Albanian Language Media:

• Stoltenberg: Situation is fragile; Association important step for stability (AP)
• Rama: More NATO troops: Kosovo-Serbia border is out of control (media)
• Stoltenberg: Any attack against citizens in Kosovo is unacceptable (media)
• Kearns: West has no backbone in Kosovo-Serbia dispute (media)
• Shea: NATO to engage more for security; parties to return to dialogue (media)
• Kurti: EBRD report states economic growth continues at robust rate (media)
• Kurti to ministers: Time to meet our commitments is running out (Kosovapress)
• Palatova: Kosovo to implement Agreement on Path to Normalization (media)
• Gashi: We cannot move forward if double standards are applied (Klan Kosova)
• Disciplinary committee removes U.S. sanctioned official from civil service (Koha)
• Census postponed to April 2024, government decides (Koha/Nacionale)
• Nine people injured after hand grenade thrown in Prizren (media)
• Haxhiu: Domestic violence must be reported, perpetrators to be sentenced (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• UNMIK Head: Efforts towards peaceful coexistence (N1)
• Barbano: We increased patrols in northern Kosovo, soon community advisers to arrive, work with Kosovo police (KoSSev)
• Detention of Dragisa Milenkovic extended for two more months, request for Kurti’s testimony rejected (Radio KIM)
• “Yet another political manipulation” – Danas interlocutors on request of Albin Kurti that Serbia should propose specific agreement for Kosovo Serbs’ participation in elections (Danas)
• Cypriot president arrives in Belgrade, welcomed by Serbian FM (Tanjug)
• Serbia protests flag burning to Albania (N1)
• NADA coalition: EU membership not possible if the recognition of Kosovo is condition (Beta, Danas)
• Davenport: OSCE ready to collect votes of Serbs in Kosovo, however, conditions for that currently are not in place (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• In Serbia’s One-Sided Elections, Belgrade is the Opposition’s Hope (Balkan Insight)

International:

• West has no ‘backbone’ in Kosovo-Serbia dispute, says British MP (Financial Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• In Kosovo, Girls’ Football Scores Goal Against Ethnic Intolerance (Balkan Insight)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Stoltenberg: Situation fragile; Association important step for stability (AP)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a joint press conference today with regional leaders of the Alliance in Skopje, North Macedonia, that the situation in the Western Balkans is fragile, primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. He said that the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities would be an important step toward stability. He did not say, however, if this would be the final step toward peace as he called on parties to re-engage in the EU-facilitated dialogue, Albanian Post reports. 

Stoltenberg said that North Macedonia is a successful model of a multiethnic state and that Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo should follow the same model in the future.

“The region has a strategic importance for NATO. In the north of Kosovo, the security situation is fragile. Authoritarian countries, lie Russia, want to threaten us with cyber threats,” he is quoted as saying. 

Stoltenberg also said that the meeting addressed all security problems in the Balkans. He said they would be highlighted again at the next NATO summit which will be held in the United States to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Alliance.

Rama: More NATO troops; Kosovo-Serbia border is out of control (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said today that NATO should send more troops to Kosovo in order “to guarantee security and absolute inviolability” of Kosovo. He made these remarks after the meeting of leaders of five NATO member states in South-East Europe with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in Skopje, North Macedonia, Gazeta Express reports.

Rama said an increased number of KFOR troops would help prevent another case like the September 24 attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo. “I have to say that despite repeated calls for more attention and troops that are needed to guarantee the stability and absolute inviolability of Kosovo, a tragic event happened, and this should be considered a warning and not a sporadic event and it should not be repeated. This is why I highlighted in the meeting the need for an increased number of NATO troops in Kosovo,” he said.

Rama said the troops would help secure the Kosovo-Serbia border which according to him is out of control and is being used for illegal activities, such as arms and drugs trafficking. “These activities are then combined with political activities too that have an ultranationalist background and cause major deviations as the case in Banjska, where a Kosovo police officer was killed, and which clearly showed the high risk of destabilization,” he added.

Albanian Post quotes Rama as saying that Albania is certain that Kosovo must be helped for faster integration in NATO. “It is absurd to obstruct Kosovo’s integration in NATO. Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic orientation is unwavering,” he said.

