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☆ Kosovo so awash with fake euro coins they are accepted as payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"At the beginning everyone was worried and was checking if the 2-euro coins were fake or not," said waiter Endrit. "Now we don't check anymore... we may be taking fake money or may be giving out fake money. The number of fake 2-euro coins in circulation has seen a massive increase this year, according to law enforcement agencies. In April they arrested a man and a woman trying to bring 10,600 fake 2-euro coins into Kosovo from North Macedonia. "We always complained in Kosovo that we don't have our own currency, well it looks we have now - fake 2-euro coins."

Persons: Endrit, Vjollca Mavriqi, Sokol Havolli, Fatos, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Police, Sokol, Kosovo's Central Bank, Reuters, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo's, Pristina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia

☆ Kosovo's Kurti accuses EU envoy of siding with Serbia during talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"On September 14 there was a clear positioning of the mediator against Kosovo...They have gone a long way in attacking the future of Kosovo," Kurti told a press briefing in Pristina. Kurti and Vucic met last Thursday for more talks in Brussels but they went nowhere, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. It was mean to settle a conflict dating to the 1998-99 uprising by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority against repressive Serbian rule and lead to normalised relations between Belgrade and its former province, which declared independence in 2008. "We will either implement the whole deal entirely or we will not implement only what Serbia wants. Kurti has said such an association as approved by previous governments would divide Kosovo along ethnic lines.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Ognen, Kurti, Miroslav Lajcak, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Josep Borrell, Fatos, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kosovo's, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Serbian, Kosovo, EU, NATO, Albanian, Thomson Locations: Ohrid, North Macedonia, Rights PRISTINA, Kosovo, European, Serbia, Brussels, Pristina, Kurti, Kosovo's, Belgrade

☆ Romania beat Kosovo in match suspended after Serbia chants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - Euro 2024 Qualifier - Group I - Romania v Kosovo - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 12, 2023 Romania fans inside the stadium hold up banners which subsequently suspends play Inquam Photos via REUTERS/George Calin Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - Romania beat Kosovo 2-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifier that was suspended on Tuesday for just under an hour after Romanian fans repeatedly shouted pro-Serbia chants. The game in Bucharest was stopped in the 18th minute after some of the crowd chanted "Serbia Serbia" and a player confronted people in the stands displaying a sign saying "Kosovo is Serbia", with the referee sending the players back to the changing rooms. "The match has resumed after play was suspended due to discriminatory behaviour from some supporters," UEFA said on their website after an interruption of 50 minutes. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and won recognition from more than 100 countries, but not from Romania. The victory moved Romania into second place in Group I with 12 points, two points behind leaders Switzerland.

Persons: George Calin, Vedat Muriqi, Vladimir Screciu, Nicolae Stanciu, Valentin Mihaila, Angelica Medina, Clare Fallon, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer Football, National, Kosovo, UEFA, Thomson Locations: Romania, Kosovo, Bucharest, Serbia, Serbia Serbia, Switzerland, Mexico City

☆ The West’s ‘see no evil’ approach to Serbia’s Vucic is destabilizing the Balkans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

The result is that, despite Serbia’s professed hopes to join the EU, Vucic has continued to walk a tightrope between Moscow and western powers. A Pristina government official told CNN that they did not want to “surrender” official government buildings to protesters. A decade on, these municipalities have not been created, leaving disputes to fester over the degree of autonomy for Kosovo Serbs. After such episodes, Joseph told CNN that the “see no evil” approach to Vucic’s regime may be starting to crack. “The situation is clear who the bully of the Balkans still is,” Meliza Haradinaj, Kosovo’s former foreign minister, told CNN.

