LOCAL PRESS 

Orban explained, Vucic thanked him (B92/RTS/RTV/Tanjug) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic presented in Belgrade the Order of the Serbian Flag of the first degree to the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Peter Szijjarto for special merits in developing and strengthening the cooperation and friendly relations between Serbia and Hungary. Vucic thanked the Hungarian government for the economic cooperation, as well as for the cooperation in the field of European integration, and especially, as he said, due to the fact that Serbia has excellent relations with the Hungarians in Vojvodina thanks to the Hungarian government. “Thank you for your role in the Western Balkans, for supporting Serbia on its European path. Few people do it bravely and openly, few people are ready to do it like you. We can only thank you and say that you will always be able to count on our friendship and we hope that we will be able to reciprocate,” said Vucic. “We believe in the EU’s future and Hungary’s support on that path, and we will increase cooperation with Hungary and the countries of the Visegrad Group. I believe that we will try to make these relations, if at all possible, even higher,” Vucic said. “Once again, I want to tell Orban that he is always welcome here and that we can have more frequent meetings. We are in close relations, and both countries benefit from that. Thank you again for your role in stabilization in the region, because without a stable region there is no progress,” Vucic added.

Orban explained why he is in favor of Serbia joining the EU 

After Vucic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also addressed the media, talking about the points of their today’s conversation, which mostly consisted of economic issues. “He also said that all long-term goals are much more important than short-term ones and that is what stabilization in the region means. It is not just a spiritual but an essential issue,” Orban said, adding that he was fully aware of the past 30 years in the region, as well as the last 10, or let’s say seven, because he has been present in politics all this time. In that sense, Orban adds, the numbers say it all, Serbia was at the end, and now it is at the top, it is among the first, Orban added. “If we are talking about European membership, and I am speaking from experience because I led the negotiations on Hungary’s accession to the EU and I know that every country tried, because we thought we were all equal and everyone had equal chances. But it turned out that no one will be accepted if Poland is not accepted,” Orban said, and continued: “So, when we were admitted to the EU, we also had one major country, so I understand Serbia and I think that it should be admitted to the EU because it is the central country of the Western Balkans, without whose accession to the EU there will be no admission for others. Serbia is a key country.” He added that Serbia can always count on Hungary, just as Hungary can always count on Serbia.

“They could have strangled me” 

Asked to comment on the attack on Hungary and him because of his commitment to Serbia’s accession to the EU, Orban commented that he was under attack by Brussels when he built a wall on the border because of the migrants. “If they could have strangled me in Brussels, they would have strangled me a long time ago. They wanted to do that when I said in Brussels that migration must be stopped, and now others have started raising fences because of migrants,” he said. Now in Hungary, too, faith in the EU and the future of the EU are at a very low level, Orban said, adding: “We cannot think about what is happening in Brussels because the West is coming to great prosperity, and we are uncertain about where we are going, and the road can lead both up and down. Now in Brussels they call it elegant ‘being fed-up with enlargement’, but if something is not done about it, the EU will become unstable,” Orban said. The countries surrounding the EU will be unstable, that is, the EU external borders will be unstable, the countries will be dissatisfied and, in the end, everything can lead to the disintegration of the EU. “Enlargement to Serbia should not be delayed, but should be accelerated. And that is not a philosophy, I say that from experience, they were very afraid of enlargement when Hungary was admitted to the EU, but the EU needs enlargement,” Orban concluded.

Brnabic: Brussels agreement must be implemented, it has EU’s signature (Tanjug/RTS) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on the occasion of the continuation of the dialogue at the technical level between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, that everything that was agreed must be respected. “All agreements negotiated and signed must be respected. The guarantor of the Brussels agreement is the European Union, and their signature is on that agreement,” she said.

Brnabic: I respect our text (Novosti)  

Asked by journalists whether Serbia will recognize Srebrenica genocide at any point of time, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday that she respects all declarations adopted by the Serbian parliament, including the Declaration on Srebrenica from 2010. Novosti reminded that this document reads that the parliament condemns crimes against Bosniak population of Srebrenica in July 1995 in the way it was established by rulings of the International Court of Justice and requests other states in the area of former Yugoslavia to condemn crimes against Serb people in the same way.

