Pristina re-launched on Sunday a trade war with Belgrade by announcing a ban on all imports from Serbia that are not stamped “for the Republic of Kosovo”, AFP reported. The 100-percent tariff on Serbian imports, imposed in 2018 to protest Belgrade’s campaign to undermine global recognition of the former Serbian province, was only abolished on 1 April. The measure lasted mere two months.

Montenegro, the first European country to declare itself free of the coronavirus, announced plans to open its borders on 1 June to citizens of several European countries except for neighboring Serbia, provoking angry reaction from Belgrade, news wires reported.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci announced on Tuesday he would not take part in talks on normalising ties with Serbia led by the EU special mediator Miroslav Lajcak, calling instead for an increased US role in the dialogue, news wires reported.

Hungary opened its southern border for citizens of Serbia and Hungary from Monday morning, Hungarian FМ Peter Szijjarto announced. A similar measure was taken by Serbia on Friday and Budapest decided to answer with the same move, Szijjarto said, adding that the novel coronavirus pandemic was under control in both countries, which allowed the easing of restrictions.

Armed Serbian soldiers are now guarding a migrant camp on the border with Croatia in an attempt to prevent the migrants from trying to cross into the European Union, news wires reported.  The decision to station soldiers at the camp came after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic a week ago held talks with PM Victor Orban of neighbouring Hungary, who is one of the most vociferous opponents of illegal migration into Europe, Reuters recalls.

Travel between Bulgaria and Greece will be without quarantine as of 1 June. The decision was made at a video conference of the leaders of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania and was announced Tuesday by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Hungary's Parliament on Tuesday classified the details of the construction of a Chinese-backed railway link between Budapest and Belgrade, news wires reported. The giant project, launched amid critics, will be jointly financed by Hungary and the Export-Import Bank with the Hungarian state paying 15% upfront and 85% loaned by China.

As Europe looks to salvage summer vacations after the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus, one country is courting visitors from 4,500 miles away, Bloomberg reported. Serbia is kicking off a marketing campaign on Friday that will target tourists from China, where Covid-19 first emerged. The eastern European nation is using a platform run by Alibaba to tout its ancient monasteries, mountain resorts and lively nightlife in the capital, Belgrade.

Serbia’s special police were deployed on Monday to keep apart supporters of the populist government and the opposition, who were holding separate rallies in Belgrade, news wires reported.  Political tensions rise in the country ahead of next month’s parliamentary election.

Serbia’s president is denouncing a “fascist rampage” after a right-wing opposition group clashed with ruling party lawmakers outside the parliament building on Friday, news wires reported. The leader of the Dveri group, Bosko Obradovic, and his supporters blocked the entrance into the parliament, shouting and blowing whistles, as ruling party lawmakers struggled through the crowd amid chaos.