LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Here’s how I see Serbia in 2025 (Blic, op-ed by Aleksandar Vucic)

“Nowadays, the Republic of Serbia is a strong and stable state, a factor of peace and stability, a country of cranes and hoists, new factories and new jobs. Today, in Serbia, there is no more talk about when life will be better, but about what else we can do to further improve the quality of life of its citizens,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated for Blic.

Here’s the full text of the op-ed:

It was not easy to get here, because they left us a country with a collapsed economy, where padlocks in factories were more common than machine workers. They left us a country where unemployment was at a maximum and salaries and pensions at a minimum. They left an empty state budget in which there was no money for the one-month payment of pensions. We had to react quickly and implement a serious program of fiscal consolidation, which included some difficult economic measures. We started the recovery of Serbia, which was not easy at all, but it was necessary. The results were evident. From the economic growth that was in the red, we have reached the point of being the fastest growing economy in Europe in the last two years. Despite all the crises, public debt is completely under control, unemployment has fallen from 25.9 percent to below 10 percent, and salaries and pensions have risen significantly. From the average salary, which was 331 Euros, we have reached the level of 635 Euros in December 2021. We raised the minimum wage from 15.747 Dinars to 35.012 Dinars, which is the amount this year. At the same time, I have personally opened or laid the foundation stone for more than 250 factories throughout Serbia, and I am proud that our country is a leader in the region in attracting foreign direct investment. Last year alone, we attracted 3.9 billion Euros in foreign direct investment, more than any other Western Balkan country combined. Thanks to the fact that we managed to consolidate public finances and that we have money in the budget today, we designed the “Serbia 2025” program, which has already begun to be implemented. By 2025, a total of 14 billion Euros will be invested in various projects from the transport infrastructure, then in new hospitals and schools, as well as for energy, youth and pro-natal policy. A total of nine billion Euros will be invested in transport infrastructure, one billion Euros in water supply and sewerage, 700 million Euros for our youth, 600 million Euros for health, 600 million Euros for education and digitalization, 500 million Euros for infrastructure in culture and tourism, 500 million Euros for energy, 500 million Euros for the development of sports infrastructure, 300 million Euros for infrastructure in agriculture. These are projects that generations have been waiting for, and which will be realized in just a few years. Part of this program is the project of building the Belgrade Metro, which has been waiting for generations of Belgraders, and which finally began to be realized in November last year. Just as we made Belgrade Waterfront, we will make the Belgrade Metro, and it is a project that no one will be able to stop. I am especially proud of the part of the program that concerns youth and pro-natal policy, considering that every mother who gives birth to a child from the beginning of this year will be entitled to a non-refundable state aid for buying an apartment or house in the amount of up to 20.000 Euros. This will be a huge help for parents, which is followed by new aid package in the amount of 300.000 Dinars for the first-born child, and an additional 100.000 Dinars for the second and third child. We hope to set aside as much money as possible for this purpose, because it also means more newborns in our country. When you look at these results and planned projects, we should really be proud because we have made Serbia a strong and powerful state. But, I belong to those who are never completely satisfied and who know that they can always do more and better. Great Victor Hugo once said that “dreams create the future”. We dreamed big dreams, which we managed to achieve thanks to hard work, and now we continue to dream and continue working. The two great crises that hit the whole world in the previous period, first the coronavirus pandemic, and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict, shook much stronger economies than ours. We are completely stable, we are fighting well with all challenges, and we continue to build our beautiful Serbia. Our dream today is for Serbia to be a country networked with highways and modern railways in 2025, in which every house will have a connection to the water supply and sewerage network, and in which every citizen will have an even better quality of life. Our actions give us legitimacy so that we can promise the citizens with complete certainty, and under full responsibility, that the average salary by the end of term of the next government will be 1.000 Euros, and the pension 500 Euros. Together we can do everything!

Dacic: Kingdom of Eswatini recognizes Kosovo because of undeveloped ties with Serbia (Beta)

The fact that the Kingdom of Eswatini, a state between South Africa and Mosambique, has recognized the independence of Kosovo is “the result of insufficient communication because, due to undeveloped bilateral ties, Serbia missed the opportunity to tell friendly states how important the issue is for us,” Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said in Belgrade, on 30 March. Dacic said after a meeting with the president of the Lower House of the parliament of Eswatini Petros Mavimbela that “until recently bilateral relations were undeveloped, and the thread of good relations from the era of the Non-Aligned Movement was lost”. “Eswatini recognized Kosovo even though there were no open issues between us – it’s only the consequence of insufficient communication,” Dacic said to reporters in the Parliament of Serbia. Petros Mavimbela thanked Serbia on behalf of his government and king for humanitarian assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, and for providing scholarships for Eswatini’s students.

Office: There’s neither justice nor fair trials for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/Tanjug)

The decision of Pristina’s the so-called Supreme Court to reject a request for protection of legality in the case of the Serb from Pec Zoran Djokic is another indicator of Pristina’s anti-Serb policy and an example that there is neither justice nor the right to a fair trial for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija has said. “Despite the fact that numerous procedural rights were violated during the Djokic trial, and no relevant witness recognized him as the perpetrator, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His defense counsel thoroughly explained all the violations of the right to a fair trial and Djokic’s right to a defense, but the so-called Supreme Court only copied the explanation of previous court instances, ignoring those procedural shortcomings,” the Office said in a statement. This shows that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are drawn into a spiral of disenfranchisement and persecution by Pristina only because of their Serb names. The lawyer hired by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija will use the last legal opportunity, and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija will inform all relevant international representatives in Kosovo and Metohija about this verdict, the statement said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia: Putin started the war, and can stop it right away (RTS/Beta)

Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Oleksandr Aleksandrovich said on 30 March that Kiyev was committed to peace, but that it didn’t depend on the Ukrainians fighting on their own soil, but rather Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had started the war, and can stop it right away. The Ambassador thanked Serbia for the proposal that Belgrade host negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, but added that that the substance of the talks mattered more than the venue. The Ukrainian diplomat said that according to reports by the United Nations, at least 1,179 civilians had been killed in Ukraine so far, adding that the number of casualties was “much higher, because the UN offered only information that was confirmed 100 percent, which means only if the name and surname of a victim were available.” The ambassador said that humanitarian and financial assistance were being collected and sent to Ukraine, where food, drugs and clothes were greatly needed. He said that 4,200 reported to the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees, but that only 50 asked the government of Serbia for shelter, which the government provided for them.

