LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Worst case scenario was barely avoided two days ago in Kosovo and Metohija, we were one step away from a catastrophe (RTS) 

In an interview to RTS, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about the current political and security situation in Serbia, in the light of the latest developments in Kosovo and Pristina’s decision to postpone by 30 days the application of a decision on re-registration of vehicles and introduction of declaration documents instead of Serbian IDs for Serbs entering Kosovo, which was supposed to start on 1 August. Vucic said that this is not the first case that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Pristina authorities take one-sided steps and cause unrests that were on the verge of open conflict, adding that each time he gets support of the Quint countries ambassadors. He reminded that they refer to the 2011 agreement that is unfavorable for Serbia in which the two sides have the right to introduce reciprocal measures when entering or existing the territories, but that Pristina wrongly interprets the agreement beveling that it has to right to introduce the reciprocal measures for Serbs from Kosovo – which is not the case. “Despite all the incidents, which have increased by 50 percent since Kurti came to power, people lived somewhat normally. Pristina refers to the agreement from 2011, which is very bad for us, and was signed by Borko Stefanovic as Tadic’s envoy to that time. According to him, the two sides have the right to introduce reciprocity for entry and exit. However, we cannot let people with Kosovo identity cards without an accompanying document because that would imply we recognize independence of Kosovo. But they interpret that agreement as if they have the right to introduce for the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija as well, but they don’t, because they do not represent the other side, not even from their point of view. With this, they deliberately want to harass the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija,” said Vucic in a guest appearance on RTS prime time news.

“They canceled the UNMIK KS plates that we had the right to refer to, with the aim of canceling the KM plates so that the Serbs could never say that there is anything from the state of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija,” stated Vucic.

Spahic abducted by so-called task force under Kurti’s control

Commenting on the news that in the north of Kosovo ROSU members stopped an ambulance which they took together with the driver Dejan Spahic in an unknown direction, Vucic said that it was not ROSU units that did it, but the so-called special intelligence agency so-called task force, which is directly managed by Albin Kurti and the Pristina government, and the action was led by Javid Tahiri. “They caught a Serb who was not guilty, who was transporting medicines. They will say that he is guilty because he was at a demonstration near the barricades, as if it was I don’t know what. Well, all the Serbs are at the barricades because they are fighting, because they don’t think that Kosovo is an independent state and then Kurti says in front of the Quint that he will fight against the mafia and crime, and they say ‘of course’. All Serbs are mafia except those who say that Kosovo is independent,” said Vucic. He added that they had no right to be detained, both because of the regional police, and because they did not inform the mayors of four cities in the north of Kosovo. He points out that NATO did not react either, although it had to.

Commenting on the latest statement of NATO officials that the alliance will react within few hours in case that Serbia dares to attack Kosovo, Vucic stated that such statements are nonsense and reminded that Serbia has fair relations with KFOR. He warned that no one has threatened Serbia and no one will, adding that Serbia cannot attack Kosovo because Kosovo belongs to Serbia in line with the international law. “But when someone crosses the borders and threatens the lives of our people and when he thinks he can commit a pogrom because he thinks they are a sovereign state – you are not. Serbia cannot attack Kosovo and Metohija, because Kosovo and Metohija belongs to Serbia according to international law and Resolution 1244,” he says. Vucic also spoke about his expectations from the upcoming Pristina-Belgrade meeting mediated by the EU, stressing that he has no big expectations but that he believes that the international community will take Kosovo’s side. The President says that he will go to a meeting in Brussels on 18 August with the Pristina representatives, although he does not expect anything from that meeting because, as he says, he does not know anything that can be discussed with Kurti. “I will go to Brussels, it’s not difficult for me, I don’t expect anything, whoever thinks that it is possible to keep peace with Kurti, I think they are very wrong, I know who I am dealing with,” said Vucic. He also commented on the upcoming anniversary of the Croatian military operation ‘Oluja’ that will be marked on 5 August, when Serbia will mourn all Serbs killed during the operation and persecuted from Croatia.

