Kosovo

Kosovo has banned all Serbian officials from entering the country, in another escalation of relations between Serbia and its former province. Pristina "will not allow any official from Belgrade to visit Kosovo," Jetlir Zyberaj, an adviser to Kosovo’s foreign minister, posted to his Facebook page on July 4. Zyberaj said the move was a response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens."

Kosovo and Albania on Tuesday signed a landmark agreement to coordinate their foreign policies and unify their diplomatic missions – though some experts doubt it will mean much in practice.

[…] Serbia put its army on high alert and moved some troops near the border with Kosovo as the two sides traded allegations on May 29, after the Kosovar police operation the previous day saw 19 local police officers arrested for allegedly being involved in "criminal activities." … The European Union, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and KFOR all quickly called for calm, but emotions continued to run high.

A spokesman for KFOR says Monday's Kosovo special police raid in northern, Serb areas was "regular" activity. "… At this moment, peace in Kosovo is most threatened by rhetoric, propaganda, provocation and sometimes false statements by politicians. I've been here for almost 20 months and there were no major incidents. The greatest threat to peace and stability is caused by the rhetoric used and abused by some leaders, as well as the media taking part in it," said [Vincenzo] Grasso.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stressed on Thursday that Belgrade and Pristina are years away from any possible solution for the Kosovo problem.

A Kosovo parliamentary commission approved a draft resolution accusing Serbia of committing genocide against ethnic Albanians during the 1998-99 war, although experts questioned whether it has any practical purpose.

Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to restart EU-brokered talks on better relations, amid ongoing disagreement - in the region and beyond - on a land-swap deal. Serb president Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Hashim Thaci agreed "to press ahead with their efforts to implement existing agreements" in a "constructive" dialogue, a German government spokesman said in Berlin early on Tuesday (30 April).

Kosovo's president said Tuesday help from the United States was necessary to resolve a bitter dispute between his country and Serbia, as Europe was too "weak and divided".

Scheduled local elections in four northern mainly Serbian districts of Kosovo were thrown into crisis on Wednesday when the Central Election Commission, CEC, failed to certify candidates from the main Serbian party in Kosovo, Srpska Lista.