Albanian Language Media:

• Analysts comment on disagreements between VV and LDK officials (Telegrafi)
• Haradinaj: Serbia’s armament from Russia and China, a threat to Kosovo (media)
• Haradinaj: DASH Report values highly Kosovo’s war against terrorism (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic pleased with the content of the talks with Palmer; Important to respect the results of democratic elections, says Palmer (RTS)
• Dacic: There is no pressure we would succumb to (RTS)
• Media: Palmer withdraws ultimatum? (Tanjug, Kurir, B92)
• "Recognition" or "sanctions" that is the question (Tanjug, B92)
• Blic: Three reasons why Serbia is pressured by US (Blic, B92)
• Vucic’s Media Advisor: It won't be easy for Palmer with Vucic either (Tanjug, TV Prva, B92)
• Serbian PM Brnabic met Chinese President Xi Jinping (Serbian media)
• SRNA: Pacolli cannot hold lectures (media) 
• Belgrade has no communication with Serbs detained in Kosovo (Tanjug, B92)
• Vucic wrote to EU on “poisoning case” again (Serbian media, KoSSev)
• Mihajlovic: Whoever recognizes Kosovo, he has sealed his political career (N1, KIM radio)
• Simic: It is good that Palmer heard what Serbs think as well (RTS)

International:

• Kosovo’s 1990s Generation Take Reconciliation Personally (Balkan Insight)
• Balkan leaders warn that EU accession delay risks stoking tensions (Financial Times)
• Blocking Enlargement Is an Act of European Self-Harm (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian and Development:

• Protest gathering in Laplje Selo over pollution of Gracanka riverbed (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
• Journalists benefit from training organized by APJ and UN Women (RTK)

 

 

Albanian Language Media

 

Analysts comment on disagreements between VV and LDK officials (Telegrafi)

Political commentators in Pristina believe recent disagreements between representatives of the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo are immature, the news website reports. 

Milazim Krasniqi, university professor and political analyst, said the two parties must show seriousness and finalise a coalition agreement. “The election results have made way for Vetevendosje and the LDK to form the new government and institutions. I believe they need to work in line with the mandate given to them and finalise a government agreement as soon as possible. But before doing so, they must show greater seriousness in their communication,” he said. 

Commenting on LDK deputy leader Lutfi Haziri’s remarks that “the Prime Minister’s post needs to go through the LDK”, Krasniqi said: “It is true what Lutfi Haziri said because the Prime Minister cannot be elected without an agreement with the LDK. There is nothing insulting in this remark because Vetevendosje has only one or two MPs more than the LDK, and this does not suffice to form a new government”. He also said that leaders of both parties should control their activists and stop the campaign of insults. “They should stop their ‘tough guys’ from making insults and labels in social networks and the media, because politics is different from social networks … This campaign should stop, and negotiations should be accelerated because the longer this goes on, frustrations will grow higher and the situation could get out of control. There was a great level of mistrust in the past between the LDK and VV and this can be seen in the recent communication. But it is up to the leaders to keep their activists under control and not allow the process to be derailed”.

Ramush Tahiri, political commentator, said representatives of the two parties should focus on a coalition government agreement and harmonise their respective programs. “They have agreed to have only twelve ministers. Two ministerial posts belong to minority communities, and they [VV and LDK] will have to split the other ten posts,” he said. “Both parties have pledged to govern the country, but through their statements they are engaged for power. Now they are also mentioning the post of President … Until yesterday they criticised Hashim Thaci for not being impartial and they themselves want to make the President a party person. They are trying to sell to the people what they themselves criticised in the first place. It would be politically immature of them to deal with the post of President now, because it is their obligation to cooperate with the current President and take the country forward. They must cooperate in foreign policy and in dialogue,” Tahiri added.

Haradinaj: Serbia’s armament from Russia and China, a threat to Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj said today that Serbia’s armament from Russia and China is a direct threat to Kosovo, several news outlets report. “Serbia’s continuous armament from Russia and China (vests, air defense systems, drones etc) is a direct threat to Kosovo, the fragile peace in the region, and the Euro-Atlantic perspective. Serbia should stop this insanity before it gets too late!” Haradinaj wrote in a Facebook post.

Haradinaj: DASH Report values highly Kosovo’s war against terrorism (RTK)

Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said the U.S. State Department has praised institutional engagement of Kosovo and found that Kosovo has marked progress on its war against terrorism and violent extremism.

Haradinaj met today with Kosovo’s national coordinator against extremism and terrorism Fatos Makolli.

“In this regard, today I had a working meeting with the National Coordinator against Violent Extremism and Terrorism, Mr. Fatos Makolli, with whom we discussed the findings of this report and whom I thanked by donating the book of Skanderbeg, for his work and dedication, and that of the respective institutions in this field.

“It is a major achievement for Kosovo to be assessed in this manner today, by becoming regional leader, alongside our U.S. – led allies led in the global fight against terrorism and extremism,” Haradinaj wrote.  

 

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

 

Vucic pleased with the content of the talks with Palmer; Important to respect the results of democratic elections, says Palmer (RTS)

After meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters that Serbia and the US have different views on Kosovo, but he is grateful to Palmer for being ready to hear and listen to what Serbia thinks.

Vucic explained he first spoke with Palmer and then followed talks between the two delegations. He said that he was pleased with the talks because all the issues and differences were discussed.

Vucic said that he had spoken openly with Matthew Palmer and that he believed that the conditions for the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue would soon be created in two to three months.

He said he appreciates US support for Serbia's European path because it is of great importance. He added that the issues that were controversial were discussed, which sometimes hurt everyone in Serbia.

The president said Belgrade wanted a serious and responsible dialogue that would lead to a compromise solution.

"What I have told Palmer and others, Serbia is ready for a compromise but is not and will not be ready to humiliate its people in Kosovo and Metohija and the people as a whole," the president said.

Vucic said that Belgrade did not emphasize extreme and radical demands and did not seek what no one else can accept but notes that it is impossible to bring Serbia down and force it against something that is contrary to its national interests.

He emphasized that intensifying relations with the US was an important matter and accordingly he invited US President Donald Trump to visit Serbia.

Palmer: The US wants the Western Balkans to have a European perspective

At the joint press conference after the meeting, Matthew Palmer said that he had talked with Vucic about the political situation in Serbia and throughout the region. 

Palmer said it was extremely important after failure to find a compromise on opening EU negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania.

"In our view, this is a historic mistake and a bad message to the whole region," Palmer said. He added that America would do what it can to convince the EU to change its stance.

Responding to a reporter's question, Palmer said that there was room in Kosovo for many different voices to be heard, but that it was important to respect the results of democratic elections.

In this regards Palmer said that it was clear that the Serbian List has won the support of the vast majority of Serbs in Kosovo and the right to be represented in the Government.

"I have discussed this widely with leaders in Kosovo and I think it is important for Serbs to have an opportunity to express themselves through the political process," Palmer said.

Vucic said that what Palmer said was important and added that the Serbian List was exposed to a brutal campaign in Belgrade, Pristina and the world. 

Nevertheless, Vucic pointed, the Serbian List has received tremendous support from people because it perceives Kosovo different than Nenad Rasic, Rada Trajkovic and Slobodan Petrovic.

"I understand that Americans favour more these three, because they perceive Kosovo as an independent state," Vucic said.

Still, he says, the Serbian List participated in the elections and received more than 95 percent of Serb votes under the Brussels Agreement. He says that even under the Kosovo constitution, there may be other Serbs in the government but only if they receive the votes of the Serbian List.

Dacic: There is no pressure we would succumb to (RTS)

Serbia has a principled position that Belgrade and Pristina should reach a compromise solution that would be just to both sides, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said today, RTS reports.

Responding to a journalist’s question on the visit of the US State Department Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Mathew Palmer to Belgrade today, Dacic said there is no pressure under which Serbia would succumb to and accept something that is not principled. He also said that he would talk to Palmer on Tuesday.

“Certainly, there is a desire to reach a solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue fast. However, it is clear to everybody that place where such demands should be voiced is not in Belgrade, but rather in Pristina, because it was not Belgrade that halted the dialogue”, Dacic emphasised.

He added, Serbia has no reasons to calculate or not implement what has been agreed by the Brussels agreement, while Pristina “fulfilled nothing and yet additionally introduced 100 percent tariffs on goods from central Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

“Damages are huge. It goes on for a year already and nobody reacts. We are ready to continue the dialogue, as we said it many times. We have a principled position that a compromise solution should be reached”, Dacic noted.  

Media: Palmer withdraws ultimatum? (Tanjug, Kurir, B92)

Although US Special Envoy Matthew Palmer said in Pristina that Serbia cannot join the EU without recognizing Kosovo, it's expected that he may soften his stance in Belgrade, Serbian media report.  

This shift, Belgrade-based daily Kurir interlocutors explained, could come as Palmer's remarks were followed by a sharp response from the Serbian president that Serbia would not suffer humiliation and that the talks were practically meaningless. Palmer's job, they pointed out, is to restore dialogue, not block it.

Former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Foreign Affairs Minister Vladislav Jovanovic expects Palmer in Belgrade today to clarify where such an ultimate US position comes from, and then see if there is any chance of renewing dialogue.

I suppose that when he talks to Vucic, he will choose milder words or even withdraw what he said in Pristina, to calm our discontent. It is not excluded to change the wording altogether. He would have to do that if he wanted to continue the dialogue. You can't have a dialogue through blackmail, Jovanovic said.

He explains that it is Palmer's job to have a flexible approach, not to cut through categorical views.

Political analyst Dragomir Andjelkovic said it seems cynical when one conditions Serbia into EU membership, whether it is Kosovo or any other issue at stake, because for two decades the story of European integration has been going on, which seems to be farther away.

That's why it is rather ridiculous when the US does this, which is in contradiction with the EU and stultifies it altogether. This show they put up represents a cheap tragicomedy in which the US supports Great Britain to leave the EU, while conditioning Serbia's admission to the European Union with our renouncing Kosovo and Metohija, he concluded.

 https://bit.ly/2qiSUgT

"Recognition" or "sanctions" that is the question (Tanjug, B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is set to meet US Special Envoy to the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer in Belgrade today, Serbian media report.

According to Tanjug news agency, this would be an opportunity to clarify the positions of both sides on issues focused in two words, to which the Pristina-based media reduced the messages of a US official while visiting Pristina: "recognition" and "sanctions".

The first - recognition - he cited, as reported by the Albanian-language media, as a condition without which Serbia would never enter the European Union, though the statement quoted him as saying - "without solving the problem with Kosovo".

It is not expected from Pristina to do anything special; it is evident from Palmer's talks with politicians there, except that the US, he said, is "encouraging the new Kosovo government to strengthen its dialogue plan with Serbia" ... whatever that means, the Serbian media continued.  

In the meantime, Palmer referred to "sanctions," something that has not been heard for a long time, at least not publicly and explicitly: "The procurement of Russian weapons by Serbia poses a risk of imposing a sanction and we hope that our Serbian partners will be careful about any transactions of this kind'.' Palmer emphasized in an interview with Macedonian television Alsat M.

Speaking about Serbia's being conditioned in order to reach EU membership, President Vucic said that he followed all Palmer statements with great care and knew that he was a top professional, who does his job directly in accordance with the State Department and US policies. Still, he said, he was surprised by the fact that in both Pristina and Skopje, Palmer spoke essentially only about Belgrade's obligations, and never mentioned Pristina's obligations.

"If everything is exactly as Matthew Palmer said in Kosovo, where I expected that they would seek to lower expectations of the Pristina authorities and indicate that a compromise was needed, then I wonder what to negotiate about? At what point in time should we recognize an independent Kosovo and have their tariffs abolished? It reminds me of some kind of a joke",  President Vucic said.

In any case, he says, we will be ready for the talks and for reaching a compromise solution, but we will never approve of Serbia being humiliated. He also said that the conversation with Palmer is important, because in a relatively short time, he and the Prime Minister Ana Brnabic will also meet with US Presidential Special Envoy Richard Grenell.

To Palmer's warning or "slight" threat of sanctions, due to the Russian S-400, the president replies: "We did not get the S-400, and for all else they all know for a long time and I do not think it represents any problem."

"We will take care, of course, because I would not want anyone in Serbia to be exposed in any way to the sanctions imposed on us by the strongest world power. Regardless of the fact that they would be completely unjustified and unjust", Vucic said. In any case, Vucic added expects an open and honest conversation with a US official at important moment for Serbia.

On the eve of his arrival in Belgrade after visiting Skopje and Pristina, Palmer also said that Kosovo cannot be left out of a lasting solution in the Balkans, and that resolving "Kosovo-Serbia relations" remains a strategic priority for the United States.

The meeting between the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and US Special Representative for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer is scheduled for 10.00, at the seat of the President of Serbia.

 https://bit.ly/36wbP8u

Blic: Three reasons why Serbia is pressured by US (Blic, B92)

Belgrade-based Blic newspaper writes today on its front page about the three reasons for growing US pressure on Serbia. According to the daily, the situation got particularly complicated after the statements Matthew Palmer, State Department Special Envoy for the Western Balkans made while visiting Pristina.

Concerns over the deployment and acquisition of Russian weapons, the EU's poor moves, especially its refusal to set a start date for the talks with Albania and North Macedonia, and a clash between the State Department, represented by Matthew Palmer and the White House, represented by Richard Grenell are the three reasons, for which the United States is exerting stronger pressure on Serbia, the daily clams.  

‘Palmer's biggest problem is Grenell. Now it's a practical contest between the two, or rather between the administration - the State Department he represents, and the White House, that is, Grenell, who is Trump's man who will do more on the Kosovo issue’, a diplomatic source from Washington told "Blic".

He warned according to the newspaper, that the pressure on Serbia is yet to be expected.

We can see the change of course and the increased pressure in recent weeks, which coincided with Grenell's appointment and then his first official visit to the region.

Blic further claims that a Berlin source learned that Ambassador Grenell plans to invite Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to listen carefully to the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's address in Berlin this week on a forum dedicated to peace and stability.

The newspaper noted that Americans find it concerning when they read that Serbia plans to acquire the S-300 or S-400 from Russia, and recalls that Palmer, among other things, noted that "the US is concerned about the presence of Russian military equipment in Serbia".

His unusually harsh statements, or rather threats, surprised a part of the Serbian public, but only those who have little knowledge of internal relations within the US administration, that is, the problems within the relations between the State Department - White House, the paper concluded in the article.

Vucic’s Media Advisor: It won't be easy for Palmer with Vucic either (Tanjug, TV Prva, B92)

Serbian President's Media Advisor Suzana Vasiljevic told TV Prva that she expects today's meeting between President Aleksandar Vucic and US Envoy to be difficult, reports portal B92.  

According to Vasiljevic, Matthew Palmer will have to explain some of his encounters and statements during his visit to Pristina and Skopje. 

After a meeting of the members of the Serbian President's Cabinet before this important meeting, Vasiljevic told Prva TV that Vucic had closely followed Palmer's visit to Pristina and Skopje. 

"We kept track of all the meetings he had there. Some presented a surprise to our public, some didn't. We followed his statements quite closely. Palmer made this meeting very difficult to President Vucic, but it will not be easy and simple for Palmer either, and he will have to explain some of his encounters and statements," Vasiljevic said. 

Vasiljevic noted that it is very difficult to talk to President Vucic because, as she emphasized, he is one of those people who do not think much about himself personally and his career but puts the state and its interests first into perspective. 

"I think today's talk is going to be quite difficult, but I believe that and Palmer will be prepared and would answer all the questions of President Vucic", Vasiljevic concluded.

Serbian PM Brnabic met Chinese President Xi Jinping (Serbian media)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met today in Shanghai, the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and discussed bilateral, economic and political relations, as well as Serbia-China cooperation under the Belt and Road Mechanism, Serbian media report.

Brnabic expressed gratitude to the Chinese President for Beijing's principled support for Serbia's territorial integrity.

President Xi Jinping promised to visit Serbia next year and, as he pointed out, his friend Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Government announced on its webpage.

SRNA: Pacolli cannot hold lectures (media)

BiH Presidency Member Milorad Dodik told the Republika Srpska news agency SRNA that those pushing for Kosovo's independence story must count on Republika Srpska also considering its status and future, no matter that some wish it was not a fact, quoted regional media. 

Asked to comment on a statement by former Kosovo's Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli, who told Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that he had only one chance to recognize an independent Kosovo because it was a reality, Dodik said Pacolli was a man who could not hold lessons to anyone and that ''the threats he makes are among the unacceptable things''.

"If it was nice for him, why did he advocate the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia?" Dodik asked.

He pointed out that in the former Yugoslavia everyone was free to move, but bearing in mind that Albanians were breaking Yugoslavia together with Croats, Slovenes and others, a new reality was created, which speaks of there were countries in this region that have their own authentic policies, the agency reported.

Dodik said that Republika Srpska and the Serbs were looking at Serbia, and that Vucic understood that very well, appreciated it and supported RS and the Serbs, as well as Republika Srpska appreciated and supported Vucic himself in this regard.

"Kosovo is not only what Albanians think, but it is also the Resolution 1244; those are standards before status, as it was discussed earlier, the Community of Serbian municipalities which should be formed under the Brussels agreement. All this should be a condition for any continuation of talk, and not just points they think that need to be resolved," Dodik said.

He said that ''the southern Serbian province'' and of course the Republika Srpska, as the north-western entity in BiH, have many things that need to be discussed and thought about. 

"BiH has been imposed on us here as a binding and obligatory state, though no one has informed us why it must be inevitable and binding, so Republika Srpska is absolutely against the situation regarding Kosovo's status," Dodik said.

He stressed that Republika Srpska did sign the Dayton Agreement, but that many foreigners have already "demolished" the agreement to such an extent that it was questionable whether BiH as a binding state existed as such.

Dodik said BiH did not recognize Kosovo, nor did it intend to do so.

"Of course, this is because solely Republika Srpska does not want it, because we do not want to have double standards in these areas," Dodik said.

Pacolli told Sarajevo based FACE TV that everything can be discussed with Serbia, but not three things, namely, independent Kosovo, the Kosovo Constitution and the border.

"Vucic, you have only one chance - to recognize Kosovo. That is the reality. That country was born and there is no going back. It is the only solution, and everything else will go easier," Pacolli said.

Belgrade has no communication with Serbs detained in Kosovo (Tanjug, B92)

Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic said that Belgrade has no possibility at all to communicate with the Serbs under detention in Kosovo and Metohija, Tanjug news agency reports.

She added, the biggest problem for the lack of communication with Pristina judiciary is that they do not respond to Serbia’s request.

“We do not have an influence on the work of these judicial bodies, but we believe the justice would eventually be respected,” Kuburovic told journalists during the opening of a renovated Palace of Justice in Belgrade.

She pointed out there are many proceedings before the Pristina bodies, where it is necessary to submit certain documents or evidence from central Serbia, to interview the witness or to give inheritance statement. She underlined that Serbia responds to such requests and sends the documents.

“However, if Serbian bodies request something from Pristina, the communication is lacking and we do not receive feedback, which violates the fundamental rights of the citizens who are trying to fulfil some of their rights in the court proceedings here, but without sufficient documentation and evidence it is not possible,” Kuburovic underlined.

Asked about the murder case of Oliver Ivanovic, she said that Belgrade receives no feedback about the case from Pristina at all.

Vucic wrote to EU on “poisoning case” again (Serbian media, KoSSev)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has sent second open letter to the EU High Representative Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic, regarding the “poisoning case” of Pristina Central Election Commission members while counting the votes from central Serbia, media report.

Vucic wrote on his official Twitter profile that “it has now been three weeks since the Albanians claimed a mass mono-ethnic poisoning had occurred in the CEC in Pristina. Please can you confirm if traces of anthrax, novichok or even a domestic cleaning product have been identified”.

“P.S. I will not give up on seeking the answers to these vital questions and the circumstances of the allegations. I regret that such a critical matter, allegedly caused by Serbians, is not being addressed by either the EU or by the US and Mathew Palmer. I will address this matter until all these questions are resolved. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide,” Vucic wrote on Twitter.

Mihajlovic: Whoever recognizes Kosovo, he has sealed his political career (N1, KIM radio)

Journalist Milivoje Mihajlovic told regional broadcaster N1 that the forthcoming visit of US Representative Matthew Palmer would not be of much importance to Serbia, because according to him US representatives do not have great influence in the Balkans, and that  this was aided by the decision of the current US administration to send two of its representatives. 

"America has a strange attitude towards Serbia, first it has appointed two representatives. One has been appointed by the State Department, the other by President Donald Trump, and at the very beginning there is a serious confusion, who has what powers? Grenell comes to the region with one idea, Palmer is again visiting the region with an identical idea but reinforces the vocabulary. It's a visit that shows the powerlessness of that negotiator and the State Department," Mihajlovic said.

He estimates that Palmer does the Balkan tour with the sole intention of "writing in his work diary that he had done something".

Milivojevic states that both US representatives have come to the Balkans to "protect their players".

"First of all, I think about Hashim Thaci, whose political position is currently in danger. Both will try that creation of a new government in Pristina not to be fatal for Kosovo President Hashim Thaci in the coming period. He is their player, they invested in him 25 years, and it would be foolish to lose him from the political scene," he says.

Palmer notes that much will also depend on Albin Kurti.

"The pressure to resolve the Kosovo issue is meaningless. We do not have a government in Pristina, elections will be held in Serbia in the spring. Now of the election campaign in Serbia, I am not sure that anyone will want to risk their position by going to Brussels. Nobody in Serbia will recognize Kosovo, and whoever does it, he has ended his political career," Mihajlovic said.

Asked about the latest media allegations that the Russians would leave their powerful anti-missile systems in Serbia, he states that it is only media speculation, because the American army knows very well what we have in arms.

"The Americans know better than us that we did not get these weapons. We do not have the S400, and they know it better than all our officers," Mihajlovic said.

Simic: It is good that Palmer heard what Serbs think as well (RTS)

Srpska Lista Vice President Igor Simic said it was good they have met Mathew Palmer, US State Department Special Envoy for the Western Balkans and that he heard what Serbs in Kosovo truly think, and not what those desirable as interlocutors in Pristina may think.

Srpska Lista delegation spoke with Palmer on Friday, RTS recalled. Simic noted the talks were honest, they have disagreed on some matters, but what they have agreed on is that the government in Pristina should be formed as soon as possible.

“This government must respect regulations in Kosovo and Metohija, meaning it should respect the legitimate representatives of the Serbian community, and what has surprised us was the meeting of Palmer with people who did not win the trust of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” Simic said for the RTS morning programme.

According to Simic, Palmer said the government in Pristina can not be formed, without Srpska Lista representatives being part of it.

Commenting on the fact that Palmer also said there would be space in the future government for Serbs who did not pass the threshold in the elections, Simic said that Palmer would be the one to provide the answer to that question.

“The Serbs answered that question on October 6, giving them only a few hundred votes, out of the 57,000 which the Serbian List has won” Simic stressed.

 

 

 

International

 

 

Kosovo’s 1990s Generation Take Reconciliation Personally (Balkan Insight)

Two young female friends in Kosovo - one a Serb, the other an ethnic Albanian – are two of the youth activists working on grassroots initiatives to try to overcome divisions that have continued since the 1998-99 war.

Andjela Mirkovic, a Kosovo Serb from Mitrovica, and Diellza Geci, a Kosovo Albanian from Pristina, first met at the Rochester Institute of Technology Kosovo, a private university in Pristina, and became close friends.

Both are 22 and have become involved in projects aimed at bringing Kosovo’s estranged communities together in a country which is officially a multi-ethnic state but where divisions still loom large and post-war reconciliation efforts are few.

“I wish for the day when our friendship and collaboration is not the story, but our enmity is. But we live in a divided society with invisible lines dividing us - literally there are borders, not tangible ones that are policed, but in the form of segregation between ethnic groups,” said Geci.

http://bit.ly/2WH5JO0

Balkan leaders warn that EU accession delay risks stoking tensions (Financial Times)

Albania and North Macedonia say reforms and name deal with Greece could be under threat. 

North Macedonia and Albania face a risk of surging nationalism and unravelling economic reforms after the EU closed the door for years on their hopes of joining the bloc, the leaders of both countries have warned.

https://on.ft.com/2Cb37ib

Blocking Enlargement Is an Act of European Self-Harm (Balkan Insight)

By ‘torpedoing’ North Macedonia and Albania’s accession hopes, the EU has destroyed most of its credibility and leverage in the Western Balkans.

https://bit.ly/2oGtUzE

 

 

 

Humanitarian and Development 

 

 

Protest gathering in Laplje Selo over pollution of Gracanka riverbed (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

The Students’ Parliament of the “Gymnasium of Pristina” will organize today a protest gathering in the village of Laplje Selo over the pollution of Gracanka riverbed, Radio KIM reports.

The gathering starts at 11.00 today in front of “Vozd” motel in Laplje Selo village.

Longer than a year, residents of Laplje Selo are facing unbearable odour spreading from the Gracanka riverbed. They protested at the end of August as well, however the issue, despite promises has not been resolved yet.

The Ministry of Local Self-Administration and the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection at the end of September expressed readiness to allocate the funds to resolve this issue, while the Municipality of Gracanica should seek these funds through concrete requests and project proposals, KoSSev portal said.

Journalists benefit from training organized by APJ and UN Women (RTK)

Over 75 journalists of central and local media will be benefiting from the cycle of trainings with international experts, organized by APJ and UN Women.

Kosovo’s Association of Professional Journalists (APJ) in cooperation with UN Women started a cycle of trainings for journalists of central level on “Media as instrument of peace.”

The first training was organized together with the Embassy of Finland to Kosovo, where the Finnish Ambassador Pia Stjernwall, head of the APJ Gentiana Begolli Pustina and head of the UN Women Vlora Tuzi Nushi, participated.

Lecturer at the training was Susanna Inkinen, Adviser for media to International Media Support and founder of Afghan Journalists Safety Committee.

The cycle of training aims broadening knowledge on “Reporting conflict and role of the media on peace building,” as well as strengthening capacities of the journalists by applying a more correct approach during their reporting on conflicts applying at the same time gender perspective.

Four trainings of central level journalists and four workshops with journalist at the local level are planned as part of this training which will be led by international experts and as result of these activities, a guideline on the above-mentioned issue will be drafted.