LOCAL PRESS

Selakovic on announced Declaration with RS and Kosovo dialogue (RTS)

Secretary General of the Serbian President Nikola Selakovic has told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that the Declaration of Serbia and the Republika Srpska (RS) on the survival of the Serbian people is not motivated with daily political needs or Greater Serbia nationalism. He points out that the goal of the Declaration is preservation of the Serbian language and culture, because when there is no language there is also no nation. He points out that this will be a declarative and legal document that will be adopted by the highest legislative bodies in Serbia and the RS, adding that this is not an issue that treats the territorial status of Serbia and the RS. “Serbia is an example of guarantee of minority rights. We request nothing more for the Serbs in other states of the region,” says Selakovic.

Speaking about the invitation of President Vucic for an internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, Selakovic notes this is the most important political issue. He says the President is satisfied with the manner in which his initiative has been accepted by the public. Selakovic says this topic has been mostly discussed with two kinds of opinions – one is that it is necessary to maintain a status quo and the other is that Kosovo should be surrendered to the Albanians. “Neither stands are good; these are two extremes that do not correspond with the real state. The realistic state is that a status quo is leading quietly to disappearance of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The other stand is unacceptable. What should we give to the Albanians? What is ours and where the Serbs make up a majority? He says that Serbia needs to clarify some things with itself and not to live in utopia. “The dialogue began to take place in a good and satisfactory manner,” said Selakovic, adding it could be institutionalized one day.

Ljajic: We do not want a trade war with Croatia (RTS)

Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic said in Sarajevo that no one wants a trade war, but that the countries of the region will be forced to contravene if the issue of an increase in Croatian tax is not settled until the next meeting to be held by the end of the week. After meeting with representatives of the governments of the countries in the region in Sarajevo were affected by the increase in Croatian fees for phytosanitary inspection, Ljajic reminded that the official institutions of Croatia were sent an appeal a week ago to re-examine the decision, but that no response came back. He explained that a very offensive explanation of the decision came from the Croatian side, after which our country began to apply certain types of sanitary and veterinary supervision, which will be strengthened, and emphasized that we have this right under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Representatives of the governments of Serbia, B&H, Montenegro and Macedonia called on Croatia today to abolish discriminatory measures and align them with market standards, or to harmonize the prices of inspection controls with the average amounts valid in countries in the region and the EU. The meeting was attended by Minister Ljajic, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of B&H Mirko Sarovic, Minister of Economy of Montenegro Dragica Sekulic and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Macedonia Ljupco Nikolovski. The ministers noted that the move by Croatia violated the rules and principles of the WTO and the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), which prohibits discrimination, requesting an urgent meeting with the competent minister in Croatia, which they believe should be held by the end of this week in Podgorica. Also, they agreed to organize such meetings regularly, so the next one will be held in Skopje in September.

EC on dispute with Croatia: Everyone must honor obligations (Beta)

The European Commission (EC) is yet to receive a letter from the ministers of four West

Balkan countries, asking it to intervene in a trade dispute with Croatia, but the stance of the European Union is that all sides should honor the obligations in the stabilization and association agreement between EU and the countries of the region. An EU press representative told this to Beta in Brussels, stressing that the EU supported the development of trade and economic integration.

Stanojkovic pays visit to ICTY (Beta)

On 2 and 3 August 2017, the ICTY/MICT Office of the Prosecutor hosted the first visit of the Chief War Crimes Prosecutor of Serbia Snezana Stanojkovic. Prosecutor Stanojkovic met with ICTY/MICT Prosecutor Brammertz, her office’s EU-MICT Liaison Prosecutor and ICTY/MICT OTP staff. Brammertz and Stanojkovic discussed the status of war crimes justice in Serbia and the work of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO), as well as regional judicial cooperation in war crimes matters. Brammertz expressed his Office’s strong support for the work of the WCPO and underlined the importance of the implementation of Serbia’s Action Plan and National War Crimes Strategy.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ministers of region send letter to EC and ask it to get engaged in solving of this problem because SAA was violated (TV1/BHT1/Hayat)

Ministers of the countries in the region met in Sarajevo on Monday and discussed Croatia’s decision to increase phytosanitary tax on import of fruit and vegetables. The ministers also sent a letter to the European Commission (EC) and invited it to get engaged in solving of the problem related to the violation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia Rasim Ljajic reminded that Croatia introduced the tax per type of goods and not per truck, which means that if a truck is transporting three types of fruit then it is necessary to pay 3xEUR 270.

