Vetëvendosje

Hundreds of people took part in Pristina's fifth Pride parade on Thursday, the culmination of Pride Week activities held across Kosovo's capital this week.

BIRN has also reported how family members of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci were hired as a copyright expert, a camera operator and in the marketing department.

Allegations of nepotism

Kosovo public broadcaster, RTK, board reporting to the parliamentary commission. Photo: BIRN

A group of Kosovo civil society organisations called on the Kosovo authorities on Thursday to condemn comments made by ruling Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party MP Arbereshe Kryeziu Hyseni, who said that ethnic Albanian missing persons are more of a priority than Serbs.

The long-awaited resumption of dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo took place on Tuesday in Brussels, where Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti had their first official meeting, but their rival interpretations of what happened highlighted the differences between the two leaders.

Kosovo's parliament has voted to dismiss the board of Privatisation Agency with Prime Minister Albin Kurti keen to end an institution he believes has damaged the country and the economy.

According to the Pristina newspaper Koha Ditore, PDK MP Abelard Tahiri asked Kurti why he did not have the courage to tell the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabi, who committed the crimes.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has dismissed 12 ambassadors acting on a proposal by the Foreign Ministry to recall all the country's politically appointed ambassadors.

"President Osmani has acted in accordance with the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the President's office told BIRN.

Gervalla-Schwarz was born in North Macedonia capital, Skopje, in 1971, when it was still part of socialist Yugoslavia. She spent her early childhood living between Skopje and Pristina, where her father, Jusuf Gervalla, was a well-known writer, singer and artist.

Vetevendosje MPs have also joined protests in Lezha in Albania against the construction of hydropower plants.

Kurti and his colleague's visit to Albania came three weeks after his government came to power, and before he has even laid out his domestic programme for governing.

Vjosa Osmani became Kosovo's fifth head of state in 13 years since the country declared its independence from Serbia on Sunday night when MPs in the Kosovo Assembly voted to appoint her as president.

Osmani, a 38-year-old lawyer, also became the second woman to hold the post, after Atifete Jahjaga, who was president from 2011 to 2016.