LOCAL PRESS

Vucic congratulates Slovenia’s Golob on election win (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday congratulated Robert Golob, the leader of Slovenia’s Freedom Movement, on his victory in Slovenian parliamentary elections, wishing him success in work to the benefit of Slovenian citizens. “I am confident Serbia and Slovenia will continue to advance the already good political relations and cooperation in all fields of mutual interest and, in particular, strengthen economic ties. That is why I am hoping the good practice of holding joint sessions of the governments of Serbia and Slovenia will be continued,” Vucic said in a congratulatory message. “We appreciate Slovenia’s support for Serbia’s European path as well as for all efforts we are making to maintain regional peace and stability,” he added.

Selakovic on Kurti (TV Pink/Politika)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic stated today that the policy of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic establishes peace and stability in the region, and that the Prime Minister of the Provisional Institutions of Pristina Albin Kurti is the director of provocations and unrest. Commenting on Kurti’s claim that Vucic is little Putin, Selakovic said that Kurti is “little Balkan Hitler”, who tells lies and sees things the way he would like them to look. “President Vucic is coming out with initiatives such as Open Balkans, and Kurti calls for the creation of a greater Albania, a project that existed during Hitler’s time. Vucic launched a number of infrastructure projects in the region. Their goal is to connect regional capitals. When you connect better economically, when you connect better economically, then you solve unresolved political problems more easily,” Selakovic said on TV Pink. Selakovic reiterated that the session of the UN Security Council dedicated to Kosovo and Metohija was “one note” different than before because, as he says, those who support Kosovo’s independence were weaker and never less convincing. “The countries that support Serbia’s position were very clear, firm and principled. Not only the representatives of Russia and China, but also the representatives of India, Brazil and Ghana. They spoke very clearly in favor of our policy. How many octaves was it in on our side, those who recognize Kosovo’s independence in their support for Pristina were so weaker and never less convincing,” Selakovic said.

POKS: NADA coalition will be opposition in parliament and in Belgrade (RTS)

The presidency of the Movement for the Renewal of the Kingdom of Serbia (POKS), led by Vojislav Mihailovic, announced today that it would continue cooperation with the DSS and 25 patriotic and monarchist movements, associations and groups of citizens within the Serbian NADA coalition. POKS also made the decision to be the opposition at the republic level with its seven deputies, and in Belgrade with three councilors. The decisions were made at the meeting of the POKS presidency held in Belgrade. The President of POKS and the leader of the NADA coalition Vojislav Mihailovic said that Serbia faces numerous challenges, and the biggest of them, he said, will be the pressure on our country to impose sanctions against Russia, abandon supporting the Serb Republic and recognize illegal secession of Kosovo and Metohija. He said that his coalition would never support any activity, either of the government or the Brussels opposition that goes in that direction, and that he would resolutely oppose it both inside and outside the Assembly. “The election results showed that the Serbian Coalition NADA is the leading group that brings together the right and center right and we will be the main actor in protecting Serbian national interests, but at the same time fighters for establishing democratic institutions in this country, that is, to bring up the issue of the form of government, a republic or the renewal of the kingdom,” Mihailovic said, according to POKS.

Zaniti: NATO respects Serbia’s neutral military status (Nedeljnik/Beta)

The Head of the NATO military liaison office in Belgrade, Brigadier General Antonello Messenio Zaniti, said that “most of the people in Serbia are not fully aware how well the relationship between NATO and Serbia has developed”. “Serbia is the Alliance’s highly regarded, long-term partner. We have developed a close political dialogue and have reached a considerable level of practical cooperation in many domains, while fully respecting Serbia’s neutral military status,” Zaniti said in a comment for Nedeljnik. The General underlined that “it’s only up to Serbia to decide what kind of a relationship it wants with the NATO. In this context, it is quite possible to be neutral and a NATO partner at the same time. Whatever Serbia may decide, the Alliance will respect”, General Zaniti said. Serbian people benefit directly from cooperation between Serbia and NATO, leading to a peaceful and stable future for your country, as well as the broader Western Balkan region, the NATO general said, adding that “it’s very important to share this message with the public clearly and regularly”.

