LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Decisive period ahead of us when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stated that Serbia’s position regarding the Kosovo issue is not easy, but that we will continue to fight. “The period of several months ahead of us will certainly be decisive and difficult for our country and people,” said Vucic in response to journalists’ questions. He says he also expects large and significant pressures. He pointed to the efforts to reach a compromise solution, but he fears that many in the world see as a compromise what their will and decision is. “It is up to us not to pass decisions hastily,” said Vucic, adding that we will see what the Serbian people are offered, and that we will look at this and then pass decisions important for the future of our people, certainly independently, he said, as we had in the past. “We certainly will not be very happy,” noted Vucic. He says that the British, Americans, French and all others who recognized the so-called independence of Kosovo have been working for a long time on the UN Security Council not discussing Kosovo and Metohija, but pointed to the statement of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who condemned the behavior of the Kosovo police towards Marko Djuric. Responding to the journalist question in regard to the announcement that Britain, when it assumes the presidency of the UN SC, could request closed sessions on Kosovo and Metohija or not to be held in the present form, noted that some countries think from their own angle that they have finished the job. In any case, says Vucic, he expects open support from Russia concerning this issue. He assessed that Guterres has shown that he deserves to be at the helm of the UN with his impartiality and responsibility and underlined that this is important news since he really condemned the behavior of the Kosovo police and, thus, contributed to the resolution of everything that happened in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Drecun: Serbia will continue to keep the Kosovo issue open in the UN (RTS)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that Serbia will do everything, with the help of friendly countries, not to reduce and abolish sessions of the UN Security council on Kosovo or to prevent for these sessions not to be public. He says that the more the reports on Kosovo and Metohija are realistic the greater are pressures of countries like France and Great Britain for the UN to be marginalized when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija.

Drecun notes that, unfortunately, the UN has reduced capacities to be able to influence the events in Kosovo and Metohija. He says that everything started with UNMIK’s reconfiguration, which was, unfortunately, accepted by the previous authorities in Serbia. He says that Resolution 1244 has been disputed by those who should be protecting it. He says that it is in force thanks to the symbolic presence of UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija. On the occasion of the announcements that Great Britain plans to reduce or abolish UN SC sessions on Kosovo, Drecun says this a continuation of London’s policy that attempts to show that the Kosovo issue has been closed and cannot be opened anymore. When it comes to the new prosecutor of the Special Court for KLA crimes, Drecun says it seems that somebody very powerful in the international community wanted to gain in time, by changing the prosecutor, over Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj and several key people. “There will be a postponement of indictments for a minimum of one year. The previous prosecutor was ready for the indictments, but suddenly he left this post,” notes Drecun. Speaking about the fact that the UN recognized the behavior of the Kosovo police during the arrest of Marko Djuric as reason for concern and are calling for a detailed investigation, Drecun says there are institutions in Kosovo and Metohija that are competent for punishing the responsible, but that UNMIK’s presence has been reduced. He says that EULEX has the biggest competencies but that it consciously tries to place itself as someone conducting monitoring and not as someone passing certain decisions. He reminds that the composition of judicial councils have been changed. Speaking about the investigation of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, Drecun notes that everything is transferred on northern Kosovo and Metohija. “First the story was that Serb criminals in northern Kosovo were responsible, then Serb policemen, but we can’t seem to see Pristina’s responsibility,” says Drecun. He says that this is Pristina’s irresponsible behavior, which is convincing us that they don’t want to shed light on this case.

India will not change its position regarding non-recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu spoke today in New Delhi about bilateral cooperation and intensification of political dialogue between the two countries. The two officials agreed that the friendly relations and cooperation are at a very high level, which were encouraged by last year’s visit of the then prime minister of Serbia and now President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic to India.  Dacic and Naidu expressed satisfaction with the decades long traditionally friendly relations between Yugoslavia, whose successor is Serbia, and India, that originate from the time of the Non-Aligned Movement, of which the two countries were founders. The two sides expressed the wish and readiness to make concrete steps to intensify political dialogue at the high and highest level and make an overall improvement of cooperation. The upcoming visit of the Vice President of India to Serbia, the first on this level in many decades, will give a special contribution to that. Dacic expressed gratitude of the government of Serbia and the Serbian people on India’s support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia through the non-recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo. He expressed his conviction that India will remain on this position, which is based on international law, in the future. Naidu confirmed that his country will not change its position regarding the non-recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo.

