UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 20, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti to represent Kosovo at Berlin Process Summit in London (AP)
Osmani: Attempted delay by SL is damaging for Kosovo and all its people (EO)
Haxhiu: Assembly has been constituted, that’s what’s important (EO)
Kosovo integrates into the first EU institution - becomes part of EESC (Koha)
Sekerinska: Dialogue is the recipe for Kosovo and Serbia (media)
EU aims new security partnership with Western Balkans countries (AP)
Kurti hosts representatives of German Association for the United Nations (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbian PM Macut at Western Balkans Summit within Berlin Process in London (media)
Perovic: Raid by armed police officers disturbed people, families terrified (Kosovo Online)
Milovic: “We expect new attacks from Kurti’s regime”, unity and solidarity of people needed more than ever (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever, Vecernje Novosti)
Candidacy of women for mayors in Kosovo: Statistics and inequalities (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)
Trial in Banjska case continued: A protected witness examination (KiM radio, KoSSev)
Vucic: Belgrade glad Budapest has been picked to host Putin-Trump summit (Tanjug)
Students in Blockade call public to help with mass protest (N1)

Opinion:

A tribunal that has gone astray (peacefare.net/media)
Kosovo and the unfulfilled promise of regional cooperation (Prishtina Insight)
When Anton Cetta met Desmond Tutu (Kosovo 2.0)

International:

Kosovo film explores girl’s quest for freedom under Serbian oppression (BIRN)
Unwanted bridges in Kosovo draw Western warnings of stoking tensions (Bloomberg)

Humanitarian:

First School of Journalism launched in Gracanica (Radio KIM)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti to represent Kosovo at Berlin Process Summit in London (AP)

Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti will represent Kosovo at the upcoming Berlin Process Summit in London. An advisor to Kurti said: “next week the Prime Minister will travel to London, to take part in the Summit of the Berlin Process which will be held in the United Kingdom this time, the host of the summit. The main topics will be security, development and migration. Special attention should be paid to statements made by the host and statements after the summit by the Ministry of Interior Affairs which cover migration issues too”.

Osmani: Attempted delay by SL is damaging for Kosovo and all its people (EO)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was asked today to comment on the Serbian List’s request to the Constitutional Court to suspend the work of the Assembly, to which she said that it is completely unnecessary and that the attempted delay by the Serbian List is “damaging not only for Kosovo as a state, but for all its citizens, including the Serbs”.

“It is totally unnecessary, because you know that there have been exceptional delays in the formation of new institutions, and I believe that this is another attempt to cause delays which have affected Kosovo’s interest. Many months have passed without having a government with a full constitutional mandate. Now that the Assembly has been constituted in compliance with the latest decision of the Constitutional Court, it is in Kosovo’s interest to have a government with a full mandate as soon as possible. The formation of the government depends fully on coalitions between political parties, and as President I cannot interfere in that. The attempted delay by the Serbian List is damaging not only for Kosovo’s interests as a state, but for all citizens, including the Serbs”.

Haxhiu: Assembly has been constituted, that’s what’s important (EO)

The news website reports that Kosovo Assembly Speaker Dimal Basha and deputy speaker from the Vetevendosje Movement Albulena Haxhiu did not want to comment much today on the Serbian List’s complaint to the Constitutional Court about the election of the deputy speaker from the Kosovo Serb community. Basha said that everyone has the right to complain but that he does not want to talk about the topic during a breast cancer awareness event. “We are here for another cause, and it is not fair to address other issues, when we are here for breast cancer. Everyone has the right to complain to the Constitutional Court,” Basha said. Haxhiu said that what is important is that the Assembly has been constituted. “The Assembly has been constituted, and that is what is important. We expect the [new] government will be voted,” she said.

Kosovo integrates into the first EU institution - becomes part of EESC (Koha)

The European Economic and Social Committee has become the first EU institution to accept members from Kosovo, following its earlier inclusion of representatives from all EU candidate countries over a year ago, the news website reports. The advisory body of the European Union will now include representatives from Kosovo, who will be selected through an ongoing procedure. The Committee is composed of representatives from civil society, economic organizations, trade unions, and other social and economic partners.

