Albanian Language Media:

• Von der Leyen in Belgrade demands 'de facto' recognition of Kosovo's independence (RTK)
• Hovenier: Agreements are binding even without signatures (media)
• AAK calls on government to implement dialogue obligations as soon as possible (Koha)
• Paparaci claims to possess draft statute of Association agreed by Kurti (media)
• Government approves Draft Law for Budget of 2024 (media)
• Court of Appeal confirms Basic Court Decision on three Banjska attackers (media)
• Rama surprised by EU's non-reaction to Dodik's statements (Koha)
• Artan Behrami's lawyer calls SPO’s orders for raid unconstitutional (media)
• Citaku: SPO conducting  "witch hunt" against anyone connected to KLA (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Von der Leyen from Belgrade: De facto recognition means documents, institutions, CSM (N1)
• Von der Leyen, Brnabic discuss EU growth plan, reforms (Tanjug)
• Search of the "Metal" store in Zvecan, Elshani says not related to Banjska (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, the three detained for the Banjska case remain in custody (KiM radio)
• Rada Trajkovic: Vucic will first recognize Kosovo documents and passports, and the rest after the election (Beta, Danas)
• Petkovic: Rada Trajkovic has neither a moral nor a legitimate right to attack Vucic (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Serbia Names New Ambassadors to Vienna, Sarajevo, Riyadh, and UNESCO (Beta)
• Dveri Movement: Statehood and patriotic opposition parties to join forces pre or post-election (Beta, media)

International Media:

• EU Chief Demands Kosovo and Serbia Stick to Normalisation Deal (Balkan insight)
• The best deal Kosovo and Serbia can get (EUobserver)

Albanian Language Media

Von der Leyen in Belgrade demands 'de facto' recognition of Kosovo's independence (RTK)

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, continued her visit to Belgrade. After the meeting with the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, she reiterated her position and that of the EC, that the "de facto" recognition of Kosovo's independence means the implementation of the agreement reached in Ohrid.

"It is about the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, which foresees various steps that include the recognition of the documents and institutions of Kosovo by Serbia, and what goes along with the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb majority, which must be implemented by Kosovo", Von der Lelyen said in a joint press conference with President Vucic.

Answering a journalist's question to clarify what the "de facto" recognition of Kosovo's independence means, which she mentioned the day before in Pristina, Von der Leyen said that this would pave the way for normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo and, as she pointed out, "it is a necessary precondition for the European path".

Vucic, on the other hand, said that the recognition of Kosovo's independence is not a matter for Serbia. "We know what our obligations are from the dialogue and we are ready to fulfill them", Vucic said.

Hovenier: Agreements are binding even without signatures (media)

The U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has spoken about the role of the USA in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, saying that ultimately, the result of this process is the integration of Kosovo into the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures.

"It should be an EU-led process that ensures that all arrangements, reforms and processes are in line with European standards. Your destiny is as part of the European Union and not as the 51st state of the United States of America. Therefore, it is appropriate for the European Union to be the main one in this, with extremely strong support from us and so it continues to be", Hovenier told "Politiko" on Channel 10.

"We are not neutral. We made the decision in 2008. We support Kosovo as an independent democratic, sovereign state. I sometimes compare it as part of this process to watching a football match, where you can already know the final result on the scoreboard, you know how the match ends, you know what will happen at the end", he said.

Ambassador Hovenier also stated that as the U.S. strongly urges this government now to work with them and the European Union to fully implement the obligations it has received under the Basic Agreement, and the implementation Annex.

He has stated that the United States of America fully supports the European proposal for the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority, which was presented to Prime Minister Albin Kurti by the diplomatic five, on October 21. According to Hovenier, the USA is on the same line as France, Germany, and Italy on the Association's draft statute.

"The United States fully supports it as a 'contemporary European way to address the sensitive issue of minority protection in accordance with European best practices and standards within the parameters set by the parties. We agree with this", he said.

Further, Ambassador Hovenier added that the Association "is a commitment, an obligation of Kosovo" but that the U.S. also understands and accepts that "that Association of municipalities with a Serb majority must be limited in certain ways".

"From our perspective, while we acknowledge Prime Minister Kurti's interest in having a signature, we think it is far less important than the current importance of moving forward with the full and complete implementation of all the obligations of the agreement by both the parties. I can give you lists of other agreements that are not necessarily signed, but are legally binding, included in the dialogue process. And I will reiterate that the United States and the European Union believe that the Basic Agreement and the implementing annex are legally binding", the ambassador said.

