Albanian Language Media:

 

• Kurti: Swiss direct investments in Kosovo increased by 170 percent last four years (Telegrafi)
• Gervalla: NATO integration important for stability in Balkans (RTK)
• Rohde: Serbia should reconsider draft law on Kosovo (Klan)
• Fitore Pacolli: Kosovo is being bullied by internationals (Express)
• Wisner does not exclude possibility that idea of ​​correcting borders can be explored with Trump administration (Albanian Post)
• Haradinaj meets Hovenier, discuss Kosovo's membership in NATO (Telegrafi)
• ​​Abdixhiku: LDK will be part of government only with me as prime minister (media)
• Police come across a man with rifle and military equipment in mountains of Leposaviq (Koha)

 

Serbian Language Media: 

 

• MFA of Serbia: Serbia seeks to protect rights and social security of Serbs with Draft Law on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• UNS: Decades of impunity for murders and kidnappings of journalists, in Kosovo 17 journalists killed and missing (Kosovo Online, media) 
• Trial of Milos Pleskovic for alleged war crimes starts in Pristina, prosecutor and defence presented introductory remarks (Radio KIM)
• Lawyer Filipovic:  No evidence for accusations in case of Pleskovic (Kosovo Online)
• Trial of Milorad Djokovic’s for alleged war crimes continues by hearing a witness (Kosovo Online)
• Mijacic: If Serbia does not initiate reforms soon, we will be able to dream about European integration (N1)
• Bisevac: Serbs in north without human rights, West bears responsibility (Kosovo Online)
• EULEX report warns of rising tensions in Northern Kosovo as ethnic Serbs face new challenges (KoSsev)                                                                                                                                                    

 

                      Albanian Language Media  

 

Kurti: Swiss direct investments in Kosovo increased by 170 percent last four years (Telegrafi)
 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was received by the Federal Counselor of Switzerland and the Head of the Department for Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Guy Parmelin.

 

A media release issued by the prime minister's office stated that "The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for Switzerland's continuous support and emphasised the importance of further deepening our relations. He added that our economic and commercial cooperation is increasing every year, while the general level of foreign direct investments from Switzerland to Kosovo in the last four years has increased by about 170%", the press release states.

 

"At the meeting, the fact that Kosovo has reached Free Trade Agreements with the EFTA member countries, of which Switzerland is also a part, was emphasised. "Kosovo is the only country in the region that, in addition to negotiating trade in goods, has also negotiated trade in services with the EFTA countries, thus increasing the corpus of opportunities for exchanges and cooperation," the announcement notes further.

 

Gervalla: NATO integration important for stability in Balkans (RTK)

 

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla met  with The Foreign Minister of Canada, Melanie Joly in Montreal. They discussed the importance of cooperation in the field of security and defence. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula for Ukraine.

 

A press release issued by Kosovo’s Office of the FM Gervalla highly appreciated Canada's commitment to supporting Kosovo's membership in international organisations and ensuring Kosovo's support in strengthening international subjectivity. "Gervalla emphasised that Kosovo's integration into NATO is of special importance for stability in the Western Balkans", concludes the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Rohde: Serbia should reconsider draft law on Kosovo (Klan)

 

The Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, reposted on his account on the X platform, the post of the Office for German Foreign Affairs, which states that the draft law of Serbia on the declaration of Kosovo as a special protection zone and the jurisdiction of criminal offences clearly violates its obligations of Dialogue.

 

"We ask Serbia to reconsider. Both countries, Kosovo and Serbia, must implement the Ohrid agreement of 2023 without delay, including the ASMM (Association)," the post says. Rohde reinforced this request, writing that Serbia should reconsider the draft law in question because this would constitute a clear violation of the obligations of the Dialogue.

 

Fitore Pacolli: Kosovo is being bullied by internationals (Express)

 

The MP from the ranks of the Vetevendosje Movement, Fitore Pacolli, has criticised the international community, saying that Kosovo is being conditioned more than Serbia. 

 

"The conditions imposed for membership in the Council of Europe were political...", she said, adding that since Kosovo has the EU and the USA as allies, the allies are not interested in keeping Kosovo closer. "We can say that Kosovo is being bullied... they don't have a fair approach towards Kosovo," said Pacolli.

 

Wisner does not exclude possibility that idea of ​​correcting borders can be explored with Trump administration (Albanian Post)

 

Frank G. Wisner, former U.S.special envoy in the "Talks on the Status of Kosovo", has not ruled out the possibility that with the election of Donald Trump, as the 47th president of the United States of America, the latter may explore the idea of ​​border correction as a quick fix. "If he sees any agreement with the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, that suits him, he will not wait for Kosovo to obey, he will be transactional in search of an agreement to make progress", the American diplomat said in an interview for Radio Free Europe.

 

Kosovo, in his assessment, must be resourceful and ensure that it has strong support from the Europeans."But her journey can be difficult", he affirmed.

 

"I assume that the Harris administration would pursue less ambitious goals, it would try to bring Kosovo and Serbia to a table with the Europeans. It would aim for smaller advances in the economy, trade, culture, free movement, in things that start to lower the temperature between the two countries," he added.

 

Haradinaj meets Hovenier, discuss Kosovo's membership in NATO (Telegrafi)

 

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, held a meeting with U.S.Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier at the US Embassy in Pristina. They discussed the political and security developments in Kosovo, with a special focus on the efforts for direct membership in NATO.

 

"I expressed my deep gratitude to Ambassador Hovenier for his and the United States of America's support to Kosovo, standing by us every step of the way," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook. Further, he added that "the action plan for membership in NATO remains our strategic objective, as the only perspective to ensure long-term peace and security for our country and region" Haradinaj wrote.

 

​​Abdixhiku: LDK will be part of government only with me as prime minister (media)

 

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and candidate for prime minister, Lumir Abdixhiku, has said that the party he leads will be in government only with him as prime minister. "Being in opposition is not tragic either, but we are going for victory, to form the next government. I am convinced that the citizens of Kosovo are fed up with the current situation".

 

"They have two alternatives in front of them: a government that deals with the past, and the one that projects the future. Judge me on the issues and ideas I have for the future. If you are convinced with my team, with me, with the positions I have, then the LDK should be supported as a force, not only because of the clean political history it has in Kosovo, but also because of the design of the future ", Abdixhiku said.

 

Police come across a man with rifle and military equipment in mountains of Leposaviq (Koha)

 

Kosovo Police encountered a suspect with a rifle and ammunition in the mountains of a village in Leposaviq. During the search at his house, the Police also found other weapons as well as jackets and military equipment.

 

"The Kosovo police, during the performance of their duties and police authorizations to provide order and security, in the northern part of the country, specifically in the mountainous part of a village in Leposaviq, encountered a suspect with a hunting rifle with ammunition. Under the well-founded suspicion that the suspect R.M. (year of birth 1976, Kosovar male) also possesses other weapons, his house was searched. During the search, they also found: a semi-automatic weapon, an 8.75mm rifle, an air rifle, cartridges of different calibres, several knives and a jacket with other military equipment", Kosovo Police announced. The suspect was sent to custody for up to 48 hours.

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

MFA of Serbia: Serbia seeks to protect rights and social security of Serbs with Draft Law on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

After the EU and the USA warned that Serbia violated the obligations from the dialogue by adopting the Bill on the declaration of Kosovo as an area of special social protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia said that the law in question aims to protect the rights and social security of the Serbian people in Kosovo, in accordance with Serbia's broader commitment to stability in the region, reported Kosovo Online. 

''Serbia is committed to constructive and open dialogue with all our partners, including the EU, the US and the UK, as well as other international partners, and values transparent and public communication in resolving sensitive issues.

The legislation in question is intended to safeguard the rights and social security of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, aligning with our broader commitment to stability in the region.

Even in the UN Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, by which the EU assumed the role of facilitator for the Dialogue, it is stipulated that the Dialogue should aim to improve people's lives. With proposed measures, Belgrade precisely seeks this goal — to enhance the living conditions and quality of life for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

“The issue of status should never take precedence over human rights — that have been heavily breached by a series of uncoordinated and unilateral actions by the government of Albin Kurti — nor over the push for implementation of existing agreements."

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2h9aft8f

UNS: Decades of impunity for murders and kidnappings of journalists, in Kosovo 17 journalists killed and missing (Kosovo Online, media)

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) on the occasion of November 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists said that more than three decades had passed and cases of murders and kidnappings of journalists in Serbia have not been solved, nor the light was shed on the deaths of female and male journalists from Serbian media outlets in the territory of former Yugoslavia, Kosovo Online portal reported.  

UNS said that the Serbian judiciary has demonstrated particular institutional powerlessness and unreadiness to find and punish killers of the journalists and order givers. It mentioned the cases of Slavko Curuvija, Milan Pantic, Dada Vujasinovic and challenges faced in dealing with their cases.

UNS recalled that 38 journalists and media professionals who worked for Serbian media outlets, including Curuvija, Pantic and Vujasinovic as well as the victims of NATO bombing of Serbian public broadcaster RTS, have been killed, missing, kidnapped or lost their lives under unclear circumstances in the period from 1991 to the end of 2001.

In Kosovo only, in the period from August 1998 to September 2005, 17 journalists and media professionals from Serbian, Albanian and international media outlets have been killed or missing, and only in one case a murderer had been found.

UNS said it joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in their calls to end impunity for the crimes against journalists. According to the IFJ since the beginning of the year, 76 journalists and media professionals had been killed, including 46 journalists killed in Gaza. 

Trial of Milos Pleskovic for alleged war crimes starts in Pristina, prosecutor and defence presented introductory remarks (Radio KIM)

The trial of Milos Pleskovic, an internally displaced person from Prizren, accused of allegedly committing war crimes in the Prizren settlement Hoca Mahala in September 1998 has started today at the Basic Court in Prizren, Radio KIM reported. Prosecutor in this case and the defence have presented their introductory remarks.

The prosecutor Ilir Morina said in his remarks that Pleskovic “is suspected of taking part in the murder of the victims Reshat Dacaj, Binak Dacaj and Fatmir Bojaxhija during the war in Kosovo, around September 1, 1998, near the settlement Hoca Mahala in Prizren”, adding that they will have three categories of witnesses, including direct witnesses, anonymous witnesses and affected witnesses.

Plsekovic pleaded not guilty upon hearing the indictment. He said the same at his previous appearances at the court.

His defence lawyer Jovana Filipovic said Milos Pleskovic was only 19 years old at the time of the alleged crime in 1998 and did not serve the army. She said there is not a single evidence that Milos was a member of the Serbian army, police or any other armed formation. After 1998, Pleskovic continued living in Kosovo all the time.

She said as 99 percent of the Serbs from Prizren he had to leave his house in 1999 and spent years living in collective centres in Kosovo and had Kosovo issued documents. She also said Milos was available at all times to the law enforcement bodies and never had any problem.

“He made a mistake in August 2023. According to the Basic Court from Pristina, he threatened one person and he was assigned a detention measure that he served in Mitrovica North. In this period a following thing occurred, a criminal report was filed against him and sent to Special Prosecution for further proceedings on September 23, 2023”, Filipovic said.

She added that the decision to open an investigation was made on September 29, 2023, and a detention measure to her client imposed on September 30, 2023.

“During these five days, the life of this man has changed completely, from an ordinary citizen he became “a war criminal”. How is it possible that he lived until then in Kosovo, those affected knew him and he never had any problem until the moment he threatened one person? How is all this possible? He is asking the same for all those 388 days in detention. In this proceeding we did not have any eye witness, we had one witness only who was taken out of context”, she said.

She also said during this proceeding the defence will prove that Pleskovic has nothing to do with the charges he is accused of. He was arrested in September last year, in Ugljare village near Kosovo Polje where he lived with his mother. He remains in detention ever since the arrest.

Filipovic:  No evidence for accusations in case of Pleskovic (Kosovo Online, Radio KIM)

The lawyer of the accused Milos Pleskovic from Prizren told Kosovo Online after today's trial that they tried to explain to the court panel and those present what was it about and how the proceedings were initiated after 25 years.

"How is it possible that someone who lived in the neighbourhood, who was known to both the witnesses and the victims, was never accused of such a serious crime before, but only after 25 years. However, we who live here know that this is a mantra, practice has shown us that such situations are common. The only thing we can do is try to show what is the truth in this procedure, because the truth is one and there cannot be more than one version of the same. So, we hope that the court panel will be more understanding in the further course of the procedure and make a fair decision," said Filipovic.

