LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic congratulates Serb List on election results (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic congratulated the Serb List last night on the results of the early parliamentary elections in Kosovo and Metohija. “Congratulations to the Serb List on the important, huge victory, with over 90 percent of the votes cast in all Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija in the most difficult conditions so far! Thank you to our people in Kosovo and Metohija for their unity and seriousness and thank you for not giving up even in the most difficult of circumstances. Only united do we have a voice that is heard. I congratulate President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, who have been building this unity for years,” Brnabic said.

Vucic: This is one of my favorite victories (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic praised the Serb List, which he said had won 98 per cent of votes in Kosovska Mitrovica, and over 90 percent in all the other Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija. “The Serb List has won its most convincing victory in its history. This is one of my favorite wins, because it happened under the most difficult conditions,” Vucic said.

Dacic: US expects government with Self-Determination and DSK (Tanjug/RTV/RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has stated that US Envoy for Western Balkans Mathew Palmer had recently told him that the US expects Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement and Isa Mustafa’s DSK, who won most of the votes, to form a coalition. “Nothing is accidental. The Americans themselves state that it is now a more complex engagement, considering they are now facing Self-Determination for the first time, i.e. a party that advocates Greater Albania,” Dacic said in response to a journalist question following the opening of the 19^th Economic Summit in Belgrade. He adds that one should still wait for new statements by Kurti and Mustafa, because it is one thing what someone says when he/she is in the opposition and when he/she comes to power. “We cannot impact on who the Kosovo Albanians elect, we need to cooperate with everyone regardless of whether someone likes this party or not. In any case, we expect the dialogue to resume, for taxes to be abolished and to, thus, create conditions for finding a compromise solution,” said Dacic. Asked to comment the fact that Kurti requests war reparations in his program, Dacic says this is no new detail, that Albanian politicians mentioned this in the past as well, but says all extreme requests need to be put aside. “We need to sit at the table with the existing proposals. We had documents that we signed, in the end, any kind of expanding of all that is unacceptable for us. As far as I understood, the international community wants a compromise to be reached, and not further rise of tensions. It is up to them to discipline them,” said Dacic. “The dialogue will be difficult, but we will see what will be its pace. That depends from the timing of the government formation in Pristina, who will take part in the negotiations, and when it comes to the EU, one should wait for the new person in the post of Federica Mogherini. The international community has waited for the elections to be over, and the elections are over. Serbia has done its part of the job,” said Dacic.

Djuric: If they want a legitimate government, they will have to knock on Serb List’s door (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that there is no legitimate government in Pristina and the provincial institutions without the participation of Serb representatives. He says that the Serbs demonstrated that they can be united when it is tough. He thinks that Serbia’s negotiating position has been alleviated with the winning of all 10 mandates. “They will have to knock on the door of the Serb List if they wish legitimately formed institutions, the Serbs fought for this,” said Djuric. “Albin Kurti is one of the people with firm and tough stands, he will be a difficult negotiator, but with this result, anyone who wishes to form provincial institutions needs to stop with the burden and oppressing the Serbs and to seriously approach talks with Belgrade,” said Djuric. He says that nothing especially good can be expected from Kurti, because he advocates Greater Albania. We have the right to only rely on ourselves, Djuric says. “A difficult period awaits us for struggling that the dialogue is conducted on healthy foundations, and not how certain separatist leaders think – for Serbia to be able to give everything and to get nothing,” concluded Djuric.

Djuric: No one should count on unconditional support from Serb List (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said the Serb List would take all further steps in agreement with Belgrade and added that no one should count on unconditional support from Serb representatives in the Kosovo Assembly. Speaking at a press conference, Djuric noted that, based on 98.28 percent of votes counted, the Serb List had won 95.13 percent of the votes in Serb communities, followed by Slobodan Petrovic’s SLS (2.78 percent), Aleksandar Jablanovic’s Party of Kosovo Serbs (1.42 percent) and a list led by Rada Trajkovic and Nenad Rasic (0.67 percent).

Drecun: There would be no space for negotiations with Self-Determination in power (Tanjug/RTV)

The result of the Serb List at the elections in Kosovo and Metohija shows full unity of the Serb people and this will be a strong mechanism in the future period for the Serb side to enable survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to disable Pristina to work to the detriment of the Serbs with its unilateral moves, and to reach a compromise in negotiations, the Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told Tanjug.

