LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Solution for Kosovo means no one gets everything, but everyone gets enough (B92)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic addressed the UN General Assembly. “I have the honor of addressing you as President of Serbia, the country of good and honest people. Last time I was here, it said that the situation in the world was worse in 2016. I would say it’s no easier in 2019. I am a little scared, a little worried, but also a little happy that big countries have not mentioned us in their speeches” Vucic said. The solution for Kosovo and Metohija had to be such that no one gets everything, but everyone gets enough, he said today in New York, while addressing UN General Assembly, underlining that no one wants that solution to be reached more than Serbia, for the sake of stability in the region. “That is why we expect the great powers to understand and support our arguments, without supporting the arguments and movements that are going in opposite direction, as was the case in the period from 1999 to 2008”. “We firmly believe that we have the right to decide on our own destiny and what’s best for our people” Vucic said.

“You all know that we are facing problems related to the open question of Kosovo and Metohija. The unresolved issue of Kosovo and Metohija has the biggest impact on Serbia’s economic growth, both in Serbia and in the region.”

Vucic said the presence of UNMIK is necessary to provide security for the Kosovo Serbs.

The Serbian president said that the government is building highways to Pristina and Bosnia and that meetings on cooperation were held with the prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia. “No one should fear that the idea of a new Yugoslavia is being created or that this is an expression of hegemony because the idea comes from Belgrade,” he said, adding that the regional cooperation efforts are not a replacement for the European Union but an expression of care for the region until the EU accession process is completed. We want the Balkans to accept a policy of cooperation, peace and negotiation, Vucic said.

“As Jovan Ducic (Herzegovinian Serb poet-diplomat) used to say – adversaries are our friends that do not understand us, and there is certain misunderstanding between us. This is a centuries-old problem that cannot be interpreted solely through prejudice, Serbia respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty all UN member states and won’t demand anything that isn’t ours”, he said. “We started fighting for a lasting solution bravely and realistically with faith. No one wants a solution more than Serbia … which is why we expect the great powers to understand and support our arguments” Serbian President said.

He quoted former US President John Kennedy that we can’t negotiate with people who say that “mine is mine and let’s talk about what’s yours”. Pristina’s unilateral measures, such as the imposing of 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods, make things harder while Serbia has responded moderately without imposing counter-measures, he said. He added that the solution had to be reached, the one that neither party would get all, but that both parties get enough.

President of Serbia said that he comes from a small country, the biggest in the Western Balkans, though, that suffered the most in World War I and survived great suffering in World War II. That is why Serbian people want peace and stability, and the opportunity to make further progress in 21st century. “I will talk about Serbia and the region, because one doesn’t go without the other. Serbia is not an island but a part of the Balkans. We want to advocate cooperation in the Balkans” said Vucic. “Therefore, we will always advocate the policy of peace and negotiations as this is the only way to create necessary stability, in order to achieve economic growth and progress” Vucic said. He pointed out that Serbia is on its EU path today, and that our devotion to this goal has never been stronger. “Due to peace and economic growth, Serbia chooses an independent foreign policy and independent decision-making, and that is why we are not hiding even in this place. We boast good relations with China and Russia, but also ever better relations with the United States” Vucic said. “Our job is to take care of our people and we don’t care what great powers think, whether we bought natural gas or chocolate, we want what’s best for us, we choose top quality goods, we don’t care what great powers think about it. We believe that we are entitled to decide on our own destiny and what’s best for our people, instead what great powers think or want”.

Vucic said that Serbia never hides that it leads independent foreign policy, not even in the UN General Assembly. He said that although Serbia had excellent economic results, he asked if people, not only in Serbia but also in the region, were living well. “We need decades of peace and devoted work and accomplishments in order to catch up with the developed European countries” Vucic added.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Vucic said that delegations from Africa and Asia applauded him “because they long to hear the voice of courage”. “I think we sent a clear message and the idea that the world belongs to free, sovereign and independent countries,” he said. Serbia will never be free of the input of foreign powers but should look to what it can do itself. “We are a sovereign state and if we violate international law, tell us, he said.

Vucic: We will continue with tactical – strategic efforts (Prva TV)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stressed after visiting New York that our situation regarding Kosovo and Metohija is very difficult, complicated and complex. But, he added, in tactical terms, we should try to do everything we can to create a more favorable position for our people and country. Vucic, in a statement to TV Prva, summarizing talks in New York with representatives of major powers about territorial integrity, said that only Sergey Lavrov spoke about our territorial integrity, while others said that we were violating others’ territorial integrity.

