Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Attack in Banjska was organised by Novi Sad Clan led by Milos Vucevic (media)
• A key week for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia (RFE)
• EU to condemn Banjska attackers; call for unconditional implementation of deals (RFE)
• Kosovo-Serbia: Agreement or Agreement! (AP)
• “Progress in dialogue difficult, if Serbia doesn’t condemn September 24 attack” (Kallxo)
• Tahiri: Kurti should tell the people about his meeting with five envoys (media)
• AAK: This government and Prime Minister cannot send Kosovo backwards (Klan/EO)
• British KFOR soldiers start patrols along administrative boundary line (media)
• Palokaj challenges Szunyog: EU members didn’t vote on measures on Kosovo (Kallxo)
• Croatian FM: Attack in Banjska, serious act of regional destabilisation (AP)
• Kulla: Serbia is using Association to create a Serb state within Kosovo (KSP)
• Bogdanovic: “BIA preparing bloody conflict within Serb community in north” (media)
• Haxhiu: Constitutional Court has become an ally institution of the opposition (KSP)
• Protest against Serbia’s policies to Albanian settlements in Presevo Valley (EO)

Serbian Language Media:

• The Ministry of Defence reacts to Kurti's accusations: Disgusting and blatant lies (N1)
• UN Security Council in an open session today on Kosovo (RTS)
• Bilcik: Serious doubts regarding expropriation in the North by Pristina authorities (Kosovo Online)
• Mojsilovic meets new KFOR Commander (Tanjug)
• Raska-Prizren Diocese (SOC) vehemently protests deportation of Devina Voda Monastery Abbot Fotije from Kosovo (media, social media)
• Raska-Prizren Eparchy to file complaint against decision to deport Abbot Fotije (Kosovo Online)
• Vucevic: Serbia-China military cooperation modernises SAF defence capabilities (Tanjug)

Opinion:

• Hehir: Kosovo Serbs May Feel Insecure, but They’re not ‘Ethnically Cleansed’ (BIRN)
• Palokaj: How the EU is failing to respect obligations to Ahtisaari (Koha)

International:

• Serbia Denies BIRN FOI Request on Bullets Found in Kosovo Clash (BIRN)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Kurti: Attack in Banjska was organised by Novi Sad Clan led by Milos  Vucevic (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that the attack in Banjska of Zvecan was organised by the Clan of Novi Sad. According to him, it is led by the Minister of Defense of Serbia, Milos Vucevic. "He is the chairman of the state party SNS, three times elected mayor of Novi Sad with the help of Zvonko Veselinovic, and the closest friend of the brother of the President of Serbia, Andrej Vucic," Kurti wrote on Facebook.

Kurti said that around 40 Orthodox pilgrims in Banjska Monastery on September 24 were from Novi Sad, adding that if this was accidental, the investigations will show. According to him, the terrorist group on the run led by Millan Radoicic is staying in Raska. "They were given white and black Shkoda Oktavia type cars by the infamous Serbian MUP with registration plates BG and... NS. Two decades ago, the Clan of Zemun ruled Serbia, but now the Clan of Novi Sad has taken its place. Criminals in war, criminals in peace; criminals in Serbia, criminals in Kosovo. The president of the state, Aleksandar Vucic, as a capo-di-tutti-capi, is there to prove that although crime dictates the state, in fact, it is the state that dictates crime," Kurti wrote.

He said that "in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo, the terror, criminality and culture of violence of the paramilitaries of Delije (Crvena Zvezda fans) which is expressed with the nicknames of extremists such as: Mami, Lune, Daco, Rusi, Nemac, Gile, Drago, Aco, Comi, Belli, Micko, Prki, Mrki etc, is coming to an end.

However, Kurti said that Kosovo has no jurisdiction in Serbia. "Shouldn't the EU and the U.S. form a Special Court for the Novi Sad Clan? The Balkan mafia would experience a fatal blow, while the Balkan region would be fully opened for European democracy, legal justice, stable peace and accelerated development,” he wrote further.

