LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: I gave transcript to Chepurin (Beta/Blic)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that she had handed the transcript of her interview with the U.S. Bloomberg agency to the Russian Ambassador to Serbia, without any excuses on her part, Blic reported on 9 July. “I gave him the transcript, because it is important to maintain the continuity of the prime minister’s honesty and openness to every partner. I was not justifying myself,” Brnabic said in an interview with the Belgrade daily. The Serbian PM noted that she was equally open in her interviews with the Bloomberg, Sputnik and BBC. “I wanted to show that I stand behind my every word, even though some of them were taken out of context,” Brnabic explained. She added that as the new prime minster she had had a pre-arranged meeting with Ambassador Chepurin.

Brnabic said that she expected that her government would last a full mandate, “i.e. three years – until the new elections”. She said that Serbia had no time to lose and if her government should not give results “a new one should be selected”. “If Serbian government is not working right and it turns out that I am not a Prime Minister that can show results important for this country, it is important to try with the new one, because we, as a country, have no time to lose”, Brnabic said. Brnabic also said that she does not care how people call her now (a pot plant, ikebana… since the opposition believes that the real Prime Minister is Vucic) and her part would be to come to work and do the best she could, and she added that she would like if they would call her “a successful and efficient Prime Minister” at the end of the mandate. Brnabic said that the greatest challenge for her would be to keep continuity with the previous government, which created an environment, fiscal consolidation, macroeconomic and economic stability, lower deficit.

Merkel to Brnabic: Rule of law, Kosovo, Serbia’s EU accession landmarks (Beta)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the development of the rule of law and the normalization of relations with Kosovo were important standards that Serbia had to reach in in the EU integration process. These were the German chancellor’s words in a letter congratulating Ana Brnabic on taking over as Serbia’s new prime minister. Merkel also said that important challenges laid ahead for the Serbian government. “The government of the Federal Republic of Germany will gladly support you,” Merkel was quoted as saying in her letter by Brnabic’s office.

Odalovic hopes new court will provide at least some answers (Novosti/Tanjug)

Secretary-General of the Serbian Foreign Ministry and Head of the government commission on missing persons Veljko Odalovic hopes a new Hague-based special court set up to try war crimes committed by the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army will provide at least some answers to questions about war crimes in Kosovo and Metohija and that the perpetrators will be punished. Odalovic cited three particularly grave KLA crimes – the 1998 kidnapping of miners at the Belacevac open-pit mine, an attack on civilians near Orahovac in the same year and the 1999 massacre of Serb harvesters in Staro Gracko.

Serbian Foreign Ministry: Membership of “Kosovo” in WCO suspended (RTS/Beta)

The Serbian Foreign Ministry announced that at the 8 July session of the World Customs Organization (SCO) regarding the accession of the so-called “Kosovo” to this organization, “Kosovo” was deprived of the right to vote, while its admission to the WCO has been suspended until further notice. The announcement states that an extraordinary session of the SCO Council has been scheduled for the end of this year, and a working group will be formed in the meantime to consider the case of “Kosovo” and propose a solution for the future status in the SCO Council, and until then the 2012 decision will apply under which the reception of “Kosovo” in the SCO is premature. The Foreign Ministry, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the Customs Administration jointly worked to challenge the illegitimate attempt to receive the so-called “Kosovo” into the WCO after Belgium, as the depositary of the convention, and the SCO Secretariat, contrary to the 2012 SCO’s decision that the receipt of Kosovo is premature, attempted to allow “Kosovo” to join this institution, despite the protest of the Republic of Serbia and another twenty countries. Membership of the so-called “Kosovo” was suspended at the request of Serbia until the next session, the statement said.

What is Serbia’s future in Kosovo and Kosovo’s in Serbia (Blic)

Part of the inauguration speech of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in which he announced the launching of an “internal dialogue on Kosovo’, has precisely opened these issues. Blic launched a series of texts where it researches the future of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, i.e. some kind of public debate that would include academicians, public figures, authorities, the opposition and NGO sector.

Former officials

Former minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic thinks that it is absolutely necessary to continue negotiations since this problem can be resolved only through dialogue and compromise. “The talks were raised to the premier level five years ago, and what did we get? Only Albanian requests had been implemented. For us it is important to have security, to preserve Serbian property, the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church and cultural-historical monuments. Important are also returns that stopped, only ten families return every year,” says Bogdanovic.

