Politics of Kosovo

He believes that we should first discuss a comprehensive legally binding agreement, and only then find solutions to other technical issues.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been saying that for years and decades when it comes to the Balkans and Kosovo, although recently there have been cracks in the relations between Ankara and Pristina, longtime Serbian media correspondent from Ankara Vojislav Lalic told Sputnik about Erdogan's new message that contradicts Serbia's national interests.

Interview by Angelos Al. Athanasopoulos

Greece's recognition of Kosovo's independence would be a proof that Athens is ready to play a leading regional role in the Balkans, says Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in an exclusive interview with To Vima.

First, let me say that before judge Simmons was elevated to the presidency of the Assembly of Judges, he was also serving in the same capacity as an international criminal judge from the United Kingdom. I sat with him on the trial panel in a murder case in Prizren in 2011, and found his participation to be highly professional.

The lawyer for murdered political party leader Oliver Ivanovic said on Tuesday that allegations made by Malcolm Simmons, former head judge at the EU's rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, showed that the war crimes prosecution of the Kosovo Serb politician was a "fabricated court case".

Malcolm Simmons, a former head judge for the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX told the Kosovo parliamentary commission on legislation on Monday that the mission prioritised putting prominent wartime figures on trial despite having little evidence, and failed to protect witnesses and deliver justice.

Kosovo and Serbia delegations again exchanged familiar accusations of not fulfilling the obligations they have undertaken at the latest round of the EU-facilitated dialogue on normalization of relations between the two countries.

The two delegations met on Tuesday in Brussels convened by the EU's envoy for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

On Monday, Kosovo's Pristina Basic Court sentenced a former Kosovo Serb policeman, Zoran Vukotic, to ten years in prison for rape and for participating in the expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians during the war in Kosovo in 1999.

The ruling was called historic because it the first time someone had been convicted in Kosovo of sexual abuse during the 1998-9 war.

The US Deputy Assistant of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Matthew Palmer, on Sunday said that Kosovo needs to fulfill its obligation to set up an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.

According to him, the change of the Kosovo constitution is very possible in order to solve the issue of forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities.