LOCAL PRESS

Long-standing constructive partnership between Serbia, OSCE (RTS/Tanjug/Politika)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke on Tuesday with Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau about cooperation with this European organization, bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as on the European integration of Serbia. Brnabic emphasized the importance that Serbia attaches to the OSCE and the role it plays in the field of European security, while praising the work of operations on the ground. She especially praised the work of the OSCE Mission in Serbia, with which we have had exceptional cooperation since its establishment and which makes a significant contribution to the implementation of reform processes in our country. When it comes to reforms in the area of ​​the rule of law, she said that the government of Serbia is committed to work on improving the overall media environment and that the OSCE is an extremely important partner in this. According to her, this organization represents a bridge of cooperation between the government, on the one hand, and the media and civil society organizations, on the other. She emphasized that one of the key priorities of the future government will be activities in the area of ​​the rule of law, and above all the reform of the judiciary and the media. The Chairman of the OSCE particularly emphasized the quality of the legislative framework for the protection and promotion of the rights of national minorities in Serbia and expressed his readiness to continue cooperation with our country on this issue. Speaking about the relations between the two countries, Brnabic pointed out that they are traditionally friendly, and expressed her gratitude to the head of Polish diplomacy for the support he provides to the European path of Serbia and the Western Balkans.

Also, she thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland for his efforts in building good relations between the two countries and the long-standing constructive partnership of the OSCE and Serbia.

Selakovic: OSCE most reliable status-neutral presence in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTS/RTV/Politika)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Zbigniew Rau discussed on Tuesday the strengthening of bilateral relations, as well as the importance of OSCE’s other mission in Serbia, the one in Pristina, maintains its status neutrality. Selakovic, at the joint press conference with Rau, pointed out that the government supports the work of the mission in Kosovo and Metohija, as the most reliable status-neutral presence, whose work is based on Resolution 1244. He emphasized that Serbia attaches special importance to OSCE activities related to the rights of non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija and the return of displaced persons, which is one of the priorities of our country. The meeting was an opportunity to emphasize that Kosovo and Metohija is a post-conflict area with the lowest number of returnees in the world – below 3%, said the minister and emphasized that this is a topic that must be discussed at all world forums. The Minister expressed his gratitude to his Polish colleague – one of the four ministers of the Visegrad Group, who supported the Open Balkans as a good form of regional cooperation of the countries of the Western Balkans. The topic of the meeting was the economic ties of the two countries, as well as global relations, Selakovic noted, adding that he used the meeting to reiterate Serbia’s position on Ukraine – to respect international law, the territorial integrity of all sovereign member states of the UN Security Council, and therefore of Ukraine. Rau emphasized that Serbia is a constructive partner of the OSCE and an important partner in the concept of comprehensive security, noting that the visit to Belgrade is taking place at a time when the OSCE region is facing major security challenges. The Polish Minister and Chairman of the OSCE expressed his satisfaction that he shares the same understanding with Serbian officials, common positions on democracy, human rights, reconciliation, integration of national minorities, which is crucial for the successful path of a country.

Brnabic with Italian Ambassador on cooperation and support to Serbia (Tanjug/RTV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke today with newly appointed Ambassador of Italy to Serbia Luca Gori about bilateral relations, economic cooperation and this country’s support to the European integration of Serbia and the Western Balkans. Brnabic wished Ambassador Gori a lot of success in his new mandate and pointed out that there is great potential for additional cooperation in the field of information technologies, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and green transition. According to her, Serbia will continue to implement reforms, especially in the field of rule of law, judiciary and the media. Speaking about the process of European integration, Brnabic underlined that full membership in the European Union remains one of the most important foreign policy priorities of our country. In this context, it would be of extreme importance if Serbia opened Cluster 3 in December, Brnabic said. When it comes to economic cooperation, Italy is one of the largest investors in Serbia, which is confirmed by the fact that Italian companies in Serbia employ around 50,000 citizens. The Italian Ambassador expressed gratitude on the welcome and underlined that his country will continue to support Serbia on its European path. He added that he will personally will try to raise cooperation to a higher level and that he already has certain ideas for new projects.

Selakovic: We know our path, does Brussels know what it wants (TV Pink)

Serbia knows its reform course and European path well, it knows how it wants to reform its society and how it should function in the future, but it often seems that Brussels does not know what it wants, said Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic. Speaking about the stance of the EU towards the Western Balkans (WB) and whether the WB is needed at all by the EU, he said that this is a question for the EU. “That’s a question for them, and what is important for us is that we are on our path of reforms. We are changing and harmonizing our society with the standards that we have been striving towards for decades, and whether they want us in that family or not, that depends on them,” Selakovic told TV Pink. He added that the most important thing for Serbia is that along with the reform course that concerns the change of the social system and reforming the institutions of the system, it continues to develop economically. Asked to comment on the European Parliament’s resolution on Serbia, he said that he did not expect such a document, that calls for imposing sanctions against Russia and recognition of Kosovo and Metohija, but that on the other hand there are things that can no longer surprise us. He underlined that Serbia knows its European path, while the question is whether Brussels knows what it wants. Selakovic assessed that Pristina’s unilateral moves could have passed while people in power in Belgrade had neither the vision nor the will to fight for our national interests. “The problem is that Belgrade now has a government that is capable of conducting an independent sovereign policy that does not choose either European or world power centers, instead citizens are its center, and our main task is to fight for national interests,” said Selakovic.