“The tactical battle will continue, and I can only speak in strategical terms if we had some kind of framework agreement in our heads, that would be a strategic decision. Everything else is a tactical maneuver” he explained. Vucic said that we are still far from reaching the agreement, and that it is all about people’s mindset – what are the wishes of both Serbs and Albanians, whether we can understand what lies ahead for us or we cannot understand each other, and that it is not a matter of months and years.

“It can happen in five months, it can happen in 50 years, and it can never happen” Vucic replied when asked if we were away from the agreement for months or years.

Commenting on his speech, in which he said it was good that Serbia was not mentioned at the UN General Assembly, Vucic said that he had opted for an approach, which had received the support of Asians, Africans and many other freedom-loving nations. “They gather us here as children to come and watch what the big powers have to say. We get together, 2.000 of us, we listen, we ask God not to mention us, and then we’re happy. I said – they’re great powers, they will always decide a lot, but let’s see what we can decide. Let us cooperate more, preserve our libertarian spirit, independence in decision-making, but also our sovereignty and territorial integrity, striving as small countries to fight for our rights”, he explained.

Asked about the initiative of closer economic co-operation in the Western Balkans through the removal of obstacles, he said that it was not a question of unification, because whenever unification is mentioned, some began to speak of Serbian hegemony. In this respect, he said that Serbia would soon be the economic machine of the region, which is why it produces such a reaction. He points out that it is important for the countries of the region to understand that they will benefit from it, for our people to understand that we are acting in a united front, because we will be so much more respected in Europe if we have common approach. “The Visegrad Group, for example, can dismiss Timmermans and Weber at any time. The European Parliament may not accept Hungary’s representative for the European Commission, but it cannot prevent the candidate from that country. Their strength is enormous, much greater, and we go to pick up the crumbs, attacking each other from the region, contenting ourselves with saying something bad to the big powers about the others, and the big ones then say that they will always keep our region wary so that they can do whatever they want and exploit all the wealth”, he said.

Vucic called for a reduction in operating costs, to free up the state borders of off-road vehicles. According to him, it will not be easy to accomplish this, but there is an agreement between him, and the prime ministers of Albania and Northern Macedonia. “We will launch this initiative in a fortnight, at a meeting in Serbia. I believe it is important. Then, we will go to Northern Macedonia, Albania and try to push it. Then we will try to involve Pristina and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and that would be something similar to ‘CEFTA Plus, Plus’. If we achieve something, it would contribute to strengthening our economic performance, to represent the single market, which will lead to the attraction of a lot more investors, thus creating a more favorable atmosphere for future development” he said.

Asked about Donald Trump‘s reception, Vucic said a dinner he had towards the end of his visit was more interesting, but he could not reveal details from it. “I’m not really into receptions”, he noted.

Macron told Dacic “I’ll engage myself in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue after the Kosovo elections” (N1)

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he will get actively involved in resolving the problem in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue after the Kosovo elections. President of France made this statement on Thursday, in a brief meeting with the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic, sending sincere greetings to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in a statement. Minister Dacic congratulated President Macron on his excellent speech during his recent visit to Serbia and conveyed to him that his visit was one of the best visits by a foreign official in the history of our country.

President Macron, who was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, replied that it was a special honor and a great pleasure. He also told his wife that the minister sings beautifully and that he had a wonderful time in Serbia, the statement said.

PM: International community expects election of Kosovo cabinet that will lift tariffs (Pink TV)

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated that whoever would get to form a new cabinet in Kosovo, after the upcoming early elections, would be subject to strong pressure to lift the tariffs on the goods coming from Serbia and resume the dialogue with Belgrade. She said that most of the world’s countries expected to see the election of a coalition that would lift the tariffs on Serbian goods and resume the dialogue with Belgrade. “There is no one who has not condemned the tariffs. Due to the imposed tariffs, we have managed to overcome the negative position with some countries that protect Pristina, such as the U.S. and Germany, and reach an extremely positive position, where they now say that it is Pristina which has not been constructive and which is responsible for the time wasted. It is something inconceivable” Brnabic told Pink TV. Brnabic further said that Serbia had grown stronger once the Kosovo Serbs had started acting unanimously, noting that unity had been achieved owing to the Serb Ticket political party. She noted that “some insignificant political options” had been created by Pristina with the aim of breaking this unity.

