UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, October 15, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Western Balkans’ leaders sign two agreements at Berlin Summit (media)
Kurti: We asked for lifting of measures and for candidate status for Kosovo (RTK)
Kurti meets Scholz, discuss areas where Germany can help Kosovo (media)
Kosovo Police says Serbian gendarmerie “stepped on border at Merdare” (media)
Maqedonci reacts to “aggressive campaign”, “soldiers have three meals” (media)
Tahiri: City squares will be filled with war veterans on November 28 (Indeksonline)
Govt building lit up to honor strength of those touched by breast cancer (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Berlin Process summit declaration; Lajcak: Time has come to make integration of the WB a reality (Beta, N1)
Vucevic: Germany wants to see W Balkans in EU; Serbia remains committed to EU path (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever, media)
Vucic met Slovak defence minister (Tanjug, RTS, media)
RSF condemns vandalism of KoSSev director’s car (KoSSev)
Democratic Party MP condemns attack on KoSSev director’s property, calls for justice (KoSSev, N1)
The fate of internally displaced persons: The years pass, the statistics remain the same (Kosovo Online)
The Serbian Democracy vice-president briefly detained; Elshani said Veljkovic taken away due to "his safety" (KoSSev)

International Media:

Top Chinese Communist Official Visits Serbia, Highlighting Growing Belgrade-Beijing Cooperation (RFE)
Can a motorway to Bosnia strengthen the ties between Serbia and Turkey? (euronews.com)

Albanian Language Media

Western Balkans’ leaders sign two agreements at Berlin Summit (media)

The Prime Ministers from the Western Balkans Six have signed the Declaration of Support to the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2025-2028, as well as the Agreement on Access to Higher Education and Admission to Higher Studies in the Western Balkans at today’s Berlin Process Summit, hosted by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition, they welcomed the progress that has been recently made regarding the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

The summit, marking the 10th anniversary of the launching of the Berlin Process, is attended by the Prime Ministers of Albania Edi Rama, Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, Kosovo Aljbin Kurti, Montenegro Milojko Spajic, North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski, Serbia Milos Vucevic, as well as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Kristo, President of Slovenia Natasa Pirc-Musar, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The Common Regional Market Action Plan 2025-2028 represents a regionally-owned framework based on the EU rules and standards with the objective to consolidate and enhance competitiveness and economic cooperation. The main areas of the Action Plan are the following: free movement of goods; free movement of services; horizontal trade measures; human capital development; business enabling environment and competitiveness; digital transformation.

The Agreement on Access to Higher Education is depicted as the “notable achievement” by the German Federal Government. It seeks to grant students the right to pursue studies at accredited higher education institutions and promotes student mobility.

Also, the participants of the Berlin Process Summit supported the nine new agreements, aimed at improving trade, employment and consumer rights in the region, which were adopted by the CEFTA Joint Committee on 9 October. It was stated by CEFTA that these agreements will bring the CEFTA markets closer to the EU Single Market and unlock the potential of the EU’s New Growth Plan.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on X after the summit: “the Berlin Process was set up in 2014 as a platform to increase cooperation between the Western Balkans Six and the Berlin Process host countries as well as the EU. Early economic integration is key to the success of enlargement. The Common Regional Market plays a key role. The better it functions, the better the Western Balkans’ economies can be gradually integrated in our Single Market”.

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said he attended the summit upon the invitation from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “On its 10th anniversary, the messages were very clear: a lot has been achieved for the people of the region, but time has come to make the EU integration of the Western Balkans a reality,” Lajcak said in a post on X.

UK Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty in his address outlined te UK support for the Western Balkans and calls for a strong and connected Europe. “Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine shows that we cannot take peace and security in Europe for granted and so we must guard against all those who seek to destabilise the Western Balkans. Our work to achieve common goals and diffuse tensions is even more important than it’s already been in the 10 year history of this process. And indeed, the challenging outlook requires a strong and connected Europe, and that is why, under its new government, the United Kingdom is resetting our relations with friends across the continent, in this room and many more today at the Foreign Affairs Committee in Luxembourg, which my colleague, Foreign Secretary David Lammy is attending today. Indeed, the Western Balkans is one of the areas I believe that we, the United Kingdom, the European Union, all of whom in this room can work together much more closely, because our shared goals are basics, we all need for a good life. Security. Prosperity. Equality,” he said.