Dacic: We are grateful for the firm, principled and unchanging attitude regarding Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who is on an official visit to the Republic of India, expressed his satisfaction with the visit and emphasized that relations between Serbia and India are traditionally good and characterized by a high-level friendship and cooperation. After today’s meetings in New Delhi, Dacic said that this was a very successful and important visit to India, a country that is our traditional friend and partner. Unfortunately, this was the first visit of a Serbian Foreign Minister in the past ten years, he said, and assessed that we neglected ties with our traditional friends, which had a big impact on us regarding the most important issue for us, the issue of Kosovo. He noted that with great pleasure he can say that in recent years Serbia’s relations with India have been fully revitalized. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic paid a visit to India as Prime Minister, where he attended a business conference. We expect the visit of the Vice President of India in September. My visit is an introduction to an even stronger connection of our countries, Dacic said. According to Dacic, India is our global political partner, given its size and strength. We are grateful for the firm, principled and unchanging attitude regarding Kosovo. We support India when it comes to its candidatures on the foreign policy plan, he added. He assessed that the economic cooperation between the two countries is developing successfully, that the trade exchange that was $200 million in the previous year could be better, and that it is working to improve mutual economic relations. A large number of Indian companies want to come to Serbia, there are a number of areas in which we can successfully cooperate, such as automotive, agriculture, IT and other areas, Dacic said. Also, Dacic reminded that Serbia had abolished visas for India’s citizens ad that India had made a decision on electronic visas, which practically means that they also practically abolished visas for citizens of Serbia. We expect the Vice-President of India, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Tara Gandhi, whom I met yesterday, to visit Serbia, he added.

We find India’s support very important as we are strengthening our cooperation with the countries that are our traditional friends, Dacic pointed out.

CoE: Serbia not doing well in fighting corruption (Beta)

The Council of Europe (CoE) said on Thursday that it had launched a procedure against nine countries, including Serbia, which were not effective in implementing recommendations for preventing corruption in respect of MPs, judges and prosecutors. The key concerns by the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GREKO) in its annual report were about corruption on both national and international level. In addition to Serbia, procedure extends to Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg Portugal, Spain and Turkey. The COE’s Group added that although there was an overall progress in introducing new measures to fight corruption, their practical implementation in those countries remained slower than desirable. Marin Mrčela, GRECO’s President, said that “in 2017 there were numerous corruption allegations in many countries and institutions. Progress against corruption cannot be taken for granted. It requires staying alert; because there is always a risk of regression.” He added that “political leaders should show a strong leadership against corruption. MPs, judges and prosecutors should lead by example, and citizens should strongly demand from their representatives that they act not only respecting the law, but also according to the highest ethical standards”. Speaking about the report, Thorbjørn Jagland, COE Secretary-General said: “Corrupt practices both at national and international level, as we have witnessed within the Council of Europe´s Parliamentary Assembly, constitute a major threat to our institutions and to democracy itself.” He added that it was “crucial that national authorities and international bodies take a clear stance against corruption and swiftly implement anti-corruption measures. We must ensure full compliance with GRECO´s recommendations in law and practice.”

REGIONAL PRESS

Leading political parties from Federation of B&H once again fail to reach agreement on amending Election Law of B&H (FTV)

Another meeting of representatives of political parties from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – SDA, HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), SBB B&H, SDP B&H, and DF – on the issue of amending the Election Law of B&H took place in Sarajevo on Thursday. The meeting was initiated by US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack and Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark. This meeting has been perceived as the last attempt to reach agreement on amendments to the Election Law before next week’s decision of B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) on calling the general elections in B&H.

Representatives of SDA, SBB B&H, SDP B&H, and DF performed based on a joint platform agreed during previous talks, while HDZ B&H opposes their stances. This joint platform defined the need to use B&H population census from 1991 in implementation of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC)’s ruling, passed upon the motion of Bozo Ljubic (Croat People’s Assembly – HNS) and which pertains to election of delegates in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP). On the other hand, HDZ B&H insists that implementation of this ruling is carried out in line with the population census from 2013, as well as that this is done together with amending the manner of election of B&H Presidency members. These four parties find HDZ B&H’s stance unacceptable, as they keep reminding that the CC’s ruling upon Ljubic’s motion only refers to election in the Federation of B&H HoP. In their media statements before the meeting, party representatives were not overly optimistic about reaching a solution. SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic told media that SDP B&H is not in favor of insisting that any political party has to become a part of the authorities regardless of percentage of votes they win in the elections.

DF leader Zeljko Komsic assessed that it is unbelievable how representatives of HDZ B&H, who are engaged in the talks on the Election Law, lack willingness to come to the agreement.

However, political parties agreed to continue the talks with engagement of the Venice Commission. Addressing media after the meeting, US Ambassador Cormack and Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Wigemark concluded that attendance of four out of five leaders of the leading parties indicates that talks are moving in the right direction. Cormack assessed that this week’s talks were useful and practical, and she expects that parties will continue further engagement in a constructive manner. Wigemark expressed hope that all five leaders of these parties will appear at the next meeting on this matter. SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said that the novelty in talks includes engagement of the Venice Commission, which should provide an assessment from the aspect of European standards, the Constitution of BiH and the European Convention on Human Rights. HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic did not give statements to media.

CEC to call elections on 8 May (Vecernji list)

Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H will reach a decision on8  May on calling the general elections in October, which in turn leaves very little time to leaders of Bosniak and Croat parties to reach an agreement on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H. According to the daily, despite the fact positions of the parties are extremely far apart in terms of implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H in ‘Ljubic’ case, US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack and Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark have decided to make a step forward. According to the daily, it has been announced that the talks will intensify over the coming days, which means the coming weekend will be a working weekend for the politicians.

Dodik confirms RS will adopt laws on prohibition of work of several imposed institutions of B&H in RS (TV1)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik commented his announcement that the RS will be working on adoption of its own laws on prohibition of the work of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) – which, in his opinion, undermines the RS – as well as the work of the Court of B&H, the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) in the territory of the RS. Asked if it would undermine the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and make the situation in B&H even more complicated, Dodik argued that none of the aforementioned institutions is stipulated by the DPA or the Constitution of B&H. “It was a ‘rotten’ arrangement, which the High Representative made by imposing the law on the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office and establishing the SIPA under pressure and especially the Intelligence-Security Agency, which is not mentioned in either the Constitution of B&H or the DPA,” Dodik said. He stressed that having in mind that the B&H OSA works directly against the RS by undermining its institutions and wiretapping certain persons all the time, it is certainly not welcome in the RS. According to Dodik, this institution reflects the interests of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic – through “his” Director of the B&H OSA Osman Mehmedagic – and SDS as his coalition partner, who even wanted to abolish the B&H Parliament’s Joint Commission for Supervision over the Work of the Intelligence-Security Agency of B&H, in his opinion. “In this context, if the evidence we are looking for prove that all of this is true, we will not hesitate to do that. More precisely, we have been thinking about it for a while now. I must admit that some laws about it have been already written. We will be looking for political consensus for such laws to be adopted,” Dodik explained. He reiterated that neither the Court of B&H nor the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H are stipulated by the Constitution of B&H. “They were imposed. It was all about camouflage and now we see that they were conceived to be aimed against Serbs only. It is humiliating what happened with (wartime Commander of the 5th Corps of the “Republic of B&H Army” Atif) Dudakovic, having in mind that there are exact evidence and video documents on his role in everything,” Dodik argued. As far as SIPA is concerned, this institution is trying to impose itself as an organization beyond all organizations in B&H, although there is no such organization in this country, according to Dodik. He reminded that B&H consists of two entities and three constituent peoples, adding that “all international arrangements related to centralization in B&H were wrong”. Asked to comment on the talks about amendments to the Election Law of B&H and why the RS does not participate, Dodik assessed that the talks about this issue have been completely unsuccessful, explaining that the RS and SNSD have already made it clear in which way they participate and why they are interested. He explained that they are interested in making sure that the constitutionally defined number of Serbs is permanently present in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP). “The Federation of B&H HoP is stipulated by the DPA and the Constitution of BiH, unlike the RS Council of Peoples which was imposed by the High Representative. We have certain problems with that, but we have the right and we are certainly interested in having the stipulated number of our representatives in the Federation of B&H,” Dodik said, adding that SNSD will support proposals of HDZ B&H and its leader Dragan Covic if they reach an agreement with the Bosniak political parties. Asked to comment on the latest developments with regard to defense industry in the Federation of B&H and whether an economic success story is being politicized by both Izetbegovic and himself, Dodik wondered what exactly he is trying to politicize in this case. He explained that there are indications that defense industry in the Federation of B&H produces armament “for God forbid situations”. “’God forbid’ is not written anywhere in the law. ‘God forbid’ should be eliminated. I only suggested that the RS and the Federation of B&H form a joint commission that will clarify the entire story in both the RS and the Federation of B&H and submit an official report on what is going on in this case,” Dodik explained.

Jahorina Economic Forum 2018 begins, local and regional officials discuss importance of regional cooperation (RTRS)

The 3rd Jahorina Economic Forum kicked off on Mount Jahorina on Thursday. The Forum, which was organized by the Association of Economists of Republika Srpska (RS) in cooperation with the Serbian Association of Economists, brought together more than 400 participants. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, RS President Milorad Dodik and Croat member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic attended the ceremony of opening of the 3rd Jahorina Economic Forum. During the first day of Jahorina Economic Forum, focus was on strengthening of regional cooperation and creation of conditions to encourage young people to stay in their home countries. Participants of the Jahorina Economic Forum stressed that economies of countries in the region are relatively small and that by connecting with each other they become serious players on the market. Participants of the Jahorina Economic Forum further said that language connects the region, but that this is insufficient to ensure progress of the region, noting that it is necessary to develop infrastructure, eliminate customs and any other barriers, reduce gray economy and facilitate the flow of goods and services. Dodik said that regional cooperation is important, but no less important than balanced development of the Western Balkan countries. Dodik stressed that gross domestic product (GDP) in the RS in 2017 reached BAM 10 billion, import was covered by record 80 percent of export, capital infrastructure projects are being implemented in the RS, as well as that the RS has its borrowing policy under control. “The economy of the RS is recording the best results in this quarter. As a result, we will carry out rebalance of the budget at the end of this month by almost five percent. This shows that we are going in the right direction and all macroeconomic indicators show that the situation is improving. But, this is not enough. People have to feel concrete improvements through better salaries and better pensions,” Dodik said. Dodik emphasized that Western Balkan region can no longer be a region which is educating young people for Western European and other countries. Dodik also announced that the RS will introduce a ministry for new technologies as a measure which, according to him, should encourage young people to stay in the RS. Brnabic said that she is doing everything in her power to make sure citizens of Serbia feel the economic progress in Serbia through the increase in their salaries and pensions. Brnabic underlined that B&H is a significant trade partner of Serbia. Brnabic also said that there are realistic obstacles to better and stronger economic cooperation in the region, including the unresolved issue of border between B&H and Serbia, on one hand, and B&H and Croatia, on the other hand. “Without resolved border issues, we cannot have a stable and predictable region, not because of us, but because of our partners from abroad,” Brnabic underlined. Dodik and Covic used the opportunity to express their readiness for this issue to be solved in a way that suits the neighboring country more than the country they represent. “On behalf of the RS, I will say that we support the proposal offered by Serbia. It should have been completed already. I cannot understand why not, as the biggest part of it, i.e. all of it is in the RS,” Dodik said. “We must take into account how complicated it is.  The initiative that came from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic over the past year and a half should have already solved a number of preconditions. The offer was quite generous for us in B&H when it comes to the border crossings,” Covic said. Brnabic expressed her fear that they will manage to reach an agreement and then give up. In her opinion, international arbitration in the Balkans would be much different than even the EU would expect.

