LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: My stand about Kosovo at the end of April (Tanjug/TV Happy)

I will say what I think about the solution for Kosovo at the end of April, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said last night in a TV Happy talk show. He noticed that the ideas that have been reappearing over the past days – on division and similar models – are not serious while we need to head towards serious goals. “I will announce this at the end of April, because I think that we need to have ideas and a positive direction in resolving this issue,” said Vucic. “I have so far torn several different papers”, while an attempt, as he put it, for everybody to say “Vucic is strong enough, he is able to endure criticism, attacks, let is force him to somehow recognize, not really formally, and we’ll see what we can give Serbia, but let them forget about Kosovo” is hiding behind all these “new” proposals. “But, I, whenever I received such paper, and this is usually along with a text – don’t get angry, but this is what we propose, each such paper I had torn. You know how many I torn…,” said Vucic. Asked who is doing that, he said the entire world, alluding that this is the Western world that recognized Kosovo, but, as he noticed, we need to be those who will think and only go after serious goals, and I will speak about this at the end of April.

Pahor will convince Spain? Gabriel wants an agreement, whether it is recognition or not

Vucic wondered how come Slovenian President Borut Pahor wishes to convince the remaining

EU member states to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo when Spain is becoming a bigger ally, and as regards talks with the German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, he conveyed that Germany wants for Serbia to find an agreement with the Albanians and that it is all the same to them whether this is a form of recognition or not. “The Serbs are the largest community after the Slovenians, but they don’t have the right to be a national minority and this is inside the EU,” said Vucic. He pointed out that there are many different views and we need to look for a compromise inside these frameworks, and to talk with ourselves and resolve what is that is important for the future of Serbia, “If Spain is behaving that way, why is Pahor behaving that way. Now he will convince Spain to recognize independence of Kosovo,” he noted.

He says he had a sincere conversation with the German Vice Chancellor. “Gabriel said there are no talks and that everything regarding Kosovo’s territory is over, that this is an independent state.  I told him: ‘How come you talked about that ten years ago, but now you can’t on the same topic’. He replied that Germany had its own interests and that we are looking at the future differently, but that he understands well how it is to be in Serbian shoes,” Vucic said. He says that Gabriel is asking for Serbia to find an agreement with the Albanian, and that it is all the same to him whether this is a form of recognition or not.

He commented on the statement of Albanian President Edi Rama who requested that Albania and Kosovo have one president, by saying that almost nobody from Pristina has condemned this. “They are losing their nerves, because they see the sincere position of Serbia. I am proud that Serbian citizens have enabled me to have a sincere position, to firmly protect our interests, and that we are always ready for a compromise. On the other side, the Albanians don’t want to talks, they want a Greater Albania. We don’t want a Greater Serbia, but to preserve the identity of Serbia, to have security for the Serbs in Croatia and in Slovenia, but we don’t need part of either Slovenian or Croatian territory. The only important thing for us is for the Serbs to be secure, to have the right to use their alphabet, to preserve their last name and to love their Serbia,” said Vucic.

Behind Ivanovic’s murder stand those who want control over the north

Vucic doesn’t’ reject the possibility that the one who ordered the murder of Oliver Ivanovic is a Serb or Albanian, but warns that the goal of the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is to enter the north of the province and that they will look for any reason to do that. Vucic said that he personally asked for satellite images on the day of the murder and that he received a reply that there was fog. He says that he has been listening every day the campaign about our people in northern Kosovo and Metohija, noting that the fact is that there is crime, but not everywhere. He says that everybody knows that Ivanovic and Radojicic were in conflict, that this has been going on for 15 years, that Radojicic was “crazy” to take part in that, but that he can’t reject this possibility as well, and that the competent bodies need to investigate this.

Serbia without Russia – very bad, Serbia without the EU – likewise bad

We will end our EU path I hope in 2025, but we will have even better relations with Russia, said Vucic. He reiterated that Serbia is keeping its chairs and that it is passing decisions on its own that are important for the country and its citizens. “I don’t have a problem to say that we have our own chair and our own head and that we making decisions with this head,” said Vucic, adding: “The head is the closest to the Serbian side and Serbian interests.”

Djuric: Silence is sometimes a source of instability (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric stated that he is more concerned about the lack of a reaction from the international community regarding the statement by Edi Rama on the unity of Kosovo and Albania, than the statements themselves. Djuric adds that Rama’s statement is not the first of its kind, they are repeated in continuity and are the result of the created international climate that this is socially acceptable. “I don’t consider it a good thing when pretensions towards a territory of other states are shown. For us, Kosovo and Metohija is the territory of our state and each time someone expresses such pretensions, it’s normal that this can’t be welcomed and accepted,” Djuric said. He says that he is always concerned when there are no equal norms and disapproval in the international community. He recalled that he deals with the institutions of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija, with talks and negotiations, and that there are those in the international community who should react to such things, but they don’t.

“They should be asked why is it so and how long do they plan on being silent. Silence is not always golden. Silence is sometimes a source of further provocation and instability,” Djuric said.

Djuric: There has been intellectual mobilization regarding the issue of resolving the Kosovo problem (RTS/Tanjug)

A new round table within the internal dialogue shows that there has been an intellectual mobilization in Serbia regarding the issue of resolving the Kosovo problem, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said.  “By talking we are strengthening our capacity to deal with the resolution of the Kosovo issue,” Djuric told journalists during the break of the round table organized by the Faculty for Diplomacy and Security and the Working Group for offering support to the internal dialogue. Opinion of experts who presented their stand will be considered, as well as opinions of all other participants of previous round tables, said Djuric.

“I would stress that the stand of Serbia citizens will also be considered whenever we are resolving the Kosovo issue. The institutions, once it is estimated that it is in Serbia’s best interest, will present their proposals, solutions, while the final judgment will be given by the people of Serbia in a democratically envisaged manner,” he said. He explained that the final judgement according to the models of resolving the Kosovo issue will not be given  by a single great power and those political circles that think they have all cards in their hands.

Djuric noted that the internal dialogue has so far covered in 16 rounds various segments of social life, from medical experts, education employees, scientific institutions, through sports organizations, to those who have conducted the foreign and security policy in the previous period.

If Serbia gives up Kosovo over EU it loses the right to be called a state (RTV)

Different stands could be heard at Monday’s round table, but also that the previous government didn’t use certain documents that it had at its disposal. Former foreign minister Vladislav Jovanovic has stated that, so far, nobody has mentioned the document sent by the United Nations Secretary General to the new government following 5 October 2000. It states that Serbia needs to request UN membership based on the former Yugoslav federal borders (AVNOJ), said Jovanovic, stressing that at issue is a document that arrived following 1999, therefore after the bombardment. He says that the Albanians have treated the Kosovo issue as a territorial issue as early as the 1990s, and that this should be done by Serbia as well since, as he put it, this stems from the preamble of the Constitution. “The Brussels negotiations are a result of the work and non-work of the previous government. History will have its say. These negotiations are directed at our facing the reality, and such negotiations cannot lead to a just goal,” assessed Jovanovic.

He says that the goal of the sponsors of the Albanians is for Serbia to be led little by little to accepting the new reality, adding that opinions differ regarding the fact as for whom is time working. He notes that after ten years since the self-declaration of Kosovo results lack for Kosovo to become a world-recognized state, and that secession is becoming less popular.

“Now the (Albanians) can expect the process of dispersal of recognitions rather than a progressive process of increasing recognitions,” said Jovanovic, pointing that this territory is still a “black dot” in Europe. “Serbia needs to be offered adequate compensation, territorial or some other. Then the negotiations would be equal. What we have now is Serbia against everybody and blackmailing of Serbia to accept their ultimatums,” said Jovanovic. He says that if Serbia would accept to give up Kosovo over EU membership, it would lose the right to be called a state.

He concluded that there is no solution without Serbia, and that an adequate compensation needs to be offered to Serbia, which should not yield to pressures.

The Dean of the Faculty for Diplomacy and Security Nenad Djordjevic has stated that a peace conference should be organized as soon as possible, while former chief of staff Branko Krga spoke about the fact that it should be emphasized in all appearances that Serbia did not cause conflicts, but Albanian extremists with foreign support. “Since the legally-binding document is a white paper, this is an opportunity for our diplomacy to influence the content and character,” said Krga. According to him, the army should continue cooperation with the US, Russia, neighboring countries and to maintain good contacts with KFOR. He says Serbia has a chance to show itself as a responsible country that preserves its territory, that is ready to respect the interests of Albanians, that it advocates peace, and that it should react patiently to possible new attacks, but also resolutely if it estimates that it is necessary.

Diplomat Zoran Milivojevic opines that launching a peace conference is not possible only in one case. “Launching the issue of borders is impossible without launching the same issue in the case of other states as well,” he said.

