LOCAL PRESS

Vucic offers additional rewards for information about attack in Gorazdevac (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that the competent bodies would offer additional rewards for new information about the crime in Gorazdevac, Kosovo and Metohija, where back in 2003 two Serb children were killed, and four young Serbs injured. In an Instagram post on the 18th anniversary of the attack, the President posted a photograph with Bogdan Bukumiric, who suffered severe injuries in the attack. Vucic promised that the authorities in Serbia will never stop their search for those responsible for the Gorazdevac attack, adding that the murderers should know that they won’t be left alone as long as they live. No one has been called to account for the crime, and EULEX decided in 2015 to close the investigation, citing lack of evidence. EULEX took over the investigation from UNMIK when the European mission arrived in Kosovo. The murder of the children was condemned by local and foreign officials, and the UN Security Council held an emergency session to discuss the attack.

Irreplaceable role of UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija (FoNet/RTV)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic met on Wednesday with the representative of the UN Secretary General and the Director of the UN Office in Serbia Mari Yamashita, whom he informed about the political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija. Petkovic pointed to the fact that attacks on the Serb people, property and sacred sites are taking place almost daily and that there were more than 90 of them in the first eight months of this year, which greatly exceeds the total number of incidents that occurred during the entire last year. In that context, Petkovic recalled the recent attacks on thirteen-year-old boy Nikola Peric from Gojbulja, twenty-three-year-old Nikola Peric from the village of Zebince, who was beaten up on his way back home from cattle grazing, as well as the troubles Dragica Gasic, the only Serb returnee in Djakovica, is facing. Petkovic voiced hope that international organizations and institutions on the ground will fulfil the task they have and that conditions will be created in which attacks on Serbs and other non-Albanians will not be tolerated. In the light of that, Yamashita highlighted the irreplaceable role of the UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija, in preserving peace, security and protection of human rights. Petkovic also briefed his interlocutor on the last two rounds of talks in Brussels, during which Pristina showed great irresponsibility, refusing to agree on two key points of the EU draft, which relate to intensifying efforts to find the remaining missing persons and refraining from unilateral actions which would lead to destabilization of the situation on the ground. “Implementation of all agreements reached so far, above all the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, continuation of dialogue and preservation of peace and stability in the region, are currently of our greatest interest,” Petkovic said, pointing out that for Serbia it is of outmost importance the support that the UN gives to the basic principles of international law regarding the status of Kosovo, which is reflected in Resolution 1244.

Selakovic visits Serbian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (RTV/Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Wednesday visited the Serbian peacekeepers posted to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and met with the mission’s commander, Italian General Stefano Del Col, and Spanish General Javier Mur Lalaguna, commander of UNIFIL Sector East, where the Serbian troops are stationed. According to a statement from the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Selakovic noted that Serbian Armed Forces troops serving in Lebanon were making a great contribution to Serbia’s international reputation and were the pride of their country. In a conversation with top UNIFIL officers, Selakovic was informed in great detail of security challenges in southern Lebanon and noted that Serbia was ready to help Lebanon face its current challenges, not only through engagement of Serbian peacekeepers, but also through donations of food and vaccines as well as advice on how to overcome the difficult economic situation.

Agreement on electoral conditions due in first half of September (Tanjug)

Serbia’s ruling coalition and opposition parties participating in a dialogue on electoral conditions that is underway without foreign mediation are expected to sign an agreement in the first half of September, an unofficial source has told Tanjug. The source said the next meeting of a working group on interparty dialogue was due on 25 or 26 August. At the meeting, officials of the ruling parties are expected to declare which opposition demands are acceptable and meet with the Serbian President and Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic once again in late August to coordinate positions, the source said. A plenum of 26 organizations taking part in the dialogue should be held in the first week of September to sign an agreement if one is reached by that time, it also said. The working group held its first meeting on 18 May and representatives of the ruling parties and the opposition have since met more than ten times in the Serbian parliament to discuss various subjects, including media, campaign funding and election day.

The meetings were also attended by editors of Serbian television channels and print media and the potential contribution of the media to improvement of electoral conditions in terms of greater opposition involvement was discussed as well.

IDPs from Kosovo and Metohija still face entry restrictions (Beta)

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo and Metohija, whose documents have been issued by police administrations in Serbia proper, can use only two administrative crossings, Brnjak and Jarinje, to freely enter the territory of the province. Milica Andric of the New Social Initiative NGO has said in a comment for Beta that the residents of Kosovo who posses old, but still valid documents issued in Kragujevac, Prizren, Nis, Jagodina, Krusevac or Vranje, where police administration posts have been relocated from Kosovo, face movement restrictions, because they cannot use all crossings between Kosovo and Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro to enter the territory. Over the past few days several displaced persons have contacted the agency, complaining that they were denied entry at the administrative crossing Kula, at the Pec-Rozaje road, because they possessed old ID cards.

REGIONAL PRESS

Merkel meets HR Schmidt and expresses full supports to his work (AJB/Hayat/Oslobodjenje) 

High Representative (HR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Christian Schmidt met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday. The two officials discussed the current political situation in B&H. “Chancellor Merkel ensured the full support of the Federal Government in the exercise of the important international post of HR for B&H. The meeting focused on the reforms needed to advance B&H’s Euro-Atlantic integration process. High Representative Schmidt used this opportunity to thank Chancellor Merkel for the strong support of the German Government for his mandate” reads a statement issued by the Office of the High Representative (OHR). Spokesperson for the Federal government Steffen Seibert stated after the meeting that Chancellor Merkel thanked Inzko for his 12 years of service. “High Representative Schmidt took over the Office on 1 August 2021. Chancellor promised him full support of German Federal Government in preforming of this important international duty. Situation in B&H was in focus of the talks, especially reforms in terms of EU accession” said Seibert.

EU is not considering any sanctions against B&H politicians at the moment (Nezavisne) 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met on Wednesday with Christian Schmidt and gave him full support for his work in B&H. However, daily’s sources from Brussels claim that the EU is not considering any sanctions against B&H politicians at the moment. From the EU’s point of view, sanctioning B&H politicians would be a sign of weakness because the EU takes its strength from the willingness of countries and politicians to implement reforms which bring them closer to the EU. According to the daily, both Brussels and Berlin emphasized that nobody is going to do the job of B&H politicians. Another reason why there will be no sanctions of the EU lies in the fact that there is no consensus among member states about this matter. Germany wishes to avoid being recognized as a power that uses force to make others behave in a certain way. Instead, Germany nurtures dialogue and joint decision-making. The daily reminds that Merkel is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, and B&H could be one of the topics of the meeting. The daily also reminds that the EU adopted a restrictive mechanism of sanctions in 2011, but it has not been used in B&H so far.

Ivanic, Lukic argue former High Representatives worsened situation in B&H, Colo says OHR has never been part of problem in B&H (EuroBlic) 

