LOCAL PRESS

Selakovic, Le Drian: Bilateral relations between two countries on an upward trajectory (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic, who is on a two-day official visit to France, met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian late on Thursday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Selakovic said bilateral relations between the two countries were on an upward trajectory, in particular thanks to efforts by Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Emmanuel Macron. He said Serbia had attracted over 80 percent of all French investments across the region and that Serbia-France bilateral and economic relations would continue to strengthen. Selakovic said more and more French companies, including Suez, Alstrom and Vinci, were operating successfully in Serbia. “We agreed to continue the cooperation on existing projects and expand it to new ones,” he said. He thanked Le Drian for France’s support to Serbia on the path to EU membership. Le Drian said he was particularly pleased with the economic cooperation with Serbia and noted that it would be advanced further. The French Minister called on Belgrade and Pristina to continue negotiations about finding a solution, which he said should be a legally binding agreement. Le Drian also said France supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the principles of the Dayton Agreement. He said the Western Balkans was extremely important to France and announced that a conference on the region would be held in June 2022 during the French EU presidency.

Selakovic: Partnership with France gained strength with Macron’s visit to Serbia (Politika/Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Thursday began an official visit to France with a meeting in the French parliament, where he spoke with representatives of both chambers of the legislative body. Selakovic said the two countries were connected by historically close ties and friendship and noted that France was one of Serbia’s most significant political and economic partners, thanking Paris for supporting the European integration of Serbia. Selakovic said he was pleased with constant progress in overall bilateral cooperation and added that the political dialogue between the two countries was excellent. In line with the strategic partnership, Serbia is committed to advance further its relations with France, he said. “We are seeing an intensification of our relations that began after President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Serbia in 2019, when the partnership between the two countries also gained strength,” Selakovic said. “France is a very important economic partner and is increasingly present as an investor in Serbia. It is particularly pleasing that French businesspeople are showing continued interest in doing business in Serbia. Serbia has attracted as much as 80 percent of French investments across the region,” he said. He noted that Serbia was committed to regional stability and economic development and connectivity in the region. He briefed the French lawmakers on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s Open Balkans initiative. Informing them of the state of affairs in Kosovo and Metohija and the course of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Selakovic said dialogue was the only path to a sustainable solution, and noted that, despite obstructions by Pristina, Belgrade stood by that position in a consistent manner.

Cochard: Western Balkans remains a priority for France (Politika/Beta)

French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard said in Belgrade on Thursday that the Western Balkans would be one of the two priorities of the French presidency of the EU Council. Its chairmanship begins on 1 January. “For the French chair, the Balkans are one of the two priorities of our activities over the next six months. President Macron clearly said that the Balkans are more than Europe’s neighbor,” he told journalists ahead of a conference on the topic of the EU chairmanship, titled From Slovenia to France. The Balkans, he added, are in the heart of Europe and because of this a large summit on the Western Balkans which will focus on the region and offer support for further integration into Europe will be organized at the end of France’s presidency. He added that work on Serbia’s European integration and continuing reforms is the idea behind his engagement in Belgrade.

Stefanovic: We expect KFOR to continue its status neutral mission (Tanjug/Politika/Beta)

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic on Thursday met with NATO Allied Joint Force Naples Commander, Admiral Robert Burke, who is on an official visit to Serbia. Expressing satisfaction with the cooperation with NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples to date, Stefanovic said Serbia was cooperating with all partners in a fully transparent way. He noted that the cooperation between KFOR and the Serbian Armed Forces was good, but voiced concern over the security of the Serb population in Kosovo and Metohija due to unilateral moves by the provisional Pristina institutions, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. He stressed that KFOR, which operates under the authority of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples, was the key guarantor of security in Kosovo and Metohija under UN SC Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement and that its authority was non-transferable. “We expect KFOR to continue its status neutral mission in line with the mandate it has been given, to act preventively and ensure security and stability to all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija and to continue to cooperate intensively with the Serbian Armed Forces,” Stefanovic said. Stefanovic said Serbia was actively participating in activities under NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and was very satisfied with the results achieved since it joined the program 15 years ago, the statement also said. Burke said NATO was highly appreciative of its partnership with Serbia and the achieved level of communication between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR.

Italian General Zanitti takes over as Chief of NATO Liaison Office in Belgrade (Beta)

Italian Brigadier General Antonello Messenio Zanitti took over as chief of the NATO Liaison Office in Belgrade on Thursday, from Italian Brigadier General Tommaso Vitale, at a ceremony held at the Central Club of the Serbian Armed Forces. The ceremony was attended by Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic, and the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Admiral Robert Burke. In his address of the gathering, which included representatives of the diplomatic corps, foreign military envoys accredited in Belgrade and other guests, Admiral Burke stated that Serbia was a cherished and important partner of NATO. “Fifteen years ago, when your country joined the Partnership for Peace program, our mutually beneficial partnership began, with the simultaneous expansion of the fields of our cooperation, but also with full respect for the proclaimed policy of Serbia’s military neutrality. In that sense, it is important to stress that Serbia decides about the scope and dynamics of cooperation with NATO, in keeping with its needs and priorities,” stated Admiral Burke.

CEFTA rejects Pristina’s request to represented without UNMIK (RTS)

The CEFTA Joint Committee rejected Pristina’s request that Kosovo be represented in that organization without the involvement of UNMIK, it was decided at the last meeting held on Wednesday. The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade in Pristina announced that the letter of Minister Rozeta Hajdari, sent on 24 September, whereby it was asked for Kosovo to be presented as independent, was included on the agenda, even though it was blocked by the Serbian side. Montenegro also opposed the consideration of the letter, but CEFTA Chairman Kreshnik Bekteshi, the Minister of Northern Macedonia, did not allow the treatment of Kosovo to be prevented. The Ministry in Pristina announces that it will present Serbia’s barriers in Brussels and add that from now on it will oppose any act of the CEFTA Board of Directors until Pristina’s request for equal status is accepted. UNMIK signed the CEFTA agreement in 2006 on behalf of Pristina. UNMIK then issued a statement according to which the validity of the CEFTA agreement will depend on the future Kosovo authorities, the Ministry in Pristina added.

