Belgrade Media Report 25 March 2022

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United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Friday 25 March 2022

LOCAL PRESS
• Vucic published urgent information: Kurti decided to attack Serbia (RTS)
• Kosovo Serbs in protest walk over ban on voting in Serbia’s elections (N1, RTS)
• Serbia Supports New UN Resolution on Ukraine (VIP)
• Ukrainian Embassy: Dacic’s statement on Ukraine immoral political manipulation (Beta)
• Ambassador Nincic: Serbia is committed to peace, stability and preservation of territorial integrity (RTS)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Komsic: No One in B&H Wants to Draw Serbia into Conflict (FTV)
• B&H HoP: Initiative to send request to EU institutions for accelerated procedure to grant B&H candidate status adopted; SNSD and HDZ B&H fail to support proposal of Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest and changes to Law on HJPC as well as initiative for B&H HoP to take position in regard to Ukraine (FTV)
• SDP B&H leader Niksic says regardless of negotiations on electoral reform general elections in B&H will be held (FTV)
• President of ECHR to visit B&H and discuss implementation of Sejdic-Finci ruling, while at the same time four EU member states criticize reference to constituent status of peoples in B&H in text of Strategic Compass document (Glas Srpske)
• B&H Presidency Chairman Dzaferovic attends multiple meetings with EU officials in Brussels; Dzaferovic askes for EU’s help explaining that even though tensions reduced B&H is still not functioning properly because its institutions are blocked (N1)
• Stoltenberg: NATO leaders agreed to reinforce support for Bosnia and Georgia (N1)
Croatia
• Milanovic: Serbia going through identity crisis (Hina)
Montenegro
• Russia expels Montenegro diplomat (CDM)
• Montenegro also blocked Belarus’ accession to the World Trade Organization (CDM)
• Djukanovic: Institutions on which commitment to NATO depends don’t function in Montenegro (CDM)
• Vuksic: Russia has crossed the red line of interference in Montenegrin political circumstances (CDM)
North Macedonia
• Kovacevski told Scholz: The war has shown how important EU enlargement is (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Kovacevski-Petkov: We have reasons for optimism (Nezavisen Vesnik)
Albania
• After the NATO summit, the Foreign Minister leaves for New York for the important summit with his counterparts (Radio Tirana)

Belgrade Media Report 24 March

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LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Serbia will never recognize Kosovo (RTV)
Quint countries greatly disappointed with Pristina’s decision (Tanjug)
Radojevic asked the German ambassador for the protection of Serbs in KiM (RTS)
A KFOR drone crashed in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica due to a malfunction (RTS)
Vucic: I received information from the battlefield (Tanjug)
EU top diplomat in Serbia: Energy has become one of most essential weapons (Beta)
Vucic: We have no problems with food and oil (RTV)
Kremlin: Serbia’s gas concerns a priority for Russia (RTS)
Serbia marks 23rd anniversary of NATO bombing (Beta)
Vucic on NATO aggression: They should be ashamed of themselves (Tanjug)
Institute for European Affairs: Record low support of Serbia – NATO cooperation (FoNet)
Vucic: Opposition will never win, I’ll step aside myself (Pink TV)
Right-wing presidential nominee: I’m running to unite Serbian lands (Politika)
Seselj: Radicals are steady advocates of Serbian-Russian brotherhood (Beta)
People’s party: Vucic is blackmailed, can’t make decisions for the benefit of the state (Nova S)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Dodik on Dzaferovic’s visit to Brussels: This visit is private visit, it is not supported by B&H Presidency (ATV)
HNS President and HDZ B&H leader Covic writes letter to PIC SB members and European officials informing them of recently held negotiations on electoral reform (N1)
SBB leader Radoncic: Elections must be held, otherwise B&H will face an even deeper crisis (Dnevni list)
EU representatives to submit package concerning integrity of election process in B&H into parliamentary procedure; Colo: This proposal refers to integrity package that contains provisions on financing of elections in case that budget is not adopted (FTV)
Bakalar: B&H CEC demands from B&H CoM to adopt special decision which would ensure that funds necessary for implementation of election process are secured from accumulated surplus revenue from previous years (FTV)
Croatia

Covic informs Plenkovic about electoral reform talks failure: Final part of talks was obstructed by SDA (Dnevni list)
Croatian President Milanovic accuses SDA of being responsible for failure of negotiations on changes to B&H Election Law (Dnevni list)
Grlic-Radman: Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin is a war criminal (Hina)
Milanovic to represent Croatia at NATO’s extraordinary summit (HRT)
Montenegro

Bilcik: Outgoing Govt. didn’t have credibility to fulfil its obligations to EU (Pobjeda)
German envoy for the Western Balkans: We are waiting for the outcome of the formation of the government in Montenegro, NATO membership is the best guarantor of stability (RSE)
Djukanovic: We’ll be the strongest list in Berane, this is a struggle between pro-European and nationalist politics – the first leads to Brussels and the second to The Hague (CDM)
North Macedonia
Macedonia has never been more humiliated (Republika)
After the government signed the agreement with Bulgaria, the problem with the identity arose, and we had cooperation in other fields before (TV 24)
MEPs with high recognition for Macedonia’s alignment with EU foreign and security policy (Republika)
Albania
Death of Madeleine Albright/ Rama: The woman who oversaw Kosovo’s path to freedom (Radio Tirana)
Albania-Croatia, cooperation in the field of integration and economy (Radio Tirana)
Mayor Veliaj hands over the ”Key of Tirana” to EU ambassador Luigi Soreca (Radio Tirana)
The new president / Balla announces when the election process will take place (Radio Tirana)

Belgrade Media Report 23 March 2022

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United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Wednesday 23 March 2022

LOCAL PRESS
• Vucic: World remains silent; It’s up to us not to fall prey to Kurti’s provocations (B92)
• Vucic: They want to drag us into war; “Serbia won’t recognize Kosovo’s independence” (B92)
• Ponos says: Just another photo op (RTV)
• Minister of Internal Affairs Vulin: Serbia will never join anti-Russian hysteria (Tanjug)
• Stano: There are no sanctions against Serbia, we are working on clarification (RTS)
• Liberation Movement: Vucic preparing nationalization of oil and gas company NIS which will jeopardize Russia’s support to Serbia’s interests (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Covic: Izetbegovic is responsible for blockades in Election Law talks, only regulating election of B&H HoP and B&H Presidency required by rulings of B&H CC and ECHR and it is also condition for EU candidate status (N1)
• US Ambassador Murphy meets B&H HoP Speaker Covic, they agree on importance of finding of solution for electoral reform (Vecernji list)
• HDZ B&H’s Pendes: It is somebody’s national interest to take all political rights away from Croat people in B&H (Dnevni list)
• SDA’s Colo: HDZ B&H wants to strengthen role of HoP and at the same time remove election of Croats from the Cantons where they do not enjoy the status of majority (Hayat)
• NIP leader Konakovic says several good proposals were made during talks on electoral reform, slams SDA and HDZ BiH by saying their goal from start was not to agree on anything (Dnevni avaz)
• Radoncic on failed talks on electoral reform: I do not understand why Bosniaks are criticizing benevolent international mediators, it is a pity that DF and SDP abandoned negotiations, Croats cannot be reduced to status of ethnic minority (Dnevni avaz)
• Dodik on failure of talks on electoral reform: Muslims do not want to provide any rights to Croats (ATV)
• Sarovic: No more room for HDZ B&H, SDA to reach agreement about changing of B&H Election Law (RTRS)
• B&H Ambassador to USA Vujic informs Escobar that failed negotiations on B&H Election Law can have consequences for functioning of entire B&H if elections do not take place (RTRS)
• B&H HoR Speaker Zvizdic and German Envoy Sarrazin discuss situation in B&H, Sarrazin says elections must be held (Nezavisne)
• EU Delegation: Elections must be held in October (Dnevni avaz)
Croatia
• Croatian President Milanovic on election reform negotiations: SDA, the Sarajevo carsija, negotiates ‘per la finta’ for a few days and then breaks it all down (HRT1)
• Croatian PM Plenkovic: Strategic Compass will be good for Croats, all three peoples in B&H (Vecernji list)
• Croatian President Milanovic welcomes fact that EU FAC included reference on constituent peoples and all that is prescribed by B&H Constitution in text of document concerning security aspect of EU (HRT)
• HNS welcomes initiative of Croatian diplomacy in Brussels which ensured confirmation of equality of three constituent peoples in B&H in EU Strategic Compass for Security and Defense (HRT)
• Plenkovic: On Thursday, at my initiative, the European Council will discuss B&H (Hina)
• Milanovic: Price of Ukraine war paid by the weakest, world did not support Croatia (Hina)
• Croatian and Chinese Parliament Speakers: China active in efforts to stop war in Ukraine (Hina)
Montenegro
• Radulovic: Citizens of Serbia will be able to vote in Berane, Sutomore and Budva (RTCG)
• Stano: Montenegro to work hard to implement sanctions against Russia (RTCG)
• Maddocks: The Government’s decision to postpone sanctions on Russia is disappointing (RTCG)
• Djukanovic: The new government will not be able to make any decision without us (Portal Analitika)
• Abazovic: Only those parties that affirm Montenegro’s European path will be in the government (Gradski Portal)
North Macedonia
• Government approves entry of thousands of troops, hundreds of military vehicles and helicopters, for planned NATO war games (Republika)
• Northern Macedonia towards Bulgaria: Russian aggression affects both you and us (MIA)
Albania
• Athens, Balla meets with Tsipras: Grateful for the important role of the SYRIZA Party in support of WB European integration (Radio Tirana)
• EU / French Minister: Positive signals for unblocking Bulgarian veto (Radio Tirana)
• Blinken: We welcome the Afghans who arrived from Albania to the USA (Radio Tirana)

