LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Pristina undermines regional stability (FoNet/N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, report on the current situation should contain a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the denial of fundamental rights, dangerous provocations and Pristina’s unilateral decisions which violated the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Brussels Agreement. In a meeting with Caroline Ziadeh, UNMIK Head, Vucic added that „for Serbia, the UN is the most important international organization in preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty, and we are, as always, committed to continuing cooperation with UNMIK,” Vucic said. He added that Serbia expected „timely, adequate and visible UN reactions to numerous incidents and provocations from Pristina. Vucic said he hoped that the UN Secretary General’s report of UNMIK’s work would be fair and honest and that it would contain all the remarks and examples of incidents in Kosovo that he presented during the meeting with Ziadeh. Vucic and Ziadeh met ahead of the UN Security Council session on April 20 to discuss the Secretary-General’s report on UNMIK’s work. Ziadeh said that the mandate of UNMIK and KFOR was clear, and the scope and role of these missions were clearly defined. She said that the presence of the Mission was significant for maintaining stability in Kosovo, both through the consistent implementation of UN Resolution 1244 and efforts to implement agreements reached in the framework of the Brussels dialogue. She also underlined the necessity of continuing the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the importance of all efforts for constructive regional cooperation. Ziadeh congratulated Vucic on his election victory and expressed confidence that Serbia would continue the productive and good cooperation with UNMIK.

Vucic with Putin: Serbia’s threatened with a ‘nuclear strike’ (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about the details of the conversation he had with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Vucic underlined that Putin was very nice and fair, but he also pointed out that he could not be completely open as the President of the Republic. “We discussed numerous issues, including gas, oil, NIS. I will not accept him being called Hitler, they declare him insane. He is neither hysterical nor crazy. He spoke very stably, calmly, rationally in conversation with me. We agreed on many significant matters”, Vucic said. According to him, Putin wanted to inform him about the events in Ukraine, about the events in Bucha. “He said everything was going according to his plans. I told him he didn’t have to inform me about it because we are a small country and we have to try to save our country from everything. He told me ‘you know that my attitude towards the Serbian people is special’ and that he informs smaller countries, he even cited the example of one. Serbia is the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia,” Vucic said. President added that he reiterated the conclusions from the National Security Council. “Serbia is the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia.” Speaking about Serbia’s vote to expel Russia from the Human Rights Council, Vucic says that Serbia was blackmailed. “We are facing a ‘nuclear strike’ on Serbia, in other words, sanctions against Serbia,” he warned. It is being decided whether we will be exempted from the package of sanctions, he said and reminded of the EU decision that Serbia can import oil only until 15 May. If that decision remains in effect, oil would be three times more expensive. “Due to the EU decision, which accidentally refers only to Serbia, we can import oil until 15 May, and then we can’t, because Gazprom is the owner of NIS,” Vucic said. Vucic read the report minutes from yesterday’s Moscow – Belgrade flight. “The plane was three hours and 20 minutes late. Not far from the Russian border with Latvia, we were warned to try to visually identify the plane next to ours. There was a military fighter. Russian air traffic control asked our pilot to visually identify the fighter, flying just a kilometer below our plane near the border of Latvia. Apparently there was a NATO plane in the Russian air zone,” Vucic said. Russian flight control warned us it was there, asking to tell them which plane it was. “The fighter went from left to right without endangering the safety of our civilian flight. Then it quickly disappeared from sight,” Vucic read the report of our Airbus pilot. “Serbia will ask NATO for an explanation regarding the incident,” he pointed out. He added that he loves the West, that he loves Russia endlessly, but that he loves Serbia the most and that our country will do everything to preserve peace and stability. The election process in Serbia will be completed by 25 April, that is, the final election results should be announced by then, followed by a month to constitute the parliament, then a month for the president to appoint a prime minister-designate and another 60 days to elect a government, and Vucic says that the government “will come sooner than that”. Asked whether that means that Serbia will get a government before the summer, Vucic told RTS that it will certainly not happen in August. “It’s important for the country. There is great interest in my party in holding to parliamentary elections by the end of the year, possibly together with the city elections… I do not agree with that,” said Vucic. He said that he does not agree with that proposal, which he will discuss with people from his party, because the state must be above party interests. “Imagine saying that we are going to parliamentary elections, and then three months of campaigning, then three or four to get a new government… Not to have a government for 10 months in the most difficult conditions and do nothing,” said Vucic. He pointed out that the SNS will secure the majority and that there is no possibility of this not happening. “Us alone and Hungarians and minority parties, and there will be many who would like to join without the big parties,” said Vucic, and when asked if he was absolutely sure that the government would be formed in that way, he said that it depended on the decision of the SNS with whom they wanted to form a government.

Serbia consistently committed to respecting principles of international law (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked today with the newly elected Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Caroline Ziadeh about the political situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the resumption of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. Brnabic pointed out the importance of communication with UNMIK and Belgrade’s readiness to continue the dialogue, but also the necessity for Pristina to fulfil the obligations assumed by the Brussels agreement. She expressed the expectation that this will be presented in an objective and transparent way in the Report of the UN Secretary General on the work of UNMIK at the session of the UN Security Council, which will be held on 20 April. Brnabic stated that Serbia is consistently committed to respecting the principles of international law and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and that it will continue to make efforts to preserve peace and stability, but at the same time expects Pristina to fulfil its obligations. She pointed out the continuous instability and ethnically motivated incidents against Serbs and other non-Albanians, but also the denial of the right of Serbs to vote in the referendum on constitutional amendments in the field of justice in January, and to participate in Serbian elections in Kosovo and Metohija on 3 April. Ziadeh said UNMIK will continue to work for a more peaceful and prosperous future by promoting respect for human rights and building trust among communities. She reaffirmed UNMIK’s commitment to supporting the EU-sponsored dialogue to reach a comprehensive agreement and long-term peace and reconciliation.

Serbia determined to strengthen cooperation with Iran (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic talked on the phone with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Speaking about the long tradition of friendly relations and mutual support, Selakovic said that Serbia is determined to strengthen and strengthen the overall cooperation with Iran. Selakovic especially expressed gratitude for the consistent and principled position of Iran on the issue of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called “Kosovo”. Also, Selakovic said that Serbia supports the efforts to reach an agreement within the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program that are taking place in Vienna.

He assessed that the economic cooperation between the two countries does not follow the level of excellent political relations, emphasizing Serbia’s clear commitment to its strengthening, especially in the fields of agriculture, tourism and transport.

Mihajlovic, South Korean ambassador discuss bilateral economic ties (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic met with South Korean Ambassador to Belgrade Lee Jaewoong on Thursday to discuss bilateral economic relations. They noted a possibility for stepping up cooperation in the energy and mining sector and for involvement of South Korean companies in construction of new power generation facilities that use renewable energy sources. “Our vision is to ensure energy security and enable climate-neutral development of Serbia because the green agenda represents a new opportunity for economic growth. We are open to discussions about all energy sources, including nuclear power plants,” Mihajlovic said.

Lee said Serbia was an excellent destination for South Korean investments. “We have chosen to be a carbon-neutral country – in addition to renewables, we also rely on nuclear power and the Republic of Korea is one of the strongest countries in the world in that field, and I think we can cooperate in that sector, too, as well as in the energy sector in general, because there is interest in the Serbian market among our companies,” Lee said. The parties also discussed the energy transition process, enhancement of energy security and independence in the gas sector, the significance of modernizing the energy infrastructure as well as the global impact of the current crisis on the energy sector, the Ministry of Mining and Energy said in a statement.

Lajcak writes on experts of Kosovo and Serbia (RTS)

Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina talks Miroslav Lajcak says that Belgrade and Pristina experts met. “Experts of Kosovo and Serbia met in Brussels today for the 7th meeting of the WG on License Plates. With the deadline approaching, it’s urgent to reach a compromise to improve the freedom of movement in the region. It’s the responsibility of both parties to agree on a solution,” wrote Lajcak. This is the seventh meeting of Working Group on License Plates.

Djilas: No word from Vucic (N1)

Serbian opposition leader Dragan Djilas told N1 on Thursday that he had not spoken to President Aleksandar Vucic to discuss a repeat of the elections in Belgrade. “Of course I haven’t. I made the suggestion and I expect to get a reply. I think that in a normal country, the authorities and opposition talk. This conversation did not happen, not because of the opposition but because of the authorities,” The Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) leader said on N1’s 360 Degrees talk show. According to Djilas, the 3 April elections were irregular. “These elections were irregular, unfair and dishonest,” he said and added that fresh elections are the only solution to the crisis. Djilas rejected any possibility of cooperation with Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). “Cooperation is not possible. We are the strongest opposition and we were the greatest critics of the authorities in the past few years,” he added.