Commenting the results of Albanian parties, Drecun says that, according to surveys, one can say they are expected. For him, it is evident that Ramush Haradinaj experienced collapse and total defeat with his aggressive, extreme politics, policy of intolerance towards the Serb people, so it is time for him to leave the political scene and to be on the warrants of the special prosecution.

Drecun opines that Self-Determination, which won most of the votes according to the first election results, should not and will not take part in the formation of the executive power, because it strongly opposes the continuation of talks with Belgrade, they only wish to talk with Kosovo Serb representatives and advocate Greater Albania. If they would be part of the executive power, then there would be no space for any further talks between Belgrade and Pristina, said Drecun. “I think the international factor will influence for Self-Determination to remain in the opposition, and for the new executive power is formed by those who are prepared to continue talks, such as Hashim Thaci’s and Kadri Veseli’s DPK and possibly DSK, along with the unavoidable participation of the Serb List, which is now the absolute, only representative of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and therefore the state of Serbia,” said Drecun.

Erdogan: Any agreement of two sides on Kosovo and Metohija is acceptable for Turkey (Politika)

Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan has told Politika in an interview that Ankara is ready to do everything in its power to resolve the Kosovo problem, underlining that an agreement, which would be acceptable for the two sides, would also be acceptable for Turkey. He says that reaching an agreement regarding the Kosovo issue, which satisfies all interested parties, is of vital importance for reaching long-term stability and peace in the Balkans, because of which Turkey supports the resumption of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process and reaching of a lasting and comprehensive agreement. Asked to comment SDA Program Declaration, which stipulates restructuring of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the fact that SDA Serbia supported this initiative, Erdogan said that a similar declaration was adopted in 2015. He noted that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic explained that the goal is to achieve goals from the Declaration in line with the laws and the Constitution, including all interested parties. “It is clear that countries in the region and the international community should support the steps that relevant sides in B&H need to take. We support Dayton Agreement as minimal compromise which currently exists for B&H, despite some shortages, as well as the fact that nobody in BiH is fully content with it. However, I have already said this earlier, if the interested parties want to improve this Agreement that should be done under supervision of the UN,” said Erdogan.

Dodik: One day people will have to decide on status of RS (Kurir)

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik told Belgrade-based daily Kurir that one day, people will have to decide on the status of Republika Srpska (RS). Dodik announced that, if exerting of pressure over the Kosovo issue continues, the RS has legitimate right to increase its demands for determining its status. He added that the decision on the manner of solving the issue of “Kosovo and Metohija” is exclusively up to official Belgrade. “Everyone is clear today what a decision would be if people in the RS had a chance to declare themselves one day. We are building the atmosphere and opportunity, one day the people will decide on the status of the RS. We can recognize the status even today, of course it includes full integration with Serbia and all the elements”. Dodik further noted that the aim of attacks of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and his media on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is to make as much damage to Serbia, arguing that Vucic is the target because of his successes at home and on international scene. Asked if the Dayton agreement is being implemented, Dodik reiterated the Dayton agreement was crushed by the international community led by the High Representative, who introduced non-Dayton powers and imposed laws, undermining constitutional order and political system. Commenting on the SDA Declaration, Dodik underlined it was anti-Serb, unconstitutional and anti-Dayton.

REGIONAL PRESS

Year of lost expectations which, just like elections, was marked by divisions and conditioning (Vecernji list)

