Albanian Language Media: 

• Varhelyi: Dialogue is the European path of Kosovo and Serbia (media)

• Osmani and Infantino talk about improving sports infrastructure in Kosovo (Albanian Post)

• Specialized Chambers to reconsider reduction of sentence against Salih Mustafa (Koha)

• Constitution of the investigative committee for school textbooks fails (Reporteri)

• Selmanaj: Kurti not worried about miners, but about election results (RTK)

• Tahiri to Kurti: Enough with promenades in Paris, deal with Trepca’s unpaid miners (media)

• Kurti: Dear migrants, we welcome you today in "Skenderbeu" square in Pristina (Klan)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Djuric: Dialogue with Pristina challenging, we are proud to be Cyprus’s true friends (Tanjug, RTS)

• Varhelyi: Negotiations on Cluster 3 with Serbia should be opened (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)

• Srdjan Lazovic's detention extended for another two months (Radio Mitrovica Sever, Kosovo Online)

• Haxhiu: Serb policeman shot dead on eve of lithium contract signing, near planned mine site (KoSSev)

• KFOR: We carefully monitor all relevant security developments in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

• Rakocevic: UNESCO protection important; establishing Kosovo's cultural heritage not possible (Kosovo Online)

•  “No to Rio Tinto – we want clean air, water”: Protests against lithium mining in Serbia (N1)

International:

• EU’s endorsement of lithium mining will further tarnish its reputation in Serbia (EWB)

Albanian Language Media  

Varhelyi: Dialogue is the European path of Kosovo and Serbia (media)

The European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, has said during the Conference of Parliamentary Committees on EU Affairs (COSAC) in Budapest that it is clear that the European paths of Kosovo and Serbia go through dialogue.

"We expect the parties to continue the ongoing efforts for de-escalation and progress in the implementation of their obligations within the dialogue, starting with sending the statute of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo", he said.

Varhelyi also spoke about the current state of the EU enlargement process, expressing the belief that the next Commission will be the Enlargement Commission. According to him, the EU is committed to ensuring the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Osmani and Infantino talk about improving sports infrastructure in Kosovo (Albanian Post)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, within the framework of the "Paris 2024" Olympic Games that began on July 26, has also visited the FIFA offices, where she was received by the president of the governing body of world football, Gianni Infantino, to discuss about improving the sports infrastructure in Kosovo. Infantino, through a post on "Instagram" on Tuesday, in addition to calling the meeting with Osmani a "privilege", added that FIFA will continue its support to the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK).

"We talked about how football can bring people together and we have plans to continue improving the sports infrastructure in Kosovo, which will support the country's talented young players in realizing their potential," he wrote, recalling a visit to Kosovo in 2022.

Specialized Chambers to reconsider reduction of sentence against Salih Mustafa (Koha)

The panel of the Supreme Court has decided to return Salih Mustafa's case to reinstatement. In a communiqué, the Court has announced that it has returned the case to the Appeal, to consider the reduction of the sentence, based on the reasoning presented.

"In his request for legal protection, Mr. Mustafa raised five points, which were related to the translation of the appeal judgment into Albanian, his declaration of guilt for murder as a war crime, as well as the punishment. The Supreme Court panel partially approved his request and annulled the part of the appeal judgment that deals with the conviction of Mr. Mustafa with 22 years in prison. The Supreme Court Panel remanded the case back to the Appellate Panel in accordance with Rule 194(1)(b) of the Rules, to consider the reduction of the sentence based on the reasoning presented in the Supreme Court Panel's decision," the communiqué reads.

This decision on Mustafa's request was issued on July 29 of this year, to protect legality.

Mustafa was convicted by the Specialized Chambers in 2022 of unlawful killing, arbitrary detention and torture, while he was acquitted of the charge of cruel treatment.

Constitution of the investigative committee for school textbooks fails (Reporteri)

The constitution of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry for the process of subsidizing the purchase of textbooks and teaching aids for students at the level of primary education and lower secondary education for the school year 2023/2024 has failed, due to the lack of quorum. Interviewing witnesses are Fadile Dyla, General Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Avni Rexha, Acting Director of the Department of Pre-University Education, Drita Kadriu, Directorate of Education of South Mitrovica Municipality.

Armend Muja said that this committee was formed by the opposition to prove ungrounded and irrelevant facts.

"The request was made a week ago by the chairman of this Committee, Shemsedin Dreshaj, and today he is not present. The plan foresees that all the witnesses will be interviewed by the end of July. After the invitations were sent to all the witnesses, we see that the chairman did not come, nor did the deputy chairman. The opposition has difficulties to prove their ungrounded facts. We should not be the cause to propose a committee now and then. Committee requires insightful fact-finding, and it takes a lot of work. We wanted to show the facts of this investigative committee", said Muja.

Selmanaj: Kurti not worried about miners, but about election results (RTK)

Driton Selmanaj, MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said that Prime Minister Albin Kurti is concerned with the results of the elections and not with the complaints of the miners, who have announced that they have not received their salaries since June. According to him, Kurti has failed to fulfill his promises for the Trepca company.

On Facebook, Selmanaj wrote that Kurti promised that Trepca’s existing capacities will be repaired, new technology will be introduced, production and research will be increased, as well as the qualification of workers will be increased. He emphasizes that this was not realized "even though 64.26% of the citizens of Mitrovica voted for him".

"He FAILED all these promises! Whereas today, when the miners live in terrible conditions and still haven't received two months' wages, Albin Kurti promises himself that in 2025 he will win even more votes than in 2021. He is not concerned about the miners and this society, but about the results of the elections that will be held soon", wrote Selmanaj.

Tahiri to Kurti: Enough with promenades in Paris, deal with Trepca’s unpaid miners (media)

The head of the Parliamentary Group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Besnik Tahiri, through a post on Facebook has asked Prime Minister Albin Kurti and other Kosovo leaders to address the demands and complaints of the miners of Trepca.

"Enough with promenades, you even took photos and videos in Paris, now are you going to deal with the miners of Trepca who are without salaries, with the road blockades all over Kosovo, with the pensioners who are waiting after four years of your government to increase their pensions, with the economic damages from the international blockade?", he wrote.

He further accused the government of single-source contracts. "Honestly, I do not know  what you will be talking about in the campaign", he added.

Kurti: Dear migrants, we welcome you today in "Skenderbeu" square in Pristina (Klan)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has once again welcomed the Kosovo emigrants. On the Facebook social network, he shared a video of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, who published preparations being made for the concert that will be held today in "Skenderbeu" square in Prishtina.

"Dear migrants, we welcome you today to the "Skenderbeu" square in Pristina. Welcome and thank you for your valuable contribution", Kurti wrote.

Serbian Language Media 

Djuric: Dialogue with Pristina challenging, we are proud to be Cyprus’s true friends (Tanjug, RTS)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric today thanked the government and people of Cyprus for their long-standing support and understanding for Serbia, adding that in this way they also support the principles of the UN Charter and international law, reported Tanjug.

Djuric told the participants of the Annual Ambassador Conference at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia, where he is staying at the invitation of Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, that the dialogue with Pristina is challenging, but that Serbia remains committed to finding a peaceful and democratic solution.

The head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that ''Serbia's biggest challenge is the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and that the support of the international community for the independence of the so-called Kosovo was a significant problem for Serbia, which affected Serbia's ability to fully align with the EU's common foreign and security policy'', reported Tanjug.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Constantinos Kombos reiterated the principled position of his country towards Serbia, which is based on the principles of international law regarding territorial integrity and respect for sovereignty.

