LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: France is Serbia’s traditional and true friend (RTS) 

While addressing the media in Paris, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for the kind words of welcome and pointed out that he hoped for further continuation of bilateral cooperation. “France is not only an important country for us, but a traditional and true friend,” said Vucic. He especially thanked President Macron for the cooperation on the project of building a subway in Belgrade. “The issue of Kosovo and Metohija is a very important issue for us and we must all work to reach a compromise solution for both sides, which has not been the case so far. I have always been ready to listen to President Macron and his ideas to try to get closer to the agreement. I will present our platform to President Macron and I am sure that we will have an honest and open agreement and that we will achieve something in the coming period,” Vucic said. He pointed out that another, also important topic is Serbia’s path to the EU. “Serbia has shown its capabilities. We are now dealing with Serbia’s European path, when President Macron proposed a new agenda for the EU, including a new agenda for accession. We agreed to that, it is better for us to deal with clusters, regarding all those issues that he mentioned. I hope that with his support we will continue our journey,” Vucic pointed out. He said that he hoped that, with the support of France, Serbia would be able to boast of making further progress.

Macron: I am grateful to Vucic (B92) 

French President Emmanuel Macron thanked President Vucic for the visit and especially pointed out that he has a fond memory of his visit to Belgrade in 2019. “The dialogue we have been conducting for over three years is very important. I would like to thank President Vucic for accepting the new methodology on joining the EU. I hope that France and the EU will be more present in the fields of culture and education,” Macron said. Macron especially emphasized the importance of talks on Kosovo and Metohija. He pointed out that France would provide support to Serbia in its quest for peace. “We will do everything we can to be with the people of Serbia,” he said.

Vucic: There is hysteria in Kosovo and Metohija now, Serbs exposed to provocations (B92) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that what was happening in Montenegro in the previous days was unprecedented. “I cannot believe that they kept them at the border because they had several Serbian tricolors, and they also had three laptops. I am ashamed to talk about the expulsion of Serbian citizens who have contracts with their employers, we must show that we are more responsible and not endanger Serbs there”, he said.  Speaking about the events in Kosovo and Metohija due to the local elections, Vucic warned of provocations in the north of that territory. “There is now hysteria about the elections, because the victory of the coalition around Haradinaj is expected,” he said. He thanked the Serbs for their restrained reaction during the arrival of Albanian politicians in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and noted: We must preserve peace. “You came to the Serbs to humiliate them, insult them, and to tell the Serbs: this is not yours, this is ours. The Serbs abstained and the reaction was verbal, there was no physical violence, I want to commend them for their restraint. We must keep stability not because we are weaker, but because peace and stability suit us the most, because Serbia is going faster than ever. Neither regional nor world relations have changed so quickly. Our opportunity is to make greater growth now,” Vucic said.

Brnabic: Serbs in Kosovo demonstrated dignity (TV Pink/Tanjug/RTV/Novosti)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out on Sunday that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are faced with the fact that political leaders from Pristina are trying to get cheap political points, instead of dealing with life issues and helping the people as much as they can.

Brnabic thanked the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija who had a measured reaction to the provocation of Albin Kurti and Vlosa Osmani, who were in the north yesterday, kept their composure and showed dignity. “They live in an atmosphere of constant provocations,” Brnabic told TV Pink. She reminded of the statement of President Aleksandar Vucic that Serbia did not send weapons and tanks to Kosovo, but vaccines and medicines, while Pristina’s reaction to that showed what the Serbs can expect.

Always for dialogue, but there is no other side 

The SNS will participate in the inter-party dialogue, as it has participated in all talks so far, which part of the opposition had left, and thus showed that there is dialogue and space for dialogue in Serbia, but not the other side, which sought excuses not to participate in the dialogue and in the elections, Brnabic said. “The other side is just crying every day, writing letters to Brussels, and when we say – let’s sit down and talk, they are looking for an excuse not to talk, because in fact, they were looking for an excuse not to participate in the elections, knowing they would lose,” she said. “Fajon showed that she is not an objective mediator, but sided with one side 48 hours before a local election in Serbia, and called on MEPs to sign their support for one side. If the dialogue is conducted under the auspices of the EP and should be conducted by someone objective, how can it be Tanja Fajon,” wondered Brnabic. She reiterated that the SNS is absolutely ready to participate in the inter-party dialogue. “But I call on those who call for that dialogue to tell those who have left it several times … Let’s make standards, how the dialogue will be conducted, and the one who leaves, not to participate anymore,” she said.