Stoltenberg: Any attack against citizens in Kosovo is unacceptable (media)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during his stay in Belgrade on Tuesday that any attack and act of violence against citizens in Kosovo is unacceptable, several news websites report. “Any attack, any violence against people in Kosovo is unacceptable. The message is the same when it comes to the violence against 93 NATO soldiers in May, or about what happened in Banjska, or any other case,” Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said that NATO is present in the region, “we have a history here and we try to help promote peace, stability, and prosperity. The rule of law must be respected and those responsible for the violence must be held accountable. We need investigations, we need progress in the legal process, and we must make sure that all people can move and live in freedom and safety. This is the main task of NATO, to protect the people living in Kosovo, including the Serbs. NATO has stepped up its presence in the north of Kosovo to implement its mandate”.

Kearns: West has no backbone in Kosovo-Serbia dispute (media)

Most news websites rerun an article by the Financial Times which quotes UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chief Alicia Kearns as saying that the West has no backbone in the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia. She argued that the UK, the US, Germany, France and Italy should lift sanctions on Kosovo and move away from a “Belgrade centered approach”. “The west is showing in the Balkans a failure to have a backbone, and we’re also showing we haven’t learned the lessons in deterring Russia,” she said. “We had an entire priority of how not to upset or aggravate Russia at the cost of those around it. The exact same thing is happening here.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/9ne5awha

Shea: NATO to engage more for security; parties to return to dialogue (media)

Former NATO spokesperson during the war in Kosovo, Jamie Shea, in an interview with TeVe1, said that NATO should step up its presence in Kosovo due to high tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. He said the situation in the Western Balkans is sensitive and that the buildup of the Serbian army near the border with Kosovo does not help the situation.

“There is no doubt that the situation in the Western Balkans is sensitive and that is why the visit by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, is of special importance. Since spring, the situation in Kosovo has been very tense. First there was the issue of the license plates, then elections in the north, and then it culminated with the paramilitary action in Banjska in Zvecan, where a Kosovo police officer was killed. Stoltenberg’s visit to the Balkans shows that NATO is focused on the region and provides security and peace,” he said.

Shea said that NATO should take more measures for Kosovo’s security and deploy troops along the border in the north. “Kosovo in no way constitutes a threat for Serbia and it is absurd to think otherwise. If what Prime Minister Kurti said is true about Belgrade deploying anti-aircraft systems near the border with Kosovo, then this is something serious. Those anti-aircraft systems would pose a threat to KFOR helicopters because Kosovo does not have them. I really hope that Serbia did not undertake those actions. Given all these circumstances, I think it is necessary to step up the number of KFOR troops in Kosovo and for them to deploy along the border in the north. In that part of the country the transport of weapons and other dangerous means must be stopped,” he said.

Kurti: EBRD report states Kosovo’s economic growth continues at robust rate (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that a report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development notes that “Kosovo’s economic growth continues at a robust rate,' led by the export of services such as ICT, while commending the launch of our energy strategy. Additionally, Kosovo shows one of the highest jumps in the level of life satisfaction compared to 2016.”

Kurti to ministers: Time to meet our commitments is running out (Kosovapress)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, at the government meeting today, highlighted the achievements and successes made in many sectors over the last three years, but also told his ministers that the time to meet their commitments is running out, the news website reports.

Kurti mentioned economic growth, support for citizens and businesses, and said that Kosovo’s institutions have managed to yield sovereignty in the north. He said that until Tuesday, over 2,100 citizens have converted illegal plates to Kosovo license plates.

Kurti said that Kosovo now has a stronger army and highlighted the purchasing of Bayraktar drones.

Kurti also said that progress in the indicators in the fight against corruption and the respect for law is not sufficient without an independent and professional judiciary and that this is why a vetting process in the judiciary is necessary. 

Palatova: Kosovo to implement Agreement on Path to Normalization (media)

EU Office in Kosovo deputy chief, Eva Palatova, at the UNMIK Trust-building Forum in Thessaloniki, talked about the EU approach toward the Western Balkans and the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. She said that “the EU, a true peace project, has recently renewed its commitment towards WB6. For Kosovo this comes with an expectation to implement the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation & translate into practice its legal framework for the protection of non-majority community rights”.

