LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic tells Kurti to stop making threats and go ahead sue Serbia (TV Pink/Beta/RTS)  

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that talks with Pristina in Brussels would not be easy and that things were not rosy, but that now was not the time for big words, but for a firm stance. He went on to say that the moment called for showing commitment to the dialogue, looking toward the future, talking and maintaining peace, even though all that was harder.

Asked by TV Pink to comment on announcements by Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti that Kosovo would sue Serbia for genocide, Vucic said the Albanian leadership was attacking Serbia on a daily basis. “Kurti is now repeating this every day like Donald Duck, and my message to him is — stop threatening and go ahead and do it,” Vucic said. He added that there was “no concern” that the EU would again not open chapters in talks with Serbia in June, because everything that the EU requested had been done.

Brnabic: Kurti impossible to talk to (TV Prva/Beta) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday that the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti was “impossible to talk to, or come to agreement with”, and that there would be no agreements. Brnabic also said that a meeting in Tirana was “tumultuous and difficult”, describing it as a preparatory meeting ahead of the meeting in Brussels, to be attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. When asked for a comment on Kurti accusing Serbia of genocide, Brnabic blasted him as “an ideological fanatic with zero pragmatism”. “He threatens Serbia with genocide charges on a daily basis. He should file one instead, and say what he wants and prove what he thinks should be proved, but he should really stop threatening, especially at regional conferences, as it turns them into a circus,” she told TV Prva. Commenting on the situation in Kosovo, she said that “it is difficult, and it will become even more difficult”. “The fact that the current political elite in Pristina doesn’t want to talk is a disaster for the region at large, and the president (Vucic) will have a hard time on 15 June.”

Petkovic: We are going to Brussels to defend Belgrade’s position (RTS) 

Speaking on the Radio and Television of Serbia’s (RTS) morning press review, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said that Pristina was generating a “terribly difficult” atmosphere before the continuation of the dialogue in Brussels. According to him, the goal of all that is to undermine the dialogue and put pressure on Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic. “You have great pressure on Belgrade and Vucic, and on the other hand great support from the West towards Kurti who behaves in such a way that no one in the West reacts to provocations, insults, threats because Kosovo is a child of Western powers and should not be criticized when it makes a mistake, and Belgrade should be,” stated Petkovic. As he says, our delegation is going to Brussels to defend the position of Belgrade. He reminded that at the summit in Tirana, Kurti threw regional and economic cooperation of the Western Balkans under his feet, which would help overcome the problems. “He rejects the agreed declaration because he wants the Republic of Kosovo to be written, and that is unacceptable for us,” he noted.

More than 60 incidents since the beginning of the year  

He added that on the same day, Bishop Teodosije served the liturgy in the Church of Christ the Savior in Pristina, after which, he says, a torrent of the worst attacks and statements started from Albanian politicians. “While you see students from Pristina desecrating the church with graffiti and hate insults, all this is silently watched by an Albanian policeman. Can they then be protectors of Serbian churches and monasteries, as Kurti writes in his letters to UNESCO,” Petkovic wondered. He says that there have been more than 60 incidents since the beginning of the year, which is already two thirds compared to the whole of last year. “How are we going to protect them, our people who live in Metohija, in villages surrounded by Albanians. We are going to Brussels to fight because it is the only place where we can talk, and that is better than having incidents on the ground. Better to negotiate than to fight. We are taking care of the future, stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans. In order to be able to continue with foreign direct investments, we must negotiate and have stability,” Petkovic stressed. He told the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija that Belgrade in Brussels would insist on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities. “To head in the direction of the future, this is necessary for both the Serbs and Albanians. We are destined to live with each other or next to each other in Kosovo and Metohija, and we must agree on our future,” Petkovic pointed out.

Long tradition of diplomatic, friendly relations of Serbia and Poland (Tanjug/RTS) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic met on Friday in Warsaw, on the second day of his visit to Poland, with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau. The two officials recalled the long tradition of diplomatic and friendly relations and concluded that both countries are committed to strengthening the overall cooperation. They highlighted the commitment to improving economic cooperation and increased presence of businessmen and investors in both countries and reached an agreement that the realistic goal is that the level of the foreign trade exchange exceeds €2 billion in two years. When it comes to the process of EU of Serbia, Selakovic expressed gratitude on the active support and the position of Poland that the rightful place of Serbia and the entire Western Balkans is in the EU. He pointed to the importance of the regional format  – the Visegrad Group (V4) and said that Serbia recognizes closeness with member states of V4 and that it has an interest in cooperating with them, both bilaterally and as part of this initiative.

In addition, he spoke about the “mini Schengen” initiative, which aims to contribute to the stability in the Balkans and the relaxation of political relations through economic linking and cooperation of our region. Selakovic informed Rau about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and underlined that Serbia is entirely committed to continuing the dialogue, but that we remain skeptical about the readiness of the other side to implement the agreements made. He reiterated that the only sustainable solution would be to reach a compromise. The two ministers signed the Memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of Serbia and Poland, as well as the Program of cooperation in the field of culture, education and science for the period from 2021 to 2024.