A key week for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia (RFE)

This is believed to be a key week when Kosovo and Serbia need to make the crucial step in the dialogue for the normalisation of relations, by agreeing to several requests and proposals presented by the five senior western envoys on Saturday. This is what diplomatic sources in the EU say without providing details on what were the concrete proposals presented to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The sources however say that “the deadline to respond is not long, it is very short, the latest by Thursday, when the heads of countries or governments of the EU meet at the summit of the EU Council in Brussels”.

Kurti and Vucic are expected to be in Brussels on Thursday and if they make progress, the conclusions of the EU summit are expected to include a message for Kosovo and Serbia in the process of dialogue.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels say that the requests to Kosovo relate to agreeing to a draft for the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, whereas those for Serbia relate to the unconditional respect of obligations stemming from the annex accorded in Ohrid for the implementation of the agreement on the path toward normalisation of relations.

EU to condemn Banjska attackers; call for unconditional implementation of deals (RFE)

Leaders of 27 EU member states after their summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are expected to express deep concern about the security situation in the north of Kosovo. They will call for the authors of the attacks in Banjska to be brought to justice and also call on Kosovo and Serbia to implement their obligations from the dialogue process without delays or conditions. The news website claims to have seen a draft of the conclusions that will be adopted at the summit.

“The EU Council is deeply concerned about the security situation in the north of Kosovo. It strongly condemns the violent attacks against the Kosovo Police on September 24. The EU expects the perpetrators to be apprehended and brought to justice and for Serbia to cooperate fully and undertake all necessary steps,” one of the conclusions notes.

Two other conclusions talk about steps to lower tensions and to implement obligations from the EU-facilitated dialogue. “Kosovo and Serbia need to make sustainable efforts for de-escalation, in particular to organise elections in the north of Kosovo as soon as possible, with active participation of the Kosovo Serbs. Failure to de-escalate the situation will have consequences,” notes a conclusion.

“The EU council expresses regret over the lack of implementation by both parties of the agreement on the path toward normalisation and its implementation annex, as well as other agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue, under the leadership of the High Representative and with the help of the Special Representative.”

“We call on Kosovo and Serbia to implement them without delays or conditions. This also includes the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities”.

“The normalisation of relations is a key condition for the European path of both parties and both risk losing an important opportunity in the lack of progress.”

Kosovo-Serbia: Agreement or Agreement! (Albanian Post)

The news website reports that the September 24th events in Banjska have had an effect on many things but despite the harshness of the incident, it did not and cannot impact the core of the process between Kosovo and Serbia. The Ohrid Agreement for the implementation of the Basic Agreement still stands and both parties – Kosovo and Serbia – must implement it.

Citing unnamed sources involved in the process managed by the “Big Five”, the news website notes that the west does not accept as valid the claim of the Kosovar side “first security then dialogue”. The sources say that Kosovo’s security concerns, after the Banjska events, are best addressed only through the implementation of the Basic Agreement. The implementation of the Basic Agreement paves the way for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration as the sole sustainable security framework for Kosovo. The sources say that this was made clear to Kosovo’s state leaders. So, if Kosovo aspires to join the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, it has no other way but to implement the agreement.

Sources say that it is now crystal clear for the authorities in Serbia that the attack in Banjska, and the attempt to incite an armed rebellion in the north of Kosovo, crossed a very important red line for the western community. According to sources, on September 29, Belgrade learned clearly that NATO will not hesitate to use force as a response to any act of aggression against Kosovo, and that the authorities in Serbia now have zero willingness for any foolish act against Kosovo.

Asked about the possibility of Prime Minister Kurti provoking a new confrontation in the north of Kosovo, as a manoeuvre to avoid the implementation of the agreement, a theory that is mentioned lately, sources told the Albanian Post that they cannot rule it out as a theoretical possibility but warn that the situation now is completely different from what it was in September.

Sources said that before the Banjska events, there was readiness among the Serbian side to experiment with the situation, consequently there was also readiness for confrontation and tensions. Sources said that this no longer exists and that the Serbian side will avoid any confrontation and escalation at all costs.

“In this hypothetical situation, being that among the Serbs there is more readiness to experiment with tensions, Mr. Kurti can only confront the western community,” the source said.

