LOCAL PRESS 

Petkovic: More difficult position of Serbia with Biden, but it is not the end of the world (TV Happy/RTV) 

Joseph Biden’s victory complicates Serbia’s position, but it is “not the end of the world”, says the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic, adding that Pristina has been waiting all along for the outcome of the US election results, expecting the US to put additional pressure on Serbia to recognize Kosovo and that things in the dialogue will move in the direction that suits it. Petkovic said that in Pristina, they thought that the situation with Kosovo and Metohija would go in the other direction with Trump, and that is why they behaved completely irrationally when it comes to dialogue with Belgrade. He pointed out that the US recognized Kosovo and that it would not change its policy towards Kosovo, but that the attitude of the US administration had changed in the fact that the US finally wanted to hear the Serbian side. He also pointed out that in his congratulations to Biden, President Vucic stated that Serbia hopes for the continuation of good cooperation, which was established during Trump. “Unlike everyone who ran to throw a stone at Trump, President Vucic does not give up what the facts are, and that is that during Trump, Serbia was moving in a good direction, which is why we said that our position with Biden would be more difficult,” said Petkovic. Speaking about the dialogue with Pristina, Petkovic said that all important issues should be discussed, which will relax the relations between Belgrade and Pristina and the issue of missing and internally displaced persons should be resolved, as well as the issue of the economy, which, as he assessed, especially burdens the Albanian society. Commenting on the indictment and apprehension of former KLA members, Petkovic said it was a good and positive step because for 20 years there was no political will to investigate crimes against killed Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. “There are facts, there are witnesses, evidence, justice should be served. It remains to be seen in which direction the trials will go, because that court was established according to the laws of the so-called Kosovo, it was only territorially relocated to The Hague. We will follow how it will proceed,” said Petkovic.

Godfrey: Special thanks to Minister Comic (N1/Beta/RTS) 

US Ambassador in Serbia Anthony Godfrey wrote on his Twitter account that he was pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with the ministers in the new government and define guidelines for progress. He voiced special thanks to Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Gordana Comic whose ministry shows that Serbia understands the importance of progress in protecting human rights and strengthening the rule of law which, he added, are crucial for the country’s progress on the road to a free and united Europe.

Without investment and stronger engagement gap between EU and Western Balkans will widen (Beta) 

Without the accession of six Western Balkan states to the European Union, that historic project will not be complete, agreed participants of a panel entitled Turning Point – EU Enlargement During the Pandemic, but also expressed different opinions on whether the EU was doing enough on the political and economic plane to speed up the process. Participants in the online debate on a document titled Turning Point, put together with the aim of initiating a new policy of European integration of the region, said that what set the document apart from similar documents was the fact that its key points were more efficient EU investment programs for the purpose of strengthening human capital, growth and prosperity in the Western Balkans, as well as the language of truth about democratic and socio-economic backsliding and growing authoritarianism in the region. The initiator of the new policy, Albanian MP and former foreign minister Ditmir Bushati said that the main message of the document was that there was no region with such strong economic and political ties to the EU as the Western Balkans, which was why European integration had no alternative, but added that both sides in that process should demonstrate political responsibility. German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schieb admitted that the pandemic had slowed the process down to an extent, but that it was largely up to the candidate countries to make progress and expedite their journey to the EU. One of the authors of the document, head of the Brussels office of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs Dusan Reljic, said he did not fully agree with the remark that it was solely up to the candidate countries to make progress.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Western Balkans leaders to meet at Summit in Sofia as part of Berlin Process; Leaders to sign documents on establishing of common regional market (Dnevni avaz)