French Ambassador on developing economic ties with Serbia (Beta)

French Ambassador to Serbia Jean-Louis Falconi has said in an address to his compatriots living in Serbia that economic relations between the two nations had advanced despite the pandemic, and that he was privileged among his counterparts around the world to be in a country where vaccination against COVID-19 has begun and is working. In spite of the epidemic, economic and political relations between France and Serbia, are at their highest level and continuing to improve, Falconi said in an address to the French community in Serbia posted on the French Embassy’s Twitter account. He said French economic interests that had developed in Serbia in recent years, were encouraged by a visit by French President to Belgrade in July 2019 and were continuing to progress despite the pandemic. An ongoing visit by a Serbian economic delegation to France, where Serbia’s envoys will be received by French Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and other ministers and tour the subways in Paris in Lyon, confirms that economic ties are developing, Falconi added.

Godfrey: Biden and his team will take into account Serbian interests (Tanjug/RTS/RTV) 

US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey believes, as he says in an interview with Tanjug, that the team of the new President Joseph Biden will have Serbian interests in mind and that they will be respected in solving the Kosovo problem. … “Serbi’’s interests should be taken into account in any solution,” Godfrey emphasized in the first interview after the inauguration of Joseph Biden, adding that the United States expects that this solution will be reached within the dialogue led by the EU. Asked whether Serbia should fear the possibility of reaffirmation of the former policy of the Democrats towards Belgrade, Godfrey answered: “I don’t think so. The administration has great experience with Western Balkans and is really looking forward to being engaged here.” “We fully support the dialogue conducted by the EU between Belgrade and Pristina. I know that the American administration will support Serbian ideas because we know that the only solution, which would be a permanent solution for this region, is the one the parties reach in negotiations,” he said. Godfrey emphasized that President Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have already said that they support the dialogue under the EU auspices.

When it comes to the Washington agreement and Pristina’s attempts to relativize the significance of that document, Godfrey says that Washington respects the undertaken obligations. “They are in the interest of both Serbia and the US. The US wants the region to be more economically connected. Secretary Blinken was clear in his address to the Senate that he supports economic normalization. And that is the heart of the agreement reached in Washington,” Godfrey said.

The US, they claim, respects its obligations, and expects other parties to abide by their obligations as well.

REGIONAL PRESS 

SNSD to file criminal complaints against B&H CEC members; Dodik apologizes to Bjelica-Prutina (BHT1)

Serb member and Chairperson of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik, who is also the leader of SNSD, announced at a press conference that SNSD will file individual lawsuits against all members of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) because of violating the law when it comes to annulling the local elections in Srebrenica and Doboj. Dodik believes B&H CEC members have abused their office and are politically motivated to make a case out of local communities of Doboj and Srebrenica as B&H CEC has yet to determine the rules and the day of the elections that are to be repeated in Doboj and Srebrenica. Dodik underlined that if the current composition of the B&H CEC remains in office, it is very likely that SNSD will not take part in the 2022 general elections in B&H. B&H CEC has already filed a complaint against Dodik because of a verbal attack on B&H CEC member Vanja Bjelica-Prutina. Dodik stated that this complaint filed against him is not the reason why SNSD will file lawsuits against B&H CEC members. Dodik commented: “I have referred to one person, because a truth, that is related to her, for me has political connotations. If she understood it as if it was an insult to her dignity, in the sense of telling the truth, I apologize once more. It was not my intention to attack her dignity but I did want to reveal her political background”.

SDS, PDP and DNS announce joint participation in Doboj elections and their support for Grujicic in Srebrenica (Hayat)

Leadership of PDP, SDS and DNS held a meeting on Friday in Bijeljina. The aim of the meeting was gathering of opposition parties in the Republika Srpska (RS) which are striving towards changing the situation in the RS. Their goal is reportedly transparency, a halt in corrupt practices and stabilization of economy. They said that uncontrolled debt must urgently be halted and called on other parties and non-government organizations to prevent harmful SNSD behavior. The parties said that they will coordinate activities and invest all their capacities in the repeated elections in Doboj. SDS, PDP and DNS also announced their joint participation in repeated local elections in Doboj, as well as their support for Mladen Grujicic as a candidate for the Head of Srebrenica Municipality in repeated local elections in Srebrenica. SDS leader Mirko Sarovic said that there were talks of the candidate who could receive support in Doboj, but that this will later be discussed and announced. He said that the goal of the parties is to support one candidate so that they would have a higher chance of success. PDP’s leader Branislav Borenovic said that they are ready to do everything to restore the citizens’ confidence in institutions including laws on conflict of interest, suppression of nepotism, origin of assets, and other legislative solutions. DNS leader Nenad Nesic said that changes in the RS are essential and that they are certainly taking place.

