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"International companies that were supposed to arrive for the first time in Kosovo told us that they were delaying opening shops due to the unstable situation," Fatmir Zymberi told Reuters. The main, longstanding fount of tensions is the refusal of 50,000 ethnic Serbs in north Kosovo to recognise the government in Pristina or Kosovo as a separate country. The area of north Kosovo where ethnic Serbs form a majority looks in some respects like an extension of Serbia. The Kremlin denied influencing Serbia to stir up conflict, saying Belgrade was just defending the rights of Kosovo Serbs. "I am more worried than I have been in many years about the risk of conflict in north Kosovo that could then spill into reprisal attacks on Serbs in south Kosovo.

☆ Kosovo says 'yes' to EU's peace deal with Serbia, with caveats - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People are pictured through Kosovo flag as they take part in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Kosovo's independence in Pristina, Kosovo February 17, 2018. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a decade after a guerrilla uprising against Belgrade's rule. Kosovo in 2013 pledged to give more autonomy to local Serbs, who refuse to recognise its 2008 independence, through such an association as part of a peace deal. However, Kosovo's highest court said some parts of the deal violated the constitution and should be changed before it takes effect. The proposed 11-point deal would not require Serbia to recognise the independence of its former province, but Belgrade would have to stop lobbying against Kosovo's membership in international bodies.

☆ Serbia asks Russia to end recruitment of its people for Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Russia should halt its efforts to recruit Serbs to fight alongside its Wagner paramilitary group in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. Vucic criticised Russia's websites and social media groups for publishing advertisements in the Serbian language in which the Wagner group calls volunteers to join its ranks. Serb volunteers took part in the fighting alongside pro-Russian forces in Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic also warned Serbs against joining Russian ranks in the war against Ukraine. Serbia is entirely dependent on gas imports from Russia and its NIS oil retailer is owned by Russia's Gazprom.

☆ NATO declines Serbia's request to deploy its troops in Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Serbia's former province of Kosovo declared independence in 2008 following the 1998-1999 war during which NATO bombed rump-Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, to protect Albanian-majority Kosovo. Last month, for the first time since the end of the war, Serbia requested to deploy troops in Kosovo in response to clashes between Kosovo authorities and Serbs in the northern region where they constitute a majority. Kosovo authorities condemned the incident, which has inflamed tensions. Goran Rakic, the head of the Serb List, which is the main Serb party in Kosovo, accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of trying to drive out Serbs. International organisations condemned the attacks, expected to deepen mistrust between majority ethnic Albanians and around 100,000 ethnic Serbs that live in Kosovo.

☆ Kremlin backs Serbia, denies Russia is stoking tensions in Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday said it supported Serbia's attempts to protect ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo but denied Pristina's accusation that Russia was somehow stoking tensions in an attempt to sow chaos across the Balkans. Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions. Serbia denies it is trying to destabilise its neighbour and says it just wants to protect its minority there. Around 50,000 Serbs live in the northern part of Kosovo and refuse to recognise the Pristina government or the state. "Having very close allied relations, historical and spiritual relations with Serbia, Russia is very closely monitoring what is happening, how the rights of Serbs are respected and ensured," Peskov said.

☆ Serbia's Vucic urges Serbs in Kosovo to remove barricades - official
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia and Serbs in north Kosovo have refused to recognise that and their licence plates are still being issued by Serbia. Serbs in north Kosovo have erected barricades and blocked roads for about three weeks following the arrest of former police officer Dejan Pantic by Kosovo police. Vucic has called on Serbs in the north to remove barricades, Petkovic added. Vucic and Kosovo Serb representatives will meet Wednesday evening near the Kosovo border and announce if the barricades will be removed, Petkovic said. Earlier on Wednesday, the United States, NATO and European Union urged maximum restraint by both sides in the standoff.

