LOCAL PRESS

Vucic at the commemoration of Operation Storm: We’ll never be silent again (B92)

The state ceremony of the Day of Remembrance of all the Serbs who died and were exiled in the Operation Storm took place on Thursday night on Freedom Square in Novi Sad. Novi Sad was in memory of the victims of the biggest ethnic cleansing after the Second World War, and the sympathy of all who came to support the victims of persecution and pay their respects to those who died and went missing during “the biggest ethnic cleansing on European soil after WWII,” the biggest crime against the Serbian people in recent history. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attended the commemoration of the anniversary of Operation Storm. Vucic addressed the crowd and said that for years in Serbia, there seemed to be no witnesses to the crimes committed against our people. “This is the ninth year that we are commemorating the pogrom, the heinous crime and the biggest ethnic cleansing since the Second World War. There are two reasons why we are here today. The first is sadness, because of the killed children, women, old men, 250.000 exiles. The second is to hear those testimonies. For years, there seemed to be no witnesses and no one in Serbia who could tell how ordinary people, civilians, were killed, how their houses were looted and burned. How, while they were leaving Croatia in tractor convoys, they left their hearths, were stoned… No one to say that they bombed those convoys, killing children and old people, little brothers and sisters. That’s how we justified them and repeated the crime, that’s how we declared indifference as the ruling ideology,” said Vucic. Vucic says that we imposed a sense of guilt on our own people due to 18 years of neglecting the memory of Serbian suffering. “We did that for almost entire adulthood, 18 years, and it didn’t get any better than that. We burdened our own people with an eternal sense of guilt, we justified every crime… They even changed our name, called us Croatian Serbs, Bosnian Serbs, Kosovo Serbs, and we are only Serbs and there is no difference between us. The fact that we live in different countries does not mean that we belong to different nations,” said Vucic. Vucic stated that they never have enough and added that we want peace at any cost. As he said, we want no one’s life to be endangered, to protect others as well as us. “The last few days have been the hardest for me in the last few years. They brought us to the edge, when I had to say that we have nowhere to go. When that’s the case, then we will protect and defend our people,” Vucic said. There are decades in which nothing happens, and there are weeks in which decades happen, Vucic quoted Lenin. “I will say today: that time is over and there is no more silence, it is the most sacred obligation that we will not give up,” said Vucic. The president also recalled the recent crisis caused by Albin Kurti in Kosovo and Metohija, and said that he told the world leaders then that “we have nowhere else to go”. “We will protect Serbia, and we will respond to their hysteria of lies and threats by calling for peace,” said Vucic. He recalled the shameful treatment of the Krajina citizens by the authorities in 1995 and added that we will never forget the suffering of the people of Krajina. Vucic said that we have nowhere else to go. “We will protect our Serbia, we will defend it and we will win,” said Vucic. “Today we are here to show that Serbia is no longer a handful of oats and that he has no intention of bowing his head and confirming to them that the forbidden city of Jasenovac and Oluja are not myths, but facts with which we live,” said Vucic. “Serbia will not remain silent and pretend to be dead when someone tries to kill and expel our people,” added Vucic. “We have been sending the message for years that there will be no more “Storm” and today we are doing it again,” said Vucic. “The storm wounded the Serbian people, it wounded us badly, but Serbia gained many good people, many of whom are here among us. We will always accept and repent for the crimes that some have committed in our name, but we will never again be silent and ashamed of the crime committed against our people,” said Vucic. Vucic says that it doesn’t bother us when they celebrate, but it bothers us that they prevent us from remembering. “The storm wounded our people, but Serbia and RS received many wonderful people in return. We will always accept and repent for the crimes committed by some of our people, but we will never again be silent and ashamed of the crimes committed against our people. Trust is what matters. We need to look to the future together. We don’t even mind when they celebrate, we just mind when they prevent us from grieving. Just let us remember, let us live with our misery, pain and suffering. Do not expect the Serbs to renounce their dead, we have survived both Jasenovac and Oluja, and you see tonight in Novi Sad, we have risen again. Glory to all the victims, we honor them. Long live Serbia and Republika Srpska,” said Vucic. In Serbia, 4 August is marked as the day when the offensive of the Croatian army and police and Croatian Defense Council in the regions of Banija, Kordun, Lika and northern Dalmatia, that is, the then Republic of Srpska Krajina, marked the beginning of the Operation Storm which led to the exodus of over 200.000 Serbs from Croatia. Croatia celebrates 5 August as a state holiday, the day when the Operation Storm ended with the entry of the Croatian army into the practically deserted city of Knin and the raising of the Croatian flag at the Knin fortress. Since 2000, this day is also celebrated as the Croatian Armed Forces Day. About 130.000 members of the armed forces from the Croatian side took part in the action.

Djilas says those responsible for Operation Storm need to be punished, people need reconciliation (Beta)

Party of Freedom and Justice leader Dragan Djilas said on Thursday that the anniversary of Croatia’s Operation Storm was a chance for everyone to realize that reconciliation between the peoples of the Western Balkans was necessary, and that those who committed the atrocities needed to be punished. In a statement, Djilas said that “without this kind of thinking there can be no lasting peace, nor a better future for everyone who lives in these parts”. On the 27th anniversary of Operation Storm, he said that Serbian citizens felt grief every 4 August and paid tribute to the innocent victims of crimes which, he stressed, “Must never be forgotten, so that they are never repeated”. “Not even 27 years after Operation Storm, which was absolutely an act of ethnic cleansing, do we know the fate of the 1,183 people who have been unaccounted for since then,” he said, recalling that “over four days in August 1995, more than 200,000 Serbs were expelled and 1,800 were killed”.

Pusic: It’s a shame Operation Storm still a challenge in Croatia-Serbia relations (Danas) 

Current regional leaderships extensively politically exploit the 1990s wars, former Croatian foreign minister Vesna Pusic has said, noting that it is “shameful” that 27 years after Operation Storm, that Croatian military operation is still a challenge in Croatia-Serbia relations. In an interview with Danas, Pusic says that she does not see anything strange in the fact that people in Croatia were happy to see that the war was ending and that the country’s territory would be whole, which “in no way means that one celebrates the fact that the war ended with between 150,000 and 200,000 Croatian Serbs feeling or having been expelled from the country, nor does it mean that crimes committed by Croatian forces are celebrated”. “As far as Croatia is concerned, Operation Storm was a military operation which de facto ended the war and liberated most of the country’s temporarily occupied areas, thus preventing the establishment of a permanent destabilizing element, a kind of Republika Srpska in its territory,” Pusic stressed. Without that, Croatia would not have been able to become a stable country, “it would not have been able to join the EU, NATO, the euro area, and it generally would not have been able to function”. Pusic said that “the main responsibility and sin of the then Croatian leadership” is the fact that after the operation “anarchy was allowed in the liberated areas”, lasting three to four weeks. “Most of the crimes committed against Croatian Serb civilians occurred in that period and that is definitely a stain that compromises more the then Croatian political leadership than the Croatian army,” Pusic said. Subsequent Croatian governments tried on a number of occasions to include acts of paying tribute to those victims when marking anniversaries of Operation Storm but that should have been done “in a more clear, unequivocal and explicit way,” she said. “True justice will never be served in the case of people killed in the war.” “The best thing we can do is to make it possible for their descendants to live in a just, democratic, law-based country, without discrimination and war-mongering,” Pusic said, noting that all countries in the region “will have to make an additional effort in that regard.” For people born after 1995, the 1990s war “should serve as a history lesson” but it must not “be material for political mobilization through hate-mongering and incitement of extremist nationalism”. “Politicians have for the most part been fairly harmful to citizens in our two countries,” Pusic said. Commenting on statements about historical revisionism in Croatia, Pusic said that any denial of the criminal nature of Croatia’s World War II Ustasha regime “is historical revisionism that should be exposed and identified as such.” “But that in no way explains or justifies Serbian President Vucic’s attempt to use the victims of the Ustasha concentration camp of Jasenovac for the political mobilization of hate towards neighbors. If anything, Jasenovac should be a place or reconciliation or shared remembrance,” she concluded.

Selakovic thanks Cuba for consistent support for preservation of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic began an official visit to Cuba on Thursday with a meeting with Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, whom he thanked for Cuba’s consistent support for the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia. Noting that Serbia-Cuba bilateral ties were characterized by a traditional friendship and close historical ties between the two peoples, Selakovic said Serbia was clearly committed to enhance such relations further and make them even more substantial. He urged work towards further strengthening of political dialogue at all levels, through visits by officials of both countries, as well as through maintaining the continuity of political consultations. Selakovic said he was also pleased his visit to Cuba was taking place in a year that marked the 120th anniversary of the establishment of Serbia-Cuba diplomatic relations, and noted that the meeting with Rodriguez Parilla had also addressed several initiatives for celebrating the anniversary. He briefed Rodriguez Parilla on the present situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the most recent developments there, thanking Cuba for its consistent support for the preservation of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for its backing in international organizations. Selakovic conveyed Serbia’s full support for Cuba’s efforts aimed at seeking modalities, within multilateral frameworks, for overcoming the situation related to lifting the US economic, financial and trade embargo. Selakovic noted that there was significant room to boost economic cooperation and added that Serbia was ready for, and interested in, cooperation in numerous fields. He also noted that this year’s signing of a 2022-2023 Action Plan aimed at developing the cooperation between the chambers of commerce of Serbia and Cuba and strengthening business ties was very significant. Selakovic briefed Rodriguez Parilla on Serbia’s European integration process and presented the Open Balkans initiative, an official statement said.

Petkovic receives in farewell visit Hungarian Ambassador (RTV/Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic received Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia Atila Pinter on a farewell visit, whom he thanked for his support and understanding for the position of the Serb people, especially in the region of Kosovo and Metohija. Petkovic specifically referred to the last crisis in the province, which was caused by Albin Kurti with his illegal and unilateral actions, with which he wanted to cancel the Serbian license plates and personal documents of Serbs. In the light of those events and the irresponsible moves of Pristina, which threatened to irreversibly ignite the powder keg in Kosovo and Metohija, Petkovic stated that the engagement of KFOR commander Ferenc Kajari was of inestimable importance, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced. “We owe a great deal of gratitude to Mr. Ferenc Kajari, who is the head of KFOR and who, in these difficult days, showed great support and understanding for the preservation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans and was personally involved in calming tensions,” said Petkovic. “Instead of working on calming tensions and provocations, Pristina continues to cause crisis and incite tensions, which we had the opportunity to see for ourselves with the kidnapping of Serbian ambulance driver Dejan Spahic from Zvecan, who was released only after a strong diplomatic offensive by Belgrade led by President Vucic,” underlined Petkovic. He stated that despite constant obstructions by Pristina, which does not want dialogue and an agreement and refuses to implement its obligations undertaken in Brussels, especially when it comes to the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, Belgrade remains committed to peace and the normalization of relations, which can only be achieved at the negotiating table.

Stefanovic: Allow free movement for all car plates (Beta)

Borko Stefanovic, deputy speaker of the Serbian parliament and former chief of the negotiation team in talks with Pristina, said on Thursday that the problem regarding Kosovo vehicle registration plates could only be solved through a compromise where all car plates would be allowed everywhere without the use of stickers. Stefanovic told Beta that the Kosovo government should abandon the intention to ban Kosovo registration plates issued by the Serbian Interior Ministry. “Kosovo authorities have no right to unilaterally ban Serbian plates for Kosovska Mitrovica (KM), Pec (PE), Pristina (PR), Gnjilane (GL), Prizren (PZ) and other towns, because those plates are not issued in Kosovo. Therefore, a compromise would be that vehicles with RKS and other plates move freely throughout the territory of Serbia, and that the Pristina side not confiscate plates issued by the Serbian Interior Ministry, because it has no right to do so,” Stefanovic said. Asked whether this would represent recognition of the “Republic of Kosovo”, as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stated, Stefanovic answered that a registration plate or a personal ID card did not represent symbols of sovereignty. “A passport is proof of sovereignty, but ID cards and registration plates are not, so there is no question of recognition of the ‘Republic of Kosovo’,” he stressed.

Borrell: Kosovo must implement agreement on ZSO (Beta/Politika)

The EU High Representative Josep Borrell has stated that Kosovo should fulfill its legal obligation and carry out the Brussels agreement from 2013 that stipulates the founding of an Community of municipalities with a Serb majority without delay. In reply to a written question from a member of the European Parliament, Borrell recollected that the Kosovo Assembly had ratified the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. Borrell’s written response to the question of right-wing MEP from the Identity and Democracy group Dominique Bilde, who asked what he would do regarding the refusal to implement the Brussels agreement, noted that both sides should fulfill their international legal obligations, while also investing significant effort into reaching a comprehensive legally binding document on the normalization of relations, which is crucial for their European path. In reply to her other question, about how he intended to incite respect for the rights of Orthodox Christian Serbs and ensure protection of historical religious heritage in talks with Pristina and UNESCO, Borrell wrote that the EU attributed great importance to the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and liberties, including the rights of non-majority communities, and religious freedom, and carefully monitors all the events in those fields in Kosovo.

UNOPS support for green transition, empowerment of women in Serbia (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic spoke on Thursday with Director of the UN Office for Project Services in Serbia (UNOPS) Michela Telatin about cooperation in the energy transition process. The officials also discussed the implementation of projects related to improving energy efficiency, increasing the use of RES in the production of electricity and heat, as well as improving the position of women, the fight against violence against women and girls. On that occasion, Mihajlovic pointed out that our main goals are to raise energy efficiency at the national level and greater use of RES in the production of electricity and heat. She said that Serbia is committed to regional cooperation and connection in the energy sector, stating that within the framework of the Open Balkans initiative, a working group has been formed that will deal with joint projects, primarily when it comes to investing in energy production capacities that use RES. During the meeting, joint actions in providing support to women victims of violence were discussed so that, after leaving the safe houses, they would receive continuous and long-term institutional support, as well as projects for the protection of agricultural farms owned by women, and the strengthening of female entrepreneurship at the local level.

Stano: Vucic, Kurti to meet with Lajcak in Brussels on 18 August (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the PM of the provisional Pristina institutions Albin Kurti have accepted an invitation from EU foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell to come to Brussels on 18 August for discussions with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, EU spokesperson Peter Stano confirmed to Tanjug on Thursday. Vucic, Kurti and Lajcak will discuss the way forward in the dialogue. Stano said more details about the agenda of the discussions would be released before the meeting.

REGIONAL PRESS

Izetbegovic: We stopped OHR’s attempt to impose bad solutions (Dnevni list) 

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said that SDA is the one that absorbs and solves all the problems. According to Izetbegovic, apart from the system in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) being complex, there is negative influence of the neighboring countries. “Serbia plays double game. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sends pretty messages, and then Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin and other issue threats. They get angry when we tell the truth that all the wars and post-war tensions come from their wind. They get angry, but that’s it the way it is”, said the SDA leader. He further noted that when it comes to relations with HDZ B&H, there have been HDZ B&H’s blockades and pressures during the last term in office, adding that Croats are leaving B&H the most, blaming it on HDZ B&H’s policy. Izetbegovic further said that as far as changes to the Election Law of B&H are concerned, “I have been exposed to big pressures lately”. “We need the international community. I had to attend those negotiations and I looked for way not to turn them into enemies, but at the same time not to give in. And there was no giving in on any issue. Some other gave in. We stopped the OHR’s attempt to impose bad solutions. I think they will not try to impose something before the elections, but we will get organized and we will prevent any attempt to impose detrimental solutions through out friends”, said Izetbegovic.

RS public condemns statements of Dzaferovic about RS being descendant of genocidal policies (RTRS) 

The Republika Srpska (RS) public criticized the recent statements made by Chairman of the B&) Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic during the event marking the operation ‘Igman’. Namely, Dzaferovic said that the RS and the RS Army (VRS) are followers and descendants of genocidal policies and a joint criminal enterprise. He assessed that the RS blocks the path of B&H towards the EU and NATO. Director of the RS Institute for Investigation of War Milorad Kojic said that a country defended by the leader of war criminals during the 1990s war is a sad one. He said that recently it was proven that Dzaferovic is not being respected even by those who support war criminals with long beards and short trousers, as he assessed the fighters of the Al Mujahedeen units present in B&H during the 1990s. Kojic said that Dzaferovic and RS Vice President Ramiz Salkic are following the rhetoric of their party leader Bakir Izetbegovic in order to gain cheap votes as part of the election campaign. Advisor to Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milan Tegeltija said that Dzaferovic is presenting the war wrong, since he talks about a civic B&H when he fought for an Islamic state during the 1990s. He said that Dzaferovic participated in the Islamization of the army in B&H during the 1990s and the crimes committed based on religion. Tegeltija said that Dzaferovic did nothing to stop these crimes and with this he supported them by staying silent. He added that Dzaferovic participated in giving B&H citizenship to Islamic radicals, of which many participated in terrorist acts worldwide. President of the association of women victims of war of the RS Bozica Zivkovic-Rajilic said that if there was any justice in B&H, Dzaferovic would have responded for war crimes a long time ago. She reminded that as former wartime chief of the Zenica Public Security Center, Dzaferovic was accused for crimes arguing that SDA staff in the judiciary is protecting him from the charges. According to Zivkovic-Rajilic, Dzaferovic is totally out of this reality and the only ones who destroy life, peace, progress and unity in B&H are members of SDA and not Croats and Serbs. In her opinion, Croats and Serbs only demand equality and the idea of representatives of political Sarajevo on unitary B&H by the wish of one people will not succeed.

