LOCAL PRESS 

Decision to bomb for the first time in history without approval of UN Security Council (RTS) 

NATO air strikes on Serbia, that is, the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), began on this day 22 years ago. Between 1,200 and 2,500 people died in 78 days. The commemoration of the anniversary of the bombing will be in line with epidemiological measures due to the coronavirus. The decision to bomb the then FRY was passed, for the first time in history without the approval of the UN Security Council, and the order was issued by the then NATO Secretary General Javier Solana to the then commander of the allied forces, US General Wesley Clark.

Clark later wrote in his book “Modern Warfare” – not only that the planning of the NATO air operation against the FRY was intensified in mid-June 1998, but also that it was completed at the end of August that year. The FRY was attacked under the pretext that it was to blame for the failure of negotiations in Rambouillet and Paris on the future status of the province of Kosovo and Metohija. After the decision not to accept foreign troops was confirmed by the Serbian parliament, which proposed that United Nations forces monitor the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Kosovo, NATO launched air strikes with cruise missiles and aircraft on 4 March 1999 at 7.45 pm in several areas of Serbia and Montenegro. Nineteen countries of the Alliance began bombing from ships in the Adriatic, from four air bases in Italy, supported by strategic bombers that took off from bases in Western Europe, and later from the United States. The barracks and air defense units of the FRY Army were first targeted in Batajnica, Mladenovac, Pristina and elsewhere. There is almost no city in Serbia that has not been targeted by NATO forces at least several times during the 11 weeks of the attack. After several diplomatic pressures, the bombing ended with the signing of the Military Technical Agreement in Kumanovo on 9 June 1999, and three days later the withdrawal of FRY forces from Kosovo and Metohija began. After the NATO Secretary General issued an order on cessation of the bombing on 10 June, the last projectiles fell in the region of ​​the village of Kokolec at 1:30 p.m. On that day, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1244, and 37,200 KFOR soldiers from 36 countries were sent to the province, with the task of preserving peace, security and the return of hundreds of thousands of Albanian refugees until the broadest degree of its autonomy is defined.

Vucic: Our obligation is to forgive, but to never forget; Kurti’s message to Serbs clear (Tanjug/RTV) 

Serbia’s job and obligation is to forgive, but it is also its obligation to never forget, and that is why we will cultivate a culture of remembrance, we will not be ashamed of the victims, but proud of what Serbia did to preserve its freedom, its hearths and country, said on Tuesday Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the beginning of the NATO aggression. When asked by the journalists of the Russian agency TASS, how deep a trace the NATO bombing leaves in the destiny of the Serbian people and how many years are needed for it to be overcome, Vucic said that tomorrow Serbia will mark another anniversary of the beginning of the NATO aggression on our country, noting that, as he says, he utters the right word – aggression and not to call it campaigns, operations, intervention, like some before. He says that they were afraid of the truth, that they would criticize them in some embassies because of it, thinking that they would keep them in power. “We are interested in the truth, and for us, the lives of little Sanja and others are more important than what the Western embassies will say,” he said. Vucic said that Serbia wants to have friendly relations with everyone who participated in the aggression, but will also remember its victims. “I think that in the historical sense, there are very few doubts about the attack on the then FRY. I think that all the assessments we give are proportional, that is, the choice of our words and texts is exactly proportional to the crime that was committed against our people and country,” he concluded.

One ministerial seat in Kosovo and Metohija clear message to the Serbs 

Vucic stated that the fact that Serbs will have one ministerial position in the so-called government of Kosovo, as well as the call of Albin Kurti for the election of the Prime Minister that everyone should be united in the fight against Serbia, a clear message, is a clear message to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Asked how he commented on the fact that Serbs will have one place in the Kosovo government, as well as Bosniaks, although according to the constitution of so-called Kosovo Serbs have two seats, Vucic said that he noticed two things there. “One is a brutal violation of their highest legal act, from their point of view, because that constitution says that Serbs must get two ministerial seats. But, they really don’t care that they brutally trampled on that,” Vucic stated. He says that the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija are not worried because no one from the world will tell them anything on that issue, but that it is a clear message to the Serb people. “And an even clearer message was when the Prime Minister of the provisional institutions in Pristina Kurti said that everyone should be united in the fight against Serbia. Imagine that I called for us to be united against Pristina. And I call for reason and to be united in reaching a compromise. And no one reacted to what Kurti said, because they are allowed this.” Vucic adds that everything that is against Serbia is allowed, while they would condemn everything that Serbia would do on that issue in accordance with its constitution. That speaks of hypocrisy and double standards, concluded Vucic.

