LOCAL PRESS

Finance Committee accepts Serbia-Albania agreement on recognition of security certificates (Tanjug/RTS)

The Serbian parliamentary Committee on Finance on Tuesday accepted the agreement between the governments of Serbia and Albania on mutual recognition of security and safety certificates issued by the customs services of the two countries to trusted economic entities that will bring multiple business benefits, as previously agreed in Tirana. The agreement on mutual recognition of “AEO S” approval was signed by the leaders of the two states on 21 December in Tirana, and after the green light of the committee, it will be in the Assembly of Serbia, where it will be confirmed as law. As explained, “AEO S” status is granted by the Serbian Customs Administration to economic entities that meet special security and safety requirements, so the customs service believes that they are reliable partners. There are currently 37 business entities in the “AEO S” status in Serbia, and the agreement with Albania enables them to use the privileges acquired through the trust of customs with the customs authorities of Albania. Thanks to the reciprocity, economic entities from Albania will be able to use the benefits in that status in procedures before Serbian customs authorities. Companies with “AEO S” status enjoy expedited procedures, reduced formalities before the customs authorities and lower costs of that procedure. Mutual recognition of “AEO S” status, it has been assessed, brings multiple benefits to the business community. Such companies submit documentation with a smaller set of data to the customs authorities, have priority in the review process if they are selected for control, and may require that customs control be performed elsewhere than the place set by the customs authority.

Godfrey: We call on Kurti to adhere to the Brussels agreement (TV Prva/B92)

US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey spoke about the relations between Russia and our country, that is, the agreement between the two countries on gas. He stated that the best idea would be “diversification of energy sources”. “Serbia has to make its own decisions, the best idea is to introduce different energy sources. Diversification and the way they produce energy. We have a saying in America: ‘You don’t want to put all your eggs in the same basket’. If you rely only on supply from Russia, it will be harder for you to negotiate a good price”, Godfrey told TV Prva on Wednesday. “I expect that Serbia will participate in an important project for the import of gas through Greece, which is a very important partnership,” the US Ambassador added, adding that it was important for our country to introduce new ways of energy production, i.e. green energy. He pointed out that Russia uses access to energy for political purposes. “I talked a lot with Vucic and I am happy that we are talking directly. For the future, it is best for Serbia to diversify energy, because then it will have a better price. Russia uses access to energy for political purposes,” Godfrey said, adding that Serbia should not be held hostage. Asked whether the United States considers military cooperation with Russia at a time of tensions with Ukraine, Godfrey said that America was worried about the situation in Ukraine. “These are important goals. Serbia has opted for military neutrality… But we are proud that Serbia is a partner with the United States. Bilateral security cooperation is at the highest level, Serbia buys military equipment from America, France… If I were in this region, I would like to ask myself what are the military goals of Serbia and what is the money spent on those things, and not on infrastructure and energy… We recently had a parachute exercise with the Serbian Army,” Godfrey said. “The United States does not see Serbia as a threat, what I would look at is how Serbia treats its neighbors and how its neighbors perceive it,” the US Ambassador said, emphasizing that neighboring countries should see it as “the locomotive of the region”. When asked what he thinks about Kosovo and Metohija and the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), he pointed out that “the United States supports a dialogue that EU supports”. “We call on Kurti to adhere to the Brussels agreement. Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak has put pressure on the inclusion of the issue of Community of Serb Municipalities and I expect it to be discussed. I share your dissatisfaction. This is the biggest obstacle to creating greater stability in the region. I expect Serbia and Kosovo to make progress, because they have to. If they want to provide a better life, all this must be done. Belgrade and Pristina must create a solution themselves, it cannot come from Russia, the US or the EU. There are steps that indicate the improvement. For example, the license plate conflict was resolved through Brussels,” Godfrey said. There is a provision in the Washington agreement on the 5G network, according to which parts should not be procured by “unreliable customers”. Next year, a tender will be held in Serbia, so Godfrey was asked how the United States would react if the job went to a Chinese company. “I talked to Minister Matic, it is important that Serbia understands America’s views. There is a risk. Some foreign investors see Chinese companies as unreliable, they would not want to cooperate within a network where such companies are involved. That could be an obstacle to foreign investment. Serbia should be aware of that,” Godfrey said. Speaking about the legal advisor in the Balkans, he pointed out that “the United States has strong cooperation with Serbia regarding the rule of law”. Commenting on the elections, Godfrey stated that it is not the job of a foreign government to interfere in the political processes in the country. “We expect all citizens of Serbia to participate in the elections and get the opportunity to express their views. I think that Serbia together with the representatives of the EP is on a good path to improve the conditions for the elections, but there is still work to be done. There is also OSCE report, because that organization will also assess the elections. A referendum is ahead of you and I see that people are considering whether it is good or bad, Vucic said that these norms are important for Serbia’s path to the EU. I hope that people will take part in the elections and express their position,” Godfrey explained. “We noticed that the lack of transparency in the court is a big obstacle and I expressed hope that this will improve the situation, and that this will lead to an increase in investments.” He also referred to the participation of members of the opposition in the upcoming elections in April next year. “We believe that the boycott is not helping anyone. All voters have the right to be able to choose a candidate depending on their views. I expect that political diversity will improve,” Godfrey said. Speaking to USAID, he pointed out that he was proud of the work of that organization in Serbia. He stated that the original goal was to build the infrastructure, while now he wants to establish and improve the business rating. The special envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar spoke about possible sanctions against the Republika Srpska (RS), that is, against Milorad Dodik. Godfrey believes that this situation is not in Serbia’s favor. “He understands that instability can have terrible consequences for Serbia, i.e. on its economic development. Serbia is not helped by instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). We are glad that Serbia has independence and territorial integrity. Sanctions are among the options,” Godfrey said. The United States hopes that Dodik will understand that B&H is a complete state. Speaking about his successor in that position, Christopher Hill, he said that this diplomat has an extensive experience. However, he pointed out that America’s attitude towards Serbia will not change.

“The policy towards Serbia towards the Western Balkans remains consistent, regardless of the ambassador,” Godfrey pointed out, adding that he was glad that relations between Serbia and the United States had improved. He pointed out that he would miss his friends from Serbia, adding that Serbia is an “amazing country”.

Botsan-Kharchenko presents Stefanovic with medal (Tanjug)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko presented the medal of the Russian state corporation Rostec to Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic for his great personal contribution to the development of Russian-Serbian military-technical cooperation.

Botsan-Kharchenko stressed that he was honored to have the opportunity to present the decoration to Minister Stefanovic. “You truly deserve this decoration, because since you became the minister of defense, we have made several steps and progress in the development of our militar and especially military-technical cooperation,” said Botsan-Kharchenko. Stefanovic thanked the Russian Ambassador and Russian state company Rostec representative Aleksandr Vosmirk for this honor and special recognition. “For me, this medal is another confirmation of the strong Russian-Serbian friendship and a symbol of our successful military-technical and other forms of cooperation. I am glad that, at least in small part, in addition to President Vucic, I was able to contribute to its progress. All systems from the Russian Federation which arrived this and which will arrive in the coming years, also confirm the closeness of our relations, but also show that our army is being modernized,” said Stefanovic. On this occasion he also thanked the Ambassador for helping the anti-tank systems Cornet, as agreed by President Vucic and President Putin, arrive in Serbia before the New Year.

Stefanovic on the procurement of Cornets: Serbia has a powerful weapon now (RTS)

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) on Tuesday that the Cornet anti-tank missiles made in Russia, which arrived in Serbia in mid-December, are a really impressive weapon and that Serbia has a really powerful weapon now. He also explains what new weapons will be procured in the forthcoming period, and whether Soviet or French aircraft will be procured. The Russian-made Cornet anti-tank missiles arrived in Serbia in mid-December. It is one of the most modern anti-tank weapons systems. “It is a really impressive weapon, it is a man-portable anti-tank system that can engage all armored targets, tanks, armored personnel carriers and bunkers, both mobile and immobile targets, at distances of up to eight kilometers, which is a really impressive distance and the Serbian Armed Forces have a really powerful weapon now,” says Stefanovic. He added that Cornet has a great penetrating power, it can go through 1200 mm of reactive armor. “It is a very defensive weapon which makes sure that no armored vehicle can pose a threat to the country, and that no aggression can be directed at Serbia, because we have an adequate weapon against any tank that might step on our territory,” he added. He points out that the Cornet missiles will be issued primarily to the 72nd Special Operations Brigade. “They will be mounted on our Milos vehicles, but they will also be distributed to other units that need this weapon, in accordance with the General Staff’s estimate.

