• Borrell confirms invitation to Vucic and Kurti to discuss way forward (Koha)
• Kosovo pledges no talks with Serbia two topics that activated the north (Koha)
• PM Kurti says “criminal gangs” behind attack against police in north (media)
• EULEX chief condemns attack against police in the north (media)
• Interior Minister Svecla visits Bernjak border crossing (Kallxo)
• Russian reporter Daria Aslamova declared persona non grata in Kosovo (media)
• Kandic: Regions where Delic operated, over 2,000 civilians killed (RTK)
• Dua Lipa Thrills Fans Performing on First Day of Sunny Hill (BIRN)
• ‘Sunny Hill was kept where it belongs’, Kurti receives Dua Lipa (euronews.al)
• 618 new cases, one death from COVID-19 in last 24 hours (media)

Borrell confirms invitation to Vucic and Kurti to discuss way forward (Koha)

European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, confirmed the invitation he sent to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti for a meeting on August 18 in Brussels. “I am inviting President of Serbia Vucic @predsenikrs and Prime Minister of Kosovo Kurti @albinkurti on 18 August to Brussels, to discuss the way forward between Pristina and Belgrade,” Borrell tweeted on Saturday. Borrell did not specify what topic will be discussed at the meeting. Media reported that EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, will attend the meeting.

The news website notes that the U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, indicated the topic that could be discussed. As he raised the possibility of discussing the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Escobar told an online meeting with reporters that the Association “must not be a state within a state” and that it must be in line with the laws and Constitution of Kosovo.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic reacted to the remarks saying that if the Association is conditioned to be in line with Kosovo’s laws, then the dialogue will be utterly meaningless. She said she was confident that the Association will not be treated at the August 18 meeting in Brussels.

The Kosovo Government did not give any information if the Association will be on the agenda of the meeting on August 18. Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, said the Association was never discussed in Brussels and that the issue is more talked about in the media.

Kosovo pledges no talks with Serbia two topics that activated the north (Koha)

The daily reports on its front page this morning that the Kosovo Government has pledged "not to discuss with Serbian authorities in Brussels the two decisions that triggered reactions from Serbs in the north of Kosovo, the decision on reciprocity for ID cards, and the decision to convert to RKS license plates the illegal plates issued by Serbian authorities". Government officials in Prishtina said the decisions were made by the institutions and that they foreseen by the agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels. A spokesman for the Kosovo Government told the paper that the agenda of the meeting between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on August 18 in Brussels will be announced in due time.

PM Kurti says “criminal gangs” behind attack against police in the north (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, took to Twitter on Saturday to condemn an attack against Kosovo Police in the north. “Around 10 shots were fired today at Border Police embarking on a boat patrol on Lake Ujmani. This is the second time in less than a week that Kosova Police have been attacked by criminal gangs in the northern part of our territory, just six days after Sunday’s incidents. Fortunately, we escaped casualties, and a complete investigation is now under way. Today, the streets are free of barricades. But criminal gangs continue to barricade themselves against our law enforcement agencies and our fight against organized crime,” Kurti tweeted.

EULEX chief condemns attack against police in the north (media)

EULEX Head of Mission, Lars Gunnar Wigemark, condemned the attack against Kosovo Police in the north on Saturday saying that these are criminal acts and need to cease immediately. “Today’s shooting at Lake Gazivoda/Ujmani is yet another attack with firearms on the Kosovo Police. Nobody was injured, but these attacks are not only dangerous - they are criminal acts and need to cease immediately. EULEX will increase its patrols in the area,” Wigemark tweeted.

Interior Minister Svecla visits Bernjak border crossing (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, visited on Sunday the Bernjak border crossing and the station of border police. He also met with some of the police officers who were attacked by Serb illegal structures on July 31.

Svecla said that border police officers were attacked on Saturday as they were patrolling in Ujman Lake. “Since last year until now there have been 14 attacks against in the north, and 10 of them were against police officers. Despite the challenges we are faced with, I saw among all police officers a determination and enthusiasm to fully implement their official duties and obligations. I thanked them for the zeal they have shown so far and I encouraged them to work together in making sure that law and order are implemented in that part too. The Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Government of Kosovo will be with the citizens and the institutions with the purpose of guaranteeing the security and wellbeing of every individual and for all of us together,” Svecla said.