Vucic: Everyone remains silent about horrible statements coming from Izetbegovic and all others

Vucic, asked to comment on the statement given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic that Serbia should pay war compensation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), reminded of his earlier statement according to which some people do not seek respect for the victims, but they only seek legitimacy for money.  He said that he does not know what is Serbia’s fault and which particular statement they found provocative, concluding that Serbia’s needs to nurture the policy of extended hand of friendship and peace towards Bosniaks because there are many Bosniaks who live in Serbia. Vucic stressed that Izetbegovic can say whatever he wants if this is his way to get votes in the elections, noting that Serbia does not get ready for wars, and it does not want to lead war with Bosniaks.  Vucic stated on Tuesday evening that everyone remains silent about “horrible statements’’ coming from SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and all others. “We are not preparing for wars, nor are we considering waging wars with Bosniaks. If that is his way to get new votes, that is fine. Or way is to get that through new factories, investments and roads. Serbia’s policy should be a policy of extended hand towards Bosniaks”, Vucic was quoted as saying.

Vulin: Peace in B&H is not Izetbegovic’s decision, but it is the decision of Serbia and the RS (Novosti) 

Commenting on the recent statement about Russia and Serbia given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, Serbian Minister of Interior Aleksandar Vulin made it clear that Serbia has preserved peace in B&H, not thanks to Izetbegovic, but despite him. “Peace in B&H is not Izetbegovic’s decision, but it is the decision of Serbia and Republika Srpska (RS). If Izetbegovic was in charge, B&H would disappear in bloodshed, that is why he is counting Serbs and Bosniaks and calling for abolition of the RS. That is why, even seven years after the attempted assassination of Aleksandar Vucic in Srebrenica, we still do not know the names of perpetrators and those who gave the order”, Vulin was quoted as saying. Vulin also said: “I do not know where Izetbegovic sees negative influence of Russia, but I do know that proposal for taking down the Dayton agreement that peace in B&H is based on never came from Russia, but they did come from many other countries, and mostly from Izetbegovic and SDA.”

Petkovic: Pristina’s police have hijacked ambulance, driver kidnapped (Tanjug/RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday Pristina’s special police troops had hijacked an ambulance in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and kidnapped the driver, driving off in an unknown direction. Speaking at an extraordinary press conference, Petkovic said he had informed the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, of the “scandalous incident”. Petkovic announced criminal charges would be pressed against Pristina PM Albin Kurti, who he said continued to terrorize Kosovo Serbs and had directly ordered the move just a day after tensions in the north of Kosovo and Metohija had calmed down. He said four ROSU troops, masked and armed to the teeth, had hijacked the ambulance after blocking its path with their vehicle and kidnapped the ambulance driver, Serb Dejan Spahic. Petkovic said the goal of the attack, which took place near the village of Grabovac earlier this afternoon, had been to seize IV fluids Spahic was transporting to the Kosovska Mitrovica health center. He said Pristina had been banning shipments of Serbian medicines to hospitals in Kosovo-Metohija for more than a year now and that medicine stocks were dwindling. “Their message to Serbs is that they cannot get treatment and that there is no life for them there,” Petkovic said. He said Kosovo Serbs were unsettled and angered by Kurti’s unprecedented actions. “If the Quint and KFOR do not react now, our people will have someone to protect them and keep them safe, because such behavior in the heart of Europe in the 21st century is absolutely unacceptable,” Petkovic said.

Petkovic: Driver of the ambulance Spahic released (Tanjug/RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic announced that the ambulance driver of the Health Center in Kosovska Mitrovica Dejan Spahic, who was arrested by the Pristina authorities, was released after seven hours of harassment. Petar Petkovic wrote on his Twitter account that “after more than seven hours of harassment and torture by Albin Kurti, the Kosovo police and special units, ambulance driver Dejan Spahic was released”. “I just heard from him, what has he been through, he is holding up well,” Petkovic said on Twitter. Petkovic added that Belgrade provided Spahic with a lawyer and all the necessary support, which in the end, together with the efforts of the President Aleksandar Vucic, resulted in him being released home.