☆ Tensions rise in northern Kosovo, Serbia puts army on alert
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MITROVICA, Kosovo, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Protesting Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina. Since Dec. 10, Serbs in northern Kosovo have erected multiple roadblocks in and around Mitrovica and exchanged fire with police after the arrest of a former Serb policeman for allegedly assaulting serving police officers during a previous protest. Around 50,000 Serbs live in the northern part of Albanian-majority Kosovo and refuse to recognise the Pristina government or the state. They see Belgrade as their capital and are backed by Serbia, from which Kosovo declared independence in 2008. The local Serbs are demanding the release of the arrested officer and have other demands before they will remove the barricades.

☆ Why ethnic tensions are flaring again in northern Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kosovo won independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising against Belgrade's repressive rule. Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and rejects suggestions it is whipping up tensions and conflict within its neighbour's borders. Ethnic Serb mayors in northern municipalities, along with local judges and some 600 police officers, resigned in November in protest at the looming switch. Serbs in Kosovo want to create an association of majority-Serb municipalities that would operate with greater autonomy. Serbia and Kosovo have made little progress on this and other issues since committing in 2013 to the EU-sponsored dialogue.

☆ Kosovo calls for NATO intervention after weekend of violence amid rising ethnic tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Niamh Kennedy Cnn Reuters | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Kosovo’s Prime Minister urged NATO peacekeeping troops to intervene after minority Serb protesters blocked roads and unknown gunmen exchanged fire with police over the weekend amid rising ethnic tensions in the country’s restive north. In recent weeks, minority Serbs in northern Kosovo have responded with violent resistance to moves by Pristina that they see as anti-Serb. On Sunday, Vucic said Serbia demanded the release of all arrested Serbs from northern Kosovo, but also seeks to defuse tensions in the region. Vucic accused authorities in Pristina and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti of stoking tensions by making “countless unilateral moves.”“Whenever one would think we have something solved, another problem emerges,” Vucic said. “Kosovo police has nothing to do in the north…especially people armed…up to their teeth,” Vucic said.

☆ Serbia's president says Belgrade seeks to deescalate situation in Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Serbia demands the release of all arrested Serbs from northern Kosovo, but also seeks to defuse tensions there following tensions in the restive region, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday. After a meeting of the National Security Council, Vucic said Kosovo Serbs must not engage in violence against NATO troops and members of the European Union mission there. Asked whether Belgrade would seek to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, he replied: "Absolutely." Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked main roads on Saturday after the arrest of a former Serb policeman. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, following the 1998-99 war in which NATO intervened to protect Albanian majority Kosovo.

☆ Serbs in Kosovo block roads, clash with police as ethnic tensions worsen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In recent weeks Serbs in northern Kosovo, a hotbed of Serb nationalism, have met attempts by Pristina which they see as anti-Serb with violent resistance. Barricades must be removed immediately by groups of Kosovo Serbs. For a second day on Sunday, trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles blocked several main roads in northern Kosovo that lead to two border crossings with Serbia. After Saturday's incidents, Goran Rakic, the head of the Serbian List party, which is supported by Belgrade, called on Serbs in northern Kosovo to show restraint and cooperate with NATO peacekeepers and EULEX. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with the backing of the West, following a 1998-1999 war in which NATO intervened to protect Albanian-majority Kosovo.

☆ Serbia to ask NATO to deploy Serb military, police in Kosovo, President Vucic says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BELGRADE, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Serbia will ask NATO peacekeepers to let it deploy Serbian military and police in Kosovo, although it believes there is no chance of the request being approved, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday. Vucic told a news conference in Belgrade that he would make the request in a letter to the commander of the NATO force KFOR. It would be the first time Belgrade requested to deploy troops in Kosovo, under provisions of a U.N. Security Council resolution which ended a 1998-1999 war, in which NATO interceded against Serbia to protect Albanian-majority Kosovo. At the time it was agreed, Kosovo was internationally recognised as part of Serbia. With the West's backing, Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a declaration not recognised by Serbia.

