Military

Foreign Minister Vassilis Kaskarelis asked for the release of two ethnic Greek men who were imprisoned during a mayoral election campaign in Albania at a meeting with the country's counterpart Olta Xhacka, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

The request was made on the sidelines of the informal Summit of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs taking place in Oslo.

A smaller group of Serbs remained on the watch in front of the municipalities.
Members of KFOR are still in front of the municipalities, while members of special forces are present within the local self-governments.
The mayor of Leposavic has been sleeping within the municipality for three nights.

European leaders meet Thursday at a summit held on one of the most vulnerable points on the continent's strategic frontline, in a show of diplomatic force designed to pressure Moscow.

The European Political Community (EPC), which groups 27 EU members with 40 of their allies and excludes Russia and Belarus, chose Ukraine's tiny neighbour Moldova for its second summit.

ZVECAN - Two Serb men arrested during Monday's clashes in Zvecan and subsequently handed over by Kfor to Pristina's police were transferred to court detention in Kosovska Mitrovica on Wednesday morning, former Zvecan mayor Dragisa Milovic said.

He said Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic were due to appear before a judge later in the day.

Hill added that this will affect relations with Washington, but that he is not familiar with all the details either.
He told reporters in Belgrade and added that progress must be made in the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, the formation of the CSM and the continuation of the dialogue.

The UN court in The Hague is delivering its final verdict on Wednesday in the war crimes retrial of top Serbian State Security officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, who have appealed against their 12-year sentences for involvement in wartime crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict did not bring the desired effect for the US, Washington must create a new war on the European continent," Chinese military expert Song Zhongping believes.

NATO will deploy 700 more troops to Kosovo, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today, a day after 30 NATO soldiers and 52 protesters were injured in clashes, Reuters reported.

The Serbian Army is at the highest level of combat readiness, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander and the President of the Republic, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The army, together with other security forces of the Republic of Serbia, is monitoring the development of the situation on the ground.

"Heads of services do not coordinate with partner countries - there is no such legal requirement, nor such a practice". This was stated before the MPs by the chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Plamen Tonchev.