Brnabic: Kurti’s letter to UNESCO culmination of hypocrisy and cynicism (RTS) 

It should not be ruled out that Pristina will try to do something similar to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic warned on Saturday regarding a letter from the authorities in Pristina asking UNESCO to remove Serbian churches and monasteries from the category of endangered. Brnabic said that the letter sent to UNESCO representatives by Albin Kurti was the culmination of hypocrisy and cynicism. “The monasteries are under the constant eye of KFOR, especially Visoki Decani. It cannot be said that their security is not endangered, and the constant pressure on the monchs and the Serbian Orthodox Church continues.” Brnabic states that Kurti, in his letter about the Serbian cultural and religious heritage and monasteries speaks as if it is their culture and religious heritage, so-called Kosovo heritage. “That tells me that we should not rule out that in the end they will try to do something similar to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church of Miras Dedeic on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, that is, as if it is one of their own churches. That is what we are ready for, we know how to diplomatically fight against,” she said.

Serbian Ambassador in UNESCO: Serbian assets in Kosovo and Metohija endangered (RTS) 

Cultural and religious assets in Kosovo and Metohija listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the request of Serbia are in danger, said Serbian Ambassador to UNESCO Tamara Rastovac Siamasvili. She told RTS that the Serbian delegation constantly points out the endangerment of cultural goods, both during meetings with UNESCO officials and in reports that are submitted regularly. Rastovac Siamasvili says that these reports clearly state very dangerous attempts by Pristina to falsify clear historical facts about the direct connection of these goods with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people. This, as she pointed out, is another clear indicator of their endangerment. “I ask a very logical question: if Pristina is not ready to accept the origin of these goods, then how is it ready to protect them? This is a completely false argument that Pristina uses and has used in its attempt to join UNESCO,” said the Ambassador.

Petkovic: At issue is a hypocritical way of acting and deception of international community (RTS) 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic told the RTS news on Sunday that the request of Pristina officials to exclude the Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija from international protection is Pristina’s latest aggressive campaign. He points out that Albin Kurti and Pristina “want to present Kosovo as an oasis of peace, and Pristina as someone who should take care of and protect Serbian cultural treasures”. “This is a completely hypocritical way of Pristina’s actions and deception of the international community. When Kurti says that Pristina has the desire and knows how to preserve Serbian churches, I would remind you that since 1999, over 135 churches and monasteries have been burned and destroyed,” emphasizes Petkovic.

“What he is saying is that he sees churches and monasteries exclusively in the context of Albanian history and the Albanianization of our cultural treasure. We could see that when he congratulated Easter to Orthodox believers, when he said ‘with love for our country and our language’. Everybody would think it was okay, but in fact he quoted Teofan Noli, who is the founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church,” Petkovic said. He says that it shows that Kurti’s real goal is not to protect Serbian churches and monasteries, but “to present themselves as Albanian, that is, the so-called Kosovo cultural heritage, because they need an identity without which they cannot complete independence”. Petkovic says that Pristina is trying to hinder the dialogue in every way, because it suits it not to talk. “We have seen several times that they canceled the meetings in Brussels. We are ready to talk, because it is clear that we can solve all disputable centuries-old issues only at the negotiating table, with dialogue and a compromise solution,” Petkovic points out. He says that Pristina destroys the dialogue when it seeks membership in UNESCO and Interpol. “When Albin Kurti talks about how he will defend Visoki Decani and Gracanica, it is clear that it is hypocrisy because they are not able to implement their own decisions, because two days ago it was five years ago that the so-called Constitutional Court of Kosovo decided to return 24 hectares of land that belongs to the monastery of Visoki Decani, and that decision is not implemented by the local or the so-called central cadaster in Pristina, because the powerful do not want that,” Petkovic points out. He believes that Visoki Decani would be leveled to the ground if KFOR would leave Kosovo and Metohija.

Belgrade sees Beijing as one of the main allies in fight for Kosovo (Beta) 

Belgrade sees Beijing as one of main ally in fight for Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic described China on Friday as Belgrade’s leading supporter in the fight for Kosovo to remain a part of Serbia, adding he was satisfied with “excellent relationship and strategic partnership with China.” Selakovic added Belgrade firmly supported the ‘one-China’ policy and remained committed to respecting the international order and non-interference with other countries’ internal issues. In the meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Selakovic said her country’s continued to help Serbia in the immunization of its population by delivering Sinofram vaccines against the coronavirus. His office quoted Selakovic as saying he was happy with an agreement between Serbia, China and the United Arab Emirates on building a factory to produce Sinofarm vaccines in Serbia. Besides, he said, Serbia’s export to China increased 15 times in the last five years. The trade could be even better after Serbia’s participation at the forthcoming Cooperation Between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) EXPO in Ningbo in China’s east Zhejiang province. Selakovic said Belgrade planned to open the Chinese Cultural Centre by the end of the year.

Godfrey says solutions for Western Balkans must come from Western Balkans (Politika)

In an interview to the daily, US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey assessed that Serbia is the economic locomotive in the Western Balkans as an economic leader in the region and as one of the most resilient economies of Europe during the coronavirus pandemic. Godfrey noted that the intellectual force is the main drive of this locomotive, because of which it is necessary to stop youth from moving abroad and create preconditions for long term economic growth so that youth can build their future in Serbia instead of moving abroad. Godfrey was asked to comment on the fact four different ‘non-papers’ on the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Kosovo appeared lately, to which he replied by saying: “I am sorry, but to all questions related to non-papers I can only respond with a non-answer. Now seriously, the US have been consistently and clearly saying that solutions for the Western Balkans must come from the Western Balkans. Citizens of this region have the right to be dissatisfied with such slow progress. We are ready to work with the European Union and support a serious dialogue, both in B&H and between Serbia and Kosovo.”

Mexico respects Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and acts in those positions as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (Tanjug)

To mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Mexico, Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic met with the Ambassador of the United Mexican States H.E. Carlos Felix.

The officials agreed that over the 75 years, Mexico and Serbia have built strong bilateral relations and friendly ties between their peoples, who have withstood challenges even in the most difficult times. Dacic pointed out that geographical distance has never been an obstacle to close cooperation between the two countries and reminded the guest that Serbia could always count on Mexico’s support in the international arena. He thanked Mexico for its principled position on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. Ambassador Felix thanked Dacic for the efforts he had invested in his previous public offices to strengthen the ties between Serbia and Mexico and expressed hope that, through the strengthening of parliamentary diplomacy, he would make new contributions to the improvement of overall bilateral relations. He stressed that Mexico respects Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and that it also acts in those positions as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The members of the Serbian parliamentary Friendship Group with Mexico, headed by Ana Karadzic, also met today with H.E. Carlos Felix. Karadzic congratulated the Ambassador on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Mexico, saying that Mexico amply demonstrated that it was a true friend in the most difficult times, namely the disintegration of Yugoslavia when many consular missions left Belgrade and severed diplomatic relations. “We hope that the traditional friendship and good relations will be an obligation and an incentive to improve relations and cooperation in the future, in the mutual interest of our peoples,” she stressed. Karadzic was also grateful for the support in organizing the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Serbia in 2019, headed by Gabriela Cuevas Barron, and took the opportunity to thank Mexico for respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1244. She pointed out that Serbia will continue to advocate furthering relations, adding that cooperation could be intensified in the field of trade, military-technical cooperation and tourism. She went on to say that the Friendship Group with Mexico has 30 members, i.e. MPs who joined this Group.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Inzko sends letter to Brnabic and Viskovic expressing opposition to planned construction of ‘Buk Bijela’ Hydropower Plant (Glas Srpske) 

The daily reports that High Representative Valentin Inzko expressed concerns over the planned construction of the ‘Buk Bijela’ Hydropower Plant already in November 2021, when Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic and Prime Minister of Republika Srpska (RS) Radovan Viskovic signed the agreement on construction of the plant. Several days before the last week’s cornerstone laying ceremony, Inzko sent a letter to Brnabic and Viskovic reminding them that 24 members of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives filed a motion to B&H Constitutional Court contesting the agreement on construction of ‘Buk Bijela’ Hydropower Plant. Inzko underlined that the MPs believe that the concession issued by the RS Government violates B&H’s right to dispose with state property.  “I remind that the Constitutional Court in its previous judicial practice established that waters as public resource are considered state property, and that this also includes the so-called ‘internal waters’,” Inzko wrote in his letter. He further claimed that decisions on state property must be made by the state-level authorities. Inzko also underlined that all planned activities must be in line with B&H Constitution. Viskovic stated last week that B&H is not in charge of construction of power plants. He underlined that Drina River is not the border between B&H and Serbia in the section where construction of the ‘Buk Bijela’ Hydropower Plant is planned. Since the land in question is on the territory of the RS, only the RS Commission for Concessions is relevant to issue concessions for any developments in that area, Viskovic underlined. He argued that the concessions for hydropower plants on Neretva and Bosna Rivers were issued by the Federation of B&H (FB&H) Commission for Concessions and nobody disputed this fact. RS Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining Petar Djokic stated that it is not natural for the High Representative to politicize a multi-million project. He underlined that it is not clear how Inzko justifies is claim that internal waters are state property. If this were true, all concessions for mini hydropower plants would be disputable too, Djokic noted. Djokic added that Inzko’s letter could also be viewed as a form of pressure against B&H Constitutional Court. Serbian Prime Minister Brnabic said that Serbia carried out a detailed analysis of all regulations and laws and found out that around 280 different concessions have been issued in B&H in the past 20 years. All of them were issued by entities or cantons. “If our investment was to be proved to be problematic, it would mean that all previous investments are problematic too. I think that this would lead to a legal uncertainty at B&H level, but we acted as a foreign investor in best possible faith,” Brnabic said last week.

