LOCAL PRESS

RIK announces revoting in presidential, parliamentary elections (Beta)

The Head of the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) Vladimir Dimitrijevic announced on 8 April that voting in elections for parliament would be repeated at a total of 54 polling places and that repeat votes would be held at 35 polling places for presidential elections. Dimitrijevic told a news conference that the RIK had decided that day that the MP ballot would be pink, and the presidential ballot turquoise. There are 32,181 voters eligible to re-cast their ballots for choosing MPs, and 28,687 for revoting in the presidential election. Asked why the RIK did not announce any election results on election night, leading some media outlets to comment that the Commission had “disappeared”, Dimitrijevic said the results had been accessible on the RIK website and that media outlets were able to follow them in real time. He added that the RIK had not received any complaints about irregularities during the actual vote.

Vucic: Our army is many times stronger (B92)

Joint tactical exercise of the Serbian Army with night combat shooting “Fire Shield 2022” was held on Saturday at the Pasuljanske livade training range near Cuprija. The exercise is being jointly conducted by Army and Air Force and Air Defense units, 72nd Special Operations Brigade and 63rd Parachute The exercise aims to enhance the capability of the Serbian Armed Forces commands and units to carry out defensive day and night operations on different types of terrain and in different weather conditions. More than a thousand members of the Serbian Armed Forces are participating, using about a hundred combat means and systems. Brigade. After the exercise, Vucic addressed the public. Vucic announced the purchase of French night vision goggles, so the Serbian army will be fully equipped for the night fight. “It was important to see how much that has changed. Night conditions make a difference between serious armies and those that are not so successful.” “We will also get ‘French night vision goggles’ for night observation. We showed everything in real conditions. Today we have tens of thousands of rockets. It’s good to know that we have clean and accurate dispositions.” “We saw only a part of the power of Pantsir. You could see the gap between camouflage uniforms – old from Yumko and new. It is much harder to see, you can’t easily detect it with thermal imaging cameras.” We will have to strengthen our helicopter units, as well as drones. I have already talked to President Erdogan to buy “Bayraktar” from Turkey. “Congratulations to all participants, the exercise was successful and risky, because it fired ammunition, it flew over the heads of our soldiers. I could not wait for it to end.” “Our army is many times stronger than it has ever been, which is a deterrent to anyone who would endanger peace and stability of the citizens of Serbia.” Asked about strengthening Germany, Vucic said: “Germans are a serious nation. A one-time investment of 100 billion. It’s a fascinating difference they make between themselves and everyone else in Europe.” “It is important for us that Serbia gets stronger. We have not shown everything we dispose of. It would not be easy for anyone to oppose such firepower.” “We do not aim to threaten anyone.” “The position of Serbia is not made by the Croats, nor by anyone else in the world, but by the citizens of Serbia by their choice. They do not bother us, we love them, they are members of NATO, they are strong. We will be able to deter everyone in a modern way, we do not aim to threaten anyone, and I think that the Serbian army is following the period of the greatest progress in the Balkans.” “Everything was clear to everyone from the first moment, they had the most controllers. In the era of social networks, you have to justify yourself to someone, which makes no sense. You should deal with the next elections, not with the past ones. Everything will come to its own in the coming period”. For the President of Serbia, the soldiers organized a ceremonial reception at Pasuljanske livade. The exercise began with the firing of a red signal bullet, followed by the performance of a defensive operation in different soil and weather conditions, day and night. At the test range, for the first time, the action of the anti-tank missile system in night conditions “cornet”, imported from Russia, which has the ability to destroy tanks, bunkers and armored vehicles, is shown. More than 1.000 members of the Serbian Army and more than 100 war equipment were engaged in the exercise, including a MiG-29 plane, Mi-35 and H-145 helicopters, remote-piloted C-92A aircraft, as well as an artillery and missile system of the Pantsir- S1. In addition to them, the M-84AC1 tank will show its combat capabilities, as well as the “sparrow” unmanned aerial vehicle. The exercise is being carried out in order to improve the ability of commands and units of the Serbian Army to perform defensive operations in different weather conditions, day and night. The military exercises on Pasuljanske livade began on 4 April, and end today, with the exercise of a strengthened tactical group in conducting a defensive operation at night.

Vucic on Serbia’s vote in the Human Rights Council: Serbia acts responsibly (B92)

After the military exercise on Pasuljanske livade range, the Serbian President commented on the events regarding the situation in Ukraine. Asked about Russia’s reaction to Serbia’s vote to suspend Russia in the Human Rights Council, Vucic said: “Everyone is talking about Vucic’s and Orban‘s betrayal. Everyone who is fair easily concludes that Serbia is behaving responsibly, in principle and in accordance with international law. Can you always make the political decisions you want? Of course you can’t. I dread such statements. You can destroy the earth in seven days. And we want to fight.” “Cite the name of a country in Europe that did not impose sanctions on Russia, the name of a country whose planes fly from that country to St. Petersburg. The name of a small country, a small, proud nation, is our country. You think they don’t know those things? Here there are those who would destroy the country in three days, pretending to be great patriots, and they are all just that. I will not talk about it today, but the time will come when I want. My job as President of Serbia is to protect our people and our country. I would like to plead people to understand the situation we are in, which is not easy at all.”

Brnabic: It is not end of the world if we don’t win Belgrade elections (Beta/FoNet)

Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic, who comes from the ranks of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), expressed confidence that the party will win the largest number of votes after the repeated local elections in Belgrade but added that it does not matter if it does not happen.

