LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: We expect Putin’s visit by year’s end (Tanjug/RTS/RTV) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he expected a visit to Serbia by Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as a confirmation of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, but added that everything depended on the coronavirus pandemic. “We expect him (Putin) by the end of the year, that is our earlier agreement and we are hoping for that,” Vucic told reporters in response to a question whether a visit by Putin could be expected soon. Meanwhile, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic has arrived in Moscow on a two-day official visit to Russia.

“The relations with Russia are important to us, and Selakovic will also have an important visit to Tehran after Moscow. It is not an easy job to do, there is a lot that we need to do in the period to come,” Vucic said. He said a confirmation of Xi’s visit to Serbia was also expected but that everything depended on the coronavirus situation. Vucic also announced he would travel to Brussels soon. “I expect important discussions in Brussels,” Vucic said. Serbia’s policy is the EU path but we do not need tutors or mentors to teach us how to treat our friends, Vucic reiterated.

“That is why we will preserve the relations with Russia and China because that has proven to be a smart policy that produces results,” Vucic said.

Serbia firmly committed to strengthening strategic partnership with Russia (Tanjug/RIA) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic travelled today on a two-day official visit to the Russian Federation, where he will speak with his Russian counterpart about the improvement of bilateral cooperation. In a joint interview for the agencies Tanjug and RIA, Selakovic said that in addition to the deepening of bilateral cooperation and the continuation of political consultations, the continuation of Russia’s support to the clear political position of Serbia regarding the negotiations on Kosovo will be discussed. He explained that these talks represent also a preparation for the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belgrade, which will most probably take place this year. One of the topics Minister Selakovic will discuss with his Russian counterpart will be the consolidation of contractual situation between the two countries and two ministries. According to Selakovic, 140 different bilateral agreements are being implemented at the moment between the two states, and a dozen of various draft laws are currently under preparation, which will very probably be the subject of the Moscow talks. He added that additional ease of travelling conditions to the two states will be discussed. According to the Minister, there is room for improving cooperation both in terms of imports from Russia and exports from Serbia to Russia. Speaking about holding joint military exercises of the Serbian and Russian armies, Selakovic stressed that Serbia remains faithful and committed to its status of a military neutral state that does not see its future in military alliances and pacts, which enables its participation and joint exercises with the states that are signatories to different contracts. Selakovic also referred to the situation with the pandemic, emphasizing that together with the help that came from China and Russia, but also the contacts that were made with Western pharmaceutical companies and the leaders of certain countries, Serbia was the first country to offer its citizens the opportunity to choose from different brands of vaccines. The Minister pointed out that the fact that we will establish the production of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V at the Torlak Institute in Belgrade in cooperation with Russian friends will absolutely set us apart from other countries in the region.

Selakovic: UN SC session important for presenting stance on Kosovo (TV Pink/Beta/Politika)  

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Thursday that it would not have benefited

Serbia if the 13 April online session of the UN Security Council had been suspended due to a

display of Kosovo symbols because it is in Serbia’s interest for the topic of Kosovo and Metohija to be discussed. “It is in our interest to discuss Kosovo and Metohija as much as possible in the UN. It is one of the rare opportunities when Serbia’s position can be heard ‘urbi at orbi’ and I took that opportunity. The session could have been suspended, but that would not have

benefited us. We endured what they call state symbols, the important thing is what was said at the session,” Selakovic told TV Pink. Selakovic voiced the hope that the next UN Security Council meeting would take place in New York, where there would be no such problems.

Regarding a statement by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic on “the awakening of Serbian caveman nationalism”, Selakovic said that Djukanovic’s problem was that he denied the

existence of the Serb people in Montenegro, adding that according to the census, Serbs

accounted for 29 percent of the Montenegrin population.

Brnabic: Gratitude to Iran for support to Serbia and current principled position on unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo; Serbia committed to strengthening bilateral relations with Iran (Tanjug) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked on Thursday with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Serbia Rashid Hassan Pour Baei about bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as the possibilities for their further improvement. Brnabic assessed that Serbia is committed to further strengthening bilateral relations with Iran, within which the leading areas have already been recognized. Brnabic expressed her gratitude to Iran for its support to Serbia and its current principled position on the issue of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, as well as for its support in international issues. The Iranian Ambassador expressed satisfaction that, despite the difficult conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the two countries managed to maintain the continuity of bilateral relations and interstate dialogue, using the opportunity to reaffirm Iran’s commitment to developing comprehensive relations with our country. Brnabic used the opportunity to congratulate this country on the efforts invested in the development of its own vaccines against coronavirus, expressing confidence that, thanks to the vaccination of our citizens, we will soon return to normal life.

Selakovic not officially informed about existence of Jansa’s alleged document on continuation of dissolution of Yugoslavia (Novosti) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic stated that he was not officially informed about a document on continuation of dissolution of Yugoslavia, which Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Jansa allegedly sent to Brussels. “Serbia has good and quality relations with Slovenia, good economic cooperation, we talk about everything. I do not know about such paper, I am not familiar with it, but reactions of our public and media whenever the topic of change of borders is brought up are incredible. There is a group of people who aggressively act with regard to this topic while, at the same time, they did not mind change of borders of Serbia as this was acceptable for them and did not count. This was an exception,” Selakovic said.

Krivokapic: There will be no “Montenegrin spring” but a tourist summer, this government will last (RTS) 

In this region, we constantly have a story of discontinuity, and the current government of Montenegro wants to show continuity in all elements of the rule of law. This primarily refers to international agreements, but the government’s desire is also to correct the injustices inflicted on a certain number of citizens living in Montenegro, Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic said in an interview with Oko (Eye) broadcast of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). According to Krivokapic, many have wished for the end of his government since the date of the elections and changes, but, as he says, it lasts and will last at least until the presidential elections in that country. When it comes to Minister Vladimir Leposavic, whose resignation he demanded, Krivokapic says that it is indisputable that every man is wrong, but that Leposavic made a misunderstanding about the agreement signed by the three opposition leaders who “established” that government. “Then he directly sinned against the declaration adopted by the Montenegrin parliament. The Justice Minister committed three fouls, and I mention one, and that is enough for the Prime Minister to ask for his removal. However, all elements of the Constitution must be tested in this government, so this is the first time in the history of Montenegro that the Prime Minister is asking for the removal of a minister who does not want to be dismissed. Now we have an undefined situation, but I hope that it will be resolved through parliamentary procedure,” Krivokapic said. Asked whether genocide was committed in Srebrenica, the Montenegrin Prime Minister said that “if you are engaged in state affairs, you cannot have a private or academic position” as well as that international agreements must be respected, which is one of the principles of the agreement signed by opposition leaders before forming the government. “You have to have a state position, and Leposavic did not express that. His personal and private opinion is one thing and an academic discussion for a round table. But he must express a clear attitude towards what someone before him did, and whether he agrees with that or not is his private opinion, which is not discussed here,” he points out. If one of the parties has a dissenting opinion with the already adopted declarations, it can change that only by voting in the parliament, if it has a majority for that. He says that if you want to create and live in a democratic environment, it cannot be disputable if someone protests, the only question is what is the reason, who organizes them and who finances them. “I have made it clear that I have information on who is one of the main organizers of the recent protests and that when it comes to their funding we have a direct link between organized crime and politics. It is very clear to anyone who wants to see it,” says the Montenegrin Prime Minister. The reason is discrimination against a number of citizens who have been denied Montenegrin citizenship, and the government’s obligation is to bring all discriminatory laws to the level of “knowledge of rights”, and one of those laws is the Law on Citizenship. According to the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Montenegrin citizenship should be granted to about 9,500 people who live and work in Montenegro, have founded families and have children, as well as about 10,000 displaced persons who were accepted by Montenegro when they were in need and who, according to valid laws, should finally be granted citizenship this year. Although many wish for the destabilization of Montenegro, Krivokapic promises that “Montenegrin spring” will not happen, but, as he says, the Montenegrin summer when, for the first time since 2019, tourists will be able to come in greater numbers and enjoy Montenegrin hospitality. He notes that he will come to Belgrade as soon as he receives the invitation and points out that some doubts, and perhaps differences in views, are completely natural. “But these two peoples, who are determined and directed towards each other, should cooperate. And for that cooperation, we will very soon come to a solution that will be to the satisfaction of both countries, and both peoples, and solve all the accumulated thus far problems,” Krivokapic said.

Dacic: EP to hold online consultations with all Serbian parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties between 19 and 22 April (RTV/Beta) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said that only some opposition parties handed in their platforms for the inter-party dialogue with the authorities. He told the state Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV) that the parties rallied around former Serbian President Boris Tadic’s Social Democrat Party (SDS) had submitted their platforms but that “the parties rallied around (Freedom and Justice Party – SSP – leader Dragan) Djilas did not hand in platforms… not even (former Foreign Minister and People’s Party – NS – leader) Vuk Jeremic”. Dacic said that European Parliament officials will hold online consultations with all Serbian parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties between 19 and 22 April on the second stage of the dialogue and could come to Belgrade on 7 May for talks before the dialogue opens in June. He said that a number of parties have said they want to take part in the dialogue, including some who want “foreigners present”. Dacic said that he would invite Vucic to take part in the talks but added that he is not sure whether he would come as state president or leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Lajcak with Reeker on activities in WB (Beta)  

The EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met in Brussels on Thursday with the acting assistant US secretary of state for European

and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker and discussed future activities in the Western Balkans.