Petkovic: Discussions were not easy, we fought using arguments (Tanjug/RTS) 

The Head of the Belgrade delegation at Wednesday’s technical discussions between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels Petar Petkovic said the meeting had not been easy and that the Serbian team had insisted on all commitments being fulfilled – in particular on establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) – and raised the issue of missing persons. “Three and a half hours of very difficult discussions are behind us, which just goes to show what situation Serbia is in today, but, believe me, our team fought courageously and with determination and, most importantly, in an argumented manner,” Petkovic told Tanjug after the meeting. “We understand well the situation we are in and that is why we are striving for a compromise solution,” he said. He said the discussions had not been easy at all and that the Kosovo Albanian side had even hurled insults at the Serbian delegation at times. “We responded to everything we were supposed to respond to, in a very argumented, strong and factual way. No question from the other side was left unanswered on our part,” Petkovic said, adding that Belgrade’s presentation had lasted nearly two hours, mostly addressing the issue of establishment of ZSO, a commitment of Pristina that was 3,000 days behind schedule on Tuesday. “We also spoke about the energy issue, incidents in Kosovo and Metohija and the judiciary,” Petkovic said, adding that, in a 20-minute presentation, the Pristina side had made no mention of missing persons.

Lajcak: End of new round of Belgrade-Pristina technical dialogue (Beta)  

The new round of the technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina ended in Brussels, the EU’s special envoy Miroslav Lajcak tweeted on 7 July. “Just concluded two days of extensive and in-depth discussions with the two chief negotiators and their teams on the full range of Dialogue elements – past agreements, current issues, and next steps in the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” Lajcak tweeted. He added that they agreed to continue the talks. “We all agreed that there is a lot of work still to be done and we will continue,” he wrote. The EU’s special envoy had separate meetings in Brussels, with Kosovo’s chief negotiator, the deputy premier in charge of European integration Besnik Beslimi on 6 July, and with the chief negotiator of Serbia Petar Petkovic on 7 July, and stated after that meeting that he had a useful discussion with Petkovic. The joint meeting of the two delegations within the continued dialogue was held after that.

Angolan position on Kosovo’s admission to INTERPOL unchanged (Beta/RTV)  

Angolan Interior Minister Eugenio Laborinho said in Belgrade, on 7 July that his country’s position regarding the application of Kosovo to join the INTERPOL was unchanged. Laborinho said at a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vulin that “Angola’s position regarding Kosovo’s membership of INTERPOL will remain firm, and that it will be the same at the next,89th conference in Istanbul,” the Serbian Ministry of Interior reported. “Our states maintain a friendly and firm relationship dating back to the beginning of our national liberation struggle for independence. Yugoslavia was one of the first states to have recognized Angola as an independent state, supporting our fight. I will do everything to strengthen cooperation between the two interior ministries, particularly in the domain of training and professional development,” the Angolan Interior Minister said. Vulin expressed his gratitude for the courageous and principled stance of Angola, as he said, not to recognize the fake state of Kosovo. “The voice of Angola is heard far and wide and thanks to you and your principled position, the fake state of Kosovo has not become a member of Interpol. I want to thank you for that once again, and of course I am looking forward to the time ahead, our cooperation, exchange of information, exchange of staff, the training of our students,” said Vulin.

Agreement with Eurasian Economic Union useful for Serbian companies (Beta) 

An agreement between Serbia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), going into force on 10 July, will make it easier for Serbian products to reach a 183 million strong market, provide an incentive for local and foreign investment, particularly in agriculture, food industry, transportation and logistics, for rubber and metal producers, textile manufacturers, in the construction and IT sectors as well, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said at Thursday’s meeting. The agreement makes it possible to export to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan up to 2,000 tons of cigarettes, some 90,000 liters of vinjak brandy, 400 tons of semi-hard cheese and cow’s milk hard cheese, as well as unlimited quantities of goat and sheep’s milk cheese and fruit brandies, the Chamber concluded at a business panel debate, Novelties in Serbia-EAEU Free Trade Agreement. In 2020, Serbia’s leading exports to the EUAU were apples, car tires, pantyhose, soy bean and medicines, while the most popular products imported from the EAEU included natural gas, oil and industrial oil. Serbia signed the agreement with the EAEU in October 2019.