Office: Shameful sentence to Krstic, victim of political persecution from Pristina (RTS) 

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija expresses the deepest indignation and protest over of the shameful sentence of 14 and a half years in prison, to which Zlatan Krstic was sentenced on Tuesday before the Basic Court in Pristina for an alleged crime against civilians. A statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija states that Zlatan Krstic was sentenced to a draconian prison sentence, although none of the twenty or so witnesses recognized him as the perpetrator of the crime or saw him commit the crime he is charged with. This way, he was denied, as it is stated, the right to a fair trial, and Krstic himself is another victim of political persecution from Pristina. “Again, it is shown in action that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are tried according to ethnic lines, and that judges pass verdicts without grounds on facts and evidence,” the press release states. Krstic, the lawyer who was hired by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, will appeal this verdict, which is a drastic example of the bias and ferocity of the court instances in Pristina. “Such court decisions send a clear message to Serbs that there is no place for them, nor rights or justice in Kosovo and Metohija. There is open animosity and intolerance towards the Serbs, and this verdict, like the ones before it, will have serious implications for the return of Serbs to Kosovo and Metohija,” concludes the Office.

Serbian parliament committee rejects complaints of offensive language (Beta) 

The Serbian parliament Administrative Committee rejected all complaints filed by democracy watchdog NGOs against ruling party MPs who made offensive comments about them in open session. The Administrative Committee rejected as groundless all the complaints filed against senior Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) MPs filed by the CRTA NGO and by Transparency Serbia against the Committee on Constitutional Issues and Legislature. The MPs all denied the charges of violating the parliamentary code of conduct, claiming that the complaints were filed to discredit them. The Committee ruled that a derogatory term for Albanians (Shiptar) was no offensive, that the phrase “stick in a bag and beat” was used as a metaphor and that the sentence “This is solved in Russia by making you disappear” was not a veiled threat. All three were voiced by SNS MPs in open session.

North Macedonia journalists vaccinated in southern Serbia (FoNet) 

A group of more than 100 journalists from North Macedonia are being vaccinated against the coronavirus in the southern Serbian town of Vranje, the Serbian Journalists’ Association (UNS) said on Tuesday. The 105 journalists are being inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine which was secured at the request of the North Macedonia journalists’ association in cooperation with UNS and support from the Serbian President’s cabinet. The journalists were brought to Vranje by bus. North Macedonia is inoculating health care system staff. It has procured 11,000 doses of vaccine and is having trouble procuring more to launch a mass vaccination of its population.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Russian Embassy to B&H: Russia has no intention of interfering in internal affairs of B&H (N1)

The Russian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) stated on Tuesday that it subsequently explained its comment on B&H’s path towards NATO to certain B&H officials and to SDA, adding that their conclusions should not have been made on the basis of an arbitrary interpretation of the text. The explanation came after numerous reactions to the press release of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in B&H, which questioned the NATO integration of B&H. Russian Ambassador to B&H Igor Kalabukhov stated in his explanation that he respected the opinion of B&H officials, but still pointed out that it was not based on complete insight into the text of the statement that was sent. It was stated that Russia has no intention of interfering in B&H’s internal affairs. This was carefully elaborated by the Russian Embassy in letters sent to SDA, B&H Foreign Affairs Minister Bisera Turkovic and Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic. In a letter addressed to Komsic, Kalabukhov reminded that there was no consensus on NATO integration in B&H, both in the B&H Presidency, and amongst the citizens, which only means that all should be allowed to state their opinion in the matter. The letter sent to SDA adds that Russia is trying to maximize the real sovereignty of B&H by insisting on the closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) as soon as possible, which has become an instrument of external control. The third letter, addressed to Minister Turkovic, was not shared with the public. None of the officials that received the letters from the Russian Embassy in B&H made a comment on Tuesday. N1 learns that Komsic met with US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson on Tuesday and one of the topics of their meeting was B&H’s path towards NATO. NATO has previously told N1 that the threats are unacceptable. “No third party has the right to intervene or veto such a process. All threats in this regard are unacceptable. The time of spheres of influence has passed. NATO and B&H have long and mutually beneficial cooperation,” the NATO said. The letter sent to Komsic reads: “We do not call sovereignty of B&H to choose its foreign-policy priorities into question in any way. We believe that those who support this course also have the right to declare themselves about the B&H membership in the NATO in case of the lack of consensus on this issue in the B&H Presidency and among citizens of B&H. I reject insinuations that the statement is a retaliation for you rejecting a meeting with (Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs) Sergey Lavrov as absolutely taken out of the context.” The letter sent to SDA reads: “With all due respect to the history and the role of the SDA in the public and political life of B&H, SDA is not the entire B&H. Accessing NATO will not automatically improve socioeconomic situation in B&H that many supporters of the alliance count on. Wanted membership in the organization does not imply only using its possibilities but also accepting a certain number of obligations. Is B&H ready to send its youth in distanced parts of the planet to lose lives for someone else’s geopolitical interests?” “We believe that lack of consensus on this issue at B&H Presidency and among B&H citizens gives the right to declare on B&H’s membership to NATO to those who support this path, as well as to those who want to stress all the consequences of accession to the military block the strength of which is directed against my country”, the letter reads, adding that “Russia is called almost the main enemy of B&H” in a number of publications promoted by NATO.

Novakovic-Bursac, Kovacevic claim there is no path to NATO, only cooperation with NATO; Borenovic argues B&H Presidency members cemented path to NATO in 2019 by delivering Program of Reforms to Brussels (EuroBlic)

Following the press statement of the Russian Embassy, which argued that B&H’s path to NATO would be a ‘hostile move’, Chair of SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac said that B&H is not moving towards the membership in NATO and argued that the best proof for this is the budget of B&H. “Relations with NATO, following the adoption of the Program of Reforms, was formally shifted onto the railway of cooperation which does not prejudge the membership, which would not be the case had the Annual National Program (ANP) had been adopted and submitted as well. Everything on this can be clearly read on the website of NATO. All these facts are the best illustrated by the budget of B&H institutions adopted for 2020, in which no additional funds were earmarked for the Ministry of Defense”, Novakovic-Bursac explained. At the same time, PDP leader Branislav Borenovic claimed that members of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik, Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic have the same stances and act in the same way when it comes to the NATO path, but they only “speak in different ways”. “They cemented the NATO path back in 2019 by delivering the ANP or so-called Program of Reforms to Brussels. Ever since then, Dodik is only trying to manipulate, lie, cheat and in all of this he is insulting and humiliating the Republika Srpska (RS) institutions, primarily the RS National Assembly (RSNA), but the fact remains that he agreed with continuation of B&H’s path to NATO, regardless of what he says,” Borenovic said. Spokesperson for SNSD and Dodik’s Advisor Radovan Kovacevic said that the stance of the RS parliament on military neutrality will be respected for as long as there are Dodik and SNSD and he added: “There will be no path to NATO. There can be cooperation with NATO in the same way there is cooperation with other military alliances and armies”. Kovacevic noted that he can somewhat understand frustrations of Bosniak politicians who have been promising to public that the ANP will be delivered, the Membership Action Plan (MAP) will be activated and that a commission for NATO integration will be formed: “None of this happened”.

Covic: Issue of Election Law is crucial, FB&H government depends on it (Dnevni avaz)

