Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani requests Slovenia's support for Kosovo's membership in EU and NATO (media)
• Kurti talks with governor of Izmir about deepening economic, cultural and educational ties (Klan)
• Konjufca: Serbia's ambition for expansion, source of insecurity in the region (RTK)
• Rohde: Kosovo-Serbia normalisation should result in recognition (media)
• Maqedonci responds to Vucic: "Bayraktars" fly for testing, not to observe neighbouring countries (media)
• Maqedonci: In case of attack on Kosovo, KFOR is responsible for security, but KSF is also constantly preparing for combat operations (Albanian Post)
• Prosecution starts dealing with case of school principals in the north who obstructed voting process (Koha)
• Osmani: Partnership with UNICEF, important in supporting children (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: The Pristina aircraft would have been destroyed if Kosovo was not under the control of KFOR (NMagazin, Beta, N1) 
• Konrad: Unfortunate we do not see progress on the matter of establishing the A/CSM (Tanjug, Blic TV, Kosovo Online)
• Brnabic: Germany's clear stance - The Community of Serb Municipalities must be formed (Kosovo Online)
• The Court of Appeal rejected the appeals of the Serbs arrested for Banjska, Delevic: Expected outcome (Kosovo Online, KiM radio)
• Neziraj: The announcement about cooperation with the Belgrade Theatre is part of an artistic project (KiM radio, RFE)

 Albanian Language Media

Osmani requests Slovenia's support for Kosovo's membership in EU and NATO (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani hosted on Thursday the special emissary of Slovenia for the Western Balkans, Anzej Franges. They discussed the latest developments in Kosovo and the region, the dialogue with Serbia, as well as the bilateral relations between Kosovo and Slovenia. Osmani reiterated that Slovenia is a strong friend and ally of Kosovo, and expressed her gratitude for the continuous support in strengthening the international position of Kosovo. On this occasion, President Osmani emphasised the need for continuance ofSlovenian support for membership in the EU, NATO, as well as in international organisations.

Kurti talks with governor of Izmir about deepening economic, cultural and educational ties (Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has started his visit to Turkiye, where he will also meet the diaspora living in Izmir. On Thursday, he met the governor of Izmir Suleyman Elban. They discussed the deepening of economic, cultural and educational ties, and the research of new opportunities for cooperation in spheres of mutual interest.

"Prime Minister Kurti expressed the gratitude of the Government of Kosovo for the continuous support of Turkiye, and for the hospitality of the Turkish state and people in each of his visits", it is stated in the announcement of the Prime Minister's Office.

This is his second visit to the Turkish state in a short time.

Konjufca: Serbia's ambition for expansion, source of insecurity in the region (RTK)

The Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca met with the Slovenian envoy for the Western Balkans, Anzej Franges. They exchanged views regarding developments in Kosovo and the region, especially in the context of security and the need for stability.

"Speaker Konjufca expressed his assessment that today the insecurity in the region has two main sources, Russian aggression in Ukraine and Serbia's incompatibility with its borders, namely the ambition for territorial expansion", the press release states.

It is further said that part of the discussion was the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, "namely the need for the EU to do more for Serbia to return to the Brussels Agreement as the basic framework for the normalisation of relations between the two states".

Franges expressed his opinion that Slovenia, but also the EU should know more about the perspective of how the parties, namely that of Kosovo, see things so that this also reflects in the most adequate approach of the international factor towards the developments in the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but also political developments in the region in general.

Rohde: Kosovo-Serbia normalisation should result in recognition (media)

The German ambassador, Jorn Rohde, has said that the normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia should end in recognition, in case both countries want to join the European Union.

"Normalisation should result in recognition, if both Kosovo and Serbia want to join the EU. Too often what is labelled 'step by step' turns out to be 'tit for tat' which does not help either side. Bold decisions are very necessary!" Rohde wrote on the X platform.

Maqedonci responds to Vucic: "Bayraktars" fly for testing, not to observe neighbouring countries (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, has denied the claims of the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, that the "Bayraktar" drones of Kosovo have observed the military bases of Serbia. In an interview with"Tëvë1", he is quoted as having said that drones fly in the skies of Kosovo for testing, not to observe any neighbouring country.

