Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 85 new infections, five deaths (media)
• Borrell: Dialogue in Brussels, dealing with all open issues (RFE, media)
• Vucic and Hoti with a joint statement ahead of their meeting in Brussels (media)
• Thaci: Agreement in Washington, result of a two year process (media)
• EU’s position on the opening of Kosovo’s Embassy in Jerusalem (Express)
• Gucati: Someone wearing glasses and a hat, brought four thousand files of the Special Court to our offices (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Five new cases of Covid-19, three people recovered in Serbian communities (Kontakt plus radio) 
• Vucic: We harmonized the issues of the missing and displaced, opened the topic of the ZSO (Beta, N1)
• Borrell: It is not easy, we are here to find common positions (Tanjug, Kosovo Online) 
• Very good meeting with EU's Varhely, says Vucic (Beta)
• Palestine warned Serbia (media)
• Kommersant: There will be geopolitical consequences, Moscow warned Vucic (B92)
• Stano to daily Blic: Steps that would call into question the EU's position on Jerusalem represent serious concern
• Vucic informs Lavrov about his talks in Washington and Brussels (N1)
• Dacic: We have closed Zaharova's case, there is no doubt left concerning relations with Russia (media)
• Zakharova compares Vucic's meeting with Trump to scene from 'Basic Instinct' (media)
• Analyst: Belgrade - Pristina agreement is also a message from the US to the EU (N1)

Opinion:

• Serbia Must Choose Soon Between Despotism and Rational State (Balkan Insight)
• Milivojevic: Vucic criticizes those who advocate a frozen conflict, while also leading the same policy (KoSSev)
• Trump was Real Winner From Kosovo-Serbia Deal (Balkan Insight)
• Kosovo and Serbia Sort of Agree to Sort of Disagree (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Trump Says Balkan Rivals Serbia, Kosovo Agreed to Economic Deal (Bloomberg)
• Turkey ‘disappointed’ by Kosovo’s move to recognize Israel (The Times of Israel)
• Israeli ex-envoys blast deals with Kosovo, Serbia (jpost.com)
• Kosovo is a test of Israel’s moral character (jpost.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• QAnon Gets Foothold in Balkans, Claiming COVID-19 “Does Not Exist” (Balkan Insight)

   

Albanian Language Media

  COVID-19: 85 new infections, five deaths (media)

Kosovo's National Institute for Public Health announced today that of  432 samples tested over the 24-hour period,  85 have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, there have been five deaths and 97 recoveries reported over the same time period.

The highest number of new infections (15) is in the municipality of Prishtina.

There are currently 2,993 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Borrell: Dialogue in Brussels, dealing with all open issues (RFE, media)

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell, is already in the meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. The bilateral meetings will be preceded by a joint meeting. 

In a statement issued by his Office Borrel said that two “sensitive but very important issues, namely the issues of property and financial claims and arrangements of non-majority communities in Kosovo will open today in the dialogue 

“Today, I will host again, together with the European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti. This is the third high-level meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and second in-person, since it resumed last July.

The Negotiators worked to follow up on the topics we discussed in our last meeting: the issue of missing and displaced persons and economic cooperation.

They met four times, here in Brussels, with the last meeting taking place only yesterday and on Saturday.

These talks, as you may understand, are not always easy. That is why I am happy to see the commitment and the respect by both sides.

I welcome that they confirmed this jointly also ahead of today’s meeting.

In their joint statement, both recalled that they are attached to the European Union integration, that they give the highest priority to that and that they will continue to work on the European Union-facilitated Dialogue.

They also committed to redoubling their efforts to ensure further EU alignment in accordance with their respective obligations.

Naturally, their positions differ, but they come back here again to find common ground and to work towards a comprehensive normalisation of their relations - dealing with all outstanding issues.

Today, we will speak about two additional very important topics: arrangements for non-majority communities and the settlement of mutual financial claims and property.

Both topics are very sensitive and very important for the future relationship between Kosovo and Serbia and for the everyday life of their people.

As always, you will be informed about the results of today’s dialogue by the Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák at the end of the meeting.

Thank you very much for your attention,” reads the press statement. 

Vucic and Hoti with a joint statement ahead of their meeting in Brussels (media)

Media report that shortly before the meeting in Brussels, the European Union issued a joint statement by Prime Minister Abdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“On the occasion of the continuation of the EU Facilitated Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti confirmed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, that they attach the highest priority to EU integration and to continuing the work on the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue which is a key element of their respective EU paths.