American diplomatic attack on Serbia (Blic, by Marko Taskovic)

Commenting on the most recent visits of US Senators to Serbia and this week’s visit of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, Director of the Center for Regionalism Aleksandar Popov told the daily that the latest visits of the US officials indicate that imposing of sanctions against Russia might be the main topic of discussions. However, Popov assessed that a softer stance of USA on Serbia might be possible and he explained: “There is an option to let Serbia be, like Turkey, some kind of a ‘valve’ towards Russia but, in return, it might be requested to cooperate when it comes to B&H. This could mean political retirement of Milorad Dodik, accepting of the High Representative in B&H and of decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H.” Popov also noted that imposing of sanctions against Russia could bring many benefits to Serbia and he speculated that Washington could even soften its stance that talks between Belgrade and Pristina should result in mutual recognition of Serbia and Kosovo, which Serbia finds to be unacceptable.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dzaferovic congratulates French President Macron; Dzaferovic congratulates Robert Golob (Nezavisne)

B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic congratulated French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election. In a letter Macron, Dzaferovic said that “you victory is a very important signal, which citizens of France democratically expressed at this delicate moment for Europe and whole world”. Dzaferovic also congratulated Robert Golob on his party’s victory in the Slovenian parliamentary elections. In a congratulatory note to Golob, whose party won the parliamentary elections in Slovenia, Dzaferovic expressed belief that Slovenia and B&H, as two friendly states with extremely strong ties, will continue to develop and strengthen their relations. Dzaferovic also stressed that he believes that Slovenia will continue to support B&H’s Euro-Atlantic path.

Court of B&H: B&H CEC members are appointed legally (N1/Nova BH)

The Court of B&H has ruled that the current convocation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H was appointed in line with the Election Law of B&H, i.e. that appointment of members of B&H CEC was in line with authorizations of B&H House of Representatives (HoR). In this way, the B&H CEC rejected an appeal of former member of the B&H CEC Branko Petric who disputed appointment of some members of the B&H CEC. The reporter reminds that HDZ B&H and SNSD have been claiming that the current convocation of the B&H CEC is illegal and they were announcing removal of some members of this institution. Member of the B&H CEC Zeljko Bakalar stated that this institution has been working in line with the Constitution and the Election Law regardless to all claims about their illegitimacy that was burden in their work.

After the B&H HoR adopted a decision extending the mandate of B&H CEC members Ahmet Santic and Suad Arnautovic from the rank of the Bosniak people and approving the beginning of mandate of Vanja Bjelica-Prutina and Jovan Kalaba from the rank of the Serb people on 11 March 2020, Petric filed a lawsuit challenging the appointment of the current members of the CEC. Bakalar told Nova BH that the Court of B&H’s decision “marks the end of that story”. “We expect that politicians who challenged the legality of the appointment of members of the Central Election Commission will finally be done with that story given that the Court gave its final position,” Bakalar underlined. The Court of B&H rejected on 21 April the lawsuit filed by Petric. “It is the opinion of this Council that applicants’ objections are arbitrary that nominated candidates for the CEC are not legal experts with experience in the implementation of law or are not election experts,” the explanation of the Court of B&H reads. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic have also disputed the appointment of the B&H CEC members. During the proceedings launched on the basis of the lawsuit filed by Petric, Dodik and Covic kept repeating their positions on the appointment of the current members of the B&H CEC. “For us, the CEC was illegally appointed. It was maliciously appointed as such,” Dodik said earlier.

SDA welcomes Court of B&H’s decision (Nova BH)

The Court of B&H has ruled that the current convocation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H was appointed in line with the Election Law of B&H. SDA has welcomed the decision of the Court of B&H. “Appointed members of the CEC have both the legitimacy and the obligation to call and conduct general elections in accordance with the Election Law, while the competent institutions must ensure all preconditions for their organization,” SDA said in a statement.

Djonlagic and Borenovic welcome Court of B&H’s decision (Nova BH)

DF representative in the B&H HoR Dzenan Djonlagic wrote on Twitter: “A strategic decision in the current mandate of the representatives in the House of Representatives of the B&H parliament, which I am proud of and for which I voted. From the beginning, we claimed in all media appearances that everything was in accordance with the Law, while SNSD and HDZ B&H claimed the opposite. Now our position has been confirmed by the Court of B&H.” PDP leader Branislav Borenovic said that rejection of the lawsuit of the former member of the B&H CEC by which he challenged the legitimacy of the appointment of the current members of the CEC is a good decision of the Court of B&H. “The current composition of the B&H CEC was appointed in the B&H parliament and we did not violate any procedure, so this is actually an attempt to put pressure on that independent body. The regularity of the elections will greatly depend on the attitude of the B&H CEC, and I hope that they will take their implementation extremely seriously and professionally,” Borenovic was quoted as saying.

Varhelyi discusses electoral reform and elections in B&H with Grlic Radman (BNTV)

EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi met with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman in Zagreb on Monday. BNTV reports that, addressing the media after the meeting, Varhelyi noted talks about B&H were particularly difficult and tense since elections in B&H will be called soon, and the agreement on electoral reform has not been reached. “It is a great disappointment that we do not have agreement on constitutional and electoral reform. In October, we will have elections in B&H, and we will try, in cooperation with our friends from B&H, that those elections are free, fair and lead to equal representation of all three constituent peoples. That is the key point for long-term stability and functionality of B&H. Boycott and non-recognition of election results will not lead us anywhere,” said Varhelyi. “What is necessary now is the continuation of joint engagement of the European Union and the US to encourage finalization of the negotiations to enable free, fair, legal and legitimate elections,” said Grlic Radman. Grlic Radman also said that without the electoral reform, “the upcoming elections in B&H based on the existing Election Law would be illegitimate and there would be electoral engineering to the detriment of Croats in B&H”. Varhelyi said that talks on reforms in B&H were especially difficult, adding that holding of fair elections in October must be secured. Varhelyi marked 2021 as a lost year that should have been the year in which things were made in the right way for the future of B&H. Varhelyi said: “This was the year without the elections, the year when progress was possible on the constitutional and election reforms that could have been implemented by now. We missed this opportunity.” Grlic-Radman said that in 2021, precious time and a chance were lost arguing that the Croat side made many compromises while the will was missing on the Bosniak side.

Dzaferovic meets with King Willem-Alexander (Hayat/FEMA/FTV)

Chairperson of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic met with King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander at the start of his official visit to the Netherlands, where they stressed a strong friendship between the two countries, particularly in the light of the 30th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic relations. Dzaferovic also met with Mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen, when a message was conveyed that The Hague and Sarajevo are cities whose names bear great symbolism. Hayat reports that speakers of both Houses of the Dutch Parliament expressed support to B&H’s European path. In a statement for FEMA, Dzaferovic said: “B&H has the support in its development as an efficient and functional state, support on its European and NATO path. It also needs to be noted that support comes from here for resolution of the crisis B&H is in, for unblocking of our institutions, and normal functioning of our country. In addition to all topics related to bilateral cooperation, this was in focus of my talks with all officials of the Kingdom of the Netherlands today.” Current political situation in B&H, but also at the Western Balkans region, especially in context of Russian aggression in Ukraine, was the main topic of a series of meetings Dzaferovic had with officials in the Netherlands. They also spoke of B&H’s EU path, and Dzaferovic thanked the Netherlands for giving continuous support to B&H on this path. It was also emphasized that B&H must exert more efforts to make progress on the path towards the EU. The officials emphasized that B&H and the Netherlands maintain a good diplomatic cooperation. Dzaferovic told reporters that the Netherlands gave support to solving the crisis that is currently ongoing in B&H. He says B&H institutions must be unblocked and B&H must be allowed to function normally. During his official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dzaferovic also met with President of the Senate of the Netherlands Jan Bruijn and speaker of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Vera Bergkamp. During the meeting, it was said that B&H must not lose pace with others in the region when it comes to moving closer to the EU.

Education of future prime minister and ministers in minority government (CdM)

The parliament’s session which is to elect the minority government will be held on Thursday in Cetinje. The Leader of the Civic Movement URA Dritan Abazovic is going to be prime minister. The government is going to have four DPMs, 18 ministries and two ministers without portfolio. The CdM portal publishes education of a future prime minister and other ministers of the minority government. Prime Minister-designate and future PM Dritan Abazovic obtained a PhD degree at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. He graduated from the same faculty and obtained a bachelor’s degree in the same area of education. And here’s the education of some of the future ministers in the minority administration: Vladimir Jokovic, DPM and future agriculture minister graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The future internal affairs minister, Filip Adzic, graduated from the Faculty of Tourism in Kotor. Aleksandar Damjanovic, the future finance minister, obtained a master’s degree in economic sciences. He graduated from the Faculty of Economy in Podgorica. Rasko Konjevic, who will be running the Ministry of Defense, also obtained a master’s degree in economic sciences. The Leader of the Bosniak Party, Ervin Ibrahimovic, will be DPM and future minister of capital investments. He graduated from the Faculty of Metallurgy at the Pristina University, but obtained his master’s degree at the University in Belgrade. His party colleague, Admir Adrovic, the future labor and social welfare minister, graduated from the Faculty of Economy. A member of the SNP, a professor of the Russian language, Miomir Vojinovic, will be the new education minister…

Picula and Bilcik: Government to be more effective, with stronger support of parliament (RTCG)

The minority government should be more effective and should have stronger support of parliament, both the EP Rapporteur for Montenegro Tonino Picula, and the Committee Co-Chair with our country Vladimir Bilcik agreed. The MEPs, who have been monitoring circumstances in Montenegro, state that the new government should have a clear program, which would contribute to faster accession to the EU and solution to the accumulated problems. All Montenegro’s partners in Brussels, starting from the European Parliament, but other institutions as well, expect something similar from the new government, Picula noted. Bilcik added that the time was of paramount importance for carrying out reforms in Montenegro. Both point out that executive power needs to have a coherent program based on solving numerous problems on the internal political stage.

Kovacevski: Government committed to creating conditions for better life and European future (Republika)

My focus has been on creating and harmonizing a new team so that we prepare and implement the most appropriate response to the serious challenge that await us, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski told a thematic government session observing the first 100 days of its term on Tuesday. Kovacevski highlighted the most important things done in this period and stressed that the current government remains on a clear goal – to ensure security and continuity in creating conditions for a better life, as well as a European and prosperous future for citizens. That requires efficient, honest and responsible governance. These are the qualities that I asked from all the ministers, who accepted to be part of the team, which jointly strives to serve the interests of all citizens without exception, said Kovacevski. The new government, reminded the Prime Minister, clearly defined the priorities for work, a program was created, which was upgraded based on the electoral legitimacy obtained in the elections in 2000, by incorporating the program commitments of the new coalition partner Alternative. Additionally, said Kovacevski, in the program of this government, new authentic program goals are included, necessary arising from new challenges. A key first priority, said Prime Minister Kovacevski, is to deal with the energy crisis, which is primarily a European energy crisis, and is felt in our country, and gained additional worrying dimensions with the war in Ukraine.

Osmani at Sofia conference on EU and Western Balkans (Republika)

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani is paying Tuesday a visit to Sofia to attend an international conference on strengthening regional cooperation and EU integration titled “The EU Meets the Balkans Forum: The Ukraine Lesson – EU Enlargement as Antidote to War”. Besides Osmani, the participation of the foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, as well as the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodora Gencovska at the conference has been announced. They will be joined by EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, as well as EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and the British government’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans Stuart Peach. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olga Stefanishyna will deliver a video address to the participants.