The daily reminded that it has been a year since the general elections and added that, unlike previous elections when it took couple of months for political temperature to cool down, there are still no indications that relations might improve any time soon “especially after key political options of the three people additionally radicalized their stances by setting wartime goals as a proposal of development of joint future”. The daily also noted that B&H has wasted the entire year and added that the EU and NATO integration, although presented as preconditions for formation of authorities, have become even more far away from B&H. Federation of B&H President Marinko Cavara (HDZ B&H) said that the current situation is not normal and said that there were some indications something like this might happen when “so called pro-Bosnian, i.e. Unitarian forces, showed no readiness to implement rulings of the Constitutional Court on legitimate representation through adoption of changes to the Law on Elections of B&H. This was also confirmed through election of the second Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H to the position reserved for a Croat member of the top of the state (Cavara was referring to member of the Presidency of B&H Zeljko Komsic)”. Cavara warned that nobody can profit from blockades and obstructions and added that the only goal is to preserve current positions in the authorities. “It is clear that the realization of the program declaration of SDA is underway. Intentions are no longer being hidden with clearly pronounced desire for them to dominate over Croats. In a long run, they wish to do the same to Serb people as well” Cavara said and concluded that this is all about preventing Croats and Serbs from having legitimate representatives in authority institutions. Representative in the RS parliament  Srdjan Mazalica (SNSD) said that the goal is not to implement the election results for as long as possible: “Everything two members of the Presidency of B&H, who are under the control of SDA, did was to prolong the mandate of the existing Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H for as long as they can. By doing so, they are not letting SNSD and coalition partners to take over authorities at the state level”. Mazalica added that in case SNSD entered the authorities, this would mean the end of “servile policy” advocated by SDS and PDP towards SDA and Bosniak side in B&H. Mazalica added that SNSD would instead prevent decisions that are detrimental to Serbs and he argued that “the NATO issue has been fabricated as marginal issue which is not presented as an urgent matter even by the US Administration”. Finally, Mazalica concluded by saying that SNSD is prepared for the possibility of not seeing formation of B&H CoM in the next three years.

Izetbegovic: Authorities at B&H level could be formed by end of month (Hayat)

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic stated on Saturday that authorities at the B&H level could be formed by the end of the month if there is not much conditioning. According to Izetbegovic, stances are being brought closer together and amendments to the Election Law cannot be a condition for authority formation. “I will not discuss details; there are negotiations. Friends from the international community are helping, friends from NATO are helping. Therefore, I believe that there could be a solution already in October if there is no excessive stubbornness on the other side,” Izetbegovic said.

Dodik: Izetbegovic’s announcements about formation of B&H authorities unrealistic (RTRS)

Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated on Sunday that announcements of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, who said that the authorities at the B&H level could be formed by the end of this month, are unrealistic. Dodik said that, unlike Izetbegovic, he and SNSD have never set any conditions that could get in a way of formation of the authorities. Dodik said that Izetbegovic’s statement is ridiculous. He went on to say that SNSD will never accept blackmails and there will be no compromise regarding the Annual National Program (ANP). “Bakir and his stories and claims…. Imagine his seriousness when he arrived at a meeting yesterday and said that he believes the relations will normalize, and he has only one demand – for Croats to drop the amendments to the Law on Elections. What is that about? Single thing the Croats are demanding is that,” said Dodik and noted that SNSD and its partners have never conditioned formation of authority, and they were willing to complete the process immediately so the country can start moving towards the EU. He concluded that the whole process of authority formation has become torture.

Cavara rejects claims of Izetbegovic (Srna)

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina President Marinko Cavara addressed media in Mostar on Saturday and said that parties gathered around Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) and HDZ B&H will not give up their demands to change the Law on Elections of B&H in order to prevent being outvoted by Bosniaks. By this statement, Cavara rejected claims of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic that HNS and HDZ B&H will give up changes to Law on Elections of B&H in order to form authorities in Federation of B&H. “The statement that someone will give up insisting on legitimate political representation is absurd by itself. We all know the Croat people is unable to elect representatives in authority institutions and it is neither realistic nor normal to expect we will give up this goal,” Cavara explained and concluded by saying that HNS, HDZ B&H and Croat people in B&H will not give up minimum of their demands, which is to change the Law on Elections of B&H so that the election of second Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H will never happen again, as it was the case with (member of the Presidency of B&H) Zeljko Komsic.

Cvijanovic: Sarajevo is carrying out political aggression against RS (Nezavisne novine)

President of Republika Srpska (RS) Zeljka Cvijanovic said that Sarajevo has been carrying out political aggression against the citizens of the RS, by obstructing the formation of authorities at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). She also said that Sarajevo is looking at Serbia and its policies with hate. President of the RS also believes that Sarajevo is talking too much about some aggressors, while in fact they are political aggressors. She underlined that certain problems can appear when political misunderstanding is being nourished instead of political understanding. “I am well-aware of the fact that Serbia is extending a hand of friendship to all countries in the region, including B&H,” said Cvijanovic.