EU-Serbia JCC chiefs concerned over election shortcomings (N1)

The Co-Chairs of the EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) welcomed the higher turnout and participation in the 3 April Serbian elections but expressed concern over shortcomings in the process. “We congratulate the Serbian people for the increased turnout to exercise their democratic right to vote on 3 April 2022, commend the participation of diverse political forces following the inter-party dialogue facilitated by the European Parliament, and welcome the return to a more pluralistic parliament in Serbia. Conversely, we express our deepest concerns about a number of shortcomings favoring the incumbents in the electoral process, including the highly polarized political environment, unbalanced access to media, pressure on voters and lack of transparency in campaign financing,” JCC Co-Chairs Bosko Savkovic and Aurel Laurentiu Plosceanu said in a joint statement. “We stress that fair, transparent elections are essential for any functioning democratic society, and that complete confidence in electoral processes is essential for democracy and rule of law,” they said. Savkovic and Plosceanu strongly condemned all reported violations, coercions or open violence at polling stations on election day, and deplored the irregularities observed during the election and post-election process in the city of Belgrade. “We regret the unclear communication by the RIK on preliminary election results,” they said and called the elected authorities to “strive for real, transparent, inclusive, constructive dialogue across the political spectrum, in close cooperation with Serbian civil society, and to demonstrate that they are genuinely working towards accession to the EU”.

Opposition We Must challenges Belgrade election results (N1)

Over 60 irregularities and verbal and physical violence against vote controllers marked April 3 election in Belgrade, the opposition coalition We Must told reporters on Friday, adding all those remarks were noticed in the reports from polling stations. In an agreement with other opposition parties, the coalition submitted objections from 200 polling stations to the Belgrade Election Commission (GIK). They believe the voting should be repeated at all of them. Five days after the Sunday elections, GIK the city’s vote is not decided with the GIK decision to repeat voting at four polling stations despite the opposition submitting 400 objections to irregularities. They include Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) activists’ door-to-door visits with gifts buying votes; voting outside the polling station; over five percent of voters came to the wrong polling stations; group voting at a polling station repeated after a warning from controllers; parallel voter lists; unknown people outside polling stations keeping records of who came to the polls; use of a red pen to check a candidate; vote counting outside polling stations with boxes opened ballots counted in other rooms… GIK should decide about those objections in the next two to three days. Dobrica Veselinovic of the We Must coalition said, “it is not as long as fight for every vote is going on”. He said that the opposition won at all ten city’s central municipalities. Belgrade has a total of 17 municipalities. Radomir Lazovic of the coalition told reporters that all opposition organizations insisted on a new vote at all polling stations where the observers and controllers noted irregularities. “So far, the re-vote will be held on four, but another 250 polling stations are considered.” “It will be enough for the opposition victory if a new vote is held at 20 polling stations,” he added. So far, the regime and opposition parties in Belgrade are neck-to-neck and Dragan Djilas, the leader of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SPP) has demanded a meeting with the President and the head of the Serbian Progressive Party Aleksandar Vucic to agree to repeat complete voting in Belgrade. Some opposition leaders were not happy with Djilas’ idea.

Veselinovic said that the protection of election results was not a trade, while his coalition partner Aleksandar Jovanovic added that if GIK ignored objections, his Ecological Movement would call on people to go to the street. “I call on people to be ready to defend freedom in the street. No negotiations over people’s election will.”

