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Creation of Army positive step for Kosovo, says US Ambassador

US Ambassador to Pristina, Philip Kosnett, says the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) evolution into Kosovo Armed Force is a positive step and is natural for Kosovo as a sovereign, independent country to have a self-defense capability. Original post Here

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US is not pushing Kosovo-Serbia border adjustment, says Ambassador Kosnett

Newly appointed US Ambassador to Kosovo, Phlip Kosnett, says his government is not pushing for a shift to the border or an exchange of territory between Kosovo and Serbia. Original post Here

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Stoltenberg, Haradinaj speak by phone about plans on Kosovo Army

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Thursday Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to brief them on the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on the Western Balkans when it was discussed also on the plan to move ahed with creation of Kosovo …

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Serbia’s state-controlled media spreading panic, says Kosovo DPM Hoxhaj

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, in a Tweet said that Serbia again today continues its aggressive propaganda against Kosovo through its controlled media to create panic. Original post Here

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Serbia’s spreading fake news, tells air operators Pristina International Airport is closed

Driton Hyseni, manager flight scheduling manager at the International Airport of Pristina, has published a message of the Civil Aviation Directorate of Serbia misinforming air operators that Pristina Airport is closed for civil air traffic. Original post Here

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Stoltenberg: Kosovo Army initiative goes against advice of NATO allies

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the initiative of Kosovo to create its Army is ill-timed and goes against the advice of many NATO Allies. He said intentions of Kosovo authorities to move ahead with transformation of the KSF into an army may have serious repercussions for Kosovo’s future Euro-Atlantic …

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Kosovo’s PM answers warlike statements of Serbia

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has answered threats coming from Serbia after Kosovo is moving forward plans to create its army. Asked on warlike threats coming from Serbian officials, Haradinaj says a new war is unlikely. Original post Here

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Soltes: EU to keep promises and grant Kosovo visa liberalization

Member of the European Parliament and standing rapporteur for Kosovo, Igor Soltes, says Kosovo has met all required criteria for it to have granted a visa free regime for Schengen. He calls on the EU to keep its promises and liberalize visas for Kosovars. Soltes made the call after the …

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Kosovo’s PM writes a letter to EU members about tax on Serbian goods

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj wrote a letter to all EU member states explaining the decision of his Government to impose 100 percent tax on all goods imported from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gazeta Express reports. Haradinaj in his letter explains that Republic of Kosovo has fully respected all CEFTA agreements …

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EU gives an additional 17.2 million Euro for rail project

As major modernisation of Kosovo’s railway infrastructure progresses, a grant agreement was signed in Pristina today for a further €17.2 million of co-financing from the European Union through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF). Original post Here

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Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

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Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

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How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

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Rebuilt Housing Estate for Albanian Quake Survivors Hosts Just One Family

The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here

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Albania’s Political Absurdity:Doomsday – The Day Albania “Lost” Its Deputy PM

O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …

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The Limits of Spectacle Diplomacy in the UK–Albania Migration Row

The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …

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Albania: Between Reform Dynamics and Democratic Fragility

Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …

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Opposition Rejects EU Commissioner’s “Free and Fair” Assessment of Elections

By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times).  Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …

News
Week in Review: TikTokcracy, Labyrinths and an Anniversary

New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here

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Albanian PM Condemns Deputy’s Suspension by Court as ‘Brutal Interference’

Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here

News

Albania’s Anti-Corruption “Success”: A Manufactured Illusion

By Zef Preçi What kind of political system are we living in today? Even though we have a weak state, authoritarian tendencies in governance have become more pronounced, and in a synthesized way this is reflected in the increasing number of MPs of the ruling party from one mandate to …

News

Week in Review: Surprises and Standoffs

As the year draws towards its end, our Balkan Insight Premium stories show that there is no shortage of political surprises, unexpected twists and new standoffs across the region. Original post Here

News

How Albanians in America Lobbied for Freedom Back Home

Albanian-American writer Fron Nahzi’s new book explains how the Albanian diaspora used its newfound freedom in the United States to campaign for a range of nationalist causes. Original post Here

News

Rebuilt Housing Estate for Albanian Quake Survivors Hosts Just One Family

The earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019 left many families homeless. But a rural housing estate built to accommodate some of them remains almost empty due to problems with infrastructure and insecure terrain. Original post Here

News

Albania’s Political Absurdity:Doomsday – The Day Albania “Lost” Its Deputy PM

O tempora, o mores. After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku faced criminal charges, and after the court suspended her from office and banned her from leaving the country, what one would normally expect is either her immediate resignation or her immediate dismissal by Prime …

News

The Limits of Spectacle Diplomacy in the UK–Albania Migration Row

The clash between Edi Rama and Shabana Mahmood over the fate of 700 Albanian families in the UK exposes a deeper truth about modern diplomacy: visibility is not the same as influence. When the Home Secretary singled out Albanian families while announcing sweeping asylum reforms, she was not improvising. She …

News

Albania: Between Reform Dynamics and Democratic Fragility

Elez Biberaj Thirty-five years after Albania’s emergence from one of Europe’s most repressive communist regimes, the country’s democratic trajectory remains emblematic of post-authoritarian transformation, reflecting the promise of political renewal while exposing the challenges of durable consolidation. In this context, the May 2025 parliamentary elections stand out as a test …

News

Opposition Rejects EU Commissioner’s “Free and Fair” Assessment of Elections

By Tirana Times Staff TIRANA, Albania , November 22, (Tirana Times).  Albania’s main opposition party sharply criticized European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos for describing the country’s May 11 parliamentary elections as “free and fair,” arguing that her assessment contradicts the findings of international election monitors. In a statement delivered …

News

Week in Review: TikTokcracy, Labyrinths and an Anniversary

New leaders, old challenges, the threat of ‘TikTokracy’ and – not least – a look at the Dayton Peace Accords thirty years later, are all themes that preoccupy our selection of Premium stories this week. Original post Here

News

Albanian PM Condemns Deputy’s Suspension by Court as ‘Brutal Interference’

Edi Rama slated the court decision suspending Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku while she faces a graft probe – and threatened to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. Original post Here