The Kosovo Specialist Chambers have announced that the closing statements in the trial concerning the administration of justice against Hashim Thaçi, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi will be held on September 10, 11 and 14.

The hearings are scheduled to begin at 09:30 and will be open to the public.

The announcement states that, on August 20, the judge granted the requests of Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi to follow the closing statements via videoconference.

The parties will use this phase of the proceedings to summarize their positions and arguments, referring to the evidence admitted, the credibility of witnesses, the record of the proceedings and the applicable law.

The Specialist Prosecutor will speak first, followed by the Defence’s closing statement.

After that, the parties will be given the opportunity to respond to each other’s arguments. The accused will have the final word.

With the conclusion of the closing statements, the Trial Panel will consider the case closed.

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Ardian Gjini, chairman of the Alliance, has conveyed his condolences to the Kryeziu family and Altin Kryeziu’s colleagues in the Kosovo Police.

The police officer from Bubavec, Malisheva, died at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo as a result of injuries sustained several days earlier, when he was struck by a car in Malisheva while carrying out his official duties.

In a Facebook post, Gjini said that grief for Altin unites everyone.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the Kryeziu family and all his colleagues in the Kosovo Police.

We are all united in grief for Altin. The respect and memory of his service will remain forever,” Gjini wrote.

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The gradual transition from KFOR’s permanent presence on the Iber Bridge in Mitrovica has caused concern for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

During an interview given on Friday to a Serbian media outlet, Vučić spoke about the bridge over the Iber River and revealed that regarding its opening, he had written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“I believe Rutte wants to guarantee security for all people in the Balkans and, accordingly, I myself requested respect for the rights of Serbs and implementation of the Brussels agreements. Had the Association of Serb-majority municipalities been established, none of this would have happened. The Iber Bridge was part of the dialogue, and now they want to remove it because it bothers them that a Serb does not want to recognize the so-called Kosovo. It is unbelievable that someone would think that sovereign Serbia would give up a part of its territory; it was important that I also use my personal integrity to warn Rutte about what is happening,” Vučić declared.

The Serbian president described Rutte as an intelligent person, who, according to him, has more information than anyone else.

“He is smart enough that when everyone pushes him into conflict with Trump, he won’t enter into conflict. I believe he will act rationally now as well,” Vučić said.

Professor Sadri Ramabaja assesses that the statement of the Serbian president clearly reflects the political and spiritual state of Belgrade in the face of recent developments in northern Kosovo.

According to Ramabaja, Vučić’s reaction shows that the Iber Bridge has not been considered by Belgrade merely as an infrastructural work or an ordinary security issue. He sees it as a political element for preserving the status quo and as one of the symbols of contested sovereignty in the north.

“The Iber Bridge and the end of a strategic illusion! From Vučić’s statement to the failure of the project to partition Kosovo,” Ramabaja says.

“The bridge over the Iber River was part of the dialogue, now they want to remove it.”

“This statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić speaks more than many other statements about the spiritual and political state of Belgrade in the face of recent developments in northern Kosovo. In fact, it is clear evidence that the bridge over the Iber has not been seen by Belgrade simply as an infrastructure object or a technical security issue. It has been treated as a political asset of the status quo and, consequently, as one of the symbols of the contested space of sovereignty in the north,” Ramabaja tells “Bota Sot.”

He emphasizes that the gradual change of KFOR’s permanent presence should be analyzed as part of a broader reorganization of the political and strategic reality in northern Kosovo.

“Therefore, the warning about the gradual withdrawal of KFOR’s permanent presence from the bridge and the transfer of security responsibility to the Kosovo Police cannot be interpreted solely in operational terms. It should be seen in the context of a deeper transformation of the political and strategic reality in the north.

For about 27 years, the bridge over the Iber has been one of the most powerful symbols of Mitrovica’s division. On the physical level, it separated two parts of the city; on the political level, it embodied a much deeper dividing line: the boundary between an institutional order that the Republic of Kosovo aimed to extend throughout its territory and a parallel reality that Belgrade had nurtured, financed, and politically supported.

In this sense, the bridge was much more than a bridge. It was the symbol of a status quo. And the status quo, for Belgrade, was not neutrality. It was a strategic opportunity,” the professor emphasizes.

On August 10, the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, announced that it had begun the gradual transition of its permanent presence on the Iber Bridge in Mitrovica. According to KFOR, this process is taking place due to the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo and is part of the gradual reduction of the mission’s presence.

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Alban Krasniqi, an official of the Vetëvendosje Movement, has responded ironically to former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi following his statement in an interview with local media that he does not regret establishing the Special Court.

In his post, Krasniqi wrote:

“That day, shortly before the Special Court was put to a vote, I took out and reread the oath of a UÇK soldier.