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H supports Russia’s suspension from UNHRC in voting at UNGA session (O Kanal/BHT1/Nova BH)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) has supported the Russian Federation’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in voting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. The initiative was proposed by the US with the support of the UK and a number of other countries. O Kanal reports that, reacting to this, B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik said it is unacceptable that anyone votes at the UNGA without the B&H Presidency’s position. “This is an attack on B&H they allegedly defend, whilst destroying it with all available means. It is unacceptable that without the Presidency’s position anyone votes at the UN, and I have warned about it in several occasions. This completely degrades the position of the Presidency and this country. I want to inform that the B&H Presidency has not taken the position in regard to today’s item on the agenda of the UNGA that requests, at the US’ proposal, to expel Russia from the Human Rights Council, i.e. suspend it, and we have seen that many countries stated their opinion on the issue. B&H has not provided its opinion, B&H Ambassador there Sven Alkalaj, who is not that, has with own moves informed about the B&H’s stance putting it in the position of supporting that UNGA resolution. That is not the decision of B&H,” said Dodik for the media. Dodik pointed out that the vote of the B&H Ambassador to the UN was not agreed in the BiH Presidency. He added that it was not a decision of B&H, but a private decision of “the Muslim circle from Sarajevo, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic, Croat Member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic, and B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic.” Dodik stated that this was never stated at the session of the Presidency of B&H, and therefore it should not have been presented as a position, and that it was a violation of the Constitution and procedures. Dodik assessed that this was done in the past period many times, and that is completely unacceptable. Dodik says such behavior puts in question the constitutional order in B&H, and the preservation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Dodik wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to address this matter. “I believe the best thing for B&H would have been if it remained neutral – for it to not take any sides. For it to remain outside any kind of remarks, condemnations, or something similar regarding the war in Ukraine. For us, both Russian and Ukrainian people are our brothers; and we are not viewing all that is happening there with indifference. We, of course, would like for that war to be stopped as soon as possible. To put a stop to any kind of suffering”, Dodik emphasized during a press conference.

Dodik on information that Germany is considering sending military troops to B&H within EUFOR Althea: No foreign armed forces needed in B&H, no RS’ consent for Althea in coming period (ATV)

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik commented on the information from the German Bundestag that Germany is considering sending its military troops to BiH within EUFOR Althea mission. In his comment, Dodik said that no foreign armed forces are needed in B&H, nor can they come without the consent of the B&H Presidency. Dodik noted that EUFOR troops, which have been patrolling for days, arrived in B&H due to earlier agreements but there will be no support from the RS for EUFOR Althea mission if it is required in the coming period. Dodik said it is unacceptable that EUFOR soldiers are circling around schools and playgrounds, and that they endanger traffic. “That trust that we had in the mission of Althea was destroyed by the fact that they parade here every day unnecessarily and try to bring us some disturbance or some discipline. Only a few months or a week ago, the commander of that mission said that there were no security threats to B&H. This was also done recently by the deputy commander of the NATO Joint Staff, who also claimed that there is no threat to security here,” underlined the Serb member of the Presidency.

EUFOR: EUFOR remains 100% dedicated to European future of all citizens (Dnevni avaz)

Member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik addressed a press conference on Thursday and stated that he was wrong last year, when he agreed with extension of the Althea mission in B&H, stressing that this is something that he will certainly not do next year, adding that they lost the trust they had by unnecessary parading and disturbing of the people. The daily noted that Dodik also fiercely criticized and even presented several insults toward Germany. However, daily noted, EUFOR answered Dodik that they are here to secure the peace. “EUFOR will continue to perform their tasks impartially and to treat all B&H citizens with respect and equally.  EUFOR is impartial, capable military force, composed of soldiers from 19 countries, who are working together with our partners in B&H,” stated EUFOR Commander Major General Anton Wessely. He concluded that EUFOR remains 200% dedicated to B&H and European future of all citizens.

Izetbegovic criticizes latest statements of Escobar: Dayton Agreement is straitjacket (N1)