The daily claimed that the OHR has been unwanted in B&H for Serbs for a long time now, Croats are not pleased with the OHR either but they act in a diplomatic manner while Bosniaks, because they were satisfied with the last move of Valentin Inzko, forgot about all of their past remarks that certain High Representatives have not done enough to strengthen B&H and punish those who work against it. The daily reminded that political representatives of all three peoples signed the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) in 1995 and wondered what happened and at which point the OHR became unwanted for one half of B&H plus Russia and China. The daily reminded that the DPA stipulates that the High Representative shall be appointed in line with “relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council (UN SC)” because of which Banja Luka, Moscow and Beijing refuse to recognize new HR Christian Schmidt, knowing that the UN SC “did not vote for him”. Former member of the Presidency of B&H and former minister Mladen Ivanic told the daily that “everything negative” started with former HRs Carlos Westendorp and Wolfgang Petritsch but it culminated with former HR Paddy Ashdown. Ivanic argued that Carl Bildt is the only HR not remembered by negative things by the Republika Srpska (RS). “I would say that Bildt did not use those powers at all, Westendorp and Petritsch somewhat used them, but the culmination came at the time of Ashdown. That was truly a non-democratic behavior, imposing of everything and anything, their own visions and concepts which, at the time, passed because there was no current type of relations at the international scene. Russia more or less tolerated it, it did not oppose it in a direct manner and Ashdown had the widest possible space for this type of activities. It started back then and this pattern of behavior was accepted, especially by Bosniaks”. Asked whether Inzko’s decision set B&H couple of steps back, Ivanic said that this move “was disastrous and it deepened negative relations to such extent that cannot even be described”. Ivanic also added that he does not like the story on ‘Dayton B&H’ and ‘Brussels B&H’ and argued that “B&H is only possible as Dayton one, while the path towards Brussels depends on political will of partners to reach agreements and not use the Brussels path for internal reorganization, which is obviously the strategy of one part of Bosniak politics”. Speaking about Schmidt, Ivanic said that he does not think Germany will decide to follow the path of Ashdown, i.e. the path of imposing. “I know very well, from contacts I had with Ms. Merkel, that she absolutely does not accept such things”, Ivanic claimed and argued that Germany, as a democratic country, will not abuse the Bonn powers but it will try to use democratic mechanisms, primarily fight against corruption, to produce a positive climate. Member of SDA Presidency and MP Alma Colo said that the OHR has never been a part of the problem in B&H and she claimed that the HRs have always been working on improvement of matters that were not fully resolved by the DPA. Colo reminded that the OHR helped domestic politicians to establish institutions at the state level and she noted that she does not support the idea on shutting down of the OHR for as long as it is useful. Asked whether former HRs made any mistakes, Colo replied by saying that she is not aware of that but added: “All those who were removed by a decision of the HR probably think that they did make mistakes”.

Patriarch Porfirije meets with leaders of all RS parliamentary parties (BN TV) 

Patriarch of the Serb Orthodox Church Porfirije met with representatives of leaders of parliamentary political parties from the RS, both from the ruling majority and the opposition, in Doboj on Wednesday evening. Upon arriving in Doboj, Patriarch Porfirije said that he is happy to return to the area where his “spiritual roots” come from. The Patriarch called on Serb people to build unity and to remain gathered around the Orthodox Christianity. Zvornik-Tuzla Episcope Fotije, who welcomed the Patriarch, stated that the RS is currently facing numerous challenges and a lot of turmoil, due to which there is concern for its future and survival. The Episcope expects that the Patriarch will provide directions for further action. Addressing media prior to the meeting, SDS leader Mirko Sarovic said that he expects from the Patriarch to provide good advice about cooperation to both the ruling majority and the opposition. Sarovic noted that it is necessary for all Serb factors to realize how delicate the current situation is. “SDS is aware of the responsibility it has,” he added.  There was no official press conference after abovementioned meeting. However, PDP leader Branislav Borenovic and DNS leader Nenad Nesic addressed media and revealed that the Patriarch patiently listened to what every participant at the meeting had to say and confirmed that unity was expressed on that occasion. Both Borenovic and Nesic said they are pleased with the meeting. Borenovic stated that only internal agreement of domestic political structures can help “in overcoming this situation, this political chaos, that Inzko left us with”. Borenovic assessed that Inzko caused huge damage to the internal issues in B&H. The PDP leader concluded: “Our colleagues from other peoples should realize how serious the situation is.” Nesic stated that unity has been reached when it comes to the issue of survival and preserving of the RS, but he stressed that the opposition parties’ leaders expressed discontent with the policies of ruling parties. With regard to Inzko’s decision on the Criminal Code amendments, Nesic said that the time of imposing has passed a long time ago. Upon his arrival the Serbian Patriarch was welcomed by Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik, RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic, RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic. A large number of faithful came to the Temple as this kind of visit has not happened in Doboj in decades. While addressing the gathered, Patriarch Porfirije reminded that he was born near Derventa, and he has fond memories of his birthplace and all other places in the RS. He said his heart was full as he was able to come to Doboj, and expressed satisfaction that a large number of faithful decided to come to the Temple. “On the eve of the big holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, my heart is filled with immeasurable joy – for many reasons – but one reason in particular, and that is the immeasurable love of our Lord which unites us and blesses us,” Porfirije told the gathered. He said the RS is a part of him, he spent one-third of his life in this area, and he only has fond memories of that time.