Pristina not ready to take issue of missing from politics (RTV/Tanjug)

Pristina is not ready to “take” the issue of missing persons out of politics and return to it a humanitarian character, says the Chair of the Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic and points out that the persistent refusal of Pristina to continue the work of the Working Group for Missing Persons is worrying. He reminds that Pristina also conditioned the adoption of the Declaration on the Missing in Brussels, which, he says, did not endanger anyone, and was even agreed upon, and that it asked for the term “enforced disappearance” to be inserted. “All that is being imposed is the politicization of the process that is not leading us anywhere, only this term ‘enforced disappearance’ and the attempt to insert it into the document speaks of the fact that according to the convention, states are responsible for enforced disappearances. Who will be responsible for crimes against Serbs , other non-Albanians and Albanians killed by the KLA? Who will be responsible for them?,” Odalovic told Tanjug. Stating that 1,620 people are still listed as missing according to the jointly agreed list, Odalovic reminds that the last meeting of the Working Group for Missing Persons was held on 16 April last year in Belgrade, when the agenda and who should do what in the following period were agreed upon. “We took on two obligations – one was Kizevak, we finished the search there, found seven bodies, identified them and handed them over to the families. The second request was the Stavalj mine – we spent 13 days, at the request of Pristina, with their presence, conducting a detailed search and location, we didn’t find anything, we finished the location with the idea that they should contact us if they have new information, because without it, it is illogical to dig more,” says Odalovic. He also reminds that Belgrade handed over 2,417 documents to the International Committee of the Red Cross to share with Pristina, i.e. everything that they could find in our archives, and that has anything to do with missing persons. In December of last year, he adds, in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, when, according to Belgrade’s information, a search was made at the Muslim cemetery, seven bodies of Albanians were found. “On the other hand, we did not receive any documents from Pristina and now we hear their demands – ‘more, more, more’. I ask what, what else. I can still believe that there may be another displaced grave in Serbia proper, but for that we concrete evidence is needed,” says Odalovic. As he says, it has reached a stage where Pristina will not continue to hold a dialogue even on what was agreed upon.

Zorana and Hill against Vulin (Novosti) 

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia Zorana Mihajlovic on Tuesday resented Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin for saying that he is “dreaming about uniting of all Serbs in a single state”. Mihajlovic said that this is not an official stance and policy of Serbian government. “As a citizen he has the right to express his desires, aspirations and dreams. Politicians should not be dealing with the past,” Mihajlovic said. Vulin replied to Mihajlovic by saying that his stances cannot be defined by embassies and he added: “The creation of the Serb world and uniting of Serbs is not an official stance of the government, just like the official stances are not imposing of sanctions against Russia or have a clearer stance, whatever that means, on the conflict in Ukraine or that the UK resolution must be supported, the one according Serbs are genocidal people. The creation of the Serb world is my stance and a part of the program of the Movement of Socialists with me at its helm. Unlike many politicians, including individual members of the government, I have both ideology and stances and I do not need any embassy to approve what I should think or how I should do things”. The daily reminded that Vulin’s stances were previously commented by the US Embassy to Serbia, which stated that “the Dayton Peace Agreement protects peace and stability” and noted that Vulin’s comments are not in line with the DPA. The daily reminded that this statement was shared by the US Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) shortly after that. The daily also commented by saying that the US Embassy to Serbia “once again demonstrated an ugly habit of not hesitating to speak about internal matters in our country, which is a non-diplomatic behavior, it shows disrespect for the host and represents a violation of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations”. Retired diplomat Branko Brankovic told the daily that it is nothing new to see US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill and US Embassy to Serbia meddle in internal matters of Serbia. “The comment of the Embassy to Vulin’s statement, which was not related to Serbia but to B&H, is not only unacceptable but it also oversteps boundaries of tolerance,” Brankovic said and argued that Hill continues to act upon orders of US President Joseph Biden who “is experiencing shortage of possibilities to make or persuade European countries to start the war with Russia so he is trying to flex his muscles in our case”.

Petkovic banned again entrance into Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTV)  

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said that today, for the second time in two days, he was denied entry to Kosovo and Metohija, without explanation, even though he announced his visit properly and on time. Petkovic called on Pristina and the EU to come to their senses if they think of continuing the conversation with Belgrade in Brussels and said that Belgrade is ready to talk and to move in the direction of a compromise solution, but that Belgrade is being humiliated by someone and in this way it brutally violates all agreements.

“This morning, Albin Kurti forbade me to enter the premises of Kosovo and Metohija after he did the same thing yesterday. We in Belgrade no longer have any dilemmas about what Kurti does and how he behaves. His illegal, arrogant and matchmaking behavior absolutely no longer surprises us,” Petkovic told Pink from the Konculj crossing. He added that his arrival in Konculj today is a message to the international community, which, as he assessed, is “obviously incompetent or pretending to be so when it comes to Pristina, and when it looks through the fingers of Albin Kurti and Pristina who violate the agreements every day we reached in Brussels, including an agreement on an official visit”. “I also announced today’s visit properly and on time in order to show, first of all, to the international community that there are no excuses given by Pristina yesterday as to why I could not enter the territory of Kosovo and Metohija,” said Petkovic. He pointed out that yesterday, as an explanation for the decision to ban him from entering Kosovo, Pristina informed the EU that there was allegedly no work in Kosovo and Metohija Monday. “And of course outside of working hours, last night I received a reply that I am again being banned from entering Kosovo and there is no reason given, which means that it is not about any non-working day, but about the arbitrariness of Albin Kurti, who violates the agreement where the chief negotiator of Belgrade is prohibited entry into Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic pointed out. “We advocate peace, we advocate stability in the area of ​​the Western Balkans, but you understand very well that for dialogue and conversation you need another side, someone who will understand you, someone who will negotiate and come to an agreement. At this moment we have Kurti on the other side, who refuses everything, who forbids visits and who behaves arrogantly. That is why it is up to the EU to finally clearly establish who is the culprit in the dialogue, and it is certainly not Belgrade,” concluded Petkovic.

Dveri presents first two parliamentary initiatives (Tanjug/RTV)

The Serbian movement Dveri presented on Tuesday the first two parliamentary initiatives that will be introduced after the new parliament is formed, which have to do with Serbia’s response to the recently adopted resolution of the European Parliament (EP), and canceling Europride, announced for September in Belgrade. The leader of Dveri Bosko Obradovic said that he will send a proposal to the government of Serbia to cancel the Europride event, as well as to ban gay parades for the next 100 years. He added that he will propose a special law on banning the promotion of homosexuality aimed at minors, “in order to stop totalitarian ideology and promotion of homosexuality, that is imposed as something natural and normal, which it is not”, Tanjug is reporting. Obradovic told journalists that Serbia’s response to the EP resolution, which “clearly conditions us to recognize the fake state of Kosovo and impose sanctions against Russia” should be formulated during a special session of the new parliament under urgent procedure.

