Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti meets Sarrazin, talk strengthening bilateral relations, regional cooperation (media)

• Bislimi on Serbia’s bill on Kosovo: EU should respond and react in a firm way (media)

• Foreign Minister Gervalla to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session (media)

• Kurti meets AIRabiah of Saudi Arabia, thanks him for support for Kosovo (media)

• COMKFOR talks about security and increased presence of troops in Kosovo (Telegrafi)

• Trade Unions and opposition dissatisfied with increase of salaries (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Djuric to represent Serbia at UNSC session on UNMIK (Tanjug, media)

• Gouillon: 81 attacks on Serbs registered in Kosovo since Kurti's rise to power (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

• The Gracanica municipality sued the GoK for the illegal confiscation of land (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, KoSSev, KiM radio, Danas)

• Petkovic: Kurti is the only one taking hostile actions in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever, KiM radio)

• The SL representatives met Sarrazin: Necessary to prevent the persecution of Serbs (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever, KiM radio)

• Arsenijevic placed "EULEX VETËVENDOSJE! Police" at the gate of the EU mission base; KP questioned him: Disturbance of public order (KoSSev)

• Barduani: Resolving open issues through dialogue key to lasting security in Kosovo (K4, Kosovo Online)

 

 

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti meets Sarrazin, talk strengthening bilateral relations, regional cooperation (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Tuesday morning in Pristina with the German Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, at the residence of German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, and discussed strengthening bilateral relations between Germany and Kosovo, regional cooperation in the Berlin Process and current issues.

 

Kurti congratulated Sarrazin for a successful summit on the 10^th anniversary of the Berlin Summit this month and highlighted the importance of signing the agreements that were signed there. Kurti said after Kosovo’s decision to enable visa free travel for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Kosovo starting on January 1 next year, it is important to work for Bosnia and Herzegovina to ratify the ID travel agreement in order to enable the full implementation of the agreement.

 

“On the waiting time at the border crossing in Merdare, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of respecting the procedures that were announced with the changing of the security measure until the operationalization of X-ray scanners, and also talked about the mobilisation of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo in this regard,” a government press release notes.

 

Kurti also thanked Sarrazin for his engagement and contribution to furthering regional cooperation. 

 

Bislimi on Serbia’s bill on Kosovo: EU should respond and react in a firm way (media)

 

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the EU-facilitated talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, took to X on Tuesday to react to a bill passed by the Serbian government declaring Kosovo an area of special protection. “Serbia continues the obstruction of the dialogue process, violating the principles and spirit of the agreements, lastly, through the persecution bill presented yesterday by their government. While on one hand Serbia sends letters of commitment towards the European Commission stating the willingness to implement obligations deriving from the dialogue process, just so they can get millions of euros from the EU & the Growth Plan, on the other hand they continue to violate the agreements, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kosova, and make every attempt to continue to block the way forward in the normalisation process. Through Serbia's own moves on the ground, including the incitement of escalations in the last 3 years, Banjska attack, attacks against our institutions, incursion into our territory & the abduction of police officers, barricades in the north, MIGs flying near our border placing the army on full and high combat alert and now, with the persecution bill presented yesterday, their fake constructiveness keeps getting exposed. What's EU's perception of the true face of Serbia? The one which unreliably tries to appear as "constructive" stating their commitment to the process or the one that adopts such bills and continuously breaches the agreements and violates our territorial integrity and sovereignty? The EU as a mediator, should respond and react in a firm way,” Bislimi wrote.

 

Foreign Minister Gervalla to represent Kosovo at UN Security Council session (media)

 

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla has travelled to New York where she will represent Kosovo at the session of the United Nations Security Council today. “Minister Gervalla will represent the achievements of the Republic of Kosovo in different areas, including the process of democratisation, economic development, the rights of communities and the current situation in the northern municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo. Minister Gervalla will also talk about Serbia’s destabilising actions and the challenges that they pose to peace and stability in the region,” the post notes. 