☆ Kosovo police exchange fire with local Serbs blocking roads
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Kosovo Serbs block the road near the village of Rudine, North Mitrovica, Kosovo December 10, 2022. REUTERS/Ognen TeofilovskiMITROVICA, Kosovo, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Kosovo Serbs and country’s police exchanged gunfire on Saturday after a flareup of tensions in the volatile northern part of the country. Earlier in the day Serbs from Kosovo's north blocked main roads in the region to protest against the arrest of a former member of the Kosovo police who quit his post last month along with other ethnic Serbs. With a crisis mounting in the majority Serb north, Kosovo's president Vjosa Osmani on Saturday announced that local elections in that area would be delayed until April 23. "Serbia has instructed its illegal structures to set up barricades in the north Kosovo.

☆ Kosovo, Serbia reach deal to end dangerous dispute over car plates -EU
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PRISTINA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Kosovo and Serbia reached a deal on Wednesday to end a nearly two-year dispute over car licence plates in northern Kosovo, which the West had warned could trigger ethnic violence, the European Union's foreign policy chief said. "We have a deal," Josep Borrell posted on Twitter after the agreement was reached in Brussels under EU mediation. Kosovo had planned to start issuing fines from Thursday to some 10,000 Serb drivers who continue to use Serbian-issued car licence plates. "Serbia will stop issuing licence plates with Kosovo cities’ denominations and Kosovo will cease further actions related to re-registration of vehicles," Borrell wrote. Kosovo has attempted this year to require its Serb minority to change their old car plates that date before 1999 when Kosovo was still part of Serbia.

☆ Kosovo delays fining Serb drivers for 2 days after U.S. request
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live in Kosovo refuse to recognise Pristina's authority, and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Belgrade has said it will never recognise Kosovo's independence. Hundreds of police officers, judges, prosecutors and other state workers from the Serb minority quit their jobs this month after Pristina ruled that local Serbs must finally replace car plates issued by Kosovo Serb municipal authorities, loyal to Belgrade, with Kosovo state ones. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the talks, blamed mainly Kosovo for rejecting an EU proposal on how to resolve the dispute. NATO, which has around 3,700 peacekeepers in Kosovo, said it was ready to intervene should the security situation be threatened.

BRUSSELS/BELGRADE, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The European Union on Monday warned of "escalation and violence" after Kosovo and Serbia failed to agree in emergency talks on a solution to their long-running dispute over car licence plates used by the ethnic Serb minority in Kosovo. Kosovo has attempted this year to require its Serb minority to change their old car plates that date before 1999 when Kosovo was still part of Serbia. The dispute over licence plates has stoked tensions for almost two years between Serbia and its former breakaway province, which declared independence in 2008 and is home to a Serb minority in the north backed by Belgrade. Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live there refuse to recognise Pristina's authority and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Additional reporting by Bart Meijer; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany tells Serbia: you have to choose between EU and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Serbia must decide whether it wants to join the European Union or enter into a partnership with Russia, Germany told Belgrade on Tuesday, two days before six Western Balkan countries are scheduled to discuss closer cooperation in Berlin. An agreement between Serbia and Russia on enhanced cooperation had been met with surprise and disappointment, and was a poor fit with expectations that EU accession candidates should also adopt EU sanctions against Russia, the representative said. Serbia, an accession candidate since 2012, decided in September to hold regular foreign policy consultations on bilateral and multilateral activities with Russia. One got the impression that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was well aware of his pendulum position, the German government representative said. If he decided to lead his country in the direction of the European Union, he had the German government's support.

☆ Serbia won't recognise results of Russia's referendums in Ukraine - Vucic
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Serbia will not recognise the results of referendums held in four regions of Ukraine partly occupied by Russian forces, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday, despite Belgrade's warm ties with Moscow. Russia's President Vladimir Putin is expected to proclaim the annexation of the four provinces - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - in a speech on Friday. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Serbia ... will not recognise that (referendums) as it adheres to international law, the United Nations Charter and UN resolutions," Vucic told reporters. But Serbia has also repeatedly declined to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations and says it fully respects Ukraine's territorial integrity. Ukraine also refuses to recognise Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

☆ EU has 'serious questions' as Serbia enters regular consultations with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic during a news conference following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 16, 2021. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic signed a document on Friday dubbed a "plan on consultations". Serbia had declared EU accession a strategic priority, which implied "alignment with European policies, including on foreign policy issues," he added. Although Serbia has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations, it has refused to join sanctions against Moscow. On Sunday, Selakovic said Serbia would not recognise results of the referendums in parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow.