MEPs’ goal for Serbia’s elections is to be fair, not boycotted by opposition (N1) 

Serbia’s inter-party dialogue continues with a delegation of the European Parliament (EP)is coming to Belgrade for the first round of meetings on Friday and Saturday. “We hope the goodwill expressed by the representatives of Serbia’s parliament and the opposition during the bilateral meetings will be translated into a constructive meeting,” Vladimír Bilcik, the EP Rapporteur for Serbia, said. He told N1 that the first MEPs mission outside the Union showed how vital the inter-party dialogue was for the EP and Serbia. “I am glad that for the first time in 17 months, I will be on the field again with my colleagues Tanja Fajon, Edward Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein, and that we will hold meetings live. The goal is to start the second phase of the dialogue because we had the meeting online on 1 March, and this will be the first live meeting. We hope he will be successful,” Bilcik said. He added that MEPs also hope that the goodwill expressed by the parliament and the opposition during 15 bilateral meetings in the last few weeks will be translated into a constructive dialogue on Friday and Saturday. Fajon added she expected both the government and the opposition to sit at the table in a powerful message that everyone was ready for the dialogue. “I expect all non-parliamentary parties to participate in the dialogue and that we will exchange views on matters in which it makes sense to find a compromise and improve conditions,” Fajon said. She added that then we will probably have an online meeting during the holidays, and we will return to Brussels after that. Referring to speculations about the September deadline for an agreement, to leave enough time to be agreed and implemented, Bilcik said MEPs were ready for dialogue until the last moment to make progress. Fajon added that it was not known when the elections would take place and that the dialogue needed to end as soon as possible to have time for its implementation. Bilcik said he was happy about a dialogue on the ground. “Let’s hear what everyone has to say; let’s listen to each other… We do not have any ready solutions, but we create conditions for a constructive dialogue, leading to effective solutions. Our ultimate goal is for the next elections in Serbia to be fair and honest and for the opposition not to boycott them. We will give our contribution, and we are ready to be involved as much as necessary. We do not have any deadlines; the dialogue has been held since 2019. I think everyone should enter the talks with goodwill and an open mind.”

Fajon added that there are speculations the elections will be in April, and it is good to finish the talks as soon as possible. “We have made some progress from the first round of dialogue, but the problem is in implementation,” she said, despite the opposition boycott in 2020. “It is again the issue of media freedom and accessibility for both the opposition and small parties to air time. That will be the subject of discussion, as well as hate speech,” she said. The parliamentarians say that they are finalizing the agenda and contacting Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic and other participants. “We also want to meet President Aleksandar Vucic and work on the details. When we come to Belgrade, everything will be more precise. We plan to meet all relevant players in Serbia, and that certainly includes the President,” Bilcik said.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Kosovo Assembly adopts Resolution on Srebrenica genocide; Comments (O kanal/RTRS)  

