Albanian Language Media:

• Western Balkans Declaration on increasing cooperation before Berlin Process Summit (media)
• Kurti in Poland: Kosovo and USA have an unwavering partnership (media)
• Kurti: Serbia continues to undermine peace in the Western Balkans (media)
• Osmani: Serbia benefits from EU more than other countries of Western Balkans (Koha)
• Baerbock and Osmani discuss progress in CEFTA, normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations (media)
• Osmani meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis (RTK)
• Gervalla: Kosovo remains committed to strengthening key relations (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Authorities to look into possibilities of prosecuting those behind threats to Tanjug (Tanjug)

• Vucic: In Pristina talk about war, in Belgrade about development (Kosovo Online)

• Djuric with Baerbock about Kosovo (KiM radio, media)

• Baerbock: The rule of law, CEFTA and normalization with Kosovo are key on the way to the EU (Kosovo Online)

• Regional cooperation at a crossroads: Tensions in Kosovo and the perspectives of the Berlin process (Kosovo Online)

• Selakovic: Cultural heritage in Kosovo is one of the most endangered cultural assets in the world (Kosovo Online, Euronews Serbia)

 

Albanian Language Media 

Western Balkans Declaration on increasing cooperation before Berlin Process Summit (media)

 

The German Foreign Ministry gathered on Tuesday in Berlin the foreign ministers of the Western Balkans within the framework of the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process. As announced by the German MFA, the participants from the six countries of the Western Balkans have agreed on the following elements to deepen regional cooperation and advance the common regional market and good neighbourly relations:

 

- A notable achievement is the Agreement on Access to Higher Education and Admission to Higher Studies in the Western Balkans. This agreement aims to give students the right to pursue studies in accredited higher education institutions and promotes student mobility and will be concluded at the Berlin Process Summit on 14 October 2024. 

- Participants adopted a declaration on Regional Standards of Examination of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) for the six countries of the Western Balkans. These standards aim to harmonise investment policies with EU standards and international best practices, thus making the region more attractive to foreign investors.

- A joint Declaration on Access and Cooperation in Research and Innovation Infrastructure was agreed upon by participants that will encourage research and innovation partnerships and facilitate a dynamic regional innovation ecosystem.

- Finally, the participants of the Six Western Balkans underline their commitment to regional cooperation in a Joint Declaration for the Reconfirmation of Good Neighborly Relations and Regional Cooperation on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, with the aim of its approval at the Summit.

 

"We look forward to using this positive moment to continue focusing our efforts on advancing regional cooperation and accelerating EU integration. We reaffirm our will to conclude the aforementioned agreements and declarations from the Berlin Process Summit on October 14, 2024," the German Foreign Ministry said.

 

Kurti in Poland: Kosovo and USA have an unwavering partnership (media)

 

Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Poland with Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander and Ambassador Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe at the U.S.National Security Council, on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum.

 

In this meeting, Kurti was accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci.

 

Prime Minister Kurti emphasised that Kosovo and the United States of America have an unwavering partnership and thanked Assistant Secretary Wallander and Ambassador Carpenter for their continuous support to Kosovo and the state-building processes before and after independence, reads the announcement of the Office of the Prime Minister.

 

"He expressed Kosovo's commitment to regional security and peace, as he added the importance of Kosovo's membership in NATO and the Adriatic Charter and underlined the excellent relations in the field of defence with the United States, as well as the cooperation between the Department of Defense of the United States and our Ministry of Defense", the announcement states.

 

Kurti held the first bilateral meeting within the framework of the Forum with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braze. "Also, Prime Minister Kurti informed Minister Braze about the developments in the country, the relations with Serbia, the dangers it poses to the Western Balkans due to its close ties with Russia and its direct involvement in the organisation and execution of the terrorist and paramilitary attack of a year ago in Banjska, during which the police sergeant, Afrim Bunjaku, was killed, while the perpetrators of the attack continue to be free and protected in Serbia and by Serbia", reads the communique of the Prime Minister’s Office.

 

On the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum Kurti also met with the U.S. congressman, Jason Crow. He informed the congressman about his recent visit to the USA and the meetings there within the High Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as invited him to visit Kosovo

 

Kurti: Serbia continues to undermine peace in the Western Balkans (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, in the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum, with the theme "Focus on the Western Balkans: the connection of Geopolitics and European Integration", said that Serbia continues to threaten without any remorse, and undermine peace in the Western Balkans.

 

Kurti said that Serbia has not withdrawn in the sense of harassing each country, including NATO countries, Montenegro and North Macedonia, but also Kosovo, which has not yet been integrated into NATO, but which has NATO integrated within itself.

