LOCAL PRESS 

Brnabic: EU frustrated over dialogue postponement with Pristina (Tanjug/RTS) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday night that during her talks with European officials in Brussels today she underlined that Serbia is ready for dialogue which is in the best interest of both Belgrade and Pristina and the entire region. Brnabic, who is on an official visit to Brussels, where she attended a working dinner for the leaders of the Western Balkans, talked with EU Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell. She also met in the Serbian Embassy with Rapporteur of the European Parliament for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik and Chair of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Cooperation with Serbia Tanja Fajon. In a statement for the press after the above-mentioned meetings, she emphasized that dialogue and normalization of relations are one of the things on which regional stability depends. Brnabic said that there is frustration in the EU because the first meeting within the mentioned dialogue was postponed because of Pristina, and added that she hopes that the first meeting will be scheduled in June. She stated that she had constructive meetings with members of the European Parliament, at which she discussed, among other things, the reforms that Serbia should implement on its way to the EU. She pointed out that reforms in the area of rule of law, implementation of ODIR recommendations, inter-party dialogue and dialogue with Pristina were discussed. Speaking about the rule of law, she pointed out that Serbia has done a lot in that area and that it is an absolute priority in this mandate. She recalled that the process of constitutional reforms has begun, announcing that she will hold a meeting tomorrow with Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic and Minister of Justice Maja Popovic. As for the media, she recalled that the Media Strategy and the action plan for its implementation were adopted. We are working a lot and I hope that this non-paper in the area of the rule of law will be better than it was before, I expect a better report. We will continue to work because we are doing it for the sake of our citizens, and that is how we will get closer to the EU, she stated.

A thing that can shake hard-won regional stability (B92/Tanjug) 

After the meeting of the leaders of the Western Balkans, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated that she did not talk to Albin Kurti.“I did not talk to Mr. Kurti, certainly not directly, we were at dinner together, we did not exchange a single sentence, we participated in a joint conversation, the atmosphere was correct, there were no provocations,” said Brnabic. She stated that various non-papers were mentioned during the dinner, but no details were given. “It is only mentioned as a thing that can shake the hard-won regional stability,” she points out. She adds that it seems to her that the region is going in the right direction, although she thinks that it is happening slowly. She says the focus was on projects, and on what can be done for the citizens. “Maybe there was a little more politics, but everyone tried to draw attention to the fact that it is important for the region to get a clear signal that enlargement is possible,” she added. It seems to her that some countries in the region are frustrated, some are disappointed, but that they all share the desire for enlargement to be on the real agenda as soon as possible. She said that the dinner, although useful, was not representative. As she explained, the dinner was organized by people who are trying to push the enlargement agenda. “So we kind of knocked on the open door,” she points out, adding: “Good advice they shared with us is that all of us together should be much more present in the EU member states, that we should talk to them much more, informing them thoroughly about what is happening in our countries, what we are doing, what we achieved, because due to the COVID crisis, their understanding and information about the Western Balkans is quite limited,” said Brnabic. According to her, she will try to make Serbia as present as possible in EU countries in order to clarify what is happening, and added that she is sure that the EU countries do not know about some important things that have already started functioning, which would contribute to the perception of the region. “And that is, for example, when you come from Serbia to North Macedonia, you don’t need a passport, only an ID card, and since about two months ago, you don’t need a passport for Albania either. These are things that we as a region need to promote and explain, because it’s a matter of perception. It’s a matter that we need to do, and everything else is up to the EU member states,” Brnabic said. Brnabic went to Brussels, where she attended the working dinner of the leaders of the Western Balkans last night. The dinner was hosted by the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, who with this event wanted to continue the tradition of informal meetings of the highest officials from the region, which was started by the former head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini.

Vucic: Serbia wants to join EU, Kosovo issue major problem (Tanjug/Radio Plus) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is on a two-day visit to the Czech Republic, told Czech Radio Plus Serbia would like to join the EU but that, even if it fulfilled all the required conditions, the Union would never accept it as a full-fledged member. There is still much to be done and rule of law must be improved, Vucic said, noting that the Kosovo issue was a major problem. “Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, while 22 of 27 EU member states recognize it,” Vucic said, pledging that Serbia would get closer to the EU’s standards and political positions on foreign policy issues. He explained that he had openly told Brussels Serbia had its own interests it needed to protect. “We cannot shoot ourselves in the foot if we have Russia’s and China’s support regarding our territorial integrity. And, therefore, why would we say anything against them?” Vucic said. He added that good relations with China, Russia and even Turkey had helped Serbia in solving many problems over the past 15 months. “Why would we do something that is not in the best interest of our country?” Vucic said.