Professor at the Faculty for Diplomacy and Security and former director of the Security-Information Agency (BIA) Andreja Savic opines that every giving up of Serbia from Kosovo and Metohija would give bearers of the NATO aggression legal and moral satisfaction and justification of the 1999 attack. He recalled that Belgrade and Pristina had a series of negotiations in various formats. “Every new proposal represented for Serbia a worse solution compared to the previous ones, from Rambioullet, via Ahtisaari to the declaration of independence…The public is not ready for a final solution, but one must consider all elements that are important for resolving,” said Savic. He underlined that the previous government had disastrous moves, noting that it accepted to transfer the resolving of Kosovo and Metohija from the United Nations to the European Union. Commenting the ideas on a realistic union of independent states, division of Kosovo, normalization without recognition, relying on various models of East and West Germany, to Northern Ireland, Cyprus and other, Savic says that there are arguments “for”  and “against” for many of them. When it comes to the “status quo”, arguments “for” are the changed geopolitical situation in the world, the current position of Serbia, while “against” – that Serbia has no jurisdiction since 1999. “Kosovo is becoming more present on the international scene, with or without an asterisk. The only thing they lack is UN membership. The priority of the government in Pristina is concentrated on recognition of independence and we have to keep this in mind,” said Savic. The possibility of applying the model of East and West Germany is present and we can contemplate in that direction, says Savic, but points also that there are undeniable differences in the sense that it was the same nation in this country, with the same religion and culture. He says there is also the idea on initiating an international conference that would include permanent UN Security Council member states.

Former foreign minister Zivadin Jovanovic says that Serbia should not trade with Kosovo for the sake of EU membership and if pressures continue to be exerted on our country, he proposes as a solution, as he put it, four “no’s”. “There is no recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, there is no departure from UNSCR 1244, there is no deal on Kosovo for the sake of EU membership, there are no further negotiations without the return of 250,000 expelled Serbia and other non-Albanians,” said Jovanovic.

REGIONAL PRESS

Inzko: Nobody should expect from OHR to resolve issue of Law on Elections through use of Bonn powers (Vecernji list)

High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko asked, among other issues, to comment on the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) replied by saying the current situation is different when compared to when he assumed the office, arguing that when he started the tenure (of the HR) nationalistic tendencies and rhetoric were reined in by strong position of the international community (IC) to reject the policy and the rhetoric that lead to divisions. The HR went on to say that, unfortunately, some B&H politicians did not use the opportunity given to them by the IC, namely they failed to assume responsibility, carry out necessary reforms and get the country closer to the EU. Asked whether he expects there will be an agreement in terms of changes to the Law on Elections, the HR said the EU and the US are leading the process in behalf of the IC and are making exceptional effort to encourage political parties in B&H to find solutions.

Asked what will happen if there is no positive outcome, if he will intervene and how, Inzko said: “Nobody should expect from the OHR to resolve the issue through the use of the Bonn powers. It is the matter for the Parliament of B&H and parties in it. The 2018 elections must be held, democracy cannot be imaged without elections. That is why I call on political leaders to take necessary steps in order to enable undisturbed holding and implementation of the 2018 general elections. Decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H from December 1, 2016 (‘Ljubic’ case), which mostly deals with elections to the Federation of B&H House of Peoples, must be implemented. As far as the OHR is concerned, at this stage we are prepared to technically support the process, which the EU and the US are leading”. Asked to comment on the Mostar issue, Inzko replied by saying the issue if similar to the story about the Law on Elections. Instead of reaching a compromise, some parties are baling the OHR, some call on the OHR to solve the issue. Therefore, the problem is in lack of political will to reach compromise and solution”, said HR Inzko.

Genjac: I am not optimistic that process aimed to amend Election Law of B&H will be completed successfully (TV1)

SDA delegate in B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Halid Genjac stated on Monday that activities related to amending of the Election Law of B&H and that include consultations and mediation of the OSCE, the EU Delegation to B&H, the US Embassy and the OHR is underway. Genjac went on saying that he is not optimist when it comes to successful completion of this process due to legal problems and opposite stances of sides involved in this process. Genjac believes that after these consultations, B&H Central Election Commission will be in position to adopt “some type of bylaw” that will resolve issue of election of delegates in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples.