US Ambassador to B&H Nelson meets with Dodik (RTRS)

Chair and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik met with US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson on Friday. The Cabinet of the Serb member of the Presidency issued a statement, which reads that Dodik and Nelson met at the US Embassy building in Sarajevo and that, among other things, they exchanged opinions on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of immunization of the citizens. According to the statement from the Cabinet, ambassador Nelson emphasized that the US remains committed to supporting the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and B&H with two entities and three constituent peoples. Nelson also reiterated the US’ support to the European path of B&H. In addition, the ambassador announced that, in the next five years, USAID will invest USD 20 million in B&H for the development of tourism.

Dodik told a press conference on Friday that there are different stances on NATO in B&H. “We regulated the NATO by the Program of Reforms which reads that the membership is not prejudged, and this means that B&H deems this issue is still open and NATO too understands it in this way. Others in the Presidency of B&H believe this issue is a done deal for them. Maybe it is for them, but it is not for B&H,” Dodik added. Dodik also said that he discussed political issues related to B&H’s journey to the EU with Nelson and Ambassador of Greece to B&H Nikos Dendias. “It is well known that there is the EU Opinion with 14 points that were listed. We think that reforms related to the judiciary should be implemented in the entirety and not in a segmented manner and we think it is impossible to secure the right solutions by implementing some kind of cosmetic changes or only one of those and preserve the system of making of decisions in the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) as it is. We do not oppose a reform of HJPC, but this is certainly not a cosmetic change,” Dodik said.

Cvijanovic: Story about any High Representative who will be in charge in B&H is slap in face for both EU and B&H (Srna)

In an interview for Srna, RS President and SNSD Vice-President Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that it is illusory to expect that B&H will be organized only according to just one people’s wishes and added that the hopes of “political Sarajevo” that foreigners will impose solutions are in vain. Cvijanovic called for shutdown of the OHR, noting that the very story about a High Representative (HR) who would introduce order in B&H is a slap in the face of the EU and B&H. Namely, Cvijanovic considers that there is no need for the OHR in B&H, which – as she stressed – should not agree to a protectorate status. The RS President presented an opinion that the OHR, “together with certain embassies”, often ruined the agreements of the political entities in B&H. “The OHR should be losing its role, because the HR – even if he does nothing – is a reminder that this is not a normal state. I do not believe in the story that this should pave our way to becoming more successful on the path to the EU. He is an essential obstacle to any mature and dedicated progress towards the EU. The fact is that the OHR is a Dayton category, but it should be in the phase of stand-by or complete shutdown,” Cvijanovic stated. According to Cvijanovic, issues lacking consensus in B&H are being unnecessarily imposed and the RS does not have collocutors for concrete activity. In her opinion, such a years-long ambience discourages work on real priorities. She noted that “political Sarajevo” always blames “someone else – either the RS, which protects its autonomy, Croats, who seek their political rights, or neighboring countries”. She added that, due to this reason, no one takes this country seriously and concluded that “the international factor is also responsible for why they behave that way”. With regard to SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic’s statement that there can be no “retrograde return” to the original Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), the RS President noted that only Izetbegovic has proven to be continuously retrograde. The RS President assessed that Izetbegovic’s calls for support from newly elected US President Joseph Biden is an already seen scenario, that already failed in the past. Commenting on the CEC’s decisions on annulling the local elections in Srebrenica and Doboj, she noted that the current CEC was appointed through agreement of SDA, SDS, PDP, and “certain foreign cycles” with the aim to influence the election process.

