Albanian Language Media:

• COVID – 19 report: 8 deaths, 334 new cases (media)
• Kosovo leaders condemn Vienna terror attack (media)
• "Three police officers that fought terrorists are from Kosovo" (media)
• EU doesn’t comment on Thaci’s statement for dialogue (Radio Free Europe)
• “Serbia’s armament by Russia, a serious threat to peace and stability” (media)
• Hoti travels to Italy, will visit the Vatican and meet PM Conte (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 34 new cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio)
• Serbian President and Foreign Minister extend condolences to Austria (FoNet, N1)
• Simic: Mitrovica North is only truly multi-ethnic environment, where are Serbs from Pristina and Vucitrn (TV Most) 
• Radovic: Decisions of Kosovo Government relating to Covid-19 also implemented in north (Kontakt plus radio)
• Twinning of Belgrade and Mitrovica North (Kontakt plus radio) 
• Vucic: Mutual recognition meaningless story (BETA, N1)
• Western Balkan leaders to meet in Sofia within Berlin Process (EWB, N1)

International:

• Vienna Terror Attacker was Citizen of North Macedonia (Balkan Insight)
• Havliček: Islamist and far-right extremism mutually reinforcing, liberal democracy absolutely threatened (EWB)
• Kosovo Activist’s Son Recalls 25-Year Search for Abducted Father (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Ministry of Culture, UNKT with joint programs for youth empowerment (media)
• ‘Life in the municipality’ debates put local governance in the spotlight (Prishtina Insight)

     

Albanian Language Media 

  COVID – 19 report: 8 deaths, 334 new cases (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said in a statement today that eight deaths and 334 new cases of COVID – 19 have been recorded in the last 24 hours. 81 patients have recovered from the virus during this time. The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (157).

Kosovo leaders condemn Vienna terror attack (media)

Kosovo leaders condemned today the terror attack in Vienna where at least three people were killed and 15 were injured. President Hashim Thaci said in a Twitter post: “the cowardly terrorist attack in Vienna is an attack against our shared values. This difficult moment will only bring us closer together in the fight against terror, to ensure our citizens’ safety and protect our civilized values. Kosovo stands by Austria and its people.”

Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said the news of terrorist attacks in Vienna are shocking. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We stand by our Austrian allies and the international community on the fight against terrorism,” he said.

Assembly President Vjosa Osmani tweeted: “Horrible news coming from Vienna, the city of music & cultural heritage. Most importantly, a city of peace. Our hearts are with the people of Austria. Sending our prayers & solidarity to all of them during this shocking attack. Kosovo is always by your side.”

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on Twitter: “Kosovo stands close with the citizens of #Vienna, feeling the pain and sadness of the Austrians. The perpetrators of these terrorist acts deserve the highest possible punishment, and our common duty is to join forces to fight against and eradicate terrorism.”

"Three police officers that fought terrorists are from Kosovo" (media)

Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Meliza Haradinaj - Stublla, said today that three police officers that fought against terrorists in Vienna are Albanians from Kosovo.

"Kosovo condemns last night's attacks in Vienna. I will not comment on unconfirmed sources, but I would like to outline some important facts about what happened yesterday. Three police officers that responded to last night's attacks are Albanians, Kosovo nationals, who are well integrated in Vienna and work and fight alongside Austrian citizens to defend our shared values and goals," Haradinaj - Stublla said before meeting German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

EU doesn’t comment on Thaci’s statement for dialogue (Radio Free Europe)

The European Union does not want to comment on a statement by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci who said that the dialogue in Brussels is meaningless if it does not include the recognition of Kosovo.

“We don’t comment on statements. We are focused on our efforts to help Kosovo and Serbia reach a comprehensive agreement that will address all outstanding issues, and being in line with international law and EU laws,” an EU spokesman said.