“Always good to compare notes, coordinate and agree on our EU-USA cooperation and future

activities in the Western Balkans,” Lajcak tweeted. He added that the meeting with Reeker was very useful.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Alleged non-paper on WB leaks out: Merging of RS and Serbia, Kosovo and Albania (N1/necenzurirano.si) 

Slovenian online media outlet necenzurirano.si has published a document which they claim is the non-paper on the Western Balkans, allegedly sent by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa to Brussels, which sparked strong reactions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) as parts of the document speak about redrawing of the country’s borders. The introductory part of the document published by the Slovenian outlet, for which they claim is the document that Jansa sent to European Council President Charles Michel, reads that the main issue of the Western Balkan region is the “unresolved national issues of Serbs, Albanians and Croatians.” The key issues remain unresolved years later, says the document, even after the post-conflict peace that was established in the region with the efforts of the EU and NATO, and after two countries – North Macedonia and Montenegro made progress on its EU path. “Based on the existing methods and rhythm of problem solving, it is difficult to imagine the European perspective of Serbia and Kosovo, EU membership for B&H is fully excluded,” reads the paper, which stresses that nobody is satisfied with the situation in B&H apart from few local politicians and Turkey, which takes advantage of “this empty period” by enhancing its influence in B&H.

The document offers a few solutions as well as suggestions on how to implement them. It first mentions the unification of Kosovo and Albania, which Serbia would support if larger parts of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated region Republika Srpska (RS) are merged with Serbia. Also, it suggests the national issue of Croats would be solved if predominantly Croat cantons in B&H are merged with Croatia or “by granting a special status” to the Croat part of B&H (using South Tyrol as a model). “Bosniaks will thus gain an independently functioning state and assume full responsibility for it. A referendum is organized for the people to choose between EU and a non-EU (Turkey) future. For the time being, a convincing majority of Bosniaks supports the EU perspective but, in the case of the continuation of the chaos and an increasingly stronger influence of Turkey and radical Islam, the situation can drastically deteriorate over the next decade,” reads the document. According to this paper, some steps to achieve these goals are already underway and they include checking the possibilities to implement the plan with international and regional decision-makers. “If the EU, the United States and the majority of the regional decision-makers agree with the plan and steps for its implementation, the EU seizes the initiative and formulizes it,” it added.

B&H politicians divided over alleged Slovenian non-paper on Western Balkans (N1) 

Officials in Sarajevo argued that this idea is exactly what prompted the 1992-95 Bosnian war and would do the same again if pursued. The Croat member of B&H’s tripartite Presidency, Zeljko Komsic, said that the document implies that B&H would no longer exist. “They are proposing an option that was offered to us even before the war began, and it was offered during the war as well” Komsic said. The paper is motivated by “anti-Islamism and anti-Semitism,” which is “the real evil we need to talk about here,” Komsic explained. He pointed out that it was dangerous that “extreme fascism” and nationalism have prevailed in some European countries. “Of course, it is more dangerous now than it was before because it grabbed all the instruments of power. We can no longer talk about a moderate Christian right, we are now facing something that is terribly reminiscent of the World War II period and it is happening under the roof of that European house. It seems that these ‘European friends’ have very quickly forgotten the historical experience of Hitler,” he said. Komsic said that Croatia had drafted a similar paper which was not this harsh but that it was essentially seeking a division of B&H based on ethnicity. Komsic’s Bosniak colleague in the Presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, said clearly that the ideas proposed by the non-papers are “leading B&H and the entire region toward a war,” which he said he will not allow. “We will not allow the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of B&H to be attacked at any price. Everyone must be aware of that. Everyone who does that is dragging B&H, the region and Europe into war. That, I think, does not suit anyone,” said Dzaferovic. He reminded that throughout history empires that tried to wipe out B&H, in the end, all fell apart themselves. “I call on all these retrograde forces in B&H and in the B&H neighborhood, Europe and the world. History is the teacher of life. Let them finally learn something from history. Empires came, fell, passed, B&H remained and survived” he said, declaring that Bosnians who love their country will fight against these attacks and count on the help of the civilized world because if ideas like these prevail, “then there is no future for the world.” Commenting on the document, B&H’s Foreign Minister, Bisera Turkovic, said that someone was trying to open “Pandora’s box, destabilize the situation in the Western Balkans.” “For a long time now, as B&H, we have been fighting in international circles with malignant propaganda and a kind of hybrid war against the Euro-Atlantic interests of B&H and its citizens. I see all this in that context,” Turkovic said. However, the Chairman of the three-member Presidency of B&H, Serb representative Milorad Dodik, who is visiting Belgrade to accept another donation of vaccines from Serbia, said that the idea of ​​a peaceful breakup in B&H is not new and it exists as a consequence of the fact that the country cannot function with the current setup. He said he will keep coming to Belgrade to persuade President Aleksandar Vucic to accept such a concept. “Regardless of the fact that I understand the way he views regional and other relations and that Serbia has international obligations, I certainly think that the option of a peaceful separation should be put as one of the relevant options in the future,” he said. Dodik said his concept is a peaceful separation, not a war, but added that his colleagues in the Presidency obviously favor bombing as a way to separate Kosovo from Serbia and that “for them, a peaceful separation is a terrible thing.” He pointed out that the two are trying to stop any conversation about a peaceful separation as they advocate a unitary country dominated by Muslims. “So, a peaceful breakup should be put as one of the options that should be one of the more important things to be discussed. And whether it will be peaceful or something violent does not depend on us,” but rather on big powers. Dodik said he is against war and doesn’t want to put Serbs anywhere near a war solution. “But I will be persistent in insisting that B&H cannot succeed if there is no basic agreement on anything” he said. The Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war was brokered by an ideology of ​​a great liberal order in the world, which believed that peoples who fought against each other could reconcile. Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, said he does not know of any initiative based on the document. “I have no idea what this is about,” Vucic said. “We respect the integrity and sovereignty of B&H, both the institutional sovereignty of B&H and the institutional sovereignty of the entities,” he stressed. “We are interested in economic development, progress, to help our own, but also other nations” he argued.