Vucic: Great political success of Serbia over past several days (Politika) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic assessed on Tuesday evening in Prague that political trips he took over past several days, starting from the meeting of leaders of Brdo-Brijuni Process and meeting with the NATO Secretary General (Jens Stoltenberg) to his Tuesday’s visit to Prague, were good for Serbia in a political context. Vucic explained that leaders of Brdo-Brijuni Process adopted a declaration which contained nothing detrimental to interests of Serbia although, as he reminded, only “Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Milorad Dodik was on our side”. Vucic pointed out that all other countries in the region except B&H recognized independence of Kosovo and said: “They too would have recognized it if they could – this is something Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic (Bosniak and Croat members of the Presidency of B&H respectively) are asking for”.

Godfrey: Economic relations between Serbia, US a strong aspect of bilateral relations (Beta) 

US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey said on Tuesday that economic relations between the US and Serbia were one of the strongest aspects of bilateral ties between the two countries and were continuing to grow. “Serbia is an exciting market and the US has shown itself to be an excellent economic partner,” he said ahead of a conference called, Serbia-US Trade and Investment Relations. Godfrey added that the conference could help to elucidate the depth of trade relations between the two countries and the importance of the US to Serbia’s economic future. US AmCham president in Serbia Zoran Petrovic has stressed that trade relations between Serbia and the US have been progressing, as evidenced by their growth over the past several years, especially in the area of services. He recalled that AmCham was still the largest independent, private organization that had the goal of improving the business ambient in Serbia.

Selakovic: Pristina’s request on Visoki Decani speaks enough about their intentions (Tanjug/RTV) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic stated on Tuesday that the Visoki Decani monastery is one of the greatest Serbian sacred sites, but unfortunately also one of the most endangered monuments of the world culture in Europe and the world. Selakovic noted that the fact that the interim authorities in Pristina request from the organization Europa Nostra to remove this monastery from the UNESCO’s list of the seven most endangered localities of cultural heritage in Europe speaks enough about their intentions. The fact that a site is not endangered is proved by deeds, not by calls on Twitter or political pressures. And it is especially not proved by confiscating 24 hectares of the monastery’s property, by building a main road near the monastery in violation of a court decision, armed attacks, terrorist graffiti on the monastery’s walls or verbal threats to the brotherhood, he said. According to Selakovic, the brotherhood of Abbot Sava Janjic are constantly receiving threats, whereas the Visoki Decani monastery is the most frequently attacked facility of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija although it is under constant protection from KFOR. He pointed out that the fact that the monastery is guarded by KFOR round-the-clock speaks volumes about the assessment of the United Nations and their military mission in Kosovo and Metohija on the endangerment of the monastery. He added that reports from UNESCO, the US Department of State and other institutions and organizations also testify to that end.

UK increases troops within KFOR (Tanjug) 

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Euro-Atlantic Security Policy Unit Director at the UK Ministry of Defense David Hogan-Hern highlighted the importance of improving the military economic cooperation. At a meeting held on Tuesday as part of bilateral consultation in the field of security and defense policy between Serbia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Hogan-Hern confirmed the decision of the UK to keep its presence within KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija until 2023 and increase its troops there. The Plan of bilateral military cooperation and the results of bilateral consultations in the field of security and defense policy represent a good basis for the realization of the visit of the UK Secretary of State for Defense to Serbia this year, the two officials agreed. Stefanovic and Hogan-Hern also spoke about the upcoming multinational exercise “Platinum Wolf”, which will be held in Serbia in June and in which around 70 members of the British Armed Forces will take part.

Popovic and Kosachov: Unacceptable withdrawal of KFOR, Russia continued to offer support to Serbia regarding Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/Politika) 

Serbian Minister and the Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation with Russia Nenad Popovic met with the Vice President of the Council of the Federation of Russia Konstantin Kosachov, and on this occasion it was confirmed that Russia will continue to provide the strongest support to Serbia regarding Kosovo. Popovic warned of the announcement of the withdrawal of KFOR forces from Kosovo and Metohija, emphasizing that this is a dangerous intention whose only goal is to legitimize so-called Kosovo independence, whose declaration and subsequent recognitions were the result of gross violation of Resolution 1244 and the Serbian Constitution. “KFOR forces are the guarantor of security of the Serbs in Kosovo. Those who want their withdrawal are exposing Serbs to the dangers of new attacks that we have already had in the past,” Popovic said. He warned that plans to end the international military presence in Kosovo include the idea of ​​legalizing the so-called Kosovo army, which is made up of terrorists who killed Serbs. “Without the presence of KFOR forces, this so-called Kosovo army could freely enter the north of Kosovo, where Serbs are the absolute majority, terrorize them and push them to the administrative line of Serbia proper,” Popovic said. He pointed out that the justification of such fears is confirmed by the fact that this fake army is building its base above southern Kosovska Mitrovica, from which it has a complete overview of northern Kosovo and from where it can easily endanger this part of the southern Serbian province. Kosachov assessed that any attempts to abolish the United Nations military presence in Kosovo and Metohija are unacceptable for Russia and dangerous. He pointed out that Russia remains consistent in respecting international law and that it will continue to support Serbia when it comes to its struggle to protect the territorial integrity of its province of Kosovo and Metohija. Kosachov reiterated Russia’s position that any solution to the Kosovo issue should be sought exclusively within the framework of Resolution 1244 and the Serbian Constitution.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Borrell hosts working dinner with Western Balkans leaders; Tegeltija; B&H’s European path and obtaining EU candidate status was topic of meeting (O kanal) 

EU High Representative Josep Borrell hosted a working dinner with leaders of the Western Balkans on Tuesday evening. Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik, Serbian Prime Minister (PM) Ana Brnabic, PM of the North Macedonia Zoran Zaev, PM of Kosovo Albin Kurti, PM of Albania Edi Rama and Montenegro President Milo Djukanovic attended the event. According to O Kanal, Borrell expects from leaders of the region to present him the current situation and political developments in the region. The EU stated that the dinner represents continuation of a discussion that foreign ministers held last week when they discussed issues related to the Western Balkans but from a broader point of view and not just from the view of the enlargement. Ahead of the working dinner, Borrell said for media: “The main purpose is to reach out to our partners, to listen to their concerns and understand their ideas, as well as to think about how to improve work together for our joint future. I hope this will help us to better understand the dynamic of the region and how we can grapple with geo-political challenges”. Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (B&H CoM) Zoran Tegeltija is set to meet with EU leaders on Tuesday evening, N1 finds out. Tegeltija will be the first one to attend a meeting with Borrell. N1 learns that this bilateral meeting will last around 10 minutes and will be held with all leaders of the Western Balkans. After that, the working dinner that Borrell will host for the leaders will start at 8.30 p.m. There are no details on topics that will be addressed during the dinner, but N1 finds out that talks will be led on the EU integration processes of the countries of this region, strengthening of cooperation, and similar topics. When it comes to B&H, the presumption is that they will discuss B&H’s path towards the EU, i.e. the need for fulfilment of the 14 key priorities stated in the European Commission’s (EC) Opinion. More focus will, however, be placed on joint projects in the region, mutual relations, investments that the EU plans or already has made in the region. Tegeltija stated on Tuesday evening that B&H needs good news from Brussels and that is obtaining of the candidate status. After the meeting with Borrell, Tegeltija told reporters in Brussels that the topic of the meeting was both B&H’s European path and obtaining the candidate status, because the vast majority of its citizens are committed to the membership in the EU. “Last year, we spent a lot of time fulfilling the conditions for obtaining the candidate status by preparing three legislative solutions that we are ready to adopt this year without the candidate status being further conditioned by certain changes to the Election Law and therefore with the changes to the Constitution” said Tegeltija. He stated that he was not sure that there would be a consensus on changing the Election Law and thus any changes to the B&H constitutional system. “So, I think it would be good to get the candidate status based on the fulfilled conditions related to these three legislative solutions,” Tegeltija concluded.

Lovrinovic: SDA is constantly deceiving public that HDZ B&H wants divisions (Dnevni list) 

Representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Nikola Lovrinovic (HDZ B&H) told BHT1 that the Law on Elections of B&H must be changed by the end of this year, arguing it is pointless that “some Komsics” sit in the House of Peoples. According to Lovrinovic, ‘we’ have obligations to court rulings and needs on the ground, adding that the OHR carried out a political aggression against political rights of Croats in the election process. Asked what is the compromise, Lovrinovic replied by saying the compromise is that ‘colleagues’ from SDA and the Bosniak political circle stop deceiving the public that HDZ B&H wants divisions, stressing that Croats only claim their political rights. As for the EU path of B&H and getting the status of EU candidate, Lovrinovic believes B&H should not be set any conditions, including the 14 priorities. Namely, Lovrinovic believes that B&H has demonstrated credible effort to accelerate the process and that B&H should get the status of EU candidate by the end of the year. “I would not tie the status of the candidate with any packages because B&H has been in special position throughout all these years,” added Lovrinovic.

Russia fully supports principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H, equality of three state-building peoples and two entities with broad constitutional powers (RTRS) 

President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin received on Tuesday letters of credence from 23 ambassadors in Moscow. The Letter of Credence was also handed over by Ambassador of B&H)to Russia Zeljko Samardzija. Putin pointed out that Russia is strictly committed to respecting the Dayton Agreement. “We appreciate the friendly relations with B&H. We underline the mutual interest in the further development of bilateral connections in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields,” Putin said at the ceremony of awarding credentials. He pointed out that this will be actively promoted. “As the guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement for B&H, Russia is committed to its strict observance. Russia fully supports the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H, equality of three state-building peoples and two entities with broad constitutional powers,” Putin said. “Russia, as a guarantor of the Peace Agreement from 25 years ago has advocated the respect of the DPA principles with regard to sovereignty and territorial integrity of your country. We consider it to be an inseparable condition for developing a truly modern and democratic B&H,” said Putin.

