• SBASHK: Prime Minister, Govt not interested to resolve situation (media)
• Albin Kurti reelected as leader of Vetevendosje Movement (media)
• European MPs want Serbia’s path to EU stopped after deal with Russia (Koha)
• Kurti: Serbia-Russia deal should alarm Western democratic centers (media)
• NATO brings reserve troops to Kosovo for training amid unrest fears (Reuters)
• The European Political Community, as an aid to the enlargement process (RFE)
• Kurti: Massacre in Upper Abri, most inhumane committed by Serbia (media)
• Serbian List claims KSF entered the north, call on NATO to react (media)
• WB country manager calls for reform in social protection in Kosovo (media)
• Serbia says it won’t recognise Russia’s staged votes in occupied Ukraine (RFE)

SBASHK: Prime Minister, Govt not interested to resolve situation (media)

The Union for Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBASHK) said in a statement on Sunday that it will continue the strike in education. According to the union, the leaders of the municipal strike councils and universities and the unions of civil servants expected that over the weekend the government would engage and meet with the strikers in efforts to find an acceptable solution, but that they were disappointed by Prime Minister Kurti’s remarks on Sunday. “An impression is created that instead of engaging in meetings and finding an agreement, the Prime Minister and the government seem to want the strike to continue,” the statement notes. “The strike will continue in the next days due to the lack of readiness by the Prime Minister and the government to engage in dialogue and their ignoring of the legitimate demands of the strikers.”

Albin Kurti reelected as leader of Vetevendosje Movement (media)

All news websites report that Albin Kurti has been reelected for another four-year term as leader of the Vetevendosje Movement. Kurti got 98.6% of votes in the party’s elections on Sunday. Albulena Haxhiu will lead the Vetevendosje’s Woman Forum, while Behar Jashari will lead the Youth Forum.

Several news websites and commentators have criticised Vetevendosje for holding the elections in schools at a time when the strike in the education sector is ongoing. But Vetevendosje representatives said they were given permission by the Ministry of Education to use the premises.

European MPs want Serbia’s path to EU stopped after deal with Russia (Koha)

The daily reports in its leading front-page story this morning that an agreement between Serbia and Russia to coordinate foreign policy actions has triggered many reactions from diplomats in the EU, and in Kosovo, saying that the agreement is a blow to integration processes in the Western Balkans. Members of the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon and Vladimir Bilcik, argued in their reactions that the agreement is a sign for the EU to stop Serbia’s membership in its structures. Von Cramon tweeted: “This is a serious scandal. In the midst of raging war, Foreign Ministry of Serbia signs the plan on future collaboration with the Russian aggressor. Or maybe it’s just a signal for us to freeze the EU accession talks as entering the EU does not go through Moscow”. Bilcik, who is also Rapporteur for Serbia, tweeted: “As a keen supporter of any steps towards a European Serbia, I find the news of planned consultations between Serbia and Russia a major blow to accession process in the Western Balkans. Let’s be clear: Russia is mobilizing to attack EU candidate state - Ukraine, Russia is attacking EU enlargement!” Janusz Bugajski, a US analyst of the Balkans, even called for sanctions against Serbia.

Kurti: Serbia-Russia deal should alarm Western democratic centers (media)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti reacted to an agreement between Serbia and Russia on coordination their foreign policy actions, saying that it should raise the alarm among Western democratic centers. “We are a democratic and progressive government of hope, but our northern neighbor is led by a president of fear and intimidation. In addition to leading his country in an undemocratic fashion, he also does not recognise Kosovo, or the crimes committed by the Milosevic regime in Kosovo. He also keeps close ties with the Russian Federation as we have seen with the cooperation agreement signed by the Serbian and Russian foreign ministers. This should raise an alarm among Western democratic centers,” Kurti said.

NATO brings reserve troops to Kosovo for training amid fears of unrest (Reuters)

NATO has brought in reserve troops assigned to its KFOR peacekeeping mission to Kosovo for training, one of the mission commanders said, as a deadline approaches in a spat between the Serbian minority and the government that may spark fresh unrest.

KFOR's regional commander east, Colonel Christopher Samulski, told reporters the reserves had been brought in "as part of normal contingency planning." Samulski spoke at Camp Bondsteel, one of KFOR's bases.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3SfUR5J

The European Political Community, as an aid to the enlargement process (RFE)

The news website notes that only several months after the idea to create the European Political Community, a meeting has been called with the leaders of countries that are supposed to join the community. The idea was first mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron in May, followed later by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The difference was that Michel thought naming the organisation as the “European Geopolitical Community”, while Macron said it should be called the “European Political Community”. The goal, however, is the same: to create a format where all the countries of the continent “that want to share common values ​​and interests” would cooperate, not only those that are members of the European Union. There is no deadline for when it will be able to be formed.