She pointed out that Pleskovic was accused of having committed or participated in a group that committed three murders as a member of the Yugoslav army, adding he was never a member of the Serbian army, police or other armed formation. The next hearings are scheduled for January next year, reported the portal.

Filipovic also said that a witness who threatened Pleskovic and his family at a previous hearing had entered the courtroom today without identification documents and was present there again. She termed the situation as highly concerning, adding she will point out this issue to the president of the court. Defence of Milos Plenkovic has filed a criminal report against this witness for the criminal act of threat, but as the lawyer said unfortunately no action was taken in relation to this criminal report, Radio KIM reported.  

Trial of Milorad Djokovic’s for alleged war crimes continues by hearing a witness (Kosovo Online)

A trial of Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica, near Pec, accused of allegedly committing war crimes in this municipality continued today at the Basic Court in Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reported. A witness H.G. was interviewed today, lawyer Dejan Vasic told the portal.

“This is the fourth hearing at which we heard this witness. In addition to this, he has already given several statements also before, in the investigative phase, to the police and prosecution. He is a type of witness that whoever thinks of passing a convicting verdict based on his statement would enter into illegality which may be of disastrous and catastrophic consequences”, Vasic said, adding the indictment is based on the statement of H.G. and one more witness.

“When these statements and testimonies of those witnesses from the previous statements that they made, compare, it turns into something that no one can believe in”, he added. He expressed belief that his client will be acquitted of the charges.

“This case is a matrix of how a criminal act of a war crime evolves from a case that is property related, more precisely when an usurper of a property reports the legal owner of that property for the war crimes and the person ends up as Milorad Djokovic. Such cases are numerous and one should pay attention to this recurring practice”, Vasic warned.

Djokovic was arrested in Jule 2022 and accused of allegedly committing war crimes in the village of Ozdrim near Pec. He was the only Serb living in Vitomirica village after the conflict and his house was burned down in March riots in 2004.

Few years before the arrest Djokovic initiated proceedings against local Pec authorities over a land plot he received from the municipality before the conflict and on which he built the house. Although the final court’s verdict was passed in his favour, the house was never re-registered under his name. In the meantime, while in detention, his house was demolished by local authorities. 

Mijacic: If Serbia does not initiate reforms soon, we will be able to dream about European integration (N1)

"The new report of the European Commission expresses disappointment because Serbia did not start a court process for Banjska, while it is noted that the Kosovo side did not take steps towards the formation of the A/CSM. The life of Serbs in Kosovo was described realistically, but it was not specified what is required of Pristina when its unilateral actions are in question," said Dragisa Mijacic from the National Convent for the EU Chapter 35. He added that the next year is crucial for European integration in this bloc and that, if Serbia does not initiate reforms, it will only be able to "dream" about integration, reported N1.

EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret yesterday solemnly presented the European Commission's report on Serbia's progress for the year 2024 to the National Convention on the EU.

In the report of the European Commission, it was stated, among other things, that sufficient progress was not achieved in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina and more was expected.

"This report focuses on analysing what has been happening and makes a list of recommendations. Since the signing of the first Brussels agreement, the European Commission has provided a joint text in both, the report for Serbia and the report for Kosovo, when it comes to the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina," Mijacic said.

He added that the report "includes an analytical part about what happened in the previous period", and recommendations are in the second part. 

"When it comes to the first part, it explains in a realistic way what happened, and a lot happened - from the non-implementation of the agreement on the road to normalisation, to the fact that the Kosovo side did not take steps towards the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities. The Kosovo side is accused of conducting unilateral actions, which may cause unwanted effects in the Serbian communities in the north of Kosovo," specified Mijacic. 

He said that the EC report realistically described the life of Serbs in Kosovo, but it did not state what the EU was asking Pristina to do in that context.

"To some extent, it is stated in the report, but there are no concrete measures as to what is required of Pristina (when it comes to its unilateral moves) primarily because they are not part of the implementation of the normalisation agreement. In a half-sentence it is said that Pristina is required to coordinate its activities, but not in the sense of a recommendation, and that is one of the major shortcomings of this report," Mijacic assessed.

One of the things that the EC criticises Serbia for is not taking steps to bring the attackers from Banjska to justice.

"The report expresses disappointment because Serbia did not initiate a court process for Banjska - and I think rightfully so - because the circumstances are quite clear. The leader of the attack confessed to the crime. Therefore, there was no understanding why the judicial authorities didn't initiate that process, and on the other hand, it cannot be expected from the European partners not to exert pressure, to reach the judicial epilogue of the case," Mijacic said.

He added that some constructive moves by Serbia in the previous period were not recognized in the report of the EC. 

"Serbia implemented several activities unilaterally last year, such as solving vehicle plates, solving documents and customs stamps. Kosovo is allowed to join CEFTA under its full name. This was all done by Serbia, applying it unilaterally, to be constructive... There is no such praise in this report, I assume because nothing happened in relation to Banjska," said Mijacic. 

The High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, said in Brussels that the European integration process of Serbia and Kosovo and the normalisation of their relations are mutually dependent, as well as that one country cannot be a member of the EU and have relations with Russia.

"As far as Kosovo is concerned, the report stated the fact that the agreement on the road to normalisation and the Ohrid annex entered the negotiation chapter 35, as well as the future European integration of Kosovo, which means that, if Serbia wants to move towards the EU, it must implement the agreement. If we listen to the officials in Belgrade, they have doubts about some points of that agreement, but they generally accepted that agreement," said Mijacic. 

He emphasised that the report states that the EC does not request the formalisation of the signing of that agreement.

"For them, that agreement is valid, so it does not have to be signed, which is what Mr. Kurti is asking for. That agreement entered the legal acquis of the accession negotiations, and that is why both sides must implement it if they want to go further towards the EU,” said Mijacic.

Bisevac: Serbs in north without human rights, West bears responsibility (Kosovo Online)

Nemanja Bisevac, advisor to the rector at the University of Pristina with provisional seat in Mitrovica North told Kosovo Online portal that human rights do not apply to Serbs in the north of Kosovo, and blamed the West for being responsible for the bad situation in which Serbs are.

Commenting on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' report on Kosovo, which said that little progress has been made, but that the north is still tense and there is a risk of the situation escalating, Bisevac said this progress is not visible in practice. According to him, when there are talks about human rights in Kosovo, it does not mean the Serbs from the north of Kosovo.

"I think that we still haven't reached that pre-election rhetoric and that (Albin) Kurti and his people from the party will only warm up and enter the pre-election campaign, and that their pressure on the Serbian people and Serbian institutions has become an everyday thing", he added.

As he said, the West is responsible for the poor position of the Serbs in Kosovo, which Biševac believes allowed the Pristina authorities to behave "arrogantly" towards the Serbs.

"I believe that the collective guilt and responsibility for the state of the Serbian people should be borne exclusively by the entire West, they allowed the authorities in Pristina to behave "arrogantly" towards the Serbian people, who in the space of a few months cancelled the functioning of Serbian banks and the Post Office, leaving the Serbs without of social assistance {…}”, he said.

EULEX report warns of rising tensions in Northern Kosovo as ethnic Serbs face new challenges (KoSsev)

Tensions in Northern Kosovo continue to escalate as ethnic Serbs express growing concerns over the potential decline in their quality of life, a sentiment fueled by ongoing measures targeting Serbia-funded institutions. Adding to the strain, recent arrests by the Kosovo Police have sparked discontent, with many locals viewing these actions as politically motivated, according to the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), reports KoSSev.

This climate of unease formed part of the discussion at Wednesday’s regular United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo in New York, where UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s latest six-month report was presented.

The report, covering developments from March 16 to September 15, meticulously outlines events on the ground and progress—or lack thereof—in diplomatic dialogue.

Northern Kosovo’s fragile state took centre stage, with the report warning of continued tensions and a looming risk of escalation. The head of the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, echoed these concerns in her opening remarks, underscoring issues raised by Northern Kosovo residents in response to recent policies from Pristina, including the ban on the Serbian dinar and the shutdown of Serbian-run services like post offices and banks.

The report also includes an annex from the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, detailing the activities of EULEX in Kosovo.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2uut7y8a