LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: There will big pressures regarding Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/TV Prva) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told TV Prva on Sunday that he expects great pressure on Serbia and a difficult upcoming period regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. He said that

at the upcoming elections in Kosovo and Metohija the forces advocating a Greater Albania would probably win, and then blackmail would begin so that a compromise would be for Serbia to recognize Kosovo independence, which would be also requested from Belgrade by foreigners.

“I expect big pressure on Serbia, for us it is important to try to preserve the strength of the Serb List but also to prepare for heavy pressure,” Vucic said. “The forces that are insisting on unification with Albania will undoubtedly win the election. Ramush Haradinaj said this, and he’s a dangerous man who expects Albin Kurti to need one Albanian party for a coalition and is pushing to be there and later be elected Kosovo president. Then they would have a coalition for a Greater Albania,” Vucic said. To the acknowledgment that Haradinaj is already mentioning that it should be a compromise, Vucic answers that he is not worried about what Pristina politicians say, but that foreigners will come up with that idea. “That is what I can say and what I expect. A terribly difficult spring, summer, fall awaits us. But we will fight,” he said.

They say I am a coward because I will not recognize Kosovo 

Vucic called on his political opponents, who, as he said, are accusing him of being a coward because he protects Kosovo and Metohija and the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to once tell whom he allegedly promised to recognize Kosovo, since they have been saying that since 2012.

Asked how he commented on the statement of Borko Stefanovic, who accused him of being a coward and that he would not fulfill what he promised the West, Vucic said that “as deputy prime minister, Vucic, was the only one of all our ministers in the delegation in Brussels who opposed Kosovo to join the UN”. “They have been saying since 2012 that I will recognize Kosovo and betray something. Shame on you, you let them beat and kill our people and break and burn crosses in churches and monasteries, and burn our sanctities. And at the time you just issued a statement,” Vucic told the opposition. Vucic points out that this government, in contrast, managed to return the issue of Kosovo to the negotiating table. “And then (Borko) says that I promised to betray Kosovo and that I am a coward because I protect Kosovo and Metohija and the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Am I a coward? Well, I congratulate you hero for the fact that you previously begged the Americans to wait and recognize Kosovo after the elections,” he emphasized. Vucic says he is fighting as much as he can, even though the situation is very difficult, and that he was the only one to defend the right to a different opinion of Vladimir Kostic, the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), while all those “heroes” were silent in order to flatter someone”.

Brnabic on invitation from Montenegro: Inconvenient to go where you were expelled from (Tanjug/RTS/RTV) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that it is inconvenient to visit a country from which the ambassador of your country was expelled and in which he was declared persona non grata. Brnabic thus answered a jounralist question whether she would visit Montenegro and thanked Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic for the invitation to visit that country.

“We hope that this issue (of the ambassador) will be resolved, and in any other segment of dialogue and cooperation, the Serbian government and the state leadership have shown how much cooperation with Montenegro means to us at this moment,” Brnabic said in the Serbian parliament. She said that at the explicit request of the Serbian President she did not retaliate with reciprocal measures to Montenegro and that she kept her ambassador in Belgrade. “It is a gesture of an extended hand, and we still expect Montenegro to respond adequately to that gesture. We are also considering their invitation and we thank them,” she said.

Dveri Movement offers platform for talks (Beta/RTS) 

The Dveri Movement has adopted a platform to facilitate an accord within the opposition and a dialogue with the government, and it will send it to its opposition peers for further consultations, the party announced on Sunday. Dveri has also decided not to take part in a single meeting with other opposition parties if advertised beforehand, but only internally organized meetings.