The European Council has confirmed that invitations have already been sent to the participants in the Prague summit, which will take place on October 6. They will include the leaders of the 27 non-EU European countries, the 27 EU countries, as well as the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council. Therefore, all the states that exist in Europe, except the Russian Federation and Belarus, have been invited.

The agenda of the meeting has also been set, which does not include any discussion about the eventual structures of this "community", but current topics such as: peace and security, energy and climate change, the economic situation, as well as migration and mobility.

All of these are seen as urgent topics and are in the common interest of all participants.

Diplomatic sources in the EU admit that on the eve of sending the invitations, there were many dilemmas, since the idea is that the European political community should include "all the countries that share the same values ​​of democracy and fundamental freedoms". But, according to some EU diplomats, this wording has raised the doubt that countries that have problems respecting the values ​​of democracy and freedom of the media, or even those that do not support EU sanctions, can also be invited. against Russia, because of the invasion of Ukraine. However, in the end it was decided to invite all these countries - among them also the six countries of the Western Balkans, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Kurti: The massacre in Upper Abri, most inhumane committed by Serbia (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said today on the 24^th anniversary of the massacre in Upper Abri, when 23 members of the Deliu family, including elderly, women and children, were killed by Serbian forces, that it was one of the most inhumane massacres carried out in Kosovo. “Proven also in international media, the massacre in Abri is one of the most horrifying acts of genocide that Serbia committed against the Kosovo Albanians,” Kurti said.

Serbian List claims KSF entered the north, call on NATO to react (media)

The Serbian List issued a statement on Sunday calling for an immediate reaction from NATO and KFOR because according to them members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) were seen in Zubin Potok in the north of Kosovo. The SL argued that the KSF violated an earlier agreement with NATO according to which the KSF cannot enter the north of Kosovo without the approval of the Serb mayors. “The illegal incursion of members of the Kosovo Security Force in the territory of the municipality of Zubin Potok is a grave violation of the 2013 agreement guaranteed by NATO, which provides that no armed formation from Prishtina can enter the Serb municipalities in the north without the approval of the mayors of these municipalities and the commander of KFOR,” the statement notes.

WB country manager calls for reform in social protection in Kosovo (media)

Opinion piece by Massimiliano Paolucci, World Bank Country Manager for Kosovo and North Macedonia.

There is growing alarm in Kosovo over rising prices for food, electricity, fuel, and firewood. This is not unwarranted. As elsewhere around the world, inflation is straining Kosovans’ budgets as incomes fail to keep pace. The situation is particularly dire for those already living in poverty or close to the poverty line since they spend a greater proportion of their income on food, energy bills, and home heating. Even small price increases threaten these households’ ability to meet basic needs.

That is where social protection programs like pensions, social assistance, and labor market programs play an important role in safeguarding the poorest and most vulnerable. Investing in well-functioning social protection systems is not just a moral imperative, it is smart economics. These programs are an investment in Kosovo’s future—essential to promoting healthier and better educated children and assisting young people in finding jobs. And when the poor are supported and given opportunities to improve their livelihoods, they are less likely to leave the country in search of a better life—helping keep valuable human capital and skills in Kosovo.

Read full piece at: https://bit.ly/3fhIWpx

Serbia says it won’t recognise Russia’s staged votes in occupied Ukraine (RFE)

Russian ally Serbia has said it won't recognize the current votes in Russian-held parts of Ukraine that Kyiv has called "sham" referendums, dealing another international blow to the Kremlin's hastily organized effort at consolidating early gains in its 7-month-old invasion.

Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on September 25 in Belgrade that "Serbia cannot accept these results" due to its commitment to the UN Charter and respect for international law, among other things.

Doing so "would completely violate our national and state interests, the preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders," he said.

Serbia has kept close relations with Russia in particular to bolster its refusal to recognize the 2008 declaration of sovereignty by its former province Kosovo, which is now recognized by more than 100 countries.

Moscow has repeatedly cited the Kosovo case as an example of Western overreach.

Selakovic and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signed a so-called consultation plan for their countries for the next two years on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Ccn6Nq