“Serbia’s armament by Russia, a serious threat to peace and stability” (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora said in a statement that Serbia’s armament by Russia is a serious threat to peace and stability in the region. “Serbia’s armament comes right after Russia announced it was opening an office in the Serbian Ministry of Defense, as part of efforts to further military ties and full military – technical coordination between the two countries. Even though Serbia claims it wants to join the European Union, it is repeatedly playing an opposite role, by conducting joint military drills with Russia and Byelorussia, and there are also reports of the participation of Serbian regular military troops (including snipers) in Byelorussia,” the statement noted. “While Serbia seems to have decided to become a Russian military depot, Kosovo and other countries in the region are determined for the values of civilised and democratic countries. The Euro-Atlantic memberships of all our countries is the best response to the tendencies of these countries that are trying to destabilise our region and repeatedly threaten peace, security and stability in the Balkans.”

LDK calls special session to pass economic recovery bill (media)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group submitted a request for an extraordinary session of the Assembly to pass the economic recovery bill, all news websites report. LDK parliamentary group chief, Arben Gashi, wrote in a Facebook post that the session will be held this Friday.

Hoti travels to Italy, will visit the Vatican and meet PM Conte (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has travelled on an official visit to the Vatican and Italy today. Hoti will meet tomorrow morning with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and in the afternoon will meet Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

     

Serbian Language Media

  34 new cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio)

The North Mitrovica Crisis Staff announced today that according to the latest data 34 new cases of coronavirus infection and four cures have been recorded in Serbian communities in Kosovo, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Of the 92 samples processed, 30 positive cases were recorded in municipalities in northern Kosovo and four in areas south of the Ibar River.

Positive cases by municipalities: North Mitrovica (16), Leposavic (7), Zvecan (4), Zubin Potok (3), Gracanica (1), Prizren (1), Priluzje (1), Strpce (1).

Four people recovered - three in north Mitrovica and one in Strpce.

Currently, 14 people are hospitalized and are being treated at the Health Center in Mitrovica North.

There are 140 people in house isolation. 154 cases are currently active.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, a total of 6,007 people have been tested, of which the presence of coronavirus has been confirmed in 1,188 people.

Total number of patients by municipalities: North Mitrovica 348, Zvecan 197, Leposavic 190, and Zubin Potok 124.

A total of 314 patients have been registered in Serbian areas south of the Ibar so far.

A total of 994 people recovered.

Serbian President and Foreign Minister extend condolences to Austria (FoNet, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic extended condolences to Austria after the terrorist attack that took place in Vienna, claiming the lives of four people, FoNet news agency reports.

"I'm deeply shaken with terrible terrorist attacks in Vienna. My deepest condolences to the families of innocent victims and people of Austria. Rest assured, my dear friends Alexander Van der Bellen and Sebastian Kurtz that Serbia stands by your country in this difficult time", Vucic wrote.

Selakovic sent condolences to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.

He expressed the importance of solidarity and added the terrorism was one of the most significant international challenges which sought "fighting against that evil with joint forces."

See at: https://bit.ly/34SsO6l Simic: Mitrovica North is only truly multi-ethnic environment, where are Serbs from Pristina and Vucitrn (TV Most)  

TV Most reported on Monday that the Vice President of Serbian List and head of SL caucus in the Assembly of Kosovo Igor Simic had a stormy discussion yesterday with MPs of the Albanian parties in the AoK, to whom he harshly responded to numerous accusations that Albanians in northern Kosovo were discriminated against and expelled.

Simic said that yesterday’s debate was initiated with a clear political goal and incorrect data.

“It is not a rare situation that in this assembly hall, the north and northern municipalities are often on the pillory exposed to various unfounded accusations. Of course, on such occasions, not all citizens are attacked, but Serbs. Unfortunately, there have never been positive initiatives, only empty political tales, which is a sad characteristic of this discussion as well. Thus far, as members of Serbian List, most of whom come from the north, we have not reacted, primarily because we did not want to give importance to unfounded stories, but what is the obvious intention of this debate is a clear attack on the truth, with the intention of diverting the public’s attention from the real problems of the citizens”, Simic underlined.

