PRISTINA — Prosecutors in Kosovo have filed terrorism charges against a woman accused of having joined the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria. Kosovo;s Special Prosecution said on May 6 it had filed the indictment against the suspect, identified only as D.D., to the Basic Court in Pristina. She faces up to 15 years […]
Kosovo’s President Names New Candidate For Prime Minister In Bid To Resolve Crisis
Kosovo’s president has formally asked a top official of the second-biggest party in parliament to form a new government in a bid to resolve a political crisis in the country. President Hashim Thaci on April 30 nominated Avdullah Hoti of the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) to replace acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Hoti […]
Kosovo’s Kurti Accuses U.S. Envoy Of ‘Direct Involvement’ In His Government Collapse
BELGRADE — Kosovo’s acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, has accused a U.S. envoy of being “directly involved” in the overthrow of his government less than two months after he took office as premier.Kurti’s government was brought down in late March by a no-confidence vote initiated by its junior coalition partner late last month, plunging the […]
Democrats In Congress Question Trump’s ‘Heavy-Handed’ Approach To Kosovo
Two Democratic U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about what they say is a “heavy-handed approach” by the Trump administration toward Kosovo’s government. At the same time, the lawmakers say, “U.S. public pressure on Serbia appears to have been dropped.” The lawmakers called on President Donald Trump’s administration to continue […]
Watchdogs Concerned Over ‘Pressure’ Put On Kosovar News Portal Amid Pandemic
Media freedom watchdogs have expressed concern regarding the alleged pressure authorities in Kosovo are putting on KoSSev, an online news portal based in the Serb-majority town of North Mitrovica. Journalists play a “key role” in the coronavirus crisis by providing “vital information” to the public, the representative on media freedom for the Organization for Security […]
Naming New PM Not A Priority During Pandemic, Kosovo’s Kurti Tells RFE/RL
Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti says he will not immediately respond to President Hashim Thaci’s request to nominate a new candidate to form a government because he is busy fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Kurti was toppled on March 25 and his Self-Determination (VV) party, the largest in parliament, was supposed to renominate him or […]
Kosovar Media Urged Not To ‘Intensify’ Tensions During Coronavirus Crisis
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is calling on media in Kosovo to refrain from “intensifying tensions” during the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on April 4, the Brussels-based organization said the quarantine of the Serb-majority town of North Mitrovica has resulted in “inappropriate and unethical” media coverage by Kosovar […]
Kosovo Lifts 100 Percent Tariff On Serbia; Belgrade Calls It ‘Fake News’
PRISTINA — Kosovo says it is lifting a 100 percent tariff on goods from neighboring Serbia, but Belgrade called it “fake news” and claims Pristina has actually increased punitive measures.Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told a news conference on March 31 that, starting on April 1, all goods imported from Serbia will need only documentation […]
Kosovo’s Parliament Topples Government In No-Confidence Vote
PRISTINA — Kosovo’s parliament has toppled the country’s government in a no-confidence vote, throwing the Western Balkan nation into political turmoil even as it struggles along with the rest of the world to battle the coronavirus epidemic.The parliament late on March 25 voted 82 in favor of the no-confidence motion, 32 against, with one abstention.The […]
Kosovo Parliament To Vote On No-Confidence Motion Against Government
PRISTINA — Kosovo’s parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion against the government pushed by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), a member of the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.The vote, if it proceeds as scheduled at 11 a.m. on March 25, could potentially engulf the nation into a political […]
Kosovo Government Approves Partial Lifting Of 100 Percent Tariffs Against Serbia
PRISTINA — The government of Kosovo has approved the decision to partially lift a politically divisive 100 percent import tariff on goods from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, at least on a temporary basis.Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote on Facebook on March 20 that the 100 percent tariff on raw materials from the two countries will […]
Confined Indoors, Pristina Protesters Bang Pots From Balconies
PRISTINA — Unable to take to the streets amid a coronavirus lockdown, angry residents of Pristina on March 19 banged pots and pans from their balconies to protest the country’s latest political crisis that may bring down Kosovo’s government. Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s shaky coalition government, which took four months to assemble after October 2019 […]
Kosovo Coalition Partner To Seek No-Confidence Vote After Interior Minister Is Fired
PRISTINA — A partner in Kosovo’s ruling coalition says it will seek a no-confidence vote in parliament against the government, potentially engulfing the small Balkan nation into a political crisis even as it battles along with the rest of the world to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.Isa Mustafa, the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo […]