LOCAL PRESS

Vucic with Botsan-Kharchenko on progress in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, who conveyed to him the message of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his views on the geopolitical situation, as well as Serbian-Russian relations. Vucic informed Botsan-Kharchenko about the progress of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as about the steps taken by Serbia in order to mitigate the consequences of the unilateral moves of the Pristina authorities on the daily life and security of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the President’s Service for Media Relations stated. He stressed that Serbia will remain committed to dialogue as a difficult but only way to seek a compromise solution. In this regard, the two interlocutors discussed the situation in the region, and Vucic once again emphasized Serbia’s commitment to the policy of peace and cooperation in order to maintain stability in the Western Balkans, the statement added. Vucic and Botsan-Kharchenko discussed a series of topics related to bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of energy, said the press release.

Brnabic wraps up visit to Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic wrapped up a one-day visit to Kosovo and Metohija on Monday afternoon with a tour of a winery in Leposavic, a municipality situated in the north of Serbia’s southern province. The Lakicevic Winery is a family-run wine cellar that produces organic grapes and superior wine. The Lakicevics have over 12 hectares of land under vineyards and their wines are highly rated in Serbia and abroad. During the visit to Kosovo and Metohija, Brnabic toured the Multimedia Centre and the Spiritual Academy in the north of Kosovska Mitrovica and the Banjska monastery in Zvecan. She was welcomed by large groups of Serb residents, whom she told Serbia would always be with them and that peace, stability and security for the entire population in the north of the province were Serbian interests. “We will preserve peace and stability almost at all costs. Your security is the red line. We will not allow a pogrom and a new ‘Operation Storm’,” she said. In the Leposavic municipality, Brnabic also presented the keys to a new house built by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija for the underprivileged family of brothers Lazar and Bozidar Radosavljevic.

Brnabic: Open Balkans open to provisional Pristina institutions

Brnabic said the Open Balkans initiative was open to all, including the provisional Pristina institutions. “I think that that is the best way to head towards normalization. I believe that quality of life is the most important to people and once we all ensure that quality is better, that jobs are created and that young people see a perspective, then we can also discuss issues we disagree on or have completely differing views on,” Brnabic said in response to questions from reporters, one of whom asked if Pristina was welcome to join the Open Balkans initiative. She noted that she was visiting Kosovo and Metohija a day after the closure of a wine fair held as part of the initiative and added that the trade show had demonstrated what cooperation looked like. “We demonstrated what it looks like when we turn to cooperation so that, despite the fact we disagree on some important things, we can cooperate and ensure better quality of life and a different future to our Balkans,” Brnabic said. She said she was glad the latest Open Balkans summit had also been attended by representatives of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and added she was hoping the two countries would soon join the initiative. When asked about the position of Kosovo Serbs, Brnabic noted that the number of attacks on the Serb population in the province was rising every year and that the conditions they lived in were “worsening in 2022 in terms of rule of law and the basic democratic achievements”. She explained that Kosovo Serbs had been banned from voting in a January Serbian referendum and in the April elections. “The Visoki Decani monastery remains on the Europa Nostra list of endangered cultural heritage and the only monastery in the world, the only religious heritage site in the world, that is being guarded against armed formations. That says all about how difficult the situation is for our people in Kosovo and Metohija,” she said. Brnabic added that she was proud to be a part of a team led by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who she noted had the determination and the courage to seek “compromise to ensure some degree of security to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”. “Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is important – when there is dialogue, there is a smaller chance of unilateral moves being made and Kosovo Serbs being harassed. That is why we have always been ready and we are ready for that dialogue. I hope the provisional Pristina institutions will finally be sincerely committed to that dialogue,” Brnabic said.

Petkovic: Brnabic’s visit showed how much our people love Serbia (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said today that Prime Minister Ana Brnabic sent three messages during her visit to the southern province – that Belgrade will preserve peace and security and stand strongly with its people, as well as that it is necessary for the ZSO to be formed immediately if we want to talk about normalization. Petkovic emphasized that it was a visit that showed how much our people love Serbia and that there is no survival without our state. “The Prime Minister sent three messages to our people and to the Albanians who live there – that we will do everything to preserve peace and stability, because that is the only way to preserve the future and move on,” Petkovic told Tanjug. He added that the second important message is that the Serbian government, the President and the state will continue to be strongly with their people, which implies that security is a red line for us and that we will not allow any pogroms and storms. As he says, Brnabic said this in several addresses in Kosovo and Metohija, and on the other hand, she emphasized that the government will continue to strongly support all projects aimed at empowering Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. “The third message is that the ZSO must be formed immediately if we want to talk about further normalization,” Petkovic said and reminded that Pristina has not fulfilled its obligation to form the ZSO for 10 years, which is not only “the backbone of the Brussels agreement but also of the dialogue”. Petkovic thanked Raska-Prizren Bishop Teodosije who welcomed the Prime Minister at the Banjska Monastery and thanked him for everything that the state, through the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, is doing for our church in Kosovo and Metohija.