The American ambassador also spoke about the unwillingness of the Serbian president to recognize Kosovo."I can say that at this moment, we believe the President of Serbia when he says that he is not prepared to do this", he declared.

The U.S. ambassador, Jeffrey Hovenier, has said that the USA has requested the arrest or extradition of the chief terrorist Milan Radojicic and all other terrorists involved in Serbia's aggression in Kosovo on September 24.

AAK calls on government to implement dialogue obligations ASAP (Koha)

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has insisted that the obligations received by the government of Kosovo in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue should be implemented as soon as possible.

"At today's meeting of the leadership of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the political situation in the country was discussed. The Alliance insists on implementing as soon as possible the obligations received by the Government of Kosovo in the dialogue, as a step that accelerates the integration path of Kosovo and especially our perspective for membership in NATO. The start of the process for Kosovo's membership in NATO should be treated as an emergency. Only as its member, Kosovo is safe and has a future for development and stability", says AAK.

AAK has also said that it sees with concern "the inaction of the government towards the demands of the miners of Trepca".

Paparaci claims to possess draft statute of Association agreed by Kurti (media)

The news webpage reports that the draft statute for the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, proposed by the European Union on October 21, "ensures a self-government framework with substantial autonomy for the Kosovo Serb community."

 This draft statute has 11 pages and contains in writing the principles, objectives and powers of the establishment of the Association. One of the points of the draft statute foresees the regulation of the organizational structure of the Association. Based on the draft statute, the association will have its own assembly, president, vice president, board, advisory council and complaints office, reports Paparaci.

Meanwhile, in the conclusions of the draft statute, it is emphasized that "the draft statute does not cross any of the red lines of Kosovo".

Government approves Draft Law for Budget of 2024 (media)

The Draft Law on Budgetary Allocations for the Budget of Kosovo for the year 2024, on Tuesday received the endorsement of the government and will be forwarded to the Assembly, where it will be subject to debates in the relevant committees and finally will be voted on by the members of the Assembly of Kosovo.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti praised the work of the Government during his mandate, as he announced that the budget for 2024 will be 3 billion and 314 million euros.

The Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati, has said that after the government's vote on the draft law on budget allocations, there will be an increase in salaries in the public sector. According to him, the average salary in the public sector next year will be 780 euros.

Court of Appeal confirms Basic Court Decision on three Banjska attackers (media)

The Basic Court in Pristina has extended for two months the detention of three terrorists, suspected of the terrorist attack on September 24 in the village of Banjska of Zvecan, where police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed.

The defendants V.T., B.S. and D.M. appealed against this decision. However, the Court of Appeal of Kosovo has rejected their complaints as unfounded, and it confirmed the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina dated 20.10.2023.

"The Court of Appeal, with the ruling PN1.S.nr.203/2023, dated 30.10.2023, rejected as unfounded the appeals of the defenders of the defendants V.T, B.S and D.M, while the ruling of the Basic Court in Pristina - Special Department , PPPS.nr.44/2023, has certified it".

The justification of the decision, the Court of Appeal emphasized that the court of first instance rightly reasoned that from the documents of the case, respectively from the evidence collected so far, there is a well-founded suspicion that the defendants have committed the criminal offenses for which they are suspected, and also from the evidence collected so far has met the legal conditions from article 184 par.1 under par.1.1 and 1.2 points 1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the KPRK which are essential conditions for the continuation of the detention measure.

Rama surprised by EU's non-reaction to Dodik's statements (Koha)

The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, has said that he is surprised by the non-reaction of the European Union to the statements of the president of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik. Dodik said on Saturday that in this century the Serbs should have a single state consisting of Serbia, Republika Srpska, as well as Montenegro and Kosovo.

"Three days have passed since the dangerous and inciting statements made against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro. I have to admit, I am surprised at the lack of response so far from our EU partners, and I sincerely hope that this silence will be broken as soon as possible!” - Rama wrote on the "X" platform.

Artan Behram's lawyer calls SPO’s orders for raid unconstitutional (media)

Lawyer Artan Qerkini has said that during the raids by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the house of Artan Behrami, adviser to former president Hashim Thaci, nothing of relevance was confiscated. He said they have raised some objections during the raid and that they will take concrete legal steps to challenge it. "It is not confiscation of anything relevant, imagine the confiscation of children's iPads that were obviously used for children's education and games" - Qerkini told the media.

He said that the properties of Behrami's family members were also raided, although, as he said, this was not part of the raid order. He added that the raid is being carried out in the residence of someone who does not have the status of a suspect. Qerkini called this raid a desperate effort of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office. 

"These raids are not only contrary to the Constitution, the European Convention and the law, but they have already lost all sense and logic, because who would keep something incriminating in his apartment, knowing about this mass hunt of the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor in the homes and properties of Kosovo citizens," he said.

Decisions to raid, according to the lawyer, are being taken with great ease, without properly assessing whether there is a real possibility that relevant evidence will be found in a person's property. 

"After an analysis, we will decide in what instance and what type of legal remedy we will use against these raids" - said the lawyer.

Behrami said that this was a political action, aimed at covering up the failures of the Special Prosecutor's Office in The Hague, according to him trying to shift attention from The Hague to Kosovo. 

"The aggressor in the Balkans is clear, it is Serbia, not the KLA" - added Behrami. 

On Monday, SPO raided the house of Bashkim Smakaj, former director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, and the residence of the (former) advisor to former president Hashim Thaci, Blerim Shala.

Citaku: SPO is conducting a "witch hunt" against anyone connected to KLA (media)

Vlora Citaku, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), has criticized the Specialized Chambers, after the news that the Specialized Prosecution has raided the houses of the former advisers of former president Hashim Thaci.

"Specialized Chambers were created to investigate allegations of organ trafficking. They have now degraded to staging politicized trials in The Hague and large-scale 'witch hunts' within Kosovo against journalists, former advisers, or anyone with any connection with the KLA. A perversion of justice", she wrote in X.

Serbian Language Media 

Von der Leyen from Belgrade: De facto recognition means documents, institutions, CSM (N1)

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, explained in Belgrade yesterday that the de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence actually meant the implementation of the agreement agreed in Ohrid, reported N1.

"What is it about - the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, which foresees various steps that include the recognition of Kosovo's documents and institutions by Serbia, and which goes along with the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM), that Kosovo should implement," Von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, answering the journalist's question to clarify what the de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence means, which she mentioned previosly in Pristina.

Von der Leyen emphasized that this would pave the way for the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which, as she emphasized, was a necessary precondition for the European path.

The high-ranking EU official also said that the "violent attack" that took place on September 24 in the place of Banjska in the north of Kosovo was completely unacceptable, and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

She called on Serbia to support the European proposal for the CSM statute, and Kosovo to implement it.

“We want Serbia to join our Union,” she said, adding that the offer was based on trust, on reciprocity and on partnership. “It is a promise of peace and prosperity, and it is a unique opportunity, right now, that on one else can match. I hope very much, and I am convinced that you will seize this moment,” she said. Von der Leyen said that enlargement tops the European Union agenda. “We have to get ready for enlargement and the candidate countries have to get ready…. Let’s seize the moment,” she added.

The EC President said that the EU has a new 6 billion Euro growth plan for the WB which has four steps – opening the single market to Western Balkan countries which would open their markets to their neighbors and create a regional common market, creating a level playing field which requires reforms which would bring EU investments. “For Serbia this would be improving the business environment, making the energy sector ready, we are working on it, on the green transition, the focus on education and training people for the jobs of tomorrow,” she said and added that judicial independence reforms were eessential.

President Vucic, said that the recognition of Kosovo's independence was not an issue for Serbia, and that he was not ashamed to repeat it before the President of the European Commission.

"We know what our obligations are from the dialogue and we are ready to fulfill them," said Vucic. 

Vucic said that he conveyed to the President of the European Commission the same thing he told the European leaders at the recent meetings in Brussels - that Serbia was committed to preserving peace and stability, that it knows its obligations, but also that it is clear what it cannot do contrary to its Constitution.

"We know what Serbia accepted, and what we talked about, debated and reached conclusions about in the Assembly. We will take a responsible approach to fulfilling our obligations, expecting that others will fulfill their obligations from 11 years ago," said Vucic, pointing out that Pristina did not form the CSM yet, although it committed to do so by the 2013 Brussels Agreement.

Vucic reiterated that the European proposal for the CSM statute was a good basis for talks, and that Serbia was ready to continue further talks.

"If you want me to be completely honest (...) I'm afraid that we won't see the CSM soon, because I know all the Balkan tricks very well, I learned to recognize them a long time ago, and I'm afraid that we will be in a more difficult position," said Vucic. 

He underlined that the essence was for Serbia to make more concessions, which, he said, was  also logical, bearing in mind the attitudes of the EU member states on Kosovo.

"Every time we are surprised where these attitudes come from. These are simply their views, and they are much milder views than what I hear at the meetings," emphasized Vucic. 

He said that there are no easy and beautiful things, but that Serbia must "push forward" and continue developing.

Von der Leyen, Brnabic discuss EU growth plan, reforms (Tanjug)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Serbian PM Ana Brnabic in Belgrade on Tuesday to discuss an EU growth plan for the Western Balkans, reported Tanjug. 

"I discussed Serbia’s reforms in the context of the Growth Plan with the Serbian PM," von der Leyen wrote in a post on the social media network X.

She added that the reforms were related to matters ranging from "a more competitive business environment to key media and justice laws."

"And normalisation of relations with Kosovo is needed to access the Growth Plan," she noted.

Search of the "Metal" store in Zvecan, Elshani says not related to Banjska (Radio Mitrovica sever)

The unit of the Kosovo Police for the fight against serious crime conducted a search yesterday in the building of the "Metal" department store in Zvecan, reported Radio Mitrovica sever. 

The search had  nothing to do with the events in Banjska, the deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the North region, Veton Elshani, pointed out.

He said no arrests have been made, and that he could not confirm whether anything was found and confiscated.

The Kosovo Police of the North region only provided assistance, added Elshani.

The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, the three detained for the Banjska case remain in custody (KiM radio)

The Court of Appeal confirmed the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina to extend the detention of three Serbs who are suspected of participating in the armed conflict in Banjska and rejected their appeals.

Last week, the Basic Court in Pristina extended the detention of V.T., B.S. and D.M. for another two months.

The defendants appealed against this decision.

However, the Court of Appeal of Kosovo rejected their appeals as unfounded, confirming the decision of the Basic Court, reported Kim radio, citing Klan.

Rada Trajkovic: Vucic will first recognize Kosovo documents and passports, and the rest after the election (Beta, Danas)

Politician Rada Trajkovic said yesterday that everything has already been taken away from the Serbs in Kosovo and that the obligations of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, are aimed at the Albanians and Pristina institutions, reported Danas daily, citing Beta agency. 

Trajkovic told Beta that the EU was asking Vucic for de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence because, as she said, he promised it by accepting the Brussels and Ohrid agreements.

"It is to be expected that after the election, Vucic will fulfill all the obligations he accepted in Brussels and Ohrid, which lead to the de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence. According to my knowledge, he will already announce on November 11 at the international Peace Conference in Paris that he recognizes passports and other so-called documents of the Republic of Kosovo", said Trajkovic.

She stressed that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will bring both a stick and a carrot to Belgrade and that she will ultimately ask Vucic to fulfill everything he accepted in the previous period.

"The EU is not asking Vucic for anything that he has not already promised. Vucic apparently promised to accept the de facto independence of Kosovo, and Albin Kurti accepted to start the process of forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM), but according to the model written by international experts. The proposal of the CSM, drafted by Serbian list a few years ago, is no longer in circulation," she said.

When asked what the consequences will be for the local Serbs if Belgrade de facto recognizes the independence of Kosovo, Trajkovic said that the Serbian List and the authorities in Belgrade left the fate of the Serbs to Pristina a long time ago.

"I don't know, fundamentally, what else Vucic could give to Pristina that he hasn't already delivered. I don't know what is left of our rights in Kosovo, which essentially depend on the state of Serbia. The moment he accepted the legislative, judicial, and executive power of Kosovo, he handed over the Serbs to Pristina. It should also be remembered that the Serbian List in the Kosovo Parliament voted for the law according to which all assets of the state of Serbia became the property of Kosovo," she pointed out.

She added that now Serbia only has powers in healthcare and education.

Asked whether the de facto recognition of independence implies the ratification of the legally binding agreement between Pristina and Belgrade in the Serbian Parliament, Trajkovic said that this was not a request from the West.

"Vucic will first recognize Kosovo documents and passports and will 'sell' that to the Serbian public as an unimportant matter, and he will implement the rest of the dynamics from the road map of the Ohrid Agreement after the elections, if there is no change of government on December 17," she said.

Asked to comment on the ten-year effects and consequences of the signing of the first Brussels Agreement in 2013, Trajkovic said that today there are significantly fewer Serbs living in Kosovo than in 2012. 

"All the institutions of Serbia were taken out of Kosovo. After the events in Banjska, the Serbian Orthodox Church was quite compromised, as was the Serbian Army, which came and returned every now and then from the administrative zone. In Kosovo, the Serbian state is completely compromised under this government," concluded Trajkovic.

Petkovic: Rada Trajkovic has neither a moral nor a legitimate right to attack Vucic (Radio Mitrovica sever)

Petar Petkovic, a member of the Presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party, stated yesterday that the President of the European Movement of Serbs from KiM, Rada Trajkovic, has neither a moral nor a legitimate right to attack the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. 