Cvijanovic: If political representatives of Bosniak people were interested in B&H’s future, they would do something to secure it (ATV) 

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that the future of B&H must be discussed, but also decided, because “what we have is a serious illness.” Cvijanovic stressed that if political representatives of the Bosniak people were interested in B&H’s future, they would do something to secure it, adding that in this way “they are only for the umpteenth time proving that only B&H in which one people will dominate to the detriment of the other two peoples is acceptable to them.” Commenting on SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic‘s statement that there will be no negotiations of the entities on the future of B&H, Cvijanovic said that it is their matter whether they will negotiate or not. “It is our job to offer and to know why we are doing it. We do not have the same vision of a country that should be common. We do not want centralization to the detriment of the interests of the RS, and that is the position of our institutions. We could have been partners, but Bakir and others like him are not capable of that” Cvijanovic was quoted as saying.

SDA Presidency calls on international community to impose sanctions against Dodik (Hayat) 

Session of SDA Presidency was held on Saturday. SDA Presidency congratulated anniversary of the UN membership of B&H to all citizens of this country. They also commended military exercise ‘Immediate Response 21’. SDA Presidency called on the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in B&H and the EU to impose sanctions against leader of SNSD and member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik for his consistent secessionist threats that jeopardize the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). SDA also warned of frequent attacks of Serbia on B&H resources, including ones related to construction of hydro power plants on Drina River and construction of airport in Trebinje that represent drastic violation of sovereignty of B&H. Leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic commented recently published non-paper talking about retailoring of borders in the region and break-up of B&H and rejected any possibility of scenario stipulated by this document. Izetbegovic also rejected initiative from the RS on talks between entities on future of B&H. He stressed that only possible talks are ones in institutions of B&H. Also, SDA Presidency commended establishing of Inter-Agency Working Group for Electoral Reforms, adding that everyone in B&H should be engaged in finding solution concerning electoral reforms. He added that in case HDZ B&H’s requests concerning amending of the Election Law of B&H were accepted, parliamentary democracy in B&H would be prevented and make non-ethnic parties pointless.

‘Immediate Response 21’; Nelson: US is proud of B&H’s progress and remains committed to being strong partner on its Euro-Atlantic path (O kanal) 

The Day of the High-Ranking Officials was hosted on Mount Manjaca on Saturday within the exercise ‘Immediate Response 21’, carried out by members of the B&H Armed Forces (AF) and the US Army as part of the major military maneuvers within the international exercise ‘Defender-Europe 21’ that is taking place across Europe. When it comes to the region, Serbia is the only country that is not taking part. The exercise ‘Immediate Response 21’, which started on 17 May and will last until 2 July, is taking place at the firing ranges on Mount Manjaca, Glamoc, as well as the military barracks Dubrave near Tuzla. Around 500 members of the B&H AF and 700 members of the US Army are taking part in the exercise. On the occasion of the Day of the High-Ranking Officials, a joint demonstration exercise was carried out at Manjaca range with the aim to demonstrate the cooperation capacity of the B&H AF and the US Army. Only two members of the B&H Presidency attended the Day of the High-Ranking Officials, although all three were invited. Namely, Chairman and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik refused to attend as he expressed opposing to organizing such exercise. Among the officials who attended the event were Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic, Bosniak member of the Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic, B&H Minister of Defense Sifet Podzic, US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson, Commander of the US Army for Europe and Africa (USAREUR) Christopher Cavoli, and other senior officials of the B&H AF and the US Army.

Addressing media on this occasion, ambassador Nelson stated that the US is proud of the progress that B&H has made and remains committed to being a strong partner to B&H on its Euro-Atlantic path. While the Presidency Chairman was absent from the event, Presidency members Komsic and Dzaferovic both pointed out that they are proud of the fact that the US chose to carry out this form of military exercise precisely in B&H. Komsic stated: “This is very important for the path of B&H towards NATO.” Komsic added that the demonstration exercise that was carried out is very significant as it provides an opportunity for the B&H AF to prove to the US Army and other partner armies that they are ready for interoperability, which implies cooperation in combat situations. Dzaferovic said: “The B&H AF have fully justified what we have so far referred to as the most successful reform in B&H, since the Dayton (agreement).” According to Dzaferovic, the B&H AF have shown that they are capable of carrying out the missions defined in the Law on Defense. Podzic assessed that the US has once again shown that it is a friend of B&H, underlining that the exercise was important for testing out the capability of the AF in terms of elements of collective security.

Komsic reveals that Dodik requested to meet US Army general in charge of NATO exercise in B&H alone (Face TV) 

Croat member of the B&H Presidency and DF leader Zeljko Komsic, asked about B&H’s path to join NATO, especially in light of ongoing NATO military exercise ‘Swift Response 2021’, agreed that the exercise can be perceived as a defeat for Chairman of the Presidency of B&H (and SNSD leader) Milorad Dodik, as well as the US’ push to implement the Annual National Program (ANP) and bring B&H into NATO, but the US is far too strong to be competing with anyone in the region. He explained that the exercise in B&H is a part of larger NATO exercise taking place across entire Europe and NATO forces involved in it consist mostly of the US Army although armed forces of other countries are also participating. He stressed that the exercise is important for B&H because the combat unit of the Armed Forces of B&H (B&H AF) is participating and its interoperability with NATO forces will be evaluated after the exercise.

He confirmed that the members of the Presidency of B&H have been invited to oversee the part of the exercise taking place at Mt. Manjaca on Sunday. He underlined that the exercise is in fact a simulation of combat-related activities and everything will be supervised, recorded and in a certain sense evaluated. He dismissed Dodik’s claims that the exercise is held online and it is basically virtual exercise, adding that Dodik has to justify himself for everything including the passage of NATO forces through Banja Luka downtown. He deems that NATO forces were not showboating and the easiest way to reach Mt. Manjaca is indeed through Banja Luka. He pointed out that Russia seems to be reacting immediately by sending a special paratrooper unit of the Russian Armed Forces to Serbia where it will allegedly conduct an antiterrorist exercise together with the paratrooper unit of the Serbian Army. According to Komsic, it was Dodik who initially requested to meet with the general of the US Army in charge of the exercise in B&H and the US Army representatives agreed but under condition that the meeting takes place at Mt. Manjaca and all three members of the Presidency of B&H come.  He pointed out that members of the Presidency were officially invited in recent letter from the US Embassy to B&H and all three are expected to meet aforementioned general. He claims that it is unclear as to what Dodik’s intentions were when he requested to meet with the general alone, perhaps to offer more explanations and justifications about NATO’s presence, but Dodik’s request and the response from the US were a bit strange to him. He recalled that Dodik did not object to the annual plan of the B&H AF’s military exercises which included the ongoing exercise and the plan was unanimously adopted by the Presidency. Furthermore, he clarified that NATO HQ acknowledged the Program of Reforms of B&H as the ANP because its contents were what was needed for the activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP). He reminded that the accession to NATO is stipulated by the Law on Defense of B&H, saying that all elected officials in B&H are legally obliged to work on B&H’s accession to NATO. He noted that despite all tactical maneuvers and attempts to provide different spin to everything, the Program of Reforms is the ANP and Dodik voted for it although Dodik is able to recognize the right moment when to reject something and when to comply. He said that B&H, Ukraine and Georgia are the only true candidates for NATO membership at the moment and B&H is expected to be the first of them to join NATO but NATO has changed its methodology and from now the ANP will be replaced with four-year program specifically designed for each country. According to Komsic, he was pushing for the Presidency of B&H to intervene when the parliamentary commission for cooperation with NATO did not adopt the first ANP in 2018 and 2019 due to blockades from SNSD and HDZ B&H and his pressure worked because the Presidency adopted the Program of Reforms but the entire process has now been returned at the hands of aforementioned commission which already submitted the second annual Program of Reforms. However, he agreed that the commission would not be able to submit any document without approval of political parties, first and foremost SNSD and HDZ B&H. Komsic noted that B&H political leaders are often pretending to be tough for the public but they always back down when told how their conduct will have certain consequences. He stated that no one threatened Dodik prior to the Presidency adopting the Program of Reforms but all three members of the Presidency were told in no uncertain terms that anyone who tries to impede B&H’s path to join NATO will face serious consequences. He deems that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is silent about this because Serbia has declared military neutrality and although Serbia seems to be much closer to Russia, it maintains cooperation with NATO. He warned that it would not be wise to resist NATO, especially because all political parties and all B&H political leaders, including Dodik and all other Serb political leaders, agreed for B&H to join NATO. Komsic also agreed with assertion that all Serb politicians in the RS and Serbia are well aware that B&H will definitely join NATO and it will be difficult for Serbia to maintain neutrality once B&H is granted NATO membership, which is why Vucic’s silence can be perceived as attempt to minimize the shock caused by B&H’s accession to NATO, unofficial approval and even another step towards acceptance. He stressed that Russia is doing everything it can to NATO’s enlargement in the region but Russia’s geopolitical and geostrategic interests in the region are not as important as those in Ukraine or Georgia. He added that this is the first time ever B&H was clearly and openly told it will join NATO but the country is still in a mess and certain reforms are required, which is why B&H and NATO will continue to cooperate and conduct joint exercises until the moment NATO member states decide that B&H is prepared to join NATO. He pointed out that efforts are being made to accelerate B&H’s accession to NATO and for this purpose, NATO and the US are constantly conveying subtle messages to Dodik even when it seems as if they are humoring him. He claims that he would like to take credit for B&H’s progress on the path to join NATO and he was very firm in his stance regarding NATO but he would not be able to do anything if he had no partners among NATO representatives. He stated that outcome of talks over the Program of Reforms was not always certain and there were various suggestions and proposals, most notably when several SDA officials came up with a proposal to stop insisting on the adoption of the Program in order to unblock the formation of the authorities.

Conference ‘Integrity of Electoral Process in B&H’ held in Sarajevo (N1) 

Transparency International (TI) B&H hosted in Sarajevo on Friday a conference on the topic ‘Integrity of the Electoral Process in B&H’. On this occasion, TI B&H Executive Director Ivana Korajlic pointed out that the Election Law needs to be finally amended in a way of preventing misuses, which were detected in the past. Korajlic underscored that politicization, with regard to who will have control over which constituencies, should be avoided. “Instead, the focus needs to shift onto preventing misuses”, she noted. Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Johann Sattler stated that minor “cosmetic” changes of the Election Law are not enough, and that the reform of electoral legislation needs to include constitutional reforms. Sattler specified that these constitutional reforms refer to implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)’s ruling in the case Sejdic-Finci vs. B&H. “Besides the CSOs, it is crucial for the Central Election Commission (CEC) to be involved in the work of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) and for their proposals to be taken into account,” Sattler said.

Chairman of the CEC Zeljko Bakalar confirmed that the CEC is already actively working on its proposal related to the Election Law and intends to submit it in parliamentary procedure through an initiative. Bakalar added that the CEC will also submit its proposal “to the relevant organizations of the EU”. Bakalar said that the beginning of the work on changes to electoral legislation does not instill confidence that what is necessary will be achieved by the end of 2021 – which should be the year of electoral reform. “What one is trying to do right now is an attempt to do something similar to what was done in Mostar: it all started with negotiations between two political parties, others joined in the meantime, maybe there would be a chance for non-governmental sector to join as well – but for this composition of the Central Election Commission, I see no political will for us to participate. Because at the very mention of this institution, some politicians – those in charge of making very important decisions in this country – react with disgust, or as if someone had stabbed them in the eye with a caliper,” said Bakalar.

US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson confirmed during the conference that leaders who are obstructing reforms are actually protecting their own interests. At the same time, changes to electoral legislation are among 14 priorities the EU has set before the authorities in B&H, with the goal of holding more transparent and fairer 2022 general elections in the country.

Komsic claims that Sattler and other foreign officials adopted wrong approach by holding talks on changes of Law on Elections solely between two political leaders (Face TV) 

Croat member of the B&H Presidency and DF leader Zeljko Komsic, asked about possible changes of the Law on Elections of B&H, argued that the issue of the Law on Elections is just getting started but there is too much going on behind the scenes and there were already fierce confrontations given that this issue has to be taken in the context of recently emerged non-papers. He claims not to know who exactly is the author of non-paper that was allegedly sent by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa to the European Commission but it would be wise to pay more attention to non-paper sent by the Croatian authorities because Croatia is a member of the EU as well and right-wing policies are generally endorsed by certain EU members. He warned that Croatia sought to gain upper hand and establish itself as unavoidable factor without which it will not be possible to make any decisions on behalf of B&H for a long time into the future. He reminded that Croatia kept stubbornly pushing the concept of legitimate representation on constituent peoples in B&H, which is completely anti-European concept. He underlined that it took a lot of efforts to bring down this concept and he and his staff used various connections and contacts to present future versions of B&H different from those presented in Croatia’s non-paper but in line with the European standards and the EC’s Opinion. He stated that his own non-paper with different interpretation of the situation with the Law on Elections was sent by his cabinet directly to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as to US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign affairs committee of both the US Congress and the US Senate. He said that he did not speak directly to Merkel although she did read his non-paper and she responded after 15 to 20 days. However, he claims that he cannot take credit for influencing Germany’s stance regarding the Law on Elections of B&H and he is under the impression that Germany came out with the only logic stance (To remind, Germany openly ruled out any changes of the Law on Elections of B&H based on the principle of legitimate representation of constituent peoples as this would acknowledge and legitimize ethnic divisions in B&H). He explained that Germany refused to support changes demanded by Croatia and HDZ B&H because Germany is a democratic state and it functions by the same rules and regulations it publicly advocates. He underlined that representatives of the EU institutions may be at liberty to play certain games but at the highest level where all decisions are made there is no playing with the principles by which the EU and its member states are functioning. According to Komsic, he openly told foreign officials that holding talks about changes of the Law on Elections solely between two political leaders is wrong approach and he could not understand why it was adopted by Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler and those who were helping him organize these meetings. Komsic deems that Sattler “simply took the path of less resistance” by approaching the issue of the elections in Mostar as an issue strictly within the Federation of B&H (FB&H) and changes of the Law on Elections would later be negotiated by SDA, HDZ B&H and SNSD as these three parties should be able to secure support needed to adopt changes in the Parliament of B&H provided that their MPs are still loyal to them. He underlined that changes of such important legislations cannot be discussed few political leaders and it would have been much wiser and more pragmatic to initiate wide discussion. Nevertheless, he commended SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic for keeping him informed about everything related to talks between him and Covic and regularly asking for his opinion, adding that he kept telling Izetbegovic to persevere regardless of what ambassadors and other foreign officials are saying because they will all leave B&H sooner or later and the citizens will be left to deal with the consequences. He confirmed that certain foreign officials were even arguing among themselves and certain countries were starting to pull out of everything but he refused to reveal more details as he did not want to speak in public about disagreements between the countries that are formally allies. He said that it is common practice to form interagency or interdepartmental working group tasked with drafting changes of the Law on Elections but the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) of the parliament of B&H should not have the same decision-making process as the parliament of B&H because its task is to present possible solutions, not to vote on their adoption. He claims that HDZ B&H and SBB B&H have strange relations because SBB B&H wants to have HDZ B&H on its side when in conflict with SDA while HDZ B&H wants to use SBB B&H’s support to pressure SDA into accepting HDZ B&H’s demands. Komsic added that many SDA officials perceive HDZ B&H as SDA’s main strategic partner and believe that the two parties cannot function without each other but everything is possible in politics.