Kamberi seeks more Kosovo presence in Presevo Valley (Beta)

Shaip Kamberi, an MP from Bujanovac and leader of the Party of Democratic Action, said he had spoken with Kosovo Deputy Premier Besnik Bislimi and Education Minister Arberie Nagavci about “the need for a greater presence of the Republic of Kosovo in the Presevo Valley”. “We discussed general political trends in the Presevo Valley and region, the need for a greater presence of the Republic of Kosovo in the Presevo Valley with concrete projects, the needs of the citizens of the Valley who reside in Kosovo, and especially the need for greater involvement with a view to including ethnic Albanian rights in the dialog with Serbia on the principle of reciprocity,” Kamberi said. A delegation of Kosovo officials visited Bujanovac and Presevo on Monday and had meetings with Ragmi Mustafa, head of the Albanian National Council and Nagip Arifi, head of the Bujanovac municipality. Shqiprim Arifi, head of the Presevo municipality, said he would not meet with Kosovo officials because he believed Kosovo authorities were ignoring him for criticizing the government of Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti.

Kosovo-Serbia land swap would be a fair solution (Beta/Koha)

Bujanovac Mayor Nagip Arifi said that Kosovo and Serbia should exchange territories so that Serbia gets northern Mitrovica and Kosovo gets the Presevo Valley and that this would be a fair solution. Arifi said he raised the issue at the beginning of his meeting with Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi on Monday in Bujanovac but that Bislimi “did not respond and maybe he was surprised at that moment”. “I think this is the best solution for both the Presevo Valley Albanians and for Kosovo. President Vucic always mentioned a compromise and he was probably thinking of something like this. However, he believes that only a part of the Presevo Valley should be given to Kosovo in return for the north, but the entire Valley should be given to Kosovo,” Arifi told the Pristina Koha. Arifi added he was optimistic that “someday the Presevo Valley will be swapped for northern Kosovo”.

Djilas: Important that parliament session on Kosovo produce unity of political options (B92/Beta)

Dragan Djilas, president of the Freedom and Justice Party, said on Monday that it was important that a Serbian parliament session on Kosovo and Metohija produce unity among all political options. He told TV B92 that he believed a great majority of Serbian people were against recognizing Kosovo as independent and that a decision to recognize it would necessitate amending the Constitution. According to him, all political options should provide support at this session to those participating in the dialog with Pristina. “Ideally, institutions of importance to the Serb people would get involved too — the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the University, the Serbian Orthodox Church. It should be a paper that gives support to those who are doing the talks at this time, and that shows the stand of this country,” Djilas said.

Aleksic: Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija, together with Serb List, work on evicting Serbs (Nova S)

The caucus whip of the People’s Party Miroslav Aleksic said that the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija, together with the Serb List, are working to evict the Serbs because “there will be no Kosovo problem when there are no more Serbs there”, and that this is the policy of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “We are losing in negotiations with the Albanians because Vucic thought he knew everything. The people who deal with Kosovo and Metohija on behalf of the EU and the US have seen that the authorities in Belgrade are ready for all the concessions that lead to the independence of Kosovo and Metohija. What did Serbia and its citizens in Kosovo and Metohija get for 10 years of the Brussels dialogue? Nothing. In 2018, Vucic said he would not give Gazivode. Where are Gazivode now,” Aleksic told TV Nova S. Aleksic pointed out that the result of such a policy is that today Ana Brnabic, the Prime Minister of Serbia, which is a sovereign state, put a sticker over the coat of arms of her country on the license plate of the car she used to go to Kosovo and Metohija. “It is a great shame. The people who brought us to the brink can hardly bring us back. That is why it is now fundamentally important to fundamentally change the internal and foreign policy of Serbia, and we cannot expect that while this regime is in power,” Aleksic pointed out. Aleksic said that Ana Brnabic’s visit to Kosovo and Metohija is an “image of expropriation” of Serbia in the north of the province in the last ten years, from the signing of the Brussels agreements to the formation of the Serb List, which entered the Kosovo institutions. “Ana Brnabic’s visit looked like she had gone to another country. She was awaited by representatives of the institutions of Kosovo, that is, the Serb List. Why didn’t the head of the district wait for her,” asked Aleksic. Aleksic recalled that last week he visited the north and south of Kosovo and Metohija together with members of the People’s Party, and added that the Serbs in the south “live in captivity” without basic human rights and “suffer pressure from both Albanians and the Serb List”. He announced that the party will present a 10-point platform for negotiations on Kosovo and Metohija tomorrow. “We will call on all political actors, as well as those outside politics, for national unity around key issues concerning the statehood of Serbia, respect for territorial integrity and international acts,” Aleksic said. He added that the People’s Party will propose that the Serbian parliament adopt the platform at a special session on Kosovo and Metohija. “We don’t want to get into an argument and debate, but to seriously approach the most important issue that Serbia is currently facing and reach an agreement. I would like the MPs of the ruling and opposition parties to read our platform and give their suggestions so that we can enter the parliamentary debate in a serious way,” Aleksic said.

Jeremic: If Pristina doesn’t form ZSO by 31 December, Belgrade to abandon negotiations in Brussels (Beta)

The leader of the People’s Party Vuk Jeremic presented today the resolution of that party on Kosovo, which stipulates that Pristina be given until the end of the year to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), or that Belgrade withdraw from the negotiations. Jeremic said at the press conference that he believes that Serbia, if Pristina does not meet the deadline by 31 December, should declare the Brussels process unsuccessful. According to him, 1 January marks the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Brussels agreement guaranteeing the formation of the ZSO. “If the ZSO is not established as agreed, by 31 December 2022, or in the case of any unilateral act of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina, we request that the Serbian government undertakes to terminate further negotiations with the representatives of the provisional institutions of self-government on Kosovo and Metohija through the mediation of the EU, and to request that the continuation of those negotiations be conducted under the auspices of a contact group consisting of representatives of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council,” said Jeremic in the premises of the People’s Party. He added that the Resolution foresees that, if Pristina does not form the ZSO, the representatives of the Serb List will leave the government of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo and that, in cooperation with the government of Serbia, they will independently form the ZSO. According to him, the Serbian government undertakes to continue the international diplomatic campaign for the withdrawal of the recognition of Kosovo’s sovereignty without delay and in full capacity. Jeremic said that they are asking the government to present a negotiating platform for dialogue by 15 October, but that the part of the strategy marked as confidential should also be presented within the framework of the parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija. They overlook in the Resolution that the Serbian government is conducting an active diplomatic campaign with the aim of preventing Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations, UNESCO, as well as in other international organizations, as well as that the Serbian President should write to the Presidents of Russia and China with a “request” to those countries, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, to veto any attempt of Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations. Jeremic requested that the Resolution commit the Serbian government to ensure the safety of Serbs in cooperation with international actors, as well as the protection of churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, monuments and other cultural heritage in Kosovo. The Resolution envisages that the government provides support measures for the permanent and sustainable return of displaced persons, the construction of return settlements in the north of the province and in Serbian enclaves in the province for families who have been expelled, as well as special population policy measures. The People’s Party points out that it is necessary for the mandate for the composition of the new government to foresee the Ministry for Kosovo. Jeremic said that the People’s Party will present that Resolution to Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic, as well as to all caucus whips.

Slovenian Ministry summons Serbian Ambassador over Vucic’s statement (N1)

The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Serbia’s Ambassador to Slovenia over Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statements made during Slovenian President Borut Pahor’s recent visit to Belgrade. The Ministry said it was surprised by Vucic’s statements and that it once again informed the Belgrade authorities on its position on Kosovo, which has been recognized by Slovenia as an independent state. Serbia’s Ambassador to Slovenia Zorana Vlatkovic has been summoned by the Ministry over Vucic’s statements made at a media conference during Pahor’s visit to Belgrade. Vucic asked the reporters how he is to explain to his nation that Serbia is imposing sanctions on Russia but not on Slovenia. “Russia has not violated Serbia’s territorial integrity, but Slovenia has. And we see that we have good relations with Slovenia,” said Vucic, noting that Slovenia has recognized Kosovo which is, from Serbia’s point of view, a violation of international law, UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244. The Foreign Ministry in Ljubljana expressed hope that Serbia will not problematize Slovenia’s position on Kosovo because Slovenia’s support for Kosovo is not directed against Serbia. The Ministry reiterated Slovenia’s determined opposition against equating its recognition of Kosovo with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We want for countries to continue developing friendly relations and jointly seeking ways to resolve outstanding issues in the Western Balkans, which would alleviate tensions in the region, said the Ministry adding that this would help both Serbia and Kosovo advance on their path to the EU. Slovenia will continue to advocate communication with Serbia, with respect on all levels, said the Slovenian Ministry.

REGIONAL PRESS

RS parliament receives Dodik’s request to hold session at which MPs should declare on whether decision to grant agrement to new German Ambassador to B&H is harmful to vital interest of RS (Nova BH) 

The dust is not settling around the appointment of a new German Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). After B&H Presidency members Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic voted for granting the agrément to the new German Ambassador to B&H and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik voted against it at a session of the B&H Presidency, the Republika Srpska (RS) parliament received Dodik’s request to hold a session at which representatives should declare on whether the decision to grant the agrement to the new Ambassador of Germany to B&H Thomas Fitschen is harmful to the vital interest of the RS. Nova BH reminded that Dodik needs two-thirds majority in the RS parliament to get the support he needs. However, as Nova BH reminded, Dodik did not have two-thirds majority in the RS parliament in October last year and April this year. “I am aware of that situation surrounding the Assembly, but discussion in the Assembly itself will show who understands the global trends and who does not understand the trends, who accepts subservience to the Germans and who does not, and to the West as a whole. Recently, German politics has shown aspirations to dominate here and to threaten the interests of the RS and the Serb people in these areas,” Dodik pointed out. Dodik also said: “We do not bluff. We always pursue policies very clearly and precisely. And all these years I have been in politics, I have never bluffed to initiate something…” Dodik said that the appointment of new German Ambassador to B&H should not be allowed until Germany withdraws the Bundestag resolution that is “detrimental” to the RS. After PDP announced that the party will not vote for Dodik’s request, Dodik stated that RS parliament’s special session will show who understands global trends and “who accepts vassalage to Germans and the West”. “It would be good that the RS parliament passes a decision in favor of my proposal, because that would show that we are some factor after all, at least when it comes to our lives here, and would also bring Germany as a big country in a position to talk with the RS – not about the RS”, Dodik concluded. According to Dodik, the RS parliament is going to show who is on whose side. RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic received the request of Dodik for holding the RS parliament session. The RS parliament will consider the statement of the Serb member of the B&H Presidency and if it confirms it with two-thirds majority within ten days since its forwarding, the disputed decision of the B&H Presidency will not enter into force. Dodik also said: “…This is not directed against Germany but against the German policy. During the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s rule, we had a solid cooperation. We did not have these problems.” Meanwhile, the German Embassy in B&H told the daily that the accusations that Germany is committed against the Serb people are unsustainable and unfounded. “The Federal Republic of Germany supports the Dayton Agreement, which established the existence of the RS. Germany cooperates with its local and international partners for a functional B&H in which all its citizens with all their peculiarities are guaranteed rights and which has a future in the European family of nations and in the EU,” the German Embassy in B&H said in a statement.

Borenovic: Dodik’s policy is crazy and extremely damaging for RS people and economy (BN TV) 

Commenting on the B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik’s request for the RS parliament special session in relation to formal approval to new German Ambassador to B&H Thomas Fitschen, PDP leader Branislav Borenovic said for BN TV: “Dodik’s policy is crazy and extremely damaging for the RS’ people and economy, i.e. getting into an open conflict with Germany that is our biggest foreign trade partner.” Borenovic reminded that in 2021, trade between Germany and B&H “including the RS” amounted to BAM 4.7 billion, noting that companies from the RS and the Federation of B&H (FB&H) exported BAM 2.137 billion to Germany, “by far the most compared to total export, showing that this way he can endanger the RS’ economy and lead to its collapse, especially private companies and entrepreneurs that employ tens of thousands of people in production sector” that ensure livelihood for people who receive their salaries and pensions from “the RS budget” and support the most developed municipalities in the RS. “He should ask what the two most successful municipalities, Derventa and Kotor Varos live off, where private companies that are the symbol of the RS are located in, the companies that employ thousands of people and whose export to Germany is almost 100 per cent. I think it is an economic suicide – getting into a conflict with the country which we have the biggest trade with, which the RS’ economy and tens of thousands of jobs depend on, and I think it is a crazy policy that must be urgently stopped,” concluded Borenovic.

Crnadak: RS parliament’s session will show that Dodik is leading RS into conflict with whole world (O Kanal) 

PDP representative in RS parliament Igor Crnadak said that the RS parliament session on rejecting to grant the agrement to new German Ambassador to B&H Thomas Fitschen will show again that Dodik is leading the RS into isolation and conflict with the whole world. Crnadak said that Dodik’s policy does not have support. According to Crnadak, Dodik is causing direct damage to the RS, its entrepreneurs and its international image with such behavior. Crnadak said that Serbia will also feel the consequences. Crnadak also said that Dodik is creating problems for the entire people of the RS out of his personal spite and he added: “This will be an interesting session because we will get a chance to hear whether it was Germans and German companies that looted the RS or was it Serb firms with people from Dodik’s Cabinet and close to SNSD at their helm. That session will also show that the RS must be defended from Dodik and SNSD and not from any kind of fabricated enemies.”

