LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: I said we would never recognize Kosovo and then Kurti exploded (RTS/B92/Tanjug) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the public after the meeting in Brussels. “It was agreed to continue the dialogue until the end of July,” Vucic said after the meeting. “The Albanian delegation does not want to fulfill what they signed. They call it provocations that Serbs want to attend liturgies… Complete absence of reality,” Vucic said in a conversation with the media after the meeting. “I have never attended a meeting like this,” said Vucic. He explained that a conversation with Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija will follow, because, as he says, he is “scared, because he sees how much responsibility we will have to face in the future”.

Asked whether he insulted Albin Kurti during the meeting, he said that he did not swear. “I answered sharply, but I did not cross the border. The man came so as not to agree on anything. He said: ‘I came to ask you when you will recognize Kosovo’. I said, ‘Never’. He exploded,” Vucic pointed out. We will continue to work on the dialogue, Vucic said and pointed out that this “was an attempt to end the dialogue”. Asked if the parties had agreed on something, he said:

“We agreed about nothing.” Vucic pointed out that Kurti threatened to file a lawsuit for genocide, and Serbian President replied that he should do that, instead of talking about it.

Belgrade will not stop dialogue, Pristina must meet obligations 

Belgrade does not want to and is not prepared to stop the dialogue with Pristina, but Pristina has huge obligations it needs to meet, Vucic said in Brussels after Tuesday’s new round of the dialogue. “We will never stop the dialogue. There are, undoubtedly, huge obligations on Pristina’s side, which means that they should fulfill and they should implement everything they have signed so far, which is very obvious and which was acknowledged by both EU representatives,” Vucic said in English in response to a reporter’s question whether Serbia would give up on the dialogue. “We invested hard work and huge efforts, and we both, under the auspices of the EU, have already signed some documents. It has to be acknowledged, admitted, implemented or fulfilled – name it in the way you want – but it has to be done properly, and after that we can start speaking about something else,” Vucic said. He said Serbia had accepted to discuss the issue of missing persons and offered any assistance in good faith to help the families of the missing. “They (the Pristina delegation) did not want to speak about it – they wanted to speak about (the head of the Serbian government commission on missing persons) Veljko Odalovic,” Vucic said, adding that Pristina officials had compared Odalovic to Goering and Goebbels.

Petkovic: Belgrade is committed to continued dialogue, Borrell will inform Biden about that (Tanjug) 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said that the Serbian delegation led by President Aleksandar Vucic once again today stressed its commitment to the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and its readiness to seek a compromise solution.

After a bilateral meeting between the Serbian delegation with EU representatives – Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak, Petkovic said that Borrell understood Belgrade’s commitment to dialogue and said that he would also inform US President Joe Biden about the details of the trilateral meeting. According to him, President Vucic pointed out that it’s essential and of most interest to us whether there will be movement in the dialogue itself. “That is crucial for us and that is why we are in Brussels,” said Petkovic and added that the issue of missing persons, energy and big topics that burden relations between Belgrade and Priština were supposed to be discussed at today’s meetings.

Lajcak on Belgrade-Pristina meeting: Wasn’t easy, but important it happened (N1) 

Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special envoy for the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on the normalization of relations, said the Tuesday’s negotiations were not easy, but it was important the meeting happened. Lajcak and the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell mediated Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kutri’s first meeting on the Belgrade and Pristina relations dialogue after 18 months. “Both leaders were extremely open and honest about what they want from the dialogue. That’s important for the EU because there is no other way forward beside the normalization of relations. Both leaders are committed to working on the normalization through the dialogue,” Lajcak told reporters after the meeting. Lajcak confirmed the next meeting was scheduled for the end of July. “The EU and people in Serbia and Kosovo have high expectations from their leaders to overcome what had happened in the past and look into the future, to normalize the relations thoroughly,” Lajcak said in a short address without taking any question.