Brnabic called the campaign of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), which is a coalition partner of the SNS, “a kind of betrayal of the team” in the state-level elections. Speaking about the Socialists’ election campaign, she said that they were collecting points on events in Ukraine noting that it was “not responsible” behavior, and that the SNS lost votes because it did not behave like that or used inflammatory rhetoric, but “kept Serbia’s interest”. She criticized the SPS partners for “consciously going to take votes at the expense of irresponsible policy that was not in line with the policy of the government or the state, laid out by Vucic, but they were going for taking as many votes as possible in the elections”. Brnabic also said she did not know when the new government would be formed. The only post that is directly elected by the citizens is the post of the President of Serbia, which is Vucic, while all the others are elected in the parliaments at the state or city levels, Brnabic explained. She said that there was no pre-election agreement on the distribution of posts.

Djuric meets with US President (Beta)

Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric said on 9 April that, after a brief conversation with US President Joseph Biden, touching on the continued implementation of a policy of regional stability, he wrote an entry “in the official guest book of the White House”. Djuric posted images of the encounter in Washington on his Instagram account, writing that Serbia continued its policy of regional stability, peace and economic progress for all citizens of the Western Balkans. “By continuing to work hard on economic development, reforms and modernization, we are paying back ourselves, and earning others’ respect,” Djuric commented. He said Serbia was turned to the future, and would continue to both nurture its traditional essence and achieve exceptional results and build relationships and bridges of cooperation in the international community.

Serbian, Chinese Foreign Ministers: Both states prepared to strengthen ties (Beta/Politika)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 8 April that “Serbia is proud of its friendship of steel and comprehensive strategic partnership with China”, and that it was prepared to strengthen ties further in all domains. The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Selakovic had spoken with Want Yi over the phone and expressed Serbia’s gratitude for “clear and firm support” in the context of Kosovo’s independence, reiterating Serbia’s unambiguous support to China’s policy of “one country, two systems” and its struggle against separatism. Minister Selakovic said that Serbia placed great importance on the Chinese president’s “Belt and Road” initiative and the mechanism of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) states, adding that Serbia’s active role in the process “has strongly boosted Chinese investment in Serbia”. Speaking of joint infrastructure projects, Selakovic underlined Serbia’s interest in organizing direct flights between Belgrade, Beijing and Shanghai.

Minister: Serbia proud of Kosare heroes (Beta)

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on 9 April, on the anniversary of the Battle of Kosare, that Serbia would not allow the incredible feat of the soldiers who defended the country in 1999 to be forgotten. The battle for control over the Rrasa e Koshares border crossing on the Yugoslav-Albanian border lasted from 9 April to 14 June 1999. The assault was directed at cutting off communication between Yugoslav Army units in Djakovica and Prizren to enable an ethnic Albanian land invasion of Kosovo and Metohija. Parts of the 125th and 549th Motorized Brigade and elements of the 63rd and 72nd Special Brigades of the Yugoslav Army and a group of foreign volunteers, most of whom were Russian, took part in the fighting. On the ethnic Albanian side were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, regular Albanian troops, the Foreign Legion and NATO aircraft, which bombed Yugoslav Army positions daily to hinder the arrival of food, munitions and reinforcements. Dragan Zivanovic, the commanding officer of the 125th Brigade, said 108 Yugoslav Army members died in the battle for Kosare, while some 150 were wounded. According to Yugoslav Army assessments, on the other side, several hundred KLA members were killed, while some 300 were wounded.

BIA reacted: We are not planning anyone’s assassination (Tanjug/RTS)

BIA reacted to the alleged death threats to former Council of Europe rapporteur investigating KLA crimes and human organ trafficking Dick Marty. According to a statement submitted to the Tanjug agency, the Security Information Agency sent a letter to the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) today, in which it strongly condemns and denies malicious claims about the involvement of Serbian security services in planning anyone’s murder. Thus, the BIA reacts to the alleged death threats to the former Council of Europe rapporteur, who investigated KLA crimes and trafficking in human organs Dick Marty, which, as he claims, comes from “certain circles of Serbian intelligence services”. “In these difficult times, such claims unjustly inflict incalculable damage on Serbia and the reputation of the BIA, and its members, who are dedicated and professional in performing their work tasks exclusively in accordance with the law. Despite all the pressures and attempts to destabilize it, BIA will continue to work on preserving the peace and stability of Serbia and its citizens,” BIA said in a statement. Back in December 2020, Marty was provided with a high level of police protection. In an interview for the Swiss daily, he said that on 18 December 2020, he received a call from the police when he was told that his life was in danger and that he would be placed under high police protection as he is “targeted by Serbian assassins”. He explained that he has been under the highest police protection since then and was offered to change identity and address, but he did not agree. In that interview, Marty said that the death threat “seems to come from certain circles of Serbian intelligence services”, which, as he states, asked paid assassins from the underground to kill him in order to “blame it on the Albanians from Kosovo”. Marty is the author of a report for the Council of Europe in 2010 in which he condemned the crimes of the KLA, including the “yellow house”, that is, organ trafficking. An investigation has been launched against Hashim Thaci, who is currently on trial in The Hague.

Stano: Serbia must align with EU sanctions on Russia (Tanjug)

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on Friday Brussels expected Serbia to align with its sanctions on Russia or introduce similar national measures over the Ukraine crisis, and added that the EU would be making decisions significant for Serbia based on Belgrade’s commitment to EU values and principles. At a press briefing in Brussels, Stano said the EU was engaging with Serbia “regularly in the framework of the accession negotiations, in the framework of all the different contacts we are having with the Serbian counterparts at various levels, starting from expert level up to the top political level, so this is an ongoing process, and our Serbian partners and our other partners are very well aware how important it is for the European Union”. Confirming that the EU had introduced a fifth package of sanctions against Russia, Stano said Serbia and all other partners of the EU had been called upon to align with all packages of the sanctions.