Persons: Moscow’s, Aleksandar Vucic, Vladimir Putin, Daniel Mihailescu, ” Jasmin Mujanovic, Vucic, “, Mujanovic, Alicia Kearns, ”, –, Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, Albin Kurti, Serbia’s, you’ll, Kearns, wouldn’t, Putin, Viktor, Orban, ” Majda, you’re, Quint, ” Kurti, Kurti, Edward Joseph, Laura Hasani, He’s, Shqiprim Arifi, Arifi, Ben Kilb, ” Dusan, Milorad Dodik, Oliver Bunic, Boris Grdanoski, ” Joseph, Viktor Oban, Joseph, Biden, Aleksandar Vulin, ” “ He’s, ‘ we’re, ’ He’s, I’ve, ” Vucic, Meliza Organizations: CNN, European Union, Putin, Belgrade, Getty, Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, NATO, National Security, United Nations, Kosovo's, EU, Anadolu Agency, Gazprom, Serbian, European Council, Foreign Relations, ”, US, Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo’s, Johns Hopkins University, …, Kosovo Serb, Reuters, British, Kosovo, Kosovar Business Alliance, Kosovar, Serbs, “ Association of, Bloomberg, ASM, Russian, AP, Serbia ”, KFOR, NATO’s Kosovo Force, Red Star, Red Star Belgrade soccer Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Serbia, Europe, Belgrade, West, Kosovo, Kosovo’s, Kosovar, AFP, Russian, Balkan, Western Balkans, British, United, EU, Brussels, Belgium, Moscow, ” Kosovo, Serbs, France, Germany, Italy, Balkans, Pristina, … Serbia, Zvecan, Serbian, Presevo, Albanian, Leposavic, Republika Srpska, ” Republika Srpska, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dayton, Banja Luka, Kurti, Ohrid, North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, appeasing Serbia

☆ In Kosovo, graffiti rejuvenates Pristina's concrete jungle
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Line Guillod, a graffiti artist paints a mural as part of the Meeting of Styles graffiti festival in Kosovo's capital Pristina, Kosovo July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Fatos BytyciPRISTINA, July 30 (Reuters) - Known as the capital of concrete, Pristina is trying to revitalize its dull and grey image with vivid graffiti on walls and buildings, helping transform public spaces into more inviting, vibrant areas. "When you see the concrete, it gives the impression that it is still under construction," said Agon Xhelili, organizer of the festival, Meeting of Styles Kosovo. Since its creation, it has organized more than 400 events such as the one in Pristina, helping thousands of artists all over the world. "I think it will be really positive (visually and for tourism) if they allowed more public art murals," said Sharon.

Persons: Agon Xhelili, Daniel Sharon, Sharon, Fatos, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Fatos Bytyci, Styles Kosovo, Thomson Locations: Kosovo's, Pristina, Kosovo, Fatos, Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA, Germany, London

☆ Kosovo buys Turkish Bayraktar drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRISTINA, July 16 (Reuters) - Kosovo has bought a batch of Turkish-made Bayraktar drones, its leader said on Sunday, at a time when it faces unrest in the north where ethnic Serbs refuse to recognise Pristina authorities. He did not give the number or cost of the drones, Kosovo's first, nor say what they would be used for. Bayraktar drones have gained popularity globally after being used by Ukraine's military against Russian forces. In past months, Kosovo has faced its worst ethnic violence in the north which is home to some 50,000 ethnic Serbs, who are backed by Belgrade. Kosovo aims to join NATO but four of the alliance's members still do not recognise its 2008 independence from Serbia.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Fatos Bytyci, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Russian, NATO, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Pristina, Belgrade, Serbia, Serbian

☆ Kosovo moves to lower tensions in Serb majority area
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Violence in north Kosovo, where 50,000 Serbs live and form a majority, erupted in late May after Albanian mayors took office following an election boycotted by Serbs demanding implementation of a decade-old deal for more autonomy. NATO said 93 of its peacekeeping soldiers had been injured in clashes with Serb protesters, some of them severely, on May 29. Doctors in the north said 52 Serbs were also injured. The United States and European Union, Kosovo's main allies, have mainly blamed nationalist Prime Minister Albin Kurti for tensions in the north. Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kosovo's, Albin Kurti, Fatos Bytyci, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, EU, European Union, Kosovo, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbs, United States, Pristina, Brussels

☆ EU wants concrete steps by Kosovo to ease tensions before lifting sanctions –envoy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA, July 4 (Reuters) - The European Union will not lift political and economic sanctions on Kosovo unless the government de-escalates tensions with ethnic Serbs, EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak said on Tuesday during a visit in Pristina. EU countries imposed punitive measures on ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo after Prime Minister Albin Kurti's government failed to heed EU and U.S. requests to defuse strife in the country's north following the worst clashes in over a decade. "My wish is not to have sanctions," Lajcak told reporters in Pristina after a three-hour meeting with Kurti. Some 30 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serb protesters, and 52 Serbs were hurt. Lajcak said the EU also wanted Serbia, which north Kosovo Serbs still devote their allegiance 15 years after Pristina declared independence from Belgrade, to act constructively to defuse the crisis, or face penalties as well.

