LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Open Balkan important for region’s economic future (Tanjug/RTV)

Opening a summit of the Open Balkan initiative in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he believed the economic future of its member states – Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania – depended on the success of the project, which he noted should also strengthen peace and stability in the region. “For us, this is extremely important because it seems to me that, since the moment we established this initiative, the attention and energy focusing on the success of the project itself has never been greater. It seems to me that the extent to which we will be able to ensure a good economic future of our countries and, at the same time, secure peace and stability in the region, depends on the success of this project,” Vucic said. He urged all political factors and the governments and opposition parties in all three countries to understand the significance of the project and help to do something great for the future. “Once we do this, the results of the initiative will be completely clear to everyone,” he noted. The opening ceremony of the summit, held at the Palace of Serbia, was also attended by the PMs of Northern Macedonia and Albania, Dimitar Kovacevski and Edi Rama, as well as by Serbian PM Ana Brnabic, Montenegrin PM Dritan Abazovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers Chairman Zoran Tegeltija, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto and Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Rama: Open Balkans leaders to consider inviting other states to join initiative (RTV/Tanjug)

Albanian PM Edi Rama said on Friday in Belgrade the leaders of Open Balkans member states would seriously consider inviting other significant countries in the region – Greece, Italy, Turkey and Hungary – to join the regional initiative, established by Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania. The Open Balkans initiative no longer needs to seek justification for its existence and we no longer have to explain anything, it speaks enough for itself now, and those who have a vision for the future and want to see that and to hear us will understand this, Rama noted at the opening of an Open Balkans summit in Belgrade. He said representatives of Greece and Italy had been invited to the summit but had been unable to attend, and added that they would certainly be invited to the next summit in Tirana. The PM of a European country called me and asked why it was not invited, and I said I would discuss that with my colleagues and that it would likely be invited, as well as that I was very glad there was interest in the Open Balkans initiative, Rama said. He noted the Open Balkans member states wanted to get the most out of the initiative and urged other countries to join it. We will seriously consider inviting other partners and EU member states, and no one should be feeling jealous, Rama said, adding that the FMs of Turkey and Hungary – an EU member state – were attending the Belgrade summit.

Kovacevski: Open Balkans was crucial step at crucial time (RTV/Tanjug)

With the Open Balkans initiative, North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia took the crucial step at the crucial time, North Macedonian PM Dimitar Kovacevski said at a Belgrade summit of the initiative on Friday. We have gathered to promote regional cooperation on the path to the EU and we have jointly committed to facilitate free movement of people, goods and services and built neighborly relations and trust between friendly countries, Kovacevski said at the opening of the summit. While some are considering whether this could derail us from our European path, we believe we have done all that is necessary for our citizens and our countries in the European way, by promoting regional cooperation like European countries do, he said. He noted that cooperation between North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania had enabled the three countries to deal with challenges by securing food and energy to their citizens while countries worldwide were fighting the fallout from the Ukraine war and the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to agreements to be signed at this summit, we will commit to stability when it comes to food for our citizens, and to helping each other and other countries when necessary, like good neighbors should do and like all countries in the world do, Kovacevski said.

Cavusoglu: Balkans must take its destiny into its own hands (RTV/Tanjug)

The Balkans must take its destiny into its own hands and remove all obstacles to faster progress and greater prosperity, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the opening of a Belgrade summit of the Open Balkans initiative on Friday, announcing that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would visit Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia next week. This initiative provides such an opportunity and it is something that holds promise, Cavusoglu said, adding that Turkey had always spoken also about the significance of Balkan policies. He said Turkey saw two challenges in the region. The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be our priority – we cannot allow there to be a conflict at the heart of the Balkans, he said. The other challenge is the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which has demonstrated how much we need to focus on common interests, Cavusoglu noted. He said Turkey maintained open communication with both sides and would continue to support dialogue towards agreements on vehicle license plates and all other issues.

Szijjarto: Hungary ready to join Open Balkans cooperation (RTV/Tanjug)

Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto said on Friday in Belgrade his country was ready to join the cooperation between member states of the Open Balkans initiative. Addressing a summit of the regional initiative, Szijjarto said Hungary was ready to join the close cooperation between Open Balkan states when it comes to integrated energy markets, food security and attracting investment to the region. He noted that Hungary was very supportive of the Open Balkans initiative and that its member states – Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania – had taken the steps necessary for integrating in the EU. It is finally time for Brussels to act, he said. We are getting into a disgraceful situation where Brussels is always two or three steps behind where we should be, Szijjarto added. Had it been up to Hungary, the Western Balkans would have already been admitted to the EU, Szijjarto said, adding that his country was frustrated by current developments in Brussels regarding the EU enlargement policy.

Dialogue only way to resolve disagreements between Belgrade and Pristina (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic spoke on Thursday with Special Envoy of the United Kingdom to the Western Balkans Stuart Peach about Belgrade’s commitment to overcoming the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija, which was caused by Pristina’s latest unilateral moves. Petkovic informed his interlocutor about the contents of the agreement on personal documents, by which Belgrade, with EU guarantees, managed to preserve Serbian identity cards for Serbs living south and north of the Ibar river. He stated that an integral part of the agreement is also a disclaimer which clearly states that enabling the use of identity cards issued by Pristina is done exclusively to facilitate the freedom of movement of individuals, and that this agreement does not in any way mean the recognition of the so-called Kosovo, but that it was reached in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244. The Head of the Office conveyed to his interlocutor Belgrade’s firm determination to preserve peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija and in the region, reiterating that dialogue is the only way and manner to resolve disagreements between Belgrade and Pristina. Peach welcomed the dialogue at the highest level between the representatives of Belgrade and Pristina and called for constructive engagement of both sides in light of the broader crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. In this sense, Petkovic recalled that Belgrade has fulfilled all the commitments made so far resulting from the Brussels Agreement, in contrast to Pristina, which did not fulfil its biggest and most important obligation, which is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, which has been delayed for more than nine years. According to him, in addition to the non-implementation of the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities, Pristina is also constantly obstructing the resolution of other issues, primarily the issue of missing persons, which was initiated at the initiative of Belgrade and is for the Serbian side primarily a humanitarian and not a political issue. He underlined that Pristina’s possible persistence in implementing unilateral and illegal decisions, when it comes to license plates, will lead to a further worsening of the situation on the ground, but also to a serious threat to peace and security in the province and the region.

