In response to Jasmin Mujanovic’s comment article, ‘New Partitions are the Last Thing the Balkans Need,’ Timothy Less maintains that the Balkan countries lack even the most basic elements needed to make multi-ethnicity work, so it is time to consider a new territorial settlement.
The starting point when formulating policy is to recognise the world as it is, not as one would like it to be.
The Foreign Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Popov, assesses that it is not proper or suitable for Albania and Kosovo to interfere on the internal affairs of FYROM. “It is not decent and not appropriate when the Prime Minister or the President of the neighboring country interferes directly on the internal affairs, especially during the period of implementation of the elections in e democratic manner and prior to the creation of the government. Wrong messages are being sent in the region.
The political settlement in the former Yugoslavia is unraveling. In Bosnia, the weakest state in the region, both Serbs and Croats are mounting a concerted challenge to the Dayton peace accords, the delicate set of compromises that hold the country together. In Macedonia, political figures from the large Albanian minority are calling for the federalization of the state along ethnic lines. In Kosovo, the Serb minority is insisting on the creation of a network of self-governing enclaves with effective independence from the central government.
The Special Prosecution of Kosovo is investigating “Kumanovo” case, however it is waiting for the paperwork of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) authorities in order to proceed with further investigation.
The case has been under investigation by the prosecutor of the Special Prosecution Ali Rexha, for two years now. “I am waiting for the paperwork which concerns the investigation that I have requested from FYROM,” Rexha said.
Croatia's EU accession marked the end of one accession model, Regional Cooperation Council Secretary-General Goran Svilanovic said on Thursday.
The process is now completely different for Western Balkan states due to the circumstances in the region and the EU itself, such as the economic crisis, migration and Brexit, he said.
"Europe must define itself first," Svilanovic said at a conference titled (Re)-Balkanisation of the Western Balkans.
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in an interview for TV Art that Kosovo has good relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but that communication between the two countries may suffer as a result of the mistreatment of Albanians arrested in the Kumanovo case. “The Kumanovo incident has been overcome but what often makes the relations with Skopje difficult is the mistreatment of inmates during their transport from prison to the court. We have raised our concerns at the political level because this is unacceptable.
From the refugee crisis to security threats, Europe’s biggest challenges pass through the Western Balkans. But officials worry that Brexit will see the EU turn inwards just as Russia’s influence in the region is on the rise.
The police directors of Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and FYROM have participated at the regional conference in Skopje. The conference was organized in order to strengthen cooperation between the police of the Western Balkans and coordinate further action in relation to terrorism and organized crime in the Balkans, stated the EU mission in Kosovo.
Both papers carry the following editorial by Timothy Less, director of the Nova Europa political risk consultancy, published initially in NewStatesman.
Saturday's protests in the Republika Srpska, Kosovo, and FYROM ended mostly peaceful and all political actors were satisfied by it. However, bearing in mind that continuation of the protests were announced, we explored whether the Western Balkan is again the powder keg.