Albanian Language Media: 

• Kosovo receives a loan from Saudi Fund for Pristina - Mitrovica road (media)

• Murati accuses Constitutional Court of delay in publishing full verdict on Law on minimum wage (media)

• LVV MPs call "illegal" meetings of Investigative Committee without presence of head and deputy head (media)

• Albania's FM: Bosnia should reassess its approach to Kosovo (RTK)

• Head of "Friends of America" ​​Association: Political relations with U.S. "cracked" (media)

• Szunyog: Proud to be supporting the next generation (RTK)

• Mustafi: EU report states that Vucevic's Serbia is on a reverse path (RTK)

• NGO "Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians" with demand for 11 municipalities (Klan)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Djuric: Serbia has its own position regarding Kosovo and military neutrality, this is not in question (Kosovo Online, Novosti)

• Petkovic: As a result of Kurti’s terror, 15 percent of Serbs left northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Politika, Danas)

• Rada Trajkovic: The condition for Macron's arrival is the arrest of Radoicic (Beta, NMagazin, N1, media)

• Vucic met Botsan-Kharchenko (Tanjug, media)

International:

• Kosovo man given life sentence for femicide in retrial (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

Kosovo receives a loan from Saudi Fund for Pristina - Mitrovica road (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers has signed a loan with the Saudi Development Fund to finance the Pristina-Mitrovica Road. The loan was signed to finance the segment that starts from Smrekonica to Mitrovica and has a length of five kilometers.

The Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, called the project important for improving the lives of citizens. "With this agreement, the Saudi Development Fund will support with a loan of 15 million euros that starts from Smrekonica to Mitrovica and it is 5 kilometers long. This segment is part of the Prishtina-Mitrovica road project", said Aliu.

Murati accuses Constitutional Court of delay in publishing full verdict on Law on minimum wage (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, said that even after more than a month since the announcement of the Constitutional Court, where it is established that the Law on the Minimum Wage does not conflict with the Constitution, the full judgment has not yet been published. 

"The full judgment on the Law on Minimum Wage has not yet been published, although more than a month has passed since the announcement by the Constitutional Court stating that the Law on Minimum Wage does not conflict with the Constitution. There are tens of thousands of employees who have been waiting for a year now for the entry into force of this law, and with it the increase of their salary", Murati wrote on Facebook.

LVV MPs call "illegal" meetings of Investigative Committee without presence of head and deputy head (media)

The MPs of the Vetevendosje Movement have called the meeting of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee for the process of subsidizing the purchase of textbooks and teaching aids for the students of primary and lower secondary education for the school year 2023/ 2024, without the chairman Shemsedin Dreshaj and the deputy chairman Ardian Kastrati.

Contacted by phone, the chairman Shemsedin Dreshaj said that this meeting is illegal and that he notified the members via e-mail. The same e-mail was also provided to Ekonomia Online. 

"Because the Assembly is on vacation, no Parliamentary Committee has a scheduled meeting for the next week and due to the lack of quorum for the next week, according to the announcements of the members based in the Law and in my powers as chairman, I inform you that the Investigative Committee for the Subsidization of School Textbooks will continue its work from 09.09.2024", reads Dresaj's e-mail sent to the Administration.

Albania's FM: Bosnia should reassess its approach to Kosovo (RTK)

Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, received on Monday the counterpart of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Elmedin Konakovic, to closely discuss issues from tourism and regional security to Kosovo and the European Union.

"Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina share the same approach in terms of strengthening regional cooperation, and in this context, I expressed to our Bosnian friend the request for a reassessment of the position regarding Kosovo's membership in regional initiatives or initiatives related to exchanges. between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, as two neighboring countries, but also as geopolitical realities of the new century in terms of peace and stability in our common space. Kosovo needs to be examined from a contemporary, realistic, and pragmatic point of view of security in the region and beyond. I had the opportunity to repeat to my Bosnian colleague and friend the full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina," Minister Hasani said among other things at the joint press conference.