Minister of Trade of FYROM Ljupco Nikolovski said that this decision represents a violation of the SAA and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and he added that he is glad the ministers stand united.

Minister of Economy of Montenegro Dragica Sekulic noted that some 90% of products which Montenegro exports to Croatia are being exported right at this time of the year.

Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of B&H Mirko Sarovic said that these measures are unacceptable for B&H and added that B&H will not tolerate it and will certainly undertake suitable counter-measures. The reporter reminded that Serbia already introduced certain measures and added that it tried to solve the dispute by diplomatic efforts in the first seven days. Ljajic said that Serbia tried to contact Croatia but it received no reply and it even received quite offensive explanation of the decision. “Then we started implementing certain types of phytosanitary and veterinary inspection and control and we will strengthen it”, Ljajic said. Journalists asked Sarovic to explain why B&H has not followed the example of Serbia and also to say if there is certain internal resistance to the counter-measures. Sarovic replied by saying: “I consult not HDZ B&H but competent institutions and I will personally undertake all measures at my disposal”.

The participants of the meeting agreed that Croatia does not show any wish to maintain good neighborly relations and added that the latest explanation according to which the decision was introduced for all non-EU countries is offensive. The ministers also assessed as groundless the claims that the decision was made in order to harmonize the tax with those in the EU countries because the same tax amounts EUR 22 in Germany and EUR 17 in Italy and France.

Sarovic told reporters after the meeting that in the case that the planned meeting with Croatia fails to yield results and if demands set by the Ministers fail to be met within a week, B&H will certainly take adequate measures to show that the Croatia’s measures are completely unacceptable for the country and will not be tolerated. “You should not have any doubts that B&H will respond with regard to this issue as soon as it finds it necessary, without waiting for the whole week”, Sarovic stressed. Ministers of the region invited Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Tomislav Tolusic to join them at the meeting in Podgorica by the end of this week.

Tolusic invites neighboring countries’ ministers to meet in Croatia (HRT)

Croatian Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolusic discussed a new regulation, raising taxes on the import of fruit and vegetables from non-EU members, including Serbia, with ministers from neighboring countries, inviting them to a meeting in Croatia next week. The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture has announced that the rulebook was in line with the market standards for fruit and vegetables required by the EU and apply to all third-party countries, the HRT network reported. The ministry added that the new regulation had not been passed in order to discriminate against goods from neighboring countries. “For the purpose of elaborating on the arguments given, reducing unnecessary tension and resolving existing differences, Minister Tomislav Tolusic spoke with his colleague ministers from neighboring countries and invited them to Croatia for a meeting next week,” the press release reads. Inspection on borders and trade with neighboring countries is continuing normally, the statement added.

HGK and numerous Croatia’s companies are against Tolusic’s rules (Jutarnji list)

According to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), countries of this region are still very important export markets where Croatia exports goods in amount of half million EUR. HGK warns that the effects caused by the newly introduced measures may be very negative for Croatia’s economy. “We hope that there will be no serious consequences to our export. Countries of the region announce increased veterinary and phytosanitary control for the goods of animal and non-animal origin from Croatia, which means the same measures for the primary agricultural products. We expect urgent adoption of adequate solution in order to resume usual tempo of trade,” reads the HGK’s statement.

They know each other so they exchange insults (Dnevne novine)

The forthcoming presidential elections in Montenegro will obviously serve for positioning opposition parties and taking leading position among them. They will be less focused on election win and changes in the country, Dnevne novine writes. It is true that the opposition representatives, particularly the party leaders, know each other very well, since they often used to be members of same parties and have been on the political scene for a long time. Hence this enormous amount of dirty laundry has been presented these days. The fierce attacks have been taking place on a daily basis because the campaign has already begun – not for the presidential candidate, but for collecting opposition votes. The surge in the support for the Democrats (DCG), primarily at the expense of the Democratic Front (DF), Socialist People’s Party (SNP), Demos and the URA Civic Movement, has provoked DF’s outrage and the unpleasant situation of others. That is the reason for the positions of the SDP, GP URA and SNP that they will not support a DF candidate, but that they also hope Aleksa Becic will not run for the president. On the other hand, the Democrats continue their policy of not being involved, but everyone else has poor performance. It has paid off so far, but even their attempts to abolish themselves from all the previous failures of the opposition have been unsuccessful. Becic, as well as one of DF leaders, Milan Knezevic, until recently applauded to Srdjan Milic’s views and it turned out to be a losing variant. There are similar relations between Goran Danilovic and Andrija Mandic, not to mention the relations of the entire DF towards Miodrag Lekic. They used to be together, and now they are accusing each other of working for the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). And while the opposition is in the offside, the authorities score goals. A recent visit by US Vice President Mike Pence is an obvious example of this. Whereas Pence commended numerous things in Montenegro and thus the authorities, he had only a few minutes for the opposition, all but DF – enough to tell them to return to parliament. It seems that the offside position of the opposition will last until the second round of presidential elections. Then, according to the old good tradition, everyone will call the voters to vote for the opposition candidate, the same one they attacked before the election day. And, of course, after the defeat, the solution is – as before – not to recognize the elections. It is now certain that until the famous second round the Montenegrin public will listen to dirty stories, sex, lies and video tapes, as well as the increasingly popular audio recordings, which opposition representatives threat each other with.

In order to get out of the current situation, some opposition parties consider returning to parliament. However, it is a matter of proud – how to return to parliament after Mike Pence recommended that. Had he not advised returning, perhaps they would have stated that it was one of the options. And they will come back. They just do not know when. They will wait for a month or two months – enough time to forget that the EU and the USA recommended exactly the same thing.

Greek FM Kotzias to visit Skopje on 31 August (MIA)

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will pay a visit to Skopje on August 31, according to media reports. Kotzias’ visit to Skopje was announced during the visit of Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov to Greece in June of this year, MIA reports from Athens. There is still no official confirmation from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the visit, but certain media claim the name issue will be in the focus of the talks. The visit is considered important in the name issue developments, since it follows the recent meeting of FM Kotzias with UN envoy Matthew Nimetz in Brussels.

SDSM: The refugee strategy is a continuation of the one that was adopted in 2008 (Meta)

“Citizens can remain calm. Macedonia has been declared a transit country for refugees, and with the adoption of the strategy, international standards and the Convention on the Rights of Refugees have been respected, which Macedonia has ratified,” said SDSM, in response to a statement by VMRO-DPMNE. The party says it has a document that serves as a road-map and has no binding acts towards any ministry or institution. “The draft-strategy for the integration of refugees and foreigners 2017-2027, which VMRO-DPMNE today is attempting to scare citizens, is just a continuation of the same strategy for the period from 2009-2015, adopted by the former government led by VMRO-DPMNE,” said SDSM.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Iranian regime’s Balkans-centered efforts under scrutiny (Iran News Update, 7 August 2017)

The U.S. State Department recently released Country Reports on Terrorism 2016. It reads, “Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2016, including support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East. Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps‑Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to implement foreign policy goals, provide cover for intelligence operations, and create instability in the Middle East. Iran has acknowledged the involvement of the IRGC-QF in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and the IRGC-QF is Iran’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorists abroad.”

The report, however, does not mention the Iran’s terrorist activities in Europe. which have largely remained unaddressed, while it advances its presence and resources in Europe, especially in the Balkans. In 2016, when an Iranian cleric in Kosovo was charged with financing terrorism and money-laundering through a nominally non-governmental organization he operated, the Iranian regime’s Balkans-centered efforts came under scrutiny. Hasan Azari Bejandi,, ran five Shi’ite organizations with links toTehran, according to Kosovar authorities. He was charged on July 26, 2016. The Al-Mustafa International University, headed by Ayatollah Alireza Aarafi, a member of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and a Friday Prayers leader in the holy city of Qom, appears to be affiliated with an umbrella group for the Iranian regime in Europe, including Kosovo. Al-Mustafa International University is reported to be owned and run by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Germany last week, non-government organizations and the German media warned the government about the activities of Al-Mustafa-linked organizations in the country. Katarina Barley, the Federal Family Minister in Germany, was alerted about an Al-Mustafa workshop in Germany that was wrongly funded under the guise of a workshop of the Islamic Community of the Shiite Communes of Germany (IGS) by her ministry. She called the event off. The news media in the Balkans reported on March 9, that American security agencies saw expanding activities from Iranian intelligence services over the Balkan area. A report compiled by The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) warning of increased activities of Iranian intelligence services in Bosnia and Herzegovina, contains around 650 names of members, mostly from of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The report is mainly based on information gathered by the Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and covers 15 years of Iranian intelligence agents’ activities. First on the list of Iranian intelligence agents according to the report, is Hassan Jawad, Deputy Minister of Intelligence in Tehran. Jawad was the IRGC chief for southeastern Europe, and then became head of the Department of Central Asia and the Caucasus, according to OSA, during the Bosnian war of the 1990s. He is also a member of the Iranian-Bosnian Friendship Association Board of Directors, but is allegedly active in intelligence work and recruiting. Iran began extending its influence in Bosnia back in 1990 as communism collapsed in Yugoslavia. Iranian spies were said to have been seen visiting the jihadist colony at Gornja Maoča in northeastern Bosnia. Despite police raids, the colony has reportedly operated as training camp for jihad-minded radicals. Albania appears to be another Balkan country that Iran has targeted. Reza Shafa, an Iran expert, has called it a “a foothold in the European continent.” As in Bosnia, Iran has allegedly attempted infiltration of Albania by setting up “charities” and “cultural organizations” that serve as front organizations for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence. Despite its efforts, Iran draws is gaining little foothold within the general population. Albania’s government and Parliament were in unanimous agreement to allow a large number of members of Iran’s democratic opposition group, MEK, to settle in Albania last year. The international community must be vigilant and join the U.S. sanctions against the IRGC, especially in Europe.

Republic of Macedonia Eyes NATO to Ward Off Russian Interference (Bloomberg, by Slav Okov, 8 August 2017)

The Republic of Macedonia’s new government is stepping up its efforts to join NATO, arguing that membership in the military alliance will protect the Balkan nation from Russia “interfering” in its affairs, the country’s defense minister said. “Influences interfering in this strategic goal aren’t helpful, and they’re not friendly,” Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska said in an interview in Skopje last week. “We’ve seen some leaks, even before the government was elected, about Russian attempts for influence in key political and security areas. And we have been concerned about them. We believe Macedonian NATO membership can put an end to these attempts.” After undergoing the first change in leadership in more than a decade in June, the nation of 2 million people is trying to rejuvenate its efforts to join the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As part of that push, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s government is trying to rebuild regional ties after accusing the previous administration of deliberately fueling a naming dispute with Greece dating back to 1991, when the nation broke away from Yugoslavia and called itself Republic of Macedonia. Greece, which blocked its neighbor’s attempts to join NATO because of the dispute, believes that to be a territorial claim on its neighboring northern province of the same name.

Power Struggle

While some countries that gained independence after the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s have joined the EU and NATO, laggards like the Republic of Macedonia are now caught in a power struggle between Russia on one side and Europe and the U.S. on the other. Tensions escalated after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, prompting the biggest standoff with the U.S. since the Cold War. They deepened further after U.S. President Donald Trump raised questions about the future of NATO and relations with Moscow. Russia remains opposed to NATO expansion in Europe and has been accused of trying to derail the region’s western accession efforts. Last year, Montenegro’s government said the Kremlin led a failed coup during parliamentary elections, allegations that Russia denies. Sekerinska, the 45-year-old deputy chairwoman of the ruling Social Democratic Union, said the cabinet was seeking to improve ties with Greece and commit to domestic reforms within nine months to be able to join NATO “as soon as possible.” The yield on the Republic of Macedonia’s euro-denominated bonds maturing in July 2023 fell two basis points to an all-time low of 3.87 percent at 2:03 p.m. in Skopje.

Reforms, Budget

The country needs to address issues regarding the rule of law and judicial independence that are now “seen as a problem for Macedonia’s NATO entry,” Sekerinska said. “We’ll stay committed to making these reforms a reality, but we’ll keep asking NATO member states to appreciate these efforts, take into account the results and make decisions as soon as possible,” she said. As it strives to follow the example of Montenegro, which joined the alliance in June, the country will start boosting defense spending in 2018 from below 1 percent of gross domestic product, she said. The government’s efforts may not be rewarded soon, said Dimitar Bechev, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. “Greece has given no indication that it will step back on the name dispute any time soon,” he said by phone. Sekerinska, who also serves as a deputy premier, hailed last week’s visit of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to Montenegro, which she said delivered a “key message” that removed all doubts from earlier this year about whether the U.S. remains committed to NATO and the region. “Those doubts have disappeared,” she said.