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☆ She worked at some of Singapore's best Michelin-starred restaurants. Now, she runs a fine dining place out of her 1000-square-foot public housing apartment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementPristina Mok has worked at some of Singapore's top Michelin-star restaurants like Odette and Zen. After a few years at Odette, she worked at Zen, a three-Michelin-star restaurant serving Nordic dishes with Asian influences. Fine dining, apartment-styleMok's cozy fine dining restaurant seats eight guests three times a week. Aditi BharadeUpon entering Fragment, guests are often greeted by Pebble, Mok's poodle. AdvertisementScaling down has its drawbacksWhile her husband helps her plate and serve the dishes, Mok handles most of the workload.

Persons: Pristina Mok, Odette, Aditi Bharade, Mok, Lionel Lim, Aditi Bharade Mok, —, hadn't Organizations: Michelin, National Gallery of Singapore, Zen, Raffles Locations: Pristina, Mok's, Hokkaido

☆ She worked at some of Singapore's top Michelin restaurants. Now, she runs a fine-dining place out of her public housing apartment.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementPristina Mok has worked at some of Singapore's top Michelin-star restaurants, like Odette and Zen. After a few years at Odette, she worked at Zen, a three-Michelin-star restaurant serving Nordic dishes with Asian influences. Fine dining, apartment-styleMok's cozy fine dining restaurant seats eight guests three times a week. Aditi BharadeUpon entering Fragment, guests are often greeted by Pebble, Mok's poodle. AdvertisementScaling down has its drawbacksWhile her husband helps her plate and serve the dishes, Mok handles most of the workload.

Persons: Pristina Mok, Odette, Mok, Aditi Bharade, Lionel Lim, Aditi Bharade Mok, —, hadn't Organizations: Michelin, National Gallery of Singapore, Zen, Raffles Locations: Pristina, Mok's, Singapore, Hokkaido

☆ Interpol Issues Arrest Warrants for Gunmen in Last Year Kosovo Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Global police agency Interpol has issued international arrest warrants for ethnic Serb gunmen accused of storming a village last year in north of Kosovo and battling police in a shootout, which left four dead, Kosovo's interior minister said on Friday. Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said Interpol has informed that all suspects of the Banjska attack have been added in the arrest warrant. Kosovo blames Serbia of being behind the shootout but Belgrade has denied such accusations. They have often clashed with Kosovo police and international peacekeepers, but last September's violence was the worst since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Kosovo is still not a member of United Nations and all arrest warrants for Interpol are handled through a UN mission that arrived in Kosovo in 1999 when the war ended.

Persons: Xhelal Svecla, Svecla, Fatos Bytyci, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Global, Interpol, Reuters, Milan, Kosovo Serb, Facebook, Belgrade, Kosovo police, United Nations, UN Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbia, Serbian, Banjska, Belgrade

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo sparred at the United Nations over the latter's ban of the use of the Serbian currency in areas where minority Serbs live, the latest crisis between the two governments. The dinar was widely used in ethnic Serbian-dominated areas, especially in Kosovo's north, to pay pensions and salaries to staff in Serbian parallel institutions, including schools and hospitals. In 1999, a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo. Serbian forces were pushed out but Belgrade never recognized Kosovo’s independence and still considers it a Serbian province. The European Union and the United States expressed concern that Kosovo’s ban of the dinar could raise tensions in an already volatile region and called for consultations and a delay in the ban.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, ”, Albin Kurti, ” Kurti, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Dmitry Polyansky, Kurti Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Kosovo sparred, United Nations, . Security, NATO, Albanian, European Union, Center for Peace Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Belgrade, Western Europe, United States, Pristina

☆ 'Stability is fragile': An overlooked European conflict zone is at a tipping point between peace and combat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The clash broke out in the village when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which have been fraught since the pair's brutal conflict in the 1990s, remain delicate one year on from a tentative agreement on a new path to normalization. We cannot take peace and stability for granted," Miroslav Lajčák, EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last month. The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a series of talks facilitated by the European Union designed to ease hostilities between the neighboring southeastern European countries.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Vudi Xhymshiti, Miroslav Lajčák Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Belgrade, CNBC, European Union Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Serbia, Pristina, Balkans, Switzerland, Belgrade, Serbs

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has had an unlikely consequence — it has revived the EU's plans to get even bigger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People hold a banner and Ukrainian flags during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Davos, SWITZERLAND — As spiking geopolitical tensions thrust the European Union into the spotlight, attention has turned to the strategically important Western Balkans. The Western Balkans, comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, represent a notable gap in the map of EU membership in southeastern Europe. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month.