Kombos pointed out that Cyprus supports the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

"We welcome Serbia's consistent constructive engagement, which unfortunately has not been reciprocated. Therefore, we expressed our concern over the deadlock in negotiations and unilateral and highly obstructive actions by Pristina," Kombos said among other things at a joint conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, reported Kosovo Online.

Varhelyi: Negotiations on Cluster 3 with Serbia should be opened (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)

The European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said that the EU was committed to ensuring the European perspective of the Western Balkans and said that negotiations should be opened with Serbia on Cluster 3, which deals with competitiveness and inclusive growth, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing Tanjug. 

During the Conference of Parliamentary Committees on EU Affairs (COSAC) in Budapest, which brings together EU affairs committees of national parliaments, as well as representatives of the European Parliament, Varhelyi spoke about the current state of the EU enlargement process and expressed his belief that the next Commission will be the Enlargement Commission.

He also pointed out that the Commission has started the internal process of evaluating the reform agendas led by the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and said that the final phase for submitting proposals to the EU Council for approval was underway.

He also referred to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, stating that it was expected that the two sides will continue their efforts towards sustainable efforts for de-escalation and progress in the implementation of obligations, starting with sending the statute for the Association/Community of Serbian Municipalities to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.

He assessed that there was a clear momentum for expansion in the region and emphasized that the EU was "dynamically engaged in providing a European perspective for the WB, with a clear understanding that our Union can only be complete with the accession of this region".

"As far as Serbia is concerned, our assessment remains that negotiations should be opened on competitiveness and inclusive growth, i.e. on Cluster 3", said Varhelyi and noted that the Government of Serbia emphasized that it was committed to speeding up reforms related to EU accession, stating that this was good news.

He added that in the current geopolitical context, it was essential for Serbia to show its strategic direction towards the EU.

Varhelyi emphasized that the EC, as part of the annual enlargement package, will report on the progress of candidate countries for EU membership this fall, as well as every year.

Speaking about the Growth Plan for the WB, he said that it was "a new tool that should speed up the integration" of the EU's partners who are in the process of enlargement.

He recalled that the Growth Plan for the WB, worth six billion euros, would help strengthen the socio-economic convergence of the region with the EU, ensure the benefits of membership to beneficiaries even before accession, accelerate the enlargement process and promote economic integration within the region, through a common regional market.

Varhelyi emphasized that, in order to receive funds, beneficiaries must implement far-reaching reforms in the foundations and socio-economic sectors set out in their "tailor-made" reform agendas.

"We have already started the internal process of evaluating the agendas, and I can say with pleasure that we are in the final stage of presenting the proposal to the Council for its approval," said Varhelyi. 

He added that the Instrument for Reform and Growth for the WB was based on the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, worth 30 billion euros, which mobilizes a third of the region's GDP and identifies 10 key investment initiatives to support long-term socio-economic recovery based on the green and digital transition and encouraging regional cooperation in the WB. 

He pointed out that the EC has so far supported 68 strategically important projects in the fields of transport, energy, environment and climate change, digital infrastructure, human capital development and business sector support.

He added that the EU approved programs for the mobilization of 17.5 billion euros in investments within the Economic and Investment Plan, including 5.4 billion euros in grants.

"With the Instrument for Reform and Growth, the total financial support will reach a comparable level of aid intensity by 2027 as we see in the current cohesion and structural funds of countries in the EU, which means 90 percentage points by 2027. From there, the WB will have all the conditions to be ready to join the EU," said Varhelyi. 

He emphasized that without real integration of the economies and societies of the WB, EU enlargement will not be successful.

"That's why we need to work on the real integration of these countries even before they join the EU," Varhelyi said.

Varhelyi emphasized that the EU enlargement policy, in the new reality, represented "more than ever a clear and necessary geostrategic investment in our own long-term peace, stability, security and prosperity".

He added that he was counting on the partners in the enlargement process to take advantage of the momentum that exists and implement the necessary reforms in order to progress on the path to EU membership, as well as that he was counting on all 27 EU member states to help the EU fulfill its promises in this regard. 