SNSD condemns PDP’s moves of siding with Western power centers (ATV) 

SNSD issued a statement in which it strongly condemns the moves of PDP, which – according to the statement – “again, for the umpteenth time, sides with the Western power centers instead of with the RS leadership”. SNSD’s statement reads that PDP leader Branislav Borenovic and PDP Vice-President Igor Crnadak obviously believe that politics is about currying favor with the West, regardless of what their stances and policies are towards the RS. “Germany has clearly defined a policy that seeks to reduce the constitutional positions of the RS and the Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If PDP believes that we should receive the German ambassador with a smile to implement this policy, then they should say so,” concluded SNSD.

Stanic says Dodik’s initiative to block granting of agrement to new German Ambassador to B&H is nonsense and yet another pre-election trick (EuroBlic) 

Chair of SDS Caucus in the RS parliament Miladin Stanic said that the announcement on holding the RSNA session on rejecting to grant the agrement to new German Ambassador to B&H Thomas Fitschen is yet another pre-election trick of Milorad Dodik and he assessed that there is “nothing meaningful” behind it. “I do not know if this comes out of his head or someone is talking him into this. It is a complete nonsense to worsen relations with the European country with which we have the biggest foreign trade exchange and in which a high number of our people is working”, Stanic said and reminded that even Russia and Ukraine, which are in war, have their ambassadors in Kyev and Moscow respectively, so Dodik’s idea to block granting of the agrement to the new German Ambassador to B&H is nonsense. Stanic told the daily that he cannot say in advance whether SDS will support Dodik’s veto on the decision to grant the agrement to the new German Ambassador, but that he thinks it is not good “because of the citizens living in Germany and the economy that does business with that country”. “Serbia is the best indicator of how Germany should be treated. Germany is one of the biggest investors in Serbia, and despite the fact that it recognized Kosovo, Serbia cooperates with Germany. The Bundestag resolution is not good, but it is non-binding. In order for it to be implemented, it must pass many world instances,” Stanic said.

Krivic slams Dodik over his initiative to launch protection of vital national interest regarding appointment of new German Ambassador to B&H (Dnevni avaz) 

Member of SBB B&H Main Board and candidate for B&H parliament Anis Krivic posted a comment on his Facebook profile following the announcement of Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik that he will launch the protection of vital national interest with regard to the appointment of new German Ambassador to B&H Thomas Fitschen. In his post, Krivic said that Dodik wants B&H to get in quarrel with Germany as its loyal friend and he added that Dodik is making this move in an attempt to stay in power at the expense of B&H and its citizens, including Serbs, who are moving out to Germany in high numbers. “Dodik, in his own, arrogant way is abusing the institute of the vital national interest and he is presenting it to Serb people as an alleged protection while he is diverting B&H away from the European path and is turning friends into enemies”, Krivic said and added that, perhaps, B&H citizens will finally realize that they must have three members of the Presidency of B&H who “will play only for B&H”.

Dodik: RS willing to accept constitutional and Dayton B&H, it is ready to leave any other kind of B&H (ATV) 

Addressing media in Banja Luka on Monday, Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that RS is willing to accept the constitutional and the Dayton B&H, while it is ready to leave any other kind of B&H. Dodik said that the RS will leave unconstitutional B&H, adding: “B&H is more anti-Dayton and unconstitutional than it is constitutional and Dayton. Therefore, if this is not resolved in the coming period, B&H stands no chance. We are bound by the Dayton Agreement and the letter of the Dayton Agreement, not by various international brokers who are trying to abuse power here, impose solutions that are not in accordance with the constitution.” The Presidency member underlined that one such thing is the fact that the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) declared the RS Day unconstitutional. SNSD’s representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic stated that the international community and “political Sarajevo” keep discriminating the RS, noting that obstruction of B&H stemming from the Dayton Agreement only comes from the FB&H. “If political Sarajevo does not allow the construction of a gas pipeline, if political Sarajevo does not allow the construction of an airport in Trebinje, what is this rather than a violation of the Constitution? All that we have on the scene lately is a violation of procedures in joint institutions”, added Vulic. SNSD’s representative in the RS parliament Srdjan Mazalica said that the Serb side is a signatory to the Dayton Agreement and as with any agreement, the moment it is violated, any party has the right to withdraw from it. “And when it comes to certain principles of international law, especially if one party or one of the federal units is in a federal community, it suffers certain discrimination and if its interests are harmed, those federal units have the right to leave that unit, and we have examples of that in the world”, Mazalica explained his opinion.