DNS reaches decision to suspend coalition relations with SNSD at all levels (BN TV)

The Presidency of DNS – party which is in a coalition with SNSD and SP RS – on Saturday reached a decision to suspend further action within the Agreement on the Manner and Criteria of Joint Action of Coalition Partners in the Mandate Period 2018-2022. According to a press release issued by DNS, DNS is disappointed with the attitude towards it at the RS and local level. In a letter addressed to SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, DNS leader Marko Pavic wrote: “You very well know, but not others outside of the coalition, that DNS has been a sincere and reliable partner of SNSD for years. We made many key decisions together, took responsibility, all for the sake of development of our RS and improvement of life in it. While we were doing this, others were trying to diminish the significance of DNS and the coalition, and today, those same people are becoming plumes, defenders of the constitution and glorious winners of a policy they did not create. It was created, at one point, by SNSD and DNS, party bodies and us two presidents. The result of a negative attitude towards DNS is action during and after the 2018 general elections and attempt to completely degrade DNS. But despite everything, we have tried to show our responsibility primarily due to the RS and speedily implementation of election results and formation of its institutions. Often this was to the detriment of DNS, but this was not recognized either. We have been marked as culprits in certain centers, although it is quite clear and provable from the analysis of the election results that DNS responsibly fulfilled its obligations under the Agreement we signed for the 2018 general elections. Degradation, mistrust, suspicion and removal of DNS personnel continued. DNS has been portrayed in many local communities as the biggest threat to SNSD, all for the sake of narrow party interests”. Pavic further reminded Dodik about the local elections in 2012 and 2016 and what happened when DNS and SNSD took part in the elections separately and what happened when they took part in the elections for the level of heads of municipalities and mayors together. “The least we could expect was for us not to fight each other in those local communities that were personification of the policy of DNS and SNSD. If we were unable to stop that, we sent a message that we are not sincere friends and partners,” Pavic wrote in the letter. Pavic went on to say that until further notice, DNS is no longer obliged to harmonize its positions within the coalition. “We will make our own decisions and act politically solely for the benefit of the citizens. I propose that we hold a meeting as soon as possible at the level of highest bodies of SNSD and DNS, to once again analyze the overall political situation and mutual relations before making a final decision” Pavic said in the letter.

Dodik’s reaction to DNS Presidency’s decision (N1/Novosti)

SNSD leader Milorad Dodik reacted on Sunday to the DNS Presidency’s decision to halt further acting within the RS-level coalition agreement. In this regard, Dodik stated that SNSD will talk to DNS and grant all demands that appear to be realistic. Dodik specified that DNS announced that it will “currently freeze” its coalition participation and that nothing will happen until SNSD carries out talks with it. “DNS has the coalition agreement with us. We do not dispute anything that belongs to DNS based on our agreement. Dodik pointed to the fact that there are different experiences in the coalition at the local level, but that those relations should not be transferred onto the level of the RS. The SNSD leader singled out the example of Prijedor, where local officials of SNSD and DNS have started facing problems after years of cooperation. “For instance, after the last local elections, DNS did everything to leave the already created parliamentary majority in Bijeljina and to work with SDS. We did not leave the coalition at that time. Then, in Doboj, DNS had a coalition with SDS for ten years,” he added. SNSD Spokesperson Radovan Kovacevic said that DNS made a reckless move, but SNSD is ready to talk. SDS leader Mirko Sarovic told media that SNSD and party leader Milorad Dodik are chewing DNS slowly, taking them one post after another and threatening to discard it like an empty shell.

Members of B&H Presidency on official visit to Serbia (FTV)

Members of the B&H Presidency are on an official visit to Serbia, where they are having meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Speaking about the visit, Chairman of B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic stated that police bodies of both countries are trying to do something in terms of control of the B&H-Serbian border. Komsic said: “We will see. I think that this is a good opportunity to discuss these issues”. As for economic topics, the officials are expected to discuss continuation of ongoing projects and new Turkish investments in countries of the region and in this regard, a corner stone for the highway Sarajevo-Belgrade is supposed to be laid near Raca. Commenting on the upcoming visit, Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic stated: “We will discuss relations in the region, joint infrastructural projects, construction of the highway Sarajevo-Belgrade. Of course, we will discuss bilateral relations between all these countries”. The reporter concluded by saying that the officials will also discuss issues important for stability of the region, like negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo and abolition of barriers, i.e. 100 percent customs tariffs that Kosovo introduced to goods from Serbia and B&H.

