Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Encouraging messages from Golob on EU enlargement (media)

• Osmani: Euro-Atlantic family is our family (media)

• Fajon: Slovenia will continue to work hard to bring WB closer to EU (media)

• Lajcak to meet Kurti and Vucic soon (media)

• LDK and PDK criticise government on foreign policy (Koha Ditore)

• Osmani expects Ukraine to make “courageous” decision on Kosovo (RFE)

• Serbia not implementing agreements, few Albanians in Serbian institutions (KSP)

  Serbian Language Media:

• Brnabic attended the dinner of the Slovenian PM before the start of the forum in Bled (Tanjug)

• Lajcak announced a meeting with Vucic and Kurti: North Kosovo at the top of the agenda (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever, RTS)

• Pristina minimizes the negative effects, and the losses due to EU measures exceed 500 million euros (RTS)

• Pristina lifts the ban on animal concentrate from central Serbia (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)

• "Opre Roma Kosovo" movement: Roma beaten after apprehension in Gracanica; PEAK: An investigation has been launched (KoSSev, KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio)

• Jablanovic: No election without the withdrawal of the police and amnesty for those arrested (RTK2)

• Opposition politician: Orthodox alliance one of solutions to Kosovo issue (N1, FoNet, Danas)

International Media:

• Can Petitions Solve Election Stalemate in Kosovo’s Northern Municipalities? (BIRN)

• Tense Trial in Kosovo Showed Justice for War Crimes is Possible (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Encouraging messages from Golob on EU enlargement (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who is attending the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, said on Sunday that there were “encouraging messages from Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob on EU enlargement and opportunities for the Western Balkans”. “I echoed the call for a values-based approach to EU membership, focused on respect for minorities, and with mutual recognition as a precondition,” Kurti said.

Osmani: Euro-Atlantic family is our family (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who is attending this year’s European Forum Alpbach 2023, said that this year’s topic of the forum is a brave Europe, and that “the enlargement of the European Union with the democratic countries of the Western Balkans, the protection of principles and values of human rights, the rule of law and democracy, and unity in fighting autocracies and tyrannies are virtues that make for a braver Europe”. “Although the road is long and difficult, European integration is the only road for Kosovo. The Euro-Atlantic family is our family!” Osmani said.

Fajon: Slovenia will continue to work hard to bring WB closer to EU (media)

Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said on Sunday that there was “a great gathering with all Western Balkans leaders & Charles Michel ahead of the Bled Strategic Forum 2023”. “We have to think out of the box & use the momentum & speed up the #enlargement process. Value based process brings us together. Slovenia will continue to work hard on bringing the Western Balkans closer to the European Union,” Fajon said.

Lajcak to meet Kurti and Vucic soon (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that “while the pace in Brussels slowed down over summer, the challenges in Western Balkans did not disappear. One particular area that remained high on my agenda is the situation in the north of Kosovo.”

Lajcak said that “to prepare for the coming months and further strengthen our joint efforts, I invited 🇺🇸 Deputy Assistant Secretary Escobar to Brussels for in-depth discussions and coordination meetings. Together with our teams we discussed Dialogue matters in detail, shared assessments of the current situation, developments of the last months and expectations for the coming period. And we also made sure to align necessary next steps and priorities.”

“Before next week’s traditional rentrée in Brussels, I'm set to travel to Alpbach, Bled and Belgrade, where I'll meet with Prime Minister Kurti and President Vučić, but also a number of partners, friends and experts on the Western Balkans and global political developments,” Lajcak added.

LDK and PDK criticise government on foreign policy (Koha Ditore)

The daily reports on its front page this morning that representatives of opposition parties have made a series of accusations against the Kurti-led government on foreign policy. The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said they would ask Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, to report to the Assembly, claiming that last time he ignored the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which is the biggest opposition party, argued that the government is proving incapable of coordinating with Kosovo’s strategic partners on foreign policy.

Osmani expects Ukraine to make “courageous” decision on Kosovo (RFE)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said during a speech on Friday on the occasion of the Ukrainian Day of Independence, that she expects Ukraine to make “a courageous decision” to establish bilateral relations with Kosovo. Osmani said that Kosovo’s support for Ukraine is “based on principles and values deeply rooted in the foundations of our sovereign country”.

“We expect Ukraine to turn its support for Kosovo as an independent and sovereign country and a natural ally in the region. War has brought our people closer together and now is the time to make courageous decisions to establish bilateral relations,” Osmani said.

Serbia not implementing agreements, few Albanians in Serbian institutions (KSP)

Former mayor of Presevo municipality and current advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Ardita Sinani, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that Serbia is intentionally not implementing the key objectives of the agreements, such as integration, fast economic revival, return of IDPs and demilitarisation of the region from special security units. She argued that in addition to constitutional and legal obligations, as well as obligations deriving from international agreements, Serbia has assumed special obligations for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvjedja with three special documents that were adopted by the government. “21 years later, in all institutions that are not in the competencies of municipalities (the competencies of the Republican Government or the Regional Administration) there is a symbolic number of Albanians, and in some institutions, there are no Albanians at all. Not only were local Albanians not employed, but Serbs from other regions of Serbia have been brought in,” Sinani said.

Serbian Language Media

Brnabic attended the dinner of the Slovenian PM before the start of the forum in Bled (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic attended a dinner hosted by Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob ahead of the start of the Strategic Forum in Bled.

"I am glad to see the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and that I will talk with partners from the region," Brnabic stated on Instagram last night.

In addition to Brnabic and Golob, the PM of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic, the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Kristo, the PM of Kosovo Albin Kurti, the PM North Macedonia Dmitar Kovacevski and the PM of Albania Edi Rama attended the dinner.

This year's Bled Strategic Forum is organized under the slogan "Solidarity for Global Security". The participation of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as the special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, was announced at the two-day meeting, it was stated on the website of the Bled forum, reported RTS.

Lajcak announced a meeting with Vucic and Kurti: North Kosovo at the top of the agenda (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever, RTS)

The EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, said in a FB post that after a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar, that the challenges in the WB did not disappear, and that the situation in the north of Kosovo is at the top of his agenda.

"To prepare for the coming months and further strengthen our joint efforts, I invited 🇺🇸 Deputy Assistant Secretary Escobar to Brussels for in-depth discussions and coordination meetings. Together with our teams we discussed Dialogue matters in detail, shared assessments of the current situation, developments of the last months and expectations for the coming period. And we also made sure to align necessary next steps and priorities.

Before next week's traditional rentrée in Brussels, I'm set to travel to Alpbach, Bled and Belgrade, where I'll meet with Prime Minister Kurti and President Vucic, but also a number of partners, friends and experts on the Western Balkans and global political developments,'' Lajcak posted on FB, reported RTS.

Pristina minimizes the negative effects, and the losses due to EU measures exceed 500 million euros (RTS)

The president of the Kosovo Business Alliance (AKB), Agim Shahini, said that EU measures towards Kosovo had an impact on the economy and that, as they estimated, more than 500,000,000 euros would be lost, including central and local institutions, as well as companies that had or have projects through the IPA program, reported RTS.

He added that in terms of the number of investments and projects, Pristina is in a position it has never been in before.

"Measures taken by international institutions have almost affected the general political economy in integration and Kosovo is lagging behind in that direction. According to our preliminary calculations, if these measures continue, the damage will be over 500,000,000 euros," said Shahini.

The former president of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (OEK) Safet Gerxhaliu said that the government minimizes the negative effects of these measures. 

He added that with this trend, Kosovo will not have economic growth, nor an improvement in the balance of payments.

"It is time to treat these measures more seriously and not to ignore them. Unfortunately, this is happening in Kosovo, especially the government minimizing the negative effects of these measures. In the political aspect, they really did not honor Kosovo with such a reality, because being a country that claims that it's future is in Europe, to be punished, is a loss that will really affect the image of Kosovo. We have frozen funds that are intended to support the private sector, especially domestic producers. To say today that these measures do not even affect that, is the worst thing that can happen to Kosovo," said Gerxhaliu. 

He added that with these measures, Kosovo will not have economic growth, an improvement in the balance of payments, it will not be competitive, and above all, there will be no new jobs.

Pristina lifts the ban on animal concentrate from central Serbia (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Ministry of Industry and Trade in Pristina has decided to cancel the measure of anti-dumping protection on the poultry and animal concentrate production sector from central Serbia, because local production does not meet the needs of the market in Kosovo.

The Ministry announced that based on the data obtained in the field from producers, importers, as well as from sales points, it was determined that local production does not meet the basic requirement for protection by the anti-dumping measure, because the amount of local production is less than 50 percent.

In Kosovo, there are only two licensed producers of concentrates for poultry and animals, which is not enough for the needs of the market with appropriate products.

Therefore, the intergovernmental commission recommended the abolition of this measure, at the request of local producers and the Association of Poultry and Animal Breeders.

The government in Pristina introduced anti-dumping measures on concentrate from central Serbia at the end of February last year.

The middle of June this year, the government in Pristina introduced a ban on the import of goods from central Serbia, in order to enable the sale of raw materials and semi-finished products after some time.

The block on the sale of finished products is still in effect.

"Opre Roma Kosovo" movement: Roma beaten after apprehension in Gracanica; PIK: An investigation has been launched (KoSSev, KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio)

The organization "Opre Roma Kosovo" announced that a member of the Roma community was allegedly beaten by Kosovo Police officers in Gracanica after being detained. They claim that this incident happened last Saturday, and they are announcing a protest for Tuesday, in front of the police station in Gracanica. The Police Inspectorate of Kosovo (PIK) also announced, confirming that they had received a complaint about this case, and that they had launched an investigation.

"PIK confirms that it has received a citizen's complaint and that it is in the pre-investigation phase. Other actions will be taken depending on the findings of the investigation and in accordance with the legal powers of the PIK," they stated in their response to Pristina's Koha.

Jablanovic: No election without the withdrawal of the police and amnesty for those arrested (RTK2)

"After all the interventions of the international community to de-escalate the situation in the north, with regret we state that this did not happen," said Aleksandar Jablanovic, the leader of the Party of Kosovo Serbs, in the RTK2 show on Friday. He added that without the withdrawal of the Special Police from the north and an amnesty for those arrested, Serbs should not think about participating in new extraordinary elections, reported RTK2.

"The government of Kosovo made two or three marketing moves that did not really de-escalate the situation in the north of Kosovo," claims Jablanovic. He stated that the de-escalation did not happen.

"I think that until the police withdraw, and the Serbs receive amnesty for the crimes they have been charged with since May 26, and until a final agreement is made, the Serbs should not seriously think about participating in the elections, because we perceive the elections as a moment to take over the power," said Jablanovic.

The leader of the PKS says that he does not see that "we are moving towards de-escalation, but on the contrary, he believes that an atmosphere is being created in which new conflicts are possible".

The solution to the current situation should be found in the talks between Kosovo and Serbia under the mediation of Brussels. In the future, official Belgrade would have to give the Serbs in Kosovo a chance to think differently, greater political freedom and not target them as traitors, Jablanovic pointed out.

"Citizens are the ones who will best judge whose path is better and more realistic, and I believe they will vote that way in the elections," concluded Jablanovic.

Opposition politician: Orthodox alliance one of solutions to Kosovo issue (N1, FoNet, Danas)

One of the solutions to the Kosovo issue is the creation of an Orthodox alliance that would include Montenegro, North Macedonia, Greece and Serbia – the countries that have a problem with “Greater Albanian separatism and expansionism”, said the leader of the opposition Dveri movement Bosko Obradovic, adding that uniting these Orthodox nations against Greater Albania would reduce the risk of conflict, reported N1.

Speaking about the solutions to the Kosovo problem, he said that “we are dealing with aggressive Greater Albanian behavior and rhetoric” and that “obviously their goal is the creation of a Greater Albania and separatism in a number of Balkan states, where they would separate territories for Greater Albania.”

According to him, with the French-German agreement the current government and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic continue “the handing over of key state institutions to the separatist government in Pristina,” which began with the Brussels Agreement in 2013 and continued with the Washington Agreement.

Obradovic pointed out that “the dialogue between the Serbian authorities and the separatist authorities in Pristina needs to be returned to its place,” that is in the United Nations Security Council based on the current Resolution 1244.

As he assessed, there is no frozen conflict but the problem that Serbia has “with Albanian separatism and terrorism” on the territory of its southern province.

“All those who think that a frozen conflict is bad are actually advocates of Kosovo’s independence, and when they say that we have to solve a frozen conflict, it would be fair for them to say that we have to solve it by recognising the fake state of Kosovo as independent and sovereign,” Obradovic said.

International Media

Can Petitions Solve Election Stalemate in Kosovo’s Northern Municipalities? (BIRN)

Pressed to resolve the election stalemate in the Serb-majority north, Kosovo authorities are mulling ways for citizens to dismiss mayors through a petition – but most experts doubt this will work.

On August 31, Kosovo’s Ministry of Local Government is expected to present a document that will regulate the way citizens can oust their current mayors through a petition.

A group of experts from the ministry, other relevant institutions and civil society have worked over August on the document, which Minister of Local Government Elbert Krasniqi earlier this month described as a guideline for citizens to organise petitions for the dismissal of their mayors.

Krasniqi later said that the initiative will be open to all municipalities, as the government attempts to regulate petition issues – but the backdrop is the months-long deadlock over the mayors of four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo.

The European Union, as a mediator in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, has pushed the Pristina authorities to announce early elections in the northern municipalities as soon as possible.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2byxjdc2

Tense Trial in Kosovo Showed Justice for War Crimes is Possible (BIRN)

The Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague heard testimony last week from the Special Prosecution’s 17th witness in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and three other prominent wartime Kosovo Liberation Army figures.

This witness was identified as Dragica Bozanic, a Serb woman, who told the tribunal that on July 18, 1998, the KLA attacked her house in the village of Opterusa and abducted her husband and son. She never saw them again.

Articles about the August 17 hearing on BIRN’s website and on Kosovo Online also mentioned another Serb woman involved in the Opterusa incident, Slavica Bansic. I immediately recognised the names, the date, the village and the factual circumstances.

As an international criminal judge with EULEX from 2011-13, I was a member of a three-judge panel that heard and decided a war crimes case involving this very same situation and these very same women in the summer of 2011 – the case of Ejup Kabashi and others.

While I am unaware of the all the details of Bozanic’s testimony in The Hague, it is reasonable to assume that she presented the same evidence as in the Kabashi trial.

Read more at: https://t.ly/hl8nH