LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Belgrade will not accept that KiM  becomes a member of the UN, I rejected the paper (Tanjug, B92) 

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that in his speech, which consists of five points, on September 21, before the UN General Assembly, he will present the most important issues that are bothering the citizens of Serbia. I am not on any political offensive, I am doing my job, some others are on the offensive towards Serbia, said Vucic. He says that it is unacceptable for Belgrade that KiM gets a seat in the UN and that he refused to receive the paper brought to him by international representatives.

Aleksandar Vucic told TV Pink, when asked what Serbia can do in the sphere of geopolitical issues, bearing in mind that he is speaking after the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he said that he is still working on the final details of the speech. “We debated whether I should speak in English or Serbian. No one in the hall will listen to the speech, but everyone in the member countries will read it. We made the decision to speak in English, because this is not an address to the domestic public, but to those in the international community who can hear us,” underlined the president. Vucic explained that many, when they see that the speech is given in a language other than English or French, follow the presentation with less attention. He reported that the speech is being held at around six in the afternoon local time, that before him at half past five Zelensky will have a speech, and then the representative of the Congo. “Everyone will cover Zelenskiy. It will be interesting what he will say, and they will also cover us because we are after him,” he is convinced. He pointed out that it is a coincidence that he is speaking after Zelenskiy, adding that heads of state speak first.

He emphasized that the essence is in the content, and that his speech will contain things that are bothering the citizens of Serbia. He says that he has divided the speech into five points and that he will speak about respecting and disrespecting international law.

It will be hard in New York, I’m doing my job 

The President of Serbia said from New York that it will be hard, but that he believes that many things will be able to be done and that the most important issues for Serbia will be solved. “I am not on any political offensive. I am doing my job. Some others are on the offensive against Serbia. Some have been on the offensive before, and we have lost everything. I am doing my job, that is my duty,” said Vucic. He said that numerous pressures on Serbia are expected. He also said that this morning he spoke with Claudia Tenney, a member of the Lower House of Congress, and added that she understands Serbia’s problems.

Vucic said that at the General Debate of world leaders in the UN, there will be the largest representation of countries that will be represented at the highest level, by presidents of states, kings and prime ministers, as many as 150 to 192 or 193 UN member states. “This is the largest representation in I don’t know how many recent years or decades. I am not on any political offensive, I am doing my diplomatic work, and some others are on the offensive towards Serbia, and it is up to us to do what we can to preserve our country.” pointed out Vucic. He says that some in Serbia were always on the offensive before, but that we lost everything and became smaller and weaker economically. “It is my duty, I do my job and the citizens of Serbia pay me for it,” said Vucic and added that it will be hard in New York, but that he believes he can do a lot. Vucic also said that it is a time of great tensions and geopolitical changes in the world and that is why it is important that he participates in the session of the UN General Assembly and in the debate of world leaders.

Vucic: It is unacceptable for Kosovo to be in the UN, I rejected the paper 

Asked about the new agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, which was written about by the Albanian Post, Vucic said that when Lajcak was there, he did not want to receive the paper, which he read, but that it was clear that the paper did not come from the Serbian side.

“I can’t say whether everything that was published is correct, I didn’t remember everything that was written on those four pages. I knew I shouldn’t have taken that paper,” said Vucic. Vucic stated that there is no chance for us to let Kosovo into the United Nations. “We cannot accept that Kosovo is part of the United Nations,” said Vucic. “People think it’s just cursing someone’s mother and we move on. But we have to think about what we’re going to eat. They made things clear, and they say that Putin built a wall, and they ask us to take sides. But we don’t want to be next to any wall. This complicates our situation even further. We do not live in some peaceful place, but at a crossroads,” Vucic points out. He says that there would be problems even if they accepted the West’s proposal, and there will be problems if we don’t accept it.

“If we accept that proposal, it means that we will never be able to expel Pristina from the UN, even though formal recognition is not sought. If this is a small problem, I don’t know what could be bigger. If we don’t accept, as the Croats say this morning, Vucic and Serbia will be isolated. I don’t think it’s easy, but I don’t see any other possibility. Everything has its consequences, like what we lost in 1999, 2004, 2008… A very complicated time is ahead of us, and we will have to we make important decisions,” added Vucic. “We will continue to do our work, and the Albanians will continue to do their work. Our position is difficult,” added Vucic. “Our position is that we fight for our country, we know our position,” said Vucic.

Hill: U.S. Supports EU efforts to arrive at solution in Serbia Kosovo dialogue (Beta)

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, said on Sept. 19 that his country was supporting the European Union (EU) in seeking a solution for relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but refused to comment on a plan to set up a new framework for the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, supported by German and French envoys for the normalization talks. Ambassador Hill said to reporters that the Kosovo problem “lasts too long, and it’s time for some progress to be made.” “It’s not up to me to comment on proposals, but I can say that the U.S. supports the EU, working very hard to find a solution acceptable for all, which is not easy,” Hill said. The German-French proposal for a new negotiating framework, published by albanianpost.com, suggests that in 2023, ten years after the Brussels agreement was signed, Belgrade and Pristina should sign a new normalization agreement, whereby Serbia would “de facto accepts the reality of an independent Kosovo,” without recognizing it formally. At a later stage, hypothetically in 10 years, when the EU might be ready to expand and let the Western Balkans in, a mutual recognition agreement will be reached as a precondition for Kosovo and Serbia to join the Union.

EU declines to comment alleged Serbia-Kosovo agreement (B92)

As a general rule and as a matter of principle, we do not comment alleged documents published by media, not their authenticity or their content, said European Union (EU) lead spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano. He noted that, during his last visit to Kosovo, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak spoke about such allegations. The EU headquarters in Brussels also declined to comment on the reports of the media in the region that there is a new framework for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue which was mentioned by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic over the past few days as well as by the daily the Albanian Post that claims to have had access to the new framework document. Lajcak, who paid an unannounced visit to Pristina last week, said he was surprised that a “new framework” was mentioned in connection with the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Insisting on anonymity, diplomatic sources in the EU said they were not aware of any document, in written form, on any new framework for the dialogue, but admit that there is mention of “a new approach” or “a new strategy” in the dialogue. The sources say it sometimes happens that anonymous documents aimed at misinforming the public are presented.

Grubjesic: Non-papers are trial balloons used to check the mood of the public (RTS)

President Aleksandar Vucic said that he refused to receive the paper brought to him by international representatives, and that it was unacceptable for Belgrade that Kosovo and Metohija get a seat in the UN. Vice President of the Center for Foreign Policy Suzana Grubjesic states that such papers are trial balloons that are used to see the mood of the public. Vice President of the Center for Foreign Policy, Suzana Grubjesic, tells RTS that the situation in which the whole of Europe and the world are in is difficult and that every head of state will present what concerns his country at the UN General Assembly in New York.

“More important than the president’s speech are the bilateral meetings that the president will have. He will have a meeting with Borrell, Scholz, Blinken, Victoria Nuland. All those meetings should present Serbia in the best light and point out what kind of problems we are facing in Serbia and region. Everyone’s priority is regional peace and stability, and how to maintain that, Serbia, I’m sure, has a key role in that,” said Grubjesic. She reminds that the situation in the UN General Assembly, as far as numbers are concerned, has changed in favor of Serbia, as well as that there are eight more countries that are ready to withdraw the decision on the recognition of Kosovo – according to some calculations, 84 out of 193 countries are with Pristina. Grubjesic also says that we are witnessing the creation of a parallel dialogue – one is led by Miroslav Lajcak in front of the EU, and the other is dictated by Germany and France. “When someone else joins, it can only mean one thing – more and more papers like this (non paper). I would also like to remind you of the French-German non paper, which was published more than a year ago. This paper comes to me as a continuation, that is, a summary of what France and Germany saw as a possible solution to the Kosovo problem,” said Suzana Grubjesic.