Botsan-Kharchenko says EU, US are behind Belgrade-Pristina conflict (Beta/ Solovyov Live)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko has accused the EU and Washington of standing behind the conflict between Pristina and Belgrade as they have been benefiting from tensions in the Balkans. Speaking to Russian TV channel Solovyov Live, Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko said that behind provocations in Kosovo was Pristina, and behind Pristina were the US and the EU, with the latter following Washington’s instructions as it had been doing in the case of Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, against its own interests. The Russian Ambassador also said that the US wished to use the issues of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska to exert pressure on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to join the sanctions against Russia.

Serbia cherishes spirit of friendship with North Macedonia (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic hosted in the Prohor Pcinjski monastery, in his capacity as an envoy of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, who laid a wreath in the monastery on the occasion of Ilinden. Ilinden is celebrated in North Macedonia as Republic Day, in memory of the first session of ASNOM in 1944. Selakovic, after the liturgy, pointed out that Serbia nurtures the spirit of tolerance and friendship with its neighbors, as evidenced by today’s gathering. He expressed his satisfaction that this morning the joint liturgy of the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox churches was served in the monastery, for the first time since the beginning of the Second World War. With today’s gathering, as he emphasized, we are showing the respect for tradition, historical heritage, and that we want to raise future generations in the spirit of good neighborliness and tolerance. We concluded that it is important to agree on the manner and places of commemoration at the state level, where the commemorations and celebrations will be held, said the Minister. Pendarovski assessed that this is the beginning of a good tradition that this year the delegation of North Macedonia is celebrating its holiday in this place. He expressed the expectation that this will continue in the future and added that he agreed with Selakovic to establish a working group at the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries that will work on this.

Parliament speaker, seven deputy speakers elected (N1/Beta)

MP of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Vladimir Orlic was elected parliament speaker in an open ballot, with 154 votes in favor and 76 opposed. In his first address after the election for parliament speaker, Orlic said that he will be a speaker to all MPs and that he will continue to pursue the state policy that the citizens voted for in the elections. He thanked his SNS and all his associates who supported him. Addressing the opposition MPs, Orlic said that their claims that the elections were not fair are not true, and added that the fact that the Republic Election Commission’s report on the final results of the elections was unanimously adopted proves this. “You know but you won’t say that you got more than a fair treatment,” Orlic told the opposition MPs. He said the people opted for the politics of results, for a stronger economy, higher salaries, infrastructure, new health centers. The MPs also elected seven deputy speakers, Sandra Bozic, Snezana Paunovic, Elvira Kovac, Usame Zukorlic, Bozidar Delic, Borko Stefanovic and Zoran Lutovac. Srdjan Smiljanic was appointed Secretary General of the parliament. The MPs also elected members of the parliamentary working bodies and members of the standing parliamentary delegations to international institutions.

Traffic at Jarinje, Brnjak and Merdare administrative crossings functioning smoothly (Beta)

The Jarinje, Brnjak and Merdare administrative crossings are fully functional without crowding or long waiting times after the removal of barricades in northern Kosovo and Metohija. Traffic is flowing normally, with brief document checks and the placing of stickers. Pristina has delayed the application of a ban on Serbian license plates and personal documents in Kosovo for a month. Kosovo police director Samedin Mehmeti has said that criminal investigations have been launched as a result of the events in north Kosovo on 31 July, when roads were blocked.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik criticizes Izetbegovic’s statement about Serbia and Russia (RTRS) 