But what did the Big Five present? What is the so-called new plan?

There is no new plan. Now after the events in Banjska and all the lessons learned, there is only one clear plan to move forward, with certain and determined steps. According to the basic agreement, Kosovo needs to undertake concrete steps to demonstrate its readiness to implement the instruments for self-management for the Serb community.

According to the basic agreement, Serbia needs to prove with concrete steps that it respects Kosovo’s functioning as a special legal and political reality. 

The political leadership in Pristina needs to demonstrate with concrete steps an honest readiness to organise free elections in the northern municipalities.

The political leadership in Serbia needs to demonstrate with concrete steps an honest readiness to encourage the Kosovo Serbs to join the political and institutional life in Kosovo, in compliance with the legal framework in force in Kosovo. This means that Belgrade must make sure that the return of Serbs to the institutions is honest and completely in the service of improving the lives of citizens. And for all this to happen, the parties must refrain from immature statements that can antagonise the parties.

In parallel with concrete steps to implement the self-management instruments and the return of northern Kosovo Serbs to the political and institutional life in Kosovo, the EU must lift the penalty measures against Kosovo. Alongside this, there will be other concrete steps toward reiterating what is now known as “de facto” recognition. Therefore, Kosovo will be given the opportunity to develop its international profile unimpeded by Serbia.

Based on what Albanian Post has learned, the big five has presented the self-management for the Serb community and full de-escalation in the north, both translated into concrete steps, as an obligation for Prishtina, in the face of de facto recognition, translated into concrete steps and terms, as an obligation for Belgrade.

Then Kosovo will have its special benefits from the international community and Serbia will have its own. Currently, no one asks Serbia to de jure recognize Kosovo, but it was made clear to both parties that the implementation of the basic agreement is only the beginning.

If Kosovo and Serbia really want to be part of the EU they must continue toward full normalisation, and which includes full mutual recognition, whenever it happens.

“Progress in dialogue difficult, if Serbia doesn’t condemn September 24 attack” (Kallxo)

Head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said today that it is difficult to foresee any progress in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia if Serbia does not condemn the September 24th attack in Banjska. She also said that the responsibility for this falls directly on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. 

“In the current circumstances, without concrete action by Serbia to condemn and impose sanctions against those that are directly responsibly, and this unfortunately leads directly to the Serbian President, about the September 24th events, it is difficult to foresee any progress in the process,” she told reporters after the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency.

Kusari-Lila qualified as “grave” a statement by EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak that “nothing has changed after September 24” in terms of the agreements reached. “Many things have changed. While we showed constructiveness, Serbia was preparing an armed attack that resulted in the killing of a police sergeant. We maintain our position that September 24 marked a bad turning point in the process of dialogue and we want accountability from those that were and remain engaged in the attack,” Kusari-Lila said.

Tahiri: Kurti should tell the people about his meeting with five envoys (media)

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, told a press conference today that Prime Minister Aalbin Kurti should give more details to the citizens of Kosovo following his meeting with the five envoys in Pristina on Saturday. “The Prime Minister owes it to all citizens to hold a press conference and talk about his position about the visit. The first thing the Prime Minister should do is tell us where our country stands in terms of these requests. We call on the Prime Minister to cooperate with our allies, especially with the United States. We also call for an international investigation [into the Banjska events],” Tahiri said.

AAK: This government and Prime Minister cannot send Kosovo backwards (Klan/EO)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said today that Kosovo must coordinate its actions with the United States and the international factor, Klan Kosova reports. Following the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency, Tahiri told reporters that “Kosovo’s coordination with the U.S. and the international community is crucial. This course of action requires a state position. This government and this Prime Minister cannot send Kosovo backwards. Going backwards would mean to extremely damage all the achievements we have made so far”.

Ekonomia Online quotes Tahiri as saying that no one can stop Kosovo’s European integration, in response to a statement by EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak who said that there can be no integration for Kosovo without the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “Kosovo’s path to European integration cannot be stopped by Lajcak or any institution. Kosovo needs to coordinate its policies with the EU and the U.S. It needs to deliver on the promises made without damaging the country,” Tahiri argued.