At its session held on Wednesday, the Kosovo Assembly adopted the Resolution condemning the genocide in Srebrenica, with 89 representatives present unanimously voting in support of the Resolution. Serb List representatives at the Kosovo Assembly left the session prior to the discussion on the Resolution. Addressing the present, ‘Vakat Coalition’ representative at the Kosovo Parliament Bahrim Shabani said that the adoption of the Resolution will have “multiple significance for us here as well. It will help to calm down the situation and we hope it will help those who deny the genocide to become aware of it and that those who committed this atrocious crime in the heart of Europe and those who subsequently denied the genocide do not hide behind the people and do not identify with the people’’. Representative at the Kosovo Parliament Duda Balje said: “What we are doing today at the Parliament is the confirmation of our respect towards all victims in Srebrenica”. Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Emilija Rexhepi called for representatives to adopt the Resolution and said: “I express deep personal and national regret for all the genocide victims with the clear message from this place that something like this should never happen to anyone anymore”. Deputy speaker at the Kosovo Assembly Saranda Bogujevci said: “Bosniak people’s suffering is best known by us, Albanians, who have suffered horrible crimes of the Serbian regime during the past war in Kosovo. The genocide in Srebrenica is known as one of the most serious crimes after the WWII. The same units that committed those crimes, did the same in Kosovo several years later, therefore we experienced it personally”. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the Resolution is contribution so that the genocide never happens again and added that the Kosovo government is preparing a lawsuit against Serbia for the genocide committed during the war in Kosovo. “We do not want to blame whole Serb people; we do not want the revenge against anyone. But the constant pressure needs to be made on the Serbian political leadership from all sides, until they recognize crimes committed in B&H, Kosovo and Croatia. It needs to ask for forgiveness and start sanctioning the criminals. Serb politicians who defend the criminals do not make any favors to their own people, nor to peace or development of the region. On the contrary, they obstruct it all,” said Kurti. Commenting on this issue, Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that Kosovo, i.e. Pristina is an unrecognized state and they are known as those who hate Serbs and who will use every political story. Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic has welcomed adoption of the Resolution. “The truth about the genocide in Srebrenica has been determined by judgements of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and that should be respected by everyone in the region and the world. Only based on the truth and justice, trust can be rebuilt, healthy relations built and peace strengthened in this part of Europe,” Dzaferovic was quoted as saying. Member of B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic also welcomed adoption of the Resolution. Movement of Mothers of Enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa and Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide sent a letter to Kosovo Assembly expressing their gratitude and thanking them for showing that peace, stability and reconciliation are the priorities that Kosovo Assembly strive towards.   

Dodik instructs B&H Ambassadors from RS not to act upon Turkovic’s instruction to lower flags half-mast 11 July (ATV)  

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik has requested B&H Ambassadors from the RS not to act in accordance with the announced instruction by B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic to lower B&H flags at the diplomatic and consular offices to half-mast on July 11. “It is the same thing every year. Bisera Turkovic wrote this morning that the flags at all embassies and consular offices in the world must be lowered to half-mast. I wrote a letter and said they would not be lowered. At least where Serbs are ambassadors this will not happen” Dodik was quoted as saying. ATV reports that Dodik also said that the B&H Foreign Ministry will not be used for the needs of arrival of foreign delegations in B&H and he is of the view that Bosniaks belittle their victims in this way. According to Dodik, Turkovic’s is politicization of war events in Srebrenica during the civil war, as he said, that does not lead to reconciliation and coexistence of peoples. Dodik’s instruction will remain in force until further notice.  

Tegeltija says Turkovic’s initiative to declare 11 July Mourning Day for Srebrenica victims submitted too late (Nova BH)  

B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic proposed the initiative to declare 11 July a day of mourning in B&H to Chairman of the Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija. She added that in case that a regular session of the CoM does not take place until July 11, it is possible to convene an urgent telephone session. Tegeltija stated on Wednesday that the CoM did not have the opportunity to discuss this initiative due to objective and procedural reasons. He explained that the initiative was submitted too late. According to Tegeltija, Ministers will decide about this proposal in the upcoming period. Tegeltija stated that the proposal was delivered too late to be included in the agenda of Wednesday session of the B&H CoM. Turkovic stressed that the proposal was submitted on time, adding that there are no procedural reasons to hide the lack of will to pay respect to victims of genocide. Tegeltija assessed Turkovic’s move as incorrect because she did not even attend Wednesday’ session of the B&H House of Representatives although in his opinion, this was her obligation. Tegeltija argued that Turkovic was supposed to get informed about a decision on the Day of Mourning in B&H via phone which she failed to do. Tegeltija stated that until 2009, the Potocari memorial Center received grants every year, ranging from BAM 100,000 to BAM 200,000. The Memorial Center became budget beneficiary in 2010, and has been receiving around BAM 150,000 from the state budget every year.  