I stopped at the part about betrayal…”

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After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Ukraine would not recognize Kosovo, Prime Minister Edi Rama responded in a post on the X platform. According to him, Ukraine’s position on Kosovo should not affect Albania’s support for the Ukrainian people.

Rama argued that support for Ukraine cannot depend on the country’s political stance toward Kosovo. He stressed that Albania must continue to stand for freedom, democracy and peace.

The full post:

My dear friend, Volodymyr Zelensky, while in Belgrade, stated that Ukraine has not changed its position and will not recognize Kosovo.

Not even an hour had passed before the loudest folkloric nationalists in Tirana and Pristina began making their geopolitical calculations: perhaps, in their view, we should punish Ukraine, stop supporting freedom and no longer feel pain for the people being bombed. The most irresponsible among them even attacked us because we did not abandon Ukraine. Some went so far as to cheer for Russia!

How shameful it is to forget such a simple truth: freedom is not transactional.

Opposing a war of aggression and defending a just peace are not an invoice you can tear up as soon as the victim of a barbaric aggression disappoints you. This is not one favor repaid with another, but is about who you are and the values you represent in this troubled world. Fortunately, Albania does not behave like a petty person calculating who owes what to whom. It is the Europe of the Balkans, and it proves this by leading through its belief in freedom, democracy and peace, as well as through the power of its own example.

Ukraine may be wrong about Kosovo—and, yes, it is wrong—but its right to live freely cannot be called into question. Fighting for that right means fighting simultaneously for Europe and for yourself. Both of these truths can be expressed in the same sentence without any contradiction. Albania has the maturity required to accept both, and that is what it will continue to do.

So, yes: FREE UKRAINE. Today, tomorrow and always.

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Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that Ukraine will not recognize Kosovo, Prime Minister Edi Rama posted a response on X. He argued that Kyiv’s position on Kosovo should not affect Albania’s support for the Ukrainian people.

According to Rama, support for Ukraine cannot be made conditional on its political stance regarding Kosovo. The prime minister stressed that Albania must continue to stand for freedom, democracy and peace.

In his full post, Rama wrote that his dear friend, Volodymyr Zelensky, had stated during his stay in Belgrade that Ukraine had not changed its position and would not recognize Kosovo.

He said that, within less than an hour, the loudest folkloric nationalists in Tirana and Pristina had begun making geopolitical calculations, suggesting that Ukraine should perhaps be punished, that its freedom should no longer be cheered and that the people being bombed should no longer be mourned. According to the prime minister, the most reckless among them even attacked Albania for not abandoning Ukraine, while some went so far as to cheer for Russia.

Rama called it shameful to lose sight of the simple truth that freedom is not transactional.

He stressed that opposing a war of aggression and supporting a just peace are not an invoice that can be torn up as soon as the victim of barbaric aggression causes disappointment. According to him, this is not a favor exchanged for another favor, but is about who you are and the principles you stand for in this troubled world.

The prime minister added that, fortunately, Albania does not behave like a petty person calculating who owes what to whom. He described the country as the Europe of the Balkans, leading through its belief in freedom, democracy and peace, as well as through the power of its own example.

Rama acknowledged that Ukraine may be wrong about Kosovo and that, yes, it is wrong. However, he stressed that its right to be free remains indisputable and that the fight for that right is also a fight for Europe and for ourselves.

According to him, these two truths can coexist perfectly well in the same sentence. Rama said Albania is mature enough to accept and defend both.

In conclusion, the prime minister reaffirmed his position: “FREE UKRAINE. Today, tomorrow and always.”

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Sali Berisha, chairman of the Democratic Party, has responded to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s remarks about cutting off Kosovo’s water supply, which he described as a direct threat to Albanians and Kosovo.

The Democratic leader called Vučić “Edi Rama’s boss,” while warning that the Serbian president’s stance is a cause for alarm not only for Kosovo but for the entire region.

According to Berisha, this is an “open, inhumane threat inspired by mythology.” He accused Vučić of pursuing a policy fueled by hatred of Albanians.

In his response, Berisha wrote that Aleksandar Vučić’s latest threat against Kosovo and its citizens is that “he will cut off your water supply.”

The Democratic Party leader said that this open and inhumane threat, inspired by mythology, demonstrates once again that the president of Greater Serbia, Vučić, with what he described as a sick imagination and boundless hatred of Albanians, may be planning to use thirst as a genocidal weapon against their ethnic group and the neighboring country.

The Democratic Party strongly condemned the threat, describing it as an act that destabilizes peace and stability in the region.

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Pristina Mayor Përparim Rama has published on Facebook footage of the removal of a banner reading “Free Ukraine,” following a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgrade.

