LOCAL PRESS 

Stefanovic: Serbia a credible contributor to UN and EU missions (Tanjug) 

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic underlined at the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Takuba Working Group that Serbia is a long-standing credible contributor to UN and EU missions. He stated that Serbia supports the commitment of European countries to take responsibility for contributing to peace and stability in the Sahel region, in parallel with the efforts they made with their participation in MINUSMA, EUTM Mali and other initiatives, as well as to consider their more active participation. In addition to Minister Stefanovic, the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Takuba Working Group was attended by the Defense Ministers of France, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Mali, Ukraine and Sweden, as well as the State Secretaries and Assistant Defense Ministers of Spain, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Niger, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Shieb: Bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 is a controversial issue but it was necessary for the sake of preventing a humanitarian catastrophe and genocide in Kosovo (RTV) 

“I am aware that this is a controversial issue and that there was no decision of the UN Security Council (on initiating military action). But some decision had to be made, the goal was to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, to avoid genocide,” German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Shieb told Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV). Shieb said that the bombing was “very difficult for Serbia, but that we should not forget that it did not just happen”. “The problem was to find a solution for Kosovo, all diplomatic means were used beforehand,” the German Ambassador added. Shieb said that it was crucial for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to continue, that the goal of that process was clear, and that it was a comprehensive normalization of relations. “Everyone agrees that the problem of Kosovo must be solved, that would be for the benefit of Serbia, Kosovo and the region,” Sheib said. Asked whether Germany could deny support to Serbia on its European path if Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, Shieb said that “it was more than a hypothetical question” and that “it did not want to be so pessimistic”. “We hope that both sides will be constructive, negotiations cannot be completed positively if there is no trust and good atmosphere. We appeal to both sides to avoid statements that could worsen the atmosphere and make it difficult to reach a compromise,” said the German diplomat.

Mirovic: Shieb’s stamement not diplomatic, not true or reasonable (RTV) 

The President of the Vojvodina provincial government Igor Mirovic reacted on Wednesday on his Instagram account on the occasion of the guest appearance of German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Shieb in a RTV show Right Angle. “The statement of German Ambassador Thomas Schieb for RTV is not diplomatic, not true, not reasonable (an alleged humanitarian catastrophe and imaginary genocide by bombing should have been prevented), it does not befit the status of an ambassador to a sovereign country. I simply believe that there must be a reaction to such a statement in accordance with the appropriate principles and conventions,” Mirovic wrote.

Popovic: German Ambassador to apologize to Serb people over shameful statement (RTV/FoNet) 

The shameful statement of German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Shieb, that Serbia should have been bombed in 1999 in order to prevent genocide, is the culmination of cynicism and the continuation of the campaign of some Western countries to declare the Serb people genocidal, the leader of the Serbian People’s Party Nenad Popovic said in a statement today.

Popovic, who is also the Minister without a portfolio, thinks that it is “especially perfidious” that Ambassador Shieb said this in the days when the Serbian people are marking eight decades since the bombing of Belgrade by Nazi bombers, and that this is yet another attempt by representatives of the German nation to falsify history. “I remind Ambassador Shieb that the Serb people survived the genocide precisely from the Germans during the First and Second World Wars, from Macva 1914, Kragujevac and Kraljevo 1941, to Jasenovac, where the Ustashas, under Nazi protection, brutally killed Serb children,” Popovic said. He asked in the statement the German Ambassador to apologize to the Serb people for the insults he uttered, if he wanted to continue credibly performing the duty of his country’s diplomatic representative in Serbia.

Amnesty International about Serbia: War crimes go unpunished, media under attack, discrimination persists (Beta) 

Serbia has made no progress in processing war crimes, the resolution of the fate of missing persons is stalled, intimidation of journalists, discrimination and family violence have continued, and police used excessive force, Amnesty International (AI) noted in its annual report “The State of the World’s Human Rights.” With an increasingly repressive president and no viable opposition, the Serbian government controlled police and judiciary, weakling the rule of law, eroding political and civil rights and enabling widespread corruption, the organization said in the part of the report about Serbia. In the section “Right to Truth, Justice and Reparation,” the AI stated that no progress was made towards implementing the national war crimes strategy, opening investigations into the backlog of more than 2,500 war crimes cases, or indicting senior police or military officials for command responsibility. As for freedom of expression, the organization says that physical attacks, intimidation and political slurs on social media against media workers continued. The Amnesty International recalled that last July the Finance Ministry targeted individuals, investigative journalists and 37 human rights NGOs in demanding bank account details under a law used to investigate terrorist financing and money laundering.

