• COVID-19: 24 deaths, 890 new cases (media)
• Harris, Osmani agree to continue strengthening US – Kosovo relations (Express)
• US Embassy in Pristina clarifies the accommodation of 2 Afghans (Exit)
• Abbot praises Kosovo for accepting Afghan refugees (RTK)
• U.S. to send at least two Afghan evacuees to Kosovo for further review (NBC)
• US: Afghan evacuees who fail first screening Kosovo-bound (AP)
• No agreement on date and agenda of Kurti-Vucic meeting (Kosovapress)
• Serbian Church enthronement sparks clashes in Montenegro (BIRN)
• Kosovo officials react to songs about return of Serbian Army to Kosovo (media)

COVID-19: 24 deaths, 890 new cases (media)

24 deaths from COVID-19 and 890 new cases with the virus were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 1,712 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 26,688 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Harris, Osmani agree to continue strengthening US – Kosovo relations (Express)

US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with the Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on Friday. In a statement posted on Facebook Harris said that she agreed with Osmani to continue strengthen US-Kosovo relations.

“It was a pleasure to speak with President Vjosa Osmani yesterday to extend our nation’s thanks to Kosovo for hosting vulnerable Afghans at Camp Bondsteel. We agreed to continue to strengthen the important U.S.-Kosovo relationship,” Harris wrote.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani announced Friday that she spoke by phone with US Vice President Harris on the issue of sheltering US-affiliated Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban.

“Vice President Harris stated that the United States is grateful to Kosovo for its close cooperation and generosity, which is shown in Kosovo’s willingness to take in thousands of Afghan citizens. VP Harris expressed the Biden administration’s gratitude for Kosovo’s support in this mission, and reemphasized the personal and profound connection between the Biden administration and the people of Kosovo. On this note, VP Harris conveyed her heartfelt thanks for the ceremony organized by President Osmani in honor of the late Joseph Robinette ‘Beau’ Biden III,” the President’s Office said in a press release.

President Osmani and Vice President Harris also discussed the situation with the pandemic, while President Osmani once again thanked the United States and President Biden for donating over 500,000 vaccines to Kosovo. President Osmani said such actions once again show the unwavering friendship between the two countries, and is the clearest evidence of the continued support of the United States of America for Kosovo.

President Osmani also invited Vice President Harris to visit Kosovo and see first-hand country’s joint successes. Both leaders agreed to meet in person in the near future.

US Embassy in Pristina clarifies the accommodation of 2 Afghans (Exit)

The Embassy of the United States of America in Kosovo announced the sending of two Afghan refugees to Kosovo, for further verifications, on Saturday.

Citizens who are considered unacceptable to the US will not be housed in Kosovo, the Embassy explained.

"Some media reports have left readers with the inaccurate impression that the United States intends to transfer to Kosovo individuals whom the US authorities have considered unacceptable to the United States. This does not stand. The agreement between the United States and Kosovo allows the United States to temporarily house a limited number of Afghan nationals in Bondsteel camp, whose applications require additional processing. This may include tasks such as: clarifying applicants' identities, their employment history, or other ties to the United States. "Officials of the American Embassy in Kosovo are assisting in this process", it is said in the reaction.

On Friday, US media reported that at least two Afghans suspected of potential links to the Taliban would be sent to Kosovo.

About 500 Afghans are now being housed in Kosovo.

Abbot praises Kosovo for accepting Afghan refugees (RTK)

UK Ambassador Nicholas Abbott once again thanked the government and people of Kosovo for the hospitality shown to the Afghan refugees.

“Yesterday I visited NATO-affiliated Afghan evacuees, being temporarily looked after in Kosovo by UK troops under NATO command, while arrangements are made for their onward journeys. They have been through a traumatic experience and continue to show patience and perseverance. I would like to once again thank the government and people of Kosovo for your support and giving them a warm welcome. As people in Kosovo celebrate Mother Teresa on the anniversary of her canonisation, I am reminded of her words: “if you cannot feed a hundred people, feed just one!” Abbot wrote on the social network Facebook.

U.S. to send at least two Afghan evacuees to Kosovo for further review (NBC)

At least two Afghans who were evacuated to the U.S. will be sent to Kosovo for more review, but that does not mean they necessarily pose a terror threat.

The U.S. plans to send at least two Afghan evacuees back out of the country to Kosovo because of security concerns raised after they arrived at a U.S. airport, said two sources familiar with the U.S. evacuation.

The Afghans will undergo a further review in Kosovo.

The sources caution, however, that federal officials are acting out of abundance of caution, and just because a person is flagged does not mean they are a terrorist or pose a threat. Something in their profile — their name, background or a number in their cellphone — raised enough concern that they could not be permitted to stay in the U.S. pending additional review, according to the sources.

“A lot of people were moved very quickly and the intelligence community has been working hard to evaluate whether any of them pose a threat,” said a senior federal law enforcement official. “Some of the vetting occurs while they are overseas, and some of it occurs here … We are not going to allow people to intentionally be released into the community if they have unresolved derogatory information.”

See more at: https://nbcnews.to/3tdSBjK

US: Afghan evacuees who fail first screening Kosovo-bound (AP)

An ardent U.S. ally, Kosovo, has agreed to take in Afghanistan evacuees who fail to clear initial rounds of screening and host them for up to a year, a U.S. official said Saturday, in an intended temporary fix to one of the lingering security problems of the frantic U.S. evacuation from the Kabul airport.

The U.S. plan is likely to face objections from refugee advocates, who already complain of a lack of public disclosure and uncertain legal jurisdiction in the Biden administration’s use of overseas screening sites. Those quickly set- up overseas transit sites are still operating near or at full speed to verify eligibility and look for security issues among thousands of Afghans and smaller numbers of Americans flown out of Taliban-held Afghanistan between Aug. 15 and Aug. 31.

The U.S. official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the plan. It was the first disclosure of what the U.S. intends to do with Afghans or other evacuees who have failed to clear initial rounds of screening or whose cases otherwise require more processing.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3h5jTnD

No agreement on date and agenda of Kurti-Vucic meeting (Kosovapress)

The news website reports that although a third meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was announced for September, there is no agreement yet on the date and the agenda. Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission, told Kosovapress that “the date and agenda of the next dialogue meeting will be announced in due time”. The Kosovo Government meanwhile has not commented on what topics will be discussed at the meeting between the two leaders.

Serbian Church enthronement sparks clashes in Montenegro (BIRN)

Violence erupted in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje as opposition parties and self-declared patriotic groups protesters battled police while trying to stop the enthronement of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country.

Violence erupted in the Cetinje, old capital of Montenegro, on Sunday, after opposition supporters and self-declared patriotic groups clashed with police, trying to stop the new local head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country from being enthroned.

Police used tear gas to break up the protests, while media reported that the former head of the police, Veselin Veljovic, was among those arrested.

Police reported that two officers were injured while eight protesters were arrested during the clashes in Cetinje.

As the roads to Cetinje were blocked by barricades and protesters, Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije and the new Metropolitan of Montenegro had to be transported to Cetinje by army helicopters. They were escorted to the monastery protected by bulletproof shields, while police used tear gas to disperse protests nearby.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic on Sunday called the riots in Cetinje an attempted terrorist act by the opposition, warning that an attack on the police was an attack on the state.

“It is completely clear that the perpetrators and organisers [of the protests] are the highest leadership of the [opposition] Democratic Party of Socialists in cooperation with organised criminal groups. The state will stop them,” Krivokapic wrote on Twitter.

Protesters clashed with police after they set up roadblocks on Saturday, using tires, rocks and vehicles, trying to prevent clerics from coming to Cetinje. Police later broke up the barricades.

After the enthronement ceremony, the new Metropolitan Joanikije said it would take time to overcome the ethnic, political and religious divisions in Montenegro.

“A lot of divisions were seen in Cetinje, which were artificially caused. We did everything to avoid them, but we will need a lot of time,” he said.

The US embassy in Podgorica called on all sides to urgently deescalate the situation, saying that religious freedom and freedom of expression must be respected.

“While there has been much finger-pointing about who is responsible, individuals will ultimately be held accountable for their actions. We urge citizens not to take their anger out on the police as they try to uphold public order and to police to use only the means necessary to restore peace,” the embassy posted on Twitter.

While ruling parties praised police action, the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, accused the government of attacking peaceful protesters.

Read full story at: https://bit.ly/38PZ9M1

Kosovo officials react to songs about return of Serbian Army to Kosovo (media)

Enver Hoxhaj, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, took to Twitter on Sunday to react to the singing of a song about “the return of the Serbian Army to Kosovo” during the enthronement of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. Hoxhaj tweeted: “The darkest forces of fascism, led by the Serbian Church are returning to #Montenegro! The song about the return of the serbian army was made by #Russia & interpreted by their proxies in the country!”

Memli Krasniqi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the biggest opposition party, also took to Twitter to say he was “deeply worried about the recent developments in #Montenegro. This is a déjà vu of the nineties when Serbia instrumentalised religion to fuel destabilization and conflict. I call on the international community to pressure Serbia into respecting the sovereignity of Montenegro and all neighbouring countries.”