Jeremic: People’s Party won’t have consultations with Vucic, public or secret (Beta/Danas)

People’s Party leader Vuk Jeremic has said that his party would not have consultations on the formation of a new parliament and government with the president and the Serbian Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vucic, announced for 14 July. “Given that the People’s Party is not considering cooperation with the regime and that we do not want to contribute to the creation of a false image of democratic institutions functioning in Serbia, we will not attend the ‘consultations’ with the Progressives’ boss, public or secret,’ Jeremic tweeted on Tuesday. In an interview to the Monday issue of Danas, party deputy leader Miroslav Aleksic said that, if invited, the party would attend the consultations. According to the daily, the decision changed after a party Presidency meeting when a number of party officials voted against consultations with Vucic. According to earlier media reports, Aleksic should be the whip of the People’s Party, which, as part of the opposition coalition United for the Victory of Serbia, should have 12 seats in the parliament.

REGIONAL PRESS

Sattler publishes blog: Too many choose the path of escalating, rather than calming tensions (Oslobodjenje) 

Head of the EU Delegation Johann Sattler published a b log post, following his attendance at marking of 27th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide. The daily carried entire blog post, named ‘Reflections on Srebrenica’. “Fifty victims of the genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica were buried with dignity yesterday in the presence of their grieving families. The sight of their caskets, surrounded by their loved ones, is a heart wrenching one, especially when realizing this is only a small fraction of the over 8,000 men and boys who were massacred during Europe’s single worst atrocity since the Second World War. There is no way for a normal human mind to comprehend what happened at Srebrenica in the days following 11 July 1995. It is impossible to imagine the scale of the crime and the human depravity that led to the engineering of genocide. When contemplating the enormity of the genocide, one must never lose sight of the fact that the people murdered at Srebrenica were individuals, each of whom had their own personality, their own dreams and whose uniqueness is missed every day by those who loved them. In keeping with the spirit of the moving Quo Vadis Aida, this year’s commemoration pays special attention to the role of women in keeping alive the memory of those who were killed during the genocide. They are Srebrenica Heroines not just for their perseverance and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy, but also because their fight for justice reminds us that behind every tombstone there is a loved one, a family member, a father, a brother, a son. One must never forget the memory of the victims. Because to do so would be a perpetuation of the crimes. Genocide differs from other atrocities in that it aims at the extinction not only of individuals, but also attempts to erase a national identity. In striving for ethnic purity, it denies the coexistence, friendship and familial relations between people of different backgrounds, and makes it more difficult for these relationships to be rebuilt in the future. After an event of such inhumanity such as Srebrenica it is understandable that words such as reconciliation sound hollow, or indeed insulting to the victims. No-one can be expected to forgive genocide. And indeed, without justice, full respect and recognition for the crimes, the victims and the human loss, true reconciliation will remain impossible. This is true for all atrocities committed during the war, and especially for the Srebrenica Genocide because of the special character of the crime. Nonetheless, it is also clear that the failure to create a prosperous, successful Bosnia and Herzegovina based on harmonious inter-community relations provides a victory for nationalism and the mind-set that led to the genocide in Srebrenica. The lack of true reconciliation continues to cause pain and provides fertile ground for the politics that hold the country captive in time. It would be good to see a shift from memorialization serving political goals rather than the interest of the victims and survivors. We must work together to ensure the country and its people can escape this cycle. Unfortunately, too many choose the path of escalating, rather than calming tensions. Placing pictures of killed Serbs, including soldiers of the Army of the Republika Srpska, along the road to the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Centre is one of the latest examples of actions deliberately designed to provoke. I would like to stress that we recently commemorated and expressed our deepest sympathies for the Serb civilian victims of Podrinje, as we consistently have done in Donja Gradina for the victims of fascism during WWII. Every single picture of a civilian victim is a person that is dear to a family that mourns them. It is necessary – and we do – recognize the pain in every community. However, it must also be done in a way that respects and honors the pain of others with mutual empathy. In this regard, the Mothers of Srebrenica have led by example. It is also important to note that provocative actions are clearly not exclusive to one community – the recent desecrations of the Serb Orthodox Cemetery and the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar are also actions designed to trigger emotions and raise tensions. While we cannot expect victims to embrace reconciliation, this is exactly what we expect from societal leaders. To set the tone for a better future. They have a duty to bring their citizens together, especially young people, around a common ambition, built on trust, mutual understanding and respect for one another. They have to acknowledge historical facts, honor the victims and genuinely promote reconciliation by confronting the roots of hatred that led to the war-time atrocities, including the genocide. What I see is that many locations are longing for this type of leadership, and even some that are fortunate to receive it. This approach however remains sorely absent in the political culture at the top level. There are incredible people in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are working tirelessly for a better future that integrates all of the country’s different cultures in a way that respects history. Meeting with civil society activists committed to building bridges is one of the most inspiring parts of my job. There are numerous examples, including the work done by the Post-Conflict Research Centre, the Srebrenica Sara Association for Youth and Women, the Centre for Peacebuilding in Sanski Most, which seeks to rebuild trust and foster reconciliation among the people of Bosnia and the ‘Kvart’ Youth Centre, in Prijedor, which initiated a memorial to children killed during the war, and is a positive example of multi-ethnic youth activism working on reconciliation and human rights. There are many more. I am glad the EU is able to provide financial as well as moral support for such peacebuilding activities. In my native Austria as well as in Germany, it is compulsory for all schoolchildren to learn about the Holocaust and visit an extermination camp. Educating children, as well as adults, about what humanity is capable of is key to preventing such acts in future. Yesterday was my seventh visit to the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Centre. The site never loses its capacity to shock, but each time I visit it also renews my determination to support all efforts to prevent hatred from taking root in Bosnia and Herzegovina again. I am deeply impressed that the Memorial Centre continues to drive a constructive agenda of memorialization geared towards building lasting peace. The phrase ‘Never Again’ carries a particular poignancy this year, with Russia’s criminal aggression in Ukraine bringing war back to Europe. Srebrenica was one of the darkest pages in Europe’s modern history. We will continue to carry a sense of shame that more was not done to prevent these terrible events. Europe and the broader world have learnt painful lessons from Srebrenica, and our unwavering support for Ukraine is a result. Current times prove how fragile peace on this continent can be, and also why we must never forget what happened in Srebrenica in July 1995.”

Bijeljina District Prosecutor’s Office: Removal of photos of killed Serbs set along road Bratunac-Potocari ordered due to safety of traffic (ATV) 

The Bijeljina District Prosecutor’s Office stated on Tuesday that the removal of photos of 3,267 killed Serbs set on the Bratunac-Potocari road was ordered due to safety of traffic. The Bijeljina District Prosecutor’s Office failed to present the name of a competent prosecutor who ordered the removal of the photos.

Vuksanovic-Stankovic: Abazovic ended his political career (Dnevni avaz) 

The daily comments that reactions to statement of Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic made in Srebrenica during marking of 27th anniversary of genocide, continues to provoke the reactions and despite his prompt apology, there are many who believe that his statement was not accidental. (Abazovic stated that genocide is not committed against Bosniaks, but against human beings and it was not committed by armies, but politics of evil, death and deceit) MP in Montenegrin Parliament Draginja Vuksanovic- Stankovic (SDP) told the daily that Abazovic’s speech is shame for entire Montenegro. She goes on and says that as great friend of B&H she conveys apology to all mothers of Srebrenica and all B&H citizens, “because of the shameful statement of the Prime Minister who came there to represent Montenegro”. She noted that she did not attend the commemoration because of security reasons, but added that if she did she would stand in the middles of the speech and told Abazovic to leave the stage and stop insulting the Mothers and stop causing shame to Montenegro. Vuksanovic-Stankovic believes that Abazovic’s apology is hypocritical, stressing that she believes that Abazovic with this ended his political career.

Anniversary of killing of Serbs in Zalazje marked on Tuesday; Serb officials, victims’ families: No one held responsible for crime (ATV) 

The 30th anniversary of killing of Serbs in villages of Zalazje, Biljaca, Sase, Zagoni and Brod was marked on Tuesday. ATV reminded that 69 Serb civilians and soldiers of the former RS Army were killed in Podrinje villages, many more were injured, while 22 were imprisoned or they went missing. Numerous RS and Serbian officials, members of RS Veterans’ Organization (BORS) and other associations stemming from the war, members of victims’ families attended Tuesday’s ceremony organized in Zalazje to pay tribute to the victims. Serbian Minister of Interior Aleksandar Vulin attended the ceremony and, on this occasion, he said that no one cares about the Serb pain. Vulin added that the fact that no foreign official was present to honor the Serb victims shows that “only Serbs feel pain of the Serb wounds”, asking how many Serbs should be killed so that they show up at their graves. Envoy of the RS government Milan Torbica said that they have difficulties in reaching justice because the judiciary – the way it is – acts in a selective way, arguing that some families may never witness justice. Members of families of the victims underlined that no one was prosecuted or sanctioned for this crime and added that the fact that no representative of the international community attended the ceremony to honor the Serb victims shows that they have a selective approach to justice. ATV carried the statements of several members of families of the victims who spoke about this topic in details. ATV reminded that Muslim forces – led by wartime Commander of the RB&H Army Naser Oric – intruded the Serb villages around Srebrenica and Bratunac on 12 July 1992 and killed, robbed and set the villages on fire. The Court of B&H acquitted Oric of the charges. Head of the Srebrenica Municipality Mladen Grjucic said that none of the representatives of the international community attended the commemoration, stressing that this conveys a message that Serb victims do not exist for them and shows that they try to minimize the Serb victims in every way. He added that representatives of the international community ignore all the evidence about crimes against Serbs to prevent revealing the truth, because they do not care about the truth but only about their plan to blame Serbs for all the crimes that happened in this region. Vulin who attended the commemoration on behalf of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he respects the sorrow and pain of the Srebrenica mothers, but he cannot understand how come no one understands the sorrow and pain of the Serb mothers. He wondered how many Serbs need to be killed to force some of the non-Serbs to honor them at their graves. On the occasion of commemoration for the Serb victims, Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik wrote on Twitter that 30 years after the crime against Serbs in Srebrenica and Bratunac villages no one was brought to justice. “Regrettably and shamefully for everyone, we end every commemoration for the Serb victims with this same sentence,” Dodik reminded.

Indictees in Dobrovoljacka case plead not guilty (Nova BH) 

Ten suspects in the Dobrovoljacka Street case pleaded not guilty at the hearing held before the Court of B&H on Tuesday. Nova BH reminds that on 27 April, the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H filed indictment against Ejup Ganic, Zaim Backovic, Hamid Bahto, Hasan Efendic, Fikret Muslimovic, Jusuf Pusina, Bakir Alispahic, Enes Bezdrob, Ismet Dahic, and Mahir Zisko for planning, inciting, ordering and carrying out an attack on the mixed column of Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) soldiers and civilians, accompanied by the United Nations (UN) peacekeepers. Nova BH carries a video footage from the hearing, in which Judge Braco Stupar says the Court accepts the suspects’ plea in relation to the indictment, noting the main hearing will be scheduled within 60 days. Nova BH reports that Hamid Bahto’s lawyer Asim Crnalic addressed the media after the hearing, stating it is too early to discuss the defense’s strategy. “Those who are attacked, have the right to defend themselves, and, in principle, those who defend themselves rarely commit crimes. This situation is such that there are no circumstances based on which it can be concluded the crimes were committed,” said Crnalic. Nova BH reports that Crnalic also referred to the fact that the Court in The Hague found the military column was a legitimate target. “The fact that the proceedings have already been suspended once in relation to this case, and that in The Hague, elements for the prosecution were not found, shows what weight of evidence the Prosecutor’s Office disposes of,” said Crnalic. Nova BH reports that 277 witnesses and a number of forensic experts are expected to be questioned during the trial, and 500 items of material evidence have been presented within the indictment. Ejub Ganic’s legal representatives have filed to the Sarajevo Canton (SC) Prosecutor’s Office criminal complaints against former chief prosecutors of the B&H Prosecutor’s Office Gordana Tadic and Goran Salihovic, and Acting Chief Prosecutor of the B&H Prosecutor’s Office Milanko Kajganic on suspicion they abused office and deliberately obstructed the investigation in the Dobrovoljacka Street case.