Comments that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic’s attempt “of Serbia and Russia’s demonization” has sparked strong reactions. During his speech in Breza on Monday, Izetbegovic stated: “Russia is destroying Ukraine, Serbia was destroying across the Balkans, there is no place where it was not doing that thirty years ago’’. The reporter comments that Izetbegovic no longer choses either place or time to label Serb people “from both sides of the Drina River” in relation to causes and consequences of war atrocities, whilst forgetting “whose father was withdrawing from peace negotiations, forming and arming parallel military units’’, and goes on to say that at least once a week, Izetbegovic “is rousing the spirits”, noting that this time again his hate messages have been condemned justifiably. RTRS reports that SNSD leader and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik reminded “Izetbegovic Junior that Izetbegovic Senior (Refers to former RB&H President Alija Izetbegovic”, sacrificed peace for “unfulfilled dream of the Islamic Republic”. “Bakir Izetbegovic is persistently and ill-intentionally deceive those recently born that Serbia waged war in B&H, trying to convey a message that B&H is Muslim (country) and that all who are not Muslims came from somewhere. For centuries, we have been on our land, welcoming and sending off the empires, with some of them, like the Ottoman Empire, leaving a visible mark. It is unfortunate that, after everything peoples in B&H have been through, he mentions war as an option to his people. No one has deserved such terror from their political representatives, not even Muslims in B&H”, wrote Dodik on his Twitter account.

Novakovic Bursac: Izetbegovic’s inflammatory statements are in function of the desired Unitarian Islamist state (ATV) 

Head of the SNSD Caucus in B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Snjezana Novakovic Bursac was a guest of ATV central news supplement. Novakovic Bursac commented on the latest statements of the SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, who was quoted as saying in the last couple of days: “I have friends in the East and in the West. Together with them, we will direct (High Representative Christian) Schmidt. We counted ourselves, how many hunters we have, how many young people there are and how many drone instructors we have, etc. for ‘God-forbid’. The young people who went abroad should be replaced with robots in case of conflict. There is no place where Serbia did not create a problem in the last 30 years. We know what happened in B&H, and instead of dropping the ball, instead of paying compensation and behaving in a civilized manner, they are again a source of problems.” Izetbegovic tried to justify himself by saying that his statements were not warmongering. There was almost no reaction to Izetbegovic’s statements from the international community, commented the reporter. When asked to comment on Izetbegovic’s statements and his justification that they are not ill-intentioned, especially when it comes to counting people and accusations towards Serbia, Novakovic Bursac said this was an exposition of their policy, because they felt free to do so on the waves of the crisis in eastern Europe. Novakovic Bursac said that they (Novakovic Bursac did not specify who ‘they’ are) are trying to draw various parallels and gain something. Novakovic Bursac pointed out that this is a policy that never accepted B&H created by the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Novakovic Bursac also said that Izetbegovic’s inflammatory statements are in the function of the desired Unitarian Islamist state, not in the function of peace and coexistence. In a telephone statement for RTRS, Novakovic Bursac said: “It is typical straw man argument, and encouraged by the current, especially in the Western world, anti-Russian sentiment, he is trying to add anti-Serb sentiment in order to secure a favorable position for his goals. It is nothing new from him, however, it is another call for our unity.”

Stevandic: Izetbegovic is man of war who advocates conflicts (RTRS) 

Commenting on the recent statement about Russia and Serbia given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, United Srpska leader Nenad Stevandic said Izetbegovic is “a man of war’’ who advocates conflicts. “Mr. Izetbegovic knows hatred is necessary for war, and there is not enough hatred in B&H. There is no hatred among Serbs, and I think there is not much hatred among other peoples, that is the precondition for every war, and now he is dealing with hate production”, said Stevandic. Stevandic also said Izetbegovic is producing hatred only in the Federation of B&H that may return to him like a boomerang. Stevandic also said that leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti have the same opinion and they both wait for foreign signals and they pray to get it, while peace means nothing to them and they are crazy about visions and obsessed with Serbia. According to Stevandic, they cause damage to their peoples as well.