Logar denies allegations on non-paper that Jansa allegedly submitted; MEP Fajon and Jansa resume with mutual accusations regarding this issue (Nova BH)

Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anze Logar denied allegations on a non-paper that Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa allegedly submitted to the European Commission. Logar pointed out that this was an attempt of manipulation and compromising of Slovenia’s Government and President. Logar stated that the only document these speculations could refer to is the document submitted by Croatia and was discussed in Brussels at an informal document in March. This document was joined by Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece, which according to Logar, advocated that Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) receives a status of a candidate for the EU membership, as soon as B&H fulfills all conditions. Member of the European Parliament Tanja Fajon and Jansa resumed with mutual accusations. Reporter claims that some media in Slovenia discovered that in 2020 Jansa delivered a non-official document on so called peaceful dissolution within B&H to Brussels. The newest detail is a map on division of the Balkans and Jansa is allegedly behind it. In his response to all abovementioned accusations, Jansa accused Fajon of making up things. Fajon responded via Twitter and stated that Jansa has been lying, adding that his behavior is detrimental and irresponsible towards Slovenia, its citizens and South-East Europe. It was stated from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) that they cannot comment on the document they did not have insight into and one that possibly does not exist. The statement from the OHR further reads that Slovenia and B&H became members of the UN on the very same day in 1992. It also reads that the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed later and this document does not stipulate dissolution of this country. Hayat reminds that on 1 June, Slovenia will take over the presidency over the EU and the Prime Minister of this country is allegedly planning to include certain vision to complete the process of breakdown of Yugoslavia into agenda of the EU.

Nemec: Slovenian authorities never discussed reshaping of borders in Balkans; Analysts Petrovic and Zupljanin comment allegations on Jansa’s non-paper (Glas Srpske)

Member of Slovenian Parliament Matjaz Nemec told Glas Srpske that Slovenian authorities never discussed the possibility of reshaping of borders in Western Balkans. According to him, there is no non-paper about reshaping of borders. However, he noted, it is possible that this was discussed behind closed doors as a possible option in political circles close to Prime Minister Janez Jansa, or even in the EU. Nemec said that he expects Jansa to officially comment the speculations about the alleged non-paper mentioning dissolution of B&H. “I believe that many things will be clearer at the end of May, when the great summit will take place in Brdo kod Kranja in Slovenia, gathering leaders from the region who will discuss the future of Western Balkans. We will see then if this issue will be raised, or if all of this was just a game with the goal to raise tensions,” said Nemec. On the other hand, political analyst Rajko Petrovic from Belgrade is convinced that certain political circles have discussed the possibility of new borders in the region. According to him, Slovenia was selected to place the story in public and test the public opinion. He explained that Slovenia was selected because it has experience with peaceful dissolution and because it is the only former Yugoslav republic which is now an EU member without vested interests in B&H. Dean of Banja Luka Faculty for Security Studies Slobodan Zupljanin stated that there is nothing disputable in the Slovenian non-paper. According to him, all possibilities need to be discussed in construction dialogue, especially because “Bosniak politics are becoming increasingly extremist and dangerous”.

Ljubic: Greater-Bosniak strategy advocates unitary B&H, Serbs need to get involved in process of changes of B&H Election Law; peaceful dissolution of B&H is not possible (Nezavisne)

The daily carried an interview with Croat People’s Assembly Main Board President Bozo Ljubic. Asked to comment the progress of talks on electoral legislation reform, Ljubic said that despite negative comments, he is convinced that a limited reform of BIH Constitution and changes to B&H Election Law based on the European Court for Human Rights ruling in Sejdic-Finci case and B&H Constitutional Court ruling in Ljubic case will be adopted in 2021. Ljubic noted that behavior of Bosniak mainstream politicians leads to conclusion that they prefer to keep the current status quo and gradually take over the quota in Federation of B&H (FB&H) and B&H institutions which belongs to Croats. However, he underlined, Bosniak people did not gain any benefit from this behavior. According to him, if there was enough political responsibility and patriotism, Croats would not be in position to force changes that will lead to standardization and harmonization of relations among constituent peoples in line with B&H Constitution. Ljubic argued that Croat proposals for changes to B&H Election Law have been recognized by the international community as contribution to stabilization and functionality of B&H, which is visible from the non-paper signed by six EU member countries and several resolutions of the European Parliament which call for organization in B&H based on principles of federalism, decentralization and legitimate representation. He noted that the recent letter of US State Secretary Antony Blinken also confirmed this. He underlined that the Dayton Peace Agreement gives the international community the obligation as well as tools to enforce stabilization and functionality of B&H. Asked to comment the non-paper prepared by B&H Presidency member Zeljko Komsic and sent to Brussels, Ljubic said that Komsic is irrelevant for any solution in B&H, and that he is being used by Bosniak politicians as an instrument for taking over the Croat seat in B&H Presidency. According to him, Komsic knows that an end of his career is approaching and he is getting nervous. He noted that Komsic got a clear answer from the international community telling him to be silent. Asked to comment the fact that Serb politicians seem to be observing the talks on electoral legislation reform from the sidelines, Ljubic said that Serbs cannot afford the luxury to merely observe the process. “Greater-Bosniak strategy advocates creation of unitary B&H without entities and cantons, ultimately of Bosniak national state,” Ljubic warned and added that although this is not possible at the moment, Bosniaks are aiming to take over all Croat positions and thus achieve 100% rule in the FB&H and two-thirds of positions at the state level. In the future, this could open up the possibility of wider constitutional changes. Therefore, Ljubic underlined, unless Serbs are also planning a more radical national strategy, they should get involved in process of electoral legislation reform.

Asked to comment his recent statement that it will not be possible to peacefully annul equality of Croats in B&H, Ljubic said that thousands of Croats lost their lives in the past war, and nobody has the right to destroy the carefully designed balance created by the Dayton Peace Agreement. Ljubic underlined that unitary state, abolition of ethnic equality and dissolution of B&H are not possible, and that these goals cannot be achieved neither in peace nor through war. Therefore, he underlined, the only solution is responsible reform of the Election Law which will allow each people to elect its legitimate representatives. “B&H can be functional and survive only as consensus of its three ethnic peoples,” said Ljubic. He concluded that Dayton Peace Agreement can be changed, but only through consensus of the constituent peoples.

Vulic: Part of international community, illegally appointed CEC members and RS opposition planning amendments to Election Law aimed to bring opposition parties back to ruling authorities (ATV)

In a statement to Srna news agency on Wednesday, SNSD’s representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic stated that a part of the international community (IC), “illegally appointed members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H” and Republika Srpska (RS) opposition are planning the amendments to the Election Law of B&H that would aim to bring the opposition parties back to the ruling authorities. According to Vulic, such amendments would be tailored to the needs of the RS opposition. “Fortunately for all of the sincere Serbs and those who love the RS, the opposition parties are not capable of harming the RS as much as SNSD is capable of protecting it from political converts, domestic traitors and foreign forces “, Vulic noted. She added that citizens of the RS do not trust the IC “and how could they when certain EU representatives do not respect the political entities elected by the will of the citizens”.

RS Collegium to discuss awards given to sentenced war criminals (BN TV)

Speaker of the RS parliament Nedeljko Cubrilovic scheduled for Friday a session of the RS parliament Collegium dedicated to discussion on a letter of High Representative Valentin Inzko concerning awards given to The Hague indictees Momcilo Krajisnik, Biljana Plavsic and Radovan Karadzic. BN TV reminds that HR Valentin Inzko had requested the RS parliament to annul abovementioned awards by the end of April. A source told the daily that several options are being considered at the moment. According to the first option, the RS parliament would ignore Inzko’s stance but this would likely result in imposing of sanctions against officials, primarily RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic. According to the second option, the awards should be revoked in the least painful way for the RS, most likely not by the RS parliament but by the same Board which awarded those back in 2016. As the third option, families Plavsic, Karadzic and Krajisnik might “self-initiatively return the awards with the explanation that they have decided to do so because of tremendous international pressure on the RS”. The source added that “there are signals coming from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) that this might not be enough, i.e. they explicitly asked for the RS parliament to adopt a decision on revoking of the awards”. Political analyst Tanja Topic stated that whichever solution is selected, it would represent “a victory of form over the essence” simply because no decision will raise the question of stance on people with questionable wartime past, i.e. on war criminals.

Deadline for revoking of awards for war criminals expires in May; RS official indicate that revoking is possible (N1)

The deadline for the request of High Representative Valentin Inzko towards the RS parliament to revoke awards given to convicted war criminals expires on May 2. Inzko sent a letter to the RS parliament leadership requesting the revoking of these awards and stated that sanctions will follow if this is not done. Deputy speaker of the RS parliament Mladen Petkovic confirmed for N1 that the RS parliament Collegium will discuss whether to put this item on the agenda for the next session on Friday. He added that from a legal standpoint, the awards were not awarded by the RS parliament but by the Board for the Marking of the Day of RS. Petkovic explained that they need to find a way to possibly revoke such awards if there is a need to do so. Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik confirmed that there is a possibility that these awards will be revoked. Asked about this by journalists, Dodik said that they will assess whether something needs to be done in this case. He added that Inzko and whoever comes after him needs to be aware that these awards will be reinstated when it is possible. Dodik assessed that the outcome of this fight is on their side and not Inzko’s. MP of ‘Our Party’ (NS) in the B&H parliament Damir Arnaut said that the glorification of war criminals destabilizes B&H and it is the job of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to stop this. He added that the recent statements made by RS officials are different from those that one could witness in the past months. Arnaut believes that Dodik is receiving serious messages about what will follow by someone who has the competence to react to this. The OHR told N1 on Wednesday that Inzko will refrain from commenting on ˝what if˝ scenarios and hopes the RS parliament will act adequately in regards to this issue in the upcoming period. MP of SDP in the German Bundestag Josip Juratovic told N1 that this issue is a good opportunity for the international community to show that they are standing behind the OHR and Inzko who will be leaving B&H soon. He assessed that taking away Bonn Powers from Inzko turned him inefficient and it is high time to realize that issues tied to Inzko are the problems of the OHR as well. Reporter reminds that the disputed plaque glorifying convicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic was removed from the Student Center Pale by his daughter Sonja Karadzic-Jovicevic in silence and without media attention. Unofficial information says that this is planned to be done with the awards as well and it is possible that family members will return the awards.

Mayor of Istocno Sarajevo Cosic: If Sarajevo officials ignore request for removal of plaques, B&H CC will give answer (RTRS)

Mayor of Istocno Sarajevo Ljubisa Cosic recently requested Sarajevo authorities to remove plaques on several buildings in Sarajevo which insult Serbs. He did not receive an official answer yet, but several web portals and numerous social media comments have made fun of his request. Cosic said that he is waiting for an invitation for a discussion and if it does not take place, then the B&H Constitutional Court will have to determine the stance of Serbs as a constituent people towards B&H. He believes that it is time to remove the plaques like the one on the Sarajevo City Hall and the one in Ferhadija Street who declare the Serb people as a criminal people. Cosic believes that if something similar targeting the Bosniak people in Istocno Sarajevo was present, it would have been removed. Cosic assessed that this is an example of the well-known practice to paint everything coming from Serbs as bad and that the only truth is the one of Bosniaks. He stressed that Bosniaks have appropriated antifascism and declared fascists as antifascists, because all antifascists were Serbs. Newly elected Mayor of Sarajevo Benjamina Karic stated that during her mandate, these plaques will not be removed. She added that Serbs are people with the constituent status in B&H, but that historic facts cannot be denied. Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik stated that representatives of Sarajevo need to think about their way of preserving B&H. He believes that they need to think about removing the plaques since the Serbs demand it.

Grlic Radman says Croatia will continue to support B&H on its EU path (HRT)

Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman is on a two-day official visit to B&H. On Wednesday he met with the High Representative for B&H, his Bosnian counterpart and religious leaders. After meeting with the High Representative for B&H, Valentin Inzko, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman once again voiced Croatia’s support for its Euro-Atlantic integration. He added however, that this was contingent on the respect of the rights of all three constituent peoples in that country. “Croatia strongly supports B&H’s territorial integrity and the equality of its three constituent peoples, so that all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina feel at home,” Grlic Radman said. Grlic Radman also met with his Bosnian counterpart, Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic. The two diplomats agreed to work towards strengthening co-operation between the two countries and gradually resolve outstanding issues, adding that there is no alternative to maintaining good neighborly relations.

Minister Grlic Radman also met with Vrhbosna Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic, with whom he discussed the position of Croats in B&H. Cardinal Puljic noted that the Croat population is being held hostage to the lack of willingness on the part of politicians to implement in full the provisions of the Dayton Agreement. “Like it or not, as countries we are tied at the hip. This is especially true for us as Croatian Catholics, who rely heavily on this material and political support, because Croatia was a co-signatory to the Dayton Agreement. Unfortunately, politicians just can’t seem to implement the agreement, instead they are gnawing on it like chewing gum,” Cardinal Puljic concluded.

DF admits it needs international assistance to reconcile quarreling government members (CdM)

The Democratic Front (DF) expresses immeasurable satisfaction with the position of the President of Montenegro and the DPS leader Milo Djukanovic that he doesn’t recognize a future coalition partner in this political alliance, as he recognized it in Zdravko Krivokapic and other, smaller factors of the parliamentary majority. However, in addition to strong support for the government and help to overcome unnecessary quarrels and weaknesses, the DF admits that help is needed. “That is why we believe that those important institutions that recommended Krivokapic to us and guaranteed for his correctness, will have to make it all clear and help the quarrelling members of the government reconcile. Of course, we didn’t expect conflicts and quarrels in our own house, and we certainly couldn’t have imagined that someone from the new majority would secretly meet with Djukanovic,” the DF says.  If, the DF points out, by any chance, one of them was the Prime Minister, it is convinced that the DPS staff wouldn’t occupy high positions in the country.

