Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Kosovo and US united in interests, moving toward shared goals (media)
• Kurti meets Congressman Torres, stresses commitment to EU and NATO (media)
• Citaku: Kurti severely jeopardizing relations with US for a handful of votes (media)
• James Covey begins testimony at the Specialist Chambers (media)
• Serb parties complain of blackmail by Serbian List; case reported to police (Koha)
• Protesters call for release of former Kosovo policeman held in Serbia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

 

• CEC decided on the appointment of members of electoral committees in local elections (KiM radio)
• Indiscriminate application would facilitate the implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo (KiM radio)
• Odalovic: Serbs in Kosovo must show a high degree of unity in the elections on October 12th (Tanjug)
• CI "New Face - People's Justice'' issued a denial regarding Nemanja Bisevac's allegations (KoSSev)

Opinion:

• Kosovo heading into a new cycle of change (KoSSev)

International:

• Ibrahim Rugova, man of letters who led Kosovo’s independence struggle (BIRN)
• Online but secret: The lack of transparency in Kosovo political parties’ social media campaigns (PI)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Kosovo and US united in interests, moving toward shared goals (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that during his stay in New York he took part in a discussion organized by the Hudson Institute on the topic “The growing Kosovo-U.S. partnership in defense and development”. Present at the discussion were President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hudson Institute, John Walters, along with senior fellows of the Institute from the Center for Europe and Eurasia and the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East.

Kurti said he focused his remarks “on two areas of central importance: defense cooperation and development collaboration. But before turning to current policy, it is important to recall the foundations of our alignment. In 1999, NATO launched Operation Allied Force to halt mass atrocities and genocide carried out by the Milošević regime in Kosova. Over 78 days, NATO conducted more than 38,000 sorties, compelling the withdrawal of Serbian forces and creating the conditions for international administration and Kosova’s democratic transition. For our people, this was liberation — the decisive moment when the path to freedom opened. NATO is part of Kosova’s political DNA. Those atrocities were visible to the world. Images of massacres, burned villages, and mass expulsions could not be denied. Nearly one million Albanians were expelled from Kosova, and the brutality was broadcast as it unfolded. This visibility galvanized NATO’s decision to act — for Europe’s stability and out of moral responsibility. The United States led this act of responsibility, supported across party lines: President Bill Clinton in 1999, and later President George W. Bush in 2007, when he declared U.S. support for Kosova’s independence”.

“Kosova today is not simply a post-conflict state under NATO protection. It is a trusted ally and a security contributor. Over the past four years, more than one thousand members of the Kosova Security Force have trained in U.S. programs, including West Point and the U.S. Army War College. In 2021, a KSF unit deployed alongside the Iowa National Guard in Kuwait under Operation Inherent Resolve — our first international peacekeeping mission. We have hosted three consecutive editions of Defender Europe, most recently with the 28th Infantry Division headquartered in Kosova”.

“Our defense spending reflects this transformation. We have quadrupled our defense budget during our term, with almost all of the additional budget going to new systems. Among these acquisitions are Javelin anti-tank systems, UAVs, ASVs, as well as a complete restocking of our military with new small arms, and discussions are ongoing for acquisition of Black Hawk helicopters. We have also signed the Agreement on the Protection of Classified Information and CISMOA, becoming the 33rd country globally with this trusted status. Our cooperation extends to supporting Ukraine: we have trained Ukrainian personnel, donated equipment, joined Operation Interflex in the UK, and imposed sanctions against Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Hezbollah”.

“Defense is only one part of the story. Our partnership is built on three pillars: diplomacy, defense, and development. On diplomacy, we occasionally face differences, especially regarding Serbia and the illegal structures it maintains in Kosova. But these differences are about tactics and operations, not about values or strategic goals. On those we are fully aligned. On development, the progress is equally significant”.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/234cesn3

Kurti meets Congressman Torres, stresses commitment to EU and NATO (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, met in Washington with U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres, a member of the Democratic Party. The caretaker government announced that Kurti thanked Congressman Torres for his outspoken and vocal support for Kosovo. He informed him about the economic and democratic progress achieved in recent years, as well as the latest developments in Kosovo and the region.

During the meeting, Kurti emphasized Kosovo’s unwavering aspiration for integration into the European Union and NATO, as strategic orientation and goals of Kosovo. Additionally, according to the statement, Kurti highlighted major investment plans, including the Pristina–Durres railway project, the rapid development of the technology sector, and opportunities for American companies to collaborate and invest in Kosovo.

Citaku: Kurti is severely jeopardizing relations with U.S. for a handful of votes (media)

The Secretary of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, has accused the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, of severely endangering Kosovo's relationship with its main ally, the United States of America. Citaku stated that Kurti is attempting to manipulate public opinion for the sake of a handful of votes. "From a trip to the U.S., he comes back and makes statements like a mediocre and irresponsible analyst of U.S. foreign policy, damaging Kosovo’s image and national interest," she said.

She also shared a statement from the U.S. Department of State regarding the suspension of the Strategic Dialogue. "The decision to suspend the Strategic Dialogue is entirely based on the actions of Kosovo’s caretaker government. Any suggestion that this is related to Serbia or other external actors is inaccurate and an attempt to deflect from the core issues involved," reads statement of the State Department.

James Covey begins testimony at the Specialist Chambers (media)

The next witness, U.S. citizen James P. Covey, has begun his testimony at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC). His testimony is expected to last two to three days.

James P. Covey, also known as Jock Covey, previously served as the Principal Deputy to the U.S. Special Representative, with responsibilities in the fields of foreign policy and diplomacy. Covey served as Principal Deputy in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 1999 to 2001 and also assisted the French diplomat Bernard Kouchner.

Betimi per Drejtesi quotes Covey as saying that the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) did not treat Thaci after the war as a commander. “I speak on behalf of UNMIK. UNMIK did not treat him as a commander [of the Kosovo Liberation Army],” he said.

Covey was also asked about the time when the conflict between the KLA and Serbian forces ended. “According to us, the conflict ended with the agreement that Serbs would withdraw, which I think was signed on June 20. I cannot remember exactly but there is a document. The implementation of that document officially ended the conflict,” he said.

Covey also denied that after that date they had any information about an armed confrontation between the parties.

Indeksonline quotes Covey as saying that the KLA was more of a movement than an army and that it had no central command. Recalling a meeting with zone commanders to discuss a disarmament agreement, Covey said that he noticed there that Thaci’s relation with the zone commanders was “complicated”. “Mr. Thaci did not have an important relation with this troop of commanders on the ground and it was highly unlikely for them to ask for his instructions, let alone his orders, or to report to him on their activities,” he said.

Serb parties complain of blackmail by Serbian List; case reported to police (Koha)

Two Serb political parties have complained that their candidates are being pressured by members of the Serbian List. A member of the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival and a member of the Serb National Movement held a three-day hunger strike after they were fired from their jobs with the parallel municipality in Kamenica. They accused the Serbian List and the mayor of Novobrdo from this party, Sasa Milosevic, who is also the mayor of the Serbian-run parallel municipality of Gjilan, for the decision. 

After ending their strike on Saturday, SNP candidate Ivan Petrovic told Koha that he reported the case to the Kosovo Police and said that he will also hold a protest in Serbia. “Along with some of the workers we have been fired from our jobs, because we became members of election lists of Serb opposition parties. Two of us went on a hunger strike in Ranillug which lasted for three days. Our demands to return us to work and to pay our salaries have not been met. We will continue with other means of protest too. We will protest wherever we believe that our demands will be met, to the institutions in Belgrade and other places too … We gave our statements to the [Kosovo] police station in Ranillug before we began our hunger strike,” Petrovic said.

The US Embassy in Pristina, in a statement to Serb media, said that the race between political parties must not be obstructed. “We are concerned by every effort to limit the competition between political parties and to prevent Kosovo citizens from electing their representatives. All citizens of Kosovo – regardless of whether they are Serb, Albanian or from another group – regardless of their political affiliations, must have the opportunity to fully take part in the political and civic life in Kosovo,” the statement notes.

Leader of the Serb National Movement, Branimir Stojanovic, said that Kosovo’s institutions have continuously ignored the crime and blackmail in Serb-majority municipalities. “What Ivan Petrovic did was he directly said who, how and why he was fired from work … He was very specific: he said I was removed from work for this reason, he showed the decision and named the people who did it. What else can people like Ivan Petrovic or Ristic do? They will do everything they can. And whether the rest will do something about this, this is a question for them, not for us,” Stojanovic said.

Protesters call for release of former Kosovo policeman held in Serbia (media)

“Freedom is a right, not a privilege”, “Arbnor Spahiu is not alone, we are all with him”, were some of the calls during today’s protest in downtown Pristina calling on local and international institutions to react in the case of former Kosovo Police officer Arbnor Spahiu who is being held in detention in Serbia since June this year. Ekonomia Online reports that one of Spahiu’s cousins criticized Kosovo’s institutions for remaining silent to his arrest. “We have come here today united by the pain and concern and to demand justice for Arbnor. Arbnor is innocent and he is being held unjustly in jail. This is the fourth month of this injustice, four very difficult months for Arbnor who used to serve his country with dignity. A call for justice to be served and we call on state institutions not to remain silent. Their silence is proof of failure. His family have met Arbnor, his physical condition is good but he is in a very bad emotional state,” the cousin said. Indeksonline quotes Arbnor’s father as saying that his son left the police force in November whereas Serbian authorities are charging him about the fight in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September 2023. “He travelled [through Serbia] even before and he was not stopped,” he said.

Serbian Language Media 

CEC decided on the appointment of members of electoral committees in local elections (KiM radio)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) decided on the appointment of members of regular electoral committees, conditional electoral committees, as well as reserve members for local elections 12 October, reported KiM radio yesterday citing Ekonomia online.

The head of the Council for Electoral Operations, Arianit Elshani, stated that "only three municipalities have 6 members each, while the other have five members of the electoral committees each".

Two members of the Self-Determination Movement spoke out against this decision. Alban Krasniqi said that they were against it in every case where the Serbian List was involved.

"We were against it from the very beginning. We were prevented from deciding on voting for such a list. Based on the arguments we presented and which we still adhere to, we stand by our position," he declared.

According to the decision of the CEC, a total of 14,305 members were appointed, 2,571 for regular polling stations and 54 for conditional polling stations, while an additional 1,200 members will be in reserve.

In accordance with the Law on General Elections, the electoral committee is responsible for ensuring integrity, security and peace during the process of voting and counting votes at the polling station, under the direct supervision of the Municipal Election Commission.

The election process will be organized in 948 polling centers with a total of 2,625 polling stations, of which 910 centers for regular voting with 2,571 polling stations and 38 conditional voting centers with a total of 54 polling stations.

On the last item on the agenda, the CEC decided to adopt a standard operating procedure regarding the rights and obligations of accredited observers in the 2025 Local Elections.

Indiscriminate application would facilitate the implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo (KiM radio) 

NGO Aktiv, in cooperation with the Office of the CoE in Pristina, the media and non-governmental organizations, presented the "Report on the use of languages in Kosovo: Monitoring of the implementation of the law in institutions" and once again pointed out serious and long-term violations of the Law on the use of languages in Kosovo, reported KiM radio yesterday. 

Executive Director of NGO Aktiv Miodrag Milicevic pointed out during the presentation of the report that the document does not bring new knowledge but confirms the existing situation - inconsistent application of the law, poor communication between institutions and citizens and inadequate availability of information in the languages of minority communities in Kosovo.

"However, what stood out was a very small sample. At only nine institutions that were monitored, numerous problems and inconsistencies were recognized, not only in terms of translation quality, but also one-sided communication, so a very poor feedback process of communication with citizens. Of all the institutions we approached, only half actually communicated with us officially, providing us with the necessary information," he said.

Although it was not initially planned, the authors of the report also obtained data regarding the employment quota for members of non-majority communities.

"That percentage is far below the legally stipulated, which is below 10 percent. Therefore, the Constitution and the Law on the Use of Language are absolutely being violated at all levels. The real question is why such problems have been repeated for years and how can we influence the key holders of power to change such things," said Milicevic.

He emphasized that the most important recommendation of the report presented yesterday, and the only right path is the indiscriminate application of the law (on the use of language), and that all other recommendations "represent only a reminder of existing obligations".

Hennessy: Law on Language use is not bureaucracy

The Head of the Council of Europe (CoE) Office in Pristina, Mary Anne Hennessy, said that her institution is committed to strengthening institutional capacities, ensuring respect for community rights at all levels, as well as respect for Council of Europe documents. She added that the CE Convention on National Minorities is a basic agreement, constitutional right and obligation of Kosovo, regardless of the fact that it is not a member of this organization.

Speaking about the CE's preliminary report on language use at the local level, she said that some of their recommendations "require an immediate response".

