LOCAL PRESS
Vucic: Haradinaj is a dangerous man, Greater Albania is a threat to the entire region (RTS)
Commenting the statement by the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj that he advocates a referendum for unification with Albania if Kosovo does not become an EU member and does not integrate with the EU and other organizations, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says that Serbia will have an adequate response. “They were surprised when I said that Serbia will have an adequate response to such announcements. I am not threatening anyone. The creation of a Greater Albania is a threat not only to Serbia but also to the region,” said Vucic. According to the President, Ramush Haradinaj is a dangerous man and a skilled politician who is pleading for the position of the Kosovo president. “And if Albin Kurti would be the prime minister along with him, then they would have both branches of government that are in favor of unification with Albania,” Vucic emphasized. The President said that he would like to hear more reactions from Washington, Brussels and other centers of power.
“If someone in Serbia talked about some other types of unification in the Balkans, not only would they impose sanctions on us, but they would almost bomb us,” Vucic said. He said that Serbia is not a “shallow stream” so that everyone can jump over it that way.
Varadi: Kosovo secession illegal, yet it’s not part of Serbia at this point (N1/Beta)
An international law scholar and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), professor Tibor Varadi, said that Kosovo seceded illegally and contrary to international law, but it is not part of Serbia at this point, and the Serbian administration has no authority in Kosovo either. In a comment on the words of Vladimir Kostic, president of the Academy, that Kosovo is not part of Serbia, either de facto or de jure, Varadi explained in an interview with the TV N1 that what Kostic had said was that Kosovo is not effectively Serbia’s at this point, and that we should do something about it, proceeding from that point.Professor Varadi said he believed in a dialogue about Kosovo, adding that it’s the only way to step out of the usual phrases, but also that the Academy should not fight political battles directly. “SANU should maintain a distance from politics, and I think it’s possible,” the professor said.
Several opposition parties to take part in talks on elections with authorities (Beta)
The Social Democratic Party and the New Party on Monday issued a joint press release,
saying that the Democratic Party, Party of Freedom and Justice, Movement of Free Citizens and the Movement for a Turnabout had so far answered their public call for the creation of a negotiating platform for a dialogue on election conditions under EU auspices. “Given that, except for the Movement of Free Citizens, these parties so far had not responded to our invitations for joint opposition meetings until now, we see that they have sent us their proposal for a platform as an answer to our calls over several months” and as their contribution to the opposition’s unified approach, reads the press release. The press release recalls that the New Party and the Social Democratic Party initiated dialogue several months ago, within the opposition and that at one of the last meetings they issued a public call to the opposition parties that had not taken part in the meetings until then to send their proposals and join in the creation of a common opposition platform.
Bilcik: We are ready for Serbia’s inter-party dialogue right now (N1)
The European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik told N1 on Monday he expected the inter-party dialogue in Serbia to start every day. “We were ready last year, we can start any day, tomorrow,” he said. He added the EP delegation was ready to start cooperation with the new government. We sent a letter to the parliament speaker Ivica Dacic. We are ready to cooperate with the parliament. Bilcik said all European institutions supported the inter-party dialogue. “Serbia will hold the next elections in April 2022, as announced by the President. We have to start work immediately to achieve some results before the elections. We hope to start as soon as possible; the European Parliament is ready,” Bilcik said.