SDP B&H hosts meeting of pro-Bosnian parties that plan to take part in general elections in RS in 2022; Reactions (N1/FTV/Nova BH) 

A meeting of leaders and representatives of 12 political parties was held in Sarajevo in an attempt to reach an agreement on joint participation in the RS at the next General Elections in B&H. A draft joint statement was also made, which will be forwarded for approval to the bodies of the parties, whose goal is to create a third bloc in the RS, called ‘Pokret za drzavu’ (Movement for the State). One step closer to the creation of the third political bloc in the RS ahead of the next General Elections – this could be a summary of Tuesday’s meeting at SDP B&H Headquarters building in Sarajevo, at which the first draft of the joint statement was made. Specific goals were set for at least 70,000 votes, between eight and 10 deputies in the RS parliament, two representatives in the B&H parliament, and vice presidents in the RS from the ranks of Bosniaks and Croats. “Due to the increasing number of statements and attacks on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H and the story of its dissolution, division, it is important that all political parties that advocate in their political activities and programs the territorial integrity and sovereignty of B&H to try and respond in the only democratic way – by gathering for elections and achieving an election result that will make sure that the authorities cannot be formed without these representatives in the RS parliament,” SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic said after the meeting.  On behalf of SDA, Edin Ramic expressed his readiness to participate in this process, stating that talks on the platform and principles of operation will continue. N1 noted that there was no ‘euphoria’ or grand statements made after the held meeting. Everything is approached with caution, says leader of ‘People and Justice’ (NiP) Elmedin Konakovic, noting that everything will be decided by the party’s bodies and in agreement with the members who live in the RS. The goal, as he said, is to determine the circumstances why there are only 40,000 votes in the RS today, where there were close to 200,000 15 years ago. He said, at the same time, that he does not want to give false hopes until he is sure of the concept that has been very openly discussed on Tuesday and that there are many things that need to be fundamentally changed. SBB B&H Vice President Admir Cavka emphasized that he and his family live in the RS and he is glad to speak of their issues and underline the need for additional help in improving the situation for all citizens of the RS. If formed, the new bloc will be the third in a row on the RS political scene. In addition to the parties gathered around the ruling SNSD, there is also an opposition bloc in the RS with which the ruling authorities of the Sarajevo Canton (SC) are talking about cooperation. N1 asked Konakovic if all this stated could affect the relations with SDS and PDP. “I do not think that, in general, it should make harm. I saw that some spoke of unification of the parties. That is certainly impossible, both physically, formally, politically and humanly. But there are facts that we have started to talk about in a realistic political way; that means, that we are not trying to provoke any wars,” the NiP leader concluded. The next meeting should be held in about fifteen days, most likely in Banja Luka. FTV noted that during the meeting, there was no talks about program principles or party ideologies, but they expressed the will for cooperation although personal ambitions and personnel issues may represent a problem. Addressing a press conference, leader of the ‘Platform for Progress’ Mirsad Hadzikadic stated that there is an open question that they may transform problems that they have in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) to the RS. Ramic said that he has no illusions that the RS and Serbia will change their stances just because they held this meeting, but the status of returnees may be improved in terms that they will have a stronger political representative in the RS who will advocate their interests. Niksic stated that the only thing that can be disputable is that someone may try to play with hidden agendas, not being honest and fair towards other partners. Konakovic stated: “We can talk about some personnel issues, some people, decision makers if these people show true interest to correct our mistakes. This is a second phase and a third phase Cavka said that there will be no results if they fail to solve the issue of their personal vanity adding that those who live in the RS find it important to stay in the RS as the number is decreasing year by year.” Nova BH reported that the meeting was attended by representatives of SDA, NiP, NS, SBB B&H, DF, Platform for Progress, Independent Bloc, PDA, Croat Party of B&H, SBiH and People’s European Union of B&H (NES). Participants did not discuss any kind of coalition between these parties for now. Hadzikadic said that participants in the meeting stressed the need to act in a principled manner and according to program and priority goals, such as economy, rights of returnees, etc. Konakovic told reporters that the only worse thing than the current situation on the political stage in the RS would be to give a fake hope to people who see pro-Bosnian parties gathered around some famous bloc, and then to give priority to personal interests of individuals when the elections come. Niksic stated that it was agreed at the meeting that all parties will propose their candidates who would take initiative, noting that the best candidates would be those who live and work in the RS.

RS representatives do not expect bloc of political parties with seat in Sarajevo will achieve any major results in upcoming elections (EuroBlic) 

Following the announcement of pro-Bosnian political parties from Sarajevo on formation of the ‘third bloc’ in the RS, the daily noted that it is interesting to know that the cooperation was announced by same political parties that are unable to cooperate with each other at the level of the FB&H and B&H. RS MP Srdjan Mazalica (SNSD) told the daily that all efforts of “allegedly left-oriented, civic parties” with the seat in Sarajevo are doomed to failure because “they are uniting their forces with other Bosniak parties, where it becomes obvious that this pro-civic and pro-socio-democratic option, ideologically speaking, is nothing but a deceit”. “The goal is to gather some Serbs and Croats around the idea on a single, unitary B&H in which only one of the constituent peoples would be dominant,” Mazalica claimed and reminded that attempts to create a similar cooperation of “more or less same parties” have already been seen in the RS. Mazalica went on to say that there are no left and right oriented political parties from Sarajevo and that their ideology is a single and unitary B&H, as well as weakening of the RS.  Chair of the RS DNS Caucus Dusko Ivic too said that the latest idea on joint activities of the parties is the same as the one from 2018: “Only participants changed in the meantime”. Member of SDS Presidency Vukota Govedarica argued that the ‘third bloc’ cannot cause any political damage to the RS and reminded that similar coalitions did not achieve any significant results in the past. “From the political point of view, we should not be worried with the fact that political parties with SDP at the helm are supposed to carry out an attack on the RS. Their goal is to try to affirm unity in order to win a bit more votes than they would win if they run individually in elections,” Govedarica told the daily and reminded that one must keep in mind that the RS Constitution guarantees a certain number of positions for Bosniak and Croat people in the RS parliament.  Head of the RS SNSD Caucus Igor Zunic stated that SNSD is not worried about the activities of the parties from the FB&H. He noted that there have been efforts to create some kind of pro-Bosniak bloc in the RS for the past ten years. Commenting the rumors that the pro-Bosnian block might even nominate Vojin Mitrovic form the post of Serb member of B&H Presidency, Zunic said that he does not believe that such an idea could get sufficient support in the RS. PDP leader Branislav Borenovic also said that he is not concerned. He noted that parties from the RS also worked together in the FB&H, and underlined that there is nothing problematic about this. Borenovic said that he is focused on the opposition’s plans to get 250,000-300,000 votes in the upcoming general election.

Salkic: What Vucic is saying about respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of B&H is entirely different in practice (Hayat) 

Hayat carried that the joint session of the governments of the RS and Serbia, which took place in Istocno Sarajevo on Monday, showed the Serbia’s true policy towards B&H. According to Hayat, this policy implies attempts of usurpation of the territory of B&H in all segments of the society and integration of the entity of the RS into Serbia. The latest example of a disputable cooperation of the Governments of the RS and Serbia can be seen in the project of construction of hydropower plant Buk Bijela, on Drina River. In addition, the governments of the RS and Serbia have been marking dates in the Serb history together for several years now. Since 2014, Serbia has invested over EUR one billion in the RS, through local projects of construction of roads, bridges, airports, kindergartens, nursing homes, and other facilities. The most problematic part of the cooperation between the RS and Serbia lies in the fact that the projects they have been carrying out should be agreed with the state authorities of B&H, which have not been consulted. Bosniak RS Vice-President Ramiz Salkic warned that the governments of the RS and Serbia are working on complete integration of the education process in the RS and Serbia. In his opinion, this would lead to the curriculum both in the RS and Serbia involving the content about the creation of ‘Greater Serbia’. According to Salkic, Serbia has been violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of B&H. “What the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been saying in terms of respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty is entirely different in practice. He has been saying he respects the state of B&H, yet Serbia is building a hydropower plant on the border of B&H. This shows how insincere Serbia’s intention in this situation is” Salkic noted. Salkic stressed that this is not a matter of cooperation but rather of integration of the RS into Serbia. Political analyst Vojislav Savic said that “hysteria and meaningless comments” to the announcement of a project of such importance are quite understandable “when someone does not have a progressive political idea and when someone’s entire political activity is based on disputing of the RS’ competencies”. Savic argued that Sarajevo has nothing to do with the construction of ‘Buk Bijela’ hydro-electric power plant and noted that there is “a bunch of pointless agencies in the joint institutions which have existed for years and served nothing except for someone to pretend to be a state”.