They also committed to redoubling their efforts to ensure further EU alignment in accordance with their respective obligations.

In this respect, the recently agreed documents in Washington, D.C., building on previous Dialogue-related commitments undertaken by the two parties, could provide a useful contribution to reaching a comprehensive, legally binding agreement on normalization of relations,” reads the statement.

Thaci: Agreement in Washington, result of a two year process (media)

The President of Kosovo Hashil Thaci said in a press conference called today that the efforts of his discussions with senior U.S. officials during the two last years, finalized on Friday in Washington.

"In all the meetings I had with President Trump, he has spoken to me about Kosovo as a wonderful country."

Thaci said the agreement signed by Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti on Friday is a work in progress. He further mentioned the contribution that he estimates he has given.

"I feel happy and proud that after the two years of joint efforts and work, last Friday, we managed to formalize these agreements in the White House."

Thaci called the agreements signed on Friday as the most serious step of the United States for the Western Balkans in the last twenty years.

"We encountered difficulties, obstacles, and conspiracies in many ways. With the formalization of the agreement, it was confirmed that they were false and prejudicial."

He said the engagement of Ambassador Richard Grenell has been "energetic and very professional".

Asked if opening of the Embassy in Jerusalem would aggravate Kosovo’s relations with Turkey, Thaci said "We are aware of the concerns we have received from the Arab League, but also from President Erdogan, regarding mutual recognition with Israel. I am in contact with President Erdogan, I discussed on the phone. This recognition will not in any circumstance affect the strategic, friendly and fraternal partnership between Kosovo and Turkey," Thaci said.

"It became obvious that there were no knives in the White House, there were no maps, there is no division of the state of Kosovo, but there is empowerment," Thaci said.

"I invite those who have exposed these lies, to apologize to the citizens of Kosovo for the ignorance shown. We can move forward with state-building political philosophies, not tribal mentalities."

EU’s position on the opening of Kosovo’s Embassy in Jerusalem (Express)

EU Foreign Policy and Security Spokesman Peter Stano said the opening of the Kosovo embassy in Jerusalem and also the relocation of the Serbian embassy in this city, are bilateral commitments of the parties.

He however stressed that the EU has a clear position regarding Jerusalem and that there is no embassy of any EU country and there is no EU delegation in this city.

"As for the embassies, it is their bilateral commitment. These questions should be made to them. I can only say that the EU position on the movements of embassies in Jerusalem is known and has not changed. There is no EU country with an embassy in Jerusalem. There is no EU delegation in Jerusalem. It is in line with the United Nations Resolution. The EU has reiterated its commitment to a two-state solution. A way must be found through dialogue to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states, Israel and Palestine. Since Kosovo and Serbia have EU integration as a priority, the EU expects both to act in line with this commitment," Stano told a news conference.

At the meeting in Washington, as part of the agreement, Kosovo was promised recognition by Israel on the condition that it open the embassy in Jerusalem. Serbia vowed to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next year.

Gucati: Someone wearing glasses and a hat, brought four thousand files of the Specialist Court to our offices (Express)

A package with four thousand files of the Specialist Chambers arrived today at the offices of the KLA of War Veterans Organisation in Pristina. It is unknown who brought the package so far, however, a letter which was inside the package said additional seven thousand files will be delivered in the following days. 

Head of the Organisation of KLA War Veterans Hysni Gucati, said names of the witnesses were also in those files.

“The file was brought by someone today at around 09:15. (He) was wearing glasses and a hat. Just left the package and ran away. We were initially scared what it could be. After opening it carefully, we saw that it was material from the Special Court,” Gucati said. 

“It is material of the Special Court that came out from them, someone brought them to the Organisation. There are names of the witnesses. There are signatures of the foreign prosecutors and the Serbian ones who cooperated with the Special Court,” Gucati said. 

“There was a letter in the package in which it was written that seven thousand such files will be delivered in the following days,” Gucati said. 

   

Serbian Language Media

  Five new cases of Covid-19, three people recovered in Serbian communities (Kontakt plus radio) 

The Crisis Staff informed the public on Sunday that according to the latest data, five new cases were recorded in Serbian communities in Kosovo, while three persons have recovered, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

A total of 19 samples were processed and three new cases were recorded in Zvecan and two in Kamenica.   

According to the latest data, in the north of Kosovo, two patients were cured – both from Zubin Potok, while one individual from Gnjilane has recovered.  

According to the data, 50 people are currently in home-isolation, 24 persons who tested positive are hospitalized, of which 20 at the Health Centre in North Mitrovica, one patient is treated in Dragisa Misovic Belgrade’s hospital and three at Nis hospital. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,936 people have been tested, of which 978 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Currently, 74 cases are active, while 866 people have recovered. 

To date, 37 people have died in Serbian communities in Kosovo.  

Vucic: We harmonized the issues of the missing and displaced, opened the topic of the ZSO (Beta, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Brussels after the dialogue with Kosovo under the auspices of the EU that they "essentially harmonized" the issues of missing and internally displaced persons and economic issues and that they opened "two new topics", one of which is the Community of Serbian municipalities (ZSO).

''Two new topics were opened today: the issue of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and the topic of property and financial demands that we emphasize towards each other," Vucic told reporters after negotiations with Kosovo Prime Minister Avdulah Hoti.

The heads of the expert negotiating teams of Serbia and Kosovo, Marko Djuric and Skender Hyseni, will continue talks on the ZSO on September 17, and the next summit is planned for September 28 in Brussels, Vucic said.

"The most important and most difficult issues are coming on the agenda, we have opposite views on many issues, it will be complicated and difficult," said the President of Serbia.

He said that immediately after the formation of the new Government of Serbia, all those who participated in the negotiations with Kosovo will inform the Assembly of Serbia about that process.

"Such is the development of events that we want to present to the Assembly what we are doing (in negotiations with Kosovo), what is good and what we are not looking forward to," Vucic said.

Borrell: It is not easy, we are here to find common positions (Tanjug, Kosovo Online) 

The head of diplomacy of the European Union Josep Borrell announced that important topics of non-majority communities, resolving mutual financial claims and property issues would be discussed at today's high-level meeting within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, reports Belgrade based agency Tanjug.

"Both topics are very sensitive and important for the future relations between Serbia and Kosovo and for the everyday life of the citizens," Borrell said.

In a statement before the start of the third round of the renewed Brussels dialogue, attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdulah Hoti, Borrell welcomed the joint statement in which both sides reaffirmed theirs "highest priority, the EU integration" and ''continued work on dialogue mediated by the EU" and promise to "double efforts in harmonization with the EU".

"Of course, their positions differ, but they are here to find common ground and, through resolving all open issues, to work on achieving a comprehensive normalization of relations," Borrell concluded.

He adds that expert teams from Belgrade and Pristina worked on the issues of the missing, displaced and economic relations during the summer.

"These conversations are not always easy. I am glad to see commitment and respect from both sides," says Borrell.

EU Foreign Minister Giuseppe Borrell and EU Special Representative for Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajcak are the hosts of today's meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdulah Hoti, at a meeting held at the European Diplomatic Service headquarters in Brussels.

Very good meeting with EU's Varhely, says Vucic (Beta)

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's President, had a meeting with Oliver Varhely, the European Union's Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, describing it as "very good" ahead of his talks with Kosovo's Prime Minister Avdulah Hoti as a part of the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on the normalisation of relations in Brussels.

"Huge thanks to Oliver Varhely, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, for the EU significant economic, political and value contribution to Serbia's progress. My special thanks go to him for having the patience to listen to Serbia's representatives, no matter how strange it may sound to someone. Very good talks," Vucic wrote on the 'Serbia's Future AV' Instagram profile.

Before the meeting with Varhely, Vucic had talks with the EU special envoy for the dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and US Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew A. Palmer, and stressed that he believed the talks in Brussels would yield results.

Vucic said that all-important topics were discussed and that the official dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina would continue Monday.

"I have no problem in bragging about the agreement from Washington and the arrival of a faster flow of goods, capital and people in front of EU representatives,” he said, adding that this should be used to improve relations and “work for the benefit of people and Serbs and an Albanians,” instead of “seeing each other as enemies.”

Palestine warned Serbia (media)

Palestine has warned that the Palestinian Authority will sever diplomatic relations with any country that relocates or opens an embassy in Jerusalem, reported Serbian media. 

The Secretary General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, who was the main peace negotiator with Israel, announced that on Twitter.