Botsan-Kharchenko: Moscow expects Ukrainian provocations (TV Happy/Beta)

The first phase of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is over, but it’s not suspended as Moscow expects provocations, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko said in Belgrade, on March 30, adding that peace was not in the interest of Western states and that “Russophobia rules Europe”. “We expect provocations from the Ukrainian forces, nationalist units in the first place. Donetsk was bombed last night, an apartment building was hit, shooting was reported in Mariupol, strongholds still exist,” the ambassador said in an interview with TV Happy. Botsan-Kharchenko said that there was logic behind the Russian military operation, and it’s “directly linked to the goals, and the goals are to protect people in Donetsk and Luhansk and to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.” The Ambassador also said that life could gradually get back to normal “with humanitarian assistance from Russia and security and humanitarian assistance from the Russian army.” As he put it, the additional task, which is part of the same logic, is “to set up a basis for a safe and normal life”.

Dacic: Serbia right place for peace talks (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

Serbia is the right place for peace talks and has proved several times that it is capable of being an exceptional host to parties in various types of negotiations, Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday. Dacic was commenting on a recent statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Belgrade would be a good location for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

“Serbia is the right place for talks, and that is a result of its favorable international position and its strengthened foreign policy position, as well as of its balanced approach in foreign policy,” Dacic told Tanjug. “We have no intention of interfering and making such a suggestion, but if anyone were to think this would be the best place, I am certain President Vucic and Minister Selakovic will have a positive attitude about that,” Dacic said. He said Serbia and the former Yugoslavia had been the venue for various types of peace talks and mediation in international disputes. “We were exceptional hosts, we never interfered in the talks processes, we were discreet and no information was leaked to the media, which is very significant,” Dacic said, noting that he had witnessed several high-level meetings in recent history. He recalled that Lavrov and then US Secretary of State John Kerry had met in Belgrade during a 2015 OSCE ministerial conference in what was their first encounter since the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine. Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlud Cavusoglu also met during the same conference to discuss the crisis that followed the downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey, he said. After that, Russian and US diplomats have met in Serbia several times to discuss bilateral relations, Dacic noted, adding that the Serbian capital had also hosted talks between the Afghanistani government and the Taliban. “They met in Belgrade two or three times,” Dacic said.

Messages ahead of Sunday presidential vote in Serbia: Pride, warnings, promises (N1)

Just over 24 hours before the election silence begins on Thursday at midnight ahead of the Sunday vote, presidential candidates in Serbia are sending last messages to potential voters, reminding them of great successes, promising changes, warning political foes… Messages ahead of Sunday presidential election in Serbia: Pride, warnings, promises Just over 24 hours before the election silence begins on Thursday at midnight ahead of the Sunday vote, presidential candidates in Serbia are sending last messages to potential voters, reminding them of great successes, promising changes, warning political foes… Current President Aleksandar Vucic, who has said he will be sad if he gets less than 60 percent of votes in the first round of the race for his second term, tells people that under his leadership in the last decade, Serbia has become a country which has nothing to be ashamed of before the world, and calls on people to vote for Serbia’s safe future, i.e., for him and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). He said the choice is to continue as it has been in the last ten years or to go back to 2012 when his party came to power. On the other hand, his main opponent, retired general Zdravko Ponos, the candidate of the opposition United for Serbia’s victory coalition, warned the authorities “not to play with fire” by attempting to commit election fraud and called on state administration staff to refuse to take part in any wrongdoing,” referring to many so-called phantom votes, i.e., invitations to vote for people who have never lived on the addresses the invitations have been sent. The phenomenon is mostly recorded in Belgrade, according to people who reported it to the police. The opinion polls give the opposition a chance to win in the capital. In the 2022 presidential race, three women are running alongside five men. In an attempt to motivate voters, Biljana Stojkovic, the opposition We Must (Moramo) left-green coalition’s candidate, said a president should be a servant to all people, talk to them and listen about their problems, “and not as it is the case today, to be the owner of the state, institutions and budget.” From the right side of Serbia’s political scene, Branka Krsmanovic, the Sovereignists candidate, promised that she would return the presidential cabinet and work within the Constitutional framework as a president. She recently said that Serbia’s commitment to EU membership should be re-considered. Also, a right-wing presidential candidate of the Oath Keepers (Zavetnici) Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, said she would respect everyone but would “unwaveringly defend the Constitution, state, economic and national interests.” The far-right candidate Misa Vacic did not offer much but called on people to vote for him “out of spite.” The other two presidential candidates, Milos Jovanovic of the NADA (Hope) coalition of conservative/nationalist parties) and Bosko Obradovic, of the Patriotic Bloc, an alliance of conservative/right/nationalist parties, have also promised changes in society if voters would place trust in them. Jovanovic has said Serbia should be more respected. “That will be Serbia which everyone should respect. And, as president, I’ll put all my energy into our national foundations through national reconciliation, synthesis of Serbian history, strengthening of Serbian identity and Serbian culture.” Obradovic promised he would “correct the injustice “towards pensioners the current government has robbed,” alluding to reduced pensions by ten percent for almost four years by a temporary regulation aiming to consolidate the country’s finances. Serbia’s 6,501,689 eligible voters can choose among eight candidates for the head of state whose names will be on a blue ballot paper at 8,255 polling stations across the country.

Serbia’s opposition: We want to restore justice, crackdown on corruption (FoNet/N1)

Our goal is to restore justice, to crack down on corruption with a new anti-corruption prosecutor, to confiscate illegally acquired property and to lustrate all those who have sinned against people, Marinika Tepic of the opposition United for Serbia’s Victory told the pre-election rally in the northern city of Novi Sad. Miroslav Aleksic, a deputy leader of People’s Party, said that Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) head Aleksandar Vucic “enjoyed the role of mafia boss from his favorite movie ‘Godfather’, but that after the change of the regime in Sunday’s elections, the mafia will no longer lead the country. The criminals from the top of the government will be arrested, and corruption will be cut off”. “Sunday’s elections are a great opportunity to change the government and bring order to the country. If we all go to the polls, the government will surely lose. Every person’s vote is important, and I call on all citizens to go to the polls and vote for changes,” Aleksic added. He recalled that Vucic came to power “thanks to the promise to fight against corruption. He strengthened his power thanks to the arrest of ‘Delta’ company owner Miroslav Miskovic. He will leave power with a court ruling to pay Miskovic 30 million Euros in compensation with Serbia’s people’s money”. People’s Party of Novi Sad official Borislav Novakovic said that “the state was reduced to the will and malice of one man” and that the most challenging situation was in Vojvodina since “that part of Serbia is managed by a criminal structure organized by the Serbian president’s brother”. “The basic idea of our coalition is to establish a fair system in Serbia because we have a new criminal caste consisting of prominent SNS members and businessmen who rely on it. The names of Zvonko Veselinovic, Slobodan Milic Bocara and Marko Bosanac Bosket stood out in Novi Sad,” Novakovic said.

The Democratic Party leader Zoran Lutovac said that it was time to radically change the state and society. “It’s not a matter of ideology or political program; it’s a matter of bare survival. It’s time to bring order and justice to society, responsibility in politics and tolerance in political culture. On 3 April, we have a chance. Tell people to raise their heads, straighten their spines and return a smile on their faces,” Lutovac said. Academician Dusan Teodorovic said that the solution to all problems is “schooling, education and technological development” and underlined that Serbia should first solve the problem of birth rates. He added that Chinese investors must respect all world environmental standards or leave Serbia, and the task of a new government is to look into the contracts the current leadership had with some foreign companies.

Jankovic: Opposition stands real chance of winning in Belgrade (Nova/Beta)

Vladeta Jankovic, the candidate for Belgrade mayor nominated by the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition, said that a reliable opinion poll was so encouraging that a victory by the opposition in Belgrade seemed quite real, but it’s hard to imagine that the Serbian Progressive Party would recognize it. “There’s a slight difference between the opposition votes and the votes in favor of the Progressives and their open or clandestine allies, which means that every vote is crucial. I need to repeat time and again – the turnout is absolutely essential,” Jankovic said in an interview with the Nova paper. Jankovic added that “if the opposition wins the majority of the vote, which seems likely, it’s not at all impossible that the result won’t be recognized.” “Over ten years in power, the Progressives have become so tyrannical and steeped in abuse, they have so much to lose and their fear of the consequences is so deep that, to be perfectly honest, the graceful acceptance of eventual defeat is hard to imagine,” Jankovic said.

Ponos: Rigging elections would be playing with fire (Danas/Beta)

The presidential candidate of the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition Zdravko Ponos has warned the authorities not to play with fire and try to steal the elections, and urged the employees in the state administration not to take part in this. “Alarming news is arriving about a massive number of phantom voters, whose voting slips are being sent to addresses where they have never lived. The authorities are playing with fire,” Ponos said in an interview to Danas. While explaining that the theft that was being prepared was not about several parliamentary seats of the opposition, but represented the robbery of the people of Serbia of several more years of their life, he said this was “not something to play with” and that he trusted “the elementary feeling of responsibility of the outgoing authorities”. “I appeal to the employees in the state administration not to gamble with their jobs and their reputation, and not to place themselves in the position of being criminally accountable for participating in election rigging. They have no reason to fear the outgoing authorities. After 3 April, nobody will be asking who they voted for, but the relevant organs will conduct interrogations to see if anyone participated in election rigging,” Ponos stated.

Faktor Plus: SNS to win 53.6 pct of votes, United for Victory, SPS follow (Blic)

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is tipped to win 53.6 pct of the votes in Sunday’s elections, while the United for Victory of Serbia coalition and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) could win 13.7 pct and 10.2 pct, respectively, according to the latest Faktor Plus survey. Other contenders that could clear the election threshold include the We Must coalition (4.7 pct), the HOPE coalition (3.8 pct), the Oathkeepers (3.7 pct), the Sovereignists (3.1 pct), as well as the electoral lists led by Boris Tadic, Bosko Obradovic and Vojislav Seselj, with 2.3 pct, 2.2 pct and 2 pct support, respectively, the survey shows. Faktor Plus Director Vladimir Pejic told Blic the turnout was expected to be around 55-56 pct. “Fifty-three percent of respondents said they would definitely vote in the elections, 37 pct said they would not, while 10 pct have not decided yet,” Pejic explained. The survey of a sample of 1,100 participants was conducted in central Serbia between 22 and 28 March, Blic said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ujic: Around 300 people banned from entering B&H including 27 Serbian citizens (RTRS) 

