• Osmani: Biden expressed heartful support for our country (media)
• Osmani travels to NY, to attend reception organised by President Biden (RTK)
• Government confirms: Kurti was aware of assassination plan against him (RTK)
• Kosovo says it foiled plot to assassinate prime minister in 2021 (Reuters)
• Serbia won’t let Kosovo join UN despite strong Western pressure (Bloomberg)
• Svecla to Vucic: Stop supporting illegal criminal structures in the north (media)
• Kosovo, Albania parliaments to sign memorandum of cooperation today (RTK)
• Kurti meets Albanian Ambassador, discuss Kosovo-Albania cooperation (RTK)
• Latest UBO poll: VV falls at 37%, LDK doubles at 22%, PDK at 21% (media)
• Kurti says Kosovo will open an office for Presevo Valley (Koha/Klan)
• Minister of Justice: Treaty with Denmark remains in force (Telegrafi)
• OSCE: Kosovo’s prosecution of terrorism financing ‘ineffective’ (BIRN)
• Albanians in south Serbia want rights included in the dialogue (Euractiv)
• Hackers publish sensitive data on assassination plots in Albania, Kosovo (Euractiv)

Osmani: Biden expressed heartful support for our country (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, said in a Twitter post on Monday that it was “an honor to talk to President Biden today during the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II”. “He expressed his heartfelt support for our country, and on behalf of the people of Kosovo, I extended our gratitude to him and our commitment to the ironclad Kosovo – U.S. partnership,” Osmani tweeted.

Osmani travels to NY, to attend reception organised by President Biden (RTK)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has traveled to New York, where on the sidelines of the 77^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), along with other world leaders, she will take part in the official reception organized by U.S. President Joe Biden.

A statement issued by her office notes that during her stay in New York, Osmani will hold a series of meetings with the heads of delegations of countries participating at the in the session of the United Nations General Assembly, senior U.S. officials and leaders of international organizations.

“President Osmani will also have a meeting with the Albanian diaspora in America. Meanwhile, at Fordham University, President Osmani will hold a lecture, in which she will talk about reforms in the justice system, the rule of law, the development of democracy and strengthening the international subjectivity of Kosovo,” the statement notes.

During the visit to New York, Osmani will be accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla-Schwarz.

Government confirms: Kurti was aware of assassination plan against him (RTK)

The Office for Public Communication of the Government of Kosovo has confirmed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was aware of the assassination plan against him in 2021.

"The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has been notified of this case by the Kosovo Intelligence Agency. Security institutions have taken all measures to prevent this action. The case has not been made public in order not to spread panic," the statement notes.

Kosovo says it foiled plot to assassinate prime minister in 2021 (Reuters)

The government of Kosovo said on Monday it had foiled a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Albin Kurti in 2021, partially confirming a report by an Albanian television station.

Read full story at: https://reut.rs/3DDQRI2

Serbia won’t let Kosovo join UN despite strong Western pressure (Bloomberg)

There is no chance that Serbia will let Kosovo join the United Nations despite intense pressure from the US and European nations, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

Serbia still regards its former province, which declared independence in 2008 almost a decade after the two sides fought a war on mostly ethnic lines, as its territory. Belgrade relies on veto-wielding UN members China and Russia to oppose Kosovo receiving international recognition.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, Vucic said that even if Serbia doesn’t fully recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty, “you’d never be able to kick Pristina out of the UN” once it gains a seat.

“There’s no chance that we let Kosovo into the United Nations,” Vucic, who has refused to sever ties with Russia or join western sanctions intended to punish President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine, said in an interview with Serbian Pink TV.

Serbia is bracing for economic fallout because of its defiance after years of EU-mediated talks that have failed to break the deadlock over Kosovo, Vucic said. Brussels is demanding both sides normalize ties if they want to join the bloc, but the Serbian leader has refused to budge.

Last week, he met with Balkan envoys representing the EU, France and Germany as part of the diplomatic efforts. He said he turned down a proposal for a deal that would enable Kosovo to join the UN.

Read more at: https://bloom.bg/3BVxXv2

Svecla to Vucic: Stop supporting illegal criminal structures in the north (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, argued in a Facebook post on Monday that “Serbian President Vucic’s tendencies to intimidate Serb citizens living in Kosovo are continuing”. “Today, another Serb member of the Kosovo Police was attacked by illegal structures who burned his car after he registered it with the legal license plates of the Republic of Kosovo,” Svecla wrote.

Svecla also noted that early on Wednesday last week, the warehouse of a Serb citizen was burned in the village of Grabovc, the municipality of Zvecan, after he had registered his son’s car. “Both cases are an open invitation to fight the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. We call on Vucic to stop supporting illegal criminal structures with their violent and terrorist acts against the loyal citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,” Svecla wrote.

He also said all institutions are engaged in resolving these cases.

“We are more determined than ever that to wield law and order in every corner of the Republic of Kosovo. Any criminal action by Vucic’s henchmen will not be tolerated and will be fought with all legal and democratic means,” Svecla said.

Kosovo, Albania parliaments to sign memorandum of cooperation today (RTK)

The Assembly of Kosovo has announced through a press release that the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca, and the Speaker of the Assembly of Albania Lindita Nikolla, will be signing a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two parliaments today at 12:00 hours. “After the signing of the memorandum, Konjufca and Nikolla will hold a joint press conference,” the announcement notes.

