Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti meets representatives of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (media)
• Gervalla: The world should stand together to protect peace (media)
• On Monday EU Foreign Ministers meet those of Western Balkans (Albanian Post)
• Serbian analysts say that Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo (Klan)
• The IMC approves regulation for the chief executive officer (media)
• Bislimi: Gender equality a prerequisite for European integration (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• EC Report: Relations of Kosovo Government with Serbian community significantly deteriorated (KoSSev)
• Vucic in Paris for Peace Forum (N1)
• Vucic meets Macron on sidelines of Paris Peace Forum (RTS, social media)
• EU foreign ministers on Monday with the heads of diplomacy of the Western Balkans (Kosovo Online, Danas)
• State Department’s O’Brien to meet Western Balkan leaders in Paris (N1)
• Another truck with medications from central Serbia arrived at Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North (Tanjug)
• Party of Kosovo Serbs: CSM must be in line with Resolution 1244 and interests of Serbs (Radio KIM)
• Djuric: Israeli recognition of Kosovo was strongest blow to Serbian-Israeli relations (Tanjug)
• 1,140 vehicles re-registered to Kosovo license plates since November 1 (Beta, N1)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

Kurti meets representatives of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a meeting with the president of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic and member Denis Becirovic. The meeting took place in France, where the prime minister is staying within the framework of the Peace Forum.

"I thank the President of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, and the member of the Presidency, Denis Becirovic, for a productive meeting," Kurti wrote on the X social network.

He said that in this meeting they discussed the importance of fully implementing the agreements of the Berlin Process, specifically the agreement on free movement and identity cards. It is also said that the possibility of deepening the cooperation between the two countries was also discussed in the meeting.

At the invitation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who opened the Forum on Thursday evening. Prime Minister Kurti was part of the dinner with the heads of state and government participating in this Forum.

"On Saturday, November 11, starting at 10:00 a.m., as part of the second day of the Peace Forum, Prime Minister Kurti will participate in the panel discussion on the topic of 'Creating peace and building a safer world', while during his stay there he will hold several meetings", reads an announcement of the government.

Gervalla: The world should stand together to protect peace (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla, has announced that she is traveling to France to participate in the Peace Forum to be held in Paris.

“On the way to Paris. The Paris Peace Forum is all the more important in times when Europe and the world are being challenged by multiple threats from those who are seeking conflict and war. The world must stand together to defend peace and freedom against these threats,” Gervalla wrote on X platform.

On Monday EU Foreign Ministers meet those of Western Balkans (Albanian Post)

The Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, on Monday, will hold its next meeting which will be led by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, the Council of the EU announces.

On November 13, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU are expected to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the latest developments regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan.

After the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU Ministers will participate in the ministerial meeting between the EU and the Western Balkans.

The Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans, including Kosovo, together with those of the EU, will have a meeting starting at 17:30 which will be led by the Head of Diplomacy of the EU, Josep Borrell.

The European Commission has approved on Wednesday a large financial assistance package for the Western Balkans, otherwise known as the "Growth Plan", of 6 billion euros for the period from 2024 to 2027.

Serbian analysts say that Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo (Klan)

Analysts in Belgrade say that the agreements reached in Brussels and Ohrid mean that Serbia has recognized Kosovo as a state, but that the institutions of Serbia must also accept this. They mention the recognition of documents and a number of other issues, but say that the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, is reluctant to accept it.

Dusan Janjic, political analyst from the Forum for Ethnic Relations, said that the offer of de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia is within the framework of the Ohrid agreement.

"Basically, this means that Serbia accepts that in reality there is a Republic of Kosovo and not the so-called Kosovo, not even the one with a Asterix. In the legal and diplomatic sense, this means, as written in the February agreement, the suspension of actions to prevent the recognition of Kosovo and the creation of obstacles for Kosovo in international organizations", Janjic said for public television.

Although the official Belgrade denies that it has de facto recognised Kosovo with the agreements reached, for analysts this means a factual and clear situation, but that it is being manipulated in Serbia.

"The President of Serbia said that he accepted the agreements without signing, does this mean that a word given in the official communication of a leader and a politician means nothing? The agreements mean that Serbia will not prevent Kosovo's entry into international organizations, including the UN. With the Brussels agreements, all institutions have really recognized Kosovo, since the entry of Serbian representatives into the institutions, then the recognition of documents, what is this if it is not recognition", said journalist Rade Radovanovic.

The normalization of relations with Kosovo is one of the main requirements for Serbia on its European path. In Belgrade, it is assessed that Serbia is required to implement the agreements even if they have not been signed and that the West will not accept delays due to elections or other conditions.

The IMC approves regulation for the chief executive officer (media)

The Independent Media Commission has approved the Regulations for the acceptance, assessment and discipline of the chief executive officer. In the meeting held on Friday, the chairman of the IMC, Jeton Mehmeti, said that this regulation establishes the criteria for the appointment of the chief executive officer.

"In the past, the appointment was administered by the relevant ministry. Now we have a draft that we have been working on for several months and this regulation aims to establish all the criteria for the appointment of the chief executive officer. He has an important role, he is responsible for finances, civil servants, providing advice and policies of the Commission and developing relations with other institutions", Mehemti emphasized.

He said that the first step after the approval of the Regulation will be the announcement of the competition for this position.

Bislimi: Gender equality a prerequisite for European integration (RTK)

The government of Kosovo held a high-level consultative meeting "Kosovo's commitment to European integration from a gender perspective".

The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, said that fair treatment of the gender perspective is a prerequisite for successful European integration.

"The gender perspective has not been dealt with properly and therefore it is seen as a problem and we need to address the gender perspective in our journey towards the European Union", he said.

According to him, there is a problem in gender equality and therefore there should be awareness about it.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

EC Report: Relations of Kosovo Government with Serbian community significantly deteriorated (KoSSev)

Kosovo Government relations with the Serbian community have "deteriorated significantly", reads one of the assessments of the latest European Commission (EC) report on Kosovo. The need for an urgent formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) and a permanent solution to the issue of license plates in accordance with the relevant agreements in the dialogue has also been emphasized.

The report also listed energy, the main bridge over the Ibar River, integrated crossings and return of Serbs to institutions as pending obligations of Belgrade from the dialogue, urging it to fulfill it, KoSSev portal reports.

The report also said reinforced presence of Kosovo special police officers in the north and land expropriation there caused widespread dissatisfaction of the local Serbian population there and negatively impacted the dialogue.

Further deterioration of relations with SOC

In a part of the report dedicated to the relations of the Kosovo government with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) it was assessed that those relations remain to be bad, and that they were further deteriorated after Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije was banned from entering Kosovo last December.

It also says that seven years had passed since the decision of the Kosovo Constitutional Court on returning the land to Visoki Decani Monastery, that this decision had not been implemented yet, and urged Pristina to implement it without further delays.

It added that previously “agreed arrangement” aiming at finding a solution for the works on a road reconstruction in a Special Protection Zone around Visoki Decani Monastery had not been implemented.

Kosovo violates CEFTA and SAA agreements

The report also said that Kosovo violates obligations deriving from CEFTA but also Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) by blocking the postal packages and goods from Serbia.

It recalled that in June 2023 Kosovo Interior Minister issued a “temporary operational security measure” by which in fact an entry to Serbian goods and postal packages were blocked. The report said this measure was not in line with Kosovo obligations in CEFTA and ran contrary to the spirit of Stabilization and Association Agreement.

Kosovo did not always act in line with agreement on official visits

Both sides must more consistently respect the agreement of official visits, the report said, adding that Kosovo should permit visits of Belgrade chief negotiator and other Serbian Government officials when they are announced and implemented in line with the agreement, which had not always been the case during the reporting period. 

Vucic in Paris for Peace Forum (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an Instagram post on Friday morning that he met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo on the margins of the Paris Peace Forum.

“Good talk with Alexander De Croo about the strengthening of Serbia-Belgium bilateral relations and speeding up Serbia’s EU integration process bearing in mind that his country takes over the EU Council Presidency on January 1, 2024,” Vucic wrote in the post.

A press release from the President’s cabinet said that Vucic is on a visit to France at the invitation of President Emanuel Macron and that he will take part in the Paris Peace Forum but did not specify when he would speak. The Kosovo Prime MInister’s cabinet said in a press release that PM Albin Kurti would also take part in the Paris Peace Forum.

An Instagram post late on Thursday night said that he visited the Poganovo Serbian Orthodox Church monastery outside the southern Serbia town of Pirot. “I always feel special here, get new energy and great strength,” he wrote. Vucic was on a tour of southern Serbia on Thursday which the opposition claims means he is taking part in the campaign for the December 17 elections.

