Albanian Language Media: 

• Kosovo Local Elections: Major parties submit candidates for October 12 Vote (media)
• Albanian parties unite for local elections in Gracanica (media)
• Austrian Chancellor: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue has no alternative (media)
• Kosovo reaffirms support for Albanians in Presheva Valley (RTK)
• Hague Court denies Fahri Fazliu the right to visit his father (RTK)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Serbia, Austria sign agreement to expand economic cooperation (Beta, N1)
• Stocker: It is important to continue the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina (Kontakt plus radio, Tanjug)
• Nicic: I hope for a reaction from international institutions – My father has been innocently held in solitary confinement for a year (Kosovo Online)
• The family of the first commander of KFOR, Michael Jackson, visited Visoki Decani (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)
• Ziadeh in a farewell visit to colleagues and partners in the north of Kosovo (KiM radio) 
• SafeJournalists: Police again failed to protect journalists during protests in several Serbian cities (N1)

International Media: 

• ‘Like a chorus’: Book gives voice to survivors of wartime rape in Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kosovo Local Elections: Major parties submit candidates for October 12 Vote (media)

As the deadline for certification closed, major political parties in Kosovo officially entered the race for the October 12 local elections, submitting candidate lists for mayors and municipal assemblies.

Vetevendosje Movement (VV) unveiled its candidate list for the Prishtina Municipal Assembly, led by Mrika Limani-Myrtaj. The list features 56 candidates, with 48% women, including six women in the top ten. Candidate for mayor Hajrulla Ceku highlighted gender equality and integrity as central values of VV’s platform, pledging governance that serves the majority rather than a privileged few.

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) submitted its final list to the Central Election Commission, boasting the widest representation nationwide. PDK will run with 33 mayoral candidates, three of whom are women, and assembly candidate lists in 36 municipalities. In Kllokot and Mamushe, it will compete only for assembly seats, while in Gracanice, it will participate in a unified Albanian coalition list.

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku announced that the party is competing with 28 mayoral candidates and 839 candidates for municipal assemblies. He called on people for broad support across Kosovo.

Albanian parties unite for local elections in Gracanica (media)

Major Albanian political parties have joined forces on a single electoral list for the upcoming municipal elections in Gracanica. The announcement was made by Leutrim Ajeti, the current deputy mayor and the coalition’s candidate for mayor. He stated that the parties have put aside political differences to ensure stronger, more coordinated representation of Albanians in the municipality. The coalition will also include influential community figures and activists, aiming for broad and inclusive representation in the municipal assembly. Women’s participation is guaranteed, with four of the ten candidates on the list being women. “We are honored to run together and contribute to a better future for our municipality,” Ajeti wrote on Facebook.

Austrian Chancellor: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue has no alternative (media)

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker stated that, from the European Union's perspective, the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has no alternative if there is a genuine will to reach a solution. “I truly believe there is readiness to find a solution, despite all the difficulties, but I must openly say that I cannot provide that solution,” he said during a visit to Serbia.

He added that the solution must allow people in the region to live together in peace, no matter how difficult that may seem right now. Chancellor Stocker welcomed any step that would return Kosovo and Serbia to the negotiating table.

Kosovo reaffirms support for Albanians in Presheva Valley (RTK)

Caretaker First Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, met on Wednesday with political and institutional representatives from the Presheva Valley to discuss the ongoing discrimination faced by Albanians in southern Serbia. He met with Serbia’s MP Shaip Kamberi, Mayor of Presheva Ardita Sinani, and Chairman of the Albanian National Council, Enkel Rexhepi. They addressed the challenges Albanians face in the Presheva Valley and the Sandzak region, “particularly regarding the preservation of national identity amid oppressive policies by Serbian authorities.”

Bislimi reiterated Kosovo’s commitment to supporting Albanians in these regions, both through cultural and identity preservation and with direct support for community-focused projects and programs. “Support for Albanians in Serbia is not just a need, it’s a necessity,” said Bislimi, emphasizing the importance of institutional cooperation to ensure equal rights for Albanians in Serbia.

Hague Court denies Fahri Fazliu the right to visit his father (RTK)

Former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) soldier Fadil Fazliu remains in detention in The Hague, accused of obstruction of justice. For nearly a year, his son Fahri claims he has been denied all forms of contact with his father, unlike other family members who have visitation rights. He describes this as a serious human rights violation and shares the emotional toll of being separated. "As we enter this month, it’s been 9 months since I’ve been unable to see or speak to my father, neither through video link nor in person. He’s being held unjustly. As his son, it’s deeply upsetting, but I believe it’s also a major violation of human rights that I’m not even allowed to visit him once." Fahri Fazliu said.

Serbian Language Media

Serbia, Austria sign agreement to expand economic cooperation (Beta, N1)

Serbia and Austria boosted their economic partnership with an agreement to expand economic cooperation signed on Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in Belgrade.

Stocker signed the Joint Declaration on Further Deepening Economic Relations between the two countries with Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut, in the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Following his meeting with Vucic and the signing of the Declaration, Stocker said he is pleased that the document initiates the strengthening of economic cooperation, primarily in hydropower and biomass, as well as in telecommunications, wastewater treatment, infrastructure and transport logistics.

He noted that the fact that EXPO is being held for the first time in the Western Balkans is an important opportunity for the future of the entire region, adding that he confirmed Austria’s participation in Specialized Expo 2027 Belgrade to Vucic and Macut, whom he met earlier on Wednesday. Meetings between delegations from both countries were also held.

Stocker said Austria would provide all possible support to Serbia’s reform process on the EU path, but that this process is evaluated based on results.

“The greater the progress, the greater the steps toward the European Union,” he told reporters after his meeting with President Vucic.

Stocker: It is important to continue the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina (Kontakt plus radio, Tanjug)

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said yesterday that the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is important not only for the region, but also for Europe.

Stocker pointed out that he welcomes any measure that, as he said, will bring all relevant actors back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

"We are sincerely committed to reducing tensions, reconciliation is not always easy, but dialogue is a sign of strength and integrity," Stocker said at the Palace of Serbia at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

When asked by a journalist how it is possible to achieve something in dialogue if Pristina constantly makes unilateral moves, does not respect agreements, arrests Serbs and does not show democratic maturity, Stocker said that dialogue has no alternative, and that understanding positions is the basis for approaching a solution, and that he used his visit to Serbia to try to understand Serbia's position on the issue.

"This is a topic that has not yet been resolved, and we will have to resolve that issue on Serbia's path to the EU. I am glad that President Vucic said that he wants to participate in that process, because that is the first step. Every solution begins with a conversation, and that's how I see today's talks, which took place in a good atmosphere and showed that we have similar views in many areas," Stocker said during his official visit to Serbia.

Nicic: I hope for a reaction from international institutions – My father has been innocently held in solitary confinement for a year (Kosovo Online)

Bojan Nicic from Pasjane near Gnjilane told Kosovo Online that he expects a reaction from the international institutions in Kosovo, as well as justice for his father, Dragan Nicic (67), who has been in detention for a year on charges that he committed war crimes against the civilian population in 1999.

“I have reached out to everyone I thought could help: Serbian and Kosovo institutions, international organizations, KFOR, the UN, the U.S., British, and Swiss embassies, UNICEF, representatives of international missions… So far, I haven’t received a single concrete answer. I still hope that at least the international institutions will react and realize that this is about innocent people who have already been in detention for a year and nine days without evidence, without arguments, without anything,” Nicic said.

In an operation by KP special units on August 3 last year, Dragan Nicic, Slobodan Jevric, Dragan Cvetkovic, and Milos Sosic were arrested in Pasjane, while in the village of Bosce near Kosovska Kamenica, Nenad Stojanovic was arrested.

All of them pleaded not guilty in mid-January, and one of them has since been released to await trial in freedom.

Dragan’s son, Bojan Nicic, on behalf of the family, sent an open letter yesterday to all international institutions in Kosovo, expecting them to help “correct the injustice” and vowing not to stop “until the injustice is corrected.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5bwuzpf8

The family of the first commander of KFOR, Michael Jackson, visited Visoki Decani (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)

Sara and Mark Jackson, the wife and son of the deceased first commander of KFOR, Sir Michael Jackson, visited Visoki Decani after attending the commemoration dedicated to this British general at the KFOR headquarters in Pristina yesterday reported Kosovo Online.

''Today, Visoki Dečani Monastery welcomed Lady Sarah Jackson and her son Mark, following their attendance yesterday at the KFOR headquarters in Pristina for a commemoration of the late Sir Michael (Mike) David Jackson, a distinguished British general and the inaugural Commander of KFOR.

General Jackson’s wife and son were received by Abbot Father Sava Janjic, who shared personal recollections of the late general. It was under his leadership in 1999, post-war, that KFOR was authorized to protect several Serbian Orthodox monasteries across #Kosovo, including the Dečani Monastery itself, which remains under KFOR protection 26 years after the war.

In the most difficult months following the end of the war in Kosovo, General Jackson demonstrated sincere understanding for the plight of the Kosovo Serbs and their Church amid reprisal attacks. He also helped secure humanitarian convoys to supply Serbian enclaves. Many visits to vulnerable and isolated communities were organized thanks to the support of General Jackson and his soldiers. In his capacity as COMKFOR, Sir Michael frequently visited the Diocese in Gracanica and other monasteries, including Dečani,'' read the Visoki Decani post on social network X.

Ziadeh in a farewell visit to colleagues and partners in the north of Kosovo (KiM radio) 

As part of her final activities as Head of Mission, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Caroline Ziadeh, visited the Mitrovica region yesterday, where she held meetings with representatives of civil society organizations and political actors.

As reported by UNMIK, the talks covered key political, security and economic developments affecting the region.

"Ziadeh reiterated UNMIK's ongoing commitment to building trust, protecting human rights and promoting the rule of law for all — principles that will continue to guide the Mission's presence and engagement in Kosovo," the statement said.

She said goodbye to the staff of the UNMIK Regional Office in Mitrovica, thanking them for their dedicated work and professionalism.

SafeJournalists: Police again failed to protect journalists during protests in several Serbian cities (N1)

The SafeJournalists Network said that the Tuesday evening incidents in Vrbas, Backi Petrovac, Novi Pazar, and Belgrade demonstrated that the “police are unable to ensure the unhindered work of journalists reporting from protests and public events.”

The Network issued a statement demanding that the “police start doing their job by taking measures in accordance with the law and ensuring the protection of journalists while they are reporting.”

“We highlight the concerning trend of attacks, threats, and intimidation against journalists and media workers by the police— a trend that continued just the day before. Such behavior must stop, and journalists and media professionals must be allowed to do their work without interference. These attacks and threats not only endanger their physical safety but also directly undermine media freedom,” it emphasized.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2bj6x7ap

International Media 

‘Like a chorus’: Book gives voice to survivors of wartime rape in Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

An oral history of wartime rape survivors seeks to tell their ‘collective history’ before, during and after the 1998-99 war in Kosovo.

This post is also available in this language: Shqip

“I have these two scars that don’t show much now because many years have passed. At the time, you could see them a lot. When I went out, I kept my head down. All those who see me will know what happened to me.

Aferdita’s account of being raped during Kosovo’s 1998-99 war and the trauma that followed is one of 20 contained in The Strongest Link: An Oral History of Wartime Rape Survivors in Kosovo, co-authored by Anna Di Lellio and Garentina Kraja.

Rape as a war crime committed by Serbian forces in Kosovo at the end of the last century remains largely a taboo topic in the majority-Albanian former Serbian province, 17 years independent.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/445szjn3