Having underlined that a dialogue between the government and the opposition should begin as soon as possible, the opposition party opened the platform with a request that early national, provincial and local polls be held separately from presidential elections. Dveri is also seeking that national electoral system be changed to allow voters to cast their ballots for candidates in their constituencies whose name and surname they know. The opposition movement also

suggested in the platform that either opposition co-ministers should be appointed to key departments, like in Montenegro, or a joint government-opposition committee should be set up, like in North Macedonia.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Izetbegovic: Those supporting Dodik support policies of lies, insults and blockades; I think that Serb people, Serb voters have to undergo catharsis (O kanal)

The recent statement of leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic on Serbs, policies of Milorad Dodik and voters supporting SNSD leader sparked number of reactions on Saturday. O Kanal reminds that in an interview broadcast two days ago, Izetbegovic underlined that there are not bad people, but only bad leaderships, i.e. that those supporting Dodik support policies of lies, insults and blockades. When asked whether he was talking about the Serb people as a whole, he said that he was talking about “voters who are supporting him because they want his rude behavior.” Izetbegovic reiterated some parts of his statement in his address following Friday session of SDA Presidency. “I think that Serb people, Serb voters have to undergo catharsis. They have to accept what is very clear: terrible crimes were committed against their neighbors in Prijedor, Kozarac, Brcko, Vlasenica, Srebrenica, Bratunac and Foca. They have to undergo collective catharsis and stop supporting politicians who have been pushing them to conflict with their neighbors. You all witnessed recent Dodik’s insults against member of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Serb people and voters decide about their future on their own,” explained Izetbegovic. SDA issued a statement on Saturday reading that not all Serbs support Dodik, but many are responsible for hatred he has been spreading. In Izetbegovic’s opinion, the leaders who support Dodik are moving in the wrong direction. The SDA leader noted that there is a need for a critical mass in Republika Srpska, who would want normal relations. In his opinion, those who support Dodik obviously support the policy of offenses and blockades.

Reactions to statement of Izetbegovic on Serbs (RTRS)

Leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic’s statement that Serbs are a bad people provoked numerous reactions. Officials of the Republika Srpska (RS) stated that that Izetbegovic was finally honest and said what he really thought and that he introduced open fascism into public space, because constructions about bad peoples are part of fascist and Nazi ideology. Serb member of B&H Presidency and Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik stated that he saw in Izetbegovic’s statement a centuries-old complex of conversion and betrayal, which the Izetbegovic family committed by leaving Orthodox religion in order to preserve their property. “If Serbs are already a bad people, I do not understand Izetbegovic’s masochism, which he shows by keeping them in this kind of B&H,” said Dodik. “I do not think that the Bosniak people are bad, on the contrary, they are a good and somewhat unlucky people. It never occurred to me to judge the people on the basis of Bakir Izetbegovic and some of his predecessors, who are trapped in centuries-old hatred towards Serbs and everything that is Serbian.” Officials of the RS stated that that Izetbegovic was finally honest and said what he really thought and that he introduced open fascism into public space, because constructions about bad peoples are part of fascist and Nazi ideology. Such statements are fascist, because fascism marked the people in such a way, said the leader of the United Srpska Nenad Stevandic and added that the problem is that there are no significant reactions to such messages: “The silence of the EU countries represents pure and genuine support for such fascist statements, which tell us that with Bakir’s projections we have no future, and it will be better for Bakir without the RS, he will be less burdened with hatred.” SDS leader Mirko Sarovic condemned Izetbegovic’s statement, saying it is an unprecedented “outpour of ethnic intolerance that requires an apology”. “Again, the SDA leader, lacking ideas how to resolve outstanding issues that B&H and its citizens are facing, he opted for inappropriate nationalist rhetoric and ‘placed the ball’ in SNSD’s court, his political partner from the RS, because it is easiest for both to rule based on national creations, insults and inappropriate rhetoric,” Sarovic was quoted as saying. PDP leader Branislav Borenovic strongly condemned Izetbegovic’s statements about Serb people. Borenovic referred to Izetbegovic’s statements as “shameful, scandalous, and detrimental”, as well as “a bunch of words that cause regression”. According to Borenovic, “such people” should leave the political scene and they represent “retrograde political perspectives”. In his opinion, future cannot be built together with such politicians. Borenovic stated: “Such people cannot be our associates in the future. I am convinced this is a matter of heightening of ethnic tensions as common practice of SNSD and SDA aimed to divert the attention from important issues for the lives of the citizens, such as emigration of citizens and the situation in the healthcare. They do that skillfully and support each other.” The Office of the High Representative (OHR) issued a statement regarding the statement recently made by President of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic. The OHR stressed that there are no bad people, only bad individuals. They said that the High Representative reiterated this before when discussing the issue of negation of war crimes. The US Embassy to B&H reacted to the rhetoric of political officials in B&H, noting there is no room in public discourse for use of language that promotes intolerance and undercuts mutual trust and understanding. “Public officials have a responsibility to refrain from divisive rhetoric and we call on them to focus on necessary reforms and progress of the country demonstrating respect for all citizens of B&H’’ reads the statement.