Representatives of the countries of the Western Balkans will attend the Summit in Sofia on Tuesday, as part of Berlin Process and they are expected to sign the Declaration on Common Regional Market (CRM), Action Plan for Common Regional Market for 2021- 2024 period and Sofia Declaration on Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. Daily reminded that Berlin Process is an initiative for improvement of the regional cooperation and European integration and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is part of it. European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi addressed the participants on the eve of the Summit and stressed that the Western Balkans is priority of this composition of the European Commission since the beginning of its mandate. “Future of the entire region is in the EU and it is in our joint strategic interest to lead the region to the EU.  I hope that the meeting within Berlin Process, will focus on the importance of the regional cooperation. This is not alternative to the EU integration, but is a fundamental part of the process which leads to this,” said Varhelyi. He stressed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, we witnessed that intensive regional cooperation can be the best tool for further development of the region. “For instance, through successful establishing of ‘green corridors’. The region showed that they can work together. We are currently researching proposals for expansion of ‘green corridors’ up to border crossings between the countries of the Western Balkans and EU member states.  Last month the EC adopted Economic and Investment Plan mobilizing nine billion of non-returnable aid for the region in order to instigate sustainable economic development and in order to decrease the gap with the EU. Instigating of the regional cooperation is a central element of this plan,” said Varhelyi. He commended the authorities in the region because of their ambitious action plan of common regional market, which the leaders are about to adopt. “This is crucial work on increase of attractiveness and competitiveness of the region and getting the region closer to the EU single market. CRM would also give a huge incentive to human connectivity. One of its ambitions is free movement of the people. This would for instance, enable the people to travel only with the IDs, it would remove the need for working licenses and facilitate mobility of students, researchers and professors,” ends Commissioner Varhelyi. He noted that one of key sectors of the Economic and Investment Plan is establishing of human capital, with strong focus on the youth. The European Commission announced that the plan for regional economic community of Western Balkans will be based on four concrete measures which refer to reduction of cross-border banking fees, removal of technical obstacles to trade, harmonization of investment policies and recognition of professional qualifications across the region.

B&H CoM adopts Information on Berlin Process Summit and tasks all relevant authority levels in B&H to fully engage in activities stemming from Berlin Process (BHT1)

The B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) held an extraordinary telephone session on Monday and discussed the Berlin Process Summit, scheduled to take place in Sofia on Tuesday. Namely, countries of the Western Balkans are expected to sign a joint document on regional cooperation at the summit, in presence of EU representatives. At the previous session, HDZ B&H’s ministers in the CoM refused to endorse the Information on the Summit, because they demanded inclusion of cantons and entities as the decision-making factors. At the extraordinary telephone session on Monday, the B&H CoM adopted the Information on the Berlin Process Summit, scheduled to take place in Sofia on Tuesday. The CoM tasked all relevant authority levels in B&H to act in line with their constitutional competences and to fully engage and contribute to the activities stemming from the Berlin Process. Documents that should be in the focus of the summit include the Declaration on a Joint Regional Market and the Action Plan for Development of the Joint Regional Market for the period 2021-2024, and the Declaration of the Partners from the Western Balkans in regards to the Green Agenda. B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic stated that they managed to find a solution that will satisfy everyone. Turkovic: “Most likely, and bearing in mind that a compromise solution was reached, we only have the technical part of the job left to do, to vote again, all ministers to vote, to harmonize the stance and then, it goes to the (B&H) Presidency. The Presidency is supposed to hold an extraordinary session tonight, to harmonize, i.e. to confirm the decision of the CoM and therefore, we will be able to equally take part at the summit that will be held in Sofia”.

Cvijanovic: ‘Mini-Schengen’ project is good idea and its implementation will improve many things in Western Balkans (ATV)

Commenting on the ’Mini-Schengen ’initiative, Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that the ‘Mini-Schengen’ project is a good idea and its implementation will improve many things in the Western Balkans. She assessed that the ‘Mini-Schengen’ initiative will mean good preparation in the EU integration process, but that the initiative itself does not necessarily means the EU membership because the membership comes after meeting certain conditions and criteria. “Therefore, this can be a good indicatory arrangement through which we will get used to function in a different manner with eased conditions for movement and functioning of our economies here in the region, which all together creates preconditions for progress on the EU path,” Cvijanovic concluded. Cvijanovic also said: “Many doubt that it is a substitute form for the process of European integration, but I would say that it is essentially a preparatory phase for this process. We do not know how long the process will take, i.e. until EU membership is reached, and we have defined it as a priority goal to obtain candidate status, because it gives us more space for institutional and any other connections, and the use of EU funds”.