REGIONAL PRESS

Kurti: The RS has become kind of Russian Kaliningrad in region and it is threat to stability in Western Balkans; Dodik: Kurti should stop destabilizing Kosovo and Balkan region will be peaceful (O Kanal/ATV)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that Republika Srpska (RS) has become a kind of Russian Kaliningrad in the region and that it is a threat to stability in the Western Balkans. Kurti recently said that Serbia or the RS could play the role of a proxy if Russia extends conflict to the Western Balkans due to failure in Ukraine. “Russia is interested in continuing the war. This is a threat not only to Moldova and Georgia, but also to the Western Balkans through Serbia. The RS has become a kind of Kaliningrad in our region,” Kurti stressed. Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik sent a message to the Prime Minister of “self-declared” Kosovo Albin Kurti to stop destabilizing the southern Serbian province and that the whole Balkan will be peaceful. When asked by Srna news agency to comment on Kurti’s statement that “the RS is a threat to the stability of the Western Balkans”, Dodik said that he expected nothing but lies from the false prime minister of the false state. “Recognized as a person who does not respect agreements and who every now and then is destabilizing the southern Serbian province, he has now given himself the right to give lessons in the region. When he dared to comment on the RS, it would be wiser for him to say that the RS should have the same status as Kosovo”, Dodik said. Commenting on the statement by Kurti, representative in the RS parliament and former minister Igor Crnadak (PDP) told the daily that Kurti’s statement “is common nonsense” and he argued that anti-European activities of the current authorities of the RS do not mean that the RS citizens are against European integration. Crnadak reminded that, according to the latest surveys, more than 70% of the RS citizens support the admission to the EU. “Kurti’s statement is adding fuel to fire, and it is unnecessarily raising tensions. This is a stupid statement, which has no grounds in reality”, Crnadak said. Delegate in the House of Peoples (HoP) of B&H Dusanka Majkic (SNSD) told the daily that she is not surprised with the latest verbal attacks of “the Prime Minister of so-called Kosovo” against the RS. “This was expected from Kurti, having in mind he uses every opportunity to attack Serbia and RS and, as we could see, he dared to single out a superpower such as Russia. By using such statements, Kurti cannot hide chaos in his unrecognized state, mass moving out of population and fear for destiny of this so-called state”, Majkic concluded.

B&H CEC sends another request for securing funds for holding general elections in B&H (N1)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H confirmed for N1 that they once again sent a request for securing funds for holding general elections in B&H. N1 reminds that high international representatives also warned B&H authorities that if they do not secure financing of the elections, that will be considered as undermining of the rule of law and the Dayton Agreement. The B&H CEC sent its request directly to the B&H Council of Ministers (B&H CoM). On two previous occasions, the B&H CEC requests were rejected by the B&H Ministry of Finance and Treasury. B&H CEC President Zeljko Bakalar said those rejections were connected to the fact that some people in the B&H CoM have a problem with the current CEC convocation. Top international officials in B&H sent a letter to Tegeltija and his deputies, Vjekoslav Bevanda and Bisera Turkovic, warning that the international community retains the necessary instruments to support the Dayton Peace Agreement and protect general elections. The letter states that the budget for 2021 and 2022 should have been adopted. “Ensuring the financing of elections, in particular, is the responsibility of the B&H Council of Ministers and the B&H Ministry of Finance and Treasury. The funds must be provided within 15 days from the announcement of the elections by the CEC, i.e. by mid-May at the latest”, the letter warns. “We do not see any legal or financial barriers that could prevent the award of funds. Any attempt to further deny or delay the requested funding will be considered not only an act that undermines the rule of law and democracy, but also a violation of the obligation of the Dayton Peace Agreement”, the top international officials in B&H stressed. “In the event that this obligation is not met, when B&H clearly has the means at its disposal, we recall that the international community retains the necessary instruments to support the Peace Agreement and safeguard general elections”, reads the letter. Top international officials in B&H underlined that elections must be held during 2022 and they showed full support to the B&H CEC. N1 noted that HDZ B&H and SNSD do not accept the current convocation of the CEC, as they believe members were not legally appointed.

Sattler: I cannot single out anyone as champion of European values; Elections will take place (OBN)

The Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler stated for OBN that he could not single out anyone as a champion of European values “although he used to say this about HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic”. Sattler said that he gave this statement about Covic at the beginning of his mandate adding that he does not deny making the statement, but three years later he can say that he does not see many champions of the EU integration. He added that he sees more of this is young people, civil society, certain political subjects, that advocate some European solutions. As for continuation of the negotiations on B&H Election Law and the possibility that they take place in Brussels, Sattler said that he is not an optimist. He explained: “I believe that some chance and opportunity is closed now. I do not see some logic for another round of negotiations.” Sattler added that in the last nine or ten months, they had six intensive negotiations and he does not see an explanation at the moment for launching another round of the negotiations. He also said: “If political leaders can harmonize something, sign something possibly, I think that it would be our pleasure to be hosts and invite them to Brussels, but I prefer that this takes place in B&H. I do not know why we would spend taxpayers’ money for some ceremony of signing on Brussels. If they have agreed on something, let us see it, but I do not see it for the time being.” Although Sattler did not have an insight in details of HDZ B&H’s proposal to have ethnic affiliation in personal documents, he said that he does not see logic in this. Sattler stated that the elections will take place regardless if changes to B&H Election Law are made or not. He added: “Our wish is to have an improved election law in terms of corruption and the integrity package. This package improving the integrity of the election process might pass the parliamentary procedure, there are still few weeks left. But we have a legal framework which was applied in the previous cycle and there is the legal framework for holding of the elections.” He called on citizens to vote in elections.