 

Kurti meets AIRabiah of Saudi Arabia, thanks him for support for Kosovo (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Tuesday that he hosted “the Minister of Hajj and Umrah for Saudi Arabia Tawfig F. AlRabiah”. “I expressed my gratitude for our good and growing bilateral relations. A strong focus of our discussion was Kosova's significant economic growth in the past years and we discussed investment opportunities that would fortify this positive trend and contribute to our strengthening ties. I also thanked Minister AlRabiah for Saudi Arabia's support for Kosova's sovereignty and independence, including through resolutions adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” Kurti wrote.

 

COMKFOR talks about security and increased presence of troops in Kosovo (Telegrafi)

 

The new commander of KFOR in Kosovo, General Enrico Barduani, has discussed his main priorities and commitment to stability in Kosovo. Barduani emphasised the growth of KFOR's military forces as a response to growing global and regional security challenges. "KFOR is the longest and largest NATO mission, with a contribution from 29 allied and partner countries. Our commitment to maintaining peace and stability remains unwavering," said Barduani in an interview for Radio KFOR. He stressed the importance of international cooperation, underlining that KFOR's mission remains one of the key elements of stability in the Western Balkans region.

 

Speaking about his priorities, Barduani stated that he will ensure that KFOR continues to guarantee a peaceful and safe environment for all people and communities in Kosovo. He emphasized the role of KFOR in supporting the Kosovo Police and EULEX and ensured a coordinated response to any security challenge that may appear in the region. The motto chosen by Barduani for his one-year mandate is "Unitas Omnia Vinciť" - "Unity wins over all".

 

In conclusion, Barduani greeted and appreciated the dedicated work of his fellow soldiers and remembered the sacrifices of the fallen KFOR soldiers, stressing their contribution to peace and stability in Kosovo.

 

Trade Unions and opposition dissatisfied with increase of salaries (media)

 

Rrahman Jasharaj, head of the United Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK), has said that the salary increase of 55 euros for public sector workers, especially for teachers, which was announced by the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti that it will happen in January 2025, is ironic. Jasharaj has warned that there may be a mass protest first and if it does not have an impact on the fulfilment of their demands, strikes may be held.

 

The Kosovo Police Union (SPK) expressed dissatisfaction through a press release, saying that it does not agree with the value proposed by the government for the salary increase, requesting an increase of two coefficients.

 

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, wrote "With the great inflation crisis, with the unprecedented increase in prices, all public servants deserve decent salaries from the state they work for. They don't have these salaries today! They will have these salaries from the first week of our Government! That's the difference!That's the change!”

 

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj called the increase of salaries shameful. “The salary increase must happen in the public sector, it must be credible. The coefficient should be increased so that we don't have a salary below 1,000 euros. We can no longer continue an approach of saving on employees", said Haradinaj

Serbian Language Media 

Djuric to represent Serbia at UNSC session on UNMIK (Tanjug, media)

Serbian FM Marko Djuric will be representing Serbia today at the UN Security Council session on the UN secretary general's report on the work of UNMIK for the period between March 16 and September 15. The UNSC session in NY is scheduled for 4 pm CET, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

“Serbia will request strong implementation of the Brussels Agreement and establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, as well as zero tolerance for Pristina's unilateral and uncoordinated moves aimed at ethnic cleansing of Serbs,” Serbian FM Marko Djuric announced on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow I will also look back on increasingly callous, increasingly brazen public statements by both Mr Kurti and Svecla and other leaders of the provisional institutions who are now publicly saying, and boasting, that they have no intention of establishing a Community of Serb Municipalities," Djuric told reporters in New York ahead of the UNSC session on a new semi-annual report on UNMIK.

They are publicly boasting that they have no plans to comply with Article 9 of the Brussels Agreement, under which ethnic representation in the police force in the north of Kosovo should reflect the ethnic composition of the local population, he said.

“The leaders of the Pristina authorities do not even respect their own constitution as, following verification by a two-third majority in Pristina's assembly, the Agreement has become a part of the constitution of the so-called Kosovo,” Djuric said.

He said Serbia would be firm in protecting the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and present to the widest international community what had happened between two semi-annual reports on UNMIK.

"And what happened is just horrible," he said, adding that Kosovo Serbs had been denied additional collective rights.

He noted that, during the reporting period, the Kurti regime had raided the offices of provisional authorities that were employing 5,800 Serbs.

"What is even worse is that the raid on those provisional authorities has made impossible the provision of some of the most basic services for Serbs in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, which contributes to creating impossible living conditions for the Serbs," Djuric said.

Serbia's message to the entire international community is that the example of Serbs in Kosovo shows who wants to be on the side of the UN Charter and the most fundamental principles of humaneness, Djuric said, noting that Kosovo Serbs were isolated, ghettoised and deprived of the most basic services in 21st-century Europe.

Gouillon: 81 attacks on Serbs registered in Kosovo since Kurti's rise to power (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

The director of the Serbian government Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Arnaud Gouillon said on Tuesday the Office had summarised all data on attacks on Serbs in Kosovo in an English-language map it had sent to foreign media organisations and diplomats to give them a clearer picture of developments in Serbia's southern autonomous province.

Speaking to Pink TV, Gouillon said the map was based on information obtained from the government Office for Kosovo and Metohija. He noted that Kosovo had been constantly targeted by attacks since the 1990s but that the violence had intensified since Albin Kurti's rise to power as PM. Gouillon said, among other things, that since that time, 81 attacks on Serbs have been registered but no one has been held responsible.

The Gracanica municipality sued the GoK for the illegal confiscation of land (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, KoSSev, KiM radio, Danas)

The municipality of Gracanica submitted a lawsuit to the Basic Court in Pristina against the government in Pristina due to land confiscation, which is mostly owned by the municipality of Gracanica, and which the government in Pristina granted for 99 years to the charity association Balkan Orphans for the construction of the "Kosovo Residential Center for Autism, Down Syndrome and Disability for Children and the Elderly".

In the statement of the Municipality of Gracanica, it is pointed out that on October 24, a lawsuit was filed for the annulment of the decision and with a proposal for the suspension of the execution of the decision of the GoK.

Petkovic: Kurti is the only one taking hostile actions in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, pointed out that Albin Kurti is the only one implementing hostile measures and taking hostile actions in Kosovo with his unilateral, violent, and unlawful acts that harm the Serbian population in the area and threaten overall peace in the Western Balkans.

Petkovic noted that, under Kurti's leadership, seven Serbs have been shot, dozens arbitrarily arrested, and almost 20% of the Serbian population has been expelled from northern Kosovo.

He stated that these are unequivocal and documented acts of violence, aggression, and hostility.

"The entire international community has positively recognized the Serbian government's measures to support the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, and these measures are painful for Kurti for two reasons—they ensure the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, whereas his only goal is the expulsion of Serbs from their ancestral homes. Additionally, Kurti knows he has no economic achievements to present to his electorate, making Belgrade’s measures even more problematic for him," the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija read.

Each round of dialogue in Brussels, he continues, highlights to the world who is the destructive factor unwilling to agree, compromise, or normalize relations. In contrast, he added, Belgrade always presents sustainable and balanced proposals.

"Therefore, he should stop deceiving the public, especially when mentioning the CSM, as this is an obligation Pristina accepted in 2013 and incorporated into its legal framework, ratifying it with a two-thirds majority in its parliament, making the formation of the CSM an internal obligation as well. Moreover, the 2013 and 2015 agreements clearly outline all aspects regarding the CSM statute draft, and Article 21 of the 2015 General Principles for CSM formation is unambiguous about the path to forming the CSM. Any attempt by Kurti to disregard these agreements will remain futile," the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated. Petkovic emphasized that Serbia has always been and will remain a reliable partner that honors all its commitments—not some imaginary list of Kurti's desires.

"Unlike our words and signatures, which we have always respected, Kurti has refused to implement signed and even ratified agreements, claiming that they may exist in Belgrade but not in Pristina. Such unpredictable people cannot be held accountable, let alone relied upon to honor an agreement," Petkovic concluded.

The SL representatives met Sarrazin: Necessary to prevent the persecution of Serbs (Kosovo Online, Radio Mitrovica sever)

''Albin Kurti's regime is not sincere in its intention to allow the free flow of goods,'' representatives of the Serbian List pointed out during a meeting with Germany's special envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, and Germany's ambassador to Pristina, Jorn Rohde. 