Drecun: Pristina’s unilateral moves are not sanctioned (RTS)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told the morning press review of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that, by not allowing the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic to enter Kosovo and Metohija, Pristina unilaterally interpreted the agreement on freedom of movement. “Visits are only announced, but Pristina is increasingly banning the visits of our officials. If you ban the departure of the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, you are banning him to help the people there,” said Drecun. Drecun states that Pristina is trying to blame all unilateral moves on Belgrade, among other things by placing false news and information, such as the story that Belgrade did not allow Donika Gervali to come to Bujanovac and Presevo. “Brussels, on the other hand, is only talking, but it is not acting, and that way of operating of the EU is not bringing results because the EU does not have authority over Pristina,” Drecun said. He adds that unilateral moves such as the abolition of the borders between Albania and Serbia in the part of Kosovo and Metohija are also not sanctioned, and Belgrade is waiting for a reaction to Pristina’s decision not to allow a referendum. “Those Western countries that can, should influence Pristina to give up the idea of not allowing a referendum in Kosovo and Metohija. This violates basic human rights, and that is the democratic right of citizens to vote in a referendum,” Drecun said. He believes that there will be strong activities to force Pristina to allow a referendum.

EP adopts resolution on forced labor, environmental protests in Serbia (Beta/Politika)

Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday, with an overwhelming majority, on forced labor in the Chinese factory Linglong in Zrenjanin and on ecological protests in Serbia. The European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik said he hoped that the opening of Cluster Four in the pre-accession negotiations  could help Serbia in resolving these issues. MEP Viola von Cramon stated that it was nothing new that Serbia “left the door wide open for Chinese investments, which do not honor work and environmental standards, or human dignity above all”. The resolution adopted by the EP expresses deep concern over the alleged forced labor, human rights violations and human trafficking, in connection with around 500 Vietnamese who work on the construction of the Chinese tire factory Linglong, and requests that the Serbian authorities investigate the case carefully and inform the EU about the conclusions of the investigation. The resolution also expresses deep concern over the serious problems with corruption and the rule of law in the field of environmental protection. Concern is also expressed in the document over China’s increased influence in Serbia and the Western Balkans, and it is underscored that Serbian laws on labor and environmental protection also had to apply to Chinese companies operating in Serbia. On the other side, as Politika writes, MEP Thierry Mariani supported Serbia for which it says that it “didn’t give in to pressure” of the EU and NATO bombardment to recognize the illegally declared independence of part of its territory. Marian asked MEPs “whether they knew where the information about the workers in Linglong was coming from and accused George Soros of interfering in the internal affairs of other states. “This resolution will be a dead letter, because there is no independent investigation,” said Mariani.

Dacic: EP resolution an example of hypocrisy (Tanjug/RTV/Politika)

The resolution of the European Parliament on Serbia is another example of hypocrisy and double standards, Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic assessed on Thursday. “In the days when Serbia opened Cluster 4 in the EU accession process, recognizing Serbia’s progress in reforms, the European Parliament adopted a completely opposite resolution, based on false claims by some opposition parties and NGOs. “All this when we are witnessing brutal police actions in many EU member states,” Dacic told Tanjug. As Dacic said, “naturally we are for EU integration, but not for lies and hypocrisy”.

The so-called Kosovo is being offered to “rent” a prison (B92/Danish Radio)

The proposal of Denmark sent to the so-called Kosovo raised quite dust among the politicians. Namely, Denmark wants to rent a prison for its convicts in Kosovo. According to Danish Radio, the country is very close to reaching an agreement with the Pristina authorities on renting a Kosovo prison to Danish convicts. The agreement was drawn up, as it is further stated, by the Danish government, opposition parties of both political wings (left and right), and the Administration of Danish Prisons. It is predicted that up to 1.000 prisons will be missing in Danish prisons by 2025, and the agreement is designed to solve these problems. “One of the advantages of this dispute is that prisoners do not have to be re-socialized to return to society, because they do not have to be in Denmark after that. Therefore, we can conveniently relocate this whole group so that they serve elsewhere,” Socialist Democratic Minister of Justice Nick Hekkerup said for Danish Radio. However, the two pro-government parties oppose the agreement, saying it is not a way to solve Denmark’s problem, and fears control of those prisons in terms of human rights violations. They also say that Kosovo prisons and their administration are known for corruption, violence between prisoners and poorly trained staff.

REGIONAL PRESS

German Foreign Ministry says Germany will not cooperate with entity that works on B&H’s destruction (O Kanal) 

Spokesperson for the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs Christofer Burger spoke about German diplomacy plans and plans of the German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock when it comes to possible introduction of sanctions against the Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik and the Republika Srpska (RS) authorities due to secessionist activities. They are also considering measures against individuals. German Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement which reads: “We will not cooperate with the entity that is actively working on destroying B&H. We are also working on the EU level in order to redistribute funds for projects intended for B&H”. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that the aspirations for secession are a dangerous attack on the unity of B&H and contrary to the Dayton Peace Agreement: “It is clear to us that we will not direct bilateral support to one entity that is actively working on breaking up the unified state of B&H, and that we will strive at the EU level to adjust the allocation of funds for projects accordingly. We want to discuss within the EU about restrictive individual measures of the EU against those that call into question the country’s territorial integrity.” According to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany is currently in talks with European partners regarding this issue, but also with the US and UK.

