Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo buys Bayraktar drones; Kurti: Kosovo now even safer (media)

• Lajcak mentions meetings with Bislimi and Krasniqi (media)

• KFOR: Kosovo institutions responsible for reducing police presence in north (Express)

• Task Force investigating at least five ministers and one deputy minister (Betimi per Drejtesi)

• Two shocks bombs thrown at house in Mitrovica North (Koha)

• Rama to gather leaders of region in Tirana on Monday, not known if Kurti will attend (media)

• Albanian neighbors after Serb house burnt: We never had any bad words (RFE)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Serbian President Vucic: Albin Kurti is not interested in peace or what United States thinks of him (The Pavlovic Today, media)

• Abbott: I am concerned over specificities of agreement on de-escalation, we need to see more of EULEX instead of special police (KoSSev)

• Kurti refers to detained Serb from north as “notorious criminal” at KP graduation ceremony address (KoSSev, media)

• Serbian List, Petkovic react to Kurti’s remarks on Kosovo police being continuation of KLA (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, Radio KIM, media)

International Media:

• Kosovo buys Turkish Bayraktar drones (Reuters)

•  After BIRN’s Investigation, Member of Ruling Party Arrested by Police (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kosovo buys Bayraktar drones; Kurti: Kosovo is now even safer (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a Facebook post on Sunday that Kosovo has purchased Bayraktar TB-2 drones from Turkey but did not say how many. He said that Kosovo is now even safer and congratulated the officers that completed the training on how to use drones. “We have added to the arsenal of our army the TB-2 Bayraktar drones which we purchased from Turkey! In two years in government, we have increased by 80 percent the number of soldiers and by more than 100 percent the budget for the army. Kosovo is now safer and always proud! With the Kosovo Security Force Commander Bashkim Jashari and Defence Minister Armend Mehaj, we congratulated the officers that completed the training on how to use the drones,” Kurti said.

Lajcak mentions meetings with Bislimi and Krasniqi (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that he had “important bilateral discussions with the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kosovo Government and the Kosovo Chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi. Our conversation focused on de-escalating the situation in the north of Kosovo, in line with the EU27 statement from 3 June, and working towards implementing all Dialogue agreements. I’m glad we agreed on first steps towards this goal.”

Lajcak also mentioned his meeting with “the Chair of the Democratic Party of Kosovo Memli Krasniqi for an exchange of views and prepared the upcoming meeting of Chief Negotiators in Brussels.”

KFOR: Kosovo institutions responsible for reducing police presence in north (Express)

Asked if Kosovo Police should coordinate in reducing its presence in and around the municipal buildings in the north, NATO’s peacekeeping mission – KFOR – told the news website on Sunday that the issue is in the responsibility of Kosovo’s institutions. “The 25 percent reduction is the responsibility of Kosovo’s institutions and is based in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade for de-escalation and the normalisation of relations,” KFOR said in a statement. “KFOR units are fully equipped and ready to react to any situation”.

KFOR also said that it continues to implement its mandate from the United Nations to provide a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.

Task Force investigating at least five ministers and one deputy minister (Betimi per Drejtesi)

The news website reported on Saturday that the Kosovo Police Anti-Corruption Task Force is currently investigating at least five ministers and a deputy minister in the Kurti-led government. Under investigation are reportedly Finance Minister Hekuran Murati, Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla, Local Government Minister Elbert Krasniqi, Economy Minister Rozeta Hajdari, Culture Minister Hajrullah Ceku, and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Hysen Durmishi. Betimi per Drejtesi contacted the government to comment on the information but received no response. Durmishi said on Sunday that he has made no violations of the law and that the results of his work are easily measurable. Krasniqi said he learned about the investigations from the article. “So far, I was not aware and I have not been contacted by any investigative authority. What I am certain about, is that this is the first time that the communities are being seriously supported by the government. Law, transparency and honest work are the basis of every decision I make,” he said. 

Two shocks bombs thrown at house in Mitrovica North (Koha)

Kosovo Police said in a report that two shock bombs were thrown at the house of a woman in Mitrovica North early on Saturday. The victim reported the incident to the police. No injuries or material damages were reported.

