Albanian Language Media:

• EU: Next dialogue meeting for implementation of commitments (Koha)
• U.S. Assistant Secretary O’Brien’s to meet Kurti during his stay in France (media)
• Kurti and his spouse welcomed by Macron on eve of Paris Peace Forum (media)
• Elshani: 1,140 vehicles with illegal plates registered to RKS (RTK)
• First truck from Serbia with medicines arrives in Mitrovica North (media)
• Kosovo Defence Minister meets Italian counterpart (media)
• Vacancy announcement for Director of RTK 2 annulled (Kallxo)

Serbian Language Media:

• Medications from central Serbia arrived at Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North, Gracanica (Kosovo Online, media)
• Dacic, Azoulay discuss Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Dacic: Serbian cultural monuments in Kosovo should be guarded by KFOR (Tanjug, media)
• Office for KiM: Two Serb families in MIlosevo village robbed (media)
• Vucic to attend Peace Forum in Paris, meet Macron (media)

Albanian Language Media

EU: Next dialogue meeting for implementation of commitments (Koha)

The European Union said on Thursday that the upcoming meetings of Kosovo and Serbia chief negotiators will focus on the next steps in the process of normalization of relations and the implementation of commitments made by the parties. EU spokesperson Peter Stano told the news website on Thursday that the meeting will be held next Thursday in Brussels. “We can confirm that the EU Special Envoy [Miroslav Lajcak] will organise a meeting at the level of the chief negotiators in Brussels next Thursday. The meeting will focus on the next steps in the process of normalization and implementation of the commitments of the parties in dialogue,” Stano said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary O’Brien’s to meet Kurti during his stay in France (media)

Several news websites cover a press release issued by the U.S. State Department, which notes that Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James C. O’Brien will travel to Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium November 9-14. While in Paris, he will attend the Paris Peace Forum and meet French Political Director Frederic Mondoloni and other French officials to discuss regional and global challenges.  Assistant Secretary O’Brien will also meet European leaders, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Montenegrin President Milatovic, and North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski to discuss regional and bilateral issues. In Brussels, Assistant Secretary O’Brien will meet Belgian Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Peter Moors to discuss holding Russia to account for its unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine.  He will also meet EU and NATO officials.

Kurti and his spouse welcomed by Macron on eve of Paris Peace Forum (media)

Several news websites reported on Thursday evening that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his spouse Rita were welcomed at the Elysee Palace by French President Emmanuel Macron. Kurti wrote in a Facebook post: “At the Elysee Palace, together with Rita, guests of French President Macron and the First Lady of France, Briggite Macron, on the eve of the sixth edition of the Peace Forum in Paris”.

Elshani: 1,140 vehicles with illegal plates registered to RKS (RTK)

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, said in an interview with the TV station on Thursday that Serb citizens in the north of Kosovo are continuing to register their vehicles with Kosovo licence plates and removing the illegal plates. He said that 1,140 vehicles have been registered so far. 

Kosovo’s Ministry of Interior Affairs has welcomed the increased readiness of Serbs to positively respond to the Kosovo government’s latest decision. The Ministry said in a statement to RTK that they “call on all our citizens who own vehicles with illegal license plates, to continue to register their vehicles with RKS license plates and benefit from financial facilities until December 1, 2023”.

First truck from Serbia with medicines arrives in Mitrovica North (media)

Citing a report by Serbian news website Kossev, several news websites in Albanian report that the first truck with infusion solutions, which was delivered to Kosovo from Serbia five days ago, has arrived at the Clinical Hospital Centre in Mitrovica North.

Kosovo Defence Minister meets Italian counterpart (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, during his stay in Italy, met with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, and they discussed the current situation in the Western Balkans, and the importance of continuing cooperation between Kosovo and Italy in the area of defense. “I thanked Minister Crosetto for the support and contribution that Italy gave to Kosovo through military and security troops as part of KFOR and EULEX. I also expressed Kosovo’s clear objectives … We stand determined alongside our strategic allies. Kosovo will be a guarantor of security,” Maqedonci said.

Vacancy announcement for Director of RTK 2 annulled (Kallxo)

The vacancy announcement for the selection of the director of RTK 2 has been annulled by the appeals committee. After the meeting of the Board of the Radio Television of Kosovo on Thursday, a board member who is also a member of the appeals committee, said that at least one point of the appeal of a candidate was based and that this why the announcement was annulled. “It is now in the hands of the management and the board to continue further,” the board member said.

The news website notes that on September 2, the RTK Board announced the vacancy for the Director of RTK 2 while on September 26 it formed a working group and the appeals committee. The announcement was made after the mandate of the Director of RTK 2 expires late this year. The current Director of RTK 2, Zeljko Tvrdisic, was suspended with a decision of the board after RTK 2 referred to the killed attackers in Banjska as “victims”.

Serbian Language Media 

Medications from central Serbia arrived at Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North, Gracanica (Kosovo Online, media) 

First truck containing medications and medical materials, dispatched one week ago from central Serbia to Kosovo arrived at the Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North yesterday afternoon around 17.00 hrs. Two hours later another truck containing infusion solutions also reached the hospital, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Three trucks arrived in Kosovo on Friday evening, making the first shipment of the medications and medical materials to the health facilities in Serbian areas in Kosovo after two years and three months. As the media reported the shipment was made possible after strong diplomatic activity of Belgrade to overcome administrative obstacles imposed by Pristina. The trucks with medications were sent to the customs terminal in Pristina and two of them arrived in Mitrovica North yesterday afternoon.  

Meanwhile, as media reported one truck with medications arrived at Gracanica hospital. Director of the hospital doctor Bratislav Lazic said the medications arrived at the last moment.

“This is a large delivery of medications, the first one after more than two years. Very important shipment of medications that arrived at the last moment. We received the medications we needed the most so we can continue with stable functioning in offering treatments to our population”, Lazic said. He also expressed hope that in the future delivery of medications will continue.

Dacic, Azoulay discuss Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic met with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay on the sidelines of the 42nd UNESCO General Conference in Paris on Thursday to discuss the preservation of Serbian cultural heritage and deepening cooperation with UNESCO.

Dacic said UNESCO was extremely important to Serbia, especially when it comes to protection of its cultural heritage in Kosovo.

He informed Azoulay of the course of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and pointed out attempts to rewrite history, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. He also expressed full support to UNESCO activities and invited Azoulay to visit Serbia again before the end of her tenure.

Dacic: Serbian cultural monuments in Kosovo should be guarded by KFOR (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday the fact UNESCO considered Serbian cultural monuments under its protection in Kosovo to be in danger was significant and added that Serbs in Kosovo did not trust Kosovo police, but KFOR. 

For that reason, the international force in Kosovo must consider the possibility of the cultural monuments being guarded by KFOR - which is already the case with the Visoki Decani Monastery - as they are a symbol of the Serbs' identity, Dacic said.

"We have been saying that the Serbs can only feel safe in case it is KFOR - they do not trust the Kosovo police, comprised of ethnic Albanians led by (Pristina's PM Albin) Kurti, whose objective is to expel all Serbs and destroy all our cultural, historical and religious monuments in Kosovo and Metohija", Dacic told reporters after speaking at the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris.

Office for KiM: Two Serb families in MIlosevo village robbed (media)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija said late on Thursday that two Serb houses were robbed during the previous two days in the village of Milosevo, Obilic municipality. Agricultural mechanizations were stolen and houses ransacked so the damages caused are yet to be established.

In a statement Office for Kosovo and Metohija said that the village of Milosevo had been almost ethnically cleansed, while few Serb families that continue living in this village now fear for their properties and personal safety as they were exposed to incidents before.

The Office said they have been warning almost on a daily basis representatives of the international community in Kosovo about concrete examples of endangerment of the basic human rights of Serbs there, but no adequate reactions came. The Office also said rhetoric used by Pristina officials impacted daily lives of the Serb community on the ground and generated incidents targeting them.

Serbian List condemned the robberies saying that those were not ordinary thefts but ethnically motivated attacks as part of a wider plan for persecution of the Serbian people. Serbian List also said it is not by chance that attacks have intensified over the last two years, since Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti came to power “whose regime does not conceal implementation of its program in which there is no place for Serbs who are not obedient to him”.  

Vucic to attend Peace Forum in Paris, meet Macron (media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will attend the Peace Forum in Paris today and have separate meetings with French President Emanuel Macron and Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Serbian media reported.

During the stay in Paris, Vucic will also meet with prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, Edi Rama and Dmitri Kovacevski, as well as Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic.