Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti happy with great progress of KSF in record time (media)

• Norway supports Kosovo in its integration aspiration (RTK)

• Konjufca receives work report of War Crimes Institute (media)

• Kosovo against solutions with Serbia that affect territories (RFE)

• Trendafilova: I don’t think U.S. will intervene in the Special Court (media)

• Svecla and Albania’s director of Police talk about common goals (RTK)

• Haziri: LDK does not accept the Association's draft statute (Klan)

• Kosovo plans 4 million euros for Presheva Valley, support expected from Albania as well (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Big powers should ensure world peace so that climate change can be tackled (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)

• Djuric met with Russian presidential envoy for cultural cooperation (Tanjug, RTS, Kosovo Online)

• Petkovic: Kurti admitted his goal is to expel Serbian goods from Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

• Self-Determination: With Kurti's government, Serbia not even among the top five exporting countries to Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

• Demostat: Only 14% of respondents trust the Serbian Government (N1, Danas)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti happy with great progress of KSF in record time (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, visited on Tuesday the members of the Kosovo Security Force at the Military Training Ground in Babaj of Boke, in Gjakova, in the context of marking the implementation of the "Steel Wolf" field exercise. In his speech, Kurti emphasised that the government of Kosovo has tripled the budget for the army.

"More investment in the army means more security for all citizens, without distinction. Therefore, we have tripled the budget for the army, doubled the number of soldiers, quadrupled the training of our soldiers abroad", he said.

He expressed his happiness with “the great progress of the Kosovo army, in a record time.” Another important element of this exercise, according to him, is the use of modern equipment and weaponry, which have been purchased and integrated into the fleet in recent years.

"These equipment and this weaponry, purchased according to NATO standards, are the product of a detailed strategy of our investments in the field of defence. The new armaments, which include advanced and sophisticated combat equipment, are clear evidence of our determination to modernise and prepare our military to face any type of threat, scenario and challenge that may arise in this global fragile security era ".

This army, added Kurti, has shown that the KSF "is the shield of our country, but also a reliable partner for regional peace and security, for the allies of Kosovo".

Norway supports Kosovo in its integration aspiration (RTK)

Kosovo’s Assembly Speaker, Glauk Konjufca, received on Tuesday the special envoy of the Kingdom of Norway for the Western Balkans, who is completing his duty in this role, Haakon Blankenborg, and the new special envoy of the Kingdom of Norway for this region, Eirik Nestas Mathisen.

"At the meeting, issues of European integration were discussed, as an inalienable path and aspiration of the Republic of Kosovo, which requires the continuous commitment of our country's institutions, as well as the support of allies and friendly countries. President Konjufca expressed his gratitude to the Norwegian state for its support and contribution towards Kosovo, stressing that Norway's support to our country continues to be very important, especially in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as its interventions destabilising in the Western Balkans through the countries that support it", reads the announcement of the information office of the Assembly.

Konjufca receives work report of War Crimes Institute (media)

The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, has received on Tuesday the one-year work report of the Institute of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. The presentation of the report was made by the Executive Director of the institute, Atdhe Hetemi.

“During this meeting, Speaker Konjufca emphasised the importance of the work of this institute to document the truth of the war crimes committed by the Serbian state against the Albanians in Kosovo, as this serves to prove history, and answers to the denial and concealment that Serbia does about its crimes, as well as opens the way for the establishment of justice,” noted the press release issued by the Assembly.

Kosovo against solutions with Serbia that affect territories (RFE)

The government of Kosovo considers that the exchange of territories with Serbia, as a possibility to resolve disputes, is out of the question. The government stated that it was and continues to be against such an idea. "The government of Kosovo rejects projects and solutions with a territorial character", government spokesman Perparim Kryeziu told RFE.

The idea was revived last week, when the candidate for European Union Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, made a statement against it. "The European Commission and I, if I am confirmed, will not follow these trends", said Kos in a hearing in the European Parliament.

That same week, the former Republican president, Donald Trump, won the U.S. presidential elections. In the first Trump administration, from 2017 to 2021, there were some officials, such as the then national security adviser, John Bolton, who did not rule out the option of "territorial corrections" between Kosovo and Serbia."We will not be an obstacle, and I don't think anyone in Europe will stand in the middle, if the two parties to the conflict reach a satisfactory agreement", he had said in August 2018.

The government of Kosovo considers that the eventual attempt to divide Kosovo, under the guise of territorial exchange, "is not a peaceful project and ignites a wide and long conflict in the Balkans".

Trendafilova: I don’t think U.S. will intervene in the Special Court (media)

The President of the Special Court, Ekaterina Trendafilova, stated that she does not expect the new administration of the United States of America to affect the work of this court.