Persons: Miroslav Lajcak, Albin Kurti's, Lajcak, Kurti, ”, Kosovo's, Fatos, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European, EU, Kosovo, ”, NATO, Wednesday, European Union, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbs, Pristina, Brussels, Serbia, Kosovo Serbs, Belgrade, United States

TIRANA, July 3 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Monday met 12 children and men from Kosovo who were named after him in gratitude for his role in stopping the 1998-99 Kosovo War. Clinton, who served as president from 1993 to 2001, is regarded as a hero in Kosovo and Albania for launching NATO air strikes against Serbia's forces in 1999. The strikes halted the war and allowed nearly 1 million Albanian refugees in Kosovo to return to their homes. Others who spoke at the ceremony included Klinton Gashi, Klinton Bajgora and Klinton Ferizi. Clinton also met three girls who were named after his wife, Hillary Clinton, who served as U.S. secretary of state under former President Barack Obama.

Persons: Bill Clinton, Clinton, Klinton Berisha, Klinton, Ferizi, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Alidema, Fatos Bytyci, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Former U.S, Monday, NATO, Goga, Thomson Locations: TIRANA, Former, Kosovo, Albania, Tirana, Balkans, Serbia, Washington

☆ Bill Clinton tells Kosovo: stop 'foolishness' in Serb-majority north
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Former U.S. president Bill Clinton delivers his speech during a welcoming in Tirana, Albania, July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Florion GogaTIRANA, July 3 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, largely credited for ending the Kosovo war more than two decades ago, on Monday told Kosovo's government to stop its actions in the Serb majority north, where tension has flared over the past few months. But the real thing we need to do is to stop this foolishness," Clinton said during a ceremony in Tirana where he received a medal from Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama. The United States and the European Union, Kosovo's main allies, have mainly blamed Prime Minister Albin Kurti for igniting tension in the north by installing four mayors in their offices with police despite objections from local Serbs. In Belgrade, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said growing tensions between Belgrade and Pristina "cause great concern, as well as the increase in violence".

Persons: Bill Clinton, Kosovo's, Clinton, Albin Kurti, Mark Rutte, Aleksandar Vucic, Rutte, Fatos Bytyci, Aleksandar Vasovic, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Former U.S, Monday, NATO, Albania's, Edi Rama, Kosovo, Serbia's, European Union, Dutch, EU, Thomson Locations: Tirana, Albania, Florion, TIRANA, Former, Kosovo, Pristina, Serbia, Serbian, Kosovo Albanian, United States, Belgrade, Europe, Ukraine, Florion Goga

☆ Serbia releases three detained Kosovo policemen, easing crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union welcomed the move and urged Kosovo and Serbia to take further steps to defuse the simmering crisis, including holding new local elections in northern Kosovo. [1/5]One of the released Kosovan policemen (L) arrives at the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing, in Merdare, Kosovo June 26, 2023. The ruling effectively allowed the Serb authorities to maintain the charges while letting the three return to Kosovo, beyond the reach of the Serb court. Albanian-majority Kosovo, formerly a southern province of Serbia, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008 with the backing of the West following a 1998-99 war. Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Oliver Varhelyi, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Prosecutors, REUTERS, Court, Kosovo's, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, United States, Merdare, Serbian, Kraljevo, Belgrade, Serbs, Brussels, Washington, EU, Pristina

