The rhetoric used by Self-determination MP, Albin Kurti on the unification of Kosovo and Albania, although not new has specific significance at this moment not only because of the movement’s ascent, but also of the splice of great powers’ interests, whose trump card he could be, Serbian daily Vecenje Novosti writes today.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn welcomed last night opening of the new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession negotiations, and highlighted that Serbia in the future must focus on the rule of law and normalization of relations with Pristina, Serbian media reported.
He assessed the opening of chapters as an indicator of a Serbia’s serious commitment and its realistic and firm European perspective, Serbian media reported further.
KFOR Commander General Salvatore Couci told the Vienna daily Kronen Zeitung that situation currently is "very safe".
"It depends much on whether people want change here. Primarily youth does it," Couci says.
To the conclusion that there are many fighters from the Balkans in the Islamic state and a questions of the daily what KFOR can do on this issue, the Italian general says that it is true that Kosovo has a large number of "foreign fighters", i.e. returnees from the war in Syria.
The European Union wants to show it still cares about the Balkans, but not everyone is feeling the love.
Brussels has been accused for years of not paying enough attention to the six Western Balkan countries that want to join the bloc. After taking office in 2014, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared the EU would not take in any new members during his five-year term.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic spoke with US Secretary of State Rex Tilerson on Thursday in Vienna.
According to a Serbian MFA statement carried by Beta, Dacic told Tillerson that representatives of the old US establishment who defend their policy from the 1990s cannot be the ones to bring changes to the US foreign policy.
Next year Kosovo is expected to chair the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Kosovo’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Bajram Hasani, told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo will be presiding only under the name Kosovo, without UNMIK acronym. He added that representatives of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo will not be participating at CEFTA meetings either.
A few weeks ago official Pristina threatened that it would leave CEFTA if presented as UNMIK.
Albin Kurti, MP of Self-Determination, talks to Deutsche Welle and says that Kosovo should have the right to vote on a referendum on unification with Albania, and why he rejects the Brussels dialogue and the Community of Serb municipalities.
Centre of Foreign Policy Director, Aleksandra Joksimovic said to RTK 2 that the format of the Brussels dialogue would not change, but the USA will be more active in the process of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
Joksimovic also said she does not believe legally binding document would request from Serbia to recognize Kosovo, but would seek that both Belgrade and Pristina unimpeded move towards the European integration.
General Ljubisa Dikovic, Serbian Army Chief of Staff said that the highest security threat to Serbia is the unresolved status of Kosovo and its unilateral declared independence, Novosti daily reported.
Dikovic further said that the Army of Serbia is fully ready to protect the citizens from all threats and danger. Terrorism is the world enemy number one, and is equally threatening to Serbia.
Serbia is grateful to South Africa for its firm position to respect international law and territorial integrity of Serbia when it comes to Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister, Ivica Dacic said during his meeting with South African Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, B92 reports.