British KFOR soldiers start patrols along administrative boundary line (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a statement today that “British soldiers from NATO's Strategic Reserve Force, are conducting patrols along the Administrative Boundary Line and provide engineer assets to help improve safety at a local school in Kosovo. The unit was mobilised following increased tensions in Kosovo, in order to ensure KFOR’s ability to fulfil its mandate of maintaining a Safe and Secure Environment for all communities in Kosovo.”

Palokaj challenges Szunyog: EU members didn’t vote on measures on Kosovo (Kallxo)

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj said in an interview with Kallxo that EU member states did not vote on measures against Kosovo, challenging a statement by EU Ambassador to Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, who earlier said that there was consensus among the 27 member states on measures against Kosovo and when asked if the member states supported the decision, he said yes. Palokaj said this was not true. “It is not true. I am challenging him, and I am saying that what Ambassador Szunyog said was not true. The member states never voted (on measures against Kosovo) because in that case they would have been called sanctions. Precisely in order to avoid a vote by the member states, measures were designed for which the European Commission and the External Action Services are competent to decide, namely these are sanctions decided by the Council,” he argued. 

According to Palokaj, what the member states did was “a political declaration to undertake measures in the event the conditions are not met, and it was assessed that Kosovo did not meet the conditions”. “And Borrell and Lajcak, not the member states, report if Kosovo met the conditions or not,” he added.

Palokaj said that a great majority of member states insist that there should be measures against Kosovo and that “at least some of them insist that there should be no measures against Kosovo”. He also argued that if they wanted to, the Commission and the Council could have imposed measures against Serbia, like those against Kosovo, right away “but this is only a game they’re playing”.

Palokaj said that the focus of the international community on Kosovo is much greater after the attack in Banjska. “There is greater awareness now that it is no speculation to say that war can break out in Kosovo, because the weapons seen in Banjska, the way they attempted and the way they ridiculed KFOR, proves that the threat was big and that it can happen again. This is what woke the international community from their sleep,” he said.

Croatian FM: Attack in Banjska, serious act of regional destabilisation (AP)

Croatia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gordan Grlic-Radman, said today before the summit of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, that the EU needs to seriously address and respond in determined fashion to the September 24th attack in the north of Kosovo. “I would like to mention the latest armed attack by Serb paramilitaries in Kosovo, which we need to address very seriously. This is a serious act of regional destabilization and we need to respond,” he was quoted as saying.

Kulla: Serbia is using Association to create a Serb state within Kosovo (Kosovapress)

Tirana-based expert on security issues, Ilir Kulla, in an interview with the news agency, criticised the European Union for lack of consensus toward Serbia, saying that the measures against Kosovo are absurd and that Serbia constitutes a real threat to the whole Balkans, let alone Kosovo.

Kulla argued that Serbia is using the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to create a Serb state within Kosovo and that it does not offer recognition in return. “The Association has only one formula: the association in exchange for recognition. The moment you give me the recognition, I will give you the Association. As long as you don’t give me the recognition and are using the Association to create a Serb state within Kosovo, there is no reason for this Association to exist,” he said.

Commenting on the September 24th attack in the north of Kosovo, Kulla claimed “there is a threat of the Serbs using the enclaves for victimisation as was the Panda case in Peja”.

Bogdanovic: “BIA preparing bloody conflict within Serb community in north” (media)

Several news websites report that Boban Bogdanovic, General Secretary of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Strategy, claimed in a post on X on Sunday that he has information that “the BIA [Serbian secret service] by order of Aleksandar Vulin, is preparing bloody conflicts within the Serb community in the north of Kosovo, which are destined to culminate these days in order to preserve and strengthen the Serbian List, before the next local elections!” 

Haxhiu: Constitutional Court has become an ally institution of the opposition (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said today that the Constitutional Court has become an ally institution of the opposition. Haxhiu was responding to a statement by PDK MP Ariana Musliu-Shoshi that the ruling party is trying to turn Kosovo from a democracy into an autocracy.

