UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 7, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Serbia is interfering in the Kosovo elections (media)
Caretaker government allocates €100 for students (media)
Albanian Foreign Ministry slams statement made by Serbian ministry (media)
Osmani thanks Belgium for steadfast support for Kosovo toward EU (media)
Osmani meets UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia (media)
Plakolm writes about her meeting with Osmani in Pristina (media)
CEC rejects accreditation of seven NGOs suspected of falsification (Koha)
KSF Commander hosts UK Military Representative to NATO and EU (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic rejects claims Belgrade interferes in Kosovo elections (Kosovo Online, social media, media)
Displaced and socially vulnerable people in buildings in Leposavic without electricity for two months (KiM radio, KoSSev)
Arsenijevic: If this did not happen to me, I would be last person to leave Kosovo voluntarily (Radio kontakt plus, Alternativna.com)
Djurdjevic: One crossing entry for Serbian goods more political than security measure (Kosovo Online)

International:

Imminent end to Kosovo deal on Serbs’ diplomas a fresh blow to integration (BIRN)
Justice and Migration ministers began diplomatic mission to Albania and Kosovo (belganewsagency.eu)
In Serbia, pay-per-like scammers still evading punishment (Balkan Insight)
World Bank sees better growth for Western Balkans but more work needed on jobs (whtc.com)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Serbia is interfering in the Kosovo elections (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia today of interfering in the upcoming local elections in Kosovo on October 12 by promising new jobs and financial benefits for Serbs in Kosovo. “They cannot be qualified any differently than interference in the October municipal election in the Republic of Kosovo. Promises for jobs, financial support, conditioning and blackmailing with social benefits, and statements by Serbian state officials that only the Serbian List defends Serbia in Kosovo, as was the case with former Serbian Prime Minister and current advisor to the President there, and same as President Vucic himself, these are repeated methods of Serbia’s interference in the election process in Kosovo,” he said.

Kurti recalled a report by the EU election monitoring mission in the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo which had concluded that Serbia had interfered in the process. He criticized the lack of a reaction at the time by the European Union and said that this is encouraging Serbia to continue with the same practice. “The interference by other countries are forms of violating the democracy and sovereignty of a state. Despite all this, Serbia faced no consequence from the EU, and this is why Serbia is not changing its behavior. The interference that Serbia is making now is even graver than Russia’s interference in Europe,” he argued.

Kurti also called on the EU “to sanction Belgrade’s interference in the Kosovo elections and to sanction Serbia for actions that go against the principles of good neighborly relations and violate the Basic Agreement in Brussels”.

Koha reports that one week before the local elections in Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic promised “400 new jobs as support for Serbs in Kosovo in the healthcare sector which functions as a parallel system in Kosovo”. Vucic made the remarks two days after his advisor and former Serbian Prime Minister, Milos Vucevic, expressed support for the Serbian List saying that “it is the only one that protects Serbs” in Kosovo. A candidate for the Serb-majority municipality of Shterpce in Kosovo, Stefan Stamenkovic, criticized Vucic’s statement. “This is not how you employ physical workers and let alone workers in the healthcare system where responsibility and expertise are crucial. The question arises – could it be that the Serbian List no longer has power on the ground and it is necessary to use old methods of deception and fake promises, such as the story with the ‘aid of 20,000 Dinars’,” said Stamenkovic from the Civic Initiative “Justice and Equality”.

Meanwhile, Serbs in the north of Kosovo are hesitant to speak about their expectations from the October 12 elections. One of them said that he expects positive changes. “Well like everyone else, we expect things will be better. Whether it will be or not, we hope it will,” said Darko Milentijevic. He also said he did not hear about Vucic’s promise of 400 new jobs.

The situation in the four northern municipalities has changed a lot since Serbia called on Serbs to boycott the 2023 local elections. A spokesperson for Kosovo’s caretaker government told the news website that “in the four northern municipalities there were opened: Municipal Cadastral Offices, Offices of the Kosovo Agency for Business Registration, Pension Offices and Employment Offices, Postal Points, and the infrastructure for civil registration has been expanded. Offices of the Work Inspectorate were also opened in Mitrovica North and in Zvecan. From January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, in the four northern municipalities there were registered over 450 new businesses”.

Dukagjini quotes Nenad Rasic, Serb MP in the Kosovo Assembly, as saying that before every election in Kosovo, the regime in Belgrade promises hundreds of new jobs and then “it all ends up with the employment of people with ties to the Serbian List”.

Under the headline “Vucic’s scenario to interfere in elections and blackmail Kosovo Serbs”, Ekonomia Online runs an interview with criminologist Armend Halimi who argues that Vucic’s promise for 400 new jobs is clear evidence of using the Serbian List for influence in the north of Kosovo. “This is yet another additional argument that Vucic never broke ties with the Serbian List and criminal or terrorist groups in the north. The Serb citizens in that part who are considered as loyal citizens of the country and accept law and order now feel threatened and blackmailed,” he said.

According to Halimi, if the Serbian List will lose in the upcoming elections, there could be incidents, “and we believe that the security institutions have increased the level of readiness and vigilance”. He also said that the security institutions, especially the Kosovo Police, are ready to react and keep the situation under control in the October 12 elections.

Caretaker government allocates €100 for students (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker government decided today to allocate €100 for students. Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the government he leads focuses on the interest of the people and that it shares economic growth with the people. “As a government focused on the interest of the people, we have proved that we share the economic growth with all citizens. Because when growth is shared it gets multiplied. As part of sharing the economic growth, with the start of the new academic year, today we are adopting the decision to allocate €100 for all students that meet the criteria so that they and their families can afford the costs more easily,” he said.

Caretaker Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, said the reason why the government decided to allocate €100 for students now is the start of the new academic year. “It is related to the academic year … The fact that we are a caretaker government did not stop us from keeping this promise as the Kurti 3 government. And this is not the first time that this is happening,” he said.

Arben Mustafa, member of the presidency of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), wrote in a Facebook post that Kurti was “returning to his practice” of deceiving the people, by allocating €100 for students on the eve of [municipal] elections. “Our students need a functioning state that creates real opportunities for development and jobs and a life with dignity. Our students cannot be deceived,” he argued.

Albanian Foreign Ministry slams statement made by Serbian ministry (media)

Most news websites report that the Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs issued a reaction to a statement by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 4 which mentioned among other things the so-called “yellow house” in Albania. The Albanian ministry said that such remarks are aimed at staining the images of Albania and Kosovo and that history cannot be rewritten by using rhetoric and ungrounded accusations. “It is regrettable that the statement by the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs is still based on an already discredited report by Dick Marty, and when facts investigated by local and international authorities have clearly proved that the allegations made there [in the report] were pure fabrication and without any evidence. These untruths, internationally known as efforts to stain the image of Albania and that of Kosovo, can no longer be used to avoid the responsibility of history. History cannot be rewritten with rhetoric, it is remembered with responsibility,” the reaction notes.

The Albanian ministry said that the Serbian ministry’s statement “tries to bring back the shadows of the past in a region which is trying to move toward the future. This statement includes a series of unfounded accusations and allegations, which Albania refutes with force and determination. The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania reminds the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia some historic truths about those that caused the tragic events of 1999, events that resulted in killings, ethnic cleansing and the forceful expulsion of around one million Kosovo Albanians from their homes”.

The Albanian ministry also expressed deep belief that “our region needs reconciliation, mutual respect and honest cooperation in the spirit of good neighborly relations, and not a return to the language of accusations and victimizations. Only in this way can we finally relieve ourselves from the shadows of the past and build together a future in peace, security and prosperity in a united Balkans in our European family, where our roots and aspirations lie. Albania has and will remain ready for regional comprehensive cooperation, in the spirit of good neighborly relations, dignity and responsibility for our citizens”.

Osmani thanks Belgium for steadfast support for Kosovo toward EU (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X today that she welcomed Belgium’s Minister of Justice, Annelies Verlinden, and Minister of Asylum, Migration and Social Integration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt. “I expressed our gratitude for Belgium’s steadfast support on Kosovo’s path towards EU membership and emphasized the importance of maintaining and deepening this support — including through the finalization of the process to lift the unjust EU measures against our country. We also discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in the fields of defense and security, and to continue advancing the important partnership between our two countries,” Osmani said.

