LOCAL PRESS

Serbia and Turkey sign 12 agreements, ready 4 more (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that a total of 16 very important agreements will be signed with Turkey during the visit of Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

After 12 of these documents were inked today in Belgrade, Vucic announced that four more will be signed on Wednesday in Novi Pazar, a town in southwestern Serbia. Vucic thanked Erdogan and Turkish investors for their investments in the past period: “We did not take care of some factories, you did, your investors came to Krupanj, for example. The only factory there had stopped working, but only with the arrival of a Turkish investor that plant was renewed, and now they are looking for new workers.” Vucic added that he was also grateful for Turkish factories in Leskovac, Nis, Lebane, Zitoradja. “In Lebane we lost half of the population, now there is a factory of a Turkish investor that will employ more than 300 people and that is the salvation for this town and the south of Serbia,” he said.  Vucic also recalled that a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Turkish TYH Group to employ 2,500 workers in Kraljevo, and added: “Since we have been insufficiently careful and managed to, over the past 20 years, destroy the factories we had there. Today we managed to ask a Turkish investor to come to Kraljevo to employ these people and we will solve a large portion of the problems with that.”

Brnabic: Spain is our great friend, we listened to its request (Tanjug/B92)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic confirmed that she would not take Belgrade’s letter to the EU to Brussels with her, when she travels there on Tuesday. The letter regards the European Commission’ stance on the recent independence referendum in Catalonia, and on Kosovo. “We had a request from Spain not to send the letter. Spain is our great friend and partner, we also had great support from them for (preventing Pristina’s membership in) both Interpol, UNESCO, and (Serbia’s) European integration, so we will decide, in cooperation with them, how to proceed,” she said Brnabic. According to Tanjug, she revealed to reporters in Belgrade the content of the letter, which stresses that the European Commission must be neutral. “For that reason, we are not clear on EC0s statements that somehow confirm the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. What does it matter if someone is a member of the EU or not. The Constitution of Spain does not recognize this, and the EC is right, but Serbia is not being looked at the same way, our Constitution also does not recognize this,” Brnabic emphasized, referring to Catalonia’s outlawed referendum held last week, and Pristina’s unilateral declaration of independence, made in 2008. Brnabic reiterated that Serbia agrees with EC’s position (regarding Catalonia) and recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Spain.

Djuric: Acquittal of Oric is bad news for B&H institutions (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has stated that the acquittal of Naser Oric is bad news for the credibility of B&H institutions and stability in the region. The verdict is a hard blow for law and a step backwards in the reconciliation process in the region.

“Two decades since the end of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in certain states created after this war it is enough to have a Serbian name and last name in order to be declared a criminal automatically, but they are persistently avoiding personalizing the guilt for the horrible and mass crimes perpetrated against the Serbs,” said Djuric. He adds that war crimes do not have statute of limitation and that justice will be served sooner or later, and that Serbia will never agree to collective amnesty of those who inflicted evil to our nation, wherever those crimes took place.

Djuric discusses local elections in Kosovo with OMIK Head (Tanjug)

Djuric discussed in Belgrade with the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jan Braathu the organization of the local elections in the province slated for 22 October. Djuric says it is important that these elections pass in a democratic atmosphere and to prevent possible irregularities and attempts at disputing the electoral right of internally displaced Serbs who will vote on that day in Kosovo and Metohija. He voiced concern over the attempts of certain political parties in the Serb majority municipalities to artificially create an atmosphere and delegitimize in advance the electoral process.

Marinelli: Partnership with Serbia on firm footing (Tanjug)

We respect Serbia’s military neutrality and highly appreciate its continued efforts towards regional stability, the Head of the NATO liaison office in Serbia, Cesare Marinelli, told Tanjug in an exclusive interview ahead of NATO Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller’s visit to Belgrade this week. Marinelli said Gottemoeller’s visit for the Belgrade Security Forum and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg – expected to take place in late 2017 – were a clear sign the partnership between the two sides was on firm footing and based on trust. According to him, the last high-level meeting within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue confirms that Serbia is devoted to building relations of cooperation with Pristina and upgrading security of the entire region.

REGIONAL PRESS

Oric: I will continue fighting for this country (Dnevni avaz)

Wartime commander of Srebrenica defense Naser Oric stated for daily on Monday, following his acquittal before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), that he trusts in B&H judiciary and that the Court of B&H said everything by the verdict. “What else can I say except that the justice has won. The Court of B&H said so in its verdict. I have nothing to add here and to go further into verdict. I said earlier that I had trust in B&H judiciary and that they should do their job”, Oric underlined. The author notes that Oric is very cautious with his statements, because he is aware of the fact this is the first-instance verdict and that it is possible to file appeals to the verdict.