China’s Ambassador in B&H thanks Dodik for supporting Beijing on Taiwan issue (N1) 

The Chinese Ambassador to B&H Ji Ping thanked B&H Presidency member, Milorad Dodik, for expressing support for Beijing in regard to the issue of Taiwan and his “firm and clear position and insistence on the policy of a unified China”. Ji Ping said that the recent official visit of the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan has resulted in increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait. He accused the US of breaking its promises to respect the One China principle and to refrain from official contact with Taiwan. “They not only had official contact but also sold weapons to Taiwan,” he said, expressing concern about what he said are plans by Taiwanese authorities to try to secede by relying on foreign powers. Ji Ping said that the Chinese people resolutely protect their sovereignty, as well as the unification of the country, which he argued is the common desire of the entire Chinese nation.

B&H CC extends deadline for RS to deliver response to motion for constitutional review of RS law on medicinal products and medical devices (Glas Srpske) 

The daily reports about the issue of the RS law on medicinal products and medical devices and about a procedure for constitutional review of the aforementioned law that is underway before the Constitutional Court of B&H (B&H CC). Namely, B&H CC extended the deadline for the RS to deliver a response to the decision of the B&H CC that put the law out of force. Thus, the RS is supposed to deliver its response by the beginning of 1 September. B&H CC explained that if the parties in this proceeding fail to deliver their responses on time, this will not influence of further proceeding. According to the B&H CC, the case will be discussed at one of the next plenary sessions. The B&H CC called on participants in this proceeding, i.e. the RS National Assembly, the RS Government and both houses of the parliament of B&H to deliver a response within 30 days but the deadline was extended. The B&H CC confirmed for the daily that the proceeding in this case is underway and that at a request of the RS parliament, the deadline was extended by 1 September.  Deputy chair of the RSNA’s commission for constitutional issues Davor Sesic confirmed this information for Glas Srpske. According to Sesic, the deadline was extended because of technical reasons, i.e. due to ongoing annual leaves. In July, B&H CC decided about a motion of Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic for constitutional review of the abovementioned law – that predicts formation of an agency for medicinal products and medical devices in the RS – and put its provision out of force until reaching of a final decision about this case. The daily underlined that while Bosniak politicians, the Office of the High Representative and the EU Delegation to B&H claim that entering of this law into force violated the Constitution, officials in the RS claim otherwise. The RS Ministry of Health and Social Protection previously stated for Glas Srpske that the law passed all necessary procedures and reminded that healthcare protection is under competence of the RS. At the beginning of June, the US imposed sanctions to RS Minister of Health and Social Protection Alen Seranic due to secession activities of the RS, i.e. for leading the process of adoption of the aforementioned law arguing that formation of the agency would undermine competences of the same agency at the B&H level.

RS, Serbia jointly honor Serb victims in Croatian operation Oluja: No one prosecuted for crime (Glas Srpske) 