German officials Luhrmann, Sarrazin and Uebber underline Germany’s support to B&H (Oslobodjenje) 

German Minister of State of Europe and Climate with Germany Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Luhrmann, Special Envoy of German government for Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin and German Ambassador to B&H Margret Uebber stated that Germany is dedicated to B&H and the region. Luhrmann stated that German Government is very dedicated to B&H, however it is still not time for awarding the status of the EU candidate to B&H, because lack of political will in B&H prevents any kind of progress. She stressed that there is no visible progress in B&H in the last couple of years and reminded that Germany firmly stands behind High Representative Christian Schmidt. “B&H will be awarded the status of the EU candidate if we see the progress. Intentions of RS and secessionist intentions are absolutely unacceptable”, said Luhrmann, underlining importance of October elections. She believes that the current political crisis is the most difficult one since 1995, but noted that there will be no new armed conflicts. Sarrazin is of the same stance. “B&H is heart of Europe. Citizens in B&H want normal lives, jobs and not the war”, said Luhrmann, adding that Germany supports territorial integrity of B&H. She reminded that Germany blocked bilateral funds for the RS and they are asking for Dodik’s secessionist activities to be responded in sanctions. Ambassador Uebber commented marking of 27th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide and noted that German history prove that recognition and apology lead to brighter future. Luhrmann visited Sarajevo on Tuesday and met with representatives of B&H authorities. On this occasion, Luhrmann said that secessionist policy of the RS authorities is unacceptable and Germany is now lobbying in favor of new sanctions. Luhrmann explained that she visited B&H in order to show Germany’s commitment to political stability in B&H and the region and B&H’s path to join the EU.

Dodik says he will impose sanctions on himself so that Germany would not have to bother with it (Nezavisne) 

Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that “Germany, with their politics of intimidations will not change the reality which we live, and that is that B&H is unsuccessful country”. “In order for them not to bother, I am introducing sanctions to myself as of today. Neither I have any property in Germany, not I plan to go there”, Dodik wrote on his Twitter. German Minister of State of Europe and Climate Anna Luhrmann stated on Tuesday in Sarajevo that Germany is lobbying within the EU for introducing of sanctions to Dodik.

Sarrazin: We no longer believe B&H politicians (Dnevni list) 

Special Envoy of German government for Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin, who spoke for the ‘European Council on Foreign Relations’ (ECFR), stated that Germany has not forgotten B&H, stressing that Berlin has clear view when it comes to the European perspective of B&H. “We want to do everything we can so the country changes and becomes part of the EU,” said Sarrazin. “We want B&H to get the status of candidate, but we must see true reforms on the ground, some reforms implemented. We no longer believe B&H politicians enough and there is no status of candidate without seeing results of changes on the ground,” said Sarrazin. Asked what needs to happen first in order for Germany to vote for granting status of EU candidate for B&H, Sarrazin replied: “We want credible reforms implemented, so our trust is restored. We do not have one issue, one law from 14 priorities of the European Commission…No! We want credible progress, so we are convinced it can continue and that politicians in B&H have the political will to carry out what is necessary,” said Sarrazin. Asked what are the areas where changes need to happen (in B&H), Sarrazin replied by saying it is about activities pertaining to fight against corruption, functional democracy and functional election process. He noted these issues are related to the laws that are already in the procedure (conflict of interest, judiciary, public procurements), as well as the political culture. On top of this, Sarrazin underlined the issue how the October elections will pan out: “It is a very important issue to us, important indicator”, said Sarrazin.

Podzic meets Ahmetovic in Sarajevo; Ahmetovic states there is possibility that NATO engages in B&H if Russia vetoes extension of EUFOR’s mandate (Nova BH) 

B&H Minister of Defense Sifet Podzic met with German Rapporteur for the Western Balkans Adis Ahmetovic in Sarajevo on Tuesday. During the meeting, Podzic and Ahmetovic discussed, among others, deployment of 50 German troops to B&H to join EUFOR’s Operation Althea. The reporter notes that Ahmetovic also explained potential developments in case Russia decides to veto extension of the EUFOR’s mandate in November. Addressing the media after the meeting, Ahmetovic said: “There is a possibility under the Dayton Peace Accords that the NATO engages in B&H at the invitation from the Presidency, so that we continue to guarantee security in B&H.” Podzic said: “The German Federal Ministry of Defense provides significant support to the B&H Ministry of Defense through different forms of cooperation.” Podzic also reminded that the Bundestag adopted a decision according to which “50 German troops will be deployed here within EUFOR’s Mission in the following days, and I expressed my gratitude to Adis for the fact that this was successfully lobbied and decided by the Bundestag”. Ahmedovic reiterated Germany’s support to B&H’s path to join the EU and NATO, while Podzic emphasized the need to strengthen the capacity of the Armed Forces of B&H. Ahmetovic noted that Germany and the EU stand by B&H but B&H authorities have to work on 14 priorities from the European Commission’s Opinion. Ahmetovic also said that Germany’s vision for B&H is a democratic, peaceful and prosperous country. He stressed that NATO membership is future of B&H and not conflict and war that separatist forces have been threatening with. Ahmetovic also stated that although those predicting Ukrainian scenario for B&H are taken seriously, there is no danger for stability of B&H.

Reactions to Schmidt’s statement about history textbooks (N1/BHT1) 

