• Kosovo government gives details about Kurti - Lajcak meeting (media) 
• Lajcak: Talks continue for normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations (media) 
• Osmani and Scholz discuss push for visa liberalization (media) 
• Osmani in Potsdam: Republic of Kosovo, success story (media) 
• Albanian Post to publish “new framework” document on Sunday 
• Svecla to Vucic: There will be difficult days, weeks and months (Express) 
• AAK’s Berisha: The government will fall in spring (Nacionale) 
• Kosovo ex-fighter’s lawyer asks court for war crimes acquittal (BIRN) 
• Kosovo Selects ‘Looking for Venera’ for 2023 Oscars (Prishtina Insight) 
• Junk folder: Journalists countering disinformation (Kosovo 2.0) 
• Regional minimum wage; Montenegro in lead (Euronews Albania)

Kosovo government gives details about Kurti - Lajcak meeting (media) 

Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with the first deputy prime minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue Besnik Bislimi, received the Special Representative of the European Union for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

“During the meeting, the willingness and readiness that the Republic of Kosovo has already shown to engage in a principled and balanced dialogue, from which the citizens of both countries benefit, was announced by the government cabinet,” informs a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Kurti reiterated that the goal of the dialogue should be to reach a legally binding agreement with mutual recognition at the center.

"It was discussed about the continuation of the negotiation process in Brussels and about the preparations for the next meetings within the dialogue for the complete normalization of relations between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia. Prime Minister Kurti and Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi thanked Mr. Lajcak for his continuous engagement in this process," it is further stated in the announcement of the government.

Lajcak: Talks continue for normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations (media) 

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, said that the purpose of his visit in Pristina on Thursday, was to continue the dialogue on the way to the normalization of relations with Serbia.

"I came to Pristina to continue discussions with Prime Minister Kurti regarding the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia," Lajcak said after his meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

"I also met Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi with whom we talked about the current issues of freedom of movement, missing persons and energy," he added. Lajcak said that the EU wants to make sure to find solutions that avoid tensions and escalation. “We had useful discussions and they will continue.”

He declined to give a date for the next meeting, and he was surprised when he heard about the new dialogue framework, which was announced by the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic.

Media report that deputy head of the mission of the American Embassy in Kosovo has also been seen entering the government building.

"Today in Pristina I continued the conversation of last week with the Prime Minister Albin Kurti, to continue the path towards the normalization of relations with Serbia. I used the opportunity to discuss current issues with the first deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi, in particular about freedom of movement and energy,” Lajcak tweeted later on Thursday.

Osmani and Scholz discuss push for visa liberalization (media) 

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani met on Thursday in Potsdam with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The meeting took place within the framework of the international conference on democracy and media freedom, Colloquium M100 Sanssouci.

"Today in Potsdam, discussion with Chancellor Scholz, to give the final push to the visa liberalization process. I reaffirmed our full commitment to peace, security and stability in the region and Europe, as well as close coordination with allies regarding the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue," Osmani wrote on Facebook.

She said that Kosovo is grateful for the unwavering support of Germany and for the friendship which will continue to strengthen.

Osmani in Potsdam: Republic of Kosovo, success story (media) 

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla, is participating in the international conference on democracy and media freedom, Colloquium M100 Sanssouci. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, diplomats, journalists and representatives from academia and civil society from all over the world are also present at this conference.

In a special discussion of this conference dedicated to the security strategy in Europe, President Osmani emphasized that Kosovo is an example of guaranteeing sustainable peace in the region and beyond, as well as a success story in strengthening media freedom and democracy, a statement issued by the Office of the President notes.

Osmani spoke about Kosovo’s continuous growth in international indices of freedom and democracy, as evidence of the steadfast commitment of the people of Kosovo and its institutions to democratic values.

She further emphasized that Kosovo is a factor of stability in the region and Europe, and through concrete actions has proven that it is a reliable partner of Western democracy.

"President Osmani singled out Kosovo's commitment to further strengthening alliances with our European and American partners through full coordination of foreign policy against international developments, including the war in Ukraine and support for the Ukrainian people. The President has emphasized the importance of the membership of the Republic of Kosovo and all other democratic and coordinating states in the EU and NATO, so that Europe is even stronger and more united against the challenges it faces," the announcement reads.

Among other things, Osmani called for the support of Kosovo for membership in regional and international organizations, as well as for the urgency of completing the visa liberalization process for the citizens of Kosovo.

Albanian Post to publish “new framework” document on Sunday 

The news website claims to have secured a several-page document and all the points that propose a final solution for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. It notes that the document was delivered in Prishtina and Belgrade by French and German senior officials Emmanuel Bone and Jens Plotner. Albanian Post says it will publish the entire document on Sunday, September 18.