Director of the B&H Foreigners’ Affairs Service Slobodan Ujic specified that the 300 individuals, who are banned from entering B&H, represent a threat to public order and peace, as well as constitutional order of B&H. Ujic noted that the Foreigners’ Affairs Service does only the technical part of the work, while it receives the list from the B&H Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA). Ujic noted that there are over 60 Montenegrin citizens, over 70 Albanian citizens, over 70 Turkish citizens, and 27 Serbian citizens among the banned individuals. Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik announced that he will ask for annulment of the list of Serbian citizens who were assessed to be a threat to national security of B&H and prohibited from entering B&H by the OSA of B&H. Dodik stated that he will ask Chair of the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H Zoran Tegeltija to send a letter and ask for annulment of the order on ban of entry to B&H for “professors, attorneys and others who are on the list of Director of this agency (OSA) Osman Mehmedagic”. Dodik explained that, in practice, border police officers, mostly Bosniaks, will obey to orders of Mehmedagic while border police officers who are Serbs will obey orders of Tegeltija: “If someone announces the arrival from Serbia, then we will try to make sure they come during the shift in which Serbs work. This is how we will handle it. However, if this is the intention, they succeeded in it very well. We did not want this.” Dodik also claimed that B&H OSA has been privatized and that “it is not B&H behind the decision on ban of entry, but it is a single person”. The Border Police of B&H rejected the possibility of selective application of laws. Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic presented an opinion that banning certain Serbs from entering B&H, without justification, is brutal abuse of joint institutions. Cvijanovic noted that it should be clarified as soon as possible why certain Serbs were banned from entering B&H. Communication between the competent institutions, which should know the reasons for imposing the ban, is almost non-existent, says Cvijanovic, and adds that it leads to suspicion that the reasons are mostly political. “As long as the institutions of the RS do not receive any information or reason for the ban, for me this is just political noise and story, vengeful behavior, and severe brutal abuse of joint institutions for the purpose of one policy, which in multiethnic environments pulls back,” she said. Cvijanovic also said on that in her opinion, this is directed against people who have their own opinion based on history and their assessment that bothers someone in Sarajevo. Cvijanovic criticized the lack of communication of competent authorities in B&H on the matter of ban entries, noting that there is a tendency to ban people connected to Serbia from entering B&H.

Dzaferovic pays visit to Brussels, accuses RS authorities of undermining all reforms implemented in B&H in post-war period (O Kanal) 

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic paid an official visit to Brussels and met with President of the European Council Charles Michel. Dzaferovic said that this was an important meeting, adding that the first topic they discussed was a stance of B&H towards the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Chairman of B&H the Presidency said that had informed Michel that in this regard B&H is with a civilized part of the world that condemned the aggression. Talking about the situation in B&H, Dzaferovic said that it is not good. He accused the RS authorities of undermining all reforms implemented in B&H in the post-war period. Dzaferovic demanded assistance and acting of the EU to remove the obstacle in functioning of B&H. Talking about the engagement of EUFOR, Chair of B&H Presidency stressed that strengthening of EUFOR forces represents a stabilizing factor. Dzaferovic stated that he knows that, unfortunately due to destructive forces, B&H has not fulfilled its conditions from the 14 priorities in the EC’s Opinion on the EU Membership Application. Dzaferovic reminded that the Laws on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), the Conflict of Interest, and the Public Procurement were also not adopted. “Bearing in mind the situation in B&H– the blockades of institutions and attempts to undermine reforms, threats that exist with regard to Russian aggression on Ukraine – I asked them to take care of B&H and to grant B&H the EU candidate status at this moment. That would be a geostrategic and geopolitical decision that would help B&H a lot. It would be a very positive signal for all people in my country”, concluded Dzaferovic. Dzaferovic told reporters after the meeting that they also discussed the Constitution of B&H, the Election Law of B&H and the general elections in B&H. He reminded that he asked for support in a way to put retrograde decisions of the RS parliament out of force with help of the EU and help B&H through the EU’s action in order to unblock B&H institutions and ensure normal functioning of the country.

Dzaferovic meets Von der Leyen; EU committed to country’s sovereignty, integrity and EU path (Dnevni avaz) 

President of European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen met in Brussels on Wednesday with Chairman of B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic. Following the meeting, Von der Leyen posted a comment on her Twitter: “I met B&H Presidency chair Dzaferovic. The EU is committed to the country’s sovereignty, integrity and security and its European path. But more efforts are needed to progress on EU-related reforms I also thanked B&H for their support to Ukraine.”

EU Delegation warns that B&H politicians must start turning their pro-EU rhetoric into concrete action that will bring country closer to EU (Nezavisne) 

In a statement for Nezavisne, the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H warned that B&H has not achieved progress on its path to the EU and that B&H politicians need to harmonize their rhetorical readiness for EU membership with concrete actions that will allow progress towards a future in the EU. The EUD also warned that the RS leadership needs to secure return of its representatives to state institutions in full capacity in order to adopt reforms which serve the interests of all citizens and which will help B&H make progress towards the EU. Furthermore, the EUD pointed out the necessity to fulfil the 14 key priorities defined by the European Commission’s Opinion on B&H’s membership application, noting that B&H is making minimal progress towards fulfilling these priorities. B&H failed to reach an agreement on implementation of the Sejdic-Finci ruling and similar court practice, as well as on integrity of the election process. B&H also failed to harmonize the Law on Conflict of Interest, Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and Law on Public Procurement with the EU standards.