The latest statement of High Representative Christian Schmidt, who said that it is problematic that Serb children in RS and children of different ethnicities have different history curricula and that he will address the issue of history textbooks in the upcoming period, causes reactions in the RS.  Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik stated that Schmidt will not write history for children in the RS and Serb children will not study anything that is not approved by the RS educational bodies. Dodik also said that over a million of Serbs was killed the last time when Germans wrote the history in the Balkans that was also related to Serbs. Dodik added: “This is why I would not recommend to Schmidt to play with the history of B&H.” MP Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac (SNSD) commented on Schmidt’s announcement that he will get more engaged in the creation of curriculums for history classes in schools in both entities and she reminded that children in B&H have different textbooks in almost all subjects because education falls under the competencies of the entities and cantons “which is logical because there is no possibility to harmonize those without accepting the most basic truth, knowing that Bosniak areas are not willing to recognize the character of the war on social, scientific and political basis as well as existence of victims on all sides, so they keep insisting on the matrix according to which autochthonous people here was the aggressor”. Novakovic-Bursac also argued that “the imposed judicial system” has done everything in its power to make sure those who committed war crimes against Serb people are not processed as well as that (former High Representative) Valentin Inzko imposed a law (on prohibition of genocide denial) in an attempt to stop all discussions on this matter “and to establish quasi-truth, so it becomes clear where Schmidt’s idea on changes to history textbooks might lead and how careful we must be when it comes to this matter”. DNS leader Nenad Nesic said that history textbooks everywhere in Europe are written by historians and experts “and not by politicians with the authority of colonial administrators when facts are in the way of daily politics”. Nesic reminded that education falls under the competencies of the entities and added that “it is only natural that Serb children pay more attention to Serb history while Croat and Bosniak children pay more attention to history of their respective peoples”. RS Minister of Education and Culture Natalija Trivic said on Tuesday that the RS has constitutional competences over education and it cannot be the subject of any political denomination. Trivic stated that Schmidt does not have the authority to design or create history textbooks and curriculums for schools in the RS. Trivic added that the RS’ current curricula and history textbooks absolutely do not offend anyone and they are written completely factually, noting that this is not the case in the Federation of B&H where in one of the cantons an addition to the history textbooks was issued recently interpreting certain war events in B&H in inadequate manner.

Plenkovic: Montenegro has made biggest progress towards joining EU (Hina) 

Montenegro has made the biggest progress in the process of accession to the European Union and Croatia will continue to support it on its journey, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said after talks with his Montenegrin counterpart Dritan Abazovic in Zagreb on Tuesday. Plenkovic added that the two countries are working on strengthening economic cooperation and resolving remaining outstanding bilateral issues. Prime Minister Abazovic arrived on Tuesday for an official visit to Zagreb after two and a half months in office. Plenkovic sent Abazovic an invitation to visit Croatia on 30 April, when he sent him a congratulatory letter on the occasion of his inauguration as prime minister. “They have been negotiating for 10 years. Montenegro is a country that has opened all 35 chapters in which the EU acquis is structured. We are at the stage where we want it to move towards meeting as efficiently as possible the criteria for closing those chapters,” Plenkovic told a press conference. According to Plenkovic, “Montenegro has made the biggest headway in that process.” “I think that with good dynamics and political support and the resolution of certain previous political issues and criteria, especially the formation and filling of the Constitutional Court, Montenegro could then speed up that dynamics without any major problems. We will of course support it along its journey,” said Plenkovic. The Croatian PM recalled that the two countries have in recent years been working on boosting economic cooperation. “We also talked about how Croatia and Montenegro have increased their trade exchange over the past few years, it is currently at €236 million, which is an increase of about 100 million and that’s great,” Plenkovic said. In light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Plenkovic underscored that “it is in Croatia’s interest to connect with Montenegro when it comes to trans-European transport and energy routes,” and in particular the Adriatic-Ionian corridor. At the same time, he advocated the continuation of talks on the Adriatic-Ionian gas pipeline.

Significant support from Croatia for Montenegro’s European journey 

Abazovic said that Croatia and Montenegro share a common future and that he sees his country as part of the European Union. He said that he wanted relations between the two countries to be “raised to the highest level possible. We are grateful to Croatia for bringing the European Union to our borders, and I expect that Croatia, as our closest neighbor, our brotherly state, will be the main driver of everything European in Montenegro. Some tasks exist that we are supposed to perform, issues that require a wider consensus,” said Abazovic. Croatia “is a motivator for us to complete our tasks related to EU integration,” said Abazovic. Abazovic mentioned that several chapters are ready to be closed and that they are waiting for this “technical matter to be confirmed by the European Commission.” “If we achieve that, I believe that Croatia will be among the first countries that will support the ‘principle of merit’ in terms of progressing on the path of European integration. It is in our interest and I believe that it is also in Croatia’s interest.” The goal is to “stabilize the region and send good messages (…) not to introduce unrest in these complex times, especially in eastern Europe, which is also reflected on us,” he added. Addressing the press conference, he outlined that the issues that are a “burden of the past” will not slow down the development of relations between Croatia and Montenegro. “It would however be useful if we resolved them. We have a solution for some of them and in good spirit, we feel good energy to strike them off the agenda one by one and concentrate on what is our future,” said Abazovic. Plenkovic said that the government’s desire is to continue solving our numerous residual issues from the time of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and the aggression of Slobodan Milosevic’s Greater Serbia regime against Croatia. “There are several issues remaining: from the border issue to resolving the issue of the “Jadran” school ship which we want to be returned to Croatia, to the installation of a memorial plaque in Morinj (a POW camp),” Plenkovic said. He thanked Abazovic for including Adrijan Vuksanovic, who is the minister and president of the Croatian Civic Initiative, in the new government, and welcomed the developments regarding the use of the so-called Croatian Home in Donja Lastva, Tivat.

Croatian parliament speaker receives Montenegrin PM (Hina) 

Croatian parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic on Tuesday received the visiting Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, the Sabor said in a press release. The two officials reaffirmed very good relations between their countries, based on mutual respect and constructive cooperation, notably within NATO. They highlighted the importance of further integration of south-eastern European countries in the European Union membership. The repercussions of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine were also on the agenda of the Jandrokovic – Abazovic meeting.

Montenegro celebrates 13 July – Statehood Day (CDM) 

In Montenegro, 13 July is celebrated as Statehood Day, because on that day in 1878, at the Berlin Congress, its independence was recognized, and on the same day in 1941, a nationwide anti-fascist uprising was launched. That was the introduction to the People’s Liberation Struggle, in which, with important political decisions, the restoration of the statehood of Montenegro, abolished in 1918 by its annexation to Serbia, i.e., the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia, began. At the Montenegrin Anti-Fascist National Assembly, held at the end of 1944 in Kolasin, a decision was made on the status of Montenegro as one of the federal units of the future federal Yugoslavia.