Petkovic: No obligation for KM plates to be changed or re-register (Tanjug/RTV)

Today’s statement by the spokesperson of the European Commission calling on Pristina to extend the deadline for re-registration of vehicles with KM plates, showed that EU representatives either do not know or deliberately selectively read the agreements and partially quote them, says Petar Petkovic, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. “Namely, since the spokesperson of the European Commission in his statement today refers to the agreement from 2016, I will remind him that it is about the Agreement regarding the finalization of the implementation of the Agreement on Freedom of Movement from 2011 – Brussels, 14 September 2016, in which in point 4, he foresees an extension of the deadline for vehicle re-registration, but I will also remind him of what he did not say, which is that at the very beginning of that same point, the use of status-neutral KS plates is mentioned,” explained Petkovic. He also reminded the spokesperson of point 8 of the same document, which, he says, he did not mention, and which states that re-registration will not be applied to those vehicles for which the sticker regime applies. Petkovic also says that everyone is well aware that based on the Conclusions from Brussels of 30 September 2021 on the use of the sticker regime, Pristina also applied stickers to vehicles with KM plates. With that, he adds, it admitted both practically and formally that the re-registration process cannot apply to those plates. In this context, Petkovic notes that KM plates are legal and legitimate plates for the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, which, in accordance with the Conclusions of 30 September 2021, are covered with stickers, like every other plate of the Republic of Serbia that enters the territory of the province. Because of all that, he adds, there is neither an obligation nor a need to replace the KM plates or re-register them to the so-called RKS license plates, especially in the situation when Pristina illegally abolished the status-neutral KS license plates in 2020. “On the other hand, the question arises as to whether the EU agreements are valid in their entirety or only in the part that corresponds to Pristina’s views, states Petkovic and says that Belgrade will always and everywhere insist that the agreements reached in Brussels are respected in their entirety, not selectively or partially, as is done by Pristina, which has refused to form the Community of Serb Municipalities for almost ten years.

Special Representatives are not important, what is important is to solve problems (Politika/Tanjug)

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill was asked to say whether he thinks the fact more and more countries have their own special representatives for the Western Balkans is actually “hyper-production” of special representatives, to which he replied by saying that one should not worry about having too many special representatives for the Western Balkans but should instead worry about solving problems. Following the news that Slovenia appointed Anzej Franges as the Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Hill assessed that the fact countries appoint their special representatives is a reflection of their wish to see problems in the Western Balkans be solved.

Lajcak: A unique chance for normalization (APA/Tanjug/B92)

EU’s special envoy for Belgrade – Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, believes that the current political calendar represents a unique chance for normalization. As he states, there are no upcoming elections either in Kosovo, nor in Serbia, nor in the EU and the USA. “We now have a unique chance in the political agenda, something we haven’t had for at least ten years, which is that from now until 2024 we don’t have elections in Serbia, as well as in Kosovo, and there are no major elections in Europe, nor in the USA”, Lajcak stated in an interview with the APA agency. This means that there are no “obstacles in the political calendar” and that “real progress can be made,” Lajcak believes. Lajcak sees the support of London and Washington for the process of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina as positive. “Even though it is no longer formally a member of the EU, I see Great Britain as part of joint efforts, and we also have very good cooperation with the USA,” he emphasized. Regarding the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on freedom of travel, Lajcak said that it is a solution to an important issue, which seems insignificant to many citizens in Western Europe. Lajcak considered it important and positive that Vucic and Kurti agreed during the meeting in August that they should meet more regularly, once a month, in order to discuss “the path to the future”. Asked about Moscow’s role, Lajcak pointed out that there is no doubt that Moscow’s interest is to encourage instability in the Balkans and to confuse people so that they do not know what the truth is and who they should trust. However, he emphasizes that Russia is not the main actor in the Balkans. “We are the main actor. We, the EU, have the instruments, we have the offer of membership, and Russia only uses the space we leave open,” he explained, adding that it is important that the EU honors its promises. He said that we should not be afraid of Russia, but concentrate on our own tasks. “The world order has changed and that is clear. Russia’s role will change. And we want the EU to be among those who will shape the new world order, and we cannot be a ‘player’ if we continue to deal with the Balkans. If we are too preoccupied with ourselves, with our continent, then no one will wait for us,” said Lajcak. This, he says, does not mean that every country in the Balkans must be a full member of the EU. “However, there must be no doubt about the commitment and seriousness of the process, as well as our offer. That is important,” he pointed out.

