A senior European Union official has expressed hope that Kosovo will soon get a new government following snap parliamentary elections that left no party in a position to govern without what could be tough efforts to build a coalition.
The head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Valdete Daka, said in an interview that calling snap elections in Kosovo presented quite a challenge for the institution she leads. “Early elections are always challenging, even more so when we had a 30-day timeframe window”, Daka said.
A top U.S. diplomat on May 24 urged Balkan nations to guard against efforts by Russia to increase its influence in the region and undermine ties with the West.
"We, of course, remain hopeful that Russia will play a constructive role in the Balkans, as it has in the past, but we must remain vigilant, all of us...in watching what Russia is attempting to do," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee said after meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade.
Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has called early parliamentary elections for June 11 after the government collapsed following a no-confidence motion in parliament.
https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-general-election-june-11/28480621.html
Representatives of the opposition political parties have threatened that they would use “all means” to prevent ratification of the agreement for the border demarcation with Montenegro. These statements came after the meeting between the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa with the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, who appealed to Kosovo government and political parties to proceed with voting at the Assembly as soon as possible.
The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, assessed the statements for the possibility of unification of Kosovo with Albania, as “imprudent”.
“The U.S. Government supports the sovereignty of Kosovo and Albania. We are against imprudent discussions for unification and exaggerated reactions towards such statements, which mine sustainability in the region," Delawie said.
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, will travel to Brussels next week where he is expected to present a new request regarding visa liberalisation for Kosovo. Mustafa is expected to urge the EU to grant Kosovo a type of conditional visa-free travel for a period of two years during which Kosovo would work on fulfilling the criteria for finalizing border demarcation with Montenegro. If Kosovo institutions fail to ratify the border demarcation by that time, the EU could reintroduce the visa regime.
A French court has postponed until April 27 a scheduled hearing regarding Serbia's request to extradite former Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbia-france-extradition-hearing-ex-pm-haradinaj/28413720.html
A French court is to hold a hearing on Serbia's request to extradite former Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
http://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbia-france-extradition-hearing-ex-pm-haradinaj/28413720.html
Kosovo’s president has backed away from a controversial pledge to push through a law turning the country's security force into a national army, telling RFE/RL that he will consult with ethnic minorities and make the change through constitutional amendments.
https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-regular-army-united-states-warning/28399388.html