UN Security Council extends mandate of EUFOR/ALTEA military force in B&H (Dnevni list)

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has extended the mandate of the EUFOR/ALTEA military force in B&H with a view to maintaining a peaceful and stable situation in the country. In reporting to the UN Security Council, High Representative Valentin Inzko expressed gratitude for the presence of EUFOR forces in B&H and stressed that their stay is still necessary. Following Inzko’s report, the UN Security Council confirmed the extension of the mandate of EUFOR forces in the mission in B&H. Representatives of the United States, France and China also gave support to the EUFOR / ALTEA mission in the role of maintaining peace and stability in B&H, which was eventually adopted by a resolution extending the mandate. “The situation in B&H has long been stable and peaceful, as regularly reflected in EUFOR / ALTHEA reports, as well as in relevant UN Security Council resolutions. EUFOR / ALTHEA has the mandate to support the implementation of the military aspects of the peace agreement. In recent years, to suit the situation on the ground, the EUFOR / ALTHEA mission has been reconfigured as the mission’s primary focus has shifted from deterrence and safe environment activities to capacity building and training,” said Ambassador Sven Alkalaj, B&H Permanent Representative to the UN.

Croatian Minister attends Berlin Process meeting on ways to strengthen cooperation (Hina)

Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman participated in an online meeting on Monday of the member-countries of the Berlin Process focusing on the strengthening of regional cooperation and trust-building, the ministry said. Regional cooperation and trust-building are to be enhanced through contacts and mobility – primarily between young people and civil society organizations, it was said at the meeting. Participants confirmed their support to projects and programs concerning young people and advocated closer regional cooperation as well as the economic prosperity and European journey of the Western Balkan countries. In his address at the event, Grlic Radman welcomed the first co-chairmanship of the Berlin Process by Bulgaria and North Macedonia, stressing that the regional character of the project was now fully evident and represents the continuity of previous efforts aimed at strengthening good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation as well as the European perspective of the Western Balkans. He pointed to the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, adopted by the European Commission on October 6, noting that it would encourage economic growth and step up the process of economic convergence with the EU. Connectivity, green and digital transformation and competitiveness are identified in the plan as the main challenges for the Western Balkan countries and overcoming those challenges will make the region attractive to investments and help it exploit its economic potential, Grlic Radman said. He also underlined the importance of offering young people better prospects through quality education, equal opportunities, and a stable and safe environment and mobility, to secure the stability and sustainability of regional development.

Jewish official calls on PM to finally outlaw Ustasha symbols (Hina)

The head of the Jewish Community of Zagreb, Ognjen Kraus, on Monday called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to finally see to it that a law was adopted to ban Ustasha symbols and insignia. Speaking at a conference on education about the Holocaust, held on the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism and the 82nd anniversary of the ‘Kristallnacht’ pogrom, Kraus called on the government to finally match their words by deeds. He noted that the ruling HDZ party controlled the parliamentary majority together with ethnic minorities and that it had got rid of the right as well as nationalist and pro-Ustasha groups which had prevented the adoption of the laws most Croatian citizens, ethnic minorities and antifascist Europe had expected it to adopt. As for recommendations by the government-appointed commission on undemocratic regimes regarding the use of the Ustasha salute “For the homeland ready”, Kraus said that they were constantly abused, including at state-level commemorations even though steps forward had been made with regard to the Serb ethnic minority in the context of the Homeland War and the approach to commemorations. “I have been repeating for years that actions speak louder than words, you have a unique opportunity to finally adopt a law banning the use of insignia and symbols of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH),” said Kraus. In a message to the prime minister, Kraus said that his offer of cooperation, extended on April 22, when they attended a joint commemoration for the victims of the World War II Ustasha-run concentration camp of Jasenovac, still stood but that he was waiting for Plenkovic to reciprocate while time was running fast. Kraus said that Plenkovic had made his position clear, claiming that he had reformed the HDZ into a modern, centre-right party that had rid itself of the burden of the extreme nationalist Ustasha-loving appendage, and had formed his government with ethnic minorities, including the Roma and Serbs who together with Jews had been liquidated under the NDH’s racial laws. Kraus called on the prime minister to table a proposal to the parliament speaker to call a parliamentary session on the matter and pass the relevant law, as was done by European countries like Austria and Germany long ago. He expressed confidence the law would be carried by a two-thirds majority if Plenkovic’s party and ethnic minorities backed it.

Attempts to undermine Montenegrin identity must be resisted (CdM)

Montenegro’s President, Milo Djukanovic, has welcomed representatives of the Montenegrin council, organization that brings together Montenegrin emigrant associations in Serbia. Legal representative of the Montenegrin council, Dragan Gago Markovic, has expressed his gratitude to the President for the reception and has passed the greetings of the President of the Council, Milenko Perovic. He has presented the program and objectives of the Montenegrin Council representing interests of Montenegrin emigrants in Serbia. They have pointed at the stronger support for the kin-state, so as to more efficiently organize and resist the attempts to undermine Montenegrin identity and national awareness, while keeping full loyalty to the Republic of Serbia. With satisfaction with the meeting with the representatives of the Montenegrin national community, President Djukanovic emphasized that Montenegro’s approach had always been a responsible and civic approach to the future. He assessed that the Montenegrin community should continue to contribute to the further development of the society with a proactive attitude, working on its recognition strengthening coherence and awareness of its identity, as an inseparable part of the European cultural heritage. The President expressed readiness to continue supporting projects that are of special importance to the Montenegrin community in Serbia.