☆ Serbia army chief urges NATO, international agencies to protect Kosovo Serbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BELGRADE/PRISTINA, June 23 (Reuters) - Serbia's army commander urged NATO peacekeepers and other international bodies on Friday to step up measures to protect minority Serbs in Kosovo, adding that "the international community is not fulfilling its obligations." Mojsilovic in a rare public address said he had asked NATO peacekeeping mission KFOR and other international bodies to undertake urgent measures to protect ethnic Serbs there. Earlier on Friday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was "very alarmed" by the situation in northern Kosovo, citing "extrajudicial arrests" of Kosovo Serbs and the march by Kosovo Security Forces "followed by heavy rhetoric from Serbia". Ethnic Serbs, who make up the majority of the population in the region, had boycotted the vote. Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of the population in Kosovo, while the Serbs form the majority in four northern municipalities and several enclaves inside Kosovo.

Persons: Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Xhelal Svecla, Svecla, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Armend Mehaj, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Hugh Lawson, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NATO, European Union, KFOR, Belgrade, Kosovo Security Forces, Kosovo, Twitter, Kosovo Defence, Kosovo police, Serbian, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbia, Mitrovica, Mojsilovic, Zvecan, Kosovo Serbs, Serbian, Brussels, Belgrade, Pristina, Yugoslavia, Montenegro

☆ No breakthrough as EU's Borrell holds crisis talks with Kosovo, Serbia leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed steps to end weeks of violence in predominantly Serb areas of northern Kosovo to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday, but there were no signs of an immediate breakthrough. Tensions worsened after Serbian police arrested three Kosovo policeman last week, saying they crossed the border between the two countries. The top EU diplomat said he asked Kurti "to announce early elections, as soon as possible, in all four municipalities on condition of participation of Kosovo Serbs". "Here is the core of the problem and also the core of the solution - early elections, as soon as possible," Borrell told reporters after four hours of talks. Vucic said he was ready for more talks with EU mediators, adding that meeting Kurti in person "makes no sense".

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Borrell, Kurti, Borell, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Andrew Grey, Fatos, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kosovo, Kosovo police, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Kosovo, Serbia, Pristina, Serbian, Brussels, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Serbs, EU

☆ Pope skips speech, blaming breathing difficulties after surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Pope Francis meets with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Vatican, June 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference on Thursday, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month. "I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good," Francis told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech. The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia. Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Albin Kurti, Francis, Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: Kosovo's, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Catholic Oriental Church, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Brazil

☆ NATO ready to act to save Kosovo's peace, calls for de-escalation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA, June 19 (Reuters) - NATO forces in Kosovo are ready to face any situation if acts of violence similar to recent encounters threaten the peace, the NATO commander in Pristina said late on Monday. Some 30 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serb protesters late on May. We do not react, we act," the commander of NATO troops, known as KFOR, Angelo Michele Ristuccia told to a group of journalists from his headquarters in the outskirts of Pristina. Kosovo says the three were arrested inside its territory by Serbian officers who had crossed the border. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in the north part refuse Pristina ruling and consider Belgrade as their capital.

Persons: Angelo Michele Ristuccia, Ristuccia, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Fatos Bytyci, Franklin Paul Organizations: NATO, KFOR, European Union, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Pristina, Serbs, Serbia, United States, Serbian, Belgrade

☆ Kosovo tightens controls on its border with Serbia, PM Kurti says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Trucks with goods queue at the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing in Merdare, Kosovo, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Valdrin XhemajPRISTINA, June 15 (Reuters) - Kosovo has tightened controls on its border with Serbia following the arrest of three of its policemen by Serbian forces, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Thursday as he demanded the immediate release of the detainees. "Because of the security concerns as an immediate step border controls have been tightened with Serbia," Kurti told a press conference on Thursday. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly a decade after an uprising by the 90% ethnic Albanian majority. Kosovo and Serbia share a 400-km (250-mile) border which has not been clearly marked or agreed.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Kurti, Serbia's, Aleksandar Vucic, Quint, Vucic, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Valdrin Xhemaj, Serbian, Belgrade, Reuters, EU, European Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Serbia, Merdare, Valdrin, Valdrin Xhemaj PRISTINA, Pristina, Serbian, United States, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Balkans, Belgrade

