• Kosovo President to participate in Brdo-Brioni Process meeting (Koha)
• Union refuses government’s call to end strike (Koha Ditore)
• Government reacts to Unions’ decision to continue strike (media)
• Minister calls on Unions to reflect; for teachers to resume work (media)
• Experts raise alarm for lack of capacities to confront cyberattacks (Koha)
• Kosovo commemorates September 11, 2001 (RTK)
• Two Serbian nationals banned from entering Kosovo (media)
• “Germany, France, with US, Türkiye support wants to solve Kosovo issue” (AA)
• Why E.U. can’t get Kosovo and Serbia to end conflict (The Washington Post)
• War Hangover in Divided Nation Is a Warning for Europe (Bloomberg)
• Mandl: Non-recognizing states should follow Israel’s example on Kosovo (RTK)
• Osmani congratulates King Charles III on his accession to the throne (RTK)
• Kosovo’s Description in Energy Agreement Lies Behind Delay in Implementation (Prishtina Insight)
• With few jobs available in Kosovo, university graduates turn to artisan trade to make a living (RFE)

Kosovo President to participate in Brdo-Brioni Process meeting (Koha)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani will participate in the 11^th meeting of the presidents of the region within the framework of the Brdo-Brioni process which in Slovenia will be held on September 12. The Presidency has announced Osmani's participation in the meeting of the Brdo-Brioni Process.

"The topics that will be discussed in this meeting include the perspective of European integration for the aspiring countries of the Western Balkans, which fulfill the conditions for integration and which align policies with those of the European Union, overcoming common challenges as a result of Russia's unprovoked aggression in Ukraine, including the energy crisis and food security; as well as commitment to democracy, peace and dialogue. President Osmani will present the positions of the Republic of Kosovo regarding the topics that will be addressed in this process, including the call for the liberalization of visas for the citizens of Kosovo, as well as the advancement of the Euro-Atlantic path of our country," a press release by the Office of the President notes.

Union refuses government’s call to end strike (Koha Ditore)

The daily reports on its front page that the Union of Education, Culture and Science of Kosovo (SBASHK) said on Sunday that it will not end its strike until the government meets their demand for an additional 100 euros for the educational staff until the law on wages enters into force. SBASHK leader Rrahman Jasharaj argued that the government showed no signs of being ready to engage in dialogue with the strike council of the unions. “The Government remains barricaded on its position, and we are doing our best to engage in dialogue and two statements by the [Education] Minister Nagavci seemingly in a nervous situation were made not to bring the parties closer together,” Jasharaj said.

Educational experts meanwhile argue that the damage caused on the pupils is irreparable and parents have warned with measures to oppose the strike.

Government reacts to Unions’ decision to continue strike (media)

Spokesperson for the Kosovo government, Perparim Kryeziu called the request of the Unions for an additional 100 euros for the educational staff unreasonable. He said that more than 30 meetings were held with the unions, but according to him, there is a lack of willingness from the unions to move forward. "There has been communication and meetings were held. Most of the union demands have been addressed or are being addressed. The reasonableness of the request for an additional 100 euros and the willingness of the unions to move forward are missing," Kryeziu said.

He further listed the meetings with the heads of institutions and the SBASHK.

Minister calls on Unions to reflect; for teachers to resume work (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Education, Arberie Nagavci, said on Sunday that for the third year in a row, the second week of September finds the pupils in Kosovo at home. The first two years this happened because of the pandemic and that this year “the delay could have easily been avoided”. “The strike, in the form of completely suspending work and without any timelines, is an extreme step that is taken only in extraordinary cases and there is no rationale behind this, especially when the government has taken several steps and dignifying decisions to address the demands of the unions,” Nagavci wrote on Facebook.

Experts raise alarm for lack of capacities to confront cyberattacks (Koha)

The daily reports in one of its front-page stories that last week there were increased cyberattacks against government institutions, media, and businesses in Kosovo. The attacks were recorded after the cyberattacks in Albania against the TIMS system and which are believed to have been done by Iranian authorities. The daily also quotes software security experts in Kosovo as saying that the latest cyberattacks show that government institutions, with the exception of Kosovo Police, lack the capacities to confront these attacks.