Kovacevic: Pressures aimed at disappearance of RS and Serbs from B&H are certainly issue for SPC (Dnevni list) 

Radovan Kovacevic, advisor to member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik, and who told RTRS on Wednesday it is important that Patriarch Porfirije will be meeting RS representatives of political parties during the visit to Doboj because by doing so he will be giving support to unity of the Serb parliamentary parties. According to Kovacevic, only united can we resist pressures that are becoming stronger, and which are aimed at disappearance of the RS and Serbs from B&H, “which is certainly a matter for the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC)”. Kovacevic also stated that imposition of decisions by the High Representative are not about politics, instead they are matters dealing with survival of the Serb people in the RS and B&H, which is certainly a matter for the SPC and all Serbs wherever they may live.

SDS Presidency concludes that SDS does not support arrival of any HR in B&H (BN TV) 

The SDS Presidency held a session in Banja Luka on Wednesday in order to discuss the current political situation in B&H with the focus on the mandate of Christian Schmidt as the HR in B&H and escalation of crisis that followed after the former HR Valentin Inzko imposed amendments to the Criminal Code of B&H banning the denial of genocide. On this occasion, the SDS Presidency concluded that SDS does not support the arrival of any HR in B&H and that B&H does not need the OHR. When it comes to Inzko’s decision, the Presidency assessed that the main culprits for the decision on imposing such amendments to the Criminal Code of B&H are SNSD, SDA, and HDZ B&H. Addressing media after the Presidency’s session, SDS leader Mirko Sarovic noted that Inzko’s decision to impose amendments to the Criminal Code of B&H led to escalation of crisis, which has been growing since the elections of 2018. Sarovic assessed that B&H does not need the HR or the role of imposing decisions, especially not the major ones related to legislative changes. “That is exclusively competence of the parliaments” Sarovic said. However, Sarovic confirmed that SDS will continue to act in line with the conclusions that the RS parliament adopted in response to Inzko’s decision. The SDS leader stressed that RS’ political representatives, who have been boycotting the work of the B&H institutions, need to reach an adequate solution as a follow-up to the RS parliament’s conclusions. He stressed that those conclusions were only the beginning to, what he called, a long-term process that lies ahead of the RS. In addition, Sarovic confirmed that SDS does not support the idea of forming the government of Serb unity in the RS and he concluded that the opposition parties continue opposing to policies of the ruling parties. Sarovic said that SDS and other opposition parties are still political rivals of the ruling authorities, but that they were brought together by the event regarding Inzko’s decision, which required a joint response. Sarovic stated that the fact they gathered together “at the same table” is their joint response to Inzko’s imposed decision. Sarovic said it is a decision “for which we believe has no right, and he has no right to use the so-called Bonn Powers. The other political parties have the same stance. Sarovic said that SDS has no intention to join “concentration government” that Dodik mentioned. “There are no talks about the concentration government. This is more than a clear stance of SDS. Current authority at B&H level is the main culprit for imposing of the decision by the former HR. We do not need a HR in B&H,” said Sarovic. He underlined that story about Serb unity is not as strong as certain circles in SNSD make it sound. Sarovic further noted that Dodik’s presence at the session of B&H Presidency would not constitute a breach of RSNA conclusions, adding that every participation in work of the institutions which results in saving of human lives or prevention of destroying of property from natural disasters, is not only humane, but also justified. “Such behavior supersedes everything and is not in collision with any other political stances and decisions,” concludes Sarovic.

