Avdullah Hoti

Seven individuals and one company linked to the Islamist terror group Hizballah have been put under sanctions by the Kosovo government following a decision taken by the US administration last month.

The decision, taken by Pristina authorities on Wednesday, was published on the government's website on Thursday.

This is stated in the answer of the unnamed spokesman to the inquiry of the "Voice of America" (VOA) on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Washington agreement.

With power in Kosovo now in the hands of Vetevendosje and its leader, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, BIRN took a look at the state of play with the Washington Agreement. Of the 16 points, Hoti signed up to, only one has been fully implemented - the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel.

There has been no positive movement on any of the other elements.

Interactions between Pristina and Athens became more frequent in the first half of this year. The so-called Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, visited Greece last week, where he was received by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, followed by a series of mutual visits.

The report was submitted to the Government of Serbia and the Government of the lnterim Institutions of Pristina, which fulfilled one of the obligations from the Washington Agreement, the American Embassy in Pristina announced on its Twitter account.

President of Serbia is scheduled to meet bilaterally with the main mediator of the EU in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Josep Borrell, from 9.30 a.m.

During his guest appearance on the morning program of TV Prva, Israeli Ambassador Yahel Vilan was asked why his country recognized the so-called Kosovo, he claimed that Israel did it because it was under pressure from America. Those two sentences immediately provoked reactions from the host who printed out the agreement and showed it live.

Lumir Abdixhiku has been elected the new chairperson of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, exactly one month after Kosovo's oldest party was humbled disastrously in parliamentary elections, promising to restore the party "to its original place".

Chronicle of a defeat foretold

Workers place a giant electoral poster showing candidate for prime minister of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Avdullah Hoti in Pristina, Kosovo, February 4, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

Voters in Kosovo will cast their ballots today in snap parliamentary elections - the sixth such poll in 14 years -  which analysts have predicted will be a much tighter race than usual.

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