LOCAL PRESS

Petkovic: Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija should be able to vote on 3 April (Politika/Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic received on Tuesday Italian Ambassador to Serbia Carlo Lo Cascio and expressed clear expectation that the international community will influence Pristina in order for Serbian elections to be in Kosovo as before, with the support of the OSCE, which would enable Serbs there to vote on 3 April and thus exercise their civil and democratic rights, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced. Petkovic informed his interlocutor on the latest events in Kosovo and Metohija, with special emphasis on the recent situation when Serbs in Kosovo were prevented from voting in the referendum on changing the Serbian Constitution, which he said was the most flagrant violation of human and civil rights of the Serb people. Petkovic also touched upon Monday’s unfounded accusations coming from political leaders in Pristina, that Belgrade “blocks the dialogue” and that there is a “long list” of agreements that Belgrade allegedly did not implement. In that context, Petkovic recalled that Belgrade has implemented all the obligations undertaken so far from the Brussels dialogue, while, on the other hand, Pristina has been refusing to form the Community of Serb Municipalities for almost nine years, as well as to implement energy agreements and allow searching nine locations in Kosovo, where, according to Belgrade, the remains of Serbs missing in the war are located.

Culture Ministry: Pristina violates Serbs’ right to freedom of speech (RTS)

The Ministry of Culture and Information strongly condemned the inability of the media in Serbian language to report from the press conference of the Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina with EU and US officials Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar. Such actions endanger the freedom of the media and the right to information guaranteed by international conventions, the Ministry said in a statement. It is added that the procedure of the provisinal institutions of self-government prevents the right of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija to true, complete and timely information and confirms the difficult and discriminated position of journalists and media in the Serbian language in Kosovo and Metohija.

The Ministry appeals to international organizations and institutions, especially in the field of protection of freedom of expression and the rights of journalists, to condemn such concerning incidents and advocate that all media workers be allowed to work and do their job without hindrance.

Pristina and Tirana plan to sign agreement on joint administrative-territorial unit (Novosti) 

Pristina and Albania plan to make “yet another dangerous step towards creation of a Greater Albania”, right at the time when US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak are trying to unblock the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Novosti writes. Namely, Pristina and Tirana plan to sign an agreement on creation of “a joint administrative-territorial unit” and noted that this document, which was already initialed by Pristina and Tirana in November, stipulates that the area should spread over 30 kilometers each in the territories of Albania and Kosovo. Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that this is yet another example of hypocrisy and noted: “Just like they are being silent to all announcements concerning the Greater Albania, they are also silent to processes like this one.” Director of the Center for Social Stability Ognjen Karanovic told Novosti that the elite in Pristina and Tirana are not even hiding their “Great Albania aspirations” anymore and he added: “We should only imagine the situation and reaction from the West if Serbia and RS – and they even have the right to do so as in line with the Dayton Peace Agreement and Agreement on Special and Parallel Relations – decided to create some kind of an administrative union of parts of their territories. This should also be viewed as a mechanism of an additional pressure on Belgrade to give up the Community of Serb Municipalities.” Commenting the statement of Miroslav Lajcak that no one reasonable wants Republika Srpska (RS) in Kosovo, Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Milorad Dodik wondered why double standards would be persistently applied in the areas which are only few hundred kilometers far one from another. “I could put the things reversely and say why would anyone reasonable recognize independence to Kosovo and would not recognize the same to the RS,” Dodik added. Dodik also stated that he believes that the way of status of constituent peoples has been resolved in B&H, including the existence of the RS, is a good model, which is why he does not know why anyone would call such idea unreasonable when it comes to Kosovo.

NS: Decision of Tirana and Pristina in violation of UNSCR 1244 and international law (Beta)

The People’s Party (NS) condemned on Tuesday the decision of Tirana and Pristina on establishing “a common territorial and administrative area in the territory of Albania and so-called Kosovo”. In a release, the NS stressed that this decision was at odds with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and was in violation of international law. The party called on the Serbian authorities, primarily the Foreign Ministry, to decisively respond to actions that directly threatened Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. “While the Tirana and Pristina authorities have been actively working to create ‘a Greater Albania,’ Belgrade has backed Albania’s membership in the UN Security Council and has been working on developing ‘an alliance’ with Albania through the Open Balkans project,” says the release. The People’s Party called on all state bodies to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and constitutional order of Serbia and resist moves of Tirana and Pristina which “aim to destabilize the region and create a Greater Albania”.

Djordjevic: Belgrade regime keeping quiet while a Greater Albania is being created (Beta)

Liberation movement leader Mladjan Djordjevic said on Tuesday that “the regime in Belgrade remains silent while a Greater Albania is being created”, which, according to him, had been demonstrated with “the ratification of an agreement between Albania and so-called Kosovo, which aims to establish a common territorial and administrative area going 30 kilometers into both sides of the border line”. “We have been watching advanced steps toward the creation of a Greater Albania, in the territory which according to the Serbian Constitution and international law is an integral part of Serbia,” Djordjevic said in a written statement. “Where is Aleksandar Vucic, who always has a mouthful to say about patriotism?,” Djordjevic asked, also wondering where the government and other Serbian state bodies were. He further said that “a series of documents signed by the Serbian Progressive Party since it assumed power, from the Brussels to the Washington documents, have been destroying the presence of Serbia in Кosovo and Metohija and have in parallel enabled integration of Albanians in a single state”. “The entire story surrounding the Open Balkans initiative is a cover for Albania’s interests with involvement of the traitorous regime in Belgrade. Otherwise, Serbia would initiate such integrations with the neighboring countries where Serbs live,” Djordjevic noted.

