Albanian Language Media:

• Sorensen: The issue of missing persons remains priority in dialogue (media)
• Before leaving Kosovo, Sorensen stopped in Merdare (Klan)
• Osmani: Clinton's support for Kosovo, proof of American values (media)
• Serwer: Balkan region on autopilot for now (Koha)
• Police action against crime in south and north of Mitrovica (media)
• VV Secretary: At least 15 thousand postal votes of LDK, falsified (Koha)
• U.S. Embassy expresses condolences on passing away of Haxhi Thaci (media)
• Indictment against Serb who has weapons seized in Leposavic (Koha)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Serbian Assembly took note of resignation of government, 30-day deadline to establish new one started (Tanjug)
• Djuric speaks with Somali FM about support on Kosovo, economy (Tanjug)
• SL to Sorensen: Do everything to implement the signed agreements, Sorensen on the meeting with SL and Rasic (RTS, Kosovo Online) 
• Radio KIM and Aktiv launch language rights campaign, CEC to enable equal access to information (Radio KIM)
• 15 minutes of silence in North Mitrovica supported by Novi Pazar students (KoSSev) 
• 16 persons arrested in five municipalities; 9 weapons, 200 rounds of ammunition, and a knife were seized in 21 locations... (KoSSev)
• Students declare regime tabloid the enemy (N1)

Albanian Language Media 

Sorensen: The issue of missing persons remains priority in dialogue (media)

The European Union's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen, has highlighted the importance of clarifying the fate of persons missing during the war in Kosovo, underlining that the issue of missing persons remains a priority in the dialogue. "Families who are still waiting to learn about their loved ones deserve clarity and justice. Therefore, the issue of missing persons remains a priority for me in the dialogue", Sorensen wrote in "X" after visiting the Institute of Forensic Medicine. There are about 1,600 people missing from the 1998/99 war in Kosovo.

Before leaving Kosovo, Sorensen stopped in Merdare (Klan)

Before leaving Kosovo, the new European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen, stopped at the border crossing point – Merdare. He said that it is time to increase cooperation to modernize all other crossing points between Kosovo and Serbia. “Before leaving Kosovo, I stopped in Merdare – a modern crossing point built by the European Union. It is time to increase cooperation to modernize all other crossing points between Kosovo and Serbia,” Sorensen wrote. 

Osmani: Clinton's support for Kosovo, proof of American values (media)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, during her participation in the "World Forum", gave a speech to the former President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, emphasizing that Kosovo breathes free and independent thanks to the support of the democratic world. Osmani also published her speech on the social network Facebook. "As I stood in front of him, I remembered March 1999, when we listened with hope to his speeches on a small radio, while experiencing the horrors of the Milosevic regime. Today, thanks to the liberation war and thanks to the leadership of the democratic world and the bipartisan American support, both from Democrats and Republicans, Kosovo breathes free and independent", Osmani said.

“Thank you, President Clinton, not only for the agreements signed, but above all for the lives saved. And in particular, thank you on behalf of the current children of Kosovo—the first generation that is not growing up in war and that knows only peace,” Osmani said among others at the “World Forum” in Berlin.

Serwer: Balkan region on autopilot for now (Koha)

The U.S. expert on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said the current U.S. administration is likely to leave the direction of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia to Brussels, even though on other issues the U.S. and the EU are on different trajectories. According to him, apart from the strong support that the Trump Administration has given to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are no indications of what its policy will be in relation to Kosovo. “I think this administration will want Brussels to take the lead in the dialogue. In general, the U.S. and the EU are on different trajectories today, but I have not yet seen any indication of this on the issue of dialogue,” he added.

Serwer says that the eventual appointment of Colleen Hyland does not indicate either continuity or a change in the current administration's approach to the Balkans. According to him, Hyland will do what the Trump administration wants.

Serwer said that the eventual appointment of Colleen Hyland does not indicate either continuity or a change in the current administration’s approach to the Balkans. According to him, Hyland will do what the Trump administration wants. “She seems extremely qualified to me. She is professional. But she will do what the administration wants, which is not yet clear,” Serwer said. 

Police action against crime in south and north of Mitrovica (media)

The Kosovo Police has confirmed that an action is being carried out in the south and north of Mitrovica, which is related to combating criminal activities, smuggling of weapons and ammunition. "After the completion of the police operation, additional information will be made public," the Kosovo Police told RTKlive.

Later on  the Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica has informed the media that the Kosovo Police has arrested 16 people in the operation that took place on Wednesday in the southern and northern parts of Mitrovica. They are suspected of criminal offenses such as "coercion", "smuggling" of weapons and explosives, and 13 of them have been taken into custody by decision of the prosecutor. The police operation took place in 21 locations.

As material evidence during the search, the Police announced that 9 firearms, 200 cartridges, various ammunition, 15 mobile phones, 2 pairs of handcuffs, a knife, gun barrels, gun receipts and 1 DVR were seized.

