Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani meets Guerot, in focus Constitutional Court's verdict (RTK)

• EU calls for coordination and dialogue on bridges over Iber (Albanian Post)

• Kurti and Orav discuss European integration and constitution of Parliament (media)

• Kurti meets German ambassador: Assembly needs to be constituted quickly (media)

• Missing persons issue without epilogue, no meeting in Brussels even after 7 months (RTK)

• 57 cases of fire outbreaks on Monday afternoon alone (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• A total of 66 fires in Kosovo in 24 hours, Kosovo Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday (KoSSev, KiM radio)

• Serbia to present evidence in the UN Security Council about the violation of the rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Beta, Danas)

• Petkovic, Vujic discuss situation in Kosovo (Tanjug, RTS)

• Imeri: New Bridges on the Ibar unnecessary, could spark additional tensions (KosovoOnline)

• Brnabic in a visit to  Israel on July 7-9 (Tanjug, media)

Albanian Language Media 

Osmani meets Guerot, in focus Constitutional Court's verdict (RTK, RTS)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani received on Monday the Ambassador of the Republic of France in Kosovo, Olivier Guerot. They discussed the latest political developments in Kosovo and the region, as well as bilateral relations between Kosovo and France. Osmani and Guerot also spoke about the consultations that the President has held with political entities in order to implement the latest decision of the Constitutional Court. She reiterated that respecting the constitutional and democratic order is essential for the institutional stability and international credibility of Kosovo.

"The meeting also discussed the further advancement of bilateral relations between Kosovo and France, including the deepening of cooperation in various fields of common interest, as well as the importance of France's support for Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic path", announced the Presidency of Kosovo.

EU calls for coordination and dialogue on bridges over Iber (Albanian Post)

The EU sees the construction of new bridges over the Iber River in Mitrovica as an issue that requires inter-community cooperation and respect for existing agreements between Kosovo and Serbia. A European Union spokesman told Radio Free Europe on Monday that “any infrastructure project between South and North Mitrovica requires close coordination and dialogue between all communities” in Kosovo. The EU has also called for the full implementation of all agreements reached between Kosovo and Serbia within the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations, including agreements related to the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica. He further announced that the EU is conducting a structural assessment of the bridge and an urban planning study of the surrounding area, adding that no change to the status quo is expected. And, according to him, the authorities in Kosovo are also aware of this.

“This assessment does not signal any change in the status quo, but aims to ensure that any decision on the future of the bridge is made on the basis of accurate and objective data. The EU is closely coordinating with international partners in Kosovo regarding the future of the bridge,” the EU spokesperson said in a response.

The construction of two new bridges over the Iber River is planned based on a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure and the municipalities of North and South Mitrovica. 

The caretaker government of Kosovo has allocated a budget of around three million euros for the construction of two new bridges over the Iber River – one for pedestrians and one for vehicles – and the works on them are expected to be completed in the autumn season.

Kurti and Orav discuss European integration and constitution of Parliament (media)

The European integration process and cooperation between Kosovo and the European Union were the topics discussed on Monday by the caretaker Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and the Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Kurti emphasized the government's full commitment to the path towards integration into the European Union and its commitment to implementing reforms.

"Regarding the current situation in the country and the interest of Ambassador Orav, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of completing the steps for the constitution of the Parliament, as a necessity for the formation of new institutions after the February 9 elections, and the continuation of the work of the legislature, where key international agreements for Kosovo's European integration, such as the one regarding the Growth Plan, are also awaiting approval," the statement said.

It is further noted that the importance of regional cooperation and the role of the EU were also discussed as a continuation of the meeting of Western Balkan Leaders on the European Union's Growth Plan in Skopje last week.

The topic of conversation, according to the announcement, was also the security situation, where the caretaker Prime Minister Kurti praised the work and commitment of the security institutions in confronting threats coming from unfriendly countries.

Kurti meets German ambassador: Assembly needs to be constituted quickly (media)

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Monday with the German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, they discussed bilateral relations between Kosovo and Germany and cooperation in many areas, especially in the field of the rule of law. "During the meeting, Ambassador Rohde was interested in the issue of the constitution of the Assembly and international agreements awaiting approval. On this occasion, the Prime Minister stressed the need and importance of the constitution of the ninth legislature being concluded as soon as possible with the election of the Assembly presidency. He listed the efforts and actions undertaken for the constitution of the Assembly, including the meeting with the leaders of political parties in the Assembly and the meeting invited by the country's president, in light of the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

It is further noted that Kurti also spoke about the bomb threat against the Kosovo Assembly that was recorded over the past weekend. “He emphasized the fact that security institutions have confirmed that the phone number from which the threat was made is registered in Serbia and belongs to the MTS telephone company, thus confirming that the origin of the threat is in Serbia,” the statement further reads.