Persons: —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák Organizations: EU, Union, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, European, Western Balkans

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kremlin dismisses threat from anti-war election hopeful; Zelenskyy visits front-line war hot spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As part of the Western Balkans block waiting for EU-membership, Serbia is caught in a geostrategic rivalry between its Western allies and Russia. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought fresh political momentum to the European Union and its plans for enlargement in the Western Balkans. "I see the European Union more ready for the Balkans than the Balkans for the European Union," Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC last month. Within days of Russia's invasion, Ukraine, neighboring Moldova and, soon after, nearby Georgia applied for EU candidate status — which they were granted in quick succession. "Now, it's very clear that the European Union is serious."

Persons: Russia's, —, Miroslav Lajčák, Lajčák, — Karen Gilchrist Organizations: EU, European Union, Belgrade, Pristina, CNBC, European Locations: Ukraine, Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans, Russia, Western Balkans, European, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Europe, Yugoslavia, Moldova, Georgia, European Union

In the past week, Kosovo police searched the premises of Serbia-administered institutions and of an ethnic Serb non-governmental organization, confiscating papers and computers believed to hold documentation contrary to the country’s laws. Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn’t part of the EU. “The EU urges Kosovo to avoid unilateral actions that could raise tensions, and to address these issues through the EU-facilitated dialogue,” the EU statement said. Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign pushed Serbian forces away.

Persons: Jeffrey Hovenier, ”, Besnik Bislimi, Aleksandar Vučić, Albin Kurti, Josep Borrell Organizations: European Union, Kosovo, Police, Ambassador, EU, Serbian, Kosovo police, NATO, Belgrade doesn’t Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, United States, Serbia, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo’s, Serbs, Kosovo Serb, EU, Hovenier

Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn't part of the EU. But parts of Kosovo's north, populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, continue to use the dinar. The Central Bank reported on Wednesday that Serbian bank Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd closed its branches in Kosovo. Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. Kosovo eventually declared independence in 2008, but the government in Belgrade doesn't recognize its neighbor as a separate country.

Persons: Kosovo's, Aleksandar Vučić, Alexander, Botsan, ” Vucic, ”, Besnik Bislimi, Albin Kurti, Miroslav Lajčák, Josep Borrell, ___ Llazar Semini Organizations: Union, Serbian, Kosovo’s Central Bank, Western, The Central Bank, NATO, Belgrade doesn't, European Union, Kosovo, Kosovo police, EU Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo's, Serbs, Serbia, Russia, Russian, Belgrade, Pristina, Metohija, Kosovo Serbs, ” Kosovo, Komercijalna Banka, Beograd, Brussels, EU, United States, Vučić, Balkans, Kosovo’s, Tirana, Albania

☆ British troops patrol Kosovo-Serbia border as tensions remain high
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] British troops part of the NATO reinforcements patrol at the Kosovo-Serbia border in Jarinje, Kosovo November 24, 2023. NATO has sent 1,000 extra troops to the region, bringing its presence there to 4,500 peacekeepers from 27 countries. British soldiers are now being deployed in 18-hour shifts in freezing conditions to make sure no weapons or armed groups enter Kosovo. Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and a 1999 NATO intervention. Around five percent of the population in Kosovo are ethnic Serbs, of which half live in the north and refuse to recognize Kosovo independence and see Belgrade as their capital.