Haxhiu previously criticised institutions for lack of efficiency in addressing cases of domestic violence. She said that the ministry has allocated a budget of €900,000 for safe houses and that this is the highest budget compared to previous years.

According to Haxhiu, the lack of economic development and a patriarchal mindset are the main factors contributing to an increase in cases of domestic violence. “At the Ministry of Justice, we have a database where we see the data entered by the safe houses, police, prosecutions and courts. The institutions that have a key role in the process are not entering data,” she said.

Haxhiu told the parliamentary committee on cases of domestic and gender-based violence that there is a lot of work to be done to combat the phenomenon and that there are yet no disciplinary cases against institutions that are failing to do their job. “Since I assumed duty, the issue of domestic violence has become a priority for the Kosovo Government. Therefore, I believe you agree that in the last two and a half years there has been institutional attention to domestic and gender-based violence. There is no other country that gives free legal aid. We have also removed bureaucratic procedures for the victims of crime,” she said.

Haxhiu also said that during the 16 Days of Activism campaign, a project for the employment or raped women will be launched.

Protest against Serbia’s policies to Albanian settlements in Presevo Valley (EO)

The organisational council of the Albanian National Council for Kosovo and the Albanian Civil Society Union in cooperation with citizens from Presevo Valley have protested in downtown Pristina today against Serbia’s policies to Albanian settlements in Medvedja, Bujanovac and Presevo.

Dashamir Uruqi, leader of the Albanian Union of Civil Society, said the situation of Albanians in Presevo Valley is dire and that their human rights are continuously violated. He said that the Presevo Valley should be discussed in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. “We are united here by the fate of the Valley. Human rights are continuously violated in those settlements. The main problem is about the treatment of Albanians in Serbia. They are discriminated against by the Serbian state, and the situation in the healthcare sector is very dire,” he argued.

Linda Shaqiri, coordinator of the Albanian National Council, claimed that Serbia was discriminating citizens in Presevo Valley and that everyone should be vocal against this injustice. 

   

Serbian Language Media

  The Ministry of Defence reacts to Kurti's accusations: Disgusting and blatant lies (N1)

The Ministry of Defence absolutely rejects disgusting and blatant lies voiced by Pristina Prime Minister Albin Kurti and calls on international community to react immediately in order to stop the incendiary and inflammatory media campaign of the Pristina leadership directed at the Republic of Serbia and its officials, reads the statement of the Serbian Ministry of Defence, N1 reports.

Kurti earlier said that “a Novi Sad clan was behind events in Banjska headed by Milos Vucevic” who is former Novi Sad mayor and current Minister of Défense, and asked if it were coincidence that pilgrims who were visiting Banjska at that moment were from Novi Sad precisely.

“We underline that in the interest of preserving peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija it was of crucial importance that provisional institutions in Pristina are forced to cease immediately their daily terror against Serbian population, implement all agreements made thus far and immediately establish Community of Serbian Municipality”, the Ministry added in a statement.

The Ministry added that "the brazen lies, insults and slanders that (Albin) Kurti puts out every day as part of a dirty media campaign against the state of Serbia and its leadership completely dispel his intentions to destroy any chance of calming tensions in our southern province".

"The Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces will remain committed to their constitutional and legal roles aiming at preserving security and peaceful life of all citizens of Serbia. We are convinced that today's, as well as the series of slanderous statements made by the representatives of the provisional Pristina institutions, are unequivocal evidence whose interest is to cause chaos and violence, and whose interest is to preserve peace, continue dialogue and achieve a political solution to the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija", the Ministry’s statement concluded.

UN Security Council in an open session today on Kosovo (RTS)

The session of the United Nations Security Council, where the six-month UNMIK report on Kosovo will be discussed, will be held today in New York. The session will be open to the public. Serbia will be represented by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, reported RTS.

The report on the work of UNMIK from March 19 to September 18 will be presented today at the UNSC by the head of the UN Mission in Kosovo, Caroline Ziadeh.

Before the session, the UN Secretary General published a part of the report on Kosovo, where he called on Belgrade and Pristina to refrain from unilateral moves that could lead to further escalation of tensions in Kosovo. 

