The Kosovo Specialist Chamber, a war crimes court based in The Hague, said on Thursday that a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander, Salih Mustafa, had been arrested by prosecutors in Kosovo and is being transported to the Netherlands. The court said in a statement it had confirmed an indictment and arrest warrant against Mustafa, though it did not detail what charges he may face.

The EU voiced "serious concern and regret" over Serbia's pledge to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, news wires reported. Muslim-majority Kosovo also agreed to normalize its ties with Israel, including establishing diplomatic relations. Kosovo's president, Hashim Thaci said that his country "will keep a promise to place its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem."

EU-mediated negotiations on normalising relations between Serbia and its former province of Kosovo could lead to a deal within months, the EU's envoy on the issue said. But according to Miroslav Lajcak, it would be a mistake to forecast a date as there were still ”very complicated issues to address”.

War crimes prosecutors in The Hague have called for questioning the veteran head of North Macedonia’s Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) party, Ali Ahmeti, who was a guerrilla fighter during the conflicts in both Kosovo and North Macedonia, news wires reported. He confirmed that he has accepted the request “without any hesitation”.

Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Thursday issued a ban on air, road and rail travel from Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo to Italy due to the COVID crisis, ANSA reported. They have been added to the list of 13 countries considered to be at high risk for coronavirus spread.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci arrived at the Kosovo Specialist Chamber (KSC) on Monday for questioning about alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed two decades ago, news wires reported. "Today I am ready to face new challenges successfully, for my son, for my family and my people. This is the price of freedom. I believe in truth and freedom," he told reporters before entering, according to a report by Kosovo broadcaster Klan Kosova.

The Balkans, one of the poorest regions in Europe with the most fragile medical infrastructure, is bracing against a surge in coronavirus infections, AFP reported.

Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation army (KLA), which fought for the independence from Serbia, gathered at a main square in the capital of Pristina and other cities on Thursday to denounce the indictment of President Hashim Thaci on war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during and after a 1998-1999-armed conflict.

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will hold talks in Brussels on 12 July, European Commission spokesman said on Monday cited by news wires. Sunday’s meeting between Kosovo PM Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, which will be the first in this format since November 2018, will be hosted by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The president of Kosovo headed back to his country Friday after pulling out of a White House meeting due to his indictment for war crimes stemming from the 1990s armed conflict between ethnic Albanian separatists he helped lead and Serbian forces.