Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Draft is more advanced, but we are not fully satisfied (media)
• Kosovo, Serbia chief negotiators to meet next week in Brussels (RFE)
• Edtstadler: Recognition of Kosovo by all EU member states is imperative (media)
• Haradinaj on draft statute: Serbia has reason to feel victorious (Klan Kosova)
• Haziri expects agreement in Brussels next week (media)
• Haxhiu appointed coordinator against domestic, gender-based violence (media)
• Gazeta Express publishes Albanian PM Rama’s draft statute of Association
• Xhaferi: No potential for border changes; implications would be fatal (media)
• Osmani meets Prince William, “conversation centered on cooperation” (media)
• Court confirms verdict against Vukotic for sexual violence in war (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: We appreciate Romania's non-recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug, media)
• Lajcak on meetings in Pristina (media, social media)
• Brnabic: Relations with Azerbaijan at historical high point (media)
• Over 850 vehicles with Serbian license plates switch to “RKS” plates (N1, KoSSev)
• Lazarevic on vehicles re-registration: Belgrade in a shameful way shifted responsibility to Serbs in Kosovo (KoSSev, N1)
• Kosovo Supreme Court upholds 13 years imprisonment sentence for Vukotic, Lawyer: From Nuremberg to The Hague no one has been tried in such a way (KoSSev, N1)
• RFE: Possible new meeting of Belgrade, Pristina chief negotiators next week (RFE, N1)

International Media:

• Kosovo Govt’s Reform Agenda Gets Bogged Down in Court (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Draft is more advanced, but we are not fully satisfied (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Tuesday that on October 24 he sent his remarks and criticism about the EU-proposed draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, to EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak. He said that he cannot reveal the remarks and criticism because of confidentiality, but that the draft is more advanced and completely different from the one mentioned in previous agreements.

“For the sake of the confidentiality of the draft, I cannot talk about my remarks and criticism. I sent them to Lajcak through Bislimi on October 24, two days prior to our meeting in Brussels. This is another draft, incomparably more advanced, but it doesn’t mean that we are fully satisfied, and this is why I sent my remarks and criticism,” Kurti is quoted as saying.

Kurti also said that he accepted the draft of the Association only as part of a package, asking for Kosovo to get the status of candidate country for the EU and to be included in the Partnership for Peace program. 

Kosovo, Serbia chief negotiators to meet next week in Brussels (RFE)

Kosovo and Serbia chief negotiators will meet next week under the mediation of the European Union, the news website learns from unofficial sources in Brussels. November 16 is mentioned as a possible date for the meeting. 

Serbia’s chief negotiator, Petar Petkovic, mentioned a possible meeting this week, but said that it would not be held because it was refused by Kosovo. His claim however was denied by the EU Special Representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak. His office told the news website that all meetings in the dialogue process are organized on dates that are suitable for both parties and that meetings are announced only after the parties confirm their participation. They also confirmed that there was a preliminary idea for the meeting to be held on November 7. “The Kosovar side presented a very valid and important request to postpone the meeting, which the EU facilitator accepted. It is up to the EU facilitator to determine what requests and reasons offered by the parties with regards to organizing the meetings are valid and important,” the response notes.

Edtstadler: Recognition of Kosovo by all EU member states is imperative (media)

Austria’s Minister for the EU, Karoline Edtstadler, said in a post on X on Tuesday that “if the EU wants to match its words of solidarity with the Western Balkans with action, it should aim for the following five milestones: opening accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of 2023; Intergovernmental conferences with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia in early 2024; concrete progress with Montenegro before the EU elections; progress in accession talks with Serbia and in processing Kosovo’s membership application before the EU elections (subject to further developments in normalization talks between Serbia and Kosovo); if the EU wants to take the lead, recognition of Kosovo by all EU member states is imperative; I also think that the EU should set concrete, individual target accession dates for each of the 6 countries once the next EU commission takes office”. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yxpb2zcj

Haradinaj on draft statute: Serbia has reason to feel victorious (Klan Kosova)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said in an interview with the TV station on Tuesday that he has reads the full document of the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities presented by representatives of the U.S., Italy, France, Germany, and the European Union. He said the document was presented to them by the EU special envoy for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak. “The full document was given to us to read. My colleague Besnik (Tahiri) and I read it separately, and we were allowed to take notes, but not to photograph it. We could not take the document with us which means that it is in an early stage,” he said.

Haradinaj said the draft is based on the Constitution of Kosovo and Kosovo’s laws and that it is rich with many rights for the Serb community in Kosovo. “I think it makes them victorious. The Kosovo Serbs and Serbia have a reason to feel victorious with the guarantees that have been given to the Serb-majority municipalities, with the rights for coordination, with the obligations that Kosovo takes over at the central level with regards to the Constitution,” he said.

Haziri expects agreement in Brussels next week (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, said he hopes in next week’s meeting between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels an agreement will be reached on the implementation of the Brussels agreement and the Ohrid annex. He said that at the meeting with EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak in Pristina on Tuesday, he presented the position of the LDK that there is no other option to dialogue and that it is the only way to resolve problems between Kosovo and Serbia.

Haxhiu appointed national coordinator against domestic, gender-based violence (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Tuesday that he appointed Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, as National Coordinator for protection from domestic violence, violence against women and gender-based violence, after the new law entered into force.

“Our efforts to uproot violence against women and girls are continuous. For greater cooperation, with an inter-sectorial approach and a strengthened institutional chain, we have adopted the National Strategy for Protection against Domestic Violence and Violence against Women (2022-2026). As a response to violence, we are also improving the legal framework. We have advanced by defining violence against women as a criminal act in the Criminal Code. We are offering free legal aid to victims of domestic and gender-based violence, regardless of their socio-economic standing,” Kurti wrote in a Facebook post.

Gazeta Express publishes Albanian PM Rama’s draft statute of Association 

The news website published on Tuesday a draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama sent to the leaders of France and Germany on June 7. See more at: https://tinyurl.com/5futzpca

Xhaferi: No potential for border changes; implications would be fatal (media)

President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, said in an interview with TeVe1 on Tuesday that eventual border changes in the Balkans would have fatal implications. “In the Balkans there are always authors of ideas for borders. From the last experience of the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was clear how the borders were moved … I don’t believe there is any need or reason to go into that again. There is no potential for border changes. The implications would be fatal,” he argued.

Osmani meets Prince William, “conversation centered on cooperation” (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X on Tuesday that during her stay in Singapore she met with Prince William. “Our conversation was centered on Kosovo-UK cooperation, from our shared commitment for the green agenda and a more sustainable future to how we can jointly work on mental health awareness,” Osmani said.

Court confirms verdict against Vukotic for sexual violence in war (Telegrafi)

The Supreme Court of Kosovo has confirmed the verdict against Zoran Vukotic who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for sexual violence during the war in Kosovo. The news was announced by the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims. “This marks the epilogue of this case and now we have the first survivor who with her insistence and continued support of the KRCT throughout the process, triumphed in all court levels,” KRCT said in a statement. It also says that it continues to support and encourage all survivors of sexual violence during the war to seek justice.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: We appreciate Romania's non-recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug, media)

At a meeting with Romanian Chamber of Deputies Speaker Alfred Simonis, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia highly appreciated the fact Romania firmly stood by its position of non-recognition of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, Tanjug news agency reports.

"We highly appreciate the fact that Romania, despite the strong pressure it is facing, still stands firmly by its position of non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, and we are grateful for the support we are receiving from Bucharest for progress on our European path and a continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue based on a responsible approach by all parties involved", Vucic wrote in a post on his official Instagram account.

Vucic also noted that the meeting with Simonis had also addressed further stepping up of ties and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Lajcak on meetings in Pristina (media, social media)

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Tuesday he had held separate meetings with US Ambassador Jeff Hovenier and other diplomatic representatives, as well as with the KFOR Command and officials of opposition parties in Pristina.

He said the meetings had addressed the latest developments in the dialogue and the next steps.

"Had a very productive day in Kosovo today with good exchanges on latest developments in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and the way ahead. Grateful to all my interlocutors for their active role and support", Lajcak wrote in a post on the social media network X, formerly known as Twitter.

EU spokesman Peter Stano has told Tanjug Lajcak planned to visit Belgrade soon to discuss the next steps in the dialogue.

Brnabic: Relations with Azerbaijan at historical high point (media)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Belgrade on Tuesday, Tanjug news agency reported.

Brnabic noted that overall Serbia-Azerbaijan relations were at a historical high point. She thanked Azerbaijan for supporting the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, the Serbian government said in a statement.

Bayramov expressed Azerbaijan's firm and principled position when it comes to supporting Serbia's efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said Azerbaijan's support to Serbia in international institutions would be continued unconditionally and that this was best demonstrated by its vote against launching the procedure of reviewing Pristina’s application for membership in the Council of Europe.

Over 850 vehicles with Serbian license plates switch to “RKS” plates (N1, KoSSev)

Since November 1, 851 vehicles with Serbian issued license plates having denominations of towns in Kosovo have switched to “RKS” plates, Kosovo police confirmed for KoSSev portal.

Although owners are issued new license plates following re-registration they are not issued new driver licenses. Kosovo police region North said that it would submit a request to Pristina to enable the issuance of new driver licenses, KoSSev added.

The deadline for the re-registration expires on December 1, following which those caught driving vehicles that have not switched to “RKS” plates will be fined, and the plates will be seized. If such vehicles are repeatedly stopped, they will be confiscated, the portal added.

Lazarevic on vehicles re-registration: Belgrade in a shameful way shifted responsibility to Serbs in Kosovo (KoSSev, N1)

Mitrovica North-based KoSSev portal Editor-in-Chief, Tanja Lazarevic told N1 that elections are the main topic in Serbia, but not for the Serbs in Kosovo. In the north, they are waiting in queues to re-register their vehicles, she added.

Speaking of the new draft statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, whose content the public knows little about, she said mechanisms that are currently being established will deal more with how not to affect Kosovo sovereignty instead of protection of the Serbs in Kosovo.

“In interpretation of this, it means giving up on this part of the sovereignty of Republic of Serbia (and further) acceptance of sovereignty of ‘Republic of Kosovo’”, she said.

“Unfortunately, the sovereignty has been deliberately transferred to the hands of (ordinary) people. Of course I am not talking about democracies in which people are truly a sovereign, but about one shameful shifting of responsibility by Belgrade authorities to the hands of a drastically weakened community of Serbs in the north, following all those consequences”, she said.

She made those remarks related to the re-registration of the vehicles with Serbian license plates to “RKS” ones in northern Kosovo, saying that the owners of the vehicles decided to do so after constant problems they face driving those vehicles, with which they have limited freedom of movement, but also because of ‘tacit surrender’ of Belgrade regarding this issue.

Kosovo Supreme Court upholds 13 years imprisonment sentence for Vukotic, Lawyer: From Nuremberg to The Hague no one has been tried in such a way (KoSSev, N1)

Kosovo Supreme Court upheld the verdict sentencing Zoran Vukotic from Vucitrn to 13 years of imprisonment for an alleged 1999 war crime against civilians. His lawyer, Nebojsa Vlajic said there were violations in the procedure and announced that he would file a request for the protection of legality.

In July 2021 Vukotic was sentenced by a first-instance court to a prison term of ten years for allegedly raping an Albanian woman, which was immediately welcomed by the Pristina officials, including Kosovo president and prime minister, KoSSev reported.

After the Court of Appeals rejected the verdict and sent the case back for a retrial due to procedural violations, the same court again sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment in repeated proceedings in November last year. In the meantime, the defense and the Kosovo Special Prosecutor’s Office appealed to the Court of Appeals in Pristina which in April this year decided to increase his prison sentence from ten to 13 years. This decision has been upheld now by the Kosovo Supreme Court.

Lawyer: From Nuremberg to The Hague no one has been tried in such a way

Zoran Vukotic’s defense lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic said he will request protection of legality following the latest decision of the Supreme Court.

He recalled that in 2018, in a separate proceeding Vukotic has already been sentenced to 6 and half years to prison for the war crime against civilian population, respectively mistreatment of detainees in Smrekovnica prison, near Vucitrn in the period from May 1999 to beginning of June, 1999 according to the court’s verdict.

“They are imposing on him separate sentences that go beyond the maximal sentence. The maximal is 15 years. He is already sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison for one event, and when the new one of 13 years is added, it goes beyond maximal sentence”, he said.

“It can be more than 15 years, it has to be a single sentence and a single trial. No one from Nuremberg to The Hague has been tried in such a way that individual sentences are imposed for each separate event”, Vlajic said.

RFE: Possible new meeting of Belgrade, Pristina chief negotiators next week (RFE, N1)

The next meeting of Belgrade and Pristina chief negotiators will be held next week, Radio Free Europe (RFE) unofficially learned. RFE sources mentioned November 16 as the possible date.

European Union (EU) Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak announced last week that he would soon call a meeting at the level of chief negotiators.

Belgrade chief negotiator Petar Pekovic then said that the planned meeting was called off because Pristina refused to participate.

In a written statement for RFE, Lajcak explained that all meetings within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue are called for dates that suit both parties, and that the information on the dates is released only once both sides confirm acceptance of date.

International Media

Kosovo Govt’s Reform Agenda Gets Bogged Down in Court (Balkan Insight)

Repeated court rulings against its promised reforms should make Kosovo’s government look harder at the quality of the legislation and the need for broad consensus, experts say.

Albin Kurti’s opponents have become frequent visitors to Kosovo’s Constitutional Court in recent months.

A string of laws pushed through parliament by Prime Minister Kurti’s government have been challenged in the court by opposition parties, and others are expected to follow.

In the space of under a year, legislation on the minimum wage, on public sector salaries, on sources of wealth, on public officials, and Kosovo’s public prosecution have all been reviewed or are currently under review by the court at the request of opposition parties.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2vvkb8ap