Izetbegovic comment on Oric’s acquittal (TV1)

B&H Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic said that it would be better for those who criticized courts and verdicts to wonder why international and domestic courts consistently render verdicts by which they acquit same persons of charges for same crimes. “It is obvious this happens because there is no evidence that the indicted members of the Army of the Republic of B&H committed war crimes they were charged with and that is why verdicts of courts in The Hague, Geneva, London, Vienna and Sarajevo were as they were” said Izetbegovic. Izetbegovic added that the problem is not in courts and their verdicts but in attempts of individuals to equalize responsibility, which undermines the reconciliation process. In a written statement to Fena agency, Izetbegovic emphasized that it is utterly hypocritical to attack judicial institutions for lack of evidence that would enable revision of truth about crimes committed in B&H. He concluded that all war crime suspects should undergo a fair trial.

SNSD and DNS Presidencies hold joint session; say they are preparing certain plans to suspend work of Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in RS (ATV)

The SNSD and DNS Presidencies held a joint session on Monday. They discussed the B&H Court of acquitting verdict in the case of wartime commander of the Army of B&H in Srebrenica Naser Oric and the work of B&H judiciary as the main topic. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik and DNS leader Marko Pavic stated that the two parties are already preparing certain plans to suspend the work of the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in the territory of the RS. Addressing the press conference after the session, Dodik said: “We reject the work of the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and I suggest that we should agree on further actions with everyone from the RS when it comes to these judicial institutions.” He added that rulings of these institutions are detrimental to the Serb people, noting that the verdict in the Oric case is intolerable.

US Embassy to B&H calls on everyone in B&H to respect court decisions and judicial institutions (N1)

The US Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) issued a statement to N1 in reaction to Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik’s call for withdrawal of judges and prosecutors from the RS from work of state-level judicial institutions. The statement reads that the US Embassy consistently advocates the rule of law in B&H, which is a key prerequisite for social, political, and economic development of the country. The US Embassy emphasized that there were civilian casualties of war on all sides. The Embassy called on everyone in B&H to respect court decisions and judicial institutions. The Embassy assessed that calls on judges and prosecutors to leave institutions at state level are irresponsible and are not in interest of victims or their families. “Transparent and fair trials before the courts are necessary for further process of reconciliation, and future of this country”, the statement concludes.

SDA reveals details of its proposal for Law on Elections of B&H (Oslobodjenje)

President of SDA Main Board Halid Genjac told the daily that the working group formed by SDA Presidency has drafted a new text of the Law on Elections of B&H, but they did not want to present it until the process surrounding proposal submitted by HDZ B&H is finished. SDA Vice-president Safet Softic told the daily recently that the party accepts indirect election of members of the Presidency of B&H, but the proposal does not contain that option. Genjac stated that any solution that implements decisions of the International Court of Human Rights is acceptable to SDA. In its proposal, SDA mostly focused on election of delegates in the houses of peoples and the elections for the City of Mostar. The proposal did not focus on a decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H with regards to motion of Bozo Ljubic. Genjac said that SDA proposal is in accordance with the Federation of B&H Constitution and the European Human Rights Convention, which is something the HDZ B&H proposal does not contain. Daily noted that this means SDA will continue to insist on election of at least one representative of a people from the cantonal assemblies in the House of Peoples of the Federation of B&H parliament.

Genjac said that the main change is related to the Serb Caucus; in case of insufficient number of elected Serb delegates in the cantons, those with most votes will be next in line. He believes that this is an important issue that will ensure complete formation of the Federation of B&H HoP. SDA Vice-president Sefik Dzaferovic told the daily that SDA harmonized its proposal for the elections in Mostar with SBB B&H before the 2016 elections. According to the proposal, there will be six constituencies and a new position of a Deputy Mayor. “Mostar is a specific city in many ways. There is no city in B&H where all three constituent peoples are so mixed as here, and we want all of them to have an equal right to protection of their interests,” said Genjac. SDA wants to introduce a system of rotation in Mostar with one Mayor and two deputies.