Berlin non-paper leaked: Macedonia accepted concessions on the language and minority rights, but it wasn’t enough for Bulgaria (Republika/ORF)

German ORF has published the text of the agreement reached between Macedonian and Bulgarian diplomats in Berlin last week, that was supposed to help Bulgaria open the EU accession talks with Macedonia. But shortly after the meeting, facilitated by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his deputy Michael Roth, Bulgaria withdrew from the agreement.

The paper states that Bulgaria will support Macedonia’s EU accession. “In this spirit, BGR confirms its readiness to agree to the negotiations framework EU – MKD and to holding the first Intergovernmental Conference in December 2020 during the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union”. In exchange, it receives a relatively light concession – Macedonia is asked to “declare officially that the Macedonian language has been codified in 1945”, which is a fact, although the language of course has a much older genesis. Bulgaria insists that it has derived from the Bulgarian language, and its position would be noted by the Council.

Macedonia is also asked to renounce any territorial claims on Bulgaria, which it has done frequently, by stating that the imposed name “North Macedonia” refers only on the… “Republic of North Macedonia”, and not as Bulgaria sometimes fears to its own province of Blagoevgrad or Pirin Macedonia. Macedonia is also required to recommit to fighting “incitement of violence and hatred”, which Bulgaria defines as promoting the minority rights of Macedonians in Bulgaria: “BGR and MKD will officially reconfirm Art.11 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, including minority issues, and recommit to undertake efficient measures to prevent ill- intentioned propaganda by institutions and agencies and to discourage activities of private entities aimed at inciting violence, hatred and other similar activities that may be detrimental to their relations”. This was verbally agreed between Macedonian diplomats Nikola Dimitrov and Bujar Osmani, and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. But upon Zaharieva’s return to Sofia, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and President Rumen Radev promptly rejected it as insufficient, and Bulgaria then blocked the opening of accession talks. Next attempt to thaw the relations comes tomorrow, with the Sofia summit of the Berlin process, which is being co-organized by Macedonia and Bulgaria and was supposed to be a major show of unity and cooperation, but instead marks a low point in relations between the two countries.

Full text, as published by ORF journalist Christian Wehrschuetz:

Non-Paper: 

1. BGR, MKD and DEU underline their joint commitment to the EU perspective of the Western Balkans and to a credible EU enlargement policy as well as to intensifying regional cooperation, all of which is crucial for the stability of the region.

2. In this spirit, BGR confirms its readiness to agree to the negotiations framework EU – MKD and to holding the first Intergovernmental Conference in December 2020 during the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

3. On the occasion of the first Intergovernmental Conference, MKD will declare officially towards EU Member States and Institutions that the short form of its state name – North Macedonia – refers solely to the political entity “Republic of North Macedonia”.

4. BGR reserves the right, in an unilateral statement to be annexed to the negotiation framework, to declare that when referring to the Macedonian language it understands the Macedonian language in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia. The DEU Presidency will ask the Council to take official note of the position of BGR that when referring to the Macedonian language it is to be considered in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia. MKD is ready to declare officially that the Macedonian language has been codified in 1945.

5. BGR and MKD confirm their willingness to intensify their close bilateral cooperation on the basis of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, with a special focus on the work of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission for Historical and Education Issues, which should be intensified and made more transparent including by publishing the results achieved. DEU declares its readiness to support the work of the Commission by sharing best–practices on working methods.

6. BGR and MKD will officially reconfirm Art.11 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, including minority issues, and recommit to undertake efficient measures to prevent ill- intentioned propaganda by institutions and agencies and to discourage activities of private entities aimed at inciting violence, hatred and other similar activities that may be detrimental to their relations.

7. BGR, MKD and DEU stress the importance of connectivity and infrastructure, especially the rail and road connection running from Durres via Skopje to Sofia and Varna. They will support prioritization of Corridor VIII in the framework of the EU Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.