Dodik calls on Izetbegovic to apologize to Serbs for his recent statement (N1)

The statement of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic about Serb people and its leaders continued to spark reactions on Sunday. Namely, Izetbegovic recently stated that Serb voters should experience a collective catharsis and cease to elect leaders who encourage conflict with their neighbors. The officials from the rank of Serb people in B&H, as well as from Serbia perceived Izetbegovic’s statement as if the SDA leader said that Serb people and its leaders are bad people. Chairman and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik stated that Izetbegovic has finally publicly admitted what he has been thinking about Serbs all along. “This is nothing new or unexpected. It would be strange if someone from Izetbegovic family thinks differently and if they mean well for Serbs”, Dodik noted. According to Dodik, there are no bad people but rather a few bad individuals among every people. “I am sorry that Izetbegovic has such a stance”, he added.  According to SNSD interpretation – Izetbegovic said that Serbs are bad people. Dodik called on Izetbegovic to apologize to Serb people due to abovementioned statement. He added that if the leader of SDA does it, Serb people might forgive him, because they are such type of people. Dodik said that he expects Izetbegovic’s apology because “Serbs are good people” noting that by his statement Izetbegovic “left the framework of political battlefield and opened a battlefield to fight against Serbs, which is similar to narratives demonstrated by Nazis against Jews, Serbs and Roma here in the WWII”. “Serbs are good people, good hosts and hardworking people, who have never been on the side of occupiers, fascists and those who are invaders and oppressors in the world wars. For Serbs the family is sacred”, Dodik asserted. He added that Izetbegovic knows this very well and therefore his statements are full of pathological hatred toward Serbs. Dodik stressed that statements such as Izetbegovic’s one “lead to an environment in which no one is accountable for the attempted murder of Aleksandar Vucic in Potocari, and an environment in which those who committed the most horrible crimes against Serbs get a minimum sentence”. Dodik noted that the work of unlawfully elected B&H CEC comes in the same package with inappropriate statements of Izetbegovic and it is directed against the Serb people in B&H, which is proven by the fact that the elections in Doboj and Srebrenica were annulled only at polling stations where the Serb majority voted. He assessed that presence of foreigners in B&H goes in favor of the current political environment, which is why Bosniaks do not find suitable for representatives of the international community to leave B&H.

Office of B&H Ombudsman, politicians condemn Dodik’s offenses against Bjelica Prutina (Nova BH)

Due to numerous irregularities, the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) on Thursday reached a decision to annul the results of elections in Srebrenica and Doboj, which has caused a series of reactions in B&H. The statement of leader of SNSD and Chair of the B&H Council of Ministers Milorad Dodik regarding member of the B&H CEC Vanja Bjelica Prutina where he said: “The lady who is presenting herself as representing the Serb people is married to or was married to a Bosniak in Sarajevo. A Muslim. Someone will say – why does that matter? – Do not” has received a lot of criticism. The Office of B&H Ombudsmen called on officials to refrain from hate speech on several occasions, Nova BH reminds. Human Rights Ombudsman Jasminka Dzumhur said that marital status, family ties and relations are not appropriate to comment. “Especially if someone is not pleased with any sort of decision. They have the possibility of legal remedies but not to label persons who participated in rendering these decisions,” Dzumhur said.

