LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Pristina must withdraw measures in order for dialogue to continue (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today after a meeting with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi and ambassadors of the EU Member States that she hopes that Pristina will withdraw all its measures that disrupt economic cooperation. Brnabic said at a press conference at the Serbian government that one of the topics of the meeting was the formation of a new government within the framework of interim institutions of self-government in Pristina and further expected steps necessary for the dialogue to continue. I welcomed the appointment of Miroslav Lajcak as EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and I are in constant contact with Lajcak and we hope that all measures that disrupt economic cooperation and prevent the flow of goods and people will be abolished, so that we could go back to dialogue, Brnabic stated. Regarding the messages from Brussels that Serbia will not be able to become a member of the EU without an agreement on normalization of relations with Pristina, Brnabic noted that that is not something new, but that it is still too early for a debate on what that agreement will look like. She stated that she understands that the EU does not want to import open issues to new EU member states and that she believes that it is not an exaggeration to say that the EU has had a bad experience with that many times. From this point of view, what they say makes sense. On the other hand, it is also in our interest, for the sake of quality of life of our citizens and our economy, stability and prosperity to close that issue and to work on the normalization of relations with Pristina, the Prime Minister underlined. Fabrizi said that Brussels is fully committed to reaching a comprehensive normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Brnabic: What can one say to remain polite, politically correct, without using harsh words? (Tanjug/B92)

Hashim Thaci really needs to wake up and understand the reality, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today. She commented on Thaci’s statement that he is optimistic “that Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac will join Kosovo without encroaching on the territory, because that is a historical right.” “All the years since I have been in the government, I really don’t understand where his pretensions towards Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja came from, I don’t know where he got that from,” Brnabic told reporters after a meeting with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi. “Do Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja perhaps belong to Kosovo, as much as to Belgrade? Maybe there are pretensions towards Budapest, towards Brussels, maybe he thinks that this is also a historical heritage… But that is his problem,” she stated. As she says, it is ridiculous for her to comment on that, because, in her opinion, it would be the same as asking the French Ambassador to comment on it if, for example, she said that Paris was Serbian. “What will a man say in order to remain polite, politically correct, without using some harsher words,” Brnabic asked. She also noticed that Albanians began to usurp religious, cultural and historical monuments. “But I really hope, believe and know that they have their own tradition and a rich history and culture that they don’t have to adopt others. I don’t know why they are doing this to themselves, in the first place. When you adopt the history of others, it seems like you’re not proud of what you have, but I don’t have to defend their culture more than they defend themselves,” Brnabic said. When asked what will be the attitude of Brussels towards Thaci’s position not to participate in the negotiations led by Lajcak, Fabrizi, said: “Thanks for asking, but I will not comment on other statements”.

Vucic: Serbia will be exposed to strong pressure (Beta/B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he won’t deal with relations within the Albanian community, it is important for us to get guarantees for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. “We are open for talks. Thaci did all this with the help of the United States and will always ask to talk in their presence. Serbia will always talk, but all those measures that destroyed the possibility of free access to goods and capital must be removed. When that has been done, we will be ready to talk”, Vucic pointed out. “I am not sure whether there will be different political aspirations, often pressures, I hear 100 times that we stop the derecognition campaign – we will do that when you stop the campaign of access to international organizations.” He said that he offered this from year to year, in order to protect the people in Kosovo and Metohija. “It’s easy for us in Loznica or Belgrade, we don’t live in Gorazdevac… We don’t know how Albanians will treat them.” I do not know how Pristina aspires to be on the European path, yet, on the other hand, it will not talk to European representatives, he pointed out. “You have to keep in mind that neither Germany nor France will change their position on the issue of Kosovo. The question is what are we going to do. We have to bear the brunt that we betrayed Kosovo, and we returned Kosovo to the table with a smart policy, but at the same time keeping the peace, bringing investors…” “I don’t think it will be easy to deal with the Kosovo issue. There are those who say it will be easy, let them think again. He pointed out that he expects great pressures regarding Kosovo and Metohija, and that is why it is important that we get a strong government after the elections. “It won’t be easy for Serbia,” Vucic added, and reiterated that Serbia’s voice will have be important in that process. “We have no objections to the talks we had in the EU, as well as in the talks with Grenell. I always tried to get as much as possible in a peaceful way. If they stop with the requests for admission to Interpol and other organizations, we will stop with derecognition campaign”, Vucic said. Vucic stated that Russia is a friendly country to Serbia and that the appointment of Yevgeny Primakov to the position of director of the “Russian Cooperation” Agency will not affect that cooperation. “Russia is a friendly country to us, that’s how it was and it will be such in the future. And none of the irresponsible politicians in Serbia can change that, nor anyone else,” Vucic said when asked how he commented on Primakov’s appointment, due to the alleged connection with the representatives of Serbian opposition. He said that Russia is much bigger than Serbia, both in terms of population and territory, and that it can appoint whoever it wants.

“They take care of their interests and we have nothing against anything or anyone, Vucic said, adding that it would be “crazy” for Serbia to influence Moscow’s decisions. The media in Serbia state that in March last year, in the midst of anti-government demonstrations in Belgrade, Primakov offered Vucic to form a technical government with the leaders of the “Alliance for Serbia”.