Dodik says Turkovic sent note verbale to Croatia without authorization of B&H Presidency (RTRS)

Serb member and Chair of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H with B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic at the helm had sent note verbale to Croatia on behalf of B&H without authorization of the Presidency of B&H. According to Dodik, Turkovic sent the note verbale in an attempt to achieve the aim of political Sarajevo that B&H has a free and unlimited access to open sea, although B&H does not have the right to it. “It has to be taken into account that B&H’s rights have not been violated in the process of declaring of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) by Croatia and that Croatia is fair in that respect’’ Dodik was quoted as saying. He added that Turkovic had attempted to request “a so-called sovereign access of B&H to open sea, although it has been known for decades that B&H does not have the right to what would normally be considered as free and unlimited access”. Dodik said Turkovic was obliged to request the opinion of the Presidency of B&H prior to authorizing the Ministry to send the note verbale. “B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent the note verbale to Croatia on its own initiative, without approval of the Presidency of B&H, in which they presented their own and probably opinion of Turkovic’’ Dodik was quoted as saying. Dodik noted Turkovic is very well aware that foreign affairs are under the jurisdiction of the Presidency of B&H “but she and the Ministry she leads persistently violate the Constitution and present their own views damaging the reputation of B&H which may have long-term consequences and affect the cooperation with Croatia”. Dodik said that, under international conventions and customary law, B&H has the right to harmless passage through the Croatian territorial sea which Croatia explicitly recognizes’. Dodik called on the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to launch an investigation with regard to the issue, having in mind that Turkovic’s actions are in violation of laws and the Constitution of B&H.

Inzko: If Turkovic continues to glorify war criminals, I will request from EU to ban her entry (N1/AJB)

High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko will request from the EU to ban Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic from entering the EU countries is she continues to glorify war criminals, stressing the case of verdict against war criminal (former B&H Army General) Sakib Mahmuljin. According to the daily, Inzko said during an interview for AJB that he announced this practice earlier during presentation of reports on situation in B&H before the UN Security Council because the practice of glorification of war criminals, without getting punished for it, cannot be tolerated. Article further reads that Inzko said: “Back then it related to (Milorad) Dodik, however my view about glorification of war criminals is universal, there is zero tolerance about the issue”. (Mahumuljin was recently found guilty and sentenced to ten years of imprisonment for command responsibility for war crimes committed by Mujahedeen units in his area of responsibility)

EU’s flag in front of Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo damaged; EUD to B&H condemns this act of vandalism (N1)

At the time of a police curfew on Saturday evening in Sarajevo, a yet unknown perpetrator damaged the flagpole in front of the Croatian Embassy in this city. The EU flag was torn from the flag holder and dropped on the ground. Croatian Ambassador to B&H Ivan Sabolic confirmed the news and said police is investigating the incident. “This morning, the Embassy sent a protest note to the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we expect competent institutions of B&H to urgently establish details of this incident, after which perpetrators will be punished accordingly,” Sabolic said in a telephone statement. The Sarajevo Canton (SC) Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirmed on Sunday that still unidentified perpetrator(s) made damage to the flagpole and EU’s flag displayed in front of the consular department of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the center of Sarajevo on Saturday evening, while the flag of Croatia remained untouched. The SC MoI stated that investigation is underway. The EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H condemned this act of vandalism, asking for perpetrators of this act to be found as soon as possible. B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic condemned the incident in Sarajevo, during which the flag holder and the EU flag in front of the Croatian Embassy were damaged. She called this an act of vandalism, saying that this was done by individuals and such behavior is unacceptable. She emphasized that this does not represent the stance of most B&H citizens and such behavior will not be acceptable. Turkovic said B&H’s strong and strategic commitment is membership in the European Union, but also improvement of relations with its neighbors. The Minister said B&H and Croatia’s relationship will be built based on principles of appreciation and understanding. Turkovic expects the competent B&H authorities to swiftly uncover the details of this offense and bring the case to an end.

Croatian police prevent four MEPs from visiting border area between Croatia and B&H (N1/Avvenire.it)

Croatian police prevented four Italian members of the European Parliament and three journalists, who arrived in Croatia on Saturday, to check the situation with migrants on the border with B&H and the alleged pushback of migrants. The Italian web portal Avvenire.it reported that the Croatian police chased the MEPs Alessandra Moretti, Pietro Bartolo, Brando Benifei and Pierfrancesco Majorino in an attempt to prevent them from reaching the checkpoint, where migrants are mostly barred from entering Croatia. According to the same media, some 20 police officers and police vans blocked the road for the EU officials, leaving them discontent. MEPs told media that they did not expect this to happen at the European soil and then, the delegation visited the neighboring Bihac and met representatives of the Una Sana Canton government but no one gave any statements for media following the meeting. Benifei only stated: “We did not expect that and right now I would not like to comment on what happened in Croatia. We will talk and discuss it in the following days.” One of the MEPs said that maybe the Croatian police does not want them to see other criminal offenses and everything that happens in this area. His colleague emphasized that Croatia can be sure that “their work here is not done”. A female MEP said that this is not behavior that can be connected to a humane Europe. They all concluded that Croatia does not wish them to see the real state of things. They said that they will seek explanation from the Croatian President as he knows the institutions well and must explain this situation to members of the European Parliament. The MEPs pointed out that amongst other things, the Croatia’s position in the matter must be revealed. MEPs said that if Croatia is honoring international standards as it claims, they should not be prevented from visiting the location.