Head of "Friends of America" ​​Association: Political relations with U.S. "cracked" (media)

The head of the "Friends of America" ​​Association Agim Rexhepi stated Kosovo and America do not currently have the best political relations.

"Unfortunately, the political relations with America are cracked, but these cracks, even though they are not in order, are fortunately between the institutions and not between the peoples. This has come as a result of statements and often wrong actions by Kosovo Institutions. Due to the political actions on the ground, which were not coordinated with the international factor, especially with the USA. The institutions have the right to take such actions, but I think that it was not done in the right way and at the right political moment", stated Rexhepi.

"The Serbs worked, acted, lobbied a lot, and I think they managed to increase their influence on American policymaking. Yes, many personalities who were proven friends of Kosovo and our nation are no longer alive. This is a big handicap because Kosovo and the nation do not have their support, but it is a fact that worries me a lot, our institutions have worked little to create friendship (to have their support), with new Senators and Congressmen".

Szunyog: Proud to be supporting the next generation (RTK)

The EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, visited the site where the new Faculty of Mathematical-Natural Sciences of the University of Pristina is being built, accompanied by representatives of the UP, UNOPS, as well as the Young European Ambassadors. This facility will serve more than 2,300 students and 133 staff members in five departments: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geography.

According to a press release, the EU has offered a grant of 8.9 million euros for the construction of this faculty. "Last February, I took part in the ground-breaking ceremony for this ambitious EU-funded project in this country. Today, I am very pleased to see progress in construction. The EU's investment in this project is not just about building infrastructure; it's about building a brighter, knowledge-based future for Kosovo. By improving quality standards in higher education, we're proud to support the next generation of scientists and researchers of Kosovo", said Szunyog.

In order to ensure that the new facility fulfills the needs of modern education and research work, in addition to the EU funding, there are also 5 million additional euros for inventory and laboratory equipment allocated by the University of Pristina.

"EU support for education in Kosovo goes beyond simply building infrastructure. This support includes strategic planning, technology upgrading and scholarship programs at European universities, such as the Young Cell Scheme. This scheme offers scholarships to young Kosovans to study in the universities of EU member states, with the opportunity to then pursue a career in the civil service and to contribute to the reform of the public administration in Kosovo. Until today, 409 students have benefited from these scholarships", the announcement states.

Mustafi: EU report states that Vucevic's Serbia is on a reverse path (RTK)

The former chairman of the National Council of Albanians in Serbia, Ragmi Mustafi, has said that the latest report of the European Commission has concluded that Serbia has made limited progress in strengthening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. Mustafi wrote on Facebook that political influence on the judiciary is unacceptable and it "undermines justice and the trust of citizens".

"Improving the independence of the judiciary cannot be just an objective on paper but must be a real and concrete priority. The fight against corruption remains a serious challenge, and the lack of effective anti-corruption measures is a major obstacle to democratic and economic development," he wrote.

According to him, the state of media freedom is also alarming. "The media continue to face pressure and threats, and media pluralism is limited. Electoral processes that do not fully comply with international standards for free and fair elections are another serious concern. In economic terms, high public debt and unemployment require sustainable solutions and structural improvements to ensure sustainable and inclusive development," Mustafi said.

According to him, the European Commission has given clear recommendations: strengthening the rule of law, fighting corruption, guaranteeing media freedom, and improving electoral processes.

NGO "Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians" with demand for 11 municipalities (Klan)

The non-governmental organization "Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians" has addressed a request to the Municipal Directorates of Education of 11 municipalities: Prishtina, Mitrovica, Obiliq, Rahovec, Suharekë, Ferizaj, Fushe Kosovë, Gjakove, Podujeve, Istog and Kline.

They demanded the drafting of a special plan, required to prevent and address the problem of dropping out of school, which continues to be a great concern, especially for these communities.

