Albanian Language Media:

• President Osmani travelled for an official visit to Singapore (Reporteri)
• Lajcak today in Kosovo for meetings with Kurti and opposition (RFE)
• LDK MP expects Lajcak to present Association draft to opposition leaders (Express)
• Kurti to participate at Paris Summit on Friday (Reporteri)
• Serwer: Vucic’s ambitions are biggest threat to the region (media)
• Maqedonci promises increased cooperation with Turkish drone company (media)
• Survivor of sexual violence in war confesses, wants justice (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Brnabic meets Xi Jinping in Beijing (RTS)
• Petkovic: Pristina refused invitation for dialogue that was supposed to happen on November 7 (Tanjug, RTV)
• Civic Initiative Serbian Survival to become political party (Radio KIM)
• Petkovic sends request to OSCE in relation to upcoming parliamentary elections (Radio KIM, Tanjug)
• SMS message to MTS d.o.o. numbers for switching to “RKS” plates; more than 470 vehicles re-registered since the deadline extension (KoSSev)
• Specialist Court extends detention of Isni Kilaj (Kosovo Online)
• Poll shows Kosovo Serbs fear Serbian List, don’t trust Pristina (N1, NMagazin, Beta)

Opinion:

• Ben-Meir: EU’s Serbia-Kosovo mediation has hit a brick wall (Weekly Blitz)
• Zoric: Peace has no alternative (KiM radio, Slobodno Srpski)

International:

• Media in Kosovo, Serbia, Focus too Much on Conflict – Report (Prishtina Insight)
• US Blacklists Former Kosovo Procurement Official for Corruption (BIRN)
• Kosovo University Offers First Master’s Course in Transitional Justice (BIRN)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

President Osmani travelled for an official visit to Singapore (Reporteri)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has travelled for a working visit to Singapore, during which she will meet with high state representatives, the Presidency announced.

During her stay in Singapore, Osmani will meet the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugartnam and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong.

As part of this visit, Osmani will participate in the Bloomberg Economic Forum in Singapore, where she will be one of the main speakers at this forum. The Bloomberg Economic Forum is among the largest and most important economic forums in the world, which gathers CEOs from the world's most successful companies and political leaders to discuss overcoming global challenges in the field of economy and creating new partnerships.

During this visit, President Osmani, together with the Kosovar businesses present in Bloomberg, will be part of a round table on trade, investments and cooperation opportunities between Kosovo and Singapore. At this table, she will talk about Kosovo's economic potential and together with Kosovar businesses will respond to the interest of Singapore businesses.

Among other things, the President has been invited to participate in the Earthshot Prize ceremony, which is held under the patronage of Prince William of Wales, a ceremony dedicated to the green agenda.

Lajcak today in Kosovo for meetings with Kurti and opposition (RFE)

The EU special representative comes to Pristina about ten days after the last meetings in Brussels on October 26, where Kurti and the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, met separately with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy, as well as other EU officials.

Before those meetings, the five Western emissaries led by Lajcak visited Pristina and Belgrade on October 21, where they presented Kosovo and Serbia with a draft statute for the Association, which they say is a modern European model, but whose content has not been made public to date.

Kurti has said that he is ready to accept and sign the draft statute for the establishment of the Association, while Serbian President Vucic has made it clear that he will not accept anything that implies the de facto recognition of Kosovo.

It has become clear to Kosovo and Serbia that the implementation of the agreements is the only path towards EU integration for both countries.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels also say that there are efforts to organise a new meeting within the dialogue at the level of chief negotiators. Even the preparation of such a meeting could be one of the reasons for Lajcak's trip to Pristina. Lajcak himself announced last week that a meeting at the level of chief negotiators will be able to take place "soon".

LDK MP expects Lajcak to present Association draft to opposition leaders (Express)

The chairwoman of the Committee  for European Integration, LDK MP Rrezarta Krasniqi, said that she expects that the EU special representative Miroslav Lajcak during his visit of to Kosovo will present the draft of the Association to the leaders of the opposition parties, which was presented to Prime Minister Albin Kurti by the five emissaries a week ago.

"We heard through the media that Lajcak will come to Kosovo. I expect him to come and present the draft of the Association. But the right way would be for Prime Minister Kurti to inform the opposition parties, not Lajcak. It's good that he is also coming, I hope that something will come out of that meeting and that we will know what the Association's statute is about".