No consent within EU on opening new chapters with Serbia in June (RTS) 

EU member states did not give the green light to Serbia to open new clusters in the accession negotiations with the bloc this month but agreed on holding an intergovernmental conference to present new methodology in the talks and next steps in the process, RTS reported, quoting sources from Brussels. The new enlargement methodology groups chapters into six thematic clusters, and cluster four, whose opening has been announced, deals with transport policy, energy, environment and trans-European networks. The decision to hold the political inter-governmental ‘explanatory’ conference seems like a compromise in a sign of support of Belgrade to continue with reforms that could lead to new clusters being open at some future meeting, RTS said. The sources told RTS that the European Commission (EC) advocated the opening of clusters three and four on 22 June, arguing Serbia showed results and that the opening would encourage further improvement in the area of the rule of law. However, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Croatia and Bulgaria maintained more time and concrete results were needed for opening new clusters. Some countries also insisted on Serbia’s insufficient compliance with the EU foreign and security policy. Keeping in mind the EC view and strong support of some EU member states for opening new clusters, the EU will try to encourage Belgrade after 18 months without any chapter opened, RTS reported. The EU opened accession talks with Serbia in January 2014. Out of 35 chapters, Belgrade opened 18 and temporarily closed two.

Botsan-Kharchenko: Pressures on Serbia to recognize Kosovo will not succeed (Tanjug) 

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko expressed his belief that the pressure on Serbia because of Kosovo will not yield results due to the consistent, dignified attitude of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on resolving the Kosovo problem, as well as his readiness for dialogue and compromise. “Knowing the position of Serbia in various phases of negotiations on the status of Kosovo and the most consistent position of President Vucic, I think that now such pressure will not do what those who use it would want to get from Serbia,” Botsan-Kharchenko told Tanjug. He thus answered the question whether he believes that Serbia can withstand the pressure to recognize independence of Kosovo, whereby one of the arguments for pressure is Serbia’s cooperation with Russia and China. “Serbia’s position is quite clear and consistent, recognition is impossible, and there is readiness for negotiations and compromise,” he added, and reminded that the red lines should be kept in mind. “As far as Russia is concerned, we are a permanent member of the Security Council (SC), we are always with Serbia and Serbia can always rely on Russia, but no solution to the Kosovo issue can be without the consent and approval of the SC,” Botsan-Kharchenko said. He ambassador also assessed that the dialogue is very difficult, but that it has become exhausting, considering the position of Pristina and its representatives, led by Albin Kurti.

Tribunal created with goal of pressures on Serbia 

Asked whether the UN SC session on cooperation with The Hague, where Russia defended Serbia, was an additional pressure on Serbia, and how important it is to hear the voice of those who speak about crimes against the Serbs, the Russian Ambassador said that it was additional pressure. “Now it is known and it is completely clear what the Hague Tribunal is, what it has been since 1993 and what it remains now. Since its formation, it has had nothing to do with the rule of law, law and justice,” the Ambassador said and pointed out that never before has there been a balanced approach to crimes committed during the war in the former Yugoslavia. As he says, now that everything is clear, he can express both the official and personal position that “the Tribunal was created primarily with the goal of putting pressure on Belgrade and Serbia”, and the same practice is continued by the International Residual Mechanism. He claims that all this is being used as additional pressure on Serbia, but he believes that there is no room for doubt that Serbia and the President will not remain consistent in defending their interests. “No pressure now, and there is a lot of pressure regarding The Hague Tribunal, will not affect that consistent and firm position,” Botsan-Kharchenko opines.

Botsan-Kharchenko: I believe there are attempts to see how it is possible to make appointment of new HR without decision of UN Security Council (Politika)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, asked about further development of the situation with regard to the appointment of new High Representative Christian Schmidt, stated for Politika on Saturday that the basic rule according to which the PIC must works is consensus, the consent of all, adding that their partners have started to violate this rule few years ago. He added: “Valentin Inzko speaks as if there is the decision of the Steering Board and this is a lie since the Russian Federation did not give its consent… I believe that these are attempts to see how it is possible to make the appointment without the decision of the UN Security Council (UN SC), for instance that Inzko just informs the UN SC, which is contrary to the international law. I would remind of the statement of our Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who in such situations says that the collective West applies rules instead of the international law and they demand that international relations are performed based on these rules that they create during the game.” He expressed his opinion according to which the OHR does not have any role and importance for the RS. He added that this is also the official stance of Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik, that the Russian Federation supports. The Ambassador added that B&H must develop normally. Asked as to why the West insists so much that the HR’s position is preserved, the Ambassador said: “They demand centralization which would lead to another heightening of tensions. Now they are trying to perform another attempt of constitutional reform, to seize power and authorities of the Republika Srpska (RS) and this centralization would help that B&H become a NATO member. They count that the new HR, with their assistance, will have power and use Bonn Powers, which Inzko objectively did not use for years. If the West does not give up on this illegitimate attempt, despite of the fact that the Russian Federation is against it, then this situation will lead to additional heightening of tensions. However, I cannot say that something extraordinary will happen – they will consider that the HR is appointed, the RS will consider that he is illegitimate and that he does not exit and there will not be any cooperation with him.”

