UNMIK Media Reports View All →
UNMIK Headlines 16 October
• Thaci: Army is merit of all (T7, RTK)
• Pacolli: Border correction idea gaining increasing support (Klan Kosova)
• AKR dismisses Interior Minister Gashi, appoints Ekrem Mustafa (dailies)
• Opposition continues to boycott Assembly, leaving it with no quorum (Koha)
• Draft resolution on dialogue with Serbia removed from Assembly agenda (media)
• Assembly set to discuss KSF transformation bills Thursday (media)
• Serbian List: We will do the utmost to prevent creation of the army (Lajmi)
• Scott: U.S. consider Kosovo a state (RTK)
• Kosovo, topic of discussion at Belgrade Security Forum (Koha)
UNMIK Headlines 15 October
• Thaci and Vucic expected to meet on November 11 in Paris (Danas, RTK)
• Ambassador Citaku reacts to Serbian media propaganda (Facebook, RTK)
• Pacolli: Serbia is spreading fake news (Facebook, RTK)
• LDK seeks allies in ruling coalition to bring down government (Kosova Sot)
• Hoxha: We are requesting visa decision be taken this year (Zeri/EO)
• Over 120 draft laws await approval by “lazy” MPs (Koha)
• Assembly presidency to decide date for KSF transformation bill debate (Zeri)
• Ramadani: Kosovo has U.S. support on KSF transitioning process (RTK)
• Pacolli: Special ceremony for reopening of Mitrovica bridge (Zeri/Klan)
• U.S. counterterrorism official to visit Kosovo (RTK)
UNMIK Headlines 12 October
• Thaci: Macron strongly supports dialogue, possible border correction (TVSH)
• Pacolli: Macron said there can be no open conflict in the Balkans (Klan Kosova)
• No consensus on platform for dialogue (Koha)
• Assembly Speaker Veseli meets Quint ambassadors (social media)
• Veseli: We request recognition from the agreement with Serbia (Klan)
• Phillips: Border correction undermines Kosovo sovereignty (Zeri)
• David Philips resigns, doesn’t want to be part of Kosovo’s partition (Koha)
• Hoxhaj discusses visa liberalisation with Dutch officials (Bota S./social media)
• Kosovo becomes associated member of OIF (dailies)
• “World Bank statements, no impact on Kosova e Re project” (Koha)
UNMIK Headlines 11 October
• Thaci: AFET considers border correction possible (Facebook/media)
• Hoxhaj: Resolution on dialogue includes viewpoints of all parties (Epoka)
• LDK calls on other parties to agree on date for new elections (media)
• Thaci – Haradinaj major disagreements could lead to new elections? (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo must identify its strategic interests in dialogue (Koha)
• No agreement with Serbia this year (Zeri)
• Apostolova’s message to Kosovo leaders: Don’t give timelines on visas (media)
• PDK launches internal elections process (dailies)
• Serbs in the north protest over Association/Community (Zeri)
• At OIF conference, Pacolli calls for support to Kosovo’s Interpol bid (media)
• Government set to build new power plant, even without WB support (Koha)
• Indictment on veterans lists returned to Prosecution (Epoka)
UNMIK Headlines 10 October
• EU: Brussels agreements, base documents for Association/Community (Koha)
• Haradinaj: There will be no games with border (Zeri)
• Haradinaj: In U.S., I received messages Kosovo’s borders are fine (Telegrafi)
• Thaci: I will raise border issue at OIF conference meetings (RTK)
• Opposition refuses to go to Veseli’s meeting (media)
• Ismaili: We don’t want border correction that damages sovereignty (T7)
• PSD: “Border correction” a serious public provocation (Koha)
• Gjini: Thaci has no constitutional right to dismiss Haradinaj (Klan Kosova)
• Kuci: We’re not afraid the government will be brought down (Epoka)
• Hoxha: Visa liberalisation in final stage (Zeri)
• Kosovo report approved, Soltes mentions Kosovo’s great chance on visas (Epoka)
• Thaci requested to return veterans’ lists at point zero (Facebook/Epoka)
• Assembly committee adopts bill for trying war crimes in absentia (Klan Kosova)
• PDK to hold convention which opens internal election process (Klan)
UNMIK Headlines 9 October
• Thaci threatens Haradinaj with elections (dailies)
• Thaci: There were no more than 15,000 KLA members (Zeri)
• Collaku: Border correction eliminates threats to Kosovo statehood (Klan Kosova)
• Veseli calls opposition leaders to a meeting (Zeri)
• Alternativa: Resolution needs substantial improvements (Epoka)
• Surroi: A single person cannot redesign the borders of a state (Koha)
• Two Albanian youths physically assaulted in Novi Sad (media)
• Veseli: Dialogue, the only way of communication between nations (Epoka)
• Kosovo DPM Hoxhaj invited to event in Belgrade, waits reply (Klan Kosova)
• “I meet with internationals, they don’t understand Thaci’s actions” (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo doctor detained for two months in Serbia, released (Zeri/RTK)
UNMIK Headlines 8 October
Stoltenberg: Kosovo and Serbia need to reach political agreement (dailies)
Game with resolutions (Koha Ditore)
Veseli calls on opposition to vote dialogue resolution (media)
Kurti: Thaci wants resolution so he can break it (media)
Pacolli: Resolution strengthens Kosovo’s position in dialogue (media)
EU countries showing reservations towards visa liberalisation for Kosovo (Zeri)
UNMIK Headlines 6 October
• Thaci meets David McAllister (Facebook, RTK)
• Juncker speaks about a new “specter” of war in Balkans (RTK)
• Vucic: I never spoke about ethnic division of Kosovo (Russia Today, Gazeta Express)
• Shala: Army to be voted by over 100 MPs in November (Zeri)
• KFOR responds to Dacic’s statements on the North (Gazeta Express)
• Mustafa: LDK will not be part of the dialogue with Serbia (Facebook, RTK)
• Haradianj: We owe it to martyrs to preserve territory of Kosovo (media)
Opinions View All →
Decentralization is an alternative to partition (Prishtina Insight)
By: David L. Philips Kosovo is at a critical crossroads, and devolution of power from the executive would advance good governance, equality and the strengthening of democracy. Down one path lies partition, which seeks to placate Serbia. Proponents wrongly believe that adjusting borders will help Kosovo gain greater global recognition. Another path involves decentralization, which […]
Read More →Kosovo’s Interpol bid – and its ramifications for EU (EUobserver)
Eliott Behar, former domestic criminal prosecutor and international war crimes prosecutor, writes in an op-ed for EUobserver that as Interpol’s General Assembly prepares to vote on whether to admit Kosovo as its newest member, there is little question that Kosovo meets the criteria for membership. “It has a large police force, numbering over 8,000 employees […]
Read More →Breaking old habits in the Balkans (European Council on Foreign Relations)
By: Robert Cooper Opinions cost nothing, but it is not our opinions that matter – let’s not take sides before we know what has been proposed. “An intellectual hatred is the worst”, says W B Yeats, “So let her think opinions are accursed.” That’s what I used to think when I was involved in diplomacy […]
Read More →Fresh Momentum for the Balkans (Project Syndicate)
Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and former Secretary-General of NATO, writes in an opinion piece for news organisation Project Syndicate that the last decades have brought more frustration than progress to the Balkans but that no conflict is unsolvable when “diplomatic creativity and political will are brought to bear.” […]
Read More →Kosovo-Serbia Deal – Saving Faces or Saving Borders (Balkan Insight)
By: Gezim Krasniqi The contradictory reactions to proposals to resolve the Kosovo issue through border changes has exposed the international community’s confusion over what its priorities are. Recent announcements by the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo, that they are considering border changes to reach a historic peace settlement, have sent shockwaves across the region. Speaking […]
Read More →An Offensive Plan for the Balkans That the U.S. Should Get Behind (The New York Times)
By: Charles A. Kupchan A Kosovo-Serbia land swap would be peaceful ethnic cleansing. But at least it would bring peace. The Balkans remains in strategic limbo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia 10 years ago, but Serbia has yet to come to terms with its loss — refusing to recognize Kosovo and stirring trouble between the […]
Read More →Kosovo, billed as a model of western intervention learns a difficult lesson (TRT World)
By: Aidan Hehir With the West in disarray, Kosovo is finding out that its territorial integrity is up for grabs. To the surprise of most observers of Balkan politics, the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo have recently floated the idea of a territory exchange. While the details are not yet clear, the idea appears to […]
Read More →The hollow compromise of ‘border corrections’ (Prishtina Insight)
By: Florian Bieber Talks of partition and territorial exchange, facilitated by a weakly managed dialogue and support from undemocratic regimes, have found traction within the EU and now the Trump administration. Talk of border “corrections”―a new euphemism for border changes ―has recently become attractive to Western policymakers, for lack of tangible alternatives. The Brussels talks […]
Read More →Articles from Kosovo media View All →
Haradinaj convinced he will complete his mandate (RTK)
The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said on Tuesday that he does not fear any motion of trust by the opposition with the intention of bringing down the government. He said he is convinced he will complete his mandate. “When the Parliament decides to bring down the government, it brings it down, but I […]
Read More →Hoti to Vucic: No one can stop creation of army (Gazeta Express)
Avdullah Hoti, caucus of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has commented the announcements of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that creation of the army of Kosovo would cause problems and anxiety. According to Hoti this may be true, but only for those who still have different pretensions on borders and usurpation of lands. “This […]
Read More →Hahn hopes agreement with Serbia will bring Kosovo recognition from five EU states (Koha)
