Stand-off with minority Serbs holds back Kosovo 15 years after independence

FILE PHOTO: People are pictured through Kosovo flag as they take part in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Kosovo's independence in Pristina, Kosovo February 17, 2018. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

PRISTINA (Reuters) - When in December Serbia put forces on highest combat alert in response to increasing violence in Kosovo between police and minority Serb protesters, a shareholder in Pristina's newest shopping mall began getting calls from unnerved investors.

"International companies that were supposed to arrive for the first time in Kosovo told us that they were delaying opening shops due to the unstable situation," Fatmir Zymberi told Reuters. "This meant for them Kosovo is a dangerous region."