Kurti meets Albanian Ambassador, discuss Kosovo-Albania cooperation (RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, hosted on Wednesday the Albanian Ambassador to Kosovo, Qemal Minxhozi. A government announcement said the meeting focused on preparations for marking the 110^th anniversary of the declaration of Independence of the Republic of Albania.

“Discussing the status and level of applicability of the agreements signed in the joint meetings of the two governments, it was emphasized that these agreements have opened new positive chapters of the rapprochement between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania,” the announcement notes.​

Latest UBO poll: VV falls at 37%, LDK doubles at 22%, PDK at 21% (media)

Several news websites reported on Monday evening that according to the latest poll by Prishtina-based UBO Consulting, the Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement has fallen in popular support from 41.9 percent in April, to 39.6 percent in June and to 37.3 percent in September. The poll results shows that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) led by Lumir Abdixhiku is gaining increased popular support from 19.4 percent in April, to 20.3 percent in June and 22.3 percent in September. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) led by Memli Krasniqi has 21 percent of popular support.

Kurti says Kosovo will open an office for Presevo Valley (Koha/Klan)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, appointed on Monday Ardita Sinani as his political advisor for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. Kurti’s office said in a statement that this is the first step toward opening an Office for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja within the Prime Minister’s Office and which would be led by Sinani. “The office would be in the function of improving the situation of Albanians in these municipalities, in preserving good relations and increase institutional cooperation to protect and further their rights as a necessity of the time,” the statement notes.

Klan Kosova meanwhile quotes deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku as saying that Kurti was wrong in appointing Sinani as his political advisor for Presevo Valley. According to Citaku, “if the Prime Minister were honest about helping Albanians in Presevo Valley he would not have appointed Sinani to the post because she is leader of a political party in Presevo. If Kurti was honest in his intentions, he would’ve appointed someone apolitical”.

Minister of Justice: Treaty with Denmark remains in force (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, denied on Monday media reports according to which Denmark has withdrawn from the agreement with Kosovo to transfer inmates to prison cells in Gjilan. “We have been in communication with the Danish authorities since early this morning because of reports that Denmark has suspended the decision. This news is not true. The delegations of Kosovo and Denmark have been in regular communication, and a visit by a Danish delegation is planned for October, so I don’t understand how this news came about. We also received confirmation from the Danish authorities that the agreement has not been suspended,” Haxhiu told reporters in Prishtina.

OSCE: Kosovo’s prosecution of terrorism financing ‘ineffective’ (BIRN)

Kosovo’s justice system needs to be more committed to prosecuting the financing of terrorism, a new OSCE Mission report on the handling of terrorism cases by the country’s criminal justice system says.

“Terrorist financing is under-prosecuted. There has only been one conviction for financing terrorism in 2019 despite the FIU [Financial Intelligence Unit] having referred 16 cases to the police in 2019,” the report published on Monday says.

It adds that judges, prosecutors and the FIU need training focused on the prosecution of financing of terrorism and on areas of crossover with money laundering offences.

It says the existing law and prosecution practice in the field of financing terrorism should be brought closer in line with EU and international standards.

“A lack of operational oversight has led to ineffective prosecution in this area,” the report says.

The head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Michael Davenport, said that terrorism cases are particularly challenging when it comes to law policy practice and called on Kosovo legal practitioners “to hold the highest standards of professionalism in this area and make adjustments where this is really justified.

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

Albanians in south Serbia want rights included in the dialogue (Euractiv)

Ethnic Albanians living in the Presevo Valley in southern Serbia have asked that the issue of their removal from the area by the Belgrade government be included in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

In 2020, Exit became the first media to publicise the issue of ‘mass passivisation’ when it published research by Flora Ferati-Sachsenmaier, who spent many years looking at the issue. Over the years, over 6,000 ethnic Albanians who are Serbian citizens have been removed from voter lists illegally and cannot vote, send their children to school, work, or buy property.

The Helsinki Commission referred to it as “administrative ethnic cleansing.”

Chairman of the Albanian National Council Ragmi Mustafi says there must be a solution for the systematic discrimination they face at the hands of Serbian authorities.

“What is important for us, within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, is to address the issue of the Presevo Valley. We hope that the other steps in a programmatic and systematic approach will find a comprehensive solution, which means including the political-legal issue of the Albanians of the Presevo Valley.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3doBc4H

Hackers publish sensitive data on assassination plots in Albania, Kosovo (Euractiv)

Iranian cybercriminals published on Monday sensitive information from the authorities, including documents on alleged plots to kill Albanian and Kosovo politicians, while the prosecutor in Tirana has banned media from publishing any of the data.

Albania has been subject to a string of cyberattacks since 15 July that brought digital government systems to a standstill and saw a site called ‘Homeland Security’ offer to sell reams of sensitive citizen and government data while threatening to publish more.

Another followed this attack in September that brought all border computer systems offline, causing chaos at border crossings and airports.

Since Monday, a number of documents, emails, and memos between politicians, authorities and institutions and ambassadors have been published via the Homeland Security Telegram channel. On Monday evening, the prosecutor announced that publishing such data would be pursued as a criminal act.

“The prosecutor’s office has decided that no data published by the authors of the cyber attack shall be published by audiovisual media, print, online, in social networks or in any form of publication or transfer of data,” it reads.

One document published just over a week from the last attack reveals that the Counter-Terrorism Unit in Kosovo was made aware of a plan to kill Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3dmx1X6