REGIONAL PRESS 

European Court of Human Rights gives B&H authorities until 1 September to implement Sejdic-Finci ruling (BHT1) 

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has given the B&H authorities until September 1 to implement the Sejdic-Finci ruling. The ECHR called on the B&H institutions to prepare a draft proposal of amendments to the Constitution and the Election Law of B&H by the given deadline. Appellant before the ECHR Jakob Finci stressed that the Council of Europe (CoE) gave a strict deadline to the B&H authorities to prepare a draft proposal of amendments to the Constitution and the Election Law of B&H. Finci stated that what B&H needed to do more than ten years ago now has a deadline of two months, adding that there can be no more excuses. “I fear that Europe and the international community will actually put us on a black list and that then we can forget about our accession to the EU and solving of some other problems, which we see through that,” Finci pointed out. BHT1 stressed that the public gets an impression after almost every meeting between the B&H leaders that there are many problems and that they are unsolvable.

Sattler: EU is thinking about sanctions (Dnevni avaz) 

The daily carries an interview with Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler. Author asked the Ambassador to comment the appointment of the new High Representative, Christian Schmidt, whether B&H can become EU member with the OHR present and if he advocates closing down of the OHR and under which conditions. Sattler noted that stronger engagement of Germany in B&H is a good sign. As for Schmidt, Sattler noted that he is an experienced politician and he is familiar with developments in B&H and in the region, which is a good combination. “From my side he will have an extended hand and there is an offer for cooperation”, said Sattler, noting that last year’s agreement from Mostar showed what can be done when everyone act together. “On the other side, B&H cannot become the EU member as long as the OHR acts in B&H. EU membership is not compatible with such strong presence of the international community. However, currently B&H is far from full membership in the EU, therefore closing down of the OHR is not an option in this moment,” said Sattler. The Ambassador noted that we witnessed increase of tensions, intensifying of nationalistic rhetoric and it is not good time to experiment. “Closing of the OHR is not a topic. I think there is a reason why Bonn powers were not used lately. This country filed an application for the EU membership and this requires it having it sovereignty in full. The new High Representative is arriving with a full arsenal of competencies and this in the end includes Bonn powers as a last resort,” said Sattler. Asked what he would do if he could use Bonn powers, Sattler said that he deems that the greatest obstacle for B&H is the lack of progress in rule of the law and there is no progress in the fight against corruption and organized crime and he would perhaps, directed his efforts towards this. The Ambassador noted that they cooperate with law enforcement agencies and the HJPC and hope that new leadership will make progress in the HJPC: “It will be very difficult for B&H to achieve progress towards the EU without right steps forward in the sector of the rule of law”.

Asked about response of authorities in B&H to COVID-19 pandemic and affairs which marked this period, Sattler noted that B&H provided a good response at the beginning of the pandemic, but this was not the case in later phases, including purchase of vaccines, where they expected faster response and reaction. The Ambassador noted that the EU provided assistance in securing of medical and protection equipment and they started with delivery of vaccines. As for affairs and allegations about corruption, Sattler noted that they take them very seriously and each of these allegations needs to be investigated. “This is also a good reminder how important it is to have modern European laws and I have mentioned the law on public procurement. It is a matter of discussion for three years. If you have had a more modern law, it would be difficult to carry out any corruptive activities in context of public procurements. I am using this opportunity to appeal to legislators to adopt the law”, said Sattler. Asked what are the questions that he hates the most and the Ambassador noted that he does not hate any question, but it is somewhat tiresome when politicians ask him when will B&H get the status of EU candidate, because they are well aware what needs to be done: “We have been talking about this for years, it is necessary to implement 14 key priorities and that is that. I hope the politicians will understand this message, nothing is for free, 27 member states will not give anyone a free entrance ticket”. Asked about recent speculation about transformation or closing down of the EUFOR Mission, Ambassador Sattler underlined importance of EUFOR, which not only contributes stable environment, but they also provide support and assistance to B&H Armed Forces. He noted that EU Council needs to give green light for extension of the mandate and currently there is a strategic review in progress, after which the Council will reach a decision about extension. “Next step is with the UN Security Council because approval of this institution is also required. I am certain that EUFOR mission will be extended. We will do everything necessary on our part,” said Sattler. Asked why the EU does not name the culprits for the standstill, the Ambassador noted that they clearly stated that it is not acceptable that a new Federation of B&H government has not been established even two and half years after the elections, adding that elections are absurd if the results will not be implemented. “We very clearly underlined that it is now up to legislators to agree and adopt three laws. So, law on public procurement, amendments to Law on HJCP and law on prevention of conflict of interest. This is something that we have been talking about for years. We have said it in the clearest possible way,” said Sattler. The Ambassador noted that the EU is currently discussing which methods to use, as there are different instruments, such as ‘carrot and stick’, but there is also instrument of the stick i.e. sanctions which is in force for about ten years and which gets extended each year. Also, the Ambassador noted, as of the last year there are sanctions for violation of human rights which target the individuals. “Until now, something like this has not been used, but it does not mean that it will not be used in the future. I welcome the move of the US, with which they modernized the system of sanctions and thus strengthened the fight against organized crime and corruption, that is a step-in right direction,” said Sattler. Asked to comment accusations of certain politicians that he is pandering to ruling parties SNSD, HDZ B&H and SDA, or more precisely to Milorad Dodik and Dragan Covic, Sattler said that there are no evidence or facts that would support such claims. He noted that it is his role of the Special Representative of the EU to encourage dialogue with all political stakeholders. He stressed that they also meet the opposition parties on a regular basis, adding that they are discussing constitutional changes which require support of the opposition. “I am convincing you that this is far away from the truth. For us, B&H and its citizens are the partners. We are working with citizens and it is our desire to have more stable, prosperous and democratic B&H,” ends Sattler.