Nesic: Izetbegovic, leave Serbia and Russia alone, deal with Bosniak people (RTRS) 

Commenting on the recent statement about Russia and Serbia given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, DNS leader Nenad Nesic said that with his narrative and relation to the most important neighbors, Izetbegovic is causing the greatest damage to Bosniaks who have been during the war and in peace the biggest victims of their leadership, reminding that Serbia is the first to assist when Bosniaks in Sarajevo need that, like it was the case during the Coronavirus pandemic. “I also invite him to give an answer to his people, Bosniak people, how they will heat (their homes) this winter, how Sarajevo and Zenica will be heated and once again, I want to convey a message to him that with hatred he cannot feed no one, nor provide heating for any family. Bakir, leave Serbia and Russia alone, deal with Bosniak people”, said Nesic.

Vukovic: Izetbegovic is cancer of the Balkans; Other politicians from RS opposition comment on Izetbegovic’s statement (RTRS) 

Commenting on the recent statement about Russia and Serbia given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, PDP Vice President Nenad Vukovic said Izetbegovic is “cancer of the Balkans’’ and his fundamentalist ideology is evil disseminated among people for over three decades. ATV carries that RS opposition is almost united when it comes to inflammatory statements. DNS said that it is SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic who is destroying the Balkans, while PDP’s Jelena Trivic told Izetbegovic that Serbs and Bosniaks are brotherly people, and that Izetbegovic is not a Bosniak. However, there was no reaction from the SDS, which is perhaps best explained by the recent statement of Izetbegovic, noted the reporter. Izetbegovic stated: “With (SDS leader Mirko) Sarovic and the team from SDS and PDP, things went better in the last mandate. However, this with Dodik did not go well from the beginning”. War rhetoric is the last ace up the sleeve of Izetbegovic in the election year, according to analysts. For the first time, the international community reacted to the dangerous rhetoric of Izetbegovic’s counting. However, this did not prevent him from using even more inflammatory rhetoric every day throughout the Federation of B&H at his pre-election forums, concluded the reporter.

Russian Embassy: Russia brings peace and even short-sighted politicians should realize that (RTRS) 

Commenting on the recent statement about Russia and Serbia given by SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, the Russian Embassy to B&H stated that Russia brings peace and even “short-sighted politicians’’ should realize that, who even in the heat of election discussion allow themselves to make anti-Russia statements, expressing gratitude to “to increasing number of politicians and citizens who understand that Russia creates conditions, equal and inseparable for all”.

US Embassy says it will not take part in new talks on changes to Election Law (Patria/Dnevni list) 

Daily reminds, that political leaders have been given a six-week deadline in order to try and reach an agreement on changes to the Election Law. According to Patria news agency, there are no information that any political party is prepared to invite other leaders or representatives of political parties that took part in a meeting with High Representative Christian Schmidt last Wednesday when he gave them the six-week deadline. The US Embassy to B&H confirmed that this time around, the local political leaders are left on their own and that international mediators will not get involved in the talks. Namely, the Embassy said the US remain committed to supporting the OHR and that institutional functionality and distribution of power in the Federation of B&H are of crucial importance for stability of B&H. “At this moment there are no plans that the US takes part in the negotiations”, said the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy.

Novakovic Bursac: There is no intention to improve election process but to complicate things and to discipline a certain political corps led by SNSD as well as some Croat parties in the FB&H (ATV) 

Head of the SNSD Caucus in B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Snjezana Novakovic Bursac was a guest of ATV central news supplement. When asked whether she thinks there could be an agreement regarding changes to B&H Election Law, especially in light of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic’s statement that he could direct Christian Schmidt, Novakovic Bursac pointed out that Schmidt’s activities are unacceptable for them. She added that the reaction regarding announcement about changes to Election Law that are not in accordance with SDA’s policy, and the euphoria that was created, point towards the facts that this is one policy. Novakovic Bursac claimed that there is no difference between civic political parties in Sarajevo and the others, and that civic concepts lead to domination of one people. Commenting on Schmidt’s changes that gave more authority to B&H Central Election Commission (CEC), Novakovic Bursac said that B&H CEC is made up of SDA representatives, SDS and PDP representatives, and the Croat member of B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic’s party DF. Such B&H CEC was immediately supported by the US Embassy and the UK Embassy, said Novakovic Bursac. She claimed that there is an attempt to create basis for possible action in terms of challenging candidacies and other matters. She said that there is no intention to improve the election process but to complicate things and to discipline a certain political corps led by SNSD as well as some Croat parties in the Federation of B&H.

