Albanian Language Media:

• President Osmani decrees the Law on Budget Review (media) 
• PDK to elect new leadership today (Telegrafi)
• CSIS: Transatlantic coordination is needed for Kosovo-Serbia talks (Koha)
• Nagavci appeals to teachers to vaccinate (media)
• The U.S. Embassy calls for vaccination against COVID-19: They are safe (RTK)
• COVID-19: 195 new cases, two deaths (media)
• “Fires threatening not only Rugova but city of Peja too” (Klan Kosova)

Serbian Language Media:

• “KLA” graffiti written in Prilepac village, near Ranilug (Radio KIM)
• Djuric responds to Vela: Vucic had more bilateral meetings in a couple of months than Osmani will have for the entire mandate (Kosovo Online, Twitter)
• Twenty-six years after ‘Storm’ operation: Serbs mourn, Croats celebrate (N1)
• Brnabic: More than 50 percent of adult population in Serbia inoculated (Radio KIM)
• Gazeta Express again on Goran Bregovic (KoSSev)
• Janjic: "Open Balkans" is an opportunity for the development of Kosovo, I expect Kurti's government to join (Kosovo Online)
• In Serbian communities two Covid-19 cases (Kontakt plus radio)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  President Osmani decrees the Law on Budget Review (media) 

The Office of the President of Kosovo informed that President Vjosa Osmani has decreed the Law On Budget Review.

“Based on the constitutional competencies, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani has decreed the promulgation of Law no. 08 / L-016 on amending and supplementing Law no. 07 / L-041 on budget allocations for the Budget of the Republic of Kosovo for 2021, approved by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, on 28.07.2021 and accepted by the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, on 04.08.2021,” reads the statement. 

PDK to elect new leadership today (Telegrafi)

The Steering Council of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is expected to convene today at 16:00 hours, to elect the leadership of this party. They are also expected to elect vice-presidents and secretary of the PDK.

According to the statute of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Steering Council of this party has 150 elected members and a chairman, ex-office members and one member from each country where they have branches in the diaspora.

In the statute of PDK, article 46 states “The Presidency consists of the chairman, 3 vice-chairmen, the general secretary, eight secretaries and other members. The mandate of the Presidency is 4 years, as defined by this Statute "

Whereas in article 47 which talks about the way of electing the members of the presidency it is stated that “The members of the presidency are elected by the Steering Council. The members are nominated by the Chairman of the Party and voted in packages by the Steering Council. The election of the members of the Presidency is done by open voting, unless the SC decides otherwise. Those candidates who have won the majority of votes are considered elected." 

CSIS: Transatlantic coordination is needed for Kosovo-Serbia talks (Koha)

Former U.S. envoy to the Balkans James O'Brien, currently vice president of the Albright Stonebridge Group, and Peter Beyer, the German government's co-ordinator for transatlantic affairs, said Wednesday that co-ordination between the United States and the European Union is essential to the normalization process of Kosovo-Serbia relations and the European integration of the Western Balkans.

They made the comments during a discussion on the New Transatlantic Policy Approach to the Western Balkans, as part of a series of debates organized by the U.S.-based Center for International Strategic Studies, including Germany's approach to the end of the era of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Beyer, who is also the rapporteur for the Balkans in the German parliament, expressed hope that the country's policy towards the Western Balkans will not change even after the departure of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was also the initiator of the Berlin process, established in 2014, with the aim of deepening coordination between the countries of the Western Balkans and supporting the process of membership of this region in the European Union. Beyer said a more committed European Union approach to the region is needed.

"We still have five European Union member states that have not recognized Kosovo and this is a shame. There are many explanations why they did not do this, certainly because of domestic policies," he said, stressing that the region is very important and needs a transatlantic approach to help it.

James O'Brien said the most important thing is not for the United States to support a European future, but to work with the European Union to make that future a reality.

"What I heard everywhere in the six countries of the region is that they no longer believe in this, and this gives power to some of the worst nationalist and populist impulses but also to some positive impulses," O'Brien said, stressing that both sides must be able to give real hope to these countries.

He said that among the most important symbols in the first days of the new German government would be the possibility of opening negotiation chapters with Albania and Northern Macedonia.

O'Brien stayed in Skopje last week, following closely the joint initiative of Albania, Serbia and northern Macedonia known as mini-Schengen, which has already been renamed the Open Balkans. He said that such an initiative that ensures the free movement of people and goods was also the goal of the Berlin process.

Kosovo has refused to be part of this initiative The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti said on Sunday that the "Open Balkans" looks more like an open Balkans to influences from the East.

"I really hope that Kosovo will find a way to participate in this initiative," O'Brien said.

Peter Beyer said that many leaders in the region feel comfortable with their situation while mentioning the historical burden that Kosovo and Serbia carry with them in the process of negotiations for the normalization of relations. He said the parties met in Brussels and nothing happened.