The EESC has already announced a call for candidates from Kosovo, which will be open until October 24. Once selected, Kosovo representatives will participate equally in the Committee’s work alongside representatives from other candidates and EU member states. However, they will not have voting rights, which remain reserved for EU member states. In spring 2024, when all candidate countries except Kosovo were admitted, EESC President Olive Ropke explained that Kosovo could not be included due to its lack of formal EU candidate status. Kosovo remains the only European country that has applied for EU membership without its application being formally considered. Despite this, the EESC found a way to overcome this procedural barrier and include Kosovo in the initiative.

“Kosovo was not included in the pilot phase of this project due to its status. However, after consultations with the European Commission and other key stakeholders, it was decided to open the second phase of this initiative for Kosovo as a potential candidate for EU membership. The call for expressions of interest is open until 24 October 2025, and once the selection process is complete, Kosovo’s candidate members will have the same status as candidates from other enlargement countries,” the EESC told the news website.

Sekerinska: Dialogue is the recipe for Kosovo and Serbia (media)

Most news websites cover an interview that NATO Deputy Secretary General, Radmila Sekerinska, gave to Klan Kosova, highlighting her remarks that NATO has called on Pristina and Belgrade to engage more in the EU-facilitated talks for the normalization of relations and that dialogue is the recipe.

“As a very powerful military and political alliance, we try to refrain from commenting on certain comments by politicians. We are there and we have supported the KFOR mission because we believe that security in the region is crucial. It affects not only countries of the region and the people, but also the stability and security of the Alliance. And we are there to guarantee the security of all communities of Kosovo and their freedom of movement,” she said.

Sekerinska also said that “we have called on Belgrade and Pristina to engage much more in the EU-facilitated dialogue. And we believe that this is the recipe. Instead of discussing statements and commenting on statements, we believe that it is really crucial to engage in a dialogue that will address difficult issues. And as we discuss this, we also need to make sure that all commitments made during the mediation and the dialogue are respected and implemented”.

EU aims new security partnership with Western Balkans countries (AP)

The news website reports that in a draft report adopted on October 15, the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defense has proposed expanding the strategic partnerships of the European Union in defense and security, including country candidates from the Western Balkans.

The report, prepared by rapporteur Michal Szczerba, notes that cooperation in the area of security “is a necessity and not a choice” for the European Union in light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the strategic competition with China and the spread of crisis in the Middle East and Africa.

The report calls on EU member states and the EU External Action Service “to explore signing new defense partnerships with countries of the Western Balkans, Switzerland, Turkey and India”, adding that these relations can help strengthen security in Europe’s southeast borders and the further integration of the region in the common European security architecture.

The report also highlights the importance of maintaining close cooperation with NATO and the United States of America, and creating joint mechanisms for sharing information, defending critical infrastructure and the development of the defense industry.

EP members argue that without the inclusion of the countries of the Western Balkans in the common security policies, the vision of a sustainable and sovereign Europe will remain incomplete.

Kurti hosts representatives of German Association for the United Nations (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti hosted in Pristina today representatives of the German Association for the United Nations. During the meeting he said that cooperation between people and organizations is key in the current times and that it is important for democracy, freedom and peace.

Kurti said that in the last four years, Kosovo’s average economic growth has been 6 percent and that according to the International Monetary Fund, Kosovo will continue to lead in the region this year too in terms of economic growth. “This has been achieved among others thanks to the doubling of direct foreign investments, doubling of experts and the reduction of unemployment,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Serbian PM Macut at Western Balkans Summit within Berlin Process in London (media)

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut will participate in the Western Balkans Summit within the Berlin Process, which will be held in London on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 21 and 22, the Government of Serbia announced.

The Western Balkans Summit within the framework of the Berlin Process gathers the leaders of the region and the European Union with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation and accelerating European integration. This year's summit will focus on the energy and green transition, infrastructure projects and the common market of the Western Balkans.

This time the Government of Great Britain is the host of the Summit.