8. BGR and MKD agree on the importance of fostering good – neighbourly relations on all levels, including via youth exchange, and are considering to kick off a joint youth exchange project, while jointly examining further possible areas for the cooperation to foster mutual understanding and intensify bilateral contacts, including media exchange projects and town twinnings.

9. BGR, MKD and DEU remain concerned about the grave situation caused by pandemic, stress that close cooperation between neighbors within the EU and of the EU with the Western Balkan countries is crucial to jointly overcome the crisis which puts at risk our prosperity, social cohesion and stability.

Biden’s victory is huge relief in Europe (ADN)

“I think the days when the United States could unilaterally set the world agenda are over. However, I think we are in desperate need for the United States to regain much of its lost authority and work with its partners in Europe and elsewhere in the world to balance many of the most disturbing challenges we are seeing on the international stage,” said Dr. James Ker-Lindsay, who is a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and is a Research Associate at the Centre for International Studies at Oxford University. In an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News he dwelt on the power shift in the White House, expressing the opinion that there is huge relief in Europe at Biden’s victory. “I certainly hope that we will see a stronger Transatlantic relationship,” he says. Professor Lindsay does not think anyone expects that the ‘agreement’ brokered by Mr. Trump between Serb President Aleksander Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti in Washington in September will now stand. “In fact, it was an absolutely ridiculous arrangement. Most of it was designed to serve US interests, rather than the interests of the parties themselves. In fact, I think there will probably be relief. While Israel’s decision to recognize Kosovo will probably stand, I simply don’t see either Serbia or Kosovo setting up embassies in Jerusalem,” he said. In the meantime, Mr. Lindsay expects some serious changes on some of the key international issues, and it was interesting for him that Biden has already made tackling climate change one of his four key priorities. The Professor thinks that the United States has a key role to play in the world, but the best results are achieved when it works with its European and other close allies.

At the outset of this interview, Professor, could you share with the readers of Albanian Daily News your opinion on what the US presidential election campaign, its result – the landslide victory of Joe Biden, and the reluctance of President Trump to accept the defeat, mean? 

Professor James Ker-Lindsay: I think that the United States has a tendency to think that it is the world’s leading democracy. However, this election has once again exposed the fundamental flaws in the system. I think that most functioning democracies look at the US with amazement. This is a country where many electoral districts are gerrymandered to create perpetual zones where one party dominates; where large parts of society face unacceptable hurdles to register to vote; where we saw people having to queue up for hours to cast a vote; and where the vote can often take an unacceptably long time to be counted. However, this election may well also highlight the dangers of having such a long transition from one president to another.

Trump still has two months to do extreme damage before Biden takes over. In current circumstances, there is a lot to be said of a system, such as the one in Britain, where a defeated leader is out of office the next morning and the next prime minister starts work in the afternoon. There is a lot in the United States that is extremely positive. However, there is also a deep-rooted inability for the country to see its shortcomings. Its democratic system has huge failings.

It is being spoken much about Biden’s task to bring the US to normalcy, to rebuild the soul of America and heal it and make a ‘catharsis’ in the divided country. Is US democracy passing through a transition period? 

There is no doubt that the United States has been through a very bad period. However, it has not been alone. We have seen the rise in national populism in many countries. And while there will be a hope that Biden’s victory will mark a turning point, many will be worried that the political outlook that saw him elected in the first place will continue. It is worth remembering that 70 million Americans voted for him, despite knowing full well that he was a liar, a racist, and a misogynist. Hopefully, the United States can start to deal with many of the fundamental problems it has. But I think it is premature to believe that Biden’s win can erase ’Trumpism’. This may be with us for many years to come.

What does Joe Biden’s win mean for the world in general and particularly for Europe, EU and NATO? 

I think that there is huge relief in Europe at Biden’s victory. The past four years have seen a huge deterioration in Transatlantic relations that has hastened the moves towards a far more uncertain international system. There will be many who will see this as a chance to try to rebuild the ties between the United States and Europe and start working together to confront many of the most pressing security issues in world politics. I certainly hope that we will see a stronger Transatlantic relationship.

President- elect Biden is very familiar with the Balkans. Do you think there will be a shift in the US policy towards the region, and secondly will the deal brokered by Mr. Trump in the White House between Serb President Aleksander Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti be affected? 