REGIONAL PRESS

PIC ambassadors meet at OHR building (Hayat/O Kanal)

Ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) held a session at the OHR building in Sarajevo on Thursday. On this occasion, the PIC ambassadors discussed the possibility for High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt to use the Bonn powers to impose political amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Schmidt was reportedly planning to impose the amendments to the Election Law at the beginning of September, but some PIC ambassadors suggested him to wait until the day of the general elections, or a day after the elections, to impose the amendments. According to Hayat, one of the reasons for imposing the amendments to the Election Law on the election day lies in the fact that political parties will be unable to react due to the election silence. Schmidt is set to travel to Germany next week in order to consult on the matter of the Election Law and the use of Bonn powers. O Kanal reports that, unofficially, HR Schmidt should use the PIC session to gain additional support from the PIC members to impose amendments to the B&H Election Law and the FB&H Constitution. According to the most recent information, the said amendments would increase the number of delegates in the FB&H House of Peoples (HoR) necessary to elect the FB&H President, i.e. from the current six to seven or eight delegates. O Kanal reports that the opinion is that such move would additionally strengthen the position of HDZ B&H, even more than the three per cent threshold for the delegates in the FB&H HoP. The reporter notes that, based on the current situation, it seems that HR Schmidt has given up on the three per cent threshold. Currently, the US and the UK support HR Schmidt in regard to imposing amendments to the B&H Election Law, and it is believed he is waiting for Germany’s position on that issue, as well as the position of other EU Member States. According to the media reporting on Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), represented in PIC by Turkey, will not support imposing political segment of amendments to the B&H Election Law and the FB&H Constitution, and will only support technical amendments. The reporter reminds that the new round of consultations with political parties from the FB&H has been organized in the past days, noting it may be said “it is just a formality’’ that will not influence the final decision on the issue.

Covic urges Schmidt not to succumb under pressure and to impose changes to B&H Election Law (Nova BH)

Commenting on the issue of changes to the B&H Election Law and FB&H Constitution, B&H political parties remain divided over whether High Representative Christian Schmidt should impose the solution or not. HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic urged Schmidt not to succumb under pressure and to impose changes to the B&H Election Law which would guarantee equality of constituent peoples and their legitimate representation. According to Covic, there is general impression that the most relevant representatives of the international community have recognized that systemic discrimination of Croats will bring nothing good to B&H. Covic stated on Thursday he expects HR Schmidt to make a final decision and amend the B&H Election Law and the FB&H Constitution in line with the ruling of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) in the Bozo Ljubic case that will ensure the so-called legitimate representations.

SB&H files appeal to ECHR against EU, Croatia and HR Schmidt (Hayat)

SB&H confirmed on Thursday that, acting on behalf of the B&H citizens, this political party submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the EU, Croatia and High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt. SB&H decided to undertake such move due to the possible amendments that Schmidt might impose to the Election Law of B&H and that might favor HDZ B&H’s demands. According to SB&H, the reason for the appeal lies in the fact that the current HR acted as an agent of Croatia and announced a change in the constitutional order by amending the Election Law of B&H, thereby siding with Croatia, which violates the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) even though is one of the signatory countries. SB&H emphasized that, after the public reacted with recent protests in front of the OHR building, it is clear that the citizens will not allow anyone to divided the country. According to Hayat, Schmidt imposed technical amendments to the Election Law, but he needs to bear in mind that war crimes happened in B&H and that the imposed solution must not cause ethnic division in this regard. SB&H’s explanation of the appeal reads that the HR is acting in favor of Croatia, while the EU is responsible for Croatia’s actions as it is an EU member country. SB&H leader Semir Efendic stated: “B&H has been in some sort of political blockade for a longer period of time now. B&H citizens are held hostage by HDZ B&H’s demands to use the Election Law to change the state structure of B&H and open the doors to ethnic territorializing or forming of the third entity.” Efendic underscored that the problem is also the fact that Croatia, as the EU member, conducts a strong international campaign advocating HDZ B&H’s demands for the Election Law and attempting to install in B&H “what they call the legitimate representation”.

Election campaign starts on Friday (Hayat)

The election campaign ahead of the general elections in B&H is set to officially start on Friday. The political parties and its candidates will have the whole month to present their ideas, which the B&H citizens will assess on the election day, on 2 October. On the eve of the beginning of the election campaign, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Suad Arnautovic published a video message and called on everyone to respect the rules during the election campaign and underlined that the campaign and the election process need to pass in a democratic atmosphere. Arnautovic used the opportunity to remind political entities, candidates and their supporters, as well as employees and those involved in the election administration, of the actions that are not allowed, and those include false representation on behalf of any political entity; removal, covering, destruction or change printed ads, posters, placards or other materials used for the purpose of the election campaign; carrying and displaying weapons at political gatherings, polling stations and their surroundings; and exertion of any pressure on journalists that would make it difficult for them to perform their work in accordance with the rules of the profession and election rules. “I draw particular attention to the prohibition of using hate speech in the campaign, as well as any form of public expression or speech that causes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence against any person or group of persons, based on race, color, nationality, gender or religion, ethnic origin or any other personal characteristic or orientation that encourages discrimination, hostility and violence”, stated the CEC Chairman. He announced that the CEC will have zero tolerance to unacceptable and legally prohibited behaviors in the election campaign and concluded: “Let us be responsible for our actions and words.”

Turkovic meets US’ Turner, Murphy to discuss current political issues in B&H and region (Oslobodjenje)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&H Bisera Turkovic met with US Congressman Michael Turner, who is paying a visit to B&H. The meeting, which took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H in Sarajevo, was also attended by US Ambassador to B&H Chris Murphy. The collocutors discussed the current political issues in BiH and region, pointed out the importance of holding of democratic elections and revival of reform processes after the elections. Minister Turkovic also emphasized the importance of strengthening of support and ties between USA and B&H.

Macron is ready to talk about European status of B&H due to fear for stability of Western Balkans (FTV/N1)

FTV carries that, after the meeting with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, French President Emmanuel Macron stated he is willing to consider Slovenia’s initiative to grant the EU candidate status to B&H, noting it is clear the situation in the Western Balkans is “critical”, whilst B&H is “in a unique situation”. Addressing the press conference after the meeting, Macron said: “It is clear that we have increasing external forces that are using tensions between communities to destabilize not only B&H, but also its closest neighbors and the entire region. I think we cannot accept that. Therefore, if the European perspective is a part of the package with requirements to improve the situation in B&H, then I am completely ready to consider it.” Macron also said in Paris on Thursday: “I think what we managed to fix between Bulgaria and North Macedonia at the end of the French Presidency was critical to unlock the situation for Albania and North Macedonia but at the same time, it is clear that B&H is now stuck in a situation quite unique in the Western Balkans.” He expressed readiness for a “fully-fledged discussion to consider the proposal made by Mr. Prime Minister (Golob) and pushed by some colleagues,” having one perspective and one objective – providing the maximum chance to create the peace and stability in the region.