☆ Kosovo PM presents plan to defuse tensions in Serb-majority area
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Around 200 Serbs gathered in North Mitrovica to protest against the arrest, with Kosovo Albanian police in anti-riot gear standing a few hundred metres away. During the operation to arrest Milun Milenkovic, three Kosovo Albanian policemen were lightly injured, Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said on his Facebook page. Kurti said nothing about setting up the association of Serb municipalities which would ensure greater autonomy for the Serb majority area. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic urged Kosovo last week to grant more autonomy to Serbs before organising a new vote. NATO bombing drove out Serbian security forces but Belgrade continues to regard Kosovo only as its southern province.

Persons: Kurti, Milun Milenkovic, Xhelal Svecla, Albin Kurti, Quint, Aleksandar Vucic, Petar Petkovic, Milenkovic, Fatos, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: KFOR PRISTINA, Kosovo Albanian, NATO, KFOR, European Union, U.S, Serbia, Serbian, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, North Mitrovica, U.S, United States, Republic of Kosovo, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, EU, Serbian, Brussels, Serbia, Belgrade

BELGRADE, June 9 (Reuters) - Serbia's president urged Kosovo on Friday not to organise new elections for mayors in its north until more autonomy had been granted to ethnic Serbs who form a local majority and boycotted a previous vote. "All Serbs in the north think of Serbia as their country, not Kosovo. "We still don't have an association of Serb municipalities, there is still no withdrawal of (Kosovo Albanian) special police forces and mayors there," he said. Vucic said: "Serbs (in the north) are always ready to talk, but you have to offer them something." "We will keep our troops on high alert, not the highest combat alert, because that costs a lot."

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Albin Kurti, Vjosa Osmani, Kurti, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kosovo, Reuters, NATO, European Union, Kosovo Albanian, Union, Serbia, Belgrade, Rafale, EU, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, United States, Pristina, Serbian, France, Russia, China

☆ Exclusive: Kosovo president open to new elections in Serb-majority municipalities
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Kim Vinnell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Describes Serbian president as 'drama king'Osmani says Serb voters in Kosovo could petition a new pollWants peacekeepers to remain in KosovoPRISTINA, Kosovo June 7 (Reuters) -Kosovo could trigger new elections in Serb-majority municipalities rocked by violent protests if 20% of voters sign a petition asking for them, the president told Reuters. In an exclusive interview in her office, President Vjosa Osmani said she believed a petition was the most "democratic way" to proceed to new elections. Violent protests erupted in four northern municipalities after Kosovo installed ethnic Albanian mayors who were elected into offices on a turnout of just 3.5%. As tensions between Serbia and Kosovo simmer, NATO has reinforced its peacekeeping forces in the north of the country. She described the Serbian president as "a drama king".

Persons: Osmani, Vjosa Osmani, Joe Biden, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Leela de Kretser, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Kosovo simmer, NATO, Kosovan, French, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Kosovo PRISTINA, Kosovo's, Serbia, Belgrade, Serbian, Moldova, Pristina

The warnings came as U.S. and EU envoys concluded visits to Kosovo and Serbia to calm tensions that flared into violence last week, wounding dozens of NATO peace-keeping soldiers and Serb protesters in northern Kosovo. He and the EU's Miroslav Lajcak did not elaborate on what other consequences Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ethnic Albanian-dominated government might face if it did not accede to their demands. "I don't think that these things are resolved with pressure and by mentioning consequences and even sanctions," Kurti told reporters on Wednesday. "We have challenges with EU and U.S. envoys but our bilateral relations with the EU and U.S. are excellent." Lajcak said on Monday that the envoys presented proposals to Kurti to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, adding they had a "long, honest, difficult discussion".