Hateful attacks are unacceptable (N1/Nova BH)

The US Embassy to B&H expressed full support to the B&H CEC in efforts to implement the B&H Election Law and investigate irregularities documented in Srebrenica, Doboj or any other local community. The US Embassy emphasized that the role of the CEC is of vital importance in creation of trust of citizens in the election process. The US Embassy also said that instead of undermining the legitimacy of B&H institutions, political leaders with legitimate concern about the integrity of the election system should support improvements that have common sense and that are described in recommendations of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Venice Commission. The US said that there is no space for hate speech directed by politicians against the CEC members. “We call on political leaders to get involved in a civilized dialogue and tolerance and respect promotion and to take responsibility for improving the integrity reforms of elections during 2021”, reads the Embassy’s statement. The OSCE Mission to B&H, OHR, and the Embassies of the UK and Sweden in B&H, as chair of the OSCE, issued a press release in which they strongly condemned the attack of B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik against CEC member Vanja Bjelica Prutina. The press release also reads: “Hateful and personal attacks against a member of an independent institution are unacceptable and deserve to be further scrutinized by relevant institutions in B&H as soon as possible. High-ranking officials have additional obligations to refrain from hateful and offensive language because of their status in society and the serious consequences that could be caused by such rhetoric. We call upon all elected leaders to take responsibility for the task at hand, which is to engage in responsible dialogue and implement election integrity reforms in 2021.” They also welcomed the decision of the Central Election Commission to annul the elections in several polling stations in Doboj and Srebrenica, having detected serious irregularities in the election processes. They noted: “The decision of the CEC will help ensure the integrity of the elections and restore citizens’ confidence in election administration. We urge relevant authorities to investigate the reported allegations of electoral fraud promptly.”

Tegeltija: In B&H there are too many of those who do not have right to be treated as migrants (Nezavisne)

Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Zoran Tegeltija stated that B&H carries a too big burden when the migrant crisis is in question considering the number of its citizens.  He added that someone deliberately directed the migrants to move towards the EU over B&H. He also noted that in B&H there are too many of those who have not right to be treated as migrants. He added that there are very opposite stances in B&H when the migrant crisis is in question. Tegeltija reiterated that the RS does not want migrant camps on its territory. As for the statement of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic that Tegeltija has racist stances with regard to this issue, Tegeltija said that Izetbegovic is absolutely wrong and that the RS stance is realistic, that this is the security issue. He also concluded that big powers direct the migrant crisis as it suits them.

Ambassadors of EU member states meet B&H Presidency members to discuss migrant crisis, EU path of B&H; Dodik: There will be no migrant camps in RS (Nova BH)