Vucic: Pristina representatives to continue their show (TV Pink/Tanjug/RTS/Beta) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Brussels ahead of Tuesday’s resumption of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue that he expected Pristina representatives to continue their “show” and noted that they were not interested in dialogue but, above all, in local elections in Kosovo and Metohija they were announcing for October. “They are interested in an electoral win and they will act accordingly, as if no dialogue has ever existed. They will request to be an equal side, as if we were two states. Since that is impossible, I can hear that out, and then smile at it all,” Vucic told TV Pink in an interview. Vucic said that he did not think Kurti was important in the matter and that he had been “an idol and a hero for many in Belgrade”. He further said, “the only thing that matters is what the European representatives as the cosignatories of the Brussels agreement will say”, while, “I will not even get involved in that discussion, rather I will insist that it be carried out”. Vucic said that he did not think Kurti was important in the matter and that he had been “an idol and a hero for many in Belgrade”. He further said, “the only thing that matters is what the European representatives as the cosignatories of the Brussels agreement will say”, while, “I will not even get involved in that discussion, rather I will insist that it be carried out”.

Vucic also said that Serbia’s position was stable and firm, adding that he believed that his team, including Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic and Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic, would manage to prepare well for the 15 June meeting. He said he would raise some extremely important issues, including the issue of missing persons. “I want us to get into the details for the first time,” Vucic said. He pointed out that Belgrade has always been correct because it is a question of a civilized attitude towards the victims – to tell someone where their closest ones lie, so that they can bury them. He conveyed that Belgrade has so far received 21 requests from the Albanian side, and that excavations have been carried out at all those locations in Serbia proper. “We found bodies in four places, the last grave is Kizevak, we found two Albanian civilians and nine other bodies, but we don’t know who those people are and we are doing DNA analyzes,” Vucic added. On the other hand, Belgrade sent ten requests to Pristina. “Only at one location, Bunker, near Djakovica, seven bodies were excavated and found, and it was confirmed that it was the Sutakovic family – a father, a mother and three children, as well as two members of the Petrovic family,” Vucic pointed out. As he said, Belgrade has requests for nine more locations, but Pristina has always found “incredible excuses” not to investigate. He added that there is a large tomb in Pristina, with 350 different remains or body parts in the morgue, which shows that it is more than a dozen bodies, which he believes were killed by Serbs. “But we never got an answer to that question. I believe that in accordance with international legal principles, norms, international humanitarian law, we will succeed,” Vucic concluded.

Brnabic: Serbia shows greatest dose of flexibility in relations with Pristina (TV Pink/Tanjug) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated, on the eve of the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, that today is an extremely important day, but also that there has never been less room for negotiations. In a statement for TV Pink, Brnabic wished President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic the best of luck in today’s battle, estimating that it will not be easy for him and that he has an impossible task and great responsibility. I have never been as worried as I am now about stability and security in Kosovo and Metohija, she stated and added that President Vucic will try to make room for talks. She pointed out that the summit of the leaders of the Western Balkan countries, which was recently held in Tirana, was completely irrelevant for the Pristina side in relation to today’s meeting in Brussels, for which they have been preparing for a long time. The Prime Minister pointed out that Serbia has shown the greatest possible dose of flexibility when it comes to relations with Pristina, through the signing of regional agreements and the implementation of regional projects such as the start of construction of the Nis-Pristina-Tirana-Durres highway. According to her, Kosovo is not an internationally recognized state, and within the CEFTA agreement, there are countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova, that have not recognized its independence.

EU expects Vucic and Kurti to continue dialogue, not start new talks (Beta) 

European Union officials told Beta that the EU expects top officials from Belgrade and Pristina to continue the dialogue on Tuesday, not start a new one. European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that Brussels expects Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to discuss the way forward in the dialogue to continue the process which started in 2011. He said that this is not the old but a current dialogue with the EU mediating with both partners progressing with their European future. Stano added that the partners changed in the process but the process remains the same. According to Stano, all the issues discussed earlier in the dialogue will be on the agenda of future meetings and are of key importance for the comprehensive agreement to normalize relations at the end of the dialogue.