"The UK government will cooperate with Germany - as the initiator of the Berlin process - on common priorities in the Western Balkans," reads the British government's statement, adding that "its goals are to strengthen European security, support vulnerable NATO allies and counter hostile influences and destabilizing factors, as well as address common threats from illegal migration, serious organized crime and illegal finance."

One of the goals is the promotion of economic growth in order to remove obstacles to trade and investment through improved regional cooperation that supports the rapprochement with Europe.

It was announced earlier from Berlin that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will participate on Wednesday in the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Berlin Process.

"The Berlin process is a success story, which the federal government is also continuing under the leadership of Chancellor Merz. With this, the German Government underlines its commitment to the Western Balkans as a region of strategic importance in Europe," said a German Government spokesman a few days ago.

Germany launched the Berlin Process in 2014, with the aim of promoting regional cooperation with and in the Western Balkans.

Perovic: Raid by armed police officers disturbed people, families terrified (Kosovo Online)

After Kosovo police searched seven locations in Zubin Potok and two in Zvecan, detaining and then soon releasing seven Serbs, the elected mayor of Zubin Potok, Milos Perovic, said intrusion of armed police units caused great unrest among the local people, adding that families whose houses were searched experienced great stress. In a statement to Kosovo Online, he noted “that the repression by the Pristina regime does not stop even after the local elections”.

He says that in Zubin Potok alone the Kosovo police searched seven locations and arrested six persons. Perovic says that he visited every house where a search was conducted and spoke with the family members who endured great stress.

“In the early morning hours on the territory of the municipality of Zubin Potok, strong police forces broke into seven decent Kolasin families. On behalf of Serbian List I inform the public that I have visited each family and with the help of the Republic of Serbia the full material damage will be compensated, and full legal assistance provided. The children are terrified, as are all members of these families”, Perovic emphasized.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/Yt7qV

Milovic: “We expect new attacks from Kurti’s regime”, unity and solidarity of people needed more than ever (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever, Vecernje Novosti)

Vice President of the Serbian List (SL) Dragisa Milovic said in an interview for Vecernje Novosti that the policy of Albin Kurti has, for years, aimed at the complete “occupation of northern Kosovo” and the closure of Serbian institutions. He added that considering his poor performance in most municipalities in the local elections, one can expect further obstruction and pressure thus unity and solidarity of the people were now more necessary than ever, reported Kosovo Online.

“When it comes to the policy of Albin Kurti and his regime, we have always said that anything is possible, and we are rightly concerned about what tomorrow may bring for us, the Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija. His policy over all these years has essentially represented the occupation of the north, closing Serbian institutions, building police bases and stations instead of creating new jobs for young people, solving social problems, and improving the lives of all citizens. Given that Kurti performed poorly in most municipalities in the local elections, it’s certain that we can expect further obstruction and pressure, such as the recent incursion of so-called KSF soldiers into North Mitrovica,” said Milovic, who, as the Serbian List’s candidate for mayor of Zvecan, won a landslide victory with more than 85 percent of the vote.

Milovic thanked all his fellow citizens, candidates for councilors and mayors, for what he called an outstanding result in the local elections, where the SL won in all ten Serb-majority municipalities. In nine of them, SL’s candidates won in the first round, while a second round will be held in Klokot.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5yvyedb7

Candidacy of women for mayors in Kosovo: Statistics and inequalities (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)

Radio Kontakt plus reported that in the local elections held on October 12 in 38 municipalities in Kosovo, out of a total of 206 candidates for mayors, only 20 were women, and only one won - Serbian Tanja Antic from Ranilug.

Female candidates appeared from different parties and civic initiatives, while only one decided to run independently, in North Mitrovica, also from the Serbian community. The largest Albanian parties and the Serbian List had only one, two or at most three female candidates each, while in most municipalities the candidates were exclusively male, which is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe expressed concern about the small number of women, their marginalization in the media and insufficient representation in electoral bodies.

Female candidates present in only 15 out of 38 municipalities

The largest Albanian political parties - the Self-Determination Movement, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK), and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) - had candidates in the largest number of municipalities. Nevertheless, despite the wide territorial coverage, the number of female candidates among their ranks is minimal. Self-determination, for example, had only one female candidate.