Plenkovic: Croatia ready for cooperation with all neighbors (Hina)

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that Croatia was a responsible state which wished to open new pages of cooperation with all neighboring countries, and rejected the “negative” and “scandalous” rhetoric coming from Serbia. “We resolutely reject this negative rhetoric which is coming and which is scandalous,” he told reporters after a meeting of his HDZ party, alluding to Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Asked to comment on Dacic’s statement that Croatia had been Hitler‘s ally, while Serbia had not, Plenkovic said, “We don’t wish to comment on such statements but pursue a European policy and a policy of good neighborly cooperation with all those that respect civilized European standards, and that’s the key difference.” Plenkovic said he discussed the problematic relations with Serbia with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric, adding that Croatia would not recall its ambassador from Serbia. “There’s no need for that at all.” Asked about hearing at the European Commission on Slovenia’s complaint that Croatia was in breach of EU law by not recognizing a border arbitration ruling, Plenkovic said he was pleased with the Croatian team’s presentation. He said Croatia’s position was that there was no breach of European law and again invited Slovenia to resolve the outstanding border issue bilaterally. “They will fail with this approach.” Asked if it was possible for the two countries to reach an agreement under Article 273 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, Plenković reiterated that the simplest thing would be to resolve the issue bilaterally. He added that Croatia had presented to Slovenia ideas on how to resolve the issue and that the offer was still “on the table.” “Let’s wait for the end of Slovenia’s election,” he said, adding that in terms of legal action, Croatia had done all in its power.

Slovenia satisfied with hearing on border dispute with Croatia (Hina)

Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said that he was satisfied with the verbal hearing in Brussels at expert level regarding a complaint by Slovenia that Croatia was in breach of European Union law for not implementing an arbitration ruling on the border dispute between the two countries. “Members of our delegation told me that they are satisfied that the European Commission conducted the meeting in an expert fashion and that the questions asked were of that nature,” Erjavec told the STA Slovenian news agency, commenting on the hearing held at Slovenia’s initiative about its claim that, by not implementing the arbitration ruling on the border dispute, Croatia was violating European law. Erjavec said that during talks with representatives of both delegations, the EC’s representatives will endeavour to define the connection between EU law and Croatia’s decision not to implement the arbitration ruling. “Our representatives acted professionally and so were their responses to the questions, while Croatia did not present any new arguments,” he added. According to him, Croatia put forward “political arguments,” saying that the “arbitration ruling doesn’t exist” and that is why it can’t be implemented, while Ljubljana’s official stance in the arbitration dispute is that the procedure wasn’t compromised to that degree that a ruling could not be proclaimed. He said Croatia has to implement it and that by not implementing it, it is violating EU law and the arbitration agreement signed in 2009 by the then prime ministers, Jadranka Kosor and Borut Pahor, and that a solution to the border is no longer possible through bilateral talks because in Slovenia’s opinion that matter has “definitely” been resolved. The procedure will continue after the Commission examines the positions of both sides and then the Commission can present its opinion, but it doesn’t have to do so. Slovenia has previously said that if Croatia doesn’t change its stance and start implementing the arbitration ruling, it would sue Croatia before the EU Court of Justice regardless of the Commission’s possible reservations, i.e. should its opinion not be as Slovenia expects.

Thessaloniki’s quadrilateral meeting kicks off, Dimitrov-Kotzias likely to meet again (MIA)

The 3rd quadrilateral cross-border meeting between Macedonia, Greece, Albania and Bulgaria will be held May 3-4 in Thessaloniki. The integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, the challenges for the Southeast Europe region from the situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the consequences of the movement of refugees and migrants to the Balkans and the future of Europe are topics which will be addressed by the foreign ministers of Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria and Albania at the Thessaloniki meeting, whose main activities are scheduled for Friday. Apart from Dimitrov and Kotzias, the meeting will be attended by their counterparts from Bulgaria and Albania Ekaterina Zakharieva and Ditmir Bushati. The Foreign Ministry does not state if the FMs of Macedonia and Greece will meet bilaterally to discuss the name dispute. The last such meeting took place in Vienna, on April 25. They were joined by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who only gave statement following the meeting underlining that the two sides remained committed to solving the problem without giving any details about the talks.