EU envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue a certainty (Beta, RFE)

The appointment of a European Union special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a sure thing and the decision will probably be announced after the EU’s future top diplomat Josep Borrell addresses the European Parliament on October 7, Radio Free Europe said on Thursday quoting unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels. Those sources said that Borrell, the current Spanish Foreign Minister, told some of his fellow EU foreign ministers about his idea. They said that the envoy should have a high political profile (at least at the level of foreign minister) and relevant knowledge about the situation in the region. The envoy should also have “the charisma to move the process forward” and “repair the damage done by (outgoing EU High Representative) Federica Mogherini”.

The idea to appoint an EU special envoy for the talks to normalize Belgrade-Pristina relations was initially fielded after the US administration appointed diplomat Matthew Palmer as its special envoy for the Balkans. Radio Free Europe said that the US decision, combined with Borrell’s political background and the fact that his country does not recognize Kosovo led to the idea to appoint the envoy. It added that EU officials are considering two options for the new envoy: as subordinate to the new High Representative who would appoint him or her and as a special representative of the EU who would be named by the EU Council. The procedure to appoint the envoy should be completed by November 1 when Borrell takes over as the top EU diplomat.

Russian ambassador to Serbia: Russia was prevented from doing what is necessary to solve Kosovo’s problem (Tanjug)

The Russian ambassador to Serbia stated that the meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov in New York was very significant. With regard to Kosovo, Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko says that till the present Serbian leadership there was no real political effort to address the Kosovo issue, and that absolutely enough has not been done. “Russia was prevented from doing what is necessary to solve the Kosovo problem, but it was looking for the right way for solving the issue” Botsan-Kharchenko said, warning that the talks that are held in Kosovo today are not the talks in the true sense of the word.

Tanja Fajon selected as Chair of EP Committee on Serbia’s stabilization and accession to EU (Beta)

Slovenian MP Tanja Fajon was elected on Sept. 26 by the European Parliament as the new Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Stabilization and Serbia’s Accession to the EU. Tanja Fajon said that “I will do my utmost for the accession and inclusion of Serbia in the EU” and for Serbia “to be firmly established on the map of Europe.” She stressed that it was important that “Serbia continues carrying out positive reforms, as Serbia’s future is in the EU and its goal is to join the European family.” “My wish and obligation,” she said ” is to achieve palpable results in the coming period.” Tanja Fajon stressed that she was confident that, “Through joint endeavors, obstacles will be overcome and reforms will prove to be the right path, and that after difficult and lengthy negotiations, there will be a successful end.”

Government adopts ten new conclusions for improving election process (Beta)

The Serbian government adopted ten new conclusions of the Working Group for Cooperation with the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on Sept. 26, which additionally improved the election process in the country. According to the statement, the Ministry for State and Local Administration has been instructed to introduce a special page on the web presentation, which would provide all information about the voters’ list, primarily about its updating and changing of data, and the ways of introducing changes in the voters’ list. Information will also be available about contact persons, with phone numbers and e-mail addresses in the ministry, who are in charge of the Unified Voters’ List. It was added that the government also adopted the conclusion, which instructs the said ministry to perform supervision, via the Administration Inspection, of the updating of the voters’ list, and implement measures of extraordinary supervision.

Opposition forms election boycott headquarters (Danas)

Coordination body or headquarters for elections boycott by a part of the opposition should be formed next week or in the next ten days, Danas daily found out unofficially in Alliance for Serbia (SzS). Members of this body should be leaders of political organizations that would boycott the elections and they would coordinate and manage the opposition’s campaign. This body would consist of organizations that decided to boycott the elections, such as SzS, One in Five Million Association and others, but also representatives of other supporting the boycott, like public figures. Soon, the start of the boycott campaign should also be set, Danas daily reports.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Izetbegovic says HDZ B&H and SDA agreed that the way out of the crisis is the implementation of the agreement signed on August 5 (N1)

Delegations of SDA and HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), led by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, held a meeting in Sarajevo on Thursday in order to discuss the process of formation of new authorities in B&H. The reporter noted that the meeting was referred to as a meeting of the Collegium of the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) although there was nobody from the Serb Caucus. According to conclusions of the meeting, it is necessary to overcome the political crisis and to entirely implement the agreement on formation of new authorities, which was signed by the three leaders and the international community on August 5.