Abazovic and Porfirije secretly signed the Agreement between Montenegro and the SPC (CdM) 

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic and the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije secretly signed the Agreement between Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church today, in Villa Gorica. This information was confirmed by Abazovic with posts on social networks. This is, by the way, an unprecedented case of the Prime Minister signing a document in this way, the content of which has been contested by numerous legal experts, NGOs, CANU, politicians… Without prior announcement, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije arrived in Podgorica this morning by plane of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. According to unofficial information, the list of passengers in the Serbian Ministry of Interior van was changed at the last minute, because Porfirio was not originally on it. While the contract was being signed, the approaches to the villa in Gorica were blocked, and as reported by a CdM journalist from the scene, jeeps entered the villa from a side street. Today’s signing of the Agreement was attended by Metropolitan Joanikije of the Montenegrin Littoral and Minister of Justice Marko Kovac.

CdM previously published the allegations of some media that the signing will take place on 3 August, and Abazovic said afterwards that he did not know when the signing would take place.

DPS to launch motion of no confidence in government today: Agreement with SPC to be suspended immediately after new government election (CdM)

According to an earlier announcement, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) is to launch a motion of no confidence in the government today. “The initiative is open to all those who also believe that the government is acting inconsistently with the national interests of Montenegro. The Agreement, which is against the Constitution of Montenegro, signed today, will be suspended immediately after the election of the new government,” DPS has tweeted.

Kovac: We will not change the Fundamental Agreement, it will be signed in the first half of August (RTCG) 

The contract with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) will be signed in the first half of August, said the Minister of Justice Marko Kovac, but he could not specify the exact date of signing. He does not see the need to change anything in the text of the Fundamental Agreement, which was adopted by the government. “Except for certain proofreading changes, I do not see the need to change anything in this text of the Fundamental Agreement,” said Kovac. He could not specify when exactly the contract would be signed. “At the moment, I don’t know the exact date of signing the contract, but the fact is that it will be in a very short period of time, that is, in the next few days,” said Kovac. When asked if it will be in the first half of August, he answered in the affirmative. “I think yes, yes, for sure,” said Kovac. Kovac says that in the previous period, they carefully considered all the suggestions that came to the draft of the Fundamental Agreement. The only legal analysis, as he states, was provided by the HRA. CANU, as he says, in his response, questioned the preamble and authorizations for registration. “In the rest, we did not have other legal analyses,” said Kovac.

“The text of the Fundamental Agreement is suitable” 

He also said that he believes that a lot of time has passed, that arguments have been exchanged and that, analyzing all the objections, they have come to the conclusion that the text of the Fundamental Agreement is in essence suitable and, as he adds, in accordance with the true order of Montenegro and adequate for signing. When asked when the Fundamental Agreement will be signed, Kovac stated: “I cannot give you an answer to that question at the moment, it is a matter of a technical nature that will probably be resolved in the next few days in coordination between the Prime Minister and the Patriarch in accordance with their obligations and agenda, probably in the next three, five, 10 day,” said Kovac.

“Each government should last as long as it fulfils its obligations” 

He believes that the issue has exceeded its importance, and that, as he says, it is quite politicized. “Essentially, analyzing the text of the contract, we did not give the SPC any more rights than other religious communities with which relations are regulated in this way. I am calling for peace, for reason, so that this is an event that will represent an ongoing issue in the work of the government,” said Kovac. He also stated that the contract will be signed in Podgorica and, as he added, it will probably be a building that represents the administration. When asked how long the government will last after that, Kovac said that every government should last as long as it fulfils its obligations. “This government was formed with certain goals – to bring us closer to the EU, to reduce social inequalities, to work on raising standards, on attracting foreign investments, I think this government is doing that,” stated the Minister of Justice and added that the government remains committed to fulfilling its obligations from the EU agenda.