Kosovo commemorates September 11, 2001 (RTK)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, the second Deputy Prime Minister, Donika Gervalla and the Deputy Ambassador of the USA Alyson Grunder, paid their respects at the memorial "Kosova remembers," dedicated to the victims of September 11, 2001, in USA.

On this occasion, President Vjosa Osmani said that, ‘today, September 11, together with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Ambassador of the USA, we join the entire American people to share the pain of about 3 thousand lost lives in a battle which once again turned out to be a battle of values.

After the tributes, in a statement to the media, the prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said that the people of Kosovo stand by the American people, adding that they express solidarity with the families for the serious event and added that freedom and democracy must always be protected.

"May all the victims rest in peace and may the friendship and partnership between the Republic of Kosovo and the United States of America live forever," Kurti said.

Two Serbian nationals banned from entering Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s institutions banned on Saturday Dimitrije Markovic and Nenad Jeremic from entering Kosovo citing their activities against the sovereignty and national security of Kosovo, a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office noted.

“Markovic and Jeremic are known for pro-Russian elements and used the cover of humanitarian activities to continuously spread propaganda against Kosovo, thus inciting inter-ethnic hatred, with the aim of damaging Kosovo’s image and unfairly presenting the state of the Serb community in Kosovo,” the press release added.

“Germany, France, with US, Türkiye support wants to solve Kosovo issue” (AA)

Germany and France, with the support of the US and Türkiye, wants a quick solution to the Kosovo issue, Serbia’s president said Saturday.

"The great Western powers and Turkey want to solve these problems because there is a war in Europe,” Aleksandar Vucic said in an address to the nation after a session of the Serbian National Security Council in the nation’s capital of Belgrade.

“Maybe, we in Serbia, don't understand that but Europe is at war. Europe has to defend itself and in accordance with that potential agreement, or potential solutions, they would avoid the possibility or it would be much easier for them to provide a clear answer to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin regarding the legal precedent and granting independence to Kosovo because later they would say that an agreement has been reached,” he said. “If Crimea and Ukraine reached an agreement, then it is possible, but without it, it cannot be."

Vucic said that European envoys told during a meeting Friday that Putin "raised the curtain" and now it is up to everyone to declare "on which side the curtain is."

"Essentially, that agreement, in accordance with the interest of the Western countries, would mean, I cannot say the recognition of Kosovo what they mean by normalization, but it is the recognition of everything that they consider as reality," he said.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3U4INWg

Why E.U. can’t get Kosovo and Serbia to end conflict (The Washington Post)

A new survey suggests many in Kosovo don’t approve of the E.U.’s efforts

The European Union hosted further talks between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia last month, though representatives of both sides once again left Brussels without a deal to normalize the countries’ relations. Attempting to capitalize on any remaining momentum, E.U. and U.S. envoys visited both countries in late August, with minimal success.

Why has the E.U. struggled to bring about a final agreement between the two countries on normalizing relations? My research suggests there’s an overlooked factor: what the people of Kosovo want. While an array of international organizations is involved in peace-building, many Kosovars disapprove of the E.U.’s role in these efforts. This suggests that who mediates the process matters for citizens — perhaps as much as what’s being mediated.

What’s happening between Kosovo and Serbia?

The relationship between Kosovo and Serbia has remained tense for the past 20 years. Formerly a province of Serbia — within Yugoslavia — Kosovo came under U.N. administration in 1999 following the two-year Kosovo War and a NATO bombing campaign designed to end the widespread violence against ethnic Albanians.

Read more at: https://wapo.st/3B7v0ps

War Hangover in Divided Nation Is a Warning for Europe (Bloomberg)

It takes just a minute to walk over the bridge linking either side of the Ibar River in the city of Mitrovica, and yet it’s a journey that takes you back years.

Renovated following NATO’s intervention to end the ethnic conflict in Kosovo, the hope was that the bridge would turn into a symbol of unity in the divided country. More than two decades later, it remains the boundary between worlds that have collided again in recent weeks.