Biserko: Serbia’s presence in Montenegro is becoming more aggressive (Pobjeda)

In an interview for Pobjeda daily, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia Sonja Biserko noted that the independence of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, CPC, and ‘the church issue’ represented the only open identity issues in Montenegro. She also emphasized that Montenegro was particularly important when it comes to the geopolitical aspirations of Serbia, and it was often treated as ‘an internal issue’ in Serbia. When asked to reflect on the recently held session of the UN General Assembly, attended by the leaders of the countries of the region who didn’t talk a lot with each other, she said: “Relations among the regional political leaders are poor and mostly happen thanks to the involvement of the EU and the USA. Their speeches at the UN General Assembly indicated that there was no a single regional approach to any problem, and there are many problems, you would agree. The most interesting speech was the one delivered by the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who struggled to point out to a dramatic situation in Bosnia and ‘bad’ politics in the neighboring countries.” On the request of Patriarch Irinej, who visited MNE recently and sent a message to the President of Montenegro, expressing hope that Montenegro would withdraw recognition of Kosovo’s independence, Ms Biserko noted: “Serbia’s presence in Montenegro is becoming more aggressive which clearly indicates the significance Montenegro has for Serbia. The latest reason for fueling tensions between the two countries is the proposal for the draft church law. The issue of independence of the CPC would completely resolve the process of the Montenegrin statehood. In this sense, the church issue is the only remaining and open issue of all identity issues in the country.” Commenting on the proposal of the Serbian President to establish the Balkan Union consisting of Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and B&H, she said: “This whole idea is just an attempt to mitigate the fact that the EU membership won’t happen soon. When it comes to Serbia, its motives are always strongly connected with its pretensions. Moreover, the fact that Serbia still hasn’t clearly opted for the EU membership additionally complicates the situation. It’s hard to believe that it [SRB] genuinely accepts the idea of the Union having in mind that it recently rejected The Hague document promoting more or less the same idea.”

President Pendarovski meets US Secretary of State Pompeo in Ohrid (Nezavisen vesnik)

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to North Macedonia, which comes at an exceptionally important time for the country, reaffirms the friendship between the US and North Macedonia, a friendship based on common values for peace, freedom and democracy, President Stevo Pendarovski said after the meeting with the US Secretary of State in Ohrid. “The United States has been our strategic partner since our independence and U.S. support has been key to defense reform and the transformation of our army towards meeting the criteria for NATO membership,” Pendarovski said. “The U.S. has helped us in strengthening institutions, the rule of law, judiciary reform, strengthening the civil sector and media, as well as securing a favorable business climate for trade between the two countries.” Pendarovski extended gratitude for the United States unwavering support even in the face of difficult questions on internal stability, as well as reaching compromise on the decades-long name dispute, in the spirit of good neighborly relations and regional cooperation. “North Macedonia will continue close cooperation with the U.S. I believe increased U.S. support is necessary in the upcoming period when North Macedonia is to become the 30th NATO member and start accession negotiations to join the EU,” Pendarovski said. U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo extended gratitude for the warm welcome in North Macedonia, the third stop in his tour as part of which he already visited Italy and Montenegro, and he is set to travel to Greece after Ohrid, the President’s Office said in a press release. Pompeo reaffirmed that America’s support in deepening the friendship between the two countries would continue in future, which is important not only for North Macedonia, but also for the stability and security of the entire region.