Serbian opposition presidential candidate Ponos says he wanted unity (N1)

The United Serbia opposition coalition’s candidate for president Zdravko Ponos told Wednesday’s news conference that the unity of the opposition was his condition to accept the nomination. The retired general will run for president in April as the nominee of the coalition rallied around the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), Democratic Party (DS) and his People’s Party (NS). He thanked everyone who was prepared to back him. “Without your readiness to see this happen, this would have happened. That was my condition – unity. Now we have that,” he told a presentation of the coalition’s candidates for the elections in April. The presentation included SSP deputy leader Marinika Tepic as the lead candidate for parliament and Vladeta Jankovic as candidate for Mayor of Belgrade. “I am honored to be doing this with the bravest person in Serbia politics Marinika Tepic as well as Vladeta Jankovic who is teaching us what it means to work towards the interests of the state. If he accepted this job for the sake of future generations, she doesn’t have the right to desert,” he said. “The president should reflect national unity but that is not the case in Serbia. The man who should do that has divided Serbia and it will become a normal country after the elections, turned to the future. A Serbia in which we don’t hate each other, where neighbors are not the enemy, a Serbia which respects knowledge and where health is not a luxury in which the police and military do their job and where we live decent lives and respect the law,” he said, adding that he can contribute to this. Ponos said he would gladly talk to other parties and movements in what he said is “the true opposition” but added that he would not beg to talk to anyone. Tepic told the news conference that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the parties that he controls are preparing to commit election fraud but added that she knows that there are people across the country who are going to say Enough. She said that SSP leader Dragan Djilas, his deputy Borko Stefanovic and herself have pledged to quit politics if they don’t meet their priority goals in the first six months of what she called their plan for “the day after”. She said she is convinced that United Serbia can help the country recover. According to her, that plan includes the introduction of an anti-corruption prosecutor modeled on the Romanian prosecutor and a separate prosecution police directly subordinate to the special prosecutor not to politicians. “We will introduce a law on the origin of assets which will allow the seizure of illegally acquired assets and a lustration law which will prevent anyone who violated human rights from running for office. Vladeta Jankovic, the coalition’s candidate for mayor of the Serbian capital said that everything he does will be absolutely transparent if he is elected with every detail of all contracts disclosed. “Some will be called to account but that does not mean that the former authorities will be persecuted only those who are guilty and there will be no revenge,” he said. He said that he would choose experts in their fields for his associates. “That is what I can do and what I promise to do at the very least,” he said. “My main message is to tell everyone who feels that something has been wrong with our lives for years to contribute what they can to this joint effort,” he added.

Cvijanovic: End of destructions from Sarajevo precondition for new start (Politika, by Zeljko Sajn) 

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic told Politika in an interview that nothing in B&H so far has happened without a foreign factor and the quality of those solutions is reflected “in the mess we are living in”. Cvijanovic added that she hopes everyone in B&H and abroad will understand that only solutions reached by domestic politicians are sustainable while everything else is merely an experiment. “The minimum we expect from political Sarajevo is to stop destructive activities towards the RS. This would be good for a new beginning,” Cvijanovic stated. Cvijanovic reminded that the Dayton Peace Agreement both ended the armed conflicts in B&H and defined the constitutional-legal organization, which all sides in B&H accepted and which is the basis for functioning of B&H. Cvijanovic argued that the reason for the fact B&H is not a functional country nowadays does not lie in the DPA or Constitution of B&H “but in harsh and illegal revision of this agreement and centralization of what the Constitution stipulated as decentralized”. Cvijanovic argued that this centralization greatly disturbed trust between constituent peoples and this centralization was mainly carried out through international interventions in line with wishes of only one of the peoples to the detriment of the other two peoples. “Now we have a paradox that individual countries are imposing sanctions and are accusing of alleged violation of constitutional order those who are actually defending the Constitution and, at the same time, they are encouraging and supporting those who are destroying this Agreement. Apart from this, an extensive propaganda campaign against the RS is being carried out, through which lies on alleged war conflict, secession, destroying of Dayton and similar are being presented” Cvijanovic argued. Cvijanovic went on to say that both political stability and much more mutual appreciation are needed for economic progress “but it seems as if political Sarajevo has been emitting a malignant influence which reflects badly both on the situation in B&H and on relations with neighboring countries”. Cvijanovic assessed that it is especially problematic to know that political Sarajevo is trying to block joint strategic projects of Serbia and RS, such as the construction of ‘Buk Bijela’ hydro-electric power plant and Trebinje Airport. With regard to the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative, Cvijanovic said that this is an excellent perspective for the entire region and she added that she is certain that both the economy and citizens would feel benefits of removal of barriers. “I do not see any chance for our area to enter the EU membership in near future, but I do see a chance in regional economic connections because it would make all of us both stronger and more capable of joining the EU when or if the time comes for that,” Cvijanovic said. Asked to comment on opposite stances of representatives of Croatia, Cvijanovic said that she does not want to comment on internal relations between politicians of Croatia or anywhere else because they were elected by their own citizens and they report to them. Cvijanovic added that the only thing she is interested in is whether they or anyone else in the region or world really understand the essence of problems in B&H and whether their activities are in favor or to the detriment of people in B&H. “For as long as anyone outside of B&H advocates respect of the DPA and full equality of all constituent peoples in B&H in line with the Constitution and deems that it can be changed only in line with will of everyone – there is nothing disputable about it,” Cvijanovic concluded.

REGIONAL PRESS

RS parliament adopts 12 conclusions on political and economic situation in B&H (RTRS) 

The RS parliament held a special session on Tuesday and MPs discussed the current political and economic situation in B&H. Representatives of the majority in the RS parliamemnt proposed several conclusions and the key one stipulates that adoption of a law on sanctioning abuses of the term genocide is the key solution for return of Serb representatives in the joint institutions of B&H. According to other conclusions, the reasons for Serb representatives to return to the joint institutions of B&H are still present and they must continue to act in line with conclusions of the RS parliament. Member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik stated that adoption of a law that would protect the RS from slander and calling it genocidal would be the key for return of Serb representatives in the joint institutions of B&H. Dodik said that in this way, this will prevent the intention of former High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko who imposed the decision on changing the B&H Criminal Law. Addressing the RS parliament, Dodik proposed them to remain firm to the conclusions of the RSNA adding that they did a big thing and adopted the conclusions, i.e. withdrew consent from decisions on army, indirect tax and the high judicial and the prosecutorial council. In his opinion, now it is a matter of a strategy on how to move on. According to Dodik, they will adopt a law on the HJPC, return their property and give it to local and other subjects.  RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic (DEMOS) said that the situation in B&H has become tense and unpredictable and talks are imperative with the aim to overcome the current situation. In his opinion, they must begin dialogue on all open issues and other obstacles. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic said that for years, the international factor has been taking it out on B&H – legally and politically – and then, they want it to be successful. She argued that B&H cannot be successful until they start taking care of each other, show the will to hear each other and persistently try to reach an agreement about some issues. According to RTRS, the ruling parties and the opposition agree that former HR Inzko is the generator of the crisis in the Federation of B&H (FB&H). Leader of the ‘United Srpska’ Nenad Stevandic stated that the Inzko’s imposed decision was a rehearsal of the political unity of the RS. Representatives of the opposition argued that the ruling authorities at the levels of the RS and B&H should assume responsibility for the current crisis. Dodik said that he assumed the biggest part of responsibility for defining of Serb, national interests in B&H asking the opposition why they do not support anything while they criticize all proposed solutions. Dodik also emphasized that in the institutional and economic sense of the word, the RS is the only one that functions the best in B&H and it has all elements of statehood. The reporter noted that during the session, attendees concluded that conflicts are not an option and that talks are the only solution for exit from the crisis RS MPs adopted 12 conclusions on political and economic situation in B&H and one of them implies to propose a law in the B&H parliament banning abuse of the term genocide. Adoption of the law is the key for return of representatives of the RS in the joint institutions and until then, previously-adopted conclusions of the RS parliament remain in force.

