1 year, 10 months ago

Kosovo marks 15 uneasy years of independence from Serbia

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Europe's youngest country unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008, nearly nine years after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999 ended Belgrade's bloody crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. Kosovo's government fears the group would eventually undermine the country’s statehood with the help of Belgrade and turn northern Kosovo into another Republika Srpska, a largely self-governing Serbia-dominated entity in Bosnia. Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, said he was hopeful the new EU-led plan would bring Serbia and Kosovo to the final stage of mutual recognition. Along with ongoing economic problems and needing to meet EU conditions for governance reforms, Kosovo, which is one of Europe's poorest countries, is still grappling with the legacy of the late 1990s war with Serbia.

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History of this topic

3 weeks, 2 days ago

Kosovo bomb blast: Tensions with Serbia flare amid efforts to contain impact from explosion

Firstpost

Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced the arrest of several individuals linked to the attack, labelling it a “terrorist act” orchestrated by Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed Kurti’s accusations as “irresponsible” and “baseless,” asserting that such claims aim to tarnish Serbia’s reputation and undermine regional peace efforts Workers work near the damaged canal in northern Kosovo supplying water to two …

1 month, 1 week ago

Kosovo FA says it warned UEFA about possible provocation by Romania fans

The Hindu

The Football Federation of Kosovo said it had repeatedly warned European football’s governing body UEFA about potential provocation from Romania fans ahead of Friday’s Nations League match, which was abandoned when Kosovo’s players walked off. READ: Cristiano Ronaldo scores 910th goal of his career for Portugal vs Poland in UEFA Nations League “FFK had warned the relevant UEFA bodies more …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo lifts ban on entry of products from Serbia at the border

The Independent

3 months, 1 week ago

Serbia demands new elections in tense north Kosovo as well as return of Serb police and judiciary

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia on Friday demanded that an election be held and ethnic Serbs return to police and judiciary in a Serb-populated northern region of Kosovo where tensions have fueled fears of instability and new armed clashes. Populist President Aleksandar Vucic also called for the withdrawal of Kosovo’s special police from the region bordering Serbia that remains a flashpoint …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

EU envoy urges Kosovo and Serbia to resume efforts to normalize ties through talks

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The European Union envoy for the Western Balkans on Friday urged Kosovo and Serbia to step up their efforts at normalization talks, saying these are decisive toward the two countries’ membership in the bloc. The EU and the United States are pressing both sides to implement agreements that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo shuts down 5 Serbian governing structures in the north and US reacts with alarm

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo authorities on Friday closed five parallel institutions working with the ethnic Serb minority, a move that was immediately criticized by the United States and could further raise tensions with neighboring Serbia. Elbert Krasniqi, Kosovo’s minister of local administration, confirmed the closure of five so-called parallel institutions in the north — where most of the ethnic Serb …

6 months, 1 week ago

Kosovo marks the 25th anniversary of its liberation, when Serb forces withdrew after NATO bombing

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo on Wednesday celebrated what it considers a liberation day, marking the 25th anniversary of the withdrawal of Serb forces. During the 1998-1999 war with ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army separatists, Serbian forces failed to meet Western demands on reconciliation, which pushed NATO to launch a 78-day bombing campaign against Serbia that resulted in its withdrawal. But …

6 months, 1 week ago

Kosovo celebrates 25th anniversary of the withdrawal of Serbian forces after NATO bombing

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo on Monday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the withdrawal of Serbian forces following a 78-day NATO bombing campaign, which opened the way for its independence nine years later. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died and about 1 million were deported until the NATO bombing resulted in the Serbian withdrawal and the establishment of an international …

7 months ago

Kosovo criticizes Council of Europe for not holding a vote on its membership, blames Serbia lobbying

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo on Friday criticized the Council of Europe ‘s decision against holding a vote on its membership, saying it deprived its people and especially its ethnic minorities of democratic tools offered by the continent’s top human rights body. Kosovo’s membership was not on the agenda of the council’s foreign ministers meeting after some members had required Kosovo …

7 months, 1 week ago

Kosovo makes last-minute push to get its membership in Council of Europe approved in a Friday vote

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The government of Kosovo is making a last-minute effort to convince Western powers to vote on whether to admit the country as a new member in the Council of Europe, the continent’s top human rights body. Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz in a letter Thursday to Theodoros Rousopoulos, the head of the Council of Europe’s Parliament Assembly, said …

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo prime minister deplores new condition ahead of Council of Europe’s membership vote next week

Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania — Kosovo’s prime minister Wednesday deplored the fact that some Western powers reportedly have set another condition ahead of Kosovo’s joining the Council of Europe. Kosovo media reported that France and Germany want Kosovo to take a significant step toward establishing an association of its Serb-majority municipalities in the north to unblock a vote of full membership a …

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo backs Ukraine even though Kyiv has not recognized its independence, foreign minister says

Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland — Kosovo’s foreign minister said Wednesday that her country is convinced that Russia must lose the war in Ukraine for conflict not to spread further in Europe. She said her young nation’s support for Ukraine is unconditional even though Kyiv has not recognized Kosovo’s independence. “Ukraine hasn’t recognized the Republic of Kosovo as a state, but we really …

9 months, 1 week ago

Senior US official travels to Kosovo to revive Kosovo-Serbia talks after tensions over currency

Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania — A senior U.S. official on Tuesday said he would be visiting Kosovo in the next days to put “back on track” talks on normalizing ties between Kosovo and Serbia, after tensions escalated over Kosovo’s decision to ban the use of the Serbian dinar. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said he would discuss with Kosovo authorities …

9 months, 2 weeks ago

Kosovo OKs referendums in 4 Serb-majority municipalities on whether to oust ethnic Albanian mayors

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s Central Electoral Commission on Saturday approved referendums in four Serb-majority municipalities to be held on April 21 on whether to oust their ethnic Albanian mayors whose election last year raised tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. The commission also confirmed a petition held in January in which about one-fourth of around 45,000 eligible voters in four municipalities …

10 months, 1 week ago

Thousands of minority Serbs protest Kosovo’s decision to abolish the Serbian dinar

Associated Press

MITROVICA, Kosovo — Thousands of minority Serbs in Kosovo on Monday protested a ban on the use of the Serbian currenc y in areas where they live, an issue that is proviking the latest crisis in relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Tensions escalated after the government of Kosovo, a former Serbian province, banned banks and other financial institutions in the …

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo spar at the UN over the latter's ban of the Serbian dinar

The Independent

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Serbia will seek a UN Security Council meeting over latest escalation of tensions with Kosovo

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia will seek an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the escalation of tensions with its former province of Kosovo after its government decided to ban the use of the Serbian dinar and introduce the euro in areas where minority Serbs live, Serbia’s president said Friday. But parts of Kosovo’s north, populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Serbia will seek a UN Security Council meeting over latest escalation of tensions with Kosovo

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Serbia will seek an urgent …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

The European Union calls on Kosovo to delay requiring ethnic Serbians to use euros instead of dinars

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The European Union on Thursday called on Kosovo to postpone an effort to force ethnic Serbian-dominated areas to adopt the euro currency like in the rest of the country, as rules that would block use of the Serbian dinar went into effect. An EU statement expressed concern “about the consequences … on the daily lives of Kosovo …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Kosovo will impose the use of the euro in minority Serb areas, concerning Western powers

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo authorities on Wednesday said they would impose the use of the country’s currency, the euro, and abolish the use of neighboring Serbia’s dinar in the north where most of the ethnic Serb minority lives. Kosovo’s Central Bank Governor Ahmet Ismaili said starting Thursday, new rules on local transactions in euros would be applied in the northern …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

EU envoy urges Kosovo and Serbia to step up normalization efforts before the bloc’s June elections

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The EU envoy for the Western Balkans on Tuesday urged Kosovo and Serbia to push ahead with faltering normalization talks before elections for the European Parliament in June. Miroslav Lajcak met for three hours with Kosovo’s top leaders — President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi — in the capital Pristina …

10 months, 3 weeks ago

Serbia considers reintroducing a mandatory military draft as regional tensions simmer

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia is considering reintroducing compulsory military service, its president said Tuesday, citing tensions in the Balkans and elsewhere in Europe. President Aleksandar Vucic said top army commanders gave him “a strong argumentation” in favor of the reintroduction of a mandatory draft, which was suspended in 2011 in a push to professionalize the armed forces. “As well as …

11 months ago

Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo hold a petition drive in hopes of ousting 4 ethnic Albanian mayors

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo held a signature drive Wednesday in hopes of securing enough to oust four ethnic Albanian mayors whose elections last year sent tensions between Serbia and Kosovo soaring. The drive is expected to start soon Zvecan and Zubin Potok, two other municipalities in the north where most of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority lives. …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

Serbia’s army proposes bringing back the draft as tensions continue to rise in the Balkans

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia should reintroduce compulsory military service, the defense ministry said Thursday, as tensions continue to escalate in the Balkans. The ministry said in a statement that the proposal for service of up to four months is made “in order to increase the defense capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, through the rejuvenation and improvement in the training …

1 year ago

British soldiers guard Kosovo-Serbia border amid as situation remains tense

Firstpost

Ethnic Serbs make up about five percent of the population of Kosovo; the majority reside in the north, rejecting Kosovo’s independence, and regard Belgrade as their capital. They have frequently battled with UN peacekeepers and the Kosovo police As part of a NATO peacekeeping mission being reinforced, British troops are patrolling the Kosovo-Serbia border out of worry that the former …