Zvizdic files motion for assessment of constitutionality to Constitutional Court (Oslobodjenje)

Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Denis Zvizdic filed a motion for assessment of constitutionality of the phrase ‘joint institutions’ with the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H. “After SNSD and HDZ B&H, at the session of B&H HoR, voted against the Proposal of Changes to the Law on Flag of B&H, by which I requested for erasing of the phrase ‘joint institutions’ from this law, I filed the motion for assessment of the constitutionality of this phrase with B&H CC”, Zvizdic stated and added that he is convinced this term is unconstitutional. Zvizdic argued that the use of this phrase “has very dangerous consequences for historical-legal continuity, statehood and sovereignty of B&H”. Zvizdic added that he said in his motion, among other things, that the entities are not states, sovereignty belongs only to B&H, B&H is not a state community nor it was created by an agreement of the entities, so there can be no joint institutions but only institutions of B&H.

Mandic following the meeting: Parliament majority of 30 August together again (CdM)

After today’s meeting of the parliamentary majority of 30 August 2020, which was organized at the invitation of one of the leaders of the Democratic Front, Andrija Mandic, and ahead of the extraordinary session of the parliament where the vote on the dismissal of the parliament speaker Danijela Djurovic is to be taken, it was announced that they had reached an agreement and that they are together again. The URA Citizens’ Movement said that the agreement will fall through if Djurovic is dismissed today. At the session of the “old parliamentary majority”, the Democratic Front submitted a proposal for the Political Agreement of the parliamentary majority of the winners of the 2020 election. It states that the goals remain the fight against corruption and crime, and that the government will be committed to European integration. The session was attended by representatives of URA, despite the statement of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who, when the vote was taken on the fall of his government, said that the Civic Movement of URA, which he leads, will not participate in the negotiations on the formation of a new executive power, in the event of the fall of his government.

Abazovic to make a declaration in SDT next week (Vijesti)

Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, will most likely make a declaration in the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) on Monday regarding the information on cigarette smuggling, individuals and companies he believes are involved in it, which he mentioned in parliament when MPs were discussing a vote of no confidence in his government. In an interview for Vijesti, he announced that he would submit documentation proving his statements, noting that prosecution had already had some of it, but did nothing so far.

Djukanovic: Despite Putin’s desire, Cold-War geopolitical order will not return (Antena M)

Milo Djukanovic has, since 1991, served multiple, overlapping terms as both president and prime minister of Montenegro, a charming country located on the Adriatic coast of the Balkans, and is the long-term president of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro. The country’s government collapsed after a vote of no confidence on 20 August, due to a disagreement over a deal to regulate ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church, just months after a no-confidence vote in February also toppled a different coalition government. It is now up to Djukanovic to appoint a new prime minister, as the veteran politician leads the country through choppy waters.

The Media Line: President Djukanovic, thank you for welcoming me to your office here in your beautiful capital Podgorica. Tourism is an important economic sector for Montenegro. As we emerge from two years of COVID taking its toll on travel-related commerce, the tourism industry was hit hard with new challenges, including the Russian-Ukrainian war and fuel prices. How is that conflict impacting Montenegro in terms of tourism and in other areas? How are we seeing the impact of that war?

Milo Djukanovic: It is clear that these geopolitical, economic and energy issues you’ve mentioned have an impact on tourism turnover, especially in such a country as Montenegro, given the size of its economy and given the share of tourism in our GDP. In the pre-COVID period, in 2019, our GDP amounted to €4.3 billion to €4.9 billion [$4.8 billion to $5.5 billion at that year’s average exchange rate], €1.1 billion of which was created from tourism. This is just to illustrate how important tourism is for our GDP. Actually, there is a great trend of tourism in terms of its importance and its share of our GDP. Even in the former Yugoslavia tourism was an important part of the economy of that country, but it was not dominant compared to industry. Today it does have this dominant position over all the other economic sectors. This is also at the same time period when we are restructuring our tourist offerings. Because back then in former Yugoslavia times, Montenegro was just another average tourism destination. But over the course of the past 10 or 15 years, Montenegro has announced much more potential in that area, and it basically has created an ambition to compete with the most developed and successful tourist destinations in Europe. And we did succeed in this endeavor in the period from 2006 to 2019, or from the period that we became independent in 2006 until 2019, which was the start of the global pandemic. We did manage to position Montenegro as a novel, successful, and developed tourist destination. Back then, of course, in 2019, we faced the COVID pandemic. Now there are other aggravating circumstances because both Russians and Ukrainians are important guests for us. And it’s clear that they won’t be coming this year, so that part of the tourism turnover is not here. And Europe, which is the most important market from where the tourists are coming, is facing its own crisis because the conflict in Ukraine is affecting Europe as well, as you know. This is producing an energy crisis and also severe fears and insecurities in Europe. And after all, there is a very dangerous inflation rate in Europe as well. So when you take a look at the economic perspectives in Europe currently and the data, you get the idea why that part of the tourism turnover is also lacking this year. I had a chance to read yesterday that industrial product prices in the eurozone grew by 36.9% in a year. We also read that Germany in the second quarter this year had a stagnation rate of 0% growth. So apparently there are economic troubles in Europe, and this will have an impact on both tourism and investment.

TML: 1.6 million was the number of tourists that I had seen around 2019. Do you have any projection of where you are for this period after COVID?

