"New turbulent times are ahead of Serbia, many can't wait to undermine and destabilize it," says Aleksadar Vucic.

However, added the prime minister and the presidential candidate of the ruling SNS - "our message is that we will protect Serbia."

Vucic made the comments as he spoke with citizens welcoming him in the town of Vrbas, where he traveled for the start of reconstruction works on a local elementary school named after Petar Petrovic Njegos.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, addressed the people of Kosovo to congratulate them for the anniversary of the declaration of the independence of Kosovo. However, he had special congratulations for the leader of the Alliance for Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj. “I especially congratulate for this anniversary, this time, the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Ramush Haradinaj who is being kept unjustly out of the country, based on an arrest warrant of Serbs who committed systematic crimes in Kosovo,” Mustafa wrote.

TIRANA: Albania and Croatia have asked NATO to revise plans for its peace-keeping mission in Kosovo, arguing that nationalist rhetoric by Serb politicians threatens to destabilise the region scarred by the 1990s wars.

Relations between Serbia and its former province Kosovo came under renewed strain since Belgrade sent a train painted with the slogan "Kosovo is Serbia" to the border and Kosovo police said it would stop it from entering its territory.

This Friday, on 17 February, Kosovo leaders will raise a glass to celebrate their achievements from nine years of independence, but many will not be there to cheer with them.

While in many areas Kosovo’s statehood has been strengthened, little has changed in the lives of ordinary people. After nine years of independence Kosovars are still locked in isolation and poverty. They still find themselves unemployed, without health care, a working education system or any hope to find a job, while those who do work hardly make ends meet.

Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army in Peja, are protesting in Rugova against the manner of the demarcation of the border with Montenegro. They said that the recently established Commission has put the signs two days ago. “We have always defended these mountains by shedding blood and if required, we would do the same again,” said the head of the Association of Peja Veternas, Gazmend Syla.

Belgrade paper Politika has reported that Kosovo has missed its opportunity to apply for membership to UNESCO this year as the deadline for application has expired. Sources said that the agenda for the upcoming session of UNESCO set to take place in October has already been finalised.

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks said the plight of Kosovo war victims is being ignored amid the ongoing political discussions about the country’s future.

s Muiznieks said on Thursday after a four-day visit to Kosovo that war victims and their human rights should be placed “at the centre of the political dialogue”.

Serbian media continue to deal with all sorts of speculation  about Kosovo. The language of these media has significantly degraded in relation to Kosovo and Albanians. Consequence of this nationalist discourse is stopping of the train which was arriving from Belgrade to Kosovo and demolition of the wall in Mitrovica north.

“Shiptari” is the pejorative that some media in Serbia are using while referring to Albanians, the same word was used during Milisevic’s era.

The government of Kosovo has not yet decided whether it will apply this year for UNESCO membership, the paper reports. Kosovo government’s work plan for this year mentions preparations for EU membership but not for UNESCO. Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said there is still no decision and it is early to speak about the issue. Asked to elaborate, he told the paper: “We have plenty of time. Whether we apply or not is a matter of state confidentiality.”

The European Union High Representative in Pristina, Natalia Apostolova, stressed the importance of the nomination of the Minister for European Integration.