LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Serbia expects full implementation of Brussels agreement (Tanjug/RTS/Politika)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met on Thursday with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar. Brnabic expressed her gratitude to Lajcak and Escobar for their personal engagement, as well as for all the efforts they are investing in the progress of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. She pointed out that the Republic of Serbia expects the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), as well as the full implementation of the Brussels agreement. Lajcak said that the EU is making great efforts so that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina could continue and called on Belgrade to remain committed to that process, because it is important for the stability of the entire region. Escobar pointed out that the United States is closely monitoring this process and strongly supports it. He believes that the two sides can resolve all open issues through dialogue only, and that there is no alternative. Brnabic expressed her dissatisfaction with the fact that Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija were not permitted to vote in the 16 January referendum. She called on Lajcak and Escobar to do everything in their power to enable Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija to vote in the elections scheduled for 3 April this year.

Lajcak: All agreements must be implemented (Tanjug/Politika/N1)

Commending Belgrade’s commitment to the dialogue with Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak on Thursday said all agreements must be implemented and noted that this applied to both sides in the dialogue. He was speaking at a press conference with Gabriel Escobar in Belgrade after a series of meetings the two officials had in the Serbian capital. Lajcak said he was confident the joint visit with Escobar had conveyed a significant message of unity and reflected Washington’s support for the EU-facilitated dialogue. He said they wanted to see fast progress in normalization of relations, including in implementation of agreements reached to date. He noted that European integration of Serbia and Kosovo was tied to the dialogue. Escobar, who was in Belgrade for the first time in his capacity as US special envoy for the Western Balkans, said the joint visit with Lajcak reflected EU-US solidarity and unity in the confidence that the Balkans should be a part of the European community. He said the EU-facilitated dialogue was the path to the EU for Kosovo and Serbia. Escobar added that, although the US was not a part of the dialogue, it would provide all necessary financial and political support. Escobar added that the US position was that the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) should be discussed. “We do not have a vision of how this should be realized, it is on both sides to discuss in a dialogue supported by the EU, but we will support every agreement – politically, financially and technically,” Escobar told reporters in Belgrade. Asked about the voting of Serbia’s citizens on Kosovo’s territory on 3 April, Escobar said that all people in the region should vote openly, freely and easily in elections in which they had the right to vote. Lajcak added that it was up to the two sides to reach a consensus on modalities. He said a lot had been done, and that he was optimistic before the next round of dialogue between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. “Both Pristina and Belgrade have confirmed, and it is clear what the outcome will be, and it is clear to everyone, there is no doubt,” Lajcak said. He added that “we welcome Serbia’s commitment to dialogue and – this was repeated by all our interlocutors yesterday and today”, including Vucic. “As you know, the dialogue is linked to the concrete prospects for EU integration. I had a good conversation with civil society representatives and I am grateful for their ideas and recommendations,” Lajcak added. Speaking about Serbia’s forthcoming elections, Lajcak said that people should have the right to participate in democratic processes in which they had the right to vote, and “we conveyed that to our partners in Pristina. There is a well-established democratic practice that allows people to vote even if they live elsewhere”. “When it comes to the resumption of the dialogue, both Vucic and Kurti have repeatedly said they are willing to come to Brussels when invited. They are both committed to the process; they understand how important it is and the citizens’ expectations. Remember that we said we wanted the third meeting to bring concrete results process and progress after two meetings last year. In the meantime, I have been involved in diplomatic processes with both Pristina and Belgrade, and today I can already say that I am optimistic. I never run away from personal responsibility, but let me say that this is an EU-mediated dialogue; the owners of the dialogue are Belgrade and Pristina… we need to help them speed up the integration process. I cannot force them to participate in the dialogue if they do not want to. I am ready to do what is my job; we are not setting the plan,” Lajcak said.

Escobar meets Serbia’s opposition; US says doesn’t support political parties (Beta/N1)

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar met on Thursday Serbia’s opposition politicians, and the US embassy in Belgrade tweeted that Washington did not support political parties but the development of democracy in the country. “The US does not support political parties in Serbia, but a sound development of its democracy. All players in its political life have an important role in the process and make the state stronger,” the Embassy tweeted in Serbian. The opposition leaders of the Party of Freedom and Justice, People’s Party, Together for Serbia, Don’t Let Belgrade Drown, and Free Citizens Movement participated in the meeting with Escobar and the US Ambassador to Serbia Antony Godfrey.

Earlier, the Embassy wrote on its Serbian Twitter account that “during his visit to Belgrade, Gabriel Escobar wants to meet many political players in Serbia. The EU and US cooperate closely in the realization of Kosovo’s and Serbia’s European future as their common vision, and the progress in the normalization of mutual relations is an important step”.

US Embassy: Kosovo Serbs should be allowed to vote in Serbian elections (FoNet)

The US Embassy in Belgrade said that it’s important to allow residents of Kosovo who have the right to vote to cast ballots in the April elections in Serbia. The Embassy said in a Twitter post that the US supports appropriate measures to make the voting process easier. The tweet comes after the Head of the Office for Kosovo Petar Petkovic met with the EU and US Envoys for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar.