Plenkovic : I invited the Holy Father to Croatia, it is my impression that this will happen (HRT)

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, his family and a delegation met with Pope Francis in the Vatican. The Prime Minister used his first audience with the Holy Father to discuss the completion of the canonization process for the blessed Aloysius Stepinac and strengthening relations between the Vatican and Croatia. “Naturally, like in earlier visits by other Croatian officials, I used the opportunity to invite the Holy Father to come to Croatia. That would mean a lot to the Croatian people, to those that respect him and look forward to his visit. I got the impression that this will take place, it is up to him to choose the time that would be best for such a visit,” said the Prime Minister in a statement for Croatian reporters in the Vatican. Plenkovic said that they spoke about the canonization process for the blessed Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac. “It is my impression that this process is going well, that it’s going in the right direction. I would like when this happens for the visit by Pope Francis to be in that context,” said Plenkovic.

Markovic to opposition: You will not get general election date; Demarcation with Kosovo is a closed case (CDM)

Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said the opposition will not get general election date. The PM said the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was waiting for the opposition to start a dialogue.

“Ask them why they are not willing to negotiate. They are waiting for a general election date to be announced – they won’t get it. Now we are supposed to discuss meeting ODIHR’s recommendations. Parliament speaker and DPS will offer them to open dialogue on meeting ODIHR’s recommendations. We will send the proposal to all parliamentary political parties and we are waiting for them. If they do not want to talk – that’s their problem. Therefore, I would like to ask you not to ask our side about that issue. We are ready to talk today. If representatives of political parties want, they can come to parliament and talk within certain committees some boards in some room there,” PM told reporters. Markovic added that ruling coalition was not a problem, but the opposition. He pointed out that the government had a majority in the parliament. “Let the clique get together, let them come to the parliament and we will discuss and adopt ODIHR’s recommendations and run in the elections and see who will win the majority. I advise – do not ask me about this matter any longer,” the PM said.

Commenting on the demarcation issue with Kosovo, Markovic said that as far as Montenegro is concerned the case is closed. “We have friendly relations with Kosovo, we are waiting patiently for Kosovo to find the opportunity to come out of this situation because it is primarily in the interest of Kosovo. Kosovo citizens have the right to visa liberalization. Montenegro with its patience shows that it wants such a prospect to the citizens of Kosovo. Now it is the responsibility of the authorities of Kosovo to take steps in that direction. You must be brave in making a decision. When Montenegro decided to recognize Kosovo, 80% of the public in Montenegro was against it. But we knew it was a decision for the future. This decision by the Kosovo government is a decision of the future when it comes to the region. So let them be brave, let them do what they need to do,” he said.

DF’s presidential candidate will be a Serb (Pobjeda)

Democratic Front (DF) announced that its presidential candidate would come from the Serb national community, Pobjeda learns. Such a decision was made after the civic opposition rejected DF’s platform. The platform implied a common opposition candidate and common election list for general elections. The decision also rules out any possibility of the former Minister of Interior Andrija Jovicevic being nominated as presidential candidate, as certain media speculated throughout the year. DF Presidency estimates that its candidate may count on support of 80,000-100,000 voters, which could hardly guarantee runoff. Support to opposition candidate in the second round of presidential elections will not be unconditional, DF source claims.

Danielsson evaluates Albania’s proactive role in relations with neighbors (ATA)

Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati received Director-General for EU Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission Christian Danielsson. During the meeting, Danielsson evaluated Albania’s progress towards implementation of the key recommendations necessary for opening of the accession negotiations with the EU. Likewise, Danielsson evaluated Albania’s foreign policy pursuing a line in accordance with the EU’s foreign and security policy as well as Albania’s proactive role in relations with its neighbors. The speaker of the Assembly Gramoz Ruci also received Danielsson, who urged Albania to implement a set of recommendations from the European Union in order to make headway in its bid to open accession talks and join the EU.

Socialists: No debates for electoral reform in parliament (ADN)

After two long hours, the meeting of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama with the socialists ended up with two decisions. First of all, socialists decided not to debate on the Electoral Reform during the next parliamentary session on Thursday. This topic was the cause of the harsh debate on the last parliamentary session which was accompanied with several pauses of the parliament’s work and leaded to the opposition boycott. The second decision is that socialists should avoid clashes with the democrats. Prime Minister, Edi Rama required from the Socialist MPs to calm down and avoid debates with the democrats.

DP to intensify parliamentary activity (ADN)

The Democratic Party reacted on Monday over the last decision of the socialists to prohibit any discussion within Parliament on the Electoral Reform. The DP leader, Lulzim Basha declared at the end of the meeting of the Parliamentary Group that socialists cannot close the opposition’s mouth, especially for the elections. “This cannot happen. We will intensify our Parliamentary activity, addressing a lot of questions to the Prime Minister Edi Rama and other ministers” said Basha. According to Basha, Rama offers to the citizens only higher taxes, crime and corruption.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

What if the Balkans never become part of the European Union? (European Western Balkans, by Aleksandar Jovanoski, 10 October 2017)

*Op-ed by Aleksandar Jovanoski, speaker at the panel “What if the Western Balkans never becomes part of the EU” on the Belgrade Security Forum 2017.

Against the relative progress in Western Balkans during the past decade, recent regional and international reports voice serious concern on the downfall of democratic values and return to populism and nationalistic rhetoric in the region. In addition, annual reports published by European Commission (EC) provide for backsliding in rule of law, thus posing serious questions on the success of the transition from post-communist countries to members of the European Union. Implemented reforms, modernisation of institutions and society had noticed reversible trends, thus questioning future developments in Western Balkans.

Reflecting on the topic, what if the Balkans never become part of the EU, reality should be recognised and applied when analysis the potentiality of this scenario. This renowned interest by the European Union, expressed in the so-called 2025 Strategy on Serbia and Montenegro accession to the EU, is a reality that cannot be abandoned as a variable when discussing the scenario. Furthermore, Trieste Summit conclusions, on the region, seem to remind Western Balkans leaders on the need for regional integration by fostering own capacities and ownership on the reforms for further democratisation and well-being of the region. Thus, considering the above, the objective is to assess the ‘worst-case-scenario’ of non-integration, by using empirical evidences from the research conducted by EPI and its regional partners on monitoring the overall progress of the region.

To continue, even if Western Balkans countries never become part of the European Union, still crucial rule of law/democratic reforms are key for ensuring prosperity and sustainability of the countries on long run. The emphasis on political dialogue between the political elites, the enhancement of the institutional capacities and embeddedness of rule of law is something that Western Balkans need for economic development and societal progress. The analysis of the current political landscapes in the region, especially in terms of democratic and political legitimacy, still show strong correlation with the notion of strong political parties and government. The notion of governance, transparency and inclusiveness is still missing, thus leading to heavy political polarisation and division among party and ethnic lines.

Within in the scenario of non-integration, it is essential to discuss how the society leverage itself in order to ensure political accountability and transparency of political elites. If the society does not exercise the leverage it will atrophy, as shown by several political crisis which emerged in the Western Balkans in the past several years. Unfortunately, we saw the need of European presence to resolve internal political crisis, which demonstrate the capacity of political elites to provide solutions and move the society forwards. Within this week political context, the resolution of internal crisis must encompasses a sound regional politics – or the ability not to be afraid to identify the pending issues and discuss them openly. As seen by the Macedonian case the crisis present a new opportunity for the country.

Despite the strong presence of the European Union in mitigating the resolution to the crisis, still it was the society (students, activists, civil society organisations) that enabled for a stabilisation of the country. Macedonia in a relative short period was successful in its internal  rehabilitation and was able to take serious steps forwards. The crisis can prepare the country to face its reality and prepare it for a run on a long term basis. If the region offers authentic domestic answer to the emerging crisis and if the EU offers consistency in its messages to the elites and the public, there is possibility for turning points.  So summarise, EU membership is an instrument for reforming democratic and rule of law area. However, her own experience shows that if some reforms are settled towards by the request of the European Union, without any ownership of the society, of the political class of the political elite, they never happened.

Although the pace of their EU accession efforts differs, Western Balkans countries demonstrate surprising similarities in many fields, starting from the judiciary and public administration, through the media sector, to the overall state of art in the field of rule of law. This suggests that the EU’s leverage in pushing painful reforms does not depend much on the stage reached in the overall bid of joining the EU. Rather, the future success of the required rule of law reforms depends on several complex long-term processes, which involve the priorities of delineating ruling parties from the state apparatus, creating a more favourable environment for independent media and CSOs, and ensuring the pro-activeness and independence of key institutions in an anti-corruption chain, especially of police, prosecutors and judges.

Soft preventive mechanisms, however, which so far have largely been underestimated, need to be reaffirmed in the region as well. The monitoring of political development in key areas in the region clearly demonstrated the unsustainability of the region’s non-integration to the European Union. Countries are still facing deep divides among political and party lines, and rule of law remains far from being embedded. The sustainability and development of Western Balkans depends on reform ownership and strong monitoring mechanisms by the civil society.