Croatian FM condemns Hamas attacks, says he supports Israel’s right to defense (Hina) 

Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic-Radman, on Tuesday condemned attacks on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian groups, supporting Israel’s right to defend and protect its citizens, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a statement. Grlic-Radman attended a special video conference of EU foreign ministers on the escalation of the situation in the Middle East. “Minister Grlic-Radman condemned indiscriminate attacks on Israel by Hamas and other groups and expressed support for Israel’s legitimate right to defend and protect its citizens in accordance with international law,” the statement said. The EU foreign ministers expressed concern over the escalation of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and the large number of casualties, notably women and children. The EU’s priority is ensuring an immediate end to the violence, a cessation of hostilities and access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the statement said. The ministers are of the view that the peace process and direct negotiations between the two parties should lead to a sustainable and comprehensive political solution and lasting peace in the Middle East. To that end, the EU will be working on building trust between the two parties and improving living conditions for all citizens. It was agreed that the EU would engage with relevant international and regional stakeholders, including within the Middle East Quartet, and in particular with the United States, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and others to find a solution to the current crisis and address the causes of tensions in the Middle East, the statement said.

Djukanovic in Brussels: Parliament makes decision on deploying soldiers in Kosovo mission (CdM) 

Montenegro’s President Milo Djukanovic met yesterday in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. At a joint press conference, held after the meeting, Mr Stoltenberg told that “Montenegro is a valued ally and may count on NATO”. NATO recognizes threats to the region’s security coming from Russia, the Secretary General noted.  Djukanovic, on the other hand, emphasized that four years of Montenegro’s membership to NATO were a positive experience. He also noted that Montenegro greatly welcomed North Macedonia’s accession to NATO Alliance, as well as progress in the partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina. On deploying soldiers in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Stoltenberg stresses that KFOR mission was an important mission. “It’s one of the most concrete expressions of commitment to peace and stability in the region” he added. The decision on deploying soldiers in a mission is national, it will be made individually by each country, according to Stoltenberg. As for Montenegro, Djukanovic said that the parliament was going to make it.

Djukanovic: We’re further from EU today than in 2014 (CdM) 

After the visit to Brussels, President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has said that his statement was that the countries of the Western Balkans (WB) were further away from the EU today than they were in 2014. He has added that it is the last moment to be known whether the perspective of the WB countries in the EU is truly realistic in the foreseeable future, and that a clear time frame must be defined. Otherwise, as he has pointed out, third countries will use the empty space in the WB. “This was an opportunity to discuss two aspects of our relationship. One was the implementation of the investment and development framework of the EU towards the WB. We have all agreed that this is an extraordinary incentive for the implementation of infrastructure projects that will contribute to better infrastructural connections of the countries of our region with the EU,” said Djukanovic after the dinner with WB leaders in Brussels organized by European Commission High Representative Josep Borrell. He has added that the other aspect of the conversation was geopolitical. “We discussed in general the perspective of the membership of the WB countries in the EU and the reflection of that process on the stability of the WB and its democratic and economic prosperity. It was an opportunity to announce our vision on behalf of Montenegro. That view was not overly optimistic. I recalled that back in 2003, at the Thessaloniki summit, we defined a clear perspective for the EU countries, and even set a deadline that it would all be completed in 2014. It’s been 7 years since then and I think that today we are further from the EU than we were in 2014,” Djukanovic has stressed.

Djukanovic: I’ll decide whether or not to sign the Law on State Prosecutor’s Office (CDM) 

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has said in Brussels that his legal advisors have been considering requirements of the Law on State Prosecutor’s Office and he’ll decide whether or not to sign it today. At yesterday’s joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Djukanovic told that his decision related to the afore-mentioned law would be in line with the Constitution.

Picula: Peaceful transition hasn’t strengthened dialogue (Pobjeda) 

Montenegro’s peaceful transition of power has not strengthened constructive dialogue and cooperation, says the rapporteur for Montenegro in the European Parliament (EP) Tonino Picula, Pobjeda reports. “Due to the announcement of the opposition boycott, I want to stress that it is important for the Parliament to operate as a central place of democratic political activity, and for cohabitation between the President and the Prime Minister to be constructive and in accordance with the Constitution,” Picula has said. He has added at the EP session, presenting the Report on Montenegro, 2019-2020, that additional political pressure is created by the upcoming vote on the budget, and half of this year has already passed.

Abazovic: Prosecution reform is condition for EU membership, as well as for a strong fight against corruption and organized crime (Gov. Press service) 

