Albanian Language Media:

• Krasniqi: Election process in the north will be determined in the following days (media)
• Analysts: Kurt's visit to Athens, strategic interest for Kosovo (RTK)
• Haradinaj: Kurti does not trust state system, he is creating a parallel one (media)
• Selmanaj: Kurti is protecting lawbreakers and lynching prosecutors (media)
• Students in the north will return to schools in September (RFE)
• Bled Forum in Slovenia, PM Rama and PM Kurti will participate on August 28 and 29 (Euronews.al)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic with the WB leaders in Athens, Dacic in Bled (Tanjug, FoNet, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• The Office for Kosovo and Metohija calls for the renewal of the investigation of crimes against journalists (media)
• Radomirovic says he contributes to de-escalation; Todic says he spreads misinformation and causes discord (KoSSev)
• Professor: Vucic knows what the Athens meeting is about (N1)

Opinion:

• What will Pristina's officials do in Athens if Greece does not recognise Kosovo? (greekcitytimes.com)

International:

• EU and Western Balkans leaders meet for enlargement talks (euobserver.com)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Krasniqi: Election process in the north will be determined in the following days (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that the election process in the north will be determined in the following days and that the administrative instruction that enables a petition for the removal of mayors will be ready at the end of the month.

"So far everything is fine, the working group has had two meetings. And I cannot discuss an administrative instruction that we still do not have for public consultation, and I still cannot give any additional details", Krasniqi stated.

Asked what the steps are for the elections in the north, Krasniqi said that this process will be determined in the following days.

"It is a process that will be determined in the following days. As a ministry and as a minister, I have covered my responsibility starting with the administrative instruction, which provides for the right of citizens to collect signatures for the removal of the mayors from office. This is not for the north, this can be applied tomorrow to the mayor of Gjakova and any mayor of Kosovo, so at this moment I don't want to discuss more about the product, because at the end of the month we will have a product from the working group", he said.

Minister Krasniqi made these statements after the meeting with the mayor of Gjakova, Ardian Gjini.

Analysts: Kurt's visit to Athens, strategic interest for Kosovo (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will participate tonight in an informal dinner of the leaders of the Western Balkans and EU member states in Athens, at the invitation of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. International relations experts and political analysts say that it is a strategic interest for Kosovo to be part of these meetings.

Except for the leaders the Western Balkans of the countries, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, are also invited to the Mitsotakis dinner, and they have confirmed their participation.

University professor, Dorajet Imeri, told Radio Kosovo that it is of strategic interest for Kosovo to be part of these meetings. "It is not that any decision will be made from this meeting, or that any great political effect will be produced. But, in any case, the meeting of the leaders itself is sufficient, because, of course, topics that are mainly concerns of all actors will be discussed, such as the integration processes in the European Union and other challenges which, in any case, are related to our common future”, he said.

Political analyst, Gazmir Raci, also said that "It is very important for Kosovo to strengthen bilateral relations with the Greek state. Recognition from Greece is also very important for us. Participation in this informal summit is also very important for the foreign policy of Kosovo and for the government of Kosovo in particular. Greece is also closely following the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, and of course, I believe that the Greek state is helping to bring the parties closer and also to the development of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans," Raci said.

According to the Greek news agency "Amna", today's informal dinner will discuss the expansion and the European future of the region and the role of Greece as a pillar of stability for peace.

Meanwhile, the meeting between Kurti and Mitsotakis, is expected to take place on Tuesday.

Haradinaj: Kurti does not trust state system, he is creating a parallel one (media)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj has said that Albin Kurti is the only prime minister who does not trust the state system.

“Albin Kurti is the only prime minister who does not trust the system of his own state, but creates a parallel system. Even for the most sensitive operations of the government and the state, which also affect national security, he engages people who are outside the institutions, but who are enough to be his servants, as was the case with Ridvan Muharremi", wrote the AAK MP on Facebook on Monday, adding that he has warned about and raised the alarm of state capture a year ago.

