in Peja in ’99 arrested in Budapest (media)

A Serbian national accused of killing 33 Kosovars in Peja in 1999 has been arrested in Budapest. The general prosecution of Budapest told MTI news agency that the suspect was arrested based on an arrest warrant issued by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Kosovo. The warrant was issued in September for war crimes committed against the civilian population. It notes that the suspect, together with two of his friends, are accused of involvement and abetting an attack in 1999 that resulted in the death of 33 civilians. The statement also notes that the Hungarian court will look into the extradition of the suspect and that the prosecution through the Hungarian Ministry of Justice will contact the judicial authorities in Kosovo.

Prishtina-based news website Nacionale has published the name of the suspect. It also quotes the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo as saying that they issued the arrest warrant. “Yes, we have issued the arrest warrant. He is suspected of war crimes in the Peja region,” the Chief Prosecutor told Nacionale.

Initiative against Marty report; Rama writes to CoE member states (Telegrafi)

Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, said today he has sent a letter to the Prime Ministers and Presidents of all member states of the Council of Europe in an attempt to initiate a follow-up report against the report of Dick Marty. Rama published the full letter in a Facebook post saying that its objective is to inform all heads of state about the effort that he initiated with a speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe “to remove the stain of organ trafficking from our nation and from the Council of Europe itself”.

“I hope for your personal support and the support of members of the delegations of your countries at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly to adopt our request for initiating a procedure that will lead to a follow-up report, as a honest and necessary correction of a tragic mistake the consequences of which continue to haunt us,” Rama wrote.

Gjini: The document exists, I have seen it (Gazeta Express/T7)

Mayor of Gjakova and deputy leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ardian Gjini, said on Monday evening that he has seen a document about a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia. He said the document he saw did not say that it was authored by France and Germany, but that he believes it was agreed upon by the two countries and also the United States of America.

“Yes, I have seen the document. The letters that have circulated, there are no others. I didn’t get the document from diplomats, but there are channels that circulate it. There is a written document. The authorship is not mentioned anywhere, it does not say it is French-German, but most likely it was agreed upon by France and Germany,” he said.

Gjini also said that according to unwritten rules of diplomacy, the document is most probably coordinated with the United States, because otherwise it could have caused a major international problem. “I don’t believe France and Germany would issue a document without agreeing about it with the United States too,” he said.

Abdixhiku: I cannot say Kurti is an associate of Serbia; but he is damaging (Telegrafi)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, said in a debate in TV Dukagjini on Monday that he has seen statements by opposition representatives who refer to Prime Minister Albin Kurti as a servant of Serbia, but that he cannot say the same. “I cannot say this. I believe he is incapable of governing and damaging for the country. But I cannot say he is an associate of Serbia. At the same time, I don’t expect him to call me a destroyer of the state knowing that we used to govern together,” he said.

Asked to comment on recent videos by the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) criticising him among other opposition leaders, Abdixhiku said that the LVV is in panic and that is why he is dealing with the past. “For two years in government, they have nothing to show and that is why they are dealing with the past. Propaganda is a tool of this government and videos like these are means to manipulate the current situation and the need to produce fake news,” he argued.

Hoxhaj at foreign policy forum in Berlin, meets German Foreign Minister (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly, Enver Hoxhaj, said he met today in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. “A brief meeting at the foreign policy forum in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Baerbock. I thanked her for Germany’s great support for Kosovo,” Hoxhaj wrote on Facebook.

 

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

UN Security Council today on Guterres’ report on the situation in Kosovo (media)

The session of the United Nations Security Council, where the six-month report of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the work of UNMIK will be presented, will be held today at 9:00 p.m, reported Serbian media.

Serbia will be represented at this session by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Selakovic, while the Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, will present Pristina’s views. 

The UN Secretary General’s regular half-yearly report stated that the tensions and heated rhetoric during the period covered by the report reflect the fragile situation on the ground. It was pointed out that the events of July 31 in the north of Kosovo, as a reaction to the decisions of the Kosovo government related to freedom of movement, were a serious escalation, which brought the situation to the brink of confrontation with potentially tragic consequences, cited media.

Guterres stated that “peace prevailed thanks to the broad engagement of diplomats”, stressing that “the importance of restraint and adherence to dialogue in order to resolve disagreements cannot be emphasized enough”.

The report on the situation in Kosovo will be presented to the ambassadors of the members of the Security Council by the head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh.

Gabon is the country presiding over the Security Council during October, reported Serbian media.

Vucic discusses Belgrade-Pristina dialogue with Lajcak (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday that he discussed the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue with European Union envoy Miroslav Lajcak in Belgrade, N1 reports.

“Serious and responsible conversation with Miroslav Lajcak on all open questions in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue”, Vucic wrote in a post on Instagram.

“We are continuing to fight to save our country and our people by insisting on the full implementation of achievements reached so far and respect of international law”, he added.

Lajcak said in a post on Twitter that he continued his open and serious discussion with Vucic on the way forward on normalisation of relations. “Energy and licence plates were high on our agenda as solutions are urgently needed”, he added.

Petkovic with Lajcak: Pristina induces tensions (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met yesterday EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak, who is paying an official visit to Belgrade, Radio KIM reports.

As the Office said in a statement Petkovic discussed with Lajcak about the current political and security situation in Kosovo, with particular focus on missing persons issue, energy and registration plates.

Petkovic said that “Belgrade neither wishes nor makes moves that could induce tensions and generate new crisis on the ground, however, it is Pristina that with unreasonable and unilateral acts makes its utmost to lead to escalation of the conflict, in particular in northern Kosovo and Metohija”, reads the statement.

Petkovic also said the “responsibility for causing the crisis rests on Pristina”, adding Belgrade expects the international community will make Pristina to resort to compromise and constructive dialogue.

He noted that Pristina violates the agreements, including the one on freedom of movement and official visits, but that it also prevents supply of medicaments in the Serb-populated areas.  

Selakovic to address UN SC session on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic will on Tuesday in New York address a UN Security Council session on the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres regular semi-annual report on the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Tanjug news agency reports.

The session is scheduled to begin at 9 pm CET, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

In the report, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said heightened rhetoric between Belgrade and Pristina and an escalation of tensions on the ground had impacted the progress of normalisation of relations in the period from March 16 to September 15.

Vulin in New Delhi: Closer cooperation with Interpol (N1)

Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandar Vulin agreed with Brazilian general international cooperation coordinator Luiz Roberto Ungaretti and INTERPOL’s Vice President for the Americas Valdecy Urquiza on closer cooperation and coordination of activities within Interpol, N1 reports.

In a meeting in New Delhi, India, which is hosting the Interpol General Assembly annual session, an agreement was reached to establish a legal framework for police cooperation that would facilitate the fight against drugs and cooperation in other areas of common interests, said a press release issued by the Serbian Ministry.

The officials agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation between the Serbian and Brazilian police in the fight against transnational organised crime.

Vulin thanked Brazil for honouring Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for preventing Kosovo admission to Interpol, while the Brazilian delegation thanked the Minister for supporting Urquiza when he was elected Interpol Vice-President in 2021, said the press release.

Varhelyi: EU views Serbia as ally (N1)

The European Union views Serbia as an ally, Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi told the Euractiv portal, N1 reports.

“We understand the very specific and peculiar position Serbia is in, but we need their support, and we need their help, and there are ways to do that”, he said commenting on requests that Belgrade aligns with the EU sanctions policy on Russia following its attack on Ukraine.

“This is a question of alliances. We regard Serbia to be our ally”, Varhelyi said.

He added that alignment with EU common foreign and security policy is the issue. “To my mind, it is clear that our member states, in the current geopolitical situation we are in, devote huge attention to this issue”, he added.

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister: We would be disappointed if Serbia introduced sanctions (N1, Sputnik, NMagazin)

Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would be disappointed if Serbia imposed the sanctions, and that he was convinced that any government guided by national interests would not commit political acts of violence by imposing sanctions against Russia, reported N1, citing Sputnik.

“I would be dishonest if I said that we would be indifferent to Serbia imposing sanctions on us. Of course, we would be disappointed,” said Grushko for Sputnik, in response to the journalist’s assertion that there was a narrative in part of the public in Serbia that Russia, if Belgrade would introduce sanctions, should “understand as otherwise was not possible”.

According to his words, “when the West introduces sanctions against us, they actually introduce sanctions against themselves”.

“Everyone knows about the sad state of affairs in the energy sector, even in the sphere of food security. This is precisely the result of the sanctions that worsened the already critical situation because of the pandemic,” said Grushko. 

As he stated, “now the West is suffering because of it”.

“That’s why joining the sanctions, I say theoretically, is the introduction of sanctions against oneself. We start from the fact that any government that is guided by national interests and does not give in to pressure will not commit such political hara-kiri,” Grushko told Sputnik at the end of his visit to Belgrade.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Grushko during his visit to Belgrade on October 13 and 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia announced on Saturday, recalled N1.

Grushko spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikola Selakovic, as well as with the Minister of the Interior, Aleksandar Vulin.