RS parliament to hold special session to discuss B&H Presidency’s decisions adopted without consensus (ATV)

The RS parliament will hold a special session on Monday based on the request of Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik, which he made due to decisions of the B&H Presidency adopted without consensus. The representatives will review five decisions that were adopted in the B&H Presidency. Two refer to the international cooperation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H with the OSCE and with the Election Commission in Hungary. Three decisions refer to B&H’s participation in international research regarding educational sector. The ruling RS authorities previously stated that the first two decisions are unacceptable for them because the B&H CEC is illegal. When it comes to education, they say this sector falls under exclusive jurisdiction of the RS and the Federation of B&H (FB&H), i.e. the cantons in the FB&H. In their comment on the session, the opposition says that the mechanism for protecting the vital national interest is being misused by the ruling authorities. ATV noted that Dodik asked for this session because the five decisions adopted in the B&H Presidency were passed without consensus and are very harmful for the vital national interest of the RS. SNSD MP Srdjan Mazalica agrees with this assessment. Mazalica told ATV that today, Dodik is forced to deal with “two Bosniak members of the B&H Presidency” and he must protect the RS’ interests in this way. Mazalica also reminds that during the last special RS parliament session in October, there was a situation – for the first time in history, that Dodik did not receive the two-third majority support of the representatives in the RS parliament. Mazalica pointed out that this happened due to the opposition’s decisions and moves. He believes that October session “gave courage” to B&H Presidency members, Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic, which is why they made these decisions without consensus in the state Presidency. Dodik’s adviser Radovan Kovacevic previously emphasized that Dodik and SNSD are not toying with the mechanism for protecting the vital national interest. He said they deem it important to react in any occasion when Serbs and the RS are outvoted in B&H. Kovacevic assures that Dodik will not hesitate, and he will use mechanisms that were provided to the RS through the Dayton Peace Agreement, the B&H Constitution and the Rules of Procedure in the B&H Presidency.

Radmanovic: Entire political circle in the FB&H is violating the Constitution (Glas Srpske)

Speaker of the B&H House of Representatives, Nebojsa Radmanovic (SNSD) stated that entirety of problem in B&H is in the FB&H, where almost entire political circle is violating B&H Constitution. “This is almost a daily occurrence with intention for all of us to forget that they without the approval, without agreement, without consensus are reaching decisions and tell stories around the world, attacking RS. It was not the RS who violated the Constitution, but it advocates consistent implementation of Annex IV of Dayton Peace Agreement”, said Radmanovic. After the claims of B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic during the talks with US Special Envoy for Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, that the RS is acting in unconstitutional manner, Radmanovic said that when attacking the RS, politicians from Sarajevo are in fact hiding what they are doing. He added that this constitutes as attack on the constitutional order and that lately may SDA officials engaged in such attacks. Radmanovic mentioned the example of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic who with this is showing that they do not want B&H created by the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Schmidt says he will react if RS authorities do not annul illegal laws (FTV/Oslobodjenje)

High Representative Christian Schmidt told FTV that he expects from politicians in B&H and Republika Srpska (RS) to work together in term of Dayton institutions. “This law, written in the RS, does not function and it is illegal. However, responsible persons in the RS have the first move and they have a chance to rectify this. If they fail to do this then I am here, do not worry. I talked to the leadership of the Agency for Medicines of B&H. This is about the people, not some other issues. This is about the people and people’s lives, and I will act accordingly”, said Schmidt. Schmidt urged the state budget to be adopted fast so that undisturbed work of the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of B&H can be secured. “The High Representative expressed his full support to extremely functional Agency and its Director (Aleksandar) Zolak as the only institution which is authorized, capable and equipped to take care of safety, quality and efficiency of medicines and medical devices that are in use in B&H”, the Office of the High Representative posted on Twitter.

Zvizdic calls OHR to stop illegal and unconstitutional behavior of RS (Oslobodjenje)

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Denis Zvizdic said that he deems that the Law on Immovable Property Used for Functioning of the Republika Srpska (RS) Authorities, which was adopted on February 10 this year and published in the RS Official Gazette on 5 April, is unconstitutional, null and void and violates all domestic and international regulations. Zvizdic emphasized that only the state, as the owner, can regulate matters of state property management by its own law. Zvizdic said that it is necessary for the Office of the High Representative (OHR) “to go from words to actions and stop this illegal, unconstitutional and aggressive behavior of authorities in B&H’s entity RS”.

Schmidt calls on RS authorities to put Law on Immovable Property out of force, Bosniak Caucus in RS CoP announces motion to review constitutionality of Law (BHT1)

The RS Law on Immovable Property Used for the Functioning of Public Authority should enter into force next week. High Representative Christian Schmidt warned the RS authorities that he has Bon Powers at disposal, adding that this enables him to put abovementioned law out of force. Schmidt said that abovementioned law is invalid, because the Temporary Prohibition of Disposal of State Property remains in force. He called on the RS authorities to conduct all necessary activities to put disputable law out of force. Schmidt explained that solving of issues of state property cannot be achieved through unilateral acting, but exclusively through transparent process in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The RS authorities claim that the Constitution of B&H does not recognize term “state property.” They claim that since the Constitution has not precisely granted jurisdiction to state institutions of B&H in regard to state property, this competence belongs to entities. Member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that while defending its constitutional right to the RS property, the RS parliament passed certain laws and the RS President signed and sent them to be published in the RS Official Gazette. “When this happened, some decided to try giving us lecture, including this non-existing Schmidt, who threatens with some sanctions. He cannot annul any laws, because anything passed by him will not be published in the Official Gazette”, stressed Dodik. MPs in the RSNA who deem that the RS Law on Immovable Property represents violation of Vital National Interest (VNI) of Bosniak people, believe that this story is not over. After the RS Constitutional Court (CC) decided that adoption of abovementioned law does not represent violation of the VNI, MPs disputing this law will demand B&H CC to assess its constitutionality. MP Senad Bratic stated that the RSNA overstepped its competences, adding that B&H CC will decide about it. “Since it already decided about this issue, it is logical to expect issue of this law will be solved same as in previous process”, explained Bratic.