Izetbegovic was quoted as saying that the third side, i.e. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, should soften his stances and approve submission of at least some kind of version of the Annual National Program (ANP) to the NATO, which would mostly be focused on the civil part, while the military part would be there to a minimum extent. “With regard to formation of new authorities, we agreed that the only way out is to implement the agreement we signed on August 5. In this context, we expect the future B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Chairman-designate to present his work plan and program that would be based on this agreement. In the meantime, it is necessary to work on adoption of the budget. Temporary financing will continue but it is not the right solution. The budget is the right solution. It is also necessary to unblock the work of the B&H Parliament and to form commissions as soon as possible” Izetbegovic explained.

Covic noted that solutions to the issue of formation of new authorities at the level of B&H require the third partner. He noted that they agreed that, in the meantime, all economic and social topics should be a priority of officials who perform their functions on behalf of these parties, “in order to avoid a situation in which certain issues are pending decisions of our ministers and our Parliament”.

SDA and HDZ B&H representatives stressed that the goal of Thursday’s meeting was to improve relations between SDA and HDZ B&H which, according to them, will alleviate problems in the crisis that B&H is going through. Covic said that it seems to him that there is commitment of SDA and HDZ B&H to strengthen engagement, create a more affirmative climate, i.e. atmosphere, with more trust.

SDA leader Izetbegovic interview (FTV) 

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, asked to comment the meeting with HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) said that this meeting was initiated by HDZ with the intention to improve relations and create more effective cooperation between the two parties. He noted that these good relations should help soften the impact of the crisis when it comes to everyday lives.

Asked if Thursday’s meeting was a message to SNSD leader Milorad Dodik that he should give up on the appointment of the Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) before the submission of the Annual National Program (ANP), Izetbegovic said that such conditions were not given to him, but noted that it is time for Dodik to make up his mind and that everyone should help him do so. “He is at a crossroad. He has been preparing something that should be either stronger position of Republika Srpska (RS) in B&H or RS’s succession. It is time he gave up on this” Izetbegovic said, noting that it is time that the situation in the country be stabilized and the Constitution is honored.

Asked about the stance of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, Izetbegovic said that their intentions are the same as those of SDA, but that their tactic is different. He explained that HDZ B&H would form of the B&H CoM and then attempt to pursue the issue of the ANP. Izetbegovic said that he feels that this would not be possible and that Dodik would prevent this from happening, since it is apparent that he is striving towards entities dominating the state. He said that when it comes to the formation of authorities at the state level, Dodik is the issue, however, when it comes to failure of formation of authorities in the Federation of B&H, HDZ B&H is the issue. “Both of them have issues with laws. HDZ B&H wants to change the law and then form authorities. SNSD wants not to honor adopted laws,” Izetbegovic said, underlining that SDA insists on respecting the law. Izetbegovic said that Dodik is intensifying his ‘ultimatum policies’ and that they must not give in since one does not know what that could lead to with ‘a politician such as Dodik’.

Asked to comment SDA’s Program Declaration and the idea of the ‘Republic of B&H’, Izetbegovic said that it is the fourth time that this stance has been presented by SDA. He stated that SDA feels that the entity and ethnic division ‘kills the essence of what B&H is’. He reminded that SDA’s long-term vision, since the leader of SDA was Sulejman Tihic, was creation of European economic regions based on logical criteria, which will be multiethnic. He noted that such an idea was previously adopted during the Prud process by Tihic, Covic and Dodik, but that after this was criticized in the RS, Dodik gave up on the idea. He underlined that SDA will not impose their idea on anyone and that everything has to be done through compromise and negotiations. He said that as far as the ‘Republic’ is concerned, ‘B&H is a republic since we elect the government at free elections, from the Presidency onwards’, noting that it was recognized as a republic in 1992. He deemed that such drama is being created so that a seriously dangerous declaration can be presented by SNSD which stipulates succession.

Asked to comment claims of RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic that the difference between this SDA’s Declaration to their previous one is that this one has a hidden agenda since the previous Declaration stipulated constitutional reforms, which is not the case now, Izetbegovic said that this statement is untrue. He said that it was written in the preamble that the only way these goals can be obtained is through negotiations and compromise.

Asked to comment the meeting of RS politicians with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, Izetbegovic said that Dodik presented his ‘political adventures’ for which he requested support. He noted that Vucic presented a very calm stance and that SDS leader Mirko Sarovic stated that the RS opposition does not support Dodik’s stances. Izetbegovic deemed that Dodik feels that he is aging and that he is trying to do all that he can for the RS with the aid of Serbia and Russia. Izetbegovic reiterated that a crisis is a good thing since it will finally become clear for Dodik to realize that he is not capable of breaking B&H apart. Izetbegovic said that Dodik was supported by western countries some 15 years ago, which practically installed him in the RS authorities. He said that his rhetoric then was a social one and that now his policies have completely changed and he ‘wants to be a Russia’s player who is opposing NATO; he is dragging Russia into all these stories’ Izetbegovic deemed.

Asked to comment the statement given by the Serbian Government that he is the one who produces uneasiness in B&H which followed the statement made by the Chairman of the Presidency of B&H Zeljko Komsic at the UN General Assembly, Izetbegovic said that they are determined to create problems when it comes to him, since there is a need to have an enemy in B&H in order to continue the ‘political boxing match’. He said that in his statement, Komsic only presented the situation in B&H as it is.

Asked why Vucic has such a mellow stance, Izetbegovic said that he does not wish to harshly comment this instance, noting that even though Vucic did comment this in the way that he did, the two will meet up again tomorrow ‘they will kiss and hug and this will have a stronger message than words’. He said that as far as he is concerned, he deems it sufficient that Vucic is not giving his support to Dodik’s actions.

Asked about the negative comments of the international community (IC) regarding SDA’s Declaration and whether this means that they deem the Declaration the same way as Dodik’s succession talks, Izetbegovic said that this cannot be considered the same level. He noted that in B&H, when one of the three sides is creating a problem, all three sides are given a warning. He criticized the lack of involvement of the IC when it comes to Dodik’s policies. He said that the honoring of Radovan Karadzic should not have been ignored by the IC, as well as insults to several ambassadors. He reminded that Dodik organized an anti-Constitutional referendum and that nobody reacted to this. He said that the lack of reaction encouraged Dodik to continue on this path and that he should have been threatened that the Bonn powers will be used.  The reporter noted that High Representative Valentin Inzko deemed that he should react, however that he does not have support of an adequate number of states, Izetbegovic said that readiness to support such initiatives will increase. “It would have been better had they acted five, ten years ago” Izetbegovic said, noting that things are now of a much larger proportion.

Asked to comment the situation in authorities and if the state can function in its technical mandate, Izetbegovic said that it can for the duration of this mandate, however, that the effects of this will only be visible in a year. He noted that the only problems would be that international credits cannot be accessed, and there would be halt on the EU and the NATO paths.

Croatia

Croatian President warns about position of Croats in B&H during meetings in New York, avoids meeting Komsic (Vecernji list)

During a number of high-ranking meetings in New York, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic raised the question of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and its stability, including the need to improve the position of Croats in B&H. A source told the daily that Grabar-Kitarovic strictly respects sovereignty and position of independent state of B&H but her agenda is based on firm foundations of respecting of the position of constituent peoples in B&H and correcting of omissions, especially when it comes to improvement of political capacity of Croats by changing the Law on Elections of B&H. The source added that Grabar-Kitarovic presented a similar stance during her meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and noted that safety and stability of B&H and position of Croats as equal constituent people are one of priorities of Grabar-Kitarovic. The source claimed that representatives in the United Nations (UN) had very much different information on development of events in B&H and relations in the region, while some of latest documents and decisions of political Sarajevo as well as inflammatory statements of officials resulted in modification of their stances. The source added that Grabar-Kitarovic took advantage of her meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to “correct false claims the Secretary General was showered with by political Sarajevo. The latest development of events, where a clear presenting of stance on unitarization of the country came to the focus, was especially important”. The source added that Grabar-Kitarovic will never agree with the imposing of a civic state which would mean Croats would come into a subordinate position. The source also explained why Grabar-Kitarovic did not meet Chair of the Presidency of B&H Zeljko Komsic in New York by saying that such meeting could not have taken place in New York and added: “His policy and public appearances are detrimental to B&H. Croatia is not destabilizing factor for B&H, Komsic is”.