☆ Relația „amoroasă” secretă dintre Serbia și NATO — Moldova.org
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-27 | by ( Autor Invitat | Tatiana Beghiu | ) www.moldova.org time to read: +3 min

„Serbia rămâne un puternic aliat al Rusiei în Balcani” – acesta este modul în care majoritatea mass-mediei descrie relația Serbiei cu NATO și Rusia. Ce împiedică Serbia (și NATO) să iasă și să dezvăluie parteneriatul lor? A adera la NATO ar fi ca și cum ai arbora un steag roșu. Și pentru NATO este mai bine să nu vorbească despre partenerul său obosit. Fotografiile/infograficele de pe platforma moldova.org pot fi preluate în număr de maxim 2 bucăți per material și doar cu menționarea Moldova.org și numele autorului/autoarei.

Persons: Aleksandar Vučić Organizations: NATO, Marii Locations: Serbia, Rusiei, Balcani, Serbiei, Rusia, Kosovo, ruse, SUA, Belgrad, Marii Britanii, ost, Pantovic, Republicii Federative Socialiste Iugoslavia

☆ Serbia a început producţia vaccinului rusesc Sputnik V
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-04 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Serbia este prima ţară europeană care produce acest vaccin, în afară de Rusia şi Belarus.Preşedintele sârb a precizat că va urmări prin transmisiune video lansarea operaţiunilor programate pentru ora 15:30 GMT la Institutul de Virologie Torlak, alături de omologul său rus,Vladimir Putin. "În câteva zile veţi avea primele vaccinuri produse în Serbia pe care le putem oferi cetăţenilor noştri, dar şi cetăţenilor din regiune, din Europa şi din întreaga lume", a adăugat Aleksandar Vucic.Serbia va produce, de asemenea, vaccinul chinezesc Sinopharm, a reamintit el.Ţara urmează să producă patru milioane de doze de vaccin Sputnik V în următoarele şase luni, a declarat ministrul sârb al Dezvoltării tehnologice, Nenad Popovic.Vaccinul rusesc Sputnik V a fost aprobat în peste 65 de ţări, însă nu a primit undă verde din partea Statelor Unite şi a Uniunii Europene.Oficialii ruşi s-au declarat optimişti vineri că vaccinul lor va fi recunoscut de Organizaţia Mondială a Sănătăţii (OMS) şi de Agenţia Europeană a Medicamentului (EMA).Serbia a cumpărat până în prezent milioane de doze de vaccinuri chinezeşti, ruseşti şi occidentale.Ţara balcanică, cu şapte milioane de locuitori, a vaccinat complet 30% din populaţia sa, potrivit datelor colectate de AFP.Pentru a încuraja populaţia să se vaccineze, Belgradul a oferit bonusuri de 25 de euro şi a demarat campanii de vaccinare în centrele comerciale.Circa 7.000 de sârbi au murit din cauza COVID-19 şi peste 710.000 de persoane au fost infectate cu noul coronavirus.

Persons: Vladimir Putin ., Aleksandar Vucic.Serbia, Europene.Oficialii ruşi Organizations: Sputnik, OMS Locations: Serbia, Rusia, Europa, Statelor Unite

☆ Explozii la o fabrică militară din Serbia. Deflagraţiile au avut loc după ce depozitele de muniţii au luat foc
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-04 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: 1 min

Explozii la o fabrică militară din Serbia. Deflagraţiile au avut loc în noaptea de joi spre vineri, după ce un incendiu a izbucnit la depozitele de muniţii ale întreprinderii militare "Sloboda" din orașul Čačak. Potrivit presei străine, care citează Ministerul sârb al Apărării, locuitorii din preajmă și angajații întreprinderii au fost evacuați. Exploziile au încetat după câteva ore, însă focul a continuat să ardă. Pompierii nu pot interveni decât după 24 de ore de la ultima explozie.