I don’t think anyone expects that the ‘agreement’ signed in Washington in September will now stand. In fact, it was an absolutely ridiculous arrangement. Most of it was designed to serve US interests, rather than the interests of the parties themselves. In fact, I think there will probably be relief. While Israel’s decision to recognize Kosovo will probably stand, I simply don’t see either Serbia or Kosovo setting up embassies in Jerusalem. As for the shift towards the region, here I am probably less optimistic than many observers. For all the fundamental faults in Trump’s foreign policy, I think that his efforts to push a deal between Serbia and Kosovo gave a new impetus to talks between the sides after many years of a lacklustre EU performance. It was Grenell’s efforts to push Belgrade and Pristina towards a comprehensive deal that finally forced the EU to wake up and become more active again. I do worry that with Biden in power, the EU may slip back into its old ways. Kosovo and Serbia need to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible. In my view, the slow normalization process favored by the EU is detrimental to all concerned.

President-elect Biden has promised to be different, to reverse some of Trump’s more controversial foreign policies related to issues like climate change, international organizations, China, Russia, etc. What impact can such an eventual endeavor have on the world, peace and security? 

Yes. I expect that we will see some serious changes on some of the key issues. It is interesting that Biden has already made tackling climate change one of his four key priorities. However, in other areas, it is not clear how things will change just yet. China and Russia present two key challenges, but are obviously very different from each other. The good news is that there will be a lot of people around Biden who will be thinking about these issues. The problem is that the past four years has seen a lot of talent leave the State Department. The US had lost a lot of its frontline diplomatic talent. This will have an effect.

Imbued in traditions of US global leadership that champions democracy and human rights, do you think Mr. Biden can ‘accomplish such a mission’ in a new world which is shifting very fast towards multilateralism in the circumstance of the global fight against the coronavirus plague? Could it be possible for Mr. Biden and his administration to reset the world order the way he wants?  

No. I think the days when the United States could unilaterally set the world agenda are over. However, I think we are in desperate need for the United States to regain much of its lost authority and work with its partners in Europe and elsewhere in the world to balance many of the most disturbing challenges we are seeing on the international stage. Fundamentally, I do think that the United States has a key role to play in the world, but that the best results are achieved when it works with its European and other close allies, such as Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc. We need a balance between the nationalistic US unilateralism of the Bush era and nationalistic US isolationism of the Trump era. Obama never really delivered on the hope that he would be able to rebuild relations with Europe – largely because I think his personal inclinations were elsewhere. I think that many hope that Biden will focus attention on building those ties with Europe.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES 

Comment by the Information and Press Department on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers activities (Russian Foreign Ministry, 9 November 2020) 

The fact that the Kosovo Specialist Chambers Specialist Prosecutor’s Office have stepped up their probe into Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) crimes on indictments against former leaders of this heinous entity has come to our attention. The defendants include “President” Hashim Thaci and former “Speaker of the Parliament” Kadri Veseli. It is critically important to bring those guilty of committing serious crimes, identified in due time by PACE Rapporteur Dick Marty, before the court to hold them accountable before the law. In this sense, there must be no untouchable people. The impressive “status” of the accused is remarkable. It turns out that for many years there have been people at the head of the Kosovo quasi-state, with respect to whom strong evidence has been gathered tying them to illegal activities in Kosovo, including organised crime and terrorism. Unfortunately, Pristina’s Western patrons turned a blind eye to this part of their underlings’ biographies. It is becoming clear to the wider Western public who NATO was helping when it bombed sovereign Yugoslavia in 1999. Kosovo has long since become a hotbed of extremism and crime even as a neighbor of the EU. The arrest of two Kosovo “citizens” whom the Austrian police suspect of involvement in recent terrorist attacks in Vienna provides additional evidence of this. We hope that the West will finally heed the warnings about the true nature of Kosovo’s “statehood” and stop blindly supporting those who are determined to do anything for the sake of their self-serving political goals.

Law ratifying EAEU-Serbia agreement on a free trade zone (The Kremlin, 9 November 2020) 

Vladimir Putin signed Federal Law On Ratification of a Free Trade Zone Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and its member states and the Republic of Serbia. The agreement was signed in Astana on October 25, 2019. The agreement is based on the aspiration of the sides to develop and deepen trade and economic cooperation in areas of common interest.

The agreement provides for the commitment of the sides to liberalise their trade with a view to establishing free trade rules between the EAEU and its member states, on the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, on the other part.