We have done the right thing by opening the erga omnes issue and we have never been closer to an agreement than now. However, even if there is no agreement, the entire universe knows we cannot be blamed, says Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. Kotzias told Skai TV that negotiations are going well but it is now the question for the other side “whether it will accept a name for all uses (erga omnes), which is a bold decision”. “Erga omnes means implementation within the country. Is an international treaty possible? There are lawyers who believe in this. However, the experience shows that if this government changes, the next one will send Zaev to prison, saying he had violated the constitution by accepting an international name that is not prescribed in it. This change is also required as a safeguard for them too,” says Kotzias. Thessaloniki meeting will also be attended by ministers and high officials of four countries’ Ministries of Internal Affairs and Transport Ministries. Moreover, Dimitrov and Kotzias are expected to meet again at the V4 conference in Sounio, Greece on May 11-12.

Members of US Congress ask Stoltenberg to endorse Macedonia’s NATO accession (MIA)

Eleven Members of the U.S. Congress led by Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) have sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressing support for Macedonia’s admission to NATO, pointing out that this is key for U.S. interests in the Balkans. The press release issued by the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) quotes the letter as saying that ever since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1995, the United States of America has readily supported Macedonia’s aspirations for full integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions and remains committed to helping Macedonia strengthen its democratic foundations. “A vibrant, multi-cultural nation,” Members of U.S. Congress write, “Macedonia has a bright future ahead. We look forward to engaging with the government institutions and people of Macedonia to ensure that it realizes its full potential. We believe it is time for Macedonia’s membership in NATO.”

Members of Congress also say that they have been closely watching the political and diplomatic situation surrounding Macedonia. “As Macedonia continues on a path toward a stronger future,” they write, “we see a tremendous opportunity to further promote our strong relationship with this key Balkan ally. We are particularly encouraged by the hope of progress through UN-sponsored talks and the willingness of Macedonian and Greek leaders to advance their relations.” They believe that Macedonia is increasingly prepared to be a full partner in NATO and that the country has demonstrated its resolve through its participation in NATO operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan and through its taking America’s side in Iraq. “As NATO adapts to an increasingly complex security environment exacerbated by strategic competition with Russia, admitting Macedonia as a full member to our key alliance is imperative,” they write, adding that “this critical step will benefit the Alliance and advance transatlantic unity, as well as increase our advantage against any Russian subversion and aggression.” The eleven Members of the U.S. Congress belong to the Congress Group for Macedonia established in 2011 in cooperation with the UMD.

Ex-Minister under probe resigns as lawmaker (ADN)

Former socialist Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri has resigned as lawmaker to allow investigators to probe his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring. “I give up my mandate as a Member of Parliament. Until the truth will come out, here I am. I am not as those kinds of people who escape. From today I am not a MP anymore. I am a free citizen and I am ready to face everyone. I do not need immunity to face the clowns in Parliament. This is not my final battle, it is just the first one,” said Tahiri adding that everyone will face the truth and justice one day. Tahiri used a harsh language on Thursday against his successor Fatmir Xhafaj comparing him with the opposition leaders Lulzim Basha or Sali Berisha. Tahiri said that Basha and Berisha are used to lie but Xhafaj is worse. “I have never tried to escape to justice. I do not have so much force to lie but only to say the truth. I am alone against all,” Tahiri added. Tahiri, who served as interior minister under the leftist Socialist government from 2013 to 2017, is accused of alleged links to a criminal group suspected of trafficking large amounts of cannabis. Some of its leaders have been arrested in Italy and Albania. Tahiri has strongly denied any links to the group. Last year parliament lifted Tahiri’s immunity so prosecutors could question him and search his residence.  Albania expects the European Council to approve launching EU membership talks in June.