A similar trend is visible among the parties of non-majority communities. Serbian List, the largest party of Kosovo Serbs, also had only one candidate for mayor out of a total of 11 candidates.

Among a total of 20 women, seven ran in municipalities in the north of Kosovo, where the majority of the Serbian population lives. The majority are Serbian women, while only one candidate is from the Albanian community or other minorities.

Women were candidates for mayor in only 15 municipalities: Decane, Glogovac, Kacanik, Kosovo Polje, Kamenica, Leposavic, Pec, Pristina, Prizren, Urosevac, Vucitrn, Zubin Potok, Zvecan, Ranilug and North Mitrovica.

The largest number of women ran in Zubin Potok - three candidates out of a total of nine candidates, while there were two candidates each in Pristina, Prizren and North Mitrovica. In most of the other municipalities where they ran, there was one female candidate each.

In the remaining 23 municipalities - from Djakovica to Dragas, Podujevo, Vitina and South Mitrovica - there were no female candidates at all.

The only encouraging fact is the somewhat greater presence of women in the municipalities in the north, where parties such as For Freedom, Justice and Survival, Serbian Democracy, PDK and independent candidacies have, conditionally speaking, opened space for women's political activity.

Representation of women by parties: From symbolic presence to rare exceptions

The Albanian parties that dominate Kosovo's political space - Self-Determination, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK), and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) - appeared in 33 municipalities each, but they had a negligible number of female candidates in their ranks.

Self-determination had only one candidate, and that was in Glogovac.

LDK also had one female candidate in Zubin Potok, while in other areas it ran with male candidates.

And PDK, in addition to its wide presence, had only three candidates - in Kamenica, Pec and North Mitrovica.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) also had three candidates - in Glogovac, Kosovo Polje and Urosevac.

Smaller parties and civil initiatives have shown somewhat greater openness to the inclusion of women, but even there the representation was modest and more symbolic than essential.

Thus, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) nominated two female candidates - in Decani and Pristina. The Social Democratic Initiative - NISMA (NISMA Social Democrats - NISMA) also had two candidates - in Prizren and Vucitrn. The Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival had two candidates - in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, while the political entities New Democratic Party, CI "Unification", Serbian Democracy, Serbian List, "The Age of Goddesses in Pristina" (Epoka e Hyjneshes në Prishtinë) had one each.

It is interesting that the independent candidate, Katarina Adjancic, was the only woman who ran independently - in North Mitrovica, where there were a total of ten candidates in the race for mayor, two of whom were women.

On the other hand, it is particularly noticeable that the Guxo party of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani did not have a single female candidate in the eight municipalities in which it ran, radio Kontakt plus reported among other things.

Trial in Banjska case continued: A protected witness examination (KiM radio, KoSSev)

With examination of a protected witness, at Special Department of the Basic Court in Pristina, the trial in the Banjska case, held against three Serbs - Dusan Maksimovic, Vladimir Tolic and Blagoje Spasojevic, continued today, reported KiM radio.

They are accused of attacking the constitutional order and security of Kosovo, as well as terrorism.

At today's hearing, prosecution witness A2 was heard, and at the request of prosecutor Naim Abazi, the court panel decided that the testimony should be closed to the public. The prosecutor reasoned that a public hearing could jeopardize the safety of witnesses.

"We request the court to accept the prosecution's request and hold the hearing behind closed doors in order to comply with the legal provisions", Abazi said.

Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic objected to this request, stating that the prosecutor did not present specific reasons for closing the hearing. Nevertheless, the court panel, presided over by judge Arben Hoti, accepted the prosecution's request.

Maksimovic, Tolic and Spasojevic were arrested after the conflict in the village of Banjska in September 2023 and have been in custody since then. Family members of the accused also attended the hearing.

Vucic: Belgrade glad Budapest has been picked to host Putin-Trump summit (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday Belgrade was glad Budapest had been picked to host a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Tanjug news agency reported.

"As regards that summit, a long and serious analysis is required. Ukraine is the predominant topic. The good news is that peace is being discussed, and when peace is discussed, there is a chance to attain it. I am glad Hungary has been picked to host that meeting, but I am not sure other European centers will be as glad as Belgrade is. The choice of Budapest is no coincidence", Vucic told reporters during a tour of the construction site of the Iriski Venac tunnel near Novi Sad.

He also said he expected the "liberal, left-wing America" and some European countries to exert pressure in the coming days to thwart the summit.

Students in Blockade call public to help with mass protest (N1)

The Students in Blockade appealed for help from the public in preparation for the commemorative gathering in Novi Sad on November 1, the anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 16 lives in that northern Serbian city.

A concrete canopy collapsed at the entrance of the city’s main railway station which had been recently renovated, immediately killing 15 people and seriously injuring another 2. One of the survivors died in hospital and the sole remaining survivor has been in treatment since the tragedy. The public blamed the corruption of the authorities and anti-government protests began, followed by the university student protests which included blockades of their colleges and mass gatherings in a number of cities across the country, some of which saw riot police and Gendarmerie interventions.

An Instagram post calling for assistance provided instructions for donations. It said that they need support to prepare the gathering and make sure everything works “so that anyone coming to Novi Sad that day can feel that they are not alone”. Information about ways to help the Students in Blockade is available on their official Instagram profile.

Opinion

A tribunal that has gone astray (peacefare.net/media)

Opinion piece by Daniel Serwer published in Peacefare.net and picked up by several Pristina-based news websites.

I spent my allotted 40 minutes yesterday with Kosovo’s former President Hashim Thaci at the international section of the Dutch penitentiary in The Hague yesterday. I wanted to renew an old friendship. It is well-known in Kosovo that he and I had a falling out shortly before he voluntarily went to The Hague to stand trial. I also wanted to get a better sense of the reality behind the Kosovo Special Chambers tribunal that is conducting his trial. So I met as well with the tribunal’s spokesman, Michael Doyle. I know Michael from his excellent service with HiRep Inzko in Bosnia.

Caveat emptor. If you are looking for a juicy tidbit of what Hashim said to me, read no further. Our conversations were always private in the past, and this one will be too. Except for the prison official who sat in to listen in accordance with the rules. I will respect the confidentiality of what Hashim said. But he always respected my right to say what I want in public. I’m sure he still will.

The prehistory

Hashim and I used to meet whenever I got to Kosovo or he visited the US. That habit started in 1999 when he was among the Kosovo Albanian leadership the United States Institute of Peace brought to a resort in Lansdowne, Virginia. We did that because violence among Albanians was increasing in the aftermath of the NATO/Yugoslavia war. We were concerned it might lead to civil war. Crimes definitely did occur after the war.

Hashim has always attributed the Kosovo Liberation Army’s turn toward politics to that Lansdowne meeting. It included almost all of the main political, civil society, and journalist leaders of post-war Kosovo. The declaration it produced became a guidepost for subsequent political, civil society, and economic efforts. It also led to a meeting two years later with the Kosovo Serb leadership at Airlie House. And to a major non-violence campaign, in which Hashim played a prominent part.

Relations with the United States

Hashim was certainly an American favorite at the failed Rambouillet peace talks in late 1998. There as political spokesman for the KLA he eventually convinced its disparate commanders to sign the proposed agreement. The Serb rejection precipitated the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

But he neither rose quickly nor had unalloyed American support after the war. The Americans were unhappy with Hashim when he appointed new mayors in Kosovo’s municipalities. He claimed this authority as “prime minister” of a “provisional government” created some months earlier. The mayors he appointed replaced those Kosovo “President” Rugova had installed during the decade of Serbian repression. We warned Hashim at Lansdowne that they would be unable to deliver expected benefits and would be held accountable at the first municipal elections.

Those were held a year after the war. The Americans wanted to avoid the mistake made in Bosnia, where national elections were held only a year after the war. That Bosnian national election was a disaster, as it reconfirmed all the leaders of the warring parties in power. The Kosovo municipal elections displaced many of the KLA mayors, as the Americans had predicted. It was years before Hashim’s Democratic Party of Kosovo recovered. He played important roles under the UN protectorate, but his first real taste of executive power was in 2008, when he presided over Kosovo at independence and became prime minister thereafter.