Kurti to participate at Paris Summit on Friday (Reporteri)

The news website reports based on its sources that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, will travel on Friday to participate in the Summit that will take place in Paris. According to sources, Kurti will attend the summit on Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11.

The Paris summit is a process undertaken by France and Germany to bring the parties back to the negotiating table, to provide support for a process that has stagnated under the mediation of the European Union.

Paris and Berlin have continuously welcomed the commitment of Miroslav Lajcak and Josep Borell to facilitate the dialogue and to reach a long-term agreement that will contribute to the stability of the region.

Serwer: Vucic’s ambitions are biggest threat to the region (media)

Several news websites cover an interview that U.S. commentator on the Western Balkans, Daniel Serwer, gave to Montenegrin Antena M, highlighting his remark that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s ambitions to politically control Serbs living in other countries in the Balkans is the biggest threat to the region. “I think that his ambitions, which are supported by Russia, are the biggest threat to the region … I doubt that the region will enter into a war as was the case in Bosnia in the 1990s, but we could certainly see some serious instability,” he argued.

Commenting on the attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo on September 24, Serwer claimed that “Vucic wanted to provoke a conflict within Kosovo which he could then use as an excuse for a military intervention”.

Maqedonci promises increased cooperation with Turkish drone company (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, met with the owner of the Baykar company, Haluk Bayraktar, with whom he said he talked about future projects and collaborations.

"Cooperation with the Baykar company, which has become the headline of military technology with its products, has made the KSF for a short period raise its combat capacities to the level that guarantees territorial defence and security for all our citizens. During this meeting, we discussed the next projects in which we will invest, and the expansion of this cooperation beyond purchases", Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.

Survivor of sexual violence in war confesses, wants justice (RTK)

A survivor of sexual violence in war told RTK about her case when a person was convicted and called on all survivors of sexual violence to seek justice for crimes committed by Serbian military and paramilitary forces.

After the war, what was your approach to seek justice, who supported you?

Yes, I had support, first from my husband and the close family of my husband. I sought justice but did not find it. Immediately after the war, I sought justice with UNMIK, and then in 2010 with EULEX, but my testimony was not found. I never stopped and knowing the person that committed the act, I was never at peace, but I never gave up, I never stopped, and I always had my husband’s support.

After many years, you found justice. In fact, the institutions worked seriously on your case. Can you tell us if you were satisfied with the whole process?

Not really because the sentencing he got for my case is not enough. But nevertheless, I feel somewhat at peace, and I am a bit relieved, because I was always concerned by the fact that I could not get justice. When I learned that the perpetrator of the crime was behind bars, I decided to never stop until I found justice for myself, always moving forward and knowing the perpetrator of the crime.

What would be your message to all those that hesitate and are not ready to talk to the judicial institutions?

My message to all mothers, sisters, and brothers, because there are also men [victims], is to never stop seeking justice. The least we can do is to have evidence before the world that crime happened, we should we hide the fact that crime happened. I know that most of them might not have the courage or support. I know a lot of cases, even in my family, where they lack support from the family, but there is a state, and the state protects you. With the support of the state, we will prove that the crimes did happen. I would tell all mothers, sisters, and brothers, to give their testimonies about what happened.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

Brnabic meets Xi Jinping in Beijing (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said following the meeting with President of China, Xi Jinping that their conversation was excellent, adding that the Chinese President has said he will try to visit Serbia next year. She said this visit would be very important for Serbia and its citizens.   

In relation to Kosovo, Brnabic said that in a political sense China will never change its stance on Kosovo and Metohija, and that Serbia also fully respects One China policy and that will not change either.

She assessed economic relations between Serbia and China as very good and constantly improving.

Petkovic: Pristina refused invitation for dialogue that was supposed to happen on November 7 (Tanjug, RTV)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic has confirmed today that Pristina refused the invitation for the dialogue meeting at the level of technical chief negotiators that was supposed to take place on November 7 in Brussels, while Belgrade has accepted it, Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV) reports.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the media earlier a new round of dialogue was supposed to happen on November 6 or 7 but that the other side did not accept it.

Petkovic further said that the EU special envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak sent an email invitation to Belgrade and Pristina on October 30 for a meeting on November 7.

“Belgrade responded positively to that invitation with email on November 2 and additionally said that our delegation will come to Brussels for talks given importance of continuation of the talks in direction of de-escalation and stabilisation of the situation on the ground. However, Pristina and its negotiator Besnik Bislimi simply refused that invitation. That is why we were informed by the EU on November 3 that tomorrow’s meeting in Brussels has simply been cancelled”, Petkovic told Tanjug news agency.