Rama to gather leaders of region in Tirana on Monday, not known if Kurti will attend (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will host an informal meeting of leaders from the region and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, in Tirana, on Monday. The meeting is part of preparations for the Berlin Process Summit which will be held in Tirana on October 16.

Referring to an article by Report TV, Klan Kosova reports the Prime Ministers of Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and the chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have confirmed their participation. There is no confirmation if Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Radio Television of Albania (RTSH) citing unnamed sources reports that Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi has confirmed he will attend the meeting in Tirana.

Albanian neighbors after Serb house burnt: We never had any bad words (RFE)

Svetislav Jozic is the first Serb returnee in the village of Veric near Istog, around 80 kilometers from Pristina. Unknown persons set his recently-built house on fire only three days after he got the keys. He said he is not worried about the incident and that he is certain that it was not caused by his Albanian neighbors. The news website interviewed his Albanian neighbors who had only good words and fond memories with Jozic. Kosovo’s institutions meanwhile called for an urgent investigation to apprehend the perpetrators, while foreign ambassadors in Kosovo called for conditions for returns to be secured.

Panchev criticises EU of unfair approach toward Kosovo (Kosovapress)

Political commentator of the Western Balkans, Anton Panchev, in an interview with Kosovapress news agency, criticised the European Union’s approach toward Kosovo, arguing that the penalty measures are unfair, as Kosovo in the north of its territory acted in line with its legislation and constitution.

Panchev welcomed Kosovo’s agreement with the European Union to de-escalate the situation in the north and underlined the need for guarantees that the Serbian List will not boycott early municipal elections.

According to Panchev, Serbia is continuously creating tensions in Kosovo by interfering in its internal affairs. He argued that Serbia’s objective is to create some kind of autonomy for Serbs in Kosovo. He said that this is not necessary as the Constitution of Kosovo provides sufficient rights and opportunities for the Serb community.

Serbian Language Media

Serbian President Vucic: Albin Kurti is not interested in peace or what United States thinks of him (The Pavlovic Today, media)

Ahead of the confirmed meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, in an exclusive one-on-one interview with The Pavlovic Today, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic talks about the crisis in Kosovo and explains why PM Albin Kurti is “not interested in peace” or “what the United States of America thinks of him.”

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has little faith that the politics of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are going to change. Only a few months ago, in March 2023, the stage was set for a momentous breakthrough during the high-level discussions between President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti in Ohrid, led by the EU. “We have a deal,” declared Josep Borrell. Secretary Blinken echoed the news of the day. Everyone expected the Association of the Serb-majority municipalities, an unfulfilled provision in the 2013 Brussels Agreement, to finally be implemented in northern Kosovo. Instead, destiny took an abrupt detour, plunging the Western Balkans region into a quagmire of uncertainty.

Read more at: rb.gy/ab1m9

Abbott: I am concerned over specificities of agreement on de-escalation, we need to see more of EULEX instead of special police (KoSSev)

“We are in a very difficult time”, the British Ambassador, Nicholas Abbott, said in an interview with KoSSev. There is a high level of sensitivity, and each community is very much on edge. The ambassador revealed that this is why he is afraid of “small incidents”, as a random chaotic element to any conflict situation has a great effect. Therefore, everybody must act carefully, Abbott added. He called for cooperation between the two governments and the international community, placing a focus on communication with the Serbs in the north. “In this situation, we really need to be closer to the ground and hear the community about what kind of future they want to have”, he also said.

The issue of security in the north is a hard issue, he underlined, adding that it needs to be “contained or resolved in a way that ensures no more people are hurt, there is no risk of people being killed”. Ultimately, those are the risks we are now living with, Abbott warned.

Read more at: rb.gy/8meeu

Kurti refers to detained Serb from north as “notorious criminal” at KP graduation ceremony address (KoSSev, media)

Kosovo police 58th generation’s graduation ceremony took place on Friday in Pristina. 418 new police officers marched the hall and took an oath, KoSSev portal reports.

