Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 28 deaths, 920 new cases (media)
• Poland to donate 100,000 vaccines to Kosovo (media)
• Lajcak: There are many urgent matters to be discussed (media)
• LDK rejects the idea of postponing local elections (media)
• Trendafilova holds press conference as she begins Kosovo visit (media) 
• Police arrest PSD activists after interrupting Trendafilova's press conference (media)
• OKDiario: Spain plans to send Afghans to Kosovo, recognition mentioned as exchange (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• In Serbian areas 40 new cases of Covid-19, one death (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Petkovic: We are here to fight for Serbian interests, the new Vucic-Kurti meeting depends on today's talks (Tanjug)
• Grubjesic: Brussels should ensure Belgrade and Pristina's opposing positions come closer (RTS, Danas, NMagazin)
• Serbian FM to new EU Delegation chief: EU membership priority and commitment (N1)
• Vllasi: Enthronement of Serbian Patriarch better not be in Pec (Kosovo Online)
• Trajkovic: Is Vllasi announcing another “Log Revolution” near Pec? (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• On the road to nowhere (Kosovo 2.0)

International:

• North Macedonia President Warns Of Refugee Influx In Balkans From Afghan Turmoil (RFE)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  COVID-19: 28 deaths, 920 new cases (media)

28 deaths from COVID-19 and 920 new infections were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 1,698 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 24,484 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

The Ministry of Health said that so far 17 percent of Kosovo's overall population has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. At the same time, 35 percent of people have received one dose of the vaccine, the Ministry told Radio Free Europe. 

Poland to donate 100,000 vaccines to Kosovo (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani announced via Twitter that Poland will be sharing 100,000 Pfizer vaccines with Kosovo. 

"Thankful to Poland and all our allies for standing by our side during this difficult time due to the pandemic," Osmani wrote.

Lajcak: There are many urgent matters to be discussed (media)

The EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, confirmed that the meeting between parties will take place in Brussels today. 

"Today and tomorrow, I will hold meetings with the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia led by their Chief negotiators Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petković. There are many urgent issues to be discussed and I expect to find a common understanding on the way forward," he tweeted.

LDK rejects the idea of postponing local elections (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku has opposed the idea of postponing the date of local elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"No one can dare postpone elections. No one can dare touch democracy," Abdixhiku wrote on social media, adding: "The figures from the ground, that we are all seeing and feeling, seems to have terrified the regime incapable of governing well. This is why they are flirting with the idea of postponing elections, as a final desperate measure to prevent political collapse that they face. Postponement of elections is an unprecedented measure, undemocratic and suffocating towards the exercise of citizen will - the only free tool that this regime doesn't control yet."

Abdixhiku said that the Central Election Commission is ready and that elections during the pandemic already took place in February, when there were no vaccines available. "I call on all opposition parties, civil society, the media and academia to get aligned into a resistance front against the tendency to touch elections as the foundation of democracy." 

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca said last night in an interview with T7 that in his personal opinion, the local election date should be postponed due to the pandemic situation.

Trendafilova holds press conference as she begins Kosovo visit (media) 

The President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers Ekaterina Trendafilova held a press conference in Pristina at the start of her visit to Kosovo and said that the mandate of the court is determined by the European Union Council.

Specialist Chambers will be functional until such time when the EU Council informs Kosovo that all procedures have concluded, Trendafilova is quoted by Klan Kosova. 

Koha meanwhile reports that Trendafilova was asked as to what message she intends to convey by scheduling two press conferences during her visit to Kosovo, one in Pristina and one in North Mitrovica and whether this implies KSC's division of Kosovo on ethnic and local lines to which she said that she is not a politician. KSC spokesperson Angela Griep added however that the purpose of the two conferences is to expand communication and reach as many people as possible. "There are people that cannot come to Pristina," she said.

Police arrest PSD activists after interrupting Trendafilova's press conference (media)

Kosovo Police arrested several activists of the Social Democratic Initiative (PSD) after they interrupted the press conference of the Specialist Chambers President Ekaterina Trendafilova in Pristina today. 

PSD activists entered the room where Trendafilova was addressing the media and began blowing whistles. One of the protesters said Trendafilova is a representative of an unjust court which wants to change the history of the Kosovo Liberation Army war. "The judge is here to report about relegitimising this court... the crimes have been perpetrated by the aggressor, Serbia, and we cannot allow this reporting to take place in a calm manner," the PSD activist is quoted by the Telegrafi news website. 

The protesters also sprayed "Non Grata" on an EULEX vehicle parked outside the building where the press conference was taking place. 

PSD has meanwhile called for the immediate release of its members and accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest. 

OKDiario: Spain plans to send Afghans to Kosovo, recognition mentioned as exchange (Koha)

The Spanish digital newspaper, OKDiario, reported that the Government of Spain, together with the EU, are working on a plan to open a refugee camp in Kosovo and that talks are already at an advanced stage.

The media outlet, quoting diplomatic sources, reported that Kosovo has not yet agreed to the plan although "it would welcome it because the agreement could also include recognition from Spain in the future." 

Spain has already agreed to host a considerable number of Afghan citizens but, according to the media outlet, has now changed its mind and wants to relocate them elsewhere. 

Koha however adds that OKDiario has often been criticised for publishing false news.

     

Serbian Language Media

  In Serbian areas 40 new cases of Covid-19, one death (Radio Mitrovica sever)

According to the latest information from the Institute of Public Health in Kosovska Mitrovica, out of 117 tested persons, 40 are positive for the coronavirus.

New cases by municipalities: North Mitrovica - 9, Zvecan - 8, Leposavic-7, Zubin Potok - 3, Gracanica - 3, Gnjilane - 3, Strpce- 6, Priluzje - 1.

One person from Zubin Potok died.

Petkovic: We are here to fight for Serbian interests, the new Vucic-Kurti meeting depends on today's talks (Tanjug)

The director of the Office for KIM, Petar Petkovic stated today that the atmosphere in Brussels is unpleasant every time, but that the Serbian delegation is there to fight for Serbian interests in Kosovo, but also for respecting and implementing all agreed agreements.

As he said, in the next two days, Belgrade will insist on five important topics - the formation of the ZSO, the missing, the judiciary, energy and freedom of movement. 

On the eve of the start of the technical dialogue with Pristina with the mediation of EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak, Petkovic told Tanjug that peace and stability in Kosovo are urgently needed because without reconciliation between the Serbian and Albanian people, there is no peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

"If we want to move forward, to develop economically and in every sense, Belgrade, Pristina and all countries in the region must cooperate. That is why it is important that we talk in Brussels, because we can solve all major and important topics only here in Brussels, and that is why we insist on dialogue," Petkovic said.

The new Vucic-Kurti meeting depends on today's talks

Petkovic stated today that a new round of dialogue between Vucic and Kurti, will depend on the talks with the delegation in Pristina, which will be held today and tomorrow.

He told reporters in Brussels that a new meeting would be scheduled if Pristina showed readiness to move on.

"Serbia is the one that insists on dialogue and has a constructive approach, as if it is always ready for it," Petkovic said.

Petkovic pointed out that it is important to point out in the conversation all the topics that burden the relations, both in today’s talks with Lajcak and tomorrow with Pristina.

"These are topics that are exclusively the content of the agreed agreements. We are not looking for anything new. In addition to Pristina, the responsibility lies with the EU, which, as a mediator in the dialogue, signed the Brussels Agreement and all other agreements. We only ask for the implementation of the agreement. It is up to Pristina to fulfill its part, we have fulfilled everything on our part," said Petkovic.

Speaking about the formation of the ZSO, Petkovic said that it is the heart of the Brussels Agreement and that the dialogue and all agreements reached in Brussels are based on it, but that 3,063 days have passed since it was not formed.

When it comes to the issue of the missing, he said that Belgrade insists on that issue.

"We are still looking for and insisting that 1,639 people be found, and that is why we believe that this is not a political but a civilizational issue that especially burdens the relations between Belgrade and Pristina," Petkovic said.

According to him, Belgrade is asking that Pristina respond to all nine requests submitted by Belgrade, because there is evidence that people were buried in Pristina and that examination was requested and the remains to be handed over to their families.

"We ask them to do what we did in central Serbia," Petkovic said.

He said that the issue of justice is very important, especially in the light of the illegal verdict against Ivan Todosijevic, which, he believes, is not just a verdict for a spoken word, but a verdict for the entire Serbian people. He said that Pristina tried to introduce a verbal offense and to forbid the Serbian people of Kosovo to think and speak freely.

"You know very well that such an illegal verdict would not have happened if Pristina had respected the Brussels agreement, that is, the agreement on justice, because point 10 has been violated and the part concerning the jurisdiction of courts in Serbian communities," Petkovic said.

As he pointed out, the verdict against Todosijevic must be revised if we want to move forward, and by violating the agreement, we are in danger of everything returning to the state before the agreement.

One of the burdensome issues is the issue of energy.

"Let two Serbian companies be formed for wholesale and retail trade, for distribution and supply of electricity," said Petkovic.

When it comes to freedom of movement, Petkovic says that two agreements have been agreed on that issue and points out that it is important that Pristina cannot illegally defend the entry to believers, athletes, journalists, other persons, but also officials of Belgrade, especially when they are announced on time and in accordance with the procedures.

"We will also raise the issue of all incidents in Kosovo and Metohija in Serbian communities, which have increased since Albin Kurti came to power. We have over 93 incidents, attacks on our property, children, SOC property. That must stop," Petkovic said.

Petkovic also announced the importance of the return of internally displaced persons, who have been attacked also, by which, as he assessed, Pristina was ''trying to intimidate them not to return''.

As examples, he cited a 70-year-old man whose two ribs were broken because he went to get documents in Kosovo, and the case of Dragica Gasic, who returned to Djakovica. 

"If it weren't for the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic and the office for KIM, the question is whether she could survive there. But we are trying and doing everything to keep her in her apartment and hometown," said Petkovic.

He thanked Lajcak, who is making efforts to continue the dialogue, which is not easy, and added that he supports the dialogue because compromise is the key word.

Grubjesic: Brussels should ensure Belgrade and Pristina's opposing positions come closer (RTS, Danas, NMagazin)

The responsibility of Brussels in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is greater than the responsibility of the participants in the dialogue, since it should ensure that the opposing positions come closer, the vice president of the Center for Foreign Policy, Suzana Grubjesic told RTS.

She also assessed that the policy of extremism and violence in Montenegro has a very small number of supporters.

Grubjesic stated that in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, the issue of all issues is the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO).

"I am sure that it will be set as a request from the Serbian side again, but without any concrete answers and guarantees that the ZSO  will finally start to form, which is a big obstacle for the continuation of a more important political dialogue, because political dialogue should result in a comprehensive agreement on normalization of relations, but before that a political agreement is needed, which implies a compromise solution and which would be sustainable, because the imposed solutions will be difficult to implement," Grubjesic told RTS. 

Her impression is that the responsibility of Brussels is greater than the participants in the dialogue themselves, because, as she stated, it is Brussels that should ensure that the opposing positions come closer.

"So far, they have not succeeded in that intention. I hope that they used this summer break to look at things a little differently, to see who is ready to compromise and who is not. It is inconceivable to me that the political dialogue will continue, and that there was no progress at all in this technical, expert one and that like last time, they will part with the sentence "we did not agree on anything, there is no progress", Suzana Grubjesic emphasized.

She pointed out that the US encouraged both Belgrade and Pristina to continue adhering to the Washington Agreement and the point related to Pristina's application to international organizations and Belgrade's refraining from diplomatic action on the withdrawal of recognition. 

"If Pristina starts applying to international organizations, there is a right and obligation from Belgrade to continue the diplomatic action of withdrawing recognition," Grubjesic said.

Speaking about Pristina's potential attempt to join the Council of Europe, Suzana Grubjesic said that it was unthinkable for the Council of Europe to violate the statute, which states that membership requires a candidate to be a member of the United Nations.

"All European states are in the Council of Europe, except Belarus, but all members of the UN are internationally recognized states, which Kosovo is not," Grubjesic concluded.

Serbian FM to new EU Delegation chief: EU membership priority and commitment (N1)

Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Monday that membership in the European Union is an absolute foreign policy priority for Serbia and the country’s strategic commitment.

A press release from Selakovic’s meeting with the new Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emmanuel Giaufret quoted him as saying that Serbia remains fully committed to the reform process and remains open to continued cooperation with the EU, its institutions and the member states, and to intensive efforts to speed up the accession negotiations.

Selakovic said that compromise is the key to a sustainable agreement at the end of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, adding that Pristina has failed to implement agreements reached to date.

“The Minister recalled that the EU has been the most important foreign trade partner of our country for more than two decades, noting that the assistance that Serbia received from the EU is key to our reform process,” the press release said. It did not include any quotes from Ambassador Jofre.

See at:https://bit.ly/3jMHLy6 Vllasi: Enthronement of Serbian Patriarch better not be in Pec (Kosovo Online)

Lawyer Azem Vllasi told portal Kosovo Online that the expected enthronement ceremony of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije should not be held in the Patriarchate of Pec, as dictated by tradition, but suggested that it ought to be held the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade. 

Vllasi opined that “the Serbian Orthodox Church is an instrument of power in Serbia, as evidenced by the latest events in Montenegro”, where, as he said, a political event has been made in lieu of a religious ceremony of the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije. 

“Given the political role played by the SOC,  it would be better for the ceremony to be held in the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade than in Kosovo, just as it was much better for the enthronement ceremony of Metropolitan Joanikije to be held in the church in Podgorica than in Cetinje. So, there is no reason for a ban by the Kosovo authorities, but that it would instigate and raise tensions, and it will not have any conciliatory role,” Vllasi opined.  

According to Vllasi, the recent events in Montenegro have expressed the great divisions that exist in this country, which are not good for the stability of Montenegro itself, nor for the relations in the neighbourhood. 

“The Montenegrin public is embittered because the Serbian Orthodox Church plays a more political role there, it denies the statehood of Montenegro, their national identity and, of course, that it encourages dissatisfaction among Montenegrins. I think it is much better for the church to return to its function, as a religious community, and not as a political institution. This caused a big rift between the state leadership of Serbia and the Montenegrin ethnic corps, despite the fact that the Prime Minister and a Deputy Prime Minister with an Albanian name are trying to play the role imposed on them, because that government is a product of a parliamentary majority made out of one vote in Montenegro, agreed by the late Metropolitan Amfilohije, and that irritates the majority of Montenegro,” Vllasi said. 

He does not dispute the importance of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but at the same time reminds of the scope of its activities. 

“The role of the church should be conciliatory, and not to quarrel with people. I don’t know what kind of religious ceremony it is where priests sing the song “Let the army return to Kosovo”, it reminds us of something we saw about 30 years ago, which foresaw many evils that happened afterwards. This caused quite justified dissatisfaction in Kosovo among Albanians as well. Serbian Orthodox Church thus shows itself more as an instrument of the Serbian government, than as a religious community, which should act in a calming manner, not to encourage or fuel divisions, but on the contrary,” Vllasi pointed out. 

Trajkovic: Is Vllasi announcing another “Log Revolution” near Pec? (Kosovo Online)

Serbian politician from Kosovo Rada Trajkovic reacted to the statements of lawyer Azem Vllasi, who said that the expected enthronement ceremony of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije should not be held at the Patriarchate of Pec, as it is supposed to be held in line with the tradition, but in Belgrade. 

Trajkovic told Vllasi on Twitter that the right ‘to dose’ the freedom of religion existed in communism, but not in modern democracies. 

“Serbian Orthodox Church has enthroned its Patriarch in Pec in 2010. What has changed since then? And is this the announcement of another “Log revolution near Pec” Trajkovic posted on Twitter as a response to the article on Azem Vllasi.  

     

Opinion

  On the road to nowhere (Kosovo 2.0)

By Miodrag Marinkovic

I saw a movie titled “Oslo” the other day. The movie is of no artistic value, reeks with overacting and has obvious gaps in the script. Yet it occupied my attention like few others lately. The story revolves around an overly ambitious Norwegian couple that facilitates negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, ultimately leading to the conclusion of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1990. 

Besides the fascinating testimony of back-channel diplomacy, I had the idea, or realization, after seeing this movie that we live in an equally dramatic and filmable reality. I thought, maybe one day HBO or Netflix might produce a series about the Brussels dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia based on the memoirs of some old retired EU diplomat who, haunted by newfound guilt as death approaches, decided to reveal all the games played before our eyes but behind our backs. 

And if you think about it, the saga of the Brussels dialogue is a potential thespian delicacy, equal to those high-production Hollywood shows. We too have drama, tension, occasional plot twists, conspiracies and betrayals. The story has almost all the theoretical elements of good drama.

Aristotle says in his “Poetics,” one of the earliest elaborations of dramatic theory preserved, that any good drama must have six elements: plot, characters, thought, diction, spectacle and music. All great stories told throughout history meet these criteria, as does our Brussels dialogue.

The plot is there. A historical brawl between two nations complicated by the interests of great powers. 

Characters are abundant. The prologue had sultans, tsars, knights, rebels and ordinary heroes. Later we saw presidents and ministers, reformists and conservatives. For the final act, however, serendipity brought together two of the best actors out there, Albin Kurti and Aleksandar Vučić. These two protagonists have all the essentials of theatrical characters. They struggle with each other and with themselves, they overact, have moral dilemmas, they overact, have a belief in personal greatness and did I mention the overacting? 

The thought, or central theme, is a classic: the pursuit of a historical agreement between two irreconcilable groups after interminable struggle. Epic.

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

International 

  North Macedonia President Warns Of Refugee Influx In Balkans From Afghan Turmoil (RFE)

The president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, has predicted a massive influx of refugees stemming from Afghan tensions comparable to the migrant crisis that polarized Europe and made his Balkan state a symbol of the political battle over immigration in 2015-16.

"It is possible to expect a new wave of refugees," Pendarovski, who was elected president of his EU candidate country in 2019, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service, "and it will probably be like what we saw in 2015 and 2016 when a million and a half people transited through our territory and throughout this region."

See more at:https://bit.ly/2X25HF2