He also said by doing so, Pristina and its negotiator Besnik Bislimi demonstrated that they are not interested in dialogue, normalisation and de-escalation, adding that instead of dialogue Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti continues threatening Serbs by additional Albanian police forces which, as Kurti said, will not be stopped neither in the south nor in the north. 

Civic Initiative Serbian Survival to become political party (Radio KIM)

A founding assembly of the Serbian Democracy, new party of Kosovo Serbs was held last night. The party will be headed by Aleksandar Arsenijevic, the current leader of the Civic Initiative Serbian Survival, Radio KIM reports. 

“Supported by the people we have decided to bring our ranks together and fight for the life worth of a human being. This is a start of an uncompromised struggle for human, political, social and economic rights of citizens”, Serbian Democracy said in a statement.

Aleksandar Arsenijevic was elected party’s leader, while Ivan Orlovic, Valentina Djerkovic, Marinko Andjelkovic and Stefan Veljkovic were elected members of the presidency.

“In upcoming days we await a positive response from the Central Election Commission and making the political party Serbian Democracy official”, the statement added.

They also informed that by this act the Civic Initiative Serbian Survival transforms into political party Serbian Democracy, and therefore ceases to exist.

“We call on citizens to join us in our uncompromised struggle for bare survival and better living conditions in the Serbian areas”, the statement said.

Petkovic sends request to OSCE in relation to upcoming parliamentary elections (Radio KIM, Tanjug)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic sent a written request to the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Head Michael Davenport on November 3, requesting engagement of this Mission in organisation and holding of elections in Kosovo, delivery of ballot materials to the polling stations, as well as for ballots collection and its transport upon completion of the voting process in line with procedures implemented during previous Serbian elections until 2020, Radio KIM reports.

Petkovic sent a request following the letter from the Serbian Republic Election Commission, requesting help from the Office to extend support in implementing parliamentary elections, within their authority.

In a letter sent to the OSCE, Tanjug had an insight in, Petkovic referring to the mandate of the OSCE Mission, recalled its role and duties in ensuring safety and transparency of the electoral process in Kosovo, as well as special procedures it established. 

Petkovic also recalled significance of the respect for UN SC Resolution 1244 and relevant OSCE’s decisions in the part related to the organisation of elections and possibility of citizens to freely exercise their right to vote in Kosovo.

SMS message to MTS d.o.o. numbers for switching to “RKS” plates; more than 470 vehicles re-registered since deadline extension (KoSSev)

KoSSev wrote yesterday that in addition to informing citizens with announcements, the Kosovo MIA invited citizens to re-register their vehicles to “RKS” plates, and via SMS messages, both users of the IPKO network and users of the MTS d.o.o. mobile operator.

Some owners of IPKO mobile numbers received an SMS three days ago, authored by the MIA of Kosovo, with the content:

"Dear citizens, according to the decision of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, register your vehicles on RKS plates by 1/12/23, with financial and other benefits". As part of the message, a phone number for more information and a link to instructions and conditions for switching to “RKS” were also provided.

Yesterday, however, a message with a similar content also arrived to users of the numbers of the company MTS d.o.o., a subsidiary of Telekom Srbija. The trilingual message urging citizens to re-register their vehicles in accordance with the decision of the Kosovo government is also signed by the Kosovo MIA. 

According to KoSSev, a similar situation happened last year, when messages arrived via IPKO's cards, but not MTS's, in which phone users were reminded of the expiration of the then first deadline, before barricades and leaving institutions.

IPKO confirmed at the time that the sending of these messages was requested by the Kosovo MIA, and the then Deputy Ombudsman confirmed for KoSSev that she requested the opening of an investigation due to "potential violation of human rights".

The extension of the deadline by the decision of the Kosovo government was followed by a new wave of re-registration. People wait in lines but refuse to speak to the media, saying only that they are being forced to re-register their vehicles so they can drive them. During that time, the Serbian List and the official Belgrade did not announce, the KoSSev portal reported.

Kosovo police deputy commander for the North region, Veton Elshani, confirmed last night for KoSSev that 471 vehicles had been re-registered to “RKS” plates until yesterday at 4:00 p.m.

The vehicle registration centres in the municipalities in northern Kosovo were still working yesterday due to, as announced by the Kosovo government, an increased influx of citizens who change licence plates to “RKS”.