“KLA” graffiti in Susica (Kosovo Online)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija in the strongest terms condemned the latest inscription of “KLA” graffiti in Susica village, near Gracanica, adding it is yet another attempt to intimidate the Serb population there, Kosovo Online portal reports.

It also warned that incidents against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have become more frequent.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija also urged relevant security bodies to “undertake visible and decisive steps in order to shed light on this and all other incidents and punish those responsible”.  

 

 

Opinion 

 

Roadmaps to ‘final solution’, two Germanys, minority rights and parallels with Ukraine (KoSSev)

By: Dragutin Nenezic

Lately, we observed a general proliferation of content on the subject of Kosovo – never before have more countries had their own envoys/representatives dealing with the topic, ‘non-papers“ are appearing and being denied, and dramatic press conferences and announcements are lining up. In addition, an eschatological approach to Kosovo is being built, where the year 2024 is set as the ultimate time limit for achieving the “final solution“.

In such an atmosphere, certain concepts are casually mentioned and trivially and banally used, therefore, in my opinion, attention must be paid to some of them. These are primarily the model of two Germanys, which certain structures in the EU have been advocating for at least 15 years, the concept of minority rights for the entire region as advocated by US envoys/representatives, as well as the concept of Ukraine as a global Kosovo, which became commonplace in our public and collective consciousness.

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

The enlargement package 2022 – Another Groundhog Day (EWB)

The publication of the European Commission’s annual enlargement packages used to be a big deal. The Communication itself and, even more, individual country reports were eagerly awaited as an indicator of governments’ political and policy direction and their achievements. The pressure to have the reports translated as swiftly as possible was intense, as they were the subject of a lively public debate – in national parliaments, in the media, in civil society organisations.

They were appreciated as a useful tool to keep governments accountable for maintaining the reform dynamic that would ensure progress towards EU membership – a goal that was overwhelmingly supported in all of the Western Balkan countries. This reflected an understanding that both the membership perspective was achievable in a not-too-distant future, and that the Commission was an impartial arbiter of developments in the countries it reported on.

As this European perspective became more distant and elusive, the feeling of immediacy and importance associated with the publication of the packages was lost. While lengthier and more detailed, the reports became part of a bureaucratic exercise, not very relevant for the lives of ordinary citizens.

Originally called “progress reports”, the documents are now more realistically named “country reports”. And in fact, nearly 20 years after the membership promise of Thessaloniki, not one of the Western Balkan countries has come even close to joining the European Union. Even when the Commission recommends advancing a country to the next stage of the enlargement process, this is often blocked by one or more member states on grounds that have nothing to do with the developments the Commission reported on.

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

“Kosovo in UN would lead towards “Great Albania”” (Danas, Kosovo Online)

By Vuk Jeremic,

Leader of  Serbian opposition People’s Party (NS) and former president of UN General Assembly

Leader of Serbian opposition People’s Party (NS), former Serbian Foreign Minister and former president of UN General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic in op-ed for Belgrade-based Danas daily wrote that membership of self-proclaimed Kosovo in United Nations would cause further instability in the region and unstoppably lead to the creation of “Great Albania” in which “Albanians would take over the Serbian holy shrines”.

According to Jeremic, the already existing autocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church would take over the administration of Serbian holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija such as Patriarchate of Pec, Gracanica Monastery and Visoki Decani Monastery.

Jeremic further argued that if two fully-fledged members of the UN have decided to unite – in this case Albania and Kosovo – all they should do is to send a joint letter to the UN Secretary General informing him of that decision. There would be no discussion, voting, or the possibility of someone using veto when it comes to the membership of that new, united state in the UN.

Given the percentage of Albanian national minority in neighbouring states, that Albanian state created by precedent, would nurture beyond the doubt pretensions towards them, causing instability in the region.

“When it comes to the shrines of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, which in that case would be on the territory of a single Albanian state, internationally-legally affirmed through membership in the UN, the question of their status would inevitably be raised”, he writes. Jeremic also said that, since the Albanian Orthodox Church is fully autocephalous and recognized in the Orthodox world, the topic of administrative management of Serbian holy shrines would be raised. He recalled that Albanian officials and historians have repeatedly openly questioned the origin of the Orthodox cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, and do so not only in UNESCO.

Jeremic once again underlined the stance of People’s Party that Kosovo and Metohija are inalienable part of Serbia and its return to the constitutional and legal order of Serbia must be a long-term goal of any responsible government, no matter how unlikely it may look given the current circumstances.

Jeremic recalled one should keep in mind that historical circumstances Serbian people faced were even more difficult than the ones today, adding that relations and constellations of power in the world are prone to changes. He further wrote that Serbia should work hard and systematically to strengthen its economy, state and society.

