Trump’s envoy next week in the Balkans (Danas, RFE)
US Senator and Chairman of the State Security Committee, Ron Johnson, will visit Greece, FYROM, Serbia and Kosovo next week, confirms the US Embassy in Belgrade to Radio Free Europe, reports daily Danas. Johnson should be in Belgrade Monday and Tuesday. During his mission in the Balkans, he will meet with regional leaders. Senator Johnson […]
Read More →Hahn without answer on “territory exchange”, but mentions new deadline (B92, RFE)
EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn did not directly reply to RFE’s question regarding the idea of “delimitation” to solve the Kosovo issue. B92 reported, quoting RFE, that he stressed that in order to resolve any bilateral conflict, any possible solution must contribute to the wider stability of the region and should not be at the expense of others in […]
Read More →Kosovo to present dialogue results to EU officials (Zeri/RFE)
Kosovo government’s coordinator for dialogue with Serbia, Avni Arifi, told Radio Free Europe that the Kosovo delegation will present to EU officials results of the dialogue for normalisation of relations with Serbia. “We are ready. We will discuss our efforts but at the same time we will also speak about the obstacles we are facing,” […]
Read More →EU countries seek participation in dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina (RFE)
Radio Free Europe learn that EU member states are demanding participation in the final phase of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, which will lead to a legally binding agreement on a comprehensive normalization of relations. RFE writes that according to European sources, member states have begun to demonstrate their disapproval of the lack of […]
Read More →President Thaci to seek additional information on Radomir Laban (RFE)
President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci will not decree the newly-elected Constitutional Court judge, Radomir Laban, until a full verification process is carried out by judicial authorities. In a response to the paper, the office of President Thaci said that Laban’s decreeing will not take place at this time due to raised concerns about his past. […]
Read More →First EU-Western Balkan Summit In 15 Years To Focus On Integration (RFE)
Leaders of the Western Balkans and European Union are meeting in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia for their first summit in 15 years. The summit will not focus on bids by the region’s six non-EU countries — Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania — to join the bloc, but rather will tackle their efforts […]
Read More →Still not clear if Kosovo and Spain will sit together in Sofia summit (RFE)
Both Spain and Kosovo will take part in the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia but the host of the event, the Bulgarian presidency of the EU, has not made it clear whether Madrid has agreed to Kosovo’s presentation as a country. The Bulgarian presidency confirmed Kosovo’s participation at the summit but did not comment on […]
Read More →Interparty disagreements delay inquiry into deportation of six Turkish nationals (RFE)
Radio Free Europe in Albanian reports that a committee for investigating the arrest and deportation of six Turkish nationals has not yet been established despite the Assembly of Kosovo’s recommendations dated 17 April. Meanwhile the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which proposed the committee’s establishment, has blamed the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) […]
Read More →Tusk Says Reconciliation Efforts In Balkans ‘Important’ For Europe (RFE)
European Council President Donald Tusk has praised Macedonia’s efforts to reconcile with its neighbors as it accelerates its bid to join the European Union, saying such efforts are needed across the Western Balkans and are “important” for Europe. Speaking at a regional summit in Skopje on April 27, Tusk singled out the festering dispute between […]
Read More →Hoxhaj: UN seat for Kosovo alongside the establishment of Association/Community (RFE)
Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, said that the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities should happen at the same time as Kosovo getting a seat at the United Nations. “Since the Association aims to advance the position of Serbs in Kosovo, I think its establishment de facto needs to happen parallel to […]
Read More →LDK: Government presented weak platform for dialogue with Serbia (RTK,RFE)
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), assessed the platform for dialogue with Serbia, presented on Thursday by the government as poor and as a document which does not define issues to be discussed, principal or deadlines. LDK caucus, Avdullah Hoti, expressed dissatisfaction with regards to the leading role that this platform gives to the President […]
Read More →Top U.S. Official Warns Of ‘Destructive’ Russian Role In Balkans (RFE)
A senior U.S. official has warned of what he called Moscow’s “increasingly destructive role” in the Balkans, saying that Russia is undermining democracy in the region. Wess Mitchell, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, made the comments in Pristina on March 12, following talks with Kosovar President Hashim Thaci. http://bit.ly/2FzGEeD
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