Dacic: Serbian Orthodox heritage in Kosovo and Metohija in danger (Tanjug/RTV) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said on Monday Pristina’s attempts of misappropriating the Orthodox Christian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija as “Kosovo’s” were becoming increasingly frequent and were the grossest attempt of revising history and building an Albanian national identity in Kosovo on Serbian and Orthodox cultural heritage. “That heritage is under threat not only through such attempts, but physically as well, as evidenced by the fact that some of the medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches are on the international list of endangered historical heritage,” Dacic said, opening a meeting of the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. He said a demand by Pristina officials that Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija be excluded from international protection was a direct continuation of violence that had been going on for decades incessantly. “Pristina’s interest in culture is motivated exclusively by their attempt of fabricating an identity and usurping the centuries-old Serbian tradition,” Dacic said, noting that over 150 Orthodox temples and churches had been razed, desecrated or devastated since 1999. Dacic said Pristina’s UNESCO membership bid was a very dangerous step towards eroding the protection of Orthodox Christian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija. He recalled Serbia had hosted the organization’s General Assembly meeting in 2009, when a resolution titled Challenges Facing the Orthodox Population in Kosovo and Metohija was adopted. The document affirmed Serbia’s positions on the Kosovo and Metohija issue and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia, condemning the religious discrimination against the Orthodox Christian population and attempts of erasing and altering the Serbian identity, history and character and the Serbian Christian culture, Dacic said.

REGIONAL PRESS 

EUD: Sattler says any boycott of 2022 elections would be unacceptable (Faktor.ba) 

The EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H conveyed for Faktor.ba the opinion of the Head of the EUD and EU Special Representative in B&H, Ambassador Johann Sattler pertaining to the Law on Elections of B&H and reforms. The EUD stressed that Ambassador Sattler said several times that the year 2021, as a non-election year, represents a unique opportunity for resolving shortcomings in terms of holding elections in B&H. As for the 2022 elections, the EUD said that Ambassador Sattler believes that any boycott would be unacceptable, adding that although it requires improvement, there is already framework for the elections that enabled holding of the 2018 elections. The EUD further explained there is no inevitable political paralysis on the horizon, expecting that all political stakeholders will cooperate in good faith in order to secure good functioning of public institutions. The EUD also called on political stakeholders not to miss the opportunity the year 2021 provides for implementation of necessary reforms.

Becirovic: Accepting changes to Law on Elections of B&H proposed by Covic would be betrayal of B&H (Dnevni list) 

The SDP Vice President and delegate in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Denis Becirovic stated in a post published on Facebook that changes to the Law on Elections of B&H as proposed by HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic are absolutely unacceptable and that accepting the changes would constitute betrayal of the state.  According to Becirovic, ‘we’ must fight against the danger with all available democratic and legal means, adding that the state of B&H is more important than any political party, group or individual. He further noted that accepting Covic’s and HDZ B&H’s proposals regarding the Law on Elections would pave the way for new divisions in B&H and would be against principles of the European democracy. Becirovic also said that Covic is trying to change the law before the 2022 general elections by which he (Covic) would secure the ‘legitimate representation of peoples’, in other words the victory of HDZ B&H candidates in the race for a member of the Presidency of B&H, and which would secure them enough posts in cantonal assemblies in order to dominate the Croat Caucus in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) HoP. By doing so, argues Becirovic, HDZ B&H would create a path to implement its long-term strategy, which goes in direction of reincarnation of Herzeg-Bosnia and its joining with Republic of Croatia. In addition, Becirovic underlined that Covic is conditioning formation of a new FB&H government with changes to the Law on Elections of B&H.

Sehic, Novakovic-Bursac say problem of change of ethnic affiliation must be tackled through changes to Law on Elections (EuroBlic) 

The daily argued that the habit of politicians to change their ethnic affiliation from one elections to another is not really the news in B&H anymore and reminded of several such examples in past. “Namely, the election rules do not allow candidates to change their ethnic affiliation within one elections, four year, cycle. However, they are not prohibited from doing so the very next cycle”, the daily noted and wondered whether the new Law on Elections of B&H will manage to “bring an end to false Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks”. Vehid Sehic from the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections ‘Pod lupom’ said that it is necessary to solve this problem and he reminded that many calls for protection of human rights and freedoms while they are being abused the most. Sehic said that the problem of change of ethnic affiliation is the most prominent in the FB&H, especially when it comes to the House of Peoples (HoP) “where there are calculations on how to fill in seats of Serb delegates. There are examples of those who declared themselves as Serbs only to win mandates in cantonal assemblies from where they entered the FB&H HoP, i.e. the Serb Caucus. The same happened in the RS as well where individual Serbs declared themselves as members of ethnic minorities, for example Montenegrins, and entered the RS Council of Peoples in this way”. Sehic added that this problem was discussed by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H while he was still a member of it and he added that one of possible solutions would be to prohibit changing of ethnic affiliation for a longer period of time. “This should be stipulated by the Constitution only as an exception in the election process,” Sehic said. Chair of SNSD Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac, who is also a member of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) in charge of changes to the Law on Elections, said that she believes this problem will be solved. Novakovic-Bursac reminded of the example of “a ‘newborn’ Serb, Elvis Zivkovic, who was elected to the FB&H HoP thanks to anomalies in the election system of B&H, which proves that the legitimate representation is an important topic which concerns everyone in B&H”. Novakovic-Bursac said that she expects this problem to be solved in such way that representatives of Serbs, as well as representatives of other people, are elected only by their fellow people because “all other solutions turned out to be the basis for manipulations and distortion of the essence of constitutional compositions in B&H at all levels”.