First lawsuit against NATO ready: Compensation sought for people ill with cancer because of bombing (Tanjug)
On 20 January, the Aleksic law firm from Nis will file the first lawsuit seeking compensation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), on behalf of cancer patients who became ill as a consequence of the bombing of our country in 1999, when the alliance used ammunition with depleted uranium. The first lawsuit will be filed before the litigation department of the Higher Court in Belgrade, lawyer Srdjan Aleksic told Tanjug. After that, other lawsuits will follow before courts in Vranje, Nis, Kragujevac and Novi Sad. The filing will seek compensation for cancer patients, i.e., for specific clients who got sick due to depleted uranium poisoning. They are mostly soldiers, police officers and members of the military reserves, who were in Kosovo and Metohija or in southern Serbia in 1999. Italian lawyer Angelo Fiore Tartaglia was also involved in the preparation of the lawsuits and court proceedings. He took part in similar cases in Italy and managed to win 181 cases for his clients, Italian soldiers who were deployed in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo and Metohija. Tartaglia, who was enrolled in the Nis Bar Association at the end of last year, managed to prove before Italian courts the cause-and-effect connection between depleted uranium and the soldiers later developing cancer, on the basis of which they received compensation. Aleksic pointed out that with the help of Italian court practice and expertise in cases in which the Italian lawyer participated, but also with other evidence, he will show before the courts in Serbia the existence of a causal link between depleted uranium poisoning and cancer cases among Serbian soldiers and police officers. The amount of damages to be sought will be specified during the court proceedings, but lawyer Aleksic believes that the minimum is 100,000 euros and more. Aleksic’s law firm will ask that their clients be released from paying court fees in these proceedings, because they suffer from the most serious illnesses. Italian courts did just that and released their soldiers from paying court fees. Aleksic believes that his clients were in an identical situation as the Italian soldiers who received damages before the courts in their country. “They didn’t have protective equipment, they consumed food, water and everything else in the field and, like Italian soldiers, they came into contact with heavy metals and depleted uranium when our army withdrew from Kosovo and Metohija,” the Nis lawyer specified. According to him, about 2,000 clients have approached the firm so far, and all of them have submitted medical documentation, which is being checked by a team of experts. He pointed out that the lawsuits will be filed on behalf of those who have adequate medical documentation, which shows that their malignant disease is a consequence of the effects of depleted uranium. The defendant will be the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO, since it is an international organization, founded by specific member-states, which has its own bodies and decision-making processes. In case the court awards compensation to the plaintiffs, it should be paid by NATO because, according to the Aleksic law firm, NATO as an international organization that has its own independent legal entity in relation to the member-states, and its own budget. Along with the lawsuits, the court will receive written evidence that domestic authorities previously collected in our country for the cases conducted against NATO leaders and the leaders of the countries that participated in the bombing. These are, above of all, the evidence presented in the proceedings conducted in 2000 before the District Court in Belgrade, and before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2004, the Italian verdicts in the cases of their soldiers who were deployed in peacekeeping missions in the former Yugoslavia, domestic courts’ practice, expertise and medical records. For now, the plan is to file so-called “pilot” lawsuits, which means initiating a limited number of proceedings, in order to even out court practice in the territory of the entire country. Italian soldiers received between 700,000 and a million euros per person from the Italian Ministry of Defense, because it sent them to Kosovo and Metohija and to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they got ill with cancer.
New Allied Joint Force Command Naples Commander for cfsp.rs: NATO and Serbia are close partners, stable Kosovo essential for regional stability and security (Council for Strategic Policy)
Admiral Robert P. Burke, Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples, ahead of his first visit to Belgrade, said that “NATO and Serbia are close partners” and that the participation of Serbian officers in multinational peacekeeping missions is a joint success.
Below is the integral version of the interview and Admiral Burke’s biography.
- What is your role as JFC Naples Commander? What is the purpose of your visit? Can you explain why are you visiting Pristina, Sarajevo and Belgrade and not some other places?
As the Commander of JFC Naples, I direct a combined staff, representing NATO’s 30 Allies, responsible for planning, preparing, and conducting military operations throughout the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s area of responsibility. JFC Naples oversees four missions across the Western Balkans: The Kosovo Force (KFOR), NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, the NATO Liaison Office in Skopje, and the NATO Military Liaison Office in Belgrade. Established through the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999, to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for the benefit of all communities in Kosovo, KFOR has been an enduring commitment to safeguard regional stability and Euro-Atlantic security. To this day, it is NATO’s largest mission in Europe. The other mentioned NATO entities located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia carry out daily activities designed to strengthen our political dialogue and practical cooperation with these countries. All of these engagements are conducted alongside our partners in the EU, UN and OSCE. I’m pleased to report that we’ll be closing the NATO Liaison Office in Skopje at the end of March, following the successful completion of our objectives there and North Macedonia’s accession as NATO’s 30th member state. It was a tremendous honor to welcome North Macedonia to the Alliance last year – we truly are stronger together. Allied Joint Force Command Naples was created as a part of NATO’s transformation, aimed at adapting the allied military structure to the operational challenges of Allied activities, in tackling the emerging threats of today. JFC Naples is one of three Joint Force Commands in the NATO Command Structure. Allied Joint Force Command, Brunssum, in The Netherlands and Allied Joint Force Command, Norfolk are the others. The new NATO Command Structure is leaner, more flexible, more efficient, and better able to conduct the full range of Alliance missions. Nearly all NATO nations contribute to the JFC Naples military staff in order to deter aggression and to contribute to the effective defense of NATO territory and forces and to preserve or restore the security of NATO nations. This is my first visit to the region, and I will visit KFOR in Pristina, Sarajevo and Belgrade. I expect it to be the first of many visits. The main purpose of the visit is for me to introduce myself and my team and meet with the NATO commanders and officials. I intend to explain what it is that we do, exchange views and ideas, improve our established channels of communication and explore possibilities to further advance our cooperation. Stability and security of the Western Balkans is important for NATO and for peace and stability in Europe. That is why I came here to get a better sense of the region. It’s important that we always look to how to continue to strengthen our partnership, our well-established cooperation through NATO’s ongoing support to military reforms and capability building and with joint efforts to ensure a peaceful and safe environment for all, which is a prerequisite for prosperity. Working together is something that improves us all, makes us better, stronger and more prepared to face the ever-changing and increasingly complex security challenges of today. We face the same security challenges in our shared Euro-Atlantic region, and dialogue and cooperation are important to address them effectively.
- Could you tell us more about NATO’s focus in the Western Balkans?
Since the end of the nineties, our forces in Kosovo have helped to keep peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Our offices in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Skopje promote political dialogue and carry out practical cooperation on a wide range of areas. These include – amongst others – reform of national security forces, structures and institutions; training and capacity-building, with the aim to make the military forces of these countries more capable to operate alongside Allied forces (in NATO-led missions and exercises); safe disposal of obsolete weapons; crisis response to natural emergencies; and scientific cooperation. Our policies in the region – including our Open Door policy – are aimed at strengthening stability and building greater cooperation. We are determined to continue to help the countries of the region to implement reforms. This will benefit their citizens and the entire Euro-Atlantic family.
- KFOR mission falls under your command. How would you evaluate the role of KFOR in preserving peace, especially during the times of COVID pandemic? How did the mission adjust to the new conditions and how do you think the pandemic was handled by your troops on ground?