Abazovic: Anyone can require the review of the Fundamental Agreement by the Constitutional Court (CdM) 

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said in Zagreb on Tuesday that the fundamental contract with the Serbian Orthodox Church was in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Montenegro and that anyone could motion for the Constitutional Court to assess it. “Every act can be subjected to assessment, if someone launches it before the Constitutional Court. Many acts have been assessed, some of them did not pass. I think that there is nothing disputable here,” Abazovic told reporters after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. Answering reporters, Abazovic stressed that Montenegro’s European path was a priority. “The path to Europe is a priority. To achieve it, there should be no issues obstructing it. We are not opening church issues, but closing them. When they are closed, we will only concentrate on our shared European future,” he added.  “Our wish is to keep solving numerous residual problems from the time of the demise of former Yugoslavia, the aggression of the Greater Serbia regime of (Slobodan) Milosevic against Croatia,” said Plenkovic, thanking Abazovic on including Adrijan Vuksanovic in the new government. On the Montenegro-EU negotiation talks, Plenkovic noted that Montenegro opened all 35 chapters, adding that “Croatia will support Montenegro and all other countries of the region on their road to reforms and EU membership.” The Montenegrin PM Abazovic said that the two countries had a shared future. “We see Montenegro as part of the EU. We expect that Croatia, as the closest neighbour and sister country, will be the biggest initiator of everything European in Montenegro. There’re tasks we should solve, we need a broader consensus. Members of the Constitutional Court, the Judicial Council, the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office are part of a new methodology which would bring us to the chapters closure.” Our goal is, Abazovic said, to stabilise the region and “send good messages and vibrations”. Montenegro will do anything to become the next EU member state, he added.

Djukanovic: Abazovic assured us that there will be no vote, who put a “knife under his throat” to approve the contract with the SPC the day before the session of the Holy Synod (TVCG) 

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said the day before the vote on the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church that there will be no vote on that agreement, said the President of Montenegro and the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists Milo Djukanovic. “All the parties that are part of the current government arrangement have been assured that the contract will not be voted at the Government session, but that a discussion will be opened and that no vote will be taken. This led us to the conclusion that the Prime Minister accepted the suggestions”, said Djukanovic for TVCG. When asked if the Prime Minister deceived them, Djukanovic answered as follows. “Let me answer you like this – the prime minister said at that meeting that there will be an open discussion tomorrow and that the government will not make a statement about that act,” replied Djukanovic. He does not understand why there was a rush to vote. “Why the rush? Who put the “knife under the throat” that it would have to be done before the meeting of the Holy Synod that was scheduled? I don’t know if it was held. Why is that day so important? Why is it important that a sovereign, independent country adapts to the session of the Holy Synod? What kind of inferiority and need to run to fulfil someone’s expectations and what kind of irresponsibility is it to give yourself the right to judge these issues without consulting the professional public”, asked Djukanovic. According to Djukanovic, it would never occur to him to sign such a contract. I was very inadequately informed about the Agreement with SPC, I received an incomplete version without a preamble containing the political part. “Perhaps 10 days earlier, in a meeting with the Prime Minister, I received an incomplete, first version of only the normative part of the contract without the preamble, which contains the political part of the overall story. If I had been familiar with the complete text, I would have considered it completely inadequate to tell a sporadic story about these issues, in about 10 days. I have repeatedly insisted that there should be no rush, take some more time that will be determined by the government, invite state institutions and individuals who will give their judgment and clear guarantees that this act is in accordance with the Constitution of Montenegro and historical facts”, stated Djukanovic. He announced that the Prime Minister also said that without the contract with the SPC, they would not be able to adopt decisions that require the support of 49 or 54 deputies. “The responsible government must not agree to such blackmail,” Djukanovic pointed out. Djukanovic reminded that the Presidency of DPS decided to withdraw the confidence in the government. “Perhaps this government can gain the trust of someone else. If he wins, there is no problem. It’s all legitimate. If he doesn’t get it, we will talk to all the parliamentary parties and the DF, the Democrats, those with whom we have been in the government arrangement so far,” Djukanovic said. The goal, as he pointed out, is to get a government that will protect the national interests of Montenegro. “We will first discuss with the parliamentary parties whether we can build a two-thirds or three-fifths consensus in the parliament, regardless of the relationship with the government. Another topic is getting to know the reasons that led to this kind of attitude towards the government and looking for a partner through which procedure is more realistic to formally delegitimize the government and create the conditions for Montenegro to get a political government that will responsibly manage Montenegro in the coming period, Djukanovic said. When asked where DPS is today, Djukanovic points out that it is where they wanted it to be. “I have well-founded reasons to believe that DPS is today in the zone between 30 and 35 percent of the support of citizens, which is in line with what our expectations and plans are and which, along with the achieved results in the local elections, gives a real basis for optimism in the face of the parliamentary elections, whenever if they happen”, said Djukanovic. He did not want to specify when he expects early elections. “When we signed the agreement on the election of the minority government, we said that its mandate would last for one year, which means that early elections will be held in the spring of next year. It is obvious that we will have a problem to save this government until that term. “Whenever those parliamentary elections are held, there is no doubt that the DPS will be the leading political force, many times stronger than the first and next parliamentary entity,” said Djukanovic.

Warning signs: Europeans doubt political legitimacy of the government (Pobjeda) 

No foreign affairs minister of the EU member state has confirmed presence for the 11th session of the Stabilization and Association Council which is to be held on 14 July in Podgorica, Pobjeda daily writes. A high-ranking representative of the European Parliament Josep Borrell is supposed to preside over the session.  The plan was that ministers come and magnify the first session of the Council held outside Brussels thus sending an encouraging message for Montenegro’s actions on the road to the EU. However, the situation in Montenegro has significantly changed since the government run by Dritan Abazovic gave up on the European agenda and adopted the draft ‘fundamental agreement’ with the Church of Serbia. The EP high-ranking representative Borrell will be on a four-day visit to Montenegro, from 13 July to 17 July. A state dinner with the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has been arranged on Statehood Day, and Borrell is supposed to preside over the session of the Stabilization and Association Council the following day.

Macedonian people, come out, preserve our language and identity – said the citizens at yesterday’s protest (Republika/Kanal 5) 

Protests against the French proposal continued last night in front of the Government building under the slogan “Ultimatum, no thanks”. The participants, led by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE and Levica, with Macedonian flags and banners from the Government headed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the final destination is the Parliament. Last night also the citizens urged the government to say NO to the French proposal! VMRO-DPMNE leader, Hristijan Mickoski, expressed his views on the French proposal in a statement for Kanal 5. He says that VMRO-DPMNE will not demand early elections if SDSM deputies say “no” to the so-called French proposal. The protests are held every day at 19h, except on Friday, when dissatisfaction was also expressed through blockades in Skopje and on the main roads Stip – Veles, Strumica – Radovis and Pletvar – Prilep. The protest did not take place on Saturday because of the Muslim holiday of Qurban Bayram.