VV Secretary: At least 15 thousand postal votes of LDK, falsified (Koha)

The General Secretary of the Vetevendosje Movement, Alim Rama, has stated that the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) should annul the votes of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and approve a re-voting by mail, as according to him there were massive manipulations in the electoral process. According to him, 15 out of 18 thousand postal votes of LDK are falsified. He emphasized that there is a huge discrepancy in the votes of LDK candidates, giving the example of Hysen Cekaj, who received about 11 thousand votes inside Kosovo, while over 12 thousand by mail and only 92 votes in the embassy voting.

U.S. Embassy expresses condolences on passing away of Haxhi Thaci (media)

The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo has expressed its condolences on the death of Haxhi Thaci, father of former President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci. In a message of condolence addressed to the Thaci family, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, ​​Ms. Anu Prattipati, wished that the family find strength and solace in the memories they had with the deceased. “On behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, I would like to express my condolences on the passing of Haxhi Thaci. We understand the deep loss for all of you, and we want to express our sincere condolences during this difficult time. I hope you find strength and solace in the memories you have shared and in the support of those around you. Please accept our sincere condolences and know that our thoughts are with you and your loved ones.”

 Indictment against Serb who has weapons seized in Leposavic (Koha)

The Basic Prosecution Court in Mitrovica has filed an indictment against the defendant R.M., who is accused of unauthorized ownership, control, or possession of weapons. According to the Prosecution, on October 31, 2024, in the village of Soqanica in Leposaviq, three rifles, a military gas mask, knives, Serbian police hats, hundred of cartridges, binoculars, bayonets, a metal police rod, and a radio were found in the defendant’s house, after a police raid.  He was arrested, armed in the mountains of the village of Soqanica.

Serbian Language Media

Serbian Assembly took note of resignation of government, 30-day deadline to establish new one started (Tanjug)

The Serbian Assembly took note of the resignation of the prime minister Milos Vucevic, thus ending the mandate of the entire government, Tanjug news agency reported. It was also said that a 30-day legal deadline to establish the new government has started as of today.

The current government will now serve in the technical mandate until formation of the new one. According to the Serbian Constitution the President of the Republic is obliged to initiate a procedure of forming the new government.

Djuric speaks with Somali FM about support on Kosovo, economy (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric spoke by phone with Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi on Tuesday, thanking Somalia for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, adding that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Somalia.

Djuric expressed the confidence the two countries would continue to provide assistance to each other in the international arena and noted that Serbia highly appreciated Somalia's support regarding the Kosovo issue.

"Our bilateral cooperation is characterised by many years of friendship, based on the Non-Aligned Movement, the UN Charter and mutual respect”, Djuric noted. The parties discussed economic cooperation and opportunities to advance it in numerous sectors, such as agriculture and the construction and ICT sectors. Djuric said he was especially pleased with cooperation as part of the World In Serbia scholarship programme for foreign students in Serbia. He said Serbia was ready to increase the number of scholarships available to young Somali students.

SL to Sorensen: Do everything to implement the signed agreements, Sorensen on the meeting with SL and Rasic (RTS, Kosovo Online) 

The Serbian List (SL) delegation led by its president, Prof. Dr. Zlatan Elek, met in Pristina with the new European Union Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sorensen.

The SL representatives pointed out the extremely difficult situation in which the Serbian people in Kosovo find themselves, which is a consequence of the anti-Serbian policy of the regime in Pristina.

"The meeting discussed the violation of the rights of our people, physical attacks on citizens, even on children, but also the violation of the rights of the Serbian people in the last elections when Kurti gave the mandate to Nenad Rasic with Albanian votes, snatching it from the hands of the Serbian people," the statement said.

The new envoy was asked to be neutral and do everything possible to ensure that the signed agreements were implemented, especially regarding the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

Meanwhile the new EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sorensen wrote on X:

 “Had good separate discussions with the parties who won seats in the last elections according to the official results @srpskalista and @nenadrasic_zspo about the position, concerns and wishes of the Kosovo Serbs in Kosovo”.

Radio KIM and Aktiv launch language rights campaign, CEC to enable equal access to information (Radio KIM)

Years long violations of language rights and lack of political will to deter such a practice have led to systematic problems still burdening institutions and people in Kosovo, mainly of Serbian ethnicity.

Civil society organization Aktiv and Radio KIM have launched a public advocacy campaign, aiming to encourage institutions to resolve this problem. The Central Election Commission (CEC) and its Secretariat, are the starting institutions to be scrutinized with a clear request addressed to these two institutions to amend language anomalies and ensure equal access to information in both official languages in Kosovo.

The analysis of the official Central Election Commission website and its accounts on social media brought to light numerous irregularities representing violation of the Law on Use of Languages and right of the people speaking Serbian language.

Despite the budget of 8.7 million euros allocated to organization and implementation of the election process, language anomalies noticeable in the basic and crucial information in Serbian language related to the election process demonstrate continued lack of interest to provide lasting solutions to this issue.

What was found on the CEC website?