SDA loses two prime ministers and a government in only a week (N1)

It seems that SDA will lose two prime ministers and a government in only a week. The first problem in the party was Sarajevo Canton (SC) Prime Minister Elmedin Konakovic, who recently resigned from all posts in SDA and was joined by 15 SDA members. Konakovic announced on that occasion that serious turbulences will happen within the party, which actually came true through current turmoil in SDA in the Tuzla Canton (TC) where the TC Government led by Prime Minister Bego Gutic was removed. Commenting on the situation in SDA, SDA Vice President Safet Softic stated that there is not a single individual within SDA who could privatize the party or the whole parliamentary majority in the cantonal assembly for his own interests. Gutic claims that his removal has nothing to do with his poor work results, but that the agreement between former president of the SDA Cantonal Board in Tuzla Mirsad Kukic and SBB Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) leader Fahrudin Radoncic is in the background of the whole case. Radoncic denied these claims in his statement to N1. Komsic reminded that three former SDA representatives in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Senad Sepic, Salko Sokolovic and Sadik Ahmetovic have also left SDA in 2017. Commenting on the current situation in SDA, Sepic as the leader of the Independent Bloc said that SDA deserves to be punished, noting that Izetbegovic manages the party in a way that he will make a small party of SDA. N1 reminds that SDA also had problems with its coalition partners, noting that its past relations with SDP, HDZ B&H and DF as coalition partners were quite turbulent and therefore such coalitions were unsustainable. Komsic added that the same situation is with SBB B&H today, assessing that SDA will be faced with serious problems in case that it wins the general elections in October as it remains questionable with which parties SDA will make coalition given that all its partners have said that they will never again cooperate with SDA in a coalition. However, political analysts deem that all parties would want to form coalition with SDA again if necessary and in case that it is suitable for their interests, noting that their decisions after the elections will not be based on principles, ideologies and the fight for better life of citizens.

B&H CoM delegation and Qatar PM discuss improvement of economic cooperation (FTV)

Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic is leading the delegation of B&H CoM which is paying an official visit to Qatar. Zvizdic met with Qatari Prime Minister/Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, with whom he discussed the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries. It was concluded that relations between B&H and Qatar are friendly and without open issues. Representatives of B&H and Qatar signed agreements on cooperation in the area of education, health and culture. They also agreed the liberalization of the visa regime for B&H citizens traveling to Qatar. Representatives of B&H and Qatar also discussed the activation of the Friendship Fund where initial stake of Qatar would be USD 50 million in order to assist small and medium enterprises in B&H through various projects. They also discussed the trade exchange between B&H and Qatar which is currently at a modest level. On Tuesday, representatives of B&H delegation will attend a major economic forum in Qatar which will be an excellent opportunity given that the B&H delegation includes representatives of twenty companies. B&H delegation visiting Qatar also includes B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Crnadak, B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic, B&H Minister of Civil Affairs Adil Osmanovic, B&H Minister of Transport and Communications Ismir Jusko, Sarajevo Mayor Abdulah Skaka, and B&H entrepreneurs.

B&H BP registers 373 migrants attempting to cross state border (Hayat/N1)

Members of the B&H Border Police (BP) registered 373 migrants attempting to cross the state border to enter B&H, in the period from January 1 to February 18, 2018. B&H BP also prevented entry of 320 persons, who gave up on the attempt to cross the border because of engagement of police officers on the very borderline between B&H and Montenegro. B&H Border Police stated on Monday that more than 450 migrants have crossed the border of B&H in the first two months of this year, while a total of 750 illegal migrants were recorded in B&H in 2017. B&H Border Police Director Zoran Galic said in case that this trend continues a serious problem might occur, adding that migrants know very well where they can cross the border of B&H.

Declaration on Rights of Serbs in Croatia published (Hina)

The Serb National Council (SNV) has released a document called the Declaration on the Rights of Serbs in Croatia, which notes that, over the past five years, the status of the Serb community in Croatia has not improved but has actually deteriorated in many ways and identifies 13 tasks in the fight for rights that are yet to be acquired and in the protection of those that have been acquired. The declaration was adopted at the SNV’s third assembly held in Zagreb last week.

The rights that have been restored are frequently challenged anew, and there have also been attempts to undermine the status of the Serb community ensured by international agreements such as the Erdut Agreement and the Letter of Intent, as well as the Constitution, the Constitutional Law on Ethnic Minorities’ Rights and other special laws, reads the declaration.