142 million Euros will be invested in Serbian factories
The 2022 budget allocated to the Serbian Armed Forces is over a billion euros, and Stefanovic says that this is not just an increase in budget, but a strategic investment intended for building the capabilities of our country, our industry and armed forces, but also for procuring foreign weapons, because we need to follow trends. He said that it was agreed with President Vucic that 142 million Euros should be invested in domestic factories. “Those funds have not been allocated for the procurement of anything, they have been allocated to factories to increase their capabilities, because we want them to keep up with the times.  Those are huge funds, and we want them to use those funds to increase their production capacity and produce more and better quality equipment than before,” said Stefanovic. In addition to that, he said that 1.25 billion Euros will be spent mostly on domestic products, i.e. products manufactured by those factories. “They will have a very ambitious and demanding task, to fulfil the General Staff’s procurement demands,” he added.

What new weapons are coming
Minister Stefanovic also announced what new weapons will arrive in our country next year.
“In 2022, we will get six new Noras, six new domestic howitzers to complete one full division, we currently have 12 of them, but we will have 18 next year, 12 new PASARS systems, 18 new Lazars, 20 new Milos vehicles, 10 new MRAPs – these are armored personnel carriers with the highest degree of protection, 2,000 new ballistic equipment kits and 2,000 modular rifles produced by Zastava,” said Stefanovic. In addition, we will also get three Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, 18 sets of Mistral missiles that will be mounted on PASARS systems, five Little Milos vehicles, 66 Hummers, and 10 BOV armored vehicles. “It is only what we have already paid for and that has already been produced mostly by domestic factories,” he said. In addition, he says, 22 new radars have been agreed upon, which will arrive in the forthcoming years, and that will increase the Air Force’s capability to monitor the entire territory. “We will receive four Mi-35s over the next few years, four helicopters that we ordered from the Russian Federation. These are real flying beasts armed with very powerful weapons, two CASA C-295 transport aircraft that will help our Air Force personnel acquire a new ability, because these are serious transport aircraft, and very important for paratroopers,” says Stefanovic. He points out that 10 X-145 Airbus helicopters and two new Pantsir batteries will arrive in the coming years. “This will significantly strengthen and provide greater security to our sky,” he added.

Will we buy Mi-35s from Cyprus  
The purchase of Mi-35s from Cyprus was also mentioned. When asked if it pays to purchase those used helicopters, Stefanovic said that the Air Force will make an assessment, and it all depends on the price. “It’s not just a purchase. It includes modernization and overhaul gear and the installation of completely new parts. Complete overhaul is performed by removing everything from the helicopters and installing new parts, so you practically get new helicopters,” Stefanovic explained. Then the price of the helicopter, overhaul and modernization with a set of spare parts, set of weapons and helicopter storage facilities is calculated. “That is one of the problems we have, we are trying to quickly build hangars and halls to store all that,” he added. “When you calculate the total cost, you decide whether it pays or not, but there are a few more questions – do we have a better option, do we have an alternative, can we get it cheaper, faster, more efficiently? Do we have mechanics trained to work on this type of helicopters, do we have pilots trained to fly them, do we know how to use them tactically and strategically,” he said.
According to him, our current opinion is that it will suit us, but the Air Force will make the final decision on whether we need it or not. Regarding the fighter aviation and whether we will be able to choose between Russian and French aircraft, Stefanovic says that either way, a huge amount of money is in question, and that the matter is under strategic consideration. “According to what the Air Force told the President, they are more in favor of purchasing the French Rafale fighter jets, but after in-depth analyses, we will see what the Armed Forces will decide on,” Stefanovic concluded.

Dacic: 15 February deadline for dissolution of parliament (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic on Wednesday said the parliament must be dissolved 45 days before parliamentary elections and that this meant that, if next year’s parliamentary elections were to be held on 3 April, the deadline for dissolving the parliament and calling the elections was 15 February. At a press conference in the parliament building, Dacic said this was a prerogative of the president of Serbia and that he, as parliament speaker, had the authority to call elections for the Belgrade city assembly and the councils of other local authorities. Dacic said he also had the power to call presidential elections, noting that this may be done no later than 90 days before the expiry of his term.

Djilas convinced of opposition victory in elections for Belgrade mayor and presidential race (Nova/Beta)

Freedom and Justice Party leader Dragan Djilas said on Tuesday that an opposition candidate in the elections for Belgrade mayor, due next April, would be an individual who symbolized everything the capital city was, stressing that he was certain that the opposition candidate would win the vote. Speaking to Belgrade daily Nova, Djilas said he was expecting “an identical outcome” of the presidential race. “I am absolutely convinced that the candidates will be individuals whom citizens could imagine discharging the posts of Belgrade mayor and also of Serbian president. The candidate for Belgrade mayor will symbolize everything Belgrade actually is – a major city with a soul. A presidential candidate will ensure discontinuation of divisions among our people and in the society as a whole,” Djilas stressed. Asked to comment on results of an opinion recently poll carried out by polling agency Faktor Plus, according to which the Serbian Progressive Party enjoyed 57 percent of support without its partners, Djilas said that polls served to discourage the opponents of the regime. “All who are involved in such activities will be held accountable as was the case in Greece and Austria,” Djilas noted.

Dveri: Vucic changing Constitution according to dictate from Brussels (Beta)

Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic said on Tuesday that if President Aleksandar Vucic owed something to Brussels and those who brought him to power in 2012, then he should pay it back out of his own pocket and not try to change the Serbian Constitution. “I call on all of Serbia’s citizens, regardless of whether they belong to the left or right, west or east, are in the government or in the opposition, to together, loudly and clearly, out of spite, say ‘NO’ to changing the Constitution. I invite all citizens who oppose Serbia joining the EU, or over 50 percent of all citizens, to confirm their stance in a referendum by choosing ‘NO’ to Brussels’ dictate,” Obradovic said in a written statement. “By joining forces, regardless of our ideological and political differences, we can stop the incumbent authorities which are being blackmailed by the EU in their attempt to turn Serbia into a colony or garbage heap. We can do this – together! We will not give our Constitution! We will not give our shrines! We will not give Serbia! The Serbian Constitution and Serbia are not for sale!”, Obradovic added.

Vucic’s claim: “I’m not often on TV” declared lie of 2021 (Istinomer/N1/NSPM)

In the traditional annual poll by Istinomer, a fact-checking media, readers chose President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that “I do not often appear on television” as the lie of the year.

The president’s question “were there any elections?” during a TV interview months after the 2020 elections organized amid the coronavirus epidemic was a runner-up. The third place went to Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, who, referring to his plagiarized doctorate, claimed he proved he “did not steal anything”. “I don’t often appear on television. I answer journalists’ questions more, and I always want to use this opportunity on TV,” Vucic said on 11 January, during a talk show on RTS. The Istinomer team calculated that in 2020, Vucic appeared on TV channels 37 times, besides the paid ads in the election campaign or several-minute-long statements. In November this year, Vucic said he hadn’t been on the state RTS TV’s prime time for eight or nine months. “I have been (there) every day as president, not as the party leader. I exaggerated a bit, not every day,” he said. Vucic added he was not “an arrogant fool to say that I’m not there, and to some, it seems ubiquitous because of the large number of activities and maybe the impression is that I’m dominant compared to other politicians”. “I’m not stupid not to see I’m omnipresent. I got bored myself. I just asked why some can and some can’t be on RTS,” he said.

Istinomer evaluates public officials’ and politicians’ statements and analyses important social and economic issues. Arguments are evaluated according to truthfulness, consistency and fulfilment of promises.

Locals appalled by President Vucic’s statement about Rio Tinto; New roadblocks (N1/nova.rs)

The locals in western Serbia where Rio Tinto plans a lithium mine have said on Tuesday they are appalled by President Aleksandar Vucic‘s statement that the Anglo-Australian company Jadar Project won’t be withdrawn, despite environmentalist protests that blocked the country for two weekends in a row. Nebojsa Petkovic of Ne Damo Jadar (We Don’t Give Jadar) organization told N1 that the villagers of Gornje Nedeljice, the central spot for Rio Tinto’s plan, would continue with roadblocks across the country on 3 January. “On 16 December, we demanded the government to return the Rio Tinto’s issue to square one,” he said, adding Serbia could get out of the Project. “If it turns out that something is not environmentally OK if experts say the processing cannot be healthy, that nature will be devastated, why someone’s 400 million Euros investment should be a problem,” Petkovic asked. Petkovic said that Serbia’s Association of Environmentalist Organizations (SEOS) decided to start with roadblocks again on 3 January for three hours, from 1 to 4 pm. He called on people to join to enable the coordination and added they already had four locations planes for the blockades. “After that, on Saturdays of the 8th, 15th… To see who will give up first,” he warned, adding that for the time being, only the SEOS organized the blockades. “We call on all NGOs and environmental organizations to join us, and I hope that the Go – Change movement will support us,” Petkovic said. He added he believed the same number of protesters would turn out as during the last roadblocks. Aleksandar Jovanovic, an activist, told the nova.rs website his organization would join the new protest. “I call on people to join in big numbers and organize huge blockades. Rio Tinto has no plan to leave Serbia,” Jovanovic said.

