• COVID-19: 10 deaths, 173 new cases (media)
• Government: 35% of adult population is fully vaccinated in Kosovo (media)
• Movement of vehicles with KS license plates to be banned as of today (media)
• Kurti: If we were to sign a final agreement, Serbia would have to change its constitution (euronews.al)
• President Vjosa Osmani insists on concluding dialogue with mutual recognition (euronews.al)
• U.S. Embassy: Discussions with Kosovo government on gas pipeline ongoing (media)
• Serbs consider a possible plan on the north of Kosovo to constitute a threat (Koha)
• President Osmani travelled for official visit to United States (media)
• Rama Links Kosovo’s Membership in ‘Open Balkan’ to Its ‘Dedication to Peace’ (Exit News)
• ‘Relations with Albania Are Cooling,’ Warns Kosovo President (Exit News)
• Albanian PM Rama accepts invitation of Kurti to visit Kosovo (Express)
• Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani: Principled, yet willing to take risks (DW)
• A group of Afghan citizens leave Kosovo for United States (media)
• U.S. Seeks Acceleration Of EU-Balkan Integration, Senior Official Says (RFE)

COVID-19: 10 deaths, 173 new cases (media)

10 deaths from COVID-19 and 173 new cases from the virus were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 2,261 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 9,764 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Government: 35% of adult population is fully vaccinated in Kosovo (media)

The Government of Kosovo said that so far over 440,000 people have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Kosovo which means 35% of the overall population of over 18 years of age.

In an announcement, the Government said the vaccination process is continuing and that with this pace the set target of inoculating 60% of the adult population by the end of the year will be exceeded. It also said that the number of new infections has significantly decreased in the recent period and that there are now fewer than 10,000 active cases of coronavirus, which is the lowest figure since 2 August.

Movement of vehicles with KS license plates to be banned as of today (media)

RTK reports that starting today Kosovo authorities will not be allowing the movement of vehicles carrying KS license plates and that the Kosovo Police special unit has been sent to the north to monitor the situation.

RTK says a convoy of police vehicles are on the way to the border crossing points with Serbia to enforce the decision on not allowing KS license plates to pass. Kosovapress and Telegrafi report that the police forces are north-bound as part of efforts to support the reciprocity process towards Serbia in connection to license plates.

Kurti: If we were to sign a final agreement, Serbia would have to change its constitution (euronews.al)

The PM of Kosovo, Albin Kurti has declared that in order for Kosovo to sign a final agreement with Belgrade, Serbia needs to change its Constitution.

Kurti also said that him and EU’s Special Envoy, Miroslav Lajcak, haven’t has any discussions regarding archives or reciprocity.

“We don’t view reciprocity as a tool for vendetta, but rather a tool for equality.  We need reciprocity in order to remove barriers from Serbia,” – said PM Kurti during a conference with the education minister, Arberia Nagavci.

He also added that there will be no meetings with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, before October 6th.

In addition, Miroslav Lajcak has said earlier, regarding his meeting with Kurti that the most important topic of their discussion was the dialogue between Kosovo-Serbia, but the future of Kosovo and regional cooperation were also discussed.

Citizens deserve normalisation – EUSR Lajcak on his visit to Kosovo

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, Miroslav Lajcak, visited Kosovo from 15 to 17 September 2021.

Lajcak during his visit to Kosovo continued his discussions about next steps in the EU-facilitated Dialogue. Lajcak held substantive meetings with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and First Deputy Prime Minister and Chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi his two main interlocutors in Kosovo. In their discussions, they took stock of the Dialogue process so far and discussed future steps, including the next high-level, as well as the next Chief negotiators’ meeting.

While in Pristina, the EU Special Representative also met with President Vjosa Osmani, Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca, caucus leaders in the parliament, as well as the leaders of political parties, including PDK, LDK, AAK, and the Serbian List. In his interactions, he stressed the important role of both parliament and the opposition in supporting the government in the EU-facilitated Dialogue.

“Kosovo has made great progress in many areas and much of this can be directly attributed to the Dialogue, but just imagine the additional benefits Kosovo can gain for its citizens by reaching a final comprehensive normalisation Agreement with Serbia”, EU Special Representative Lajcak stressed according to a press release issued by the EU Office in Kosovo.

During his visit, he also exchanged views about the benefits of full normalisation of relations with Serbia with representatives of the business community in Kosovo and he also discussed with students.