"The committee made 13 recommendations, three of which require an immediate response. One of the recommendations is to improve the enforcement of the law on the use of language. In these findings, the committee estimates that the enforcement of the law is still insufficient," said Hennessy.

She then mentioned the obstacles that the Council of Europe has noticed in the last year.

"First, the Language Policy Network (LPN), which should help municipalities implement the law - is not functioning as it should. Many officials do not even know what it is and what their role should be. Some municipalities have not even appointed focal points and those who have been appointed have too much work and not enough support," she stated.

Hennessey added that the websites of the municipalities are "the best way for citizens to get information", but that "many municipalities do not publish documents in all official languages or if they do, they do it late".

"Sometimes the translations are of poor quality, or it is difficult to use websites. This leaves many citizens on the sidelines, unable to access that important information. Lack of translators - simply, we don't have enough translators and the number is decreasing. Young people speak Albanian and Serbian less and less, which makes the problem more complicated," she said.

Hennessy emphasized that it was also observed that the signs were often vandalized, and that road signs in both official languages were being destroyed.

She emphasized that language rights are basic human rights and vitally important for the respect of other basic rights.

"The law on the use of language and the accompanying administrative instructions are not bureaucracy but democracy, inclusiveness and respect. When a citizen cannot read a publication in his language or cannot access a service - then that is exclusion," she said.

Hennessey believes that greater involvement of institutions, an increase in the number of translators and communication at multiple levels are necessary. This, as she said, would affect not only the implementation of the law, but would promote inclusion and strengthen Kosovo's democracy, making life better for all people.

Odalovic: Serbs in Kosovo must show a high degree of unity in the elections on October 12th (Tanjug) 

Head of the Serbian Government Commission for Missing Persons, Veljko Odalovic, said today that Serbs in Kosovo must demonstrate a high degree of unity in the local elections on October 12, in order to secure a majority that will be a good basis for the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

Odalovic told Tanjug that these elections are important so that some institutions, especially in the north of Kosovo, would return to the hands of Serb representatives, that is, so that local governance of the areas where Serbs live would be theirs.

He noted that this may be the last moment for Serbs to establish an institutional bulwark, given that Serbs are not present in the police, judiciary, local administration or any other significant institution where they could influence anything that directly affects their future and survival in Kosovo. 

He stated that 12 lists of Serbs will participate in the elections and opined that Pristina is afraid of Serbian unity because if the Serb response were once again unified and if the Serbian List were once again identified as someone who promotes Serbian unity in the most transparent way, Pristina would have a problem with what to do next.

Odalovic also opined that in the long run, it would also be good for Albanians to have Serbs who represent Serbs and to talk to them, build bridges of trust and a common future because, as he pointed out, Kosovo without Serbs and Kosovo with Serbs who do not represent Serbs is not a future for Albanians either.

CI "New Face - People's Justice'' issued a denial regarding Nemanja Bisevac's allegations (KoSSev)

After the announcement by the member of the presidency of the Serbian List and candidate for councilor in the upcoming local elections, Nemanja Bisevac, in which he accused the member of parliament in the Serbian Parliament, Milos Parandilovic, that by coming to Kosovo and supporting the initiative "New Face - People's Justice" he was allegedly working in favor of Albin Kurti and trying to bring division among the Serbs in Kosovo, Grozdan Bisevac from the Citizen's initiative "New Face - People’s Justice" from Zubin Potok and sent a public denial to the allegations made by Bisevac yesterday.

KoSSev published the denial:

''Mr. Nemanja, you remained vague yesterday with your statement criticizing Mr. Parandilovic. To criticize someone, you should praise some of your work. Did you mean to say that you are proud of the appearance of the north of Kosovo? Or maybe you are proud of your promises to preserve all Serbian institutions in Kosovo? What would you praise about?

Parandilovic did not come to divide the Serbs, but to save them from the camps of the Serbian List. We do not consider political opponents as enemies as you do. We respect different opinions. A difference in ideas does not mean a conflict in humanity. We do not agree with the politics of hatred and division that you lead. We are extracting the brave men whom you blackmailed and fraudulently enslaved. You participated in the attitude of blackmailing, enslaving and disenfranchising our brave people - those who remained loyal to their religion and their country. We from the New Face of Serbia and the New Face - People's Justice, walk freely everywhere, unlike you from the Serbian List, who "because of your great deeds" are not even allowed to go outside your houses. 