"According to the 2019 statistics from the Kosovo Statistics Agency and UNICEF, only 84% of the children of these communities attend primary school, while this number drops significantly in lower secondary and upper secondary education," the request addressed to municipalities states.

"We ask for the support of the responsible institutions to take all the necessary steps to ensure equal and comprehensive access to education, guaranteeing a better future for all the children of Kosovo," the NGO's request states.

“Together we can put an end to dropping out of school and ensure a quality education for all our children!” concludes the request.

Serbian Language Media 

Djuric: Serbia has its own position regarding Kosovo and military neutrality, this is not in question (Kosovo Online, Novosti)

"We are not going to Brussels with an outstretched hand, but as an old state-forming nation that wants an equal place at the table of European ideas and simultaneously expects full membership. We do not want to be a second-class country within the EU," – in this way, in the "Novosti" podcast, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric summarizes Serbia's foreign policy and European path, pressures for Serbia to change its course and position of neutrality, following six major international summits and numerous bilateral meetings he had in the past month.

What challenges does Serbia face in maintaining a neutral position, and how does Serbia position itself toward EU initiatives regarding common security policy?

Serbia has its strategic goal, adopted by a political majority, which is full EU membership. My assessment is that it is in our interest to have such a position, not only for economic reasons. As Njegos said, "a cup of honey requires a cup of bitterness." In the EU, we have countries with opposing views on, for example, Kosovo and Metohija and our national question, but we seek ways to improve relations with them to achieve some concessions for our people. My position as Minister of Foreign Affairs is not to say what is close to our hearts, but to work in Serbia's interest, and Serbia's interest is to build better relations with the EU. When it comes to the EU's security policy, we strive to align with everything we can. When they decide to grant us full EU membership, then we will fully align.

You attended the NATO summit in Washington, were there any pressures regarding Serbia's neutral policy?

I think it is important to participate in these summits, we have NATO on our territory, it is important to have good relations. We rely on KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija. It was a good opportunity to meet ministers from countries that do not share our views on key issues, but with whom it is important to develop new trust. Serbia has its own position, not only regarding Kosovo and Metohija but also military neutrality, and this position is not in question. I think it is in our national and state interest for cooperation with NATO to be excellent.

Read more at: https://t.ly/RI2N7

Petkovic: As a result of Kurti’s terror, 15 percent of Serbs left northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Politika, Danas)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, told Politika today that due to the terror of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, 15 percent of Serbs left the north of Kosovo and that this process is still ongoing, reported Kosovo Online.

As he emphasized, the area of Kosovo, in the time before the emergence of modern Serbian statehood, as the central and most densely populated Serbian area, was a kind of demographic nursery. From where, due to the circumstances, as part of a series of smaller or larger migrations, many areas in the Balkans were settled. All those people’s movements had one thing in common: they were always forced and, as a rule, irreversible.

“Centuries of persecution led to the fact that the Serbs on their home territory went practically from being the only people to becoming an ethnic group in decline, which is fighting for their survival and living space that is becoming increasingly cramped. The circumstances under which the contemporary outflow of the Serbian population from Kosovo and Metohija took place were significantly different than two or three centuries ago, but they were always accompanied by some kind of coercion, as well as by making conscious efforts to make the exodus irreversible i.e. so that those who have left their homes would never return,” Petković noted.

He added that it is clear that in the past two and a half decades there has been an informal coalition of interests of “the separatist political elite in Kosovo and its international sponsors to make that territory more politically ‘stable’ as in the time of the Ottomans by suppressing the Serbian factor’’, and so enabled the creation of a new political and demographic reality on the ground.