Covic: We need constitutional changes and amendments to Election Law (Dnevni list) 

On the occasion of 31st anniversary since the establishing of HDZ B&H, the party’s leader Dragan Covic stated that this political family which started in 1990 in Sarajevo as movement aiming to organize and protect Croats is the leader of the Croat people today, but also the main advocate for European and Euro-Atlantic processes of B&H. He underlined that HDZ B&H’s existence and work is now an inevitable factor of modern history of Croats and of history of B&H. Covic also noted that after many challenges, the unity of HDZ B&H is stable and growing stronger. “The non-election year in which we find ourselves is an opportunity for positive direction of B&H. Protecting equality and securing legitimate representation of Croats as constituent people is a task we are deeply committed to. Wishing to achieve a future which protects equality of constituent peoples but does not discriminate anyone, we strongly advocate dialogue, prosperity, and our European and Euro-Atlantic path. Only in this way we can boldly step forward,” said Covic.  The Club of HDZ B&H Founders stated that the anniversary is an opportunity to remember the beginnings of HDZ B&H which united the Croat people in B&H, but also to show preparedness for new challenges that lie ahead. “We believe that the answer to the Croat issue in B&H can be found within the framework of freedom, dialogue and humanism, respect for human values and virtues, and our historical, spiritual, political, economic and social integrity. In our political struggle, we need to persist in rejection of discrimination of Croats in political life of B&H through constitutional changes and adoption of changes to B&H Election Law which will bring Croats to an equal position in which they will be able to decide about themselves, like the other two peoples in B&H,” the Club of HDZ B&H Founders stated.

The dangerous Balkan standstill (Project Syndicate/Dnevni list, by Carl Bildt) 

With two decades of war in Afghanistan coming to the grimmest of possible ends, it is worth remembering that three decades have now passed since war came to the Balkans. Both are case studies in how the mismanagement of war can have devastating effects that linger for decades. For decades, the American political class has intervened relentlessly and recklessly in countries whose people they hold in contempt. And once again they are being aided by America’s credulous mass media, which is uniformly blaming the Taliban victory on Afghanistan’s incorrigible corruption.  In the Balkans, a small war between the disintegrating state of Yugoslavia and one of its constitutive republics, Slovenia, was followed by a bigger conflict in Croatia. Within a year, a savage conflict was raging in B&H as well. Suddenly, Europe’s “post-war” period had ended. The Balkan wars raged for a decade. The Dayton Peace Agreement ended the conflict in Bosnia in 1995, but then came the Kosovo War, which continued until 1999 and was followed, in 2001, by a serious outbreak of violence in what is now North Macedonia.