1 year, 1 month ago

Albania’s prime minister calls for more NATO troops in neighboring Kosovo following ethnic violence

Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama urged NATO on Wednesday to further boost its military forces in Kosovo and secure the country’s borders with Serbia, warning that recent ethnic violence in Kosovo could potentially trigger a wider Balkan conflict. Kosovo’s border with Serbia was “out of control,” Rama said after an informal meeting of Western Balkan NATO …

1 year, 1 month ago

EU envoy in surprise visit to Kosovo to push for further steps in normalization talks with Serbia

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The European Union’s envoy for the western Balkans began a surprise two-day visit to Kosovo on Monday to talk with its leaders on further steps in normalization talks with Serbia. Miroslav Lajcak met with Kosovar Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, who is Kosovo’s main negotiator in the EU-facilitated talks with Serbia, from which Kosovo declared independence in …

1 year, 1 month ago

Serbia to hold snap elections as president calls for country to be ‘united’

Al Jazeera

Serbia will hold a snap election next month after President Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament in the face of political pressure at home and from the European Union. “We live in times that are difficult for the whole world, in times of global challenges, wars and conflicts when it is necessary that we are all united in preserving vital national and …

1 year, 1 month ago

Serbia and Kosovo leaders break off talks without result despite EU pressure

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have refused to compromise at a fresh round of meetings meant to improve their bitter relations and they continue to jeopardize their chances of joining the European Union, the bloc’s top diplomat said Thursday. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who has been supervising the “Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue” process, said that negotiators had …

1 year, 1 month ago

European Union to press the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to set decades of enmity behind them

The Independent

1 year, 2 months ago

EU and US envoys urge Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue in order to defuse tensions

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The envoys of the European Union and the United States urged Kosovo and Serbia on Saturday to resume their dialogue on normalizing relations before the bitter tensions between the two sides result in more violence. EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak and U.S. Special Representative to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar met with Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Kosovo’s …

1 year, 2 months ago

KFOR commander calls on Kosovo and Serbia to return to talks to prevent future violence

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The NATO-led peacekeeping force on Friday called on both Kosovo and Serbia to return to the negotiating table to resolve their issues to prevent violence like the recent shootout between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and sent tensions soaring in the region. Kosovo Force commander Maj. Gen. Angelo Michele Ristuccia called …

1 year, 2 months ago

Analysis: Are Kosovo and Serbia on the brink of war?

Al Jazeera

An escalation into a conflict in the Western Balkans was averted but the likelihood of future flare-ups remains high. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the Kosovo government’s “terror” had driven the Serb minority in the northern part of the country to an “uprising”. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia of supporting financially and logistically “organised crime” groups attacking …

1 year, 2 months ago

Serbia says it has reduced army presence near Kosovo after US expressed concern over troop buildup

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serbian army has cut the number of troops stationed on the border with Kosovo by nearly half, top Serbian military officials said on Monday, denying U.S. and other reports of a mass military buildup in the wake of a shooting over a week ago that killed four people and raised fears of instability in the volatile …

1 year, 2 months ago

What is behind renewed tensions between Serbia and Kosovo?

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew over the weekend when some 30 heavily armed Serbs barricaded themselves in an Orthodox monastery in northern Kosovo, setting off a daylong gunbattle with police that left one officer and three attackers dead. Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians, most of whom are Muslim, meanwhile, view Kosovo as their country and accuse …

1 year, 2 months ago

Kosovo mourns a slain police officer, some Serb gunmen remain at large after a siege at a monastery

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo on Monday observed a day of mourning for the Kosovar Albanian police officer killed by Serb gunmen in the north of the country in one of the worst confrontations since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Pristina accuses Belgrade of backing the “terrorists,” an accusation Serbia denies, saying they are Serbs from Kosovo protesting the …

1 year, 2 months ago

Kosovo mourns a slain police officer, some Serb gunmen remain at large after a siege at a monastery

The Independent

1 year, 3 months ago

Why Kosovo’s standoff with Serbs continues 15 years after statehood

Al Jazeera

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia still formally deems Kosovo to be part of its territory. Unrest in the region intensified when ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo’s Serb-majority area after April elections the Serbs boycotted, a move that led the United States and its allies to rebuke Pristina. Last December, Serbs in north Kosovo erected multiple …

1 year, 3 months ago

EU urges Serbia and Kosovo to respect their pledges after a meeting of leaders ends in acrimony

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Tuesday called on Serbia and Kosovo to respect an agreement meant to end tensions between them and put their relations on a more normal path after talks between their leaders ended in acrimony last week. At a meeting in New York, EU foreign ministers said the commitments that Serbia and Kosovo made in the …