RS opposition on RS parliament special session (BN TV) 

The RS opposition warned that the current crisis is the result of activities of SDA, HDZ B&H and SNSD. SDS leader Mirko Sarovic assessed that the session was skilfully directed by Member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik and mentioned that, step by step, SNSD representatives are returning to the B&H institutions thus violating the previously adopted RS parliament conclusions. “In December, two sessions of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) were held, one of which was a regular one,” Sarovic singled out this as an example where SNSD returned to work in the institutions. RS SDS’ representative Miladin Stanic called on the RS ruling authorities “to stop with thefts” through public companies. SDS Caucus’ representative in the RSNA Nebojsa Vukanovic, who ended up expelled from the assembly hall based on a decision of RS parliament deputy speaker Denis Sulic (SNSD), raised his voice while addressing the RS MPs and said Dodik verbally attacked him prior to the session and told him to leave. Given that the Serb representatives withdrew from the B&H institutions in the first place due to the law imposed by Valentin Inzko, DNS leader Nenad Nesic presented an opinion that “the RS is not responsible for the fact that Inzko imposed a law due to his vanity and revanchism, because Germans removed him from post”. PDP leader Branislav Borenovic stated that the ruling majority in the RS has given up on their previous stances and are now “going back to Sarajevo, that used to smell bad to them”. PDP’s representative in the RSNA Jelena Trivic pointed out that the whole process of restoring RS’ competences was a farce without the ruling authorities’ real intention to complete that. RS PDP’s representative Perica Bundalo warned that putting love for power above people is problematic. SPS leader Goran Selak pointed out that the ruling authorities have ceased to speak of returning the RS’ competences from the B&H level and turned towards speaking of returning to the B&H institutions. SDS and PDP members said they do not wish to be part of activities of the ruling majority in the RS parliament, as the opposition believes the special session was just a way for diverting attention from the real issues in the RS. Borenovic accused the ruling majority of wanting unity with opposition in a plan for “leading the RS towards doom”. “Towards dangerous, hazardous waters. We will not”, the PDP leader underlines. Nesic stressed that “laws are not even imposed on the Taliban”, which is why such thing should not have been done in B&H.  Dodik believes that the opposition rejects ideas for the RS and its future because they have a problem with him, and not because they believe the ideas are stupid.

Covic addresses RS parliament (RTRS) 

Leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic attended the session and he addressed RS MPs, while leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic refused to come to the session. Covic revealed details of last week’s negotiations in Neum and he said that representatives of the international community suggested to Izetbegovic to attend the session. Covic pointed out that precisely what was on the agenda of the RS parliament session on Tuesday, i.e. the attempt to erase ethnic prefix from the Constitution of B&H and the constituent status of peoples are the problems and the goal of Bosniak politicians. Covic argued that B&H can survive only as a country of the three constituent peoples – who are constitutionally equal and he called on RS MPs to preserve the RS. Covic stressed the civic concept of the state is not acceptable to him. According to Covic, preserving the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and peace is imperative. Covic stated: “You should take care of the RS… Leave the door open enough for the other two constituent peoples”. Covic emphasized that Croats in B&H are united at this moment, assessing that this is the only way in which they are able to overcome the current political crisis in the country. During his address, Covic spoke of the failed negotiations on the B&H Election Law changes, which were held in Neum. He said it was clear that Bosniak leaders do not wish for an agreement to be made, they want a civic model to be implemented in B&H, i.e. for B&H to be unitary state, and they do not want an agreement that would be based on principles stated in the Dayton Agreement. “We have come to ‘Dayton 2’. You might not see that sometimes. Because you still believe that you can solve this through another way,” Covic stated. “You should take care of the RS. Everyone can envy you on speaking of it with so much emotion,” Covic told the lawmakers. “I am grateful to Covic for saying that we should take care of the RS, because I know that Croats would give a lot if they could have the mechanisms that RS has,” RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic concluded. Covic stressed that even when the RS politicians confront others, that is because they wish better for the RS. Covic said that RS officials should continue to lead their policies as they did before and that they should strengthen the RS entity. He said that he does not support any policies that call for war. Covic said all three constituent peoples in B&H must work together to create a better future. He said relations must be improved and agreements must be made to ensure better lives of all citizens. He said Croat, Serb and Bosniak politicians should never seek models by which two constituent peoples would go against the third one, but that they should always aspire to find solutions that are beneficial for all three constituent peoples. Covic emphasized that many have a problem with his good relations with Member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik. He reminds that he had very good relationship and cooperation with SDS leader Mirko Sarovic when he was in the B&H Presidency. Covic said that he had good relationship with late SDA leader Sulejman Tihic. Today, Covic says, he and leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic hold frequent talks, trying to improve their relations. He said this is important, but he is not burdened by the fact that Izetbegovic did not wish to come to the session. Covic explained why he came to Banja Luka from Mostar. Regardless of possible inconveniences, Covic said that he came because he believes that there is no way out of the crisis without looking for joint solutions. Covic stated: “I managed to convey to president Milorad Dodik, I was in the company of international representatives, where my colleague Izetbegovic and I were, where it was, they who suggested to Mr. Izetbegovic to come here, to address from this rostrum.” Covic said that he is aware that his speech is being followed with great attention in Sarajevo, and he emphasized that it is imperative to preserve the Constitution of B&H and peace at all costs.