Spartak Braho has a chance now to be again part of the parliament. After Saimir Tahiri gives up from his mandate as MP on Thursday, he is the next on the socialist list for MP in capital.

According to the electoral code, he is the one who should take the mandate in Parliament. But he has not decided yet. He was earlier a MP of the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), but on the last elections he become part of the socialists list. If he will refuse the mandate, the next on the list is the chairman of FREESH, Elio Hysko.

Opposition boycotts parliamentary session (ADN)

The opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session while Prime Minister Edi Rama started his speech this Thursday. They did not accept to hear Premier speaking on what they called imaginary achievements. From weeks now, the opposition has boycotted every meeting of the Parliamentary Committees or other activities of this institution despite the Inquiry Committee against former socialist Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri. While they were leaving the Thursday’s session Premier Rama said that their presence do not have any value. Few minutes after former socialist Saimir Tahiri gave up from his mandate as MP, Prime Minister Edi Rama was happy and relaxed in Parliament. Speaking in front of his MPs after opposition boycott, Premier made it clear that no one in Germany required from him the arrest of Tahiri. “The only thing that we discussed in Germany was the Albanian road towards EU,” said Rama over his last visit in Germany.

Kryemadhi skeptical on Tahiri’s resignation (ADN)

The Chairwoman of the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), Monika Kryemadhi, has reacted on Thursday after Saimir Tahiri‘s resignation from the mandate as a Member of the Parliament. According to her, this is all a theater part and a compromise between Premier Rama and Tahiri, in order to escape from the bigger things that are coming. “They are trying to escape from the other things that are coming. Tahiri’s resignation is ridiculous and theatrical because on April 19 he come to Parliament only to not lose his mandate. He is a small soldier of Rama’s drug empire and wants to give oxygen to him and the criminal groups. This was the next compromise from Rama to save himself,” accused Kryemadhi.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Albania Must Choose Between the EU and Turkey (Global Research, by Prof. Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra, 3 May 2018)

The ‘Sultan’ of an illusionary Ottoman Empire—Turkey’s President Erdogan—is pressuring submissive politicians throughout the Balkan countries to do his bidding to restore the glory of the Ottoman period. For Erdogan, this is not simply an unfulfilled quest; he has been targeting the Balkans for the past several years (which he views as easy prey) to co-opt into his sphere of influence by spreading his Islamic agenda under the guise of cultural cooperation. He is investing heavily in infrastructure and religious institutions, using businesses as leverage (while reaping economic benefit) as part of his sinister scheme to consolidate Turkey’s grip on the Balkan states to serve his neo-Ottoman design. Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu emphatically echoed his boss’s grandiose vision, stating that by 2023 (the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic), Turkey will become as powerful and influential as the Ottoman Empire was during its heyday. The Balkan states must realize that their prospect for economic growth, prosperity, freedom, and sustainable democracy rests on close association with the EU, and not with a ruthless dictator who pretends to be the savior for the Balkans. According to Turkey’s Ministry of Economy, by the end of 2016, the cumulative worth of Turkey’s foreign direct investment in the Balkan countries reached about $10 billion. A year ago, Erdogan proudly stated in an interview for the Albanian TV station ‘Top Channel’ that Turkey has invested three billion euros in Albania. “I don’t know how many investments have arrived from the EU, but ours will not stop.” The Western Balkan countries have been seeking long-lasting relations with the EU in their efforts to join the Union. With the new enlargement package the European Commission recommended, Albania will be the first to start accession talks. Turkey, meanwhile, is flexing its economic muscles to lure Albania and other Balkan states into its own geostrategic orbit. Turkey’s investments in Albania are selective and strategically calculated to have the greatest economic and political impact on the financial market as well as major national projects. This includes owning the second-largest bank, hydropower plants, an iron smelting plant, former state-owned telecom operator “Albtelecom”, and mobile operator “Eagle Mobile”.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who wholeheartedly supports these projects, is known for his close relations with Erdogan (the only leader from Europe to attend Erdogan’s daughter’s wedding) and is now negotiating the construction of a tourist airport in Vlora, 140km south of the capital Tirana. Albanian citizens must realize that Erdogan’s investments in their economy are but a façade to cover his larger goal of making the Balkans increasingly dependent on Turkey, while making Ankara the dominant center of power à la the Ottoman era in its days of glory. Despite the various changes in its political systems, Albania has been a secular state since its founding in 1912. After independence, the democratic, monarchic, and later totalitarian communist regimes followed a systematic secularization of the national culture. But then, in contrast to the national socio-political liberal trend, in 2015 Erdogan inaugurated the Grand Mosque ‘Namazgja’, which is the largest mosque in Albania, costing around 30 million euros and financed by Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). During his speech at Columbia University in late April, Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati dismissed all the facts about Erdogan’s unambiguous Islamic agenda in Albania. When we challenged him on that score, he queasily responded by saying that “It is not true that Turkey has built the largest mosque in Albania, and that the mosque was built for the Muslim needs.” This false statement is consistent with his refusal to admit that tens of new mosques have already been inaugurated in Albania that were financed by Erdogan. Albania’s Prime Minister Rama is not the only one flirting with Erdogan. President Ilir Meta, after his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, underlined the prospect that the two countries are on the path to increasing cooperation, while ignoring the concern shared by a majority of Albanians who feel that the closer Albania gets to Turkey, the farther it distances itself from the EU. In a conversation with Mero Baze, a journalist and publisher of Tema, he stated that Turkish investments originate from a close circle of businessmen associated with President Erdogan, and are not investments acquired from competitive bidding in the open marketplace. They are privately negotiated, and “As such, they can turn into a problem, in case of political instability in Turkey” said Baze, “as they become politically exposed to Erdogan—an autocrat who may face major political problems in the future, which can drag Albania into the political and economic morass in Turkey” that may well ensue.

