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Pristina

Pristina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is situated in the northeastern part of the Balkan country and has a population of roughly 500,000.

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All Content on this topic

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Boxing with politics

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SportsApril 5, 202412:36 min
A Serb tank and two Serb soldiers are seen taking up positions

Raped men in Kosovo: Living with a stigma

During the Balkan wars, rape was a widespread war crime especially in Kosovo from 1998-99. One victim tells his story.
ConflictsMarch 13, 2024
A woman with long hair and glasses smiles broadly as she holds up a blue bag that reads 'Visa liberalization for Kosovo #NoVisa'

Kosovo: What has changed with visa-free travel to the EU?

For Kosovars, visa-free travel to the EU was introduced on January 1. So far, the anticipated exodus has not occurred.
PoliticsJanuary 17, 2024
Kosovo police officers stand guard along a muddy road in a village in northern Kosovo, June 14, after Serbian authorities arrested three Kosovo police officers

Serbia releases detained Kosovo police officers

Kosovo's prime minister said he was happy about the officers, but said Serbian "aggression" ought to be held to account.
PoliticsJune 26, 2023
Former President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci looks into the camera.

Kosovo's ex-president Thaci pleads not guilty in The Hague

Thousands gathered to protest the trial against Kosovo's ex-President Hashim Thaci accused of war crimes.
ConflictsApril 3, 2023
Suzana M. (left) and Gent S., each photographed from behind, in their flat in Pristina, Kosovo, February 14, 2023

Kosovo: Love across the ethnic and political divide

The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo could not stop a Serbian woman and a Kosovo Albanian man from becoming a couple.
ConflictsFebruary 17, 2023
Local Serbs block the road near the village of Rudare, north of Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo on Sunday

Kosovo sees overnight violence amid political uncertainty

A spat over the banning of Serbian license plates has once again resulted in violence.
PoliticsDecember 11, 2022
A view of an empty street after Kosovo on August 1, 2022

Kosovo delays border measures amid Serbia tensions

The EU invited both sides to Brussels for talks after Pristina wanted to introduce new rules for its border crossing.
PoliticsAugust 1, 2022
Serbian army soldiers at the Kosovo border

Serbia, Kosovo 'reach deal in border row'

Serbia and Kosovo have reportedly agreed to end a standoff at their border ignited by a dispute over license plates.
PoliticsSeptember 30, 2021
Kosovo Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabriel Ashkenazi at a virtual press conference

Israel and Kosovo establish diplomatic ties

The Trump-brokered deal sees Muslim-majority Kosovo recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
PoliticsFebruary 1, 2021
Eurowings plane

Serbia, Kosovo agree to restart commercial flights

If implemented, the agreement would allow for the first direct air travel between the two countries since 1998.
PoliticsJanuary 20, 2020
The al-Hol refugee camp in Kurdish-held northeastern Syria

Coming home after the 'caliphate'

Most European countries refuse to repatriate their citizens who joined 'IS' — not Kosovo, where the state guides them.
ConflictsOctober 2, 2019
Kosovo Pristina - Feierlichkeiten in Pristina zum 10. Jahrestag der Unabhängigkeit Kosovos am 17.02.2018

Scenarios to end Kosovo and Serbia's conflict

Armed conflict between Serbia and Kosovo is possible if their EU perspectives fade, writes a group of Balkan experts. 
PoliticsApril 13, 2018
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on state visit to Kosovo

Serbia must accept Kosovo independence to join EU — Gabriel

Gabriel has voiced his support for Serbia's membership in the EU, but not before it accepts Kosovo's independence.
PoliticsFebruary 15, 2018
Kosovo Mitrovica trauert um Ivanovic

Questions over Serb politician's murder

Leaders in Pristina and Belgrade are trading blame over who killed prominent Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic.
PoliticsJanuary 17, 2018
Balkan - Konflikt zwischen Kosovo und Serbien - KSF

'EU must take historic opportunity to solve Kosovo issue'

Solving the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo requires frank talks, says Austrian Balkans expert Wolfgang Petritsch.
PoliticsDecember 10, 2017
Kosovo Pristina Proteste gegen die Regierung

Protesters battle police at Kosovo rally

Protesters in Pristina set fire to a government building during a rally against an EU-brokered deal with Serbia.
January 9, 2016
Kosovo and EU flag

Kosovo on the threshold of EU membership

Kosovo is the last southeastern European country to sign the EU Association Agreement.
October 26, 2015
Albin Kurti

