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☆ Opinion | Don’t Doubt NATO. It Saved My People.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Albin Kurti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many European partners worry that after the U.S. presidential election in November, the American commitment to the alliance will wane. Who among my people could forget the sight of NATO soldiers being cheered as they arrived? Over the past 25 years, as NATO helped liberate Kosovo and maintained the peace, we in return built democracy to foster this peace from within. We declared our independence in 2008, an idea that will resonate with Americans who have just celebrated their Independence Day. There was little doubt to us, given the fresh memories of genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, that the situation in Kosovo would have deteriorated rapidly without NATO.

Persons: Slobodan Milosevic Organizations: NATO, U.S, Kosovar Locations: United States, Washington, Europe, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosova, Rwanda, Bosnia

☆ Kosovo says Serbia's behaviour same as Russia's before Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Serbia's troop deployment on Kosovo's border recalls Russia's behaviour towards Ukraine before its invasion, the Kosovar foreign minister said, urging the European Union to take action against Belgrade such as freezing its candidacy status. "There has never been this kind of concentration of troops in recent years," Kosovar Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk in an interview on Monday. She said it was not just the concentration of troops on the edge of its former southern province, whose independence Belgrade does not recognise, but also Serbia's rhetoric and its "methods" resembling Russian behaviour towards Ukraine. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and 1999 NATO intervention, accuses Serbia of arming and supporting the Serb fighters. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; editing by Miranda Murray and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Donika Gervalla, Schwarz, Aleksandar Vucic, Sarah Marsh, Miranda Murray, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Union, Belgrade, NATO, Kosovar, Deutschlandfunk, EU, Serbs, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, States, Kosovo, Belgrade, Serbian, Serbia

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ The US is warning of a big build-up of Serbian troops on the Kosovo border. Here’s why tensions are high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The long fractious ties between Kosovo and Serbia are once again on edge after one of the worst outbreaks of violence in years. Ognen Teofilovski/ReutersMore than 20 years on, fragile peace has been preserved in Kosovo, while Serbia continues not to recognize Kosovo’s independence. During the subsequent shootout in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo, police said they killed three armed attackers and arrested another. Visar Kryeziu/APIn another development, a top Kosovo Serb politician, Milan Radoicic said he took part in the gun battle, Reuters reported. The White House has warned that the incident represents a threat to the safety of not only Kosovo personnel, but international personnel including NATO troops.

Persons: Ognen Teofilovski, What’s, Albin Kurti, ”, Vjosa Osmani, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, “, Visar, Milan Radoicic, Radoicic, John Kirby, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: CNN, Kosovar, Federal, NATO, Sunday, Facebook, Kosovo, Reuters, Kosovo police, AP, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Police, National Security Locations: Kosovo, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Serbian, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Banjska, Belgrade, Pristina, Serbs, Zvecan

☆ Exclusive: Kosovo's president blames Serbia for shootout, says Kosovo 'under attack'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The (armed) group simply exercised the intentions and the motives of Serbia as a country and Vucic as the leader." Serbia, which has not recognized its former province's independence, blames Kosovo for precipitating violence by mistreating ethnic Serb residents, a charge Kosovo denies. "What I would say to President Vucic is stop messing with Kosovo. [1/4]Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani talks to Reuters after a deadly shootout in the northern part of the country, in Pristina, Kosovo September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Laura Hasani Acquire Licensing RightsRussia seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, and Kosovo authorities fear Serbia could carve away the northern part of Kosovo.

Persons: Vjosa Osmani, Aleksandar Vucic, Osmani, Vucic, Laura Hasani, We've, Albin Kurti, Fatos, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Kosovar, Reuters, Kosovo, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, Sunday, Yugoslav, Kosovo's, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Serbia, Kosovo, Banjska, Serbian, NATO, Crimea, Kosovo's, Belgrade, Pristina, Republic of Kosovo, Rights Russia, Ukraine's Crimea