Dodik talks to Varhelyi: RS remains dedicated to peace, dialogue and B&H Constitution (Oslobodjenje) 

Cabinet of member of B&H Presidency, Milorad Dodik issued a statement which reads that Dodik talked to European Commissioner for Neighborhood and enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. The statement reads that Dodik told Varhelyi that the conclusions that the RS parliament adopted on 10 December do not abandon the framework of Dayton Peace Agreement of B&H Constitution. Dodik repeated that Christian Schmidt cannot be accepted as the High Representative until he receives legitimacy as stipulated by the DPA. “RS remains dedicated to peace, dialogue and Constitution of B&H and expects that all the open issues in B&H will be solved through the agreement between legally elected representatives of all three peoples”, reads the statement. Dodik told Varhelyi that the RS still expects the amendments to B&H Criminal Code imposed by former High Representative Valentin Inzko to be annulled. He also expressed hope that open issues in B&H will be resolved through dialogue of elected officials.

Field: UK government is negotiating sanctions against certain individuals and Dodik, but behind closed doors (BHT) 

UK Ambassador to B&H Matthew Field has stated that the UK government is negotiating sanctions against certain individuals and Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, but behind closed doors. Considering latest statements from Berlin, Washington, London and Brussels imposing of sanctions against member of Dodik is becoming more certain. In his latest statements, Dodik said that he is not afraid of sanctions, adding that he is prepared to engage counter-measures. The reporter commented that in an exclusive interview for N1, Field stated that the UK government is discussing introduction of sanctions against Dodik. The reporter commented that in this way, the UK joined other countries who do not see imposing of sanctions disputable.

UK House of Lords discusses situation in B&H; Helic says crisis in B&H is not political, but security crisis which requires urgent, security response (FTV) 

The House of Lords of the UK parliament discussed the situation in B&H on Thursday. Lord Nick Bourne stated that chaos is currently happening in B&H and that the Serb member of the B&H Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik and the RS officials are violating integrity of B&H. He also stated that Dodik does not recognize the amendments to the B&H Criminal Code banning genocide denial, which were passed by former High Representative to B&H Valentin Inzko. Bourne pointed out that UK must prevent the secession of the RS. Bourne was quoted as saying: “We have to use our joint influence. We cannot act as shamefully as we did 26 years ago. We cannot allow something bad to happen to this beautiful country again. We have to support Schmidt and we have to impose sanctions, we have a legal framework for that. I really hope the Government takes decisive action. We have a chance to act, so we have to act.” Baroness Arminka Helic said that the extreme nationalism could jeopardize B&H. Helic was quoted as saying: “This is the dream about realization of Greater Serbia, the same goal that Karadzic and Mladic had, the war criminals who are now in prison. This is continuation of what we stopped in 1995, only now Russia is an active player. Moscow sees the Western Balkans who could be part of NATO. What is a better way to stop the expansion of NATO than holding the entire region in instability? China’s interest coincides there.” Lord Bourne stated that there is influence of Serbia behind this, as well as malicious influence of Russia. “If the West fails to react, secession will occur. That is why it is important to act in order to avoid repeating of situation that occurred 26 or 27 years ago,” explained Lord Bourne. Helic said that nationalism in combination with corruption is still alive, adding that it reflects in denial of genocide and decision that entity the RS should withdraw from state institutions. Helic emphasized that there is a plan to form again the army of Bosnian Serbs that occupied and broke Srebrenica and committed genocide throughout B&H. She also stated that the RS already has autonomy, adding that the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) was a compromise that gave autonomy to the RS. Helic warned that B&H is faced with a security crisis. “We need to recognize that the crisis in B&H is not a political, but a security crisis. It requires an urgent, security response. The fastest way to preserve security is deployment of troops in B&H. I repeat, these would not be peacekeeping forces or combat units, but units that would deter one from adventurism,” Helic underlined.

Turkovic discusses political situation in B&H with UK envoy Peach; Peach announces close cooperation with US and EU (O Kanal) 

B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic discussed the political situation in B&H with the US Special Envoy Stuart Peach. Turkovic pointed out that the current blockade and anti-constitutional activities bring harm and threaten to destabilize the entire region. Peach expressed support for the whole region and said he will work closely with the US and the EU. Peach noted that he will closely cooperate with EU and USA on the process of strengthening and progress of B&H and the region. He repeated the support to the OHR and said that he will closely cooperate with the High Representative and promote Euro-Atlantic integration.

Chollet warns Dodik of consequences for anti-Dayton actions; Dodik: it would have been fair if Chollet had said what I told him (BHT1) 