REGIONAL PRESS 

B&H Central Election Commission holds online meeting with Sattler, Inzko, Kavalec and Nelson to discuss reform of B&H Election Law (BHT1) 

The representatives of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Central Election Commission (CEC) held an online meeting with the Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative to B&H Johann Sattler, the High Representative in B&H Valentin Inzko, the Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Kathleen Kavalec and the US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson, and discussed the reform of the B&H Election Law. It was concluded at the meeting that the election reform process is needed to bring B&H closer to European standards and to provide new tools to mitigate fraud and improve election function. It was emphasized at the meeting that visible problems in the election system cannot be solved only by the work of the B&H CEC.

Sarovic: Make full reform of Election Law during this, non-election year (Dnevni list) 

SDS leader Mirko Sarovic stated that change of the B&H Election Law is one of the most important priorities for B&H and for this reason SDS gives full support to the idea to start and finish the reform of the election legislation during this, non-election year. He added that this reform should be conducted in line with recommendations of the EC from their report on progress of B&H, as well as in line with OSCE’s recommendations and necessary needs to return the lost trust of B&H citizens in the election process. Sarovic added that this process must include respecting of the election will of citizens not only during the elections but to the end of the mandate of elected representatives. Sarovic also argues that despite of the opposition of the ruling authority, representatives of the Central Election Commission of B&H, of all opposition political parties and NGO sector must be involved in the reform of the election process since this is also the matter of concern of the citizens who do not belong to any political option. He added that SDS stands for the return of won mandates to a political party, electronic supervision of the voting process, increase of the election census etc. Sarovic announced that together with PDP and DNS, SDS will harmonize a proposal of crucial changes to the Election Law in the upcoming days and present them to the public and other political parties.

Cvijanovic holds meeting with EU Ambassadors: RS remains dedicated to EU path (Dnevni list) 

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic talked via video link on Wednesday with EU Ambassadors accredited in B&H about the current political, economic and epidemiological situation in B&H and some other issues. She informed the EU Ambassadors about the process of mass immunization in the RS, the dynamic of delivery of vaccines and measures of the institutions directed at protection of life and health of citizens and mitigating of negative economic consequences of the pandemic. As they also spoke about the process of the European integration, regional cooperation and meeting of 14 priorities from the EC’s Opinion, Cvijanovic reiterated the RS dedication to the EU path in accordance with rules of the coordination mechanism, along with full resect of the constitutional position and competencies of the RS institutions.

Krivokapic: Letter to the people of Montenegro (Office of the Prime Minister) 

Dear people, In the previous period, together with all of you, I fought for the shrines of our ancestors, for the shrine of our souls, for the most sacred and archetypal in us that they tried to steal from us. I fought, together with all of you, and proudly but not without hesitation stood at the front of what I defended, and what you defended on the streets and at the polls. Together with you, I drew the last line of defense and allowed your voice of resistance to echo through me.

