Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 14 deaths, 259 new cases (media)
• Kurti: We’ve nothing to hide; we were under international administration (EO)
• Kusari-Lila comments on eventual postponement of local elections (Koha)
• Gashi: Elections cannot be cancelled, the campaign can (Kosovapress)
• Kurti, Vitia attend inauguration of Children’s Hospital (Indeksonline)
• Indictment filed against ex-mayor of Leposavic and 14 other persons (media)
• Kosovo Minister attends Western Balkans Rail Summit in Belgrade (media)
• Experts: Russia has toughened its engagement against Kosovo statehood (VOA)

Serbian Language Media:

• "The Balkans will miss Angela Merkel" (DW, B92)
• Kosovo President rejects Community of Serb Municipalities (N1, KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Irresponsible messages from Pristina are a new stumbling block (RTS)
• YIHR: Citizens must know the content of the agreement on opening secret archives between Serbia and Kosovo (Danas, NMagazin)
• What message does Angela Merkel's visit send? (B92, RTS)
• Trajkovic: If Merkel had not supported Vucic, the Balkans would have been more stable today (Kosovo Online)
• Another house in Orahovac broken into (KiM radio)
• Milena Popovic: Court postpones my testimony (Danas, Beta)
• Vucic: Djukanovic wants Montenegro without Serbs (AlJazeera, B92, Tanjug)

International:

• Merkel To Visit Serbia On Farewell Trip To Balkans (RFE)
• Fassino: EU must immediately send out positive signals to the Western Balkans (EWB)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  COVID-19: 14 deaths, 259 new cases (media)

14 deaths from COVID-19 and 259 new cases have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 870 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 17,000 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Kurti: We’ve nothing to hide; we were under international administration (EO)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has supported the idea of opening the archives of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the news website reports. Asked to comment on the issue, Kurti told Ekonomia Online today that this would help resolve the fates of missing persons and that archives in Belgrade must be opened as soon as possible. “We have the archives of our state which include those during the fight of the KLA and we are very transparent. We need to resolve the fates of missing persons and for this we need the archives in Belgrade to be opened because the killings and the massacres were not committed by Serbian citizens but by the state of Serbia in organised fashion and these are all in Serbia’s archives and they need to be opened as soon as possible,” Kurti said.

Kurti argued that Kosovo has nothing to hide because since the end of the war it was under international administration. “Kosovo, as you know, since 1999 was under international administration. No other country is more transparent than Kosovo. Serbia is the one that needs to open because the four wars that Serbia caused, the genocide in Bosnia and Kosovo, the truth needs to be revealed and those who gave the orders must be known,” he said.

Kurti said that the opening of archives needs to be raised in international forums too. “The opening of archives must be our key message in every international forum,” he said.

Kusari-Lila comments on eventual postponement of local elections (Koha)

Mimoza Kusari-Lila, acting head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, said today that they will be in agreement with all other parties on the possibility of postponing the October local elections. She said Vetevendosje does not insist on any specific option and that the people’s health is the most important. “Our position is that there needs to be a consensual decision by all parties. We don’t insist on any option. It is important to think about public health and in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Public Health to have a campaign if the current date for elections will remain in force. But as a parliamentary group of Vetevendosje we agree and are in line with other parties that will take part in the local elections,” Kusari-Lila said.

Gashi: Elections cannot be cancelled, the campaign can (Kosovapress)

Arben Gashi, head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group, said today that they will attend the meeting called by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani. He said after the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency that the campaign for the upcoming local elections in October can be cancelled or new criteria can be set, but that the elections cannot be cancelled. “The campaign can be cancelled, other criteria can be introduced, but the election process cannot be cancelled. The LDK believes that the elections must take place and should not be postponed,” Gashi said.

Kurti, Vitia attend inauguration of Children’s Hospital (Indeksonline)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti who attended the inauguration of a Children’s Hospital, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, said that the government has pledged to improve the quality and security of healthcare services. “We are grateful to you for this precious contribution in the area of healthcare. In addition to an investment in our healthcare infrastructure, this project is also an investment in the children, the future of our country. It is of paramount importance that we take care of them. Almost all our priorities are linked with children. This hospital will help improve the lives of children and is concrete evidence of our friendship with the Emirates. The institutions and people of Kosovo are grateful to you. The consideration that we show to the children today speaks about the future that our state and society will have in the future,” Kurti said.

Healthcare Minister Arben Vitia said the inauguration of the hospital marks an important day for the health of Kosovo’s children and that the hospital is the most modern facility of its kind in the region amounting to €22 million. “This is a major contribution and will be a symbol of the friendship between our countries. This hospital will help improve the quality of services for the children,” he said. Vitia also called for the vaccination of children over 12 and pregnant women against COVID-19.