Selmanaj: Kurti is protecting lawbreakers and lynching prosecutors (media)

Driton Selmanaj, MP of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has accused Prime Minister Albin Kurti of protecting and representing thieves and lawbreakers.

“In democratic countries, criminals and lawbreakers are protected and represented by lawyers. In our Kosovo, they are protected and represented by the Prime Minister and his government. In democratic countries, criminals and lawbreakers are pursued and charged by the prosecution. In our Kosovo, prosecutors ans prosecuting bodies are lynched and attacked by the Prime Minister and his government. Unacceptable, reprehensible, and disgusting,” Selmanaj said.

Students in the north will return to schools in September (RFE)

The school year in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo will start on September 1 in educational institutions and there will be no online lessons, the director of the Technical High School in Leposaviq, Sladjan Radovic, has confirmed for Radio Free Europe.

As he said, they were informed about this by the school administration for Kosovo, which operates within the Ministry of Education in the Government of Serbia. Educational institutions in the Serb communities in Kosovo work within the Serbian system.

Some parents from Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo last week in an interview with Radio Free Europe expressed concern that the school year may begin in an online format for "security reasons."

However, the director Radovic claims that it was about "misinformation" and that the students will return to schools.

"Any other kind of learning, other than instant learning, would be bad, first of all, for the students," he said.

Classes in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo - North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvecan and Zubin Potok - were interrupted at the end of May when tensions arose due to the entry of Albanian mayors into the municipal buildings with the help of the police.

Bled Forum in Slovenia, PM Rama and PM Kurti will participate on August 28 and 29 (Euronews.al)

The international conference of the Bled Strategic Forum, which is the conference on Central and Southeast Europe, will be held in Slovenia on August 28 and 29.

Prime Minister Edi Rama from Albania and Prime Minister Albin Kurti from Kosovo will participate in this two-day conference.

The participation of the two prime ministers in this forum will also be the first meeting between Rama and Kurti after long-distance debates in recent months, since the cancellation of the meeting of the two governments on June 14 in Gjakova.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, and the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, will also participate at the meeting, reports the news website.

The EU special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, will be part of this conference.

The conference is a gathering of participants from different fields exchanging views and ideas to address current and future challenges.

     

Serbian Language Media

  Vucic with the WB leaders in Athens, Dacic in Bled (Tanjug, FoNet, Radio Mitrovica sever)

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis will host next two days the leaders of the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as the officials of the EU Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, and on Monday evening he will organize an informal dinner on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EU Summit - Western Balkans and the adoption of the Thessaloniki Declaration, announced his cabinet.

Mitsotakis will have a meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Kristo, the Prime Minister of Romania, Ion- Marcel Ciolacu, as well as with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic.

The next day, on Tuesday, Mitsotakis will talk with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, according to the Greek PM's agenda.

President Aleksandra Vucic will represent Serbia, who said earlier today in Budapest that he does not know what the topic of the meeting is today.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't talk about it. Even if I know, I can't talk about it," he said.

President Vučić said that at today's informal meeting of regional leaders in Athens, which will be attended by high EU representatives, the European integration of the Western Balkans will be discussed, and that he is not sure about other topics.

Dacic on behalf of Serbia in Bled

Serbian MFA Ivica Dacic is the only politician from Serbia who has confirmed his participation in the Bled Strategic Forum, which will be held on August 28 and 29, it was announced on the organizer's website.

According to the announcement on the forum's website, in addition to the President of Slovenia Natasa Pirc Musar, the two-day meeting will be attended by the Presidents of Greece and Moldova, Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Maia Sandu.

When it comes to prime ministers from the region, the presence was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic, Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov, Slovenian Robert Golob, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, Croatian Andrej Plenkovic, President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo and Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija calls for the renewal of the investigation of crimes against journalists (media)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija called on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the abduction of Radio Pristina journalists Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic, the EULEX Mission and all competent international and local institutions to renew the investigation, find and prosecute the perpetrators of this, as well as other unexplained crimes against journalists and the Serbian people in Kosovo.

Journalists of Radio Pristina, Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic, were abducted while they were on a work assignment, while reporting on the abducted monks from the Sveti Vraci monastery in Zociste. 

"Their kidnappers have not been identified and punished to this day, and the families of the kidnapped journalists, colleagues and the entire public have been waiting for the truth and justice for twenty-five years, which represents another stain on the face of those who are called to take care of justice and the rule of law in the province," noted the Office for KiM. 

They added that ''Slavuj and Perenic were abducted because they were doing their job, but above all because they are Serbs, and their abduction was supposed to show the remaining Serbs in Orahovac, but also in the whole of Kosovo, what fate awaits the Serbian people''.

"Also, we remind you that the memorial, placed on the road Orahovac - Velika Hoca, at the place where Djuro Slavuj and Ranko Perenic were last seen, has been demolished eight times so far".

Today, the office said, is an opportunity to remind that other kidnappings and murders of journalists in Kosovo have not been solved either:

"Ljubomir Knezevic, journalist of Jedinstvo daily from Pristina and correspondent of Politika, was kidnapped on May 6, 1999 near Vucitrn, Aleksandar Simovic, journalist and translator, disappeared on August 21, 1999 in Pristina, Marjan Melonashi, journalist of the Serbian newsroom of Radio Kosovo, disappeared on September 9, 2000 in Pristina, Momir Stokuca, a photojournalist, was killed on September 21, 1999 in his family home in the center of Pristina, Mile Buljevic, a security guard at Television Pristina, was kidnapped in June 1999 in front of the Refugee Center in Pristina ".

"Unfortunately, journalists who report in the Serbian language in Kosovo and Metohija still face numerous problems in their work, threats and obstructions from the authorities from Pristina, as well as prohibitions to practice their profession in the territory of the province," they added.

They note that they expect the international institutions operating in Kosovo to provide protection to journalists and ensure their safety and civilized working conditions in accordance with their mandate.

"The office for Kosovo and Metohija will continue to contact all the centers of influence in Kosovo and Metohija to seek clarification of this and all other crimes and points to the difficult position of the Serbian people in the province," concludes the statement sent to the media.

Radomirovic says he contributes to de-escalation; Todic says he spreads misinformation and causes discord (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reports that one of the leaders of the Serbs in Leposavic, Zoran Todic, called on the entire international community in Kosovo to react urgently to calm new tensions in Leposavic after last week's incidents in front of the municipal building. Deputy Minister Nenad Rasic, Radoica Radomirovic, brought a group of, as he introduced them, new employees to this municipal building on several occasions. While Radomirovic claims that he is not coming to bring them into the building, but to support them from the pressures of the Serbian List, Todic reminds of the EU's plan for immediate de-escalation of the situation in which the mayor is required to move to an alternative location, and the special police to leave the municipal buildings.

"The situation in the municipality of Leposavic is difficult and complex, as in the other three municipalities in the North, because since May 26 everything has stopped and it is increasingly difficult to function, considering that from that day the employees of the municipal administration of the municipality of Leposavic, as well as other employees from other services, as well as in Zvecan and Zubin Potok, do not have access to their workplaces." former mayor of this municipality and the current president of the temporary authority, Zoran Todic, told KoSSev. 

He reminds that everyone suffers - citizens and institutions.

"Public companies and institutions, because we all know the responsibilities and obligations of the employees, whose workplaces in the municipal building, which is currently occupied, are illegally and violently usurped," he said.

In a separate article, KoSSev portal reports that Radomirovic claims that he is contributing to de-escalation and not causing an additional crisis, by bringing workers into the municipal building in Leposavic, despite the European plan on de-escalation. He does not bring them in, he corrects KoSSev, but he encourages young people who have never had a chance for employment until now, due to the pressures of the Serbian List and the former mayor.

He had a list of serious charges against them, reports KoSSev, from nepotism, through corruption, to serious crime. That is why there are fewer and fewer protest participants, and more and more employment in the new Kosovo administration in Leposavic, claims the deputy minister in the Kosovo government, Radoica Radomirovic.

This municipality, however, travelled the region as news in which a mayor has been living in the municipal building for almost three full months, since he was installed there with the use of force by Kosovo special forces, expelling municipal workers in the Serbian system, wrote KoSSev.

Although he listed detailed information about the alleged inactions of the Serbian List and the former mayor in Leposavic, Radomirovic does not know whether it is true that the "host" he has been visiting for the past few days has not left this building for almost three months.

Professor: Vucic knows what the Athens meeting is about (N1)

Retired professor from the Belgrade University Faculty of Political Sciences Cedomir Cupic told the N1 show ‘New Day’ that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “probably knows what the meeting in Athens is about,” and that this is why he said it would be a difficult one.

Vucic has been invited by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to an informal dinner party on Monday evening in Athens, which will be attended by leaders of the Western Balkans region, including Kosovo, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Serbian President said on Friday that, following his visit to Hungary over the weekend, he is going “someplace else,” where the representatives of all Western Balkans countries, wider region and Brussels will be present. He also said that the strongest and greatest pressures will be exerted on Belgrade over the next few days and weeks.

Cupic said it was irresponsible of a president of a state to say he does not know where he is going and what awaits him there.

“The purpose of every meeting is always defined. It is probably very difficult for him to publicly say what it will be about, probably some closing matters in everything that has been happening in the past in terms of the European Union’s (EU) attitude toward Serbia and Vucic. It’ll probably be about talks nearing completion, Serbia will be served a bill, it will have to decide on what it will do in the coming period,” Cupic said.

He said two topics are on the agenda.

“In my opinion, one topic is that of relations with Russia, sanctions, and the other will probably involve Kosovo and the resolving of the Kosovo problem, that is what the EU and the West are expecting from Serbia in the coming period, I guess we are coming to an end, Serbia is to finally take a stand on these two issues, that is why he has announced a difficult meeting, he knows what it is going to be about,” said Cupic.

“The ground needs to be prepared, you can’t just say something suddenly, for years he has not shared with us anything about contacts, demands, at one point all that will surface, when final decisions are made,” he said.

Cupic voiced his opinion that Vucic has taken all power into his hands.

“He decides on everything, he runs the economy, he is on television every day, he has the need to address the public from Budapest where he went for a celebration…During the Covid pandemic he said he was responsible for life and death in Serbia,” said Cupic.

 

   

Opinion 

 

What will Pristina's officials do in Athens if Greece does not recognise Kosovo? (greekcitytimes.com)

Former diplomat Zoran Milivojević does not see the invitation of the Greek Prime Minister to attend a working dinner in Athens with the leaders of the countries of the region and representatives of Pristina as another obstacle on the way to the Greek recognition of Kosovo as an independent country, but as a confirmation of Greece's interest in playing an active role in the Balkans and to compete with Turkey and others influences in the region.

He mentioned diplomatic rule - never say never, that everything is possible due to tremendous pressure on Greece, especially from the US. He also notes that the recognition of Kosovo by Greece in the long term, strategically speaking, would be harmful to its state and the national question, mainly because of the status of Cyprus and the Greeks there.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/yck7d5tr      

International 

  EU and Western Balkans leaders meet for enlargement talks (euobserver.com)

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel are on Monday (21 August) attending an informal dinner on EU enlargement in the Greek capital Athens.

In October, the commission will report, as it regularly does, on the progress of negotiations with the Balkan countries, before European leaders decide whether to open full accession negotiations. A decision is expected at the EU summit in December.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2ur3mdeb