One hundred and fifty former members of the Serbian MUP (Ministry of Internal Affairs) in Kosovo who want solution to their judicial working status in accordance to the Serbian laws, protested today in front of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo in Mitrovica North. Their basic request is to reach a decision based on Serbia’s Constitution and Laws for pensioning the MUP members in Kosovo, and return to their duties for those who refuse early retirement. They threatened Serbia’s state leaders with a hunger strike if their demands are not fulfilled.

UNESCO did not approve at today’s General Conference voting Kosovo’s membership in the organization. Kosovo’s application received 92 out of the required 95 votes while 50 countries opposed the motion. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook account that despite the vote result, the vast majority of countries did vote in favour of Kosovo’s membership. “Kosovo’s path is unstoppable and we will apply and gain membership in other organisations as well, including UNESCO,” said Thaci.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said Monday that no pressure can force Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence. "I have confidence in the UN, to which Serbia entrusted the care of Kosovo and Metohija in 1999," Nikolic said at a meeting with new UNMIK chief Zahir Tanin and the new chief of the UN Office in Belgrade, Simona-Mirela Miculescu.

The coordinator of the steering team for creation of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities (A/CSM), Ljubomir Maric, said to Radio Television Serbia that he is worried with the fact that decision on postponement of the creation of the A/CSM is made without consultations with Serbs, to whom agreement refers, and opines that this bears another message which is not good. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga two days ago called Kosovo Constitutional Court to examine constitutionality of the agreement on A/CSM.

Marko Djuric said on Thursday that Pristina has created "a big international scandal" with its initiative "to assess the constitutionality of the Brussels agreement". The director of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija also added, according to a Beta agency, that Pristina "trampled on the agreement" reached in 2013 during EU-sponsored Kosovo talks in Brussels "and threw it under the feet."

The deputy director of the Serbian Government’s Office for European Integration, Ivana Ðurić, stated yesterday the Serbia will not agree to give up part of its territory for the sake of the EU membership.

US Balkans expert Daniel Serwer said in an interview for the Skopje-based news agency INA that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for normalization of relations has been successful and has produced concrete results. “This is a short step towards diplomatic recognition which I hope to see as soon as possible,” said Serwer. He added that Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo is one of the issues that would have to be resolved during the normalization of relations process including the increase of police cooperation and Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations.

The European Union, has requested on Tuesday from Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, to accelerate endorsement of the law for cadaster and to make the preparations for establishment of the Technical Agency which would have for its task comparison and verification of the cadastre documents which will be returned from Serbia to the Kosovo database.

The outcome of voting at the UNESCO General Conference on admitting the so-called "Republic of Kosovo" is difficult to predict, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Alexey Pushkov said yesterday.

Russia and its allies oppose the Kosovo's membership in UNESCO, Pushkov told reporters ahead of the promotion of his book in Serbian language: "Post Scriptum - Can Putin Help Russia".

After 20 years of peace, Republika Srpska threatens to tear apart the agreement that has held Bosnia together. The West must stop it.

Lost in the cacophony of international news about Russian airstrikes against U.S.-backed anti-Assad rebels in Syria and refugees flooding through the Balkans on their way to Western Europe, a crisis is brewing in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the European Union’s southeast flank. And here, too, Moscow has a hand in the mischief-making.