TV N1: Dacic denies claims about Serbia stopping campaign against Kosovo (Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic denied on 4 June the information of Radio Free Europe (RFE), about Serbia having consented to stopping its campaign for the revoking of recognition of Kosovo’s independence, although diplomatic sources in Brussels have confirmed it to reporters, the TV N1 has reported. RFE has reported that the authorities in Serbia had made the concession in order to contribute to the atmosphere for the resumption of the dialogue on the normalization of relations with Kosovo. “As part of good will for the creation of the atmosphere that is favorable for the resumption of the dialogue, the sides in Belgrade have agreed to no longer conduct this campaign” of revoking of recognition of Kosovo’s independence, “a high-ranking diplomatic source in the EU confirmed this to reporters,” RFE has reported. However, Dacic stated that the information about the stopping of the campaign was “a major lie.” “Serbia has not stopped the campaign for revoking of Kosovo’s recognition, nor will it stop, unless everyone else stops their campaign for the recognition of the so-called Kosovo,” Dacic stated, as quoted by TV N1.

Dacic: Not up to EU representatives to determine outcome of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (TV Pink/Politika)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic assessed that it is not up to the EU representatives to determine the outcome of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in advance and stressed that dialogue with Pristina is vital for Serbia in the coming period. EU Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has both positive and negative sides. “It is positive that he knows the situation well and that he comes from a country that has not recognized Kosovo,” Dacic told TV Pink and added that it is unrealistic to expect Serbia to accept Kosovo’s independence because of the promise that it would join the EU in the coming decades. “They can say what they want, but the decision on whether we agree or not is made by Serbia. That is why it’s important for Serbia to be politically stable and for elections to take place in a democratic atmosphere,” he said. Dacic said that it was very important for Pristina to first say whether it would stick to the commitments taken under the Brussels agreement or whether it believed that everything that has been signed is not valid. He pointed out that the position of the Americans on taxes has been clear so far, that they must be abolished, but there had been a lack of determination in expressing it, which was then introduced by special envoy Richard Grenell.

“We are not asking for concessions, we will adhere to everything that’s been agreed, but the problem is that Pristina is not taking any action, the Brussels agreement was signed in 2013, and now they will not say whether they will stick to it or not,” stressed Dacic. He added that the United States has not changed its position, but that the administration has changed, and the current one of Donald Trump has a slightly more flexible position on reaching a compromise, unlike the previous Democratic one, for which the Kosovo issue was done deal. “Democrats consider the issue of Kosovo resolved, while the Trump administration believes that it has not been resolved and that a compromise should be reached. And we contributed to that because we managed to withdraw recognitions of Kosovo and strengthen relations with some countries, such as Germany,” said Dacic. He says that there has always been a distinct geographical and demographic asymmetry in relations with the United States, as well as an asymmetry of power, but even in that relationship, Serbia and the Serbian people have shown that it is possible for not a very a big country to be a US ally. Commenting on the possibility of Serbia suspending its lobbying campaign for withdrawals of recognition of so-called Kosovo, Dacic stated that Serbia will continue with these activities as long as lobbying in favor of Kosovo’s membership in international organizations continues. He said that it was in Serbia’s interest, primarily economic, to go to the EU, if it is able to protect state and national interests. “We should not go to the EU at the cost of giving up Kosovo, recognizing Kosovo’s independence or abolishing the Republika Srpska,” said Dacic. He reiterated that he considers Montenegro’s decision not to allow Serbian citizens to enter that country to be political. “Since 1 June, citizens and residents of countries with less than 25 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants can enter Montenegro. Besides everything else that exists as a problem, you now have additional deterioration in Montenegro over the possibility of someone entering the country. And calculations are made that no one else is using. They invented certain numbers, allowed in citizens of Kosovo, where there was no major testing for coronavirus,” he said and assessed that Belgrade does not interfere in the internal affairs of Montenegro, something Podgorica accuses Serbia of. “Criticism is reaching us that we are too peaceful and are not reacting as strongly as we should,” Dacic said.

Djuric: Abolishment of “reciprocity measure” first big test for Hoti’s government (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 the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and Belgrade demand that taxes and all other anti-civilizational measures to be immediately abolished. “Whether this will occur next week will in fact be the first big test for the government of Avdulah Hoti,” says Djuric.  He points that now it can be seen how important it is that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are united and gathered around the Serb List. “This means it is a tip on the scale and has the decisive role in parliament on many issues. If we didn’t have the Serb List, the law on religious communities would smoothly be adopted, which would mean seizure of Gracanica, Decani and everything else,” says Djuric. He says it is certain that the Serb List will have a difficult task, since he doesn’t believe there is a significant difference towards Belgrade among Albanian representatives. “I expect the Serb List will be in a position to fight more actively for preventing pressures, barricades, blockades and the daily life of our people depends on this,” says Djuric. There appeared information prior to the arrival of EU Envoy Miroslav Lajcak to Belgrade and Pristina that certain concessions would be requested from both sides – from Belgrade to stop the campaign of withdrawal of recognitions of Kosovo’s independence, while Djuric says this is fake news. “I would like very much to know who is the source of this fake news and I cannot exclude that at issue is an attempt of direct foreign interference into our elections,” says Djuric.   Asked whether he expects Richard Grenell, after he has been released of all other posts, would devote more to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Djuric says he does. “Even though serious pressures and challenges undoubtedly await us in the coming months when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, we need to be aware of the fact that everything depends from who and how strong is defending our position, and this is why it is important that we have people in Belgrade who are prepared and capable to defend our interests in a strong and resolute manner,” concluded Djuric.

Another 96 cases (RTS)

Until 3pm there have been another 96 cases, in total 11,667 infected. There have been one more death, in total 247 deaths.