"Sometimes the question is whether there really is the political will to make things better. Do the current players really want to advance the normalization process, the enlargement of the European Union or regional cooperation?" Beyer said.

"I think it has actually become a circus that each party uses for domestic needs," O'Brien said, noting that the parties met two weeks ago but made no progress. "But when asked if they would return in the fall, both sides said "Absolutely, because it is good politics at home," he said, noting that a way must be found to turn this into a transatlantic issue where the United States must make it clear to the two new leaders in Kosovo that they must engage constructively, while the European side must make it clear to Serbia that it really has a European future, but must do its part.

"With the new elections next year in Serbia and the possibility of early elections in Kosovo, that I am hearing rumors about, I am skeptical that there will be any results," he said.

Nagavci appeals to teachers to vaccinate (media)

There are a significant number of teachers who have not been vaccinated. Kosovo’s Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Arberie Nagavci said that vaccination is a precondition in order to start the teaching process physically in September.

According to her, it might be a negligence of teachers as a result of a difficult completion of the teaching process, and their use for holidays,’ but now that we are before the beginning of the school year, the opportunity of vaccination should be used.’

"It is good to be prepared and to meet all the preconditions for a public health care, now we have the practices of the countries of the region which in a way have banned individuals who have not been vaccinated to have access in the closed premises. So, I believe that teachers who promote science will be a good example to others."

The U.S. Embassy calls for vaccination against COVID-19: They are safe (RTK)

The Embassy of the United States in Kosovo appealed for vaccination against Covid-19, in order to save lives and defeat the pandemic. According to this embassy, coronavirus vaccination is the only solution.

“With the growing deadly Delta, vaccination is the only solution! When you are vaccinated, you are unlikely to get COVID19 and if you do, it will be a mild case. Do not fall for misinformation - vaccines are safe and effective," is written on the Facebook page of this Embassy, which also attached a video with facts about COVID-19. 

COVID-19: 195 new cases, two deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 195 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 16 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 1,065 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo. The Ministry of Health said in a statement that 9,537 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. To date, 469,857 vaccines were administered in Kosovo.

“Fires threatening not only Rugova but city of Peja too” (Klan Kosova)

Director of Emergencies in Peja municipality, Muhamet Mahmutaj, said today that there is an extremely dire situation in Peja with the fires and the strong winds today. Mahmutaj told the TV station that due to the strong winds in Peja it is impossible for the firefighters, KFOR and the Kosovo Security Force to get close to the fires and try to extinguish them. “The fires are spreading rapidly due to the strong winds. The firefighting units, together with KFOR and the Kosovo Security Force, are on the field but they cannot get close to the fires because of the strong winds,” he said. According to Mahmutaj, the fires are now threatening not only the Rugova region but the city of Peja too.

   

Serbian Language Media

  “KLA” graffiti written in Prilepac village, near Ranilug (Radio KIM)

“KLA” graffiti were written in the village of Prilepac in Ranilug municipality, mayor Vladica Aritonovic confirmed to Kosovo-online portal, Radio KIM reports.

Prilepac is known as a birth-place of Serbian Tsar Lazar Hrebeljanovic, who led the Serbian army in the 1389 Kosovo Battle against Ottomans.   

Unknown perpetrators wrote “KLA”, “Kosovo is Albania”, and “Adem Jashari” on a place leading towards a memorial plaque dedicated to the Tsar Lazar, which has been demolished on several occasions.

Aritonovic also said the case has been reported to the police.

“We have reported the case to the police and they informed us they would open a case and undertake the measures to identify perpetrators”, Aritonovic said.

Ranilug is a multi-ethnic municipality, having approximately 5.500 residents and according to Aritonovic inter-ethnic relations were good and there were no inter-ethnic incidents so far. He also condemned this act, adding he hopes such things will not re-occur in the future.  

Djuric responds to Vela: Vucic had more bilateral meetings in a couple of months than Osmani will have for the entire mandate (Kosovo Online, Twitter)

Serbian Ambassador to Washington Marko Djuric said today that the claims of Blerim Vela, head of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's cabinet, that the Serbian president had not had bilateral meetings in previous months, "but only met with Milorad Dodik to provoke tensions in the region", are not true, reported Kosovo Online.

On Twitter, Djuric wrote: 

"It is not nice to spread lies, Mr. Vela. From meetings with Macron, Zeman, Babis, Pahor, Radev, Zaev, Rama, visits to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina and all that in just a few months. President Vucic had more meetings and visits than your president will have during her entire term".

Earlier today, Kosovo Chief of Staff Blerim Veliu wrote that since taking office in April 2021, Vjosa Osmani has had two bilateral visits to Estonia and Austria "to promote Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic path, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has not had a bilateral visit abroad".