He pointed out that he did not intend to speak to those who initiated the debate, but addressed the citizens who do not live in the north and who could be misled due to incorrect data.

“It is my desire for them to hear the truth. While preparing for this debate, I thought whether it would ever be possible in this assembly to discuss the disenfranchisement of Serbs in Gjilane, Pec, Djakovica, Prizren, Pristina, South Mitrovica, and I understand that it is impossible, because there are either no or almost no Serbs there, especially when we talk about the urban parts of these municipalities. It is unbelievable that a group of colleagues from Pristina set out from Pristina to gain insight into the position of our Albanian neighbours, without asking themselves the question of where are Serbs from Pristina, Obilic, Vucitrn and South Mitrovica and why they have not been there for 21 years after the conflict?” Simic said.

“I don’t know what is a greater shame, what is said about disenfranchisement in Pristina, which today lacks 40,000 Serbs, or colleagues from South Mitrovica, who launched this debate, where out of the former 7,000 Serbs, only a priest lives today, and he is under 24-hour police surveillance and a fence”, he added.

Simic especially emphasized that Mitrovica North is the only true multi-ethnic urban environment in Kosovo, which he was especially proud of as an MP of that municipality.

“Serbs, Albanians, Gorani, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma and everyone else live in harmony and peace in our municipality. In this regard, I bring you photos of streets in multi-ethnic settlements in the municipality of Mitrovica North. These photographs illustrate how Serbs and Albanians trade, how the main street in the multi-ethnic settlement of Bosniak mahalla has been completely reconstructed, refurbished, with street lighting, and in which Serbs buy from Albanians, share everyday life problems. Are streets in the few rural areas in Albanian-majority municipalities where Serbs live such”? Simic asked.

He added that, to add to the irony, as a councillor of the municipality of North Mitrovica, he and his colleagues from the Serbian List voted for the municipal budget, which provided for the arrangement of this and other streets in a multi-ethnic settlement, which colleagues from Albanian parties in that MA refused to support, because there was no plan to renovate the street where their houses were.

Renovated Albanian houses and apartments

“Official data from international institutions show that less than two percent of displaced Serbs returned to Kosovo, and that is the only case in the world. And when we talk about Mitrovica North, here, I have the official data on the extent to which the municipality helped Serbs, Albanians and other residents. In the period from 2014 to 2020, 85 houses were renovated, of which 43 Albanian houses, 70 apartments, of which 40 for Albanian returnee families from south to north. As part of the renovation of apartments, each Albanian returnee family received complete furniture and technical appliances, financial aid for four months and a grant to generate income of up to 2,000 euros for all who were interested”, Simic said. He also presented other data related to the help of Albanian community in Mitrovica North and other three northern municipalities.

Simic also said that the number of Albanians in the north has been at the same level for the last ten years, and when they leave, they do not leave from majority Serbian municipalities to the majority Albanian municipalities, instead they go to Germany, Italy and Norway.

Simic said the “Albanians are not fleeing from Serbs, but from cheap demagogy. And in the end, I invite you to finally learn that there are municipalities of North and South Mitrovica, two municipalities, and not to have  only Mitrovica being mentioned for years, because it is a violation of the law on local self-government and administrative boundaries of municipalities”, Simic said.

Radovic: Decisions of Kosovo Government relating to Covid-19 also implemented in north (Kontakt plus radio)

Kosovo police North region spokesperson Branislav Radovic told Kontakt plus radio that decisions of the Kosovo Government related to the fight against Covid-19 pandemic are also implemented in northern Kosovo.

Those include restrictions of the working hours of hospitality businesses and traders, restrictions on the movement of people over the age of 65 and other decisions adopted two nights ago in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Police officers will control whether the decisions are implemented. They will be tolerant, but they will not allow any violations of the introduced measures”, Radovic said. 