REGIONAL PRESS

Tegeltija accepts Radoncic’s resignation (O kanal/RTRS)

Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija officially accepted on Thursday the resignation of now former B&H Minister of Security Fahrudin Radoncic (SBB B&H). Radoncic submitted his resignation on Tuesday.

Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik (SNSD) said that he feels sorry for the fact that Radoncic resigned and that this is certainly a bad thing, because Radoncic has demonstrated capability to run B&H Ministry of Security and it looked like he could bring together all security agencies in B&H. He also stated that SDA’s statement according to which the arrest of Federation of B&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic in the ‘Respiratori’ affair represents a coup is actually SDA’s attempt to control judicial system in B&H, which has been the case over the past couple of years.

EC sends letter to HJPC, expressing concern over situation in B&H judiciary (O kanal)

The European Commission (EC) sent a letter to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and expressed a serious concern over the situation in the B&H judiciary. O Kanal reported that we can hear the word “concern” from the international factor a lot, but this time, the EC will reconsider further financing of the B&H judiciary through the HJPC due to limiting results in reaching goals of the justice sector reform over the past years, especially in the area of the integrity. The letter reads that the EU is waiting for reforms for too long, while recommendations are being implemented way too slow.

Izetbegovic: Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and HJPC are biased and under political influence (Hayat)

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic commented the ‘Respirators’ affair and called upon the competent authorities to conclude the investigation as soon as possible, without any pressures or complications, so that the “full truth would be determined”. “So that they would sanction any potential violation of the law, if such is determined” he said. Izetbegovic reiterated that SDA, and he personally, strongly support and stand behind Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) Minister Fadil Novalic. Commenting the allegations that SDA tried to pressure the judicial institutions, the SDA leader said his party will never create problems to any of the pillars of power in B&H, but they must react to things they believe are politically motivated. According to Izetbegovic SDA requests the judiciary system reform because the judiciary institutions, B&H Prosecutor’s Office in particular, do not treat the entities in equal manner that is indicated by the Novalic’s arrest and the relativization of war crimes. “We believe that here, unfortunately, it is clearly outlined that the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and the B&H HJPC are biased and under political influence, that they are not treating representatives of all peoples in the authorities equally. Concretely, it is unthinkable to do to the Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister what they did to the FB&H Prime Minister,” Izetbegovic said. “SDA strongly stood by Prime Minister Novalic and we have heard criticism there that this is an unacceptable pressure on judiciary. We deal in politics and not only that we have right, but we also have the obligation to underline and react to every phenomenon, positive or negative. SDA will never cause problems for any of pillars of the authority, especially not the judiciary,” stressed Izetbegovic.

HJPC deems statements made by SDA regarding work of Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in ‘Respirators’ case as inappropriate and unacceptable pressure on justice system (N1)

The B&H High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) has reacted to political pressures and criticism against the work of the judiciary in B&H. The B&H HJPC deemed statements made by SDA regarding the work of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in ‘Respirators’ case as inappropriate and unacceptable pressure on the justice system. The B&H HJPC stressed that such statements represent a long-standing practice of representatives of many political parties and public office holders and that such unbalanced criticism by politicians is irresponsible and can cause serious problems. The HJPC is aware of justified criticism of its work and the prosecutors are expected to investigate and institute proceedings before relevant courts on abuse of public procurements, including those during the pandemic. “We believe that the public procurement is a key to efficient and transparent public spending. We call on legislative authority to improve regulations on the public procurement. Judicial system is expected to maximally intensify its work on corruption and organized crime cases, which should lead to visible results and progress,” the HJPC concluded. “Politicians must be responsible for what they say in public. They should also be aware that the stances they present could trigger hate speech, which seems to have become a legitimate form of communication in our society. This practice has been evident for years” reads the statement.

Covic: Relations between Croats and Bosniaks must relax, appointment of CEC members is bigger affair than all other affairs (Vecernji list)

HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic on the occasion of getting elected as the HDZ B&H President 15 years ago, was asked to comment on the last 15 years. Covic replied by saying, among other issues, that ‘we’ have been dealing with the issue of reorganization of B&H because solutions imposed by the High Representatives have transformed the constitutions into “a new dimension”, that the last 15 years have been marked with attempts to eliminate legitimate Croat representatives from the politics, that the last 15 years have had ups and downs and “that we can say we are still talking about the same or similar issues”. Asked to comment on what the daily refers to as ‘the mother of all affairs’ i.e. the ‘Respirators’ affair, Covic says the affair came to be during a very sensitive period when people were fighting for their lives, stressing that a part of the Bosniak politicians believes they could do whatever they like. In this context Covic said that they (part of Bosniak politicians) first removed the HQ (FB&H Civil Protection Crisis HQ) and then tried to put the executive and legislative authorities to the sidelines. Asked if the ‘Respirators’ affair has shown what B&H would look like if Croats are eliminated from the decision-making system, Covic replied by saying that organized crime has nothing to do with a Serb, a Bosnian or a Croat, instead it is connected to a person or a group that did something. The HDZ B&H leader went on to say that in the last four months, in contacts with people from the international community (IC) who are helping B&H set up an independent judiciary, he (Covic) has been asking how it is possible that the man in charge of the intelligence service (OSA) has bought a (university) degree and that people are keeping quiet about it for two years. Asked to comment on remarks that say that no Croats have been apprehended within the ‘Respirators’ affair, Covic replied by asking who has been conducting the processes (investigation), adding that the investigation is being run by three Bosniak prosecutors and that the Croats were prevented from being part of the project (procurement of respirators from China). Asked to comment on threats against Chief Prosecutor of B&H Gordana Tadic, the HDZ B&H leader says it is a malicious campaign despite the fact Tadic is not conducting the investigation at all.