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in an interview for the Spanish paper El Pais said that he hopes that once a legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia is reached, the five EU countries that have not recognised Kosovo will reconsider their decision. “The common position of the EU […]
Read More →IMF warns of possible fiscal crisis (RFE)
In an interview with Radio Free Europe, head of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Office in Kosovo, Ruud Vermeulen, expressed concern that the Kosovo budget cannot cope with the increase of expenditures in the field of new social schemes. “Last year, Kosovo spent around €383 million on social schemes, 30 percent more than in 2015. Two-thirds […]
Read More →PM Haradinaj officially appoints Ekrem Mustafa new Interior Minister (media)
Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj has officially appointed Ekrem Mustafa from the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) as new Minister of Interior replacing Bejtush Gashi, also from AKR. Online media also reported that Gashi has formally handed over the post to his successor.
Read More →U.S. Embassy comments on media reports on “cutting off communication” with KSF minister (Lajmi)
The news website reports that recently there have been reports in the media claiming that the U.S. have cut off all communication with Kosovo Security Force (KSF) Minister, Rrustem Berisha, and his deputy, Agim Ceku, over the indictment for the list of war veterans. Asked to comment on the reports, the U.S. Embassy told the […]
Read More →Pacolli confirms the dismissal of Minister of Internal Affairs – Bejtush Gashi (Express)
Beghjet Pacolli’s party (AKR) states that is has dismissed from duty the Minister of Internal Affairs Bejtush Gashi. The news has been confirmed by AKR’s secretary Rrahim Pacolli. Instead of Gashi, Ekrem Mustafa is expected to be appointed as the new Minister of Internal Affairs, Express reports. Nonetheless the Government hasn’t yet officially confirmed that […]
Read More →Daci calls on MPs to return to assembly sessions (RTK)
Nexhat Daci, President of the Kosovo Academy of Arts and Sciences and former President of the Kosovo Assembly, made numerous negative remarks toward internationals during the inauguration of his latest book in Pristina today, where President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj were also in attendance, the news website reports. Daci began his address […]
Read More →Serb. Monitoring View All →
Vucic: Delineation means to have borders between Serbs and Albanians (FoNet, Danas)
Delineation means to have borders between Serbs and Albanians, and nobody knows where are they today, are the borders where we tell or where Albanians tell they are, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today, adding he believed this should be determined in order to have peace and stability with Albanians in the next 100 or […]
Read More →Vucic: Patriarch’s words are nice, but binding too (Tanjug, B92)
President Aleksandar Vucic thanked Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej for his words that the president fights like a lion for Kosovo and Metohija, adding these words are nice, but also binding, Tanjug news agency reported. “These are nice, but also very binding words, very important and I would fight for the interests of our people […]
Read More →PM Brnabic: Vulin (reacted) adequately, Scott scandalously and inappropriately (Tanjug, B92)
Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic thinks that Minister of Defense adequately reacted to the statement of US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott, who earlier said that Kosovo is an independent state, Tanjug news agency reported. PM Brnabic added that Ambassador’s Scott statement is scandalous and inappropriate. “This is inappropriate, not only in diplomacy, but […]
Read More →Patriarch Irinej: SOC is not for frozen conflict in Kosovo, but neither for recognizing fait accompli (Vecernje Novosti, Novi Magazin, Danas, RTS)
Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Patriarch Irinej told Vecernje Novosti daily today that the Church does not support frozen conflict in Kosovo, but however, it is neither for “recognizing the fait accompli achieved by injustice, aggression, violence and crimes.” Patriarch Irinej also underlined that when it comes to Kosovo “one should not go for hasty and […]
Read More →Vucic: Whatever Kosovo government is for Scott and USA, for us it is “so-called” (Politika, Tanjug)
“Whatever Kosovo and its government are for the USA and Ambassador Scott, for us it is so-called government and the so-called state,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, reacting to the statement of the USA Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott, who stated earlier in Belgrade that Kosovo is a sovereign state. “Why then they negotiate with […]
Read More →Brussels agreement on normalization of relations chance to establish trust (Danas)
