Albanian Language Media: 

• EU calls for swift formation of new institutions of Kosovo (media)
• Kusari-Lila: Court left uncertainties; VV won't vote for SL candidate (media)
• Osmani received with honors by King and Queen of Denmark (Klan)
• Kurti: Differences with U.S. are about tactics and operations, not values or strategic goals (Koha)
• Maqedonci: Kosovo-U.S. relations in defense are constantly growing (media)
• Doyle: Biggest case of Specialist Chambers to conclude next year (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic in Denmark, meeting with the German chancellor and the head of NATO announced (FoNet, Danas)
• Selakovic: Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo under continuous attacks (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
• Civil Society calls on Quint, EU and OSCE to prevent collapse of education and healthcare of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, media)
• Petkovic's appeal in Smederevo to the internally displaced: Serbian List the guarantor of the survival of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Serbia debated at CoE Parliamentary Assembly: “Deep political crisis, repression at its peak” (N1, Danas)

International Media:

• 28 years on: Remembering the 1997 student protests in Prishtina (PI)

Albanian Language Media

EU calls for swift formation of new institutions of Kosovo (media)

The EU Ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, said on Wednesday that the international community is analyzing the decision announced by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, and called on political parties to form the new institutions as soon as possible.

“We are currently analyzing it, but certainly we hope that the Assembly will be constituted as soon as possible and we hope that there will be a government with a full mandate as soon as possible,” Orav told reporters. 

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday published its decision about the constitution of the Assembly, saying that the new legislative has not been constituted pending the election of a deputy speaker from the Kosovo Serb community. 

Asked if he had a message for the political parties, Orav said: “please constitute the Assembly and please form the government”.

Kusari-Lila: Court left uncertainties; VV won't vote for SL candidate (media)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said on Wednesday that she expected the Constitutional Court would have a full decision on the issue of the Assembly constitution, and she argued that it left elements of uncertainties with regards to the election of the deputy speaker from the Kosovo Serb community. In an interview with TeVe1, Kusari-Lila said that the Vetevendosje Movement would not vote for any candidate proposed by the Serbian List for the post.

Osmani received with honors by King and Queen of Denmark (Klan)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, announced that she was received with honors by the King and Queen of Denmark. In a Facebook post, Osmani highlighted the warm welcome in Copenhagen ahead of the start of the European Political Community Leaders' Summit. “Thank you to Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Denmark, for the warm hospitality in Copenhagen ahead of the European Political Community Leaders’ Summit,” Osmani wrote.

According to the announcement, the President will also participate in a roundtable on the main security challenges facing Europe, including the rise of hybrid threats and unprecedented provocations by Russia against NATO member states. In this context, European leaders will discuss ways to leverage the current political momentum to make necessary decisions, including strengthening defense readiness.

Kurti: Differences with U.S. are about tactics and operations, not values or strategic goals (Koha)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has stated during a discussion organized by the Hudson Institute, that Kosovo’s cooperation with the U.S. is increasing. He said that the differences with the U.S. are only related to tactics and operations. “Our partnership is built on three pillars: diplomacy, defense, and development. In diplomacy, from time to time we face differences, particularly regarding Serbia and the illegal structures it maintains in Kosovo. But these differences are about tactics and operations, not about values or strategic goals. On these matters, we are fully aligned. In development, progress is just as important,” Kurti said.

He mentioned the partnership with the United States while speaking about the sanctions that Kosovo has imposed on Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine. “We impose sanctions when necessary, we support Ukraine, we strengthen our defense, and we build sustainable development. Differences with Washington may arise over tactical issues, but in terms of strategy and values, we are on the same page. The direction is clear: Kosovo and the United States are united in interests and are progressing together toward common goals,” Kurti stated.

Kurti was in the United States during the week of the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. He met with U.S. Senators and Congressmen, but there has been no announcement of any meetings with representatives of the U.S. Department of State.