To the south lies the vibrant part of Mitrovica that’s home to the ethnic Albanian majority, supported by remittances from a diaspora that fled the war. There are new stores, apartments being built and busy restaurants where you pay in euros. In the north, mainly ethnic Serb citizens live in limbo, paralyzed by the region’s intransigent politics. They are neither part of Serbia nor — in practice — part of Kosovo.

“In 23 years, they did very little to bring the two communities together,” Veroljub Petronic, a security analyst in the Serb area of the city, said in his first-floor office located in a run-down apartment building off the main square. “One side doesn’t want us; the other side must not take us.”

The latest flare-up is over Kosovo’s push this summer to standardize identity cards and car license plates, something that may look relatively trivial to outsiders given Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. But on a continent that’s being haunted by proxy struggles between east and west, the failure of the tiny nation of 1.8 million people to move on carries an ominous warning for Europe.

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

Mandl: Non-recognizing states should follow Israel's example on Kosovo (RTK)

Member of the European Parliament Lukas Mandl said on Sunday that countries that have not recognized Kosovo, should follow Israel's example. He visited the Kosovo embassy in Jerusalem.

"Years ago, visiting the Embassy of Kosovo in Israel would have been unimaginable. Because there was none. Then Israel recognized the Republic of Kosovo with great wisdom and foresight. In a world full of confusion, this was and is one of the most valuable geopolitical decisions of recent years. I was pleased to talk with Ines Demir at the Embassy of Kosovo in Jerusalem about current issues. The small minority of member states that still do not recognize Kosovo should soon follow Israel,” Mandl tweeted.

Osmani congratulates King Charles III on his accession to the throne (RTK)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, through a message on the Twitter, congratulated the new king of the United Kingdom.

“Heartfelt congratulations to King Charles III on ascending to the throne. We are grateful for His Majesty's commitment to the Kosovo-United Kingdom alliance, as affirmed during his visit in 2016. We are confident that our ties will continue to strengthen under his reign,” Osmani wrote.

Kosovo’s Description in Energy Agreement Lies Behind Delay in Implementation (Prishtina Insight)

The removal of the inscription ‘Republic of Kosovo’ in the energy agreement by the Serbian company Elektroserver is one reason why the agreement with Serbia is on hold.

The Belgrade-backed electricity company, Elektrosever, has signed two agreements with the Kosovo Electricity Transmission, System and Market Operator, KOSTT, to charge consumers in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo for energy as per the energy roadmap agreement agreed between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels on June 21.

On Thursday, BIRN obtained both the agreement for adherence to the market rules as well as the agreement on balancing obligations, and in both of them Elektroserver has removed the inscription “Republic of Kosovo”, instead presenting Kosovo with a footnote – Kosovo*.

Sabri Musiqi, acting director of KOSTT, told the TV show “Kallxo Përnime” on Thursday that Elektrosever had interfered with the content of the agreement, so delaying its implementation.

“We have not implemented either of the two agreements because Elektrosever interfered in the content of the agreement for adherence to market rules,” he said.

“The term ‘Republic of Kosovo’ was part of this agreement. They have removed this part and placed a footnote. We could not accept such an intervention. It is not in our mandate to make this kind of acceptance,” he added.

Read more at:  https://bit.ly/3L858y4

With few jobs available in Kosovo, university graduates turn to artisan trade to make a living (RFE)

Frustrated by the job prospects in Kosovo, where unemployment is astronomical and prospects are bleak amid rampant corruption, Dusan Stojanovic and Kerim Pervizaj opted to return to their families' artisanal past to pay the bills.

Stojanovic now toils over a potter's wheel, churning out crockery and other items while Pervizaj works with tin to produce dishes, cookers, and even ovens.

Both are happy to be working and making money, but frustrated and even ashamed they couldn't find the jobs for which they were trained.

Finding jobs has long been a challenge for the 1.8 million people of Europe's newest country, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after NATO bombed Serbia in 1999 to push its forces out of Kosovo. Unemployment stood at a whopping 25.5 percent in 2020, according to data from the World Bank.

Youth unemployment is off the charts, hovering near 50 percent. Kosovo is a young nation, with a median age of 29.5 years, the lowest in Europe. And many of those young people are now qualified for more skilled jobs as never before as university enrolment has risen in recent years.

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