"Absolutely, this statement of President Vucic is incorrect. The capacity of the Kosovo Security Force is focused on building elements for the protection of the territory and sovereignty of our country. In this aspect, the 'Bayraktar' drones as part of the weapon system... of the KSF inventory is an integral part of the operational units of the KSF and we within the KSF have the unmanned aerial systems unit that operates with "Bayraktar" drones and normally their operation takes place within the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, without aiming to observe any neighbouring country and without aiming to violate the airspace of any country. Normally, based on the operation plan, these drones always fly in the sky of Kosovo with the aim of being tested, to operate with them in order to observe the terrain in the Republic of Kosovo," he said.

He also spoke about the danger of an attack after the one on September 24. "It has been said by our institutions several times that the very impunity of Radoicic's group and other criminal and terrorist groups that operated in the north of the country and that attempted to annex the territory of the Republic of Kosovo on September 24, so their very impunity represents a danger, so their presence in Serbia, their organisation and their function within the territory of Serbia always supported by the structures of the Republic of Serbia. So, as long as Serbia does not distance itself from the actions taken by this group, does not take measures for these actions, then the danger exists".

Maqedonci: In case of attack on Kosovo, KFOR is responsible for security, but KSF is also constantly preparing for combat operations (Albanian Post)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci said in an interview with the Albanian Post, that the Kosovo Security Force is continuously preparing and training in case of any attack from abroad, possibly by groups financed by Serbia, however the government is aware and respects the fact that it is KFOR that, as an "international military force", has the mandate to "maintain peace".

"The Kosovo Security Force, as a professional, multi-ethnic and interoperable force with NATO, has among its three key tasks the protection of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In this aspect, training and equipment are also being prepared to carry out combat operations for the defence of the territory", said Maqedonci.

He also talked about equipping the Kosovo Security Force with the Javelin anti-tank system and Bayraktar drones. "The process of securing the Javelin anti-tank missile system is ongoing. The offer has been accepted by the Ministry of Defense and we have already executed the first payment instalment", he told AP.

Asked about the commitment of the government of Kosovo in 2013 not to send KSF soldiers to the North, he emphasised that they would continue to respect this decision even though Prime Minister Albin Kurti has repeatedly opposed it. "Despite the fact that we may not agree, both the Prime Minister and I, all the structures within the Ministry of Defense and the KSF are determined to respect that commitment of the institutions of Kosovo. At an appropriate time in synchronisation with NATO, I believe that it will be discussed whether there is a need to continue the validity of this commitment".

During this interview, he did not deny that he has ambitions in the future to run for MP in the next national elections, but he emphasised that now his focus is working as a minister due to the fragile situation in the North. "In the later stages we will see about my commitment for the future. I am a minister of a government led by the Vetevendosje Movement, and as such I follow the policies of this government in the field of defence", emphasised Maqedonci.

Prosecution starts dealing with case of school principals in the north who obstructed voting process (Koha)

Justice institutions have initiated the case concerning the obstruction of the election process by the directors who did not allow the use of schools in the north as polling stations. The Central Election Commission has confirmed that they forwarded the notification with the data from this case, and the State Prosecutor's Office has confirmed that the case has been forwarded to Mitrovica.

The Basic Prosecutor's Office in Mitrovica has started dealing with the obstruction of the election process by school principals in the north. The case in Mitrovica was forwarded by the prosecutor Laura Pula, who is the national coordinator for elections.

Osmani: Partnership with UNICEF, important in supporting children (RTK)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, welcomed on Thursday the new head of UNICEF for Kosovo, Veronika Vashchenko, whom she congratulated on her position, wishing for the continuation of constructive cooperation.

The office of the president, through a press release, announced that the continuation of cooperation and the importance of efforts to improve the well-being and development of children in Kosovo were discussed in this meeting. According to the communique, Osmani emphasised that the partnership with UNICEF is important for the implementation of programs and policies that support the comprehensive development and protection of children.

In this context, President Osmani pointed out the efforts for children's access to quality education and strengthening their well-being. During the meeting, projects in support of early childhood education, support of children with special needs and the impact of climate change on children's health were discussed. President Osmani, among other things, in this meeting laid out the need to implement programs focused on children and the promotion of gender equality in all sectors.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: The Pristina aircraft would have been destroyed if Kosovo was not under the control of KFOR (NMagazin, Beta, N1) 

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated that the Pristina drones that were scouting over Djakovica would have been destroyed in some other circumstances, but that Serbia respected the fact that Kosovo is a territory under the control of KFOR.

Answering the questions of journalists after the military exercise in the Pasuljanske meadows, Vucic said that the unmanned aerial aircrafts - "Bayraktar'', he mentioned two days ago, were conducting reconnaissance activities over Djakovica, were Pristina's.

"There are more goals, certainly the observation of the operational capabilities of our army. Bayraktars were from Pristina, they were raised on June 5 and 20. We looked at them like at the palm of our hand, and if it were any other time, they would not have stayed in the air for a long time, but since it's an area under the control of KFOR, we are respecting an area under the control of KFOR," said Vucic. 

Vucic said that the Serbian Army has a big problem with staffing, especially in Belgrade and Vojvodina, because people will not do hard military work, but he added that the English, Germans, Americans, Russians, and Ukrainians are also facing this problem.

Konrad: Unfortunate we do not see progress on the matter of establishing the A/CSM (Tanjug, Blic TV, Kosovo Online)

The Ambassador of Germany in Serbia, Anke Konrad, assessed in an interview for Blic TV that it is regrettable that no progress can be seen when it comes to the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo, agreed back in 2013, reported Tanjug. 

She added that some more measures were agreed upon in Ohrid in 2023 for, as she says, the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, She added that there was too little progress after the last agreement on the order of implementation of those measures.

She emphasised that it is important to understand that the normalisation of relations is important for citizens, reported Tanjug.

She added that, when it comes to the situation surrounding the ban on the use of the dinar, the ban on the import of Serbian goods, and the announcement of the eviction of Serbian families from apartments in North Mitrovica, all of them harm normalisation.

Since the Serbian delegation, led by Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, is currently visiting the Bundestag, Konrad assessed that the relations between Serbia and Germany are very good.

In the interview, she also spoke about absurd insinuations regarding the Resolution on Srebrenica, additional room for new investments, and the advantages of lithium mining.

Brnabic: Germany's clear stance - The Community of Serb Municipalities must be formed (Kosovo Online)

President of the Serbian Assembly, Ana Brnabic, conveyed to reporters after meetings in Berlin that in all discussions with German officials, she heard Germany's clear stance - the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) must be formed, reported Kosovo Online in English. 

"Germany's position is that the Brussels Agreement must be implemented, that there have been enough delays, and that the CSM must always be at the top of the agenda. I hope this will be demonstrated in practice in the foreseeable future, despite a delay of more than 11 years," Brnabic told reporters in Berlin.

Brnabic assessed that Germany views the Declaration from the All-Serbian Assembly one-sidedly, as separatist intentions, and unfortunately, does not see anything else in the entire complex situation.

Read more at:  https://tinyurl.com/34reve2j

The Court of Appeal rejected the appeals of the Serbs arrested for Banjska, Delevic: Expected outcome (Kosovo Online, KiM radio)

The Court of Appeal of Kosovo rejected the appeals of the three Serbs arrested for the incident in Banjska and confirmed the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina on the extension of detention. Lawyer Milos Delevic, the defense attorney for the arrested Vladimir Tolic, told Kosovo Online that he is not surprised by the court's decision, because the goal is for all three to remain in custody until the indictment is filed.

In the announcement of the Kosovo Appellate Court, it is stated that the appeals of the defense attorneys of the defendants, Milos Delevic, Ljubomir Pantovic and Jovana Filipovic, were dismissed as unfounded and the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina on the detention of the three Serbs was confirmed.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/3fay228e

Neziraj: The announcement about cooperation with the Belgrade theatre is part of an artistic project (KiM radio, RFE)

There is no Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kosovo Multimedia Center (Qendra Multimedia) and the National Theater in Belgrade, nor will the city of Belgrade "breathe in Albanian". Likewise, there is no play "Banjska - our pain and pride" which is based on excerpts from an alleged book authored by Milan Radoicic, the former vice-president of the Serbian List who claimed responsibility for the armed attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo.

There isn't even a play dedicated to an Albanian family that was engaged in the chimney sweeps business. The press release with these allegations, which was sent to the media on July 2 by the Multimedia Center from Pristina, otherwise an organisation with a focus on provocative theatre and literature, was reported by many media in Serbia, as well as in Kosovo.

All this is part of a research and art project, Jeton Neziraj, director of this centre and a well-known Kosovan playwright, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe. 

"The methodology of the work also includes such forms of intervention, let's say 'subversive', where the reactions of the public and the media are tested and analysed through the creation of apparently realistic situations," says Neziraj.

"In the case of our announcement about the memorandum with the National Theater in Belgrade, it was shown, among other things, how thin the thread is that separates the stereotype and normalised racism in reality, in an environment where they are part of the collective consciousness," he said among other things, reported KiM radio, citing RFE.