All told, the Balkan wars claimed more than 100,000 lives, displaced millions of people, and set back the region’s economic and social development by decades. Though it had been living largely on credit, the old Yugoslavia had given its citizens a better standard of living than those of its socialist peers. The country’s long, violent disintegration changed all that. The peace agreements that were cobbled together at the time were merely stopgap measures. Everyone understood that lasting stability would require a wider and much more comprehensive framework. And so, in 2003, European Union leaders declared that all the region’s countries should work toward a future of stability and lasting peace within the EU. No one expected that to happen overnight; but nor did anyone think the integration process would be as drawn-out as it has been. Since Slovenia and Croatia’s accession in 2004 and 2013, respectively, the EU’s Balkan enlargement has effectively stalled. The reason for this is twofold. First, political and economic reform in non-EU Balkan countries has been painfully slow, while corruption and nationalist sentiment has become ever more entrenched. Second, support for further enlargement has faded within many EU countries. Though politicians still pay lip service to the idea, new hurdles and delays tend to be greeted with relief in several key member states. Moreover, the problems within Balkan countries are severe. A quarter-century after the Dayton Agreement, the international community has deemed Bosnia to be so politically dysfunctional as to warrant a new High Representative with wide-ranging powers (I was the first to hold such an office, serving from 1995 to 1997), effectively derailing the country’s EU-accession agenda. Meanwhile, Serbia has come under the boot of an autocratic regime that flirts with China one day and kowtows to Russia the next, all while its representatives continue to put on a good face at the European Commission in Brussels. Despite enormous efforts by both the EU and the United States, the outstanding issues between Serbia and Kosovo are nowhere close to being resolved. Finally, after being blocked from joining the EU by Greece (owing to a dispute over its name), North Macedonia now finds itself being blackballed by Bulgaria for reasons that go far back in the region’s history (but that lack any contemporary relevance). Further complicating matters, the EU’s struggle to rein in the Hungarian and Polish governments’ attacks on the rule of law and independent media has dampened its appetite for taking a risk with potentially illiberal new members. When Hungary offers its enthusiastic support for Serbia’s accession bid, many others in the EU see a hidden agenda that must be blocked. The EU’s overture in 2003 was a courageous and wise strategic step. But now that the prospect of Balkan integration is fading, the current charade cannot continue. Instead, political leaders must accept reality and start mapping out realistic interim steps that could improve conditions in the region without abandoning the final goal. A good starting point is the Open Balkans initiative, which was designed to increase trade between Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. But it is not enough. The EU should take the lead by proposing a new arrangement, one that includes an offer of membership in its customs union and single market. Three decades ago, the Balkan wars started with a small ten-day conflict on Slovenia’s borders. Now, it is Slovenia that holds the Council of the European Union’s rotating chairmanship. Its leadership agenda includes a summit between all the Western Balkan countries and EU member states this October. That occasion should prompt clear and realistic thinking from all parties. The alternative for the Western Balkans is a slide backward into violence. It has happened before. It is happening now in Afghanistan. It must not happen again in Europe.

Indictment against a Serbian citizen for crimes in Glina (HRT) 

The Zagreb County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed an indictment before the Zagreb County Court against a 59-year-old Serbian citizen for war crimes against Croatian civilians in Gornja Bucica near Glina in November 1991. The defendant (1962) is inaccessible to the Croatian judiciary and is in Serbia. The indictment charges that in the first half of November 1991 in Gornja Bucica, in the temporarily occupied area of the then municipality of Glina, during an international armed conflict between regular police and military units of the Republic of Croatia and armed formations of the so-called SAO Krajina, as the platoon commander of the then Glina Territorial Defense, he acted contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Convention and did nothing to prevent the killing of civilians, said the State Attorney’s Office. The prosecution specifies that several members of the unit commanded by the 59-year-old defendant asked Croatian civilians to hand over their agricultural machinery, and when a Croatian citizen refused to do so, members (now deceased) of the armed formations of the so-called SAO Krajina, along with other unknown members of the unit, decided to kill several Croatian civilians and forcibly removed them from their homes to kill them. The Defendant (1962) is charged that as commander of the unit he was aware of such conduct by members of his unit and was aware of the fact that individual members were under the influence of alcohol most of the time, armed with firearms and prone to looting abandoned property. Although he was obliged to prevent further attacks on the property and physical integrity of the civilians present, especially after Croatian civilians were taken out of their homes under the threat of weapons – the defendant did nothing to stop and prevent the violence, pointed out the State Attorney’s Office. The indictment goes on to say that because of “his failure to act, members of the unit he commanded took two men and two women, Croatian civilians, out of their homes, taking them to a secret place where they shot them.” The Zagreb County State’s Attorney’s Office proposed in the indictment that the defendant be placed in pre-trial detention, since the defendant is in the Republic of Serbia and is not available to the judicial authorities of the Republic of Croatia, as well as the fact that a brutal criminal act is in question, states the website of the State Attorney’s Office.