Republic of North Macedonia

All Western Balkan leaders agree that our country deserves to open EU talks (Nezavisen vesnik)

Western Balkan leaders unanimously agree that North Macedonia deserves to open EU accession negotiations and that any other decision will be very negative for the region, government press office said. “In regard to the question of the future of the Balkans, I have a positive answer: The Balkan region is moving in the right direction, which is the direction that leads to the EU and NATO. The Balkans is an integral part of Europe and is changing its image as being powder keg and a place where political crises are generated,” Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said addressing the debate on future of Western Balkans Euro-Atlantic integration organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center in New York on the sidelines of 74th UN General Assembly.

Current and former political leaders of the region including Bulgarian FM Ekaterina Zakharieva, former Bulgarian presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Petar Stoyanov, former Croatian PM Jadranka Kosor and President Ivo Josipovic and former Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija attended the debate.

PM Zaev said that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation are a common priority and strategic goal of all countries in the region, as a necessity to achieve the ambitions for EU and NATO integration. “We have decided that it is time to unite around the fact that history is an important part of our identities, but history can never take the place of our future. It was a driving force for the Government of North Macedonia to resolve bilateral disputes with Bulgaria in 2017 and with Greece in 2018, despite criticism from the opposition” Zaev said. He also underlined that North Macedonia has no open issues with its neighbors thus making it a unique country in the region from this perspective.

Katrougalos: It seems that Athens wants to make the cases of North Macedonia and Albania a package (MIA)

It seems that Athens wants to make the cases of North Macedonia and Albania a package with respect to accession policies, Greece’s former foreign minister and now Syriza MP Georgios Katrougalos said in an interview with ANA-MPA’s radio station Praktoreio FM.

“But in Albania we also have other issues, we need the protection of our minority. So how can all these things become one package? Therefore, we want more seriousness, and above all no hypocrisy, no doublespeak in our foreign policy,” Katrougalos said, adding it was not possible that the Greek news agency referred to the neighboring country as ‘North Macedonia’ in an article in English, whereas use no name in the article in Greek.

Commenting on the Greek PM’s meetings in New York, Katrougalos said his party was worried because there seemed to be “a phenomenon of ‘doublespeak’ in Greek foreign policy and sometimes a lack of preparation,” MIA’s Athens correspondent reports.

Regarding the meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdogan, the former FM said the fact that the meeting had been arranged was positive, but concerns remained on whether the Greek PM mentioned the problem of Turkey’s provocations in the Aegean Sea and against Cyprus.

In addition, Katrougalos mentioned the meeting between Mitsotakis and the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, saying that “for the first time, a Greek PM had met with a high official from Kosovo.” “Greece doesn’t recognize Kosovo. Are we about to change opinion in this regard? If something like that is happening, wasn’t it supposed to be explained before the meeting took place? Or, if the meeting took place without any change in our foreign policy, isn’t it a sign of a lack of preparation and seriousness?” said the former foreign minister of Greece.

Albania

The German Bundestag votes in favor of opening EU accession negotiations with Albania (Radio Tirana)

Albania and North Macedonia receive the ‘’Yes’’ from Germany, for opening the accession negotiations with the European Union. The German Bundestag voted with 395 votes in favor, 188 against and 16 abstentions, thus paving the way of opening the EU negotiations with Albania. For North Macedonia, the result was 465 in favor, 122 against and 16 abstentions.

The biggest political group CDU-SCU and SPD, on 24 September declared their support for opening the accession negotiations of Albania in the European Union.

The President of the Republic, Ilir Meta expressed a special appreciation for the German Bundestag and especially to the political group CDU-CSU, for their serious commitment for the support of Albanian’s EU integration process. “Now we should work for the fast solution of the deep political crisis and the fulfillment of the 9 clear criteria. If we have taken their advice in time, today we would have taken a decision without conditions, just like North Macedonia” said Meta. The President underlined the serious reflection from the Albanian politics, in order to give Albania a real chance for progress.

Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has reacted after the German Bundestag’s decision to pave the way to the integration of Albania and Northern Macedonia. Hahn said that the Bundestag decision is very much welcomed, as recognition of concrete progress is essential as an impetus for reforms. “Very much welcome today’s vote in German Bundestag in favor of opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in October. Acknowledgement of concrete progress is key as incentive for reforms in the Western Balkans and for EU’s credibility! writes Hahn.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Djukanovic: The USA pays greater attention to the region (VOA)

US attention towards Western Balkan (WB) region is increasing and that’s encouraging, said in the interview for the Voice of America (VOA) president of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic who is taking part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. Djukanovic pointed out he expected that the EU would appoint somebody who would deal with the problems in the region and stressed that there would be a new tempo in the implementation of enlargement policy.