Cvijanovic meets Norway’s special envoy for Western Balkans; Cvijanovic: Overcoming of current political crisis is possible through talks (RTRS) 

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic met Special Envoy for the Western Balkans at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Arne Sannes Bjornstad in Banja Luka on Tuesday. The two officials discussed the political situation in the RS and in(B&), as well as internal political processes. During the meeting, she emphasized that overcoming the current political crisis in institutional functioning of B&H is possible through talks as the main method of functioning and work. She assessed that political dialogue and peaceful solving of open political issues in B&H in line with the Dayton Agreement and the Constitution of B&H are of the key importance.

Gutic Bjelica: Orban’s support for RS represents success of RS and its officials (Nezavisne) 

B&H Ambassador to Hungary Biljana Gutic Bjelica stated that the support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the RS represents a great success of the RS institutions and its officials. She noted that after the meeting of B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik and Orban, Hungary took a more serious approach to the developments in B&H. “It was very important to establish personal contact. Hungary does not allow itself to receive information on situation in B&H and other countries from third hand. EU spokesperson Petar Stano was the first one to say that they would not support sanctions against Dodik or join them, and that it is necessary to go to Srpska, speak to the officials and get first-hand information about what is really happening and which steps need to be undertaken,” said Gutic Bjelica.

Samardzija: Russia and Hungary are friends of RS, Russia and RS are under pressure of the West (Glas Srpske) 

B&H Ambassador to Russia Zeljko Samardzija stated that Hungary and Russia are friends of the RS. “The pressure of the West against the RS and Russia is visible. Russian officials have been reiterating for some time that they are absolutely in favor of respecting the Dayton Peace Agreement and consensus of the three constituent peoples in B&H. Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that sanctions do not solve anything and that everything has to be left for an agreement of the three equal peoples in B&H. Russia never crossed the red line there,” said Samardzija.

Nelson: I trust it is possible to reach agreement on electoral reform (Dnevni avaz) 

US Ambassador to B&H Eric Nelson, asked about changes to B&H Election Law and whether he deems that the agreement will be reached in time, the Ambassador noted that it is high time to reach the agreement, noting that it was always important to carry out the electoral reform in order to improve the election process this year. He also noted that the improvements they tried to achieve regarded the integrity of the election process, as well as the Election Law which required limited constitutional reform in order to solve the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights and Ljubic case. The Ambassador noted that during the talks it became clear that functionality of the FB&H must not be disregarded and argues that he believes that talks in Neum showed that there are solutions which are possible. He noted that attending parties achieved progress in decreasing of the rift, noting that the Venice Commission and OSCE provided beneficial and useful engagement, clearly stating for everyone which standards contain democratic values, remove discrimination and what are the standards for integrity of the election process. Asked if he is optimistic that the agreement on the Election Law will be reached, the Ambassador noted that Neum talks showed that there is room for optimism and he still believes that leaders can reach the agreement. Nelson noted that a compromise could have been reached if there had been political will, it could have been reached if leaders had truly believed this to be a priority. He noted that it is never easy in B&H to reach the compromise because the politicians who are willing to reach the compromise are often criticized and in this regard underlines importance of participation of other parties, i.e. NiP, NES and SBB B&H. The Ambassador noted that while the agreement in Neum has not been reached, this does not mean that it is impossible to reach it, noting that leaders who attended talks in Neum obliged themselves to continue the talks, stressing that this problem will not go away and “we will support the leaders who are courageous to reach the agreement”. “The EU and USA would stand by their side,” said the Ambassador. He underlined the importance of solving of the issue of integrity of elections, stressing that the laws need to be sent to B&H parliament for adoption. “This year’s elections are more important than ever and integrity of the election process is more important than ever and this is absolutely, fully in hands of leaders in B&H. The USA and EU will continue to demand responsibility from them in terms that they have to support this basic function of democracy,” said Nelson in his farewell interview.

Izetbegovic: HDZ with Dodik can create heavy crisis and chaos in the country (Faktor.ba) 

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic talked for Faktor.ba commenting the talks on electoral reform in Neum, possibility of continuation of the talks, behavior of participants, HDZ B&H’s demands and special session of HNS scheduled for 19 February. Izetbegovic deems that if the talks took place in this format couple of months ago the chances for success would be huge. According to him, the talks failed because HDZ B&H is extremely mistrustful and demands impossible guarantees or impossible models according to which one Croat vote would be worth as much as ten Bosniak votes. “It was necessary to include into the talks all who are truly interested in finding compromise, balance between the demands of the parties relying on Croat electorate and parties which we refer to as pro-Bosnian. Presence of SBB, NiP and NES leaders, who truly approached with honest intentions to define such compromise and balance, to calm down and stabilize the relations and situation in the country in such way, greatly relaxed the atmosphere and launched the talks,” said Izetbegovic. Commenting the phone call between Dragan Covic and Milorad Dodik at the press conference, Izetbegovic said that SNSD leader constantly humiliates Covic. “He has not even told him that he is at the press conference, that they are listened by the reporters and hundreds of present people. On the other side, we constantly extend our hand to Croats and their political representatives. HDZ with Dodik can create a heavy crisis and chaos in the country,” said Izetbegovic.

Bakalar: Elections will take place on 2 October (Dnevni avaz) 

Speaking for the daily, President of the B&H Central Election Commission (B&H CEC) Zeljko Bakalar underlined that, general elections will take place on 2 October in line with the provisions of the Election Law. Bakalar noted that B&H CEC has a legal ground and can act only in line with the Law, arguing that they are obliged to announce the elections for the first week in October. He explained that in line with the Election Law, the elections have to be announced at least 150 days before, meaning that beginning of May is the end date. Bakalar argues that B&H CEC is heading with the preparations, stressing that it is necessary to carry out the public procurement process in order to be able to hold the elections. Despite the fact that funds for the elections have not been secured yet, Bakalar noted that B&H CEC is allowed to sign framework agreements with the suppliers and wait for approval of the funds. He underlined that the Law stipulates that, general elections are to be financed from the budget, noting that they believed they can be financed through the decision on provisional financing from 2020, but B&H Finance Ministry had different interpretations, because of which B&H CEC redefined their request and they are still waiting for Ministry’s response. When it comes to improvement of election process and procurement of the equipment, B&H CEC supports package of measures discussed in Neum. Bakalar noted that they support regulating this segment of elections, but they also warn that technical improvements demand time and budget for procurement of necessary equipment.