Svecla to Vucic: There will be difficult days, weeks and months (Express)

The news website notes that Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, sent a message to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after the latter said that there are attempts “to take away Kosovo but Serbia will not allow a single centimeter of land to be taken away”. In an interview with Syri TV, Svecla said that there will be difficult days, weeks and months ahead and that stability in Kosovo will grow even stronger. “As far as Vucic’s chauvinistic aspirations vis-à-vis Kosovo are concerned, I can promise that there will be difficult days, weeks, and months ahead for him. As far as stability in Kosovo is concerned, it will grow stronger. Law and order will prevail even more there [in the north]. And we will very soon make it possible for every citizen in that region to live in peace and quiet,” Svecla was quoted as saying.

AAK’s Berisha: The government will fall in spring (Nacionale)

MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Beke Berisha said in an interview with the news website on Thursday that the Kurti-led government will fall in spring as a result of protests and the dissatisfaction of the people. “I don’t know how he [Kurti] will be able to handle all this. We are entering winter together and in spring we will show him his place. There will be protests and no one will be able to stop the people. He lacks the readiness to complete his duties. He has so many tasks on his table that he cannot finish even one of them,” he argued.

Asked if the people will support the protests, the AAK senior official said there is major dissatisfaction among the people. “The Prime Minister needs to be practical and pragmatic, because otherwise tasks cannot be completed … I haven’t met any citizens that are satisfied with the work of this government,” he added.

Kosovo ex-fighter’s lawyer asks court for war crimes acquittal (BIRN) 

Former Kosovo Liberation Army unit chief Salih Mustafa’s lawyer asked the Hague-based war crimes court to acquit his client, arguing that the evidence didn’t prove that he illegally detained, tortured and killed prisoners in 1999.

In his closing statement at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, the lawyer for former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA unit commander Salih Mustafa urged the court to acquit his client of all charges.

“The defence requests Mr. Mustafa to be found not guilty of all the charges he is accused of, he has never committed any crime,” defence lawyer Julius von Bone told the court on Thursday.

He said that Mustafa, known in wartime by his nom de guerre Commander Cali, “has put himself in danger for many people while serving the general objective of the people of Kosovo, which was the gain of independence”.

During the Kosovo war in the late 1990s, Mustafa was a commander in the KLA’s Llap Operation Zone in the country’s north-east.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3SbAgz0

Kosovo Selects ‘Looking for Venera’ for 2023 Oscars (Prishtina Insight) 

A movie written and directed by Norika Sefa about a quiet teen in a small village is Kosovo's choice for Best International Feature Film at the 95^th Academy Awards.

On September 14, the Kosovo Cinematography Center, KCC, announced that Looking for Venera, a film written and directed by Norika Sefa and produced by Besnik Krapi, had been selected as Kosovo’s candidate film for the 95th Academy Awards.

This film portrays a quiet, taciturn teenager named Venera who lives in a small village in Kosovo. At home, where three generations are huddling together in a small house, she has hardly any privacy.

Lum Çitaku, the head of KCC, said the film makes audiences connect with each character.

“The film makes you observe from a distance, while at the same time connects you with each character. We believe that the world needs authentic filmmakers, and Norika Sefa’s unique approach and language makes the film a worthy candidate for this competition,” Çitaku said.

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

Junk folder: Journalists countering disinformation (Kosovo 2.0) 

Documenting the war on disinformation.

The spread of disinformation has greatly challenged professional journalism in every country in the Balkans. However, some media outlets are seeking to challenge this phenomenon.

The mini-documentary “JUNK FOLDER” explores how disinformation damages professional journalism. It examines how journalists, researchers and professional fact-checkers are fighting disinformation and who is behind the fabricated news and what its intention is.

Including media from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia, this documentary features conversations with journalists and media professionals about the ways they can empower themselves and the public to identify fake news.

This documentary was produced by Mediacentar Sarajevo in cooperation with the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM).

See more at: https://bit.ly/3dgRL2e

Regional minimum wage; Montenegro in lead (Euronews Albania) 

With the second increase in the minimum wage within a year, Albania is now at the same level as North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the region, leaving only Kosovo behind. Meanwhile, Montenegro stands at the top, where the minimum wage is no less than 530 euros.

From October 1, the minimum wage will become 34,000 ALL or 293 euros, and the annual increase will reach 13%. In the Albanian job market, there is a total of 200,000 employees who pay contributions for a minimum wage job.

The decision to force businesses to pay them the new surcharge was prompted by rapidly rising prices. This is good news for employees, but it wasn’t welcomed by the business sector, whose expenses have also increased during this period.

The increase in their monthly expenses can also result in the abrupt unemployment of young or inexperienced workers. According to several business owners, what stands behind this government decision is more so a strategy to collect more taxes.