EU’s Juncker Urges Kosovo To Reach Border Deal With Montenegro (RFE)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has called on Kosovo to ratify a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro and seek better ties with Serbia. Juncker, together with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, continued his tour of the six Balkan countries that remain outside the European Union with a stop in […]
Read More →Embassy Attack Stokes Fears About How Fragile Balkan Stability Really Is (RFE)
As investigators tried to piece together the motive in a grenade attack on the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, concerns that the incident could shatter improved stability in the Balkans showed just how fragile the situation remains as the West and Russia battle for influence in the region. http://bit.ly/2sM5MNn
Read More →Kosovo Assassination Leaves Fear, Silence In Its Wake (RFE)
Mitrovica has been gripped by shock and fear since the killing of a moderate Serbian politician in that northern Kosovo municipality with an ethnic Serbian majority. http://bit.ly/2n5iNeW
Read More →Stoltenberg Condemns Killing In Kosovo, Calls for Calm (RFE)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the killing of ethnic-Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic in Kosovo, and said the Western military alliance would continue to be on hand to help keep the country stable. The Kosovar Serb politician was buried in Belgrade two days after he was gunned down in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, on January 16, […]
Read More →EU hails readiness of Belgrade and Pristina to continue dialogue (RFE/RTK)
European Union welcomes the readiness of President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic to continue dialogue for normalisation of relations, said EU foreign policy spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, in reference to the recent telephone conversation between Thaci and Vucic. Kocijancic added that efforts are underway to set the date for the next […]
Read More →Kosovar Court Gives Four Lawmakers Suspended Jail Terms For Disrupting Parliament (RFE)
A Kosovar court has found four opposition lawmakers guilty of repeatedly disrupting parliament by releasing tear gas in the chamber and has handed down suspended jail sentences for the legislators. http://bit.ly/2CpBlx3
Read More →“Kosovo leaders damaged relations with international allies” (RFE)
Political analysts told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo political and institutional leaders showed they have no understanding towards the positions of the international community on sensitive issues. Ramush Tahiri said recent events give the impression that Kosovo leaders are not conscientious to international obligations Kosovo has taken on. “It is a fact that we are […]
Read More →Surroi: Kosovo has not had political consensus since 2008 (RFE)
In an interview to Radio Free Europe, publicist and author Veton Surroi said Kosovo’s leading institutions are to a large extent politically controlled while Kosovo ‘is a captured state where crime and politics cohabitate marvelously.” Surroi also said he was skeptical that the visa liberalisation will be successfully concluded soon while the border demarcation agreement […]
Read More →Western Balkan Leaders Vow To Deepen Ties As World Bank Offers Aid (RFE)
The World Bank has offered $200 million in loans to promote economic integration in the Western Balkans as leaders of the region vowed to deepen ties and work together toward joining the European Union. The announcements from the World Bank and Western Balkan leaders came at a high-level conference on December 7 in Sofia at […]
Read More →Kosovo without UNMIK acronym during CEFTA presiding (RFE)
Next year Kosovo is expected to chair the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Kosovo’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Bajram Hasani, told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo will be presiding only under the name Kosovo, without UNMIK acronym. He added that representatives of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo will not be participating at […]
Read More →Kosovo Assembly approves on principle draft law on religious communities (RFE)
Kosovo Assembly approved in principle draft law on religious freedoms in Kosovo. The new draft law is to replace the present one and recognizes six instead of previous five religious communities. Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, said the legislation has been drafted in line with international conventions and the opinion of the Venice Commission. […]
Read More →Haradinaj-Mogherini press conference gets cancelled (RTK/Koha/RFE)
The media report that a scheduled joint press conference between Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, got cancelled at the last minute. While no official explanation behind the decision was made available, agenda issues are being mentioned as reason. Radio Free Europe […]
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