VOA: You have just delivered your address in the UN General assembly. You said that the future of the Balkans lies in the EU. Tell us, do you expect acceleration of the process after the new appointments in the EC?

Djukanovic: First and foremost, I’d like to remind you that this General assembly is being held in the year when we mark 100 years of multilateralism. In some way, that fact has shaped the priorities of this year’s session. Therefore, the fundamental idea is to strengthen multilateral approach to finding solutions for serious global problems – from elimination of poverty to the establishment of peace, improvement of education and reduction of climate change effects.

My first impression was that many discussions tried to minimize multilateralism and suggest national approach to resolving global problems. That is something that should concern us all, since we don’t believe it is possible to solve global problems using national strategies. In that context, we were the first to hold a political forum on the sustainable development goals. Some suggestions we made based on our own experience were quite useful, particularly suggestions regarding the establishment of more reliable, more intense and former cooperation between UN countries. I’d also like to express my satisfaction with the fact that I once again had the chance to establish a great number of bilateral contacts. I had a great conversation with the CEO of UNICEF. General Assembly session is always an opportunity for talking with the representatives of other countries- in the hall where the general debate is taking place, during lunch organized by the Secretary-General, at the reception organized by the American president…

I met many leaders here. I think this was a very fruitful experience and opportunity for excellent talks. I also think we reconfirmed our commitments to multilateralism and making contribution to the UN values. This was also an opportunity to test the willingness of the new European administration to come back to the positive tempo of enlargement policy. We have been constantly warning about the slow phases of the last mandate. We have been reminding European structures that the vision of modern Europe would be equally useful for WB and the EU. Some of the messages we received convey that the attention is drawn to the enlargement policy again. There’s a whole new tempo in the implementation of that vision in sight and I believe we can expect it. Montenegro continues with its reforms.

VOA: How engagement of Washington could be helpful? You have been told by the American Secretary of State that integration of Montenegro was high on the agenda of Washington. What does Washington expect from Montenegro?

Djukanovic: It sure can be helpful. I have so much experience with the presence and assistance of America in dealing with the problems in our region. I’ll remind you of the 1990s, when Milosevic led Yugoslavia into the conflict with the most powerful political and military alliance in the world. WB was America’s priority back then. Montenegro and the USA cooperated in that period and it was the time when our countries established firm trust which is today a foundation for the future development. I’m glad that Mr. Palmer is special representative for WB. I think EU should do the same, find someone who would deal with the real problems in the WB. What is encouraging is that attention of the USA is again on our region.

VOA: As far as problems are concerned, one of the biggest is probably Kosovo-Serbia relations. What is Montenegro’s view on changing borders?

Djukanovic: We have been warning that ideas about changing borders following ethnic criteria are not good and that every precedent would be a domino effect and could further endanger our fragile region. However, seems like that isn’t the dominant approach to settling this problem. Looks like some different approaches are being constituted. We are all interested to provide our maximum support to finding permanent solutions.

VOA: What do you mean by “different approaches”?

Djukanovic: I don’t want to elaborate on it right now. I don’t want to be someone who will spoil the chances. It’s good that there are more solutions and not only one.

VOA: When it comes to internal matters, dialogue between opposition and the government in Montenegro hasn’t been established yet. Is it possible to reach compromise?

Djukanovic: Improvement of electoral legislation is currently on the agenda. I think we did our best to provide optimal election model to the opposition. Simultaneously, we see some new ideas emerging. Some ideas that have nothing to do with the improvement of the election system – request for technical government for example and for the revision of the results of elections held in 2016. OSCE –ODIHR found those elections correct. Therefore, I don’t think it should be brought into question. We must behave responsibly when it comes to civic trust. We don’t see any need for technical government, there’s no need for experimenting with new models. If we find such a situation in the world, somebody giving up on ¼ of the mandate entrusted by citizens, then we will probably be ready to reconsider that suggestion. Right now, that’s impossible bit we are definitely ready to talk. I think the problem lies in the fact that opposition doesn’t know how to interpret our offer. Besides, opposition is afraid of another defeat. Let’s try show more responsibility for the national interests of Montenegro. Let’s allow a regular democratic process to take place. Position number one belongs to this government and fighting for the position number two at Montenegrin political stage could only lead the opposition to the obstruction of national interests and targets. The Government will try to remain nationally responsible and we’ll do our best to establish the dialogue.