Cosic: HR is not standard for anything, HDZ B&H does not have room for compromise any longer (Dnevni list) 

HDZ B&H Vice President Zdenko Cosic said that the High Representative is not a standard for everything and it will turn out in the end that he is not the standard for anything. Cosic added that the HR is some sort of a Governor that damages B&H and the very existence of the OHR brings in question sovereignty of B&H. In his opinion it is paradox that so-called patriots and pro-Bosnian forces are mostly those that advocate protectorate and they are not interested in sovereign B&H. He concluded that unless segments of B&H society reach an agreement, the HR and the international community will bring nothing good to B&H. He warned that HDZ B&H cannot give in any longer in order to reach a compromise and that the Croat path for resolving of the crisis is the middle path between one political option, which envisages creation of a new Bosnian nation, and the other option, which envisages secession of B&H. Cosic concluded that the Croat project that they offer is a plural society, that B&H actually is.

Talks on amendments to Election Law of B&H underway, no consensus of all political actors on many proposals yet (Nova BH) 

The talks on amendments to the Election Law of B&H are underway, but there has been no consensus of all political actors in the authorities on many proposals yet. Some of the recently mentioned proposals include introduction of snap elections, introduction of scanners to the polling stations and awarding mandates in the elections to the political parties rather than to elected individuals. The key negotiations in B&H in this process are the state-level ruling political parties SDA, HDZ B&H, and SNSD. While the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H also prepared its proposal of the amendments to the Election Law, they are not engaged in work of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) in charge of the Election Legislation Amendments. Chairwoman of the IAWG Alma Colo (SDA) stated that the idea to introduce snap elections, which is mentioned in the CEC’s proposal, is “a very delicate issue”. Colo noted that this issue requires a thorough legal and political analysis. “If it would not lead to certain blockades in functioning of the authorities, SDA would certainly be in favor,” she added.

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic assessed that SDA and HDZ B&H have brought their stances in regard to amending the Election Law closer together “to a certain extent” and he expressed mild optimism. According to the SDA leader, there is a need to establish platform for talks with other parliamentary parties, too. HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic is convinced that this year is the last chance to amend the Election Law, otherwise it will be difficult to hold the general elections next year. Covic reiterated HDZ B&H’s insistence on amending the Election Law to ensure “legitimate representation of constituent peoples” in authorities. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik expressed opposing to “introduction of the institute of snap elections”. Dodik assessed that such institute would create circumstances that could lead to “constant chaos and turbulence”. “I do not think that is the wisest solution,” he concluded.

Novakovic Bursac: IAWG will soon reach stalemate unless political agreement is reached about the most important issues (Glas Srpske) 

The daily carried an interview with member of the B&H House of Representatives Snjezana Novakovic Bursac (SNSD), who was recently appointed a member of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) for electoral reform. Speaking about the IAWG, Novakovic Bursac said that the so-called civil parties are coming up with many proposals and ideas which are not realistic, which is slowing down the IAWG and making its job more difficult. She explained that IAWG often leads useless, futile discussions which are not leading anywhere. “I have the impression that this is done on purpose in order to score certain political points in the public,” Novakovic Bursac noted. Asked to comment the proposal for changes to B&H Election Law presented by the Central Election Commission (B&H CEC), Novakovic Bursac reminded that the B&H CEC does not directly participate in the work of the IAWG. “On the other hand, everyone, including them, have the right to propose something, but whether it is acceptable or not, that is a different story,” she noted. Novakovic Bursac also reminded that all proposals agreed by the IAWG must be adopted by B&H parliament as well, which means that the path to electoral reform is long. According to her, the IAWG will have a difficult time reaching consensus. As an example, Novakovic Bursac reminded that many IAWG members insist on introducing the possibility of snap elections. However, she noted, those who come with such proposals probably have not read B&H Constitution and do not know that snap elections are not possible under current circumstances. Another the issue of dispute is the debate on introduction of new technologies in the election process, Novakovic Bursac concluded that the IAWG is going to reach stalemate unless political agreement is reached about the most important issues.