A stable Kosovo is essential for stability in the region and for our own security. For more than two decades, peace and stability in Kosovo have been a priority for NATO. The UN mandate for our KFOR peacekeeping mission – which derives from the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – remains unchanged. We continue to support a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo, for the benefit of all people in Kosovo. The Alliance continues to also support the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina as the only path to a lasting solution to the issue. KFOR has established excellent dialogue with its Serbian interlocutors and we have direct channels of communication with Serbia’s Chief of Defence, General Milan Mojsilovic. These have been really valuable and help ensure mutual understanding and deconfliction. Security is a cooperative, team effort, so we work closely with all security partners. Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision: A safe and prosperous region. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge to all of our nations, and continues to have a profound impact on our people and our economies. NATO has played a part in supporting the civilian response to this crisis. In the first half of this year, military forces from across the Alliance have flown more than 350 flights around the world to transport medical personnel and more than 1,000 tons of equipment. They also helped to set-up almost 100 field-hospitals and more than 25,000 treatment beds. Our Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre has played a very important role in helping to provide relief to Allies and partners. We have been working closely with other international organizations, including the European Union and the United Nations, to ensure that our respective efforts were complementary and mutually reinforcing; and with the scientific community to develop creative solutions. So, NATO Allies have stood in solidarity. And they have helped each other out. But they have also delivered assistance to our partners, including Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina; and in various theatres of operation, including Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Let me give you a few examples. Turkey has provided masks, overalls and test kits to Serbia and other countries in the region. The Czech Republic has worked closely with Serbia in the development of filters for masks. This was done under a NATO framework of cooperation amongst defense education institutions. In Kosovo our KFOR mission has donated personal protective equipment to hospitals in Pristina and Gracanica and delivered more than 50 donations of food and clothing to 14 Kosovo municipalities, in coordination with local charities. NATO has also taken steps to deal with the ongoing demands of the pandemic. Through the approval of a new operations NATO has established a trust fund for the purchase of urgently needed items and a stockpile of medical supplies. Albania, the Czech Republic, Montenegro and North Macedonia have received dozens of ventilators, as well as around 1.5 Million euros in medical supplies from the stockpile. Ultimately, the challenge for NATO has not only been to react swiftly to the COVID-19 crisis, it has also been to ensure that such a health crisis would not turn into a security crisis. The Alliance has therefore maintained its operational readiness across the board to ensure NATO continues to perform its core task: to be ready to defend and protect our one billion citizens. On this course, we have made it a priority to safeguard the health of our personnel to be prepared to respond to any threat.
- KFOR plays an important role in preserving a safe and secure environment for all peoples in Kosovo. That is why I need to ask, can you confirm to us that KFOR will remain in Kosovo and is not withdrawing from the mission?
KFOR is a success story for the Alliance and our partners. For the past twenty-one years, KFOR has been helping transform Kosovo into a safer place. Currently KFOR counts around 3,500 troops contributed by 27 countries, including 19 NATO members and 8 partner countries. Our KFOR mission has always been conditions based, which means that any changes in terms of the nature of the mission and/or numbers of personnel will be based on an evaluation of the conditions on the ground and followed by a decision by the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s decision-making body. NATO has no plan to change or reduce its mission in Kosovo. KFOR remains focused on carrying on its tasks under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 and the Military Technical Agreement, in order to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.
The important role that KFOR has in Kosovo is something that is also recognized by Abbot Sava Janjic of Decani, who underlined the importance of this NATO mission during his recent meeting with KFOR Commander via his Twitter account: “With Belgrade-Priština dialog almost stalled, political instability and rise of nationalist rhetoric in the region, Covid-19 & the economic crisis, etc. #KFOR remains a significant guarantor of peace & stability until the political situation in the W/Balkans becomes stable #Kosovo”
- How would you evaluate cooperation with Serbian Armed Forces, especially when it comes to cooperation with your KFOR troops and SAF?
NATO and Serbia are close partners. We work together to be better prepared for civil emergences such as floods and forest fires. We are helping Serbia reform its security forces and institutions. NATO trains Serbian soldiers for international peace-keeping missions. And over 20 years we have invested millions of euros to help Serbia to destroy over 230 tons of obsolete ammunition. Also, Serbia and NATO worked together to train Iraqi military medics, helping to support the Iraqi armed forces. We have a long-standing cooperation with Serbia in the scientific domain too, through the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. Since 2006, Serbia has contributed to more than 30 activities under this Programme. These have included energy and environmental security, defence against chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear agents, counter-terrorism, cyber-defence, and human security. The participation of Serbian officers in multinational peacekeeping missions is something I consider to be a joint success, as it is NATO’s capacity-building activities that helped enable Serbia to reach the required level of interoperability to successfully participate in peacekeeping missions worldwide. In fact, NATO personnel and mobile training teams from JFC Naples come here to Serbia to provide special training and capacity building activities.