Murphy: Russia does not participate in work of PIC anymore; Russian Embassy: Russia participates in work of PIC (Nova BH)

US Ambassador to B&H Michael Murphy stated during his visit to Banja Luka and a meeting with the RS government officials on Friday that the US is not in B&H with a goal to abolish the RS, but that there are concerns over the recent moves of the RS authorities. Commenting on the role of Russia in the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), Murphy told reporters in Banja Luka that he thinks that Russia has left this body. “Russia does not participate in the PIC’s meetings, and it has not paid the membership fee to the Office of the High Representative (OHR), so I guess that they decided to leave (the PIC),” Murphy stated. The Russian Embassy to B&H answered claims of Murphy who said that Russia des not participate in the work of the PIC anymore. Russian Embassy stated that they are still a member of PIC and there is no mechanism for the suspension of Russia from this institution. The Embassy also stated that it is willing to renew the cooperation with High Representative Christian Schmidt if his appointment is confirmed by the UN Security Council (UNSC). “The principled position of Russia in regard to Mr. Schmidt’s illegitimacy as the HR in B&H is well known. However, it does not necessarily mean that we are not participating in the work of the PIC SB. Russia is willing to consider renewal of cooperation with Mr. Schmidt if he obtains necessary approval by the UN SC for this function.”

Russian Embassy to B&H: Russian response to suspension from UNHRC will follow after thorough analysis (Oslobodjenje)

UN General Assembly adopted a decision to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council and this proposal was supported by more than two-third of UNGA member states. Being that Serbia and B&H voted for suspension of Russia, and Russia announced their response through bilateral relations, daily sent an inquiry to Russian Embassy to B&H asking them wheat kind of measures are expected toward B&H. “The fact that B&H representative to UN supported a such unconstructive anti-Russian initiative of the USA, is regretful. However, we take in consideration the fact that this step was undertook contrary to positive procedure of enacting of political decisions in B&H, which testifies the address of member of B&H Presidency from rank of Serb people, Milorad Dodik. In general, we deem that such solution is not in line with friendly nature of relations between Russia and B&H. As for reactions from Russia, it will follow after the thorough analysis of the current situation”, reads a response from Russian Embassy.

Dodik files criminal charges against B&H Foreign Minister and B&H Ambassador to UN after B&H’s vote in favor of Russia’s suspension from UN human Rights Council (Srna/RTRS)

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik has filed a criminal complaint against B&H Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic and B&H Ambassador to the UN Sven Alkalaj on suspicion of abusing office and power and acting contrary to the Constitution which stipulates that only B&H Presidency is responsible for the foreign policy. Srna reported that criminal complaint states that Turkovic acted arbitrarily, without authorization and without the B&H Presidency’s decision, instructing Alkalaj to vote for the initiative for suspension of the Russian Federation  from the UN Human Right Council (UNHCR) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, thus damaging Republika Srpska (RS) as well, because due to illegal activities by Turkovic and Alkalaj the RS is prevented from participating in the discussion and adoption of decision on this important foreign policy issue via its representative elected in the RS territory. Dodik stated earlier that B&H does not have its final stance on the conflict in Ukraine and that B&H should be neutral on this issue. Dodik said after Alkalaj’s vote on Thursday that B&H Presidency has not taken an official stance on the proposal for suspension of Russian from the UN Human Rights Council and that Alkalaj’s vote in favor of Russia’s suspension is not B&H’s decision. Alkalaj replied that Dodik does the obstructions because he did not want for B&H Presidency to take stance on the issue in the first place. He reminded that Serbia also voted in favor of Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council. Representatives of SNSD reiterated on Friday that it is unacceptable that anyone votes in the UN without the stance of the B&H Presidency, and this represents violation of the Constitution of B&H, procedures and B&H itself. SNSD Spokesperson Radovan Kovacevic said that B&H did not take the official stance about this issue which is why there was no ground for Alkalaj to vote on this issue. Leader of the United Srpska Nenad Stevandic commented on this issue by saying that Bosniaks constantly violate the Constitution of B&H. In his opinion, Alkalaj’s voting showed that he is a Bosniak extremist who is doing everything against coexistence, agreements, respecting rights of all peoples and the constitutional structure of B&H. Representatives of the opposition in the RS blamed SNSD for Alkalaj’s unilateral moves.

Escobar: Argument of national interests is used to cover up corruption (N1/BHT1)

US Special Representative to Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar gave an interview to N1 Croatia on Sunday. He said that the argument of national interests is used to cover up corruption. Escobar explained that the issue is not that people do not want to coexist among Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs and young people leave the country because they cannot find a job without corruptive connections. He stressed that this damages B&H more than anything and many analyses show that B&H is the most corrupted country in the Western Balkans and almost in Europe. Escobar believes that there is room for negotiations and compromise on limited changes to the B&H Constitution and the B&H Election Law. He added that elections need to take place in fall of 2022. Asked about tight cooperation between leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik and leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic, Escobar brought it in context of corruption and underlined that such acting should be observed not in the context of ethno-nationalism, but in the context of deepening of corruption. He called on all leaders in B&H to work towards benefit not just of institutions, but also of people. “You should look at those actions within context, not ethno-nationalism, but of furthering of corruption. And that is my big concern”, explained the US Special Envoy for Western Balkans. Escobar expressed hope that some sort of an agreement can be reached, adding that B&H has enormous potential. “We believe the elections should be held this year. Elections are very important part of democratic process and democratic evolution. Regarding details of the negotiations, it depends on the sides, on the leadership. B&H is a sovereign and independent state, and we are no longer in position to impose solutions or determine the path of its political development”.