Working Group for Security, Protection of Journalists holds meeting (Novosti)

The Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists held on Tuesday an extraordinary online meeting on the decision of the Court of Appeals to overturn the first instance verdict against Dragoljub Simonovic, Vladimir Mihailovic and Aleksandar Marinkovic. This is a case in which the injured party is the journalist Milan Jovanovic from Grocka, which the Working Group, as well as the entire public, followed in detail. The members of the Working Group pointed to the fact that the decision of the Court of Appeals was made at the end of November and expressed dissatisfaction that it was not delivered to all parties to the proceedings on time. They also appealed to judicial institutions to deliver decisions to interested parties in a timely manner and without delay. It was pointed out at the meeting that it is necessary to reach a final verdict in this case as soon as possible, and that efficiency in the repeated procedure is extremely important bearing in mind the current course of the case and the duration. The Working Group expressed the expectation that the repeated part of the proceedings will be completed as soon as possible, in accordance with the law. The officials also discussed ways in which journalist Milan Jovanovic can be concretely helped and supported. The working group supported the initiative to organize a solidarity action in which, in the next month, the necessary RSD 2.5 million will be collected for the renovation of the burned house of Jovanovic. The funds to help journalist Jovanovic can be paid into the following gyro accounts:

– For dinar funds 265-1100310006448-08

– For foreign currency 265-1000000017731-14

Payments will be received until the goal of RSD 2.5 million is reached, and once the goal is reached, the dedicated account will not accept new payments. All additional information about this solidarity action can also be obtained through the SOS hotline for reporting attacks on journalists (0800 100115), which has just started as a result of an agreement within the Working Group for Security and Protection of Journalists and the Association of Independent Electronic Media. The working group proposed, and the Ministry of the Interior accepted, a security assessment for Milan Jovanovic. The working group will consider and propose to the government of Serbia the way in which funds would be provided in the coming period that would be available to journalists whose property was damaged by committing a crime and that would be returned after compensation proceedings by perpetrators. It was agreed that this would be a topic at the next meeting of the Working Group, in order to find a permanent mechanism for similar situations. The meeting was attended by representatives of the OSCE Mission, the EU Delegation to Serbia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

EU: Goal for 2022 to envision solution for W. Balkans stalemate (Beta)

In the upcoming year, the European Union should, with the support of a more involved Washington, envision ways to resolve the Western Balkans’ standstill, particularly with regards to the threat of escalation in B&H and the deadlock in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, diplomatic sources in Brussels said on Wednesday. Discussing the changes 2021 brought to the world, EU High Representative Josep Borrell warned that the increasingly frequent divisive rhetoric and actions in the Western Balkans, especially in B&H, have hindered efforts to bring the region’s six countries closer to a European future. Determined to participate more actively in resolving the Balkan’s “unfinished business”, Washington’s new administration has also named new envoys to the Western Balkans, professionals with hands-on experience in local affairs. However, it is yet to be seen what policy Germany’s new government will adopt toward the Balkans, a factor that has always held weight in the region. Sources within the EU further maintain that French President Emmanuel Macron should also be expected to increase his country’s involvement in overcoming the region’s new tensions. Expounding on France’s plans for chairing the EU as of 1 January, Macron, who will face elections in April, cautioned that “history is returning” to the Western Balkans, which can “sometimes be tragic”. Officials within the EU Council of Ministers have stated that both EU members and the European Commission are quite worried by the Western Balkans’ overall lack of progress with regards to key reforms in the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. The crisis in B&H and the impasse in negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina are considered the region’s most grievous issues.

REGIONAL PRESS

Sarovic: Autonomy of RS, FB&H is product of DPA (VoA/BNTV/N1)

The leader of SDS Mirko Sarovic stated for the Voice of America (VoA) that autonomy of the RS and the FB&H is a product of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Sarovic said that the DPA does not represent an obstacle for progress but people who do not implement it. According to Sarovic, we should talk about normal life-related issues in the next year and whether economy and B&H getting closer to the European integration will be the main topic. In his opinion, this is the only right path and the other one is the one that leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik is leading and he is mostly doing it because of his personal reasons in order to get attention of citizens for the purpose of the upcoming elections. Sarovic assessed that Dodik desperately wants to win another mandate and if he fails, he will be in a big danger. Sarovic added that the elites will demand the support of citizens in the upcoming elections and then they will solve the crisis issues that are projected to happen. Sarovic said Dodik is leading B&H into issues and a conflict with his activities. He added that Dodik is playing with fire and promoting an irresponsible policy that can have serious consequences. Sarovic assessed that the DPA is not a bad document and it is being affected by those who do not implement it. He said that he does not believe Dodik when he says that he will withdraw competences, since he did not explain how he will exactly do this.