He also said that both Belgrade and Pristina should return to dialogue under the auspices of the EU and implement all the agreements reached so far.

He also expressed the expectation that early local elections will soon be held in the north of Kosovo, in which Serbs will also participate.

The session is open to the public

Although there was speculation in the previous weeks that the session would be closed to the public, this will not happen.

The session will be open and will be broadcast from 9:00 p.m., an RTS journalist reported. 

Prime Minister Brnabic represents Serbia

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic will represent Serbia at the UN Security Council session.

As announced, the Prime Minister will have a separate meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations, as well as with the President of the United Nations Security Council, the Ambassador of Brazil.

RTS recalled that out of 15 members of the Security Council, five did not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, that is, Russia, China, Ecuador, Mozambique, and Brazil as the chair of the Security Council.

Next month, according to RTS, China will take over the presidency of that body.

The situation in Kosovo after the conflict in Banjska and the latest visit of EU and US diplomatic envoys are being discussed today by the heads of EU diplomacy at a meeting in Luxembourg.

Relations between Belgrade and Pristina will be one of the topics at the summit of EU heads of state and government on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

Bilcik: Serious doubts regarding expropriation in the North by Pristina authorities (Kosovo Online) 

European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik told Kosovo Online that there are serious, fundamental doubts when it comes to the expropriation of land in the north of Kosovo, which is why all relevant international institutions have devoted themselves to this issue. 

Kosovo Government recently rejected all objections of the EU, the US Embassy in Kosovo and the OSCE regarding the expropriation of properties belonging to Serbs in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, which has been ongoing for months, and as claimed in Pristina, "everything was done in accordance with the law."

Bilcik states that the rule of law is crucial, as well as that the issue of land expropriation in the north of Kosovo remains an open question that burdens the dialogue.

"We tell everyone in the Western Balkans to rely on the rule of law if they want to progress in European integration. All changes in land ownership and expropriation must be in accordance with the rule of law. This is part of the problem and shows how difficult it is to proceed in dialogue. Difficulties arise and from Pristina's attitude towards numerous issues, I mentioned the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and this is just one more issue that is open," says Bilcik.

He emphasises that now, from a political point of view, the main concern and focus is on the events from Banjska on September 24.

"There are still a lot of questions and problems, but it takes two to tango. All parties must deliver what is expected of them and this is an issue that remains open on the table, when it comes to the rule of law and the fulfilment of obligations by Pristina," says Bilcik, reported Kosovo Online.

Mojsilovic meets new KFOR Commander (Tanjug)

Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of General Staff General Milan Mojsilovic met on Friday in Belgrade with KFOR Commander Major General Ozkan Ulutas, who assumed the post last week, Tanjug news agency reports.

They discussed the current security situation in Kosovo and activities that could be undertaken to improve peace and security there, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Mojsilovic noted the SAF, in line with UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement, saw KFOR as the only legitimate armed formation in Kosovo and Metohija, and said he expected international security forces to take the steps necessary for de-escalation of the situation and protect the Serbian national, cultural, historical and religious heritage.

Mojsilovic noted the significance of SAF-KFOR cooperation established at all levels with a view to maintaining security and preventing crises, with full and unbiased implementation of the mandate given to KFOR under the UN SC Resolution 1244.

Raska-Prizren Diocese (SOC) vehemently protests deportation of Devina Voda Monastery Abbot Fotije from Kosovo (media, social media)

Fr. Fotije (Kostovski), the longstanding abbot of the Devina Voda Monastery in the Zvecan municipality was urgently deported from Kosovo on October 20 by Kosovo police without any explanation, Raska-Prizren Eparchy said in a statement.

Born Aleksandar Kostovski on August 25, 1981, in Skopje (North Macedonia), Father Fotije devoted himself to monastic life after graduating from the Music Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He has served in the Raska-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church since 2004. He was appointed the Abbot of the Devine Vode Monastery near Zvecan in 2009, where he has resided continuously for 13 years, fulfilling his monastic duties, the statement added.

“The Raska-Prizren Diocese (SOC) expresses its strongest protest concerning this unprecedented event, in which a long-serving cleric of our Diocese, who has resided in Kosovo for over 13 years, was deported without any clear explanation, barred from returning to Kosovo for the next 5 years, and had all his previous residence permits nullified.