The enthronement on 5 September, Porfirije to be welcomed in Podgorica (Pobjeda) 

Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Porfirije will enthrone the new Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Joanikije, in the Cetinje Monastery on September 5. It is written in the protocol – an invitation sent to the guests, the highest state officials, ministers, leaders of the ruling political parties, the diplomatic corps and representatives of the judiciary and the prosecutor’s office, daily Pobjeda writes. Earlier, the media reported, referring to RTS, that the enthronement of the Metropolitan of the SPC Joanikije will be on 4 September, but that is the date when the arrival of Patriarch Porfirije in Podgorica is planned. “The Holy Hierarch’s Liturgy served by His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia, Mr. Porfirije, will be held in the Cetinje Monastery, which will then enthrone His Eminence Metropolitan Joanikije,” reads the invitation in which daily Pobjeda had an insight and specifies that the liturgy begins at 9 am in Cetinje monastery. After the enthronement, according to the protocol, a festive lunch will be held in the Bishop’s Garden in front of the Cetinje Monastery. It is interesting that the patriarch Porfirije arrives in Montenegro a day earlier, on 4 September, and that a solemn reception is planned for him in the Church of Christ’s Resurrection in Podgorica. One of the problems is the transport from Podgorica to Cetinje, because it is feared that dissatisfied citizens will block the road in several places. That is why plan B is being considered: that Metropolitan Joanikije and Patriarch Porfirije along with several other guests, who will be in Podgorica the day before, be transferred to Cetinje – by helicopter.

Kascelan to ambassadors: Preservation of peace is a priority, Joanikije’s enthronement should be carried out elsewhere (CdM) 

The mayor of Cetinje Aleksandar Kascelan has sent a letter to resident ambassadors in Montenegro. In his letter he points out the complexity of the socio-political situation in the country, and the growing tensions due to the announced enthronement of Joanikije Micovic as Metropolitan of the SPC in Cetinje Monastery. He has called on the representatives of the diplomatic corps to, in line with their competencies, urge to calm tensions and respect the will of a part of the Montenegrin public not to hold the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije in Cetinje, but to choose another place in Montenegro for that purpose. He has pointed out that holders of power at all levels have a special responsibility at this delicate moment, and that affection towards any religious or ethnic community is unacceptable. Kascelan has stressed that any denial of citizens to think and feel differently is absolutely unacceptable.

Threats to Veljovic joined by a gusle player, a religious processions hero (Dnevne novine) 

The column written by the advisor to the President of Montenegro, Veselin Veljovic – See You in Cetinje, published by Pobjeda on 15 August, continues to provoke reactions, especially on social networks. Veljovic was openly threatened with death, to which neither the Prosecutor’s Office nor the police have responded so far, and now the “epic poet”, as gusle player (gusle – A single-stringed instrument used by the Slavic peoples in the Balkans and in the Dinarides region, often played with a bow and used to accompany epic poems or legends) Slavko Perosevic presents himself, has dedicated a song that is full of insults and threats, not only to him but also to all citizens who oppose the enthronement of Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church Joanikije in Cetinje, Dnevne novine reports. The song dedicated to Veljovic, in response to his column, of this epic poet, the “hero of religious processions” and “defense of saints”, as he was called by the Serbian media, was published by IN4S on 17 August.

Niksic Mayor Marko Kovacevic questioned by prosecution for denying genocide in Srebrenica (MINA) 

Niksic Mayor Marko Kovacevic was questioned before the Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica on Wednesday due to the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica. Kovacevic, a member of the Democratic Front in Montenegro, denied the genocide in Srebrenica in a television program, the day after the parliament of Montenegro adopted the Resolution on Genocide. He then said that “it was clear in the parliament who the traitor was, that Serbs were attacked and that they should defend themselves”.