Heads of Municipalities and Mayors react to Inzko’s statement regarding removal of murals dedicated to Ratko Mladic (ATV)  

Comments that the announcement by outgoing High Representative in B&H Valentin Inzko that he will order removal of murals dedicated to former General Ratko Mladic is another evidence that Inzko “even at the exit door meddles in things that are not of his concern”. Commenting on Inzko’s statement, Deputy Head of the Foca Municipality Vesna Rasevic said for ATV that Inzko’s action “in our opinion is only deepening exiting divisions. But it is his perception of our reality and we really do not agree with that”. Head of the Kalinovik Municipality Radomir Sladoje said he would not voluntarily remove murals. “They were made by people. We did not make an official decision to make them. This shows what the outgoing HR has done so far and who he has supported” said Sladoje. Head of the Gacko Municipality Ognjen Milinkovic said the mural in the local community would not be removed and he called on Inzko to bring investors “to help us that way, to open new jobs and employ people. I have been the Head of the Municipality for already half a year. I have a great relation with the citizens, both Serbs and Bosniaks. No one has complained about the mural for six months and suddenly the outgoing HR gives such a statement”. Mayor of Gradiska Zoran Adzic said he doubts Inzko will implement this and he is of the view “it is about political tension, political pressure at the moment when Mr. Inzko is leaving. Whether it is his desire for a revanchism, it is something he knows”. ATV reports that, according to the Heads of Municipalities and Mayors, Inzko’s request, as well as the role of the HR in B&H, are unnecessary.  

Mektic: Inzko wasted 12 years doing nothing in B&H, he should not react to anything now (Nova BH)  

Outgoing High Representative Valentin Inzko announced the possibility of imposing the law regarding the denial of the genocide before he leaves his post. B&H MPs commented on this issue on Wednesday. MP of SDS Dragan Mektic said that in regards to this issue, B&H is in a much worse state than 10 years ago. He added that Inzko wasted 12 years in B&H during which he did not react in regards to this or any other issue. Mektic said that it is cynical, but it would be the best for Inzko not to react now either. MP of PDP Branislav Borenovic said that as soon as one forgets about Inzko, he comes up with a topic that will cause a certain kind of reaction. He stressed that it is necessary to let the B&H institutions do their job and that Inzko is leaving.  

Covic sends letter to Izetbegovic: Way we reached solution for Mostar is path to solve biggest chapter of EU path of B&H (N1)  

Leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic sent on Wednesday a letter to leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic after Izetbegovic revealed ideas on possible solutions of the problem regarding the B&H Election Law to media. Covic said that he finds Izetbegovic’s constant avoiding of implementation of the Mostar Agreement a little bit odd but not surprising. Covic reminded that the Mostar Agreement clearly stipulates timeframe for its implementation, as well as the necessary content of the agreement. Covic argued that the way they reached the solution for the Mostar City is the way to be courageous – without looking for an alibi and culprits on any side – and solve the biggest chapter of the European path of B&H. Covic reminded of principles that are essential for talks on changes to the B&H Election Law – equality and legitimate representation of the constituent peoples. Covic also said that that this time the leader of SDA has surpassed himself, because changes of electoral legislation he proposes do not offer the solution that would remove all sorts of discrimination. Covic described Izetbegovic’s political stances as stubbornness and accused him of planning to turn the Federation of B&H (FB&H) into a Bosniak entity. Covic’s letter which reads, among other issues, that it is significant that he (Izetbegovic) has presented his official view about the way of elections for the House of Peoples and the Presidency of B&H only after latest meetings with the EU and the US officials, underlining that Izetbegovic’s official proposals are further away from normative reality when compared to proposals Izetbegovic had presented earlier. Covic notes that Izetbegovic ‘outdid’ himself by ‘proposing’ solutions that do not offer concrete solutions that would remove all forms of discrimination and secure the necessary legitimate representation, which have been the subject of their talks. Covic further noted that Izetbegovic has presented earlier, well-known hardcore political views, stressing that Izetbegovic is raising the issue of the competence of the FB&H House of Peoples, which is not a subject to any judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H, nor subject to the Mostar Agreement. The HDZ B&H leader noted that he, in a way, understands Izetbegovic’s wish and firm political decisiveness to turn the FB&H into a Bosniak entity modeled after the RS by disempowering the FB&H House of Peoples, under the guise of the civic principle. Covic underlined that principles that have to be respected during talks on changes to the Law in Elections include the principle of equality and the principles of legitimate representation, otherwise there is not point to talk about the changes at all. Covic also noted the judgments of the ECHR and the CC do not exclude one another, in other words their implementation protects the equality in terms of respecting the right of each constituent people to elect their political representatives. Izetbegovic’s latest proposal is even more unrealistic than previous proposals and he accused Izetbegovic of “mourning over the destiny of B&H” while at the same time he is obstructing negotiations without offering any constructive solutions. Covic also said that Izetbegovic is refusing to take responsibility for weaknesses and lack of leadership on Bosniak political scene.   