Kurti: We asked for lifting of measures and for candidate status for Kosovo (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told reporters on Monday evening that during meetings at the Berlin Process Summit he asked for the lifting of EU’s penalty measures against Kosovo and for Kosovo to get the candidate status for EU membership. “In the meetings we had we have asked for the unjust measures against Kosovo to be lifted, for Kosovo to get its candidate status and to send us the questionnaire as soon as possible with the thousands of questions which we will fill our with discipline and patience, because we neither have nor want another alternative to the European Union,” he said.

Kurti said that agreements reached on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process have brought the region closer together and have accelerated the path toward the European Union.

Kurti meets Scholz, discuss areas where Germany can help Kosovo (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his stay in Berlin and thanked him for his and Germany’s cooperation and continuous support for Kosovo. Kurti congratulated Scholz “on a successful summit of the Berlin Process which was preceded by the ministerial meeting and the unblocking at CEFTA where Kosovo is now represented by its institutions instead of UNMIK”.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and areas in which Germany can support Kosovo. Kurti asked Scholz and Germany to support the lifting of EU’s measures against Kosovo. He also asked Scholz “for support in addressing the issue of Serbia’s airspace which remains closed for commercial flights to and from Kosovo for 25 years now, causing financial damages to airline companies and also polluting the environment because of extended flights to and from Kosovo”.

Kurti expressed his and Kosovo’s commitment for regional cooperation and for full support for the Berlin Process and the implementation of agreements reached in the process, including the agreements that were signed on Monday.

“With regards to relations with Serbia and the Brussels-facilitated dialogue, the Prime Minister said that the signing of the Basic Agreement, the handing over of chief terrorist Milan Radoicic and his group which are already indicted by the state prosecution, and the withdrawal of Serbia’s letter in which it expresses reservations about the Basic Agreement, are crucial and a sign of good will for Serbia to swiftly implement and fully respect the Agreement and its implementation annex,” a Kosovo government press release notes.

Kosovo Police says Serbian gendarmerie “stepped on border at Merdare” (media)

Kosovo Police said in a statement on Monday evening that a vehicle which they suspect belongs to the Serbian Gendarmerie and four officers stayed for ten minutes at the Serbian police station in Merdare for ten 10 minutes. “The same officers then left by crossing the border line which in fact constitutes a violation of the agreement on Integrated Border Management, aiming at provoking or creating an inter-state incident,” the police said.

Kosovo Police called on international authorities to undertake actions aimed at safeguarding stability and respecting the agreements on integrated border management. “Kosovo Police is performing its legal duties in the function of maintaining quiet, stability and professional management of state borders based on its constitutional mandate and with respect for international agreements on integrated border management, while remaining committed to safeguarding sovereignty and it will react with professionalism against any illegal and anti-constitutional act that threatens international agreements on integrated border management,” the statement notes.

Maqedonci reacts to “most aggressive campaign”, “soldiers have three meals” (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, in an interview with T7 on Monday, reacted to claims that members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) are without food supplies saying that “this is the harshest campaign” and that soldiers are served three quality meals daily. “We are in the time of [election] campaign, and this could be one of the most aggressive campaigns in Kosovo and it is setting a bad precedent, namely it is involving the security and the army. I understand that transparency is one of the key elements that the Ministry of Defense and the KSF need to have, but this transparency has been misused by the media, and by different actors in and outside the country, to attack and label the Ministry of Defense and the KSF,” he said.

Tahiri: City squares will be filled with war veterans on November 28 (Indeksonline)

Head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Besnik Tahiri, said in his address at the session of the Kosovo Assembly on Monday, that the KLA war veterans will fill the squares in Pristina in protest against the Kurti-led government on November 28. “November 28 will come fast, and that is the 27th anniversary of the public appearance of the KLA. The squares will be filled with veterans because they can no longer tolerate you like this,” Tahiri said.

Govt building lit up to honor strength of those touched by breast cancer (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Monday that “tonight, the government building is lit up to honor the strength of those touched by breast cancer and to raise awareness about the life-saving power of early detection. Mammography services, as a preventive and diagnostic measure, are free for all citizens of the Republic, with mobile units reaching northern municipalities. With new investments in oncology and advanced treatment options, such as new accelerators, care is improving. For the first time, breast reconstruction is available for free for survivors who have overcome breast cancer. We are committed to ensuring equal access to healthcare services for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer”.

Serbian Language Media

Berlin Process summit declaration; Lajcak: Time has come to make integration of the WB a reality (Beta, N1)

Western Balkan leaders meeting at Monday’s Berlin Process summit signed a joint declaration on regional cooperation and good neighbour relations which also confirmed the need for full implementation of agreements.

The declaration said they accept the principles of solidarity, trust, security, respect, and good neighbour relations as guidelines for cooperation and support foreign affairs initiatives for young professionals with the aim of promoting cooperation and understanding.

The WB leaders said that the key issue, in light of increased hybrid threats, was to step up efforts to reinforce their cyber resilience through capacity building and incident response.

The declaration said they acknowledge the need to face the past and active engagement on reconciliation, with continuing efforts to resolve the fate of missing persons and remaining bilateral issues through negotiations and dialogue instead of divisions and obstruction. The countries of the region also accept the obligation of continuing to support and strengthen regional cooperation through regional formats and institutions including the Regional Cooperation Council, CEFTA, Western Balkan Fund and Regional Youth Cooperation Council. They agreed that control of light weapons was crucial to meeting the key security standards for European Union membership.

The Western Balkan officials said regional cooperation was a common priority with democracy, basic rights and rule of law as conditions for stability and prosperity.

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other WB regional issues, Miroslav Lajcak wrote in a post on X that “on its 10th anniversary, the messages were very clear: a lot has been achieved for the people of the region, but time has come to make integration of the Western Balkans a reality”.

Vucevic: Germany wants to see W Balkans in EU; Serbia remains committed to EU path (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever, media)

Serbian PM Milos Vucevic said on Monday in Berlin, where he attended the 10th anniversary Berlin Process summit, that Serbia remained committed to the EU path as its main strategic geopolitical objective and that the impression after the summit was that Germany wanted to see the Western Balkans in the EU.

Speaking to Serbian reporters, Vucevic said the impression was that Germany wanted to revive the project fully and lend it a new impetus, and that many constructive ideas had been presented at the conference. He added that Serbia had signed two documents in Berlin - an agreement on access to higher education in the Western Balkans and a declaration in support of a common regional market.

"Those are documents we have no objections to, but Serbia always has reservations because we see the Western Balkans as '5+1', and not as six states. Those are our remarks and our red lines we always highlight," Vucevic said.

He said he had outlined Serbia's plan to remain committed to the EU path as its main strategic geopolitical objective.

"Serbia wants to see greater presence of European investments, infrastructure projects. We especially discussed the energy sector, which was the topic in the discussions with the French minister delegate for European affairs and the PMs of Italy and Hungary," Vucevic said.

He said the topics included migrant crises and alignment of visa regimes.

"Some speakers always mention the Russians or the Chinese, that always happens, but my impression is that there was no negative context, but that Germany's desire was to send a message to everyone that they should be a part of the EU."

Responding to a reporter's remark that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had dedicated a large portion of his speech to Belgrade-Pristina relations, calling for a continuation of dialogue and resolution of outstanding issues, Vucevic said two more speakers had touched upon the Belgrade-Pristina relationship in some segments but that it had not been the dominant topic.

"Kurti had a remark about Beijing and BRICS, but there was nothing dramatic about this issue," Vucevic added.

He said Serbia had received a great deal of recognition for its economic performance and implementation of infrastructure projects and that the signing of a memorandum with North Macedonia on building a gas interconnector to Greece had been welcomed at the summit.

"We also have an offer from Romania. I insisted on Corridor 10, (Hungarian) PM (Viktor) Orban noted that, too, and (North Macedonian) PM (Hristijan) Mickoski joined that," he said.

Asked if Germany's policy towards Serbia had changed, Vucevic said he believed Scholz had wanted to send a message that Germany wanted to see the Western Balkans in the EU.

Vucevic also said that he conveyed his concern to the German envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, about the large crowds at the Merdare crossing, even after Pristina announced that it had lifted the ban on goods entering Kosovo from central Serbia.

"We see some obstacles and blockages again, but we didn't want to accentuate it in that official format and spoil this, in a way, celebratory atmosphere of the tenth anniversary of the Berlin Process. But we told him on the sidelines, my colleagues and I, that what is currently happening in Merdare is not what the CEFTA agreement should be,'' Vucevic pointed out in a statement to journalists in Berlin. He added that they gave Sarrazin the photos they received from the director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, taken directly at the Merdare crossing. He also pointed out that there was a contradiction, which was that some thanked Pristina for solving the CEFTA problem, while everyone forgot that Pristina created the CEFTA problem.

When asked whether we can expect the functioning of the regional market after Pristina blocked CEFTA and whether we can expect a different behavior from the EU, Vucevic replied that he had a promise from the Germans that "everything will be better or more decently arranged".

Vucic met Slovak defence minister (Tanjug, RTS, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kalinak in Belgrade on Monday to discuss strengthening of bilateral cooperation in defence and security.

"We agreed that it is necessary to advance joint military exercises and information-sharing, and regional stability and potential joint projects that would help to boost security in the region were also a topic of the meeting," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account.

He noted the special gratitude to Slovakia for its consistent position on the issue of Kosovo and for its respect of the principles of international law.

"I stressed that EU membership is Serbia's foreign policy priority and thanked Slovakia for the strong support it is providing to us on that path," Vucic added.

RSF condemns vandalism of KoSSev director’s car (KoSSev)

International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined widespread condemnation following damage to the vehicle of Nevenka Medic, director of the KoSSev news portal, in what they called a likely attempt at intimidation, reported this portal.

RSF has expressed serious concerns regarding the latest incident, viewing it as a possible act of intimidation against Medic due to her work as a journalist. In a statement released on social media platform X, they urged Kosovo authorities to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

“RSF is concerned about the probable attempt to intimidate KoSSev’s director, whose car was vandalised this weekend and urges the Kosovo Police to bring the perpetrators to justice. The authorities must guarantee the safety of journalists,” the organisation said.

The attack has sparked swift reactions from various organisations and individuals.

The French Embassy in Pristina issued a call for Kosovo police to act quickly and bring the responsible parties to justice. Numerous journalist associations from both Belgrade and Pristina, as well as regional media organisations, have also condemned the incident.

Democratic Party MP condemns attack on KoSSev director’s property, calls for justice (KoSSev, N1)

Following the recent damage to KoSSev director Nevenka Medic’s vehicle, Democratic Party MP Srđan Milivojevic strongly condemned the incident, describing it as an attack targeting both her and the portal’s commitment to professional journalism. Milivojevic, in a statement issued after the incident, linked the incident to the portal’s reporting, which often covers sensitive and controversial issues in Kosovo. According to the MP, Medic and her colleagues are frequently in the crosshairs of those who find their “professional engagement” unacceptable.

“Nevenka Medic and KoSSev are once again under attack from those who cannot tolerate their professional dedication, which for years has been brave, impartial, timely, and truthful,” said Milivojevic. He praised Medic and her colleagues’ commitment to addressing difficult and often dangerous topics, emphasizing the importance of KoSSev’s work in shedding light on the harsh realities in the region.