Ambassadors of EU member states met with members of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik, Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic on Friday. On this occasion, the issue of the migrant crisis was discussed. The Ambassadors requested that the migrant crisis is distributed throughout the territory of B&H and that adequate accommodation is made available to migrants. Dodik refused formation of camps in the RS. “The stance of the RS was presented before them. The RS will not be opening any camps and such a decision should not be waited for from the RS. We think that migrants do not come to stay in B&H, they want to dig their way to the EU. We also asked that migrants are not returned to B&H,” Dodik said. “Mister Komsic proposed that a new migrant center is established in Vucjak above Bihac for the accommodation of refugees – illegal migrants. In essence, we can see that members of the European Commission are not in agreement with such a location allegedly due to other reasons,” Dodik said. The request of Ambassadors to relocate migrants from Lipa to Bira was also denied. The Ambassadors called on all levels of authority for cooperation and coordination in resolving this difficult humanitarian situation. The B&H Presidency members and the EU Ambassadors also discussed the EU path of B&H. Presidency members informed the Ambassadors of the EU member states about the progress B&H had made on its EU path, i.e. implemented priorities, including local elections in Mostar, abolition of the death penalty in B&H, establishing the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee of the EU and B&H and adoption of the Public Administration Reform Strategic Framework. Commenting the list of priorities, Dodik noted the it is increasing and that the EU should decide on minimum requirements B&H needs to meet to be granted the EU candidate status “such talks or a minimum do not exist now”. After the meeting, Dodik addressed the media on behalf of the B&H Presidency saying both sides kept their prior positions on the issue, i.e. the EU member states still view the ‘Bira’ as a migrant reception center, which is unacceptable both for the Una-Sana Canton (USC) and the state-level authorities; the migrant crisis burden should not fall on the USC only, but should be distributed across the country, i.e. both entities. Dodik noted that the B&H Presidency members met with the Ambassadors with the single view, i.e. “there are two best solutions for that, that the EU countries admit a number of the illegal migrants and the second group of the migrants is be deported to the countries they came from”. He added that since such actions would be criticized we “find ourselves in a dead-end situation”.

Wartime Commander of RB&H Army Mahmuljin sentenced to 10 years in prison for war crimes in Vozuca and Zavidovici (O kanal)

Wartime Commander of the 3rd Corps of the RB&H Army Sakib Mahmuljin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for war crimes in Vozuca and Zavidovici committed in 1995, before the B&H Court on Friday. He was sentenced for war crimes against Serb civilians, wounded and prisoners of war in Zavidovici and Vozuca. According to the verdict, Mahumljin is guilty for failing to prevent the murders and inhumane treatment of members of the ‘El Mujahid’ Unit under the command of the 3rd Corps, although he knew about their crimes. The Court of B&H passed this first instance verdict five years after the process against Mahmuljin started. Defense team announced they will appeal this first-instance verdict. Mahmuljin’s attorney Fahrudin Ibrisimovic told reporters after the hearing that the defense is dissatisfied with the verdict and they expected that the Court of B&H will reach the acquitting verdict according to evidence presented by the prosecution and defense. Commenting on the verdict, President of the Association of the Families of Missing Persons from the Sarajevo-Romanija Region Milan Mandic told O Kanal that regardless of the sentence – victims’ families cannot be satisfied, but there is hope that the sentence will be higher in the second-instance process. He said that on the other side, there is also a suspicion that Mahmuljin will be acquitted under political pressure. Members of veterans’ associations in Zenica announced that they will stage protests in front of the building of the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H, warning that the verdict is political motivated and it is inacceptable for veterans as someone deliberately tries to equalize victims with aggressors.

President cancels attendance at ceremony due to far-right insignia on display (Hina/N1)

President Zoran Milanovic on Friday abruptly cancelled his attendance at a ceremony commemorating the 28th anniversary of a military operation in the 1991-95 war held in the coastal city of Zadar after he had learned that two other people attending the ceremony had showed up wearing far-right insignia of the World War II Ustasha regime. President’s spokesman Nikola Jelic told Hina that Milanovic arrived in Zadar for the ceremony on Friday morning. After “it was noticed that among the participants in the event were people wearing Ustasha insignia and (words) of the Ustasha salute,” Jelic said that Milanovic phoned Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to tell him that “this is unacceptable.” “Since it was later established that persons wearing clothes with Ustasha symbols, including the Ustasha salute, would take part in the official part of the event, the President cancelled his attendance,” Jelic said. Acting on orders from President Milanovic, who is by law commander-in-chief of the armed forces, other active military commanders who came to Zadar, including armed forces’ chief-of-staff, Admiral Robert Hranj, also left the event after the first part of the ceremony, Jelic added. Last year in May Milanovic also left a ceremony marking the anniversary of another wartime operation at Okucani in eastern Croatia, after some war veterans who attended the official part of the event wore t-shirts reading “Za Dom Spremni” (“For Home(land) Ready”), the controversial Ustasha salute used in the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II and also used by some far-right paramilitary groups during the 1991-95 war. Although neither Milanovic nor Jelic specified who they were referring to, local media reports attributed the scandal to war veterans of the far-right paramilitary group HOS which took part in the 1991-95 war, who are known for wearing all black uniforms and whose logo contains the controversial salute.