Montenegro is heading towards the EU and that is the only path that the new government sees as the right one and the only path that guarantees a better future for all citizens of Montenegro. We may not be able to change the past, but we can certainly influence the future of our society, so the greatest patriotic obligation of all social factors is to work on strengthening the rule of law and greater distribution of justice, in order to create an economically, politically and socially stable environment and become a full member of the EU as soon as possible, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic pointed out at the panel discussion. The panel discussion is being held at the University of Montenegro on “Where is Montenegro Going: Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption”. Abazovic reminded that the National Council for the Fight against High-Level Corruption has already achieved results, partly through the discovery of the scandal over the allocation of apartments, and partly due to other large investigations that are underway, but reminded that the best is yet to come. “Apartments are one of the smallest operations that the Council is working on, and big things will only see the light of day if the institutions are capable enough to take part in such operations. In that sense, the new Law on the State Prosecutor’s Office is extremely important, because we all know what role the State Prosecutor’s Office used to play and how cases that were kept in drawers for years were treated, but also many cases that were made meaningless and ruined by bad indictments,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. Abazovic pointed out that with these people in the Prosecutor’s Office, the government cannot deliver the results in Chapters 23 and 24, nor ensure Montenegro’s membership in the European Union, which is why it is necessary to change and institutionally build prosecutorial bodies in Montenegro after the adoption of the new Law on Prosecutor’s Office. “If your car is broken, and you want to get to a certain place, you have two choices – to repair the car or to buy a new one. The situation is the same with our Prosecutor’s Office. If they had been able to deliver the desired results, they would have done so long ago. They would not wait for the new government and political will, but would do their job professionally, independently and in accordance with the law. That is why these reforms are a sine qua non of Montenegro’s progress,” Abazovic pointed out. Furthermore, Abazovic stressed the special importance that the rule of law has for the further economic development of Montenegro, as well as for attracting credible and verified investors, and not the suspicious ones. “Several large projects can change our country, which would permanently transform it and direct it in the right direction. So, with just a couple of significant investments, our country, with all its beauties and potentials, can become a much more beautiful place to live, in economic terms. But in order to organize our state, we need to make a different distribution of justice and create a far better environment. For all citizens, but also for all credible and serious investors. Because no serious and responsible man will want to invest his capital in a country where he will be racketeered, robbed and conditioned, but in a country with a clearly regulated legal system and established rule of law,” Abazovic pointed out.

Ahmeti – Galloway: Relations in the coalition are stable (Republika) 

The political developments in the country, the pandemic, the local elections and the population census were topics discussed today by DUI President Ali Ahmeti and the British Ambassador to Macedonia Rachel Galloway, informs DUI. Ahmeti and the British Ambassador in Skopje also discussed the open issue with Bulgaria as an obstacle to the country’s integration path. The good-neighborly agreement is the basis for overcoming the unreasonable and imposed dispute, the party said. Ahmeti and Galloway also exchanged views on the current political developments in the country, the dialogue between the government and the opposition, but also on dealing with the pandemic. Relations in the coalition are stable and the government program is being implemented, while a dialogue has already been established with the opposition parties and we are trying to include them in the process, the ruling party said in a statement. The census, postponed until the end of September, was also discussed at the meeting and Ahmeti urged diaspora to continue registering online. They also talked about the local elections that are expected to be held later this year. Ahmeti also mentioned the preparations that are being made in order to complete the current projects and to prepare a competitive offer for each municipality. The DUI leader promised that the reforms that benefit the citizens and the state will continue in coordination with the European Union. Ambassador Galloway stressed that the United Kingdom will continue to support the Republic of Macedonia in order to implement all necessary reforms and thus achieve its strategic goal and become part of the European Union.

Kyuchyuk: It will be very bad if Macedonia and Albania are decoupled (Sitel TV/Republika) 

I believe that the EU will reaffirm the clear perspective for the Western Balkans at the June Summit. Here it is important for the region to be actively involved in the conference on the future of the EU. Young people will benefit the most from that, Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk, rapporteur for Macedonia in the European Parliament said in an interview with Sitel TV, when asked what we can expect from the EU Summit in June. Asked what the consequences may be from the possible decoupling of Macedonia and Albania for the region, the EU and the two countries, he said very bad. He believes that Macedonia and Albania should go in a package, to stimulate reforms, and on the other hand to give a clear perspective for the entire region. Everyone loses from such a dispute, said Kyuchyuk, both Macedonia and Bulgaria and the EU itself. There is a deficit of trust, he stressed, and therefore, we should return to what creates trust, and that is the 2017 Agreement, he said. According to him, communication between the two countries should flow between non-governmental organizations, intellectual representatives, universities, news agencies, so that, as he said, we can get to know each other. “I believe in connection, infrastructural, digital, cultural and interpersonal, and in order to reach that point, the talks should be supported,” Kyuchyuk said.

President urges parliament to terminate inquiry committee (ADN) 

Albanian President Ilir Meta has responded to the Parliament this Tuesday, urging it to immediately terminate the Inquiry Committee established for investigating the alleged violations of the Constitution made by the President. Meta was invited this Tuesday, May 18, to one of the sessions of the Committee in question. Through a long letter addressed to speaker Ruci, where the Presidency has explained in detail all the reasons why this Inquiry Committee is illegal, Meta highlighted among others that an Inquiry Committee cannot be established during the last four months of a parliament’s mandate as it can be misused. “This is because the purpose of the norm is that these commissions of inquiry cannot function in a period of time, which coincides with the end of the mandate of the Assembly, because if this is done, then there is a possibility of misuse and abuse of these special parliamentary control mechanisms. Consequently, when the legislator prohibits the establishment of a commission within 4 months from the end of the mandate, then the functioning of these special structures is automatically prohibited during this period, and no investigative activity of this nature can be exercised in this transitional period,” stated Meta. President also wrote in his letter that the outgoing parliament initiates such a fictitious process at a time when the government must answer about the electoral massacre made on April 25, when the will of Albanians was clearly distorted. “Meanwhile, this majority and force of the government will have to answer to the Albanians and international organizations that monitor Albania, for this electoral process, turned into an electoral massacre, where the will of the Albanians clearly seems to be distorted through any means and power exercised illegally by the government, this outgoing parliamentary majority, contrary to all the principles of the rule of law initiates such fictitious processes, against the President of the Republic!” said the President. Moreover, Meta describes this initiative of the one-party parliament as an attempt to divert attention from President’s request to uncover electoral crimes made on 25 April parliamentary elections. “This initiative of the one-party Assembly is an abuse of the legislative activity, as another tool of the state party, to divert attention from the demands of the President of the Republic, denunciations of the opposition, civil society and international organizations with integrity, to uncover criminal actions committed by the state party for manipulating the electoral process held on 25 April 2021,” it is further stated in the letter. Presidency further emphasized in the letter addressed to Ruci that initiatives taken in such forms are considered revenge and aim only at capturing the institution of the President of the Republic. “Initiatives taken in such forms and ways, are unacceptable for democratic societies, are considered revenge, why not an institutional coup or “coup d’etat”, to capture the constitutional institutions, which in this case, is trying to be realized against the institution of the President of the Republic, which in defense of the Constitution and its basic principles, has been in a 3-year confrontation with this governing majority that with its activity and decision-making, has caused the country in these years, a deep multifaceted crisis and with many consequences severe economic, social, socially undermining the constitutional order and democracy,” declared Meta.

Albania-Kosovo intensify defense co-operation, Peleshi: Balkans in NATO, guarantee of stability (Radio Tirana) 

Albania and Kosovo further intensify cooperation in the field of defense. Minister Niko Peleshi and his counterpart Armend Mehaj signed the cooperation agreement in Prishtina. During the joint meeting, Peleshi guaranteed the Minister of Kosovo for the unstinting support of Albania, both politically and technically. “All the experience that Albania has on the path of full integration into NATO will continue to be fully transmitted to our Kosovar brothers,” said Peleshi. Peleshi congratulated the Kosovo Security Forces for engaging in the first peacekeeping mission abroad, along with American colleagues in Kuwait. Speaking about the most important exercise “Defender Europe 2021”, Peleshi said that it is very good news for both countries that the US and NATO partners gave with the selection for the development of this exercise. Peleshi said that the full membership of the countries of the region in the NATO Alliance means more security. “We strongly hope that the time has come for the Republic of Kosovo, with the help of allied, partner and friendly countries, to overcome all the barriers that prevent it from moving forward on the unstoppable Euro-Atlantic path. The full integration of the Balkans into NATO means more security, stability and democracy not only for these countries, but also for the Alliance. Moreover, integration is a common dream of the peoples of the Balkans, who deserve to be rewarded for their sacrifices,” said Peleshi. At the end of the meeting, Peleshi invited his counterpart for a visit to Tirana, while expressing his personal commitment to open a new and very intensive chapter of cooperation in the field of defense that will continue with the implementation of joint planned activities. Mehaj said that the challenges in our environment are similar in the field of security. “As two brothers, we discussed common interests in the field of security and defense of our two countries. The role of Albania is very important in the development of the responsibilities of our countries and in the achievements so far in the field of security and defense of Kosovo. The challenges in our security environment and our strategic objectives are similar,” he said.

Slovenian PM to Meta: Internal reforms will accelerate Albania’s integration process (Radio Tirana) 

Albanian President Ilir Meta was received in Ljubljana in an official meeting by the Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Jansa. The Albanian Head of State praised the very good relations between the two countries, stable and with positive progress over the years, in the political, diplomatic, security and defense sectors, especially in the framework of regional initiatives.  Meta thanked Jansa for the support given to Albania in the EU integration process and expressed confidence that during the next Slovenian Presidency of the EU, it will remain an advocate for the integration of Albania and all Western Balkan countries in the EU. “Slovenia, in all cases, is among those countries that have insisted on opening membership talks for Albania and North Macedonia,” said Jansa during talks with Meta. Both interlocutors underlined that the priority of the Western Balkan countries is the close regional cooperation and the deepening of internal reforms with the final goal of EU integration. Meta stressed the importance of continuing the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to reach a mutually acceptable agreement between the two parties and demanded that Kosovo visa liberalization with the EU be done as soon as possible, as a decision that helps not only Kosovo, but also regional cooperation.