Persons: Valdrin, Joss Gaddie, Jens Stoltenberg, Albin Kurti's, Fatos Bytyci, Mike Harrison Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Belgrade, KFOR, British Army, Reuters, Kosovo, Kosovo police, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Serbia, Jarinje, NATO, Britain, Romania, Banjska, Balkans, Belgrade, Pristina

☆ A lion and several bears go wild in snow in Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Lion Gjon looks on as the bear sanctuary is covered with the first snow in Mramor, near the capital Pristina, Kosovo November 25, 2023. The lion Gjon was rescued last year from a local restaurant that was caged to amuse restaurant-goers. The lion, named Gjon, was rescued last year from a local restaurant where it was kept to amuse clients. The sanctuary, home to 20 brown bears, is managed by Four Paws International, a non-profit dedicated to animal welfare. The bears have a similar story to Gjon's, in that they were caged in local restaurants - having been removed from local forests - before being rescued.

Persons: Gjon, Hoti, Fatos Bytyci, David Holmes Organizations: Workers, Pristina Bear, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mramor, Pristina, Kosovo, South Africa

☆ Israel’s soccer team loses to Kosovo as videos show some fans booing national anthem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Jacob Lev | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Israeli national soccer team on Sunday played its first match since the Israel-Hamas war started, losing 1-0 against Kosovo in a European Championship qualifying match. During Israel’s national anthem before the match, some fans in attendance in Kosovo appeared to boo and whistle, according to videos circulating on social media. CNN has contacted UEFA, the governing body of European football, and the Israeli Football Association for comment. The top two teams, currently Romania and Switzerland, will automatically qualify for next year’s European Championship in Germany. “Our country is more important than football,” Israel coach Alon Hazan told reporters after the match, according to Reuters.

Persons: Israel, Milot, Armend Nimani, Omri Glazer, Zymer, Roy Revivo’s, Alon Hazan, ”, Pancho Aréna Organizations: CNN, soccer team, Sunday, Kosovo, UEFA, Israeli Football Association, Pristina City, Israel, Getty, Zymer Bytyqi, ”, Reuters, Switzerland Locations: Israel, Kosovo, Pristina, Romania, Switzerland, Germany, AFP, “, ” Israel, Hungary

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Israel’s national soccer team arrived in Kosovo on Friday amid tight security measures at the airport ahead of a postponed European Championship qualifier. There was also tight security at the hotel where the team was staying ahead of Sunday's game. Police officers created a security perimeter at the hotel that the public and journalists were not allowed to cross. Kosovo was the first European country, and the first country with a Muslim majority, to establish its embassy in Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv, following the U.S. and Guatemala. Israel is the most recent country to have recognized Kosovo after Pristina’s Parliament declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Persons: Israel, Donald Trump, — Organizations: —, soccer team, Police, UEFA, White House, Pristina’s Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Israeli, Israel, Gaza, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, United States, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Guatemala

☆ A 'festering' powder keg in Europe is lurking in the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Consequently, the Serbia-Kosovo discord, while festering, finds itself languishing in the shadow of these more immediate and globally resonant challenges." It highlights a major challenge for policymakers: providing ongoing conflicts with near-constant attention, while still monitoring other strategically significant risks. "The fact remains that the Balkan region is a powder keg, where even minor incidents can swiftly spiral into broader conflicts. History has underscored the adage that what happens in the Balkans, doesn't stay in the Balkans," the CEPA's Hartwell said. "The U.S., EU and U.K. do not have the diplomatic and military bandwidth to respond to several conflicts of strategic interest.

Persons: Stringer, Leon Hartwell, Hartwell, Banjska, doesn't, Majda Ruge Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, KFOR, Afp, Getty, Center for, CNBC, European Union, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Mitrovica, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Balkans, Europe, Serbia, Kosovo, Palestine, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Southern, Eastern Europe, Moscow, Brussels, Washington, Serbs, Kosovan, U.S, EU, Pristina, destabilising Kosovo, Yugoslavia

☆ EU to help Western Balkans reforms with 6 billion euro package - von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with an investment of 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion), the EU executive's president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. It also urged the countries to open a common regional market, and pursue it with necessary reforms. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Fatos Bytyci, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond, Mark Porter Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia, Brussels, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia, Pristina

☆ EU Envoy Tells Kosovo and Serbia to Return to Dialogue
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - The European Union Special Envoy Miroslav Lajcak urged Serbia and Kosovo to return to dialogue on normalising ties to avoid a repeat of last month's violence in northern Kosovo. Police recaptured the monastery after a shootout in which three attackers and a Kosovo police officer were killed. They have often clashed with Kosovo police and international peacekeepers, but last month's violence was the worst in years. Lajcak urged Pristina to start working on establishing an association of Serb municipalities to allow greater autonomy for Serb majority areas. Lajcak urged Belgrade to investigate the events and punish any perpetrators in its territory.