The visit by the two Belgian ministers focuses on addressing prison overcrowding in Belgium, including exploring the option of renting or building prisons abroad for non-resident convicts. Discussions also cover cooperation against organized crime, asset-sharing agreements that would return confiscated criminal proceeds to Belgium, and a bilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance to strengthen long-term judicial cooperation.

Osmani meets UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Belen Sanz Luque. “On the month which marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, Osmani highlighted Kosovo’s progress in advancing the agenda and reconfirmed the continuous engagement to guarantee security and inclusive peace. Osmani also highly evaluated the cooperation with UN Women, which has contributed to achieving shared objectives for gender equality in Kosovo. These objectives include projects for empowering the rights of women, girls and people with special needs, sustainable economic empowerment of women, the participation of women in political and public life, support for survivors of sexual violence during war, transitional justice and other areas of importance,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes.

Plakolm writes about her meeting with Osmani in Pristina (media)

Austrian Minister for Europe, Integration and Family, Claudia Plakolm, said that she met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani in Pristina on Monday. “6 Days 6 Countries A pleasure to meet President Vjosa Osmani in Kosovo. We discussed the importance of stability, good governance and regional cooperation. All crucial for Kosovo’s future in Europe,” she wrote in a post on X.

KSF Commander hosts UK Military Representative to NATO and EU (media)

CEC rejects accreditation of seven NGOs suspected of falsification (Koha)

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission has not accredited seven non-governmental organizations and their observers for monitoring the October 12 local elections under the suspicion of being involved in irregularities and falsification. Head of the Office for Registration, Certification and Financial Control, Besnik Buzhala, said that for another three organizations suspected of falsification they will address the prosecution.

KSF Commander hosts UK Military Representative to NATO and EU (media)

Most news websites report that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) Commander, Lieutenant General, Bashkim Jashari, hosted on Monday the UK Military Representative to NATO and the European Union, Lieutenant General Ian Cave, thanking him for the continuous support that the UK offers through training and joint activities. A press release issued by the KSF notes that they discussed the KSF achievements and transitional plan. Jashari said the focus is to build full operational capacities and for KSF to be an important contributor to security in the region and beyond.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic rejects claims Belgrade interferes in Kosovo elections (Kosovo Online, social media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director, Petar Petkovic said today Belgrade does not interfere in elections in Kosovo, adding that nervousness of Albin Kurti has become apparent, because Serbian List will regain authority in four northern municipalities, and reaffirm victory south of the Ibar River, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“Belgrade does not interfere in elections in Kosovo and Metohija, because Kosovo is Serbia. The one interfering and openly supporting violence by blockaders in Belgrade is (Albin) Kurti, who has become nervous because he knows Serbian List will regain four municipalities in the north and reaffirm victory south of the Ibar. And Serbs from KiM will always have support of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. To Serbian List victory”, Petkovic wrote in a post on X social platform.

Petkovic: Elections on Sunday of crucial importance for Serbs in Kosovo (media)

Meanwhile, other media reported Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said upcoming local elections due on October 12, are of crucial importance for the Serbs to regain control of four municipalities in the north and take victory in other six Serb-majority municipalities south of the Ibar River, Kosovo Online portal reported. He also called on Serbs to turn out in elections and vote for the Serbian List.

As he said by doing so, Serbs will demonstrate that they have legitimate representatives in Kosovo and that is the Serbian List. He called for support to the Serbian List in order to replace, as he said, fake mayors from northern Kosovo and “remove gauleiters” who over the last three years did all they could to change the situation on the ground with anti-Serbian decisions.

“(Albin) Kurti attempted to do all he could. He attempted to ban Serbian List, to reduce the number of polling stations members of the Serbian List, to install four fake mayors with false elections, who with only few hundreds of votes managed Serbian municipalities. He attempted in various ways through institutional violence, arrests of Serbs, militarization of the north and mistreatment to expel Serbs. It is because of this violence that 20 percent of Serbs have left the north of Kosovo (…)”, Petkovic said.

He said that gatherings of people opposing blockades that will be held on Saturday, October 11, will be dedicated to the Serbs in Kosovo, thus extending support for them.

Petkovic also accused outgoing Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, of “being in the midst of scandal”, referring to some Albanian media reports, that Rasic allegedly misused the money of his ministry and was taking percentage from the projects.

Displaced and socially vulnerable people in buildings in Leposavic without electricity for two months (KiM radio, KoSSev)

Tenants of the building intended for social categories and displaced persons in Leposavic, where 21 families live, have been without electricity for almost two months, reported KoSSev.

At the end of August, the deputy mayor of the Leposavic municipality, Marina Bogojevic, reported about the problem, saying that among the tenants are small children, the elderly and sick people who, as she said, need electricity for basic life needs. Almost two months later, Bogojevic spoke again.

Despite her appeals, she claims no concrete reactions from the authorities arrived, with the explanation that the building is "illegal". Now, she is looking for an urgent reaction from Elektrosever, KEK and representatives in Pristina.

Several citizens of the municipality of Leposavic complained to the municipal management about unrealistic bills and announced power cuts from the Elektrosever company. The deputy mayor of Leposavic municipality, Marina Bogojevic, told KoSSev at the end of August that the tenants of three buildings in Lesak, who moved in two years ago, received unrealistic bills or did not receive them at all, while the debt of some families exceeds 1,000 euros.

She added similar problems existed in other buildings and houses, including the case of a mother and child who received a bill of 2,200 euros. The buildings for displaced persons, which were recently moved in, did not receive electricity because Elektrosever required the registration of the building, although identical buildings, as he claims, were connected two years ago. Bogojevic told KoSSev that an office for 'citizens' problems' was opened in the municipality and that a lawyer was hired for electricity issues.

Then she asked the question: how come the other buildings, as many as nine of them, and the first identical building from this category, were already connected almost two years ago? They are illegal, but bright! According to Bogojevic's opinion, it is about 'political obstruction', in which individuals, as she stated, play with people's lives and sufferings for political points. She added that a similar situation is happening with water supply, because residents still have restrictions in October.

"These people are not looking for privileges - they are only looking for the basic conditions for life," emphasized Bogojevic for KoSSev.

The editorial office of KoSSev contacted Elektrosever for a comment, which replied that it would respond today.

Arsenijevic: If this did not happen to me, I would be last person to leave Kosovo voluntarily (Radio Kontakt plus, Alternativna.com)

Serbian Democracy leader Aleksandar Arsenijevic told Radio Kontakt plus in case he wins elections due on October 12, he will return to Kosovo. “When I am elected mayor, at that very moment I will cross Jarinje and go to Mitrovica, let them arrest me, whatever. And I am certain that one mayor without valid evidence, with the very little they have, will not be kept in prison”, Arsenijevic said. He added he believes there is “no legal evidence” against him and that is why the indictment has not been raised yet. “That is why they are not bringing up indictment, they only exert political pressure”, he assessed.

Arsenijevic, who spent the last three months outside of Kosovo and is currently staying at Jarinje crossing point, said he decided to run for mayor of Mitrovica North because he felt support from his own people.

“The aim was to remove me from politics”

Speaking about the discovery of weapons cache at the open property he used, Arsenijevic claimed it was a politically motivated case. He said the statements of Kosovo Interior Minister Xhellal Svecla additionally worried him. “The very statement of Mr. Svecla the day after – if I cross over to Kosovo – that I will be immediately arrested, caused anxiety to me”, Arsenijevic said, adding that lawyers advised him not to return as he could spend “years in detention”.

Arsenijevic once again denied that weapons found belonged to him and argued that the search was conducted illegally. “They lied that EULEX was present – they were not present. If institutions wanted to work their job and if one could trust them, they would certainly point direction to someone else”, he said.

He also said the prosecution does not allow him to defend, because they are not raising an indictment. “We proposed witnesses, they offered a bargain plea. Why to confess? What to confess? Something I have nothing to do with?”, he emphasized.

He added his defense team was offered a bargain plea including mitigating circumstances. “That would envisage a punishment below minimum, perhaps even financial or suspended sentence. But I decided not to take that step, although that would certainly bring me back home. I do not want to create precedents in this manner”, he said.

Djurdjevic: One crossing entry for Serbian goods more political than security measure (Kosovo Online)

Nenad Djurdjevic, the adviser to the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, told Kosovo Online increase in price of transporting goods is a direct consequence of the fact that for a year the entry of Serbian goods into Kosovo has been allowed only through one crossing, and that this complicates and makes life more expensive for everyone in the economic chain, including citizens. The Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, he notes, has repeatedly appealed the change of this matter.

He believes that there is essentially no reason for such a measure and that it is more political than security.

Due to the decision of the authorities in Pristina on October 7, 2024, that Serbian goods can enter only through Merdare crossing, the damage, as Djurdjevic says, is great, but it is certainly less than when the blockade was complete.

"The very fact that passage through only one crossing is allowed complicates business for companies, drivers and trucks, because long queues are created at the entrance to Kosovo. What is a direct consequence of this is that you have an increase in the price of transporting goods, because drivers do not want to drive at certain prices, since they stay longer, they can make fewer rounds, and also because the conditions at that crossing are not adequate for long waits," Djurdjevic points out.

The reason for the introduction of such a measure was the acquisition of scanners that would ensure better control of the entry of goods at all crossings, as a kind of anti-terrorist, that is, security measure.

"However, until now we really had communication between our customs authorities and companies with the customs authorities of Kosovo at all crossings without any problems. Such a measure is somehow more political, to reduce the possibility of the flow of goods from Serbia to Kosovo, than it really corresponds to those measures of the fight against terrorism. What we should also keep in mind is that Kosovo Customs was set up according to international principles, it was set up by the international community when they started building technical institutions in Kosovo and it is one of the most equipped services and they are very professional. So, if we were to really get into those procedural matters, there is no reason for such a single measure," Djurdjevic assesses.

He points out that this practice violates both the CEFTA agreement and the spirit and ideas that were started within the Berlin process, aimed at enabling better communication and integration and creating a common market in the Western Balkans.

"There is an action plan adopted by the governments, including the Government of Kosovo and the Government of Serbia, which includes many measures to facilitate communication and the transition of customs, i.e. control. If we take all that into account, we are taking many steps backwards with this one measure, not to mention how it affects the trust between the two communities. The business community has trust, but it complicates, increases the price of goods, and makes the import of goods more expensive for Kosovo companies, because Kosovo companies also import raw materials from Serbia, import grain, which is then processed, processed and released to the market, so it makes life more complicated and expensive for everyone in the economic chain, including the citizens at the end," he points out.

He emphasizes that the governments committed to the implementation of the action plan, not the business communities.

"I am appealing for the action plan to come to life as part of the Berlin process. The business communities didn’t commit to it but the governments on behalf of their business communities, and for the account of those communities and their citizens. We will see if our appeal, and the international framework in general, will help to change things and to open all the crossings," concludes Djurdjevic.

International

Imminent end to Kosovo deal on Serbs’ diplomas a fresh blow to integration (BIRN)

The Serb-run University of North Mitrovica has been in limbo for more than two decades; now, efforts to integrate Serbs face a fresh setback with the imminent end to a diploma verification deal with Pristina.

A mechanism for the verification of diplomas issued by a Serb-run university in northern Kosovo is at risk of expiring, in a fresh blow to efforts to integrate Serbs in the majority-Albanian country.

For a decade, working through the NGO European Centre for Minority Issues, ECMI, a government commission has verified diplomas obtained by students at the University of North Mitrovica, which is not formally recognised by Kosovo.

The idea was to facilitate the recruitment of Serbs into public sector jobs in Kosovo, a former Serbian province of some 1.6 million people, roughly 90 per cent of them ethnic Albanians.

The commission’s current mandate runs out on October 15, however; it was last extended for only two months, rather than the usual six.

“The reduction of the last mandate from six months to two months is a signal from the government that it is not interested in continuing a process that fails to resolve the university’s status but maintains the status quo,” said a government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.