In January of this year, opposition MP Dashamir Shehi alerted the parliament of Erdogan’s ‘invasion in Albania.’ “I am against the expansion of the Turkish presence in Albania. I don’t want Turkish investments and turbulence of Turkish politics in our country. Chromium, metallurgy, schools, airports are taken by the Turks. We aim toward Europe not East”.

The Prime Minister responded to him sarcastically, saying “Drink brandy and do not scream.”

In a conversation with us, Xhemal Ahmeti, historian and philosopher who wrote a treatise for the Albanian government entitled “Saving the Albanian culture from the Turkish tendencies”, said that, after the Albanian government, Erdogan is the one who has the maximum power over Albania. He also condemned the lack of open criticism of Turkey in the Albanian media, saying that “With this policy, Albania closes every gateway to the West.” He suggested that Albania must take concrete steps against Salafism and “Erdoganism”, because their instructors, emissaries, and ideologues infiltrate political parties, academic associations, and mosques in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and other Balkan states. Erdogan is intoxicating Albania by providing now small doses of economic development until it finally succumbs to his manipulation and deceit.  If Albania is looking towards the European Union as it officially states, it should not allow Erdogan to dominate the country by any means or persuasion.  Albanian leaders must remember that the EU would not admit any new member into the Union who is deeply wedded to Erdogan, especially now that his naked desire to dominate the Balkans has been exposed for all to see. Europe is aware that Erdogan’s express purpose is to rebuild a regional neo-Ottoman power, which directly challenges Western values.  Only a couple of weeks ago this sentiment was clearly expressed by MP Alparslan Kavaklıoğlu, a member of the ruling AKP and head of the parliament’s Security and Intelligence Commission: “Europe will be Muslim. We will be effective there, Allah willing. I am sure of that.” Turkey’s diplomatic and military trajectory under Erdogan will remain the same for as long as he survives politically. The Balkan states, and especially Albania, who is the immediate candidate to join the EU, must carefully calibrate its relations with Turkey. The EU must make it clear that since full adherence to its charter, especially regarding human rights, freedom, and a democratic form of government, are prerequisites to EU membership, Albania must not cozy up to Erdogan, who has flagrantly abandoned the EU’s founding principles.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.