This is a case of brutal, arbitrary, and extrajudicial expulsion of a church official from Kosovo, preventing him from carrying out his ecclesiastical mission, a blatant violation of human and religious rights. This is especially considering the law on religious freedoms in Kosovo, Article 7A.3, which states that “there shall be no arbitrary prohibition of entry into or stay in Kosovo for clergy, candidates and ministry, monks, nuns, and visitors”. This section of the law specifically addresses certain aspects of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s operations in Kosovo”.

Read the full Raska-Prizren Eparchy statement at: https://tinyurl.com/357ranus

Raska-Prizren Eparchy to file complaint against decision to deport Abbot Fotije (Kosovo Online)

Raska-Prizren Eparchy will file an appeal against the decision of Kosovo authorities to deport the Abbot of Devine Vode Monastery near Zvecan, Kosovo online has learned.

The portal said according to the opinion of the legal team of the Eparchy, this was an arbitrary ban on Abbot Fotije’s residence because there is no indictment or criminal responsibility.

During deportation, members of Kosovo police explicitly refused to give the EULEX and OSCE representatives any explanation even though both of them witnessed the deportation, the portal added.

Kosovo online emphasised that according to the law on religious freedoms in Kosovo, it is stated that “there will be no arbitrary ban on entering Kosovo, or staying in Kosovo for priests, candidates for the priesthood, monks, nuns and visitors”.

Vucevic: Serbia-China military cooperation modernises SAF defence capabilities (Tanjug)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Milos Vucevic says Serbia-China military cooperation supports Serbia's defence modernisation and empowers its defence capabilities, Tanjug news agency reports. In an interview to China's public media outlet Global Times, Vucevic noted that he looked forward to further development of Sino-Serbian cooperation, especially in defence.

"We will continue to enhance our capabilities, both in human resources and weapons and military equipment, in order to be able to protect our people, wherever they live, and in order to be the guarantor of Serbia's independence", he said.

"We are truly grateful for China's wholehearted support for the preservation of Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. China's position on the Kosovo and Metohija issue has always been principled and consistent, which is proof of the true friendship between the two countries", Vucevic also said.

He reiterated that Serbia supported the One China principle and condemned all attempts to threaten China's unity regarding the Taiwan issue.

   

Opinion 

  Hehir: Kosovo Serbs May Feel Insecure, but They’re not ‘Ethnically Cleansed’ (BIRN) Opinion piece by Aidan Hehir, reader in International Relations at the University of Westminster in London.

Belgrade’s claim that Serbs are being purposefully driven out of Kosovo is not supported by a single relevant international organisation – but that doesn’t mean its inflammatory rhetoric isn’t dangerous.

Serbia’s leaders now routinely claim that the government of Kosovo is engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Serbian community. In March, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, declared that the Kosovo government sought “to cleanse the parish of Sirinić so that Serbs could not stay in the south of Kosovo”.

In July, he claimed that “ethnic cleansing against the Serbian people is well organised, planned and supported by international circles… everywhere respectable Serbs who could be a point of resistance to Pristina must be arrested, killed or removed from Kosovo and Metohija.”

It was, he claimed, “the most direct and brutal call for ethnic cleansing”. At a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, he accused Kosovo PM Albin “Kurti’s extremist regime” of waging “a terror campaign” which included “ethnic cleansing”.

The day after a Serbian militia group launched terrorist attack at Banjska on September 24, Vucic told the Russian Ambassador to Serbia: “Brutal ethnic cleansing is being carried out in Kosovo and Metohija, organised by Albin Kurti.”