Maqedonci: Kosovo-U.S. relations in defense are constantly growing (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, said on Wednesday that at the Warsaw Security Forum, he met “strategic friends and partners, including four-star generals from the United States of America”. “I was pleased to meet General Tod Daniel Wolters, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2019 to 2022, and Admiral Mark Montgomery, current Senior Director and Associate of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the U.S. I presented the progress of Kosovo and of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in the implementation of the KSF Transition Plan. We discussed bilateral relations between Kosovo and the U.S. in defense and joint initiatives to strengthen them. I thanked the two generals, friends of Kosovo, who have contributed greatly to our achievements in defense in cooperation with the U.S.,” Maqedonci said in a Facebook post.

Doyle: Biggest case of Specialist Chambers to conclude next year (RTK)

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers organized a meeting with journalists, held behind closed doors and without camera access. The spokesperson for the Chambers, Michael Doyle, spoke to RTK about various issues.

Doyle justified the prolonged detention of the accused by referring to the nature and pace of the trial, noting that detention is still considered an appropriate measure and is reviewed regularly every two months.

Regarding defense complaints about leading or suggestive questions, an issue that has been repeatedly raised, Doyle said that judges’ questions are not meant to collect evidence either for or against the defense, but rather to clarify testimonies. He noted that this practice is not unusual.

On the issue of evidence provided by the Serbian prosecution, which has led to public outcry and protests, Doyle stated that different types of evidence have been accepted from both sides, as allowed by law. "The law and the rules of procedure and evidence state that both parties, the prosecution and the defense, may submit any evidence they believe best supports their case. In this case, we have seen the prosecution call 125 witnesses in court, including alleged victims, experts from various fields, and former KLA members. From what's publicly available, we've seen a wide variety of evidence presented. And, as I mentioned, in a recent submission from May or June this year, it was noted that some of the materials submitted as evidence originated from Serbia," Doyle told RTK.

Asked how the credibility of these Serbian-sourced materials will be assessed, Doyle emphasized that the judges are the ones who will evaluate each piece of evidence and determine its weight in the final judgment. "When judges decide to admit evidence, that does not mean they will assign weight to it or consider it credible. The rules state that judges must consider factors such as the source of the evidence and evaluate each element in the broader context of the entire case. In the judgments for the cases of Salih Mustafa and Pjeter Shala, you can read concrete examples of how judges discuss evidence and testimonies, clearly explaining why a certain piece of evidence is considered credible or not. So, there is a misunderstanding that accepting evidence is equivalent to a final ruling on its validity," he explained.

According to Doyle, the biggest case before the Specialist Chambers is expected to conclude next year.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic in Denmark, meeting with the German chancellor and the head of NATO announced (FoNet, Danas)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will participate today in the seventh summit of the European Political Community in Copenhagen, during which meetings are planned with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the press service of the Serbian President announced.

During his stay in Denmark, last night and today, Vucic will also talk with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, and attend the dinner organized by the Danish King Frederik and Queen Mary on the occasion of the Summit of the European Political Community.

The President of Serbia will participate in the round table "Security and resilience - traditional and new threats".

Selakovic: Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo under continuous attacks (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

“Continuous attacks on Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo as well as attempts to rename it and forge history have become everyday occurrences,” Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic said in Barcelona on Wednesday, noting that Serbia continued to work tirelessly to preserve and protect the endangered cultural heritage, reported Tanjug.

At the MONDIACULT 2025 conference on cultural policies and sustainable development, Selakovic said next year would mark 20 years since the inscription of four Serbian cultural heritage monuments in Kosovo on the UNESCO endangered world heritage list.

"Since 1999, more than 10,000 icons, church artefacts and liturgical items have been destroyed or stolen and 150 churches and monasteries damaged or burned to the ground, with some of them dating back from the 13th or 14th century, and the same is the case with 122 graveyards. In March 2004 alone, over the course of two days of organised attacks, 34 churches and monasteries were destroyed," Selakovic said at a panel titled Culture and Climate Action - Culture, Heritage and Crises.

"There are three steps. The first step is destruction of culture. That is physical destruction, bans and similar things, which is only a prelude to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Therefore, the first step is destruction of culture. The second step is historical forgery, erasure of history. The result of that is cultural cleansing. The third step is theft of culture from the victim. That is historical cleansing. After all these three steps, what do we have? A perfect crime," Selakovic said.

To the Serbian cultural heritage, this happened three times in the 20th century - during WWII, in the Independent State of Croatia and in the 1990s, during the breakup and the destruction of the former Yugoslavia, Selakovic said.