“That is why in the coming period we will continue to fight for rights that are yet to be acquired and work to preserve those that have been acquired. In these efforts, we should be joined by all democratic organizations because they constitute a fight for a democratic Croatia,” reads the document published on the SNV’s website. The SNV expects the government and state institutions to actively and closely cooperate with it in efforts to accomplish the goals stated in the declaration. Activities of the SNV and other Serb organizations, notably the Joint Council of Municipalities (ZVO) and the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), will focus on the fight for tolerance and non-discrimination and particularly the fight against hate speech because hate speech against Serbs, their institutions and symbols of their identity “remains a problem that generates fear and leads to the assimilation of members of the Serb community.” The second task is about ensuring an unobstructed return of refugees, with around 19,000 still staying in Serbia, and protecting their property and pension rights. Efforts to shed light on the fate of Serbs gone missing or killed in the war, their identification and marking of their graves, as well as their unobstructed commemoration should yield more significant results in the next four years than has been the case so far, reads the SNV document. The SNV also calls for fulfilling promises given after its second assembly held in 2013 that war crimes against Serbs committed during the war, notably during and in the aftermath of the operations “Flash” and “Storm”, would be prosecuted. It calls on the state to “finally adopt a legislative framework for a development policy” for areas of return in the interest of all people living in those areas and to form, for the purpose of property protection, a forest and land management fund. The SNV notes that Serbs are underrepresented in state and public services and expects the government and calls on it to stop that trend and start implementing, in line with the Constitutional Law on Ethnic Minorities’ Rights and its international obligations, a policy aimed at employing members of the Serb community, as well as “to again adopt and this time also implement an action plan for the employment of members of ethnic minorities.” The SNV also expects that members of the Serb community in Croatia will be able to consistently exercise their guaranteed right to use their own language and script and be educated in their language, as well as that the legally guaranteed official use of the Serb language and script, including in the names of settlements, squares and streets and public institutions, will not be obstructed. It especially underlines the urgent need to enable the registration of Serb minority schools. The SNV calls on the public broadcaster HRT to cover activities of Serb institutions and report on problems of the Serb community as well as to form a minority editorial board that will “include a Serb component”. It also calls for enabling Serb organizations to establish, with the help of the state, their own radio service. The SNV further calls for continuing and stepping up the restoration of the cultural heritage, “notably the heritage that commemorates the forcible assimilation, expulsion and mass extermination of Serbs committed in the Independent State of Croatia” and their role in the antifascist struggle of the people of Croatia. The tenth task stated by the SNV refers to the exercise of voting rights by members of the Serb community which, the SNV warns, is not in line with the Constitution “because it violates the secrecy of the voting process and results in segregation at polling stations.” The SNV therefore calls for passing regulations that will enable members of ethnic minorities to exercise their voting rights in a free and undisturbed way. Serbs should be given back their right to their own history as part of Croatia’s national history and that should be visible in education, media, remembrance policies and museums, the SNV underlines. “The institutions of the Serb community, notably the SNV and the ZVO, must be given the status of minority self-government bodies, in line with their founding documents…, the Erdut Agreement and the Letter of Intent. Also, the process of restitution of property belonging to the Serb Orthodox Church and the Serb business association ‘Privrednik’ must be completed as soon as possible,” the SNV says, underlining the importance of the lasting improvement of Croatia-Serbia relations and the European integration of all former Yugoslav countries, notably Serbia, as a precondition for stability and progress. Commenting on the SNV’s document, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic told the HRT: “They may send any demands they want, but the parliamentary majority will decide what’s right and what’s not.” Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuscevic told the Jutarnji List daily that he was not familiar with the SNV’s demands, including one asking that institutions of the Serb community be given the status of minority self-government bodies, but he noted that local government representative bodies and executive authorities included members of ethnic minorities. “In every municipality, town and county that requirement has been met and the Public Administration Ministry monitors this strictly,” Kuscevic said, adding that it was based on inspections of the right of ethnic minorities to be represented in local government bodies that his ministry at the end of last year called additional elections in two local government units.

Croatia refuses to open border issue with B&H (Hina)

Opening the question of the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) would be like opening Pandora’s Box and B&H would fare far worse than Croatia, the Chairman of the Croatian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Miro Kovac, said in Sarajevo on Monday.

Former Croatian foreign minister Kovac was heading a Croatian delegation on a two-day working visit to B&H, which includes another former FM, Davor Ivo Stier and Arsen Bauk.

On the first day of the visit, they met with members of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, as well as the speakers and deputy speakers of both that house and the upper House of Peoples. After the meeting, Kovac told reporters that several outstanding issues in bilateral relations were discussed and in particular made reference to the issue of the border, stressing that it was one of those matters that proved that reopening some issues was a waste of time. “There is an agreement on the state border that was signed in the late 1990s by the then Presidents Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic. It has been applied since then and is functioning,” Kovac said and added that once the border was defined it made no sense to reopen that issue. He underscored that the maritime border agreement clearly defines the rights of B&H and that the possible construction of a port in Neum would in no way be jeopardized as ships would be able to dock there without hindrance. “I am convinced that the reopening of the border issue would be more damaging to B&H than to Croatia,” Kovac said and added that as far as Croatia is concerned, B&H is a friendly country and it will receive all the necessary assistance in the Euro-Atlantic integration processes, which is a guarantee of its lasting stability. Kovac added that it was important for Croatia that B&H was a functioning law-governed state and that therefore he expected representatives of the peoples and citizens to reach an agreement on amending the electoral law which will ensure equality of all peoples in the country and enable them to form a lawfully elected government after the October election. Commenting on claims about deteriorating relations between the two countries, Kovac said that they were unfounded. “I reject any theories of deteriorating relations. That simply isn’t so,” he said, adding that the claims of “spreading negative energy” in relations between the two neighboring countries were “ridiculous.” The deputy chair of the foreign affairs commission in the B&H House of Representatives, Nermina Kapetanovic, said that her country believed that the border issue should be resolved by the two governments. She added that it was very important for B&H for this issue to be resolved as soon as possible because the new EU strategy for the Western Balkans foresees that none of the countries in the region will be able to join the EU until they resolve bilateral issues with their neighbors, including border demarcation. Kapetanovic said that despite the existence of outstanding issues, the parliaments of both countries are prepared to cooperate and resolve problems to their mutual benefit.

Jovicevic ready to run for the country’s presidency (Pobjeda)

Former interior minister of Montenegro, Andrija Jovicevic, is ready to run for the country’s presidency as the candidate of the opposition, Pobjeda learns. According to sources close to the Democratic Front (DF), Jovicevic’s candidacy for the president has been supported by 23 out of 39 opposition parliament members. “Jovicevic has expressed his readiness to run for the president of Montenegro if most opposition parties support him. His candidacy has been supported by the Democratic Front (DF), United Montenegro and Socialist People’s Party” several sources close to DF told Pobjeda. According to unofficial information, the DF members were surprised by the lack of unique position over a joint presidential candidate at the meeting held two days ago, at the same time explaining that “Milka Tadic-Mijovic is a non-eligible candidate to run for the president of Montenegro.” Apparently, the DF is disappointed by the fact that Jovicevic’s candidacy has been rejected due to his “extremely close relations with the DF”.

Milacic might be the opposition’s presidential candidate? (Dan)

Leader of the Real Montenegro (Prava Crna Gora), Marko Milacic, could be a presidential candidate of the opposition in the forthcoming presidential elections, Dan has written.

On the other hand, Milacic has stated he heard rumors about this proposal, but no one has invited him so far. Therefore, he neither confirmed nor denied these rumors. The Democratic Front (DF) yesterday could not tell anything about Milacic’s running for the country’s presidency.

Presidential elections are to be held on 15 April and so far, there are several potential candidates who claim to be on the opposition’s side: Djordjije Blazic, Dragan Hajdukovic, Vasilije Milickovic, Hazbija Kalac, Ranko Djurisic and Ljubomir Varagic. Andrija Jovicevic, Milka Tadic Mijovic and Miodrag Djurovic might also run for the country’s presidency, as the opposition’s candidates. Candidacy for the president of Montenegro has to be supported by at least 7,993 signatures of voters, and a voter my support only one candidate.

President Ivanov pays official visit to Turkey (MIA)

President Gjorge Ivanov, accompanied by First Lady Maja Ivanova, is paying an official visit to the Republic of Turkey. President Ivanov will meet host Recept Tayyip Erdogan and lay a wreath at the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara. During the visit, Ivanov will also deliver lecture titled “Challenges of University Education in the third Millennium” before members of the Turkish Council of Higher Education and rectors of state and private universities in Turkey. In addition, he will address the opening of the World Business Angels Investment Forum and receive an award for the “School for Young Leaders”, taking place under Ivanov’s auspices, as the best socially responsible project in Europe in 2017.

Zaev-Markus: Slovakia supports Macedonia’s EU, NATO integration (MIA)

Slovakia supports Macedonia’s EU and NATO integration process and will assist the country in significant areas, agreed Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Slovak Ambassador Henrik Markus at Monday’s meeting. Interlocutors referred to the positive climate for progress in Macedonia, as well as the possibility for expert support from Slovakia in the EU accession negotiations, the Government said in a press release. Ambassador Markus said the reform agenda results are important for the country’s integration process, adding that Slovakia would continue to support Macedonia in the NATO and EU integration process and highlighted the importance of the sooner opening of the Union accession negotiations. PM Zaev thanked Slovakia for its support in all areas and said Macedonia’s integration perspectives are reflected in the investment climate, including eight new investments, about 20 announcements for investments and 200 companies already showing interest.

EC: Rama’s proposal on a joint President for Albania-Kosovo, political interference (ADN)

The European Commission reacted on Monday over the last proposal of the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama for a joint president with Kosovo. European Commission spokeswoman, Catherine Ray, stated that Rama’s statement does not help good relations between the two countries and a good neighbor, and can be interpreted as a political interference. “The EU has consistently supported the principles of reconciliation and co-operation in the Western Balkans. Declarations that can be interpreted as political interference in neighboring countries do not help build good neighborly relations,” said Ray. She added that the EU expects that countries throughout the region have to continue building cooperative and constructive relations to move forward on the road to European integration. Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, suggested on Sunday that Albania and Kosovo should have one President. He made the proposal on the day Kosovo was celebrating 10th anniversary of independence.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Milorad Dodik Wants to Carve Up Bosnia. Peacefully, if Possible (New York Times, by Barbara Surk, 16 February 2018)