Covic went on to say that the appointment of new members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H is even a bigger affair than all other affairs, underlining that if someone dares to appoint five members of the CEC without an agreement about it, then it sends a clear message.

Asked if it is worrying that the IC is keeping quiet about all these affairs, thus tacitly approving them, Covic says he has been meeting representatives of the UK, UK, European administration, the OHR, the OSCE etc. over the last month. Covic went on to say that he clearly asked the Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H how it is possible that they are keeping quiet about violation of law regulating the appointment of CEC members because there is a clear principle, which reads that people who are politically involved cannot be CEC members. The HDZ B&H leader further said that (Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann) Sattler has given us eight principles that need to be adopted with regards to the European path, and that the first issue is the Law on Elections and the European standards. “My first question is what are the European standards when you can appoint the Commission (CEC) in the House of Representatives through outvoting and outside the legal procedures, which should then implement a fair election process and work in line with the law”. Covic also said there are no HDZ BiH officials involved in the ‘Respirators’ and other affairs, arguing that Mr. Sattler recently called him the champion of the European integration, which many people minded. Asked if it is possible to relax relations between Bosniaks and Croats because intolerance and hatred are being imposed in public space, Covic replied by saying not only is it possible but it must happen, adding that relations are being poisoned in B&H in the last four to five years. In this context Covic says that (SDA leader Bakir) Izetbegovic “stresses during each meeting that I (Covic) should sever relations with Serbs and then everything would be fine”. “How would that be good? Serbs are one of three constituent peoples in B&H and you must cooperate” added Covic. Asked to comment on the daily’s remark that the Bosniak policy has radicalized after publishing of the census results in 2016, which showed Bosniaks make for more than 50% of the population, Covic replied by saying, among other issues, there is an idea to make a fake civic B&H, and that everyone is clear the aim is to eliminate the Croat influence at the FB&H and state level.

Komsic: B&H in standstill on EU path, HDZ B&H biggest obstacle (FTV)

Commenting on the ‘Respirators’ affair, member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic stated on Thursday that the judicial institutions must prosecute the responsible persons and should be free of political influence. According to Komsic, there will be obstructions on the path towards the local elections, given the fact that there are parties that do not like the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC), so they are obstructing the election process. Komsic warned that B&H is now in a standstill on the path towards the EU, adding that HDZ B&H is the biggest obstacle on this path. He said that HDZ B&H “humiliated” Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Johann Sattler who called them “champions of the EU integration”, given the fact that they refused to participate in the working group that is supposed to find a way to implement 14 priorities referred to in the European Commission’s (EC) Opinion on B&H’s application for membership of the EU. Komsic also stressed that DF will not be an arbitrator between SDA and SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic, explaining that his resignation from the post of the B&H Minister of Security is a matter of relations between SDA and SBB B&H. Komsic welcomed conclusion passed by the Peace Implementation Council, according to which the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of B&H must be politics-free. Komsic underlined it is good that SNSD and member of the Presidency of B&H and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik have demonstrated cooperativeness and wish to accelerate the European path.

Dodik meets Ivantsov in Banja Luka (RTRS)

Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik met in Banja Luka on Thursday with Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov. They discussed the current political situation in B&H. One of the topics was 2-3 June session of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB). Dodik said that the PIC did not find it relevant to discuss illegal migrants from Pakistan, but they discussed the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of B&H. The information published after the meeting reads that the collocutors also touched upon the recent resignation of B&H Minister of Security Fahrudin Radoncic.

CEC President informs colleagues about meeting with representatives of PIC (Nezavisne)

The daily reports that B&H Central Election Commission (B&H CEC) convened on Thursday. CEC President Vanja Bjelica Prutina informed her colleagues about the meeting she had with representatives of Peace Implementation Council (PIC) member countries. She explained that she presented PIC members with all relevant information about the upcoming local elections and the problems that CEC is facing. Bjelica Prutina said that she informed High Representative Valentin Inzko and members of PIC about the fact that state budget has not been adopted, and funds necessary to organize elections have not been allocated yet. She explained that in order to be able to organize the elections, the necessary funds must be secured by the end of June.

SDP B&H Presidency insists on amendments to B&H Law on Elections and forming of Serb Caucus in FB&H HoP (BHT1)

SDP B&H Presidency at its session held on Thursday concluded that amendments to B&H Law on Elections is urgent to unblock the work of authorities, noting that SDP B&H will not support any amendments that do not ensure equality of all B&H citizens, and called for holding local elections on the set date because there are no obstacles to ensure the funds for the B&H Central Election Commission for the elections. SDP B&H Presidency requested their Serb representatives in the FB&H House of People (HoP) to initiate procedure for forming of Serb Caucus and if the Serb Caucus is not formed, SDP B&H representatives and delegates will not participate in the work of the FB&H parliament.

New coronavirus cases reported in B&H, 2,606 people tested positive so far (N1)

No new deaths related to Covid-19 were reported in B&H on Friday and the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases, 12, is much lower than the day before. Ten people tested positive for the coronavirus in the RS since Thursday, while two were confirmed in the other semi-autonomous entity, the FB&H. On Thursday, B&H recorded a sudden spike of cases due to two new hotspots – Modrica (RS) and Tesanj (FB&H). A total of 2,606 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in B&H so far. The number of coronavirus-related deaths, 159, remains unchanged while 1,951 recovered from COVID-19.