According to N1, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic criticized the latest stances of US special envoy to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar. Among other things, Escobar said that there can be talks about a civic B&H only after its full membership in the EU and Izetbegovic claims that this is not the stance of the US. According to Izetbegovic, Escobar’s views on B&H are groundless and he is wrong when he says that the Dayton is not a problem. Izetbegovic stated that 58 percent of the political forces in the country are pro-Bosnian parties which are “traditionally Bosniak” and want stability, peace; they oppose blockades and crises and they support the EU path. However, because of the Dayton Agreement, “that 58 percent is pushed down to one third,” he said, adding that the agreement also “enabled apartheid in the RS and enabled Dodik a chance to do what he is doing.” Izetbegovic said it also gave the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS), which he said has a total of “150,000 votes”, the same status as a political group that has five or six times as many votes. Izetbegovic announced that there will be no negotiations on the election reform in B&H in the upcoming weeks, arguing that this is pointless ahead of the elections. According to N1, Izetbegovic opposed the form in which diplomats put him and leader of HDZ BIH Dragan Covic behind closed doors while neglecting other political parties. Izetbegovic stated for N1 on Thursday that the Dayton Peace Agreement is a straitjacket that enables apartheid. Izetbegovic said: “The Dayton Peace Agreement is a straitjacket on the arms of a patriotic and pro-European majority. The Dayton Peace Agreement enabled apartheid in the RS.” According to Izetbegovic, the Dayton Peace Agreement restrains the power of traditional Bosniak patriots and all those who think differently – even the US – are wrong. In his opinion, negotiating on the B&H Election Law is suicidal and member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic is a legitimate representative of Croats. Izetbegovic went on by saying that Croat officials present lies and their and Serb strategies are wrong. Speaking about possible sanctions against SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, Izetbegovic said there will be sanctions and that things will normalize after that. Asked if citizens of the RS deserve to suffer because of Dodik, Izetbegovic says he does not know if the sanctions would deal with Dodik and people around him or whether the sanctions would be broader. “It is not only the leaders who are at fault. People who persistently vote for them and support them are at fault (…)”. In addition, Izetbegovic said he congratulated Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic via text message. Leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik reacted by saying that these are just theses dating back as of the time Bakir Izetbegovic and his late father Alija Izetbegovic begun dreaming about the Islamic state in the Balkans hidden behind civic ideas and apartheid is in the parts of the FB&H in which Izetbegovic’s patriots rule because there are almost no Serbs there, while there are 16 percent of Bosniaks in the RS who enjoy every right. In his opinion, everything that Izetbegovic does only encourages general hoax. Dodik asked: “Should we consider this as if the Muslim side gave up on the Dayton Agreement?” The Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) reacted and accused Izetbegovic of undermining of the Dayton Peace Agreement and it gave full support to Escobar. The HNS stated that the latest media appearances of Izetbegovic represent an open attack and an attempt to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement. According to the HNS, the three constituent peoples and their legitimate political will are the source of sovereignty, stability and functionality of B&H.

Lovrinovic submits proposal law on registration of affiliation to constituent people in personal identification documents (FTV)

FTV notes that discrimination in B&H is discussed by many, particularly politicians who have done nothing to eliminate it, and they should do it, because they are obliged to on B&H’s EU path, and goes on to say that HDZ B&H is the biggest advocate of the EU, mainly only declaratively. FTV reports that Head of the HDZ B&H Caucus at the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Nikola Lovrinovic has submitted to parliamentary procedure the proposal of the law on registration of citizens’ affiliation to constituent people in personal identification documents under urgent procedure. “Registration of the data on affiliation to constituent people, ethnic minority and the Others in B&H is done based on the statement of the citizens, i.e. parents, adoptive parents or guardians of minors at the authorized register office. These data can be registered in the birth register, registry of B&H citizenships, or ID. If the citizen does not want to declare, the register officer is obliged to register this as well,” reads the proposal of the law. FTV reports that, according to the proponent, the aim is to eliminate identified abuse of ethnic affiliation. “The aim of the proposal law is primarily to prevent abuse of vacancies in the institutions of B&H and abuse in the election process participation in a way that declarations of ethnic affiliation can be reviewed by relevant bodies, i.e. submitted to the said bodies for the purpose of subsequent registration and prevention of further abuse of these facts,” Lovrinovic was quoted as saying. The reporter wonders if this proposal would lead to further abuses of personal data, and if the proposal is the right way to eliminate such abuses. Addressing the media, SDA representative at the B&H HoR Alma Colo said the use of personal data falls under the “Article 8 of the European Convention relating to the personal data protection, and I think that the Court, on several occasions, issued decisions’’. Colo also said she understands the reasons for the proposal, “there are abuses within the nomination process in the elections. Individual candidates in elections change their ethnic affiliation depending on the need. It can be prevented in another way. Whether this is the way, I am not really sure”. FTV reports that, according to DF, since the “legalization of apartheid by HDZ via amending the Constitution and the Election Law is failing’’, HDZ B&H is trying to legalize it through the said proposal, “distance itself from the European rulings, and even more from the civic concept”. According to the opposition, it is new discrimination under the disguise of legitimate representation.

RS officials support Lovrinovic’s initiative (Nezavisne novine)

Commenting the proposal, United Srpska leader and Head of Serb Caucus in B&H House of Representatives Nenad Stevandic stated that it is alright if it is widely accepted. He noted that denying the right of citizens to register their affiliation in their personal documents can also be viewed as violation of their rights. However, if many citizens refuse to have their affiliation registered, the law will only create confusion. B&H Presidency member and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that he supports Lovrinovic’s initiative because B&H Constitution clearly stipulates that B&H consists of two entities and three peoples- He noted that some international officials tried to persuade people to give up on their identity and affiliation with constituent peoples in order to become an easily manipulated mass. However, underlined Dodik, this is not possible.

