Belgrade is blocking Kosovo's participation in the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, agreement, which links non-EU countries in Central and Southeast Europe.Serbia refuses to accept Pristina's participation in the agreement as a separate country, saying it may only be represented by the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.
As that drone floated surreally over the Belgrade pitch on 14 October, sparking the extraordinary mayhem that followed on the pitch, it was just the latest incident to make that stance look naive at best and dangerous at worst.
All who were there have commented on the supercharged atmosphere among a crowd whipped into a frenzy by the nationalism stirred up by their first clash with Albania in Belgrade since 1967.
Energy supplies and debt owed on gas already supplied were used by the Russians to try to get the government in Belgrade to move ahead on Southstream, according to sources in Belgrade.
The Scotland manager and his squad arrived in Belgrade still unable to fathom outtheir woeful start to Friday night's 2-1 defeat by Wales at Hampden Park – a result that kept them rooted to the bottom of Group A with two points from five games.
He said that the bombing of Serb television in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict was a different issue - the targets in question "appeared to have government facilities associated with them".
But Serbia and Albania were not separated in the draw, although away fans were banned from the stadium in Belgrade.
The current stop of the tour, at Coventry's Belgrade theatre, stirs up particular memories: "The last time I did this play here was in rep in 1974," he says.
The notorious Serb hooligan who led the pitch invasion on Tuesday night, Ivan Bogdanov, is not just part of the hardcore Red Star Belgrade fans, the Ultra Boys.
It was the first time Albania had played in Belgrade since 1967 amid tension over Kosovo.
