In an interview for Klan Kosova, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Yee said he was in Kosovo to show support for the new president Hashim Thaci and Kosovo. He said the inauguration ceremony for President Hashim Thaci is a good opportunity to meet Kosovo leadership. Speaking about normalization of Pristina-Belgrade relations, Hoyt said dialogue is one of the most important developments in the region and that it is the only way forward for both Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo’s dialogue minister Edita Tahiri said the statement of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic that Trepca mine belongs to Serbia is part of his election campaign. “The media know that in time of campaigns, there are illusionary statements made for political marketing aims,” Tahiri said in an interview.  Tahiri dismissed possibility of the Trepca mine ownership issue being discussed in the EU-facilitated dialogue with Belgrade saying that this is one of Pristina’s red lines. “Our position on Trepca and other Kosovo state assets has been made clear in Brussels.

Brussels dialogue will not be resumed until June. However, that will not slow down European integration of Serbia. The dialogue was lost somewhere halfway between political crises in Pristina and forthcoming Serbian elections. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said that Serbia is ready to keep the word and respect the signed agreement, but it wants full implementation of the Brussels agreement, as soon as possible, without ultimatums from any side.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Trade and Industry through a press release today announced that the decision of the government for reciprocal measure on recognition of the ADR certificates will remain in force until reaching of an agreement on mutual recognition of such certificates. The statement notes that the government is willing to resolve bilateral problems through dialogue.

Officials from the cabinet of the Kosovo minister without portfolio and chief negotiator in the EU-facilitated dialogue with Belgrade, Edita Tahiri, said that authorities in Serbia are expected to begin recognising education diplomas issued in Kosovo as of 1 April. Arjeta Rexha, advisor to Tahiri, said that in the recent negotiations in Brussels the parties pledged to begin implementation of agreements reached five years ago on mutual recognition of diplomas. Rexhaj explained that all outstanding diplomas will be recognised by relevant authorities within a three-month timeframe.

The paper’s front-page editorial argues that the decision of the Kosovo Ministry of Trade and Industry to introduce reciprocity measures against Serbia comes only after a series of concessions that Kosovo made toward its neighbor. According to the paper, Kosovo has not only failed to establish reciprocity vis-à-vis Serbia “but it has also turned into a vassal in the Brussels negotiations”.

The Director of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija said the decision was made after a series of attacks that shook the city today, claiming the lives of nearly 30 people.

"We are here in Brussels with the people, we are sharing these difficult moments. Extremism knows no borders and Europe must be united in the fight against evil," he said.

We are currently witnessing the growth of right-wing populism and development of nationalist tendencies all over the EU, in which countries instead of united appear as distant from each other, says in an interview for Danas Hedvig Morvai, Executive Director of the European Fund for the Balkans, answering to the question whether the Western Balkans and the EU are able to cope with challenges relating to migrant crisis.

Hashim Thaci’s election has gotten quite complicated. The Serbian List is asking for five demands to be met, otherwise they will leave the Assembly session, making it impossible for Thaci to be elected president. Gazeta Express has learned that the demands of the Serbian List are related to the agreements reached in Brussels during the discussions between Pristina and Belgrade. It is not known whether these demands can be technically fulfilled today.

Education and mutual recognition of diplomas between Belgrade and Pristina were frequent topics of Brussels talks. In practice, not much has been done, and diploma recognition has been awaited forfive full years now, said President of the Serbian National Forum Aleksandar Djikić on the “Sporazum” talk show.  "If Pristina University with a temporary seat in Mitrovica North were to be integrated into the education system of Kosovo, the only damage would be on Serbian side," said Djikić.