DF asks from Joanikije to reconcile Krivokapic and Leposavic in a Christian way (Pobjeda)

The Democratic Front (DF) asked the Bishop of Niksic and Budimlje and the administrator of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church Joanikije Micovic to mediate in the conflict between PM Zdravko Krivokapic and Minister of Justice Vladimir Leposavic. According to Pobjeda, Bishop Joanikije has not yet commented on this suggestion, but it is expected that he won’t accept DF’s request. On 6 April, Krivokapic sent a request to parliament to dismiss Minister Leposavic because of his views denying the genocide in Srebrenica. The DF’s statement says that they should admit in a Christian way that they need the help of important people and institutions in order for the quarreling Government members to reconcile.

Abazovic interested in PM position? (CdM) 

Not only by actions, decisions, control of everything that the government is doing, DPM Dritan Abazovic is clearly sending a signal that he has the ambition to take over the Prime Minister position from PM Zdravko Krivokapic, but he did it physically when he gave a statement for the BBC. Public comments are increasingly heard that PM Krivokapic doesn’t know how to lead the state apparatus, that he often changes his views, gives thoughtless statements, and has no authority to make decisions due to the influence of both politicians and the Serbian Orthodox Church. It seems that the DPM Abazovic has seen a chance to take the helm. Abazovic, who is in charge of the security sector, judging by what the public has the opportunity to see and hear every day, wants a new position, the most important one. Even the Serbian media have given him the wind in his back by criticizing and attacking more and more Krivokapic. Krivokapic‘s attitude towards Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, but also the fact that he demanded the resignation of Minister of Justice Vladimir Leposavic, have led the current Prime Minister to the situation that almost everyone wants to see him “outside the Prime Minister’s chair”. The Democratic Front (DF) is already publicly cheering for that. In fact, the DF would expect Abazovic to be just a figure in a position of power, while the DF would try to strengthen its electorate and bring back some of the voters taken from them by the Democrats. In the end, the URA, whose voters openly express their dissatisfaction with the party leader’s policy, would politically have the worst of it. Whether Abazovic‘s ambition to be the head of the government will be stronger than the planned long-term positioning and strengthening of the URA, time will tell.

Xhaferi calls for a meeting to resume legislative work in the parliament (Republika)

Speaker Talat Xhaferi announced a meeting of the heads of party groups in parliament, to discuss next steps after the work of the legislative body was unblocked by the party leaders.

A number of laws are on the agenda and were stalled for months as the ruling “majority” was unable to gather the necessary 61 votes to convene a session. The opposition VMRO-DPMNE party got PM Zoran Zaev to postpone the “corona census,” he was planning and agreed to provide the majority for some of the bills on the agenda – provided that they are in the public interest. The Albanian opposition parties who were filibustering all laws on the agenda also agreed to allow work on some of them to resume.

EU member states decided not to discuss Balkan enlargement at the coming European Council (MIA)

EU member states decided not to discuss Balkan enlargement during their upcoming European Council meeting on April 19th, the MIA news agency reported. The PM Zoran Zaev government was hoping to have the issue of enlargement on the agenda, hoping to put some additional pressure on Bulgaria, which is blocking the opening of accession talks with Macedonia. MIA reports that half the other EU member states and foreign policy representative Josep Borrell asked that the Council discusses enlargement, but eventually the decision was negative. Bulgaria blocks Macedonia, while Albania, the other Balkan country that expects to be allowed to open EU accession talks, is blocked by the Netherlands and other EU member states, concerned about its rule of law situation. Serbia and Montenegro, on the other hand, expect to advance in their on-going talks.

Kim a message to SPAK: What’s lacking is courage (Tirana Times)

Less than two weeks from the parliamentary elections, the US Ambassador Yuri Kim acknowledged that there are still names of concern in the candidate lists for MP. “Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Palmer was here virtually last week and made clear that there are names of concern. They know who they are. The party leaders know who they are […] The Central Election Commission has to take a look. They have now referred 30 names to prosecutors for additional information,” declared Kim in an interview for Lutfi Dervishi at his talk show at RTSH. Talking about the high-ranking Albanian politicians and other officials blacklisted by the US, Kim said that “The United States has been clear about three names. We don’t do this lightly; this takes years of research; some of the information is available and everybody knows it; […] but I can say that it’s very serious and the Secretary of State does not sign his or her name to these designations easily,” said Kim. Asked whether the information was available to prosecutors, or to SPAK and other law enforcement officer, the US Ambassador responded by saying that the information regarding the names which are blacklisted by the US is “widely available,” and that “what’s lacking is courage”. At the other hand, the Ambassador said also that there are some signals that things are starting to change. “I think that we have seen instances of courage now emerging. I think we need to see more. I’m confident that America’s investment in justice reform, in SPAK, is going to be worth it but this is a difficult moment,” said the Ambassador, adding that now the results are starting to be seen. “SPAK has issued their first annual report and in it, they report that they have so far made 588 persecutions, they have confiscated over 70 million-euro worth of illegal goods and possessions. They have investigated 746 individuals. They have sent many of those to trial and of those 114 so far had been convicted,” said Kim. The Ambassador urged the Albanian citizens to express their will in the next elections by voting. “Albanian people around the country, when I meet them, they tell me that they are sick and tired of corruption; they are sick and tired of impunity; they are sick and tired of criminals who are sitting in Parliament. Well, this is your moment. You show me through your actions, you show yourself through your actions that you mean it. It can’t be the case that you ask me my opinion as the United States, I give it to you, and then you keep doing the same thing. If you want change, vote for change. If you want criminals, vote for criminals,” said the Ambassador. During the interview, Kim talked about the need of making sure that the rules and process are fair and transparent. “Do we have a preferred candidate for winning? No, we don’t. That’s not the position of the United States. What we care about is institutions and processes,” said the Ambassador, who further confirmed that the American Embassy alone will have around 23 or 24 teams that will be spread all over Albania to monitor the elections. The US Ambassador talked also about the military training Defender 21, which was planned before the election date was set. “It’s going to be up to 6,000 troops coming in. This will involve also about 26 different countries also contributing troops and assets and I believe that the exercises will take place in about 30 different sites across 12 countries in central Europe and in the Western Balkans.” According to the Ambassador, some very important military leaders will come to observe the exercises taking place in Albania, and some civilians as well.

Albanian Helsinki Committee: Electoral subjects should respect the right to privacy and secrecy of the ballot (Tirana Times) 

The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC) reacted over the news that the Socialist Party has used confidential data of voters for electoral purposes, asking the institutions to verify how these data have been collected.  “In recent days, the media has published information that political parties in our country collect personal data of voters for electoral purposes, which are kept in the form of a database and determine the profiles of voters, based on political beliefs. It is the duty of the responsible institutions to make the necessary verifications on how this data is collected, as well as whether their collection and processing violates the legislation in force,” said AHC. The Albanian Helsinki Committee draw attention to the fact that the processing and storage of political conviction of citizens alongside their identity by political parties, and or without the citizen’s consent, “constitutes a premise for violating the secrecy of the vote as sanctioned in Article 45/5 of the Constitution and/ or the right to privacy.” Also, according to AHC, the creation of voter’s profiles based on their political beliefs, without taking their consent, is a problematic issue. The AHC has previously talked about the need for the protection of personal data, as an important aspect of the right to privacy and family life, sanctioned in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. “It is also worth noting that the parliament of the Republic of Albania has approved the Council of Europe Convention (108) ‘On the protection of individuals with regard to the automatic processing of data’ and the Additional Protocol through laws no. 9287 and no. 9288 dated 07.10.2004,” said the Committee. According to AHC, “specialized bodies of the Council of Europe note that at the heart of efforts to combat electoral manipulation and propaganda is the question of how personal data on voters (individually) are being processed in political campaigns, and whether this processing is done in a legal and ethical way.”  The press release by AHC continued by saying that questions about the protection of family data are on the focus of an international debate on democratic integrity and the right to free elections embodied in the European Convention on Human Rights. “Thus, in a report of the Office of the Commissioner for Information in the United Kingdom, on July 2018, there is concern that 7 political parties audited by the Commissioner have significant problems with transparency and the use of people’s data in election campaigns,” said the statement of the Committee. AHC called all the political parties to implement the legislation in force and respect the International Conventions ratified by Albania, by showing accountability and transparency towards the public, and by “respecting the privacy of each voter, but also the freedom, equality and secrecy of the vote.”

Rama: We managed to vaccinate while the EU left us without vaccines (Tirana Times)

Prime Minister Rama repeated again his criticism against the EU for leaving Albania without vaccines. “Even without being a powerful country, both outside the EU and in the middle of Europe in a neighborhood of countries that left us without vaccines, we managed to do it, to be today at the top of the classification among all European countries for mass vaccination,” said Rama while holding a rally in Peshkopi. According to the official data, 281,254 doses of vaccines have been given to Albanian citizens since the beginning of the vaccination process.

The massive vaccination in Albania started in the end of March, after the government managed to sign an agreement with the Turkish company “Keymen Ilaç Sanayive Ticaret”, which will bring in total 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in Albania. So far, around 300,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine have arrived in the country, while for the vaccination process Albania has used also the Pfizer vaccine, AstraZeneca and Sputnik V. The European Union on various occasions has stated that it has helped the Western Balkans and Albania in the fight against COVID-19, not only in providing vaccines through the COVAX mechanism but also through other means.