Brussels agreement on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is a chance to establish the trust between Serbs and Albanians, concluded participants of a roundtable “Is Brussels Agreement Clinically Dead,” organized by the National Convent on European Union yesterday, Danas daily reports. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Dalibor Jevic said that the Brussels agreement would […]
Read More →Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces: A complex situation in Kosovo the key problem; no reason for fear (Serbian media)
A key regional problem that jeopardizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia is a complex situation in Kosovo, says the new Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Milan Mojsilovic in an interview for Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti. General Lieutenant Colonel Milan Mojsilovic adds that citizens have no reason to fear because the […]
Read More →GI SDP: Still unknown who killed Oliver Ivanovic after nine months (Kontakt plus radio, NMagazin)
Citizens’ initiative SDP warned today that even nine months after the assassination of party leader Oliver Ivanovic, there is no information about the course of the investigation, or whether there is any relevant information on who ordered, organized and committed the crime, reported Serbian media. CI SDP says in a statement that “from Belgrade and […]
Read More →International View All →
US Anti-Terror Official Visits Balkans to Boost Cooperation
US counterterrorism coordinator Nathan Sales is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo to discuss how to improve cooperation in fighting terrorism and prosecuting suspects. Nathan Sales, the US Coordinator for Counterterrorism, will continue his official visit to the Balkans until October 20, visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo, all countries that have faced […]
Read More →Serb official denounces US ambassador over Kosovo (WAFF48)
Serbia’s pro-Russia defense minister denounced the U.S. ambassador to Serbia and suggested he should be thrown out of the country Monday for calling the former Serbian province of Kosovo a sovereign state. Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said in a statement that U.S. Ambassador Kyle Scott “has forgotten that Serbia is not a colony and that […]
Read More →Putin to visit Serbia in January (IBNA)
Russian Ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Chepurin has conveyed a message of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, suggesting he could visit Serbia in January 2019. Vucic had invited Putin to visit Belgrade during his latest visit to Moscow, earlier this month. At the meeting with Chepurin, Vucic underlined that “it […]
Read More →4 jihadi suspects charged in Kosovo over terror plots (AFP)
The group are also accused of planning to bomb the NATO-led security force KFOR at two discos in the Serbian enclave of Gracanica. PRISTINA, Kosovo – Four suspected jihadists have been charged in Pristina on suspicion of planning a series of attacks including at a church in Kosovo, two discos and unspecified assaults in France […]
Read More →Kosovo President Claims Macron Supports Border Correction (Balkan Insight)
President Hashim Thaci of Kosovo claims French President Emmanuel Macron supports his controversial proposal for a border ‘correction’ with Serbia – despite strong opposition to the idea at home. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told the public broadcaster of Albania, TVSH, on Thursday that the French President, Emmanuel Macron, supports his idea about a border “correction” […]
Read More →Let Serbia and Kosovo define their own peace (The Washington Post)
Serbia and Kosovo have been talking about a grand bargain to defuse lingering ethnic conflicts. Critics have been quick to weigh in. Some argue that the risks are simply too substantial for the international community to entertain the idea of “border adjustments,” or territorial exchanges, involving Serb-populated territories in northern Kosovo and Albanian-populated territories in […]
Read More →Russian envoy urges OSCE Mission in Kosovo to react to crimes against Serbs (TASS)
Alexander Lukashevich named the protection of rights and interests of non-Albanian minorities among key tasks of the mission and its mandate VIENNA, October 12. /TASS/. The Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE)’s Mission in Kosovo should immediately respond to threats and crimes against this region’s Serbian population, Russia’s OSCE envoy has said. Alexander Lukashevich told […]
Read More →Kosovo Court Demands Changes to Veterans’ List Indictment (Balkan Insight)
Pristina Basic Court sent a controversial indictment charging 12 former members of the government’s commission for verifying former Kosovo guerrillas back to the prosecution for clarification. Pristina Basic Court on Wednesday said it has decided to send the indictment of the 12 former government commission members back to the Kosovo Special Prosecution. The commission members […]
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