Albanian nationalism

The facts that the EU is incapacitated by the drama surrounding Brexit, and that the discredited US administration no longer acts as an anchor of stability in the Balkans, make the victory of Albanian nationalists in Pristina even more explosive and meaningful, Lendvai said.

The shock resignation of Ramush Haradinaj drew sympathetic comments from senior Kosovo officials and politicians on Friday after the prime minister was summoned for questioning by the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor's Office in The Hague, which is investigating crimes committed during and just after the Kosovo war, from 1998 to 2000.

Faik Nika, the president of the Albanian National Council, said on Friday that the Albanian government will give financial support for the first time to assist the running of his organisation and its office in the municipality of Plav.

Nika told Montenegrin media the Albanian government has recently made three very important decisions for the Albanian community in Montenegro.

"Greater Albania" is a nationalistic, expansionist project that would see internationally recognized borders of Albania expand to include parts of neighboring countries - i.e., Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.

Albanian officials are not very convincing when they denounce talk about a Greater Albania as Serbian and Russian propaganda designed to cultivate fear of Albania.

A local dispute has turned into became a much larger inter-ethnic row after unknown perpetrators removed a wooden cross from the foundations of St. Vasilije Ostroski church in the village of Martinaj and threw it into a nearby stream.

Starting this week, Ethnic Albanians from Montenegro and North Macedonia now have the same access to jobs in Albania as locals, according to a decision made by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's cabinet, which was made public on Monday.

He added that while Belgrade talks about compromise and dialogue, Pristina and Tirana are looking for ways to create Greater Albania - an expansionist nationalist project at the expense of Albanians' neighbors - and do it under the table.

Serbian right-wingers have begun a concerted campaign against BIRN project coordinator Sofija Todorovic since she defended the rights of an ethnic Albanian baker in her hometown of Borca - himself the subject of nationalist attacks - sharing hate speech, insults and threats to her on social media and attempting to hack her account on Twitter.

Whatever the reason, on April 27, nationalists gathered in front of the bakery, shouted nationalistic slogans, played Serbian patriotic songs and put stickers reading "Kosovo is Serbia" on the windows.

Groups of them twice stormed into the bakery but were escorted out by police, who secured the premises.