Albanian Language Media: 

• No progress in the latest round of talks in Brussels (RFE)
• Kamberi: Petkovic left meeting with Presevo farmers were mentioned (Telegrafi)
• Osmani remembers September 11 attacks in the US (media)
• Multiethnic group asks court to rule SL complaint as inadmissible (Koha)
• Guerot: Disinformation, a “war” in the Balkans mainly waged by Russia (KP)
• AJK reacts to Osmani’s remarks at press conference (media)
• Kurti calls for united and unwavering front against addiction (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: We insisted on Community of Serbian Municipalities, Pristina not interested (Tanjug, N1, media)
• Djuric with Logvinov: UN is the most important international organization (Kosovo Online, media)
• Serbian Ministry of Culture: Attack on chapel a message of hatred (media)
• Kosovo Special Prosecution: There is no information that judge Laban is a threat to security (media)
• Luta: No journalist is under investigation (media)
• KFOR installs new signs along ABL (KoSSev, media)
• Letter of support to Serbian students from scientists across the world (N1)
• First ever life sentence for a woman handed down in Serbia (N1, BETA)

International:

• Ancient inscription reveals Kosovo Roman treasure’s reconstruction date (PI)
• Former Mitrovica officials indicted for corruption after Kallxo investigation (PI)
• Judge suspended after Kallxo revealed ‘plot’ to silence abuse victim (PI)

Albanian Language Media

No progress in the latest round of talks in Brussels (RFE)

The new round of EU-facilitated talks for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels on Thursday ended without any progress, with Kosovo insisting on the full implementation of the agreement on the path toward normalization of relations, while Serbia on the other hand demanded that the part related to the Association of Serb-majority municipalities must be implemented first. Kosovo’s chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi told reporters after the meeting that he insisted on the implementation of the part that relates to the committee for missing persons. “The idea today was to first have progress in establishing the joint commission on missing persons and then in the rest to have a meeting, where the parties – Kosovo and Serbia – give concrete proposals, according to which then, the tenth version of the sequencing plan could become a plan acceptable to the parties,” Bislimi told reporters in Brussels. He also said that this was not possible because “Serbia has probably from the agreement on the terms of reference which we concluded at the end of December last year, saying that they want to once again interfere in the document, which has not been accepted by Brussels nor by our side”.

Bislimi also said that on the other point of discussions, Kosovo offered three proposals, but that Serbia insisted on the Association to be established first.

Kamberi: Petkovic left meeting with Presevo farmers were mentioned (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said on Thursday that at the EU-facilitated meeting in Brussels he mentioned problems with the allocation of funds for farmers in Presevo Valley and that the Serbian side stopped the discussion. Shaip Kamberi, the only Albanian member of the Serbian Parliament, said in a Facebook post that Serbian delegation head Petar Petkovic refused to talk about Albanians in Presevo Valley and walked out of the meeting. “Serbia’s tendency to engage for the protection of the rights of Serbs in the region, but at the same time limits the rights of national minorities in its territory, this cannot be characterized any differently than double political and legal standards in minority protection,” he argued.

Osmani remembers September 11 attacks in the US (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Thursday that the day marks the 24^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a day of unspeakable sorrow that left an open wound in the heart of America and the entire democratic world. “The loss of nearly 3,000 innocent lives stands as a stark reminder of the fragility of peace, but also of the enduring strength of free nations. The grief, the images, and the anguish of that day remain etched into our collective memory. Terror sought to break America’s will, but it only strengthened the resolve of all who believe in freedom, justice, and human dignity. Today, as always, Kosovo stands shoulder to shoulder with the American people, in defense of liberty, in pursuit of peace, and in commitment to a brighter future for generations to come,” Osmani wrote in a post on X.

Multiethnic group asks court to rule SL complaint as inadmissible (Koha)

The multiethnic group, which consists of MPs from non-Serb minority communities asked the Constitutional Court on Thursday to rule as inadmissible the complaint of the Serbian List about the election of the Deputy Assembly Speaker from the Serb community.

Elbert Krasniqi, representative of non-Serb minority communities, said the court should not treat the SL complaint because this party was trying to block the constitution of the Assembly. “We asked the Constitutional Court not to treat the complaint of the Serbian List, because this would ruin the balance of respecting the rights of all non-majority communities and their representation in the country’s institutions. We believe that the Assembly needs to continue its work and that no community can use the guaranteed seats to create blockades, especially the Serbian List,” he said.

