Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 1,448 new cases, 26 deaths (media)
• Kosovo schools to fully open on 13 September (media)
• President Osmani to set on official visits to Germany, United States (Telegrafi)
• Assembly committee meeting for appointment of ambassadors fails (media)
• PDK's Bashota not eligible to run for Klina mayor (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Serbia will always consistently strive to respect the principles of international law (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
• The State Department encourages Kosovo and Serbia to continue the moratorium on recognition issues (VoA, N1)
• Pristina banned Petkovic from visiting Kosovo (RTS)
• Dacic with Jenca: UN is especially important for the protection of Serbia's sovereignty (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
• Selakovic: UN of special importance for protection of sovereignty and integrity of Serbia (N1, Beta)
• Stefanovic with the UN Assistant Secretary General on further improvement of cooperation (RTS)
• Odalovic: The process of searching for the missing has been stopped (Tanjug, KiM radio, KoSSev)
• ECAP rejected Aleksandar Arsenijevic’ appeal (Kontakt plus radio)

International:

• BIRN Fact-Check: Trump’s ‘Historic’ Kosovo-Serbia Deal Gathering Dust (Balkan Insight)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  COVID-19: 1,448 new cases, 26 deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 1,448 new cases of COVID-19 and 26 deaths in the last 24 hours. 1,421 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 26,525 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

20,479 vaccine doses have been administered over the last 24-hour period, of the total of 882,718.

Kosovo schools to fully open on 13 September (media)

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dukagjin Pupovci, said at a news conference today that all preparations for full opening of schools have been made and that the process is expected to start on 13 September.

Pupovci said that latest WHO recommendations stipulate that schools can open with physical presence of pupils. He said that according to the information the Ministry has, 77 percent of the teachers have so far been vaccinated, 5 percent increase from the figures of last week.

Meanwhile, head of the teachers' trade union, Rrahman Jasharaj, told Ekonomia Online news website that around 90 percent of the teaching staff have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

President Osmani to set on official visits to Germany, United States (Telegrafi)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani is expected to travel for an official visit to Germany and the United States soon, Telegrafi reports quoting sources.

Osmani will meet senior officials of the two countries during the visit.

Assembly committee meeting for appointment of ambassadors fails (media)

Media report that the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly's committee for foreign affairs and diaspora failed to hold a meeting that was scheduled to conduct an interview process of candidates for new ambassadors. 

Chairman of the committee, Haki Abazi from the Vetevendosje Movement, said that opposition MPs, Ariana Musliu-Shoshi from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Time Kadriaj from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) only signed the attendance sheet and left, resulting in the committee having no quorum.

PDK's Bashota not eligible to run for Klina mayor (media)

The former mayor of Klina, Sokol Bashota, has been decertified by the Central Election Commission from running for mayor following a recent final decision of the court upholding a previous conviction for failure to declare his assets. 

Bashota was a mayoral candidate from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

     

Serbian Language Media

  Vucic: Serbia will always consistently strive to respect the principles of international law (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Today, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic  received the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Miroslav Jenca with the message that the UN is the most important international organization of special importance for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, and that Serbia will always strive to respect the principles of international law and resolutions of the United Nations, reported Tanjug.

As stated in the announcement of the Service for Cooperation with the Media of the President of the Republic, Vucic emphasized the importance of "the presence of UNMIK as a guarantor of the status neutrality and the international presence in Kosovo and Metohija on the basis of Resolution 1244"

The two interlocutors discussed the situation in the Western Balkans and agreed that Serbia and the UN are partners in preserving peace and stability in the region

President Vucic said that ''Belgrade remains committed to continuing the dialogue with Pristina and finding a compromise solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija''.

UN Assistant Secretary General Jenca said that the world organization appreciates Serbia's engagement in UN peacekeeping operations, as a great contribution to preserving peace and security in the world, while Vucic announced during the meeting that Serbia would consider increasing that engagement.

The two interlocutors also agreed that the current pandemic has shown that the world needs a strong United Nations, in order to respond to the challenges together.

On this occasion, the UN official also pointed out the noticeable economic progress of Serbia, especially the development of transport infrastructure.

The State Department encourages Kosovo and Serbia to continue the moratorium on recognition issues (VoA, N1)

The State Department encouraged Kosovo and Serbia to continue with the moratorium on recognition issues, which complicate progress in technical areas.

This was specified in the response of an unnamed spokesman to the question of the Voice of America on the first anniversary of the Washington Agreement signed in the American capital.

