Albanian Language Media: 

• Osmani to urge political “compromise” among parties to avoid deadlock (media)
• Kurti travels to Paris to attend the Paris Peace Forum (media)
• Osmani meets Crown Prince of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and President of Mauritania (media)
• Citaku: No budget vote before new government formed (media)
• Cakolli: No parliamentary session without new mandate holder (media)
• Assembly Presidency to meet Thursday to review 2025 municipal budgets (media)
• Possible war victims’ remains found in North Mitrovica cemetery (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Political cooperation agreed with Uzbekistan, FTA to be signed in future (Tanjug, RTS, media)
• The trial of Pantic and Zaric begins anew due to a change in the court panel (KiM radio, KoSSev, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Another school project launched in North Mitrovica — “for all children,” says outgoing mayor (KoSSev)
• Klokot: Threats and pressures ahead of the second round of local elections (KiM radio, KoSSev)

International Media: 

• Montenegro introduces visas for Turkish citizens (EWB)
• Hungary plans new anti-Ukraine bloc with Czechia, Slovakia (Politico)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani to urge political “compromise” among parties to avoid deadlock (media)

After the failure to approve the new government on Sunday, the responsibility has now shifted to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who is expected to invite political parties for consultations. During these meetings, Osmani will call for political compromise to prevent institutional paralysis. Her media advisor, Bekim Kupina, told Reporteri that the President will encourage political parties to cooperate in order to avoid any blockade.

“In her consultations with the political parties, President Osmani will highlight the importance of adopting the 2026 Budget and the Growth Plan as essential acts for institutional stability, the normal functioning of the state, and the country’s economic development.

The President will call for a political compromise that guarantees Kosovo’s and its citizens’ interests and ensures a clear path forward for the nation’s progress. In this context, she will encourage the parties to cooperate in order to avoid any blockage that could negatively impact citizens’ well-being and the functioning of Kosovo’s institutions,” Kupina stated.

He confirmed that Osmani will invite the parties within the constitutional deadline and in accordance with her constitutional responsibilities. Meanwhile, political parties reiterated on Monday that extraordinary parliamentary elections remain the only viable option.

Kurti travels to Paris to attend the Paris Peace Forum (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker  Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has traveled to Paris, France, to participate in the Paris Peace Forum, following an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister’s Office announced.

During his stay, Kurti will attend the Peace Forum and hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event. He is also expected to take part in a panel discussion organized by the Jacques Delors Institute. According to the statement,  on Tuesday evening, Kurti was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the Paris Diplomatic Circle.

Osmani meets Crown Prince of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and President of Mauritania (media)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, during her stay in Riyadh, met with the Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Royal Highness Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Hashemi. Regarding this meeting, Osmani wrote on social media: "In Riyadh, I had a very productive meeting with the Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Royal Highness Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Hashemi. Kosovo and Jordan enjoy excellent bilateral relations, built on friendship, trust, and mutual cooperation. During the meeting, we confirmed our readiness to deepen the partnership and discussed ways to open new chapters of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including defense, trade, and information technology".

As part of her meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she is staying at the invitation of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, to participate in the Future Investment Initiative (FII), Osmani also met with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani. "A very good meeting in Riyadh with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani. We discussed strengthening the friendly relations between Kosovo and Mauritania, the readiness to work together at the international level, as well as our mutual commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation," Osmani wrote on social media.

Citaku: No budget vote before new government formed (media)

The Member of Parliament from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, speaking about the letter from 21 civil society organizations addressed to President Vjosa Osmani concerning the approval of the budget for next year for Kosovo, said that the budget cannot be put on the agenda without the election of a new government.

Citaku added that President Osmani should have invited political parties to a meeting on Monday to address the current situation, as Kosovo is still without a new government. “There cannot be an extraordinary session, and the budget as such cannot be placed on the agenda without a new government being elected. For that reason, I am puzzled by the lack of urgency from the President’s side, she should have been here on Monday to invite the political parties to a meeting. I repeat that the state, among other things, is also about procedure, not merely as a formality but as an instrument of the separation of powers. Therefore, under these circumstances, I don’t know how possible it would be,” she emphasized on RTV 21.

She further added that, according to her, the issue of the budget does not seem likely to be discussed in the meeting of the Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo, which will be held on Thursday at 14:00.

Cakolli: No parliamentary session without new mandate holder (media)

Eugen Cakolli from the Kosovo Institute for Justice (KIJ) stated that following the failure to approve the new government, an extraordinary session of the Assembly cannot currently be convened. He emphasized that President Vjosa Osmani must first hold consultations with political parties and decide on the appointment of a second mandate holder before any parliamentary meeting can take place.

According to Cakolli, the signatures of MPs have no legal effect outside this process, and the Assembly cannot review the draft Law on the Budget until a new government is formed.

Assembly Presidency to meet Thursday to review 2025 municipal budgets (media)

The Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo is scheduled to hold a meeting on Thursday at 14:00. The agenda includes two main points: consultations on the functionalization of parliamentary committees, aiming to enable the Assembly’s working bodies to begin operating effectively, and discussion on the approval of municipal budgets for 2025, specifically for the municipalities of Prishtina, Gjilan, and Zubin Potok.

This meeting comes amid ongoing institutional uncertainty following the failed vote for the new government, with key processes such as the national budget for 2026 still pending.

Possible war victims’ remains found in North Mitrovica cemetery (media)

On Tuesday, cemetery maintenance workers in North Mitrovica discovered human remains that are suspected to belong to war victims. The case was immediately reported to the Kosovo Police, after which a joint team composed of representatives from the Government Commission on Missing Persons, the Directorate for War Crimes Investigation, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine arrived at the scene.

Following an initial forensic examination, experts confirmed the presence of human remains, prompting the initiation of procedures for their recovery and documentation. The Government Commission on Missing Persons praised the cooperation of people, emphasizing that their reports are vital in uncovering the fate of missing persons.

Further forensic procedures will aim to identify the remains and clarify the circumstances surrounding this case.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Political cooperation agreed with Uzbekistan, FTA to be signed in future (Tanjug, RTS, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday in Tashkent that Serbia and Uzbekistan had agreed on mutual political support at all levels, from the UN to all other organisations, and that he expected the two countries to sign an FTA and an agreement on protection of investments in the future.

"I see enormous opportunities for cooperation between our countries, we have agreed on mutual political support at all levels, in all international organisations, from the UN to all other institutions, bodies and organisations. Tomorrow we will have a strenuous day and the opening of the 43rd UNESCO General Conference the day after tomorrow," Vucic told reporters, recapping the first day of a visit to Uzbekistan.

He said important agreements that were the foundations for a preferential trade agreement had been signed earlier in the day.

"I am hoping for an FTA in the future and an agreement on protection of investments and economic and trade cooperation," he said.

He announced that, after launching flights to Georgia and Baku, Serbia's national airline would also start flying to Samarkand or Tashkent, depending on what an analysis pointed to as the better destination.

The trial of Pantic and Zaric begins anew due to a change in the court panel (KiM radio, KoSSev, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Basic Court in Pristina changed the composition of the court panel in the trial against former police officials from Istok, Momir Pantic and Zarko Zaric, accused of alleged war crimes against civilians of Albanian nationality in 1999.

In the future, judge Donika Shala will lead the proceedings. Due to her appointment, at yesterday's hearing, the presentation of the opening statements of the prosecution, the defense of the accused and the representatives of the injured parties was repeated.

The prosecutor, Florija Shamolli, who replaced the previous prosecutor, Ilir Morina, did not read the indictment with the consent of those present. She stated that the defendants and their defense attorneys had already familiarized themselves with its content.

Momir Pantic rejected all allegations from the indictment. He asserted that in March 1999 he was dismissed from the post of police commander in Istok because, as he said, of protecting more than 200 Albanians whom he prevented from crossing the border into Albania. He pointed out that after the war he regularly came to Kosovo and cooperated with the prosecution. He assessed that the process against him and Zaric was politically motivated.

Lawyer Milos Delevic criticized the slow pace of the trial. He stated that only one of over 150 proposed witnesses was heard in six months and added that this "represents a violation of the principle of the urgency of the procedure." Delevic hopes that the new judge will speed up the process and consider the possibility of abolishing custody, replacing it with bail or house arrest.

"Momir Pantic came to Kosovo constantly after the war, several times every year. He returned to his village where he has a large property. He was not afraid because he knew that he was absolutely innocent and that he did nothing illegally. After 22 years of the war, some witnesses appear who allegedly allege that he committed a war crime," said the lawyer.

Defense attorney Zarko Zaric, lawyer Dejan Vasic, requested that his client's detention be replaced by house arrest. He recalled that Zaric returned to his village Ljubozda in 2016, where he lives as the only Serb in the area.

Another school project launched in North Mitrovica — “for all children,” says outgoing mayor (KoSSev)

Just days after the confirmation that Vetëvendosje has lost control over the North Mitrovica municipality, the outgoing mayor, together with South Mitrovica mayoral candidate, acting ministers of Internal Affairs and Local Government Administration, laid the foundation stone for another new school in the northern part of the city — this time, they say, “for all the children of Mitrovica.” The new school is designed to accommodate 360 students and is expected to be completed within a year and a half, reported KoSSev portal yesterday.

As early as 10 a.m., workers of the Fidola company — wearing new helmets, vests, and equipment — were preparing the site for the afternoon media event. The entrance gate to the complex that includes the Church of St. Dimitrije was removed, part of the playground cleared, and an area arranged for the ministers’ visit.

Political context: Losing power, not enthusiasm

Local elections confirmed that Vetëvendosje lost North Mitrovica to the Serbian List, which is returning to power after a three-year boycott.

Yet, despite operating in a caretaker capacity and Kosovo being months without a functioning government — and potentially only weeks away from new parliamentary elections — the outgoing municipal leadership continues with visible activity.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mrsjpdpj

Klokot: Threats and pressures ahead of the second round of local elections (KiM radio, KoSSev)

About twenty residents of Klokot gathered in front of the elementary school "Sveti Sava" in that place to protest for several reasons: the dismissal of the school principal without consultation with the collective, the non-renewal of the contracts of certain teachers, salary reductions and various threats and blackmail. Dissatisfied people consider Bozidar Dejanovic, the candidate for mayor of Klokot in front of the Serbian List, to be most responsible for their troubles, reported Radio KiM from the protest held yesterday.

As Radio KiM learned from people gathered, the alleged newly appointed director Suncica Nikolic from the village of Grncare has been unsuccessfully trying to enter the elementary school in Klokot for two days.

"She was sent by Bozidar Dejanovic to evict people. There are many examples. There are some guys here who were evicted from their jobs. Even my wife was evicted. She worked at an elementary school in Vitina. After voting, we were called to his place and he said: 'You didn't vote, you're going home. That's it,'" said a physical education teacher at Elementary School "Sveti Sava" in Klokot, adding that we are now waiting for what "the ministry will say".

On Radio KiM'a question why only twenty people are protesting in Klokot, if there are many problems, pressures and blackmail, he answered:

"Because of fear of being forced out of work or being deprived of minimum wage or the fact that they receive social benefits, and that's it. I don't know, they should have come, but they didn't. They're afraid they have pressure. So, you don't vote, you go home," he said.

"We are not against the Serbian List, we are against that man, the candidate of the Serbian List, Bozidar Dejanovic. The wrong person was appointed to that position, to be a candidate," he added among other things.

International Media

Hungary plans new anti-Ukraine bloc with Czechia, Slovakia (Politico)

Budapest wants to boost its political alliances in Brussels, Viktor Orbán’s political director says.

Hungary is looking to join forces with Czechia and Slovakia to form a Ukraine-skeptic alliance in the EU, a top political adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told POLITICO.

Orbán is hoping to team up with Andrej Babiš, whose right-wing populist party won Czechia’s recent parliamentary election, as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, to align positions ahead of meetings of EU leaders, including holding pre-summit huddles, the aide said.

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

Montenegro introduces visas for Turkish citizens (EWB)

PODGORICA –  In yesterday’s remote session, the Government of Montenegro decided to temporarily suspend the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens. According to the official explanation, the measure is temporary and aims to review and strengthen mechanisms for monitoring the entry and stay of foreign nationals as quickly as possible.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić had announced this decision on Sunday evening, writing on the platform X that it would be adopted through an urgent procedure. He added that in order to “preserve economic activity and maintain good bilateral relations,” the government would seek the best mutually beneficial solution in the coming period.

The decision follows police raids carried out last night, in which Turkish citizens were detained in connection with several incidents and acts of violence over the weekend.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yd4v2wz4