Persons: Miroslav Lajcak, Lajcak, Albin Kurti, gunbattle, Gabriel Escobar, Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Ros Russell Organizations: Union, Serbs, Police, Kosovo, United States, Serbian, Kosovo police Locations: PRISTINA, Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Pristina, Banjska, Kosovo's, Serbian, NATO, Balkans, France, Germany, Italy

☆ Macron says 'Islamist terrorism' rising in Europe, all states at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TIRANA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Europe is seeing a rise of "Islamist terrorism" and all states are threatened, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday during a visit to Albania, after Islamist killings of a teacher in France and two Swedish football fans in Belgium. Macron spoke a day after a 45-year-old attacker, who identified himself as a member of Islamic State and claimed responsibility in a video posted online, killed the two Swedes fans in Brussels. All European states are vulnerable, and there is indeed a resurgence of Islamist terrorism," Macron said after talks with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. "Here, we reiterate our solidarity with our Belgian friends," Macron said. "Israel's security, the fight against all terrorist groups, as well as the peace process and the political solution, are all interconnected," he said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Florian Goga, Fatos, Hedy Beloucif, Marine Strauss, Ivana Sekularac, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Islamic, Albanian, Edi Rama, Thomson Locations: TIRANA, Europe, Albania, France, Belgium, Islamic State, Brussels, Paris, French, Arras, Tirana, Israel, Pristina

☆ Gavi strike sends Spain to Euro 2024, Turkey and Scotland also qualify
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Philip O'Connor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Spain striker was the centre of attention again when midfielder Gavi fired home four minutes after the break and another VAR offside check ensued, but this time he was in the clear and the goal was allowed to stand. Norway set up to hit Spain on the break but struggled to create much in attack as the visitors kept striker Erling Haaland shackled to reach the finals with two games to spare. A brilliant volley from Yunus Akgun just before the hour put Turkey on course for a comprehensive win against Latvia that ensured they will take their place at next year's tournament. The Turks top their group with 16 points, six points ahead of Wales and Croatia after the Welsh beat the Croats 2-1 in Cardiff to keep their qualifying hopes alive. Reporting by Philip O'Connor, Tommy Lund and Anita Kobylinska; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gavi's, Alvaro Morata, Gavi, Erling Haaland, Yunus Akgun, Cenk, Poland's, Robert Lewandowski, Ion Nicolaescu, Karol Swiderski, Philip O'Connor, Tommy Lund, Anita Kobylinska, Ken Ferris Organizations: Norway, Group, Scotland, Latvia, Turks, Welsh, Israel, Thomson Locations: Spain, Norway, Germany Turkey, Latvia, Turkey, Oslo, Kerem, Germany, Wales, Croatia, Cardiff, Switzerland, Belarus, Romania, Andorra, Swiss, Pristina, Moldova, Albania, Czech Republic

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has postponed Israel’s European Championship qualifying game against host Kosovo on Sunday. Israel was scheduled to host group leader Switzerland on Thursday in Tel Aviv and that game was postponed late Sunday. It will now be played Nov. 15 though it is unclear if Israel can safely host games. The delayed Kosovo-Israel game could prevent UEFA making the qualifying playoffs draw on Nov. 23 as scheduled. Israel will go to the playoffs even if it finishes third in the qualifying group because last year it topped a Nations League group in the second tier.

Persons: —, Israel, Jerusalem —, ___ Organizations: UEFA, Kosovo, Sunday, European, Switzerland, Israel, Romania, Nations League Locations: NYON, Switzerland, Pristina, Israel, Romania, Germany, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Kosovo

☆ UEFA postpones Israel's Euro qualifier against Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - UEFA said on Thursday it was postponing Israel's Euro 2024 qualifier against Kosovo in Pristina as Israeli authorities are not allowing the national team to travel abroad due to the conflict with Hamas. European soccer's governing body said a new date for the Group I match, which had been scheduled for Sunday, would be announced at a later time. UEFA has already postponed Israel's qualifier against Switzerland to Nov. 15 in the wake of attacks by Hamas militants. The match had been scheduled to be played in Tel Aviv on Thursday. Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Kosovo, Hamas, Group, UEFA, Switzerland, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Pristina, European, Tel Aviv

☆ Serbia Lowers Number of Troops Near Kosovo, Army Chief of Staff Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital. NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo, said on Friday it had "authorised additional forces to address the current situation".

