ABSTRACT
In summer and autumn, fighting intensified as tensions reached their highest levels in years. While this did not result in full-blown war, the instability of the ceasefire was demonstrated by clashes of a kind unseen since 1994. The Kazakhstani government was also reported to have censored coverage of sensitive topics, including the Eurasian Economic Union, the successor to the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. On 29 May, during the Astana summit on the union, the authorities arrested journalists and local activists, partially blocking the website of Radio Free Europe’s Kazakh-language affiliate. An outright victory for the Progressive Party in Serbia’s March elections boded well for the continued normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. This was due to the fact that the pro-European Progressive Party effectively kick-started the process in April 2013, as the largest party in Serbia’s previous ruling coalition.