Civil Society calls on Quint, EU and OSCE to prevent collapse of education and healthcare of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, media)

Representatives of civil society and the academic community from Serbian areas across Kosovo have called on the ambassadors of the Quint, the EU and the OSCE in Kosovo to take concrete measures to prevent the further collapse of the educational and healthcare system available to the Serbian population in Kosovo, reported Kosovo Online in English.

In a joint statement, representatives of civil society and the academic community warn that these services are currently endangered through the indirect application of legal provisions which, within an unregulated legal framework, are producing harmful consequences.

They add that the announced strict enforcement of the Law on Foreigners prescribes the requirement of residence permits linked to accredited institutions.

“Given the unresolved accreditation status of the University in Mitrovica and of institutions at all levels of healthcare, this would prevent thousands of students, professors and healthcare workers of various ethnic backgrounds (Serbs, Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians) from Serbia and Kosovo from continuing their work and studies. Many among them are displaced persons from Kosovo who are already facing administrative obstacles in obtaining Kosovo documents. Such measures would, in practice, bring to a complete standstill the educational and healthcare institutions essential for the Serbian community in Kosovo, preventing them from functioning normally, and even affecting citizens who have regular residence in Kosovo,” the statement emphasizes.

Such a development, the joint statement continues, would constitute a serious violation of the human rights of one ethnic community and would eliminate any real prospect for building a multiethnic Kosovo and preserving stability in the wider region.

They warn that very little time separates the situation from this scenario, and that the consequences would be irreversible.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/mszmhpv6

Petkovic's appeal in Smederevo to the internally displaced: Serbian List the guarantor of the survival of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said at a forum in Smederevo with internally displaced Serbs from Kosovo that ''the Serbian List is the guarantor of the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and the continuation of Serbia's assistance to its people in Kosovo''. 

He called on internally displaced persons to, with valid documents, help and vote for the Serbian List in the upcoming local elections, reported Kosovo Online yesterday.

Serbia debated at CoE Parliamentary Assembly: “Deep political crisis, repression at its peak” (N1, Danas)

N1 reported that the political crisis in Serbia was one of the key topics of debate during the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.

The session was convened amidst intense domestic political tensions in Serbia. These include months of student and citizen protests against corruption, demands for greater government transparency, dissatisfaction with the management of public infrastructure projects (such as the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy), and accusations against state authorities for repressing demonstrators, Danas reported.

Throughout the debate, representatives from various parliamentary delegations of Council of Europe member states had the opportunity to present their views on the adherence to democratic standards and the rule of law in Serbia. Topics included the right to freedom of assembly and peaceful protest, the neutrality of institutions (judiciary, police), unhindered media operations, the role of civil society, independent institutions, and the opposition in political dialogue, as well as monitoring mechanisms and recommendations the Council of Europe could implement to stabilize the situation.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/bcvkkx48

International Media

28 years on: Remembering the 1997 student protests in Prishtina (PI)

28 years after thousands of Albanian students marched in Prishtina for their right to education, the October 1, 1997 protest is remembered as a key moment in Kosovo’s fight for freedom and struggle against Serbian repression.

On the 28th anniversary of the student protests against the regime of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, former students and civil society activists gathered at the Reporting House in Prishtina to reflect on the event.

Bujar Dugolli, one of the organisers and then-president of the students’ union at the University of Prishtina, recalled how the protest was more than just a fight for access to education.

“Many of us were also involved in the broader national movement. After the suppression of Kosovo’s autonomy, resistance was intensifying, and this march symbolised the beginning of active resistance,” Dugolli said.

Kosovo Albanians were expelled from their faculties in 1991 and one year later the Albanian language was banned in classrooms. By 1997, the students had endured a difficult six years, forced to hold their lectures in less than ideal conditions in private homes in Prishtina as Kosovo struggled to keep its education system afloat.

In September 1996, under the mediation of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Serbia’s President Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovo’s President Ibrahim Rugova reached an agreement allowing Albanian students to use proper school buildings. 

“We knew Milosevic wasn’t interested in a real agreement—he just wanted to buy time to prolong the occupation,” Dugolli added.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y3j6um25