US Senate confirms appointment of James O’Brien as Head of Office of Sanctions Coordination at State Department (Oslobodjenje)

The US Senate confirmed that appointment of James O’Brien as the Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the State Department. The daily noted that O’Brien will certainly be dealing with the Western Balkans as well, knowing that USA already imposed sanctions against several individuals from the Western Balkans over the past several months and one of them was Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik. USA imposed sanctions against Dodik for corruption activities and threats against stability of B&H. Media published an unconfirmed list of 65 firms brought in connection with Dodik and these too were included in the list of the US Treasury Department.

Cvijanovic discusses political and economic situation in RS and B&H with Murphy (ATV)

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic met with US Ambassador to B&H Michael Murphy in Banja Luka on Thursday. On this occasion, Cvijanovic and Murphy discussed the current political and economic situation in the RS and B&H, as well as other current topics. Cvijanovic pointed out that the RS is focused on economic development, and further implementation of reform processes in order to improve the economic environment, as well as the living standard of all citizens. The RS President expressed her full commitment to consistent respect for the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), and commitment to intensifying the political dialogue in B&H.

IRMCT Chief Prosecutor Brammertz and Turkovic discuss war crimes related issues (BHT1/BNTV/FTV)

B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic talked with the Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts Serge Brammertz in Sarajevo on Thursday, who visited B&H as part of a regular report to the UN Security Council. Topics of the discussion were the cooperation of domestic institutions with the Prosecutorial Mechanism in prosecuting war crimes in B&H, regional judicial cooperation in war crimes cases, and the problem of continuous denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals in B&H and the region. Brammertz stated in Sarajevo on Thursday that the regional cooperation is very important when it comes to war crimes prosecution. Brammertz stated that the goal of his visit to Sarajevo was not to criticize the work of any institution, but to express his support for everyone who works under difficult and complicated political circumstances in B&H. He said that he is worried over the fact that tens of war crime perpetrators escape to Serbia or Croatia and avoid prosecution in that way, stressing that this is a result of insufficient regional cooperation and that the commission needs to work on improvement of this cooperation. “I am coming here for 14 years now, but what I see is that the situation is worse in regard to denial of the genocide and glorification of war criminals. In The Hague, we filed indictments against 161 persons, but the number is still small, taking into account that 3,000 people can still be indicted in B&H. I am the most concerned about the regional cooperation, bearing in mind that Croatia does not provide within the cooperation what it should, and there are also issues with Serbia,” said Brammertz.

US Ambassador Murphy pays respect to victims at Kazani Memorial (FTV)

US Ambassador to B&H Michael Murphy visited the Kazani Memorial  on Thursday and paid respect to the citizens of Sarajevo killed in the period 1992-1993. “The war in B&H was a terrible tragedy. That is why it is the duty of today’s leaders to promote reconciliation, hold perpetrators of crimes accountable, and to acknowledge and honor the victims,” wrote Murphy on his Twitter account. FTV reports that Murphy commended the leaders of Sarajevo for erecting a memorial for the victims, noting the memorial is incomplete, whilst reconciliation requires recognition of all difficult truths from the past. “The Kazani memorial is incomplete without all the victims’ names and a clear, forthright acknowledgment of the crime’s perpetrators. Musan Topalovic Caco, commander of the Tenth Mountain Brigade of the Army of the Republic of B&H, ordered the Kazani murders. I look forward to the day when the Kazani memorial reflects this fact,” wrote Murphy on the Twitter account.

Abazovic: Minority government model on the table, two or three individuals undecisive (CdM)

Montenegro will get a minority government, says Prime Minister-designate Dritan Abazovic. He is optimistic that two or three indecisive individuals will decide to do what is good for the state. “It will be the European government. Anyone who opposes this is cheering that Montenegro has an anti-European government. The model I have offered is on the table, it is finished, now it remains for everyone to declare themselves,” says Abazovic. He points out that there are two or three undecisive individuals. He points out that both the Social Democratic Party and the Social Democrats are welcome to the government.