 

"In our region, there is no greater threat than Serbian aggression and the risk that Russian influence will work together with that aggression. Unfortunately, the same Serbia that committed genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo under Milosevic's regime in the 90s continues to threaten without remorse. Serbia undermines peace in the Western Balkans by violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours, including Kosovo. Last year, the successive aggressive actions of Serbia culminated in a terrorist attack in Banjska of Zvecan on September 24, 2023. Armed militants trained in Serbia, armed with millions of euros, entered our country, organising an attack from the Orthodox Monastery of Banjska. Their goal was to repeat Russia's 2014 actions in Donbas," Kurti said.

 

Hear the full speech here: https://x.com/albinkurti

 

Osmani: Serbia benefits from EU more than other countries of Western Balkans (Koha)

 

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, has said that the European Union must change the way it distributes financial support in the Western Balkans. She has said that the financial means of the EU do not always go to those who fully align with it.

 

"We are 100% aligned with the European Union, in foreign and security policies, which does not necessarily mean that EU money goes where there is alignment. For example, there are six countries of the Western Balkans that benefit from the programs, 63% of the money dedicated by the EU goes to which country? The one who is not aligned with the EU, Serbia", she said during the discussion "Response to geopolitical changes" at the Global Dialogue in Berlin.

 

When asked why Serbia benefits in this way, Osmani said that European leaders should be asked about this."I would like to have the answer. Maybe when you talk to Macron tomorrow you can ask him" she said.

 

"Only 46% in line with the EU, they receive more than 60% of EU money dedicated to the Western Balkans. The other five countries that are aligned with the EU receive 30% of the financial support. This must change", concluded Osmani.

 

Baerbock and Osmani discuss progress in CEFTA, normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations (media)

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, through a post made on the "X" platform, has announced the meeting that Annalena Baerbock had today with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani in Berlin, Germany.

 

The announcement states that Baerbock has said that regional integration in the Western Balkans requires progress in CEFTA as well as normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. "Germany accompanies Kosovo on its way to the EU. Regional integration in and with the Western Balkans requires progress in CEFTA and normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia. This is what Baerbock and President Vjosa Osmani discussed today in Berlin", the announcement states.

 

Osmani meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis (RTK)

 

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, during her working visit to Germany, met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Denzil L. Douglas.

 

The Presidency announced that in the meeting with Minister Douglas, President Vjosa Osmani expressed her gratitude for the support given to Kosovo by the State of Saint Kitts and Nevis, therefore she emphasised the importance of continuing support for strengthening the international position of Kosovo and ensuring the new recognitions.

 

The announcement states that Osmani stressed Kosovo's interest in deepening bilateral relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis, in areas of common interest.

 

Gervalla: Kosovo remains committed to strengthening key relations (RTK)

 

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla stated at the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs within the framework of the Berlin Process that Kosovo remains committed to strengthening key relationships and ensuring full peace and stability in the Western Balkans. In this meeting, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, Gervalla said that regional cooperation is key for the progress of the region, not only in terms of partnership, but for the entire process of the Western Balkans.

 

According to the press release, Gervalla stressed that the progress towards European integration requires the fulfilment of the commitments made within the Berlin Process, with a focus on the four agreements which enable the four fundamental freedoms of the EU, the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital. "The implementation of these agreements by all states will bring tangible benefits to citizens and help stabilise the region," she said.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: Authorities to look into possibilities of prosecuting those behind threats to Tanjug (Tanjug)

Commenting on threats emailed to Tanjug, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday Serbian authorities would verify everything about the case and look into possibilities of prosecuting the perpetrators.

"We will be verifying that, and I will speak with our authorities to look into possibilities of prosecuting such people. Feel free and keep doing your job," Vucic told a Tanjug reporter when asked to comment on the threats.

On Monday evening, the Tanjug News Agency received an email signed by an individual named "Trim Bardhi" that said Tanjug journalists would get "a bullet to the back of their heads" the next time they set foot in the territory of Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo, recalls this agency. 

Vucic said the email might have been sent by someone who had left Kosovo and gone to Albania and added that such emails usually did not come from Kosovo, but from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and other countries.

Serbian PM Milos Vucevic on Tuesday condemned death threats to Tanjug journalists and noted that he expected the relevant state authorities to establish all facts and prosecute the perpetrators as soon as possible.

US ambassador to Serbia, Cristopher Hill also condemned threats to Tanjug journalists. ''Journalists play a vital role in any democratic society, and they must be able to do their work everywhere without threats to their safety," Hill said in a statement to Tanjug, adding that harassment of any kind directed at members of the press has no place anywhere, certainly not in 21st-century Europe.  ''All such threats ought to be investigated," he added.

Vucic: In Pristina talk about war, in Belgrade about development (Kosovo Online)

In Pristina, they talk about war, while in Belgrade, the focus is exclusively on development," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated today, adding that there has been no dialogue because the other side did not want it, reported Kosovo Online yesterday.