Stevandic: Both Izetbegovic and Covic are dishonest, SDA advocates unitarism, deceives public and has bad intentions (Glas Srpske)  

United Srpska leader Nenad Stevandic commented the proposal of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic on electoral reform and the response of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic who rejected Izetbegovic’s ideas. Stevandic said that both Izetbegovic and Covic are usually dishonest. According to him, Izetebgovic is telling one story in front of US Special Envoy for Western Balkans and Europe Matthew Palmer, he is telling something different in B&H public, and the has a third and a fourth completely different story to tell in front of Covic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. According to Stevandic, Muslims cooperated with Croats during the war as long as they needed that cooperation, but they turned against Croats as soon as they could. According to him, Croats are using the RS is similar way, whereby the RS is protecting its own interests and advocating legitimate representation, which is also the main interest of B&H Croats. Stevandic said that Izetbegovic and SDA are constantly advocating unitarism, they are constantly deceiving and they constantly have bad intentions.  

Croatian Foreign Minister: Croatia speaks about need for electoral reform in B&H at all international forums (Hina)  

Croatian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Committee for Croats Outside of Croatia discussed the situation in B&H and status of Croats in B&H on Wednesday. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman stated that Croatia is putting a lot of effort at all international forums to speak about the need for electoral reform in B&H. He underlined that it is important to keep the pace when it comes to care for Croats in B&H.  

Djukanovic to Palmer: Ruling powers change, but Montenegro will always be a reliable partner in preserving stability (CdM)  

“Montenegro is very pleased with the attention paid to it by the United States, as a partner country within NATO,” said Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who received US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer. He pointed out that the relations between the two countries were at an enviable level, and expressed satisfaction with the recognized announcements of more intensive US engagement in the region. This, Djukanovic said, “makes us happy, because it is a good way to settle the situation in the region and reduce malignant influences that carry the danger of destabilization,” Djukanovic’s cabinet has stated. “Recalling the earlier role of the United States in this area, he expressed the expectation that this time, too, it would be support for the region to move towards its goals – the EU and NATO, which guarantee stability as a precondition for overall development” the statement says. Montenegro will always be a small, but reliable partner in overcoming destruction and in the way forward, Djukanovic said and added that the ruling powers were changing, but that there was no doubt that Montenegro would remain on this path and be a valuable partner in promoting stability and Euro-Atlantic values in the Western Balkans. During the meeting, they exchanged opinions on a number of regional and geopolitical issues.  

Kurti: Current demarcation unfair and wrong (Pobjeda)  

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti stated in the Kosovo Assembly that there would be no implementation of the Demarcation Agreement with Montenegro in the form in which it was ratified in 2018, Pobjeda reports. “The state commission for demarcation and maintenance of borders has no mandate. Once we have a newly appointed commission, all unresolved issues will be resolved through special mechanisms that the commission will recommend,” Kurti said. He added he would try to correct everything that was done unfairly and wrongly in 2018, when the agreement was ratified.  

DF: Anti-Serbian resolutions unite Djukanovic, Krivokapic, Becic, Kurti, Thaci and Haradinaj (CdM)  

The resolution on Srebrenica, which was adopted by Albanian extremists from the false state of Kosovo, testifies to the fact that it is a deliberate action in the region and an attack on Serbia and the Serbian people, coordinated from well-known circles, the Democratic Front announced.  

After Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, Parliament Speaker Aleksa Becic and Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic adopted a similar, as they say in the DF, anti-Serbian resolution in the Montenegrin parliament, it did not take long for their partners from Kosovo to do the same, with whom they have extremely close relations. “To make matters worse, such a resolution was first adopted in Montenegro, in which every third citizen is of Serbian nationality, and the centers of power wanted just that – that those for whom Serbs voted, such as Krivokapic and Becic, be the first to strike at Serbia and the Serbian people. It was necessary to create such a situation so that the anti-Serbian policy in the region would be started by such people,” stated the DF. They said that they warned at the beginning that this was an action that should re-Satanize the Serbian people, Serbia and Republika Srpska, that Serbs would be marked as genocidal people, but they were not listened by those who voted for the shameful resolution in Montenegro, and now they have sunk to the level of being in a same company with extremists from the southern Serbian province. “What is the difference between Djukanovic, Krivokapic, Becic, Kurti, Thaci, Haradinaj after all?” There are no special differences, and all of them are strongly united by hatred towards Serbia, Republika Srpska and the Serbian people. “It’s shameful that Montenegro has ran to do this disgrace even before the Albanian extremists,” they said in a statement. “We are sure that this disease of adopting false resolutions continues will continue, which will certainly not discourage any Serb, from Kosovska Mitrovica, Subotica, or Podgorica and Banja Luka. Such moments are just a chance to be as united as possible, because only in harmony and together can we resist the opponents and their protagonists,” the DF concluded.  

VMRO-DPMNE’s resolution in parliament by Friday, Albanian parties still reserved (Republika)  

VMRO-DPMNE will submit the resolution in relation to the European integration path of the country and the red lines regarding the national issues to the parliament by tomorrow at the latest. The opposition party expects it to be accepted by all parliamentary groups in parliament. The document was supported by the MPs from the Macedonian bloc of parties, DUI demands additional harmonization, while the Alliance for Albanians and Alternative said they will state their position today. We point out the inadmissibility and unacceptability of the exclusive appropriation of history, identity, traditions and any form of hegemony, regardless of where it comes from, VMRO-DPMNE MP Timco Mucunski said on Wednesday. We appreciate, he said, that this resolution should be accepted by consensus of all MPs because we owe it to the citizens. The content is fully balanced and as such can be of great help to the government of the Republic of Macedonia in implementing our foreign policy priority, because the content is well-intentioned and with a positive context that can help further build good neighborly relations on an equal and principle basis and in favor of accelerating our European integration processes, said Mucunski.  

Kumanovo attack trial: Attorneys acknowledge that the terrorists were in Divo Naselje, but claim they were duped into taking up arms (Republika/Balkaninsight)  

The defense team of the members of the Albanian terrorist group which attacked the city of Kumanovo in 2015 is demanding a retrial. According to the attorneys of the three dozen terrorists, most of whom were given life sentences, there were violations of the criminal code done during the original trial. The appeal is sent before the Supreme Court, after the sentences were largely upheld by the Appeals Court. Lawyer Naser Raufi insists that the defense was not allowed to call all the planned witnesses, or to cross-examine some of the forensics witnesses. One of the lawyers, Mefail Arslani, acknowledged that all of the defendants were present in the Divo Naselje part of Kumanovo during the attack, but claimed that they were manipulated by unspecified others to pick up arms. The group killed eight Macedonian special police forces officers, and injured over 30, while ten of the terrorists were also killed in the intense two days long battle. Former members and supporters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, buried the men killed in clashes with the Macedonian police in the town of Kumanovo. “We, the organizations that have come out of the war (in Kosovo) want to honor these men in the way they deserve, as veterans of the nation” Xhavit Jashari, head of the Association of Veterans’ Families, said. “They are heroes of Kosovo. They fought for the freedom of the occupied lands, and for their unification in one country, Albania,” he continued. Veterans’ associations wanted the Kosovo Defense Ministry to bury the nine Kosovars killed in Kumanovo on 9 and 10 May 2015 with full military honors.  

Policemen and prosecutors arrested for international drug smuggling (Tirana Times)  

Several members of the police forces, public prosecutors and two members of a former minister’s escort were amongst those arrested on Friday under international drug-trafficking charges. The arrests came as a result of a joint investigation of Albanian and Italian prosecuting services. 6 tons of Marijuana and other drugs were seized during the investigations, which also revealed the existence of highly sophisticated operating network for ensuring the safe smuggling of the drugs to Italy in 2017. Under interrogation, several suspects claimed that members of the police force were paid 15,000 Euros for turning off the radars so that drugs could pass undetected through the Albanian maritime border. The Democratic Party has frequently alleged that state structures were complicit in drug-smuggling operations, and this latest development serves to confirm allegations that in Albania there is no clear divisive line between the state and organized crime. Although the Albanian prosecution services did not mention the former minister of the interior by name, it is reasonable to assume that they are in fact referring to Saimir Tahiri, who was recently tried under international drug-smuggling charges. Mr Tahiri was previously lauded as the champion of the fight against drugs by Prime-Minister Edi Rama. In a press conference, the Albanian prosecution services claimed that the suspects were also involved in the trafficking of cocaine and heroin, two drugs that have come to dominate the Albanian international drug-smuggling market in recent years with the establishment of the Balkan Route, one of the most important drug-smuggling routes in the world.  

Kim: “USA continues to support and work in partnership with you in your endeavor to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Albania” (Radio Tirana)  

US Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim has urged the prosecution to fight corruption in Albania, and proposes that justice institutions should work together to fight crime. At a joint roundtable on “Strengthening criminal justice” attended by the Minister of Justice Etilda Gjonaj, Chief Prosecutor Olsian Cela, the head of KLP Gent Ibrahimi, Ambassador Yuri Kim once again mentioned the order issued by the President of the United States Joe Biden to seize the assets of those who undermine national security through corruption. “All justice institutions must work together, and our focus today is the collaboration and cooperation of Albania’s prosecution institutions to build public trust in the criminal justice system. The existence of your institutions was an essential step in building the foundations upon which justice reform continues to be built. You must keep going. The system is functional, but not yet at peak due to a lack of staffing as well as a lack of public trust in those without final vetting. Now is the time to build a bridge toward full functionality, to address staffing deficiencies created by vetting. Last month, President Biden made clear that the United States considers corruption to be a national security threat.  Reflecting this new policy, President Biden expanded the scope of the Executive Order to Sanction Persons Involved in Destabilizing the Western Balkans to include Albania, identify additional sanctionable conduct, and make the Executive Order applicable to a broader range of persons involved in activities that lead to serious human rights abuse in the Western Balkans or relate to corruption. This Executive Order should encourage prosecution offices around the world, including Albania, to redouble efforts to combat corruption. The decrease in the number of prosecutors because of the essential and demanding vetting process, compounded by the unanticipated hindrances of the COVID-19 pandemic, accentuate the necessity of continuous adaptation and the highest levels of performance. I encourage you to work together to identify gaps in your institutional capacity and work together to explore the best ways to address them. The United States continues to support and work in partnership with you in your endeavor to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Albania, with institutions that make public service their priority,” said Kim.  

Soreca, and the ambassadors of other EU countries held a meeting with Basha (Radio Tirana)  

The EU Ambassador in Tirana Luigi Soreca and the ambassadors of other European Union countries held a meeting with the leader of the Democratic Party Lulzim Basha.  

The news was announced by Ambassador Soreca himself, who stressed that they had a long discussion with Basha, focusing on the current political situation after the 25 April elections, Albania’s integration into the EU, and Justice Reform. “Long exchange today between the EU Heads of Missions and Chairman of the DP Lulezim Basha. In view of the new legislature, where the opposition will play a crucial role, we exchanged views on the current political situation post-elections, EU integration, media and justice reform,” writes Soreca.