"I am convinced that the next Commission will have to be the Enlargement Commission", concluded Varhelyi.

Srdjan Lazovic's detention extended for another two months (Radio Mitrovica Sever, Kosovo Online)

Lawyer Predrag Miljkovic confirmed that his client Srdjan Lazovic (48) from Leposavic has been remanded in custody for another two months.

"That decision is dated July 25, but neither I, as his lawyer, nor Lazovic have received it yet. It arrived at the prison's address," Miljkovic said briefly for Kosovo Online portal.

The media recalls that Lazovic was arrested on June 27 in Kratina, near Leposavic, when he was returning from Raska with his family.

He was arrested on suspicion of having committed a war crime against the civilian population, which is why the Basic Court in Pristina ordered him to be detained for 30 days a month ago.

As his wife, Marija Lazovic, said at the time, he was arrested because of the photos published by some Albanian-language media, but in which her husband was not at all.

She said that there is also clear evidence that he was not in Djakovica at that time.

Haxhiu: Serb policeman shot dead on eve of lithium contract signing, near planned mine site (KoSSev)

Kosovo’s current Justice Minister, Albulena Haxhiu, has recently been in the public spotlight due to numerous statements she has made, including those regarding the case of Faton Hajrizi and her comments about the media. Haxhiu asserts that Serbia is responsible for both issues—a view also shared by her colleagues. However, the Justice Minister is also facing criticism for alleged interference in Kosovo’s judiciary, reported portal KoSSev in English.

Haxhiu Last Week: Connection between Serbian criminal structures and prisoner escapes

Haxhiu publicly asserted that the Office of the Special Prosecutor “obstructs her work”, alleging that the prosecutor spends more time on Facebook than on legal duties.

She made this claim to reporters after being questioned for two hours at the Special Prosecutor’s Office last week.

Over the next two days, Haxhiu made further statements about her Facebook post, suggesting that some prisoner escapes in Kosovo, including Hajrizi’s, were facilitated by criminal groups allegedly linked to Serbian authorities.

Read more at:https://t.ly/bOWZ_

KFOR: We carefully monitor all relevant security developments in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

The KFOR mission announced that it closely follows all relevant security developments in Kosovo, as well as that the mission's unwavering commitment is to contribute to permanent security and regional stability, reported Kosovo Online, citing Tanjug.

Thus, KFOR replied to Tanjug’s question whether it intends to strengthen forces in the Serbian areas in the north of Kosovo after the increasingly frequent intimidation and threats to which the Serbs are exposed, which was requested by the representatives of the Serbs.

"Our mission is well-equipped and well-placed to continue to effectively implement our UN mandate to provide a safe environment for all people living in Kosovo. We are ready to take all necessary actions to continue to implement our mission, acting as a third security response, in close cooperation with the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law Mission, who are the first and second security responders," KFOR responded. 

After EULEX response yesterday, and KFOR’s today to the same question, media again recalls that recently, “Serbs in Kosovo have been increasingly exposed to attacks by Kosovo Albanians, and the latest case is the writing of graffiti ‘KLA’ and the name of the criminal and terrorist Faton Hajrizi who killed the Serbian policeman Nikola Krsmanovic’’, on the house of the Djurkovic family in the village of Gojbulja near Vucitrn.

Rakocevic: UNESCO protection important; establishing Kosovo's cultural heritage not possible (Kosovo Online)

It is very important to protect a civilization and its fundamental heritage at the international level and within UNESCO, and perhaps most importantly, we must constantly explain, both to ourselves and others, that there are three dominant cultural heritages here – Serbian, Ottoman, and Albanian – and that it is not possible to establish Kosovo’s cultural heritage, journalist and writer Zivojin Rakocevic says to Kosovo Online, commenting on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's decision to keep four Serbian sacred sites in Kosovo on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

“You have thousands of churches, churchyards, monuments, and cemeteries disappearing because we can no longer access them, but this needs to be known somewhere, there must be testimony about it. While we are talking here, some special zone is being destroyed, a church property is being fenced off, and stones are being taken away. It is very important to protect a civilization at the international level and within UNESCO, to protect its fundamental heritage. In the end, perhaps the most important thing is to constantly explain, both to ourselves and to others, that there are three dominant cultural heritages here – Serbian, Ottoman, and Albanian – and that it is not possible to establish Kosovo’s cultural heritage, nor is it possible to establish an administration that will equally, in a balanced way, and fairly deal with all these heritages. Serbian cultural heritage can only be cared for by our institutions, by those who live in it, and they will be the living church, living civilization, and living future of these people,” Rakocevic said.

Read more at:https://t.ly/zRvry

“No to Rio Tinto – we want clean air, water”: Protests against lithium mining in Serbia (N1)

Protests against lithium mining in Serbia were held on Monday evening in Arandjelovac, Sabac, Kraljevo, Ljig and Barajevo.

Chemistry professor Karolina Aleksandrovic told the people assembled at the protest in the town of Arandjelovac that all multinational companies worldwide have only one goal: profit. She stressed that many governments around the world have initiated legal actions against the Rio Tinto Company, and that, instead of setting boundaries, Serbia is securing permits for the company.

“What is even more absurd is the fact that one third of Serbia’s fertile land is to be dug up for three to five percent mining rent. We are a poor country, but as long as we have these blue skies above us, as long as we breathe air with clean lungs, and look at our vineyards, forests, and meadows, we are happy because we are healthy. Only a healthy person is a happy person. Global polluters like Rio Tinto and other Chinese companies see Serbia as a promised land because institutions here do not exist,” said Aleksandrovic.

Addressing the crowd in Arandjelovac, Faculty of Forestry Professor Ratko Ristic said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic does not have the right to promise Serbian land to “German friends”. He stressed that the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between Serbia and the European Union is illegal.

“Aleksandar Vucic is not authorized to sign it. Who is he to say that he has promised his German friends that lithium will be mined,” said Ristic, adding: “Who are you to promise our land, our fields, our future just to keep your word to German friends? The Germans come here yet they have ten times more lithium than we do, but they won’t mine it because they want to avoid polluting German soil, water, and putting the health of the German people at risk.”

Nebojsa Kovandzic of the We Won’t Give Ibar Up association told the protest in the city of Kraljevo that people need to put up a fight.

“In addition to all the institutions, they have also usurped our rivers, our forests…,” said Kovandzic. He added that the government acts solely in its own interests, never in the interest of the citizens, following which the protesters chanted “Thieves, thieves!”

“The traitor is trying to convince us that we must trust the Germans. These are the same people who attacked us in 1914, then again in 1941, and then they bombed us in 1999. Now they are here again, attacking us and making promises. They promise us pits and poison,” said Kovandzic.

 Read more at: https://t.ly/B-PO5

International 

EU’s endorsement of lithium mining will further tarnish its reputation in Serbia (EWB)

On 19 July, Serbia and the European Union signed a Memorandum establishing a strategic partnership on critical raw materials in the presence of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The partnership revolves around Serbian reserves of lithium, a metal crucial for the production of batteries expected to power German electric cars. All sides emphasized economic benefits for Serbia, which wants to attract manufacturers of batteries and even electric vehicles to reap more benefits of lithium extraction.

The project, however, is highly controversial on two levels. Firstly, there is a concern that the mining would be detrimental to the environment of the Jadar region, where the reserves of lithium are located. While the mining company Rio Tinto, which is in charge of the project, the Serbian government and the EU continue to argue that the operation can be carried out in an environmentally safe way, the suspicions remain widespread, especially regarding the trust in Serbian institutions which are supposed to enforce these standards.

Read more at:https://t.ly/IOIJ8