Violent Kosovo protests after lawmaker arrested

Kosovar police use tear gas against a crowd gathered to demand the release of a nationalist lawmaker.
October 13, 2015
A frame grab taken from AA footage shows opposition MPs throwing eggs at Kosovo's Prime Minister Isa Mustafa during his speech at parliament in Pristina, Kosovo on September 22, 2015 (Photo: Erkin Keci / Anadolu Agency)

Kosovo's PM pelted with eggs in parliament

Kosovo's lawmakers have thrown eggs at Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, protesting against a government deal with Serbia.
September 22, 2015
Archiv: Serbische Flagge am Grenzübergang Jarinje Serbien Kosovo

Serbia, Kosovo sign 'landmark' energy, telco agreements

Serbia and Kosovo have inched towards better ties after signing agreements in several key areas.
August 26, 2015
Kosovo Parlament

Kosovo votes to set up war crimes court

Pristina has been under mounting pressure to prosecute alleged war crimes committed during the 1998-99 war.
August 3, 2015
Mazedonien Unruhen Polizei

Skopje returns nine bodies to Kosovo

Macedonia has handed over to Kosovo the bodies of nine ethnic-Albanian gunmen killed in clashes earlier this month.
May 22, 2015
Budapest: Kosovars

Mass exodus from Kosovo

In recent months, tens of thousands have fled Kosovo, the youngest European state.
February 13, 2015
Serbische Polizei nimmt illegale Auswanderer aus Kosovo an der Grenze zu Ungarn fest

German police to help stem Kosovo exodus

Germany sends a number of police officers to help stem a tide of migrants from Kosovo.
February 12, 2015
Serbische Polizei nimmt illegale Auswanderer aus Kosovo an der Grenze zu Ungarn fest

Concern in Germany over Kosovo asylum-seeker jump

Alarm bells are ringing in Germany over a surge in Kosovar Albanians seeking asylum in the EU.
February 9, 2015
Kosovo police officers fire tear gas during clashes at a demonstration in Pristina, Kosovo, 27 January 2015 (photo: EPA/STRINGER)

A thin red line in Kosovo

Recent protests in Pristina shook Kosovo's capital and forced the sacking of a government minister.
February 8, 2015
Das Logo der so genannten Kosovo Police

Kosovo police arrest terror suspect

Police in Kosovo say they have thwarted a possible terrorist attack. The suspect is thought to have been planning a bombing in Pristina on Christmas Day.
December 26, 2014
Edi Rama besucht Serbien

Ethnic Albanians in Presevo welcome Albanian PM

The prime minister of Albania has visited a region of southwestern Serbia mainly populated by ethnic Albanians. This came a day after he and his counterpart in Belgrade clashed over Kosovo at a joint news conference.
November 11, 2014
Edi Rama und Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrad 10.11.2014

Albania, Serbia leaders clash over Kosovo

The first visit to Belgrade by an Albanian premier in seven decades has resulted in a public row over Kosovo. The two sides had been hoping to use the meeting to open a more harmonious chapter in their troubled ties.
November 10, 2014
Rama and Vucic meet on November 10, 2014

Albanian PM in historic visit to Belgrade

The Albanian prime minister is in Belgrade for talks with his Serbian counterpart. This is the first visit to Serbia by an Albanian premier in almost seven decades.
November 10, 2014
Proteste in Mitrovica, Kosovo

Kosovo protest turns violent

Police have broken up a protest by ethnic Albanians against the blockade by ethnic Serbs of the main bridge in Mitrovica in northern Kosovo. The town has often seen tension between the two ethnic groups.
June 22, 2014
Hashim Thac - Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci gestures at the polling station in the capital city Pristina June 8, 2014. Kosovo voted in an election on Sunday marked by voter frustration over poverty and corruption six years after seceding from Serbia, testing ex-guerrilla Thaci's bid for a third term as prime minister. REUTERS/Hazir Reka

Kosovo's Thaci claims victory

Kosovo's ruling party, led by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, has claimed a third term in office. The election was marred by low turnout, attributed to growing frustration about corruption.
June 9, 2014
Wahl im Kosovo 08.06.2016

Low turnout marks Kosovo vote

Polls have closed in Kosovo, where voters turned out for snap parliamentary elections. The outcome remains uncertain as incumbent Prime Minister Hashim Thaci faces a tough fight from the opposition.
June 8, 2014
Kosovo student protests

Kosovo tension

Kosovo remains a hotbed of tension and turmoil, with soaring unemployment and rampant corruption.
February 13, 2014
European Union police mission in Kosovo (EULEX) secure on November 17, 2013 the entrance of a polling station SASA DJORDJEVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Heavy security

Voting goes off peacefully in Serb parts of Kosovo as international security forces look on.
November 18, 2013
Armed security forces dressed in black stand on a stree during the night time.