To recall, when asked if he was familiar with the proposal for solving the Kosovo problem that appeared in the Albanian media, according to which Belgrade should recognize Kosovo within 10 years, while Pristina would receive a seat in the UN, President Aleksandar Vucic answered that he refused to receive the paper brought to him by the international representatives. The vice president of the Center for Foreign Policy says that the president has the right to reject such a paper, but it is obvious that he has read it.

“What is the compromise if Serbia is going to let Kosovo into the UN now and recognize Kosovo in 10 years? What does Serbia gain by that, apart from the nebulous means that have been mentioned and an even more uncertain perspective, if in 10 years the EU might be ready and complete internal reforms, that would be some kind of compensation for Serbia. That is not acceptable at the start, but such texts serve as trial balloons to see the mood of the public,” said Suzana Grubjesic.

Vucic met with congresswoman Claudia Tenny in New York (RTS)

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, met with Congresswoman Claudia Tenny, co-chair of the Serbian Caucus in the Congress of the United States of America and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives in New York. Vucic stated on Instagram that he discussed numerous regional and global issues with Claudia Tenny. “I thanked the congresswoman for her proactive involvement in the US Congress in areas of interest to the Republic of Serbia, as well as for the previous initiatives of importance for our country,” states the Instagram post of the President of Serbia. On that occasion, President Vucic stated that there is a lot of room for improving the cooperation between the two countries, as well as large, so far partially used potentials, the President’s Service for Cooperation with the Media announced. Vucic welcomed the US’s support for Serbia’s European path and said that he hoped that country would give impetus to Serbia’s further efforts to find a sustainable agreement in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Congresswoman Tenny emphasized the importance of the Serbian caucus in strengthening of the interest in Serbia in the US Congress and supported our country’s position aimed at preserving peace and stability in the region, as well as the policy of dialogue, the only true way to resolve all open issues. Congresswoman Tenny expressed her support for the Open Balkans initiative and announced the visit of a congressional delegation to Belgrade at the end of this year.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic, Ambassador of Serbia to the USA Marko Djuric and Permanent Representative of Serbia to the UN, Ambassador Nemanja Stevanovic.

Selakovic spoke with 20 foreign ministers in New York (RTS)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic spoke on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly with 20 foreign ministers. The week in which the general debate is held within the current session of the UN General Assembly will be an opportunity for discussions on a wide range of geopolitical issues, but also for concrete bilateral initiatives and work on deepening relations with countries whose foreign ministers are participating in the event, the Ministry announced.

Yesterday, Selakovic had longer bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Sierra Leone, Maldives, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Eritrea and Jordan, as well as a series of shorter meetings with colleagues from El Salvador, Romania, Iraq, North Macedonia, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Cyprus, Libya, Rwanda, Tanzania, India and Malaysia.

The head of Serbian diplomacy introduced the interlocutors to the economic results of Serbia and the successfully implemented reform processes in the past ten years, as well as the desire to improve bilateral relations with countries around the world, on the basis of mutual respect and understanding, as well as respect for the fundamental principles of the international legal order, it is stated in the announcement. The talks in New York were, as stated, an opportunity to present positions on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija and to clarify the values on which Serbia builds its struggle to preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty. As Minister Selakovic said in the talks, Serbia is open to strengthening economic ties and exchanging experiences with friendly and partner countries, and today’s contacts were an opportunity to launch a series of concrete initiatives. During the talks in New York, several official invitations were sent for visits to Serbia at the high and the highest level, as well as for the signing of the Memorandum on political consultations with Uzbekistan and Jordan. As planned, Minister Selakovic will have dozens of bilateral meetings with colleagues from around the world by the end of this week at the UN headquarters.

Commander of the Ohio National Guard: We respect Serbia’s neutrality, cooperation is expanding (RTS)

We need to understand the complexity of the situation, and that’s why we respect Serbia’s military neutrality, but we are also working to expand civilian cooperation, the commander of the Ohio National Guard, Major General John Harris, told RTS. A delegation from the Ministry of Education of the US state of Ohio also visited Serbia. Major General John Harris, commander of the Ohio National Guard, led a delegation from that American state in a visit to Serbia. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, awarded General Harris with the Order of the Serbian Flag, second degree, for his contribution to the development of cooperation between the Serbian Army and the Ohio National Guard. Harris told RTS that he set himself three goals during the visit.