It is clear there will be no changes to Law on Elections, wonders if 2022 elections will be held at all (Dnevni list) 

It is clearer that changes to Law on Elections will not happen. Will there be elections in 2022?’ The daily notes that a phrase ‘changes and amendments to Law on Elections of B&H is the most mentioned phrase in the political life in B&H in the last three years, stressing that the changes and amendments will not happen. According to the daily, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic have not brought their positions closer an inch, whilst SNSD leader Milorad Dodik is observing the situation from the sidelines. The daily further reads that when everything has collapsed, B&H leaders have come up with a ‘brilliant’ idea – they have formed the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) tasked to draft changes to the law, which led Bradvica to say the leaders are using the good, old rule “if you want nothing to the done, form a commission”. All this triggers the daily to wonder if the (general) elections will be held next year at all. The daily also reads that Dodik said the other day that talks on changes to the electoral legislation have collapsed because the two main leaders from the FB&H have failed to reach an agreement. According to Dodik, when it became clear that nothing will happen, they tossed the ball to some working group that will again demonstrate the inability to secure changes.

DNS and SNS sign agreement on joint participation in 2022 General Election (BN TV) 

DNS leader Nenad Nesic signed coalition agreement on joint participation in the upcoming 2022 General Election in B&H with representatives of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) FB&H. According to the agreement, the two parties will have joint candidates for all levels of authority in the FB&H. Their goal will be to improve the lives of Serbs in the FB&H.  SNS FB&H leader Dusko Radun said that SNS FB&H has fought for years against poor policies conducted by FB&H branch of SNSD. Radun added that SNS FB&H and DNS will call on all political parties, except SNSD, to help them improve the lives of Serbs in the FB&H. Nesic announced formation of Serb opposition bloc in the FB&H, which – as he said – will protect Serb interests in an adequate manner. DNS leader accused SNSD of caring only about party’s interests, instead of caring about the interests of Serb people in the FB&H. As an example, Nesic mentioned one-off assistance the RS government gave to veterans of the RS Army – but only to those living in the RS, not to those living in the FB&H.

Reactions to Israel-Palestine Conflict (Hayat/N1/Oslobodjenje) 

Rally of support to people of Palestine was held on Saturday at plateau near the Sarajevo City Hall. Several hundred people took part in this event. The reporter commented that shameful support to aggressor in Israel-Palestine conflict was conveyed recently from one part of B&H, adding that abovementioned rally conveyed massage that Sarajevo and B&H will always be on right side. President of the Association of Palestinians in B&H Majed Maarouf said that goal of this gathering is to convey message of peace as well as to say that aggression on Palestinians should end. Maarouf stressed that part of the international community supporting Israel has been claiming that Israel has right to defend itself. He wondered how it is possible Israel is in position to defend itself when they are nuclear power that has most modern weapons. Meanwhile, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa shared a video of Saturday’s gathering of citizens in Sarajevo dedicated to the support of Palestine on his Twitter page. He commented on the video, saying that ones who think such a gathering will bring B&H closer to the EU and NATO live in a great illusion. N1 carries that Jansa criticized other countries for expressing solidarity with Palestine earlier as well. Reacting to the Jansa statement, SDA Presidency stated that rallies of support to the Palestinian people were held in many cities across the world, but Jansa seems to be bothered only by the one held in Sarajevo. “The claim of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa that the Sarajevo protest against the massacre of civilians in Palestine will have negative repercussions for EU and NATO path of B&H is based on xenophobia and prejudice against B&H, Bosniaks and Muslims in general,” SDA Presidency noted. SDA underlined that Jansa lives in illusion if he believes that anyone can deny democratic rights to the people in B&H only because Muslims live there too. Deputy speaker of B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Dragan Covic (HDZ B&H) met with Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman in Stolac on Saturday, on the occasion of joint marking the 76th anniversary of Bleiburg events. Among other topics discussed, Covic and Grlic Radman also touched upon the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict and concluded that Israel has an absolute right to protect itself from attacks of terrorist organizations, but that this country also has an obligation when it comes to establishing peace.

SDP: Grlic Radman’s visit to Stolac was full of diplomatic scandals, Croatian officials should issue apology to B&H citizens (Nova BH) 

Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman paid a visit to Stolac on Saturday to attend the marking of the 76th anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy and commemoration for the Path of the Cross victims. During his visit, according to a presenter, Grlic Radman said that Croatian Government cannot allow Croats in B&H to be deprived of their basic rights achieved through the Dayton Peace Agreement. Furthermore, Grlic Radman said that Croats in B&H need to keep their own identity and have the right to elect their own legitimate representatives. The Croatian Minister also said that Croat people “has been a victim of all ideologies throughout the history, from fascism and Nazism to communism”. Grlic Radman underlined that people were being killed throughout the country in May 1945 and buried in mass graves. SDP reacted to Grlic Radman’s statements, saying that the visit of Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs was full of diplomatic scandals. SDP called on a Prime Minister (Andrej Plenkovic) and President of Croatia (Zoran Milanovic) to issue an apology to the citizens of B&H, assessing as “especially shameful” the fact that Grlic Radman sent the message about the need to protect the legal order in B&H from the location of an illegally constructed monument to so-called Bleiburg victims. Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) promptly responded to SDP’s statement, saying that nobody cares about what SDP has to say. HNS added that SDP should not be giving lectures to an EU Member State, which is the biggest foreign trade partner of B&H and the biggest advocate of B&H’s EU integration path. HNS said that in the moment when B&H needs to make a step forward towards European society and values of the western civilization which do not discriminate anyone, there is a presence of “overused lines from the pseudo-left orientated parties” who are not taken seriously by anyone. “To make things worse, it was exactly SDP’s laboratory which produced a person who became a synonym of discrimination in Europe, the person who discredited institutions and who is not taken seriously by anyone,” reads HNS statement. The B&H Association of Veterans of the People’s Liberation War (SUBNOR) is appalled due to the silence of B&H’s institutions and especially the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs – which, as they said, have obviously approved Grlic Radman’s presence at the marking of the 76th anniversary of events in Bleiburg and the Path of the Cross in Stolac. SUBNOR stated that organizers of the event obviously want to “install official neo-Ustasha narrative in B&H”, as they cannot do that in Austria any longer. Such attempts, according to SUBNOR, only create additional divisions and antagonisms in places of coexistence of different ethnic communities. The statement issued by SUBNOR reads that official ceremonies must not be organized to legitimize criminals or contribute to political and ideological manipulations with victims.

Croatia marks 29 Years of UN Membership (Hina) 

Croatia is marking the 29th anniversary of joining the United Nations, which occurred on 22 May 1992 and is considered the culmination of the international recognition process and the crowning achievement of Croatian independence and statehood, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The first years of membership were marked by diplomatic efforts to bring the military aggression against Croatia to an end and then to ensure the peaceful reintegration of occupied territories and full territorial integrity and sovereignty, followed by affirmation on the world’s political scene. As a young state, Croatia succeeded in ensuring relatively quickly its participation in the work of all key UN bodies through membership of the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, and several times of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission. Croatia is an active participant in many important processes, from the UN reform, including the work of the General Assembly and the model for the election of the secretary-general, the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to the recent coordination of global efforts in dealing with all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Croatia intends to continue contributing to UN activity, from the keeping of international peace and security and the strengthening of international law, to the promotion of international cooperation in dealing with economic, social, cultural and humanitarian challenges, including the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the ministry said. All that is confirmed by Croatia’s current applications for membership of the Economic and Social Council (2022-24), the Peacebuilding Commission (2026-27), the Security Council (2030-31) and the Human Rights Council (2032-34).

Abazovic on prosecutorial laws: Djukanovic not ready for justice, he is unnecessarily delaying his work (CdM) 

After Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic returned the Law on Amendments to the Law on the State Prosecutor’s Office to Parliament for reconsideration, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic has pointed out that he has the right to do so, but that delaying work is unnecessary. “It is an indicator that we are not all ready for justice, and he is the least,” Abazovic has stressed.

Lajcak: Western Balkans is geostrategic priority for EU but accession is merit-based process (MINA) 

EU Special Representative for Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak told Montenegrin media that Western Balkan region represents the geostrategic priority for the EU. “All partners in the region have a clear agenda for advancement of their European perspective, and their integration in the EU is our common interest,” said Lajcak. He reminded that 25 years ago, the region was torn by conflict and today, all countries are working on realization of their European perspective and jointly participate in many regional activities. “We are witnessing the stability of both democracies and economies which are maturing and have a potential for future growth. EU accession is a merit-based process which requires fundamental reform from partners. But their reforms are primarily beneficial for the states and their citizens,” said Lajcak. He concluded that political elites in the Balkans still have a lot of work to do regarding rule of law, functioning of democratic institutions, economic governance and hood neighborly relations.

Zaev: I am not afraid of Greater Albania, we are a NATO member, but I can’t say “no” with certainty (MIA/Kurir) 

The Balkan is a small region, where we’re all connected. Although Macedonia has joined NATO, I still worry about non-papers on resolving the Kosovo issue, because not all wounds have healed. The region’s slow EU integration gives rise to non-papers and other radical ideas, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in an interview with Serbian newspaper Kurir, MIA reports from Belgrade. Asked if he was afraid of war, the prime minister said he hoped there would never be more wars. We need to expand our path of integration because it gives us a future, he said. Asked if he was afraid of “Greater Albania”, which includes part of Macedonia,  the Prime Minister said he could never say “no” with certainty, but that would be difficult to happen in Macedonia because it is a NATO member and with every threat to our territory and integrity, Article 5 of the NATO Treaty would be activated, which would protect our country – “all for one, one for all” he said. However, I cannot finally say “no” because one definitely does not know to what extent can someone provoke it. That is why the solution is for each country to join the EU. When we reach the Schengen conditions, then there are no borders, said Zaev.

Mickoski: Albanian parties will receive VMRO-DPMNE support in the local elections only if they respect the Macedonians (Republika/Fokus) 

In at least 10 of the 13 municipalities where mayoral candidates from the Albanian community will win, if they want the support of VMRO-DPMNE and its coalition partners, they will have to respect the dignity of Macedonians and that of the smaller ethnic communities, VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said in an interview with Fokus weekly. Here, I will exclusively reveal for your magazine, that the least we can ask from our future coalition partner, who pleads to get the support for mayor in these (mixed) areas, is to respect the Macedonians and other smaller communities. And, to see that in action, the least we can agree on is for the chairman of the Council to be from the second largest community, and that is, for example, in Tetovo or Gostivar, to be Macedonian, said Mickoski. He says that he did not talk to the Albanian opposition parties in that direction, but called on all Macedonian parties and parties of smaller ethnic communities to join the initiative of DPMNE, because, as the leader of this party says, only that way they will not feel as second-class citizens in their own country.

EU foreign ministers in Tirana, meeting with Xhacka: June is the right time to start negotiations with Albania! (Radio Tirana) 

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka hosted a meeting with her counterparts, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jakub Kulhanek, and that of Slovenia Anze Logar.

Xhacka stated that the visit of her counterparts in Tirana is an indicator of their support and that of the countries they represent towards Albania’s membership in the EU. According to Xhacka, Albania has met all the conditions and is ready to hold the First Intergovernmental Conference within the first 6 months of this year. Albania has come a long and difficult way to meet the conditions and requirements by exceeding not a little challenges. Although the last year has been extremely difficult, we have managed to make substantial progress in reforming the justice system, in the fight against organized crime and corruption, in expanding the perspective and legal framework of fundamental human rights, and we have finally managed to develop a transparent electoral process, to bring Albania closer to its ultimate goal, EU membership. With the clear recognition that the European Commission has made of these achievements, and with the support of our friends and partner countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia, we have high expectations that the Council will agree to adopt the negotiating framework and hold the first Intergovernmental Conference with Albania within the first half of the year”, said the Minister during the press conference. On the other hand, the three EU ministers assessed that Albania has done everything expected of it and that it is the EU’s turn to take its step. The Austrian Foreign Minister underlined that Albania is ready to open negotiations in June and there is no reason for delays. “Albania has come a long way, has undertaken many reforms, has done its homework and is ready to open negotiations in June. There is no reason to delay this process,” said the Austrian Minister. Kulhanek praised all the achievements that Albania has made so far and especially in two areas: justice reform and the fight against corruption and organized crime. “It is quite significant that three EU Foreign Ministers have come to Albania to show their support for Albania’s path towards the EU. I take this opportunity to appreciate all the achievements that Albania has made so far, especially in two areas: justice reform and the fight against corruption and organized crime,” said the Czech Minister.  Logar further said that the next presidency is that of Slovenia where enlargement and the BP issue will be at the top of the agenda. “Albania fulfilled its task, now it is the EU that must stand by its words, it is the right time. The next presidency is that of Slovenia where EU enlargement issue will be at the top of the agenda, so Albania will have an active interlocutor. Very active interlocutor and supporter of the enlargement process,” said the Slovenian Minister.

Soreca: Albania closer than ever to opening negotiations with the EU (Radio Tirana) 

In the framework of Europe Days, the EU Ambassador in Albania Luigi Soreca said that our country is closer than ever to the start of negotiations. During a statement to the media in Korca, Soreca said that during their trip they met Albanian citizens and have informed them about EU-funded projects. Soreca also underlined that our country has made a lot of progress in the fight against corruption and money laundering, but needs to do more. “It is a pleasure to meet the future of Albania and this future of Albania is its youth. During this trip we talked to the mayors about the work they need to do and the future of the EU integration process. We have never been close to starting negotiations before. We are showing projects, programs that are funded by the EU. It is an important moment to show Albanians that Europe is here. This tour through which we want to talk to the citizens of Albania to take Albania forward towards the EU. Albania has made very important steps forward in terms of the fight against organized crime and money laundering, this is not enough, but it is enough to open negotiations, but there is still much work to be done. So, it should start with the concept of tracking money. Justice reform is creating a lot of Falcons in Albania,” said Soreca. As for Albania’s negotiations for the EU, the ambassador stressed that the EU will not be complete if it does not include the countries of the Western Balkans.