Serbia on EU path seeks to improve ties with Moscow, PM says (Reuters)
Serbia is committed to European Union membership but it will work hard to improve relations with its traditional ally Russia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told Reuters ahead of a presidential election on Sunday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-serbia-election-eu-idUSKBN16Y12A
Read More →Balkans must join the EU eventually, European leaders say (Reuters)
More Balkan states can still join the European Union if they stick to a path of economic and democratic reform, Europe’s leaders said on Thursday at a summit meant to cement the bloc’s long-term commitment to stabilize a region mired in political crisis. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-summit-balkans-idUSKBN16G32S
Read More →France court postpones decision on extradition of ex-Kosovo PM Haradinaj (Reuters)
A French appeals court said on Thursday that it was postponing a decision on the possible extradition of former Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj, who was a guerrilla commander during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-kosovo-haradinaj-idUSKBN1690W3
Read More →Kosovo to form truth commission as wounds from 1998-99 war fester (Reuters)
President Hashim Thaci announced on Monday plans for a Truth Commission to help reconcile Kosovo’s ethnic-Albanian majority and Serb minority, as allegations of atrocities committed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war continue to scar relations. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-kosovo-president-commission-idUKKBN15S1U5
Read More →Air quality in Pristina unhealthy, cold winter bites (Reuters)
As the coldest winter in a decade swept through the Western Balkans, air pollution in Pristina caused by ailing power plants rose to unhealthy levels that were sometimes worse than those found in Beijing. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-balkans-pollution-kosovo-idUSKBN15S1MC
Read More →Serb bulldozers demolish wall in Kosovo’s divided city (Reuters)
Local Serbs in Kosovo used bulldozers on Sunday to demolish a wall they built in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, following weeks of tension over the issue between Kosovo and Serbia. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-wall-idUSKBN15K0HS?il=0
Read More →NATO helping Western Balkans resist foreign influence: Stoltenberg (Reuters)
NATO is helping Western Balkan governments build up intelligence and defense bodies to resist foreign, especially Russian, political influence, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-balkans-nato-russia-idUSKBN15H1E8
Read More →Serbia lose CAS appeal over Kosovo admission to UEFA (Reuters)
Serbia have lost their appeal against UEFA’s decision to admit Kosovo to its ranks, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-kosovo-cas-idUKKBN1582CK
Read More →Kosovo launches drive to encourage women to claim property rights (Reuters)
Kosovo is to revolutionise its land laws and will, for the first time, clearly define formal ownership and encourage women to inherit and own land in their own right. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said on Friday that the government wanted to modernise its property system to “bring Kosovo society fully into the Western world” […]
Read More →U.S. urges Serbia and Kosovo to avoid nationalist rhetoric (Reuters)
The United States urged Belgrade and Pristina on Tuesday to avoid “dangerous rhetoric” after Kosovo denied entry to a train painted in the Serbian national colors with “Kosovo is Serbia” emblazoned on its side. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-serbia-us-idUSKBN1512ME
Read More →Russia’s Lavrov says Balkan tensions rising, EU must help de-escalate (Reuters)
Jan 17 Tensions are sharply rising in the Balkans and the European Union must help de-escalate the situation there, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. http://www.reuters.com/article/russia-lavrov-balkans-eu-idUSR4N1F200Z
Read More →Headlines 17 January
• Thaci: Serbia planning to annex the north of Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
• Mustafa: Dialogue will not stop (VOA)
• Mogherini with a message for Kosovo and Serbia (Gazeta Metro)
• NATO: Kosovo police can go to north without KFOR permission (Kosova Sot)
• Hoxhaj: Kosovo will respond to Serbia’s aggresion (RTK)
• “Serbia’s provocations should alarm international community” (Epoka)
• AAK: Train was part of plan to reoccupy Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
• Vetevendosje presents forensic results from Assembly attack case (Koha)
• Government invites opposition experts for border demarcation (Indeksonline)