Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried will travel to the Western Balkans from April 25 to 29, with stops in Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. On April 25, she will thank Kosovo for providing refuge to Afghans and Ukrainians, encourage work on reforms… Continue reading Assistant Secretary Donfried travels to the Western Balkans
Estonia has become one of the first countries in the EU to label Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide. The country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, voted in favour on Thursday of recognising Russia’s war as a “genocide against the Ukrainian people”, calling on other governments and international organisations to “do the same.” In a tweet, Estonia’s… Continue reading Estonian parliament say Russia committed genocide in Ukraine
Kosovo Finance Minister, Hekuran Murati, and the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, Anna Bjerde, signed Thursday a Financing Agreement for the Kosovo Public Finances and Sustainable Growth Development Policy Financing (DPF). This financing, in the amount of EUR 50.6 million supports selective national priorities for the period 2021–2025, including reform efforts… Continue reading World Bank and Kosovo sign agreement to support Public Finances and Sustainable Growth
US President Joe Biden has announced a new $ 1.3 billion bailout package for Ukraine. The new package includes military and economic aid to Kiev. Biden said the weapons would go “straight to the front lines of the freedom movement” to support courageous Ukrainian forces and civilians fighting the Russian occupation of the region. “We… Continue reading Biden announces new military aid to Ukraine
Russia on Thursday expanded an entry ban on U.S. officials to include U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and 28 other American officials, business people and journalists. The sanctions list, published by the Russian foreign ministry, included Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, among others. “These individuals are denied… Continue reading Russia bars entry to U.S. VP Harris, other U.S. officials and figures
Former Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski has been sentenced by a Skopje court to seven years in prison. Gruevski is accused of embezzling 1.3m euros from the party he led to buy land for construction. He fled to Hungary in November 2018 to avoid serving a two-year prison sentence in a second trial… Continue reading Former Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski is sentenced to 7 years in prison
Kosovo’s chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, held a trilateral meeting with Serbian counterpart Petar Petkovic and EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajcak, but no final license agreement has been signed. According to Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, the Serbian side did not present its preference in the working groups and did not accept that the task of resolving… Continue reading No agreement in Brussels, Bislimi shows what he offered in the last moments
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to cancel plans to storm the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and instead blockade it in order to protect the lives of Russian soldiers. During a televised meeting on April 21, Shoigu told Putin that “all of Mariupol is… Continue reading Putin calls off plans to storm Mariupol Steel Plant, orders siege instead
The Rapporteur of the European Parliament during a debate in the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Policy on the draft reports on Kosovo and Serbia, bluntly said that the current Government in Kosovo does not prioritize dialogue with Serbia. “Unfortunately, despite the new energy with the appointment of the EU envoy for dialogue, I learn… Continue reading Von Cramon: Dialogue is not on top of the agenda of Government of Kosovo
US Senators Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis have arrived in Pristina as part of a Balkan tour. They were welcomed by the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier. Ambassador Hovenier posted photos with the senators and wrote that the three members of the US Senate are longtime supporters of Kosovo’s independence. I was… Continue reading Warned “pressure on the Government”, Senators arrive in Pristina