B&H CEC presents proposal of amendments to Election Law, Dodik rejects all proposals unless agreement on election of members of Presidency is reached (BN TV) 

The ECHR has called on B&H authorities to prepare draft amendments to the Constitution and the Election Law of B&H by 1 September, so that general elections 2022 can be held under conditions that are in line with the European conventions. The Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H presented recently their proposal of amendments to the Election Law aimed to improve the election process and prevent electoral frauds. Among other things, proposed amendments refer to regulation of early election campaign on social media, sanctioning of hatred speech, introduction of snap elections when the Constitution allows it, ban to use of public resources during pre-election campaign, use of technology – scanners of ballots etc. According to BN TV, leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik absolutely opposes introduction of scanner of ballots as well as other proposals of B&H CEC. BNTV carries Dodik’s statement in which he said that they do not want to discuss introduction of scanners in voting process or any other changes unless an agreement on election of members of B&H Presidency and delegates in B&H House of Peoples (HoP) is reached. Deputy President of SDS Rado Savic stated that amending of the Election Law of B&H is not suitable for leaders of the biggest parties. Savic also stated that amendments to the Election Law should solve issue of selection of members of polling station committees, i.e. prevent political trades concerning election boards’ members. Leader of DNS Nenad Nesic stressed that proposals of B&H CEC are concrete, adding that DNS prepared their amendments to the Election Law. Nesic underlined that he is not optimist amendments to electoral legislation will be adopted by 2022. He emphasized that HDZ B&H has been conditioning amending of electoral legislation with formation of their electorate, adding that HDZ B&H has support of SNSD in this regard. The reporter reminded that in order to improve the Election Law, the parliament of B&H formed an inter-agency group tasked to prepare amendments to abovementioned law. However, pace of work of this group is slow due to a number of disagreements between political representatives that are members of this body. Political analyst Tanja Topic said that it is hard to expect those deciding about changes of the Election Law to reach a consensus. She added that such consensus could not be reached earlier, because ruling parties are not prepared for it.

Dodik: There is entity border between RS and FB&H, we do not intend to move it, but we intend to strengthen it (ATV) 

Serb member and Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that there is an entity border between the RS and the FB&H, which the RS does not intend to move, but intends to strengthen it. Dodik said that he is not ready to sacrifice peace for the independence of the RS, but he pointed out that there has to be awareness of the failure of B&H. Dodik was quoted as saying: “We will not make war, but we want to defend ourselves. Neither am I a man of war, nor would that solve anything. There is a border between the RS and the FB&H, called the entity border. It is not questionable, as far as we are concerned, we do not intend to move it, shorten it, increase it, but we intend to strengthen it and one day we will do it”. Dodik pointed out that the independence of the RS would not lead to war and those who have no other argument say it would.

Izetbegovic: If Serb diplomats decide to work in line with Dodik’s announcement, Dodik might get processed for misuses of office (Hayat) 

Leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic, asked whether recent developments, including appointment of a new High Representative, removal of a church from Fata Orlovic’s backyard and the final-instance verdict against war criminal Ratko Mladic are evidence there is more active engagement of the international community in B&H, replied positively. He underlined importance of the warning of a new US Administration that set framework for those who are planning to make some blockades and crises in 2022. Izetbegovic added that US President Joe Biden clearly stated that they will not allow destabilization and undermining of peace, that there will be elections in 2022, that prevention of adoption of the budget to prevent people to vote in elections will not be allowed. He stressed that the new High Representative has support of world power Germany. “It was not accident that the plaque (with the name of Radovan Karadzic) was removed from a student dormitory at Pale and that the RS removed the church from backyard of Fata Orlovic,” stated Izetbegovic. Asked about rhetoric mentioning the third entity in B&H, Izetbegovic stressed that talks on the third entity should represent additional pressure on Bosniaks to get Election Law of B&H that is in line with wishes of Croat People’s Assembly (HNS). He underlined that there is no one who could draw this third entity, because some 60 percent of all Croats in B&H live in areas mixed with Bosniaks. The leader of SDA explained that it is necessary to try to solve the issue of dictate of minority over majority in the parliament, as well as to work on solving of issues that the Croat side has been insisting on. “We should be smart and reach an agreement on these issues,” underlined Izetbegovic. Asked to comment recent statements of leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik and his announcement that Serb diplomats will not respect orders of their superiors, the leader of SDA emphasized that Dodik has been advocating an attack on rule of law and constitutional-legal system of B&H. He added that all those working in opposition to law will be sanctioned, adding that if Serb diplomats decide to work in line with Dodik’s announcement, Dodik might get processed for misuses of office.