1 year, 3 months ago

Talks between Serbia and Kosovo break down again. The EU says their hopes of joining are at risk

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday failed yet again to make progress in talks aimed at improving their long-strained relations, and the European Union’s top diplomat warned that the lack of progress could hurt their hopes of joining the bloc. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who supervised the talks in Brussels, blamed the latest breakdown on Kosovo Prime …

1 year, 3 months ago

Talks between Serbia and Kosovo break down again

Al Jazeera

EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell blames Kosovo for failing to implement a deal with Serbia on normalising relations between the two former foes. Talks between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on improving ties failed to make a breakthrough after Pristina rejected an EU compromise proposal, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said. Borrell blamed Kosovo for a failure to implement …

1 year, 4 months ago

Top US and EU lawmakers say West is too soft on Serbia when it comes to easing Kosovo tensions

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — Senior lawmakers from the United States and Europe are calling for a change in the Western diplomatic approach toward Serbia and Kosovo amid concern that tensions between the two could rapidly spiral out of control. We would ask that the international community learns from our past and ensure we do not adopt a Belgrade-centered policy for the Balkans.” …

1 year, 5 months ago

Does the West still want a democratic Kosovo?

Al Jazeera

If the West is still serious about Kosovo’s sovereignty and the security of the region, it ought to act like it. Recent Kosovo-Serbia tensions culminated in Serbia “arresting” three Kosovo police officers without a clear cause, an act that Kosovo called a “kidnapping” and “foreign aggression” within Kosovo’s borders. Yet for the sake of stability and to bring Serbia under …

1 year, 5 months ago

Serbia to seek meeting with NATO chief, UN Security Council session on Kosovo tensions

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s president on Thursday accused Kosovo of carrying out “silent ethnic cleansing” of Serbs and said his country will seek a meeting with NATO’s chief and an urgent session of United Nations Security Council to demand their protection. “Serbian people have been cornered.” Vucic said he will urge the meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg next …

1 year, 5 months ago

The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg tell Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties for EU hopes

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg on Tuesday said that normalizing ties between Kosovo and Serbia would serve not only regional peace and stability but also their prospects of future integration into the European Union. Tensions between the two countries flared anew in May after Kosovo police seized local municipal buildings in Serb-majority northern Kosovo to …

1 year, 5 months ago

Kosovo’s prime minister offers to hold new elections in tense Serb-majority municipalities

Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s prime minister offered Thursday to hold new mayoral elections in four Serb-majority municipalities and reduce police there in an effort to defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared anew last month. Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo boycotted mayoral elections in the four municipalities in April as part of a campaign for greater autonomy, and they now …

1 year, 6 months ago

Serbia again threatens armed intervention in Kosovo as tension escalates

Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia on Friday reiterated a threat to intervene militarily in its former province of Kosovo if NATO-led peacekeepers there fail to protect minority Serbs from what Belgrade called the terrorist threat of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian authorities. In a brief televised address, the Serbian army chief-of-staff, Gen. Milan Mojsilovic, said Kosovo Serbs can no longer “tolerate the terror” …

1 year, 6 months ago

Explained | What is the Kosovo-Serbia conflict all about? Why have tensions flared again?

The Hindu

The story so far: In the aftermath of one of the worst escalation of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia in at least a decade, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week sent 700 more of its peacekeeping troops to Kosovo. Currently, an ethnic Serb minority of more than 50,000 resides in multiple municipalities in the northern part of Kosovo bordering …

1 year, 6 months ago

France, Germany urge new elections in Kosovo following flare-up in ethnic tensions

Associated Press

BULBOACA, Moldova — The leaders of France and Germany have urged their counterparts in Kosovo and Serbia to agree on holding new municipal elections in northern Kosovo, hoping that another ballot would quell a flare-up of ethnic tensions that have led to violent protests in the region. Speaking at a summit in Moldova on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said …

1 year, 6 months ago

Efforts to defuse Kosovo crisis intensify amid more protests

Associated Press

ZVECAN, Kosovo — International efforts to defuse a crisis in Kosovo intensified Wednesday as ethnic Serbs held more protests in a northern town where recent clashes with NATO-led peacekeepers sparked fears of renewed conflict in the troubled region. Hundreds of Serbs repeated at a rally their demand for the withdrawal from northern Kosovo of the special police and ethnic Albanian …

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1 week, 3 days ago

UEFA officially punishes Serbia for fan misconduct including trying to burn Albania flag

The Hindu

UEFA punished Serbia’s soccer federation for racist acts by fans at two Nations League games, including trying to burn an Albania flag in Switzerland. The decision was announced Friday, hours before Serbia and Albania were drawn by FIFA into the same qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup — meaning they will play each other twice, home and away. UEFA …

World Cup Fifa Switzerland Serbia Fan Albania Uefa Officially

2 weeks, 4 days ago