Pristina accuses Belgrade of backing the “terrorists,” an accusation Serbia denies, saying they are Serbs from Kosovo protesting the government there. Two of the gunmen and four Serbs discovered nearby with communication equipment were arrested and are being investigated for terrorist acts. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the gunmen were local Kosovo Serbs “who no longer want to stand Kurti’s terror.”Vucic condemned the killing of the Kosovo policeman, but still said the clash was the result of “brutal” pressure on Kosovo Serbs by the Kosovo government. Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, that monster creation that you made by bombing Serbia,” Vucic said, referring to the 1999 NATO intervention which led to Kosovo separating from Serbia. In February, the EU put forward a 10-point plan to end the latest round of heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

Persons: Afrim Bunjaku, Bunjaku, Xhelal Svecla, “ It’s, logistically, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo Serbs “, ” Vucic, Vucic Organizations: —, Kosovar Albanian, Sunday, Kosovo, Kosovar, Police, Kosovo Interior, Kosovo Serbs, NATO, European Union, United, EU Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, — Kosovo, Pristina, Mitrovica, Serbia, Banjska, Belgrade, Serbian, Kosovo Albanians, EU, Brussels, Kurti, United States, Balkans, Tirana, Albania

☆ Russia 'closely monitoring' tense situation in Kosovo - Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kosovo police officers stand guard on the road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it was closely monitoring what it called a "potentially dangerous" situation in Kosovo, where ethnic Serb gunmen stormed a village at the weekend, battling police and barricading themselves into a monastery. Russia does not recognise Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, as an independent country and traditionally supports Serbia, with which it has close religious and cultural ties. The situation is very, very tense and potentially dangerous, we are monitoring it very closely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular news briefing. Ethnic Albanians form the vast majority of the 1.8 million population of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia.

Persons: Ognen, Dmitry Peskov, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kosovar, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbian

☆ Russia 'closely monitoring' tense situation in Kosovo, blames local authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo police officers stand guard on the road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. Russia does not recognise Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, as an independent country and traditionally supports Serbia, with which it has close religious and cultural ties. The situation is very, very tense and potentially dangerous, we are monitoring it very closely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular news briefing. Ethnic Albanians form the vast majority of the 1.8 million population of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia. The ministry said Kurti was trying to escalate the situation in order to increase pressure on Serbs to recognise Kosovo's independence.

Persons: Ognen, Dmitry Peskov, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Gareth Jones, Maxim Rodionov, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kosovar, Kosovo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbian, Serbs

☆ Kosovo Police Enter Northern Village After Shootout With Gunmen Killed Four
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JOSEVIK, Kosovo (Reuters) - Kosovar police units in armoured vehicles moved in to secure and search a village in north Kosovo on Monday, a day after four people were killed in a shootout there between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in the restive region. The gunmen stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. The armed police units searched houses in the village on Monday, looking for any gunmen who had not fled, a police source told Reuters. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has blamed Serbia for financing and sending armed men to Kosovo. Tensions have been running high since clashes in northern Kosovo in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo.

Persons: Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyvi, Ivana Sekularac, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, Kosovar, Police, Serbian, Kosovo, European Union, NATO Locations: JOSEVIK, Kosovo, restive, Banjska, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbia, EU

☆ Kosovo police enter northern village after shootout with gunmen killed four
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A Kosovo police officer stands guard on a road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Acquire Licensing RightsJOSEVIK, Kosovo, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Kosovar police units in armoured vehicles moved in to secure and search a village in north Kosovo on Monday, a day after four people were killed in a shootout there between police and ethnic Serb gunmen in the restive region. The gunmen stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has blamed Serbia for financing and sending armed men to Kosovo. Tensions have been running high since clashes in northern Kosovo in May when more than 90 NATO peacekeeping soldiers and some 50 Serb protesters were injured in northern Kosovo.