BHT1 reports that new warnings for Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik have come from Derek Chollet, who serves as a senior policy advisor to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In a phone conversation with Dodik, Chollet emphasized that steps by the Republika Srpska (RS) ruling coalition to undermine B&H institutions are unacceptable. “Corruption and anti-Dayton actions will bear consequences. There must be a return to dialogue within B&H institutions,” Chollet wrote on Twitter. According to the Cabinet of the Serb member of the B&H Presidency, during the conversation with Chollet, Dodik stated that the RS is strongly committed to dialogue with everyone in B&H in order to overcome the crisis. Dodik stated for media that it would have been fair if Chollet had said what Dodik told him. Dodik claims that he would not want to retell the conversation because it was private. Dodik stated that Chollet did not give a statement from the US Department of State and instead he gave a statement on his private Twitter profile. Dodik emphasized that the RS respects territorial integrity of B&H and advocates strict respecting of the Constitution of B&H and the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). He added that abovementioned conclusions of the RS parliament are not aimed against the Constitution of B&H. He went on to saying that the RS is committed to peace, dialogue and respecting of the Constitution of B&H, adding that the RS expects others in B&H to return to constitutional solutions. Dodik stated in Mostar on Thursday that he is still under US’ sanctions, but that the US officials hold talks with him. He added that the US is certainly a powerful country although he has not opted for life in the US but he lives in B&H where he was elected on behalf of Serbs and the RS to represent its interests. “Surely it is a serious thing to have the US on the other side, but I do not have any problems in the US. They come here with their opinion on how our life should look like,” Dodik stated. Dodik stated on Thursday that a lot of the US diplomats expressed interest to talk with him. He stressed that practice showed that imposing of sanctions is not a solution for problems. He explained that there are many people in Joe Biden’s administration who made their careers on B&H, adding that it seems they want to reaffirm the same idea that proved to be unsuccessful over last 25 years. Commenting on the possibility of imposing of sanctions, member of B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic stressed that attack on constitutional order of B&H is at the scene, adding that all actors involved in this should be sanctioned.

Zakharova says Schmidt does not have mandate to make decisions, impose measures (RTRS) 

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova on Thursday reiterated that the appointment of German Christian Schmidt as the High Representative was blocked by Russia and China in the UN Security Council and she noted that Republika Srpska does not recognize him either so he has no mandate to make any kind of decisions or impose measures.

Covic hosts Christmas reception in Mostar; Dodik: RS has no intention to give up on its interests and goals (N1) 

Speaker of B&H House of Peoples (HoP) and leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic hosted a Christmas reception in Mostar on Thursday. For the second year, this reception was not held in premises of the parliament of B&H due to epidemiologic situation. In his address to guests, Covic congratulated upcoming holidays and underlined importance of the electoral reform, equality of three constituent peoples and the EU path of B&H. He emphasized that it is important to demonstrate unity by leading a responsible policy towards Croats and other peoples and citizens of B&H. Covic stressed that he is aware of deep divisions and lack of trust among constituent peoples in B&H. “We all have to work jointly on implementation of most important political mission: equality of constituent peoples and their legitimate representation in B&H institutions. At the same time, we have to remove all existing types of inequality and resume with integration towards the EU values,” explained Covic. Member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik and RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic were among the guests. Dodik talked to media about crisis in B&H. Among other things, he stressed that crisis is a permanent situation in B&H. Dodik also talked about possible withdrawing of the RS from B&H Armed Forces (AF) and formation of the RS armed forces. Dodik underlined that it is necessary to form military structure where no constituent people will be dominant. He explained that at this moment Croats and Serbs cannot fill in their quotas in B&H AF, adding that this creates ground for some to launch the initiative these quotas should be filled in by Bosniaks. According to Dodik, this could result in creation of Muslim army, adding that he is against it. Dodik emphasized that if Bosniaks want B&H, they need to talks with Serbs and Croats, not with citizens. “I offer that the number in the Armed Forces to be set on 5,000, to clearly determine the number of Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks, and to establish that structure. Then the RS Army is not necessary,” Dodik was quoted as saying. Dodik said that the RS has no intention to give up on its interests and goals. He stressed that all policies have been clearly defined and they will not be changed. The member of B&H Presidency reminded that due to foreign factors, B&H resumes to remain colony. Dodik emphasized that sanctions cannot solve problems, adding that he was elected to represent the RS and Serb people. Dodik added that he supports Croats’ demand for “adequate representation” in authorities. Covic addressed the reception, reminding of HDZ B&H’s demands for legitimate representation in B&H institutions and for ensuring equality of constituent peoples. Dodik stated: “When it is all over, without intending to bid on who is to blame, in the end the Bosniak political elite will remain to blamed for failing to respect the legitimate demands of the Croat people for adequate representation”. The reception was also attended by Chairman of Council of Ministers Zoran Tegeltija, Federation of B&H (FB&H) President Marinko Cavara and FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic.

SDP calls on NATO to deploy its troops in Brcko District and some other areas in B&H (N1) 

SDS and PDP underlined on Thursday that the RS cannot be a hostage of the policy and adventurism of Milorad Dodik. Following a session of SDP Presidency, this party called on NATO to deploy its troops in Brcko District and some other areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because NATO has mandate to do it and because people need to be protected from same ideology that committed genocide in 1990s. SDS leader Mirko Sarovic stated that the RS will not and cannot be a hostage of political destiny of Milorad Dodik. He stressed that the RS will exist and it will stand strong many years after Milorad Dodik leaves the authority. “It is politically irresponsible towards the people and towards the RS, to say that RS is Milorad Dodik, which is something we hear these days from his associates,” said Sarovic.

Dacic: Serbia will not allow sidelining of Serbs in B&H (Dnevni avaz/Dnevni list) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic told RTRS that Serbia is a guarantor of implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and that Serbia will not allow that the Serb people in B&H is sidelined by taking away the RS’ competences. Dacic stressed that survival of the RS is national interest of the Serb people and Serbia. “It is our interest that nobody decreases competences of the RS without their consent. It is their interest that nobody threatens with abolition of the RS. It is our interest that one does not threat with abolition of the RS with wars and conflicts. I think it is the most important thing, not only for the Serbs but for everyone who lives in B&H,” said Dacic. He also stressed that everyone in B&H should stick to the DPA because any change could cause destabilization. Bosniak daily Dnevni avaz slammed Dacic’s statements and said that “Dacic, a former first associate and spokesperson of Balkan’s butcher Slobodan Milosevic, is using methods of Joseph Goebbels and believes in mantra that if you “repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth”. Namely, the author refers to the interview that Dacic gave to RTRS, where he repeatedly referred to Serbia as “a guarantor of implementation of Dayton Peace Agreement” and underlined that Serbia will not allow majorization of Serb people in B&H through confiscating of RS competencies. Author stressed that Dacic did not bat an eye while he spoke these lies, underlining that nobody in 26 years took anything away from the RS, nor there is a constitutional or legislation framework for outvoting or imposing of something to Serbs. “Just as it is crystal clear that Serbia is not guarantee of Dayton Peace Agreement”, notes the author. Describing Serbia’s role in war in B&H, arguing that they assisted ethnic cleansing, failed to prevent the genocide and provided assistance in personnel and weapon to the RS leadership, author underline’s that the only guarantees of DPA are the USA and their western allies, who are tasked for interpretation and implementation of military and civilian part of the DPA, while Serbia and Croatia are not in this group of countries. “This is why the High Representative exists in B&H and this is why international military forces and NATO HQ are stationed in B&H since the war” noted author. The author concluded that Dacic is well aware of these fact, but he hopes that in time those who have obligation to prevent this, will turn their heads away and allow the fox to guard the henhouse i.e. that nobody will recognize the true intentions of “malicious Belgrade wolf wearing the sheep skin of ‘concern’ for Serb people in B&H”.

SDP and DF withdraw from negotiations on amendments to Election Law and Constitution of B&H (BHT1) 

SDP and DF are withdrawing from negotiations on amendments to the Election Law and the Constitution of B&H, which are being mediated by the international community. SDP and DF stated that they are withdrawing from the negotiations until B&H institutions become operational. SDP representatives stated that SDP is withdrawing from the negotiations on the electoral reform in B&H until further notice, stressing that they are ready to sit at the same table with the representatives of the international community, but in order to find a way to unblock the institutions and annul the decisions of the RS parliament. “Do you think it is serious to sit down and talk about changes to the Constitution, what we will do, whether we will abolish the ethnic prefix or not, and the Election Law, how we will elect members of the Presidency, and we have a part of B&H that says – we no longer recognize B&H laws,” SDP leader Nermin Niksic said. DF representatives stated that they support the positions of the US Embassy in B&H and the EU that there was little progress in the negotiations on changes to the B&H Election Law and that there will be no big progress with the policy of the ruling coalition from the RS. “Milorad Dodik and his secessionist policy is the main security problem. That is why it is pointless to continue talking about changes to the B&H Constitution and the Election Law. We are ready to continue talks on the basis of the value system set out in the Opinion of the European Commission and on the basis of the implementation of all five judgements of the Court in Strasbourg. Now the precondition is to stop destruction and enable unblocking of work of state institutions,” DF stated in a press release. The Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) accused political parties that are giving up the negotiations, especially SDA, of harming not only next year’s elections, but also the future of B&H institutions. “In the circumstances of the biggest political crisis, when the dialogue of the parties in the FB&H is in the final phase and when we are close to complete stabilization, after the stagnation of state institutions by the Serb political leadership, the Bosniak political authorities are calling into question the functioning of the FB&H institutions,” HNS stated in a press release. Only a day before the announcements of DF and SDP the international mediators announced that they are canceling their arrival in Sarajevo for a new round of talks on electoral reform in B&H because there has been too little progress in the negotiations that have been going on for several months.  

Osmanovic: First unblock state and continue talks on change of B&H Election Law when political situation calms down (FTV) 

It was the task of B&H leaders not to wait for foreigners with blank papers, but to seek a solution for unblocking B&H institutions and for the B&H Election Law. After numerous meetings, the miscalculation of the hosts was that they hoped foreigners would impose solutions and the foreigners believed that domestic politicians could do their homework, commented the reporter. The US Embassy in B&H and the EU Delegation issues a joint statement which reads: “Political leaders have not done the work necessary to align B&H ‘s political system with EU regulations and court rulings. In addition, after further unacceptable escalation by the RS parliament on 10 December, the political crisis is deepening.” It is as if they did not know what politicians from the RS have been preparing for a long time or how far those from FB&H are from the agreement, commented the reporter. Head of the SDA Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Adil Osmanovic stated: “First unblock the state, and then when the political situation calms down, then continue the talks on changing the Election Law. And I appreciate that we need representatives of the US administration and European representatives because without them we would not be able to come to a solution when it comes to the changes of the Election Law.” Deputy speaker at the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said in an interview that SDA was considering “last Sunday not to continue with the negotiations, until activities of Milorad Dodik stop. Then there was SDP, that had clearly started in that direction. Therefore, that was not caused by the reaction, but vice versa, the foreigners saw there was no longer willingness for negotiations here, that the HNS (Croat People’s Assembly), i.e. HDZ, did not want to give up on ethnic prefix Croat, that primarily Milorad Dodik and his people are doing what they are doing”. Our Party (NS) representative at the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Damir Arnaut said: “This last part of the international community has realized only these days nothing can happen in B&H from these political parties, these proposals, due to which they suspended it.” Member of NS Predrag Kojovic stated that they have already thought about whether it is normal to discuss the election reform in a situation with radical moves coming from Dodik and the RS parliament. SNSD’s representative in the B&H HoR Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac noted that it is untrue that the talks one electoral reform is compromised due to the RS authorities’ moves. In her opinion, the FB&H parties are the culprits. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic stressed that it is hypocritical to accuse the RS parliament of the crisis in B&H and mark the RS as one of those responsible for postponement of reform of the Election Law of B&H. The RS President stressed that the RS is concerned about the situation in B&H, the lack of political dialogue between constituent peoples and expectations that external factors will provide solutions, adding that the RS is especially concerned with the attempts to eliminate the concept of constituent peoples.