Cubrilovic: Israeli officials express support to Dodik’s stances (RTRS) 

RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic is paying a two-day visit to Israel. During his meetings with Israeli officials, Cubrilovic said that the RS protects its interests within B&H and respects everyone who wants to develop this region. They concluded that the cooperation between the RS and Israel is good. Cubrilovic told RTRS that the Israeli officials expressed support to stances of Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik, adding that all collocutors in Israel stressed that there are many common topics and jobs that could be a basis for cooperation. He said that the mayor of the city of Modin expressed readiness to help local communities in the RS. Cubrilovic also visited the Yad Vashem Memorial Center in Jerusalem, where he honored the Holocaust victims.

Official campaign for general elections in B&H begins; Election campaign in B&H takes place in atmosphere of political tension and uncertainty as to whether High Representative will impose political changes to B&H Election Law (HRT1) 

The official campaign for the general elections in B&H, which will take place on 2 October, has begun. As many as 90 parties, 37 coalitions and 17 independent candidates are taking part in the B&H general elections. About 3.3 million people are eligible to vote in the B&H elections. President of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) Suad Arnautovic especially drew attention to the ban on using hate speech in the campaign, as well as any other form of public expression or speech that causes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence against any person or group of persons on the basis of race, skin color, ethnicity, gender or religion. In accordance with the technical changes to the B&H Election Law imposed by High Representative Christian Schmidt, the B&H CEC has the possibility to impose much stricter penalties for violation of election rules. HRT1 stressed that the election campaign in B&H is taking place in an atmosphere of political tension and uncertainty as to whether the High Representative will amend the B&H Election Law, which has been the subject of a fierce political fight for months. Political analyst from Mostar Danijel Vidovic said that the current B&H Election Law still enables others to elect the political representatives of Croats. “We are noticing great radicalization, especially on the Bosniak political scene, caused by the fact that the main actors of the international community realized that their actions so far are leading to the complete collapse of the Dayton structure, which is the guarantor of B&H’s survival,” Vidovic underlined. HRT1 stressed that it is speculated that Schmidt will impose political changes to the B&H Election Law on the very day of the elections on October 2 or a day after that. However, as HRT1 noted, this is still not certain. HRT1 reminded that before and during the election campaign, Croat political representatives in B&H stated that Schmidt should finish the job he started with the technical amendments to the B&H Election Law.

Continuation of the negotiations of the old parliamentary majority (MINA) 

Representatives of the parties that won the majority in the elections on 30 August 2020, will continue negotiations on the formation of a new government today. At the meeting on 2 September, they signed an agreement which stipulates that their cooperation is based on respecting the electoral will of the citizens from 30 August 2020. One of the leaders of the Democratic Front, Andrija Mandic, said earlier that they agreed that the formation of the new government should be followed by the election of the new parliamentary leadership. “Certainly, what’s important – we agreed that the doors of that government are open for authentic representatives of minority peoples in Montenegro, so the support for that government should be significantly higher than the number 41,” Mandic said. The agreement foresees the continuation of the fight against corruption and organized crime and the prevention of any return of the Democratic Party of Socialists to power, appointments in the judiciary, as well as the election of a new leadership of the parliament.

Djukanovic: We have to stop awarding those who’re going to betray after elections (Gradska TV) 

In an interview for Gradska TV, the President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, said that we “should avoid emotions and bad calculations. We can think whatever we want about certain people, but our interest must be to have a stable home, ensure its survival, develop it”. This time, the President says, everybody has to vote in elections. Djukanovic, said that he was not surprised by the Agreement between the winners of the 2020 parliamentary elections. “I follow the movement of that part of the parliamentary scene of Montenegro, which is embodied by those three coalitions. It is obvious that they did not manage when the Black on White coalition decided to leave their platform and tried to act independently,” said Djukanovic. According to him, this is now “a commotion in which, with the logic of drowning people, they are trying to save what can be saved”. “It’s impossible to connect it anymore in my opinion. They announced that they will try to reset relations and return on 30 August,” said the President. Djukanovic expressed his thoughts that they will not be able to come to an agreement and “create a third government”.  “I think we are much closer to quick parliamentary elections than to the formation of a third government,” the president pointed out. According to the president, they still haven’t realized the “enormous damage they have done to Montenegro”. “I think they are still trying to pursue their very selfish, personal and party interests,” he added. He believes that Montenegro does not need a third experiment. “If it were to happen that they make a compromise and form a third government, I think it would last just as long as the government of Abazovic. It’s just that I wouldn’t like to lose even one more day. We need to stop the deterioration of Montenegro as soon as possible. Instead of forming a third government, I think it is necessary to schedule elections,” Djukanovic emphasized.