Osmani: Bulgaria will vote for a framework in which the Macedonian language will be clear (TV Sitel) 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani emphasized that citizens have the right to protest and criticize, but the entire anti-narrative is based on wrong interpretation of the European proposal. Regarding the Macedonian language, I asked the critics if they would change anything about the language in this framework if they wrote it themselves. The answer is no. There is no clearer formulation of the language than this proposal-negotiating framework. Such are the formulations for all the states that were EU candidates. Montenegro had no language at all in its framework. In our framework, the issue of language is identical. In the framework position of the Bulgarian Assembly, there was no option for the Macedonian language, but for the language of Macedonia or with an asterisk, in order to arrive at this solution, which is absolutely clean, emphasized Macedonia’s Foreign Minister. According to him, the language formulation would be the same if Bulgaria were not in our neighborhood. The Republic of Bulgaria will vote for a framework in which the Macedonian language will be clear. This is the first time that Bulgaria has signed such a document. Those five years are holding us back, we cannot sign the contract with Frontex. That is the reality, added Osmani in the interview with TV Sitel.

SDSM accepts the French proposal (Republika) 

The Central Board of ruling party SDSM supported late Monday the process of launching negotiations for the country’s full-fledged membership in the European Union in line with the draft-negotiating framework resulting from the European proposal of 30 June 2022, put forward by the French Presidency. Guided by the state and national interests, the highest strategic goals for membership in the EU as well as the interests of all citizens, the Central Board of SDSM at a session unanimously adopted a Decision that supported the process for starting negotiations with the EU, reads the party statement. The text states that SDSM, as a state-building party, remains steadfast in its determination to unconditionally respect the language, identity, historical and cultural peculiarities of the Macedonian people, as elements that cannot be negotiated with the EU under any circumstances. SDSM expects these determinations and principles to be supported by all political entities in the parliament by making further conclusions about the European proposal, according to the parliamentary procedures, the largest ruling party points out.

Russia rejects Pendarovksi’s claims of involvement in protests in Skopje (TV 21)  

The Russian Embassy in Skopje has rejected North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski‘s accusations about Russia’s involvement in its internal affairs and the Balkans in general. The Russian embassy said that it was aware that attempts at meddling in another country’s internal affairs “never bring the desired effect and ultimately discredit those who resort to these methods”. The Embassy added that it had carefully listened to Pendarovski’s statements to the Macedonian TV 21 and the Greek Ethnos newspaper about Russia’s activities in Macedonia and the entire Balkans. The president of North Macedonia told the July 10 edition of a Greek newspaper that Moscow was producing the most serious hybrid threats in the Balkans. Two days before, he told TV21 that he had information that Russia was using the protests in Skopje to counter a French proposal for resolving North Macedonia’s dispute with Bulgaria, as well as that there had been infiltrations by assets from neighboring countries, tasked with provoking incidents.

Albania poised to green-light new NATO naval base in huge warning to Putin (Radio Tirana) 

Albania poised to green-light new NATO naval base in huge warning to Putin. The news comes as Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is set to sit down with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the proposal. Recent moves saw Albania, a NATO member since 2009, start work on converting a former Soviet base into a NATO airbase, cementing Tirana’s ties with Brussels. Rama will meet Stoltenberg on Wednesday this week to discuss the project following an announcement releasing the news on 1 July. The port will be situated in Porto Romano, Durres, 40 minutes from the capital and will comprise a commercial section and a military naval base. Financing will be provided by both the Albanian state and NATO. Albania currently spends around 1.53 percent of its annual GDP on defense speaking, well short of the minimum suggested figure of two percent. Speaking of the plan, Rama said: “We will soon go back to Brussels to continue our discussions regarding our proposal…for the installation of a NATO naval base in the new port in Durres.” In May, Rama said his government had offered the Pashaliman naval base south of Tirana to NATO. Located south of Vlore, some 140 miles from Durres, it was the only Soviet Union base in the Mediterranean during the 1950s at a time when Albania’s communist regime was aligned with Moscow. After the collapse of communism, it was rebuilt with the help of Turkey, which retained the right to use it. The Albanian navy still uses the base for some operations and exercises today. That option appears to have been tabled in favor of Porto Romano. NATO is also transforming a former communist-era military airbase in Kucova, previously known as Stalin City. The 350-hectare airbase is currently home to many out-of-use Soviet-era and Chinese MiGs, Antonovs and Yak-18s.Refurbishment of the base is set to cost around £40million and become operational in 2023. The base will serve as a storage facility for ammunition, as well as acting as a refueling center. Work is also currently being carried on out restoring the runway and control tower to full operational use. The original base was built using prison labour under the regime of communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Following almost 50 years of isolationism, Albania emerged and turned to the West, joining the alliance in 2009 and hoping to join the European Union, although it has remained in the bloc’s waiting room for quite some time. According to Globalfirepower.com, Albania currently has 8,000 active personnel within its military ranks. 500 reserve personnel are also available. The army has around 76 armoured vehicles. The current naval assets of Albania consist of 19 vessels, all of which comprise of general duty patrol ships. Its annual defense budget is quoted at £160million per annum.

Balla in Athens: The holding of first intergovernmental conference next week is good news (Radio Tirana) 

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Socialist Party Taulant Balla participated in the International Symi Symposium that is taking place in Athens. Balla gave a speech on the panel “Implications of the war in Ukraine – A strategy to advance the EU membership of the Western Balkan countries”, together with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and other representatives from other countries of the region. In his speech, Balla said that holding the First Intergovernmental Conference with Albania next week (July 19-20) is good news. “But let’s not forget that the start of membership talks with two other countries in the region is not enough in the new geo-political conditions after the unjustified and unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine”, said Balla. According to Balla, the non-liberalization of visas for Kosovo citizens by the EU is another shame for the credibility of the EU.