• President Osmani, PM Kurti meet US Secretary of State Blinken (media)
• Johnson: U.S. believes Kosovo’s future is in Europe and NATO (KTV)
• Specialist Chambers continue detention of Kadri Veseli (media)
• Kosovo to apply for EU membership by end of 2022 (Euractiv)
• Surroi asks for support to his candidacy at RCC (Express)
• Social media fuels distrust in institutions across EU, report finds (Exit News)
• Cyberattacks big threat to Western Balkans, US expert says (Exit News)
• North Macedonia proposes jail terms for media freedom violations (BIRN)

President Osmani, PM Kurti meet US Secretary of State Blinken (media)

The leading story in all media is the visit to the United States by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti and their meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement after the meeting: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Washington, DC. Secretary Blinken emphasized the enduring partnership between the United States and Kosovo, and the Secretary thanked the leaders for their strong support for Ukraine and generous hosting of Afghans. They discussed the importance of the EU-facilitated Dialogue for normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, centered on mutual recognition, on the path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.”

Blinken was quoted as saying, “We are working together to determine several important issues for the U.S. and your country. I thank you for hosting the Afghans. We have seen support for Ukraine from day one. We have worked on other aspects too and we appreciate your leadership on these issues.”

Blinken wrote in a Twitter post: “Met today with President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti of Kosovo. The United States supports Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic and international integration and the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue. We appreciate Kosovo’s hospitality to Afghans and its firm support for Ukraine.”

Osmani tweeted: “Honored to meet @SecBlinken, alongside PM @albinkurti, to reaffirm our enduring partnership & unbreakable alliance with the U.S. Expressed our gratitude for 🇺🇸 commitment to an independent, sovereign & prosperous Kosovo, as an aspiring member of Euro-Atlantic institutions.”

Kurti said the three leaders discussed good governance, the fight against crime and corruption, economic development and social support as response to the needs of the citizens of Kosovo. “We emphasized our excellent bilateral relations and the opportunities for their advancement, with more investments and exchanges. We discussed the democratization of the region and the strengthening of political alliances to face the influences and dangers that threaten the Western Balkans. Kosovo’s membership in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and the development of Kosovo’s defense and security capabilities and capacities would contribute to lasting peace and long-term stability in the entire region. We confirmed that the Republic of Kosovo is committed to reaching a legally binding agreement centered on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia and that so far, we have engaged constructively and creatively in the dialogue process. The relations between our countries and peoples are currently strong and historically deep. We stand side by side because we are friends, partners and allies,” Kurti said.

Johnson: U.S. believes Kosovo’s future is in Europe and NATO (KTV)

Lisa A. Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said in an interview with KTV on Tuesday that the United States believe that Kosovo’s future is in Europe and NATO. “We strongly believe that the future of Kosovo is in Europe, in Euro-Atlantic and European structures, including NATO, and that one day Kosovo will be a member of NATO. This is the position of the United States and I strongly support this,” she said.

Johnson also said that Kosovo needs to work on demonstrating commitment for collective security, progress in the dialogue and to continue strengthening democratic reforms. “And you should know that this is why we are here, to support you in all your efforts,” she said.

Specialist Chambers continue detention of Kadri Veseli (media)

All media report that the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo decided on Tuesday to continue the detention of Kadri Veseli, former Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, who is awaiting trial in the Hague. The pre-trial judge argued that there is still a risk of escape and a risk of obstructing the proceedings.

Kosovo to apply for EU membership by end of 2022 (Euractiv)

Kosovo will apply for EU membership by the end of 2022, Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla said on Tuesday (26 July), in a move likely to anger neighbouring Serbia, which still refuses to recognise the sovereignty of its former province. Kosovo will be the last of the six countries in the Western Balkans to apply. Serbia and Montenegro are already working through the chapters of the negotiations process, while Albania and North Macedonia opened formal talks last week. Bosnia-Herzegovina applied in 2016 but has yet to become an official candidate.

“We think that Kosovo meets all the prerequisites to be granted [official candidate status], and therefore, by the end of the year, we will choose the appropriate moment when we will also formally submit this application,” Gervalla said.

She specified that Kosovo has already implemented most of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the European Union’s framework for “stabilising the region and establishing a free-trade area”.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3cxNC9l

Surroi asks for support to his candidacy at RCC (Express)

Kosovo publicist Veton Surroi met on Tuesday with the leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) in North Macedonia, Ali Ahmeti, and asked for Skopje’s support for his candidacy for the post of Secretary of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Ahmeti said in a statement after the meeting that they discussed "the political momentum in the region, the importance of maintaining the pro-Western orientation of North Macedonia and Kosovo and our responsibilities for our European future”. Ahmeti also said: “We discussed the progressive perspective that will be created by finalizing more efficient connecting projects between our countries, such as Corridor 8, the Arberi Highway, the Tetovo-Prizren Road, joint border crossing points, and all the cooperation agreements that have been signed. We must unite our forces to win together on the European Union integration path, which has no alternative”.

Social media fuels distrust in institutions across EU, report finds (Exit News)

Trust in national institutions across the bloc has declined over the past two years, in part driven by social media, a comprehensive report by Eurofound, the EU’s social policy agency, has found.

The report covered the period from spring 2020 to spring 2022: two years that were marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and successive restrictions, as well as, recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The decline in trust in national institutions is certainly due to ongoing and accumulating crises such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. But this explanation is superficial. The uncertainty that crises create is amplified by social networks, including through fake news and disinformation,” Eurofound’s Executive Director, Ivaylo Kalfin, told EURACTIV Bulgaria.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3S4aH3S

Cyberattacks big threat to Western Balkans, US expert says (Exit News)

Cyberattacks are increasingly endangering regions such as the Western Balkans, Europe and broader global areas following the Russian attack on Ukraine, according to a former American general who heads a cyber security company contracted by the Albanian government.

James Jones was invited to parliament on Monday, days after a sophisticated cyber attack crippled online government infrastructure bringing all digital services and government websites offline.

“NATO member countries must increase efforts in the face of cyber threats as well as cooperation between intelligence agencies, which is nowhere more urgent than in this region,” he said.

He emphasized that deeper cooperation of intelligence services between NATO member countries is nowhere else more urgent than in the Western Balkans, particularly amid threats posed by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3zBj7IN

North Macedonia proposes jail terms for media freedom violations (BIRN)

North Macedonia’s Justice Ministry is proposing to criminalise the violation of freedom of opinion and expression as part of planned changes to the country’s criminal code.

A deadline expires on Wednesday for the public to comment on the proposed new version of the criminal code, which has been published on the National Electronic Register of Regulations.

For the first time in the criminal legislation of North Macedonia, Article 193 proposes a prison sentence ranging from six months to five years for anyone who orders or implements censorship, or who illegally prevents or restricts a journalist’s freedom of reporting.

The same sentence can also be given to anyone who unlawfully prevents the printing, sale or distribution of magazines, newspapers or other printed publications, or the production and broadcasting of radio and television programmes, the publications of news agencies or other media content.

Anyone who interferes with or infringes someone else’s right to express a personal opinion can be given a prison sentence ranging from three months to three years.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3BpT6O5