Mickoski: VMRO-DPMNE to file initiative to collect signatures to call a referendum against the Agreement with Bulgaria (Republika) 

VMRO-DPMNE Executive Committee held a session which was focused on the initiative for a referendum, which comes after the imposed underestimating conditions for open Bulgarianization and identity redefinition of Macedonia, something that the government of SDSM accepted, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, said at a press conference.

Let me make it clear right away that VMRO-DPMNE supports the integration of Macedonia within the European Union without any doubts, but VMRO-DPMNE does not support assimilation, change of historical facts, renouncing the uniqueness of the language and identity deprivation. The practice so far has shown that the government and Kovacevski were not telling the truth when they said that historical issues are not a topic of conversation, not only are they a topic of conversation, they have also become a condition for Macedonia to advance towards the EU, which in itself represents an unfair position which the Macedonian government accepted it to the detriment of the entire country and going beyond its mandate. At the same time, the sovereignty in the country, the people were neither asked nor did Kovacevski have a mandate to put Macedonia in a subordinate position. Not to mention that Macedonia gave in for the name, gave in for Bulgaria, gave in for the negotiating framework, and got nothing in return. On the contrary, life is increasingly difficult, the energy crisis and inflation are destroying the state and bringing poverty, Mickoski pointed out. He said that this Executive Committee is following up on the extensive consultations that it has done over the past month. It was discussed and consulted with experts and professors of constitutional law, the coalition partners, the deputies, and together we reached a solution that was confirmed unanimously by the Executive Committee, he added. A decision was made to start a citizen’s initiative to collect signatures for calling a referendum, and in the coming week we will collect at least 100 qualified signatures, with which such an initiative will be submitted to the parliament. I, the Executive Committee of the party, the deputies will be the first to sign this initiative. After which I expect the Parliament to quickly legitimize and approve the initiative, after which the deadlines for collecting 150,000 signatures to call for a mandatory referendum will begin, I repeat a mandatory referendum. The referendum question will refer to the Good Neighborly Agreement with Bulgaria that Zaev concluded with Borisov. He is the source and the beginning of all the problems for Macedonia and the basis on which Bulgaria then based its maximalist demands and positions, the poisoned tree bears poisoned fruits. The termination of this agreement will mean the termination of requests to change textbooks, disputing the language, history, culture, etc. That’s why we propose that the referendum question should read and as such it was adopted and confirmed today by the Executive Committee of the party: Are you in favor of abandoning the importance of the “law on the ratification of the agreement on friendship, good neighborhood and cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria published in the Official Gazette No. 12 /2018 from 18.01.2018? VMRO-DPMNE will call for a vote to end the validity of this harmful agreement, emphasized Mickoski. I expect the government to allow the people to express themselves and put an end to the blackmailing pressures and obstruction by Bulgaria. This should be the answer of the people for their Macedonia and for our common future, he added.

Nikoloski: Early parliamentary elections needed so that the government doesn’t run away from elections (Republika) 

During the visit to the municipality of Bitola, the vice-president of VMRO-DPMNE, Aleksandar Nikoloski, answering a journalist’s question regarding Dimitar Kovacevski’s statement that they won the local extraordinary elections, stressed that it is necessary to hold early parliamentary elections as soon as possible and to see the mood of the people who are looking forward to parliamentary elections to express their mood. I think we have commented on it long enough, let’s hold early parliamentary elections to see what the mood of the people is, we are literally asking for early parliamentary elections every day, the people are looking forward to holding early parliamentary elections and see what the mood is, I think that the favorite agency for measuring ratings also tells them what the mood is, because they rarely walk among the people, so they can’t hear, and that’s why they run away from early parliamentary elections, the solution is to hold  elections and let the people say what they think, Nikoloski pointed out.

Kovacevski: Goal set to conclude EU negotiations by 2030 (Republika) 

The government has decided to establish a structure for Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said Monday. Vice Prime Minister Bojan Maricic will be the main negotiator, and the team will also include domestic experts, civil servants and experts from outside the institutions, as well as foreign experts. Kovacevski believes that the institutions have the capacity for negotiations with the EU and expects a quality and efficient structure that will cope with the challenges. He announced that the whole process will be inclusive and transparent. He called for a social consensus to achieve progress towards the EU, for the inclusion of the civil sector, the business community, the academic community, and he also called on the opposition to actively participate, support and help the process. Negotiations should proceed with accelerated dynamics and be closed as soon as possible. Completing the negotiations by 2030 is the goal we set for ourselves. It is real and achievable and I am strongly convinced that by the next enlargement of the Union, Macedonia will be included. We will work dedicatedly for our country to be equal with all other member countries, to participate in the creation of EU policies, of course, with the protection of our state interests. Our future is in the EU. For us, this has no alternative and therefore it is necessary that we all support to get involved, to take advantage of the opportunity that is in front of us and with quick steps and confidently move forward towards full-fledged membership in the EU, Kovacevski pointed out.