Djukanovic elected leader of DPS, his deputies are Damjanovic, Vukovic, Erakovic and Dizdarevic (CdM)

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has been elected leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, whereas his deputies will be Sanja Damjanovic, Ivan Vukovic, Jevto Erakovic and Abaz Dizdarevic. Djukanovic was the only candidate for DPS leadership.

“We organized the Congress having in mind all extraordinary circumstances. I’m satisfied with the work of the party so far. It’s an opportunity to remind ourselves of the DPS’ results and seriously discuss the weaknesses and mistakes that brought us to this place, i.e. that we are the opposition now,” the leader of the party Milo Djukanovic told following the Congress. He also noted that they were discussing challenges that lie ahead for Montenegro. “We represent a leading political force that has been restoring an independent Montenegro, and put it on the right track. The values we have chosen are not easy to achieve. It’s important that the DPS continues to fight for values such as a civil state and that it keeps resisting nationalist attacks. Our goal is to have Montenegro in the family of a united Europe and European quality of life.” According to him, they openly discussed and proposed changes regarding management staff, as those people are supposed to ensure new face of the DPS. “We’ve made staff changes that build up confidence.” The goal of the DPS, said Djukanovic, is to take the place that belongs to it in the near future. Asked whether he saw ex-prime minister and ex-deputy leader Dusko Markovic as the main culprit for the election result, Djukanovic told that a part of the public has always been trying to refresh the idea of an internal conflict within the DPS management. “We weren’t shaken by the election defeat. As the leader of the party, I myself believed that a group of people in the DPS management should be changed, including me. During the talks, we came to this solution as the optimal formula.” Speaking about the forthcoming local elections in Niksic, scheduled for 14 March, Djukanovic noted that the DPS had the most favorable starting position. “I’m an optimist. We have set up a good platform for actions. It’s time to move on. We want to do a good job in our house.” And, according to him, the ruling majority is supporting them in their endeavor.

Djukanovic: I will sign re-voted laws, but will not sign the recall of ambassadors (MINA)

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic announced in an interview with MINA that he would sign a set of laws that the parliament passed again on Wednesday, stating that it is his obligation under the Constitution. This will, as he says, create conditions for the continuation of the process that will logically lead to the Constitutional Court, the only institution that has the power to arbitrate whether the contents of these laws are in accordance with the Constitution. Djukanovic also announced that he would not sign proposals for the recall of seven ambassadors, because, as he emphasized, that would mean his participation in the defamation of these people. He has added that the decision on recall is made by the president, in accordance with Article 95 of the Constitution. He says he understands perfectly well that the new parliamentary majority need changes in the field of foreign policy and this is not an exception to the behavior of the authorities in other countries. Djukanovic has said that at the meeting with Krivokapic, Becic and Abazovic he announced how he sees the way to successful cohabitation, and that he was at the head of the policy and movement that created the state. “Therefore, I don’t want to obstruct this state and its functionality. I will do my best to make the new parliamentary opposition, as before, a very state and nationally responsible and constructive element in the state policy,” Djukanovic said, and added that cohabitation will be another new successful democratic experience of Montenegro that will make it even more mature. As for his rejection to sign the dismissals of the Chief of the General Staff, he said that no one was appointed or removed to that position outside the session of the Defense and Security Council. They must find time to speak about his important matter, he says. He assessed that the parliament must look for ways to reach at least a three-fifths majority that will ensure the election of people in leading positions in the judiciary if Montenegro is to continue to preserve the image of a functional state. He added that this government that should have the support of 41 members, is mostly criticized by the ruling majority, i.e. by 27 MPs. “It is the Democratic Front (DF) which, openly, and I would even say proudly, acts in the name of the interests of another state, the one that openly wants to annul the Montenegrin identity” Djukanovic specified. This does not go hand in hand with the agreement that the ruling majority signed the day after the elections, announcing that it would respect the strategic state-political course that should lead Montenegro to the European Union (EU), while taking on the obligations to respect NATO membership. He also responded to the comments that the judiciary system was under the influence of the DPS, saying that it has never been the case. He said that Montenegro has been faced with a kind of a hybrid war that is intended to demolish Europe and its system of values and that Montenegro was accidentally caught in the fire of this war on 30 August. Speaking about the DPS congress, Djukanovic said that it would be another milestone in the history of this party and a new phase of the DPS’s political life. As for the elections in Niksic, he hopes for a good result and adds that there is a good atmosphere that they run for the elections together with their traditional partners. He also said that the double standard policy that can now be seen in the government cannot last long. “We’ve seen that a man who had been sentenced to five years imprisonment was appointed a member of the governments National Security Council,” said Djukanovic, explaining that this would result in NATO sharing with us only limited information. He added that “we are in the phase of raising awareness of certain dangers that Montenegro is now going through.” “I am an optimist, I believe that we will not allow Montenegro to fall off the path of Europeanization of our society and integration into the EU,” Djukanovic concluded.