Krasniqi also said he does not expect the court to order the MPs to repeat the vote on the deputy speakers from non-majority communities, saying that the election of Emilija Rexhepi as deputy speaker from the non-Serb minority communities was in line with the Constitution. “The time when there was a super privileged community in Kosovo is gone. The Serbian List used to be this until four years ago. That time is gone, and we believe that all communities are equal, and we should have the same treatment, and a candidate from the multiethnic group can elected separately from them,” he said.

Guerot: Disinformation, a “war” in the Balkans mainly waged by Russia (KP)

French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot on Thursday spoke about the seriousness of the situation with disinformation in the region and the threat that it poses to social and political stability. He said that France was taking action to fight disinformation in the Balkans and that there are many actors that would like to create chaos.

Guerot made these remarks at the opening of the “Balkan News Truck”, an initiative where people can discuss with members of Hibrid.info – a factchecking platform - about disinformation and artificial intelligence and how to differentiate between them. Guerot said the French government has decided to react to fake news created by Russia, and support the media and raise public awareness about the problem. “The situation is very serious. We are in the middle of an information war where no lie is too big and where everything is allowed. And this war is mainly waged by Russia, but only Russia. They are targeting civilians, just the way that Russian drones are targeting civilians in Ukraine. They are trying to sell their lies … so the French government has decided to react to this. One of the reactions is to support free and independent media and to raise public awareness because they are victims of a disinformation campaign,” he said. “We want to be active not only in France, and in defense of our society, but we want to be active in the Balkans too, here in Kosovo, because this region is in peace, but it is fragile. And there are many malignant actors that would like to create chaos here again”.

AJK reacts to Osmani’s remarks at press conference (media)

Most news websites covered a statement by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) against some of the remarks made by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani in her press conference on Thursday. “The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, continued on Thursday with statements that are deeply irresponsible for someone holding her office, linking ‘certain journalists’ to ‘the Radoicic group’ and to an alleged ‘coup attempt’. The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) strongly condemns President Osmani’s accusatory and inflammatory rhetoric during her press conference, as it directly endangers the physical safety of journalists,” the statement notes.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/7x2nxpsc

Kurti calls for united and unwavering front against addiction (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti took part in the conference “A Community Without Addiction”, organized by the Office for Good Governance within the Office of the Prime Minister in partnership with the Coalition of NGOs for Child Protection, Trust Circle Foundation, and the organization Labyrinth. The conference aims to foster an inclusive dialogue among state institutions, civil society organizations, professionals, and the community, to address and prevent the use of narcotic substances among children and youth, while promoting a cross-sectoral approach, preventive measures, and support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of children and young people who use narcotic substances.

In his opening remarks, Kurti said that the Kosovo government clearly understands that the fight against addiction requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach, beginning with prevention, followed by education and awareness-raising, providing psycho-social and healthcare support to reduce harm for those who use drugs, and ensuring dignified rehabilitation and reintegration into society. “We are strengthening the Police in the fight against the distribution of narcotic substances, while also investing in treatment centers and rehabilitation programs for our youth. One example of this cooperation is the support of nearly €39,000 that the Ministry of Justice has allocated to the organization Labyrinth for 2025. At the same time, the Ministry of Health increased its support from €16,000 in 2023 to €44,000 in 2024, while for the next 30 months close to €60,000 have been allocated in the field of education and awareness-raising on testing for HIV and Hepatitis C among injecting drug users. A program led by so-called peer educators, where members of the community are offered both a leadership role and a stronger supervisory role within the community, is also part of our current action plan. In parallel, we are investing in preventive, educational programs and treatment and rehabilitation services for drug users, in order to reduce the health and social damage of addiction. Through this commitment, Kosovo aims to build a safer and healthier society,” Kurti said.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/hyn3e6ww

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: We insisted on Community of Serbian Municipalities, Pristina not interested (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said that, at all meetings in Thursday's round of the Brussels dialogue with Pristina, Belgrade's delegation had insisted on an immediate and urgent establishment of a Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) as a framework for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reported.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels after the discussions, Petkovic noted that, however, Pristina was not interested in the Community and that its chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi had declined to say whether he accepted an EU draft statute for the Community. "If there is no Community (of Serbian Municipalities), that brings up the issue of the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Therefore, for us, it is already a humanitarian issue because the Serbs can no longer endure the terror by (Albin) Kurti's police and Kurti's regime. I said that openly to Mr Bislimi, too", Petkovic said. 

He said he also addressed the plight of Serbs in Kosovo and attacks on Serbian churches, temples and cemeteries. He noted that, during a trilateral meeting, he insisted on the Community and on launching concrete discussions about its statute.

“You will see, (Besnik) Bislimi will tell his story. Of course, this was the main topic. Both (EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Peter) Sorensen and the team present there can confirm that. So, when we talk about the Community of Serb Municipalities, I repeatedly asked Bislimi about it, even in front of Sorensen - whether he accepts the European draft statute for the formation of the CMS -  and I also asked Sorensen to pose that question, because he wouldn’t answer me”, Petkovic said. He added that the missing persons issue was also discussed.

Djuric with Logvinov: UN is the most important international organization (Kosovo Online, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric met with Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Director, Kirill Mikhailovich Logvinov, who is heading the Russian delegation at consultations on multilateral issues held on Thursday between the two ministries, ahead of the general debate of the 80th UN General Assembly session, Serbian media reported.

Djuric emphasized that Serbia regards the United Nations as the most important international organization, particularly when it comes to safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed gratitude for Russia’s principled position on the status of Kosovo.

Underscoring the importance of continuity in dialogue and meetings at the highest and senior levels, Djuric made special reference to the recent meeting between Presidents Vučić and Putin in Beijing, stressing that it was a confirmation of the mutual readiness to preserve the traditionally close ties between the two countries.

Read the full article at: https://shorturl.at/xEDYb

Serbian Ministry of Culture: Attack on chapel a message of hatred (media)

The Serbian Ministry of Culture has condemned the attack on the chapel at the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina and called on international actors not to remain silent observers of the systematic destruction of Serbian heritage and intimidation of people, reads the statement.

The desecration of the chapel, intended for prayers and funeral services for the deceased, with glass on the door and windows shattered, represents “a clear message of hatred and hostility toward the Serbian people and their spiritual and cultural heritage”, the statement added.

“The Ministry of Culture demands the urgent identification and punishment of the perpetrators and calls on international actors not to remain silent observers of the systematic destruction of Serbian heritage and the intimidation of the people. The Republic of Serbia will never accept the erasure and humiliation of its people and its sanctuaries. Preserving Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija remains our permanent national and civilizational obligation”, the Ministry asserted. 

Kosovo Special Prosecution: There is no information that judge Laban is a threat to security (media)

Kosovo Special Prosecution spokesperson Arbnora Luta said the prosecution did not receive any single report from Kosovo intelligence agency, Kosovo police, Interior Ministry or anyone else which would claim that Constitutional Court judge Radomir Laban can represent a threat to national security, Kosovo Online portal reported.

"We inform you that, according to the records of the Special Prosecutor's Office, no case concerning the person you asked about has been registered. The Prosecutor's Office remains committed to the fight against crime, corruption and the protection of the public interest, acting in accordance with the law and the principles of justice”, Luta said in a response to Oath for Justice.

Previously, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and former justice minister and now Kosovo Assembly deputy speaker Albulena Haxhiu alleged on several occasions that judge Radomir Laban, of Serbian ethnicity “could represent a threat to national security of Kosovo”, media report recalled. 

Luta: No journalist is under investigation (media)

Following allegations of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on collaboration of some journalists with Milan Radoicic, and illegal activities of, as she said, “so-called journalists” , Kosovo Special Prosecution said that “no journalist is under investigation by the prosecution”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Spokesperson of the Kosovo Special Prosecution Arbnora Luta said that “no journalist is under investigation of the Special Prosecution and there are no open cases involving journalists (…)”, adding that the prosecution continues acting in line with the law, preserving independence, impartiality and professionalism in every case. 

KFOR installs new signs along ABL (KoSSev, media)

“Soldiers from the NATO-led KFOR mission are continuing to install new signs along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL). Such warning signs, placed in mountainous and forested areas, clearly mark KFOR’s area of operations and help reduce the risk of accidental crossings”, KoSSev portal reported citing KFOR’s announcement on Facebook.

“KFOR will continue such efforts to promote a safe and secure environment for all people in Kosovo, including through regular patrols in northern Kosovo and near the Administrative Boundary Line. KFOR continues to implement its mandate - based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 - to contribute to a safe and secure environment for all people and communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement, at all times and impartially. KFOR works in close coordination with the Kosovo Police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) in their respective roles as security responders”, the statement also said. 

Letter of support to Serbian students from scientists across the world (N1)

More than 150 university professors and scientists from Europe, North America and Australia sent a letter of support to the Serbian student movement, expressing concern for the country’s future.

“As scholars dedicated to the study of democracy, we are deeply concerned about the implications for Serbia’s future following the continued repression of the students’ movement emerging in the aftermath of the tragic Novi Sad railway station collapse. We condemn the brutal response by security forces against peaceful student protesters, call for the restoration of Serbian democracy, and demand full transparency regarding the corruption that led to the collapse of the canopy in the railway station of Novi Sad that killed 16 people”, the letter said.

The signatories to the letter also called on European Union to, as it was said, condition Serbia’s accession negotiations on tangible progress in safeguarding and upholding fundamental rights and values - most notably the rule of law, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the autonomy of universities - while ensuring accountability for those responsible for the recent violence. 

First ever life sentence for a woman handed down in Serbia (N1, BETA)

A court in the western city of Novi Pazar handed down the first life sentence against a woman in modern Serbian history, N1 reported.

The local Radio Sto Plus said that 40-year-old Aldina Lakota was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her mother-in-law. According to expert testimony at the trial, Lakota stabbed her mother-in-law 121 times with a knife after her underage daughter told her that the older woman was alone at home. Lakota walked away from the scene of the murder and took taxis twice to get to Mt Zlatibor and then to the city of Uzice where she was arrested in May 2024.

The sentence is the stiffest allowed under Serbian law which abolished the death sentence in 2002.

International

Ancient inscription reveals Kosovo Roman treasure’s reconstruction date (PI)

Two years after the discovery of a 1,500-year-old mosaic inscription at the Ulpiana Archeological Park in Kosovo, archaeologists have managed to confirm that the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I rebuilt the Roman city after a devastating earthquake in 518 AD.

In the mosaic floor of a large sixth century basilica, at an archaeological park in Kosovo on the site of a once great Roman city, Latin inscription is embedded of the names of Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I and his wife the Empress Theodora. The inscription provides rare and concrete evidence of their role in the city’s rebirth.

The basilica was discovered in 2022 at the Ulpiana Archaeological Park on the outskirts of Kosovo’s capital Prishtina. A year later, archeologists managed to excavate the rare mosaic, and it took another two years to confirm that the large basilica was built by Emperor Justinian I in 545 AD.

Read the full article at: https://shorturl.at/np6o5

Former Mitrovica officials indicted for corruption after Kallxo investigation (PI)

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution filed an indictment against Faruk Mujka, former Deputy Mayor of South Mitrovica, and Hysen Muzliuka, former Director of Geodesy, Cadastre, and Property, over allegations of corruption related to the privatisation of public property.

On Wednesday, the Special Prosecution of Kosovo indicted the former Deputy Mayor of South Mitrovica, Faruk Mujka, and ex-Director of Geodesy, Cadastre, and Property, Hysen Muzliuka, on charges of corruption and abuse of office, following a three-year-old investigative report by KALLXO.com that exposed the questionable privatisation of the former city library building in Mitrovica, which allegedly caused financial damage to public property.

According to the Special Prosecution, both officials have been charged with “Abuse of official position or authority,” and are accused of intentionally misusing their roles to enable third parties to profit illegally from public assets. “The defendants, aware that the Municipal Assembly had twice declared the property as being of special public interest, submitted a proposal to exchange it by misrepresenting it as municipal property,” the prosecution said. “Their actions caused a financial loss of 125,100 euros to the Kosovo Privatisation Agency,” the indictment read further.

Read the full article at: https://shorturl.at/BbKAl

Judge suspended after Kallxo revealed ‘plot’ to silence abuse victim (PI)

A judge in Kosovo has been temporarily suspended after an audio recording obtained by KALLXO.com captured her and a prosecutor, along with an accused for domestic violence, discussing silencing the potential victim during an ongoing trial.

The Kosovo Judicial Council, KJC, temporarily suspended Judge Naime Krasniqi-Jashanica, on Tuesday, following the publication of an audio recording on September 5 by KALLXO.com, which revealed misconduct in a domestic violence case.

The events that led to the charges occurred in July 2023 when the accused, Arton Tullari, allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill his ex-wife during an argument at their home. According to the indictment, the assault took place in front of their daughter.

Read the full article at: https://shorturl.at/VRZOO