Specialist Court extends detention of Isni Kilaj (Kosovo Online)

The Specialist Court in The Hague made a decision to extend detention of former Malisevo mayor Isni Kilaj, Kosovo Online portal reported citing Klan Kosova.

As the statement issued by the Court reads, acting judge Nicolas Guillou decided that further detention of the defendant was necessary so that he could not influence witnesses and to prevent the risk of fleeing.

Poll shows Kosovo Serbs fear Serbian List, don’t trust Pristina (N1, NMagazin, Beta)

The Demostat research center said on Monday that Serbs in the north of Kosovo don’t trust Pristina’s institutions and fear the Serbian List.

Its report based on focus group results after the Banjska armed incident said that the level of trust in the Serbian authorities is dropping and that they trust the Serbian Orthodox Church and KFOR.

The report said that both young and older Kosovo Serbs are prepared for armed resistance to Pristina for their personal and the safety of their homes.

The north Kosovo Serbs expressed a high level of mistrust towards the government in Pristina, local Albanian authorities and the Kosovo police.

Demostat said that the level of trust in Serbian institutions dropped after the Kosovo Serbs quit local institutions and especially after the Banjska armed incident. KFOR enjoys the most trust because the Kosovo Serbs believe the mission can provide security and protect them from Pristina’s repression.

 

 

Opinion 

 

Ben-Meir: EU’s Serbia-Kosovo mediation has hit a brick wall (Weekly Blitz)

Opinion piece by Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU.

It is doubtful that Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić will agree on anything unless the European Council changes the dynamic of the Serbia-Kosovo conflict by rewarding the side that cooperates, which would pressure the non-cooperative party to modify its position.

Since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia nearly 15 years ago, the two countries have remained at odds with one another. In spite of the continuing efforts by the EU to mitigate the conflict between them, little if any progress has been made. The contentious point is that Serbia is simply unwilling to recognize Kosovo’s independence and still considers it one of Serbia’s provinces. The EU’s chief diplomat, Joseph Borrell, who has been leading the efforts, believes, for good reason, that a resolution to the Serbia-Kosovo conflict not only serves the national interests of Pristina and Belgrade but also enhances the stability of the Balkans, which is of great concern to the EU, especially as the Ukraine war continues to rage.

The EU has all along made the accession of Serbia and Kosovo conditional upon their mutual recognition. The European Council believed all along that such a precondition would motivate both countries to make the necessary concessions, which would have made them begin the process of integration into the EU. Sadly, the European Council’s hope did not materialize. Neither side has agreed to modify their principal position in spite of the fact that both countries want to integrate into the EU.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mpuwrak7

Zoric: Peace has no alternative (KiM radio, Slobodno Srpski)

BIRN and Vreme weekly journalist Jelena Zoric said in the show Slobodno srpski (Freely in Serbian) that despite all the challenges in the world and the region, peace has no alternative, reported KiM radio.

"Unfortunately, we live in an abnormal time, for a very long time, or in a state of war or in a truce. And here, peace in the Balkans, it looks like a truce, not peace".

And the time is always for peace. And there really is no alternative," Zoric said.

A prerequisite for this is normal relations between citizens of different social groups living in the same area.

"We are now thinking about who is for the Russians, who is for the Americans, who is for the Chinese, who is for, I don't know, the Europeans, the English, and you are against your neighbour. I was raised in such a way that your neighbour is your closest relative, no matter what nationality," she said.

She pointed out that "our situation is almost unbelievable".

"You have Serbs and Albanians in  Kosovo who claim that they cannot live together, who are capable of killing each other, killing each other's children and committing the most serious crimes because they claim that they cannot live together. They demand strict crossings, bridges controlled by the International Community, on who is allowed to pass; so that everyone has their own share of the corner, and then when they fill the land with blood, the graves, even then they plow the graves, destroy them; then their descendants, because they say they fought for their children, children of those fighters (against their neighbours), on both sides,  then they leave that Kosovo and they all go to Germany and live together without problems," said the BIRN journalist.

Poisoned media space between Serbs and Albanians

Commenting on the assessments that the public space, including the media space, especially on social networks, is once again full of hate speech and intolerance, she says that politicians are the most responsible for this.

"Politicians on one and the other side use the language of incitement, hate speech, hustling, and then the parties whose leaders generate it release their so-called bots through the networks and then spread it like an epidemic, and it is impossible to enter into a discussion. Leading politicians are the main source for the media, especially the regime media, and those bots on social networks. They are the most quoted," says Zoric.

According to her, independent journalists want to change that paradigm. She referred to "Media research on relations between Serbia and Kosovo: conflict or cooperation", recently conducted by BIRN and Internews Kosovo.

"We want to change that politicians are not the main source. Therefore, in Serbia, according to the research, both in Serbia and in Kosovo, the most quoted politician when it comes to crises, situations, even everyday situations in Kosovo and Metohija, for both parties, is the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. After him is Kurti, who sits in Pristina. Therefore, journalists of both sides have failed and look at politicians as sacred cows,'' she said and added:

"The recommendations are that we cooperate more, that journalists from Serbia cooperate more with journalists from Pristina and Mitrovica and that we make it possible for both sides to be heard more, but also for the stories of ordinary people who are affected by these policies to be heard more. Our most basic recommendation of the entire research is - do not take politicians at their word, check everything they say, do not take their statements for granted - they are politicians, it is their job description to lie. No matter what country they come from or what party they belong to."

 

 

International 

 

Media in Kosovo, Serbia, Focus too Much on Conflict – Report (Prishtina Insight)

A new report by BIRN Serbia and Internews Kosova says the media need to uphold standards when reporting on Kosovo-Serbia relations – and not just rely on politicians as sources.

Media from Kosovo and Serbia only partially uphold standards when reporting on relations between the two countries, a new report from BIRN Serbia and Internews Kosova has concluded.

The report, “Media Reporting on Serbia and Kosovo Relations: Conflict or Cooperation”, published on Friday found out that about a third of media stories are related to “incidents”, while the others are dedicated to diplomatic negotiations and policy efforts.

“Mainstream media fail to let all sides be heard. Sources are limited, the majority of them are high-level officials promoting their own agendas. Potentials for cooperation are also rarely visible through reporting. Direct quotes of Albanian in Serbian media and vice versa are rarely heard,” it says.

Tanja Maksic, from BIRN Serbia, said that during the reporting period, the media intensively reported on Kosovo-Serbia issues. “In the seven media alone that we have selected, we found around 50 news articles produced every day, most of them short news,” Maksic said.

Kreshnik Gashi from Internews Kosova said media reporting is too much focused on transmitting politicians’ statements.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yvw53j5k

US Blacklists Former Kosovo Procurement Official for Corruption (BIRN)

The United States announced on Friday that it has designated Nexhat Krasniqi, a former Procurement Director at Kosovo’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, for “involvement in significant corruption”. Two of Krasniqi’s children, Aulona and Olti, have also been designated.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said the designation means Krasniqi and his two children are barred from the United States.

“As a public official responsible for oversight of procurement contracts, Krasniqi abused his public position by accepting bribes in exchange for awarding a contract permitting the construction of an industrial park in the Drenas municipality by the operating company Eltoni,” Miller said.

In 2015, Pristina Basic Court sentenced Krasniqi to two years and two months in prison after he was found guilty of charges related to the business park but he was not banned from holding public office. He was accused of receiving bribes and entering harmful contracts.

In June 2021, he was appointed procurement officer at the Ministry of Infrastructure, a move that sparked reactions among the opposition and civil society. In May 2022, the ministry announced that another official had been appointed to Krasniqi’s position.

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

Kosovo University Offers First Master’s Course in Transitional Justice (BIRN)

The law faculty at the University of Pristina has enrolled 30 students for its first ever master’s degree programme in human rights, international criminal law and transitional justice, with lectures due to begin on November 15.

Avni Puka, dean of the law faculty, said that the programme was drafted with the help of international experts and is unique in the former Yugoslav region.

“Through this master’s programme we expect to have the first generation of students at the Faculty of Law, local and international, specialising in the field of human rights, international law and transitional justice,” Puka told BIRN.

Twenty of the students are from Kosovo, while the other ten come from countries including Spain, North Macedonia, Serbia, Egypt, Ghana and South Sudan – the first group of regular international students at the University of Pristina.

One of the students, Viona Bunjaku, said that by taking the course, she hopes to contribute to strengthening transitional justice mechanisms in Kosovo.

“This programme is a very important subject, taking into consideration that Kosovo has been through a bitter past and now is dealing with its legacy and is having a very hard transition,” Bunjaku told BIRN.

“I believe it will help a lot in the research and documentation of the country’s war,” she added.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5d8825c5