Dodik: Sarovic is best proof how international community led by US disciplines politicians in RS through B&H judiciary (Srna)

SNSD leader Milorad Dodik told Srna on Tuesday that SDS leader Mirko Sarovic is the best proof of how the international community, led by the US, is disciplining politicians in the RS through the B&H judiciary. “After the torture he went through in the process that obviously broke him both mentally and politically, today Sarovic is saying everything that is brought to him on paper. Even Muslims are tired of false alarms with stories about war and conflicts, but Sarovic seems to prefer being a bigger Muslim than those in SDA and continues to repeat their story,” said Dodik when asked to comment on Sarovic’s statement that Dodik’s actions “directly push into the problem and conflict, i.e. the potential danger of war”. Dodik added: “What Sarovic has been saying for months are the views of SDA and (SDA leader) Bakir Izetbegovic. I keep asking him what the stance of SDS is and whether he has asked anyone in SDS in recent years whether that party should follow SDA or the RS.”

Lukac and Kasipovic questioned at B&H Prosecutor’s Office (RTRS)

RS Minister of Interior Dragan Lukac testified as a witness in the B&H Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday in the case related to an attack on the constitutional order of B&H. He said that the prosecutor was interested in the preparation process of the RS government for the special session of the RS parliament about the transfer of competences. RS Minister of Justice Anton Kasipovic testified on Tuesday as well. He said that during the questioning there was no mentioning of undermining the constitutional organization of B&H, but the activities of the RS government in regards to the special session of the RS parliament. Kasipovic said that he was not questioned whether the government supported the activities of the RS parliament, but added that by participating in these activities his and the stance of others is very clear. Kasipovic expressed hope that this case will remain within framework of the Criminal Code.

US Embassy to B&H rejects rhetoric encouraging division of B&H (FTV)

FTV carries that, reacting to recent statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the US Embassy to B&H stated it rejects any rhetoric, be it in or outside of B&H, that encourages division and tensions in the country. FTV reports that the US Embassy also stated that “offensive stereotypes have no place in political speech. Words have consequences, and such rhetoric only contributes to rising tensions, erosion of social cohesion and, ultimately, poses a threat to the security and stability of B&H, the Western Balkans and Europe”.

Dodik: There can be no B&H without third entity (HRT1)

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik gave an interview for HRT1. B&H is experiencing the worst political crisis since signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), noted the presenter. Negotiations to amend the disputed election law have not made any progress. Croats insist on them the most, demanding that they can elect their own political representatives. Former High Representative Valentin Inzko caused great dissatisfaction of the RS leadership, who withdrew from B&H institutions, by imposing amendments to the Criminal Code that sanction any denial of genocide and war crimes. In addition, Dodik is threatening to ban the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office to operate in the RS and take over the powers to appoint judges and prosecutors. In Sarajevo, they immediately assessed such demands as overthrowing of the state and a step towards secession of the entities from B&H. Dodik, on the other hand, claims that everything is in line with the DPA. Asked whether the decision on de facto exit from the constitutional order of B&H, which he made on 10 December, could be completed without a new war, Dodik said that the war as an option is not an option. “This is not a way out of the constitutional order, it is a return to the constitutional order. When you read the Constitution, then you will see that it is an application, we are committed to the application of the Constitution and the constitutional order. There were many deviations in B&H. B&H has failed to come to life all this time. Regardless of the blatant violation of the Constitution by foreigners who hold B&H as the only colony in Europe”, stated Dodik. In comment to Dodik’s announced return of competencies and how that would not leave B&H with much. Dodik commented: “B&H is not given much by the Constitution, so nothing is taken away from it. B&H is returning to the constitutional order. It was taken from the RS, it was taken from the FB&H, it was taken from the constituent peoples, all in order to promote a joint institution that never gave results.” When asked is there room to build a common state tailored to all three peoples, Dodik claimed: “I do not want to join many illusionists who are trying to maintain this imaginary story about B&H. It had a chance to respect, above all, the constituent peoples, which are Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks and their rights to express themselves at the B&H level. It has been falling apart for 20 years. And so B&H became malignantly ill. It has no chance of succeeding. Especially when you see at this moment that you have two peoples who express dissatisfaction with the current situation in B&H, they are Serbs, us, and Croats, who are rightly angry at this system in which they are being outvoted.” Dodik claims that Bosniaks are told in mosques to vote for the Chairman and Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic in order to outvote Croats. Dodik also claims that Komsic represents everything that is against Croatia, Croats and their interests. Asked how likely it is that a new election law will be passed by spring, Dodik commented: “We have been doing that since 2011. Well, now, if someone really has so much optimism in himself that he thinks it is possible, here I will be a realist, I think it is not possible”. Dodik added: “Muslims have captured themselves in claiming that this means, if the right is given to Croats to elect their own Croat representative to the Presidency, that it means a third entity, and they are allegedly against the third entity. And again, I do not think there can be any B&H without a third entity. I think that would be fair. And everything can be arranged. But Muslims intend to outvote, and Bakir Izetbegovic speaks openly when he says, not only in the Presidency, but now in the House of Peoples.”