Serbia committed to strengthening all forms of cooperation with USA (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said today during a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and US State Department’s Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar that Serbia is strategically committed to intensifying political dialogue at the highest level with the US and to improving the overall cooperation with this country. In the light of last year’s celebration of the jubilee of 140 years of diplomatic relations, Selakovic stated that the highlighting of positive examples of historical alliance should be continued in the future, with the aim of strengthening our relations and partnership. Serbia is interested in improving economic cooperation with the USA, he underlined and pointed to the importance of presence and business activity of many important American companies in our country. He expressed gratitude for Washington’s continued support on Serbia’s path to full EU membership and underlined that reforms and the improvement of all segments of our society remain our priority. Additionally, Selakovic thanked the US on its principled support to the Open Balkans Initiative, as a model for economic connecting of the region and stated that peace, stability and security in the region are of utmost importance to Serbia. Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Minister reiterated that the Serbian side remains fully committed to dialogue as the only way to resolve open issues and reach a mutually acceptable agreement. The meeting was also attended by US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey.

Selakovic: One B&H constituent people wants to abolish Republika Srpska (Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic stated on Thursday that the situation in which Serbs stand out as a problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is not right and that only the worst things are being said about the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska (RS), while on the other hand another constituent people in B&H emphasizes that its main political goal is to abolish the RS.

“It is not fair and it is not right to have a situation in which everyone will attack the RS and say only the worst things about it, while having a constituent people who not thousands, but hundreds of thousands of times acted towards the RS in a way that they unequivocally and clearly made their only and main political goal of abolishing the RS known,” said Selakovic.

Selakovic pointed out that problems in the country certainly exist, but that they are also the result of a long-term absence of any response to the appeals of President Aleksandar Vucic to the situation in B&H. He recalled that from 2017 to 2020, as Vucic’s Secretary-General, he attended Vucic’s meetings with foreign officials countless times and that there was not a place in the world where, as someone who knew the region well, the Serbian President did not warn his interlocutors about the problems facing Bosnia. “When it comes to B&H, we want to have the best relations with the country. We want the best possible relations with Bosniaks as a people because Bosniaks don’t just live with Serbs in B&H, but also in Serbia, and for us such an approach to solving problems is crucial,” Selakovic pointed out. As for any agreements and problems in B&H, Selakovic mentioned that “everything that the three constituent peoples and two entities agree on is sacred to Serbia”, adding that he will respect that and “he will fight for it”.

Army and police will protect citizens and property in Ground Safety Zone (Politika)

On the order of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic held a meeting with the leaders of the Interior and Defense Ministries and the Serbian Army, during which they considered security situation on the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija and in the Ground Safety Zone. After the meeting, Vulin said that Serbian security forces would do everything to preserve peace and stability in the Ground Safety Zone and that he expected KFOR to finally carry out its task and take responsibility for the security situation on the administrative line. Vulin expressed concern over frequent incursions of organized Albanian gangs that cross the administrative line and steal timber in the Ground Safety Zone, and often open fire at members of our security forces. “During last year alone we had 56 incursions of these gangs in the Ground Safety Zone, who are looting the property of our citizens in an organized manner. Last time it happened a couple of days ago. We will do everything to protect people and their property, because order and law are respected in every part of our territory, and property and personal security of every citizen of our country is guarded,” Vulin stressed. He pointed out that KFOR is responsible for the security situation in the southern Serbian province, and thus on the administrative line with it, and is in charge of securing it and preventing incursions carried out by these timber thieves. “Members of the Interior Ministry, who are in the Ground Safety Zone, as well as members of the Serbian Army, are ready to apply the law in the territory of the whole of Serbia and protect our people wherever they live,” Vulin stressed. In addition to Vulin and Stefanovic, the meeting was also attended by Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army Milan Mojsilovic, Acting Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic and other senior police and military leaders.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H HoR session: Blockade is still present, RS representatives from ruling coalition show up just to vote for four international agreements, while opposition did not show up at all (FTV) 

