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US to deploy 125 troops to Kosovo

In September more than 125 Soldiers of the US Tennessee National Guard assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion will begin an 11 month deployment to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force which is responsible for establishing a secure environment in Kosovo. Original post …

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Kosovo Minister of Environment resigns

Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Albena Reshitaj, has offered her resignation to Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday. Media report that Reshitaj’s resignation came after disagreements within her party AKR headed by Behgjet Pacolli who is first deputy prime minister and foreign minister in Haradinaj’s Government. Original post Here

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Haradinaj is first Kosovo PM to visit US Military Base of Bondsteel

Ramush Haradinaj, is the first Kosovo Prime Minister who visited on Wednesday the US Military camp – Bondsteel, when he met Col. Nick Ducich, commander of the US military presence in Kosovo. Original post Here

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UK removes from the agenda UN Security Council discussion on Kosovo

The United Kingdom (UK) took over the Presidency of the UN Security Council this August and based on the agenda published by the UK mission to the United Nations, the UNMIK’s regular quarterly report on Kosovo discussed by the UNSC has been completely removed. Original post Here

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Serbia needs reconciliation with Kosovo to join the EU, says Albin Kurti

Leader of the opposition party of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti, has turned down the offer of ruling coalition parties to create a joint team in dialogue with Serbia. Original post Here

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Serbia ‘has no offer’ for Kosovo

Marko Djuric, Director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo, talking on the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade said that Serbia has no any new offer, adding that there is still no solution for the issue of Kosovo. Original post Here

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Thaci has no comment on Kosovo-Serbia ‘exchange of territories’ idea

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci addressing media on Monday has not commented when asked whether partition or exchange of territories is one of the options for reaching a final legally-binding agreement with Serbia. He called media reports on this topic as “fake news” noting that such reports are confusing public opinion. …

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Mogherini’s Office asks realistic agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, did not comment on partition

The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said Friday that he was misunderstood when during a televised interview avoided commenting whether partition of Kosovo would be acceptable to Washington, sparking speculations that the US stance on Kosovo issue has changed. The Office of the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, who …

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Serbia bans entry of Kosovo's First Deputy Prime Minister, Behgjet Pacolli

Serbia’s authorities have not approved the request of the Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli to visit the Sandzak region in Serbia. Pacolli was invited by the Bosniak National Council (BNV) to attend their debate on regional cooperation in Balkans. Original post Here

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Veseli and Fajon discuss further steps on visa liberalisaiton

Speaker of Parliament Kadri Veseli spoke on the phone on Friday with the European Parliament Rapporteur for visa liberalisation process with Kosovo, Tanja Fajon. 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 …

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 …

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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

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

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