"We appeal to all states to respect international law, including UN Security Council resolutions 478 and 2334. Violation of international law is a sign of weakness, not strength," he wrote.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that Serbia would move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and that Kosovo and Israel had agreed to establish relations.

According to the media, in another tweet in Arabic, Erekat criticized Arab and Muslim countries for not putting pressure on the Trump administration because of that, and stated that Trump was persuading the African country of Malawi to move the embassy to Jerusalem as well.

The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018, after Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2019.

Most countries in the world refuse to do so. Only the United States and Guatemala have embassies in Jerusalem.

Israel conquered East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, when the West Bank and Gaza Strip were occupied.

The Palestinians plan to establish their independent state in those territories.

Arab media have reported that Erekat is negotiating with several Arab countries to prevent further normalization of relations with Israel following the recent establishment of diplomatic relations between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Erekat emphasized that the Arab countries should adhere to the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002, which envisages the normalization of relations with Israel only if it withdraws from all Arab territories.

Kommersant: There will be geopolitical consequences, Moscow warned Vucic (B92)

Belgrade and Pristina have formally committed to establishing economic ties, but that could have serious geopolitical consequences, writes the Moscow Kommersant.

Those consequences are reflected in that, the paper continues, which will weaken Serbia's dependence on Russian gas and ensure the connection of Belgrade and Pristina to the security system led by the United States.

The paper states that there is no official reaction from Russia to the signing of the documents in the White House, but that it "partially" appeared on the FB page of the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.

Kommersant writes that Zakharova published a photo of Donald Trump at the table, where Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is sitting opposite, who looks as if he is "at the hearing".

The daily states that the main political novelty is in point 15 of the document, where Kosovo agreed to an annual moratorium that it will not seek membership in international organizations, and Serbia will not convince other countries not to recognize Kosovo or revoke the recognition.

The last point where they talk about the relations between Belgrade and Pristina and Israel is even more unexpected, the paper states.

Kommersant quotes Belgrade analyst Vlatko Sekulovic as saying that the "Israeli element" in the document signed by the leaders of Belgrade and Pristina not only increases Trump's election chances, but also strengthens the agreement itself.

Sekulovic told the paper that both sides had accepted an obligation to use the latest US technologies in the field of security, which would ensure the connection of Belgrade and Pristina to the US-led security system.

The head of the Belgrade Center for Foreign Policy, Dragan Djukanovic, told the Moscow daily that the possibilities for Serbia's cooperation with NATO are expanding after the negotiations in Washington.

Kommersant concludes that Russia apparently warned the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić in June about some positions that were included in the final text of the document.

See at: https://bit.ly/3h7qj2E Stano to daily Blic: Steps that would call into question the EU's position on Jerusalem represent serious concern

European Foreign Minister Peter Stano said that any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU's common position on Jerusalem represent a serious concern and regret, reported yesterday Belgrade based daily Blic. 

Among the reactions that have been eagerly awaited from Brussels are those concerning the relocation of the Serbian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Serbia has pledged to do so by July next year, as part of an agreement on economic normalization signed on September 4th at the White House.

Stano commented for Blic, and reminded what Serbia committed to last month.

- The documents signed in Washington refer to the future bilateral relations of the parties with Israel, including the possibility of the existence of their embassies in Jerusalem. The EU's position on the relocation of embassies to Jerusalem is clear: In line with UN Security Council Resolution 478 of 1980, which called on all UN members to move their embassies to Tel Aviv, all embassies of EU member states, as well as the EU Delegation in Israel are in Tel Aviv. The EU has repeatedly reiterated its strong commitment to a negotiated and sustainable solution between the two countries based on internationally agreed parameters and international law. Last month, Serbia joined the EU Declaration, which reiterates this. In its conclusions in December 2017, the European Council - at the level of the head of state and government - reiterated that the EU's position on Jerusalem remains unchanged - Stano told daily Blic. 

He added that the EU's long-standing position is clear: negotiations must find a way to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both countries, and the aspirations of both sides must be fulfilled.

-The issue of Jerusalem is a matter of final status - Stano said.

He also reminded that both Kosovo and Serbia have identified EU integration as their strategic priority.

- The EU expects both to act in accordance with this commitment so that their European perspective would not be undermined. Serbia is already negotiating EU accession and is expected to gradually align its policies towards third countries with the policies and attitudes adopted by the European Union - a point we have repeatedly underlined in our regular dialogue with Belgrade. In this context, any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU's common position on Jerusalem represent a serious concern and regret - Stano pointed out, reported Blic.

Vucic informs Lavrov about his talks in Washington and Brussels (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic informed Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov during a phone conversation on Sunday about his meetings in Washington and Brussels, a press release by Vucic's office said, adding that the two agreed that Serbia and Russia have friendly relations and will “continue working on the realization of all joint projects, as well as mutual support on the international political scene.”

According to the press statement, Lavrov told Vucic that Russia would always support Serbia while President Vucic said that the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his country would be of historical significance and would contribute to the improvement of relations and cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement, saying that both sides expressed commitment to the comprehensive development of strategic partnership and political dialogue in accordance with the agreements between the presidents of the two countries and that Russia's position on a permanent solution for Kosovo based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 remains unchanged.

See at: https://bit.ly/3h7YSG0 Dacic: We have closed Zaharova's case, there is no doubt left concerning relations with Russia (media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that it was important that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made efforts to "close" the case of the post of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zaharova so that there would be no doubts concerning relations between Serbia and Russia, reported Belgrade based daily Danas. 

Dacic told TV Happy, as media reports, that the two countries are strategic partners and continue that cooperation, "as President Aleksandar Vucic said that this will not leave a trace on our good relations", noting that Lavrov personally got involved. 

"This is a lesson, that we should not play with such a thing, even if it is a bad translation, or anything that has nothing to do with Vucic but Trump. The picture is a picture and it provokes negative reactions from our side," said Dacic. 

According to him, it was Zaharova's reckless move that raised unnecessary tensions. Dacic said that the spokeswoman "has some freedom in public appearances", which is "quite tolerated in Moscow".

Zakharova compares Vucic's meeting with Trump to scene from 'Basic Instinct' (media)

The head of the Information and Press Department of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, posted a photo of the meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and US President Donald Trump on social media and compared it with a scene from the film ‘Basic Instinct’, sparking criticism from the Director of Serbia's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric.

“If you were invited to the White House and the chair was set up as if you are being interrogated, you will sit there as seen in photo no.2, whoever you might be. Believe me,” Zakharova posted.

Djuric responded to the post, strongly criticising the Russian official, implying that she insulted Serbia and that Vucic was not treated any better when he was meeting with the Russian President.

"And now imagine that this President did not say a single bad word about Russia, not even at that place. And imagine that this President waited for an hour and a half at the Russian President's reception and never asked for a special chair. I will not allow you to attack proud Serbia. Shame on you,” Djuric wrote.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova apologised for her earlier Facebook post, noting that it was misinterpreted, Sputnik reported. “I am sorry, but my post was misinterpreted,” she wrote, arguing that the post was meant as a critique of the “arrogance” of “the exceptional” and that tricks in the protocol for such meetings have become things that “US officials regularly use to artificially create the image of their exclusivity,” which she called “unacceptable.”

See at: https://bit.ly/3jXyRuP Analyst: Belgrade - Pristina agreement is also a message from the US to the EU (N1)

While the document that Pristina and Belgrade signed in Washington on Friday is being portrayed as an economic agreement, it also represents a message from the United States to the European Union that it is “incompetent” and that they are now speeding things up regarding the issue, Belgrade political analyst, Cvijetin Milivojevic, told N1 on Saturday.

“We are talking about an arrangement which resulted from an agreement that is not backed by the EU but by the administration in Washington at a moment when the campaign for the US elections has intensified. Belgrade and Pristina have accepted to participate in that game in a way,” Milivojevic told N1.

"Many of the countries that don’t recognize Kosovo are Islamic countries, former members of the Non-Aligned Movement from the era of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” he said, arguing that relocating the Serbian embassy to Jerusalem represents a bad message to those countries.

“Then, you also have the Serbian side committing to a moratorium on not continuing its activities against the independence against Kosovo. In return, those who promote Kosovo 's independence would not campaign for its membership in some European organizations," he added.

The agreement “fulfills some geostrategic plans and goals of the US, which they need because of the upcoming election,” Milivojevic argued.

“This narrative about free competition regarding the opening a 5G network in this area could be a message to China, which has friendly relations with Serbia,” he said.

He also commented on the heads of state discussing a “mini Schengen area” in the region, arguing that this represents a “serious message from the US administration towards the EU that it is incompetent and that they are now speeding up the process.”

“Mr. Vucic is, as Serbia’s President, constantly leading an internal war against the opposition,” he said, calling the situation between Pristina and Belgrade a conflict that has been put on hold.

See at: https://bit.ly/35bpkfA    

Opinion

  Serbia Must Choose Soon Between Despotism and Rational State (Balkan Insight)

It is time Serbia’s citizens realised that they are being offered a mirage of a democracy – a feigned Europeanization process that in fact leads towards pure autocracy.

Ivan Krastev is not just a master of political insight, a lucid analyst and interpreter of the present but a tireless craftsman of jokes that make us laugh while also being laced with painful awareness of reality.

For years, Krastev has told a joke about the difference between an optimist and pessimist with regards to EU integration. An optimist, says Krastev, is whoever believes Turkey will join the EU while Albania is presiding over the Council, while a pessimist believes Albania will become an EU member during Turkey’s presidency of the Council.

When reality becomes more of a punch line than the joke, the joke goes from funny to sad. Krastev hasn’t told this joke in a while. For a long time Turkey has been an EU candidate in name only, while Recep Tayyip Erdogan constructs a de facto autocracy. If one was to encapsulate the misery of the EU integration process in the region, and update the joke, Serbia might well take the place of Turkey.

It doesn’t look this way on paper. Until recently, Serbia, alongside Montenegro, was a front-runner in the EU accession process. Just a few years ago, Europe’s then Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, was contemplating Serbia becoming a full member by 2025.

At a 2019 press conference following the Summit of the so-called Visegrad group in Prague, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic demanded to know if Serbia could become a member by 2025, if it met all the demands. “Just tell us so we know, so we can plan our future, you can’t plan one year ahead, that’s not how you run a country, you have to have more long-term, serious plans,” Vucic said.

See at: https://bit.ly/2ZcCdCm Milivojevic: Vucic criticizes those who advocate a frozen conflict, while also leading the same policy (KoSSev)

''This is actually a continuation of the best possible policy advocated by critical public opinion in Serbia, i.e. opposition critical opinion – currently, the policy of a frozen conflict is observed as the best one for Serbia,'' a political scientist, Cvijetin Milivojevic assessed the outcome of the two day long talks in Washington and the signing of an agreement on economic normalization between Belgrade and Pristina. Milivojevic welcomed Washington’s participation in the negotiations because, in his words, the Americans know how to reach a compromise.

''Simply negotiate, do not give up on the negotiations, but do not accept anything that is not in line with Resolution 1244 and, most importantly, that is not in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia,'' Milivojevic told KoSSev last night.

''Most importantly, let there be as many negotiations as possible. I would like for the negotiations to last for years, decades,'' he added.

Milivojevic, however, emphasized that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, since the signing of the Brussels Agreement back in 2013, has been ''waging war''  against any critical public opinion according to which a frozen conflict is considered better than giving up on Kosovo, while in practice ''he is also pursuing the politics of frozen conflict''.

See at: https://bit.ly/2EW61MR Trump was Real Winner From Kosovo-Serbia Deal (Balkan Insight)

The agreement signed between Kosovo and Serbia in Washington does no major damage to either side – but its main beneficiary was the US President.

Ahead of the US-convened summit between the Kosovo and Serbian delegations in Washington at the beginning of September, a number of people were asking what was expected from this long-awaited meeting, billed as the pinnacle of the Trump administration’s efforts to normalise relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Not a lot, was my answer. It seemed unrealistic to expect anything beyond a list of pledges by the two sides that would probably hold water long enough for President Donald Trump and his Balkan envoy, Richard Grenell, to wave the piece of paper around as a major foreign policy triumph ahead of US presidential elections in November.

See at: https://bit.ly/2R5K2oQ Kosovo and Serbia Sort of Agree to Sort of Disagree (Balkan Insight)

Beyond the hype, three actors with questionable legitimacy have produced a non-agreement agreement that changes little with the little good it does – and can easily be ignored in several of the areas where it does harm.

Abasic diplomatic rule recommends that heads of state should not come together for a high level meeting unless they have an agreement ready to sign.

Donald Trump learned this late after rocketing to a couple of failed soirees with Kim Jong Un. And he learned it badly, as can be seen in yesterday’s performance of a document signing with Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Washington.

To be clear, the documents that were signed do not constitute an agreement in the form of a treaty that obligates the states represented by the signatories. Although both Vučić and Hoti signed documents, these documents are not identical in content and there exists no document that includes both of their signatures.

Trump also signed a document, but it was a cover letter thanking Vučić and Hoti for participating in the negotiations, and his envoy Richard Grenell went out of his way to clarify that the United States was not a signatory to, or a guarantor of, any agreement.

See at: https://bit.ly/2F6sKFV    

International

  Trump Says Balkan Rivals Serbia, Kosovo Agreed to Economic Deal (Bloomberg)

President Donald Trump said that Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to “economic normalization,” in what he said was a step toward ending a two-decade old conflict. But the deal fell short of Belgrade recognizing its neighbor as an independent nation.

“My administration proposed a new way of bridging the divide by focusing on job creation and economic growth,” Trump said during a meeting with leaders of the two countries at the White House on Friday.

“I think they’re going to have a fantastic relationship,” he added.

But the actual impact of the deal Trump brokered, two months before his re-election contest, is uncertain.

See at: https://bloom.bg/3jTZCAm Turkey ‘disappointed’ by Kosovo’s move to recognize Israel (The Times of Israel)

‘Even the thought by Kosovo officials of taking such a step — which is a clear violation of international law — is disappointing,’ Ankara says

Ankara on Sunday voiced disappointment over majority-Muslim Kosovo’s decision to recognize Israel and set up its mission in Jerusalem.

A vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, Turkey became one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

See at: https://bit.ly/35bmh79 Israeli ex-envoys blast deals with Kosovo, Serbia (jpost.com)

Promises to move embassies to Jerusalem met with skepticism

In a curious turn of events, US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday that he had brokered a deal to normalize economic ties between Serbia and Kosovo threw Israel into the Balkan mix, eliciting concern from former Israeli diplomats familiar with the region.

"We're not connected to the Balkan conflict, and we're not supposed to be [in the pact]," Israel's former ambassador to Serbia, Arthur Koll, told The Media Line.

"The question that should be raised is why Israel was thrown in there," he said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3i9WlfT Kosovo is a test of Israel’s moral character (jpost.com)

In the 1990s, 10,000 Kosovo Albanians died and about one million were displaced as a result of Serbia’s aggression.

Jews and  Albanians share a history of suffering and persecution. Albanian leaders have paid tribute to Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, visiting the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem and praying before the Eternal Flame. Israel should honor the victims of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo by recognizing its independence and establishing diplomatic relations.

In the 1990s, 10,000 Kosovo Albanians died and about one million were displaced as a result of Serbia’s aggression. Targeting Albanians because of their ethnicity meets the definition of genocide in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948 to prevent what happened to the Jews of Europe from happening elsewhere.

See at: https://bit.ly/3jUmH6e    

Humanitarian/Development

  QAnon Gets Foothold in Balkans, Claiming COVID-19 “Does Not Exist” (Balkan Insight)

Facebook and Twitter say they are fighting the spread of conspiracy theories linked to QAnon. In the Balkans, the movement is just getting started.

Adis Valjevac says he and his colleagues are fighting “for the ordinary man”, seeking people who think for themselves and, deep inside, “feel that something is wrong on a global scale.”

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, says the original movement Valjevac claims to represent is a domestic terrorist threat.

Less than three years since QAnon surfaced on the toxic message board 4chan, the conspiracy theory phenomenon has reached the Balkans, and Valjevac is one of its flag-bearers in Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Created in May with Valjevac as one of its administrators, Q-ANON Bosna i Hercegovina has some 460 followers and posts roughly 10 times per day, making it a minor player in a major movement.

QAnon Balkan boasts more than 8,500 members, QAnon Srbija [Serbia] has 2,700 and QAnon Hrvatska [Croatia] nearly 7,800. Some of the more popular QAnon pages on Facebook have more than 100,000 followers each. Numbers, however, are not everything.

“You don’t need a large group of people for organisation and demonstration,” said Kevin Grisham, assistant director of the Centre for Research on Hate and Extremism at the California State University in San Bernardino.

“Even if 20, 30, 40 or 50 people feel motivated to do something that is already a considerable power. In the times of virtual activism even a small number of people can have a significant power,” he told BIRN.

See at: https://bit.ly/2R2BlvI