After the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential elections of the United States of America, Trendafilova said that “no one, ever, has tried to interfere in our work”. She emphasised that the end of the Specialized Chambers in The Hague will only happen when the cases are closed.

In the meantime, she announced that in April next year, the case of the prosecution in the case of Thaci and others is expected to be completed and the way will be opened for the case of the defence. Meanwhile, the president of the Special Court emphasised that there are 43 witnesses that the prosecution has planned to hear.

During the media briefing on the recent developments of the Specialized Chambers in The Hague, the president of this court spoke about the judicial procedure in the case of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The President of the Special Court said that steps have been taken to intensify the pace of the proceedings and to speed them up.

The former American envoy for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Richard Grenell, had criticised the Special Court, which according to him uses “accusations fabricated by Jack Smith” against the leaders of the KLA.

Trendafilova was also asked about the reports about former prosecutor Jack Smith “that he was corrupt and had brought witnesses for Thaci and others. The President of the Special Court stated that “he is a citizen of the United States and I believe that they will take measures”

The Chairperson of the Specialized Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova, denied having heard the name of Enver Sekiraqa before, when she was asked if he was questioned as a witness.

Svecla and Albania’s director of Police talk about common goals (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, received on Tuesday the new director of the Police of Albania, Ilir Proda. Svecla wrote on Facebook that "together with Director Ilir and his team, Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha and Deputy Director Fehmi Hoti, we talked about the continuous successes that come as a result of the close cooperation of our police".

"The goals for the rule of law and the provision of security for our citizens and our countries are common and in this direction we will work unstoppably", he concluded.

Haziri: LDK does not accept the Association's draft statute (Klan)

The deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, said that this party does not accept the draft statute of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority.

"The agreement of February 27, 2023 in Brussels proceeded on March 17 in Ohrid is a bad agreement, with four of its articles that represent serious problems. Above all, the European draft statute that is called in terms, since it has not been approved by this government, is a document that does not pass with the LDK. I didn't say the agreement, we are talking about the draft statute," said Haziri in Klan Kosova.

According to him, this draft is in the offices of Prime Minister Kurti and has not been processed in the Constitutional Court. "LDK has the capacity to change the draft. The government of Kosovo has rejected it, but has commented on it," he said. Haziri also said that the Washington Agreement is in force.

Kosovo plans 4 million euros for Presheva Valley, support expected from Albania as well (Koha)

Kosovo government plans to allocate a budget of four million euros for the Presheva Valley in 2025.

Ragmi Mustafi, former deputy leader of the Albanian National Council, sees the budget provided by the government as sufficient for the Albanians of the Valley. "This rise shows the support that the government of Kosovo has for the Presheva Valley. This shows the focus that has been concentrated on improving the lives of the citizens in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja. In addition to this, programmatic and systematic steps should be taken to make life easier for Albanians in the Valley", Mustafi said. He has requested support, with a special budget line also from the Government in Albania.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: Big powers should ensure world peace so that climate change can be tackled (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday called on big powers to ensure peace in the world and, above all, resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, so that the world could tackle the issue of climate change.

Addressing the UN's COP29 climate change summit in Baku, Vucic said restoring peace was one of the"prerequisites to start tackling the issue of fighting climate change."

"Nobody likes the word peace today because everybody wants to win against the other side, everybody wants to see a defeat of the other side. On the other hand, we need to invest much more in peace, otherwise we will have to put more money into armaments, ordnance and weaponry, as we did, and as we do today, instead of investing hugely into all the necessary instruments for fighting climate change," Vucic said. "Yes, we need to tackle floods, drought, wildfires, air and water pollution and everything else, but before that, we need to establish peace, and that is why I am urging all big powers to settle the problems, to settle the issues in Ukraine, the Middle East, all over the world, and then we will be able to start resolving all these issues," he said.

It is always a case of the big and rich causing problems and the small countries paying the price, Vucic said.

"And that is why I believe it is very important for us to find new financial instruments to help undeveloped and developing countries," he said.

Vucic said instruments must be found to obtain money for investing in new technologies and that there was a question whether the IMF and the World Bank could be encouraged to be "much more helpful than they used to be." He said the global debt-to-GDP ratio was nearing 100 pct and that this would impact the fight against climate change. Vucic once again urged "the big and rich to be helpful to poorer countries."

"Our legacy, first and foremost, to the youth, is to create a fair and sustainable society and to shape a livable, thriving world for all. Our legacy must be one of decisive action rooted in hope. Let us leave this conference not only with renewed commitment, but with actionable plans that should shape our collective future, and I am saying this once again, going back to the prerequisites for fighting climate change, which are: peace, peace, peace and more financial instruments that will be available to poorer countries," he concluded.