In an interview to the daily, HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic commented the talks on changes of the Election Law and he first of all reminded that the ongoing negotiations are part of the agreement, signed last year in Mostar by representatives of SDA and HDZ B&H, as well as entire international community. He elaborated that the agreement speaks about details and it determined all the focal points concerning the future electoral reform and implementation of key judicial rulings. Covic underlined that this agreement was signed and signatories took over the responsibility to carry out all items of the agreement. “Deadlines have been set long time ago and entire public, including our friends from the IC, as well as EU institutions, expect final agreement and most importantly, the concrete proposal that goes into parliamentary procedure,” said Covic. Asked if any progress has been made, Covic noted that SDA presented additional requests which concern the Federation of B&H (FB&H) government, the issue of FB&H Constitutional Court and series of other issues which aim to divert the attention “from the key political issue, founding priority of European future of B&H”. He noted that blockades, aimed to save time in order to fail in reaching of the agreement, are clearly visible and clearly state which of the political options does not want the agreement to be reached. “The issue of the Election Law directs all the processes which come and searching for an alibi for failure to reach the agreement will fail. There is simply no more space and time for such form of political behavior,” said Covic. Asked if the new FB&H government will be formed soon, Covic said that reshuffling or forming of the new FB&H government will depend on dynamics of the talks about the Election Law, noting that this issue is a priority for the European Commission, especially after the issue of the City of Mostar is solved. “This is a package of reforms, and this is why three working groups have been formed in order to follow the dynamics dictated by the working group for the Election Law. Stance of SDA colleagues has to stop being maximalist, unconstitutional and counterproductive towards the most important political issue in B&H,” said Covic. He added that it seems that SDA is not overly confident in the support in FB&H parliament, which proves that story about forming of the FB&H Government is a spin to transfer the attention from the Election Law to some other directions. “Legitimate representatives of Croat people, gathered around HNS and HDZ, have a clear stance, parliamentary power and unavoidable capacity,” said Covic. Asked what is the right way to follow forming of the new government or reshuffling of the current one, concerning that two and half years have passed since general elections, Covic said that they underlined that this FB&H government, regardless if it is new or reshuffled, has to have clear program agenda and key goals : “Since the beginning we have a clear stance, we are consistent in insisting on program of reforms which include extended reform package and the issue of Election Law is the key of everything”.

OHR, US Embassy warn of danger of rhetoric after Cvitanovic’ statement on Election Law (FTV)

Leader of HDZ 1990 Ilija Cvitanovic said that if changes to the B&H Election Law are not adopted by 30 June, Croats have nothing left to do but to form the ‘Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia’. This is how Cvitanovic reacted to the recent statement of leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic on changes of the B&H Election Law and the need to limit use of the mechanism of protection of the Vital National Interest. Cvitanovic stated that the best response to this is to ignore and to continue work on reform of the Election Law. He added: “We all know that 30 June is a certain ‘deadline’ and that it should be changed by then. If this does not happen, Croats have only one option left – the Herzeg-Bosnia. Are we ready?” The Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the US Embassy to B&H reacted to Cvitanovic’ statement and warned of danger of such rhetoric. The OHR stated that politicians should focus on solving concrete problems of citizens and not inciting, barren and unconstructive rhetoric that promotes further dividing of the country, secession or unitarism, adding that the issue of the ‘Herzeg-Bosnia’ was solved before the ICTY. The US Embassy to B&H strongly dismissed any kind of further geographical dividing of the sovereign state of B&H including a possibility of formation of a third entity and they strongly oppose reorganization based on ethnic principles.

Blinken’s visit to Brussels might open door to appointment of Schmidt as new High Representative (Nezavisne)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Brussels on Wednesday where he will meet with high-ranking EU officials. According to the daily, this will also be an opportunity to solve the matter of appointment of Christian Schmidt as the new High Representative. According to the daily’s sources, Schmidt’s appointment is now a matter of formality, since the USA has agreed to it. The only open issue is the timing of the appointment, but the daily argues that Schmidt is also not in a hurry to be appointed since his tenure in German Parliament expires in autumn. The daily claims that after the election of US President Joseph Biden, the USA asked EU for coordinated approach to Russia and China, and in return the USA agreed to let the EU play the leading role in the EU neighborhood. Since the EU introduced sanctions against China and Russia as requested by the USA, it is now Washington’s turn to do its part of the job, and one small piece of that puzzle is also the appointment of the new High Representative. The daily speculates that only Russia might prevent Schmidt’s appointment, and argues that while Russia is against Schmidt’s appointment, it is not very likely to put a veto on the appointment because that could be perceived as a slap in the face of Berlin, and Russia would probably be reluctant to offend Germany in this way. The daily’s sources argue that Germany is Russia’s main foreign trade partner, and the two countries have very complex relations because of the complicated history. The daily claims that the man opposition against Schmidt’s appointment might come from the EU itself, since many member states do not want to strengthen the role of OHR as they see it as an obstacle to B&H’s European path, and they are also concerned about future coordination of OHR and EU Delegation. Political analyst Faris Kocan stated that Schmidt’s appointment will be the first test of new relations between the EU and USA. According to him, coordinated approach of the EU and USA is very important for the entire region, since it will promote rule of law, democracy, human rights and civic society. Kocan noted that Western Balkans is important for the EU because of the growing coordinated role of China and Russia in the region, but also because Europe cannot successfully fight the coronavirus crisis unless Balkans is included in activities too.

Vulic: Turkovic’s only unhidden goal is unitary B&H and that all Serbs and Croats move out from B&H (ATV)

SNSD representative in B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic stated on Tuesday that anything coming from B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic (SDA) is not surprising, as she acts as if B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs is her own company with a goal to make B&H a unitary state. According to Vulic, Turkovic wants to turn B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs into one-nation ministry and Turkovic’s day is senseless unless she takes some action against Serbs. Vulic stressed that Turkovic’s only unhidden goal is unitary B&H and that all Serbs and Croats move out from B&H. She reminded that B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet answered the Srna’s question about national structure of employees at the Ministry, embassies and consulates, which was posed a month ago.

Bosniak officials talk about civic state to cover up their true intention of establishing Islamic state in territory of B&H (Glas Srpske)

Addressing the weekly session of the Association of Independent Intellectuals ‘Krug 99’ last Sunday, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic spoke about the need to move B&H towards a civic state, and he underlined that pro-Bosnian parties which have 60 percent of seats in B&H House of Representatives need to unite. At the same time, B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic visited Saudi Arabia where she talked to Saudi officials, but only about matters which are important for Bosniaks alone. According to the daily, all of this proves that SDA officials have one main goal, and that is establishing of an Islamic state in B&H territory, and their talk about a civic state is merely a cover for the concept of Islamic state. The daily also refers to a report of the US Army War Collage’s Strategic Studies Institute which mentions close relations of some Bosniak officials with members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Political analyst and member of Croatian Parliament Nino Raspudic stated that statements about the civic concept are always used to mask the true interests of the Bosniak people. According to him, there is no way Izetbegovic can convince Croats and Serbs to accept the civic concept. Security expert Radislav Jovicic stated that SDA has had close ties with Islamist organizations since the 1970s. “The idea of the allegedly civic concept is dangerous because it leads to Islamization. It is dangerous for Bosniaks too, because most of them were raised on Western values, and now all of that would change. This would lead to failure of B&H,” said Jovicic.

Serbia donates ventilators to the RS; Vucic: RS can always count on Serbia; Dodik: Serbia showed its leadership skills, within the country and in the region (RTRS)

During the coronavirus pandemic, when the Republika Srpska (RS) healthcare system is overburdened, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic handed over a donation to Serb member and Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik in form of respirators and other medical equipment. RTRS carried a part of their live press conference which was organized in Krnjesevci district, in Stara Pazova Municipality. At the beginning of the conference, Vucic informed of the type and number of medical equipment that Serbia will donate to the RS. The donation includes 30 clinical and five transport respirators and other medical equipment. Vucic emphasized that everything that Serbia has will be available to the RS, and to B&H, as well as to all other countries that express such a need. Serbia will assess how much it can help, but it will always answer the call, Vucic stated. “We acted like a country that has everything and can provide everything; which has things for the future period and which can always help those in need” Vucic told the reporters. The Serbian President stressed how fast and dangerous the British strain of the coronavirus is and how all countries must help one another in this situation, jointly trying to overcome this global issue. Vucic said that the situation has never been this difficult in the RS, in the entire B&H and in Serbia. In the next few days, Serbia plans to drastically accelerate its mass immunization process. Vucic hopes the mass immunization will be completed prior to the set deadlines. The decision on construction of a new hospital in Novi Sad will be made in a day or two. When talking about the donation, Vucic said that in these difficult times this is a “big thing”, but something that is implying, as the RS can always count on Serbia’s help. “We will always be at service and we will always stand alongside our people, but also all other citizens that need our help,” Vucic underlines. Dodik addressed the press conference and thanked Vucic and his team for this donation. Dodik emphasized that he contacted Vucic on Monday and asked for his help, as the RS healthcare system is struggling. He said capacities of the University Clinical Center (UKC) of the RS are full and the RS needs to secure additional 400 beds at a new location. For this reason, Dodik asked Serbia to donate medical equipment and necessary respirators, which will be used in this new COVID facility. Dodik said he was impressed when he saw the warehouse in Stara Pazova. He said Serbia showed how capable and organized its leaders are. “Serbia is showing its leadership in adoption and implementation of measures in connection to this crisis” Dodik said, adding that Serbia showed leadership skills within its country by securing all that its citizens need, but also the leadership skills in the region. He reminded that Serbia continues to help the RS, but it also sent a donation to the FB&H recently. He concluded by thanking Serbia for being there for the RS and its citizens, especially in the past year since the pandemic started. Dodik and Vucic discussed on Tuesday the possibility of treatment of RS citizens in Serbia. Vucic said that Serbia has already treated many citizens of countries in the region, but it never wanted to promote that. Now, he says that his country will offer such aid to the RS, and if needed, RS citizens will be treated in Serbia. When it comes to vaccination of healthcare workers from the RS, a total of 2,886 were vaccinated in Serbia and Vucic promised to make additional plans for vaccination of even greater number of people. Dodik added that in line with the data collected by the RS authorities, a total of 15,000 RS citizens that have dual citizenship have been vaccinated in Serbia. The SDS Healthcare Board led by Chairman Slobodan Stanic published an open letter thanking Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the vaccines and medical equipment donated to the RS. “The donated vaccines prevented a total collapse, and decreased the rate of deaths,” the open letter reads.

Besides donating vaccines to B&H, Serbia is also proposing joint procurement of AstraZeneca vaccines for the whole region. The B&H Ministry of Civil Affairs confirmed for Nova BH that Serbia’s proposal was forwarded to the competent authorities of the entities and Brcko District. The FB&H Ministry of Healthcare confirmed that it preliminary supports such a proposal, stressing that it is in favor of everything that will help the citizens of the FB&H. The RS representatives are of the same opinion. Brcko District has also expressed readiness for the joint procurement of vaccines proposed by Serbia. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic stressed that “if we were smart, we could act regionally in many things and apply to certain things and solve certain infrastructural projects in a way to determine our capacity and increase our capacity whoever our is partner on the other side.” “I believe that time for that will come eventually. I support Serbia that always has a good initiative,” Cvijanovic underlined.

Pro-Bosniak parties want to push their Croat candidate into CEC (Vecernji list)

Vecernji list daily reads that a vacancy pertaining to appointment of a Croat member of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC), which is currently ongoing, will resolve many doubts as to which direction the electoral legislation reform will take. Namely, daily explains that the mandate of current CEC member Vlado Rogic is about to expire, which is why the vacancy has been issued in line with the Law on Elections of B&H. According to the procedure, after the vacancy procedure is completed, candidates will be interviewed by representatives from the (B&H) House of Representatives and the CEC members. Daily unofficially learns that, apart from a Croat candidate, ‘pro-Bosniak’ forces will have their proposal as well. In this context daily reads that, in theory and practice, the Bosniak parties and CEC representatives can decide on the future member of the CEC. Daily goes on to say that the appointment of a new member of the CEC will send a strong signal if SDA wants to reach an agreement about changes to the Law on Elections of B&H or whether it will continue to undermine the process in order to maintain the status quo. This triggers the daily to say that in case ‘a pro-Bosniak Croat’ is pushed into the CEC, it would probably have serious implications on the process of negotiations about changes to the Law on Elections.

Djukanovic’s advisor: Maslennikov reiterated everything we could already hear from Russian hawks (CdM/Vijesti)

In an extensive interview for Vijesti, Russia’s Ambassador to Montenegro Vladislav Maslennikov laid out his views on relations between Montenegro and Russia now and before. Although Vijesti’s questions were “carefully prepared”, implying that the previous parliamentary majority and President Milo Djukanovic are responsible for bad relations between them, it may be concluded that neither the editorial office not their guest made a good point, it was noted in a statement by the President Djukanovic’s Foreign Policy Advisor, Ms Tamara Brajovic. “We agree with Ambassador Maslennikov’s statement that there’s a long history of relations between Montenegro and Russia. However, it doesn’t mean that any of them has the right to meddle in the affairs of the other, friends especially don’t do it. The Ambassador is well aware of reckless public appearances of various Reshetnikov-inspired and Zeljeznjak-inspired individuals who bragged about communicating the views of the Kremlin or the Duma at the expense of Montenegro and its top leaders, and who publicly and secretly backed the anti-Montenegrin opposition now in power, that Ambassador Maslenikov is teaching now,” she pointed out. According to Brajovic, “he reiterated in this interview everything we could hear from the Russia hawks, using the diplomatic language”. “It is especially unacceptable for the Russian ambassador to comment on the court case and the decisions of certain judicial bodies in Montenegro in the 2016 coup attempt, which is still ongoing. It doesn’t surprise us, just as it’s not surprising that they deny the well-recognized model of hybrid warfare (spreading misinformation, undermining political opponents, meddling in elections and influencing the deepening of social divisions), which was experienced not only by Montenegro, but also much bigger and more powerful countries.” Brajovic added that Montenegro’s reputation as a foreign policy and security partner is best described by international partners when they say that Montenegro is already behaving as an EU member.

High Prosecutor’s Office is checking on disclosure of classified information (CdM)

A case has been formed at the High Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica following the newspaper headlines related to the disclosure of classified information at the session of the Parliament’s Security Council, this institution told CdM. Several MPs, who are members of the Security and Defense Council, accused on Friday the Acting Director of the National Security Agency, ANB, Dejan Vuksic, of revealing classified information of a NATO member state to members of that council. He allegedly submitted names of foreign secret agents and top secret details of actions of a foreign agency. Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, confirmed this and stressed that Vuksic had made a mistake, announcing that he was going to talk to him. Abazovic thus endorsed the earlier claims of the Vice President of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Rasko Konjevic, who had been saying that Vuksic revealed data of an intelligence service of a NATO ally. Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic on the other hand, accused MPs of being “unworthy of public office”, as they’d revealed classified information. He urged the prosecution to file criminal charges against those MPs.

Mickoski demands census postponement (Republika)

VMRO DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski demanded an immediate postponement of the census. According to Mickoski, even those countries that are record holders in the immunization of the population have given up conducting the census during the pandemic in order to protect the health of their citizens. “Balkan tragedy, Macedonian scenario! The incompetents say they have a safe protocol for a successful census. Immunization record holders are postponing the census because they want to protect the health of their citizens,” Mickoski wrote on Facebook.

Micevski: SDSM-DUI coalition is weak, new stable parliamentary majority is needed (TV 24)

The coordinator of VMRO-DPMNE’s group in parliament Nikola Micevski talked on TV 24 about the current political situation in the country, the dysfunctional Parliament, as well as the future steps of VMRO-DPMNE. Micevski emphasized that the government has not functioned well since the first day of the formation of the parliamentary majority, because the government does not have a stable majority, and an indicator of that are 62 MPs who in most sessions do not attend the debates, failing to gather quorum. This means that the blockade of the parliament is not by VMRO-DPMNE, but by SDSM and DUI, which in front of the public show that they have not cooperated for a long time and do not have a consensus on the decisions in the parliament. Micevski says that out of a total of 273 laws in the parliament, only 9 or 10 laws have been blocked by the opposition, which is not a blocking of the parliament, but a disagreement on certain issues, which is completely legitimate. “They should admit that the majority is weak and that their cooperation is disrupted and is at a low level, which will contribute to the formation of a new parliamentary majority led by VMRO-DPMNE,” says Micevski.

EU financially supports Albania in the fight against organized crime (Radio Tirana)

EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca stated that Albania should strengthen the fight against organized crime, as a priority for its accession to the EU. In a twitter post, Mr. Soreca writes that foreign experts from Spain, the Netherlands and Italy will help Albania in the fight against organized crime. “The fight against organized crime is a key priority for the EU’s accession to Albania. Therefore, the importance of this project that offers the Albanian authorities, technical expertise coming from several EU member states, such as Spain, the Netherlands and Italy is great. “A real team in Europe,” writes Soreca. The project “Fight against organized crime in Albania through criminal and financial investigation” is funded by the EU with a budget of 5.5 million euros. The project supports Albanian law enforcement agencies, police and several other law enforcement institutions. The EU makes available 5.5 million Euros for Albania in the fight against organized crime and almost half of this fund will go only for new equipment, over 2.4 million euros. This investment is for the modernization of the infrastructure of the Police and other bodies. The project will qualitatively increase the capacity in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking in Albania through training or similar things, and will improve investigative methods through support with high-tech equipment, computer programs and daily assistance through the physical presence of European experts.