SDSM: Census to be conducted in the spring, VMRO-DPMNE will not prevent this statistical operation (Republika)

After almost two decades, all normative conditions for conducting a census have been created in the country, according to all international standards and Eurostat regulations, after the majority in the SDSM-led Parliament passed the census law, the party said. With the census that will be held in the spring, this most extensive statistical operation will collect relevant, accurate data on geographical, demographic, economic, educational, migration, cultural characteristics and information on disability, i.e. functional disability of the population, said SDSM. These data, the party adds, are significant for creating many economic policies, balanced regional development, appropriate policies in education, health care, culture, i.e. for creating sustainable policies and strategies for comprehensive development of the country. The obstruction of the census by VMRO-DPMNE is not a way to help the state, but on the contrary, as is the case for many things in recent years. With the call for a boycott of the census, the loser Hristijan Mickoski encourages citizens to break the law, and the very last attempt to count the population in 2011 failed due to the incapacity of VMRO-DPMNE. The destruction of VMRO-DPMNE is defeated again, their attempts to leave the country without an important statistical operation have failed, census will be conducted this spring, reads SDSM’s press release.

Mickoski: Census results already agreed between government coalition, VMRO-DPMNE to start collecting signatures from citizens to nullify falsified census (TV Alfa)

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski spoke in an interview with TV Alfa about the census law which was voted in the parliament with a European flag and without consensus. He stressed that this law, with which the census results have already been agreed between the coalition partners SDSM and DUI, will not provide a realistic picture of the number of citizens living in the Republic of Macedonia. And that’s why, VMRO-DPMNE will launch an initiative to collect signatures from citizens to nullify this census law and adopt a new one. “The opposition submitted more than 30 amendments during the parliament debate and none of them was accepted. If the government wanted to have an inclusive process and to include the opposition led by VMRO-DPMNE, then it would have done so. It is obvious that it wanted to forcefully push this census process by abusing the European flag. And why did it do that? We have reasonable doubts, but in the coming days the government itself should make public how it plans to implement it, because they do not have much time to conduct a credible census that should be completed in April this year,” said Mickoski. Moreover, he said, VMRO-DPMNE proposed the application of fingerprints readers for the census – something that should be applied in the local elections in six months. But even that was rejected by the parliament majority. Mickoski said that VMRO-DPMNE also strongly opposes, the political rather than statistical operation, which also requires dual signature. Meaning the signature of PM Zoran Zaev’s servant – the director of the State Statistical Office and his deputy who is practically nominated by DUI, he said. Why do we need that dual signature if we really want to have a statistical operation. Therefore, I can only conclude that this operation is everything but a statistical operation, it is a political one and practically the results are agreed beforehand and the dual signature is just to ensure security, Mickoski said. Regarding non-participation in the census, Mickoski said that every citizen has the right to decide whether they will participate or not. But what is symptomatic is hearing the Minister of Health saying that it is safe for this operation to take place in the midst of the pandemic, despite the fact that the United Nations has issued a recommendation saying that it is not safe for a census to take place during the pandemic, he said, adding many countries have postponed their census.