Tegeltija at Delfi Economic Forum: B&H issues need to be solved through internal dialogue (RTRS)

Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (B&H CoM) Zoran Tegeltija said that all open issues in B&H must be resolved within B&H, through the dialogue of domestic political representatives of the three constituent peoples, without foreign interference. Tegeltija explained that there are several serious internal relations issues in B&H on which there is no agreement. “One of these issues is certainly the election legislation which concerns more relations in the Federation of B&H (FB&H), that is, relations between Bosniaks and Croats, but RS also suffers because the failure to resolve it calls into the question the holding of elections in October. The second issue is the implementation of and adherence to the B&H Constitution because certain provisions of the Constitution have been changed outside stipulated procedures”, Tegeltija said. He emphasized that it is evident that problems exist in B&H, but that any kind of conflict or incidental situation, especially war, is out of the question. “Unfortunately, sometimes there is a lack of understanding of the situation in B&H by some representatives, especially from Western Europe, who attribute secession to Milorad Dodik, which is why he is under great pressure from certain embassies to change his policy, and on the other hand, there are structures within B&H which bring every attempt at internal dialogue on unresolved issues under the alleged secession and division of B&H”, said Tegeltija on Saturday in Delphi, where he is taking part in the 7th Delphi Economic Forum, in the first plenary session on topics related to the situation in B&H, the Ukrainian crisis and its impact on B&H, and the elections in Serbia. When it comes to the Ukrainian crisis, Tegetlija emphasized that B&H is too small of a country to be able to impact the situation in Ukraine in any way. “That which is bad, and which happened, is a war. The war and the loss of lives, which can never be compensated for, are the greatest tragedy in human history. We appeal to everyone to halt it, end the war as soon as possible, and resolve all open issues through negotiations. War has never been a solution”, Tegeltija said. He pointed out that sanctions never resolved anything, nor did they stop any war. He concluded that everyone in the world felt the consequences of sanctions as they spread over the whole of Europe, including B&H. Tegeltija emphasized that the Ukrainian crisis deeply spilled into B&H and left negative consequences on the general situation. On the other hand, he emphasized, the crisis in Ukraine showed all the political weaknesses within B&H and different views of the situation. “Serbs advocate the principle of neutrality, along with all kinds of humanitarian support and aid that are needed, and Bosniak political representatives advocate the introduction of sanctions on Russia. We also face a problem of un-harmonized B&H foreign policy which led to certain ambassadors voting contrary to the positions of the B&H Presidency, which is the only one in charge of foreign policy. And this is where all weaknesses of B&H’s foreign policy are shown when some decide outside official positions of B&H. We will see how we will solve this problem in the end”, Tegeltija said. He recalled that Dodik filed criminal charges against those who express views that are not harmonized in that institution. Tegeltija reiterated that sanctions imposed on Russia only spilled into B&H and Europe – it is enough to look at energy prices. “As they grow, so do the prices of other products, and it will be difficult for our citizens to endure. I believe that peace must come immediately, war is never an option, and negotiations resolve all disputed issues”, Tegeltija said. When asked to comment on the recent elections in Serbia, Tegeltija has said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, with his work in Serbia and his attitude towards the countries of the Western Balkans, deserved this victory, as so did his SNS party, which the citizens recognized. “We will get a stable government in Serbia, which is very important because it is a country that should ensure peace and stability in the region. Vucic is an advocate of cooperation in the Western Balkans, which is necessary because we all rely on Serbia to procure certain products, which was seen even now during the Ukrainian crisis”, Tegeltija pointed out. He assessed that relations between B&H and Serbia are very good and constructive and recalled that Vucic strongly supported many projects in B&H, without distinction, both in the RS and the Federation of B&H, and that he confirmed the integrity of B&H territory with a very transparent policy at all times. “Aleksandar Vucic is a factor of stability, not instability in the Western Balkans”, Tegeltija pointed out.

30th anniversary of formation of HVO marked in Mostar; Croatian President Milanovic attends ceremony (N1)

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic attended the central ceremony in Mostar, on the occasion of marking the 30th anniversary of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO), where he presented awards. N1 reports that, at the ceremony, Milanovic said he is not the enemy, and he did not come to divide Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and his only goal is unified B&H with three equal constituent peoples, and B&H joining the EU as such. Addressing the audience at the solemn ceremony, Milanovic said he came to another country, among his Croats, as a friend “and not only as constructive partner, but as a brother too”. The reporter notes that, as evidence of his friendly intentions in regard to B&H, Milanovic reminded he refused to sign the request to grant Ukraine the EU candidate status, requesting that B&H is added on the list of countries with fast-tracking integration process. Milanovic said that after his request was rejected, “I politely thanked, because it was not acceptable for me. So, my question is – does anyone think an enemy of B&H would act in such manner?”. Milanovic said that he arrived in Mostar as a friend and that there were no prejudices towards either Serbs or Bosniaks, which he said he believed would be better partners than in the previous period. He underlined that he holds no prejudice, “not towards the Serbs who were enemies and aggressors in our war, nor towards Bosniaks, or Muslims as we used to call them, who we accept, who are the reality and neighbors and who are, I hope, better partners than they were in the previous time”. Milanovic added that “there are no hellish plans for the division of B&H” and that he sees it as a whole in the EU. “Croatia wants B&H to be intact from the Una to the Drina, from the Sava to the Neretva, to Neum, to Ploce, which are in Croatia, and to join the European Union as such. Milanovic in the end criticized European officials in B&H, claiming that they are ambivalent and that despite not having bad intentions, they still do not understand the situation in B&H. After lighting candles, mass and a parade with war flags, Zoran Milanovic decorated commanders of four local units of HVO for their contributions. He also presented medal for late commander of the 4th zone Ivo Lozancic posthumously. HDZ B&H leader and President of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) of B&H Dragan Covic also addressed the ceremony and said, among other things, that the Croat People will be electing their legitimate representative at all levels of authority through the cooperation with their Bosniak and Serb friends. He added that Croats are ready to again launch the electoral reform negotiations outside B&H and that they will attempt to reach agreement on amendments to the Election Law of B&H without big illusions. Covic noted that it is a shameful thing to say that amending the Election Law of B&H has become a strategic project for the Croat People, but the fact is that Croats have fully committed to this project and gave their best to succeed. N1 reports that in his emotional speech, Covic expressed deep gratitude for Milanovic’s contribution and advocating for the Croat people in B&H. Covic reminded of Milanovic’s visit to HDZ B&H’s HQ despite threats. “Thank you because you had determination, wisdom and audacity and you emphasized everything what is of value within Croatia, within the HVO, Croat people in B&H related to the homeland war,” said Covic. Milanovic stated that he wishes to be the President of all Croats, including the Croats in B&H. He noted that Croatia is one of the guarantors of the Dayton Peace Agreement and that Dayton Peace Agreement is the way to make sure that B&H survives. He underlined that B&H can become a civic state only after it comes a full EU member.

War Veterans Ministry and the Social Democratic Party distances itself from envoy’s statement (Hina)

The Croatian War Veterans Ministry on Sunday distanced itself from its envoy Matko Raos‘ statement, made at an event marking the 31st anniversary of a Croatian Defence Forces (HOS) unit in Split, when he said that “today’s Croatia would not exist if there had not been for 10 April 1941.” On 10 April 1941 the establishment of the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) was proclaimed. “We emphasize that Raos gave the statement on his behalf and not on behalf of the Ministry and we distance ourselves from it,” the ministry said, noting that Raos had not been scheduled to speak at the event. Earlier on Sunday, during a ceremony at which wreaths were laid at a memorial to members of the HOS 9th Battalion “Rafael vitez Boban” killed in the 1991-95 Homeland War, Raos said: “You have to know, if it had not been for 10 April 1941, today’s Croatia would not exist.” The War Veterans Ministry said Raos’ address at the event had not been envisaged in the first place, and that he was supposed to just lay a wreath and light a candle. The ministry’s response ensued after earlier today the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) condemned Raos’ statement and called on the government and the ministry to distance themselves from it. The Social Democratic Party on Sunday condemned a statement by Raos, the SDP also called on the government to distance itself from Raos’ statement. The SDP condemns the gathering in Split and the statement made by Brigadier Matko Raos, envoy for War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, the opposition party said in a statement signed by SDP vice-president Ranko Ostojic. “Putting the Homeland War and the establishment of today’s Croatia in the same context with the criminal Independent State of Croatia, a quisling entity, is unacceptable. Croatia, just like the whole of free Europe, was founded on values of antifascism, as defined by our constitution, and we should be proud of that,” Ostojic said. “That people who represent the minister and the government have such a view is unacceptable. We call on the minister and the government to distance themselves from the event and their envoy’s statement,” the SDP said.

Abazovic: Government adopts package of restrictive measures against Russia (CdM)

At Saturday’s cabinet meeting, the government, after two previously unsuccessful attempts, has adopted a package of restrictive measures against Russia. This information was posted on Twitter by DPM Dritan Abazovic. He thanked all ministers, the government, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro for their cooperation. The Ambassador of the US to Montenegro Judy Raising Reinke welcomed the decision of the Montenegrin government to introduce restrictive measures against Russia. “Bravo! Important to see Montenegro join EU sanctions, which are designed to undercut Russia’s ability to fund its inhumane, unjustified and unprovoked war on the people of Ukraine,” Reinke said on Twitter. At the cabinet meeting, all present ministers voted in favor of the introduction of sanctions against Russia, except for the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Aleksandar Stijovic. He abstained.

Ambassador Maslennikov: Russia will respond adequately (RTCG)

According to Russia’s Ambassador to Montenegro Vladislav Maslennikov the decision of Montenegrin authorities to expel four Russian diplomats is a hostile and unreasonable move.

The Ambassador notes that it’s going to affect the already-difficult relations between the two countries, whereas Moscow is going to respond adequately. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro declared our diplomats persona non grata and they have to leave the country in 7 days,” the Russian Ambassador told Russia 24 TV.

Nikolic: Our Western allies now see what changes following 30 August 2020 have caused (CdM)

In an interview for the CdM portal, a member of the Presidency and MP of the Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, Andrija Nikolic speaks about the sanctions Montenegro has finally imposed against Russia having in mind its aggression against Ukraine. He says this situation has totally disclosed the foreign policy of a part of the outgoing government and Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, noting that Montenegro’s Western allies now clearly see what the changes following 30 August 2020 have caused. According to him, the late sanctions against Russia show that the outgoing Krivokapic’s government presented itself as a fake pro-European government, and that Montenegro urgently needs a more responsible political governance. “The outgoing prime minister was desperately trying to change the legal procedure regarding who’s responsible for imposing sanctions against Russia, believing that it should be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with which he’s in disagreement. In the absence of creativity, Krivokapic reached for a recipe from neighboring Serbia, according to which we, a small country from the Balkans, should be “wise” by sitting on two chairs, earning the status of undetermined cowards”. On the fact that Montenegro has almost halted its European path and who should be held accountable for it, he says: “The problem Montenegro is facing nowadays is not just a Montenegrin one, it’s part of a wider problem. The absence of an active European policy in the Balkans and Russia’s anti-European policy in the Balkans have led to a stalemate in EU integration. In addition, we have an escalation of geopolitical disruption in East-West relations, making the problem more complex. However, if anyone doubted, it’s now clear to them that there is no anti-European policy in the EU not funded by Russia. The same goes for the region and Montenegro. After the last parliamentary elections, thanks to the strong influence of the Church of Serbia in state affairs, we returned to re-examining the civic concept of the state. When such dilemmas arise, and it happened because the Serbian Orthodox Church was running the state, it’s logical that the EU path will come to a standstill.”