Stevandic, Novakovic-Bursac claim Bosniaks are trying to find excuse for failure of talks on electoral reform so they blame RS (EuroBlic) 

The daily noted that Bosniaks and to some extent foreigners blame Serbs for the failure of talks on changes to the Law on Election of B&H, Croats blame Bosniaks while Serbs believe Bosniaks and foreigners are doing everything they can to find an excuse for the failure and accelerate imposing of sanctions against individuals from the RS. Member of the parliament of B&H and member of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) Nenad Stevandic said that it is clear that there is some kind of a synergy between Bosniaks and foreigners when it comes to giving up talks: “The main task of international officials was to create a reform of the electoral legislation. After several meetings, it was obvious that the RS has no problem with that, but the problem was to bring relations between Bosniaks and Croats in the FB&H in order.” Stevandic also said that, once Bosniaks realized they will have to give up, the easiest thing for them to do was to withdraw from talks, blame the RS parliament and wait for sanctions to be imposed. Stevandic concluded by saying that there was no reason to blame the RS for the failure of talks on the electoral reform and argued that everything failed “only because maximalist demands of Sarajevo”. Chair of SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac said that this example shows that there are no differences among political parties with the seat in Sarajevo, including so called civic ones. “We in the RS must learn a lesson from this. As for their other reactions, those are really only attempting to find an excuse,” Novakovic-Bursac said and concluded that the latest development of events in the RS parliament had nothing to do with this. “Secondly, their claims on alleged unconstitutional activities of structures from the RS are not based on any evidence. None of them cited any article of the Constitution that was violated. On the other hand, their call to the High Representative, which we currently do not have, is in fact what we can treat and prove as an unconstitutional activity,” Novakovic-Bursac concluded.

President’s office publishes contents of entire letter to PM (HRT) 

On Thursday, the office of President Zoran Milanovic issued a full letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic criticizing the government’s support for the EU Council’s Enlargement Conclusion, as the final document did not mention the constituency and legitimate political representation of Croats in B&H. The president’s office said on Wednesday that in a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, President Zoran Milanovic expressed dissatisfaction and opposition to the EU Council’s conclusions on enlargement and the Stabilization and Association Process, as it did not guarantee the rights of Croats in B&H as a constituent people. On Thursday, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman, accused Milanovic making malicious insinuations that are damaging to Croatian interests, declaring it a blow to the government. Milanovic’s office published the entire letter to the prime minister so that the public would be fully aware of the reasons why the president is dissatisfied with the Council’s document, adopted after two years. The President believes that the Conclusions could be interpreted as a confirmation of the efforts of those who oppose changes to the election law that would enable the legitimate representation of Croats in B&H. Milanovic wrote that the government correctly set out initial proposals, in order to include constitutively, the next electoral reforms in B&H and the legitimate representation of Croats in the document. It is incomprehensible to the president why the government waived such minimum requirements during the negotiations, especially since the document could not have been passed without Croatia’s consent, stressing that it departed from the National Security Council’s position in early November. The Conclusions of the Council do not mention constitutively, nor do they mention Croats in a single word. Point 59 refers to the institutional mechanisms established by the Dayton Peace Agreement in relation to which B&H must carry out further constitutional and electoral reforms in order to ensure equality and non-discrimination of all citizens. Minister Grlic Radman said that “the mention of the Dayton Peace Agreement (in the text) automatically implies the constitutively of the peoples in B&H”. The conclusions also call for the implementation of the Sejdic-Finci case. The ruling confirmed the discriminatory nature of B&H’s electoral system, which prevented those who did not consider themselves members of one of the three constituent peoples from running for the presidency or House of Peoples, which can be found on the European Court of Human Rights website under the case named after Roma Dervo Sejdic and Jew Jakob Finci. In its Conclusions, the EU Council also calls for the full implementation of a number of decisions of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court. In the Ljubic case, this institution found in 2016 that the existing election law in B&H discriminates against the constituent peoples. In a letter to the prime minister, Milanovic claims that the government is declaratively committed to protecting the rights of Croats in B&H, while it withdraws whenever it is necessary to take decisive action, such as a possible blockade of this unacceptable document. He stressed that Croatia must not support any document that requires our consent, which would not contain basic elements of protection of the Croatian people, such as the constitutively of all three peoples, guarantee their legitimate representation and full respect for the Dayton Accords. “I expect, therefore, that the government of the Republic of Croatia in its activities, primarily in the EU but also in all other forums and international organizations of which Croatia is a member, acts in this way. Only such a clear position and its firm and uncompromising implementation will receive my full support as a co-creator of the foreign policy of the Republic of Croatia,” concluded the President in his letter.

Plenkovic comments on Council Conclusions on Bosnia (Hina) 

The conclusions by the Council of the European Union concerning B&H contain everything that is important for the Croats in that country, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Brussels on Thursday. “Whenever the Dayton agreement is mentioned, that implies the constituent peoples. Any reference to Constitutional Court judgments implies the judgment in the Ljubic case, which concerns legitimate representation. All that is essential is in there, but one should have background knowledge and be able to decipher the conclusions, what they actually mean,” Plenkovic told reporters in response to criticisms from President Zoran Milanovic regarding the Council’s conclusions on enlargement. The prime minister said that these conclusions, adopted by EU ministers for European affairs on Tuesday, were much better for the Croats in B&H than those adopted at the NATO summit this summer when the Croatian delegation was headed by Milanovic. Milanovic had threatened to block the adoption of the joint NATO declaration unless a reference was made to the Dayton agreement, constituent peoples, and electoral reform. Eventually, it was agreed to mention the Dayton agreement and the need for electoral reform. Commenting on Milanovic’s claim that Croatia should block conclusions whenever it failed to have its views incorporated into them, Plenkovic said that this was done only in extreme cases. “Anyone well-versed in European topics will not do that. This is done only in extreme cases when there is no other way.” He said that Croatia knew how to protect its interests, as in the case of Croats in B&H, and that it was constructive towards its neighbor. “It is also a wise interlocutor who knows how to get what it wants through very complicated negotiations involving a lot of member states, without antagonizing all others.” Plenkovic said that the latest conclusions were not linked to ongoing talks on the reform of electoral legislation in B&H, which are mediated by the United States and the European Union. “We included everything of importance to the Croats in B&H and sent strong messages,” the PM said. Milanovic has criticized the Council’s conclusions on enlargement and called out the Croatian government for supporting the conclusions because “they do not guarantee the rights of the Croats as a constituent people in B&H”, according to a press release from the President’s Office.

Markovic: DF has our support for shortening the mandate (RTCG) 

Former prime minister and MP of the Democratic Party of Socialists Dusko Markovic said that the initiative of the Democratic Front to shorten the mandate of the parliament can be supported only by the votes of the opposition, whose support the DF does not want. Markovic also assessed that early elections are the healthiest democratic way to solve the political crisis in Montenegro. The initiative of the opposition to vote no confidence in the government, as Markovic said, was legitimate. A new initiative, announced for January by DPS Vice President Ivan Vukovic, is possible, so it will be shown in the coming days whether that will happen. Markovic assessed that checking the trust of the government in the parliament in such circumstances is a normal democratic tool. He reminds that the Montenegrin government is unique in the world because it does not have the support of the majority that elected it. “Out of 41 deputies who voted for the government, more than 11 deputies of their own majority do not have support at the moment. And you have 40 opposition MPs who do not support it because of the results. It is clear that she has no legitimacy. “In a democratic life, the prime minister is obliged to offer the parliament to vote on its trust,” Markovic pointed out. He also believes that our country has not gone through a serious social, institutional and political crisis in the last 30 years. “That is why we must all be worried about where Montenegro is going and what its perspective is. The Government is responsible for such a situation, we see that in these years we have not made any progress in any sphere of social life” said Markovic. As he said, today Montenegro is the most divided since we have been dealing with politics, and we have an economic stagnation, suspension of investments, job losses, decline in living standards… “Not to stagnate on the EU path, but to fall back on that path, which was confirmed by the report of the European Commission,” said the former prime minister.

Jokovic: As for the SNP, goodbye to Krivokapic and this government; Ibrahimovic: The government is doomed, it is counting the last days (CdM) 

Milos Konatar from GP URA said that the Memorandum of Cooperation, which was signed by part of the government and minority parties, “is not goodbye to the current government”. Vladimir Jokovic from the Socialist People’s Party said that as far as that party is concerned, it’s a goodbye to Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic and this government”. Konatar points out that one of the shortcomings of the government is that it does not include minorities at the moment. He pointed out that the agreement is a new quality on the political scene. “Those who attack the Memorandum forget that we have been calling for dialogue for years, coming out of the trenches,” Konatar said. Asked whether they informed their colleagues from the Democrats and the DF before signing the Memorandum, Konatar answered that they did not, but also that “they did not inform them when they signed the historic agreement from September”. “Everyone chooses their company. Someone has to build a base and start a train. We have invited everyone who share the goals written in the memorandum to sign it. The Democrats expressed their indignation… We did not do this in secret, we reached an agreement on the memorandum in a short time,” said Konatar. Vladimir Jokovic from the SNP said that they are not obliged to submit a report to anyone on what they will sign and with whom. “We were in the coalition For the Future of Montenegro, but we are the SNP older than the DF and any other party. This is a step forward, a message to the domestic and international community. Montenegro is no longer the same. We want reconciliation in Montenegro on the basis of values ​​that are generally accepted by all,” he said. Jokovic said that the Memorandum was signed because of the future government, which, in his opinion, should include minorities. He said that “as far as the SNP is concerned, it’s a goodbye to Krivokapic and to this government formed and initiated in this way. We gave everything for this government and it closed the door to the SNP, and that is not acceptable,” said Jokovic. He points out that “this government has lost so much support in a short time, I think it is a champion”. “First, we have to see when and how, and whether there will be a vote of confidence in this government at all. I think that the most correct thing would be for the Prime Minister to go to the parliament and ask for support if there are 41 deputies. That is the most moral thing at the moment,” points out Jokovic. He says that the SNP never betrayed anyone. “No one has bought us, nor will anyone buy us. The memorandum is a step forward,” the leader of the SNP is clear. Ervin Ibrahimovic of the Bosniak Party (BS) said the Memorandum of Cooperation called for talks, tolerance and understanding. Asked whether the BS has the right option to keep this current majority with the smaller ones in the government, Ibrahimovic answered that he does not know whether this will grow into a minority government, but he thinks that it is a good way to think about it. “Let’s listen to how the citizens will react to this. I believe in the maturation of all parties and processes in Montenegro. “If the parties support this Memorandum of Cooperation, as well as civil, anti-fascist, multiethnic Montenegro, everyone is welcome,” he said. From Democratic Montenegro, Dragan Krapovic said he would call the agreement a “Memorandum without a position on key issues”. “You asked if this Memorandum leads to the creation of a new government – Mr. Konatar said no, Mr. Jokovic yes, and Mr. Ibrahimovic does not know, but that it would be good to think about it. So much for the conciseness of this document,” said Krapovic. He reminded that we had a political agreement signed last year. “Unlike this memorandum, this agreement treats exactly what are the obstacles in the political and foreign policy sense… It treats them exactly to the end. 90 percent of those things are not in this memorandum. In previous years, we have been arguing about the issue of Kosovo, NATO, Srebrenica… There is nothing of that in this memorandum,” said Krapovic. “Abazovic does not have informal meetings with Djukanovic and they do not discuss how to take the country to the Dark Ages.” When asked whether he is negotiating with the President of the DPS and the state, Milo Djukanovic, and whether the Deputy Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, met with him, Konatar answered that he is not negotiating. “Accusations came from the Democrats without any basis. Abazovic, outside of official meetings, does not have informal meetings with Djukanovic to discuss some dark topics on how to take this country into the dark Middle Ages. Those accusations are constantly coming from the Democrats, which I cannot understand,” Konatar said. Krapovic asked Konatar if he would overthrow the government with the DPS. Konatar told him that he presents himself as an altar of truth before which they should take oaths. “You who are eternally restrained and undecided on key issues. Those yellow dots on the screens in the Assembly. Whenever something is voted on, you abstain undecided,” said Konatar, citing the example of voting for the president of the SEC and former Minister of Justice Vladimir Leposavic. He told Krapovic that Democrats “sometimes have to have an attitude”. Krapovic said that they did not make a secret agreement with the DF. “The product of our meeting is the fact that we sat several times in the complete composition of the majority and it was stated – that we have differences between the Democrats and the DF and that because of that the majority does not work. And then we were told – it would be best if the Democrats and the DF agreed first, so everyone else would find their place somewhere. Of course, we agreed,” said Krapovic.

Mickoski: In 2022 I expect early parliamentary elections and a stable government formed by VMRO-DPMNE (TV21) 

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday on TV21 that he expects parliamentary elections next year in which VMRO-DPMNE will form the next government with a large majority, which will be stable and which will be able to deal with the challenges that this government cannot meet. In 2022 I expect early parliamentary elections, and we will work on holding early parliamentary elections, and then I expect with a large majority VMRO-DPMNE to form a new government, a stable government that will be able to deal with the challenges that this government cannot meet, Mickoski said. Mickoski explained that the pre-election coalition with some of the Albanian parties as an opportunity depends on many factors that are primarily common interests and the common platform to be formed which should contain the values of the new social agreement of the second epoch which was promoted at the VMRO-DPMNE Congress. Mickoski, pointed out that he expects all parties that are part of the criminal SDSM-DUI government to leave the coalition, which has no plan for the country and leads it to the abyss. They believed in European values, ie to give a chance to the process, we see that there is no date, we will see now what the excuse will be of the most criminal government in Europe, says Mickoski. He stressed that he expects all political parties that do not agree with the policies of DUI and SDSM to leave that coalition, not only Alternative but also other parties.

If we exclude the personal interest of a few and try to set a goal, can we reach that goal with these people, and even if all of us agree to give them another year, two, four they have no plan, they go straight to abyss but they carry us in it and all of us, until now we were quiet, so as not to be an excuse that someone did not get a date because of us, and we did not allow ourselves to be an excuse, now people are frustrated and say now what are you doing, so we demand parliamentary elections, said Mickoski.

Mickoski: Ahmeti and I talked about a new agreement with Bulgaria and early parliamentary elections (TV21) 

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski said that he met with DUI leader Ali Ahmeti to discuss a new agreement with Bulgaria and early parliamentary elections. Regarding the meeting, we talked about two topics. One about the possible and potential new contract, because we already have one and it should have been a solution to our problems. Dates from planes were announced and so on… And the second topic was early parliamentary elections, about which I stated my position immediately after the meeting. I do not expect that the government will come out and say early elections, that is why we are here to organize elections as soon as possible. Because the situation now frustrates a large majority of Macedonian citizens because they are not properly represented in the government, and I said that we have such a government due to political ignorance, Mickoski said.

Bulgarian President Radev tells Macedonia that it must change its Constitution (Republika/Euractiv) 

In an interview with Euractiv, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that Macedonia will have to amend its Constitution and include the Bulgarians, along the other ethnic groups in the country. It is one word, Radev told the Bulgarian Euractiv editor Georgi Gotev, while explaining the decision to maintain the veto against Macedonia’s EU accession talks. Radev accused Macedonia of increased levels of “hate speech” against Bulgaria, of not rewriting its history books quick enough and of “falsifying and destroying the Bulgarian cultural and historic heritage”. A growing new issue for Bulgaria is the alleged mistreatment of ethnic Bulgarians who live in Macedonia, whose number Radev put at about 120,000. This corresponds to the number of dual citizenships Bulgaria issued to Macedonian citizens, but anecdotally, it’s known that most of them have used the passports as a way to access the EU labor market.

On the eve of the National Assembly, head of DP Basha calls for democrats to choose the future (Radio Tirana) 

A day before the National Assembly of the Democratic Party, the head of this political force, Lulzim Basha, posted a video message. His chosen slogan was ”We chose the future”!!

For several months, the largest opposition PD has been involved in intense developments.

This is after the US Department of State declared “non grata” the former leader of the Democratic Party and former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his family, for acts of corruption that undermine democracy. This decision was accompanied by his removal from the DP parliamentary group by leader Basha. This brought unrest within this party, where the deputies and its members were divided into two parts, supporters of Sali Berisha, a historical leader of this party, and supporters of Lulzim Basha, who currently holds the seal and leadership of the Democratic Party. Berisha initiated the meeting of the national assembly and demanded the dismissal of Lulzim Basha, while he openly announced his intention to regain the chairmanship of the Democratic Party. On 18 December, he called a referendum on the dismissal of Basha by party members. It is expected that the following days will be crucial for the DP and the fates of the two main figures of this political force Berisha and Basha.