Bastijancic: Djukanovic made a new decision – elections in 13 municipalities and Podgorica on 23 October (CdM) 

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic made a new decision – the local elections in 13 municipalities and the Capital City Podgorica will be held on 23 October 2022 – the Advisor to the President for Constitutional System and Legal Issues Boris Bastijancic stated. Bastijancic points out that Djukanovic made the Decision on suspending the enforcement of decisions on calling for elections for councilors in line with the Decision of the Constitutional Court of Montenegro, which entered into force on 1 August, and has the immediate legal consequence – the repeal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government. In addition, as he stated, the enforcement of decisions on calling for early elections for councilors of the Tivat and Budva municipal assemblies, previously dissolved by the Government of Montenegro, was suspended.

North Macedonian state and church delegation visits Prohor Pcinjski monastery (MIA)  

A North Macedonian state and church delegation visited the Prohor Pcinjski Monastery in Serbia on Ilinden (Day of St. Ilija) after a pause that lasted 18 years. On 2 August 1944 the Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) convened for the first time creating the modern Macedonian state. The delegation was spearheaded by North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, who said that an arrangement was made with Serbia to create a working group as soon as possible at the level of foreign ministries which would arrange future Ilinden celebrations in the Prohor Pcinjski Monastery near Vranje. Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that today’s first ever joint celebration of Ilinden by both countries showed that they were good friends and the extent to which “we are oriented toward the future and how much we wish for future generations to be raised in the spirit of good-neighborly relations and tolerance”. Bishop Pahomije awarded medals to Selakovic and Security Information Agency chief Bratislav Gasic. Ilinden, the day when North Macedonia celebrates the day of the republic, was marked with gatherings and the wreath-laying at the ASNOM Memorial Center in Pelince near Kumanovo, in Skopje and at the Meckin Kamen site near Krusevo, where an uprising against the Ottomans started on Ilinden in 1903.

Tirana praises Pristina ‘maturity’ in latest Serbia ‘provocation’ (Tirana Times) 

Albania’s leadership has expressed support and praised Kosovo for the way it handled Sunday’s escalation by Serbia, which led to roadblocks and border checkpoints being closed in northern Kosovo after Pristina tried to implement reciprocity measures on travel between the two countries. Albanian President Bajram Begaj, who called his Kosovo counterpart to express support, praised “the authorities of Kosovo for the prudence shown, which in close cooperation and coordination with international partners avoided a serious provocation for the stability of Kosovo, especially in this situation charged with great and increased threats and dangers for peace and security for the region after the Russian aggression in Ukraine”. Prime Minister Edi Rama, who had been criticized by the opposition for being too slow to react to the situation, said in a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart that the events had been “a completely unreasonable escalation as the government of Kosovo has not only the right but also the duty, to implement the agreements, exercising territorial sovereignty, which originate from independence in administration of the state”. Rama added that he “congratulated the authorities in Kosovo for their sense of self-restraint and for listening to the allies who suggested a 30-day postponement, not to change the agreement, but to give time, time to clarify, if there is a need to clarify anything, so that when the agreement enters into force, there will be no problems of this nature”.

Albania’s opposition has joined in its support for Kosovo but has also harshly criticized Rama for being too slow in reacting and for putting too much effort in his relationship with Serb President Aleksandar Vucic, who is seen to be behind the escalation through the Serb government’s control of local Serb groups in northern Kosovo. The escalation of the situation, in which Kosovo police said they were fired at by local Serbs who also blocked two border points, came to an end after Kosovar authorities agreed to delay implementation of two regulations regarding automobile license plates and travel papers for visitors from Serbia after consultations with US and European Union representatives. NATO issued a stern warning that it would intervene should Kosovo come under attack from Serbia.