Persons: Deflagraţiile, Aleksandar Vučić Locations: Serbia, Čačak, Apărării

☆ Serbia construieşte o fabrică de vaccinuri anti-COVID pentru ca cetățenii săi „să fie pe deplin protejați”
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-31 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Brnabic a răspuns astfel unui reporter care a întrebat-o de ce are Serbia nevoie de o fabrică de vaccinuri acum şi de ce guvernul a alocat 16 milioane de euro din buget în acest scop. "Aceasta va fi o investiţie în viitor, dacă nu pentru a combate coronavirusul, atunci pentru altă luptă", a subliniat Brnabic. Un avion cu 100.620 de doze de vaccin Pfizer-Biontech donate Republicii Cehe de Serbia a decolat luni dimineaţa de pe aeroportul Nikola Tesla din Belgrad, în prezenţa premierului sârb şi a ambasadorului ceh în Serbia. Pe 20 mai, guvernul sârb a decis să doneze 100.000 de doze de vaccin Republicii Cehe, ca gest de solidaritate cu cetăţenii cehi în lupta împotriva noului tip de coronavirus. Înainte de aceasta, în timpul unei vizite oficiale la Praga, preşedintele sârb Aleksandar Vucic a oferit această donaţie premierului ceh Andrej Babis.

Persons: Ana Brnabic, . Brnabic, Nikola Tesla, Aleksandar Vucic, Andrej Babis Locations: Serbia, Europa, Serbiei, Republicii Cehe, Belgrad, Praga

☆ Aleksandar Vucic: O mare putere va solicita retragerea KFOR şi a UNMIK din Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-13 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: 1 min

Şeful statului sârb a refuzat să dezvăluie numele ţării respective, dar a precizat că informaţia provine de la surse oficiale din domeniul securităţii.El a adăugat că Pristina a anunţat un buget militar anual de 100 de milioane de euro, mult sub cele 2 miliarde de euro alocate în fiecare an de Serbia în acelaşi scop. ''Acestea nu sunt cifre comparabile, trebuie să nu ne fie teamă, dar ne este clar ce ar vrea să facă cineva'', a afirmat Aleksandar Vucic.Regiunea Kosovo şi-a declarat unilateral independenţa faţă de Belgrad în februarie 2008, la aproape un deceniu după ce NATO a bombardat forţele sârbe pentru a opri uciderea şi expulzarea etnicilor albanezi din regiune.

Persons: Aleksandar Organizations: NATO Locations: sârb, Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrad

☆ Bani, bere, prăjituri sau marijuana. Recompensele promise de către guvernele și oamenii de afaceri pentru cei ce se vaccinează
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-06 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +4 min

Recompensele promise de către guvernele și oamenii de afaceri pentru cei ce se vaccineazăBere, prăjituri, bani și marijuana. Sunt recompensele pe care guvernele și oamenii de afaceri le promit celor care merg să se vaccineze. O bere sau 100 de dolari, printre „stimulentele” acordate în SUAAstfel de recompense sunt oferite și în Statele Unite, unde oamenii care acceptă să se vaccineze primesc diverse „premii”, de la prăjituri și cafea, la bere, bani sau reduceri la diverse produse și chiar la marijuana. De exemplu, guvernatorul din New Jersey, Phil Murphy, le-a promis o bere gratuită tuturor celor cu vârste de peste 21 de ani care se vaccinează, în cadrul programului denumit „O doză şi o bere”, care va funcţiona până la sfârşitul lunii. Însă aceia care încasează banii după prima doză de vaccin şi nu se mai prezintă la a doua doză vor trebui să restituie banii.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic . Alții, Joe Biden, Phil Murphy, Muriel, Administraţia Biden, Larry Hogan, Jim Justice Organizations: Ziua Naţională Locations: Statelor Unite, Serbia, SUA, Statele Unite, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia de Vest

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