- What would be your main message to people in Serbia?
Serbia is our neighbor, a reliable and valuable partner, which helps us promote peace and security in the region. The NATO-Serbia partnership is long-standing, since 2006 when Serbia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace. It is on solid grounds and continues to develop, in a transparent, reliable and mutually beneficial fashion, thanks also to the daily activities carried out by our Military Liaison Office in Belgrade. We fully respect Serbia and its stated policy of military neutrality. We stand fully ready to continue working side by side, helping each other build a better future for all of us.
REGIONAL PRESS
Radmanovic: There is no DPA nor B&H without internal agreement (Srna/ATV)
Deputy speaker of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives (HoR) Nebojsa Radmanovic (SNSD) stressed in an interview for Srna that an internal agreement is the only path towards better future of B&H, because otherwise there is no the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) nor B&H. Commenting speculations that members of B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic might request the removal of the B&H House of Peoples (HoP), Radmanovic underlined that a possible attack on the B&H HoP would be result of claims that everything can be solved through some removals. Talking about the possible removal of the Collegium of the B&H HoR, Radmanovic stressed that this story was launched by an MP who joined opposition. He added that the request to remove him and the Collegium cannot be excluded. Radmanovic added that the migrant crisis exposed unpreparedness of many institutions in B&H to address the issue, but it is not related to the current but the former composition of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM). Radmanovic stated that B&H is still facing the same problems as 25 years ago, and that everything went wrong with constitutional changes which were directly or indirectly imposed by the international community. Speaking about speculations that B&H might get the status of EU membership candidate in 2021, Radmanovic said that the EU should have accepted all Balkan countries ten years ago. “The EU still does not know what to do with the five Balkan countries and that is the reason for current situation. They have many problems within the EU as well, which is why it is logical that we are last on the list of priorities for them. Had they done it (accepted Balkan countries as members) ten years ago, everything would be different”, said Radmanovic. He noted that granting B&H the status of EU candidate would also require the EU to work with B&H, and not only scold it from afar. Radmanovic added that he believes that a new High Representative will be appointed. According to him, one half of B&H believes that B&H needs a new High Representative with harsher stances and approach. However, Radmanovic believes that this would be a step back for B&H.
Covic sends open letter to officials of international community requesting resignation of B&H CEC members (BHT1/N1)
President of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) and leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic has sent an open letter to officials of the international community requesting the resignation of members of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) given the fact that, as Covic stated, elections in Mostar are big failure. Covic stated that the chain of irregularities he warned about in previous correspondence brought great uncertainty to the fate of the entire election process. N1 reported that Covic sent the new letter to ambassadors in B&H, the EU and the EPP officials to inform them, according to the HDZ B&H, about the events related to the local elections in the City of Mostar. Covic stated he was worried about the events related to the local elections in the City of Mostar and demanded irrevocable resignation of the CEC members and members of the Mostar City Election Commission. Covic noted the HNS filed criminal complaints with the B&H Prosecutor’s Office and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) Prosecutor’s Office is now updated with “findings that fictitious voters began to return to their real addresses due to the end of the elections”. Covic added that he believes that representatives of the IC share concern for the fact that official results of the elections in Mostar have not been established one month after the elections. He emphasized that there are still manipulations and speculations concerning the result of the elections, adding that it is unacceptable. Covic also argued that the elections in Mostar should be either annulled or repeated in polling stations in which there is suspicion in election frauds. Covic left for Zagreb for consultations with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, announcing that he will expressed his worries over the developments regarding the local elections in Mostar. Covic expressed his concerns by the fact that election results have not been confirmed even a month after the elections. Plenkovic stressed that no election process, especially the one waited for 12 years, must not lose its integrity. Covic sent the letter to, among others, Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Ambassador Johann Sattler, US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson, High Representative Valentin Inzko, Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec, the CEC, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi, European Parliament’s rapporteur for B&H Paolo Rangel, President of AFET David McAllister, President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Donald Tusk and Chairman of the EPP group in the EP Manfred Weber.
