Two months have passed since the violent entry of three Albanian mayors into the municipal premises in Zvečan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. While Pristina and Belgrade accuse each other of responsibility, Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti says that renewed escalation depends on Belgrade
Homophobic attitudes are commonplace in Kosovo, as can be ascertained even by perusing social media reactions to local Pride-related events. But society is changing. Prishtina has its own gay bar, Bubble, run by a trans person. And mainstream culture has a role to play in easing taboos. In December of last year, a drag queen participated for the first time in the local version of the reality show "Big Brother".
A passing note about Toplica and pljeskavica, about borders and crossing them, about "Christian" and "Turkish" Pristina, about Gazimestan and Murat's turbet, about Albanian and Serbian myths... and again about pljeskavica
"I see that the US has a critical attitude towards the government of Kosovo, and this is unprecedented. It seems clear that the Biden administration is losing patience with Kosovo, due to slow progress," explained the former EU special representative in Kosovo, Peter Faith. "I have not seen such a critical attitude of the USA towards Kosovo since it declared its independence in 2008," he said and assessed that it would be "a real tragedy for Kosovo if it lost the support of the United States".
"Serbia has pledged to shelter the participants of the protests and to fully participate in the elections," the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, announced in the US Congress. In his speech, he explained that the only request for Pristina was not to appoint mayors by force, which was not fulfilled. On the other hand, he maintains a "firm" attitude towards Belgrade, as he said
The US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans reported to the US Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives what Belgrade and Pristina have committed to. He also pointed out that Milorad Dodik is a threat to the stability of the region, praised the development in Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania and stated that the malignant Russian and Chinese influence in the region must be prevented
The Kosovo government has decided to immediately reduce the presence of police in and around municipal buildings in the North by about 25 percent, and is ready to specifically consider a further reduction of police troops in and around buildings, with a joint assessment with EULEX and KFOR
The State Department's special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said that Belgrade and Pristina should take steps to calm tensions in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as immediately continue the dialogue on the normalization of relations. There will be consequences if Pristina continues to ignore the demands, Escobar said
While the tensions in the north of Kosovo do not stop, invitations for an urgent meeting between Aljbin Kurti and Aleksandar Vučić are coming from Brussels. It would not discuss the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, but de-escalation
All those arrested were armed with automatic weapons and in full military gear with GPS devices and maps, according to the press release of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. Prishtina denies and claims that Kosovo special forces were kidnapped on the territory of Kosovo and taken to Serbia
After a week of tension and the pre-war situation came a week of anticipation. The conflicting parties are in the same positions, the mediators are in the region. It looks like there is nothing to the deal
US and EU negotiators asked Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti for immediate de-escalation, quick calling of new elections in the north and a return to dialogue and the normalization process
When the authorities started dealing with cases of missing babies, Jasmina Stojanović filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor's Office in 2002, they went to give a statement at the Palace of Justice, and then "suddenly" a death certificate and a funeral report appeared. The certificate written in illegible handwriting, from which nothing can be understood, and the funeral service's name was denied by PUK "Pogrebne Usluge"
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, met with the ambassadors of the Quinte countries, as well as with the head of the European Union delegation, at Andrić's wreath. He informed them about the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and said that it is high time for a sharp reaction towards Pristina.
"Unlike politics, peacebuilding says the following: either we will learn to live with each other or we will forever live against each other. And then how can a regime that turns us against each other tell you how you will live together with another people? There is none of that. Fortunately or unfortunately, that regime doesn't ask what those people would like, but someone a little more powerful than them came to their door and said 'Okay, we've played enough, now ya or boo'. And now we live waiting to see if it's ja or boo"
The procedure for considering Pristina's request for admission to the Council of Europe (CoE) has been launched. 13 countries voted against the proposal, while those from the region - Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Albania - voted for it.
Vučić's propaganda media were instructed to make Aljbin Kurti a demon, because if the arch-enemy is a demon - and Kurti, as the pinks, informers and happys nicely say, is exactly that, only evil - then Vučić, as Kurti's antipode, must be supreme good
There is a possibility to speed up the negotiations and for Serbia to become a member of the EU. The Open Balkans is one of the few constructive initiatives for connection and cooperation. He does not support Serbia's decision not to impose sanctions on Russia, but he tries to understand it. Pristina will say that all agreements must be implemented
Companies from the north of Kosovo that are under US sanctions are financed from the Serbian budget. Everything allegedly leads to Zvonko Veselinović, Millions of dollars, dubious tenders and unfinished projects - these are the characteristics of those companies paid by the citizens of Serbia.
Prishtina says she is satisfied with yesterday's agreement on energy because it will save her the money she used to pay to Serbian municipalities for electricity. Belgrade says that the electricity that arrived in the north of Kosovo is the electricity that Belgrade has been paying for for years
That after the conversation between Solac and Vučić, some important news for Serbia may also be announced, is shown by the change in the timing of the press conference, i.e. the address to the nation by Aleksandar Vučić, which was announced for today, but was moved to May 6, after Vučić's return from Berlin
In Pristina, on a tour of the Western Balkans and before arriving in Belgrade on Tuesday, US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried said that efforts should be intensified in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which should be aimed at mutual recognition. The US has no greater ally than Kosovo, said Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani
Even six months of negotiations were not enough for Belgrade and Pristina to agree on one issue - what license plates will look like in the future. Time will tell who is the less constructive side, and citizens will continue to have to cover the symbols of Serbia and Kosovo with stickers when traveling through border crossings. So that temporary "sticker solution" will remain in effect for some time
After conditioning Pristina to allow the Serbs in Kosovo to vote only if Serbia recognizes the independence of Kosovo, Vučić equally sought support from the ambassador of Quinta in Belgrade, the ambassador of Russia, which has been severely sanctioned by the West, and the chargé d'affaires of China, which is still concerned about Russia. holds back, thus underlining with a red line that in the historical conflict between the West and Russia, Serbia is still firmly seated on two chairs that are increasingly moving apart
The appointment of Christopher Hill as ambassador in Belgrade is a sign that this administration believes that the time has come for Serbia to fulfill what Joe Biden expects: the abolition of Dodik in Bosnia, recognition of Kosovo's independence, distancing from Russia and China. In the future, America will do what America already does, when it cares about something, and someone stands in its way.