Two versions of the sixteen-point document, for the Kosovo and Serbian sides, were signed a year ago in the Oval Office of the White House, in the presence of former US President Donald Trump, by current Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and former Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, recalled VoA. 

An unnamed State Department spokesman said in response to the Voice of America that the United States would continue to cooperate with Serbia and Kosovo in fulfilling its obligations, supporting, as he stated, the goal of comprehensive normalization of their relations.

"We hope that our partners will respect the obligations they accepted last year in Washington in good faith. Numerous elements of the agreement support the priorities of our broader vision of the region - energy diversification, regional connectivity, the application of a moratorium on membership in international organizations, and the campaign to withdraw recognition of Kosovo's independence, as well as finding and identifying missing persons," it was said in a response of the State Department for Voice of America. 

It was also pointed out that the need for complete normalization is not limited in time, which is why Kosovo and Serbia are encouraged to build political trust.

"Through serious and substantial participation in the EU-mediated dialogue process. We also encourage Kosovo and Serbia to mark cooperation in areas of common interest, such as recovery from the pandemic and improving economic and trade relations," the response said, which highlighted the US support.

"The United States stands ready to support work on reaching a comprehensive, binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, focused on mutual recognition, which lays the foundations for lasting cooperation and progress. We support the EU-mediated dialogue and encourage the parties to re-engage in the process - given the urgency of resolving both technical and political issues," said an unnamed US State Department official.

Pristina banned Petkovic from visiting Kosovo (RTS)

Authorities in Pristina have banned the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic from visiting Kosovo, reported RTS. 

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic was supposed to stay in Kosovo today and tomorrow and visit several business entities where the state of Serbia has provided new jobs, as well as to visit several socially endangered families and hand over help, reported RTS, citing the Office for KiM statement. 

"It is more than clear that Pristina started the pre-election campaign even before the official deadline, which, as a rule, always breaks over the backs of the Serbian people," the Office for KiM announced.

''This is Pristina's third ban on the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the main Serbian negotiator in the technical dialogue, and it comes ahead of the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina next week in Brussels, which additionally shows Pristina's unwillingness to normalize relations with Belgrade''.

Previously, Petkovic was prevented from delivering aid to flooded households at the beginning of the year and visiting the injured boy Luka Dimitrijevic from Gracanica, reported RTS.

"This is a flagrant violation of the agreement on freedom of movement and the agreement on visits of officials. This ban and illegal behavior of Pristina will certainly be the topic of the upcoming talks in Brussels, especially having in mind that the visit was announced in accordance with the agreement," said the Office for KiM. 

As it is stated, ''the "explanation" of the temporary institutions that the reason for banning the visit is laying the foundation stone for the new building of the University of Kosovska Mitrovica during the previous visit is especially unfounded, because there is no way for anyone to forbid official Belgrade to help its people in the southern province''.

"The previous two visits were also dedicated to marking important dates - the anniversary of the crime in Staro Gracko and the saint celebration in Priluzje, and no one can take away that right from us," the Office for KiM stated, quoted RTS.

Dacic with Jenca: UN is especially important for the protection of Serbia's sovereignty (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

In a conversation with UN Assistant Secretary General for Europe, Central Asia and America Miroslav Jenca, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic pointed out that Serbia considers the UN the most important international organization that is of special importance for protecting Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, reported portal Kosovo Online, citing agency Tanjug. 

He also pointed out that the work of the UN Office is of exceptional importance for Serbia, since it is the main channel of communication with the UN mission in Kosovo.

Jenca expressed gratitude for the hospitality and pointed out that the UN organization achieves excellent cooperation with Serbia on all issues, the parliament announced.

He especially emphasized that Serbia continues to improve cooperation with the UN, even in the field of multinational operations, in the conditions of the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus, thanks to which it contributes to maintaining international peace and security.

In response to Jenca's interest in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Dacic pointed out that Belgrade is sincerely committed to finding a compromise solution, and that dialogue is the only way to reach it.

Dacic reiterated that EU membership is a strategic commitment of Serbia, as well as that he expects the negotiation dynamics to accelerate, considering that our country is implementing important reforms and achieving significant results.

Dacic also expressed hope that the enlargement process will not be neglected but parallel to the EU reform process, portal Kosovo Online reported, citing Tanjug.

Selakovic: UN of special importance for protection of sovereignty and integrity of Serbia (N1, Beta)

In a conversation with UN Assistant Secretary General for Europe, Central Asia and America Miroslav Jenca in Belgrade, Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that Serbia considers the UN the most important international organization that is of special importance for protecting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, reported N1.

According to the relevant ministry, Selakovic underlined that Serbia is consistently committed to respecting the principles of international law and the legally binding UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

He said that UNMIK's presence and actions in Kosovo are of key importance for Serbia, since the UN framework, based on this resolution, is a guarantor of the status neutrality of the international presence in the province, the statement said.

Selakovic also informed his interlocutor about the increasingly frequent attacks on Serbs, their property, attacks on Serbian historical, cultural and religious heritage and on numerous other incidents, of which UNMIK itself is a direct witness.

He also said that Serbia expects UNMIK to pay more attention to the issue of the return of internally displaced persons, pointing out that Kosovo is the area with the lowest rate of return of displaced persons in the world.

Referring to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Selakovic said that Serbia opted and was always committed to dialogue in order to find a mutually acceptable solution, but that on the other side the situation was not the same. He reminded that Pristina refused to implement the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities for more than eight years, to which it had committed itself in the Brussels Agreement.

The Minister reiterated that EU membership is a strategic commitment of Serbia and expressed hope that the negotiation dynamics will accelerate.

He also said that Serbia is actively contributing to world peace and security by participating in multinational UN and EU operations, noting that a total of 4,024 members of the Serbian Army have been deployed in these missions so far.

Stefanovic with the UN Assistant Secretary General on further improvement of cooperation (RTS)

The Ministry of Defense announced that the Minister of Defense, Nebojsa Stefanovic met with the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations for European, Central Asian and American Affairs in the Directorate for Political and Peacebuilding and Multinational Operations, Miroslav Jenca, cited Radio Television Serbia (RTS).

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Stefanovic pointed out that the United Nations is the most important international organization for Serbia, especially important in terms of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, which is Serbia's priority, RTS cited the announcement.

The minister also assessed that the good cooperation with the UN Office in Belgrade is of key importance, having in mind that it is the main channel of communication with the UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija (UNMIK).

The Minister of Defense emphasized that even in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, Serbia continues to improve cooperation with the UN in the field of multinational operations and contributes to maintaining international peace and security, as well as that it pays special attention to engaging military medical capacities in UN multinational operations.

He also reminded that the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army accepted the concept of gender equality as one of their strategic commitments and pointed out that they would continue to implement measures to increase the representation of women and their equal participation in the realization of all tasks.

"Serbia has a leading role in the fight against Covid-19 in the region"

UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca expressed satisfaction that Serbia, even in the difficult conditions of the pandemic, continues to improve cooperation with the UN in the field of multinational operations and actively participates in preserving international peace and security.

He especially pointed out the importance of engaging members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army in the multinational UN operation in Lebanon and the Central African Republic.

According to him, Serbia has significant resources that contribute to capacity building for engagement in peacekeeping operations, and in that sense, the Center for Peacekeeping Operations, certified by the UN, and the Training Center for Multinational Operations Units at the "South" base have been singled out.

He pointed out that the United Nations attaches great importance to the work of UNMIK, especially having in mind that, based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244, it is the guarantor of the status neutrality of the international presence in Kosovo.

UN Assistant Secretary General Jenca praised the efforts of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and pointed out the fact that Serbia has already met both goals defined by the UN regarding the participation of women in staff positions, military observers, as well as within contingents in multinational operations.

He also assessed that Serbia has a leading role in the fight against Covid-19 in the region, both through the successful process of vaccination of its own population, and through the donation of a large number of vaccines and medical protective equipment to neighboring countries and creating conditions for immunization and foreign nationals.

Odalovic: The process of searching for the missing has been stopped (Tanjug, KiM radio, KoSSev)

The process of searching for missing persons has been stopped due to Pristina's irresponsibility, it was stated at the round table "Current state of the process of searching for missing persons in Kosovo and Metohija" in Belgrade, reported Tanjug.

The President of the Commission for Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Veljko Odalovic pointed out that the situation was not good.

"We expected that the process of searching for missing persons would gain full momentum after London in 2018, when a joint declaration on missing persons was signed, followed by a dialogue in Brussels and the Washington Agreement where the issue of missing persons was included in important points for stabilizing the situation," Odalovic said.

He stated with regret that the extremely irresponsible behavior of the Pristina institutions towards that problem led to its complete standstill.

He reminded that the delegations of Belgrade and Pristina defined what was important in Brussels last year and that plans were determined, while Pristina took over the obligations it had already had several times.

"We recognized a dozen locations in Kosovo and Metohija that should be checked, and we believed that Pristina would implement our requests. We searched, based on our information, which we gave to the Pristina side, five locations in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica and found, at all five locations, the remains of Kosovo Albanians who have been identified," Odalovic said.

He added that the exhumation was completed at the Kizevak location, in the presence of the Pristina delegation, and that seven remains of Albanians were identified there.

"However, the Pristina side does not respond to all our invitations and ignores the requests for a new meeting," Odalovic said.

He added that Pristina, in that way, stopped the process of searching for Kosovo Albanians.

"Pristina does not want to take over remains of Kosovo Albanians"

He pointed out that Pristina did not respond to Belgrade's request to agree on the handover of the remains from Kizevak, which are now in Belgrade.

Also, Odalovic said, we have certain requests from Pristina for some locations in Surdulica and Sjenica.

"We also offered them to bring witnesses, who will be protected, but they did not answer our calls," Odalovic said, emphasizing that the Serbian side is ready to continue working.

Tomanovic: Treat the problem of the missing as humanitarian

The president of the Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Kosovo and Metohija, Verica Tomanovic stated that 563 persons from the list of associations are still searched for.

She pointed out that the problem of missing persons is exclusively humanitarian and should be treated that way.

"The grief and despair of parents for missing children is the same among Serbs and Albanians, and that is why it is necessary to involve all institutions in order to solve the problem. It is a civilizational and humanitarian issue that must be a priority in the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations, and no one has the right to deny us the truth, whatever it may be," she pointed out.

Tomanovic expects to speed up work on opening the archives of the KLA, KFOR, The Hague tribunal, UNMIK, NATO, the OSCE and other non-governmental humanitarian organizations, which will help find new information about individual and mass graves.

She also said that it should be checked what the satellite images from the territory of Kosovo, Central Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia show, and asked if the data from the KLA archives are finally available.

Holliday: The process has slowed down, little information about the new tombs

The Prosecutor for War Crimes of the Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Snezana Stanojkovic, stated that the Prosecutor's Office will be in daily contact with the Commission for Missing Persons and that it will check any information about the committed war crime.

She emphasized that the Prosecution generally has contact with witnesses and victims, and that, unfortunately, the fact was that the time that has passed further has complicated the investigations.

The head of the program for the Western Balkans of the International Agency for Missing Persons (ICMP), Matthew Holliday said that the organization has been cooperating with the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina for more than 20 years, trying to persuade them to solve the problem of missing persons

"During that time, we collected more than 15,000 genetic samples from the families of the missing, took DNA from more than 6,000 remains from the territory of central Serbia, but also Kosovo, and identified 2,586 missing persons," Holliday said.

He stressed that the process has slowed down over time and that there is very little information about the new tombs.

ECAP rejected Aleksandar Arsenijevic’ appeal (Kontakt plus radio)

Aleksandar Arsenijevic, leader of the CI “Serbian Survival” in a press conference held in North Mitrovica yesterday announced that Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) rejected his appeal, thus confirming the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) that he has not met the conditions to run for mayor. 

Arsenijevic appealed to ECAP against the decision of CEC, according to which he was deleted from the list of candidates for the upcoming local elections, due to, as stated in the explanation, the final verdict for the crime, which was pronounced in December 2018. 

Arsenijevic filed an appeal against the ECAP’s decision with the Kosovo Supreme Court, whose decision he expects within 72 hours. 

Arsenijevc said that he reportedly suffers from certain pressures from local governing structures. 

Kontakt plus radio reported that, according to him, the fact that his employment contract at Mitrovica Grammar School, where he worked as a professor of chemistry, was not extended, speaks in favor of that. He said that he attended the school staff meeting on August 30, prepared the teaching plan, only to be informed that his contract was not extended, which he deems as a part of the pressure.  

   

International 

  BIRN Fact-Check: Trump’s ‘Historic’ Kosovo-Serbia Deal Gathering Dust (Balkan Insight)

Ahead of its first anniversary, BIRN looks at the progress made – or not – on implementing the so-called Washington Agreement signed by Serbia and Kosovo in the White House.

Almost a year to the day since former US President Donald Trump brought the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to the Oval Office to seal an “historic” deal, the so-called Washington Agreement, in Kosovo at least, is gathering dust.

On August 6, Kosovo’s ruling Vetevendosje [Self-Determination] party torpedoed an opposition bill calling for ratification of the deal, two documents signed separately with the US on September 4, 2020 by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s then prime minister, Avdullah Hoti.

With power in Kosovo now in the hands of Vetevendosje and its leader, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, BIRN took a look at the state of play with the Washington Agreement. Of the 16 points, Hoti signed up to, only one has been fully implemented – the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel.

There has been no positive movement on any of the other elements.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3BC6jQp