Sattler: Closing of OHR is not an option at this moment, Schmidt is experienced politician with good knowledge about B&H and region (Fena) 

Speaking for Fena, the Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler stated that B&H is still far away from full EU membership, which is why closing of the OHR is not an option at this moment. Commenting the appointment of Christian Schmidt as a new High Representative, Sattler said that stronger engagement of Germany is a good sign. He also underlined that Schmidt is an experienced politician who is very familiar with B&H and the region and announced that he will reach his hand to Schmidt and offer his help. “We showed last year in Mostar what we can achieve when we act together” Sattler noted. On the other hand, Sattler underlined, B&H cannot become a full EU member as long as the OHR is operating in the country. “EU membership is not compatible with such strong presence of the international community. However, B&H is currently far away from full membership and closing of the OHR is therefore not an option at the moment. We have seen a rise in tensions in B&H, nationalistic rhetoric is intensified, so this is not a time for experimenting. Closing of the OHR is not a topic,” said Sattler.

NATO summit begins, final NATO Declaration includes DPA, but not constituent peoples (BHT1) 

Leaders of 30 NATO member countries convened at the annual summit in Brussels on Monday. They discussed reforms and modernization of the alliance. US President Joe Biden attended the summit as well, marking the change of US policy following his election in January. During the summit, reforms which will be applied until 2030 were discussed and it was decided that the strategy from 2010 will be extended with additional points. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the current moment is key for the alliance given the geopolitical situation, regional instability, terrorism, cyber-attacks and climate change. He stressed that no nation and no continent can face these challenges alone. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the leaders gathered on Monday to reaffirm their dedication to trans-Atlantic solidarity and to renew the alliance as a community of common values following a tough period. During the summit, the upcoming meeting between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed. The final Declaration of NATO mentioned B&H and the need for implementation of political and constitutional reforms was highlighted. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said that Croatia managed to convince the other countries to add the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) into the Declaration after six days of urging for this to be done. He stressed that during those six days Croatia was ignored and their requests fell on deaf ears. RTRS noted that although B&H was briefly mentioned, it could have jeopardized adoption of the declaration as Croatia insisted that a part of the Declaration that speaks about B&H mentions that the DPA is the basis for functioning of B&H and to underline the need for reform of election legislation. Besides, Zagreb also demanded to include – along with the term ‘citizens of B&H’ – constituent peoples in the document, but according to the RTRS, it was decided that both of the phrases will be removed. Milanovic expressed his content and said: “First, I do not like the word ‘threaten’ because I did not threaten. After six days of ignoring our demand to only mention the DPA – as the basis for functioning of B&H – in the declaration, we must say that we will confront to consensus. I talked to the Secretary General (Jens Stoltenberg) for around three hours on Sunday afternoon and this was solved in half a minute.” Milanovic said that this is a small thing for this summit but a big thing for Croatia. The leaders of the NATO member states commended B&H for its continuous support to the NATO-led operations. They outlined their strong support to sovereignty and territorial integrity of “a stable and safe B&H in accordance with the (General Framework) Agreement for Peace in B&H and other relevant international agreements” and called for the political leaders in the country to avoid the rhetoric of division.

Komsic: Croatia is coming into conflict with NATO by forcing concept of constituent status of peoples, which is long-outdated concept for European standards (N1) 

Part of a ‘communique’ that mentions B&H and that the NATO adopted at a summit in Brussels on Monday includes the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) but not the constituent peoples as Croatian President Zoran Milanovic previously demanded. Member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic previously mentioned a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights that reads that B&H should reject the ethnic concept in B&H and emphasized that B&H is obliged to secure equality of all citizens and not the constituent peoples in the Program of Reforms. Komsic welcomed NATO declaration and stated that while “some” expected the so-called legitimate representation to be included into the declaration, this did not happen, as this is in opposite to founding values of the NATO. “When it comes to electoral reform, it is clear that it has to be implemented strictly in line with judgements of the ECHR, which very explicitly instruct rejection of principle of constituent status,” said Komsic, adding that he also finds it important that declaration condemned politics that calls for divisions. Chairman of B&H Presidency, Milorad Dodik reacted to Komsic’s statement and said: “As for Komsic’s fantasies about Reform Program and constant deceiving of B&H public that something has been done in regards to possible membership in NATO, I have a single thing to say- if this is true and if BIH can function without RS stance in NATO, they should try it immediately”. Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic warned of the misuse of the EU membership by Croatia. Dzaferovic stated: “Croatia uses and abuses its membership in the EU and in the NATO in order to achieve certain goals in B&H. I am primarily referring to goals regarding the policy of HDZ (B&H) because it is obvious, they are supporting the policy of HDZ (B&H) uncritically. This of course will not work”. Dzaferovic underlined importance of NATO’s support to integrity and sovereignty of B&H.

Croatian government: NATO Summit is not dedicated to B&H, but to series of security challenges and threats, cooperation between allies, collective defense mechanisms and climate changes (Jutarnji list) 

Croatian government provided an explanation, stating that during the preparations for NATO Summit, three preparatory meetings took place and they were attended by representatives of the Cabinet of the President, representative of Prime Minister’s Cabinet and representatives of Foreign Ministry and they underlined that this Summit is not dedicated to B&H, but to series of security challenges and threats, cooperation between allies, collective defense mechanisms and climate changes. The government’s statement reads that President Zoran Milanovic should be content that he is departing to the Summit after the government adopted a decision on purchase of 12 combat aircrafts, thus strengthening Croatia’s position within NATO and surpassing the goal of 2% GDP for strengthening of defense abilities. The government’s statement further reads that in last five years, the government, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenovic is leading consistent politics, taking care about equality of Croat people in B&H and following 2018 general elections, Plenkovic raised this issue at the level of European Council. Also, the statement reminded that Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman submitted a non-paper which proves that Croatia is the most persistent advocator for B&H in all European structures. The daily’s source close to the government said that B&H is mentioned in one paragraph (65th), out of 70, which speaks about aspiring members and Croatia insisted for the document to include three details: about Dayton Peace Agreement, about three constituent peoples and about needed electoral reform. In the end, compromised was reached and while DPA is not directly mentioned, the document mentions “all international agreements starting from 1995”, but it is clear that this refers to DPA and B&H Constitution. Further on, while constituent peoples are not directly mentioned, the provision “all citizens of B&H” was changed, as according to the Croatian stance this pushes aside the element of the constituent status of peoples and the document will now read “everyone in B&H”. As for electoral reform, it was mentioned along with all other reforms that B&H needs to carry out.

Minister says President’s statements about NATO Declaration unsubstantiated (Hina) 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic‘s statement that the Croatian government did not react to an attempt by some countries to have the Dayton agreement and B&H three constituent peoples left out of a NATO declaration closing is groundless, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman has said. Earlier on Sunday, President Milanovic said that some countries did not want the closing declaration of the coming NATO summit in Brussels to mention the Dayton peace agreement and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s three constituent peoples but that Croatia would not consent to it. “That statement is totally unsubstantiated,” Grlic Radman said. Grlic Radman claims that as far as B&H is concerned, a formulation in one of the paragraphs, proposed by the Croatian government, was accepted and that the formulation refers to the Dayton agreement, the constituent peoples, equality and reform processes, notably amendment of the country’s election law. “We have agreed that the Dayton agreement and reform processes, that is, the election law, will be mentioned in that paragraph… President Milanovic is not telling the truth, we have all the documents,” said Grlic Radman, noting that the government had constantly been working on the protection of the status of the Croat people in B&H. Asked by reporters if he would support President Milanovic if he refused to sign the document in case it did not include the said formulation about B&H, the minister did not give a clear answer. “The Brussels summit is not dedicated to B&H, the document in question has some 50 pages, and we want to agree that text with our allies, the summit is not decisive for the status of the Croat people in B&H anyway,” the Minister said about the contentious document, repeating several times that it had been agreed that the document would mention, in one paragraph, “the Dayton agreement and reform processes, that is, the election law.”

Grlic Radman: It was agreed to include issue of Election Law of B&H in NATO Declaration (HRT1) 

Prior to Monday session of HDZ Presidency, member of this body and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman talked to media about the NATO summit held in Brussels. Reporter reminds that Grlic Radman did not attend abovementioned summit, adding that background of this decision is a conflict between President Zoran Milanovic and the Croatian government. Grlic Radman emphasized that glorification of the credit of President Milanovic to include disputable issues in the summit’s Declaration is not correct. He added that the Government has been engaged in working on these issues for last several years. Grlic Radman also stated that the issue of the Election Law of B&H was included in the Declaration on 11 June and that the phrase related to the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) was included in abovementioned document on Sunday – one day before President Milanovic allegedly agreed including of it in the Declaration with the NATO Secretary General.

Krivokapic talked to Biden and Macron (CdM) 

Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic announced that he had talked with the presidents of the United States and France, Joseph Biden and Emanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday. Krivokapic announced on Twitter that he was grateful to Biden for his words of support to the government of Montenegro. “You have the strong support of the United States in the process of democratic transition in Montenegro,” Krivokapic quoted what Biden was saying. He also announced on Twitter that President Emanuel Macron reiterated that France “strongly supports the reformist government of Montenegro” stating that he is very grateful to him. “France will be with Montenegro on its path to the EU, including issues of strengthening the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organized crime,” Krivokapic quoted what Marcon was saying.

Zaev at NATO Summit: Leaving vacuum in this part of Europe is not an option (MIA) 

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Brussels, on 14 June, that he strongly believed all the Western Balkan states needed to have a crystal-clear Euro-Atlantic and EU perspective. “Leaving a vacuum in this part of Europe is not an option. We need predictable, credible and reinforced processes of integration into the European Union and NATO,” Zaev said at the beginning of a plenary session of the 2021 NATO Summit – North Macedonia’s debut as a fully-fledged member. Zaev underlined that it’s a historic moment for his country, and that it was an honor for him to attend. “This is a historic moment for my country. It’s the first NATO summit for North Macedonia as a full-fledged member. It’s also the first NATO summit with 30 members. This is a great success for North Macedonia,” the PM said.

Zaev: This is a historic NATO Summit for Macedonia (Republika) 

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who attended the NATO Summit in Brussels, said that this is a historic summit for Macedonia and that we stand side by side with all NATO members and testify to its unity. Zaev said that he stressed to our country’s allies that we are committed to the vision of the Balkans in the 21st century as a region of peace and stability. We are committed to building a new Balkans with enhanced regional cooperation. That is why it is important for the Balkan countries to have clear visions, the prime minister said. He thanked NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for creating the 2030 agenda and for the broad consultation. The agenda, according to Zaev, addresses the changes in a timely manner and makes NATO ready for the 21st century. Zaev, together with the leaders of NATO member states, participated in the plenary session of this year’s NATO Summit. The heads of state and government at the Summit agreed that it was being held at a crucial moment for the Alliance and its collective security. In an era of new shifts in the global security scene, NATO is strengthening its position in the face of challenges to jointly make strategic-level decisions to further adapt NATO and its key role in the future, the government press office said in a statement.

Zaev meets with Biden, invites him to visit Macedonia (MIA) 

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev revealed to MIA that on the sidelines of the NATO summit he met with US President Joe Biden, for whom this was the first NATO leaders meeting since taking office. Zoran Zaev invited Biden to Macedonia, MIA’s correspondent reported from Brussels.

In an interview with MIA, Zaev revealed that he had a brief but significant meeting with the new US President, from whom he received encouraging messages, and an announcement of a visit to the Western Balkans. I also met with President Biden, we had the opportunity to talk, the talks were first about our energy connection, which we are doing together through the Alexandropoli project, it is an American-Greek-Macedonian project, but we also talked about his visit to the Western Balkans. I took the opportunity to invite him, of course he commented positively, telling me that he knows the Western Balkans, he worked for the Western Balkans, it has full US support and of course that he was planning a visit. It was positive that he was immediately informed and he immediately congratulated us on our NATO membership. The conversation was really pleasant as strategic partner countries in the field of values, democracy, the advancement of everything that means quality life here in Macedonia. Because America really did that all these 30 years of independence in our support, and for me and for our people it is important that that support continues. I am glad that we had the opportunity to discuss with him on such important topics for both America and Europe, although we are not a member of the EU, I believe that they see us all equally, in fact, and President Biden showed that through the talks, Zaev told MIA.

Zaev meets Radev in Brussels, to pay visit to Sofia this week (Republika) 

Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev met with Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev at the end of Monday’s NATO Summit in Brussels, discussing perspective to achieve a real step forward in Macedonia’s European integration. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev underlined the principled and continuous support for the future of the Republic of Macedonia in the EU, as well as the expectation of Bulgaria for a direct and active political dialogue through which the open issues in the mutual relations will be resolved. Both Rumen Radev and Zoran Zaev emphasized the positive sign in the relations between the two countries, which the presidents of Bulgaria and Macedonia achieved with their joint visit in May to Rome and the Vatican, to pay tribute to the saint brothers Cyril and Methodius. The meeting also highlighted the common will to achieve sustainable results in building good neighborly relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia, to meet the expectations of citizens in both countries. The bilateral partnership in the field of security and defense, and the possibility of expanding the cooperation in the field of military training and exchange of cadets between the two countries, were also among the topics discussed in Brussels by Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. At the meeting, it was agreed that Prime Minister Zaev will pay a visit to Sofia this week.

VMRO-DPMNE resumes protests in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building (Republika) 

At the session of the Executive Committee held this weekend in Bitola, a decision was made to resume with the protests, in order to, as the party informed, prevent the national shame that is being prepared for Macedonia by PM Zoran Zaev and his associates. The party says that the protests continue because Zaev and Bujar are hiding what is being negotiated and what they are ready to accept from the Bulgarian declaration. VMRO-DPMNE calls on Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani to show the Macedonian public the document they are negotiating with Zoran Zaev.

As long as the Macedonian national interests are undermined in secret negotiations, VMRO-DPMNE will continue to protest together with the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE points out. The protests will continue Tuesday at 5 pm in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Skopje.

Parliament submits decision on President’s dismissal to C. Court (ADN) 

The parliament of Albania has filed Monday in the Constitutional Court the decision to dismiss the President of the Republic Ilir Meta, on which 104 MPs voted in favor while 7 voted against and only two abstained. On the plenary session of 9 June, the parliament decided on President Meta’s dismissal, arguing that he had seriously violated the Constitution before and during the 25 April parliamentary election campaign. Now, the decision of the parliament will be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, which will finally decide on whether to discharge President Meta or the decision on the latter’s dismissal. On his part, the Head of Albanian state has ignored the parliamentary majority’s decision to dismiss to dismiss him, saying that he will continue to be President until 22 July 2022, the date when his term of office ends. This has happened due to the fact that the Constitutional Court Judges have the power to nullify the decision of the parliament on dismissing President Meta if they do not reach the conclusion that he has violated the fundamental act of the state, based on Albania’s legislation. Some articles of the law on the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court provide for procedures for the removal of the President from office. Specifically, Article 61 of this law provides that for the declaration of dismissal of the President of the Republic, the Constitutional Court is set in motion by the decision of the parliament, which has voted the dismissal. According to the law, the decision of the parliament must contain a reasoned description of a serious violation of the Constitution or a serious crime, as well as be accompanied by relevant evidence. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court has the obligation to make this decision and evidence available to President Meta, who enjoys the right to give in writing the arguments he deems necessary. Based on Article 62 of the law, with the majority of its members the Court decides to pass the case in public session, which the President is invited to attend and may choose to be represented by a lawyer. But by law, the unreasonable absence of the Head of State or his lawyer does not constitute an obstacle to the conduct of the trial. After reviewing the case and concluding that the President has violated the constitution, the constitutional judges declare his dismissal. This decision enters into force on the day of its announcement. However, Article 47 of the law provides for deadlines for the examination of the case. Referring to this, the review of cases by the panels or the Meeting of Judges ends within three months from the submission of the request. At the moment when the issue is considered in the plenary session, the Constitutional Court declares the justified final decision no later than 30 days from the end of the session.