The Serbian List presented to Sarrazin the problems that Serbian people face, especially in terms of security and legal certainty, and underlined the necessity to prevent the persecution of Serbs.

"It was pointed out that Kurti's regime is not sincere in its intention to allow the free flow of goods and is resorting to numerous obstructions, which is why they still do not reach the Serbs. It was requested that Mr. Sarrazin continue to monitor the implementation of this decision and to contribute to the normal flow of goods from central Serbia," stated the announcement of the Serbian List.

During the meeting, the tendency to change the ethnic composition of Serbian municipalities in the north of Kosovo and numerous examples of the oppression of the Serbian people by the Kosovo police, who carry out repression every day, were pointed out from the Serbian List.

Arsenijevic placed "EULEX VETËVENDOSJE! Police" at the gate of the EU mission base; KP questioned him: Disturbance of public order (KoSSev)

Members of the Serbian Democracy led by the leader of this party, Aleksandar Arsenijevic, placed posters on the gate of the EULEX base in the southern part of Mitrovica yesterday as a sign of protest and with accusations that this rule of law mission allegedly serves the ruling party in Pristina. Arsenijevic was interrogated by KP, as a suspect for disturbing public order and peace, reported KoSSev.

On the outer gate of this base, they placed several posters with the words "EULEX VETËVENDOSJE! Police" and "EUVLEX", with a prominent letter "V" reminiscent of the logo of the ruling party in Pristina - Self-Determination.

"Because of their actions, let's stick to what follows them, 'Vetvendosje Police', - these are your real signs. When you serve us, to know who you are serving," said Arenijevic as he placed the posters. He also claimed that at the same time, in North Mitrovica, they plastered two EULEX vehicles with such posters.

"This is all because they absolutely serve Self-Determination as their front, not as a corrective factor. EULEX does not see when Serbs are beaten, EULEX does not see when Serbs are being mistreated..." he said.

After leaving the police station, where he was interrogated, he said that he was not given a written sentence, and that they allegedly told him that there was no case, but also that they "mentioned the disturbance of public order and peace".

"That's why they didn't write me a fine, they only took a statement, so they're going to take it to the court for the court to decide," said Arsenijevic in a video message in front of the station.

KoSSev recalled that this move by Serbian Democracy comes amid criticism of the EULEX mission by leading civil society organisations in the North of Kosovo.

KP announced that a "suspect has been identified" for putting up posters with "provocative inscriptions" meanwhile. They indicated that Arsenijevic was summoned for an interview because of "disturbance of public order and peace". The South Mitrovica region's KP confirmed to KoSSev that Arsenijevic was not punished, that is, that a regular procedure was initiated precisely in connection with the case of disturbing public order and peace.

Barduani: Resolving open issues through dialogue key to lasting security in Kosovo (K4, Kosovo Online)

Commander of KFOR, Major General Enrico Barduani, in an interview with Radio K4, pointed out that we live in a world where the security situation is rapidly evolving and deteriorating, and that the Western Balkans region is not exempt from such developments. In this regard, KFOR has already adapted its presence throughout Kosovo. Commenting on the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina, he stated that resolving open issues through dialogue is crucial for ensuring lasting security across Kosovo and for maintaining regional stability, reported Kosovo Online in English, citing Radio K4. 

K4: Can you share with our listeners your initial impressions of Kosovo and your new role as the commander of KFOR?

I want to emphasise that I am not new to Kosovo, as I have already served here twice, in 2001 and from 2015 to 2016. I must admit that during those engagements, I was always so impressed by Kosovo's rich history and its cultural diversity; something truly exceptional for me.

As the newly appointed commander of KFOR, it is an honour and a privilege for me to lead this mission, which is – and I want to highlight this – NATO's longest and currently largest mission. I am fully aware of KFOR's important role in contributing to lasting security, not only for all the people and communities living in Kosovo but also for regional stability. In this regard, I must remind you that KFOR also has the task of providing reserve units for the EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, should the security situation require it.

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