Djuric met with Russian presidential envoy for cultural cooperation (Tanjug, RTS, Kosovo Online)

At a meeting with Mikhail Yefimovich Shvydkoy, Russia's special presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation, Serbian FM Marko Djuric highlighted the long-standing cultural and historical ties between Serbia and Russia, reported Tanjug agency.

Djuric confirmed Serbia's commitment to pursuing a balanced and independent foreign policy, noting that, in spite of the current challenges, Serbia's position remained consistent, the Serbian MFA said in a statement. He thanked Russia for its position on the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia as well as for its support in international forums when it comes to the issue of Kosovo. He said Serbia and Russia cherished a continuous partnership in cultural cooperation, characterised by constant cooperation and exchange.

Djuric also expressed gratitude for Russia's support in international organisations when it comes to the preservation of four UNESCO-protected Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo. 

Petkovic: Kurti admitted his goal is to expel Serbian goods from Kosovo (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stated yesterday that Pristina unequivocally admitted that the ban on Serbian imports had nothing to do with alleged security concerns, as they claimed, but rather that the problem for Kurti from the beginning was the Serbian origin of these goods, with the sole aim of removing and expelling them from Kosovo. 

“This is precisely the message that Albin Kurti sent today through a post by his Self-Determination party, boasting that under his administration, Serbian imports to Kosovo and Metohija are not even in the top five, while they once ranked first,” Petkovic noted.

He assessed that Kurti "takes pride" in violating the proclaimed freedoms of movement and the free flow of goods as European values.

"What a wise person would be ashamed of, it seems Kurti is proud of – violating the proclaimed freedoms of movement and the free flow of goods as European values, clearly demonstrating his fascist ideology, where anything with a Serbian prefix or origin must be removed, expelled, banned, or destroyed. This confirms that the ban on Serbian goods at all other crossings except Merdare, along with the excessive controls at that point, are in place precisely to enforce his fascist ideology, which blinds him and drives his policy of an ethnically pure Kosovo and Metohija without Serbs and anything Serbian,” stated Petkovic. 

He added that Kurti does this openly in front of the international community and assured that the Serbian people will endure, as "every ideology of evil meets its end."

“Kurti consistently insists on all of this in front of the international community, eliminating the dinar, the Serbian language, Serbian banks, postal services, Serbian institutions, and Serbian goods on which he himself grew up. But the Serbian people will withstand this terror of Kurti’s, as no terror can last forever, and every ideology of evil meets its end,” Petkovic said.

Self-Determination: With Kurti's government, Serbia not even among the top five exporting countries to Kosovo (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)

The Self-Determination Movement published a list of the five countries exporting the most goods to Kosovo, reported Kosovo Online, citing Reporteri.

Germany, China, Greece, and Albania are listed as the countries exporting the most goods to Kosovo, this party FB post read. 

The results show that Serbia was no longer among the top five exporting countries to Kosovo under the current government, whereas Serbia previously ranked first among the countries with the highest exports to Kosovo.

The Kosovo government banned the entry of Serbian goods last year.

This ban was modified in October this year, before the Berlin Process summit on October 14, following Germany's request to unblock CEFTA.

Serbian goods now enter only through the Merdare crossing, which is under enhanced control.

Demostat: Only 14% of respondents trust the Serbian Government (N1, Danas)

Research conducted by the Research-Publishing Center Demostat in September has shown that only 14 percent of respondents in the survey trust the Serbian Government.

Almost three times as many (48 percent) decisively say they do not trust it. The situation is even worse with local authorities, with only one in ten citizens (10 percent) trusting them, and almost five times as many (48 percent) not trusting them.

In the most brutal way possible, the citizens have been proved right – institutions are not functioning, and the consequence of this is 14 victims of the collapsed concrete canopy at the recently renovated railway station building in the city of Novi Sad.

While culprits are being sought, ranging from “the ravages of time,” which is quite cynical as that is why the renovation was done, to the designer, contractor, whole line of subcontractors, oversight – an increasing number of questions hang in the air, reported Demostat. The basic question is: how safe are other public facilities? How much documentation is missing, how many usage permits are lacking for major works on roads, institutions, shopping malls, hospitals, stadiums, residential and commercial buildings… We are now also considering how much corruption has contributed to this state of affairs, which we indirectly see in the circle of the same companies that regularly and for years get public contracts through rigged tenders or without them, or by taking a cut from every state investment in which the prices are blown up.

However, there is no proof, as this is an investigation field inaccessible to public prosecutors. The question is also how much incompetence, bought diplomas or ignorance of the people in charge, from control institutions, inspectors and regulators to the judiciary, appointed not based on knowledge and ability but along party lines or just plain interest, have contributed to the distrust and limited reach.