"Instead, he constantly meets with Milorad Dodik and causes tensions in the region," Vela said.

Twenty-six years after ‘Storm’ operation: Serbs mourn, Croats celebrate (N1)

August the 4th is probably the most controversial topic in relations between Serbia and Croatia – the Serbs mourn the killed and expelled in the military-police Storm operation in 1995; Croats celebrate what they see as a final stroke to the four-year-long rebel Serbs' rule of some 25 percent of Croatia's territory, N1 reports.

On Wednesday, it was déjà vu.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the main commemoration of the ‘Storm’ operation held in the Belgrade Zemun district, “that columns (of refugees), murders and someone’s idea that Serbs no longer exist in Croatia are built into the Serbian identity“,

„I won’t apologize to those who killed dozens, hundreds of thousands of Serbs“, he said, adding that “the Republic of Croatia celebrates this day as a day of victory. Victory over whom? Over good and modest, honest people“.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3rUY7qR Brnabic: More than 50 percent of adult population in Serbia inoculated (Radio KIM)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnbic wrote on Twitter that 50.01 percent of the adult population in the country were inoculated, respectively 2.705.458 persons, Radio KIM reports.

“This is still far from collective immunity and I appeal to all those who haven’t (been vaccinated), young people in particular, to vaccinate. Each vaccinated person means greater security for all of us”, Brnabic said.

She added there is a sufficient amount of vaccines, and that Serbia doesn’t plan a new purchase for a possible third dose.

Brnabic said many countries now wish to donate the vaccines as they have it sufficiently and that Serbia will donate vaccines to its traditional partners in Africa.

Asked about immunization of children older than 12 years, Brnabic said vaccination is not mandatory and the state can only appeal to parents and fight fake news. 

Gazeta Express again on Goran Bregovic (KoSSev)

After some Albanian media reported that Goran Bregovic will be performing at the upcoming beer festival in Korca, several Kosovo media outlets published a text about Bregovic on Tuesday, describing the Serb singer as an ''inspirer of the massacre in Kosovo''. A day later, Pristina-based Gazeta Express wrote several texts about Bregovic, claiming that he was ''the inspiration and idol of the murderous Serb army during the wars in the former Yugoslavia''.

While underlining that the organizer of the famous Korca beer festival particularly highlighted Bregovic’s performance and noting that Bregovic received the keys to the city from the then mayor of Tirana, and the current Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, some Kosovo media outlets also wrote: ''Let us recall that Bregovic became the inspiration behind Serb myths, the inspirer of the massacres in Kosovo, especially his song ‘Kalashnikov’''.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3Af4OXI Janjic: "Open Balkans" is an opportunity for the development of Kosovo, I expect Kurti's government to join (Kosovo Online)

For these historical circumstances, the "Open Balkans" initiative is the wisest solution to include Kosovo in cooperation with Serbia, to make economic progress and create conditions for a compromise on the Kosovo issue, analyst Dusan Janjic told Kosovo Online.

Janjic says that it will not be a surprise if the government of Albin Kurti, on the condition that it survives, openly joins that initiative and all the signed agreements that Kosovo "de facto" applies.

"Nothing that has been signed so far within the 'Open Balkans' is contrary to the Brussels Agreement and what the EU sees as the future of Kosovo, and even America through the Washington Agreement. The 'Open Balkans' initiative is the wisest solution found in these historical circumstances and to give an opportunity, and include Kosovo in cooperation with Serbia, and not to feel threatened in a nationalist sense. The very composition of the 'Open Balkans' guarantees that no one can underestimate and blackmail anyone," Janjic said.

The fact is that through the "Open Balkans" initiative, as Janjic says, Kosovo is given the opportunity to participate, without insisting on status, and to develop.

"That is the maximum that Kosovo can get and from the Berlin process. Kurti demands that their independence be recognized, but you cannot be equal if you have a difference in economy, population, international public status. Neither Serbia nor Northern Macedonia are equal (in that sense), but are (treated) equally", said Janjic.

He believes that the "Open Balkans" initiative cannot be bad, especially for Kosovo, which has a relatively poor market with a million and so inhabitants, and which does not have any great economic potential to develop.

"One thing is certain, and that is that the realization of these ideas, the four freedoms within the 'Open Balkans' initiative, is much wider than the public thinks - customs, speed of passage, also the possibility for people to get a job, to stay in each of those parts of the Balkans. It concerns both Kosovo and Republika Srpska," Janjic said.

In Serbian communities two Covid-19 cases (Kontakt plus radio)

The Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica announced today that two new cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in Serbian communities in Kosovo, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

Fifteen samples were processed, and two cases of infection were recorded, one in the Mitrovica municipality and one in Zvecan.

According to the report, five cases are currently active in Serb areas in Kosovo.