President Vjosa Osmani insists on concluding dialogue with mutual recognition (euronews.al)

President Vjosa Osmani said Kosovo is determined to pursue the dialogue and insisted on concluding  it with reciprocal recognition, without undermining the constitutional order and territorial boundaries.

Osmani’s remarks came after she met EU’s Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak.

Lajcak said “no one would ask Kosovo to negotiate” with its territorial integrity.

As she discussed the recent developments in Montenegro and Bosnia, Kosovo’s president also raised the alarm over Serbia’s intervention on domestic matters.

She reiterated her call on visa liberalization, meanwhile adding that the process is imperative.

“The perception of Kosovo’s dialogue is interconnected with EU’s determination on creating a clear integrational perspective. Furthermore, visa liberalization for Kosovo is essential for EU’s credibility,” said Osmani.

U.S. Embassy: Discussions with Kosovo government on gas pipeline ongoing (media)

The United States Embassy in Kosovo told Voice of America in Albanian that discussions with the Government of Kosovo on joining an existing gas pipeline with North Macedonia are ongoing. The project has been proposed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which pledged USD 200 million for the project.

In a written response to VOA, an Embassy spokesperson said that a crucial factor hindering Kosovo's economic growth is the inadequate infrastructure, especially that of energy. "To alleviate the crucial reasons of this limitation, the U.S. Government is working with the Government of Kosovo on implementation of proposed projects, that the Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors would take into consideration for a possible program in 2022." The spokesperson continued: "This project is not related to liquefied natural gas or any other US gas source. This would give Kosovo the opportunity to use gas as a transit fuel until it has access to hydrogen."

At a news conference on Friday, Kosovo's Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli said that the Government of Kosovo is discussing the prospects of building a gas pipeline infrastructure. "We have been in continuous collaboration with partners, especially with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The MCC has allocated a grant of about $ 200 million that would be used for the partial construction of this infrastructure. MCC or any other organization would not finance the whole project, we are dealing with a bigger investment than that," she said, adding that nothing would be decided without knowing the exact cost of such a project.

Meanwhile, Gazeta Express reported quoting sources that the Government of Kosovo has refused a United States project on natural gas supply as the conditions set out by Prime Minister Albin Kurti are impossible to be met.

Serbs consider a possible plan on the north of Kosovo to constitute a threat (Koha)

The lack of progress in the dialogue process and the presence of Serb parallel structures have triggered discussions of whether the Government of Kosovo is considering alternative options to stretch its authority in the north of Kosovo, Koha Ditore reports on the front page. However, it writes, analysts from the north recall PM Albin Kurti's pledge to commence a dialogue with Serbs and note that unilateral moves will not change the situation.

In a recent interview, Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca spoke about the possibility of the Government preparing a plan aimed at increasing the institutional presence in the north.

Head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo Petar Petkovic said in response that "Belgrade is aware about the obsession of the Pristina politicians with the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija but their secret plans to invade the north are in vain." Petkovic said Belgrade would not allow any such acts.

At the same time, political commentator Branislav Krstic said any decision on the north should follow a dialogue with the citizens which is what PM Kurti promised. "Is that plan in the interest of the government in Pristina or in the interest of the citizens of the north, namely Kosovo Serbs? Should that plan first go through a public debate stage or is it a government's decree?" asked Krstic.

President Osmani travelled for official visit to United States (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Donika Gervalla, has travelled to New York as part of her official visit to the U.S.

"President Osmani will have a series of meetings with the presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of delegations of several participating states on the margins of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Osmani will also be meeting with the Albanian diaspora in America, as well as with political figures who have supported Kosovo's path to independence and to its state-building. At Columbia University, the President will hold a lecture and discussion session. The meetings will be in function of the efforts towards strengthening Kosovo's international subjectivity," a statement issued by the presidency reads.

Rama Links Kosovo’s Membership in ‘Open Balkan’ to Its ‘Dedication to Peace’ (Exit News)

Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the Open Balkan regional cooperation initiative he has launched together with his Serbian and Macedonian counterparts, claiming it is “the result of the Berlin Process.”

He linked Kosovo’s membership to this initiative to the alleged need for Albanians to show the world that they are “dedicated to peace.”

On Thursday, Rama gave a speech to parliament to present his government’s program for the next four years, and he once again criticized Kosovo’s government for refusing to join.

Six Western Balkan countries participate in the Berlin Process, and Kosovo is not the only one who has been reticent about the Open Balkan initiative. Bosnia and Montenegro have also been reluctant to join.