He once again said it was important that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic send letters to China and Russia, urging them to use the right to veto should Kosovo membership to the UN ever come on the agenda and thus block Pristina’s bid. 

 

 

International 

 

Serbian Alleged Gang Leader Tells Trial: ‘We Served State’s Needs’ (Balkan Insight)

Veljko Belivuk, at his trial for aggravated murder, kidnapping, illicit possession of weapons and explosives and drug trafficking, told the court his gang took its orders from senior state officials.

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

 

 

Humanitarian/Development

 

UNICEF: The war in Ukraine pushing millions of children into poverty; Kosovo and Albania the most threatened in the WB (KiM radio)

Dismal statistics published in the latest UNICEF report state that it is expected that around 35.4 thousand Albanians will be added to the number of poor in that country as a result of the impact that the war in Ukraine will have on Albania’s economic performance. Estimates for Kosovo are even more unfavourable, so the figure reaches close to 41.5 thousand people. In Serbia, more than 28 thousand citizens will fall below the poverty line for the same reasons, reported KiM radio. 

The report stated that millions of children in Eastern Europe and central Asia will be pushed into poverty by the conflict and the resulting rise in the cost of living. 

The report added that of the 35,400 people who will fall into poverty in Albania, about 9,000 of them are children. According to UNICEF estimates, another 16,354 children will suffer the same fate in Kosovo, and 7,989 in Serbia.

According to data for the region, a total of 28,200 people were expected to be on the list of poor in Serbia, 17,000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5,500 in North Macedonia, and slightly less than a thousand people in Montenegro.

And in percentage terms, Albania and Kosovo have the largest part of the population that will fall into poverty in the Western Balkans region due to the consequences of the current conflict.

In relation to the total number of inhabitants, Kosovo leads in terms of the percentage of those who will fall into poverty with 3.7 percent of the total population, followed by Albania with 1.5 percent. A smaller effect will affect the residents of Serbia (0.6), North Macedonia (0.4 percent), and Montenegro will have the lowest percentage of those affected (0.1 percent).

In the UNICEF study, data from 22 countries were processed, showing that children are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Although children make up 25 percent of the population, they make up nearly 40 percent of the additional 10.4 million people who will experience, or already have, poverty this year.

The poorer a family was, the greater proportion of their income was devoted to necessities such as food and fuel. When the cost of basic goods increases, the money available for other needs such as health care and education decreases. The war in Ukraine and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis mean that the poorest children are even less likely to have access to basic services and are at greater risk of child marriage, violence, exploitation, and abuse.

For many, childhood poverty lasts a lifetime. One out of three children born and raised in poverty will also live their adult life in the same conditions.

The complete UNICEF report on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the subsequent economic decline and child poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is available at: :https://uni.cf/3SdGoGG

Stanisavljevic: 86,000 migrants registered in Serbia in 2022 (Tanjug)

Serbian Commissioner for Migration and Refugees Natasa Stanisavljevic said on Tuesday that 1.5 million migrants had travelled the Balkan route since 2015 and that 86,000 migrants had been registered in Serbia in the first nine months of this year, Tanjug news agency reports.

“There was a standstill in the past two years due to COVID-19 but this year we are registering a significantly higher number of migrants who have entered Serbia. In nine months, we registered 86,000 migrants at our reception centres, while we had 43,000 people in the same period of last year, which means that we have a 100 pct increase”, Stanisavljevic told Tanjug news agency, adding majority of migrants were coming from Syria and Afghanistan.

She said 228 people had been granted asylum in Serbia to date and that 20 asylum requests were still being processed.

“That clearly shows Serbia is not the final destination for those people. They do not want to stay here, and Serbia is just a transit route to them”, she said.  

Milan from Djurakovac takes third place in his Yugo in the autoslalom near Pristina (KoSSev)

Milan Simonovic from the village of Djurakovac near Osojane took third place in the autoslalom competition this Sunday near Pristina – all while driving his blue Yugo, KoSSev portal reports.

The Kosovo Championship in the autoslalom discipline was held on Sunday in Slatina near Pristina, on an old airport runway. The exciting competition, in which participants avoid cones and other obstacles on a 900-metre-long track, was held in several categories based on vehicle class.

Milan Simonovic participated in class number five, which includes daily drivers from 1,400 to 1,600 cubic metres. Milan, a senior at the Faculty of Economy in North Mitrovica, won third place while driving his blue Yugo. He finished the race, i.e. both laps, in two minutes and seven seconds.

In a statement for KoSSev, Milan reveals that he learned about the competition by chance from a friend, after which he decided to apply.

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

 

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