Mickoski invites Levica to join forces in the municipal elections (Republika) 

VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski invited the Levica party to join VMRO in the municipal elections, with joint mayoral candidates. The populist far left party was part of the Colored Revolution that brought PM Zoran Zaev to power, but later broke with him over his constant concessions on Macedonian national identity issues. But the party frequently attacks VMRO from the right, which often prompts Mickoski to accuse them of helping Zaev again by trying to split the conservative vote. If Levica wants to act from the opposition, if it wants us to defeat this incompetent government, let them join us in an opposition front. Levica already said that they will only submit lists for the municipal councils. If that is so, we can discuss forming joint majorities in councils and we can also discuss supporting mayoral candidates from the opposition, whether they are from VMRO-DPMNE, the Alliance, Alternative or our joint candidates, Mickoski said in his Sitel TV interview. Levica already announced that it will compete alone in the elections that are scheduled for mid-October. Mickoski said that all polls show that a united opposition will easily defeat the SDSM – DUI coalition.

Zaev again insists on holding a census in September (Republika) 

Despite the quickly spiking number of deaths and infections from the coronavirus epidemic, PM Zoran Zaev insisted that the census will go ahead as planned, in September. The census was already postponed once, because of the major Third Wave of the epidemic in March and April. Zaev insisted that the census must now go ahead because VMRO-DPMNE insisted on the September date – VMRO threatened a boycott of the April census because of the huge infection rates, and said that it should take place in September – if the epidemic is under control by then. The census was already determined, after the request of a serious participant in our society, the biggest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE. We showed the virtue of tolerance to accept to postpone the census for September 5th, Zaev said. Meanwhile, the State Statistics Bureau, which is supposed to conduct the census, informed that it lacks most of the necessary census takers, and that some of those who registered for the post have not been vaccinated.

Majority of 450 Afghan civilians to arrive in the country by the end of the week (Republika) 

All Macedonian citizens registered for evacuation from Afghanistan have already left Kabul and are currently in Great Britain, Qatar and Oslo, waiting to be transported to Skopje in the coming days.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that it has no information about our any of our citizens being in a threatening situation or in need of assistance for evacuation. A majority of the 450 Afghan civilians are expected to arrive by plane by the end of the week depending on the situation at the Kabul airport, government spokesman Muamet Hoxha said Wednesday. He stressed that Macedonia was among the first to inform the United States of its readiness to assist these people fleeing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. He also stressed that there is no risk of a migrant crisis, nor should this humanitarian operation be linked to the reception center for foreigners or migrant camps on the northern and southern borders. Macedonia is part of a major global humanitarian action.

Protest against the construction of a center for asylum seekers in Skopje (Republika) 

Citizens of Bardovci blocked a Skopje intersection leading toward their neighborhood, in protest against the construction of a center for asylum seekers. The village just north of Skopje is a mix of farming families and residential areas popular with the diplomatic corps. But the Interior Ministry is currently building a new center for asylum seekers, prompting concerns about safety in the area. Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski was silent about the construction as the protests developed, and only confirmed what he is building in Bardovci earlier this week. The local citizens demand the center to be built elsewhere. Macedonia is currently offering to admit 450 refugees from Afghanistan who will be housed temporarily, in hotels. The center in Bardovci is meant for other asylum seekers who often cross through Macedonia on their way to the core EU member states.

Albania expecting 1000 Afghan refugees within week (ADN/El Periodico) 

Nearly 1000 Afghan refugees are expected to arrive within this week in Albania. The data was revealed by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in an interview for the Spanish newspaper El Periodico. He confessed that Albanian government started immediately to prepare the shelters for these refugees after request of Washington. Albanian Premier said that Afghan refugees will be sheltered in hotels and students’ dormitories and not in camps. The first group will arrive this Wednesday and they will be accommodated first in tends to be then transported in dormitories of the students in Tirana.