Gashi: We cannot move forward if double standards are applied (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Liza Gashi, said today during a summit in Thessaloniki about the possibilities and challenges of the Western Balkans integration in the European Union, that Kosovo remains a partner that is active and committed to the stability and democratization of the region and its European path. She said the Kosovo Government strongly supports the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. “A faster economic integration and convergence in revenues with the EU and within the Western Balkans correspond with our commitment and progress achieved in the economic criteria in the last couple of years. Kosovo will soon present its plans, key projects and objectives to benefit from these EU funds,” she said.

According to Gashi, stability in the region is still fragile and affected by the lack of security “and Serbia’s continuous efforts to destabilize Kosovo as was the case with the act of aggression in Banjska”. “We don’t want conflicts in the region. We want peace and security. We have shown maximal maturity and professionalism in our reaction to the terrorist attack in Banjska. But regardless of Kosovo’s commitment to stability and peace in our path toward the European Union, we cannot move forward if there are double standards used for Serbia and Kosovo,” she argued.

Disciplinary committee removes U.S. sanctioned official from civil service (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure, Lundrim Aliu, confirmed today that a disciplinary committee has decided to remove from the civil service Nexhat Krasniqi, who was sanctioned by the U.S. State Department. The case was sent to the disciplinary committee on Monday afternoon and the legal basis used in the case was the new law on public servants. Aliu told a press conference today that on November 3, he was notified by the State Department that there is a measure against Krasniqi. “Today following a decision by the disciplinary committee, he has been removed from the civil service. The process followed the rules. I thank the Minister of Justice for her statement and for finding the time to talk about the issue. Now we are waiting for new information from the State Department and in any situation that may lead to something suspicious we will immediately seek an audit,” Aliu said.

Census postponed to April 2024, government decides (Koha/Nacionale)

The Kosovo Government decided today to postpone the census of the population to next year. The process, which was initially scheduled to happen in September and then moved to November, will take place from April 5 to May 17 next year, Koha reports. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that after the change in management, he received a letter from the acting chief saying that “the process did not go well”. Kurti also said that the mistakes from the past will not be repeated.

Nacionale quotes MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Ariana Musliu-Shoshi, as saying that Prime Minister Kurti cannot hide the failure of postponing the census by blaming the Kosovo Agency of Statistics. “The government intentionally delayed the census of the population because of the concerningly high number of citizens that have left Kosovo,” she argued.

Nine people injured after hand grenade thrown in Prizren (media)

Most news websites report that nine persons were injured when a hand grenade was thrown at a livestock market in Prizren early this morning. Five people were transferred to the University Clinical Center in Pristina and four others were sent home. Head of the emergency department at the clinical center told Koha that the injured people do not have life threatening injuries. The prosecution said that one suspect has been arrested and another two are still at large.

Haxhiu: Domestic violence must be reported, perpetrators to be sentenced (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, during a roundtable organized today by the OSCE and the Council of Europe on strengthening the Kosovo Assembly’s role in monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, highlighted several actions that the institutions have taken in this regard. “In addition to the strategy, we have a very big responsibility, and we need to address all violations. We have provided free legal assistance. We have adopted the protocol on criminal and administrative issues. We plan to treat the perpetrators so that they don’t repeat the offenses,” she said.

Haxhiu said that “we have addressed investigations against sexual violence in reasonable time. We have increased the budget for the shelters. Together with the Ministry of Finance, we have taken measures to employ the survivors of violence. We will also increase the number of protectors of victims. Regardless of the measures we have taken, we as institutions and as a society need to do our share of the work and not ignore the victims.”

Haxhiu also said that violence must be reported because it is not a private matter and that the perpetrators of offenses must be sentenced.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

UNMIK Head: Efforts towards peaceful coexistence (N1)

UNMIK Head Caroline Ziadeh told the opening of the UN Kosovo Trust-building Forum in Thessaloniki that the mission’s activities transform societies by taking them to peaceful coexistence, N1 reports.

“Despite trying times and challenging circumstances, our actions matter. Our actions transform societies by placing them on the path of peaceful coexistence and inclusive, sustainable prosperity”; she is quoted as saying in an UNMIK press release.