Djukanovic: It was actually 2.6 million tourists with 14.5 million overnight stays. And again, about €1.1 billion in revenue. This was in 2019. In 2020, we had a severe drop. Montenegrin GDP dropped by 15% in 2020. In 2021 it grew by 10%. And 2022 is still a year of recovery. But unfortunately, the recovery rate is being affected by inflation and by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

TML: Is it over? Is the worst over?

Djukanovic: Well, there are grounds to fear that this can last for a while. But again, it’s not possible or feasible, or reasonable to expect that one could predict the length or the duration of the conflict in Ukraine. Cynics would say that even Vladimir Putin himself does not know how long it’s going to last. So it’s hard to predict just how long this is going to last and to say if the worst is behind us because this is apparently a conflict which is devastating Europe. But in any case, we are very cautious in this part of the Balkans, because what happens in Ukraine is very near our own home. And a couple of years ago we did have a chance ourselves to experience all the dreadfulness of Putin’s policy. We had an attempted coup here in 2016, and the political background of that attempt was the same as in Ukraine today. Back then, Montenegro was about to join NATO, and Putin decided not to let us do that. Unfortunately enough for us, he tried to prevent us from joining NATO by attempting a coup with the support of those political parties loyal to him here. He had intelligence agents, of course, but he failed. So probably learning from that experience, he used much more power in Ukraine and much more military.

TML: You anticipated my next question, which you really answered, but my question there is, did you really think that President Putin would go to the lengths that he has in terms of this war? And some argue that it is related to NATO like what you went through.

Djukanovic: I have to admit I did not see this coming. I also talked to a number of political counterparts from the West ahead of the aggression. My argument in those meetings was, I can’t see why he would do such a thing. Of course, he wanted to draw attention to the importance of Russia as a global player, and he succeeded in that because everyone in Europe and the United States was looking to see what would happen. Secondly, this was a time when the sanctions were removed by Mr. Biden’s administration from the Nord Stream 2 [gas pipeline from Russia to Germany] project, which was another benefit for Putin. And the third benefit for him was that the energy prices went up. So based on all those benefits, one could believe, reasonably, that he has already fulfilled his objectives and that there was no reason for him to do what he did. And again, he proved us wrong. Looking from this point in time, it seems to me that he is actually attempting to rewrite history. He wishes to push back the world into the Cold War era and to use “special operations” like the one in Ukraine to bring back that level of importance that the Soviet Union had in the Cold War era now to Russia. Needless to say, I don’t think this can happen in reality. One cannot just spin back or return. It could be that what’s going on in the state of affairs will bring us into some new geopolitical structure. Probably yes, but if you ask me if the old geopolitical order from Cold War times will return, I don’t think so.

TML: You have a relationship with both sides, with both Ukraine and with the Russians. Do you feel that Montenegro could be a place to help, to bridge the gap, bring the two together? It’s certainly needed.

Djukanovic: Yes, you’re right, we have excellent relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Some time ago we celebrated three centuries of official interstate relations between Russia and Montenegro. But as of now, we have become a part of the list of enemy countries that Russia formed. The geopolitical disturbances went a bit too far, and I’m afraid that the influence of Western Balkan countries and small countries such as Montenegro will not suffice for that.

TML: Why?

Djukanovic: An answer to that would require an in-depth analysis. And again, I already said this: In my opinion, the trigger to this war was the unrealistic ambition of Mr. Putin to rewrite history. This is without any question whatsoever the most important part of the crisis. Let me remind you that this crisis is the first crisis in recent times where open threats are made to use nuclear weapons. But there is also at the same time probably more to it; this is not the entire explanation of the conflict. And this actually shows that there was a need to balance the geopolitical relations much more carefully from the Cold War until today, which was not the case, unfortunately. So we will need to show a new sensibility, all of us, in the coming period. This is why I said that I was sure that we will not be coming back to the global order that we had in the Cold War era. But there will be a new one developing. And of course, for me as a European, the most important question is, where will the place of Europe be in that new geopolitical order?

TML: Where will that be?

Djukanovic: I do hope we manage to learn an important lesson from the Russian aggression against Ukraine. I believe that we’ve finally managed to understand properly that the Russian aggression against Ukraine is an aggression against the European values system. And I hope this made us realize that it was necessary to complete the process of unification of Europe. This especially comes from the perspective of the Western Balkans as one of the regions of Europe. Again, in the past 10 or 15 years, we had a chance to witness a lack of decisiveness toward this unification of Europe process when it comes to integration of the Western Balkans. I also believe this experience additionally pointed to the importance of the Euro-Atlantic partnership. It will be easy for you to remember from a couple of years ago messages coming from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean that basically pointed toward the irrelevance of NATO, which is nonsense per se. It is clear to everyone that the Euro-Atlantic partnership is a healthy one because it rests on common values. It’s clear: Europe needs to unite, and Europe needs to protect and strategically improve its partnership with the United States. Finally, it’s clear that Europe needs to define its strategic policies much more clearly and precisely. First of all, foreign policy and its security policy. So Europe needs to have much more sensibility for its neighborhood: Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

TML: Mr. President, you’re speaking collectively now. Let’s look at Montenegro and its relationship with the United States. You’ve had bipartisan relationships with the United States over the years, meaning many of the officials coming here, and you’ve had defense relationships with the United States. Where do you see them getting stronger? What’s needed? What’s missing?

