The EU has expressed hopes that Belgrade and Skopje will “deal with the issue calmly” after Serbia withdrew all diplomatic staff from the country.

An EU Commission spokesperson told BIRN that the diplomatic incident in Skopje “is a bilateral issue between the two countries, which the EU is closely following” in a statement Tuesday.

“We look to both sides to exercise restraint and deal with the issue calmly, in the spirit of good neighbourly relations,” the EU Commission said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with German Ambassador to Serbia, Alex Ditman. They discussed many issues and the most important one was that of Kosovo.
German Ambassador Alex Ditman stressed that internal dialogue for Kosovo is a serious and right move, Serbian media reported.

Vucic said that the internal dialogue as well as resuming of dialogue with Pristina is in the service of long-term peace in the region. He added the region would have a better future if Albanians and Serbs succeed to establish good relations.

Head of the Association of Kosovo Montenegrins, Slobodan Vujicic, reacted to the statement of Kosovo’s outgoing Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, where she expressed suspicion on sincerity of Aleksandar Vucic’s initiative for internal debate on Kosovo.

It has been established that Macedonia's intelligence services followed and illegally "processed" Serbian diplomats, writes the daily Blic.

The newspaper further states that "foreign powers" were also involved in intelligence activities undertaken against Serbia.

"Serbian diplomats were followed without any reason, and even the method of intimidation was used. Some of the pressure that was applied was okayed by foreigners," a source has told the Belgrade daily, and added:

Serbian leaders say they withdrew diplomatic staff from Macedonia after receiving intelligence about 'offensive actions' planned against Serbia.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian President, on Monday said Serbian embassy staff were withdrawn from Macedonia after Belgrade obtained “evidence of very offensive intelligence against the institutions of Serbia”.

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic gave a similar statement to the news agency Tanjug, also citing “offensive actions against the Republic of Serbia.”

Marking the 19th anniversary of the disappearance of two Serbian radio journalists in Kosovo, a journalists’ association has demanded a fresh investigation into their deaths - and those of other journalists abducted and killed in Kosovo.

Western intrusion into traditional Russian spheres of influence, areas under the sway of Moscow for three centuries or more, represents a highly provocative and destabilizing policy.

Note: this article is part of a symposium on U.S.-Russia relations included in the September/October 2017 issue of the National Interest.

RTS is reporting it received confirmation that the entire staff of the Serbian embassy in Skopje has been withdrawn for urgent consultations in Belgrade.

Serbian Ambassador Dusanka Divjak-Tomic and the staff, as stated, arrived last night (Sunday) in Belgrade. A detailed explanation of what is happening will be given during the day today by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić, said RTS.

By Leonora Aliu

As UN General Assembly vote approaches, does Kosovo have the support?

If our athletes and those from the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo meet on a podium, "they will have to stay there," says Bozidar Maljkovic.

The president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia has taken a firm stance on this, and "will not back down from it even at the price of being sacked.