PM Calls for establishing who is responsible for undermining surveillance (Hina)

Condemning the wind park scandal Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday said that his cabinet was fully committed to the fight against corruption and called on the judicial institutions to ascertain what happened and who was responsible for breaking through surveillance measures. “On behalf of the entire government, I want to say that the government is entirely committed to the fight against corruption, while proof of the independent work of the police and state prosecutor’s office can, in fact, be seen in the process that unfolded last week, at least when it comes to the public. There is no dilemma that we wish to support the fight against corruption and encourage the relevant bodies to do their job in accordance with the law and without anyone meddling in their work,” Plenkovic said at the start of a cabinet meeting. As some of the actors in this scandal were office-holders appointed by this government – a state secretary and some other officials and an assistant minister, that is proof that the State Prosecutor’s Office (DORH) and police are doing their job without any influence, the Premier said. “We consider that conduct to be unacceptable and that is why we dismissed the said officials and took measures that are very clear and have moved this entire episode away from collective responsibility from all of us in government. We in no way want to be implicated in someone’s individual acts that harm the government’s reputation,” he said. Plenkovic underscored that it is in the interest of strengthening trust in judicial institutions to determine those responsible for surveillance measures being cracked in the wind farm scandal. “Seeing that measures were allegedly cracked among those stakeholders involved and they may have included the police and DORH, I think that it is in the interest of strengthening trust in judicial institutions to determine how that is possible and who is responsible for surveillance measures being cracked and that all these procedures have an epilogue within a reasonable time,” he added. “I say this very precisely without any idea of possibly pressuring any of these bodies but it is also just as important to determine who is responsible because that is important for trust in DORH’s activities, the police, and the court functioning. That is what I expect from all stakeholders in reference to legal security,” underscored Plenkovic.

Grlic Radman satisfied with status of Croat minority in Montenegro (Hina)

Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman on Thursday met with ethnic Croats in Kotor and Tivat during a two-day visit to Montenegro, expressing Croatia’s support to Montenegro on its European journey as well as satisfaction with the status of the Croat minority in the country. Grlic Radman met in Tivat with the president of the Croatian National Council of Montenegro, Zvonimir Dekovic, and the president of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) and member of parliament, Adrijan Vuksanovic. “The native Croatian community of Boka Kotorska fosters Croat identity, history, the common past. They are a jewel here that contributes to a better understanding and multiculturalism, coexistence, which we are proud of, and they strengthen Montenegro’s diversity. With this visit I wanted to testify to their work and activities,” said Grlic Radman. “We strongly support Croats in Montenegro and their representatives in the Montenegrin parliament. Croats here are an example of how we can work together and be a factor of European values that Croatia has achieved with its membership of the European Union. As the chair of the European Union, Croatia strongly and sincerely advocates Montenegro’s European path,” Grlic Radman underlined. Vuksanovic who is the leader of the HGI party, the only Croat minority political party in Montenegro, said that Croatia and Montenegro are friendly countries and that Croats in that country are a bridge in their relations.

Grlic Radman also met with the Archbishop of Bar and Apostolic Administrator of the Kotor Diocese, Roko Gjonlleshaj who informed the minister of the history of the diocese and the current situation regarding the appointment of the future bishop. After the meeting, Grlic Radman visited Saint Tryphon’s Cathedral as well as the future Croatian consulate which will be housed in an old palace in downtown Kotor owned by Croatia, which is currently being reconstructed. On Friday, Grlic Radman is scheduled to meet with President Milo Djukanovic, parliament speaker Ivan Brajovic and Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic.

Croatia Airlines restores flights to European destinations, including Sarajevo (Hina)

Croatia Airlines (CA) will restore its flight service connecting Zagreb and 11 international destinations as of mid-June, this state-owned national flag carrier said on Thursday. On 8 June, CA reintroduces flight services between Zagreb and Zurich. These services will be operated on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, and in the afternoon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as of 15 June. On 15 June, the company plans to reintroduce flights for Munich, Sarajevo, London Heathrow, Dublin, Rome, Brussels and Vienna. On 25 May, the CA reintroduced its service connecting Zagreb and Amsterdam on a daily basis. During the Covid-19 lockdown, CA provided a flight service between Zagreb and Frankfurt every day, and now it offers two flight services every day for that German destination. As of 1 June, the Zagreb-Copenhagen service is available four times a week. CA is going to reintroduce flights from Zagreb to Adriatic destinations: Pula, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik.

National Headquarters: No new cases in Croatia, eight people recovered (N1)

There have been no new cases of coronavirus in Croatia in the last 24 hours, and eight people have recovered, the National Civil Protection Headquarters reported on Friday. There are 12 people in hospital, three less than on Thursday, and there are currently three patients on a respirator. A total of 2,247 people has been infected, 2,113 recovered and 103 died. So far, 6,8267 people have been tested in Croatia, of which 270 in the last 24 hours.

Montenegro marks three years since its accession to NATO (CDM/RTCG)

On this day in 2017, Montenegro became 29th NATO member, fulfilling one of the most important priorities of foreign policy. “We have proven ourselves as successful and responsible member which appreciates benefits of the membership and assumes responsibilities for preservation of peace, improvement of trans-Atlantic values and development of better future for its citizens”, it was published on Montenegro in NATO Twitter account. Alliance with 29 countries has added to the quality to safety and stability of our country. Speaking about achievements of our country for three years of membership, Predrag Boskovic, Minister of Defense, said for RTCG that every citizen recognized that Montenegro was more ready for the challenges and that capacities it disposed of were larger. “Abilities of the members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro have been taken to the next level. You know that the government has invested considerable funds in increasing capacities of mobilization of our armed forces. What is even more important is that we are constantly seeing proofs that our decision to invest in our armed forces war right,” Minister said. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that Montenegro contributed to the development of stability in the Western Balkans. “As NATO can count on Montenegro, the same way Montenegro can count on NATO. NATO-Montenegro relations are beneficial and help reinforce our collective, joint security,” Stoltenberg said.

Ever since Montenegro became member of the Alliance, economic investments of individual allies have doubled.

The upcoming elections are an important test for democracy in Montenegro (RTCG)

The countries of the Western Balkans and enlargement policy remain one of the priorities during Germany’s presidency of the EU Council, German Ambassador to Montenegro Robert Weber said. He also assessed that the upcoming parliamentary elections in our country will be an important test for democracy and the rule of law. The German presidency will begin on 1 July, and it is already certain that it will not only be the corona- presidency, but that the issues such as climate change, digitalization, economy, as well as those related to tourism, transport and other related to returning to normal life, will also find its place on the six-month German agenda, Weber said. Speaking about the situation in Montenegro, the German Ambassador told RTCG that Montenegro is a leader in the negotiation process with the European Union, and that an important step on the path to the Union is the Progress Report, which, he said, will be disclosed in autumn. Weber said upcoming elections in Montenegro are an important test for the rule of law, but also for democracy. “It is very important the elections to be fair and that everyone is satisfied, but also that they take responsibility,” the German ambassador said, with the expectation the leading people of agencies and judicial institutions to be elected in the coming period. Ambassador Weber said that most citizens of Montenegro, but also the region, want to join the EU.

Montenegro adopts report on joint border crossings with B&H (RTCG)

The government of Montenegro has adopted a report determining joint border crossings with Bosnia and Herzegovina following negotiations between the two countries in March, the Montenegrin government said on Friday. Negotiations between the government of Montenegro and B&H’s Council of Ministers were held in Sarajevo on 11 and 12 March and resulted in the initialing of four annexes to the agreement which determined the locations of future joint border crossings. In Montenegro, the joint border crossings will be Vracenovici – Deleusa, on the route Niksic – Bileca, and Scepan Polje – Hum, on the route Pluzine – Foca, while in Bosnia, the joint border crossings will be Zupci – Sitnica, on the route Trebinje – Herceg Novi and Klobuk – Ilino Brdo, on the road Trebinje-Niksic, the statement said. The Montenegrin government has at the session also determined the basis for conducting negotiations on concluding the Protocol on determining the border point between Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia. According to the statement, Montenegro is committed to resolving bilateral issues with its neighbors and to concluding and implementing international agreements on the state border as one of the top priorities in the European Union accession process, which will contribute to improving good neighborly relations and respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty. The statement pointed out that Montenegro’s relations with B&H and Croatia are a positive example of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation.

Fukuyama: The EU and Montenegro are not ready for the enlargement (Pobjeda)

In the current circumstances, neither Serbia nor Montenegro are close to the EU. The EU has become more skeptical about new members. I don’t think Serbia and Montenegro have governments that might be qualified as democratic enough to enter the EU, said in the interview for Pobjeda Francis Fukuyama, famous American political scientist.

Coronavirus pandemic has shown that regimes are powerful enough to limit freedoms and fundamental rights in many countries. Are you afraid that it’s going to become practice that regimes will be able to apply even when the pandemic is over?

Fukuyama: I believe that’s not only possibility but it has already started happening. The first person to apply that practice is Viktor Orban, in Hungary, who has provided extraordinary authorizations by voting in the parliament. It’s similar in Poland, and in Serbia. They are all suing this crisis as an opportunity to increase their power. That’s not happening in Europe only, but around the world. For example, you have China which used the epidemic to get even with Hong Kong. Unfortunately, I think this global trend in on an upward trajectory.

During the pandemic, the EU offered help to the Balkans, which was welcomed with delight by Balkan leaders. On the other side, Italy is disappointed with the actions of Brussels. What was really EU’s intention? Did it really want to help or just to reinforce its position in the Balkan region and make sure China and Russia don’t belong there?

Fukuyama: Motives for the actions of the EU are different. I firmly believe it wanted to be helpful but it is also worried about 16 or 17+ processes. I think their concern is legitimate, they don’t want to allow China to act too powerfully.

Do you think that countries like Russia and China can offer alternatives in relation to liberal democracy?

Fukuyama: Well, they are offering alternative models. There are obviously leaders who would like to sue that, because they themselves are not committed to democracy. I think it is very hard to copy the “Chinese model” as it is based on cultural tradition of bureaucracy that very few countries have but you sure know that Vladimir Putin is an example of a powerful man who is capable of creating this kleptocratic regime.

What part of the “Chinese model” do they want to copy?

Fukuyama: Most people don’t even understand what “Chinese model” is. They just see it as authoritarian government related to some form of market economy and then they copy it. But you should know that real Chinese model is based on the very disciplined Communist party with clear ideology and that’s something very few countries in your part of the world is able to copy.

WB countries, Montenegro being among them, are formally liberal democracies and EU aspirants. However, Freedom House report has grouped it in hybrid regimes. What is your perception, do you see Montenegro as hybrid regime?

Fukuyama: It definitely isn’t consolidated democracy. I visited Montenegro last summer and met with Milo Djukanovic. I am familiar with the situation and I think he has been in power for too long. There’s a lot of corruption in the country. Also, I think the way Chinese financing for the highway construction is used is concerning. That highway is plunging Montenegro into abyss and Djukanovic himself made some very disputable decisions. I think every true democracy really needs change of governing parties.

What is the solution in your opinion?

Fukuyama: Montenegro needs civil society. Citizens who want more liberal Montenegro must vote and create political parties and political movements.

“I think he is an efficient politician but I don’t think he is governing a democratic country” – this is how you described Montenegrin President. What is he efficient in, if you don’t see Montenegro as democratic country?

Fukuyama: I think Djukanovic presents himself in public in a very good light and I think bad sides of his governance have been hidden very well. I meant efficiency in that context. On the other side, I think he is a very problematic leader because of the way he used political power to disable real fight for government in Montenegro.

Do you think it is personal responsibility or system error?

Fukuyama: None of these problems is the result of mistakes of one man only. It’s partly system and partly entire society.

Today marks the third anniversary of Montenegro’s NATO membership. Do you think it was Montenegro’s democratic step forward?

Fukuyama: It’s very good that Montenegro is part of NATO. It has blocked Russian meddling in a way. I know they attempted coup and failed and I think Montenegro would be more open to Russian pressure if it hadn’t become NATO member.

What do you think about tensions in the Balkans? Is the rhetoric today dangerous?

Fukuyama: Yes, it is and I don’t think you want to go back to 1990s. I think there are some very concerning trends which are related to consolidation of authoritarian power and I think Serbia is playing role to stay in harmony with the West while flattering Russia and China and Russia. I am afraid they are aspiring authoritarian powers and are far away from the EU.

What about Montenegro? How far is Montenegro from the EU?

Fukuyama: In the current circumstances, neither Serbia nor Montenegro are close to the EU. The EU has become more skeptical about new members. I don’t think Serbia and Montenegro have governments that might be qualified as democratic enough to enter the EU.

Did the George Floyd case bring America to the brink of revolution?

Fukuyama: This is very dangerous situation. Too much violence. I am very worried and I think things are going to get worse.

EU Ambassador: Politicians to decide on elections as soon as possible (MIA)

I don’t think it is up to us to tell you when elections should be held in your country. It’s up to your politicians to make a decision as soon as possible in order the citizens to get some orientation of what is coming next, EU Ambassador Samuel Zbogar said Thursday.

According to him, there are two situations. “On one side there is a situation when you don’t have a Parliament, you have a technical government with limited functions, you have a state of emergency that cannot last forever. This is not a sustainable situation, especially where we are today with the corona crisis, when you need institutions to deal with this situation. On the other side we have increasing cases. I hope, as Minister Filipche said, the number of cases will go down by the end of the week,” Zbogar told reporters. You have two situations, he added, you need to balance and it’s up to your politicians to balance them and see when it’s the right moment for elections. The diplomat warned that the situation, involving elections, will not get easier later in the year. “Politicians should make a decision as soon as possible,” he stressed answering a journalist question after a presentation of EU’s assistance as part of Covid-19 response efforts. Deputy PM Bujar Osmani reiterated that his party DUI’s position was founded on two principles, namely the health situation and a consensus involving the election process. “The two additional weeks during the state of emergency give us enough time to focus on the health situation, to communicate with each other and once the state of emergency is lifted to sit down and discuss all facts and epidemiological trends and the outcome from political negotiations before we decide what to do next,” he said. Osmani said that if elections were held in the coming period, they should be organized on5  July. “However, we all find it hard to talk about elections when we’re seeing a spike in new cases,” he stated.

Mickoski: It is madness to hold elections now (Republika)

We can’t talk about elections while we have new patients in the triple digits, it’s madness, said opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski. The ruling SDSM party continues to demand elections on 5 July, even as Macedonia has by far the worst coronavirus statistics for the entire epidemic so far. They keep at it like a broken record, “5 July and that’s final”. That means the campaign should start in 10 days, while we have more than a 100 infected each day. We don’t have a head of the OSCE mission, no long-term election observers, it’s unclear whether any observers will be able to come. This is not a good direction we are on. Who will recognize those elections without monitoring, with a violation of all deadlines provided in the electoral code? Are they going to send police squadrons to arrest me again, is that under the electoral rules? What will we do if people die because of this? For me, a human life has no price, Mickoski said. European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi recently called on Macedonia to make sure that all parties are allowed to campaign and present their positions before the vote takes place. SDSM has been campaigning like crazy over the past weeks, but is now reaping the consequences, as dozens of high level SDSM officials are infected or in quarantine after attending pre-election events and campaign meetings. SDSM has apparently determined that a very low turnout “corona election” is their best chance for a good result.

Doctor Nikolov: Who will dare vote if the candidates are in quarantine? (Republika)

How can we hold elections if candidates are in quarantine, asked doctor Igor Nikolov, who is a member of the VMRO-DPMNE Executive Committee. His comment comes as the ruling SDSM party continues to demand that elections take place on 5 July, even as dozens of SDSM officials are infected with the coronavirus or ordered in quarantine as Macedonia is having a second, even more dangerous wave of the coronavirus epidemic. The interim Prime Minister insists that everything is normal, even as he is ordered to self-isolate for the second time in two months. If this is normal for them, they can hold any type of elections they want. Who will go out and vote if the head of the list of candidates is positive to the virus and is locked in at home, Nikolov asked. The opposition VMRO-DPMNE party demands that elections take place on the epidemic has been put under control, proposing dates in August or September. But SDSM apparently hopes that extremely low turnout elections will be best for them given their drop in the polls and numerous corruption scandals.

Bulgaria puts Macedonia back on the black list, orders mandatory 14 days of quarantine for our citizens (Republika)

Due to the spike in new coronavirus cases and deaths in Macedonia, Bulgaria reversed its decision to open the border, and will have all Macedonian citizens crossing over held in a mandatory two weeks long quarantine. Macedonia is now an outlier in the Balkans, where most countries are declaring an end to the epidemic, or have a very low number of cases while in Macedonia the numbers are worse than they were during the earlier peak in mid and late April. Bulgaria ordered an end to the quarantine for citizens of Bosnia and Montenegro, while putting Macedonia back on the black list.

In North Macedonia 177 new Covid-19 cases (MIA/Kanal 5 TV)

North Macedonia update 177 new cases of Covid-19 and 2 patients have died in the past 24 hours, the Institute for Public Health told MIA. More information on the exact number of new cases and tests conducted will be available later in the day. Kanal 5 TV reports that the coronavirus tests conducted over the past 24 hours found 160 newly infected patients. If confirmed, this would be the worst daily toll since the start of the epidemic. Macedonia had only three days with the number of new cases in the triple digits before. The first was in mid-April, but the rest are this week, revealing how serious the current spike in the epidemic actually is. The death toll also spiked in the past two weeks, on the heels of the Muslim month of Ramadan during which many households ignored coronavirus restrictions and held overnight feasts.

Basha’s ‘Okay’ for Electoral Reform still pending (ADN)

After successive meetings of political representatives in recent days to find consensus on electoral reform, the Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha on Thursday met with German Ambassador Peter Zingraf. Later on, he held a meeting with the chairs of opposition parties. Reportedly, the opposition allies have asked Basha more time to come up with a response to the US Ambassador. On the other hand, US Ambassador Yuri Kim, German Ambassador Peter Zingraf, British Ambassador Duncan Norman, and the Head of OSCE Presence Bernd Borchardt were received in a meeting by the EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca on Thursday.

After a nine-hour meeting of the Political Council on Wednesday, the DP leader Lulzim Basha implied that he doesn’t fully agree with the draft agreement on electoral reform announced by US Ambassador Yuri Kim. In a brief press statement, Basha said that there is one more issue to be agreed. “Progress has been made towards agreement on the administration of elections. One issue remains unresolved. I want to assure the Albanians that the united opposition will do everything to guarantee a free and fair vote,” Basha replied to Ambassador Kim’s announcement.

After the long meeting in Wednesday evening, Ambassador Kim thanked the Socialist majority for the work done and urged the opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha to accept the agreement. “The time has come for the Democratic Party and my friend Luli Basha to balance all the factors and say yes to Albanians. The ball is in his court, the future is in his hands” the ambassador told reporters. Kim emphasized that the deal could put Albania “firmly on the path to EU membership”. According to her, the deal contains measures that address the concerns raised by ODIHR as well as steps not recommended by it, but which would “represent a step forward for free and fair elections in Albania”. Although the deadline for the conclusion of talks on the reform was set on Wednesday, opposition representatives Oerd Bylykbashi of the DP and Petrit Vasili of the SMI, demanded more time.

Covid-19 Cases top 1212 in Albania (ADN)

Health Ministry confirmed 15 more coronavirus cases over last 24 hours, pushing the total infection count to 1212. Ten new cases were confirmed in Tirana, two in Kamza and three in Shkodra. The active number of cases is currently 269. “In the last 24 hours, 162 tests were performed, of which 15 positive cases were detected. Two positive cases in the Municipality of Kamza have been traced during a funeral ceremony, so once again the Ministry of Health and Social Protection reminds citizens that funerals beyond close family circle are not allowed, as they are a risk for the spread of infection. 24 people are currently being treated at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, five of whom are in intensive care, one of them is intubated. During the last 24 hours, 12 citizens have recovered, bringing their total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 910,” said Eugena Tomini from the Institute of Public Health.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Iran, Serbia discuss expansion of transport ties (Tehran Times, 5 June 2020)

TEHRAN – Iranian Ambassador to Belgrade Rashid Hassanpour met with Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Z. Mihajlovic on Thursday and discussed expansion of cooperation in air and road transportation. As reported by IRNA, Mihajlovic also underlined the capacity for facilitating cooperation between Iranian and Serbian construction companies. The official also expressed hope that the two countries’ presidents would meet in the near future. She also praised Iran’s principled position with regard to defending Serbian territorial integrity and national sovereignty. She described Iran-Serbia air transportation agreement as an important factor in developing tourism, and cooperation in agricultural and economic fields. Hassanpour, for his part, underlined the recent phone call between Iranian and Serbian presidents and expressed Iran’s readiness for reinforcing cooperation in agriculture, food industry, education, information technology, tourism, mine and construction fields. Iranian ambassador stressed the need for facilitating visa issuance and launching direct flight between Tehran and Belgrade aiming to exchange tourists. Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a phone call with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic underlined Iran’s readiness for transferring anti-COVID experiences to Serbia, saying the U.S. cruel sanctions will not disturb economic ties between the two countries. Referring to Iran’s success and planning in fighting coronavirus such as producing diagnostics test kits by Iranian knowledge-based companies, President Rouhani said Iran is ready to share experiences and to maintain scientific and technology cooperation with Serbia. Meanwhile, Vucic stressed that his country is against imposing sanctions and pressure on Iran. We should take advantage of the existing opportunities for developing cooperation in trade, scientific, cultural, technology, tourism and academic fields, he added.