Djukanovic: I look at our relations and cooperation with the United States of America very positively and affirmatively. This comes from that time period when the Western Balkans and former Yugoslavia were the top priority of American foreign policy. This is the time of the Clinton administration. During that period the United States helped us immensely, helped us to protect peace and our multiethnic community. It helped to protect us from [Slobodan] Milosevic’s aggression. It helped us to wisely choose our foreign policy priorities, such as the Euro-Atlantic integration. And it helped us by strongly supporting our NATO membership. And then, as you will remember, America over time developed more important foreign policy priorities, such as the fight against terrorism. And some unfinished things have remained here in the region. Because Bosnia and Herzegovina is still a dysfunctional country. Northern Macedonia remained in conflict with first Greece and now Bulgaria. And Serbia is still in a problematic situation because of Kosovo. What we had was a deficit of attention from the United States. And we had a lack of initiative and decisiveness from the European side, and I would like to refer back to this. Basically, they were reluctant to take the lead role in integrating the Western Balkans into the European Union. And as you know, in geopolitics there is no vacuum. So if the European Union and the United States are not here, some third countries will come. First and foremost, Russia will come. And as I was saying, Russia has started strongly infusing its anti-Western policies into the region ever since 2016 and the attempted coup in Montenegro. What we have now is a slow return of that attention and focus by the United States. To make a long story short, it seems to me that the United States still has an idealized picture of the state of affairs in the Western Balkan countries. It could be that this is some geopolitical tactic. I could assume so, because if the Indo-Pacific area is the top priority for them, and if the second priority for them is the Russian-Ukrainian situation, it would be reasonable to expect that they would not have the same level of focus and attention for the Western Balkans, for daily management of what’s going on here. But it would be a dire mistake to overlook and not to recognize in a timely manner that what happens in Ukraine reflects here in the Western Balkans.

TML: Your small nation has had bilateral relations with numerous countries in the Middle East, including Israel, Turkey, and the UAE. In 2020, a Montenegrin Consulate was announced to open in Istanbul and Turkey appointed an honorary consul in Montenegro. In 2020, there were over 2,000 Turkish businesses registered in Montenegro. And Turkey represents Montenegro in many countries where there are no diplomatic relations. What’s the common bond?

Djukanovic: There is a long, well-founded tradition of the Ottoman Empire in the Western Balkan region. In addition to that, there were migration flows of population, including from Montenegro to Turkey. A direct consequence of those relations and those migrations is reflected in the number of honorary consuls you talked about, and I had a chance to meet with them recently in Istanbul. In several hotspots in Turkey, you have a high concentration of immigrants from Montenegro. So we try to maintain good relations with them and to enable them to keep a connection with their homeland. And I have to tell you that that relationship is very good. Of course, Turkey is interested in the entire region, not just Montenegro. It’s large, a very large country compared to all the countries here in the region, and an interesting partner economically speaking as well. And a partner of Albania, Northern Macedonia, and Montenegro in NATO as well. So I would define those relations with Turkey as good ones. Of course, all the global events have a reflection here as well. As a big player in the international scene, Turkey is trying to find some space for itself. I would say that it is not satisfied with the level of attention it gets in Europe. And I would say that it is trying to reposition itself intensively in the Middle East.

TML: Looking to the Gulf countries, the UAE also has an embassy in Montenegro. In 2020, the UAE became your largest trade partner, with a total value of trade reaching over $31 million and climbing. What’s the largest area of investment today?

Djukanovic: We also have a tradition of good relations with the United Arab Emirates going back to former Yugoslavia times and this movement, the Non-Aligned Movement, of countries at the time. We’ve tried to nurture those good relations, and we’ve had numerous initiatives for that part of the world. This comes from a person who was the prime minister on seven occasions, and I was searching for good development partners. So this is the initial explanation when it comes to our good relations with the Emirates. In the meantime, we have developed a good friendship between the countries. We do have excellent relations with Abu Dhabi and the ruling family, Al Nahyan. We also have developed very good relations with the ruling family in Dubai, Al Maktoum. They are also present here as good investors. I have to tell you we have had only the most positive experience with them as investors.

TML: You were bestowed the first-ever European King David Award by the European Jewish Association in Brussels in 2019, for safeguarding Jewish life in Montenegro. Why is it that the Jewish community here is building while antisemitism is out of control in many European nations?

Djukanovic: Yes, I received this award, and I was most honored to receive it. And this was an opportunity for me at the award ceremony to meet some Jewish religious leaders from Western Europe. I had a chance, for example, to meet and talk with the Dutch rabbi [Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs] while waiting for the award ceremony. We talked about growing antisemitism. He told me about how careful he was in exercising his duties and living in the Netherlands, and about the efforts the country invested to ensure the safety of the community and his personal safety. I had in Brussels back then the religious leaders from Montenegro, including the Jewish community leader. And they were telling me and the Dutch rabbi that they actually never felt that level of insecurity and the need for those protection and security measures that they had in the Netherlands. Again, there was never a large Jewish community in Montenegro, it’s a small community. But it’s also very important that they were never jeopardized, never. Actually, we had more Jews in Montenegro at the end of the Second World War than at the beginning. Our country has a long tradition of multiethnic and multireligious harmony. You will remember the early ’90s in former Yugoslavia, and you will know that those conflicts turned out in the end to be religiously motivated or ethically motivated conflicts. You will also remember that this was the time of the last recorded genocide in Europe. During those times, as a prominently multiethnic country, Montenegro did not have a single day of war in its territory, and we received displaced persons and refugees the equivalent of 20% of our population. We reaffirmed our multiethnic, multireligious harmony. You will find it interesting to know that when we had the independence referendum in 2006, Bosniak, Albanian, Croatian, Jewish, all these minority communities supported independence. It was a gesture of trust in the state of Montenegro. Of course, we are aware of the growing antisemitism you indicated, which is a concern for us and which we are openly discussing. It seems like the entire world and Europe are going Right. Unfortunately, the tendency is to maybe infuse some new energy into the darkest ideologies of the 20^th century.

TML: Where does it lead here? Because on one hand you’re talking about an alliance in Europe getting stronger, and on the other hand you’re talking about one of the darkest periods in Europe.

Djukanovic: Going Right is not something that’s exclusive to Europe. Other parts of the world are also going Right. We do have a problem, a global problem of a severe drop in the quality of politics globally. We have an unbearable amount of populism because politics has become a reality in the worst meaning of that word, [like reality television]. It simply is not able to attract high-quality people into the profession any longer, Montenegro being an example. Because we do have high numbers of completely incompetent people in political decision-making positions. Of course, again the problem is not present only here in Montenegro and the Western Balkans. Globally speaking, the quality of politics and politicians is dropping like a stone. This should be imperative for all of us to change that. Because of the negative processes we talked about, if we fail to stop them, dropping in quality may turn into something that will be unstoppable. I hope we will manage to do so. And then this vision of Europe I previously shared with you would come as a result of us stopping the populism and the dropping quality of politics.

TML: In 2012, the Jewish community and the government signed the act on mutual relations whereby Judaism was recognized as the fourth official religion. Rabbi Ariel Edelkopf, later named the first chief rabbi, opened the first synagogue with the support of your government. What has been the greatest result of that agreement since that recognition took place?

Djukanovic: The act we signed back in 2012 that you referred to is one of the acts we signed with all the religious communities, following the examples of developed democracies when it comes to regulating the relations between the state and the religious communities. In some cases, we succeeded and in some cases, we did not. As you know, we are struggling a bit with this same kind of agreement or contract with the Serbian Orthodox Church. The fact that we are struggling with signing such an agreement with them is a reflection again of the global relations I talked about. Because unfortunately both the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are just tools or instruments in the hands of Putin’s policy. But to leave that aside, our relations with the Jewish community are motivated by an open and friendly ambition to continue to develop good relations with the Jewish community both in the country and abroad. We have high respect for the achievements and values nourished by the Jewish community globally. I had a chance to go to Israel on an official visit on several occasions. I had excellent relations with all the Israeli leaders in the past years, and I do believe strongly that Montenegro should continue nourishing those good relations with the State of Israel, which again in turn could lead to a transfer of some good experiences that will help Montenegro develop faster.

TML: You and Israel have had relations in the area of defense, in tourism. But I also know that in the areas of agriculture there is some lacking here in Montenegro. Is Israel a place that you would be looking for in terms of growing your small farms?

Djukanovic: Absolutely. As you indicated, in defense and security we already have excellent cooperation. And we also already have good cooperation in tourism. But we should complement our tourist development with food production. And this is an area where Israel has exceptional experience that can help us. And another area is technological startups, where Israel could very much assist us because they’re a global leader in that regard.

TML: Why hasn’t that happened yet?

Djukanovic: I did talk about this with Prime Minister Netanyahu, maybe a month ahead of this series of elections that ensued, and we actually agreed on that. Then there was a series of elections in Israel. I do expect us, once we consolidate the political situation here, that the government, I do expect us to continue the talks with the Israeli government to work toward that transfer of the experience.

TML: The strong ties between Israel and Montenegro have not translated into an official status. When is it that you foresee Israel and Montenegro opening up embassies?

Djukanovic: Yes, you are right; Israeli interests are being represented by an ambassador sitting in Belgrade. And we also have a nonresident ambassador in Israel. But we do have a very hard-working honorary consul in Tel Aviv who is managing to cope with a huge workload when it comes to the relations between the countries. And I am sure that in the near future we will be expanding our diplomatic network, and of course, Israel would be one of the top priorities. But for the time being, we are slowly and cautiously, and carefully approaching that issue. Being a small country, being a developing country, we are simply trying to adjust our spending to make it correspond to our GDP.

TML: Your relationship with the Palestinian Authority also dates back to 2006, when they recognized Montenegro’s independence. Montenegro in return recognized Palestine in the UN General Assembly resolution. Can your small country have influence perhaps as a mediator here, too, between Israel and the Palestinian Authority?

Djukanovic: You noticed this well; we do have good relations with the Palestinian Authority, again as a tradition and heritage coming from former Yugoslavia times. And we are really trying to be as constructive as possible, pragmatic, and to follow the policy in this regard of the United Nations and the key Western partners. So if there is any possibility for Montenegro to play a role in the region and that is something that would benefit both sides, we would gladly allow it to happen.

TML: In 2018, I was in Montenegro and afterward published the last interview with Jasa Alfandari in The Media Line on his amazing mission to find every Jew living in Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo. A one-man band who was responsible for initiating Mahar, the annual regional conference in the Balkans from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Croatia. What has Mahar brought to Montenegro, and has anyone filled Jasa’s shoes?

Djukanovic: It’s not that easy to fill the shoes of Mr. Alfandari, given his sensibility and his vision. We of course are continuing our cooperation with all his successors, in one way or another, trying to promote the interests of the Jewish community here. But on a general note, Mr. Alfandari is missed. And this is so not only because of the relations between the state of Montenegro with the Jewish community here. Because he was a true and honest friend of Montenegro, a very complex personality. And I was able to talk to him about many different issues. But whatever the issue was, I always recognized in him and his views the good intentions that he had and the responsibility he had for Montenegro.

TML: One of the longest-standing European politicians, what is it that drives you to wake up every day and stay in the seat of power?

Djukanovic: It’s a good question. To tell you the truth, I never saw this coming. I never thought that I would stay that long in politics. Because I thought I would only stay in politics for a brief period of time. And I always wanted to return to the business sector, as a challenge. I always perceived it to be a challenge in my life. But unfortunately, in the past 30 years of my political career there were so many events they could fill up a century. Initially, we had the war in former Yugoslavia, so somebody needed to make sure that we had peace here. We managed to do so, to succeed in that. And we managed to protect our multiethnic harmony. And then the issue of the economic sustainability of Montenegro came up. We did manage to ensure that we had such sustainability and to improve it further. Then Milosevic brought us into war with NATO. Someone needed to make sure that Montenegro is not bombed that much. We managed to do that. We opted to become independent again; Serbia was fiercely against it, not only in Milosevic’s time but also during the rule of [Serbian leader Vojislav] Kostunica. We did manage in spite of that to regain our independence, without wars, without instabilities, which is not so commonplace in the Balkans. Actually, it was the single such example. We also opted to join NATO. We managed to become part of NATO. And in the meantime, we realized some very expensive investments. And today we are in the lobby waiting to become part of the European Union. What I’m trying to say is that we had a continuity over the past 30 years, a continuity of challenges. I did feel over the past 30 years at certain points in time where I felt that it was the right time for me to leave politics, to go to business. But unfortunately, these were brief periods of time, because as soon as I would leave I would feel that some important values or some important achievements would wobble or become unstable. So it was worthwhile for me to return again to politics to make sure that it remained stable. Now we also in the past two years have had an interesting experience which was unavoidable. As you know, the government changed two years ago, which is of course not only unavoidable but a desirable thing in a democratic society. But again, some weaknesses have shown themselves. But all those values and achievements I talked about did manage to persevere and to remain still in force. Greater Serbian nationalism attacked and strongly opposed Montenegrin independence, but Montenegro managed to continue to be an independent state. Different political views from the region also tried to ruin our good relations with the neighbors but they didn’t succeed. Also, there were some strong opponents of our NATO membership, but we did manage in spite of those to join it and to stay in NATO and to stay in the lobby to join the European Union, being a frontrunner and ahead of all the other candidates. It was worth the effort, I would say. Because we do have an achievement, a capital behind us. And I do believe that we will manage to reaffirm this strategic policy that we have, once we consolidate the new government, and that we will manage to bring Montenegro into the European Union. This is my long response to your question about what motivates me every morning.

Macedonia and Serbia to sign EU integration cooperation memorandum (Republika)

Serbia’s and Macedonia’s path toward EU membership is not easy and they both share many things in common to cooperate and share experiences and as a result the two countries will sign a European integration cooperation memorandum, Deputy Prime Minister Bojan Maricic and Serbia’s Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic agreed Thursday at a meeting in Belgrade as part of the Open Balkans initiative. Maricic said after the meeting that the idea of making a memorandum of cooperation and upgrading it in the context of the new methodology and when Macedonia started the negotiations is gladly accepted, which will be useful for both countries, because if we work together we will be able to progress faster and to have better results for our citizens. Both countries have shown a lot in reforms and solving difficult issues, and we think that we have shown ourselves as a credible partner of the European Union and have shown solidarity with the EU, said Maricic at the press conference after the meeting. That, as indicated by Vice Prime Minister Maricic, gives us the right to ask to be involved in solving the current and future crises related to energy supply, food and electricity supply. Serbian Minister Jadranka Joksimovic said that she congratulated Macedonia and Albania on the opening of negotiations for EU membership, and that Serbia “taking into account the political demands it had that prolonged its path, understands the difficult path that Macedonia went through to achieve the goal. We also discussed numerous projects financed by the EU within the framework of the European Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, about the gas interconnector between Serbia and Macedonia, which at this moment is extremely important for the citizens and what are the challenges expecting us, said Joksimovic.

Republican Congressman from the USA in Tirana. He meets Rama, the socialists and Tabaku of DP (Radio Tirana)

The member of the United States Congress, Mike Turner, is in Tirana. According to the announcement from the US Embassy in Tirana, it is said that Turner has met with Prime Minister Edi Rama, politicians from the majority, as well as from the opposition. Congressman Turner also met with the Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi, as well as with the deputy of the Democratic Party, Jorida Tabaku. “U.S. Congressman Mike Turner, representing the 10th District of Ohio, visited Albania yesterday, where he met with Prime Minister Edi Rama and attended a dinner with Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi, Chief of Defense Arben Kingji, Mimi Kodheli (MP), and Jorida Tabaku (MP). Congressman Turner serves as Vice Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and as the Lead Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,” writes US Embassy on Facebook.

Ceremony on unified Primer book/ Kurti: Now more united! Kushi: It will clear the borders between the two countries (Radio Tirana)

The inauguration ceremony of the first Albania-Kosovo unified ABC-book was held in Gjakova, attended by the Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the Minister of Education Evis Kushi and her counterpart in Kosovo, Arberie Nagavci. In his speech, Prime Minister Kurti declared that this unified Primer united two nations, as he further wished success to the students on the path of knowledge. “Dear Minister of Education in Albania and Kosovo, dear authors of the Primer, dear teachers and students. Our common alphabet will be taught in a unified Primer textbook. The ABC book serves for a people moving forward united. The fate of the Albanian school has been linked to the fate of our nation. Today, our nation is united by this unique Primer, this is how the inspiration passed down through the generations is materializing. We must remember with reverence all those pens that did not break, but paved the way for light, despite painful sacrifices. I am happy that we have in hand the common Primer, which we pledged to have at the joint meeting of our governments. We will also distribute a textbook of the Albanian language for Albanians in exile. Only together can we advance the knowledge. The school will also provide value education. The path of letters is long and difficult, may the path of knowledge be good for you little girl, from this book full of sunshine in its pages”, declared Prime Minister Kurti.

Minister Kushi in her speech stated that this Primer will clear the borders between Kosovo and Albania, adding that this book is one of the best works ever done. “I believe that one of the most beautiful works is the unique joint Primer. I am honored today to be here among you on this day that will be remembered for a long time, as the day when all the little ones learn our beautiful Albanian language with the same primer textbook. Many were skeptical that in such a short time we would be able to realize this initiative. Not just a new Primer, but many times more qualitative and that reflects all educational, cultural and even digital developments. This primer is not just the most memorable first book, but it will erase the borders between Albania and Kosovo. This is the book that will strengthen the love for each other more, because we are one nation and we have one language”, said Kushi.