The EUD also warned that B&H has not fully aligned its stances with the EU decisions on foreign and security police, including sanctions against Russia. The EUD reiterated that the future of B&H lies in the EU. “However, the path to EU also means obligation to meet certain standards of democracy, functionality of institutions, rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration reform”, the EUD warned.

B&H CoM in session: B&H Ministers from the RS vote against resolution banning and changing access of Russia and Belarus to EBRD resources (FTV) 

At its session held on Wednesday, the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) failed to reach consensus to support the resolution banning and changing an access of Russia and Belarus to the EBRD resources. As it was expected, SNSD ministers voted against support to the abovementioned resolution. This document reads that the EBRD will not implement new loans or technical assistance in Russia and Belarus, adding that if possible, it will cancel payment of loan instalments in existing operations in these two countries. A final deadline to vote on the resolution is 1 April. Answering to the inquiry of Hayat, the EU Delegation stated that the adoption of the resolution on sanctions to Russia and Belarus would be in accordance with the stances taken by the UN, EU and other institutions. They stressed that in time of an aggression without precedent, there is no time for neutrality. Earlier, Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler called on B&H CoM Chairman Zoran Tegeltija to support the Resolution of the EBRD. Daily reminded that B&H Finance Minister Bevanda is in charge of these sanctions, being that he is also B&H Governor in EBRD and reminds that Head of EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler asked Bevanda for B&H to support these sanctions and this meeting was attended by eight of the EU ambassadors.

Sarovic: Consultations of RS authority and opposition underway ahead of B&H HoR’s session in order to take single stance about issues that are not in interest of RS (RTRS) 

SDS leader Mirko Sarovic stated on Wednesday that intensive consultations between the ruling authorities and the opposition in the RS are being held, in order to take a united stance on issues that are not in the interest of the RS, and which could be on the agenda for Thursday’s special sessions of the B&H parliament. These issues refer to the demand that the B&H parliament condemns Russia for the war in Ukraine. “Our position is not to make decisions that would be contrary to the interests of the RS, that due to our absence certain issues get the required majority and pass, and then we would be under great pressure because we did not prevent certain decisions,” said Sarovic. Sarovic said that the B&H parliament will discuss the condemnation of Russia during a special session soon and assessed that the adoption of these decisions is not good for the RS. He said that they will vote against these decisions. FTV carries that MPs from opposition parties announced their attendance at the session. Their goal is to prevent condemning Russia for its activities in Ukraine and adoption of the decision that supports excluding of Russia from international institutions. Sarovic said that in order to achieve abovementioned goal, it will require presence of 10 MPs from the RS. He added that the opposition will provide five and expressed hope ruling parties from the RS will also provide remaining number of MPs.

Nesic, Stevandic: Zvizdic is abusing his position to convene urgent session on Ukraine and thus provoke new crisis in B&H (BHRT/Glas Srpske) 

B&H House of Representatives (B&H HoR) speaker Denis Zvizdic has scheduled two urgent sessions of the HoR – one on information on state of the public broadcaster BHRT which will be held on Thursday, and one on concrete measures of assistance to Ukraine which will be held on 4 April. According to DNS leader and member of B&H HoR Nenad Nesic, Zvizdic is abusing his position and he is trying to override the entity voting rule by referring to an interpretation by OHR from 2005. According to OHR’s interpretation, of the rules of procedure, B&H HoR can pass decisions in second round of voting if there is no two-thirds entity majority voting against decisions, regardless of the number of present MPs. “It is clear that Zvizdic intends to use such abuses to provoke the RS MPs and cause a new crisis, and then accuse Srpska, only to enter a conflict with the Russian Federation in a couple of days. This is absolutely inadmissible because B&H has no official stance and no institutional stance on the crisis in Ukraine. B&H Presidency never discussed it, and it is responsible for the foreign policy,” said Nesic. ‘United Srpska’ leader and member of B&H HoR Nenad Stevandic stated that Zvizdic is having a performance of self-promotion and his decision to convene urgent sessions is his attempt to depict himself as someone important on B&H political scene now that he is left without a party behind him. According to Stevandic, Zvizdic and other Bosniak politicians believe that using anti-Serb policies is the easiest way to gain popularity in the Federation of B&H (FB&H), and both urgent sessions have been convened with this purpose in mind. Stevandic also accused Zvizdic of trying to raise tensions in B&H by putting Ukraine on the agenda and of trying to cuss a favor with international community. “I believe that his goal is additional compromising of the Serb side in the eyes of Western powers, which will draw attention away from the failed talks on electoral reform, and also he wants to show that the Bosniak parties are ‘on the right side of history’,” said Stevandic.

Sattler meets Sarrazin: Looking forward to cooperation supporting B&H’s path to EU (Dnevni avaz) 

German government’s Special Envoy for Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin arrived for a two-day visit to B&H. Upon the arrival, Sarrazin met with the Head of EU Delegation to B&H, Johann Sattler. Commenting the meeting, Sattler posted on his Twitter: “Good discussion today with German Special Envoy for Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin. Looking forward to continuing close cooperation in supporting B&H on its path to the EU and greater stability in Western Balkans.”

Sarrazin meets Forto, Turkovic; Discussions focus on electoral reform and upcoming general elections (Oslobodjenje) 

German government’s Special Envoy for Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin met with Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Edin Forto and the meeting focused on electoral reform and upcoming October elections. Sarrazin wanted to hear Forto’s stances regarding different aspects of adoption of legislation, negotiations and other political circumstances regarding this issue. Forto underlined that holding of fair, free and transparent elections is a condition for all further steps. Forto said that this is the only way to establish authority bodies, which are credible to adopt decisions important for constitutional, political and other organizations of B&H. Following this meeting, Sarrazin met with B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic. The statement issued by B&H Foreign Ministry reads: “Minister Turkovic thanked Sarrazin for dedicated engagement of German government and support they provide to Euro-Atlantic perspective of B&H. What was underlined is the importance of holding of general elections in line with the law and continuation of activities on fulfilling of conditions of B&H for the status of the EU candidate.”

Arnautovic elected new President of B&H CEC (O Kanal) 

Members of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) elected Suad Arnautovic as a new President of the CEC. Members of this commission stated that Arnautovic successfully presented the work of the CEC. Arnautovic stated that his first task is organization and implementation of general elections 2022. Arnautovic also stated that, regardless of the political developments, the CEC should use its legal competences, which include initiating amending of the Election Law and the Law on Financing of Political Parties. “We will point out things that are going towards changes, which are going to the detriment of international standards and give suggestions. We will initiate amendments to the law within the competence of lower levels of authorities that directly or indirectly affect the election process in B&H. It is impossible to complete your task if you do not have coordination and cooperation,” said Arnautovic. During the Wednesday’s session of B&H CEC, six out of seven members voted for appointment of Suad Arnautovic as the new B&H CEC President for the mandate of 21 months. Daily carried an interview with Arnautovic and author first asked if B&H CEC will announce the elections and whether they will take place. Arnautovic stressed that the elections will most certainly be announced in line with the Law, but there are many other factors that decide whether they will be held. “One must not be unrealistic. If someone wants to prevent them, it is much easier for them to do that, for instance by denying of the budget, because nothing can be done without the money or other forms of obstructions, which some of the officials even publicly presented. However, I hope that the reason will prevail and that these blockades before B&H CEC will be unblocked, so we could have elections on 2 October, because there are no other forms of democracy winning than through regular elections”, said Arnautovic. Asked about the fact that B&H Finance Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda is refusing to give a positive opinion about providing of funds for elections from accumulates surplus of budget incomes from earlier years, even though B&H Legislation Office issued a positive opinion about this proposal, Arnautovic said that this matter was precisely explained by former B&H CEC President Zeljko Bakalar. Arnautovic noted that B&H CEC does not want enter the disputes with any of authority bodies, adding that they have good cooperation with all officials and institutions, calling them to respect this legal obligation. Asked about the electoral reform and if he believes that the agreement is still possible, Arnautovic said that they are following the negotiation process with great attention and he deems that the agreement is possible, especially in the part which regards the integrity of the election process i.e. technical- technological improvement of the election process. He underlined that it is now important to have this ‘integrity package’ submitted to B&H parliament as soon as possible.

The author comments that all parties declaratively support introducing of new technologies, asking why are parties afraid of the scanners, to which Arnautovic stressed that obstruction in introducing of new technologies is part of the policies which do not want improvements in our society. He added that reasoning behind this sometime can be in the lack of information about the election process and technology, and sometime the reasons are merely political. “We will surely introduce some new steps in the election process, which do not require change of electoral legislation. Sometime, small steps lead to great results”, said Arnautovic. Asked to comment the fact that SNSD and HDZ B&H still find the composition of B&H CEC disputable and even included this into the last round of negotiations on the electoral reform, Arnautovic said that he will underline his known stance on this matter. “There was a scenario of certain political structures which wanted to install suitable personnel to B&H CEC. This scenario was completely agreed on March 9, 2020, but two days after these talks the scenario failed. The conflict is now in political arena. In my opinion, current composition of B&H CEC is completely wrongly targeted. We are not the institution which elects itself. This is something that B&H House of Representatives is doing and all the things that need to be, so to say, put under the microscope are regarding the decision making process in HoR and not in CEC itself…Secondly, all those who have objections after the decision of the HoR, need to dispute this before the court. This is the principle of rule of the law and everything else is politicizing. Look, without any need, we have been exposed to a huge amount of misinformation which are placed because of at least three goals- to dispute this institution which has legal base and ground in the Article 5 of Annex 3 of DPA and as such, someone wants to undermine it. On the other side, these misinformation are launched to dispute the process, among which is also the introducing of new technologies and thirdly- to dispute the members themselves. Perhaps, certain politicians can be allowed to have the luxury to place false information in the public, but there are two cures for that- either go to court or solve that in the parliament”, said Arnautovic.

Croatian Ambassador to Serbia criticized in Croatian parliament (Hina) 

Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Hidajet Biscevic was severely criticized on Wednesday by MPs Miro Bulj (Bridge) and Marijan Pavlicek (Croatian Sovereignists). “Ambassador Biscevic’s behavior is scandalous, more than scandalous,” Bulj said in parliament, accusing the Ambassador of “harassing Croatian political representatives, obviously on the foreign minister’s and the prime minister’s orders”. Pavlicek accused Biscevic of “working on the further fragmentation of the Croatian community” in Serbia and attacking its leaders, notably Tomislav Zigmanov, the head of the Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina (DSHV). “He is harassing a man who stood up against the regime of Aleksandar Vucic,” Bulj said, criticizing the Croatian government for leaving the Croats in Vojvodina on their own and without a single representative in the Serbian National Assembly. Bulj said that Biscevic was “demonizing” Zigmanov because “he is not sucking up to Vucic“, and because he joined a coalition of parties from Vojvodina for Sunday’s general election. “It seems he would have been more acceptable had he sided with Vucic’s party and the Chetnik movement,” Bulj said. Both Bulj and Pavlicek noted that unlike the Croats in Serbia, the Serb minority in Croatia has three guaranteed seats in the national parliament, about 40 guaranteed mayoral positions and about 10 deputy county prefect positions. “There are about 58,000 Croats in Serbia today. Their number in the last 30 years has been halved in a country where there was no war and where the Croats did not rise up in an armed rebellion”, Pavlicek said, adding that “the Croats are second-class citizens in Serbia today.” Pavlicek said that three weeks ago all the heads of Croatian-language primary schools in Vojvodina had been summoned by the police for interviews over “discrimination against children,” because all children attending Croatian-language classes had received free textbooks, unlike children attending classes in Serbian. “Croatian diplomacy did not react to this,” Pavlicek said, blaming it for the poor status of the Croats in Vojvodina.

Opposition meets reshuffle announcement with call for snap election (HRT) 

The opposition has met Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announcement that he was planning a cabinet reshuffle with calls for a snap election. The two governments Prime Minister Plenkovic has led have been plagued with legal scandals that resulted in the departure of more than a dozen ministers. In this latest reshuffle, it is unclear who is out and who is in. People close to the PM have declined to comment on Wednesday. “He (the Prime Minister) is going to decide, in these times of great crisis, what needs to be done to refresh the government and to continue to lead until the end of his term,” Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek told Croatian Radio. SDP MP Arsen Bauk says the government has no legitimacy and the PM has done a terrible job of picking his team. “Prime Minister Plenkovic has proven to be an unsurpassable talent in making poor cabinet choices and now he’ll get the chance to prove it once again. That’s not going to bring about anything positive for Croatia but it will ensure he doesn’t have to answer questions that make him uncomfortable,” Bauk said Most leader Bozo Petrov says the PM is afraid to confront the real problems in his government. “He is still afraid of what people in Croatia think and this fear drives him to keep changing people up.” Croatian Sovereigntist Marijan Pavlicek pointed out that more members of the Plenkovic government have left due to suspected corruption or formal corruption charges than the cabinet of Ivo Sanader, whose name in Croatia is widely regarded as synonymous with corruption. The leader of the HDZ in parliament, Branko Bacic, says the government still has the firm support of the majority. “While they are looking for cracks in the ruling majority when there are none, the coalition between Mozemo! and the SDP in Zagreb is failing. In Split, the coalition that supported the mayor is also crumbling. The opposition should really address its own problems,” Bacic said. Asked about some of the names being floated in relation to the re-shuffle, Bacic declined to disclose any details and said all would be revealed in time.

JANAF to suspend business with Serbian company NIS over EU sanctions (HRT) 

Croatian pipeline operator JANAF has reported that a contract for transporting crude oil with the Serbian company NIS is subject to EU sanctions against Russia. JANAF said on Wednesday that the fulfilment of the contract would be suspended May 15. The contract is set to expire at the end of this year. JANAF said it did not expect this to have a major negative impact on its business. Russia’s Gazprom holds the majority stake in NIS.

Radulovic and Hahn: Montenegro and the EU together and in the new geopolitical reality (CdM) 

The war in Ukraine has brought a change of reality to the whole world, in which we think about our future and decisions. When it comes to the European integration of Montenegro and other countries of the Western Balkans, it brought clarity about the fact that there is no time to lose. This was said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Djordje Radulovic during the meeting with the European Commissioner for Finance Johannes Hahn in Vienna. Speaking about Montenegro, which is leading in that process, the Montenegrin Foreign Minister pointed out that “accelerated integration” is very important, and that this term, as part of the “New Methodology” in the negotiations, does not mean shortcuts for our country, but gradual and concrete integration with clear and verified results. “Montenegro truly wants to implement the necessary reforms in the coming period and as such become part of the European family of nations, as it has shown in the new geopolitical circumstances.” European Commissioner for Finance Johannes Hahn confirmed that the fact that we are witnessing the war means that Europe expects a solution to the crisis on several levels, primarily when it comes to taking care of refugees, humanitarian approach, energy, and the impact on the economy. In that context, however, as he emphasized, the EU fully keeps in mind the importance of the enlargement policy, as well as the fact that countries like Montenegro are at the forefront in that process. At the same time, Hahn pointed out that the Union appreciates the fact that Montenegro fully follows its Common Foreign and Security Policy, but that, as he said, restrictive measures need to be implemented. Radulovic said that Montenegro has shown unity with its European partners, in light of the new geopolitical reality. Therefore, he thanked for the decision of the European Council to assist the countries of the region, including Montenegro, in reducing energy dependence on third parties. Bearing in mind that the war in Ukraine will have far-reaching negative economic consequences for the world economy, the importance of a solidarity approach was pointed out during the meeting, so that they would be as painless as possible for the citizens.

Will the outgoing Prime Minister Krivokapic again refuse to impose sanctions on Russia (CdM) 

Today, it will be known whether the government of Zdravko Krivokapic will adopt a decision on imposing sanctions on Russia due to the aggression against Ukraine, or whether it will continue with the policy contrary to the one pursued by the European Union, of which Montenegro claims to be a member. On 17 March this was not done because Krivokapic did not want the government to make a decision, as required by law, but tried to transfer the decision to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Djordje Radulovic, contrary to legal regulations. The head of Montenegrin diplomacy then rejected such a possibility, after which the outgoing PM interrupted the session, refusing to allow the ministers to comment on the issue. After the session was interrupted, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic told reporters at the extraordinary conference that the message we are sending with this procedure is sad and desperate. “I think this is a very ugly message and I hope that our partners will not use it against us. We will try everything to communicate with our partners and explain the situation in our country,” said Abazovic. Contrary to EU policy, the fact that Krivokapic avoids imposing sanctions on Russia undermines Montenegro’s already sufficiently shaky reputation with international partners due to the policy pursued by Krivokapic. Montenegro risks a lot with this policy of the outgoing government. And how much he risks and what, the representative of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Predrag Boskovic, clearly says in a statement for CdM. “By not imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation, Montenegro is most at risk of further degradation of its international reputation,” said the CdM interlocutor. For years, he adds, our foreign policy has been fully harmonized with EU policy, which has enabled us numerous achievements but also the perception of Montenegro as a reliable partner, which was crucial not only for the reputation of our country, but also for desirability as attractive. investment destinations. “Unfortunately, due to the actions of the dismissed government, this image has been largely ruined and the new government has a lot of work to do to regain everything that was lost in the previous two years,” Boskovic said.

US Secretary Blinken spoke with Kovacevski on Ukraine (Republika) 

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, to discuss Ukraine and the situation in the region. Secretary Blinken congratulated Prime Minister Kovachevski on his new position and on the formation of the new cabinet. The Secretary thanked North Macedonia for its unwavering and steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of President Putin’s continued brutal war of aggression. The Secretary also underscored strong US support for North Macedonia’s expeditious EU accession. The Secretary personally thanked the Prime Minister for North Macedonia’s commitment to the NATO Alliance as its newest member, as well as for hosting Afghan evacuees. The Secretary expressed that the United States looks forward to further close cooperation on a range of regional, security, and defense issues to promote democracy and stability in the region, the readout informs.

Tomorrow will be known who made concessions: Positive atmosphere between Macedonian and Bulgarian historians (MIA) 

A new meeting of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission for Historical and Educational Issues between Macedonia and Bulgaria will be held today and tomorrow in Skopje. On the agenda will be the remarks made by the Bulgarian side about the medieval period for our history textbooks for seventh grade, after reviewing the Macedonian remarks about the Bulgarian textbooks for sixth grade. The co-chair of the Macedonian team in the joint Macedonian-Bulgarian Commission Dragi Gjorgiev told MIA that the work of the Commission is taking place in a positive atmosphere and if it continues, according to him, the positions will be brought closer. Regarding the issue of Goce Delcev, which is being discussed from the aspect of joint commemoration, Gjorgjiev told MIA that it will be opened at this meeting, if there is time. The meeting comes after a meeting in Sofia of the heads of government of NATO member states from Southeast Europe, which was also attended by the Prime Ministers of Macedonia and Bulgaria, Dimitar Kovacevski and Kiril Petkov. At the joint press conference, Petkov said that there was good news regarding the work of the Historical Commission and that progress had been made over important historical figures in talks on overcoming differences. Kovacevski said historians work independently of political dialogue and other working groups working on other issues. He pointed out that the communication with Sofia is intensified, both from an institutional perspective and from the perspective of the citizens.

Census results: Macedonians 54.21 percent, Albanians 29.52 percent (Republika) 

The director of the State Statistical Office Apostol Simovski presented the official results of the Census at a press conference on Wednesday. In his address, he noted that the State Statistical Office managed to conduct a successful census. The counted population in total stands at 2,097,319 persons, of whom 54.21 percent declared themselves as Macedonians, 29.52 percent as Albanians, 3.98 percent as Turks, 2.34 percent as Roma, 1.18 as Serbs, 0.87 percent as Bosniaks, and 0.44 percent as Vlacs, said Simovski. Apostol Simovski, head of the DZS state statistics bureau, blamed the parties that called for boycott for the dismal result of the census in which over 7 percent of the residents did not participate, leading to a major downplaying of the number of ethnic Macedonians in the country. “All who called for a boycott in reality did harm. They do not wish good to the country and now we see the result,” Simovski said. Several smaller opposition parties, led by Levica, called for a boycott after the government decided to conduct a census that will include the diaspora – a unique case in Europe. This meant hugely inflated numbers of ethnic Albanians, often registered by proxies. The Macedonian diaspora and about 7 percent of resident citizens, boycotted the process. Several weeks ahead of the publication of the results, citizens in Macedonia had a chance to register again, but overwhelming apathy meant of the original boycotters decided to take this opportunity.

Rama: The government is closely monitoring the difficult situation (Radio Tirana) 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that his government is trying to cope with the food and energy crisis in the country. He met Wednesday with importers, exporters and representatives of the basket goods supply chain. Rama gave details about the state of food and oil reserves in the country. He said the government is working to provide the amount we need to avoid any collapse the country may suffer from such a shortage. The Prime Minister said that he is in contact with some supporters to provide the necessary reserves, in case of oil shortage. “We have not only stayed and watched the market, but we are making serious efforts to support in every case, as well as food, and supply in case of shortage. We do not have anything concrete. We are well on our way to achieving this. If this fight continues for a long time, we will have to be coherent and provide the product we need. “This is a crisis situation and we cannot live as if nothing happened,” Rama added. The Prime Minister reiterated the application of the aid package and said that in three months we will benefit more than half a million citizens. According to the head of government, agriculture is better than a year ago and he hopes that production will continue to grow. “We will continue to support those who are most in need, who are more than half a million citizens who will start support for three months in a row, will support tax-free agriculture for all those who say that agriculture is die we145 of agricultural products more compared to January-February 2021. Agriculture is divided into two parts a working pair and do not make noise that has increased the figures spectacularly. The other figure is that we import 1 and export three compared to what we imported 7 and exported 3. “We have more domestic products in the market than other years. We will continue to stimulate synergies,” he said. Mr. Rama said that the government has established a sovereign guarantee that businesses can receive and use with full state guarantees. “This sovereign guarantee is that all those involved in the supply chain have the opportunity to invest and spend properly. This is reserve and state at the same time. You will use it as you normally use the reserves, but if it remains it will to be taken by the state,” said Rama.