Former foreign minister Vuk Draskovic thinks that Serbia should accept Ahtisaari’s document and establish all-round cooperation with the authorities and Albanian majority in Kosovo, without formal recognition of Kosovo’s independence. “The Albanians accepted Ahtisaari’s document and incorporated some of its basic decrees into the Kosovo Constitution. According to this document, Kosovo’s unification with Albania or annexation to Kosovo part of territory of any neighboring country is forbidden. Presently, a convincing majority of UN and EU member states recognizes Kosovo as an independent country. Serbia cannot change this reality now. What we can do is for our negotiators in Brussels to try to receive something more than Ahtisaari’s document,” says Draskovic.

Former Serbian ambassador in the UN Vladislav Jovanovic thinks that part of the Western countries expect the entire Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to end in recognition of Kosovo, which may be a silent condition for EU and NATO membership. “The Albanians rely on this kind of outcome of events and expect that patience will lead them to exhausting the Serbs. We haven’t recognized Kosovo, and judging by statements of all officials, we don’t intend to. We need to understand that time is not against us, but that it is working for us. Western countries have the problem with time, they can’t wait for a long time because one wild country cannot live in the heart of Europe in the next who knows how many years. Serbia needs to wait for Western powers to realize that can’t do anything without Belgrade, and only then, if the West would knock on our door, there would be real talks for Serbia. There are several options for Belgrade; one could be sovereignty over the southern province with maximum independence, such as the Oland Islands in Finland or Hong Kong. A weak federation or confederation could also be a solution. All solutions are better than returning to war,” says Jovanovic.

Historians

Academician and historian Ljubodrag Dimic says that the Albanians have been realizing their century program that was presented in 1877 that concerns four vilayets, including the Kosovo one, which includes the territories of other countries – Greece, Macedonia and Montenegro. That is why I don’t know whether there would be any sense at all discussing Kosovo in two, three or more decades. Talks of Serbs and Albanians will certainly yield some results, but the question is whether Kosovo is sustainable at all as such considering the aspiration of the Albanians to unite. Such a project will have to end in making a balance in Western Balkans, by re-grouping, since there cannot be only unification of Albanians without changing borders of Montenegro, B&H…,” said Dimic.

Historian Predrag Markovic finds reconciliation between the Serbs and Albanians unrealistic. “There was so much mutual oppressiveness over the past two centuries that reconciliation is almost impossible. There can hardly be compromise that implies mutual concessions since the Albanians do not accept even the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities. The measure of their exclusivity goes beyond everything,” opines Markovic.

Historian Bojan Dimitrijevic has a similar attitude, but notes that it is necessary to raise the level of relations of the two sides since cooperation, especially economic, is necessary. “The Serbs object to the Albanians their anti-Serb relationship since the Turkish times, as well as the enlargement of the territory inhabited by the Serb nation, while the Albanians object to the Serbs a disdainful relationship in the 20^th century. Differences have additionally been deepened by the fact that the two nations speak different languages and do not have the same religion,” said Dimitrijevic.

And what do the Albanians think? Albinot Maloku, Kosovo political analyst, told Blic: “There will be reconciliation and compromise between the Serbs and Albanians when the new prime minister and Serbian officials omit the word Metohija when mentioning Kosovo, i.e. when there is mutual recognition. This is possible when Serbia starts treating Kosovo as an equal. That would be the first step towards reconciliation, while other issues come later and they should be resolved at the level of equality and respect,” said Maloku.

Opposition

“The technical Prime Minister Ana Brnabic gives marketing statements for the West, while the political Prime Minister Ivica Dacic gives statements for the East. Neither, including the government to which they belong, will determine Serbia’s future, but its citizens,” Sasa Jankovic said.

“The Democratic Party has been persistently calling during the 1990s for a peaceful resolution and political dialogue, without national hysteria, which would lead to a sustainable solution, guarantee the rights of all citizens in Kosovo and end the security crisis. The DS stand regarding the Kosovo issue is statehood, meaning that Serbia needs to cut the Gordian Knot that burdens its history and future, but not over the Kosovo Serbs’ back. Before the dialogue on this issue in our society, Vucic first needs to answer the question what had he agreed in Brussels since we are concerned with everything that is occurring in Kosovo and because the lives of these people are used for political games. We demand answers to questions regarding embezzlement with funds paid from the budget for the Kosovo Serbs, and we are asking what is the contribution of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, what has it done apart from serving for embracing right-wingers,” DS leader Dragan Sutanovac said.

“The manner of negotiating and the status of Kosovo and Metohija is clearly defined with the Serbian Constitution and UNSCR 1244. I would primarily respect the oath with which the power executive swears that he/she will preserve Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia. This oath is violated by the regime of Aleksandar Vucic and Ivica Dacic, and Ana Brnabic will also violate it, I am sure in that. By returning negotiations, which need to exist, under the UN SC auspices, we would return allies in Russia and China, who will defend Serbia’s position. This way we are always at a loss since the EU and the criminal Pristina government are on one side, while the interest of Serbia’s citizens and Serbia are always on the other side,” said Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic.

Government officials

“Only last year, 140.000 Albanians left Kosovo and Metohija. Thus, more than 10 percent of real inhabitants in one year. At present, most of the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija in fact probably wish to be part of either Albania or to stay in Serbia, while the greatest supporters of so-called independence sit in diplomatic representative offices in Pristina. At the same time, the trend of religious radicalization in Kosovo and Metohija is obvious, and even Pristina’s largest foreign sponsors will not ignore this forever. It would be irresponsible and dangerous to formulate sustainable politics of modern Serbia, solely on our ideas on what Kosovo and Metohija should be, because this image doesn’t coincide with wishes of the Albanians, whose aspirations must be taken into consideration, within the framework of the Serbian Constitution. The Brussels dialogue offers space for gradual normalization of relations and organization of political relations along with respecting the fact that our understandings of the status are presently irreconcilable,” the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said.

“We offer as a solution the option of ‘normalization without recognition’ that would take place on four levels. The first level is economic, meaning we should develop all forms of economic relations with Kosovo. The second level presumes the opening of talks on the status of Kosovo Serbs, the status of Serbian property in Kosovo, as well as Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo. The third level are talks on Kosovo’s membership in international organizations without UN membership, but with clear benefits that Serbia would have for giving consent for this. The fourth level, with the realization of the previous ones, are talks on the final status,” Serbian Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Rasim Ljajic said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Reactions to B&H CC’s decision on HNS’ proposal of changes to Election Law (TV1)

The B&H Constitutional Court (CC) held a session in Sarajevo on Thursday and, among other things, decided to abolish provisions of the Election Law of B&H related to the election of delegates to the House of Peoples (HoP) of the Federation of B&H parliament. Furthermore, the court also adopted decision according to which HDZ B&H’s proposal of amendments to the Election Law does not violate the vital national interest of Bosniaks. Thursday’s decisions of the B&H CC continued to spark various reactions in B&H. Commenting on the issue of the Election Law of B&H, SDA’s delegate in the B&H HoP Safet Softic said that all parties need to be open for negotiations in order to avoid paralysis of B&H. Softic added that paralysis might occur, given that HDZ B&H and SNSD have strong political influence on the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H. Furthermore, he underlined that, in case of political blackmail, the High Representative should react. Softic concluded by saying that there is sufficient time to find a solution, which would be in line with the Constitution of B&H as well as European conventions. On the other hand, representatives of the HDZ B&H stressed that, by reaching the said decisions, B&H CC confirmed this party’s political stances. They stressed that any proposal, which would allow Croats to elect their own representatives, is acceptable for this party. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of the parliament of B&H Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) argued that they will do everything to make steps forward by elections, because the Election Law has to be changed. Kristo added that B&H CC’s move was expected and that she was not surprised by the court’s decision regarding the HNS’ proposal. “We took care in the proposal of changes to the Election Law that there is no discrimination towards any people”, she underlined.

HSS leader Mario Karamatic pointed out that – due to this issue – two months have been lost; he added that he hopes an agreement with Bosniaks and Serbs will be reached soon. Karamatic also voiced hope that HNS’ proposal of Election Law will gain the necessary support.