Milanovic on negotiations in Neum, accuses Bosniaks of being partners of Dodik (N1) 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic decided to comment on the negotiations in Neum and accused Bosniaks of forcing Croats to be partners of member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik. Milanovic compared leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic with former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Addressing media in Zagreb on Tuesday, Milanovic said: “What is the motive of Bakir and the other team to negotiate ‘bona fide’? To give Croats charity? Charity? Therefore, they luckily act – and I will say it five times if necessary – without weapons – thus, there is no fire there, but the modus operandi is the same as the one of Slobodan Milosevic from the 1990s, late 1980s. Therefore, you go for unitarization of one state that must actually be federal. B&H does not exist without Croats, much less without Serbs – there are more Serbs than Croats – and finally, you force Croats (…) for partnership with Dodik. What is not clear here?” Milanovic believes that what happened in Neum is a disgrace. Milanovic said that Bosniak parties are being encouraged to go after the Croats, adding that elections in B&H are fast approaching and that Bosniaks will elect the Croat representatives. “B&H does not exist without Croats, and even less without Serbs. In the end, you are forcing Croats not into an embrace, but into a partnership with Dodik. What is not clear here? Mr. Izetbegovic, his Dzaferovic, but also other Bosniak politicians are playing a very clear game in which they are buying time,” Milanovic underlined. Milanovic said that Dodik is right that Croats negotiate with Bosniaks in Neum, while Bosniaks insist on moving towards unitarianism. The Croatian President pointed out that there is no B&H without Croats, or Serbs. He accused the international community of encouraging the Bosniak politicians.

Grlic Radman slams Milanovic because of his stances on B&H (HRT) 

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlic Radman commented on B&H and electoral reform for HRT. “Croats, as politically discriminated people, who have been victims of political engineering in the election process, were the most constructive ones, they presented their proposals first and their positions evolved. They reluctantly agreed even to limited changes to the Constitution, they made compromise and they reached the red lines. They are in the worst position of all three peoples in B&H,” Grlic Radman said and added that an agreement must be made by October. Grlic Radman added that Croatia has been constantly saying that a stable and functional B&H within the EU is in Croatia’s interest: “Last Monday we got a consent and a message was conveyed – constituent status of the three peoples must be protected.” Grlic Radman also said that Croatian President Zoran Milanovic was supporting Croat member of the Presidency of B&H Zeljko Komsic back in 2010 and he added that the Croatian Government is now correcting those mistakes. “Milanovic had no courage to go to central Bosnia, I had to go there to light candles and lay flowers in Krizancevo Selo, Grlic,” Radman said. Grlic Radman also argued that Bosniaks are stalling the talks on the electoral reform “because of which they will have to accept the responsibility for possible radicalization and destabilization in the country”.

Plenkovic meets Association of Croatian Generals, express full support to political representatives of Croats in B&H electoral reform talks (Vecernji list) 

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic received on Tuesday representatives of the Association of Croatian Generals led by Major General Marinko Kresic with whom he discussed, among other issues, about the situation in B&H in light of ongoing negotiations about the Law on Elections of B&H. According to a statement issued by the Croatian Government, participants of the meeting stressed full support to political representatives of the Croat people in B&H in order to find a solution, through talks with representatives of the Bosniaks and Serbs and with support from the international community, that would secure equality and legitimate representation of all three constituent peoples in B&H.

UK Defense Secretary welcomed in Zagreb (HRT1) 

Croatia and the United Kingdom stand side by side in supporting the right of sovereign states to choose their destiny, the visiting Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace, said in Zagreb on Tuesday. During his official visit to Zagreb, the UK Defense Secretary and his host, Croatian Defense Minister Mario Banozic, discussed the security situation against a backdrop of growing tensions in Ukraine and the build-up of Russian troops along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

“Croatia and the United Kingdom stand shoulder to shoulder in defending the right of sovereign countries to choose their own destiny. What they choose is almost secondary to that sacred right to choose as a sovereign state how it wishes to secure its security and whether or not to join NATO,” said Wallace during a news conference in Zagreb. NATO, the EU and the U.K. are absolutely united in the support to Ukraine’s sovereignty, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis must be solved through dialogue, he said. Banozic said that Croatia could fully understand the current situation of Ukraine, and in this context he recalled Croatia’s recent struggle for its independence and its territory. “We agree that the security situation in Eastern Europe is very concerning and we hope it will not escalate further. A diplomatic solution is needed most of all right now,” said Banozic. The two officials signed an agreement on strategic partnership between their departments and the deal regulates the strengthening of the relations within NATO, in the Western Balkans and in coping with the hybrid threats as well as on cooperation in upgrading the interoperability of the two countries’ armed forces. The two ministers called for the continuation of dialogue in the Western Balkans and also pointed out the importance of reforms and the further integration of that region in the EU and NATO.

President Milanovic accuses the West of ‘warmongering’ over Ukraine crisis (Hina) 

There can be no stability in Europe, Western Europe, or the EU, without Russia – and it is necessary to reach an agreement with that country, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic told reporters on Tuesday, before going on to accuse the West of “mongering for a war” that he said he hoped would not break out. “I don’t want even one Ukrainian to be killed, even one Russian. As for Croatians – not a chance” he told the press. “There is no European stability, no Western European stability, European Union stability without Russia in the equation and it’s necessary to reach an agreement with Russia,” he added. After telling a journalist that a head of state does not meet with visiting defense ministers, including the British defense secretary who was in Zagreb today, Milanovic said she probably wanted to ask him for a comment on Great Britain’s stand on Ukraine. “Everything he is doing is mostly motivated by his political situation at home” he said about Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In Great Britain, there are more and more calls on Johnson to resign over Downing Street parties during a strict Covid lockdown. Milanovic accused Britain of “mongering” and said that pushing Ukraine towards a confrontation with Russia was “irresponsible.” “Ukraine will not make itself happy if it listens to London. They are pushing them into a very dangerous adventure and President Zelensky has realized this. What I have been hearing from Kiev in the past few days is very sensible and responsible towards one’s own state.” Milanovic has been criticized after saying recently that Ukraine does not belong in NATO, that it is corrupt, and that Croatian soldiers will not be killed there. The Croatian ambassador in Kyiv was summoned for talks after those statements. Milanovic said that he was Ukraine’s friend and that it was very irresponsible to mislead a state, which he said had difficult problems, was not progressing towards EU membership and was stagnating, and hold it hostage to London and Washington. He also said that the EU was sending Ukraine confusing messages. “To stand in solidarity with Ukraine and say ‘we support you, clash with Russia’ is irresponsible, villainous.” Milanovic said one should not foment arguments that Russia will attack Ukraine tomorrow. “If it attacks them, one should ask who is responsible for that. The Croatian soldier will not move from here,” he added.