“Resilience, as communities across Kosovo know very well, requires not only adapting to difficulties as they arise, but also recognizing that every challenge can be translated into new opportunities. Resilience requires political courage, pragmatic leadership, solidarity, a strong spirit of partnership, and above all, fostering trust”, Ziadeh added.

The press release said that the forum marks the 5th anniversary of UNMIK’s trust-building efforts, which are intended to result in the greater engagement of all Kosovo communities in improving inter-community relations and creating the necessary foundations for progress despite divisive narratives and challenging circumstances.

The three-day forum brings together 120 grassroots representatives from different communities and walks of life, including Kosovo institutions, civil society, media, women, and youth organizations trying to formulate recommendations on building trust in Kosovo in rule of law, language rights, environmental protection, civic participation and inclusion, media, countering misinformation and economic empowerment for all in Kosovo. The recommendations will be shared with all stakeholders and guide UNMIK’s future trust-building efforts, the press release said.

Barbano: We increased patrols in northern Kosovo, soon community advisers to arrive, work with Kosovo police (KoSSev)

Addressing the first day of UNMIK Kosovo Trust-building forum taking place in Thessaloniki, Head of EULEX Giovanni Pietro Barbano and deputy head of the EU office in Pristina Eva Palatova spoke about situation in Kosovo within domain of their activities, and pointed out on several occasions the importance of respecting the rights of communities, cultural heritage and relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Palatova focused her brief concrete presentation on sublimation of the recent European Commission Kosovo report, while Barbano in a longer address spoke about rights of the communities, both in the north and in the rest of Kosovo.

He spoke about cultural heritage, land expropriation, problems related to the length of detention on remand measures and anything else EULEX identified as part of its mandate, respectively problems in Kosovo.

He in particular mentioned obligations of Pristina in relation to the returning land to Serbian Orthodox Church Visoki Decani Monastery.

He also confirmed that EULEX increased patrols in the north following “violent actions there” in order to make citizens feel more secure. He announced that EULEX would soon introduce community advisers that will work with the Kosovo police. 

Detention of Dragisa Milenkovic extended for two more months, request for Kurti’s testimony rejected (Radio KIM)

Detention of Dragisa Milenkovic from Kisnica, accused of allegedly committing war crimes against civilian population in Kosovo, has been extended for two more months, his defense lawyer Jovana Filipovic confirmed to Radio KIM.

Milenkovic was arrested on June 21, in the village of Kisnica, near Gracanica by Kosovo special police unit. He is accused that in the capacity of a prison guard in a detention facility in Lipljan he allegedly mistreated Albanian prisoners in the period from 1998 to 1999. His lawyer, Filipovic, filed an appeal to the decision on detention.

She also said that Milenkovic is in a prison facility in Podujevo for the entire five months and that defense had not been informed if any investigative act had been carried out to shed the light on the act Dragisa is accused of.

She added that the Basic Court in Pristina rejected the request of defense to interview Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti as a witness of defense as a specific investigative possibility under explanation that he can be interviewed in the later stage of the proceeding.

Radio KIM recalled that Kurti was imprisoned at the times when Milenkovic worked as a prison guard. Defense thinks that he must have knowledge about eventual mistreatment and conduct towards prisoners. Kurti said earlier he will respond to the court summons inviting him as a witness.  

“Yet another political manipulation” – Danas interlocutors on request of Albin Kurti that Serbia should propose specific agreement for Kosovo Serbs’ participation in elections (Danas)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s demand that Serbia proposes an agreement based on which Serbs in Kosovo would be able to cast their ballots means that Kosovo is willing to meet this request only if Serbia recognizes Kosovo. This is yet another political manipulation, interlocutors told Danas daily, adding that Kurti has aides because in Belgrade there are authorities in power which gave up on the state of Serbia in Kosovo, Danas daily reports.

Goran Bogdanovic, former Minister for Kosovo and Metohija told Danas that Kurti’s proposal in translation means Kosovo is willing to meet a request for casting ballots at elections, if Serbia recognizes Kosovo in this or other way.

Milija Bisevac from Serbian Peoples’ Movement from Kosovo and Metohija told Danas that Kurti’s statement is yet another political manipulation.