Twinning of Belgrade and Mitrovica North (Kontakt plus radio) 

Charter on twinning of the City of Belgrade and Mitrovica North will be signed on November 23, on the Day of municipality of the city on the Ibar River, Kontakt plus radio reports.

“This way, we will show that Belgrade wants to help all Serbian cities, because that is our obligation. The stronger Serbia is, our compatriots, regardless of where they live, are safe” Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesic said at the end of October when he announced the twinning.

Vesic visited Mitrovica North in mid-September, when he handed over the keys to 20 apartments in the new building of “Samački blok”, whose construction was financed by the City of Belgrade in the amount of 42.9 million RSD (approx.. 365,000 EUR).

Then, the cornerstone was laid for another building in which the remaining tenants of the former “Samački blok” will be accommodated, whose construction is also financed by the City of Belgrade and which, according to Vesic’s announcement, will be completed by the end of January next year.

In addition, the City of Belgrade is financing the construction of the Student Park in the centre of Mitrovica North. The cost of the project will be around 150,000 EUR, which will be provided by successful businessmen from the territory of Belgrade.

On November 23, Mitrovica North would mark the 76th anniversary of liberation in WWII, and this date is also the Day of the Municipality.

Vucic: Mutual recognition meaningless story (BETA, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday that mutual recognition (between Kosovo and Serbia) is a meaningless story which the authorities in Pristina keep repeating, BETA news agency reports.

“The story of mutual recognition is fairly meaningless for Serbia but the people in Pristina like to repeat it like parrots. Pristina can’t invent new agreements that do not exist. That shows that they don’t want a compromise”, Vucic said after attending a meeting of the government which discussed Kosovo.

He said that he can’t accept the fact that the authorities in Pristina aren’t implementing the agreements they signed, primarily the forming of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO) in Kosovo. Vucic said that the conflict was over the essence of the agreement with Serbia insisting on changing the legal framework.

Western Balkan leaders to meet in Sofia within Berlin Process (EWB, N1)

The next meeting within the Berlin Process, which will bring together the leaders of the Western Balkans and the European Union, will be held this month in Bulgarian capital city Sofia.

The leaders are expected to adopt a plan for creating a common regional market during this meeting taking place on November 10, according to the European Western Balkans.

The European Commission said this community would bring tangible benefits to companies and citizens in the region, including the reduced cross-border bank charges, removing of technical trade barriers, coordination of investment policies, recognizing professional qualifications across the region and promoting e-commerce.

The Berlin process began in 2014. The goal of the process, initiated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was to reach a joint agreement on strengthening regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and resolving the remaining open issues in the region.

The European Fund for the Balkans, the European Council on Foreign Relations – Sofia office, and the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” Skopje will jointly organize the Think Tank and Civil Society Forum on November 9, 2020, which will precede the Berlin Process 2020 Sofia Summit.

See at: https://bit.ly/35XbRXC      

International

  Vienna Terror Attacker was Citizen of North Macedonia (Balkan Insight)

One of the men who staged terrorist attacks in Vienna and was shot dead by police was an Islamist with origins in North Macedonia, the Austrian Interior Minister announced.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Tuesday that one of the men who staged the attacks in Vienna was a 20-year-old Islamic State sympathiser who was born in Vienna but had dual citizenship of Austria and North Macedonia.

“The assassin is a 20-year-old Austrian citizen with dual citizenship. His name is Kujtim S.,” Nehammer said in a press statement.

“The perpetrator was armed with a dummy explosive belt and an automatic rifle, a handgun and a machete to carry out this horrific attack on innocent citizens,” he added.

The attacks in central Vienna on Monday were staged at several locations almost simultaneously by what appeared to be well-armed assailants who killed four people and injured 17 others. The police shot one of the attackers dead.

The editor of the Vienna-based Falter magazine, Florian Klek, wrote on Twitter on Monday night that according to his findings, one of the men was an Islamic State follower of ethnic Albanian descent with origins in North Macedonia.

See at: https://bit.ly/2TOlCSl Havliček: Islamist and far-right extremism mutually reinforcing, liberal democracy absolutely threatened (EWB)

Is there a worldwide surge in extremism and has it really gone mainstream? Which factors contributed to this? Where is the Western Balkans in this picture and is the fact that several massacres were committed with reference to the Balkan conflicts just a mere coincidence, or evidence of much deeper links?

We have discussed these issues with Sasha Havliček, Director and CEO at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank, in which she leads government advisory, research and delivery programmes in the fields of counter-extremism and foreign policy. Havliček is an anti-extremism advisor for several governments, and a regular commentator on this topic for global media. She was a speaker on the Belgrade Security Forum 2020 “No Trust, no Peace”, which took place in October.

NOTE: The interview was conducted in late October, prior to the terrorist attacks that shook France and Austria

See at: https://bit.ly/2JrQKoF Kosovo Activist’s Son Recalls 25-Year Search for Abducted Father (Balkan Insight)

Twenty-five years after Kosovo Albanian activist and businessman Remzi Hoxha was seized by the Albanian intelligence service and murdered, his son recalls the family’s long search for his body - and why they had to stop.

Ardian Hoxha was 14 years old in 1995 when his mother moved him and his four siblings to Tirana in Albania to be reunited with their father.

His father Remzi Hoxha had been a businessman and an activist for the ethnic Albanian cause in Kosovo, but had fled to Albania to escape persecution by the Yugoslav regime.

But then, on October 21, 1995, tragedy struck: “A few days after I started school, not even a month and a half after moving, the worst thing happened, something that we as children had not even thought could happen,” Ardian Hoxha recalled.

See at: https://bit.ly/2Ju6jfD      

Humanitarian/Development

  Ministry of Culture, UNKT with joint programs for youth empowerment (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports, Vlora Dumoshi met today with UN Development Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, and the UNDP Resident Representative in Kosovo, Maria Suokko. The meeting focused on youth and cooperation on programs and platforms for youth empowerment. Dumoshi said: “we are exceptionally happy and surprised with the large number of youths that have applied for entrepreneurship. We were initially planning to train 400 youths but after the big interest we have trained a total of 1,255 youths, and 755 applicants were certified for professional training and 500 applicants for entrepreneurship. This is the largest number of youths we have ever trained, and we cannot be more pleased”. She also said that what made the certification process even more important was the inclusion of Serb, Ashkali and Egyptian communities “who showed exceptional enthusiasm for the skills they learned during the training”. Richardson and Suokko thanked Dumoshi for the reception and offered further cooperation between the institutions, with special emphasis on the engagement of youth in the fight against the COVID – 19 pandemic. 

‘Life in the municipality’ debates put local governance in the spotlight (Prishtina Insight)

Ahead of the 2021 local elections, the performances of mayors at 37 municipalities are being assessed through BIRN’s ‘Life in the Municipality’ debates.

Aiming to expand media scrutiny beyond Kosovo-Serbia relations and the work of the Government and Assembly, BIRN has been putting local issues in the spotlight in recent weeks with a series of debates entitled Jeta ne Komune (Life in the Municipality), which are being broadcast on four channels, including RTV Dukagjini, and online via KALLXO.com.

Hosted by anchor Jeta Xharra, the debates focus on whether promises made by mayors during the October 2017 election campaigns have been met over the last three years, following extensive research by BIRN’s monitors in the field. The issues raised help highlight the day-to-day problems that citizens face, including a lack of drinking water and sewerage.

Debates in this format, where promises are recorded and checked halfway through each mayor’s mandate have been organised by BIRN since 2017. According to Eugen Cakolli, a member of civil society who monitors local governance, the debates help serve the public interest, especially as local elections are scheduled to be held next year.

“These debates are really important to increase the level of accountability from those elected,” Cakolli told BIRN. “They also increase transparency, as citizens have the opportunity to see the level of implementation of certain projects.

See at: https://bit.ly/38diB6F