“Number one is to meet with as many leaders as possible in your country and assure them that Ohio continues to support the partnership with the Serbian Army. We have fulfilled that. Number two is to present other sectors, so that the ties can expand to other areas and to establish partnerships. Representatives of the Department of Education and Higher Education came to Serbia with us and met with their colleagues in Belgrade,” General Harris explained.

He adds that his third goal was to meet with the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Milan Mojsilovic.

“I wanted to make sure that we prioritize the partnership in the coming period. I think that in the future we can strengthen the partnership and improve the quality of the relationship,” said the commander of the Ohio National Guard. He explained that there are opportunities to expand cooperation, and on that occasion the American delegation visited the Military Medical Academy. “The cooperation can be expanded, in the field of dentistry and surgery, but also in other fields. I would add that the cooperation can be expanded in the field of cyber security, that is a very important area that we are all concerned about. Also, our non-commissioned officers can participate in training and professional education programs,” said Major General. He pointed out that there are almost unlimited possibilities for cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the American state of Ohio on the civilian level. “I say that because the experience in the fight against covid-19 teaches us that the military can participate in something that it never imagined it could do. We managed to create teams and leaders that could adapt in many situations, such as natural disasters or cooperation with the Ministry of Health, even to help the hospital staff,” explained the guest from Ohio.

If politics decides, the continuation of military cooperation 

When asked how military cooperation is affected by Serbia’s decision to suspend military exercises and training with foreign armies, due to its neutral position in the Russian-Ukrainian war, General Harris answered: “It certainly affects our ability to exchange soldiers and units to work together and learn from each other, which is an important part of our partnership. However, I want to point out, anyone who understands the complexity of the situation here knows that it’s not a very simple situation. Serbia’s decision to be militarily neutral should be respected ” he said and added that doctors can continue their cooperation.

“General Mojsilovic and I agreed that we will continue to plan the future and possible joint activities and when the civilian officials decide that it is time, we will continue cooperation,” emphasized the commander of the Ohio National Guard. The RTS interlocutor believes that the state partnership program with Serbia is important and valuable for Ohio. “The cornerstone of the program is the building of trust and cooperation. And the program certainly fulfills that. What is much more important is that the leaders are involved in the process of getting to know and understand other countries and cultures, which makes them better decision makers and better leaders,” General Harris believes. He adds that the partnership with Serbia is increasingly turning into friendship, between the two armies, but also between people. “General Mojsilovic and I realized the other day that we have been part of the Partnership Program since its existence. I was part of the American delegation from Ohio that came to Serbia for the first time, and General Mojsilovic was a member of the first Serbian delegation that came to Ohio when the Program was launched. Those friendships are important and I consider the people I met here to be friends for life,” reminded the commander of the National Guard. I am very grateful for the hospitality extended to us during this week and visit to Serbia. We had a very busy schedule and a lot of activities. “I am grateful to President Vucic and I am grateful to God that I received the award, which will make this country a very honorable place for me. During each visit, I learn more and more deeply about the history and culture of these areas, so I respect Serbia more and more and our partnership,” concluded Major General John Harris.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia and Herzegovina  

Dodik for Russian media about upcoming meeting with Putin: RS is grateful to Putin for maximal consistency in preserving of Dayton Peace Agreement; Dodik compares Ukraine and Russia issues with issues between ‘Serbs and Muslims’ (RTRS)

In an interview to Russian agency TASS, Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik commented his upcoming visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that this will be a chance to talk about concrete projects in the energy sector and about behavior of representatives of the West. He noted that they will also discuss a series of current political issues, including Ukraine. Dodik stated that Republika Srpska (RS) is not as big consumer of gas as Serbia is, but gas perspective is very important for the RS. “We want to construct a gas pipeline to Banja Luka, to construct power plants which would use gas. In this case, the RS would become a great consumer of gas. We are basing these plans on potentials of Russia and our cooperation with Gazprom,” said Dodik. He stressed that Bosniaks prevent this, as they are orientated towards the West, stating that they vote against when the RS is trying to solve the issue of gas flow from Serbia through B&H border, but stressed that they cannot do this forever, because the work on this matter will continue.

Dodik said that the RS is grateful to Putin for maximal consistency in preserving of the Dayton Peace Agreement, stressing that Russian never made any political demands from him. He further noted that the RS wants to expand cultural cooperation with Russia, reminding of construction of Russia-Serb Orthodox Center in Banja Luka. Dodik noted that foreigners with their arrogant behavior and violence provoked the crisis in B&H, where nobody anymore believes the EU. “Moscow was always on the side of international law, but it is obviously that this is insufficient. The West does not abide by international regulations, for example in Ukraine, and some of their regulations which they constantly change,” said Dodik.

Asked about the situation with a possible referendum on the RS secession, Dodik said that the RS stays on this post and it is even more discontent with B&H, but this idea waits for an adequate moment. Commenting statements from Banja Luka and Belgrade in last couple of months, about possible uniting of Serbs into one state, Dodik said that nothing can change this idea of unity, but the West is opposing this and they are always present in this region and they arrogantly interfere in internal affairs. “Striving toward Serbia is natural for us. Similar situation is with Russians in Ukraine, where there are 15 million Russians there and to whom the leadership of the country banned the use of Russian language. This is why the special operation of Russia in Ukraine is justified with protection of rights of their people. We act the same here- we cannot have joint schools with Muslims, joint textbooks,” said Dodik. He noted that Americans during the nineties explained to him why they did not use the possibility of national bordering of B&H. “According to them, it was not possible to allow forming of a Muslim state on the Europe’s soil. And we became the collateral. If you want for us here to stand guard, give us some privileges,” said Dodik. He noted that the West is giving huge funds for fighting, as they say, malignant Russian influence in the Balkans and noted that British introduced sanctions to him and RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic, as main goals of this fight. Dodik stated that RS stands its ground and noted that he never held a meeting with the new UK Ambassador, since he arrived to B&H. “Why should I be meeting representatives of the country which is introducing sanctions only because Dodik is not listening to them? What am I supposed to be talking to them about, why should I give legitimacy to him and his country? I have no good opinion at all about these western ambassadors who deem they can manage the countries where they are sent to serve,” said Dodik. He noted that he is also under US sanctions and that the West is using sanctions because of their helplessness is trying to solve issues with other peoples and countries. He noted that it is obvious that Europe is the one shaking and suffering under the sanctions and not Russia, stressing that the current political elite in Europe is not used to problems, do not know how to react to them and they never lived in an unstable society and they are alienated from the people.

Dodik said that the people in the RS consider Russian people as their brothers and understands the position of Russia and looks forward to Russia’s success and cares for its issues. “We understand very well that fight of the West against Orthodox never stopped. This fight was the leitmotif of all crusades and had a unique goal- rule over the rich reserves of natural resources which Russia has. This is the reason why Napoleon and Hitler came to Russia and today’s West also wants to take over control over these regions,” said Dodik.  He stressed that the West, with assistance of (Mikhail) Gorbachev threw Russia on its knees and intended to win it over, but they did not count that Putin will resurrect it and unite it. He noted that Russia was forced to undertake special operation in Ukraine, because for years the West failed to react to destroying of Russian population in Donbas and Luhansk. As for B&H’s accession to NATO, Dodik said that there is no perspective for this whatsoever, because the RS will not allow this. He reminded that Serbia also is not in favor of NATO membership, being that they bombarded Serbs on two occasions.