Krivokapic: Minority government formation would directly lead Montenegro into unrest and instability (CdM)

“A potential minority government cannot be stable, as it is made up of ideologically incompatible parties, and the re-composition in parliament alone is not enough for reforms, especially not with the support of those who have been stifling corruption for decades. The creation of a minority government would directly lead Montenegro into unrest and instability”, claims Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic. According to the government, he told this on the sidelines of the Delphi Economic Forum to the Austrian Minister for Europe and the Constitution, Caroline Edtstadler. The topic of conversation was the crisis in Ukraine and possible repercussions on Montenegro, as well as its entry into the EU. The outgoing Prime Minister pointed out that the European environment had to be stable.

Montenegro declares four Russian diplomats persona non grata (CdM)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared four more diplomats of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Montenegro persona non grata. “A formal note on this decision, which sets a deadline of seven days to leave the territory of our country, has been handed to the Russian ambassador today,” the Ministry says.

Savovic: Abazovic’s hearing about recording in near future (CdM)

The head of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Ulcinj Vladimir Savovic has told CdM that he expects a hearing of the DPM in the technical mandate Dritan Abazovic to be held today or tomorrow. The hearing is to be regarding the audio recording, which shows the alleged vote buying in Ulcinj. Savovic has pointed out that Abazovic, although was not obliged to do so, answered the phone call and said that he would come to the Prosecutor’s Office as soon as possible, that is, as soon as he finished certain obligations. Savovic has recalled that all other actors of the audio recording were examined.

Petkov ignored Von der Leyen’s comment about minority rights (Republika)

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov faced an embarrassing moment when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, during their joint press conference, that minority rights are one of the fundamental European values. She also reminded that a decision to open EU accession talks with Macedonia was made by the European Council all the way back in 2020. Bulgaria continues to block Macedonia from opening the accession talks, and demands Macedonia to meet numerous requests, such as rewriting its own history and altering its national identity. But the Bulgarian demands also include elevating the Bulgarian community in Macedonia to the level of a constituent nation. This is in stark contrast with the Bulgarian own policy of refusing to acknowledge ethnic minorities, let alone mention them in the Constitution. This especially applies to the Macedonian minority, which is not being allowed to politically organize or even set up cultural institutions.

Milososki: Majority of citizens want early elections (Republika)

VMRO-DPMNE official Antonio Milososki said that the largest party in Macedonia is on the same page with the majority of citizens and wants early elections to take place as soon as possible. The only parties who are afraid of early elections are SDSM, DUI and some smaller parties that get benefits from their proximity to power, like LDP, Milososki said. He added that VMRO hopes to form the next ruling coalition with its partners, the Alliance of Albanians and BESA. But Milososki reminded the public that the majority needs to have the so-called Badinter, double majority, which means majority of the votes of ethnic minority representatives in parliament. This might mean that the DUI party, which has for decades dominated the Albanian vote, may be the key to this majority. If there is no other way to reach this criteria, then the election results will give the answer to the future coalition, Milososki said.

Ahmeti wants the opposition parties who called for boycott of the census to be held responsible for its failures (Republika)

DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti asked that parties who called for boycott of the census are held responsible. That is his response to the allegations that the chaotically organized census led to great undercounting of ethnic Macedonians – as 132,000 in the country and likely hundreds of thousands in the diaspora boycotted the whole process. We should take into account the calls for boycott from the opposition political parties. They need to assume responsibility for these 10 percent of citizens who remained unaccounted for. Any interpretation of their ethnicity, whether they are Albanians or Macedonians, would be wrong, and it can’t be determined now, Ahmeti said. The Levica party and a number of smaller protest parties called for boycott after Ahmeti pressured the government to have the diaspora counted among the actual residents. This was done to increase the Albanian share of the population. The Macedonian diaspora, already angry at the Zaev regime and the forced renaming of the country, overwhelmingly boycotted the entire operation.

“I see Zoran Zaev’s hand in Dimitar Kovacevski’s pale leadership” (Alsat TV)

VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski accused Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski of operating from the shadow of his predecessor Zoran Zaev. In an Alsat TV interview, Mickoski said that Kovacevski is only making matters in Macedonia worse. Truth be told, I can’t spot a meaningful difference between the two. At least with Zaev, we would be able to hold a meeting of party leaders. Now we have public promises from Kovacevski that he will hold a meeting with me, he bragged that he spoke to me on the phone, but 100 days later there is no meeting, Mickoski said. The opposition leader added that the government policies are poorly planned and adapted. “I expected that he will do better, but now, 100 days later, things are only getting worse”, Mickoski added.