Whodunnit in Kosovo?

The motives behind riots that disrupted elections in Kosovo are still unclear.
November 5, 2013
Kosovo Serbs walk past a electoral banner on November 1, 2013 in Gracanica, central Kosovo. Important elections Sunday in Kosovo will be watched for the turnout of its minority Serb population and as a vital step in Serbia's bid to join the European Union. .AFP PHOTO / ARMEND NIMANI (Photo credit should read ARMEND NIMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Kosovo votes

Kosovo is holding local elections in which ethnic Serbs will be taking part for the first time since independence in 2008 . The vote will test the country's political maturity as it seeks peace with Serbia.
November 3, 2013
MERDAR, KOSOVO - FEBRUARY 19: Members of the Kosovo border police guard at a checkpoint from Serbia to Kosovo on February 19, 2008 in Merdar, Kosovo. U.N. police pulled out on Tuesday from Kosovo border posts destroyed by Serbs who say they will never submit to the authority of Kosovo's Albanian government and its Western backers. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

EU cop shot dead in Kosovo

A member of the European Union's police mission in Kosovo has been shot dead near the flashpoint border with Serbia. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
September 19, 2013
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (L) and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic brief the media (Photo: EPA/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC)

Plea for Serbia-Kosovo progress

Germany's Foreign Minister has called for further progress in normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Bipartisan talks are set to take place, with Serbia keen to strengthen its case for EU accession.
May 20, 2013
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (C) poses with Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (L) and Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, at NATO headquarters in Brussels (Photo: REUTERS/Yves Logghe/Pool)

Breakthrough in Kosovo

An agreement is supposed to put the tensions to rest, but there are protests from Serbs in Kosovo.
April 20, 2013
A pedestrian walks by a graffiti reading 'Kosova Republic!' in Kosovo's capital Pristina

Serbia rejects Kosovo deal

The European Union has expressed regret over Serbia's rejection of an EU-brokered deal designed to end tensions with breakaway Kosovo. The move could threaten Serbia's EU membership aspirations.
April 8, 2013
A street in Pristina, capital of Kosovo Photo: DW

Serbia-Kosovo talks

There were mixed signals from Belgrade ahead of a meeting between Serbian officials and their counterparts from Kosovo. These were to be the latest round in a series of meetings between Belgrade and Pristina.
April 2, 2013
serb premier Ivica Dacic, , EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Kosovar premier Hashim Thaci in talks (Photo: DW/Marina Maksimovic)

Optimism in Serbia, Kosovo talks

A spirit of optimism has emerged in EU-brokered talks between Serbia and Kosovo. As prospective fellow EU member states, the two have been trying to iron out differences so they can normalize relations.
March 21, 2013
Thomas de Maiziere with Bundeswehr soldiers at Camp Cabra near Zupce

De Maiziere in Kosovo

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere has used a visit to Pristina to praise the efforts of Bundeswehr soldiers to reduce tensions in Kosovo. This was his third visit to the troops as defense minister.
December 20, 2012
Members of the Kosovo border police guard at a checkpoint from Serbia to Kosovo

Joint border controls begin

Serbia and Kosovo have opened jointly supervised border crossings. This is seen as a step towards normalizing relations - something the two sides need to do if they are to achieve their aspirations of entering the EU.
December 10, 2012
Volker Halbauer (photo: Nato)

'Good outlook'

The German commander of NATO's forces in Kosovo says troop numbers could soon be reduced.
November 19, 2012
A Kosovo Albanian girl is holding a Kosovo flag in a crowd

Less supervision for Kosovo

Kosovo is set to take a key step toward full independence as the international authority that has supervised the former Serbian province for more than four years wraps up its work.
September 10, 2012
EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy (R) welcomes Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (L) on September 4, 2012 before their working session at EU headquarters in Brussels.

Serbia's Dacic reassures EU

Serbia’s prime minister has expressed his government’s determination to join the European Union. There had been concerns about Serbia’s future course after pro-EU President Boris Tadic was voted out of office.
September 4, 2012
German soldier in Kosovo with local woman talking to him

German Kosovo mission extended

The German parliament has approved an extension to the armed forces' mandate in Kosovo for another year, but MPs have warned of a prolonged presence in the former Serbian province.
May 25, 2012