He recalled this is not the first time as Prstina banned previous elections and referendum on legal amendments. He added that Kurti obviously forgot that Serbs have dual citizenship and that such decisions violate their basic human rights.

Leader of Dveri Movement Bosko Obradovic opined that Kurti was mocking Serbia because in Belgrade there is authority in power which gave up on the state of Serbia in Kosovo, and he does there whatever he wants and carries out terror against the Serbs. 

Cypriot president arrives in Belgrade, welcomed by Serbian FM (Tanjug)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday arrived on a two-day official visit to Serbia. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic welcomed him at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport.

"I welcomed the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, who will be on a two-day official visit to Serbia. I am confident this visit will further strengthen the friendly relations and cooperation between our countries", Dacic wrote in a post on his Instagram account. Christodoulides will be received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic this afternoon.

A welcoming ceremony outside the Palace of Serbia is scheduled for 2 pm, after which Vucic and Christodoulides will hold a meeting. It will be followed by a plenary meeting of Serbian and Cypriot delegations and a press conference of the two presidents.

On the second day of Christodoulides's visit, a council on Serbia-Cyprus cooperation will hold a session, after which several MoUs will be signed at a ceremony to be attended by the two heads of state.

Serbia protests flag burning to Albania (N1)

The Serbian Foreign Ministry sent a protest note to the Embassy of Albania over the burning of a flag of Serbia in Tirana, N1 reports.

“The Foreign Ministry of Serbia handed the Embassy of Albania in Belgrade a protest note, sharply condemning the unacceptable act off burning the flag of the Republic of Serbia at the central Skenderbeg square in Tirana published on media portals on the Internet on November 20, 2023”, a press release said.

It warned that the burning of the flag damages bilateral relations between Serbia and Albania “that have reached their highest point in centuries of common history in the past few years”. The Foreign Ministry said it expects the Albanian authorities to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.

NADA coalition: EU membership not possible if the recognition of Kosovo is condition (Beta, Danas)

The Serbian coalition NADA announced today that it is in favor of expanding cooperation with the European Union (EU), but that it is not in favor of EU membership if the condition is recognition of Kosovo's independence, reported daily Danas. 

One of the leaders of the coalition and the president of Nova DSS, Milos Jovanovic, said that he advocates for the best possible cooperation with the EU because it represents an important partner for Serbia and that trade, economic, cultural, academic, and that all other ties with the European Union should be deepened.

"However, the question of Serbia's membership cannot be raised today, both because of the condition set for Serbia to recognize the secession of its southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, which is of course unacceptable for us, and also because of the fact that the European Union itself will not expand in the foreseeable future," said Jovanovic.

The second leader of the NADA coalition and the president of POKS, Vojislav Mihailovic, stated that in terms of the organization of the state, Serbia certainly has something to copy from the West, but not in terms of values, because, as he stated, Serbs "have a tradition and a family that they want to nurture ", read the announcement, reported daily Danas.

Davenport: OSCE ready to collect votes of Serbs in Kosovo, however, conditions for that currently are not in place (Kosovo Online)

Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Micheal Davenport told Kosovo Online portal that the Mission is ready to engage in votes collection exercise for the Serbian voters who would cast their ballots in Kosovo at upcoming December 17 elections, but only if conditions for that are in place.

Those conditions include consensus on approaching this issue by all interested parties, support of the Kosovo institutions, and as crucial there should be security support from Kosovo police.

Where Serbian citizens living in Kosovo would cast their ballots depends upon meeting those conditions.

“At this moment those conditions as it looks like are not met. Of course, there is a logistic and appropriate budget. We are ready to engage, but at this moment those conditions are not fulfilled”, he said. 

 

 

Opinion 

 

In Serbia’s One-Sided Elections, Belgrade is the Opposition’s Hope (Balkan Insight)

By Milos Damnjanovic

The Vucic government has an arsenal of dirty tricks up its sleeve to make sure elections don’t produce any ‘surprises’ – but the capital could still deliver an upset.

The image of Serbia before early parliamentary elections scheduled for December 17 recalls all election years since 2012, when Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party took power.

Vucic has called the elections when it suited him, the deadlines for the campaign and verification of electoral lists are short, the media is under the control of the government, and lies and fear feel like stale air.

Although everything has been seen before, there are differences compared to the previous elections in April 2022, however.

The popularity of the ruling Progressive Party, which won as many as 120 out of 250 parliamentary seats, is in decline. The opposition got stronger by entering parliament, and it could be said that it became more mature and responsible.

Thanks to live TV broadcasts, members of the opposition have been able to enter the homes of ordinary citizens and attack the regime's corrupt and criminal activities. In this way, Radomir Lazovic, Marinika Tepic, Miroslav Aleksic, Aleksandar Cuta Jovanovic, Srdjan Milivojevic and others became recognizable among voters.

The descending trend of the Serbian Progressive Party is partly down to the unreasonable and harmful attitude taken towards the Serbs in Kosovo, who have been turned into hostages of Belgrade. Also, two tragic events, two mass murders, shook Serbia in May. The first happened in a Belgrade elementary school when a pupil killed eight of his classmates and a guard and injured a teacher and six other children. The second happened only a day later, near Mladenovac, where the killer killed eight people and wounded 14 in two villages.

Both massacres go on the conscience of the regime, which has created an atmosphere of fear, hatred and conflict in society. Citizens in Belgrade and other places took to the streets under the slogan “Serbia against violence”. The protests, held with varying intensity, lasted until the announcement of elections.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhuhvy3

 

 

International 

 

West has no ‘backbone’ in Kosovo-Serbia dispute, says British MP (Financial Times)

A worrying stand-off between Kosovo and Serbia is partly to blame on the west being wary of aggravating Belgrade amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said a leading British MP.

Alicia Kearns, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee in the House of Commons, told the Financial Times in a phone interview that the UK, the US, Germany, France and Italy should lift sanctions on Kosovo and move away from a “Belgrade centred approach”.

“The west is showing in the Balkans a failure to have a backbone, and we’re also showing we haven’t learned the lessons in deterring Russia,” she said. “We had an entire priority of how not to upset or aggravate Russia at the cost of those around it. The exact same thing is happening here.”

In March, Belgrade and Pristina agreed in principle to resolve their differences but hostilities flared up again, culminating in September, when an armed stand-off between Serb militants and police at a monastery in northern Kosovo left four people dead.

The monastery siege put the brakes on efforts to normalise relations, an ongoing process since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and was recognised by most western powers — a move that Belgrade has maintained that it will never accept.

After an armed stand-off with Serb militants at a monastery in northern Kosovo in September, Kosovo police confiscated millions of dollars worth of heavy arms and ammunition © Government of Kosovo/AFP via Getty Images

Kearns warned Westminster in July that Serb militants were smuggling weapons into Kosovo, risking a flare-up of violence. That earned her sharp rebukes from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić as well as Nato, which said there was no evidence for such activity.

But after the deadly siege in September, Kosovo police confiscated millions of dollars worth of heavy arms and ammunition, including grenade launchers, anti-personnel mines, machine guns and armoured vehicles.

“Bear in mind what I said back in June,” said Kearns. “Weapons were coming in from Serbia in ambulances, into Kosovo and being stored in churches. And what have we seen? Weaponry that has clearly come across from Serbia . . . Two of the terrorists who died on the day in the shooting were ambulance drivers. And where did they hide? In a monastery.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/9ne5awha

 

 

Humanitarian/Development

 

In Kosovo, Girls’ Football Scores Goal Against Ethnic Intolerance (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo’s Albanian and Serbian communities live largely separate lives – but the friendly cooperation between their girls’ footballs teams shows things can be done differently.

Engjellusha, a 16-year-old Kosovo Albanian from the central Kosovo town of Lipjan, plays for the girls’ football club “Prishtina”. Andjela, who is three years younger and comes from the mountainous town of Shterpce/Strpce, plays for her local club “Brezovica”.

It’s pouring on the morning of November 4 in Strpce and the home girls team, dominated by Serbs, is hosting their majority-Albanian peers from “Prishtina” on a small, foil-covered artificial pitch. 

For more than three decades, since the break-up of Yugoslavia, Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo have conducted sporting activities separately, widening the communication gap among the youth from each community.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y6h6579r