Milorad Dodik would like to make two things clear at the outset: that he is the president of a legitimate state, rather than an ethnically cleansed territory in a country with internationally recognized borders; and that, at 58, he can still shoot hoops like a pro. On basketball, he has a point. He plays regularly, and although he never played professionally outside the former Yugoslavia, once an international powerhouse in the sport, he showed good game on a court in St. Petersburg last summer when he joined a veterans’ team, led by the Russian former NBA star Andrei Kirilenko, against Moscow old-timers. He is wrong on the presidency, though. Despite his determination to break from the Muslim-Croat part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Dodik remains the president of the Serb autonomous region, a slice of territory nearly the size of Belgium. The region likes to call itself the Republika Srpska — a name given to the blood-soaked land by Mr. Dodik’s predecessor, Radovan Karadzic, the convicted war criminal serving a 40-year sentence for genocide against Bosnia’s Muslims. During his two terms as president of the Republika Srpska — and two more as prime minister — Mr. Dodik has ruffled more than a few feathers. Despite warnings from the international community, and in violation of a ruling from Bosnia’s highest court, he pressed for a referendum in 2016 on whether to celebrate Jan 9 as a national holiday, the day in 1992 Mr. Karadzic declared a Serb-only state in Bosnia, unleashing a genocidal war. After the measure passed overwhelmingly, the United States imposed sanctions on Mr. Dodik for undermining the postwar order set up by the Dayton peace agreement in 1995. As Mr. Dodik continues to undermine the country’s central authority in Sarajevo, Western diplomats fear the vote was only a prelude to a second referendum, this time on independence. He also has no use for the American ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maureen Cormack, saying, “She is pursuing policies as if Hillary Clinton were the president of the United States.” She has given him a wide berth lately, he says, which suits him. “Honestly,” he said, “my life is better now that she’s not coming over here to tell me what to do.” Once hailed in Washington and Brussels as a moderate who would break with the militant Serbian nationalism that led to the Balkan blood bath in the 1990s, Mr. Dodik has refashioned himself into an unapologetic nationalist, taking pages from the authoritarian playbooks of past and present patrons in Belgrade, including the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic. Mr. Dodik has called for all Serb politicians serving in Bosnian state institutions to return to Banja Luka, the Serb region’s capital, and has declared those who refuse traitors. He has deepened state control of the news media, and has tightened his grip over the economy and the Serb entity’s institutions, the main employer in his patch of land. “He went from being an autocrat to being a dictator,” said Vukota Govedarica, one of Mr. Dodik’s rare political rivals. “His governing strategy of making enemies, foreign and domestic, has brought us to the verge of financial bankruptcy and political ruin.” During an interview in Banja Luka, he dismissed foreign allies-turned-critics, saying “Now, Dodik is the bad man.” Slumped in an antique armchair too small for his towering figure, he seemed slightly offended by the mention of the American sanctions. Without admitting it openly, he likes to be liked, and along with most Serbs, he has high hopes that the Trump administration will take his side. More important, he wants to be respected. He defended his decision to break with Bosnia, citing “dangers to the Serbs” dating from the Ottoman era up to the threat of Islamic extremism today, which he says still lurks in the shadows of the fight against terrorism. He confidently laid out his revision of Balkan history, mixing anecdotes of past horrors with images of the present. He said that Serbs had been victims of Islamic extremism long before Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, saying that “Serbs were beheaded not far from here during the war.” It was an outrageous claim, given the mass killing of Muslims by Serb paramilitaries during the war, with men, women and children herded like cattle into concentration camps like one in Manjaca, just outside Banja Luka. He was adamant that “not all Muslims are terrorists,” and proudly declared that five Bosnian Muslims currently serve in the Republika Srpska government. But he added that “most acts of terrorism have recently been done by Muslims.” He mumbled thoughts on the current sad state of the region, the result of Western leaders who “bought the Muslims’ idea that Bosnia is a multicultural state and needs to be preserved as such in one piece, no matter what the cost.” “They can accuse me of being a bad man 100 times over,” he said during the interview in a 1930s building in downtown Banja Luka that is now called the Palace of the Republic — fittingly, given Mr. Dodik’s idea that he leads an independent state. “I am a politician. I am only reacting to the will of the people living here,” he said. “And people here don’t want to be in Bosnia anymore.” Mr. Dodik grew up in Laktasi, a town outside Banja Luka, where he played on a local basketball team that was part of Yugoslavia’s thriving amateur league in the 1970s and 1980s. He stayed involved in the sport after the country’s disintegration in the early 1990s, and is now the honorary president of the legendary Belgrade basketball team Partizan. He has a degree in political science from the University of Belgrade, but, like his basketball career, his run in politics was at the local level until he was elected to the Bosnian Parliament in 1990. An opponent of Mr. Karadzic, he formed the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats — a party he still leads — and after the war caught the attention of American diplomats, who pinned their hopes for peace and democracy on him. For a decade after the war, Mr. Dodik was showered with funds and compliments from Brussels and Washington, with Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State, calling him a “breath of fresh air in the Balkans.” Clearly out of favor with the Americans these days, Mr. Dodik has turned his attention to the East, where he now counts President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia among his closest allies. He traces Bosnia’s troubles to the poor implementation of the Dayton accords, which he says favors Bosnian Muslims over Serbs and Croats. “It was an arranged marriage, and it has not worked out,” he said. “Bosnia and Herzegovina is an arranged state, and we want out.” Peacefully, if at all possible, he added. Perhaps. But just this week, he bought 2,500 rifles for his police force. “We have nothing to hide,” he said of the purchase. The weapons are intended to “raise their capability to the standard of regional police forces, fighting terrorism.” He added: “For 20 years, we have been denied the right to properly equip our police force. Now, we’ve decided to do just that.” It is impossible to say how far Mr. Dodik is willing to go to achieve his goal of breaking up Bosnia. “Is he a nationalist at heart? I don’t know,” said Loïc Trégourès, a Balkans expert who has studied Mr. Dodik’s rise and who teaches at the Catholic Institute of Paris. “He is a politician who will do anything to remain in power.”

Mr. Trégourès said that Mr. Dodik had once offered an explanation of sorts for his nationalist push. “He told me bluntly, ‘I can talk about heath care and the social system and nobody will listen. But if I say I promise I will never give up Republika Srpska, they all cheer my name.’ ”

Bulgarian, Hungarian PMs call for infrastructural integration of Balkans into EU (Xinhua, 19 February 2018)   

SOFIA — Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his visiting Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban here on Monday said road and rail infrastructure of Balkan countries should be integrated into that of the European Union (EU). “We have the historic opportunity to make a decision on the integration of the Balkans into the EU,” Orban said at a joint press conference after talks with Borissov. He said he was glad to see that Bulgaria took responsibility to move things in a positive direction. It was not enough for the Balkans to be adopted in the EU in a political sense, Orban said, noting that if the Balkans are not connected with the EU in terms of infrastructure such as railways and motorways, then they would not be embedded in the EU economy. Borissov said in turn that all countries in the region would benefit from such integration because major transport corridors linking Europe and Asia pass through their territories. This was extremely important for the growth of the economy, he said. Borissov said he was optimistic that Balkan infrastructure projects could be implemented by using hybrid funding from sources such as the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the mechanism of “16+1 cooperation” between China and the Central and Eastern European countries. Providing a tangible European perspective for the Western Balkans is one of Bulgaria’s priorities during the country’s presidency of the Council of the EU this half-year.