The daily reports about messages coming from RS and Serbia on Thursday on the occasion of marking of the 27th anniversary of killing of Serbs during the Croatian military-police operation Oluja (Storm) when more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from their homes. Officials of the RS and Serbia honored the victims at a religious service held in Banstol in Serbia on Thursday. The daily reminded that the RS and Serbia have been jointly marking of the anniversary of crimes against Serbs during the operation Oluja for years and the central event was supposed to take place in Novi Sad on Thursday evening. During the ceremony in Banstol, RS and Serbian officials pointed out that judiciary failed to prosecute those who are responsible for the crimes nearly three decades after the biggest ethnic cleansing in Europe after the World War II. Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik attended the Banstol ceremony and on this occasion, he said that Serbs must begin to celebrate life because there was too much killing in the past century. He reminded that Croatia marks this date as a victory while Serbs organize religious services for dead people. Dodik underlined that Serbs cannot forget or forgive powerless refugees; women, children, old people who were bombed in a column on the Petrovac Road and elsewhere in the region, trying to save their lives. Dodik also stated: “However, I believe that the Serb people is gathered in its two states – the RS and Serbia – with the intention to show maximum contribution through this century to its national unity and to stop with any kind of killing that was hugely present in the last century.” Speaker of the RS parliament Nedeljko Cubrilovic said that during the operation Oluja, Croatia was ethnically-cleansed of Serbs which even the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) failed to achieve. Cubrilovic regrets the fact that the modern state of Croatia celebrates the day when hundreds of thousands of people were expelled from their homes as a day of victory. Leader of SP Petar Djokic stated that Oluja is a crime that lasts due to celebration of ethnic cleansing, while leader of the United Srpska Nenad Stevandic said that Oluja is shame of the international community (IC). PDP stated that the Croatian operation was righteously characterized as a crime that lasts because no one was convicted for this. Leader of SPS Goran Selak underlined that it is pity that an EU member state celebrates this day in 2022 and mocks to victims and those who were expelled. Leader of SDS Mirko Sarovic said that the Croatian armed action is a crime that was not sanctioned. Data of the Veritas Information-Documentation Center show that 1,872 Serbs were killed or went missing while over 22,000 Serb houses were burnt down.

Dodik: Serbia is my country, I have no other identity (N1) 

I was not born in Serbia but Serbia is my country as well as RS, and I have no other identity, Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency Milorad Dodik said in Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad on Thursday, speaking at an event that is marked in Serbia as the Remembrance Day for the Serbs killed and expelled from Croatia in the war of the 1990s. “The only place I want to be is RS and Serbia,” said Dodik, adding that the unity of the Serbs will come one day as a result of all their suffering. He accused the Croats of killing the Serbs during two wars. “We must not be naïve as our people were at the end of the first war, when they were convinced that they were bringing freedom throughout the former Yugoslavia and believed that they would get sympathy, and at the end of that century they were expelled and killed, The Croats killed us in the WWII and they killed us in this civil war. We need to speak correctly and nothing else,” Dodik stressed. He also accused Croatia of “never returning the property and apartments and everything else it was supposed to give back to the Serbs across the towns where the Serbs lived in Crotia.” Dodik noted that the European Union provided Croatia the help for that.

PM issues message for Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day (Hina) 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday issued a message for Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, marking the 27th anniversary of Operation Storm that ended the four years of Serb occupation of central and southern parts of Croatia. On 5 August, “we commemorate the moments of national pride, glory and unity and remember the courage and determination of the Croatian defenders. We are immensely grateful to them because without their sacrifice there would not be a free and democratic Croatia,” Plenkovic said. “It is therefore our lasting obligation and responsibility to ensure a dignified status for the Croatian defenders, protect the dignity of the Homeland War, and strengthen and modernise the Croatian military and police,” he added. Plenkovic noted that in the worst days of aggression the Croatian people had demonstrated their resoluteness, unity and patriotism. “Under the leadership of Franjo Tudjman and thanks to the courage of Croatian defenders, the Croatian people realised their millennial dream of their own free and democratic state. The statesmanship of the Croatian leadership at the time and the self-sacrifice of our defenders, soldiers and police officers, are a lasting inspiration to us in working for the benefit of Croatia and every Croatian,” he said. The Prime Minister also pointed out that this year marks the achievement of Croatian strategic goals. “We have opened Peljesac Bridge, realizing the dream of generations of connecting the Croatian territory. We are soon to become a member of the euro area, which will make our economy better protected and more resilient to future crises. Accession to the Schengen area will facilitate the movement of people and goods, exports of our products and the arrival of European tourists. With this deeper integration into the European Union, we will join the circle of the most developed European countries, strengthen our sovereignty and increase our influence.” Plenkovic said that the government would continue to do all in its power to protect the citizens and the economy against any challenges and crises, and would take advantage of all the benefits of EU membership to ensure that the country continued moving forward.

Medved’s conveys greetings for Day of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving (HRT1) 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved issued greetings today on the Day of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving, the Day of Croatian Veterans and the 27th anniversary of the Storm military police operation. Dear families of killed, missing and deceased Croatian veterans, respected Croatian veterans and all citizens of our homeland. I congratulate you on the Day of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving, the Day of Croatian Veterans and the 27th anniversary of the military police operation Storm! When thinking about the symbol of freedom and Croatian statehood, many of us remember the moment when the first Croatian president Dr. Franjo Tudjman proudly kissed the Croatian flag raised on the Knin fortress. This symbolic but also historical act heralded the end of the Homeland War, the victory of the Croatian Army, and the return of the occupied parts of our beautiful country to the constitutional and legal order of the homeland, and the much-desired freedom for which the Croatian people made enormous sacrifices. We commemorate the days that foreshadowed peace for our people, at the same time offering comfort and immense respect to all those for whom the end of the Homeland War did not bring final peace – to the families of our missing Croatian veterans. Let the Croatian flag fly proudly over our homeland today as it did at the Knin Fortress 27 years ago, let Croatia resound with the voice of pride and gratitude to the Croatian veterans to whom we owe the freedom we live in today, and let a prayer for our killed, missing and deceased Croatian veterans be a message of hope that will never disappear. Let’s hoist Croatian flags and celebrate our victory, thinking of all those who did not see this day, and to whom we are eternally grateful for our freedom and independence.

Reward or punishment: What awaits Abazovic because of his “brave” deed with SPC (Nova S) 

Under the veil of secrecy, the Fundamental Agreement between the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and the government of Montenegro was signed yesterday in Podgorica. The silence was soon replaced by a storm, demonstrators appeared in front of the Villa Gorica, and Milo Djukanovic and DPS made it clear that the government would fall precisely because of the Fundamental Agreement. Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who will soon find himself in an unenviable position, observed this relatively calmly. Although the public speculated that the Agreement would be signed on 3 August, Abazovic recently denied that. Nevertheless, Patriarch Porfirije and the SPC delegation secretly arrived in Podgorica, where a few minutes later the Agreement was signed. “The crazy thing in this whole situation is that you have a minority government supported by DPS. That party will submit a proposal with SDP and SD to deny the government confidence, and the ‘old majority’ that supported the government of Zdravko Krivokapic can be activated, given that those parties support the Fundamental Agreement. Therefore, the Agreement has a majority in Parliament, although it is not the majority that supports the Government, but the one that overthrew the DPS,” says the CEDEM methodologist, Milos Besic.

The initiators for the dismissal of the government lack five votes (RTCG) 

We will know how long the government will last on August 19, when the initiative to replace the cabinet of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic is before the deputies. And while almost all the parties that did not sign the initiative say that they will decide on support at the party bodies, Abazovic says that some of the parties that initiated the removal of the Government will not survive politically. The Bosniak Party and Forca, which supported the minority Government and are part of it, did not sign the initiative of 36 MPs from the DPS, SDP, SD, Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Albanians to replace Abazovic’s cabinet. Those parties, as confirmed by TVCG, have not yet decided how they will vote in the parliament on 19 August. The spokesperson of the Bosniak Party Adel Omeragic says that the party will behave responsibly towards this initiative. “In the next ten days, we will have a session of the Main Board, the party authorities will discuss this topic, and after those discussions, we will declare how we will behave towards this initiative,” says Omeragic. The initiators of the removal of the executive power in the parliament lack five votes. And while the public speculates that they could count on the support of the Democrats, who were the loudest opponents of the minority government, the party says that their decision will also depend on the position of the party’s Presidency. Even the Democratic Front has not clearly announced whether it will vote for the dismissal of the government. They propose resetting the relationship between the parliamentary majority from 30 August and the minority peoples through the formation of a technical government that will prepare and organize extraordinary parliamentary, presidential and local elections.

This idea is also close to the United Montenegro, and after considering it, the party bodies will decide how they will vote in the plenum. The Workers’ Party and Prava Montenegro yesterday welcomed the signing of the Fundamental Agreement, but did not decide on support for the Government. At yesterday’s press conference, Abazovic did not specifically answer the question of whether he negotiated with the opposition parties to support his government. “I wouldn’t rule out any option. Definitely, all options remain open,” he said briefly. In the initiative signed by 36 deputies, it is stated that by signing the Fundamental Agreement, the Prime Minister prioritized the relationship with the Serbian Orthodox Church and endangered Montenegro’s European path.

Abazovic: I don’t know if the government will survive 19 August, I know that politically some of those who initiated the no-confidence procedure will not survive (CdM) 

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said yesterday at the press conference on the occasion of the 100 days of work of the government that all priorities from the exposition have been completed or are nearing completion. He claims that the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church was not signed secretly, but in front of 30 people. Abazovic says he doesn’t know whether the Government will survive the vote of no confidence on 19 August, which was initiated precisely because of the signing of the Agreement with SPC, but he knows that some of the people who initiated the procedure will not survive politically. Abazovic also responded to calls that Montenegro’s European path has been neglected. “Since the state protocol has been in place, no one has ever had more activities in 100 days. I met with nine prime ministers, who were our guests, or we were their guests, which means that every 11 days you meet a prime minister. I also met with some presidents,” said Abazovic. According to him, anyone who wants to destabilize Montenegro does not want it to join the EU. “Let them identify themselves, they cannot hide behind the story of Europeanism. “The government is not blocking the European path, it is not diverting the focus, but it is clearing the space in order to join the EU faster,” said Abazovic. He reminds that the government signed the Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church. “I’m sure no one will be willing to go back and reactivate it. That would be to the detriment of Montenegro,” said Abazovic.

The Fundamental Agreement was a condition for reaching 54 deputies 

Speaking about the non-appointments in the Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court and the Supreme State Prosecutor, he said that if it was up to the Government, all of this would have been resolved. “Let me say something about the Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court and the VDT. If it were up to the Government, all three issues would be resolved. Very simple. The algorithm existed for all three. Some politicians did not want to accept. In order to reach the number of 54 or more, we had to close some other issues like the Fundamental Agreement, now there is no more restriction. The algorithm exists, but the Government cannot take over the role of the Assembly,” said Abazovic.  He said that the same issue could have been in the case of the Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court. “If someone wants to address the issue, why this did not happen, they should not look at the government, but at their political party,” said Abazovic.

When asked what kind of attitude he expects from the Democrats, and whether failure to trust the government would mean a new reshuffle, Abazovic points out that he will see what happens on 19 August. “After the initiative of DPS, SDP, SD, all options remain open. I am very calmly waiting for 19 August, everything is ok. We will definitely have to go to the elections. But DPS, SD and SDP will have to take responsibility for the destabilization in Montenegro, not the social one – because I don’t see that they can mobilize anyone for anything. But if an energy crisis starts, if we have to rebalance and we don’t have a government, citizens should target those three options for all restrictions,” said Abazovic. If destabilization and shocks coming from the outside begin, the prime minister tells the citizens to target those three political options. “They should know that in the previous period they were robbed to the bone, and now they don’t want to help them when the crisis is as it is,” said Abazovic.

We will have the fastest integration in the EU, claims Kovacevski (Channel 5) 

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski is convinced that Macedonia will integrate into the EU at the fastest possible pace because the country has the capacity to do so. “I am a person who believes in the capacity of our people, we have confirmed throughout history that we can make difficult and big decisions, but that we are also a hardworking people. We had the fastest integration in NATO and I think we will have the fastest integration in the EU as well,” he said in an interview with Channel 5. Kovacevski emphasized that only in the last few months the state managed to solve two major strategic issues. “The first issue was the recognition of the autocephaly of the MOC and acceptance into canonical unity with other Orthodox churches. The second decision is the start of negotiations with the European Union, which was adopted by the Parliament. In the negotiation framework and in all other documents, the Macedonian language, our identity, our uniqueness are protected. All those issues that refer to bilateral relations with the neighbours, above all I mean the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Greece, take place at the bilateral level and are not part of the negotiation process. It was also confirmed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen and Vice President Josep Borrell, with clearly expressed views that the Macedonian language is clean in the negotiation framework and that it will be one of the official languages ​​of the EU the day we enter the Union,” said the Prime Minister. For him, holding a referendum will only be going backwards. According to Kovachevski, the referendum is only for the internal political use of two parties. “There are only two political parties that are against membership in the EU, they are VMRO-DPMNE and Levica,” stressed the Prime Minister.

One million euros to Ukraine/ Marchenko: We are grateful to the government of Albania (Radio Tirana) 

The Albanian government, in June of this year, approved the fund of 1 million Euros for Ukraine. The promise was made at the Donors’ Conference. Based on this promise, today the fund of 1 million euros was handed over to Ukraine by the Albanian government. The news was announced by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Albania Volodymyr Shkurov. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Albania, ensured the receipt of financial assistance in the accounts of the State Treasury Service of Ukraine. Ambassador Shkurov informs that this fund will be used for Ukraine’s priority expenses. “The support of our international partners accelerates the victory of Ukraine. We are grateful to the Government of Albania for helping our country in the face of a large-scale Russian invasion. These funds will strengthen the stability of the financial system of Ukraine,” said the Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko.