Albanian Language Media:

• Government: We’re engaged for 10^th anniversary of Berlin Process to be successful (Koha)
• Kosovo leaders congratulate Germany on Day of German Unity (media)
• Rashiti: Berlin Process must be saved at all costs (RTK)
• Osmani in Paris at invitation of President Macron (RTK)
• Italy concerned about "crisis" in Kosovo almost as much as conflict in Middle East (Klan)
• Hargreaves: We are proud of our role in KSF's progress (RTK)
• Signs in Albanian, Serbian and English placed in Zvecan (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: I don't see any conflicts, although Kurti provokes them every day (RTS)
• Rada Trajkovic: ‘We are witnessing one (political) party’s abuse against an ethnic community’ (KoSSev)
• New multilingual road sign in northern Kosovo marred by language errors (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)
• Adriana Hodzic interviewed by Department of Economic Crime, her lawyer says investigation part of political spectacle (KoSSev, media)
• High-Tech Crime Prosecution says threats to Tanjug sent from Kosovo (Tanjug)
• CPJ Europe representative calls for swift completion of investigation into threats to Tanjug (Tanjug)
• IFJ Chief Project Manager Dear condemns "outrageous threats" to Tanjug journalists (Tanjug, media)
• Zigmanov with Tolkach: Ukraine will continue supporting territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia (Kosovo Online)

 

 

 

 

Albanian Language Media 

Government: We’re engaged for 10^th anniversary of Berlin Process to be successful (Koha)

 

One day after the meeting between German Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, and Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, the government of Kosovo did not reveal the results of discussions about the international condition for Kosovo to be part of the upcoming summit of the Berlin Process. But in a short response, government spokesperson Perparim Kryeziu said work was being done for the 10^th anniversary of the Berlin Process to be successful. “We are working, and we are engaged for the 10^th anniversary of the Berlin Process to be successful,” he said.

The news website recalls that Germany has threatened to leave Kosovo out of the summit, which is scheduled for October 14, if it does not lift the ban on the import of goods from Serbia. Sarrazin argued that the ban is blocking work in the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

 

Kosovo leaders congratulate Germany on Day of German Unity (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in a post on X on Thursday congratulated Germany on the Day of German Unity. “After over four decades of Cold War division, and with pressure from German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to a unified Germany within NATO, leading to Germany’s reunification on this day in 1990. This historic event celebrates reunification, freedom, and the cultural ties that unite our countries. Our strong diaspora in Germany is a living testament to the friendship, contribution and shared values between us. Here's to continued cooperation and unity!” he said.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani wrote in a post on X: “To our German friends and allies: Congratulations on German Unity Day. Today, the people of Kosovo join you in celebrating the strength and unity that this day represents. Germany has always been, and remains, one of Kosovo’s strongest allies. Our relationship is grounded in shared democratic values, with our diaspora in Germany serving as a testament to the ever-growing bond between our countries”.

 

Rashiti: Berlin Process must be saved at all costs (RTK)

 

Naim Rashiti, executive director of the Pristina-based Balkans Policy Research Group, said in an interview with the RTK on Thursday that he is confident an agreement will be reached for Kosovo to lift the ban on the import of Serbian goods and that Kosovo will be part of the Berlin Process. “As with every complicated agenda surrounding Kosovo, the process happens ad hoc and second there is no transparent dialogue or negotiation. This has happened with CEFTA too or with discussions over new agreements at the Berlin summit and there has been a deadlock, especially between the Kosovo government and the host of the Berlin Process. But I believe an agreement will ultimately be reached,” he said.

Rashiti also said he is confident that “daily negotiations and consultations are happening. Germany will not allow on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process to have an agreement without one party being out. Therefore there will be negotiations for a consensus at the end … All these agendas are damaging the trust between Kosovo and international actors, for which Kosovo has a need in every agenda”.

 

Osmani in Paris at invitation of President Macron (RTK)

 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani will represent Kosovo in Paris at the Summit of Heads of State of the Francophonie. As announced by the Office of the president,  she will address one of the Francophonie sessions, and participate atthe official dinner hosted by President Macron at the Elysee Palace, to the official lunch hosted by the General Secretary of Francophonie, as well as to a series of follow-up activities within the Summit .

 

Italy concerned about "crisis" in Kosovo almost as much as conflict in Middle East (Klan)

 

The Italian Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, has said while speaking in the Italian parliament, that he fears the "Kosovo crisis" almost as much as the conflict in the Middle East.

"It is another front that worries me, not like the one in the Middle East, but it has the potential of an explosion like this," said the Italian minister in front of the committees for Foreign Affairs and Defense of the Parliament and the Senate."We are living in complex times even in these areas", said the Italian minister.

 

"HuffingtonPost" in Italian also wrote that "the forgotten Kosovo conflict is in danger of rekindling".

 

Hargreaves: We are proud of our role in KSF's progress (RTK)

 

The British ambassador in Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, has said that his country is proud of the achievements of the Kosovo Security Force and the role it has played in this regard.  "The UK is proud of the role it has played in the KSF's progress towards being capable, professional, inclusive and accountable. Yesterday I congratulated the KSF for the annual gathering of international friends and partners dedicated to the KSF's aspiration to provide security in Kosovo and Europe", he wrote on Facebook.

 

Signs in Albanian, Serbian and English placed in Zvecan (media)

 

The Municipality of Zvecan has placed road signs in Albanian, Serbian and English. The news was announced through a post on Facebook by the mayor of this municipality, Ilir Peci. "After 25 years, information boards in Albanian and other languages ​​have been placed in our municipality. All of these informational signs are essential to our residents and to all the communities that live here. They will also provide assistance to visitors from all over Kosovo and beyond, showing that this is an area where diversity and coexistence are appreciated values. Our cooperation to achieve this step also expresses our continuous commitment to the promotion of official languages ​​in public spaces", Peci wrote.

 

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: I don't see any conflicts, although Kurti provokes them every day (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday he predicted exactly what and when will happen in Ukraine and the Middle East, adding he does not see any conflicts in Serbia, even though Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti provokes them every day, RTS reported.

"I don't see any conflicts, even though Albin Kurti provokes them every day. We have to be strong, to move forward, to push things forward, to protect our people, to fight for their interests, for our country in Kosovo and Metohija, for our people in every place. But everyone has the right to think what they want", Vucic told reporters when asked to comment on Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto's statement that, in addition to the conflict in the Middle East, he is also afraid of the Kosovo crisis.

"War is the last thing that should happen to us, and I hope that it will never happen to us", Vucic said. 

Vucic also announced that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit Serbia in the next three to four months and bilateral relations between two countries will be raised to an even higher level.

Rada Trajkovic: We are witnessing one (political) party’s abuse against an ethnic community’ (KoSSev)

“We are witnessing the abuse of one political party against an ethnic community“, Rada Trajkovic, President of the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo said commenting on this week’s events, in particular the visit of Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla to Mitrovica North, KoSSev portal reported.

Trajkovic shared a video of the minister’s most recent visit to the north, noting that this action likely does not have the approval of the majority of the Albanian population in Kosovo.

She further raised concerns about the increasing number of Albanian-owned businesses being opened in the predominantly Serbian north, claiming that these businesses are linked to the ruling Self-Determination Movement. “The owners of these businesses are mostly members of Vetëvendosje, and their opening in the North feels like a direct affront to the Serbs“, Trajkovic said.

The Kosovo Serb politician expressed similar views regarding the frequent visits by ministers from Pristina, describing them as provocations designed to stir ethnic tensions. “This is not something that the majority of Kosovo Albanians would support“, she added.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/YHsT1

New multilingual road sign in northern Kosovo marred by language errors (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)

As of yesterday those travelling from Zvecan toward Mitrovica North will be greeted by a new road sign, courtesy of Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure, wishing them a safe journey in Serbian (“Srećan put”) - or, as the sign reads with a visible mistake “SreČan put“, KoSSev portal reported.

The installation of these signs on the Mitrovica–Zvecan main road marks the replacement of old Cyrillic signs with new ones, written in Latin script. This process began in March this year, when Kosovo institutions, specifically the Ministry of Infrastructure, started systematically removing Cyrillic signs and replacing them with Latin-script versions.

The signs typically display information in three languages: Albanian first, followed by Serbian (in Latin script), and then English. The latest sign in Zvecan stands out not only for a glaring typographical error in Serbian but also for the Albanian inscription being written in a larger font than the inscriptions in Serbian and English.

KoSSev portal recalled that in addition to the expectation that local signs should reflect the ethnic composition of the population in a given area and their languages in a positive spirit, the Law on the Use of Languages mandates that letters and fonts must be of the same size in accordance with the principle of equality.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/uJZ3n

Adriana Hodzic interviewed by Department of Economic Crime, her lawyer says investigation part of political spectacle (KoSSev, media)

Former Minister of Local Self-government Administration Adriana Hodzic was interviewed by the Department of Economic Crime on Thursday, as per permission of Basic Prosecution in Mitrovica, KoSSev portal reported.

The investigation is related to the accusations about alleged “illegal employment” during the period of local authorities in Mitrovica North, when Hodzic was deputy mayor until May 2022, the portal said.

Her lawyer, Musa Damati said there is not a single evidence that would confirm involvement of his client in this criminal act that relates to misuse of official duty or authority. He also said Hodzic is fully innocent, and that the entire investigation relates to the political spectacle only, stressing that Hodzic has been a target of political attacks for a long time.

The KoSSev portal further wrote that Hodzic, who comes from Bosniak community, is a politician known for her engagement and contribution in building bridges of communications and mutual trust between communities in Mitrovica, during “hot” years and in the period following the conflict full of tensions.  

High-Tech Crime Prosecution says threats to Tanjug sent from Kosovo (Tanjug)

“Threats received on the editorial email address of Tanjug news agency on Monday were sent from the territory of Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija”, Serbian High-Tech Crime Prosecution said yesterday.

"On the same day after being notified of the event, a request to collect necessary information was sent to the Service for Combating High-Tech Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and it was determined that the perpetrator's IP address belongs to the range used by Internet service providers in Kosovo and Metohija", the Prosecution said.

It added that a mutual legal assistance procedure has been initiated through the Serbian Ministry of Justice, in which EULEX has been requested to determine the user, that is, the potential perpetrator of this criminal act.

CPJ Europe representative calls for swift completion of investigation into threats to Tanjug (Tanjug)

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Serbian authorities to swiftly complete an investigation into a death threat emailed to journalists at the Tanjug news agency and welcomed the authorities' "quick response" to the threat.

"We welcome Serbian authorities’ quick response to the death threat made against employees of Tanjug news agency and call on them to swiftly conclude their investigation and to hold the perpetrators to account", said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative.

"Authorities must ensure the safety of all journalists reporting on Kosovo and not allow threats against the press to go unpunished", Mong said in a statement.

IFJ Chief Project Manager Dear condemns "outrageous threats" to Tanjug journalists (Tanjug, media)

In a reaction to recent threats to Tanjug journalists, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Chief Project Manager Jeremy Dear said the Federation completely condemned the "outrageous threats" to journalists doing their professional duty.

"There is no place for such vile and threatening behaviour towards journalists simply for doing their professional duty", Dear said in a statement to Tanjug after a Belgrade conference on establishing social dialogue between media employers and unions.

"We completely condemn these outrageous threats against journalists who are just going about their professional duty. It is crucial that such threats are properly investigated, and the perpetrators brought to justice, and that measures are put in place to ensure that journalists can work safely and can work in freedom", he said. "Journalism is not a crime and journalists must be allowed to work freely", Dear noted.

Zigmanov with Tolkach: Ukraine will continue supporting territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Tomislav Zigmanov spoke yesterday with Ukrainian Ambassador to Belgrade, Volodymyr Tolkach about experiences and practises Serbia has in the area of national minorities.

Ambassador Tolkach said that the Ukrainian community in Serbia is satisfied with how their rights are protected, as well as with cooperation with the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. The statement from the Ministry quoted Tolkach as saying that Ukraine and Serbia bear many similarities, in terms of history and Euro-integration process, underlining that Ukraine will continue to support territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia. On his part, Zigmanov said that Serbia will continue supporting territorial integrity of Ukraine, the statement added.