In a post on the social network, Rama stressed that Kosovo’s statehood must be respected and that Pristina will respond in the same way whenever that statehood is disregarded.

“The state of Kosovo must be respected. Whenever Kosovo is not respected, the capital, Pristina, will always respond in the same way.

Our sensitivity and solidarity will always be with peoples facing war, violence and persecution. More than many others, we know what war means for freedom, dignity and the right to exist as a state.

However, no cause and no policy can be built by scorning Kosovo’s statehood and the sacrifice of its people,” Rama wrote.

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Democratic Party National Council Chair Julinda Emiri today accused Prime Minister Rama of leaving the capital without a museum, art gallery, theater or national circus. In a statement, she said the National Gallery closed its doors for reconstruction in October 2021 and, five years later, remains closed.

She stressed that the Democratic Party is seeking full information on the location of the thousands of works in the national collection, as well as the conditions in which they have been stored and conserved and the measures taken to ensure their security and monitoring during the years the Gallery has been closed. It is also seeking a final, verifiable date for its reopening.

Statement by Julinda Emiri, Chair of the Democratic Party National Council:

The Democratic Party strongly condemns the fact that the country has now been left without a National Gallery of Art for five years and demands full transparency from the government regarding the Gallery’s reconstruction, as it is one of the most important institutions of Albanian culture and national memory.

The National Gallery closed its doors for reconstruction in October 2021. In August 2026, five years later, it remains closed and under “reconstruction.” Meanwhile, the institution has a director, an administration, a budget, programs, calls for projects, competitions, a website and social media accounts. It has everything except the most important thing: open exhibition doors for the local public and foreign visitors.

Three years after the announcement of the reconstruction, in July 2024, Prime Minister Rama publicly announced from the construction site that the National Gallery was “being reborn,” with new exhibition spaces, a library, laboratories and a new concept for its halls.

Two years later, none of this has happened, and the Gallery remains closed.

The responsible ministry continues to issue tenders for reconstruction work, meaning that we are not close to completing the reconstruction but are instead at some unknown stage.

This cannot simply be considered a delay.

After five years, citizens have the right to know what has happened to this project, why there have been such delays, how much it has cost and when it will be completed.

The Democratic Party calls on the government to publicly answer the following questions:

-What was the original deadline for completing the reconstruction of the National Gallery?

-How many times has this deadline been changed or postponed, and for what reasons?

-What was the project’s initial value, and what is the total value of the contracts and tenders conducted to date?

-What additional work was approved during the project’s implementation, and how much did it cost?

-Have the contractors complied with the contracts and deadlines?

-Have penalties been imposed for the delays and, if not, why?

-Who supervised the work, and who is responsible for the project’s drawn-out delays?

-When will the National Gallery actually reopen to the public?

But there is another issue, one even more important than the reconstruction and the Gallery itself: Where is the national collection of Albanian art?

The Democratic Party is seeking full information on the location of the thousands of works in the national collection, as well as the conditions in which they have been stored and conserved and the measures taken to ensure their security and monitoring during the years the Gallery has been closed.

These are not political questions concerning day-to-day politics. They are basic questions about a public institution, a national asset and a project funded with Albanian citizens’ money.

A National Gallery is not a warehouse for paintings; it is the visual memory of a nation. A government cannot keep this treasure hidden behind scaffolding, delays and lies for five years while issuing new deadlines, tenders and promises.

The Democratic Party demands the full publication of all contracts, tenders, contract addenda, deadlines, cost estimates and payments made for the reconstruction of the National Gallery from 2021 to the present. We are also seeking a final, verifiable date for its reopening.

As a participant in the protests for more than two months, and as an actress not only on stage but also in the resistance against the demolition of the National Theater, I know that the citizens in the square are there for this as well. They are there because of corruption not only in roads, AKSH or the police, but also in art and culture.

Edi Rama must resign over this as well: as a former artist, a former culture minister and the current prime minister who has left the Albanian capital without a National Museum, a National Gallery of Art, a National Theater or a National Circus. Not even the most brutal occupiers did this to Albania.

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Albania’s Minister of Defense, Ermal Nufi, described as scandalous and intolerable the position of Serbian minister Snezhana Paunović, who stated that, had she been in Milošević’s place, she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

During today’s press conference, Nufi stressed that there was no need for further comment on the nature of the statement, other than to define it as scandalous and unacceptable. He recalled that both the prime minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had responded to the matter.

Nufi said that, in his capacity as minister of defense, he fully supports the prime minister’s position. According to him, the reactions seen within Serbia also demonstrate that reasonable people there represent the European approach that the Albanian side wants to see from Serbia.

He emphasized that rhetoric of this nature must be condemned and cannot be accepted, adding that both support for and silence in the face of such a statement are equally deadly, A2 reports.

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