Persons: Ognen, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Kurti, Josep Borrell, Fatos Bytyvi, Ivana Sekularac, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Kosovar, Police, Reuters, Serbian, Kosovo, European Union, NATO, Thomson Locations: Kosovo, Banjska, Zvecan, restive, Serbian, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbia, EU

☆ 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

☆ 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

CNN —Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti told CNN on Tuesday that he would not surrender the country to what he described as a Serbian “fascist militia,” following violent protests in its north over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors in a disputed election. “We are not facing peaceful protesters, we are facing a mob of extremists,” Kurti told CNN. Disputed electionsMonday’s violence erupted after tensions bubbled for months in northern Kosovo over controversial local elections. More than a decade on, these municipalities have not been created, leaving disputes over the degree of autonomy for Kosovo’s Serbs to fester. “Kosovo is a success story of NATO intervention – that is what bothers both Belgrade and the Kremlin,” Kurti told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, Albin Kurti, ” Kurti, –, Valdrin Xhemaj, Antony Blinken, Kurti, ” Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron, CNN’s Isa Soares, Kosovo’s, Aleksandar Vucic, “, Meliza, Quint, ” Haradinaj, Laura Hasani, Slobodan, Milosevic, ”, Putin, Vucic, ” Bosko Jaksic, we’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN — Kosovo’s, NATO, Serbian, NATO’s Kosovo Force, KFOR, Reuters, “, US, Kosovo, Kosovar, Albanian, European Union, Serbs, Kremlin Locations: Serbian, Zvecan, NATO’s, Albanian, United States, Kosovo, Slovakia, Pristina, Kosovo’s, Belgrade, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Reuters Kosovo, Brussels, Serbia, fester, Yugoslavia, Montenegro, “ Kosovo, Ukraine, ”, He’s

☆ Kosovo tensions: Why did ethnic Serbs attack NATO peacekeepers?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured after they were attacked by ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, during protests over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors. More than a decade on, these municipalities have not been created, leaving disputes over the degree of autonomy for Kosovo’s Serbs to fester. Valdrin Xhemaj/ReutersFearing potential violence, Kosovo’s central election commission changed plans to put voting booths in local schools, instead setting up mobile huts patrolled by NATO peacekeepers. Of these, more than 16,000 are ethnic Serbs – with only around 500 ethnic Albanians. The peacekeeping mission said that it had increased its presence in northern Kosovo after the newly elected ethnically Albanian mayors took office in majority Kosovo Serb areas.

☆ Factbox: Key facts on Kosovo, independent for 15 years from Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are key facts about the small western Balkan republic:POPULATION: Around 1.8 million, according to the most recent census in 2011, which local Serbs boycotted. HISTORY & PEOPLE: Kosovo became part of the Kingdom of Serbia in the early 13th century, with a mixed population of ethnic Albanians, Serbs and Vlachs. Mutual expulsions and migrations to and from neighbouring Albania in the early 20th century changed Kosovo's ethnic makeup. He accused Kosovo Albanians of persecuting local Serbs and restricted their rights in education and local government. It backs nationalist minority Serbs in north Kosovo boycotting the state, creating a de facto partition.

A special Kosovo court set up in The Hague indicted Thaci in November 2020 on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including persecution, murder, torture and enforced disappearance of people among other things during the uprising. Thaci, 54, resigned as president shortly afterward and was transferred to detention in The Hague. As the fighting abated and Serbian forces withdrew under NATO bombardment from Kosovo, Thaci traded in his green uniform for a blue suit and tie. Milosevic went on trial before a separate U.N. tribunal in The Hague for war crimes against Kosovo Albanians in the conflict, but he died in 2006 before a verdict was reached. Some senior Serbian officials including then-army chief Nebojsa Pavkovic and deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic were sentenced to long prison terms over war crimes in Kosovo.

☆ Kosovo, Serbia leaders arrive for EU-backed talks on deal to normalise ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I am optimistic," Kurti said ahead of the meetings, taking place in the lakeside town of Ohrid in North Macedonia. Kosovo and Serbia agreed in Brussels last month to a Western-backed deal to normalise relations, following nearly 10 years of EU-mediated dialogue during which little progress was made. "The eyes of the EU & the Western Balkans are on Ohrid today," Borrell tweeted. Belgrade and Pristina need to mend bilateral ties for both to achieve their strategic goal of joining the EU. "I want to caution that we may not have a final agreement," Gabriel Escobar, the senior U.S. diplomat for the Western Balkans who is also attending the Ohrid talks, told Pristina-based RTV21 station.

☆ Four of six accused get lengthy sentences over Vienna jihadist attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Vienna court on Thursday handed lengthy sentences, including life in prison, to four of six men accused of helping a jihadist prepare a deadly shooting rampage in 2020. While police said the gunman, Kujtim Fejzulai, who held Austrian and North Macedonian nationality, carried out the attack alone, the six defendants were accused of providing help beforehand. Two others received sentences of 20 and 19 years, the court said in a statement. The second defendant sentenced to life was Heydayatollah Z, 28, who lived with the attacker for weeks before the attack. The two defendants with the mildest sentences accepted the ruling, the court said, Of the remaining four, three plan to appeal and the other is considering it, added.

☆ Kosovo closes main border crossing after roadblock in Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRISTINA, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Kosovo closed its biggest border crossing on Wednesday after protesters blocked it on the Serbian side to support their ethnic kin in Kosovo in refusing to recognise the country's independence. With two other crossings on the Serbian border closed by similar protests on their Kosovar sides since Dec. 10, only three entry points between the two countries remain open. Serbs in Serbia used a truck and tractors on Tuesday to create the latest roadblock, close to the Merdare crossing on Kosovo's eastern border, Belgrade-based media reported. Around 50,000 Serbs living in ethnically divided northern Kosovo refuse to recognize the government in Pristina or the status of Kosovo as a country separate from Serbia. Since Dec. 10, Serbs in northern Kosovo have exchanged fire with police and erected more than 10 roadblocks in and around Mitrovica.

☆ 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.

Vjosa Osmani, în vârsta de 38 de ani, fiind cea mai populară personalitate politică din Kosovo, a obţinut 71 de voturi din partea celor 82 de deputaţi prezenţi, mai mult decât cvorumul necesar, potrivit numărătorii oficiale, transmite Agerpres. Parlamentul kosovar s-a reunit iniţial sâmbătă seară pentru a se pronunţa asupra candidaturii lui Vjosa Osmani, dar parlamentari ai opoziţiei şi minorităţii sârbe au boicotat sesiunea, iar cvorumul necesar de 80 de deputaţi din totalul de 120 pentru validarea alegerilor nu a fost îndeplinit. Vjosa Osmani este aliata noului prim-ministru reformist al Kosovo, Albin Kurti. Mişcarea de stânga Vetevendosje (VV, Autodeterminare) a lui Kurti a câştigat detaşat alegerile legislative din februarie, cu peste 50% din voturi. Recentele alegeri au confirmat prăbuşirea vechii gărzi a foştilor comandanţi separatişti din războiul împotriva forţelor sârbe (1998-99), care au dominat viaţa politică mai bine de un deceniu.

Persons: Vjosa, Albin Kurti, Kurti Organizations: Agerpres Locations: Kosovo

☆ Președintele Kosovo demisionează: Hashim Thaci este inculpat pentru comiterea a aproape 100 de crime de război
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-05 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Hashim Thaci a fost pus sub învinuire pentru crime de război, în luna iunie, cu câteva zile să ajungă la Casa Albă, pentru o întâlnire cu președintele sârb Alexander Vucic și președintele american Donald Trump, într-o încercare de rezolvare a disensiunilor dintre cele două părți. Întâlnirea a avut loc în cele din urmă în septembrie, iar în locul său a participat premierul Avdullah Hoti. Astăzi, președintele kosovar a anunțat presa că și-a înaintat demisia pentru a fi judecat de Curtea Penală Internațională ca civil, nu ca un lider de țară, pentru „a apăra integritatea statului”. Demisia lui Thaci a survenit la câteva ore după arestarea lui Jakup Krasniqi (69 de ani), un veteran al conflictului și fost președinte al Kosovo. Hashim Thaci a fost unul dintre conducătorii Armatei de Eliberare a Kosovo, iar presupusele crime ar fi avut loc în timpul revoltei de gherilă din 1998-1999 împotriva controlului sârb.

Persons: Hashim Thaci, Alexander Vucic, american Donald Trump, kosovar, Thaci, Jakup, Kosovo . El, El Organizations: Albă, Curtea Penală, Armatei de Eliberare Locations: american, Priștina, Kosovo, Haga, Serbia, Rusia, China, SUA, kosovar

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