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Kosovo opposition tells EU’s Mogherini they are against land swap idea

Opposition parties in Kosovo Parliament, LDK, Vetevendosje, PSD and Alaternativa, sent on Wednesday a letter to Federica Mogherini informing the EU foreign policy chief that they are against President Hashim Thaci’s idea on exchange of territories with Serbia. Also they say that current Government has lost its legitimacy to represent …

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European Parliament to vote on visas for Kosovo tomorrow

European Parliament is expected to vote Thursday on the European Commission’s recommendation for visa liberalization for Kosovo, announced European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). Original post Here

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Thaci says agreement with Vucic does not affect Macedonia

President Hashim Thaci is continuing his tour to neighbouring states to promote the idea of him and Aleksandar Vucic to change the borders of Kosovo. Today he visited Skopje, trying to convince the Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev that his idea would not affect the territories of Macedonia, Albania and …

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Kosovo’s President, Prime Minister urgent visit to Tirana

Sources confirmed to Gazeta Express that President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj have travelled to Tirana late on Tuesday for an urgent meeting with Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama. The surprise visit comes amidst the debate on land swap with Serbia, a proposal which is being supported by …

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Kosovo's pride at stadium debut

A dream becomes reality for Kosovo’s football community on Monday, when the national team plays the first official international match at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Prishtina – built with the help of UEFA’s HatTrick assistance programme. Original post Here

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Kosovo’s Thaci ‘happy’ with the new negotiation team in dialogue with Serbia

President Hashim Thaci says he is “very happy” with the new negotiation team in dialogue with Serbia appointed by the Government and headed by his political opponent, Fatmir Limaj. Deteriorated relations between Thaci and Limaj after the latter split Thaci’s former party PDK and established an new political entity, have …

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Presheva Valley Albanians want Parliament approve a resolution to join Kosovo

Representatives of the Presheva Valley asked the Parliament of Kosovo to approve a resolution allowing them to join Kosovo. The request was made after political representatives of the three municipalities – Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc – met on Monday President Hashim Thaci who is promising them addressing of the “correction …

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Presheva Valley leaders to visit Kosovo today

Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci is expected to meet today in his office political representatives of the Presheva Valley. The second visit within a month of the political representatives of the Albanian-run municipalities in Serbia – Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc, comes amidst the debate in Kosovo on exchange of territories between …

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Veseli says Vucic wants Ujman Lake belongs to Serbia

Chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, and Speaker of Parliament, Kadri Veseli, in a Facebook post confirmed that Serbia wants to take over the Ujman Lake located in the Serb-controlled northern part of Kosovo. Original post Here

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KFOR: Nobody is threatening Vucic in Kosovo

After Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who during his visit to Kosovo was banned from visiting the Drenica region, has reacted KFOR saying that is working in coordination with Institutions in Kosovo and Kosovo Police to ensure the safety of the President of Serbia. 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 …

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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

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Albanian Special Court Suspends Deputy Prime Minister: Source

The special anti-corruption court suspended Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is under investigation for violating tender procedures, and barred her from travelling abroad, a source told BIRN. Original post Here

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Deputy PM Balluku Suspended as SPAK Probe Widens

By Tirana Times Staff Tirana 20, November 2025.The suspension of Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime marks one of the most consequential judicial interventions against a senior government official since the creation of SPAK. The court accepted the Special Prosecution’s request …

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Saudi Crown Prince’s Washington Visit Signals a New Middle East Order

By Dr. Arben Ramkaj The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington may emerge as one of the defining diplomatic moments of this decade. Nothing about this trip was improvised. For weeks, senior Saudi officials travelled to the U.S. capital to prepare the ground, defense …

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Digital Rights Review: Journalists and LGBTQ+ Groups Targeted Online

BIRN’s monitors registered a series of digital attacks on media content, online harassment of journalists and threats against LGBTQ+ groups across the Balkans and Southeast Europe in September and October. 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

News

Albanian Special Court Suspends Deputy Prime Minister: Source

The special anti-corruption court suspended Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is under investigation for violating tender procedures, and barred her from travelling abroad, a source told BIRN. Original post Here

News

Deputy PM Balluku Suspended as SPAK Probe Widens

By Tirana Times Staff Tirana 20, November 2025.The suspension of Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime marks one of the most consequential judicial interventions against a senior government official since the creation of SPAK. The court accepted the Special Prosecution’s request …

News

Saudi Crown Prince’s Washington Visit Signals a New Middle East Order

By Dr. Arben Ramkaj The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington may emerge as one of the defining diplomatic moments of this decade. Nothing about this trip was improvised. For weeks, senior Saudi officials travelled to the U.S. capital to prepare the ground, defense …

News

Digital Rights Review: Journalists and LGBTQ+ Groups Targeted Online

BIRN’s monitors registered a series of digital attacks on media content, online harassment of journalists and threats against LGBTQ+ groups across the Balkans and Southeast Europe in September and October. Original post Here