Belgrade Media Report 22 March

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LOCAL PRESS

They prohibit Serbs from voting, belittle Serb Orthodox Church and Belgrade (Vecernje Novosti)
Vucic: Serbia to respond to Pristina and Podgorica; Far-reaching consequences to follow (B92)
EU: We respect Belgrade’s constructive approach, we regret Pristina’s decision (RTS)
Vucic met with Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija (Blic)
Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo banned from entering Kosovo (RTS)
The Patriarch presented an initiative to support refugees from Ukraine, and Vucic promised additional help (RTS)
Dacic: Serbia to maintain relations with Russia, staying on EU path, too (Happy TV)
Serbian minister blasts Lithuanian FM (N1)
UNHCR Welcomes Serbian Government’s decision on providing temporary protection to displaced persons from Ukraine (Beta)
Presidential candidate: I’m fighting for second round (Blic)
Dveri: Era of hollow political stories is over (Beta)
SRS: Party supports Vucic, putting national interests above its own (Vecernje Novosti)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Dodik: No secession of RS is planned, but political struggle for constitutional position; Dodik, RTRS deny Djukanovic’s claims (ATV)
HDZ B&H’s Covic says SDA broke down agreement on changing B&H Election Law because Izetbegovic cannot understand that there is no B&H without Croats; SDA’s Izetbegovic says Croats have to realize that they will not dictate life in FB&H with sixth of vote (RTRS)
NiP leader Konakovic: Agreement on election reform was stopped by SDA due to insistence to turn FB&H HoP into body such as RS CoP; SDA’s Colo: Not all solutions are as good as Konakovic says (N1)
SNSD leader Dodik: Election Law should not be amended since there is no consensus on that matter (BN TV)
Sarovic: SDS believes that general elections should be held in line with current Election Law of B&H (O kanal)
Nesic: Election must be held; Borenovic: Failure of talks on electoral reform was not unexpected (Nezavisne)
US Embassy: Elections have to take place in time (Dnevni avaz)
OSCE Mission to B&H: It is priority now that B&H CoM adopts decisions on allocation of funds needed to organize elections (FTV)
Money for holding of elections 2022 in B&H not secured yet which is why holding of elections may be called into question (Nova BH)
Strategic Compass for EU adopted; It mentions B&H, i.e. equality of three constituent peoples in B&H (Vecernji list)
EU Spokesman Stano: Russian Ambassador to B&H Kalabukhov behaves inappropriately and his statements represent interfering in internal issues of state (O kanal)
Croatia

Plenkovic: Upon Croatian initiative, European Council should hold discussion on situation in B&H (HRT1)
Croatian FM Grlic Radman: EU must be more present in the region, especially in B&H, avoid over-spilling of Ukraine crisis (Vecernji list)
Milanovic: Talks on Bosnia’s election law hampered by ‘unitarisation attempts’ (Hina)
Montenegro

Montenegrin Foreign Minister denies allegations that the ministry he heads banned Serbian citizens from voting in Serbia’s elections (CDM)
Djukanovic: Kremlin’s decision to classify us as enemies anti-historical; political crisis in Montenegro a product of Greater Serbia and Russian destruction (CDM)
Popa: We expect strong implementation of sanctions against Russia by the Montenegrin authorities (Pobjeda)
Kurti: We expect to discuss with the new Government of Montenegro the correction of delimitation errors (CDM)
North Macedonia
Foreign Minister Osmani meets with EU counterparts to discuss Macedonia’s stalled EU accession (Republika)
PM Petkov: Bulgaria will support Macedonia’s EU path, but only after its demands are met (Republika)
Albania
Lulzim Basha resigns from DP leadership (ADN)
British Embassy reaction after Lulzim Basha’s resignation (ADN)
US Embassy praises Basha’s decision to give up (ADN)
Soreca: There have been cyber-attacks and public misinformation from Moscow in Albania as well (Radio Tirana)