-          Irregular links – Many links in the Serbian language on this website are not functional. This in turn prevents Serbian and other non-Albanian communities using the Serbian language to access information of public importance;

-          Numerous grammar mistakes – Part of the CEC website contains very poor Serbian, and some parts in Serbian are completely incomprehensible;

-          CEC members are not evenly represented – Albanian version says there are 11 CEC members, Serbian version has 5 of them only;

-          Organogram – Organogram on CEC structure in the Serbian language section is presented in Albanian language only;

-          Voting instruction – An informative poster on how to vote in the Serbian language section is presented in the Albanian language only;

-          Relation with the media reporting in Serbian – There is no information in the Serbian language on the CEC website on how journalists and observers may get accreditation;

-          Election statistics are not available in Serbian – Statistics for parliamentary elections in Kosovo in 2019 and 2021, same as for local elections in Serb majority municipalities are not available on the Serbian language website section.

-          Nonfunctional internal regulations – Not a single link in the segment “Internal CEC regulations” was functioning in the Serbian version of the website;

-          Election operational plan and public information – These sections are available in the Albanian language only;

-          Meetings and agendas of CEC – Official decisions, minutes and announcements of the meetings in the Serbian version of the CEC website are published in the Albanian language only;

-        Vacancy announcements – Vacancies and applications are written in Albanian language only in the Serbian version of the website. Same goes for archives of the previous vacancies;

-          Annual report – The last report published in the Serbian language dates back to 2016. The last report published in the Albanian language dates to 2022.

Radio KIM reported that identical practice can be observed on the social accounts of CEC. The posts are regularly included in Albanian, followed by English and then, if at all, in Serbian. English is not an official language in Kosovo, while it is often given advantage to the detriment of Serbian. 

15 minutes of silence in North Mitrovica supported by Novi Pazar students (KoSSev) 

Mitrovica students and citizens, this time with the support of their colleagues from Novi Pazar, gathered again today in the very center of the city, to honor the victims of Novi Sad with a 15-minute silence, reported KoSSev. 

A group of students from the University of Pristina, with temporary headquarters in North Mitrovica, called again for today's tenth meeting.

Symbolically, at 11:52 a.m., about fifty citizens gathered near Knez Lazar square, at the exact time when the canopy at the Railway Station in Novi Sad fell on November 1 last year, killing 15 people and seriously injuring two others.

This time, the students of Mitrovica on the city promenade were also supported by the residents of Novi Pazar.

They stood with their colleagues with a large banner reading "Novi Pazar".

It is about several students of the State University in Novi Pazar, who did not want to speak to the media.

A banner with an inscription dedicated to the March Pogrom in Kosovo, the 21st anniversary of which was marked this week, was also visible at the rally:

"Pogrom, the rewarded crime, we remember, we are waiting for justice!".

Several professors from the University of Pristina also attended the meeting. The Kosovo police were also present near the gathering this time.

16 persons arrested in five municipalities; 9 weapons, 200 rounds of ammunition, and a knife were seized in 21 locations... (KoSSev)

KoSSev reported that today's KP action at 21 locations, in 5 municipalities, resulted in a seizure of 9 firearms, 200 pieces of ammunition, 15 mobile phones, 2 pairs of handcuffs, and a knife. 

The Directorate for Investigations of Organized Crime and Serious Crimes, in coordination with the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Mitrovica, with the support of relevant police units and the Kosovo Police Inspectorate, after several months of investigations, today, according to the order of the Basic Court in the municipality of South Mitrovica, carried out an extensive police action, during which searches were carried out at a total of 21 locations. 

The action was conducted in South and North Mitrovica, Vucitrn, Srbica and Leposavic, as part of an investigation that lasted several months.

As announced by the Kosovo police, the operation was conducted to fight against serious crimes. During the search, the police detained 16 people on suspicion of committing the crimes of "coercion" and "unauthorized possession and trade in weapons or explosives."

As evidence, 9 firearms, 200 ammunition, 15 mobile phones, 2 pairs of handcuffs, a knife, weapon parts, as well as other materials were seized indicating serious organized criminal activity. 

After the interrogation, 13 persons were detained by the police for a period of 48 hours, according to the prosecutor's decision.

Students declare regime tabloid the enemy (N1)

Belgrade University political sciences students declared a regime tabloid their enemy following attacks on a student from Novi Pazar.

“As of this moment you are our direct enemy,” the students said in an Instagram post.

The Informer tabloid and TV lashed out at Davud Delimadjac, a Muslim student, calling him an anti-Serb who says that genocide was committed in Srebrenica, a statement that draws the wrath of Serb nationalists and deniers of war crimes.

The protesting School of Political Sciences (FPN) students said that Informer owner and editor in chief Dragan J. Vucicevic “go well past every level of human and professional shame”. “Informer has proved again that it is not a media outlet but a propaganda tool which operates outside the law with no consequences,” the post said.

“This is not an ordinary conflict but a media war between Informer and students, between lies and the truth, between abuse of power and resistance. … We won’t leave our fellow students to the mercy of the media vultures. You should be worried by what is coming,” the post said.