Meanwhile, B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic reacted on Friday to the statement of Milorad Dodik, who said that, as of now, B&H ambassadors and other diplomats from the rank of Serb people should only act upon his instructions rather than instructions of anyone else in B&H, especially not those of Turkovic. Dodik said this after B&H Ambassador with the UN Sven Alkalaj refused to listen to his order not to address the UN Security Council (UN SC) regarding the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT)’s final verdict to wartime RS Army Main Staff Commander Ratko Mladic. In her reaction, Turkovic said that the Serb diplomats will provide their stance as to whether they will listen to Dodik or respect the law. ATV learns that Serb representatives in the B&H diplomatic-consular network will no longer listen to Turkovic’s instructions and, upon Dodik’s instruction, they will only listen to the B&H Presidency. In a video statement to ATV, B&H Ambassador to Russia Zeljko Samardzija said that the Serb ambassadors will report to the B&H Presidency, even though there is a need to cooperate with the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the operational sense. According to Samardzija, the manner in which Turkovic has been acting in the last two years is not the right path to follow.

RS government takes note of Report of Independent International Commission for Investigation of Suffering of All Peoples in Srebrenica Region in Period 1992-1995; Dodik says most important thing of Report is fact that term genocide cannot be applied to events in Srebrenica (BHT1) 

The RS government took a note on Friday of the Report of the Independent International Commission for the Investigation of the Suffering of All Peoples in the Srebrenica Region in the Period 1992-1995. The Report was presented at the special session of the RS government by President of the Independent International Commission, Israeli historian Gideon Greif. The public still does not have insight into the Report of the Independent International Commission, but the basis described by the political representatives in Banja Luka is that the term genocide cannot be applied to the events in Srebrenica, that wrong interpretations of events were aimed at demonization of Serbs and that there was no sanctioning of perpetrators of war crimes against Serbs, which would be adequate to the number of victims. BHT1 unofficially learned that the Report of the Independent International Commission will become available to the public in about fifteen days. “We one hundred percent, not one hundred, but a thousand percent worked freely, without the pressure of any government or any individual and we worked on the basis of justice, truth and facts,” Greif underlined. Milorad Dodik stated that the most important thing of the Report is the fact that the term genocide cannot be applied to the events in Srebrenica. Dodik stressed that the Independent International Commission believes that the very qualification of genocide is precisely part of the demonization carried out against Serbs. Dodik added that the Report of the Independent International Commission is not easy for Serbs either because it confirms the suffering of other peoples. Dodik noted that the RS accepts that and does not deny or belittle it, but that it also does not accept belittling and denial of suffering of Serbs. Other representatives of the political leadership of the RS also believe that the Report of the Independent International Commission contributes to reconciliation and that it is not directed against anyone else. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that she believes that if such a report aimed at revealing the truth had been discussed ten, fifteen or twenty years ago, the Serb-Bosniak relations in B&H would have been significantly better. “And, then all of us would be living in the country that would be much happier compared to the situation in B&H we are currently in and the circumstances we are living in,” Cvijanovic underlined. BHT1 recalled that the Independent International Commission was formed after the RS parliament in August 2018 rejected the previously accepted report of a commission tasked with investigating the events that took place in and around Srebrenica from 11 July to 19 July 1995. BHT1 stressed that a part of the international community, including the OHR, as well as certain lawyers and transitional justice experts challenged the independence of Greif’s Commission, convinced that its members are biased, but also because of the fact that its members were not members of other peoples in B&H. According to the report, up to 3,500 Bosniaks were killed in Srebrenica and more than 2,000 Serbs. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic said that more than 20 years passed since developments in Srebrenica, adding that this document enables all those representing the RS institutions to use it as ground to talk about facts related to sufferings in Srebrenica.

Cvijanovic said that goal of this report is not to insult or belittle anyone or suffering of any victim, adding that goal is to provide all-encompassing information about developments in Srebrenica region during 1992-1995 period. Dodik stated that the report represents one of the most important documents because “the events in Srebrenica were presented speculatively”, adding that the most important thing is that the report implies that the term ‘genocide’ cannot be applied to events in Srebrenica and that the independent commission rejected this term as it believes that there are no elements to qualify the crimes in Srebrenica as the genocide. Dodik assessed that the term ‘genocide’ is part of demonization of Serbs, reminding that neither the US of the UK have adopted the resolution banning the genocide denial but still there are attempts to impose such a thing on the Western Balkan countries. “I am glad that the RS today has a firm stance permanently rejecting any kind of qualification of this kind. Genocide was not committed here and one cannot expect us to recognize that,” Dodik stressed. Viskovic told the press that the report is not detrimental to any of the peoples in B&H, but it is a report that is supposed to bring reconciliation. Greif stated: “We were free and independent, and with this report we wanted to achieve reconciliation and better mutual understanding of peoples living in this area.” Greif underlined that history is not a collection of stories or legends, but rather an exact science. Greif said he is proud of the report, which he referred to as a result of hard work of team of reputable international experts in their fields. He concluded: “Justice and truth should be based on facts, which was the report’s aim.”