Although most officials highlighted that among this number of police officers “members of minorities: Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma and Gorani”, were present, the ceremony was conducted exclusively in Albanian langauge, the portal adds.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani congratulated the new police officers telling them that Serbia was “the biggest threat”, while Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti recalled that Kosovo police is “the most reliable institution” in Kosovo, and represents “a continuation of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

“Our freedom came after entire generations’ sacrifice in the efforts for freedom and liberation from Serb occupier”, he said.

He also presented to the newly graduated police officers “achievements” made during his tenure, in particular those in the north.

During his address to the attendees of the ceremony, speaking about actions in northern Kosovo, Kurti described a Serb, Milun Milenkovic Lune, arrested by Kosovo police in Mitrovica North on June 13 as a “notorious criminal”. 

No court verdict has been passed in the case of Milenkovic yet.

Serbian List, Petkovic react to Kurti’s remarks on Kosovo police being continuation of KLA (Kosovo Online, KoSSev, Radio KIM, media)

Serbian List said that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti with his statement that Kosovo police continues acts of Kosovo Liberation Army gave the best confirmation to the request Serbian List made earlier to the Serbian Government to designate Kosovo special police units, intelligence and other structures, present, they said, illegally in the north of Kosovo “as terrorist”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“Every day, without hesitation Albin Kurti reveals the anti-Serbian nature of his regime. By his statement, in front of entire public, even in front of international representatives, that Kosovo police is a continuation of KLA actions, he has shown the best how much he cares about respect of the rights of all citizens, and multi-ethnicity in those areas, and that the aim of his politics is ethnically pure Kosovo and Metohija”, Serbian List said in a statement.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in his reaction said Albin Kurti with his recent statement on Kosovo police and KLA “had explained much and now even those who decided to close the eyes on the terror in northern Kosovo and Metohija, cannot remain silent to such a public acknowledgment of Pristina militant policy”.

Petkovic also said that Kosovo police “are using the same methods” as KLA.

“And really, Kurti’s police in the north of Kosovo and Metohija used the same methods of violence and intimidation used by terrorist “KLA” because targets of their terror over the last weeks were everybody – from children to elderly men, people were abducted, barehanded civilians attacked by automatic weapons”, Petkovic said.

He added that the entire people “in an unconcealed fascist manner” has been deprived from the right to existence, noting that Kurti voiced “unhidden threats to the physical survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”.

“Identifying his police with a criminal organization such as “KLA” is, responsible for the murders of thousands of civilians, both Serbs, but also political opponents and Albanians loyal to Serbia, Kurti finally put his cards on the table and admitted what his goals are – terror and extermination”, Petkovic said.

International Media

Kosovo buys Turkish Bayraktar drones (Reuters)

Kosovo has bought a batch of Turkish-made Bayraktar drones, its leader said on Sunday, at a time when it faces unrest in the north where ethnic Serbs refuse to recognise Pristina authorities.

In a Facebook post showing him in front of a drone with his defence minister, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said latest security spending was making the country safer.

He did not give the number or cost of the drones, Kosovo's first, nor say what they would be used for. Bayraktar drones have gained popularity globally after being used by Ukraine's military against Russian forces.

Read more at: https://t.ly/WuhNx

After BIRN’s Investigation, Member of Ruling Party Arrested by Police (BIRN)

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo has arrested the CEO of the public enterprise "Ibër Lepenci'' from the ranks of the ruling party Vetevendosje, Faruk Mujka, together with the former director of cadastre, on suspicion of abuse of office after an investigation conducted by BIRN in April 2022.

On Friday, through an anti-corruption operation, the police special forces raided two locations against two suspects, one of them the CEO of the public enterprise Ibër-Lepenci, Faruk Mujka, and the former director of Cadastre in the Municipality of South Mitrovica, Hysen Muzliukaj, and arrested both for corruption and abuse of power.

According to the announcement of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, 60,000 euros were found and seized in one location.

The case is related to the time when Mujka held the position of deputy mayor of the Municipality of South Mitrovica in 2017.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, F.M and H.M as officials used their duties for the purpose of financial gain.

Read more at: https://t.ly/EyZrP