“International projects for the resolution of the problem of almost a quarter of a million internally displaced Serbs and other non-Albanians were therefore aimed primarily at making the temporary places of residence of IDPs permanent, and not at creating conditions for the return of people to Kosovo and Metohija. Housing programs that were implemented with the support of foreign donors were aimed primarily at the integration of the displaced in places throughout central Serbia, which to some extent solved a major humanitarian problem, but at the same time cemented the consequences of the forced exodus that culminated in 1999, when 220,000 of our compatriots were expelled from Kosovo and Metohija , and then during the March Pogrom in 2004, another 4,000 Serbs had to leave their homes forever, six towns and nine villages were ethnically cleansed and left without Serbs. Despite that, even today, there is a large number of Serbs who would gladly return to the places of residence they had in KiM before the war, if  there were at least minimal conditions for that,” said Petkovic. 

He emphasized that the first condition is that the returnees have a roof over their heads, but this is often impossible to fulfil because even today many housing units and properties are usurped by Albanians, and they often do so with the support of the Kosovo judiciary.

“Another important factor is security and legal certainty, however, the systematic disenfranchisement and intimidation of Serbs, which culminated in the rule of extremist structures led by Albin Kurti, has as its goal, not only to prevent the return of the displaced, but also to force the remaining Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to leave. Due to Kurti’s terror, today we have a situation where 15 percent of Serbs have left the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and this process is still ongoing, as the International Crisis Group noted in its report,” Petkovic stressed. 

He pointed out that Pristina’s favorite and apparently effective form of pressure is arbitrary arrests of people on false charges of war crimes and various other alleged crimes.

“In this way, impossible living conditions are created for Serbs in the territory of the province, and internally displaced Serbs are dissuaded from the very thought of returning,” Petkovic stated.

He noted that the third important condition for a sustainable return is economic and social security, and Pristina is also doing everything in this domain to make life in Kosovo impossible for Serbs, and measures such as ban on dinar payments, ban of goods from central Serbia, suppression of Serbian institutions in areas such as health and education, undoubtedly discourage potential returnees.

“The issue of the return of displaced Serbs was raised by Belgrade three years ago as part of the dialogue in Brussels, and then the principles that would lead to a successful return were even agreed upon, with the obligation of Pristina to amend its internal acts in order to create space for this issue to be solved. However, to this day, this has not happened, and Pristina continues to ignore its obligations. It is in our state and national interest that as many Serbs as possible live in Kosovo and Metohija, because thanks to them we manage to preserve the Serbian character of Kosovo and Metohija and prevent its legalization of cruel ethnic engineering conducted in the last two and a half decades,” Petkovic emphasized.

He also noted that he understands the people who left.

“However, we don’t have the right to be angry with those who were forced to choose a different path, by putting down new roots somewhere in central Serbia, considering that returning to KiM would be a path of martyrdom and suffering. Serbia will, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, even though this fight is very difficult, continue to fight for every Serbian family in KiM and help in all available ways anyone who wants to return to the holy Serbian land and we will never give up that fight using all available economic, political and diplomatic means,” Petkovic concluded.

Rada Trajkovic: The condition for Macron's arrival is the arrest of Radoicic (Beta, NMagazin, N1, media)

The President of the European Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, Rada Trajkovic, stated that "the arrest of Milan Radoicic is one of the conditions for the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade", reported NMagazin, citing Beta agency. 

In an interview with the Beta agency, Trajkovic said that "Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will have to arrest Radoicic because of Banjska in the next month", when, as announced, the arrival of the French president is expected.

She recalled that in April, during Vucic's visit to France, "Macron said it was important that the participants in the attack in Banjska be arrested."

She said that Vucic is under a lot of pressure from the international community. 

According to Trajkovic, ''the USA has agreed to conduct the court process in Belgrade, which means that there is no pressure to extradite Radoicic and members of his group to Pristina. Vucic promised to try Radoicic, and it is to be expected that he will be arrested before the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron".

She opined that the arrest of the former vice-president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, will be the "hardest test" that Vucic must "pass".

"It was much easier for Vucic to give up a part of the territory of Serbia, or now to accept the exploitation of lithium, than to give up the people who carried out his orders, and along are from a criminal milieu. The arrest of Radoicic will be a high risk for Vucic,'' she said.

When Beta asked what she meant by "high risk", Trajkovic said that ''Vucic was as afraid of information that foreigners would provide to the Serbian judiciary''.

"If the Serbian judiciary starts dealing with Banjska and Radoicic, it will open up the possibility for various foreign services to deliver various intelligence data, as in some other organized criminal groups' processes. In that case, Vucic would not be able to save Radoicic from responsibility," she said.

Asked if there is a possibility that the West will forgive Vucic "for the Banjska case", Trajkovic said that Europe is guided by its priorities.

"It is possible that Vucic plans to defend mining and the opening of lithium mines with Radoicic, Zvonko Veselinovic and their criminal group, but the new US representative for European affairs, Alexander Kasanoff, will certainly insist on responsibility and the prosecution of the Banjska case," she pointed out.

When asked what the most drastic consequences of the conflict in Banjska on September 24 were last year, Trajkovic said that several thousand Serbian families had moved out of Kosovo in the last ten months.

"The common goal of Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti is that Kosovo and Metohija remain without Serbs. Kurti conducts repression against Serbs through special police forces, and Vucic fails or does not want to solve any Serbian problem. The north of Kosovo has been under a state of emergency since September 24 last year. In the north of Kosovo, there are no civil authorities, and there is still no possibility of forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities," she said.

The Kosovo institutions, she added, are putting pressure on the Serbs in order to leave Kosovo in as large a number as possible, thus preventing them from forming the Community. 

"For the bad position of the Serbs in Kosovo, the government in Belgrade bears a huge responsibility. Everyone who participated in organizing the conflict in Banjska bears responsibility for the large migration of Serbs after that tragic event," Trajkovic stressed.

Asked whether the opening of the bridge over the Ibar, which connects South and North Mitrovica, would threaten security in the north, Trajkovic said that such a decision would accelerate the emigration of Serbs.

"The opening of the bridge on the Ibar would force a huge number of Serbs to move to the rest of Serbia. Unfortunately, the authorities in Belgrade are in such a difficult position that they have no power to prevent the opening of the bridge. Vucic has become a leader for squeezing, who is not respected at all by the international community. He is only expected to make concessions, to the detriment of his own people and country," she said.

Commenting on the fact that the president of Serbia rarely mentions Kosovo in his daily speeches, Trajkovic said that Vucic is trying to hide his "dirty laundry".

"Vucic is trying to hide his failure. He wants the people to forget Kosovo. His media machinery has now been given a new task to promote the opening of the lithium mine. I hope that the people in central Serbia will not fall for false promises, as happened to the Serbs in Kosovo," said Trajkovic.

Vucic met Botsan-Kharchenko (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on Monday.

The two sides agreed to jointly commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism and the WWII liberation of Belgrade.

In a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account, Vucic wrote the meeting had been excellent and that they had discussed topics of mutual interest, especially in areas such as trade, culture, and regional security.

"I reiterated the gratitude to the Russian Federation for the diplomatic support to Serbia in the international arena on issues that are substantial for our country," Vucic noted.

He added that he had exchanged views with the ambassador on the current situation in Serbia and the region.

International 

Kosovo man given life sentence for femicide in retrial (Prishtina Insight)

A Kosovo court in a retrial on Monday sentenced Dardan Krivaca to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of an 18-year-old woman in August 2021, while his accomplice got 15 years.

Ferizaj/Urosevac Basic Court on Monday sentenced Dardan Krivaca to life imprisonment for the aggravated murder of 18-year-old Marigona Osmani in August 2021, in a retrial.

Another defendant, Arber Sejdiu, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for assisting the murder. Both men were again acquitted of rape and assisting rape.

The verdict explained that Krivaca hit “her with a black wooden stick on different parts of the body, causing great physical and mental injuries”, which led to her death.

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