Missing persons issue without epilogue, no meeting in Brussels even after 7 months (RTK)

Even though seven months have passed since the approval of the terms of reference for the Joint Commission on Missing Persons, the European Union has still not managed to bring representatives of Kosovo and Serbia together at the same table. According to the agreement, the delegations were supposed to meet once a month during the first six months, but this has not happened even for so long. However, a bilateral meeting between the working groups was held last week in Geneva, the first of its kind in more than four years, where EU representatives were also present.

The Chairman of the Government Commission on Missing Persons, Andin Hoti, sees this meeting as an important step towards an official meeting in Brussels and that according to him, the EU is now clear on the issue of missing persons and that it should convene a meeting of the Joint Commission as soon as possible. "The chairman of this European Union meeting is Peter Sorensen or someone he delegates. It is a Joint Commission. Here is the request that we have made for the EU pressure to pass on to Serbia and through this mechanism they can implement it if they want", said Hoti.

On the other hand, Bekim Blakaj from the Humanitarian Law Center, said that the very fact of not holding a single meeting within 6 months in Brussels is regrettable and shows the policy that Serbia uses on the issue of missing persons. "The issue of missing persons is still being treated as a political issue, not a humanitarian one. For 6 months in a row, there has still been no agreement to hold a joint meeting as foreseen, and this shows that the agreement is not being implemented," Blakaj said.

According to Hoti, the chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons in Serbia, Veljko Odalovic, was not present at the meeting of the working groups held last week in Geneva, for whom the Kosovo government had insisted that this person should not be at the head of this Commission. "Odalovic was not present at the meeting held last week in Geneva, I was with the deputy who was replaced by Serbia," Hoti added.

57 cases of fire outbreaks on Monday afternoon alone (media)

Director of the Emergency Management Agency, Genc Metaj, said that Monday has been aggravated by the state of fires in the field. Although in the morning the situation with the fires has been calm, in the afternoon the number of fire outbreaks according to him has increased enormously. "Within the last 24 hours there have been 66 cases, of which 57 cases were only this afternoon", Metaj told RTK.

He added that firefighters have selflessly managed to successfully extinguish most of the fires, while according to him, there are currently 6 active fire sources, and work is being done to localize other fire outbreaks. "Currently, the active fires that are still unlocalized are in Malisheva, Skenderaj, Ferizaj, Peja, Istog and Gjilan", Metaj said.

He called on the people to be extra careful not to light fires in open spaces, while encouraging inhabitants to report cases, because, according to him, these fires are intentional and organized, because it is unimaginable that such a large number of fire outbreaks can occur in one day.

Serbian Language Media

A total of 66 fires in Kosovo in 24 hours, Kosovo Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday (KoSSev, KiM radio)

Numerous fires on the territory of Kosovo have been registered in recent days due to high temperatures. The situation worsened yesterday due to the strong wind, and 57 fires were registered in the afternoon alone. In majority Serbian areas in Kosovo fires were present, but also throughout the region, including North Macedonia, which was why the authorities closed one of the crossings to the territory of Kosovo for a few hours, and then opened it.

The Kosovo Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that the situation with fires was significantly worsened due to high temperatures and strong winds.

In the last 24 hours, KoSSev reported yesterday, 66 fires were registered, and 57 were reported only yesterday in the afternoon hours, they stated.

They specify that the firefighting units managed to extinguish most of the fires, but also that eight were still active in the municipalities of Pec, Lipljan, Stimlje, Malisevo, Srbica, Istok, Urosevac and Gnjilane.

"During the day, there was an increase in the number of fires in several regions of the country. Some of these fires have covered significant areas of land and forests and are difficult to localize due to the terrain and the rapid spread of fire. Firefighting teams are on the ground at full capacity, in cooperation with the Kosovo Police and local structures," the Emergency Management Agency stated.

They urged citizens not to light fires in open spaces, but also to report fires if they see them at 112, 193 or 192.

The crossing to North Macedonia was closed, then opened

Late afternoon yesterday, the confirmation arrived that the crossing was open, and that the road Djeneral Jankovic-Skople was passable.

The fires also engulfed Osojane and Suvi Lukavac, where, as reported by Radio Gorazdevac, four houses of the returnees burned down. KoSSev reported yesterday late afternoon that there were also fires in the North of Kosovo, that is, in Velji Breg.

The authorities have been warning citizens for days not to light open fires and to immediately report any smoke or suspected fire.

In the additional report, on the situation with fires, KoSSev reported last night that 70 fires have been recorded in the last 24 hours. The portal stated that one was registered in Gojbulja near Vucitrn. The ambulance was completely burnt down, while minor damage was caused to the old school building. This was confirmed for KoSSev by the president of the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Vucitrin based in Priluzje, Milan Kostic.

Serbia to present evidence in the UN Security Council about the violation of the rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Beta, Danas)

The Minister of Justice of Serbia, Nenad Vujic, announced today that Serbia will further strengthen its efforts to effectively oppose the "illegal activities of illegal judicial institutions in Kosovo and Metohija", using all international and domestic legal mechanisms, and "will especially insist on presenting evidence of violations of the rights of Serbs before the bodies of the United Nations (UN)", reported Danas.

At a meeting with the director of the Office for KiM Petar Petkovic, Vujic said that the focus will be on addressing the UN Security Council and reminding the world organization of its obligations based on Resolution 1244, the Ministry reported in a statement.

The statement says that they paid special attention to the "problem of institutional violence" to which the Serbian people in Kosovo are exposed almost every day. Petkovic pointed to many cases of violation of their human rights, groundless arrests, rigged court processes and the absence of the rule of law that would guarantee them a minimum of rights and fairness.

The minister and the director of the Office for KiM also discussed other issues important to the life of the Serbian people in Kosovo and their daily problems "due to the terror of Pristina", as well as issues of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Petkovic, Vujic discuss situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Director of the  Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic met with Justice Minister Nenad Vujic on Monday to discuss the situation in Kosovo and the problems Serbs face in Kosovo. 

In an Instagram post, Petkovic wrote that he had had a very good meeting with Vujic to discuss many important issues for the life of Serbs in Kosovo and “the problems the Serbs faced daily on the ground as a result of Pristina's terror”.

"We also discussed issues within the dialogue, and we dedicated special attention to the great problem of institutional violence Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija face almost daily, in light of the numerous violations of their human rights, unfounded arrests, staged court trials and a lack of rule of law that would guarantee them the minimum of law and righteousness," Petkovic said.

Imeri: New Bridges on the Ibar unnecessary, could spark additional tensions (Kosovo Online)

Political analyst Visar Imeri commented on the recent statement by the German Embassy in Kosovo regarding the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River, in which the embassy called on Kosovo authorities to refrain from escalatory actions. He described the reaction as a clear message, diplomatically phrased, directed not only at Serbia but also at the government of Kosovo. He also pointed out that once the bridges are built, KFOR troops will likely be deployed in the area, Kosovo Online reported, citing Demokracija. 

“The reaction of the German Embassy says it very diplomatically: ‘You have other problems, man.’ They replied to Serbia, but also said: ‘You have many other problems”,” said Imeri, implying that the focus should be on substantive political issues, not construction projects.

Imeri emphasized that, according to the embassy, the problem is not the infrastructure itself but the lack of a political agreement on normalizing the situation in the north. Considering the construction of two new bridges unnecessary, he added that instead of easing movement, they could increase tensions and prompt international interventions.

“There is no need for those two bridges. We're not underwater to require two more bridges, especially knowing that once they are built, KFOR will likely be stationed there, and everything will resemble the current situation with the main bridge—until a final agreement is reached on the status of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities and other previously concluded agreements,” Imeri concluded.

Brnabic on a visit to  Israel on July 7-9 (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic is on a visit to Israel from July 7 through 9 to meet with her Israeli counterpart Amir Ohan, as well as with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and FM Gideon Sa'ar.

A delegation accompanying Brnabic will also include the chairman of a Serbia-Israel friendship group in the Serbian parliament, Milovan Drecun.

The development of the relations with Israel is also based on close historical ties between the Serbs and Jews, unfortunately also demonstrated through the joint plight of the two nations during WWII.

The director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia office in Israel Aleksandar Nikolic has said 2023 had been a record year for bilateral trade between Serbia and Israel, with the trade volume totalling 121.3 mln euros.