Meanwhile, leader of DF Zeljko Komsic argued that this issue can only be resolved through changes of the Constitution of B&H.

B&H HoR Speaker Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) said that SDA cannot endorse the HDZ B&H’s proposal of changes to the Election Law of B&H, because it does not solve implementation of several rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He stressed that the solution for the Presidency of B&H does not remove discrimination, but actually confirms it. In regards with Mostar, Dzaferovic said that the proposed solution would enable permanent domination of not only Croats, but of HDZ B&H.

Covic: Decision of B&H CC on provisions of Election Law is logical (Dnevni avaz)

B&H Presidency member and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, speaking about the decision of B&H Constitutional Court (CC) which ruled that the proposal for changed to B&H Election Law proposed by Croat partied does not violate vital national interests of Bosniaks. Covic said that such decision was logical and expected. He expressed hope that B&H parliament will vote on this proposal in the first session after the summer recess “The next two months should be used to talk to representatives of all parliamentary parties in B&H in order to secure adoption of this solution or a similar solution which will in a similar way secure protection from possibility of one people electing representatives of another people. In this concrete case, (to make sure) that Croats can elect their representatives in the House of Peoples…as well as member of B&H Presidency,” said Covic. He underlined that the Election Law must be amended by the end of 2017, otherwise it will not be possible to implement results of the 2018 general election. Covic explained that the proposed changes to the Election Law are transitional, since more significant changes require changes to the Constitution as well. However, he added, it will be possible to discuss constitutional changes only after the general election because there is no necessary parliamentary majority at the moment. Covic also stated that he and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic will have to try and restore at least minimal mutual trust. He announced that he will also soon meet with SBB leader Fahrudin Radoncic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. Covic noted that he already discussed the political situation with SDS leader Vukota Govedarica.

Plenkovic: Croatia expects implementation of changes to Election Law of B&H (Hayat)

Following the joint session of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) and the government of Croatia in Sarajevo on Friday, Croatian Prime Minister (PM) Andrej Plenkovic said that Croatia believes it is important to send a message that they care about Croats in B&H. In this regard, he emphasized that Croatian government expects implementation of changes to the Election Law of B&H, on the basis on Thursday’s decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H. Those changes, according to Plenkovic, will ensure protection of interests and equality of Croats in B&H.

Covic: I am not pleased with work of any level of authority (Dnevni avaz)

Speaking about current political situation in B&H, B&H Presidency member and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic said that it is clear that B&H Council of Ministers does not enjoy support of B&H parliament. However, he does not believe that reshuffling will be possible. “I am not satisfied with work of authorities at any level,” he underlined. Covic added that it is necessary to solve numerous problems in the intelligence sector, underling that there is a lot of abuse in this field. “You see how many problems we have in the intelligence sector, and they will be more and more visible, because this system has been used for different political purposes on recent years”, said Covic. According to him, last week’s meeting of members of the Joint Parliamentary Commission for Supervision of OSA (Intelligence-Security Agency) and members of OSA management should have taken place a long time ago.

Covic and Ivantsov discuss current political situation in B&H (Nezavisne)

Croat member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic met with Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov on Friday in Mostar. They discussed current political situation in B&H, as well as relations between the two countries and how it would be possible to improve them. Covic assessed as ‘positive’ the continuity of responsible and constructive communication of the Russian Federation’s representatives in the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), as well as towards wider public. “With its continued unbiased activities and support to territorial sovereignty and integrity of B&H, Russian Federation can give visible contribution to stability, security and prosperity of B&H and the region,” Covic said. According to daily, Croat member of the Presidency of B&H and Ivantsov agreed that it is important to continue developing good relations in the interest of both countries.

Dodik: B&H will collapse and disappear on its own (Vecernji list)

President of the Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik said that the RS is a state, and that Serbs have two states – the RS and Serbia. During his speech at the ceremony in Bratunac, organized to mark the suffering of Serbs in the central Podrinje region, Dodik said that “the RS is a result of our fight for freedom”. “Serbs have learned that Yugoslavia was their greatest political illusion in previous century. Serbs have two states – the RS and Serbia. We have our own territory, and we have a government which is being chosen in free elections. The RS is a state, you have to understand and realize that”, Dodik said. He also accused judicial institutions at the level of B&H of being political and treacherous. “We cannot rely on B&H. B&H is in shambles, only the RS is functioning.  B&H will collapse and disappear on its own anyway,” Dodik said. According to President of the RS, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic’s statements about possible war in B&H are nonsense. “What will he do – order his police to attack the RS? We have police as well,” Dodik concluded.

Srebrenica prepares for 11 July commemoration in Potocari (N1)

The last preparations are being carried out for the funeral of 71 Srebrenica genocide victims, including seven minors, in the Memorial Center in Potocari. Coffins with the mortal remains of the victims who will be laid to rest on Tuesday, 11 July, arrived in Potocari on Sunday. A number of citizens, news crews and officials have already arrived in Srebrenica. US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack attended the gathering which was organized in order to say goodbye to the convoy with mortal remains of the victims of genocide in Srebrenica. On this occasion, Cormack expressed the USA’s strong commitment to recognition of genocide of Srebrenica, reminding that the USA has been working to help Srebrenica and everyone in B&H over the past years. She also stressed the importance of paying tribute and keeping the memory of genocide victims, explaining that paying tribute to the victims implies building a future for their children in this country. “I think that we can all continue working towards this goal, but ceremonies such as this one are important for all of us to remember what happened in July 1995. Although 22 years have passed, commemoration for the victims is as important today as it was back then”, Cormack was quoted as saying.

Croatian and Bosnian governments hold joint session in Sarajevo (Vecernji list)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic confirmed in Sarajevo that the governments of the two countries were firmly committed to strengthening cooperation in the spirit of good neighborly relations. They also announced they would make every effort to resolve the outstanding issues. After a joint session of the Croatian government and the Council of Ministers, the ministers signed the European partnership agreement and the agreement on mutual protection of classified information, a protocol on the search for missing persons, as well as a cooperation agreement in the field of tourism and a memorandum of cooperation in the area of ​​youth care. Plenkovic stressed that for Croatia there was no more important state than B&H, and the Croatian government wanted to resolve all possible open issues as quickly as possible, and at the same time wanted to support the efforts that B&H would be a functional state on the road to membership of the European Union. This should be helped by the agreement on European partnership. Based on that document, Croatia will provide B&H with assistance in meeting the conditions for obtaining the candidate status for EU membership. Plenkovic recalled that Croatia was traditionally the most important foreign trade partner for B&H and that six billion euros had been invested in that country from Croatia in the last several years. Croatian Prime Minister emphasized that it was important for Croatia to send a message of concern for Croats in B&H as an equal and constituent people. In this regard, he explained, the Croatian government expects the implementation of changes to the B&H electoral law which will ensure the protection of interests and equality of the Croat people in that country. Zvizdic stressed that it was in the interest of his country to improve cooperation with Croatia. He confirmed that an agreement was reached on the opening of new border crossings between the two countries which should facilitate communication, in particular for the population in the border areas, which is a concrete indication of the goodwill to solve problems. Among topics that “burden the relations between the two countries,” Zvizdic mentioned the environmental protection, the nuclear waste disposal site and the resolution of property relations. “The general assessment of our relationships is that they are extremely friendly. Croatia is a country that vigorously lobbies for the realization of our foreign policy goals,” Zvizdic said. Commenting on the fact that the B&H parliament decided to reopen the issue of the construction of the Peljesac Bridge, Zvizdic explained that his government would not interfere in the internal affairs of other states and only wanted to ensure the right of access to open sea. “We are looking at this issue from the aspect of having access to open sea in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Zvizdic said. He added that B&H has not yet defined what will be done with the Neum Bay and what will be built there, so for now only wants to ensure the possibility of entry and exit of ships into its inland waters. Prime Minister Plenkovic stated that the Peljesac Bridge remained extremely important for Croatia because it will link its sovereign territory. “Everything Croatia is doing is in line with international law and the spirit of good neighborly relations,” said Plenkovic, adding that he was confident that open issues would be clarified in a dialogue with the representatives of B&H. It has been confirmed that members of the two governments also discussed the problem of terrorism. Zvizdic said that terrorism was a global problem that no one was protected from, and he again criticized statements made by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic about the dimensions of the problem of ISIS fighters returning to B&H. “Unfortunately, in recent years, we are witnessing statements by officials from the region, including the Croatian President, who talks about terrorism in B&H. My message is that they should first solve problems in their own backyard and only then look at the neighbor’s,” Zvizdic said.

Slovenia hopes Merkel and Macron will pressure Croatia (Index.hr)

Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec expects that Wednesday will be a major day for the implementation of the arbitral tribunal’s decision on the border between Slovenia and Croatia, not so much because of a meeting between the two prime ministers in Ljubljana, but because of a conference of the Berlin Initiative in Trieste, reports Index.hr. “German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and presidents of all the countries from this region will be in Trieste. Believe me, they will not be able to avoid the issue of the implementation of the arbitration decision,” said Erjavec on Saturday. The Berlin initiative has been launched by Germany to help Western Balkan states enter the European Union. But, the Slovenian Foreign Minister intends to highlight the issue of the unresolved border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. “We cannot talk about a stable Western Balkans if two EU member states, Croatia and Slovenia, have such an important unresolved issue,” he said. Erjavec is confident that Croatia will gradually soften its currently firm position on the arbitral tribunal and the arbitration process, which it left two years ago saying that the process has been contaminated. According to Erjavec, the ruling issued by arbitrators ten days ago is fair and balanced, but it could be corrected in the implementation process, in agreement with Croatia, in places where Slovenians are left “on the Croatian side” and where the new border line does not follow rivers or repeatedly crosses railway tracks. He believes that Slovenian diplomacy has to act cautiously and tactically, but at the same time patiently, because he expects that Croatia’s views on the arbitration decision will gradually soften, perhaps as early as this summer, with the support of the international community for Slovenia’s position. “I am surprised why is the Bay of Piran so problematic for Croatia and why it does not allow Slovenia to have contact with the open sea. When I explain this to my colleagues in Europe and the world, their first reaction is always: why is this so problematic when Croatia has so much sea and bays,” said Erjavec. Erjavec does not expect much from the meeting between Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who will start a dialogue on open issues at their first official meeting in Ljubljana. “I do not expect any breakthroughs, nothing major. It will be the first meeting between two prime ministers and their exchange of views after the arbitrators made their verdict,” Erjavec said.

Dimitrov and Zaharieva are putting finishing touches on the Agreement for good neighborly relations (Meta)

The head of the Macedonian diplomacy, Nikola Dimitrov and his Bulgarian colleague, Ekaterina Zaharieva, will be finishing the articles from the Agreement for Good Neighborly Relations during the weekend in Sofia for which the working groups from both sides have been negotiating. The small technical adjustments, as were called by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev should be finished by today, but the details from the meeting between Dimitrov and Zaharieva still haven’t been revealed. The Bulgarian Prime Minister Bojko Borisov has said that a stable and independent state of Macedonia with a clear Euro-Atlantic perspective is in the interest of Bulgaria. The country is going through a process of readjustments of its positions and it is renouncing its anti-Bulgarian rhetoric that has been happening for the past several decades. He stressed that the negotiations with Macedonia regarding the Agreement are being led intensively since 2008 and that until this moment 11 levels of negotiations on an expertly level have been concluded, and the Agreement has been revised several times both on the level of ministries of foreign affairs i.e. prime ministers.

VMRO-DPMNE: Zaev’s silence raises doubts as to whether he is selling out the country (Meta)

Zaev’s non-transparent approach towards the whole process of negotiations and his silence regarding the insults towards Macedonia by Bozhidar Dimitrov, the director of the Bulgaria’s Institute of National History, who said that the upcoming agreement between the two countries would mean an end to Macedonianism and that the Macedonian language is a Bulgarian dialect. It shows that Zaev is selling out Macedonian national and state interests, said VMRO-DPMNE today. The party also said it is indicative that the president of MANU, Taki Fiti, even though he met with Zaev, did not ask him for a review of the agreement which is of great importance to the country. “Taki Fiti should overcome his fear of Zaev and should at least show some credibility, after all, he runs the institution with the greatest potential in Macedonia”, reads the VMRO-DPMNE statement.

Ahmeti: Joining NATO under the temporary reference and then the solution of the name dispute (Meta)

The two main priorities of the new government coalition in Macedonia are the solution to the longstanding dispute with Greece regarding the constitutional name of the state and the joining of NATO under the reference “Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia” said DUI’s party leader, Ali Ahmeti for an interview for the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini. “Solving the name dispute is one of the biggest priorities. We are neighbors and our joint future is the European Union. Greece must carry the torch that will lead us towards the EU” said Ahmeti, saying that the country can join NATO under the temporary reference before the talks concerning the name dispute continue. According to Ahmeti, a decision has to be made in order for the things to move forward. “We have to take into account the geopolitical issues and to work hard for the Western Balkans to join in because everyone will benefit,” said Ahmeti. Ahmeti said that Macedonia is not a threat for Greece. “I want to stress categorically that there aren’t any territorial pretensions towards Greece in order to convince Athens that Greece will not face any threats from its northern neighbor” said DUI’s party leader.

What does the Albanian co-governance platform contain? (ADN)

An initial draft of the “Co-governance with the citizens” platform was presented on Monday by Prime Minister Edi Rama through the social networks. “This first draft of the ‘Co-governance with the citizens for the Albania that we want’ is presented to you for any remark or suggestion that may be deemed necessary. Your suggestions and critics are more than welcomed,” wrote the Chief of Executive, addressing to the citizens. The Premier stated that ‘The Albania that we want’ is an open communication and interaction platform with the citizens that will bring their concerns to the government’s attention in real time. “Important reforms and measures that need to be taken will be discussed with the citizens, enabling them to influence the policy-making process, join anti-corruption fight and promote issues solution in the fairest way,” declared PM Rama. He emphasized that the new government will be the result of a real coalition with the common people in a joint effort to make Albania a better country for everyone. “The European Union supports the reform progress in the Albanian Civil Service’. This message was given on Monday by the EU Ambassador in Albania, Romana Vlahutin during a joint press conference with the Public Administration minister, Milena Harito. “The reform in public administration is a key priority in country’s European integration process. Employees’ mentality should change. Everyone should be aware that being part of the administration does not mean that you will have that position forever,” said Ambassador Vlahutin. She urged to the government to continue the work for the fulfillment of this important reform.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Central European States Urge EU to Speed up Enlargement in West Balkans (Reuters, 10 July 2017)

BUDAPEST – Seven Central European member states called on the European Union on Monday to accelerate the accession of Montenegro and Serbia to the bloc, saying a failure to integrate the western Balkans could pose a security threat to the whole region. Foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers of the four Visegrad Group countries — Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic — as well as Austria, Slovenia and Croatia met in Budapest to discuss issues including migration and the situation in the western Balkans and Ukraine. “If we cannot speed up the European integration process (in the western Balkans) … we will have to face serious security challenges in the entire Central European region,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a news conference. Szijjarto said the EU should accelerate its ongoing accession talks with Montenegro and Serbia and should open membership negotiations with the other countries in the western Balkans as well. Albania and Macedonia are EU candidate nations but have yet to start their accession talks, while Bosnia and Kosovo have yet to be granted candidacy status, though both hope to join the EU.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said the countries of the western Balkans should receive help in implementing the reforms needed to qualify for EU membership.

“The situation in the western Balkans is rather obscure, not stable, and… it will be necessary to ensure that there is dialogue to strengthen stability in this region,” he said.

Tensions remain high between Serbia and Kosovo, its former province whose independence is not recognized by Belgrade or by some other countries, while Macedonia and Bosnia are riven by ethnic divisions. The prospect of EU membership has for years been the main driver of reform in the Balkans after a decade of war and upheaval in the 1990s. But with Britain’s vote last year to leave the bloc, the rise of right-wing populism in many EU countries and debate over the future shape of the bloc, further enlargement has been placed firmly on the backburner.

Political analysts and diplomats say this has severely diminished the EU’s leverage in the western Balkans, which also remain dogged by poverty and corruption in addition to the ethnic and political divisions.

Russia, which is trying to exploit its historic links in the region to challenge EU and U.S. involvement, opposes the accession of Balkan states to the EU and NATO. Last month Montenegro became NATO’s 29th member, angering Moscow.

At a summit earlier this year EU leaders said more Balkan states could still join the bloc if they stuck to a path of economic and democratic reforms.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than)