We extend friendships to all good people and do not discriminate based on religious affiliation. While you only spread hatred and sow the seeds of evil wherever you appear. To the New Face of Serbia and the New Face - People's Justice, it is an honor to be in the service of the people, not the powerful. And finally, let's define the situation in the north of Kosovo in which the Serbs find themselves thanks to you,'' read the denial among other things, reported KoSSev. 

Opinion

Kosovo heading into a new cycle of change (KoSSev)

By Ilir Deda

“Dear Sasa,

Reading the latest results of the International Republican Institute’s survey for the Western Balkans, I was pleasantly surprised to see that our citizens are not falling prey to toxic day-to-day politics.

Nearly two-thirds are preoccupied with socio-economic conditions — something today’s outgoing government still fails to grasp — while half are ready for a complete political break with the existing parties. This is both a crisis of political supply and at the same time a potential opportunity as well as a risk.

Citizens of Kosovo are expressing serious dissatisfaction with the performance of Kurti’s government and with the country’s political direction. At the heart of their message is a clear call for change and a search for new political leadership.

According to the survey, when asked “What does the country need most right now?” 56% of respondents chose change.

Most citizens believe the country particularly needs economic change and a change of leadership, which together dominate the rankings at 82 percent.”

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

International

Ibrahim Rugova, man of letters who led Kosovo’s independence struggle (BIRN)

From the BIRN archives: After the death of Kosovo Albanian political leader Ibrahim Rugova in 2006, Marcus Tanner examined how his “raffish, Bohemian” image concealed a canny operator with a keen political instinct.

With his trademark silk scarf coiled around his scrawny neck, a thin column of blue smoke wafting its way from the ever-present cigarette in his nicotine-stained hand, Ibrahim Rugova was for years a deeply familiar, though enigmatic, figure to journalists and diplomats visiting Kosovo.

Frequently dismissed as yesterday's man, above all when he shook hands and smiled at the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic at the height of Serbia's armed campaign in Kosovo, he consistently outsmarted his foes before cancer brought him down. Death overtook him just before the start of the internationally brokered talks that will seal the future of the territory whose independence he championed for so long.

In reality, he had already ceased to control day-to-day affairs in Kosovo, preferring to leave matters to the younger lieutenants of his Democratic League of Kosovo while he met and greeted foreign visitors, often presenting them with items from his treasured collection of mineral rocks.

Partly, this was because his real job was done. A quiet man who doggedly pursued the cause of non-violent struggle for independence from Belgrade, his often unpopular strategy had been finally vindicated when NATO did the job for him in 1999, forcing Serbia to evacuate the province it called Serbia’s “cradle” and so paving the way for its eventual self-determination.

The rise of Ibrahim Rugova to the status of “father of the nation” could hardly have been foreseen when he was born in the traumatic last months of the Second World War on 2 December 1944, near Istog, in western Kosovo.

The execution of his father, Uke, and grandfather, on 10 January 1945 by Yugoslav Partisan forces ensured the young Rugova would grow up deeply distrustful of the communist regime.

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

Online but secret: The lack of transparency in Kosovo political parties’ social media campaigns (PI)

Political parties in Kosovo are increasingly using social networks and online media to spread campaign messages in the run-up to local elections, but questions remain about the lack of transparency in labeling sponsored content and properly declaring online campaign expenses.

To some, the campaign for Kosovo’s October 12 local elections started much earlier.

Many of the candidates running for municipal mayor in Kosovo began campaigning as early as spring, with activities intensifying in June and reaching their peak in mid-August. Their efforts ranged from in-person meetings to heavy use of online channels, where social media and digital media outlets play a central role.

Social networks have become the main tool for candidates targeting specific audiences, because they offer what many see as the most effective way to reach citizens. However, concerns persist as not all sponsored content is clearly labeled, raising doubts over compliance with transparency standards.

An investigation by BIRN into online campaign coverage across three media outlets, that analyzed one local and two Prishtina-based national media, looked at the period from September 12 to 22, starting a day before official campaigns were launched.

Disparities in media coverage in the surveyed outlets were evident. In some cases, one political party received coverage in as many as 24 articles with electoral content without sponsorship labels, while another party received no mention.

What remains problematic is the absence of an effective oversight mechanism for monitoring sponsored content in online media.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4cuspk9p