Bozinovic: The entire situation with MEPs is provocation; Croatian MoI says that they acted in accordance with Croatian and European law (HRT)

On the border between B&H and Croatia, four members of the European Parliament (MEPs) wanted to see the way that the Croatian police treats the migrants that try to cross over. The Croatian police prevented the MEPs from crossing to the mentioned area. The Croatian police reacted to this incident and Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic called the entire situation a provocation and an attempt to discredit the Croatian police in performance of its duties. He said the main task of the border police is protection of the border. Bozinovic emphasized that the police acted in line with the Croatian laws and the international rules. Chief of the Border Administration and Assistant Chief of the Croatian Police Zoran Niceno said that they earlier approved the visit of Italian MEPs and several journalists to the Croatian Immigration Center, but they were not allowed to cross the border through Bojna forest, as this is a location where the border cannot be crossed. This is why they were stopped at this location, the Croatian police representatives explained. Niceno told a press conference that this group was stopped at around 200 meters from the border and informed that they are not allowed to go any further. He added that this is not a legal crossing point and the area is quite dangerous, as it was not cleared of mines. Niceno explained that safety of the MEPs would be endangered as they would not be able to return to their original location by threading through this forest. “This is another one in series of, I would say, provocations, connected to the Croatian police’s behavior during performance of its constitutional and legal tasks and that is the protection of the state border,” Minister Bozinovic stated. He reminded that Croatia explained several times in past few years that its police acts in accordance with the state laws. The Croatian Ministry of Interior (MoI) stated that they acted in accordance with Croatian and European law. Niceno said that their behavior was in accordance with the Schengen law on borders and Croatian laws that the border can only be crossed at a place that is a designated border crossing. According to the Croatian MoI, the group headed to the control point despite receiving an answer from authorities that they are not allowed to cross the border in this place. Bozinovic said that the visit was not an official visit of the European Parliament but organized by a political party. He explained that if it was an official visit, then the MEPs would announce their visit through the EU Representation in Croatia. Niceno said that there could be connection between the arrival of the MEPs and two groups of migrants who prepared to cross the border at the same point on that day. Bozinovic believes that a certain performance would have happened if the approach of the MEPs had been allowed.

Grlic Radman surprised with Turkovic’s criticizing of verdict to Mahmuljin (Vecernji list)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlic Radman commented on the fact that Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&H Bisera Turkovic strongly criticized the sentence to former Commander of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Republic of B&H Sakib Mahmuljin. Grlic Radman said that he was surprised by Turkovic’s reaction and assessed that this represents exerting of pressure by a representative of executive authorities on judiciary of B&H, which is unacceptable in a country which aspires to become a member of the EU and NATO. Grlic Radman reminded that he too was dissatisfied with the fact that the indictment against Mahmuljin did not include war crimes committed by units under his command against Croats in central Bosnia “but as a minister of the country which is a member of the EU and NATO, I believe in democratic principle of the rule of law and in independence of judicial bodies”. Grlic Radman added that he was especially unpleasantly surprised by Turkovic’s recent statement for Hayat TV, in which she spoke about the role of Croatia in the war in B&H in a negative context. “We are still waiting for a reply to learn whether this statement is an official stance of B&H or personal stance of Minister Turkovic,” Grlic Radman added.

Cavara argues Bosniak parties replaced some of B&H CEC members in illicit and constitutional manner, says role of High Representative Inzko will be remembered as negative (Vecernji list)

In an interview to the daily, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) President Marinko Cavara said that Croats will have to find the right response to threats which exist in the context of new deterioration of political rights in the FB&H, which might be realized in 2022 general elections. Cavara claimed that Bosniaks replaced a number of members of the B&H CEC in an illegal and unconstitutional manner. Speaking about the political position of Croats in the FB&H, Cavara noted that it is extremely important to implement an agreement from June last year, which confirmed that the B&H Law on Elections will be changed in line with the ruling of the Constitutional Court on legitimate representation. However, Cavara added that “Bosniak side ignored this part of the agreement so we entered this year without a solution for the issue of the Law on Elections of B&H”. “We can see what is happening. It is clear that SDA and other Bosniak parties will do everything to delay the process of talks and negotiations so that the Law on Elections would not be changed before the elections. This is because they plan to completely exclude the Croat constituent people from managing with destiny of this state and destiny of their people. I.e. (they plan to) erase it as a political entity primarily in the FB&H, thus in the state as well,” Cavara argued. Asked to assess the election process in Mostar, Cavara said: “We have been waiting for 12 years for people to be able to vote but it is worrying that we got the Election Commission which was purely politically managed by centers of power of SDA, DF and those similar to them. They primarily make decisions in line with political orders and not in line with laws and Law on Elections”. Cavara added that this resulted in an obvious situation of violation of election process and he speculated that there are obviously “correlations with certain judicial institutions in this context so the flagrant violation of the Law on Elections and Law on Place of Residence is still tolerated without any punishment or public condemnation”. Asked to comment the election process that will take place in 2022, Cavara said that it is to be expected that Bosniak political parties will continue similar activities like in 2020 and he noted that Croats will have to find the right response while keeping in mind that leading world powers, primarily USA, have a great influence in B&H. “We will have to inform the new administration (of USA) as well as partners from the EU and Croatia about the ways in which processes are being carried out in B&H and that this cannot continue without those who witnessed and signed the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA),” Cavara said. Finally, asked to comment on the work of High Representative Valentin Inzko and candidacy of Christian Schmidt for this position, Cavara assessed that “Inzko showed an ugly face. First, let’s remind of March 2011 when he went above the Constitution and all democratic norms and suspended the decision of the Election Commission which annulled the election of the FB&H President and Vice President as well as the FB&H government, the platform. Then he harshly invaded the system and caused the most damage to democracy in B&H and Croat people of course and he ensured that Bosniak majority with few Croats, who were placed there as a decoration, will hold the authorities. By this, Croats were eliminated from political deciding in the FB&H. By this, he demonstrated all of his incapability and biasness. His role will be remembered as negative”. Cavara welcomed German initiative to replace the High Representative and noted: “We will have to create preconditions for shutting down of the OHR”. Cavara concluded by saying that he expects that Schmidt’s appointment will represent returning of all processes in B&H in frame of the Constitution and laws.

Montenegro expelled eight citizens of Serbia (Vijesti)

The Niksic police expelled eight citizens of Serbia, who, as they claim from the local Democratic Front (DF), had previously been professionally engaged in their campaigns as advisors and media and marketing experts. The Coalition for the Future of Niksic, led by the DF, claims that this is a classic raid and attack on people from Serbia who resided legally in Niksic, Montenegrin Vijesti writes. The Niksic police expelled the following citizens of Serbia: Jelena Denic, Jelena Nesic, Olivera Djordjevic, Andrijana Stankovic, Vuk Mladenovic, Nikola Aleksic, Vladimir Vojvodic and Bojan Delic. The DF previously told Vijesti TV that this is another indicator that DPS servants are still at the head of the Niksic police, who were directly involved in the election campaign. They pointed out that the police only bother those who come from Serbia, and not the marketing agencies that the DPS hires from Croatia or other countries. In the previous days, several other Serbian citizens were detained, where Serbian money and flags were found, and who were then released. Among them are members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

Austin: Russia uses ethnic conflicts in the Balkans to undermine stability (Pobjeda)

As a malignant actor, Russia is increasingly using ethnic tensions in the Balkans to undermine regional stability and hamper the Euro-Atlantic integration of countries in the region, said the newly appointed Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin at a hearing before the US Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of the appointment. Last Friday, the US Senate confirmed the appointment of a retired General Lloyd Austin as the new Secretary of Defense. His candidacy was confirmed with 93 votes in favor and 2 against. In a document that Pobjeda had insight into, Austin states that the NATO’s Kosovo force KFOR played a key role in maintaining stability in the Balkans.

“Malignant actors such as Russia and China are increasingly trying to use ethnic conflicts, corruption and the weak rule of law in the Western Balkans through disinformation, cyber-attacks and economic manipulation. These tactics are a strategy designed to undermine regional stability, hamper Euro-Atlantic integration and provide critical infrastructure,” he told the Committee members. Asked whether the US should keep advocating for the engagement in KFOR, Austin said that he recognized the important role that KFOR had in establishing stability in the WB. “US contribution to KFOR is small compared to their impact.”