"Everything she could, Rada Trajkovic made available to her boss, Albin Kurti, whose so-called government she supports, especially strongly, during the most terrible persecution of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said in a press release.

He added that she "became a direct accomplice of Kurti's anti-Serb policy and all attacks on Serbs and Serbian children in Kosovo and Metohija".

"Rada Trajkovic did not leave Kurti and resign from the chair, neither when Kurti's special forces shot Stefan and Milos Stojanovic from Gotovusa, nor when her boss released Azem Kurtaj, nor when his parapolice units beat sister and brother Dara and Kristijan from Zitkovac , neither when they shot at the Serbs on the Bistrica Bridge, nor when they unlawfully confiscated the Serbs' land, nor when they arrested and beat them without any evidence... Because of the appanage she receives from Kurti, Rada Trajkovic must not mention that he is the main culprit for all the crimes towards the Serbs, but that's why the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija still saw through her a long time ago, even when she was laughing with Bernard Kushner at the mention of the Serbian victims in the Yellow House," said Petkovic among other things, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing the announcement.

Serbia Names New Ambassadors to Vienna, Sarajevo, Riyadh, and UNESCO (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Oct. 31 signed appointments of new ambassadors to three countries and UNESCO. Marko Blagojevic will be head of Serbia’s mission to Vienna, Ivan Todorov to Sarajevo, Dragan Bisenic to Riyadh, while Roksanda Nincic will be the ambassador to UNESCO, according to a release from the Foreign Ministry.  

Roksanda Nincic, a political science graduate with a journalism career, joined the Foreign Ministry in 2001. She has worked with the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the UN in New York, and has headed Serbia’s Mission to the EU and the Permanent Mission to the OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna. 

Marko Blagojevic has completed political sciences in Belgrade and has worked in the private sector, the Customs Administration, as a special adviser to the foreign minister, and the Foreign Ministry secretary general in 2014. He was an MP in the Serbian Parliament and Serbia’s Ambassador to Cyprus as of 2017. 

Ivan Todorov is a former professional judoka. He has graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Physical Culture and earned his doctorate at the Nis Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. 

Dragan Bisenic has completed political sciences in Belgrade. He has served as Serbia’s ambassador to Egypt. He has also been an editor and correspondent of several dailies, weekly Ekonomist, English-language magazine CorD, and the journal of the Institute of International Politics and Economies, titled International Politics Review.

Dveri Movement: Statehood and patriotic opposition parties to join forces pre or post-election (Beta, media)

Serbian Movement Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic has said that “statehood and patriotic” opposition parties will surely come together, wherein it is not important whether it will happen pre or post the election, which is most likely to be held on Dec. 17, reported agency Beta.

“In the hitherto talks, there has been unanimous agreement among us that the French-German ultimatum for Belgrade’s recognition of the false state of Kosovo, which [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic has already accepted in Brussels, must be rejected. Regardless of technical aspects of a potential pre-election coalition, which have been still discussed, collaboration of the patriotic parties has remained unquestioning,” Obradovic told Danas daily.

According to Obradovic, Movement Dveri has evidenced its commitment to “a wider fusion of statehood and patriotic parties” in the form of a national alliance, which in addition to his party, also comprises the Oath Keepers and a group of Serbian intellectuals.

“We remain fully open to further enlargement of such a national alliance, by taking in other parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties, patriotic associations and individuals, which will be communicated to the public in the coming days,” Obradovic stressed.

In the meeting held during the past weekend, the Movement Dveri, the Oath Keepers, the New Democratic Party of Serbia, the Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia, and the People’s Party failed to come to an agreement to run on the same ticket in the upcoming elections. According to some of these parties’ leaders, they will most probably run on two tickets.  

International Media

EU Chief Demands Kosovo and Serbia Stick to Normalisation Deal (Balkan insight)

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen visited Belgrade and Pristina with promises of financial support for their economies but warned Serbia and Kosovo that they must take concrete steps to normalise relations.

Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday in Belgrade that the EU expects Serbia and Kosovo to respect the agreements they made earlier this year in Ohrid, Macedonia to normalise their relations.

Von der Leyen met President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade a day after she asked Serbia to “deliver on de facto recognition of Kosovo”.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/8zuxp7sn

The best deal Kosovo and Serbia can get (EUobserver)

Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti and Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić met separately with senior European leaders on the margins of the European Council in Brussels last week for discussions on a new US-EU plan to normalise their relations.

Although the talks failed, the US-EU proposal, which would require mutual compromise and promises mutual gains, is likely the best deal both sides will get. They should embrace it, and the EU should hold parties to it, leveraging its enlargement policy and its financial aid as tools.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2uu6zrxm