Persons: General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

☆ An unusual military build-up in southern Europe sparked fears of another invasion like Russia's full-scale assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US warned last week that Serbia staged an "unprecedented" military build-up along its border. AdvertisementAdvertisementA massive build-up of military power in Serbia has officials in neighboring Kosovo drawing comparisons to what Russian forces were doing before Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On September 24, heavily armed Serb gunmen killed a Kosovar police officer and stormed a monestary in northern Kosovo, setting off a shootout that left several attackers dead. Meanwhile, on Friday, the US made public its observation of the Serbian military build-up along the border and expressed concerns over the situation. "We are monitoring a large Serbian military deployment along the border with Kosovo that includes an unprecedented staging of advanced Serbian artillery, tanks, and mechanized infantry units.

Persons: —, Biden, Donika Gervalla, Schwarz, Deutschlandfunk, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, STRINGER, Jens Stoltenberg, John Kirby, Albin Kurti Organizations: US, Russia, Service, Reuters, Yugoslavia, NATO, Kosovo, Intervention, Serbian, AP, Kosovo Force, KFOR, UK, Getty, Belgrade, National Security Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Kosovo's, Ukraine, Serbian, Russia, Belgrade, Pristina, Mitrovica, EU, Kosova

☆ Serbia lowers number of troops near Kosovo, army chief of staff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo police officers patrol, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, in Banjska village, Kosovo September 27, 2023. "Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital.

Persons: Ognen, General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade, Thomson Locations: Banjska village, Kosovo, Serbia, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

☆ Serbian president says reports about troop build up on the Kosovo border ‘not fully accurate’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Sugam Pokharel Claire Calzonetti Duarte Mendonca Sana Noor Haq | Sugam Pokharel | Claire Calzonetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Soldiers with the NATO-led international peacekeeping force, the Kosovo Force, in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, on September 28. A top Kosovo Serb politician, Milan Radoicic said this weekend that he took part in the gun battle, Reuters reported. The confrontation comes months after ethnic Serbs attacked dozens of NATO peacekeepers in the town of Zvecan, in northern Kosovo, in May. The violence has ratcheted tensions in the Balkan region as the EU and US mediators attempt to finalize yearslong talks to normalize ties between Serbia and Kosovo. Following his first-round victory against American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart] of Serbia.

Persons: Aleksandar Vučić, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Vučić, “, ” Vučić, Stringer, Vjosa Osmani, Milan Radoicic, Radoicic, “ I’m, yearslong, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, American Aleksandar Kovacevic Organizations: CNN, Serbian, NSC, National Security Council, NATO, ”, Kosovo Force, Getty, Kosovar, Kosovo Serb, Reuters, European, EU, American, “ Locations: Serbian, Kosovo, United States, Mitrovica, AFP, Serbia, Banjska, Belgrade, European Union, Brussels, Pristina, Zvecan, “ Kosovo

☆ Kosovo Demands Serbia Withdraw Troops From Border
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo on Saturday demanded that Serbia withdraw its troops from their common border, saying it was ready to protect its territorial integrity. "We call on President Vucic and the institutions of Serbia to immediately withdraw all troops from the border with Kosovo," the Kosovo government said in a statement. "The deployment of Serbian troops along the border with Kosovo is the next step by Serbia to threaten the territorial integrity of our country." On Friday the United States said it was monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the Kosovo border that is destabilizing the area. "Kosovo, in coordination with international partners, is more determined than ever to protect its territorial integrity," the Pristina government said.

Persons: Vucic, Aleksandar Vucic, Fatos Bytyci, Giles Elgood Organizations: Saturday, Kosovo police, Financial Times, European Union, USA, NATO Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbia, Banjska, Serbian, NATO, States, Pristina, Republic of Kosovo

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