Belgrade Media Report 16 December
LOCAL PRESS
Brnabic: Referendum only and exclusively on the issue of justice (TV Vesti/RTV/Tanjug)
Stano: Petkovic should have been allowed to visit (RTS/Tanjug/Kosovo Online)
Petkovic: Kurti’s self-will is direct violation of basic human rights (RTS)
Lajcak: Serbia, Kosovo experts discuss license plates issue (N1)
USAID strong development partner for Serbia (RTS/Tanjug/RTV)
Djuric: Business with the Balkans round table held in Washington (Tanjug)
Joksimovic expects progress in EU talks during French presidency (Tanjug/RTV)
Stefanovic: Serbia determined to strengthen cooperation with EU in defense (Tanjug)
Serbian, Russian general staff officers discuss cooperation in Moscow (Beta)
Aspen Institute report warns of lack of media freedom in Serbia (N1)
Journalist to run for Serbia’s president in 2022 (N1)
Hill’s hellish agenda for Serbs (Novosti)
Army of B&H’ is being lined up, yet West is shutting its eyes before it (Novosti/Politika)
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Peach resumes with visit to B&H, meets with MPs, opposition, international representatives (Nova BH)
Peach addresses citizens of B&H via video message: It is great to be back (Nova BH)
Schmidt: I do not rule out possibility of imposing sanctions against RS (BN TV/ Deutschlandfunk)
Strik: EU needs urgent change of policy in B&H (Nova BH/BHT1)
Chollet: Undermining of B&H institutions is unacceptable (Dnevni avaz)
HJPC to harmonize statement regarding RS parliament’s decision to suspend Law on HJPC, form HJPC and appoint judges and prosecutors at RS level (O Kanal)
Dodik: RS will form its own HJPC; If sanctions are imposed against the RS, German officials will be unable to speak to any RS’ official from ruling majority at any authority level (ATV)
Stanivukovic: I am categorically against sanctions against Dodik, he represents RS (Dnevni list)
Serbian leaders on B&H political crisis (ATV/RTRS)
Palmer, Eichhorst postpone visit to B&H; Negotiations on B&H Election Law halted (N1/Hayat/BHT1)
Osmanovic about postponing of electoral reform: First unblock work of institutions (Dnevni avaz)
EUD/ US Embassy issue joint statement about talks on electoral reform: Leaders have not done the work necessary to bring the B&H political system in line with EU regulations and court rulings (Oslobodjenje)
Croatia
Milanovic sends letter to Plenkovic expressing dissatisfaction with EU GAC conclusions on B&H (Jutarnji list)
Bosniak parties achieved their goal; Palmer and Eichhorst not coming to B&H (Vecernji list)
Montenegro
Memorandum of Cooperation signed (CdM)
This is not the creation of a minority government, the DPS is not coming back (RTCG)
Abazovic: Criminal organisations were created with the support of certain political structures (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
Republic of North Macedonia
Zaev to decide on his resignation next week (TV 24)
BESA demands early elections as soon as possible (Republika)
Pendarovski and Kurti reaffirm interest in promoting cooperation between Skopje and Pristina (Republika)
Pendarovski visits KFOR Regional Command – West in Kosovo (Republika)
Osmani would cooperate in Zaev’s planned review of the Kumanovo terrorist attack trial (Republika)
Pendarovski welcomed Bulgaria’s new approach to Macedonia (Republika)
Albania
Xhacka receives her Montenegrin counterpart Djordje Radulovic (Radio Tirana)
Meta: EU membership is uncompromising, inalienable and indestructible with other deadlocks (Radio Tirana)
Still no date for the first intergovernmental conference with the EU (Radio Tirana)
UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 16, 2021
Albanian Language Media:
• Minister Gervalla to visit Presevo Valley today (media)
• EU: Kosovo should have allowed Petkovic’s visit as Serbia did with Gervalla (Klan)
• EULEX Chief: We do not interfere directly in court proceedings, we only give recommendations (Klan)
• Mehaj receives tomorrow Croatian Minister of Defense (Klan)
• The CEC announces the results for mayor of Dragash (RTK)
• Minister Haxhiu provides details for landing 300 cells to Denmark (RTK)
• Kosovo Historians Slate Serbian Minister for Denying ‘Proven’ Massacre (Prishtina Insight)
• EP requests opening of archives of former Yugoslavia due to political crimes (RFE)
• “Energy price in Kosovo risks going up”, says expert warning on power shortages (euronews.al)
• Serbia blocks Kosovo goods at the border (RTK)
• COVID-19: 8 new cases, no deaths (media)
Serbian Language Media:
• Petkovic: Kurti’s arbitrariness not to allow voting is a violation of basic human rights (RTS)
• Office for Kosovo and Metohija refutes reports Gervala was prevented from visiting southern Serbia (KoSSev, media)
• Stano: Visit of Petkovic should have been allowed, EU calls on Kosovo to reconsider its decision (Kosovo-online)
• Konjufca: The decision on the land of Visoki Decani should not be implemented, the judges did not protect the Kosovo Constitution (KoSSev, Klan Kosova)
• Serbian power company CEO dismisses managers over power outages (N1)
• Serbian, Russian general staff officers discuss cooperation in Moscow (N1)
• Witness in case of Dusko Arsic interviewed (Radio KIM)
• USAID marks 20 years of partnership with Serbia, invested 882 million dollars (N1, RTS)
Opinion:
• Serbia: A Testament to People Power (carnegieeurope.eu)
International:
• Denmark to ship prisoners off to Kosovo (Deutsche Welle)
• China’s Economic Diplomacy: Where do Taiwan and Kosovo fit in? (moderndiplomacy.eu)
UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, December 16, 2021
• Kurti on energy crisis: Government will cover electricity supply (Indeksonline)
• Looming price hikes worsen energy crisis in Kosovo (Prishtina Insight)
• Kosovo, Serbia face power outages amid winter chill, surging energy prices (Reuters)
• Konjufca: Borrell should not pressure Kosovo on Association (Klan Kosova)
• Kosovo, Serbia working groups on license plates meet for third time (Koha)
• Former Dutch ambassador: Special Court is a political cause (RTK)
• Kosovo court suspends judge based on BIRN report (BIRN)
• Vucic doing “a modern ethnic cleansing”, says Presevo mayor (euronews.al)
• COVID-19: 11 new cases, no deaths (media)
• ‘Open Balkan’ leaders to hold summit in Tirana on December 20 (Exit News)
• China in the Balkans: Controversy and Cost (BIRN)