This means that to date, only its founders are part of Open Balkan. The Albanian, Serbian, and Macedonian leaders have held seven summits on what they first called “Mini Schengen”, before renaming it in July. Their frequent meetings have yielded few results; they have just enabled Serbs and Albanians to travel to both countries using only an ID.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who launched the Berlin Process, did not mention the Open Balkan initiative during her first visit to Tirana, although Rama talked about it at length during the joint press conference, while also attacking the Kosovo government.

On the contrary, Merkel urged the Western Balkan Six to sign the four agreements reached under the Berlin Process’s Common Regional Market, a more robust initiative that also includes Open Balkan’s objectives.

In light of Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro’s refusal to join, as well as Merkel’s lack of open endorsement, Rama’s claim that Open Balkan is a result of the Berlin Process seems far-fetched.

Rama and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti concur that despite their disagreement over this initiative, they should continue to collaborate closely on all matters. However, it remains unclear on what exactly they disagree regarding Open Balkan and, more importantly, why?

Speaking of those who oppose the initiative, Rama said on Thursday that “they are stuck in 19th century folklore and nationalism.”

However, the Kosovo government’s claims against Open Balkan are that it is redundant, it brings nothing new to the existing initiatives (such as the Common Regional Market under the Berlin Process), it is outside the European Union’s oversight, it offers no vision for EU-Western Balkans relations, and it was launched without consulting the countries it aimed to include. Rama has not answered these claims.

Kosovo’s leader Albin Kurti has demanded that Serbia acknowledge the crimes committed in Kosovo—crimes committed 20 years ago, and not in the 19th century, when nationalism was on the rise in the region.

Rama and Kurti surely agree that the implementation of the so-called four European freedoms—of people, goods, services and capital— would benefit everyone in the region. What they don’t agree on, and what Rama avoids answering, is why this should be achieved under an initiative that has been controversial since the beginning, partly because of the reasons stated above, but also because of the strained relations between the Kosovo leadership and Rama, whom they accused of supporting land swaps between Kosovo and Serbia.

Rama reiterated in parliament on Thursday that Open Balkan is not “Serbia’s game”, “no Russian or Chinese conspiracy to revive Yugoslavia”, it’s not “diversion from [EU] integration.”

The prime minister’s assurances about these relatively marginal claims in the public discourse contradict Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic’s objective for an initiative that would create a new Yugoslavia for Serbia.

Rama was categorical in the right of Albania and Kosovo to take sovereign decisions on this and other matters, but at the same time accused Kosovo of having been influenced by politicians in Tirana, possibly hinting at the opposition, whose “faults in domestic and foreign politics follow one another.”

He claimed that Albania “is looked at with respect by all and as a point of reference in the Balkans” as a result of his government’s foreign policy, but this may change.

Rama stressed that despite Serbia’s need to apologize for the crimes committed in Kosovo, the Albanians are “destined to lose if they do not present themselves as a people dedicated to peace” or if “they isolate themselves.”

Linking membership to Open Balkan with Albanians’ dedication to peace may prove to be even more controversial than the launching of the initiative itself, both in Kosovo and Albania.

‘Relations with Albania Are Cooling,’ Warns Kosovo President (Exit News)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani warned that Kosovo-Albania relations have been gradually cooling over the last few years.

In an interview Deutche Welle, Osmani said that Kosovo has given Albania no reason to pull away; the country is simply working to protect its sovereignty.

She touched specifically on the issue of the “Open Balkan” initiative, arguing that opposing such an initiative is in Kosovo’s best interest.

Osmani said that there are already processes in place to help with regional cooperation and EU integration, which is why she fully supports the Berlin Process.

“As long as Serbia continues to deny our existence, we cannot advance the interests of the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state,” she noted.

In the interview, Osmani spoke about the country’s handling of the pandemic, the trial of former KLA leaders, and the upcoming October 17 local elections.

Albanian PM Rama accepts invitation of Kurti to visit Kosovo (Express)

Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has answered positively an invitation of his Kosovo counterpart Albin Kurti to visit Pristina, days after confirmation of Rama’s third mandate as premier, Gazeta Express reports.

Kosovo PM Kurti wrote a congratulatory letter to Rama after confirmation of his third term as Prime Minister of Albania and invited him to visit Kosovo. Rama answered in a Tweet writing that he looks forward to visiting Kosovo once he returns from New York when he is attending the UN General Assembly 2021.

“Thank you Albin Kurti! Looking forward to visiting Kosovo once I return from the UN General Assembly! Let’s start preparations of the Joint Meeting. I very much hope and I believe that we will do a lot of good work benefiting both our countries,” Rama wrote on Twitter.

Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani: Principled, yet willing to take risks (DW)

Vjosa Osmani, the fifth president of the Republic of Kosovo, has just concluded a Berlin visit. So what drives the woman holding Europe's youngest state's highest political office?

Vjosa Osmani was born on May 17, 1982, in Mitrovica to Kosovo Albanian parents. At the time, the town on the Ibar was still part of Yugoslavia, as was the whole of Kosovo. Even before the breakup of the multiethnic state in 1991, Serbian nationalists led by Slobodan Milosevic had succeeded in subjecting Kosovo's Albanian majority population to an oppressive apartheid regime.

Vjosa Osmani experienced the 1999 war, which put an end to Serbian rule in Kosovo, as a teenager. Once hostilities ceased, the UN took over the running of the country. Now a young woman, Osmani moved to the capital, Pristina, to study law. In 2005, she then graduated with a master's degree in law from the University of Pittsburgh in the USA, where she also earned her doctorate 10 years later. The subject of her thesis: "UN Law and the Status of Kosovo."

Vjosa Osmani entered the political scene early on as an activist for the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) party. In August 2009, she became chief of staff to then-President Fatmir Sejdiu, successor to Kosovo's first president, Ibrahim Rugova, who died in 2006. Rugova, known as the "Gandhi of the Balkans" for his commitment to nonviolent resistance, was elected president of the republic — as proclaimed by the oppressed Albanian population — in underground elections in May 1992.

A lawyer by profession, Osmani advised President Sejdu not only on legal issues but also on foreign policy. By proving the legality of her country's independence in a case brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, she successfully concluded what her political role model Rugova had set out to achieve: Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

At odds with the old guard

The longer the LDK and other postwar Kosovar parties — led by war heroes from 1999 —remained in power, the louder the accusations of corruption and nepotism from the population became. Vjosa Osmani shared the people's concerns. Her political adviser Vehbi Miftari says: "She has experienced many political disputes, both within her own party and with her opponents. In the process, she has remained true to Rugova's principles and demonstrated huge reserves of resilience and reliability."

It was only a matter of time before she clashed with the LDK's old guard. In 2014, Osmani publicly criticized former party leader Isa Mustafa for the first time. She could afford to: Of all the candidates in Kosovo, a country with a population of 1.8 million, Osmani had achieved the highest approval rating, receiving 39,911 votes in the parliamentary elections that had just taken place.

Fighting corruption

In the 2019 elections, the LDK nominated Osmani as candidate for the office of prime minister. In the election campaign, she scored points with an agenda that focused on fighting corruption and economic reform, only to lose the vote to the leader of the leftist anti-establishment party "Self-Determination" (Vetevendosja), Albin Kurti.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3Apr3uG

A group of Afghan citizens leave Kosovo for United States (media)

Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla announced via Facebook that a group of 51 Afghan citizens, temporarily hosted by Kosovo, have departed to the United States.

Svecla said the Government of Kosovo, the U.S., and NATO will continue cooperation towards successful transfer of Afghan citizens from Kosovo to other countries. "We are committed towards a democratic society and together with our allies help in building peace and stability in the region and beyond," he wrote.

U.S. Seeks Acceleration Of EU-Balkan Integration, Senior Official Says (RFE)

The United States wants to see the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union accelerate from its snail-like pace and will push to reinvigorate the process, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

Gabriel Escobar, who earlier this month was named acting deputy secretary of state for South Central Europe, overseeing a region he first served in various capacities from 1998 to 2001, also announced the United States has appointed a diplomat to help drive stalled electoral reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Escobar, who most recently served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, expressed some frustration about the lack of movement on EU membership for Balkan states over the past two decades.

“To return 20 years later and see that there hasn't been much progress on that front was a little disappointing,” Escobar told RFE/RL on September 17 during an interview at the State Department about his priorities and concerns for the region. “We would like to see a more rapid integration.”

The European Union has lost its appetite for rapidly expanding membership after bringing in 13 countries into the club since 2004, most of them less-wealthy former Soviet states.

Croatia was the last nation to join the 27-member bloc when its accession was completed in 2013.

Escobar said both the European Union and Western Balkan nations -- which include North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- have challenges to overcome to make integration a reality, but said he hoped American engagement “can get both sides back on track.”

He will have his work cut out for him.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2XDI1ax