Draft Economic Recovery Platform for 2022-2026 presented (gov.me)

After 6 months of intensive work, the Ministry of Economic Development prepared a draft of the Economic Recovery Platform. At Tuesday’s round table, Minister of Economic Development Jakov Milatovic said that the drafting process of the Economic Recovery Platform is characterised by complete openness to suggestions initiated by the Government during June, July, August and September this year. This approach is a comprehensive and holistic approach to drafting a complex document such as the Economic Recovery Platform and confirms the openness of the Government of Montenegro to suggestions from various actors in Montenegrin society. The platform is the basis for further design of concrete activities that will be implemented through strategic documents of the Government of Montenegro. The financial plan for the implementation of the mentioned Platform for 2022 – 2026 amounts to 4.35 billion euros.

Having in mind the difficult situation inherited from the previous government, the following principles are defined: citizens of Montenegro in the first place, stabilisation of the demographic crisis, recovery of public finances, reduction of unemployment, responsible social policy, rule of law and zero tolerance for corruption, green transition and digital economy, encouraging and nurturing private initiative, balanced regional growth and development, economy based on innovation and knowledge, promoting Montenegro as a destination for sustainable tourism, attracting foreign direct investment, strengthening control systems, improved coordination and planning of infrastructure projects and regional cooperation in the context of accelerated EU accession. The Economic Recovery Platform consists of four documents. The first document “Diagnosis of the state of the Montenegrin economy” describes the difficult economic situation that the 42nd Government of Montenegro inherited grom the previous government: record decline in GDP, record budget deficit, non-diversified economy, public debt and high interest rates, youth unemployment, grey economy and endemic corruption, large regional disparities, complex situation in the Pension and Disability Fund, demographic crisis, declining trend of the country’s credit rating, inadequate representation of women in society, high tax debt and low tax collection, high illiquidity, low economic productivity and negative international investment position of Montenegro. The second document “Analysis of financial statements of economic entities from 2015 to 2020 with additional data” analyzes the financial position of Montenegrin companies that submitted financial statements. Detailed analyzes (96 graphs and 113 tables) provide an intensive overview of the main parameters from the financial statements. The first two documents are essentially the basis for the adoption of “evidence-based policies” and are the basis for the preparation of operational objectives, indicators, priorities and measures of the Platform. As such, they can be useful to other central and local governments, but also private companies and associations in designing development policies. The third document “Reforms and Investments Submitted by Stakeholders” presents proposals by key actors in Montenegrin society. A total of 118 reform and investment proposals were submitted by 53 key actors of Montenegrin society during June, July, August and September 2021. The total value of the submitted proposals is 1.09 billion euros. The fourth part of the Economic Recovery Platform “Operational objectives, indicators, priorities and measures” defines six operational objectives for the implementation of the Economic Recovery Platform:

• Macroeconomic stability, strong and sustainable public finances
• Stabilisation of socio-demographic challenges, strengthening human resources
• Diversification of the economy, redesigning tourism
• Better implementation of infrastructure projects
• Innovation, digitalisation and the green economy
• Good governance, effective coordination and monitoring of strategic documents and projects

In order to monitor the implementation of operational objectives, 41 indicators are envisaged (13 qualitative and 28 quantitative indicators). In addition, 223 measures have been defined to implement the principles of economic recovery. The ultimate goal of the Economic Recovery Platform is to build a middle class. This goal can only be achieved by creating well-paid jobs for people who will stay to live and work in Montenegro, as well as reducing inequality and poverty to acceptable levels. In addition, by implementing the Economic Recovery Platform, Montenegro will be a fully-fledged member of the European Union in 2026, with strong and independent institutions, and with the average living standard of EU member states, said Milatovic. The Ministry of Economic Development thanks the European Union for its support in strengthening the capacity of the Ministry through the project “Establishment of a Single Access Point for SMEs – Institutional Support to the Ministry of Economic Development”, implemented by the EBRD and funded by the EU through IPA II Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance.

Kovacevski informed Byrnes that as soon as he becomes Prime Minister, he will immediately invite Petkov to a meeting (Republika)

SDSM leader Dimitar Kovacevski met Tuesday with United States Ambassador Kate Marie Byrnes, discussing a number of current topics in the interest of both countries, cooperation, Euro-Atlantic integration, challenges related to the health and energy crises, and formation of the new government. At the meeting, Kovacevski informed Byrnes that as soon as he becomes Prime Minister he will invite the new Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to visit Macedonia. He reiterated the view that it is necessary to find a mutually acceptable solution with Bulgaria to lift the veto on the start of negotiations with the EU. According to Kovacevski, it is necessary to make a plan to remove the blockade. The most important thing for us is to make a plan, together with the Bulgarian government, to remove the blockade as soon as possible, of course with a mutually acceptable solution. We need to stay committed and engaged in conversations with an honest approach. If the new Bulgarian government has the same approach, I believe it is possible to find a compromise on open issues, Kovacevski said.

Mickoski: We will not support or respect an agreement that is detrimental to our interests (Macedonian Radio)

5 + 1, 6-2, 12 + 3 or whatever you want to call those initiatives, that is the parade behind the curtain, I was pretty clear, there is a document that they call the Resolution of the Bulgarian parliament. That is the basis, that is the essence of the problem. These initiatives 5 + 1, 2 + 3, 3-1, if you want us to be naive or pretend to be naive then let’s believe. It is folklore, the essence is behind the curtain, that is the Resolution they have prepared in the Parliament, said VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski in an interview with Macedonian Radio. Mickoski added that it would be good for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to inform the MPs that negotiations are underway with Bulgaria, in order to resolve the dispute. If you ask me what VMRO-DPMNE can do in relation to the information it has, MP Milososki, who chairs the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, has already sent an invitation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Osmani to come and explain before the MPs  the direction of diplomacy and give certain details of the agreement for which certain documents are already being negotiated etc. And to say, and it is good to say how much people’s money was spent on Buckovski traveling back and forth this past year, because it is obvious that those trips are mini excursions without any benefit for the citizens, explained Mickoski. Mickoski pointed out that he would not allow the Macedonian identity to be negotiated at the airport foyer and the identity to depend on those talks and negotiations. Any agreement that would mean putting the Macedonian identity up for discussion is unacceptable for us, Mickoski said.

Speaker Xhaferi refuses opposition request for a final chance to question Zaev and his ministers (Republika)

Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi rejected the request from the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party that he convenes a session where members of parliament will be able to question the Prime Minister and government ministers. This comes after Zoran Zaev chose to leave the government without even addressing parliament, let alone allowing the representatives to field final questions about his controversial term in office. Xhaferi insisted that the Zaev government is resigning and therefore can’t be questioned. He added that he expects a new government led by the SDSM – DUI coalition, under the new SDSM party leader Dimitar Kovacevski, to be sworn in on 17 January. Kovacevski expects to be given the mandate by President Pendarovski in the next few days, after which he will have 20 days to propose a new government and a program to the parliament.

Pacolli thanked Rama for solving the momentarily energy crisis in Kosovo (Radio Tirana)

AKR MP and chairman Behgjet Pacolli has publicly thanked the Prime Minister Edi Rama. Through a post on social networks, Pacolli thanked the Prime Minister of Albania for the help he provided to Kosovo to overcome the energy crisis. According to Pacolli, a joint energy strategy between the two countries should be the next step, to reach a national consensus on the energy future of Albania and Kosovo. Earlier, Prime Minister Rama through a post on Twitter said that he will help Kosovo with every opportunity so that Kosovar families do not spend the two days of the holiday in the dark.

Albanian Army to establish a unit for cyber defense (Radio Tirana)

The Department of Defense has launched a project in collaboration with US military cyber security partners, creating greater protection against external attacks that may occur in the future. This was announced by the Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi from Elbasan during the question about the scandal with the publication of salaries and personal data of over 695,000 Albanians. To avoid similar information leaks in the future affecting the army and security systems, Peleshi said Albania would set up a military cyber defense unit. “Cyber ​​defense is a challenge for all countries. The Ministry of Defense has the responsibility to develop cyber security of military security. We have a very big project, there is no need to say it, with our American partners over 20 million euros we are setting up the military cyber defense unit, which will be a very big guarantee. “It will be a greater guarantee with American expertise and NATO centers of excellence,” Peleshi said.