Zaev-Pompeo: Strong support for opening the EU accession talks (Nezavisen vesnik)

I am confident that North Macedonia would be a strong, capable NATO partner and I’m confident that the United States Senate will ratify your accession protocol this fall so that we can formally fold you in to the NATO team, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday at a joint press conference alongside PM Zoran Zaev. Calling it historic, Pompeo welcomed the Prespa Agreement and the treaty of friendship with Bulgaria. “The Prespa Agreement will serve as a foundation for closer economic ties between the two nations, especially on energy, and for greater stability in the Balkans and in Europe as a whole. Similarly, we welcome the treaty of friendship between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, which also contributes to the spirit of good relationships among allies,” he said. The Secretary of State also thanked his hosts for the participation of national troops in missions alongside the U.S. army in Iraq, Afghanistan and in defeating the ISIS caliphate. “As the world’s leading democracy, America supports countries as they pursue strong commitments to the rule of law and good government. We welcome the steps that your government has taken to fight corruption and encourage greater accountability for anyone who has abused the public trust. Fighting corruption is critical to your EU and NATO accession hopes, but even more importantly, it’s the right thing for democracy and it’s the right thing to do for your people,” Pompeo noted. The hearts and minds of North Macedonia citizens, he stressed, should guide your country forward, not Russian bots and trolls on social media. Pompeo also warned of China’s attempts to impose its economic influence in the region. The U.S. diplomat expressed satisfaction with his visit coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries. “The growth of our diplomatic team here reflects the relationship in our strategic partnership and how it’s grown. For 25 years we’ve worked together for a free and secure and sovereign Europe and beyond,” Pompeo said in his remarks to the press. The United States will continue to partner with you for the good of your citizens, for the region, and for the world, he concluded. Ways to develop the cooperation between North Macedonia and the Unites States as strategic partners, with an emphasis on the potential to have business relations further improved and to attract new American investments in the country were the focal point of the meeting of Zaev with Pompeo. “Talks most notably focused on the successful cooperation and partnership in defense, especially between the Army of North Macedonia and the Vermont National Guard and that as part of the military missions ISAF and Resolute Support in Afghanistan,” read the press release. The U.S. support for finalization of the procedure for full-fledged membership in NATO and progress in the country’s process to integrate into the EU remains strong and continuous, it was concluded. The delegations also discussed issues related to stabilization and prosperity of the region with Washington serving as the main promoter of NATO’s enlargement policy aimed at admitting the countries of the Adriatic Charter. Furthermore, Zaev and Pompeo held a tête-à-tête meeting before the bilateral talks. The US is a trusted friend and supporter of North Macedonia. The visit by Pompeo is a sure sign of US support to our country and its Euro-Atlantic integration, reaffirming that we are further deepening cooperation, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. “North Macedonia is a committed strategic partner to the US,” Zaev pointed out. “We have political and historical reasons to foster and enhance our friendship. Some of them include our common values of security, freedom and democratic prosperity in the region, as well as joint activities in the fight against terrorism and other threats to world peace.” “We’re ready to further intensify participation in all global initiatives to confront misinformation and threats to democracy.”

The PM pointed out that the expected full-fledged NATO membership would further boost our contribution in such initiatives. “To us, NATO membership means reaching a historical goal. A major benefit not only for our country, but for strengthening freedom and democratic prosperity of the entire region,” Zaev noted. He underlined that North Macedonia is looking forward to becoming a full-fledged NATO member soon. “I’d like to thank the US for its unwavering support to our NATO membership and the anticipated good news that the US will also ratify the accession protocol In the meantime, we’re fully prepared to accept the obligations from our membership,” Zaev said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Kosovo Opposition Wins Election That May Help Bid for EU, NATO (Bloomberg, by Misha Savic, 7 October 2019)

Kosovo’s opposition parties won an early general election, signaling a turn away from politicians who rose to prominence as guerrilla fighters against neighboring Serbia in the 1990s. With a shared legacy of war holding up European Union membership for both sides, Sunday’s ballot marked a defeat for outgoing Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who resigned in July to face interrogation by a war crimes tribunal. He had campaigned on a 100% import tax he imposed on Serbian products last year in retaliation for Serbia’s lobbying against Kosovo joining international organizations. The center-right Democratic League of Kosovo, led by another former premier, Isa Mustafa, and the nationalist Self-Determination Movement each took about a quarter of the vote, according to a partial count by election authorities. Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli’s party was headed for third place with 22% and a Haradinaj-led coalition was at 12%. The two opposition parties that won most votes have been critical of Haradinaj’s policies. Even so, all major groups in predominantly ethnic Albanian-populated Kosovo demand unconditional recognition of independence from Serbia and reject concessions such as a land swap floated last year by the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo. EU-mediated talks to normalize relations stalled in 2018. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said late Sunday that his country was ready to resume the negotiations with whomever forms a new government in Kosovo, on condition that the trade barrier is lifted. Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008 and is seeking full international recognition as an independent state and a lasting peace deal with its neighbor as both Balkan nations seek to advance toward EU membership. Serbia vows never to recognize Kosovo as a country, a stance backed by Russia and China in international organizations. Kosovo’s independence is recognized by more than 100 other countries, including the U.S. and all but five EU states.

