• Surroi: You cannot be European, if you are a captured state (Koha)
• Vetevendosje formalizes Albin Kurti’s candidacy for prime minister (Bota Sot)
• Stavileci: PDK will win the elections (RTK)
• Kusari Lila: Alternativa will not join AAK-PSD or PDK (media)
• Ministry of Justice campaigning on behalf of PDK (Koha)
• Ombudsperson: Gender Equality Law to be upheld in election process (media)
• Oliver Ivanovic’s associate joins Serbian List, accused of treason by former colleagues
• Shala lifts trade measures towards North Macedonia (Zeri)
• Restoration works at Novoberdo castle brought to halt (Zeri)

Surroi: You cannot be European, if you are a captured state (Koha)

The paper reports on page two that publicist Veton Surroi said in an interview to KTV on Thursday evening that Kosovo cannot be considered a European state if it is still ruled by “thugs”. “Identification does not come from abroad. A French President or a German Chancellor cannot say this is a European people and we will take them. Our identification will happen when we are freed from thuggery. You cannot be European if you are a captured state. You are an unidentified state in terms of European values if you lack the capacity despite the international aid and the liberation from the West which gave us freedom and told us ‘here you go, develop your country’, but this state degenerated into capture,” he said. Asked on a possible coalition between the LDK and VV, Surroi said Kosovo needs a coalition of hope. “I still believe Kosovo needs a coalition of hope. Hope is not a slogan. Societies that lose hope, as in the case of Kosovo, are societies that lose their people too,” he argued.

Vetevendosje formalizes Albin Kurti’s candidacy for prime minister (Bota Sot)

The General Council of Vetevendosje has endorsed the list of candidates that will run for elections on 6 October and Albin Kurti’s candidacy for prime minister. Kurti said it was time for “bad” governments of Kosovo and corruption to end and that can only be done by Vetevendosje.

Stavileci: PDK will win the elections (RTK)

Blerand Stavileci, senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said in a TV debate on Thursday that other political parties were in a rush to form pre-election coalitions out of fear from the PDK. He said statements by other parties that they have red lines toward the PDK have becoming boring “because after elections they turn into green lines”. “The PDK and Kadri Veseli have set a new ethical standard. The situation on the ground speaks in favor of the Democratic Party of Kosovo,” he said. Stavileci said the top priority of the PDK is the fight against corruption and nepotism. “We have taken the lead; first to accept it as a challenge and second to fight it. Veseli’s concrete actions prove the seriousness of this enterprise, such as freeing the usurped properties in 2016, the initiative to clean the list of war veterans and relieving persons with active indictments from duty,” he added.

Kusari Lila: Alternativa will not join AAK-PSD or PDK (media)

Alternativa founder and former MP Mimoza Kusari-Lila said her party has received several offers from other political parties for inclusion in their ballots.

“As a new and in the last mandate an opposition party, Alternativa remains true to the principles and positions presented so far. As a result, we have informed AAK/PSD and PDK that we will not be running under a joint ticket with any of the above,” Kusari-Lila said.

Ministry of Justice campaigning on behalf of PDK (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that “the Ministry of Justice is serving the election campaign of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the party which holds the biggest share of responsibility for capturing the state and for the level of corruption in the country”. The paper notes that several days ago, the Ministry of Justice through its official email address sent to the media a statement by Minister Abelard Tahiri calling on all political parties to support PDK leader Kadri Veseli’s initiative to sign a pact against corruption. The Office of the Prime Minister has distanced itself from the act of the Ministry. Civil society representatives meanwhile said that ministers cannot and should not use state institutions for election campaigns.

Ombudsperson: Gender Equality Law to be upheld in election process (media)

Kosovo’s Ombudsperson Hilmi Jashari underlined the importance of elections in a democratic system and said he would like to draw the attention of the public and relevant authorities on equal opportunities of participation for both genders in all segments of the election process.

In a statement to the press, Jashari quoted article 14 of the Law on Gender Equality which states that “Political parties with their acts are obliged to implement measures to promote equal participation of men and women at authorities and bodies of the parties in accordance with provisions of Article 6 of this Law” and also specifies that relevant bodies at all levels are obliged to implement measures to increase representation of underrepresented gender “until equal representation of women and men according to this Law is achieved.”

Oliver Ivanovic’s associate joins Serbian List, accused of treason by former colleagues

Ksenija Bozovic, deputy leader of the SDP Civic Initiative, one day after being interviewed for the third time in relation to the assassination of late Kosovo Serb political representative and SDP CI leader Oliver Ivanovic, has joined the Serbian List on Thursday, the paper reports on page four. Her former fellow party members reacted to the move saying that “Bozovic has betrayed the interests of the SDP CI … and all the people that support our fight to find the perpetrator of Oliver Ivanovic’s assassination”.

Shala lifts trade measures towards North Macedonia (Zeri)

Kosovo’s acting Minister of Trade and Industry Endrit Shala has suspended the trade measures towards North Macedonia after the latter lifted ban on fish exports from Kosovo.

“Following reflection on the part of North Macedonia, I also decided to suspend decision on reciprocity measures taken several weeks back on products from North Macedonia entering Kosovo. We will continue to protect Kosovo products and only by increasing production and export can we develop the country,” Shala said.

Restoration works at Novoberdo castle brought to halt (Zeri)

Kosovo’s Institute for Protection of Monuments has issued an order to halt restoration works at the Novoberdo castle after concerns that the company hired for the job wrongfully destroyed several parts of the fortress.

The Serbia-based company commissioned by UNESCO to do restoration works is said to have used an excavator during its operations which cultural heritage experts say is unacceptable. The paper also reports that officials of the Kosovo’s Institute for Protection of Monuments and UNESCO representatives visited the site and decided to halt the restoration efforts pending a concrete plan.

However, Luan Gashi, archeology expert at the Novoberdo fortress said a minor intervention using an excavator was part of the restoration plan. “The work is being carried out by UNESCO. The competencies are with the Kosovo’s Institute for Protection of Monuments. Everything that is happening is controlled,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports issued a press statement saying it fully supports the decision of the Institute for Protection of Monuments. The Ministry said it will wait for a detailed report on the restoration works by the end of next week and that no works should be done in the meantime.