Indictment filed against ex-mayor of Leposavic and 14 other persons (media)

All media outlets report that the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo filed an indictment against 15 persons today. The former mayor of Leposavic municipality, nine municipal officials and five owners of private businesses are charged with organised crime and abuse of duty.

Kosovo Minister attends Western Balkans Rail Summit in Belgrade (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, is staying in Belgrade where he will attend the Western Balkans Rail Summit. Hysen Durmishi, Aliu’s deputy, told Kosovapress news agency that “the Western Balkans Rail Summit is being held in Belgrade and Kosovo is attending. Kosovo is represented by the Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu”. Asked about the eventual signing of an agreement together with the other five ministers from the region, Durmishi said that there are only discussions about the railways.

Experts: Russia has toughened its engagement against Kosovo statehood (VOA)

Lulzim Peci, head of the Prishtina-based Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED), said in an interview with VOA that Kosovo, in coordination with its Western partners, should prepare for the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly to avoid any withdrawal of any recognition of its independence under the influence of Russia, Serbia’s old ally.

A study by KIPRED showed that Russia has intensified its commitment against Kosovo's statehood. Peci, the author of the study that analyzes public statements, press conferences, articles and other documents published by Russian foreign policy, from June 1 to August 15 this year, said that the analysis clearly shows a continued intention to attack the foundations of Kosovo's statehood and also the West’s engagement in Kosovo and the region.

“Russia is first of all interested in denigrating the statehood and sovereignty of Kosovo, as well as its legitimacy and legality, and this is the main point of the Russian war against Kosovo. Secondly, Russia tries to present Kosovo as a country which oppresses its minorities, in this case especially the Serb community and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The third component has to do with hitting the foundations of Kosovo's state-building, trying to present it as a country, where crime, corruption and smuggling,” he said.

Peci said that during this period of time, the articles of some media of Russian origin were analyzed, which published about 500 news related to Kosovo, over 19 percent of which contained misinformation.

Russia's diplomatic war against Kosovo, he says, has deepened since the signing of the first agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in April 2013, when in June of the same year Russia signed a strategic partnership with Serbia.

     

Serbian Language Media

  "The Balkans will miss Angela Merkel" (DW, B92)

"Merkel represents a policy in the Balkans that puts the interests of the German economy and stability above democracy," the dpa agency estimates.

Handelsblatt writes that the region will still regret it when Merkel retires.

"At the end of the mandate, the federal chancellor travels to the part of Europe that the West has neglected lately. Many are wondering if this is just a farewell tour - or does Merkel want more?", writes the analysis of the leading German agency dpa.

Merkel is on a bilateral visit to Belgrade on Monday, and after that she will go to Tirana, where she will meet with all the heads of state or government of the Western Balkans.

Official Berlin stated that the visit was dedicated to "regional cooperation". "It is more than a cautious description of the mountain of problems that has accumulated over the years in Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

German diplomats in the region say the chancellor wants to take more care of the states at the end of her term. "Western Balkans, maybe set a couple of roadmaps for the next German government," writes dpa.

The elections in Germany are on September 26, and after them, Angela Merkel is going to the long-announced political retirement. The visit to Serbia and Albania is one of her last trips abroad.

Dpa adds that officially Serbia and the neighborhood have a "European perspective", but that they have not advanced far. "There are shortcomings practically everywhere - in various forms: in the field of the rule of law, administrative expertise. Corruption and nepotism are flourishing. Independent media and critical civil society are under growing pressure. Authoritarian tendencies rule here and there."

Stating that neglecting the Balkans means that the region is becoming a kind of chessboard for the conflict between Russia, China and Turkey with the West, the agency writes that Chancellor Merkel enjoys a great reputation in the region. "Vucic, who is running his country more and more autocratically, is showering the chancellor with the highest praise. Other leading politicians in the region appreciate her expertise."

See more at:https://bit.ly/392D7Gk Kosovo President rejects Community of Serb Municipalities (N1, KoSSev)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani rejected the forming of the Community of Serb Municipalities, saying that the authorities in Pristina do not want a second Republika Srpska.

“We will not amend the constitution or allow any kind of union of towns and communities which could create a mono-ethnic power structure in our country. That is not in our interest nor in the interest of the region or our allies,” she told German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung prior to a visit to Berlin later this week.

She is quoted as categorically rejecting the possibility of changes to the constitution to implement the agreement reached by Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.

“Allowing a Serb association of towns and municipalities in Kosovo would be just a prelude for Serbia to a second Republika Srpska. We do not want a non-functional state like Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Osmani said.

See at:https://bit.ly/3lAdRx1 Petkovic: Irresponsible messages from Pristina are a new stumbling block (RTS)

Irresponsible messages coming again from politicians from Pristina that they will not form the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), are a new stumbling block in the process of normalization of relations with Belgrade, said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, Radio Television of Serbia reported. 

Petkovic said in a statement that Vjosa Osmani's statement that there could be no monoethnic creation like the ZSO  was in fact a message that the Brussels Agreement did not apply to Pristina, as it was signed eight years ago and as verified by the European Union with its authority.

"Anyone who sabotages the Brussels agreement directly sabotages every agreement between Belgrade and Pristina in the process of normalizing relations and seeking a compromise, because fulfilling the agreements reached so far is the basis for progress in dialogue and achieving sustainable compromise solutions," the statement said.

The statement added that Belgrade is a credible partner in fulfilling all its obligations from the dialogue, but also an interlocutor in cooperation in those domains that are above everyday politics and represent the heritage of civilization, such as the search for the missing.

"That is why it is good that after many years of intensive denial of Pristina that there are KLA archives, Albin Kurti finally admitted that those archives exist and that he is ready to open them. Only in this way will we achieve the long-awaited shift in shedding light on the fate of the 1,600 missing. We expect Vjosa Osmani to follow in his footsteps and admit that the formation of the ZSO is not her personal choice, but an obligation that was taken over by Pristina 3,069 days ago and which must be unilaterally implemented," the Office for KiM said in a statement.

YIHR: Citizens must know the content of the agreement on opening secret archives between Serbia and Kosovo (Danas, NMagazin)

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights Serbia (YIHR Serbia) and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo (YIHR Kosovo) demand that the negotiating teams of Belgrade and Pristina publish a document in Serbian and Albanian on the exchange or opening of secret archives as soon as possible, so the public, but above all,   the families of the missing were aware of the further steps in the search for the missing.

"Our two organizations demand that the Governments of Serbia and Kosovo, with the mediation of the EU, through one agreement determine the cooperation of all institutions in resolving the issue of missing persons from the Kosovo conflict, which would, among other things, clearly regulate and harmonize national regulations in order to find and open various archives," read the announcement of these organizations.

Such an agreement, they added, must have control mechanisms, which will be provided by the EU as a facilitator, as well as periodic reports on implementation.

"It is also necessary for the Governments of Serbia and Kosovo to initiate changes in the criminal code, as well as in the laws on missing persons, so that enforced disappearance becomes a special crime under the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to expedite the discovery of the missing and prosecute those who hide the information," YIHR Serbia and YIHR Kosovo stated.

What message does Angela Merkel's visit send? (B92, RTS)

Today, President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, will host the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, who is coming on an official visit to Serbia.

Germany is among the largest investors and is Serbia's most important foreign trade partner. In the past decade, German investments were 1.88 billion euros, and the trade exchange between the two countries reached 5.3 billion euros last year. German investments in Serbia are growing - in the first quarter of this year alone, they exceeded 46 million euros, RTS reports. The Chamber of Commerce says that even in the difficult conditions of the pandemic, the interest of German businessmen for new investments or expansion of business in our country is great.

"Germany is one of the largest investors in Serbia, close to 700 companies with majority and 100% German capital operate in our country. We will have large and important investments when it comes to the automotive industry, and we are talking about the most modern technologies, we will have new investments when it comes to the issue of development centers", says Marko Cadez, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

Financial analyst Branislav Jorgic points out that Angela Merkel's visit is primarily political, but that it is also an additional signal for German companies to invest in Serbia.

"These are a large number of investments, primarily high-tech ones that require the employment of trained and highly skilled personnel, with quite high salaries, which has a positive effect on the formation of our gross domestic product," Jorgic added. German employers have also transferred the German practice, insisting on dual education. "Our company invests in development here, but also helps in education. We are investing in the training of future employees, because we see potential for our staff here," states Rainer Becker, General Manager of MTU Serbia.

We mostly export parts for vehicles and machines, generators, insulators, raspberries and cleaning products to Germany. And on the list of the most sought-after imported products from the local market are diesel cars. The records of the Ministry of Finance show that more than 11.000 businessmen in Serbia do business with German partners. And the supplier network is expanding.

"Last week, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce presented the first online platform for networking suppliers, primarily with German companies, and suppliers from the entire region," Cadez emphasizes.

In addition to agricultural and food products, among the most promising sectors that can do well on the German market are the wood industry and furniture production.

See at:https://bit.ly/3E5cizk Trajkovic: If Merkel had not supported Vucic, the Balkans would have been more stable today (Kosovo Online)

The President of the European Movement of Kosovo, Rada Trajkovic said, on the eve of today's visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Serbia, that Merkel was "good at resolving crises, but bad at preventing them", cited portal Kosovo Online. 

Trajkovic wrote on Twitter that the Balkans would have been more stable today if Merkel had supported the "democratic government" in 2011 instead of bringing "a hard-liner" Vucic,  who made impossible promises about "resolving Kosovo".

"If Merkel had supported the democratic government in 2011 instead of bringing the 'hardliner' Vucic into Belgrade, who made impossible promises about 'resolving Kosovo', the Balkans would be a more stable place today. Merkel is good at resolving crises, but bad at preventing them," Trajkovic wrote.

Another house in Orahovac broken into (KiM radio)

The family house of Nebojsa Grkovic, a pensioner from Orahovac, was broken into on Friday.

The attack took place while Nebojsa and his wife were undergoing medical examinations and vaccinations outside Orahovac, and upon his return he found a broken house and scattered things.

This is the second attack in Orahovac in just two days.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: This incident is pressure on the remaining Serbs in Orahovac 

The Office for KiM noted that this incident must not be viewed as an isolated one, "but in the context of pressure on the remaining Serbs in Orahovac that they are not welcome here and that their existence is endangered".

"Given that there are security cameras on the road leading to Grkovic's house, we expect the perpetrators to be discovered and brought to justice as soon as possible," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said.

Milena Popovic: Court postpones my testimony (Danas, Beta)

The partner of the murdered Kosovo politician Oliver Ivanovic, Milena Popovic, stated today that she will not appear at the court hearings scheduled for September 14 and 17, because she did not receive a summons to testify.

Popovic told the Beta agency that the previous hearing at the trial for Ivanovic's murder, which was supposed to take place on September 1, and at which she was summoned, was postponed and that she was expecting an invitation for the next hearings.

"The trial for Oliver's murder continues tomorrow in the Basic Court in Pristina, but I do not have a date to testify, which is unbelievable. The website of the Court states that I did not appear on September 1, which is incorrect, because that hearing was canceled a few days earlier," said Popovic.

According to her, the Court stated that it could not contact her.

"Both the Court and the Prosecutor's Office have my address and telephone number, because we have already talked several times. My testimony is being postponed for some reason," Popovic pointed out.

Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic, who represents the accused at the trial for the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, confirmed for Beta that Milena Popovic is not on the list of witnesses for the next two hearings.

"Popovic is on the list of witnesses that the Prosecution plans to examine during the main trial. She was not summoned now because, as all defendants were informed, the Court was unable to contact her. Apparently, the problem is with the Court, because the delivery of the summons does not work well on the Pristina-Belgrade route," the lawyer explained.

Pantovic expects that Popovic will certainly be heard as a witness, at the end of September or in October.

Vucic: Djukanovic wants Montenegro without Serbs (AlJazeera, B92, Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commented on the statement made by the Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic that “Vucic would like Kosovo without Albanians and Montenegro without Montenegrins”. Vucic said that Djukanovic's subconscious is hiding behind that statement, because he is the one who wants Montenegro without Serbs, reported Tanjug. 

"I do not want, nor Kosovo without Albanians is possible, nor Montenegro without those who declare themselves as Montenegrins. That is impossible and it was never my goal," Vucic said in Kraljevo, answering questions from journalists.

As he says, behind that statement lies the subconscious of Milo Djukanovic, who wants and all he did, he did in order that there is a Montenegro without Serbs.

93 percent of Albanians live in Kosovo

"I want Montenegro in which Montenegrins, Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks and everyone else will live, only that everyone has the right to be what they are. Just don't use tricks… He wants to show that there is no Serbian Orthodox Church by creating the Montenegrin Orthodox Church… You just showed it with auto-projections that this is so," said the President of Serbia.

He reminded that 93 percent of Albanians live in Kosovo and reiterated that he did not understand how someone thought he wanted that nation not to be in Kosovo.

"You are inventing to hide your true intentions towards Serbs in Montenegro," Vucic said.

     

International 

  Merkel To Visit Serbia On Farewell Trip To Balkans (RFE)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to travel to Belgrade on September 13 to discuss political and economic cooperation and the EU integration process with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, as her long-lasting mandate as head of government comes to an end.

The next day, Merkel will head to neighboring Albania, where a meeting is planned with the prime ministers of Serbia and the six other Western Balkan states that are not members of the EU -- Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

See more at:https://bit.ly/2YHU5aO Fassino: EU must immediately send out positive signals to the Western Balkans (EWB)

Since last year, Piero Fassino has been the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, with Balkans being one of his focuses. His goal, as he stresses in the interview for our portal, has been to “patch up the torn fabric of trust between the EU and the Balkans”. Political realism, he says, means “taking up the difficulties and concerns of the other partners, and working tirelessly to achieve the goal”.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3z7tgcO