Enlargement tales: Albania, North Macedonia, and influencers of a different kind (New Europe, by Kassandra, 7 October 2019)

On October 15, the General Affairs Council may decide whether to issue a starting date for EU Membership negotiations with Albania – the first in line to join – and North Macedonia, who is second in line, and last for the time being. Or is it? Serbia, which so far has registered the best performance in adapting to EU standards in matters of EU practices and legislation and the only country in the area with a real state structure, is not being considered at this time. Here one can see the short-sightedness of the Commission “system.” The Commissioner for Enlargement has not included Serbia in the list of potential candidates although it should be the first to start negotiation talks because unofficially, the EU is nervous about its good relations with Russia. While this is true, this relationship seems to mostly be about commercial relations ,which would give the opportunity to the bloc to open a second channel of dialogue with Russia, in parallel with Germany. Of course Berlin does not like potentially losing its exclusivity on the matter. To start negotiating with Albania is like the United States starting negotiations with Colombia (Medellin, etc.) to become the 51st star in the American flag. (As a side note, poor Puerto Rico has not yet become a state.)  Of course, the European drug cartels through their influence and ‘influencers’ (and their endless cash) are able to exert significant pressure on the decision making centers of Europe. Because we must be realistic, Albania is among those that is producing, but others are doing the marketing of the produce in Europe. Accordingly, we are looking forward on October 15, to see if Member States allow Brussels to initiate start entry talks with Tirana in the near future. The current government of North Macedonia desperately needs to get a date for accession negotiations as its government thinks it is the only way to survive politically, as do dozens of NGOs who are supporting it. This does not mean that by getting the date the government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will survive for long as its survival very much depends on its Greek neighbors. Under the Prespes Agreement, Greece committed  to not obstruct the course of North Macedonia towards NATO,  but there is controversy in that agreement which Athens, sooner or later, should settle. Indeed, while the official name of the country is ‘North Macedonia’ its citizens are ‘Macedonians’ and the language is ‘Macedonian’, which does not make much sense, except to Zaev’s party and that of former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, with a few exceptions. For this anomaly to be settled, a confusion which may result to future long-term controversies, the two countries must first agree on the deactivation of Article 28 of the Prespes Agreement which does not allow the modification of the agreement (one day the historians will learn which party proposed that provision.) Then the two countries should agree to change the nationality and the language to ‘North Macedonian’. Otherwise the situation for North Macedonia will remain potentially unstable vis-a-vis the bloc, as the present or any future Greek government will have the power to block or delay any talks, for any reason, and if one looks for reasons it can find many, starting from the various facets of the “rule of law”. Because as we know, it is political realities and agendas that drive new countries to be accepted into the EU when technically, the candidate countries fall short. And in technical terms they often have. Some see the current drive for enlargement as an intentional diversion from the real issues in Brussels.  Reality is that the European Union is not now in the position to see any further enlargement happen, unless it settles checks and balances in its own house after the Brexit issue (if, when and how) has cleared. Furthermore, it cannot seriously consider any new enlargement before it absorbs the shock of the enlargements starting 2004. And this is only the beginning. Think that both proposed members of the von der Leyen Commission that were rejected by the European Parliament (so far) come from former communist countries (Hungary and Romania, for the time being). For the time being we look forward to the October 15 meeting of the Council, with an eye on Albania. The conclusion of the meeting will very much depend on the effectiveness of the various ‘influencers’ (no, not social media stars) who will confront  the determination of certain Member States, such as France and the Netherlands that have been negative about  setting  a date for starting accession talks.