Krivokapic: Fall of government means Djukanovic is reassuming his political power (CdM) 

Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic has said that citizens must be aware that the fall of the government means that political power will be handed over to the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, and their leader Milo Djukanovic who, according to him, will thus be able to violate the Constitution and runs a political situation in Montenegro. “I urge all those who accuse me of defending my position to bring back a mandate to citizens and check on the legitimacy of their new political platform in the extraordinary parliamentary elections,” Krivokapic tweeted. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Djordje Radulovic said earlier that he wasn’t sure Krivokapic would resign.

Vujovic: Montenegro at crossroads just like in 1997-98 (CdM) 

The Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Ivan Vujovic warns that Montenegro is at an important strategic crossroads, similar to the one from 1997-98. According to him, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic is an example of how dangerous it is when you have a politically insane person as a first man in power in a country. After the fall of this government, he says, there are two democratic and constitutional options – either a new government or new polls. Vujovic also says that the current political stalemate is a logical consequence of decisions made after 30 August 2020, to make political changes by engaging a group of dilettantes, more or less hidden clero-nationalists and supporters of other people’s interests. It’s tragic, he adds, that as a society, the country must again face many anti-civilization trends and policies which threaten the basic values of Montenegrin society. “Everyone, without exception, will have to get out of their comfort zone or low-level interests, because there are some fundamental values at stake here,” he notes. Commenting on the PM’s latest moves, Vujovic points out that Krivokapic lacks knowledge and is guided by vanity, noting that it’s hard to foresee future moves of such people.

Djukanovic: Minority government is not the best solution, but we will support it (MINA) 

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is ready to vote for the minority government, because that is a better solution than the catastrophic situation in which Montenegro is with the current government, said Milo Djukanovic. In an interview with MINA, Djukanovic said that he considered the minority government to be the worst alternative to the current one, but, as he stated, at the moment there is no readiness of a number of parliamentary entities to support other solutions to the crisis. He believes that the minority government should last a year, and that it is very important to determine the priorities that it will deal with in that period. Djukanovic assessed that the current government is unsuccessful, that it has demonstrated incompetence and irresponsibility towards state interests on every specific issue, and that it is already late with its removal. He said that, thanks to that, Montenegro is losing a step on the path to membership in the EU. “Unfortunately, as in many previous historical stages, we continue to waste time as a very valuable resource. “All these are the reasons that determined us to support the initiative of the Civic Movement URA to vote no confidence in the government, and, of course, we said that after that we will sit down with everyone who is interested in discussing what the new government should look like,” said Djukanovic. He pointed out that the DPS believes that it would be best to go to the early parliamentary elections. “The most responsible and fair thing is to return the mandate to the citizens, so that they decide to whom they will entrust the management of the executive power and state policy,” said Djukanovic. As he stated, at the moment, there is a lot of scepticism among a significant number of parliamentary entities about such a scenario of overcoming the crisis. If that is already the case, Djukanovic believes, the next rational solution could be the formation of a political government, whose political base would be a new expanded parliamentary majority that articulates the civil and pro-European policy of the state. “We believe that all entities that are on that political platform should give their best potentials for the formation of the government, because it will be under a very serious temptation” Djukanovic explained. He said that, however, a number of parliamentary parties that will probably vote for the removal of the current government are not ready to support such a political idea, and that they prefer the election of a minority government. “We consider the minority government to be the worst alternative to the current one, and we ask the question for everyone – do we have to choose the worst alternative from the range of alternatives,” said Djukanovic. He believes that the minority government is unnecessarily narrowing the already insufficient base from which personnel will be selected for its composition. “If there is no readiness of all partners to support one of these two, according to us, superior scenarios, then the DPS will, I believe, support the minority government because it is also a solution to the catastrophic and humiliating situation in Montenegro led by Prime Minister Krivokapic‘s government,” said Djukanovic. Asked whether there were talks regarding the formation of a minority government, Djukanovic answered that they have not been officially held yet. According to him, the question of whether he will participate in the minority government is not crucial for the DPS. “You have seen during these 17 months that the DPS has proven that you can deal with state policy responsibly, not only from the government, but also from the opposition” Djukanovic said. He added that the minority government and its goals should be discussed with all those interested after the epilogue of the initiative to change the government on 4 February. “Montenegro needs more political and social emancipation, reaching new levels of democracy and a culture of responsibility, in order to be able to rely on the minority government to last and ensure stability and efficiency,” Djukanovic said. He believes that a possible minority government could last a year and that certain tasks can be done within that period. For the DPS, as he stated, it is crucial what the political and development priorities would be during its mandate. “This is a topic we want to discuss with all political entities that will be brought together by the initiative for the formation of a minority government, if that remains a priority scenario even after 4 February,” Djukanovic said. Speaking about the Fundamental Agreement that Montenegro should sign with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Djukanovic said that he was not familiar with that document. “I am not familiar with the Fundamental Agreement published by a daily. I looked that day to see if there was an official notice on the Government’s website… At that time, that notification did not exist,” said Djukanovic. He said that so far no one from the government has been invited to consult on this issue, one of the most important political issues of Montenegrin today, starting with the President of the state. “It speaks more convincingly than anything about the government’s understanding of the rules of cohabitation of government in our country,” Djukanovic said. Asked whether he would ask the Prime Minister for an agreement, Djukanovic answered that he would not because, as he stated, the Law on Freedom of Religion stipulates that the agreement on some issues of common interest with religious communities is signed by the government. “So that no one, starting with the Prime Minister, would be affected by the fact that the President is interfering in something that is the constitutional competence of the government.” But I think that this issue is being resolved in an inadmissibly non-transparent way,” Djukanovic said. He said that it is unfoundedly called the Fundamental and that it should be an agreement as those signed with the Islamic and Jewish religious communities in January 2012, or signed by the SPC with Croatia. As he stated, the attempt to present the agreement with the SPC as the Fundamental Agreement in itself, speaks of bad intentions. “To continue with the idea of ​​the SPC monopoly, not only over the Orthodox believers in Montenegro, but also with the attempt to assume the SPC, as a religious community, to all other religious communities, and ultimately to assume the state of Montenegro,” he said Djukanovic. Speaking about the Western Balkans, Djukanovic warned that the security situation in the region has deteriorated. He said that he had been talking about it for more than a year and warned that the situation in the region was not the same as it had been five years ago and that we had moved step by step from European enlargement to security and stability in the Western Balkans. Asked how he commented that, after publishing the information that the assassination of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, was prevented, he was brought in connection with that event, Djukanovic said that it was the most common nonsense and political constructions. “I think that a number of people with a sick mind are spinning this topic on the political and media scene of both Serbia and Montenegro today. That is why I reject their fabrications about my alleged role in the actual or imaginary preparation of the assassination of the President of Serbia with ridicule and the deepest contempt,” Djukanovic said. He said that it was obvious that Serbia was approaching the elections and that the ruling politics was dissatisfied with the experience from the recent referendum. “I am sure that the assessment of media and political factors in Serbia is that it is necessary to make a new mobilization around the figure that they estimate is the most important in the political life of Serbia today. And, of course, the topic of assassination is always suitable,” said Djukanovic.

Djukanovic recognizes the construction known in the cooperation of intelligence services as another possible aspect of the assassination. “It is not unknown that certain circles, political and intelligence, who are not satisfied with the quality, loyalty of Serbia and its president and who constantly suspect that Serbia could wander into the EU and maybe even NATO at some critical moment, are trying to serve such constructions, trying to tie him to themselves as much as possible,” said Djukanovic. He also says that it is a well-known, although professionally incorrect practice that intelligence agencies, when they need it for political use, know how to send information from the partner service about the alleged threat to security or the lives of prominent people in the country whose security they protect. “So, in this case, the crowning argument for the uninformed public should be information from some mysterious partner address. “We want to draw the attention of the President of Serbia so that he could also be the target of colored revolutions, and that the alleged danger threatens him from the West and from the supporters of Euro-Atlantic policy in the region,” Djukanovic added.

Jokovic: League of Communists will return to power sooner than the DPS (Pobjeda) 

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will not return to power in the full force they had before 30 August, said the President of the Socialist People’s Party (SNP) Vladimir Jokovic.

He commented on the statement of the DPS president, who announced his support for the minority government, assessing that it shows the situation of the DPS. “More than a year ago, they thought they were untouchable, and this statement shows that the DPS will never return to power in that form and strength in Montenegro,” Jokovic said. As he said, the return of the League of Communists to power in Montenegro is more realistic than the DPS. “The return of the DPS to power and the fear of the citizens of Montenegro in that regard is impossible,” said Jokovic. Asked whether the minority government means the return of the DPS through the back door, Jokovic answered in the negative. “Citizens will no longer vote for the DPS, because once they fell after so much rule, it is clear that there will be no return,” Jokovic said. Asked whether he would agree to have a majority in parliament with the DPS, Jokovic said he would never be in power with the party, but that decisions on possible support for the new concept would be made by party bodies. “First, let’s see how everything will end with the government of Zdravko Krivokapic, whether there will be the dissolution of the parliament, and for us the most important thing is to find a solution within the existing majority together with the minorities.” It is very important to start the process of reconciliation in Montenegro,” said Jokovic.

Krivokapic has scheduled a government session for today (RTCG) 

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic has scheduled a government session for today, confirmed Foreign Minister Djordje Radulovic. He said that at the press conference with his Lithuanian colleague Edgars Rinkevicius. Asked whether a session was scheduled for tomorrow and speculated that Krivokapic could resign, Radulovic said that after 14 months he agreed with the French philosopher that politics is like a sphinx from a fable, devouring all who have no solution to its riddles. “I think that the Montenegrin political scene is full of riddles, I have no answer to your question. It is true that there will be a session of the government. Let’s see what the solution to this riddle you set is,” Radulovic said. Asked when the government met in its full composition, not counting the online sessions, Radulovic answered that it was last week.

Pendarovski: No need to open the Constitution at the moment (Republika) 

President Stevo Pendarovski assesses that the Constitution of the country should not be opened at the moment. However, according to him, in case this happens in the near future, then it should be done by consensus of all political parties in Parliament. In the political part, it is always problematic when we open the Constitution. My position is that in the past years we have opened the Constitution very often. The Constitution should not be opened too often. The Constitution should be opened when there is a reason for it… it’s a question whether we need any opening of the Constitution now. If you ask me, we do not need it, Pendarovski said.

All necessary preparations have been made for possible scenarios in Ukraine, said Pendarovski after Security Council session (Republika) 

The security situation in the country is stable and so far, there are no indications that would suggest that there could be a threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Macedonia, President Stevo Pendarovski informed after the 14th Session of the Security Council. Regarding the tensions on the Ukrainian-Russian border, Pendarovski said that Macedonia as a NATO member has made all the necessary preparations for possible scenarios depending on how events will take place in the region, which he said remains a potentially high-risk zone. We welcome the diplomatic efforts at various levels, which take over the main factors in the international community, which give a chance to dialogue and negotiations, and not to weapons and belligerent rhetoric, said Pendarovski.

Constitutional Court holds presidential impeachment hearing (Tirana Times) 

Albania’s Constitutional Court held a public session Tuesday to review the parliament’s decision to impeach President Ilir Meta, the first constitutional process of its kind in the country’s modern history. Representatives of the president and parliament were given time to present their cases and given questions to answer in the lengthy session that went into the night. Only audio recordings of the session were made public. The ruling Socialist Party accuses the president of serious violations of the constitution, arguing the head of state was involved in the 25 April parliamentary elections, campaigning for the opposition and inciting “hate and violence,” according to the head of the SP parliamentary group Taulant Balla. As per Albania’s constitution, the president is largely an honorary figure meant to represent the unity of the people and not be an active political figure, but most presidents have been political and pushed the boundaries of what is defined by the constitution, experts note. President Meta did not attend the court hearing, sending a legal representative instead, Bledar Dervishaj, who submitted a preliminary request that called on three members of the court to recuse themselves from the case. Dervishaj listed a series of points which, according to him, call into question the impartiality of the judges and the goal of the case. Dervishaj pointed out, for example, that the head of the Constitutional Court, Vitore Tushaj, was holding a mandate that had expired five years ago.

The parliament’s legal representative said the president’s request was “abusive” and aimed to only further delay the process. The court rejected the requests of the president’s representative as unfounded in the constitution and law. “The president has completely lost faith in this body, which does not guarantee the due process of law or its impartiality,” Dervishaj said. Last week, President Meta had also formally requested that the Special Appellate Panel initiate disciplinary proceedings against Constitutional Judge Fiona Papajorgji, raising suspicions of “violation of legal procedures” for her appointment to the impeachment case. In a letter to the court, the president also raised his concerns that repeated questions he had sent to the court were not answered, saying there was a lack of information and transparency from the institution.

The president’s legal team is also challenging the parliamentary procedures that led to the Constitutional Court trial, saying things were done in a hurry without respecting proper procedures so the previous parliament, which the elected opposition had abandoned, could vote on the impeachment to get the needed numbers of votes. After finishing the hearing, the Constitutional Court has up to 30 days to make a ruling, and five out of seven sitting judges are needed to approve it. If the ruling goes against him, President Meta has said he will appeal the ruling to the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, but legally, experts say such an appeal would be uncharted territory. Meta’s original five-year mandate ends this summer, and his Socialist critics say his strategy is to drag the case until the time runs out on his mandate.

No president in modern Albania has ever been impeached by parliament and this is the first case of its kind to come to the Constitutional Court, which has had difficulties in recent years to reach a quorum due to the justice reform’s vetting process. Meta is a former Socialist prime minister and one of Albania’s most seasoned politicians. Before becoming president, he was the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration party, a harsh critic of the ruling Socialist Party, to which he says he will return as soon as his mandate ends.

Roadmap to resolve Western Balkans frozen conflicts proposed (Tirana Times) 

A strategy of convergence – starting with recognition of Kosovo by four holdout NATO member states – should be used in resolving the decades-long dispute between Kosovo and Serbia and turn around current concerning trends in the Western Balkans – including growing Russian and Chinese influence, key experts layout in a new proposal. Recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Spain, Slovakia, Romania and Greece would be the first step in the transformation of dialogue, according to the strategy, which also proposes a different handling of Serbia’s “illiberal regime,” holding it to the same standards as all other countries of the region, which the experts say the West is currently not doing. The proposals are laid out in the recently published report “From Crisis to Convergence: A Strategy to Tackle Balkans Instability at its Source” by the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS and Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program, authored by several experts based in key countries mentioned in the strategy – Edward P. Joseph, lead author (United States), Branislav Radeljic (Serbia), Lulzim Peci (Kosovo), Iulia Joja (Romania), Jan Cingel (Slovakia) and Pol Vila Sarria (Spain). Recognition of Kosovo by the four holdout NATO members “would transform the moribund EU-led Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and the entire region, including Bosnia-Herzegovina,” the report notes, adding convincing the four and EU member Cyprus to recognize Kosovo will not be easy, so it will require a determined effort by the Biden Administration, in tandem with key allies, to convince the non-recognizers to change their stance. “Instead of pressing all the outliers to recognize Kosovo immediately, this report advocates a U.S.-led strategy of non-recognizer ‘convergence’ with the majority EU and NATO stance, achieved by: Establishing the centrality of a common Western position on Kosovo and identifying and effecting steps below the level of recognition that erode Serbian leverage and signal to Belgrade and Pristina significant evolution of the position of the non-recognizers,” the report points out. Albert Rakipi, Chairman of the Albanian Institute for International Studies told Tirana Times the proposed strategy is a very comprehensive paper full of substance, offering clear ideas and a strategic vision. “For the first time we have a road map to resolve the frozen conflict in the Balkans  and address the related security and development issues there,” Rakipi said.

More American pressure urged  

The report’s authors say the work on the strategy would start working principally with Greece, to advance the date of “inevitable” Greek recognition of Kosovo – while working across the EU and the NATO alliance “to protect, not expose, Athens”. “Implementing unilateral steps by the Biden Administration, including the appointment of a ‘Special Envoy for Kosovo Recognition,’ coupled with an express U.S. warning to sanction any leader in Albania or Kosovo who promotes any ‘union’ between the two independent countries,” the report notes. The authors also point out that opening the way for Kosovo to join NATO is key. “Convergence of the non-recognizer position with the EU and NATO majority will alter Serbia’s strategic calculus, allowing Belgrade to accept the Western order Kosovo’s clear pathway to NATO easily surmounts the pathway to UN membership blocked by Russia and China. UN membership is far less important for Kosovo, and is unnecessary for Pristina to join the Alliance. With Kosovo headed towards NATO membership, the value of Russian and Chinese political support for Belgrade would collapse,” the authors highlight. On EU integration, the strategy of convergence would also remove a primary excuse – stagnation and turmoil in the region – for key enlargement sceptics in Europe, the authors write.

Border changes are too much of a risk 

The strategy would also open the way for a Kosovo settlement that impedes Greater Albania and Greater Serbia. The more unitary the Republic of Kosovo, with the country’s north and south intact, the less feasible is any “union of Kosovo and Albania”. “Kosovo would move from the catalyst for the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia to the keystone for democratic stability in the region. By contrast, outright partition of Kosovo, would lead inevitably to the exodus of the Serb community in the south of the country, making ‘Union’ a foregone conclusion,” according to the report. “In turn, ‘Union’ would spur Greater Albania separatism in North Macedonia and Montenegro, reinforcing and legitimizing the pursuit of Greater Serbia from Belgrade. The door to protracted instability, mass population movements and conflict across the region would be open for Russia and China to exploit. Convergence closes it.”

Serbia needs to accept Western order, democratize 

The authors pinpoint one major reason for the deterioration of the situation in the Western Balkans: The fact that one country – Serbia – does not accept the Western order for the region.

“Democratic stability in the region is inherently tied to democratic stability within Serbia. Rather than a morass of intractable grievances, the Balkans are mired principally because one country – and one regime – is fundamentally unaffiliated with and uncommitted to the Western order. The struggle to resolve Croat-Bosniak electoral differences in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Republika Srpska takes steps towards secession, illustrates the futility of trying to negotiate a ‘separate peace,’” the report notes.

Wider implications  

Furthermore, the authors point out: “This strategy complements wider Trans-Atlantic objectives, including the effort to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly invoked Kosovo as the pretext and rationalization for Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. A unifying Western position on Kosovo rebuffs the baseless claim over Ukraine – while curbing Russian destabilization of Bosnia Herzegovina. As this report explains, the Kremlin’s agitation in Bosnia is dependent upon Belgrade, not vice-versa. Convergence replaces enfeebled Western supplication of the Vucic regime, with Western leverage – denying Russia its strategic partner in the Balkans.”