Russian reporter Daria Aslamova declared persona non grata in Kosovo (media)

All media reported over the weekend that Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, declared as persona non grata Russian reporter, Daria Aslamova, and that she has been banned from entering Kosovo for five years. Svecla wrote on Twitter: “The same day our police were attacked by criminal gangs and only six days after Sunday’s incidents, Daria Aslamova, a confirmed Russian spy engaged in war propaganda in Ukraine, was detained attempting to enter Kosova from Serbia - irrefutable proof of Russian interference in the north of Kosovo”. Aslamova was arrested by Kosovo Police in the north of Kosovo on Saturday. According to Svecla, “many countries have proven that she was engaged in espionage for Russian military intelligence and that she acted disguised as a journalist”. Aslamova was later released and said she was in central Serbia. The Russian Embassy in Belgrade reacted to her arrest saying that it is another provocation by Kosovo and an example of disregard for basic democratic principles, including freedom of movement. The embassy also said it immediately informed the international presences in Kosovo, in particular the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) acting in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and also – through the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN in New York – directly to the UN Secretariat.

Kandic: Regions where Delic operated in Kosovo, over 2,000 civilians killed (RTK)

Natasa Kandic from the Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Center, in an interview with RTK, commented on the election of Bozidar Delic as one of the vice presidents of the Parliament of Serbia. During the war in Kosovo, Delic served as commander of the 549^th Motorised Belgrade. Kandic argued that over 2,000 civilians were killed in the region that was under Delic’s command. “Delic was in the region of Prizren, Rahovec, Suhareka and Dragash. Many crimes were committed in these municipalities. There are documents about over 2,000 civilians that were killed, and the mortal remains of over 450 victims were found. This is sufficient evidence for the prosecution to deal seriously with this and file charges, but nothing is expected to happen,” Kandic said.

Dua Lipa Thrills Fans Performing on First Day of Sunny Hill (BIRN)

Global star’s show causes massive queues on the first day of the music festival that opened its doors on Thursday.

Thousands of people on Thursday queued to enter Gërmia Park, location of the Sunny Hill Festival, to watch internationally famous Albanian singer Dua Lipa and other singers perform on stage.

The festival opened on Thursday and will last until Sunday. Other stars of world music in the line-up include J Balvin, Mahmood, Diplo and Skepta.

On the first night, the number of fans was so massive that even though the gate was supposed to close at 10pm, the long queues of people waiting delayed it.

Over 25,000 tickets were sold for this edition, according to the festival’s co-founder, Dua Lipa’s father, Dukagjin Lipa.

With a choreography of world scenes, Dua Lipa ignited the atmosphere with some of her most popular songs, such as “Future Nostalgia”, the hit “New Rules” and her early hit, “Be the One”.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3QsiYgl

‘Sunny Hill was kept where it belongs’, Kurti receives Dua Lipa (euronews.al)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, received the world-famous singer Dua Lipa in a meeting earlier today in Prishtina. In a post on Facebook, Kurti wrote that he thanked the singer Lipa and her team for promoting Kosovo on the world stage through the Sunny Hill Festival, a festival that he says was kept where it belongs, in Prishtina.

“It was held in Prishtina, where it belongs. Kosovo shines differently with Sunny Hill and our golden girl, Dua Lipa, whom I welcomed today at the Prime Minister’s Office. Our country is marking one of the most successful cultural years in its history. I want to thank her for the beautiful and dignified representation and promotion of Kosovo’s values ​​everywhere in the world. Her voice, music and songs have made us much more popular and well-known around the world. The contribution she gives to Kosovo is immeasurable”, writes Kurti.

This year’s edition of Sunny Hill was accompanied by controversy about the possibility of its relocation to Tirana, due to an issue with the permission for the land by the Ministry of Spatial Planning in Kosovo which was soon resolved.

618 new cases, one death from COVID-19 in last 24 hours (media)

618 new cases with COVID-19 and one death from the virus were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. There are 7,988 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.