"In Pristina, they talk about war, while in Belgrade, they do not talk about war. I have always talked about the development of Serbia, about how we need to change. People who want to wage war do not think about how to work and study more, how to make universities and faculties different and better. We do not like to wage war, and we do not plan to wage war. We just want to preserve our Constitution, our vital national and state interests, while respecting the Albanians, engaging in dialogue, and solving problems through discussion," Vucic said in Geneva when asked about dialogue and the mention of war in Kosovo.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4eu4xcy5

Vucic also announced a meeting in a month with Councilor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, adding that all important topics for Serbia will be discussed. 

''In the next 30 days, I should go to Montenegro, to Dubrovnik, and all these people from the wider region are coming there, plus (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should also come. Before that, I should go to Hamburg, and then again, I need to go to Berlin. Then a visit from Equatorial Guinea, then from Eswatini, then from Somalia, all in the next month," said Vucic.

Djuric with Baerbock about Kosovo (KiM radio, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric discussed the situation in Kosovo with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"Belgrade is committed to dialogue, but Pristina from the very beginning has shown extreme unconstructiveness and unwillingness to implement agreements, especially those related to the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities," said Djuric in a meeting with Baerbock.

Djuric pointed out that Pristina is reaching for unilateral measures in order to fundamentally change the situation on the ground and by violating the human, political and economic rights of Serbs, encourage their mass emigration from Kosovo.

Djuric and Baerbock talked on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Berlin Process, according to a statement from the Serbian MFA.

Djuric also met heads of diplomacy of Hungary and Austria, Peter Szijjarto and Alexander Schallenberg. Djuric pointed out that he appreciates Hungary's understanding of the sensitivity that the Kosovo issue has for Serbia. Kosovo was also discussed during the meeting with the Austrian head of diplomacy, whom he informed about the situation in Kosovo, which has significantly worsened for the Serbian people after a series of unilateral decisions by the Kosovo authorities, it was said in the statement.

Baerbock: The rule of law, CEFTA and normalization with Kosovo are key on the way to the EU (Kosovo Online)

The rule of law, CEFTA and the normalization of relations with Kosovo are key for Serbia on its way to the EU, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pointed out in a conversation with the head of Serbian diplomacy, Marko Djuric. 

"Intensive dialogue is the basic activity of diplomacy. Today, in a conversation with her Serbian colleague Marko Djuric, Minister Baerbock emphasized that the rule of law, CEFTA and the normalization of relations with Kosovo are central to the path to the EU. Germany remains a partner in the implementation of further reforms," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany stated on the X network.

Regional cooperation at a crossroads: Tensions in Kosovo and the perspectives of the Berlin process (Kosovo Online)

Leaders of the Western Balkans will gather on October 14 at a summit within the framework of the Berlin Process. After the warning to Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti for violating CEFTA rules, the upcoming summit is, for many, one of the more uncertain ones. Leading analysts from across the region commented for Kosovo Online on what the atmosphere might be like at the upcoming meeting, how realistic the expectations are regarding future outcomes, and the possibility of excluding Pristina from this process.

As Germany prepares for October 14, when it will host a summit marking the 10th anniversary of the EU-linked platform for high-level cooperation between Western Balkan countries, the German envoy Manuel Sarrazin has visited Kosovo twice.

During his visit, Sarrazin conducted a detailed analysis of the current situation and the challenges Kosovo faces in the context of the Berlin summit and the future of the Berlin Process. He warned that if Kosovo continues with the ban on imports of goods from Serbia, it could face exclusion from CEFTA.

“Kosovo could face calls for exclusion from the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and other sanctions if it continues to ban imports from Serbia,” Sarrazin said.

He expressed concern that if the Berlin summit on October 14 fails to secure a common regional market, the idea of the 'Open Balkans' could be revived.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mrbh6rmr

Selakovic: Cultural heritage in Kosovo is one of the most endangered cultural assets in the world (Kosovo Online, Euronews Serbia)

Serbian Minister of Culture Nikola Selakovic warned yesterday that cultural heritage in Kosovo remains, even in the 21st century, one of the most endangered cultural assets in Europe and the world. He noted that since 1999, more than 150 Orthodox churches and monasteries in Kosovo have been demolished, destroyed, or burned, reported Kosovo Online. 

Speaking in Skopje, where he participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform for Education and Training, Research and Innovation, and Culture, Selakovic emphasized the importance of protection against deliberate destruction and desecration.

"Although Serbia actively promotes the protection of cultural heritage bilaterally and through cooperation with international organizations such as UNESCO, the Council of Europe, ICOM, and ICOMOS, the cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija remains, in the 21st century, one of the most endangered cultural assets in Europe and the world," Selakovic stressed.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/r8m37ncb