The RS representatives arrived at the B&H parliament, but bypassed the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) session. Members of opposition from the RS did not attend the session, whilst SNSD representatives participated in the voting process only for multi-million grants for the RS. Addressing the media before the session Head of SNSD Caucus at the B&H HOR Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac said: “We did not leave any place, nor are we returning now. We are simply following the positions of relevant institutions from the RS”. The reporter notes that mean participating and adopting decisions as needed, or, as they like to say, in accordance with the interests of the RS. Novakovic-Bursac said that representatives from the RS will vote for the agreements “related to the Border Crossing on the Bratoljub Bridge between Bratunac and Ljubovija, the second is related to the approval for Border Crossings with the Republic of Serbia, the third is related to energy efficiency projects in the RS, and the fourth is related to approving ratification of the agreement related to specific services for the construction of the Corridor 5C”. According to the opposition from the RS, the six-month-long blockade to look for solution, and returning to the institutions of B&H without a solution show everything has been a farce, with SNSD promising a lot, but doing nothing; the return was conditioned by own Criminal Code to replace the Law imposed by former High Representative (HR) in B&H Valentin Inzko, yet they returned to the institutions without the said law. PDP representative at the B&H HoR Branislav Borenovic said: “It is absolutely logical that, as of today, we have a new Caucus at the B&H HoR, called Inzko’s Caucus composed of all representatives from SNSD and their subordinate political parties”. The reporter comments that some of them apologized for being naive and said they feel uncomfortable “for being caught in the SNSD’s net”. PDP representative at the B&H HoR Dragan Mektic said he feels unconfutable to enter the B&H HoR’s hall through the main entrance “after all this’’, and went on to say “I feel stupid and ridiculous, but I apologize to the people”. Head of SDP B&H Caucus at the B&H HoR Sasa Magazinovic said he knows that some fear of the said testing noting “I think that those who are not afraid of that should be in majority instead standing in solidarity with those who are afraid”. ‘Our Party’ representative at the B&H HoR Damir Arnaut said: “We will see if they will abstain in relation to that issue, if they will turn off their monitors, or they will vote”. The HDZ B&H abstained from voting. SDA representative at the B&H HoR Semsudin Mehmedovic said: “I expect that, already in February, we will have a next session and that those, who have blocked the work of the HoR all this time, will attend the next session with an alibi that they want the law, i.e. amendments to the B&H Criminal Code, to be adopted.”

Sarovic: Our proposal was to freeze the so-called ‘Inzko’s law’ until compromise is found (Dnevni list) 

SDS President Mirko Sarovic stated on Wednesday night, that SDS’ proposal was that the so-called ‘Inzko’s law’, i.e. its implementation should be frozen for a period of time until a compromise solution is found. According to Sarovic, Dodik and his bad and provocative policy had created “that kind of Inzko”. Sarovic went on to say that Inzko was prepared to leave the country without making a big political move, arguing that Dodik’s policy together with Inzko has resulted in the RS becoming an international case. Sarovic went on to say that Dodik came up with an idea about new political agreement, adding that “who needs that? It means new Dayton. Why he is not talking about peaceful dissolution now? Because he cannot carry it out”. The SDS leader also commented on the last session of the RS parliament by saying it was a classic show for the public to help the authorities return to Sarajevo. “Although the requests related to the so-called ‘Inzko’s law’ have not been met, the authorities are returning to Sarajevo today”, said Sarovic adding that one can now expect from SNSD to portray themselves as peacemakers.

RS government adopts amendments to RS Law on Administration (AJB) 

The RS government adopted on Thursday the proposed amendments to the Law on Administration of the RS in an urgent procedure. The proposed amendments to the Law on Administration envisage a new RS administrative organization – the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of the RS – and prescribe the tasks it performs. The proposed amendments harmonize the Law on Administration with the Law on Medicines and Medical Devices of the RS, which envisages the establishment of the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of the RS and which was adopted at the special session of the RS parliament in October last year, but has not yet entered into force. The RS authorities recently received a letter from the EU Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations warning them that they need to suspend all activities related to the RS Law on Medicines and Medical Devices. As the EU Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations explained, this law derogates the law at the state level and can cause legal uncertainty on the drug market in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

RS government sends draft law on HJPC to RS parliament (AJB) 

The RS government has sent a draft law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) to the RS parliament. The abovementioned law stipulates formation of the HJPC at the RS level, i.e. taking over the competence of the state of B&H in the appointment of judges and prosecutors. The opposition in the RS claims that the intentions of the RS authorities to transfer competencies are not serious, especially because the law on HJPC is expected to enter into force one year after its publication in the RS Official Gazette. The opposition asked at this week’s special session of the RS parliament when the law on the RS HJPC will come on the agenda, reminding SNSD leader and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik that he announced the adoption of this law by the end of January. “We have been losing competencies for twenty years for this or that reason and no one can expect this to be resolved in two months,” Dodik said at the special session. A day after the session, the RS government adopted and sent a draft law on the HJPC to the RS parliament. The draft law on the HJPC of the RS provides that the Council has eleven members. The text of the draft law on the HJPC of the RS, published by web portal Istraga.ba, states that the RS HJPC would have 33 competencies, including appointment of judges and prosecutors, disciplinary proceedings and education, which currently fall under the jurisdiction of the B&H HJPC. RS MPs are expected to discuss the draft law on the HJPC of the RS already at the next session of the RS parliament. However, the text of the draft law provides that this law shall enter into force a year after its publication in the RS Official Gazette. “The entry into force provision prescribes the delayed effect of the law due to the complexity and complicated procedures that must be carried out in order for the Council to be formed. Namely, in order for the Council to start working, it is necessary to ensure spatial, material, technical and personnel conditions necessary for the functioning of the council,” the explanation of the draft law states.

Sarovic, Borenovic, Nesic comment on draft law on HJPC (BN TV/RTRS) 

Some opposition politicians deem that this law has pre-election purpose exclusively. Leader of SDS Mirko Sarovic said that this law should enter into force in one year, adding that it associates that it has purpose for the period until general elections in October. “After that, probably it will not be interesting to anyone,” explained Sarovic. Leader of PDP Branislav Borenovic emphasized that this is pre-election law and it represents attempt of SNSD to preserve political tension until 2 October. “This is pre-election show that costs us and is exhausting. In period when people are departing, economy has serious problems and there are no new investments SNSD and its political partners resume to deepen crises and creates illusion something is being normalized,” concluded Borenovic. At its session held on Thursday, the RS Government also drafted a proposal of the RS Law on Real Estate. It was stated from the Government that real estate considered property of subjects of public authority in the RS and which is used by them to perform their basic activities will become property of these subjects by force of law. For the RS opposition, everything is a pre-election story. They object that the law will be applicable one year after its entry into force. It is absurd that the opposition is criticizing the return of competencies to the RS in Sarajevo, commented the RTRS reporter.

Zunic, Petkovic: Basis for adoption of law on HJPC of RS is RS Constitution and conclusions of RS parliament from 2004 (Glas Srpske) 

The daily argued that the legal basis for adoption of a law on the High Judicial and the Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of RS is the RS Constitution and conclusions of the RS parliament from 2004 that give consent to the RS government to sign the agreement on formation of the HJPC of B&H. Head of the RS SNSD Caucus Igor Zunic told the daily that the RS parliament – in which the majority was formed of SDS and PDP in February 2004 – gave consent to the RS government led by PDP’s Dragan Mikerevic, to sign the agreement on transfer of certain competences of the entity via formation of the HJPC of B&H. Zunic argued that with the conclusions, the RS parliament obliged the RS government and representatives of RS in the B&H Parliament to include solutions that will save the influence of RS in this law, when drafting of changes to the law on the HJPC of B&H. According to Zunic, this implied formation of sub-council with clearly-defined role and work procedure in relation to the HJPC of B&H as well as a HQ of this institution in the former Serb Sarajevo, i.e. Istocno Sarajevo. He reminded that none of the things were done which is why in his opinion, this serves nowadays as the basis for adoption of the law on the HJPC of RS. Zunic also argued that back then, a conclusion was adopted and it reads that “unless the essence of proposals of the RSNA becomes part of the proposal of the law on the HJPC of B&H, the RS parliament will withdraw its consent to the agreement the same way that it gave the consent”. Zunic also stated: “The law on the HJPC of the RS was practically on hold for 18 years and now, it was sent to the RS parliament for adoption.” He pointed out that claims from SDA that this is an attack on the constitutional order of B&H deserve no comments because in his opinion, it is pointless to comment those who defend their beloved state by calling for foreign interventions and sanctions. RS parliament deputy speaker and member of the United Srpska Milan Petkovic said that in this case, no one can say that RS is working anything against the Constitution of B&H, the law and anything outside of RS competences. Petkovic also reminded that conclusions of the RS parliament from February 2004 were not fulfilled adding that nowadays, they are doing nothing but acting in line with the conclusions. In his opinion, the policy of SDA has been based only on groundless accusations for the attack on the constitutional order of B&H for a long time. The daily also reported that draft of the law on the HJPC of RS – that is supposed to be on agenda of the RS parliament on 8 February – implies that this institution will have eight members. Four of them would be appointed by judges and prosecutors from their own ranks, while the rest of the three members would be appointed by the RS parliament, the RS government and the RS Lawyers’ Chamber. The draft law also reads that the law will enter into force a year after publishing in the RS Official Gazette with the explanation that this is precisely enough time to secure material, technical and personnel conditions.

Schmidt meets HJPC officials: Rule of law crucial for B&H’s progress (Dnevni avaz) 

HR Christian Schmidt paid a visit to High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), where he met with members of HJPC Presidency and Secretariat, discussing the current situation in B&H judiciary. HJPC President Halil Lagumdzija said that the HJPC recognized the importance of improving of the system, most notably through strengthening of independence and integrity of judicial officials. Members of HJPC Presidency stated that HJPC is functioning in full capacity, but noted that without support of the international community the HJPC has no power to resist the attacks on judiciary independence. “Participants of the meeting agreed that it is necessary continue the judiciary reform in legislation sector, which would be directed towards preservations and further strengthening of judiciary and that rule of the law and efficient work of the judiciary are crucial for overall progress of our society and process of European integration,” reads HJPC’s statement.

Dodik claims Izetbegovic still lives on stereotypes from 90s and tells him to give up on Islamic B&H (Srna/RTRS) 

Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik was quoted as saying: “The raven of the Bosniak political scene Bakir Izetbegovic, triumphantly announces the sanctions against the RS, with which he indirectly admits that RS is not a part of B&H, because who would be happy for anyone to reach out to punish a part of his country”. Dodik told Srna that Izetbegovic still lives on the stereotypes from the 90s, not realizing that the world and the relationships in it have changed. Dodik said that Izetbegovic forgot that punishing people in RS has been going on for three decades, but that it did not help Izetbegovic realize his dream of an Islamic state which, as Dodik said, he calls functional B&H. Dodik told Izetbegovic to change his approach, to give up on the Islamic state, to accept that Serbs and Croats are equally owners of the land he adopts and that he no longer threatens with someone else’s force.

Izetbegovic states elections under existing law would suit Covic; In case Komsic wins elections again, Covic sacrifices post of B&H Presidency member, but gets everything else (FTV) 

Guest of FTV was SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic. Asked what was the reason for negotiations in Neum to fail, Izetbegovic said the negotiations on electoral reform perhaps have not failed, but the “Neum round has” because HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic rejected the model offered by US Special Envoy for Electoral Reform Matthew Palmer and Director for Western Balkans and Turkey of European External Action Service (EEAS) Angelina Eichhorst “who certainly wanted to do a favor to the Croat side”. Asked what, according to Covic was the problem, Izetbegovic said that the proposed model guaranteed that one of the B&H Presidency members “will be elected by the will of majority of Croats. Mr. Covic said that in that case Bosniaks, leftists and traditionalists, we who win around 700,000 to 800,000 votes, will divide ourselves into two groups to practically take away B&H Presidency member from Croats again”. He went on to say “we went to Neum to calm down the situation with Croats and then we are accused of doing that. I think he provided an ungrounded reason only to avoid accepting that”. Asked why, in his view, Covic rejected the proposed model, Izetbegovic said: “Firstly, I think he was really convinced that will be only topic of the negotiation, and I think there is some blame of Eichhorst and Palmer for that, because their approach was that needed to be resolved. And, my request for the functionality of the Federation of B&H (FB&H) and the House of Peoples (HoP), at first, they ignored it, then they started talking about that and finally accepted it as an equal request” which was supported by SBB leader Fahrudin Radonic, NiP leader Elmedin Konakovic and NES leader Nermin Ogresevic. “Then he realized he would not be able to get only the thing he was interested in. This was difficult to present to the HNS (Croat People’s Assembly). Then, calculation probably outweighed, i.e. if Mr. (Zeljko) Komsic stays ‘in the race’ then he sorted out the campaign for Mr. Covic. Then he remains the boss to all Croats. I am afraid that it suits him if Komsic remains where he is, that then he has the campaign sorted out, then he has no competition among the Croat electorate and he keeps all the mechanisms, the ones he has used to block the FB&H for three years, to impose his will,” said Izetbegovic. Asked if he is of view it suits to Covic that the elections are held under the existing law, Izetbegovic said: “I suspect that. Because, when a man rejects something Ms. Eichhorst proposed, who definitely wants to help Croats and him, there needs to be a reason for that. I suspect that it is good for him to keep monopoly for these elections.” Asked, in case that is Covic’s plan, what Covic can gain if Komsic again wins the elections, Izetbegovic said: “He sacrifices the post of the B&H Presidency member and gets everything else.” The reporter reminded that people close to Covic said the third entity could relax relations in the FB&H. Asked if the third entity is the end goal, Izetbegovic said he does not believe that, and added that in case Covic and his associates accept the requests related to the FB&H HoR, they could lose the elections. Asked if there is will among local political actors for the negotiations on electoral reform to continue and who should organize a meeting, Izetbegovic said that Konakovic is bringing new energy, with new enthusiasm and new ideas, “and I think that he and his political party would be suitable to be a mediator, and I think he is not opposing that, but we will still need foreigners if more serious work is to continue, because we are careful how we behave in front of the foreigners, we will not reject any meeting”. Asked if the agreement is possible, Izetbegovic said that if Covic decides to make a compromise that will stabilize the relations in the country, “comply with all the rulings of the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR), and relax relations between Croats and Bosniaks “then, in my view, the agreement is easy to reach”. The reporter reminded of Covic’s statement that he does not understand why the HNS’ proposal, approved by the Venice Commission, and in compliance with all the rulings of the ECHR, was not accepted. Izetbegovic said that according to the model proposed by the HNS “vote of a Croat in the HNC (Herzegovina-Neretva Canton) was ten times more valuable than the vote of a Bosniak” and such proposal was rejected. Asked if the Venice Commission gave positive opinion on the model, Izetbegovic said that the Venice Commission “never gave opinion on models, the question is whether it is in compliance with the ruling”. He went on to say that the Commission was of view that “a person who represents Croats and all other citizens’’ does not bring into question the right of others to run for the B&H Presidency, “so in regard to that, Mr. Covic may be right. They did not oppose the definition, but they never gave the opinion on the model”. The reporter reminded of Covic’s statement “we have entered Dayton 2” at the RS parliament. Asked if Dayton 2 is possibility, Izetbegovic answered negative, noting “we will not accept Dayton 2 that could cause regression”. Izetbegovic reminded that HDZ B&H and SNSD have under one quarter of votes at the B&H House of Representatives (HoR), noting they have no right to bring the life in B&H to a halt, to stop the electoral cycle or organize Dayton 2. Asked if he supports civic B&H, Izetbegovic said: “I am for B&H that is a balance of ethnic and civic, and that will be accepted by everyone.” He went on to say it is necessary to take the direction of strengthening the civic principle instead the ethnic one. Asked to comment on Covic’s statement “protect RS”, Izetbegovic said he is not surprised by such statement, taking into account Covic’s actions in the past ten years, including his attendance at the ceremony of marking the RS Day in the past, his cooperation with SNSD leader Milorad Dodik “who shows disrespect”. The reporter reminded of strong rhetoric between Izetbegovic and Dodik, and Izetbegovic asked if it could be better, to which Reporter replied it should and it must be better because of the citizens. Asked if the trust between him and Dodik has been permanently destroyed, Izetbegovic reminded of changes in Dodik’s positions and statements, including his statement related to Radovan Karadzic as the “biggest misfortune of Serb people”. Asked if he is concerned about Dodik’s activities, as well as the activities of the RS parliament, even after the US sanctions, including the conclusion that all decision by the B&H Presidency, the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) and the B&H parliament must be ratified by the RS parliament, and if that is a permanent mechanism for blocking the country, Izetbegovic said it is positioning ahead the elections, noting “he will insist only on one thing, i.e. the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), because he is afraid of the B&H Prosecutor’s Office and will try to transfer it to the entity level, to put it under his control and I think he will gradually give up on everything else”. He went on to say that Dodik’s activities may have negative consequences for the people in the RS, including potential sanctions. Asked if, in his view, all those activities are election campaign, Izetbegovic said: “I think that 90 percent of it is the election campaign.” The reporter reminded that the EU sanctions against Dodik have been mentioned less frequently. Asked why that is the case, Izetbegovic said those mechanisms are slow, but the sanctions will be imposed. The reporter reminded of Dodik’s statement regarding proposing a law that would ban RS to be called genocidal, which was viewed by many as “the exit strategy” for the return to the institutions in B&H. Asked about his opinion on that, Izetbegovic said he agrees that such solutions should be accepted. Asked why that is not discussed at the B&H parliament, Izetbegovic said: “We are waiting for them to say what they want.” Asked if he trusts Dodik, Izetbegovic said that when an agreement is reached with Dodik, things can be done. Asked if the relations between Bosniaks and Croats are improving, taking into account his statement after his meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Izetbegovic answered affirmative. Asked when he expects the invitation by Konakovic, Izetbegovic said he expects the invitation in the next ten days or so, and added that he believes the EU will be engaged in that “that they will try again on the basis of what was rejected in Neum, because Croat side, i.e. Covic was wrong to reject that” and concluded by saying that he believes that people are currently advising Covic to accept the solution. Asked, in the range from one to ten, how he would mark the chance for the agreement to be reached, Izetbegovic said: “I would say three” meaning that the elections will probably be organized under the existing law.

Croat Party of B&H slams Covic over his speech in RS oarkuanebt and discussion on changes to Election Law of B&H only in part related to FB&H (Dnevni list) 

The Presidency of the Croat Party of B&H held a session on 2 February, on which occasion it discussed the current political situation in B&H. Following the session, the Croat Party of B&H issued a press statement, referring to the statement of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic before the RS parliament when he said that RS should keep the door open enough for the other two constituent peoples. The Croat Party of B&H argued that the door should not be cracked open but widely open in the entire BiH, as in line with the decision of Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H from 2000 when it decided that Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats are constituent people in the territory of entire B&H. Apart from this, the Croat Party of B&H said that HDZ B&H is hypocritical to discuss changes to the Election Law of B&H only in part related to the FB&H: “If HDZ B&H advocates that Croats should elect their own representatives in the FB&H, they should equally advocate Croats to elect their own representatives in the RS as well.” The Croat Party of B&H reminded that the number of Croats who live in RS drastically decreased between 1991 census and 2013 census and argued that “decisions and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) are actually verdicts to the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA)” and it urged “the creators” to harmonize Dayton Constitution of B&H with rulings of the ECHR because B&H does not have the strength to do it on its own.

UN Resident Coordinator in B&H: 47% of youth in B&H is thinking of leaving country (Nezavisne) 

The daily carried part of the op-ed of UN Resident Coordinator in B&H Ingrid Macdonald who pointed out that in 2022, social and economic recovery must be set as a priority in order to meet needs of men, women and children who are in the most vulnerable positions in B&H. Macdonald emphasized that officials and institutions of B&H have no time to waste. She said: “With thousands and thousands of citizens leaving the country every year in search of better prospects abroad, and an estimated 47 percent of young people considering leaving the country, socio-economic recovery cannot simply be ‘left for later’.” She pointed out that the pandemic slowed down if not led backwards economic progress and revealed that those who are the most vulnerable still remain neglected. She stated: “And whilst countries around the world are building back their economies, B&H’s recovery is faltering; hindered by the ongoing political crisis.”

Plenkovic, Covic meet; Covic informs him about failed negotiations in Neum (HRT) 

HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in Zagreb on Thursday. Covic informed Plenkovic about the activities of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) after the last round of negotiations on the reform of the Election Law of B&H held in Neum. The statement issued by the Office of the Croatian Prime Minister states that Covic and Plenkovic are seriously concerned about the lack of an agreement on electoral reform in B&H. Plenkovic and Covic expressed satisfaction that the international representatives accepted the proposals of Croat representatives in B&H and the views of Croatian government representatives as a sustainable model of stability and functionality that would strengthen key principles of the Dayton Agreement and be in line with European value system. Consequently, Plenkovic said that he would continue talks with the leaders of EU institutions and countries, as well as representatives of the international community on the position of the Croat people and the situation in B&H. Plenkovic stressed that the Croatian government will actively work and support the continuation of the negotiations among political actors in B&H in order to, as soon as possible, reach agreement on amendments to the B&H Election Law. Covic and Plenkovic also announced continuation of talks with representatives of the EU and the international community about the situation in B&H. Plenkovic emphasized that the Croat people in B&H has been led into an unfair position for years and that political agreement should secure equality and legitimate representation of all the three constituent peoples in the highest institutions of B&H.

Milanovic criticizes Schmidt for statement on elections (N1) 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic claimed that Bosniak parties are encouraged to attack Croats. Milanovic stated: “There will be elections anyway, said the High Representative of the EU and the international community (Christian Schmidt) two days ago, who was not confirmed by the (UN) Security Council. That is where the Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik is right. So, the Croats are negotiating with the Bosniaks in Neum, but the guy says ‘There will be elections anyway because I have to receive a salary’.” Milanovic pointed out: “Therefore, do not repeat the mistakes of Serb and Belgrade hegemonists from the end of the 80’s. Because you think there are more of you.”

Croatian parliament’s Commissions discuss status of Croats in B&H (HRT) 

Members of the Croatian parliament’s Commission for Croat(ian)s outside of Croatia and the Foreign Policy Commission discussed on Thursday the status of Croats in B&H. Once again, they pointed out that the B&H Election Law must change so that Croats stay a constituent people and enjoy equality which the current law fails to provide. Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic-Radman said that they will not allow giving up in B&H on the principle of equality of the three constituent peoples which was the topic at the recent meeting of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic in Dubrovnik.

MPs to discuss today parliament mandate shortening and no confidence in govt. (CdM) 

Today, at separate extraordinary sessions, MPs are supposed to discuss the government’s proposal to shorten the mandate of the Parliament and the proposal of the opposition and the Black on White coalition to vote on no confidence in the government of Zdravko Krivokapic. In order for the agenda to be adopted, it is necessary for 41 MPs to vote in favor of it. A total of 41 votes are needed to shorten the Parliament mandate, as well as the fall of the government. The MPs did not adopt the agenda yesterday, and thus did not discuss the proposal of the PM Zdravko Krivokapic to dismiss the DPM Dritan Abazovic. Abazovic said that there would be fewer votes in support of the Montenegrin government at the upcoming session than there were yesterday in adopting the agenda for his dismissal. After the session of the Parliament at which the agenda was not adopted, he pointed out that it is important to find a sustainable solution. If, he says, everything was different at the vote in parliament “there wouldn’t be any problem”. “The only tendency is to find a sustainable solution that will push the country forward. That is the task of all political entities. I think it will end very similarly,” he said. He also said that he did not expect anything spectacular from the session of the parliament at which a debate on his dismissal was scheduled. In the parliament, before the beginning of the session, he told the journalists that he would respect the decision of the MPs, whatever it was. “The most important thing is for Montenegro to get a European government as soon as possible and start unblocking the European path,” said Abazovic, adding that everyone is voting the way they think they should. e expects a vote of no confidence in the current government: “What the future government should look like, there will probably be more solutions. Elections are also an option. And as far as the current government is concerned, that is the end of it.” According to Abazovic, the ideal scenario would be to have a government that will have the support of at least 49 deputies, who want Montenegro to move forward. The leader of the Social Democratic Party, Rasko Konjevic, says that this Government should be overthrown due to bad results. He adds that great loves usually end in a big quarrel. “We believe that for a long time now, every proposal by Krivokapic has been illegitimate. We will be against his proposal to shorten the mandate of parliament,” Konjevic told reporters, after the agenda on a vote on the dismissal of DPM Dritan Abazovic was not passed in parliament. According to him, this party will not interfere in the “very good relations” between Dritan Abazovic and Zdravko Krivokapic.

Constitutional Court today deciding whether Djukanovic violated the Constitution (RTCG) 

Today, the Constitutional Court is deciding whether President Milo Djukanovic violated the Constitution with a public suggestion to move the enthronement of the Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church Joanikije from Cetinje, on 5 September this year. As a violation of the Constitution, the parliamentary majority cited two statements by Djukanovic from 28 August in Cetinje, in which he suggested that the Serbian Orthodox Church enthrone Metropolitan Joanikije outside Cetinje and when he announced that he would also be in Cetinje on 5 September, the day of the enthronement, with the citizens who oppose that act. If the judges agree that he has violated the Constitution, the parliament may dismiss him.

President’s dismissal, Meta reacts after C.C. postpones decision (ADN) 

President of the Republi, Ilir Meta reacted this Thursday after the Constitutional Court postponed on 7 February the issuance of the decision for his dismissal or not. In a post on social media, the head of state thanked his advisers. Meta states that he is familiar with the 72 questions of the members of the Constitutional Court and within 48 hours he will not only hand them over but will also read them to the citizens. “I thank my Councilors for the excellent work they have done during the judicial farce initiated by the former monist and unconstitutional Assembly. After getting acquainted with the 72 questions of the members of the Constitutional Court, within 48 hours we will not only submit 72 answers, but personally as President of the Republic I will read to all citizens of the Republic the answer to every question, from the Institution of the President.”

Russia asks Albania to clarify stance on Ukraine’s NATO membership (ADN) 

The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to Albania asking it directly whether it is for or against Ukraine’s membership in NATO. The letter, rare in its kind, has been published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and addresses all NATO countries, which according to the Russians should give their individual positions on security issues relating to them. The move has been read as a diversion from Russia to NATO countries to find out if there are gaps in the organization’s stance and if there are countries that will veto Ukraine’s membership.

Full letter:

You know very well that Russia is seriously concerned about rising political-military tensions near its western borders. In order to avoid any further escalation, the Russian side presented on December 15, 2021 the drafts of two related international legal documents – a Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Security Guarantees and an Agreement on Security Measures of the Russian Federation and the Member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The responses of the US and NATO to our proposals received on January 26, 2022 demonstrate serious differences in terms of the principle of equal and indivisible security, which is essential to the entire European security architecture. We believe that this issue needs to be clarified immediately, as it will determine the prospects for future dialogue. The Charter for European Security, signed at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in November 1999, formulated the main rights and obligations of the OSCE participating States regarding the indivisibility of security. It underlined the right of each participating state to be free to choose or amend its security agreements, including the treaties of alliances as they develop, as well as the right of each state to neutrality. The same paragraph of the Charter directly conditions these rights with the obligation of each state not to strengthen its security at the expense of the security of other states. He further states that no state, group of states or organization can have any primary responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the OSCE area or can consider any part of the OSCE area as its sphere of influence. At the OSCE Summit in Astana in December 2010, the leaders of our nations adopted a declaration reaffirming this comprehensive package of related commitments. However, Western countries continue to derive from it only those elements that suit them, and specifically – the right of states to be free to choose alliances to guarantee exclusively their security.  The words “as they evolve” have been shamefully removed because this provision was also an integral part of the understanding of “indivisible security”, and especially in the sense that military alliances must abandon their original preventive function and be integrated into the European architecture. Based on a collective approach, not as close groups. The principle of indivisible security is selectively interpreted as a justification for continuing on the path towards irresponsible NATO enlargement. It has been revealed that Western representatives, while expressing their willingness to engage in dialogue on the European security architecture, deliberately avoid references to the European Security Charter and the Astana Declaration in their comments. They cite only previous OSCE documents, especially often – the 1990 Paris Charter for a New Europe that does not contain the increasingly ‘inappropriate’ obligation not to strengthen its own security at the expense of the security of its other member states. Western capitals also try to ignore a key OSCE document – the 1994 Code of Political-Military Aspects of Security, which clearly states that States will choose their security agreements, including membership in alliances, given the legitimate security concerns of other states. It will not work that way. The very essence of indivisible security agreements is that there is either security for all or no security for anyone. The Istanbul Charter stipulates that every OSCE participating State has an equal right to security and not just NATO countries that interpret this right as an extraordinary privilege of membership in the ‘exclusive’ North Atlantic club. We will not comment on NATO instructions and other actions that reflect the aspiration of the ‘defense’ bloc for military supremacy and the use of force, bypassing the prerogatives of the UN Security Council. Suffice it to say that such actions run counter to fundamental pan-European obligations, including commitments under the above documents to maintain only such military capabilities that are commensurate with individual or collective security needs, taking into account obligations under international law, as well as the legitimate security interests of other states. Discussing the current situation in Europe, our colleagues from the United States, NATO and the European Union have repeatedly called for “de-escalation” and called on Russia to “choose the path of diplomacy”. We want to remember: we have walked that path for decades. Highlights, such as the documents of the Istanbul and Astana summits, are precisely the direct result of diplomacy. The very fact that the West is now trying to review in its favor these diplomatic achievements of the leaders of all OSCE countries raises serious concerns. The situation requires sincere clarification.