Dear comrades, brothers and sisters, Please understand that the struggle for a dignified life is not over, but that it has been taken to the dirty field of politics, which implies some compromises that do not always have to be clearly visible to the honorable and honest world, which engaged in this battle. Njegos left us immortal verses: “Who on the mountain height doth take his stand, sees more than he who stays upon the plain”. God led me into temptation to stand on a hill and see a little further than most of the citizens of our proud and dignified Montenegro. Therefore, I sincerely ask you to believe that I am and will be your comrade until my last breath, but that today, as a man in a responsible and important government position, I must take several different factors into account before making any decision. After 30 August, I carried the cross of my people, which was written off by various centers of power, both foreign and domestic. The nation that has woken up after a long sleep and has shown that it intends to bow down to no one and won’t allow to be carried away by the abyss of history. Dear brothers and sisters, I still carry that cross today. In order to move forward, on behalf of the coalitions that won the August elections, we signed an Agreement, according to which – due to the diversity of coalitions – we will not change the country’s strategic path. We agreed that we would not disagree about issues that the DPS used as levers to achieve political superiority, to divide us and ensure obedience. We signed the Agreement in order to free Montenegro from mutual misunderstanding, to reconcile father with son, brother with sister, neighbor with neighbor. We signed the Agreement to defeat and dismantle the regime that had held us hostage for 30 years. We signed an Agreement to win. The signed Agreement is not and cannot be tailored to everyone, but it is the only way to start the aforementioned process. It will not be quick and easy, nor will it be done without resistance. It is a challenge that has had to be accepted by all the ministers in the cabinet, clearly aware that any personal views on sensitive issues and topics can harm our common path to the goal we all aspire to. After I spoke publicly yesterday, said what is in my heart, because that is the only way I can talk to my people, after I publicly reprimanded Minister Vladimir Leposavic, some of you accused me of treason. Honest, great and honorable people of Montenegro, I have a thousand flaws, but I have never been and will never be a traitor. I will not betray the country I lead, nor all the people who saw in me the hope that Montenegro can be resurrected and returned to its centuries-old glory. I did not propose Minister Leposavic’s dismissal just because of the statement regarding Srebrenica. He, as well as all the ministers of this Government, must subjugate personal views to the survival of the Government. This difficult challenge implies that we do not have the luxury of expressing personal views if they are contrary to the Agreement that we accepted by joining the Government. Minister Leposavic, whom I consider a smart man, allowed himself that luxury. I made yesterday’s decision with a heavy heart, but I made it to save you, not to betray you. You may not understand that today, but one day, I am sure, you will understand the position we were in at this historic moment. That position nullifies the importance of each individual before the strategic goal of disempowering the DPS, which inevitably implies if not consent, then at least understanding of a part of the international community. It is not servitude – I have never served anyone but God – but a reality that will not disappear if we close our eyes to it. If we want to succeed in this difficult process, we must not play the game imposed on us by the DPS, and they are not forcing the issue of Srebrenica out of love for our Bosniak fellow citizens, but because of the crime they desperately want to keep by playing the division card. We must not fall for that. I am not a player of anyone’s politics, but a man who sees entering politics as a difficult temptation and a cross that he had to carry for the survival of his country, people and church. I have never suffered more in my life, I have never been more silent in my life, but I have never been more sure that that suffering and silence have a deep meaning and reason. Please be aware that the path that this government is taking inevitably leads to making decisions that will not be easy. That’s why I need your faith. Your faith in our victory is a pledge of victory against the DPS. If they manage to sow a seed of doubt, to turn us against each other, it will be a pledge of our defeat. With a firm promise that I will not give up on the dream we dared to dream now that it is at our fingertips, in the end I ask you once again for understanding, patience and tolerance. I am yours as I was the first day and I will be forever. Yours, Zdravko Krivokapic.

Leposavic more likely to resign (CdM) 

It is very likely that Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Vladimir Leposavic will resign, and there is a lot of bargain in the ruling coalition, CdM has learnt from well-informed sources. One of the main reasons for this is that the ruling coalition, and especially the Democrats, would be put in a very unenviable position if they had to vote for his resignation, because then the Minister would be dismissed by the majority led by the DPS. Democrats would then have to decide and, after the recognition of Kosovo, dismiss the Minister close to the Serbian Orthodox Church, thanks to which they won a large number of votes in Niksic, thus strengthening their coalition partner or they would have to show Europe that they are not a pro-European party because they wouldn’t dismiss the Minister who denies the Srebrenica genocide. The Democrats could abstain from voting, but the masks in front of the international community would fall, and their position in front of domestic voters would collapse. Whatever they do, they lose…

Albanian Alternative in Montenegro considering to require that Tuz be part of Albania or Kosovo budgets (CdM) 

The Albanian Alternative in Montenegro leaded by the head of Tuz Nik Gjeloshaj informed that they are seriously considering to require that Tuz be part of Albania or Kosovo budgets. “The government of Dritan Abazovic did not predicted even a cent for 2021 to invest in Tuz, although this is predicted by law. Abazoviq should be ashamed by this act. He made same thing as in Ulcinj or other communes where the Albanians live,” said the Albanian Alternative. “Only Tuz pays half million EURO to the state budget every year through taxes. These acts confirmed that Abazovic is part of the anti-Albanians government in order to destroy economically all the areas where Albanians live,” says statement.

Armed Forces take over the airport. Air traffic control strike shuts flights, prevents shipment of vaccine arrival (Tirana Times) 

The Armed Forces have taken the control of the building of Albcontrol at Tirana International Airport, after 65 air traffic controllers started a one day strike against the latest pay cuts and working conditions. According to the Minister of Infrastructure Balluku, the police will intervene to remove from the building all the controllers that will not obey the law. The latest developments come after a day where all the inbound and outbound flights from Tirana have been cancelled due to the strike. The traffic controllers from the company Albcontrol entered a strike today after they couldn’t reach an agreement with the Minister of Infrastructure Balluku regarding their salaries. According to Minister Balluku, the state has no financial involvement with Albcontrol, and the traffic controllers’ salaries are not related to the state budget. She explained that the reduction of salaries of the controllers was influenced by the reduction of 57% of the air traffic throughout 2020 as a result of the pandemic. After the traffic controllers walked out, Minister Balluku accused them of organizing a coup. “Should the country be taken hostage by some people, because this is a coup, because they are dissatisfied with the salary of 2,490 dollars and if we do not do provide them 4,400 dollars then they will hold the country hostage? This affects the security of the country and the right of free movement of every citizen. This is state capture, it is pure blackmail,” declared Balluku, adding that the strike will have implications also in the arrival of the next doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Prime Minister Rama also reacted immediately against the strike, saying that the abortion of the activity at the airport “will not be tolerated,” announcing that the organizers will be prosecuted and will have to face the law, “which strictly prohibits the interruption of the tower activity by the controllers.” According to the Prime Minister, the strike was inspired by Berisha and Meta, who do not want to see the arrival of vaccines. Meanwhile President Meta reacted also on this issue, by inviting the controllers to remain in office without interruption, to fulfill their mission in guarantying the proper functioning and without any problems of the Albanian air traffic. According to the President, the “airspace security in the Republic of Albania is a matter of national security” and for this reason all the institutions should work to guarantee the proper functionality of the airport. The Ambassador of the United States in Tirana previously received urgent contacts with the Ministry of Defense, after the absolute blocking of the activity at the Rinas airport. The reason for making these contacts is related to the potential danger posed by some flights that will be performed by the United States with aircraft and military logistics scheduled for this weekend. The military logistics and technology that is expected to be deployed this weekend is related to the preparation of one of the most important NATO exercises, DEFENDER – Europe 21. The exercise will involve the participation of nearly 30,000 troops from 26 countries. 6 thousand troops will pass in Albania and about 20% of the military capacities that will take part in this exercise will be deployed. Training will start after three weeks. But part of the military logistics comes in advance. And some US military aircraft are expected to arrive this weekend.

Surroi: Kosovo-Serbia dialogue needs to have guiding principles/ Surroi discusses at AIIS Tirana Foreign Policy Forum (Tirana Times) 

Kosovo publicist and writer Veton Surroi discussed the principles that should guide the next chapters of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Talking at the Tirana Foreign Policy Forum organized by AIIS, Surroi said that the process of the dialogue and agreements should be re-evaluated in order to provide proposals for the advancement of the negotiation process, taking into account at the same time the determination of Serbia for non-recognizing Kosovo. For Surroi, the dialogue is today a priority issue of security policy combined with foreign policy. The return of the United States in the process alongside Brussels is necessary for Kosovo, especially considering its future goals of joining NATO membership and the EU, said the publicist.

Dialogue on the other hand cannot be based on the precondition that “all agreements must be implemented first,” since in some cases (such as the agreement on the Association of Serbian Municipalities), it has been impossible to implement such agreements within the constitutional system of Kosovo.  The protection of the minority communities should be reassessed in the context of the European legal norms, and in the context of the European best practices, said Surroi, adding on this issue that the new government should assess also the rights of the Albanian community in Serbia. Another point made by Surroi during his conversation at the Forum was that the Serbian Orthodox Church should not be a negotiating point in the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Both Kosovo and Serbia define themselves as secular in their constitutions said Surroi, therefore the dialogue for the Serbian Orthodox Church should take place directly between the Republic of Kosovo and the Serbian Orthodox Church. “Kosovo has an obligation to treat the Serbian Orthodox Church with the same respect and assistance as the other three traditional communities of religion,” said the publicist. Another issue that should be addressed by the new government is that of the missing individuals and the legal responsibilities and consequences that arise from that process. “There is a need for a culture of peace, addressing the past in a shared, critical and transformative way,” said Surroi. The idea of a space where the four freedoms of the EU are met by the Western Balkans countries (WB6), can help not only the facilitation of the communication between countries but also to accelerate the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue said Surroi. Reflecting on the latest elections results, Surroi believes that Kosovo has now for the first time the opportunity to enter a “dialogue” process that is separate from that of the Special Court. For this reason, the government should use this advantage to further expand its legitimacy by involving the opposition within the negotiation process, concluded Surroi. The Tirana Foreign Policy Forum organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies saw the participation of journalists, high ranking politicians and other members from civil societies and international organizations. Tirana Foreign Policy Forum builds on the previous successful activity of AIIS with renowned international speakers. It will host a series of high-profile foreign policy talks throughout the year as well as an annual regional event in the fall of 2021. TFPF will also be the umbrella of the Tirana Observatory, the prestigious English quarterly that brings the Albanian voice on international relations to expert audiences worldwide.