Vucic meets Macron on sidelines of Paris Peace Forum (RTS, social media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met French President Emanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum where he takes part, RTS reports.

Vucic also met with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic, Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Zeljka Civjanovic and North Macedonia Prime Minister Dmitri Kovacevski.

“Meetings and good conversations at Peace Forum” Vucic wrote in a post on his official Instagram account along with the video.

EU foreign ministers on Monday with the heads of diplomacy of the Western Balkans (Kosovo Online, Danas)

The Council for Foreign Affairs of the European Union will hold a meeting on Monday led by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Giuseppe Borrell, the EU Council announced, reported Kosovo Online. 

On November 13, EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and the latest developments in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

After the Foreign Affairs Council, EU ministers will participate in a ministerial meeting between the EU and the Western Balkans.

The ministers of foreign affairs of the Western Balkans, including Kosovo, together with the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU, according to the agenda, will meet at 17:30, and the meeting will be led by the head of diplomacy of the EU, Giuseppe Borrell. 

The European Commission on Wednesday approved a large financial aid package for the Western Balkans, known as the "Growth Plan", of six billion euros for the period from 2024 to 2027.

It is planned that up to two billion euros of this amount will go as grants, while four billion will go in the form of favorable loans or capital investments.

State Department’s O’Brien to meet Western Balkan leaders in Paris (N1)

US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien will meet with Western Balkan leaders at the Paris Peace Forum, the State Department said.

“O’Brien will 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,” the press release said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is in Paris to attend the Peace Forum.

Another truck with medications from central Serbia arrived at Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica North (Tanjug)

Last night around 22.00 another truck carrying medications for the health facilities in the Serbian areas in Kosovo arrived at Mitrovica North Clinical Hospital Center (CHC), Tanjug news agency reports.

The shipment includes antibiotics, analgesics and other medications necessary for treatment of the patients, the media added.

Party of Kosovo Serbs: CSM must be in line with Resolution 1244 and interests of Serbs (Radio KIM)

The Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS) said in a statement yesterday that the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) must be in line with UN SC Resolution 1244 and interests of the Serbs, Radio KIM reports.

“CSM as a project agreed upon ten years ago, under guarantees of that very same West, should serve now to some Western protégées as a disguise to ethnically cleanse Serbs and abolish all their rights, even those guaranteed by Constitution. Serbs will never accept CSM if it is defined as a fog in which we should lose our identity and rights”, PKS said.

They also said no one ever consulted Serbs from Kosovo nor took into consideration their needs, interests, adding that without Serbs and their acceptance there is no CMS either.

“It is only with executive powers that positions to improve lives of Serbs could be reached, and anything else is only confirmation that Albin Kurti is not alone in his intention that in all ways silently expel all Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija and that he has allies and mentors for it”, the statement added.

PKS reactions came after the statement of US Ambassador in Pristina Jeff Hovenier that the CSM draft statute should be in line with Kosovo Constitution and without executive powers.

Djuric: Israeli recognition of Kosovo was strongest blow to Serbian-Israeli relations (Tanjug)

Serbian Ambassador to US, Marko Djuric said that “Kosovo and Metohija represent the collective statehood, spirituality, culture and identity of Serbia and that Israeli recognition of unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo was the strongest blow to the Serbian-Israeli relations in the last 75 years”, Tanjug news agency reports.

“Bilateral relations (because of recognition) suffered a serious blow. However, relations between Serbs and Jews are so strong and solid, that with pride I may say that we again continue developing our relations in many fields and I am convinced that we will do so at an even stronger pace”, Djuric told Jerusalem Post.

He also said Kosovo for Serbia is a holy land, not only 13 percent of its territory but rather the cradle of statehood, spirituality, culture and identity.

1,140 vehicles re-registered to Kosovo license plates since November 1 (Beta, N1)

Since the beginning of November, 1,140 vehicles with Serbia-issued license plates have re-registered to Kosovo (“RKS”) plates, said Kosovo police region North deputy commander Veton Elshani.

At the end of October, the Kosovo Government passed a decision under which the owners of vehicles with Serbia-issued license plates can re-register their vehicles to Kosovo (“RKS”) plates until December 1 without having to pay any fees.

“Following the expiry of this deadline, it will not be possible to re-register these vehicles to RKS license plates, they will not be allowed to enter or circulate through Kosovo,” said the Kosovo Government.