Albanian Language Media: 

• Kurti: Kosovo firmly with US and EU in opposing Iran’s nuclear ambitions (media)
• Kosovo Police seize large amounts of ammunition in Zvecan (media)
• Svecla: Ammunition found in building belonging to Arsenijevic (media)
• Kosovo MPs to meet in 36th attempt to form new legislative (media)
• Rizvanolli: News about import of energy from Serbia are disinformation (media)
• Memli Krasniqi re-elected as leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Weapons cache discovered on property of Serbian Democracy leader; Arsenijevic denies involvement, claims set-up (KoSSev)

• Serbian Democracy: Political pressure before the elections (Alternativna)

• Diocese: Pristina obstructs restoration of church in Gorazdevac through pressure and threats (Kosovo Online)

• Office for KiM and SL on the occasion of 27 years since the kidnapping of the Belacevac miners (Tanjug, Beta, NMagazin) 

• Basic Court in Pristina issues verdict, Radoicic responsible for murder of Oliver Ivanovic (N1, KoSSev, KiM radio)
• Due to the attack on a citizen of Serbia, two people detained and taken to the police station in South Mitrovica (KiM radio)
• Barabar Center celebrated two years of existence: A place of meeting, dialogue and equality (KiM radio, RTK2)
• EU on Self-Determination’s announcement about the construction of two bridges over the Ibar (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti: Kosovo firmly with US and EU in opposing Iran’s nuclear ambitions (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that Kosovo stands firmly with the United States of America and the European Union in opposing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “Nuclear weapons in the hands of authoritarian regimes pose a grave threat to global security. Kosova stands firmly with the US and EU in opposing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Peace and stability must prevail for the protection of civilians and the future of the region,” Kurti said in a post on X.

In a Facebook post, Kurti said that international security needs less nuclear weapons and not more nuclear bombs that threaten all humanity, “especially when authoritarian states develop nuclear weapons programs this becomes an urgent and alarming matter”. He also said that the United States are Kosovo’s main ally, irreplaceable partner and special friend. “The Republic of Kosovo is strongly determined to defend democratic and Euro-Atlantic values. The United States of America are the democratic superpower that must be supported,” he said.

Kosovo Police seize large amounts of ammunition in Zvecan (media)

All news websites reported on Sunday that Kosovo Police had seized large amounts of ammunition in a village in Zvecan municipality, after a raid carried out by the police, KFOR, and EULEX. Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told Koha that weapons, ammunitions, hand grenades and RPGs were found in a horse stable. In another two raids, one in Mitrovica North and in Zvecan, Elshani said police found bulletproof vests, bullets and 14 graphic cards. 

Svecla: Ammunition found in building belonging to Arsenijevic (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in a Facebook post that the arsenal of ammunition found in the north of Kosovo on Sunday “was enough for a terrorist unit”. He also said that according to information he received, the heavy weapons “were found in a building belonging to politician Aleksandar Arsenijevic”. “Crime can never be hidden, regardless of the veil it wears, especially when faced with highly vigilant and professional institutions that work tirelessly to provide security and rule of law in every corner of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. We will not stop until we completely uproot the criminal and terrorist remnants of Serbia from our country,” he said.

Kosovo MPs to meet in 36th attempt to form new legislative (media)

Members of the Kosovo Assembly will meet today in what will be the 36th attempt to form the new legislative. The contested point is the election of the new Speaker of the Assembly, with Vetevendosje Movement proposing a committee that would oversee a secret vote, and parties that were in the opposition in the previous mandate refusing to form the committee.

Rizvanolli: News about import of energy from Serbia are disinformation (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, reacted in a Facebook post on Saturday that reports about the import of energy from Serbia are disinformation. “Serbia has blocked trade in Kosovo-Serbia lines since Kosovo’s energy independence in 2020. This is one of the key factors that often leads to congestion in lines between Montenegro and Kosovo and North Macedonia and Kosovo,” Rizvanolli said. 

Memli Krasniqi re-elected as leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (media)

Most news websites reported over the weekend that Memli Krasniqi has been reelected leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) at the general convention of this party. Krasniqi thanked the delegates for their trust in him and pledged to continue working for the good of Kosovo. “I will do everything in my power to return the Democratic Party of Kosovo where it belongs, as the biggest and leading party in the Republic of Kosovo,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Weapons cache discovered on property of Serbian Democracy leader; Arsenijevic denies involvement, claims set-up (KoSSev)

A large cache of heavy weaponry was discovered yesterday during police raids in the northern Kosovo municipalities of Mitrovica North and Zvecan, with the most significant find reported on property belonging to Aleksandar Arsenijevic, the leader of the Serbian Democracy party.

The Kosovo Police, accompanied by EULEX and KFOR units, conducted searches at three separate locations – one in northern Mitrovica and two in Zvecan. According to Deputy Regional 

Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North, Veton Elshani, the operation reportedly followed intelligence leads.

In the village of Valac, Zvecan municipality, a substantial amount of weaponry – including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), hand grenades, ammunition, and firearms – was found buried in plastic tubes beneath a horse stable. Additional ammunition, a protective vest, and 14 graphic cards were seized from the other two locations.

No arrests have been made at the time, although one individual was summoned to provide a statement as a witness.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/423dnwrm

Serbian Democracy: Political pressure before the elections (Alternativna)

Serbian democracy announced last night after the allegations about the discovery of weapons in the facility of their leader Aleksandar Arsenijevic. Like Arsenijević, they emphasize that it is about "planting weapons" which "represents a kind of act of political pressure" on their party, reported Alternativna portal.

They added that "this pressure is exerted by the Kosovo government and the police only a few months before the local elections - in which the Serbian Democracy plans to participate as a fierce opponent of the anti-Serb and discriminatory policies of Albin Kurti and his associates."

They recalled that Arsenijevic was in central Serbia at the time of the search, when he "received a phone call from the KP that they 'found a buried weapon in front of the family cottage in the village of Valac, that is, in a barn".

"According to the information given to us by the witnesses during the search - who were there performing work at the cottage and who saw the police on that occasion - the police officers entered the barn of the cottage without a warrant, as if they knew where to look for 'buried weapons,'" the statement read.

The party pointed out that "several suspicious persons have been moving in the vicinity of the mentioned family cottage of Aleksandar Arsenijevic on several occasions in recent days" and that "they were reported to the police by neighbors". This situation, according to them, "represents an attempt to enable Kurti's favorites to run with no competition in the local elections at the end of the year."

"Since they saw that they could not prevent us from defending the people from police and institutional repression, they now began to plant weapons in order to discredit our president in the eyes of the international and domestic public — and to try to physically limit his political involvement," it continued.

"We will use all legal and other allowed means to defend our leader, who was always the first when it was necessary to defend the rights of our people — that's why they attacked him," they added.

Diocese: Pristina obstructs restoration of church in Gorazdevac through pressure and threats (Kosovo Online)

The Raska-Prizren Diocese stated that Kosovo institutions have halted the restoration work on the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Gorazdevac by exerting pressure and threats on the workers, reported Kosov Online. Following the Divine Liturgy in front of the church, the abbot of the Visoki Decani Monastery emphasized that it is clearly stipulated that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) has the full right to manage its property and restore its heritage. He called on international institutions to do everything possible to end the practice of selective law enforcement and pressure from Kosovo institutions in Pristina.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3tstsxab

Office for KiM and SL on the occasion of 27 years since the kidnapping of the Belacevac miners (Tanjug, Beta, NMagazin 

''On this day in 1998, terrorists kidnapped nine workers of the "Belacevac" surface mine in the AP of Kosovo and Metohija, and their fate has never been clarified, nor have those behind the first mass kidnapping of Serbs before the start of armed conflicts in our southern province been brought to justice," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced yesterday. It was emphasized that "this kidnapping was a prelude to the evil that befell the Serbian people in the following years and that in Pristina there is a policy of impunity for crimes against Serbs".

The Serbian List stated that the families of the abducted continue to live in uncertainty, suffering and without an answer to the question of where their loved ones are and pointed out that this was one of the most difficult and painful crimes committed against the Serbian people in Kosovo.

"This crime remained without justice, without truth, without punishment. No one was found, and no one was held accountable, even though numerous international missions - from UNMIK, through EULEX, to other organizations that have been operating in Kosovo for years - had the authority and resources to investigate such crimes. Their failure is a defeat not only for the families, but also for the very idea of international justice," the statement said.

The SL demanded that this issue be raised again at all levels - domestic and international - and that, with the same strength and persistence as expected in any civilized society, a thorough investigation be started that will bring at least a grain of comfort to the families who have been waiting for justice for more than two decades.

Basic Court in Pristina issues verdict, Radoicic responsible for murder of Oliver Ivanovic (N1, KoSSev, KiM radio)

The Basic Court in Pristina has drafted a complete written verdict against Nedeljko Spasojevic, Marko Rosic, Dragisa Markovic and Zarko Jovanovic, accused of the murder of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanovic, who were sentenced together to over 22 years in prison on June 28, 2024, according to "Oath for Justice", KoSSev reported.

The court found Milan Radoicic responsible for the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, while the four defendants were sentenced to over 22 years in prison. The Basic Court alleges that the former deputy leader of the Serbian List led an organized criminal group that organized the murder on January 16, 2018, in North Mitrovica and took actions to destroy evidence to hinder the investigation. The group had a clear structure, criminal and political influence, operated with the support of the Serbian state, and blackmailed political rivals, including Ivanovic, who refused to comply with their demands.

The verdict, which was seen by the "Oath for Justice", signed by the presiding judge Valon Kurtaj, reads that the defendants were part of an organized criminal group that had been operating in northern Kosovo for a long time, led by Milan Radoicic and Zvonko Veselinovic, who are being sought by the judicial authorities in Kosovo. Radoicic is also indicted in the case of the terrorist attack in Banjska.

It was further alleged that this group “organized not only the murder of politician Oliver Ivanovic, but also the destruction of evidence in order to sabotage investigations by the authorities of the Republic of Kosovo”.

Due to the attack on a citizen of Serbia, two people detained and taken to the police station in South Mitrovica (KiM radio)

Two people were taken to the police station in South Mitrovica on Saturday for an attack on a citizen of Serbia who, according to the Kosovo police, provoked them, reported KiM radio.

One of the suspects was injured and received medical attention.

According to the prosecutor's decision, after the hearing, they were released, and the case will be handled in the regular procedure, according to the police statement.

Barabar Center celebrated two years of existence: A place of meeting, dialogue and equality (KiM radio, RTK2)

The Barabar Center celebrated two years of its existence on Friday. The aim of opening this center located in the Grand Hotel in Pristina, founded by the non-governmental organizations Integra from Pristina and CASA from North Mitrovica, was to open a space that brings together different communities in Kosovo through culture, art and conversation, reported KiM radio.

The head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh, reminded the audience of the humble beginnings of Barabar.

"Kushtrim and Miki had a dream and the courage to share it with us. Anonymously. We listened, thought about it, and considered. You imagined space. And all you needed was a room. Not a big hall, not a polished hall, but a room in the Grand Hotel in Pristina, right here where we are now. We are in that room. The kind of room whose walls still hold the echoes of the past, mistrust and missed opportunities. But thanks to your efforts, something else started - a conversation. The conversation was not easy. There were pauses, doubts, uncomfortable silences, but it was real. Serbs and Albanians, members of other communities in Kosovo, artists, activists, community leaders and famous actresses, all gathered," said Ziadeh. 

The inclusion of non-majority communities in dialogue with decision-makers at the central level was crucial for their visibility and representation, said the executive director of the Center for Affirmative Social Action (CASA) Miodrag Marinkovic, emphasizing that the goal of the project implemented by this organization was mutual understanding and advocacy of interests that are often marginalized. Marinkovic said that interest in the center exceeded expectations.

The Integra director, Kushtrim Koliqi, pointed out that today Barabar belongs to everyone who believes in togetherness and that "Barabar today is not just ours. It belongs to everyone who believes that change begins with listening, presence and togetherness," he said.

EU on Self-Determination’s announcement about the construction of two bridges over the Ibar (Kosovo Online)

The Self-Determination Movement shared an image on social media, showing what the two new bridges over the Ibar River, whose construction was announced, are supposed to look like. The EU told Kosovo Online on Friday that “they are neither aware of this project nor involved in it.”

In a written response to our portal, the EU spokesperson emphasized that any decision regarding the construction of infrastructure over the Ibar River must be made carefully.

“The EU is neither aware of this project nor involved in it. Any decision on building infrastructure over the Ibar River must be made carefully and inclusively, with the full involvement of all affected communities,” the EU spokesperson stated.

Self-Determination noted yesterday that the project would “facilitate the movement of citizens and serve as infrastructure for communication, integration, and development between the two parts of the city.” In the image shared on social media, the two new bridges are shown near the main Ibar bridge, which is currently guarded by KFOR soldiers and open only to pedestrians.