Persons: Balkans Gabriel Escobar, Escobar, Miroslav Lajcak, Albin Kurti's, Kurti, Lajcak, Vjosa Osmani, Peter Stano, Lajacak, Josep Borrell, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Kosovo’s, Kosovo PM, European Union, Kosovo, NATO, U.S, EU, United, Reuters, Washington, Europe, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, BRUSSELS, United States, Kosovo, Serbia, Balkans, Belgrade, U.S, EU

☆ Kosovo open to new elections in municipalities hit by unrest, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE, June 6 (Reuters) - Kosovo is open to the possibility of new elections in four northern Serb-majority municipalities following unrest, but other steps need to be taken before then, Kosovan Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said on Tuesday. Gervalla-Schwarz, speaking after meeting the Czech foreign minister in Prague, said an end to the violence was the first condition to consider new elections. "Yes, we are open to elections in those four municipalities but to have new elections we need steps in between," she said. Reinforcements for NATO's peacekeeping force began to arrive in Kosovo this week following the unrest. Kosovo declared internationally recognised independence from Serbia in 2008, although it was rejected by Belgrade.

Persons: Donika Gervalla, Schwarz, Joe Biden, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Robert Muller, Jason Hovet, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Kosovan, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Kosovo, Czech, Prague, Serbia, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo's

☆ NATO member Turkey to send troops to Kosovo amid unrest in the north
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkey plans to send commandos to Kosovo on Sunday and Monday in response to a NATO request to join the alliance's KFOR peacekeeping force following unrest in the north of the country, the Turkish defence ministry said. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve a crisis that it said could harm regional security and stability. "Our assigned unit (a commando battalion) is planned to be deployed to ... Kosovo on June 4-5," the ministry said. In violence on Monday, 30 peacekeepers and 52 Serbs who protested against the installation of the mayors were injured. The violence prompted NATO to announce it would send additional troops on top of 700 already on their way to the Balkan country to boost its 4,000 strong mission.

Persons: Ezgi Erkoyun, Giles Elgood Organizations: NATO, alliance's KFOR, U.S, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Kosovo, Turkish, ., Kosovo's, Pristina

☆ Biden aide expressed concern in calls with Kosovo, Serbia leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - A senior aide to U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern about events in northern Kosovo in calls with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the White House said on Friday. In both calls, the White House said Finer expressed concern about the situation and pushed for all parties to reduce conflict. Washington also expected both sides to re-engage in a European Union dialogue and "to fully implement the normalization agreement" reached earlier this year. In violence on Monday, 30 peacekeepers and 52 Serbs who protested against the installation of ethnic-Albanian mayors were injured. The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted on Thursday that they want to defuse the crisis but have shown little sign of backing down from their opposing positions.

Persons: Joe Biden, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Biden's, Jon, Kurti, Biden, Vucic, Trevor Hunnicutt, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, White, House, Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Pristina, Serbia, Washington

Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. Speaking after the meeting with Vucic, Osmani accused the Serbian leader of "whining and complaining and ... not telling the truth". But she said Kosovo could hold new elections in the north with Serb participation if they were triggered legally. Earlier in the day, neither leader had expressed any desire to meet with the other, before relenting under international pressure. Vucic said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally.

Persons: Vjosa, Aleksandar Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Vucic, Osmani, Macron, Scholz, Mimi, Vladislav Culiomza Macron, Albin Kurti, Jens Stoltenberg, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, Tassilo Hummel, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair, Daniel Wallis Organizations: EU, Kosovo, NATO, Political, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: BULBOACA, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, France, Germany, United States, Serbian, Belgrade, Paris, Berlin, Bulboaca, Oslo

☆ NATO ready to deploy even more troops to quell unrest in Kosovo - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Italian members of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) stand guard behind wire fencing, in Leposavic, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen TeofilovskiOSLO, June 1 (Reuters) - NATO is prepared to deploy more troops to Kosovo to quell violence in the ethnically polarized north, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, adding that the first 700 reinforcement troops are on the way there. NATO decided to boost its 4,000-strong mission in the region with 700 additional troops after 30 of its KFOR peacekeepers and 52 ethnic Serb protesters were hurt on Monday. Stoltenberg called the violence against NATO troops "totally unacceptable" and said allies were readying more troops in case NATO needed to send additional reinforcements to the region. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Bart Meijer Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, KFOR, REUTERS, U.S, Thomson Locations: Leposavic, Kosovo, Ognen, OSLO, Oslo, Kosovo's, Serbs, Pristina, Belgrade, EU

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