Energy Community imposes sanctions against B&H (Hayat/BN TV/RTRS)
The Energy Community has imposed sanctions against B&H due to severe omissions regarding the compliance with directives and rules of this association. One of the key things the Energy Community finds disputable is the fact that activities on the construction of the Block 7 of the Thermal-Power Plant in Tuzla have not been stopped, now that the EU countries attempt to give up on energy fueled by coal. Hayat commented that B&H authorities still allow high amounts of sulfur in crude oil products and they have not adopted ye the laws on gas and state-level regulator. RTRS carries that the Energy Community has imposed sanctions against B&H over violation of the directive on sulfur in fuels and non-compliance with energy and gas package. Director at Energy Community Secretariat Janez Kopac has confirmed that B&H will not participate in adoption and implementation of the Energy Community Budget in the duration of two years, unless it eliminates the violations. Commenting on the issue, SDS leader and former B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic said that this is B&H’s serious omission. He stressed that current B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Stasa Kosarac was not capable of lobbying with representatives of Serbia or Montenegro to make sure that they vote against sanctions against B&H. According to Sarovic, it is obvious that Kosarac was unprepared for this situation and he did not know what to do. He explained that since there was no agreement reached between competent authorities in B&H, Kosarac should have lobbied within the ministerial conference so that at least one member-state of the Energy Community from the region decides not vote for sanctions against B&H, concluding that this would be sufficient to avoid sanctions.
OHR, EUD call on FB&H authorities to secure unblocking of functioning of Securities Commission of FB&H (Oslobodjenje)
The OHR and EU Delegation to B&H are asking Federation of B&H (FB&H) authorities to immediately and without postponement unblock the work of the Securities Commission of the FB&H (SCFB&H) in order to prevent further damages for economy. “For years the Securities Commission has been a hostage of the politics, taking little or no consideration of consequences of dysfunctionality of this commission on capital market and overall economy, which occurred due to long-term failure of competent bodies to appoint Commission members. In his last report before UN Security Council, the High Representative (Valentin Inzko) addressed this issue, while international financial organizations presented a stance that this situation is concerning. In order to prevent additional and even bigger damage, the OHR is calling on all relevant FB&H institutions and all political parties to immediately reach an agreemen,t” reads OHR’s statement for the daily. EUD stressed that it is unacceptable for politics to block the economic activities: “Current situation is creating legal uncertainty for participants in market capital and threatens its overall functioning in the FB&H. EU Office to B&H has on several occasions appealed to all relevant bodies and institutions in the FB&H to solve this issue. Law on Securities Commission needs to be implemented without further ado in order to secure full applying of Commission’s competencies and remove the risk for capital market due to non-functioning of the Commission”.
B&H Court confirms indictment in ‘Respirators’ case (O kanal)
The B&H Court has confirmed the indictment filed by the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in ‘Respirators’ case. The main suspects in the case are Federation of B&H (FB&H) Prime Minister Fadil Novalic, suspended Director of FB&H Civil Protection Service (FUCZ) Fahrudin Solak, owner of ‘Srebrena malina’ Fikret Hodzic and FB&H Minister of Finances Jelka Milicevic. O Kanal notes that the indictment was confirmed on 31 December, while the Court of B&H issued an official statement confirming this on Monday. The case was opened due to the procurement of 100 respirators from China through company ‘Srebrena Malian’ at the order of the FB&H government and the FB&H Civil Protection Service, worth BAM 10.5 million. Novalic, Solak and Hodzic have been charged with misuse of office, trade in influence, money laundering, falsification or destruction of official documents and financial reports. Milicevic is charged with lack of commitment in office.
Gegaj: The one-nation Krivokapic’s government is permeated by the Chetnik ideology (CdM)
Nikola Gegaj, a member of the Main Board of the Democratic Party of Socialists, said in an interview with the CdM that the mono-ethnic government of Zdravko Krivokapic is permeated by the Chetnik ideology. He claims a large number of citizens to be perceiving Krivokapic as an unknowledgeable and irresponsible person in terms of leading a state. Although the new government is constantly talking about reconciliation, Gegaj claims reconciliation to be much farther now than four years ago.
Did the government of Zdravko Krivokapic show revenge towards minority peoples, despite earlier populist phrases that minorities should be part of the government?
Gegaj: In order to understand the essence of events, we need to go back to the beginning. So I would like to go back to the actors of the election campaign last year and their activities. The central point of that election campaign was the Serbian Church on the territory, which is not only known for intolerance for those who are different among Serbian people and for other peoples in the region but was also the spiritus movens of all genocides in the former Yugoslavia. The entire campaign that brought this coalition to power had a scenography, rhetoric, and activity that excluded Montenegro as an independent state together with its symbols and achievements, Montenegrins as a people, and all other peoples in Montenegro, and it was done with extremism, hypocrisy, a lot of nonsense. The aggressive campaigns in Tuzi, Ulcinj, Pljevlja confirmed this one day after the elections. As this Church and these people brought Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic to the position he must meet their demands if to retain power. Some minority politicians reported on the illegal dismissals of their staff, which is nothing else but revenge.
As the word reconciliation is most frequently used in the rhetoric of the new government, is Montenegro reconciled or divided more than ever?
Gegaj: Reconciliation in Montenegro is currently in the domain of imagination and good wishes. It is much farther now than it was four years ago. It should be pointed out that reconciliation is possible only in the conditions of a civic, multi-ethnic, and multi-confessional state.
Representatives of the ruling majority refused to put on the agenda the Proposal for a Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide put forward by the opposition Bosniak Party of Montenegro. What does this tell you about the character of the new government?
Gegaj: It is a confirmation of the position of the ruling coalition, including URA, on the terrible genocide, and also tells a lot about the character of the new government. I am convinced that the EU will also recognize the perception of the new government and will not allow the concept of a civic and multiethnic state to be violated, nor the disruption of the previous excellent relations with the countries of the region.
The CdM portal was the first to write about Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic and the congratulations he had sent on the occasion of the unconstitutional Day of Republika Srpska. Reactions have arrived from Montenegro, B&H, and the region. Is this a hint of a new foreign policy of Montenegro? Which way is it going?
Gegaj: As far as the civil service is concerned, Prime Minister Krivokapic is perceived by a large number of citizens as an unknowledgeable, frivolous and irresponsible person. I find his congratulations for the unconstitutional holiday to be devastating. His explanation of doing it “officially” or “privately” is not good enough for a prime minister of any country, and it also tells a lot about his views on relations with B&H. In the end, I would like to state that this one-nation government is permeated by the Chetnik ideology. So, it is clear that with its Chetniks, this government will not even have good relations with Montenegro, let alone with neighboring countries.
Mickoski and Orban discussed Macedonia’s blocked EU accession process (Republika)
VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said that he discussed the stalled EU integration of Macedonia during his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest. Mickoski made the trip along with VMRO Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski, and also met Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. “We discussed the blocked path of Macedonia toward the European Union and our hosts shared their own experience from when Hungary was becoming an EU member state. The hosts again reiterated their full support for Macedonia, the Macedonian people, the citizens of Macedonia and of our EU integration so that one day Macedonia is made an EU member state,” Mickoski said. Macedonia continues blocked in its integration, currently by Bulgaria. A Hungarian candidate, Oliver Varhelyi, is EU’s Enlargement Commissioner. Mickoski and Orban also discussed developments in the European People’s Party, where both VMRO and Orban’s Fidesz are members. “We welcomed the election of a new leader of our sister CDU party in Germany and we expect fruitful cooperation between the three parties,” Mickoski added.