Komsic reacts to Milanovic’s statements on NATO Declaration: By forcing concept of constituent peoples, Croatia is coming into conflict with NATO (N1) 

Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic reacted to the statements of President of Croatia Zoran Milanovic regarding the NATO Declaration. Komsic was quoted as saying: “Due to forcing the outdated ethnic concept of the constituent status of peoples, Croatia is coming into conflict with the NATO. It is very clear from the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that this concept should be rejected in B&H, just as it is clear in the Annual National Program (ANP) that we have committed ourselves to the equality of all citizens, and not to the so-called constituent status of the peoples”. Komsic pointed out that one country like Croatia can hardly stop what is in the interest of the NATO, in addition to advocating the things that are not NATO and EU standards. Komsic was quoted as saying: “In recent years and in recent days, we have tried to explain to Croatian officials that what they are looking for in B&H is incompatible with the NATO. Now the NATO needs to decide whether the standards and interests of the alliance are more important to them, or the anti-NATO and anti-European standards of the Croatian officials. It is good that the situation is crystallizing and that things are becoming clearer”.

NATO summit in Brussels; Milanovic: Some countries reject mentioning DPA in joint Declaration; Milanovic accuses Plenkovic and Grlic Radman of not doing enough (HRT1) 

Commenting on the summit of leaders of NATO member countries that will take place in Brussels on Monday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic stated in Pozega on Sunday that a joint Declaration that mentions B&H is among documents that will be adopted at the summit. He added that this declaration has been prepared for a while and that some countries do not want to mention the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and the three constituent peoples in B&H in this Declaration, but that Croatia will not agree to that. “I will have to talk to some people at the summit about this, otherwise we will not give consent to the Declaration because we are being treated as unimportant,” Milanovic stressed. Replying to Milanovic’s statements, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said that Milanovic’s statements are groundless and represent nothing but deception, adding that Milanovic copies all the things the Croatian government advocates for – including the status of constituent peoples, equality and amending the Election Law of B&H. He stressed that the Croatian government continuously, affirmatively and meaningfully works on protection of the position of the Croat people in B&H. Commenting on Milanovic’s statement regarding the NATO Declaration, Grlic Radman said it is a Communique “and we want to harmonize that text with our allies. The summit is not deciding for the position of the Croat people in B&H. So that we have already agreed here that the DPA and the reform processes, i.e. Election Law, ‘expressis verbis’, will be mentioned in one paragraph”. Milanovic accused Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic and Grlic Radman of not doing anything when it comes to the resistance of certain countries to mention the DPA in the final NATO Declaration. Milanovic thinks that the Croatian Government should have been more actively involved because, as Milanovic claimed, the NATO summit will work against the interests of Croats in B&H. “Seeing that his engagement is not enough, Milanovic rewrites everything we have done, undeservedly on his part,” stated Grlic Radman. Milanovic accused the Croatian government of ignoring him. “The Croatian Ambassador does not care about us at all, it has reached the level of presidents. It only shows how far we have gone and what plans some international circles have for B&H. It will not pass as far as Croatia is concerned,” said Milanovic. When it came to the issue of absence of Grlic Radman at the meeting in Brussels, Milanovic commented that it will not be awkward to go the meeting without Grlic Radman and that no one will notice his absence. Grlic Radman pointed out that he did not want to accompany Milanovic and said: “Having in mind the fact that I have done the ministerial meeting and am waiting for the next one, nothing spectacular will happen at the NATO summit”. Former Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vesna Pusic assessed that this was continuation of conflict between Milanovic and the Croatian Government, which is not good “when it is transferred to the international scene”.

Montenegrin parliament fails to vote on Resolution on Genocide in Srebrenica (CdM) 

Montenegrin parliament did not vote at its session on Friday on the Resolution on Srebrenica recognizing the genocide that happened in July 1995 and banning the genocide denial. The vote will take place next week after competent working groups decide on amendments filed to the proposal of the Resolution on Srebrenica. The amendments proposing that the killing of non-Bosniaks during the past war in the former Yugoslavia is also condemned were filed by Democrats led by Aleksa Becic, the current speaker of the Montenegrin parliament. Commenting on the amendments, Becic said that the goal is to affirm the Resolution and condemn other crimes. He added that the amendments will not change content of the Resolution in any way but they will put focus on individual responsibility for war crimes – not collective responsibility of any people. Becic reminded that he has presented his stance on Srebrenica several times so far and that it is undisputable that the genocide happened in Srebrenica. Bosniak Party that proposed the Resolution on Srebrenica and several other parties that support the adoption of the Resolution argue that the amendments were filed with an aim to devaluate the meaning of the Resolution.

PM risks new elections under old rules (Dan) 

If there is no agreement between the parties within the ruling majority, and no agreement between the majority and the government, i.e. the parliament and the government, new elections will be certain. However, all factors in the three coalitions in power believe that elections should be the last option, given that the election legislation has not been changed, nor have electoral rolls been cleared, which was the responsibility of the government. They believe that dialogue is necessary because it is clear that without a prior agreement with Zdravko Krivokapic, the election race would have entered under the same conditions as in previous years, although representatives of the former opposition and current authorities promised citizens that no election process would take place according to the rules determined by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Dan reports.

VMRO-DPMNE resumes its protests, will block the Foreign Ministry for two hours (Republika) 

VMRO-DPMNE resumes its protests today, and will blockade the Foreign Ministry for two hours, starting at 17h. The opposition party is in revolt against the secretive talks the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is conducting with Bulgaria. The Executive Committee of the party met in Bitola over the weekend and decided that the protests will continue. VMRO calls on Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani to reveal the proposals that are being negotiated before the public. Osmani is expected to appear before the parliament on Wednesday. Bulgaria is blocking Macedonia from opening EU accession talks and demands major concessions on national identity and national history issues.

Borisov warns of growing hatred between Bulgarians and Macedonians (Republika) 

Former Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borisov, who instituted the policy of vetoing Macedonia in the EU until it agrees to make major concessions with its national identity and history, warned that the two nations are on the verge of beginning to hate each other. Borisov blamed his political opponent, President Rumen Radev, who now de-facto runs the Government, of mismanaging the negotiations with Macedonia. Bulgaria has a caretaker Government appointed by Radev which avoids directly entering in negotiations as it only has a mandate to organize early elections. The policy which is being led now drives us to hate each other. We will hate each other. Why will we work on European projects then, if they take us to a country that hates us? Borisov said. He again insisted that he and PM Zoran Zaev are working to turn things around. Borisov and Zaev signed a treaty in 2017 which opened the way to Bulgaria to demand concessions through a commission made up of historians from the two sides. As Bulgarian demands grew in scale, and even Zaev refused to implement them, Bulgaria moved to veto Macedonia and the public discourse between the two countries and the peoples, badly deteriorated. Borisov warned that the hatred could last for decades, and laid all the blame at Radev’s feet.

State Department: US supports beginning of Skopje’s negotiations with EU (MIA) 

The US supports opening EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania without further delay, Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, has said. “We support opening EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania immediately. We are engaging at the highest levels of government to demonstrate our commitment to the aspirants’ European paths,” Price tweeted. Ahead of a working dinner with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was time that Skopje opened talks with the Union. “It is time that the decision that we reached is materialized. I am also here to find a solution with Bulgaria,” the French President told Zaev.

Blinken-Rama: US greatly appreciates your leadership, this partnership will be long remembered (Radio Tirana) 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a meeting in Brussles with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Blinken said that the US still has good work to do in Albania. The statement came after Blinken thanked Rama for the ‘Defender Europe 2021’ exercise. Secretary Blinken thanked Rama for the work they had done together. I think we have set a very strong example for others today about the need to make sure that when it comes to the most technology sensitive networks we have to work with trusted vendors and I think this is very important and very strong message to send to others and most importantly we are grateful for the work that the US and Albania have done together including the Defender 21 exercise that has been accomplished so successfully. We look forward to taking your seat in the United Nations Security Council, we have a lot of good work to do there and in all respects, this partnership is getting stronger and deeper and we greatly appreciate your leadership to do this. Meanwhile Rama said: For me and for us in Albania it is a very important moment because as I believe you know we have undertaken this initiative on our part for several years and asking others to become part and all to make efforts for a secure communication corridor and to put this corridor of many important services in the hands of Albanian institutions so that we do not allow it to be compromised by third actors. I hope that together we can convince other friends in the region. “You are setting a pretty good example, we are grateful we have allies,” Secretary Blinken was quoted as saying.

Rama commemorates 22nd anniversary of liberation of Prishtina (Radio Tirana) 

On Friday, Prime Minister Edi Rama congratulated the liberation of Prishtina, which he described as a blessed day.  “Good morning. 22 years since the blessed day of the liberation of Prishtina,” said Rama, while sharing a photo from the KLA. This date marks the entry of the Kosovo’s Liberation Army forces of the Llap Operational Zone, in Prishtina, in order to protect the population from the massacres that Serbs had begun to commit during the beginning of the withdrawal from Kosovo, after the signing of the Capitulation Agreement in Kumanovo, on 9 June 1999 between NATO forces and the Yugoslav Army. With this agreement begins the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo.