LOCAL PRESS

Dacic represents Serbia at UN Security Council session in New York (Beta/Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will participate at the UN Security Council session in New York today to discuss UN Secretary General’s report on UNMIK work in the period from 16 April to 15 July. In his presentation, Dacic will give a review of the UN Secretary General’s report on the work of UNMIK during the reporting period, i.e., he will outline our assessment of the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the functioning of UNMIK. Participation in the UN Security Council session will also be an opportunity to meet with the Secretary General of that organization, as well as the Chairman of the Security Council for August, the permanent representative of Egypt to the United Nations.

Vulin asks Russian Ambassador that Russia blocks Kosovo’s admission to Interpol (Beta/RTS)

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin discussed bilateral military cooperation with the Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin. He thanked for Russia’s consistent position on Kosovo and Metohija. Vulin asked the Ambassador for Russia to do everything it possibly could to block the admission of Kosovo and Metohija to Interpol, as it had done before, the ministry quoted Vulin as saying in a press release.

Raskovic Ivic: Dialogue on Kosovo will make sense if Vucic voices concrete proposal (Beta)

The Serbian President’s call for a nationwide dialogue over Kosovo will make sense only if he is the first to put forward his own vision of the solution to that issue, opposition representatives said on Tuesday. Sanda Raskovic Ivic, MP for the Pokret za spas Srbije-Nova Srbija parliament group, said that the most normal and most honorable thing would be for Vucic comes to parliament with a proposal, that is a platform on Kosovo. “Without a concrete proposal, going to meet Vucic would mean sitting on his couch. (…) Vucic would forget everything we told him even before we see the exit to his cabinet,” she told Beta. Without Vucic’s clear statement on what he sees as the way to solve the issue, any agreement by the opposition to talk with him about the issue would only mean accepting part of the responsibility for Vucic’s bad Kosovo policy, she said. As for the proposal voiced by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on a demarcation of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, that would mean entering into status issues on Kosovo which Serbia should not do, Raskovic Ivic said. “As a state we are obliged to respect the Constitution and defend UN resolution 1244. Even on this road to the European Union we cannot always rely on EU member states which have not recognized Kosovo and which have not mentioned any kind of division. Dacic is going a step forward and delving into status issues without an adequate debate,” she said.

REGIONAL PRESS

New conflict erupts between SDA and SBB B&H (Hayat)

Conflict between coalition partners SDA and SBB B&H seems to have no end. After SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic clearly said that SBB B&H will support the removal of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Chairman Denis Zvizdic (SDA) because they are dissatisfied with his results on the B&H’s European path, SDA on Tuesday reacted with a press release, noting that Radoncic abandoned the principles of coalition action and that he should abandon the 1,000 posts he got as member of the ruling coalition as well. In the press release, SDA stressed that Radoncic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik are celebrating and breaking down the B&H institutions. SBB B&H responded by saying that votes of SDA and SNSD were crucial for the removal of Radoncic from the post of B&H Minister of Security. SBB B&H added that with his actions, Dodik is feeding radical SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic.

Osmani: Balkan countries need to have joint platform for performing before EU (FTV)

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani met in Skopje on Tuesday with ambassadors of B&H, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro in Macedonia. One of the issues they discussed was the possibility of having a reduced budget of European funds for the Balkans due to the UK’s exit from the EU. On this occasion, Osmani assessed that Brexit will negatively affect the Balkan countries. He emphasized that, based on some assessments, the European budget will reduce by 15% due to Brexit and this will affect the funds for the Balkans. According to Osmani, Balkan countries therefore need to have a joint platform for performing before the EU. “The goal is to establish an informal platform for coordination of activities of ministries relevant for European integration of these six countries. We are counting on having a greater effect in addressing the European Commission (EC) in that way, rather than by appearing alone,” Osmani briefly explained this idea. The Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and the ambassadors also spoke about speeding up the EU accession of Western Balkan countries, as well as the Berlin process and the regional cooperation.

US Senators visit Croatia (Vecernji list)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Damir Krsticevic and Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces General Mirko Sundov met with a delegation of the US Senate at the Lora Naval Base in Split. The American delegation is on a two-day working visit to Croatia, reports Vecernji list. Minister Krsticevic and US senators expressed their mutual satisfaction with excellent bilateral cooperation between the United States and Croatia, particularly in the area of ​​security and defense, which is the most active aspect of relations between the two countries. They underlined that the relationship between Croatia and the United States had been intensifying over the past period, which was demonstrated by the recent successful meeting between Krsticevic and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Washington.

Members of the United States delegation: Senators Roy Blunt, John Cornyn, Susan Collins, Thad Collins, Tom Cotton and Thom Tills, were accompanied by US Ambassador to Croatia Julieta Valls Noyes and the US military attaché Brigadier Robert Mathers.

Upon informing the US senators about the results of his recent visit to the United States and talks with Mattis, Krsticevic thanked the United States for the assistance it provides through donations of equipment and weapons, training, strategic transportation to international missions and other forms of defiance cooperation, emphasizing the extraordinary significance of US support for the development of Croatian security capabilities. Croatia and the United States share common values ​​and advocate for peace and stability in the whole region, said the both sides. Krsticevic stressed that the primary interest of the Republic of Croatia was the stability of Southeast Europe, which is of great importance for the overall European security. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the process of accession of the countries from the region to European and Euro-Atlantic integrations. Head of the US delegation Senator Roy Blunt thanked Minister Krsticevic and Croatia for their efforts to contribute to international security and peacekeeping missions, as well as for the overall security and defiance cooperation. He stressed that the United States will always advocate for Croatia in both NATO and the entire international community. “Croatia deserves and can always expect US support, both in the area of ​​security and defiance, as well as in its overall development,” said Senator Blunt.

SDSM asks VMRO-DPMNE to end its blockade of parliament session on Public Prosecutor Zvrlevski (MIA)

During the latest parliament debate, VMRO-DPMNE continued to protract the discussion on the SDSM proposal to remove Public Prosecutor Marko Zvrlevski. According to VMRO-DPMNE, Zvrlevski can’t be replaced because of the Electoral Code clause which bans appointment and firing of public officials after elections have been declared. Tomislav Tuntev from SDSM insisted that Zvrlevski can be removed, saying that the article only applies to being employed in an institution, but not to being promoted or demoted as its chief. With both sides locked in their positions, VMRO-DPMNE representatives used the option available to them after they split their group in Parliament into 10 separate groups to respond to each other’s comments and to request breaks. Frosina Remenski from SDSM held a separate press conference calling on VMRO-DPMNE to end this blockade of the work of the parliament, saying that the SDSM led majority has many other bills it wants to push through. “These idle discussions meant to defend crime and obstruct justice also block the adoption of the law on the minimum wage, which would improve standards of living for thousands of families of workers across Macedonia. It also blocks the law on providing financial security to persons who are unemployed due to the privatization of state owned companies,” said Remenski. VMRO-DPMNE representatives proposed to SDSM to remove this item from the agenda and to continue the discussion. The party also reminded SDSM of its pre-election promises that the opposition parties would be allowed to nominate a Public Prosecutor, as a check on the government, a promise which SDSM has backed off since. VMRO-DPMNE proposed a solution under which the largest opposition party would nominate the Public Prosecutor, who would then have to be approved by a two thirds majority in parliament.

Zaev- Baily: US support for Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations (MIA)

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev had a meeting Tuesday with US Ambassador Jess Baily, at which messages, conveyed at recent Adriatic Charter in Podgorica, for strengthening Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic prospects were reaffirmed. The meeting recalled the statement of US Vice-President Mike Pence during his talks with Zaev in the Montenegrin capital, namely that Macedonia may count on US support of its bid to join NATO, the government said in a press release. Referring to Macedonia-Bulgaria friendship treaty, Zaev and Baily agreed the document presented a foundation for advancing the cooperation of the countries in the region. The treaty, they said, also contributes to speeding up Macedonia’s EU-integration process.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry denies Bloomberg article accusing Moscow of interfering in Macedonia’s internal affairs (MIA)

The accusations that Moscow is meddling in Macedonia’s internal affairs are fabricated and groundless, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. “We took note of the material published by Bloomberg and widely cited by the Balkan media about Russia’s alleged interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Macedonia. Misleading references were made to an interview by the Defense Minister of that country, Radmila Sekerinska, the text of which Bloomberg chose not to make public. Given that Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic was the target of a similar provocation by this agency in July, we urge Bloomberg to publish the full text or audio/video recording of the interview by Radmila Sekerinska” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters. Moscow considers these insinuations as attempts by the enemies of Russia and Macedonia to complicate the traditionally friendly ties between our countries, Zakharova said. Bloomberg recently published an interview with Defense Minister Sekerinska, who said that Macedonia was boosting its efforts to join NATO to protect it from Russia’s interference.

Shekjerinska doesn’t want to comment Moscow’s requests for interview transcripts (Meta)

The Minister of Defense Radmila Shekjerinska doesn’t plan to ask for the transcripts from the interview she gave for Bloomberg, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) informed Meta. “The Minister of Defense has no intention to interfere in the work of domestic or foreign media and because of that we don’t want to comment the demands of the Russian MFA to be sent the interview transcript,” said the MoD. The Ministry stressed that Minister Shekjerinska has given statements for other media that are already available to the public. “The government’s stance including Minister Shekjerinska regarding the strategic goal for a membership into NATO and good relations with the countries partners of the international community including Russia are clear and unequivocal,” said the MoD.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Athens slams Skopje ‘irredentism’ after Toronto event (Ekathemerini, 16 August 2017)

Athens on Wednesday accused the government in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) of violating the 1995 interim agreement between the two countries after the Balkan state’s consul general spoke against the backdrop of irredentist symbols and maps during an official event in Toronto. “We condemn the participation of FYROM’s Consul General in Toronto, Jovica Palacevski, in an irredentist event, a participation that constitutes yet another violation by FYROM of the interim accord, which requires abstention from any action supporting territorial claims,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The backdrop of the podium from which Palacevski spoke was said to depict irredentist symbols and a map of FYROM that included Greek territory. Greece has blocked FYROM’s NATO integration and its opening of EU accession talks for over a decade on grounds that the name “Republic of Macedonia” implies a territorial claim to the Greece’s own Macedonia region and is a blatant attempt to lay claim to the country’s national heritage. “FYROM’s new government claims that it aspires to a new beginning in its relations with Greece. However, despite the change of leadership, it seems that irredentism continues to be the dominant state ideology and day-to-day political practice in our neighboring country,” it said. “The renouncement of irredentism, respect for borders, and practical compliance with the principles of good neighborliness are necessary conditions for the realization of FYROM’s Euroatlantic