It’s harmful to delay minority government formation due to petty party interests (Pobjeda)

“A minority government should have already been formed, given the overall situation in the country and in the world. It is extremely inappropriate, derogatory, and already showing harmful consequences, for this process to be postponed in order to achieve some petty party interests. It is high time this saga ended. If not, as far as we are concerned, we are going to the elections. Whoever wants a technical government, let them form it without us. We will not be in the government with the Democratic Front”, says Fatmir Djeka, the leader of the Democratic Party and MP of the Albanian Coalition. Commenting on the video about the alleged vote buying in which he is one of the actors, Djeka urges to “as soon as possible, determine who abused Damir Asovic, who he gave a video to and who then edited and distributed it”. Djeka reiterates that this is a typical montage. “I am convinced that when the prime minister-designate requests a parliamentary session to be held, Deputy Parliament Speaker Bulajic will be obliged to do so. As an institution, we are already in the red zone anyway, because the citizens, the economy, the whole country are suffering because of not holding sessions”, he points out. “All of them must never be held hostage to the politics of obstruction and destruction. The task of all of us is to end this, already unbearable situation, in one way or another, of course in a democratic way,” Djeka concludes.

Montenegro can’t count on positive EC report if its institutions are blocked (CdM)

If the concept of unblocking the institutions through a model of minority government is not formalized over next week, it’s likely to be replaced with some other concept, such as, for example, the ‘technical government’. The citizens, industry and the international reputation of the state are mostly affected with the fact that Montenegro doesn’t have a stable and operative executive power. The public has been waiting for a long time for the negative effects of the “expert” government to be removed, so, if a new government is not formed soon, it’d contribute to the continuation of the existing bad situation and in that case, Montenegro can’t count on the positive EC report, Prof. Branislav Radulovic, says in an interview for the CdM portal.

Lajcak didn’t mention elections to Krivokapic, EU: We don’t want to interpret what others believe we told them (Pobjeda)

The office of the outgoing Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic has tried to deceive the public by announcing the statement suggesting that Brussels supports the elections as the most democratic solution to the current political situation in Montenegro, Pobjeda reports. The outgoing Krivokapic met two days ago with the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other WB regional issues Miroslav Lajcak on the sidelines of the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece. Krivokapic’s office said in a statement that Lajcak advocated for elections as the most democratic solution to the political crisis in Montenegro. On the other hand, Lajcak’s tweet about the meeting with Krivokapic mentioned no elections at all, rather pointing out to the need of Montenegro to find the solution on its own. Asked to comment on the allegations of PM Krivokapic’s office and whether the EU changed its position when it comes to Montenegro, the EU spokesperson Peter Stano said that they had no need to comment or interpret statements of Brussels’ officials.

Bulgaria and Macedonia hold intensive talks, concrete results expected soon, says Bulgarian Ambassador to Tirana (Republika/MIA)

Bulgaria and Macedonia are holding intensive talks and the working groups are expected to achieve concrete results soon, Bulgarian Ambassador to Tirana Momtchil Raytchevski said Sunday during his visit to Korca. We are in a period of very intense talks with Macedonia. The new Bulgarian government has set up 10 working groups working for the common interest and we expect to achieve concrete results soon. President Meta paid an official visit to Sofia, where the Bulgarian President stressed Bulgaria’s unconditional support for the integration of the Republic of Albania, said Raytchevski, in response to a reporter’s question whether Bulgaria supports the integration of Macedonia and Albania in the EU. Sofia’s diplomatic representative in Tirana indicated that his country has been and will remain one of the most active supporters of European enlargement. He did not want to comment on the announcement of Prime Minister Edi Rama that Albania will ask the EU separation from Macedonia in the integration process. For now, Kovacevski and Petkov are only exchanging ideas, main solution is yet to come

Skopje and Sofia continue intensive talks within the working groups in order to improve the cooperation between the citizens and the institutions of the two countries, but for now the process is a level of exchange of ideas and there is still no mutually acceptable document. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski in an interview with MIA, while at the same time the Bulgarian Ambassador to Tirana, Momcil Rajcevski, said that the working groups can be expected to achieve concrete results soon. In an interview with MIA, given on the sidelines of the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece, Kovacevski said that he is a man who believes in the goal, but also works to achieve that goal. At the beginning of the mandate of this government, on the first working day, we practically had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and then started the process of forming working groups in various fields of economy, infrastructure, culture, education, European integration, which mean a lot for the business community, for the educational community and in general for all citizens on topics that look to the future, which improve the work in the cooperation between the citizens and between the institutions of the two countries. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs are working on political issues. However, at the moment, as in the past period, the process is at the level of exchange of ideas and there is still no mutually acceptable document, which could be shared for approval in both countries at the level of institutions that should do it, said Kovacevski.

Rama on official visit in Berlin (Radio Tirana)

Prime Minister Edi Rama has arrived on Sunday to Germany for a two-day official visit. PM Rama will meet with senior officials of German politics. Over the next day he will hold meetings with the mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, the Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The focus of the Rama-Scholz meeting will be Albania’s integration into the European Union, the war in Ukraine, as well as the crisis caused by it and other economic and political issues between the two countries. After the meeting, Rama and Scholz will have a joint press conference.