Similar allegations were made by the Serbian Orthodox Church; following the September attacks, it decried “the extremely dangerous policy of the authorities in Priština whose sole aim is the complete expulsion of the Serbian people and the creation of an ethnically Albanian Kosovo”.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5dv3mkxx Palokaj: How the EU is failing to respect obligations to Ahtisaari (Koha)

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj writes in an opinion piece that when “[Marti] Ahtisaari took over the mediation of the process for the resolution of Kosovo’s status he said he has only two expectations from the EU. First, when he comes out with a proposal, the EU should support his proposal. And second, for the EU to keep its promise for the perspective of EU integration of countries of the Western Balkans. The EU betrayed Ahtisaari in both cases. When he came out with his proposal, which served as the basis for the declaration of Kosovo’s independence, five EU member states sided with Russia and the EU never supported his proposal. As a result, the EU to this day does not have a unified position on Kosovo’s status. And divisions surrounding remain even 16 years after the late Ahtisaari made his proposal. Even the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which confirmed that the declaration of Kosovo’s independence did not violate international law or Resolution 1244, did not suffice for the EU to change its position.”

Palokaj writes that “the declaration of Kosovo’s independence was unilateral the least, because it was done in full coordination with the international community, after an international process that included the three main international organisations (UN, EU and NATO) and with the active participation of the great powers like Russia and the United States. From negotiations to the declaration of independence, everything was adapted to the needs of the EU and the roles that were being prepared for it. But in the end the EU betrayed Ahtisaari, by not having the unity to support his proposal and it betrayed Kosovo too by remaining status neutral. To date, Kosovo has met the obligations stemming from the Ahtisaari Package, whereas the EU, in addition to making not-so-successful experiments with its presence in Kosovo, did not move a single step in terms of its political obligations”.

According to Palokaj, the EU and member states that supported Kosovo could resolve the issue of Kosovo’s international subjectivity in the last 15 years, “but they have failed”. He says that the best opportunity was after the International Court of Justice announced its ruling on Kosovo’s independence saying that it does not violate international law and that it is not in contravention with UNSC Resolution 1244. “It was expected that the EU and NATO would tell their member states that did not recognize Kosovo to do so … but with the exception of the European Parliament, no other body of the EU or NATO, did not try to step up the pressure for [Kosovo’s] recognition,” he writes. “Instead, the whole debate and focus from the positive ruling that created an opportunity for recognition, was shifted to organising the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Not only was the recognition by the five EU member states forgotten, but the EU started considering the non-recognition by these member states as a good circumstance.”

Palokaj concludes by saying that “the EU needs to understand that Kosovo’s lack of membership in the United Nations, and the fact that the Ahtisaari proposal was not accepted by the Security Council, is not because international law is being protected, like Serbia wants to claim. Rather it is a political abuse of the right of veto by Russia which has obstructed this. Kosovo did not become a state ‘with political decisions in opposition to international law’ as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says every day, but political decisions are preventing the completion of Kosovo’s international subjectivity as a state. And in this, the biggest contribution is perhaps given by the European Union.”

   

International 

  Serbia Denies BIRN FOI Request on Bullets Found in Kosovo Clash (BIRN)

Serbian ministry denies BIRN request for information on possible buyers of ammunition produced in Belom factory in 2022 – a type seized by Kosovo Police after the September 24 Banjska shootout – citing ‘security reasons'.

Serbia’s Ministry of Internal and External Trade has rejected BIRN Freedom of Information requests for information about companies involved in purchasing or exporting 7.62x39mm ammunition for assault rifles produced in 2022 in the Serbian arms factory Belom.

This type of weaponry was used by a Serbian armed group in an attack in Banjska, northern Kosovo, on September 24, which resulted in the killing of a Kosovo policeman.

The ministry quoted economic and security reasons for not submitting the information.

“The submission of the requested data would make difficulties for the legitimate economic interests of the Republic of Serbia and the economic processes in the country,” the ministry response on Monday said.

“In the mentioned context, the economic system of the Republic of Serbia (fiscal, monetary, foreign exchange policy, etc.) is also a subsystem of the national security system, for which reason the delivery of the requested data would threaten the security and, therefore, the public interests, of the Republic of Serbia,” it added.

This is the first time that the ministry denied BIRN FOI request regarding arms exports.

A BIRN investigation showed that some of the weaponry seized from Serb gunmen in northern Kosovo last month passed through Serbian state hands at some point over the past five years, including 7.62x39mm bullets, a common assault rifle round, clearly labelled with the production year 2022.

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