Kovacevski will beg Orban for Russian gas through Vucic?! (Pressing TV) 

Is the Republic of Macedonia at a crossroads regarding the procurement of energy for the most painless overcoming of the challenges that lie ahead of us, on the eve of the most difficult winter in general that is expected? And which way it will go? Will it go to the one, which leads to an absurd situation, or it will reconcile with the simple phrase – the situation is as it is? analyses Pressing TV. All these dilemmas emerge after the Open Balkans initiative summit and the visit of the Macedonian delegation led by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski to official Sofia, whose focus is once again dealing with the consequences of the world energy crisis. Translated into plain language, the situation comes down to the conclusions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, presented during his 7 March interview with the TV21. Osmani was then determined that the purchase of Russian oil and gas would finance the Russian military. It is clear to all of us that the purchase of Russian oil and gas finances the war, that is, the Russian army. Russia’s main assets come from natural gas and oil sources. As you can see, Europe is dependent on that gas and oil and the supply has not been completely cut off precisely because of that dependence, he said then, among other things. He also added that “Europe is constantly, especially now looking for alternative energy sources, but for now the situation is as it is”. The situation from March until now has not changed much in terms of both the political and the economic part. Both Kovacevski, Aleksandar Vucic and Edi Rama in Belgrade were decisive that mutual cooperation is necessary from the point of view of providing each other with enough food and energy to survive the coming winter. Rama even warned the EU not to allow a repeat of the situation with the procurement of vaccines for the Covid-19 pandemic. The absurdity of the situation imposes the dilemma of whether Prime Minister Kovacevski will now, through Serbian President Vucic, actually beg Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the purchase of certain quantities of Russian gas, which both procured on time and filled their warehouses contrary to the commitments of the EU and the US? The picture is not much different even in neighboring Bulgaria. Because, after the fall of the Government of Kiril Petkov, who wanted to completely clear the procurement of Russian gas and replace it with American liquid, the new technical Government of Prime Minister Galab Donev, under the pressure of President Rumen Radev, prioritized restoring the contract with Gazprom! And, at the same time, it is making every effort to complete the gas pipeline from Alexandroupolis to Bulgaria for American and Azerbaijani gas, which unfortunately bypassed Macedonia. It is indicative that the information about Prime Minister Kovacevski’s visit to Sofia does not strictly mention the purchase of gas, but of electricity. But even without that, that electricity has to be produced from something, be it coal, liquid or natural gas, or the Belene nuclear plant.

Rama: Peace in region jeopardized by Russian influence (Der Spiegel/ADN) 

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in an interview for the German magazine Der Spiegel, warned that the already fragile peace of the Balkans is jeopardized by the Russian influence, which according to him would welcome new conflicts in the region. “Russia would be pleased if something moved in the direction of conflict in the Balkans,” he said. According to him, people in the region are divided into those who oppose Putin and those who support him. Moreover, Rama cited the references that Russian President Putin makes to Kosovo when he compares it to Crimea and other Ukrainian regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists. “Have you heard how many times Putin mentions Kosovo in his speeches? He constantly repeats: Kosovo, Kosovo, Kosovo,” said Rama, further noting that the Russian Head of State incites “the most painful of all unresolved problems” in the Balkans. While emphasizing that the Balkans is divided in terms of Russian and Western influences, the head of the Albanian government expressed his conviction that, however, the region is also experiencing positive developments thanks to the “Open Balkan” regional co-operation initiative. In this respect, he recognized the merits of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was “triggered” the promotion of the initiative through the so-called Berlin Process. “For the first time in the history of the Balkans, senior politicians are sitting together at a table once a year, always in different European cities, in London, Paris, Trieste, Vienna. Until she left politics, Merkel was personally present every time. This has changed everything,” said Rama. However, he pointed out that despite the differences, the leaders of the region are united by a common goal: “To reverse the fate of history”.

New parliamentary session, President Begaj addresses to MPs to focus on political dialogue and reforms that are important for the country (Radio Tirana) 

At the start of the new parliamentary session, President Bajram Begaj addressed a message to all MPs to support the integration reforms, complete the Electoral Reform according to the ODIHR recommendations and fight corruption. President Begaj writes that it is up to the Assembly to be the model of behavior and action as patriots, where the interests of the group or the party cannot stand above the interests of the people and of the nation. In his message, the president asks for more cooperation from the political class, bringing an approach and behavior that suits European countries. Begaj also calls for more political dialogue, inclusiveness and consensus among political parties on issues of major importance for the country, while demanding fight against corruption and the support for the justice reform from all MPs.