Ahmeti: No chance that Albanians will be less than 25 percent in the census (Republika)

Everyone who lives in the country and has property will be counted in the census, DUI leader Ali Ahmeti told a Gostivar local TV. The DUI leader assures that the institutions will do their job, so everyone living in the country and abroad will be included. “There have been debates over the census, including public debates. It is a statistical issue, not a political enterprise, and that operation must be completed. Relevant international institutions such as the UN and the EU demand that from us. We must have more accurate statistics on the country’s economy, on the country’s property, on the country’s population and no one will be an exception. We will register here first, and then those who are abroad through valid documents from their relatives here or through the State Statistical Office. It is known how many live here and how many abroad. However, they are all residents of this country,” underlined DUI’s leader. Regarding the expectations from the results, he noted that the Albanians could not be less than 25 percent, as they were in 2002. He explained the number with the conclusion that Albanians in Macedonia have a birth rate that has increased in recent years.

Ahmeti: I am convinced that dispute with Bulgaria will be resolved by spring (Republika)

This spring, we will overcome the impasse and the dispute with Bulgaria will be resolved, Ali Ahmeti, the leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) said Saturday on the local Gostivar TV. It is in the interest of both Washington and Brussels to resolve this issue. In these 20 years I have never been disappointed with their actions. I am optimistic that this issue will be solved in early spring. The solution will come before the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, said DUI leader Ali Ahmeti. He stressed that a solution will be found, the debate will take place on history and historical figures, and the Macedonian identity and language are not endangered.

Byrnes says she is pleased that Census Law was supported by two opposition parties (Republika)

US Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia Kate Byrnes supported the adoption of the Census Law in the parliament. She said that this is an important step forward, because in the country the population and property have not been counted for almost 20 years, and this statistical operation is crucial for creating future development policies. “First of all, I am very happy that the Law on Census was passed in the parliament. Moreover, it passed with the support of two opposition partners, and the government coalition. This is an important step. Macedonia has not had a census for almost 20 years, and this has affected the policy-making process, as accurate population data is an important part of planning for the future. We expect the government to ensure that the census is conducted by professionals, which will provide information that will help the country in the future,” Byrnes said. According to the Law, the census in Macedonia will be conducted from 1 to 21 April. Since the country’s independence, two full censuses have been conducted, one partial in 1991, and the attempt of population census organized by the VMRO-DPMNE government in 2011 failed.

Byrnes disappointed with Bulgaria’s veto (Republika)

We are disappointed with Bulgaria’s veto for a number of reasons, first because we believe that Macedonia was ready to begin the process of opening and closing chapters with the EU, said US Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia Kate Byrnes. She said the veto posed a risk not only to Macedonia but also to the EU, as well as to issues related to the enlargement process as a whole. “It is obvious that we were very disappointed with Bulgaria’s decision to block the start of the accession process last year, and we will continue to do what we can to ensure that bilateral issues are resolved through bilateral channels, and that the goodwill and continued efforts that Macedonia is taking over to hold bilateral talks with Sofia to continue in a positive way, separate from political rhetoric. There are countries that do not share the same visions for Macedonia in Europe, and that do not share the values of Europe, as free and united, where there is lasting peace and stability. They may look to exploit the situation for their strategic interest. It is clear that Russia and China do not share that vision and I think this is something that everyone should keep in mind. That is why it is especially important for the EU accession process to move forward as quickly as possible,” says Ambassador Byrnes.