Dodik: RS is state of Serb people; An independent state remains our goal (RTRS)

RTRS Documentary TV series dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Republika Srpska (RS), aired on Sunday a part in which Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik described his memories of the time the RS was created and presented some of his views on the current situation in relation to the RS’ position. Speaking for RTRS, Dodik said that, since the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed, those who oppose existence of the RS have been trying to dispute the fact that the RS was a signatory and a party in the talks. According to Dodik, the importance of preserving the unity in the RS showed to be particularly important at the time when the RS was physically divided due to disagreements of its political leaders, specifically reminding of the division within the RS Ministry of Interior (MoI) in the past. Dodik stressed that the RS was at risk of facing a rift, which could have led to its disappearance. Sharing his memories of the 1998, Dodik reminded that in that year he became the RS Prime Minister, where he was awarded this mandate by former RS President Biljana Plavsic, but he denied the allegations that he came to this position “on tanks”. The B&H Presidency member called such allegations “lies and speculations”, adding: “That is not true, historically or factually.” In addition, Dodik said that he is pleased to say that, in 1998, he managed to return the RS to the scene “at the time the RS was practically lost”. Dodik noted that Serbs were deceived when the memorandum on sovereignty “of the so-called Republic of B&H” was passed, and he stressed that he was part of the important moment on January 9, 1992, when the RS was created. “Our idea was an independent state, and we absolutely did not hide that. That independent state remains our goal. I do not want to hide that, either”, Dodik stated. He added that the RS is part of the continuity of the Serb fight for freedom and independence in this area. He also noted that the RS is “a state of Serb people, characterized by the fight for freedom that is not just the epilogue of the civil war of 1991-1995, but rather represents the achievement of historic aspiration of the Serb people in this area”. He concluded that the pressures on the RS have never stopped, and he noted that the representatives of the international community (IC) played the key role in attempt to undermine the RS’ competences.

Turkovic speaks to Biden during funeral of Queen Elizabeth II; Biden expresses interest in situation in B&H (Nova BH)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic attended the funeral of late Queen Elizabeth II on Monday in London. She met with US President Joe Biden on Monday as well. Turkovic posted on her Facebook page, saying that she thanked Biden for the support of USA for the development and progress of B&H. She added that Biden was very interested in the situation in B&H and said that B&H is always on his mind. Turkovic highlighted the importance of the support of USA for peace and stability in B&H and the region. Turkovic thanked Biden for the help that the US continuously provides to B&H in reform processes and progress. During his political career, Biden emphasized connections and good knowledge of the situation in the region, especially in B&H, concluded the presenter.

Turkovic’s advisor Tarik Lazovic confirmed that she had a short meeting with Biden on Monday and thanked him for the US’ continuous support to B&H, while Biden expressed interest for the situation in B&H and the country’s progress and said that B&H is always on his mind. He said that Turkovic also attended a reception hosted by King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace on Sunday, when she expressed condolence to the King on behalf of B&H citizens. According to Lazovic, during their short conversation Turkovic invited the King to visit B&H again and stressed that B&H citizens appreciate his commitment to B&H and his clear stance on the Srebrenica genocide. He said that Turkovic also had a chance to meet a number of world leaders, including French President Emanuel Macron.

Dzaferovic to address UN session on Wednesday (BHT1)

The Bosniak member and Chairperson of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic will address the session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. According to the agenda, Dzaferovic should speak as the fifth speaker. Dzaferovic will focus in his speech on the global situation and the current situation in B&H. A number of bilateral meetings is planned during Dzaferovic’s stay in New York. BHRT will broadcast Dzaferovic’s speech live on Wednesday, at about 16:00 hours.

OHR: Only state of B&H can dispose of state property (FTV)

Only state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) can have the right to dispose of state property as its titular, adding that every disposing of property that is in opposition to this is invalid. This was stated from the Office of High Representative (OHR) after the Republika Srpska (RS) National Assembly adopted at its special session proposals of laws that legalize illegal construction in the RS and enable turning of agricultural land into construction land. The OHR reminded of decision of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H from 2020 that refers to agricultural land as well as of order of HR Christian Schmidt to interrupt implementation of law on immovable property that is used for functioning of public authorities in the RS.

Constitutional law expert Popovic: B&H Constitutional Court is violating Constitution instead of protecting it, all its decisions are ridiculous and it does not have jurisdiction to decide on RS Law on Immovable Property (Glas Srpske)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Constitutional Court is expected to convene on Thursday and pass a decision on constitutionality of the Republika Srpska (RS) Law on Immovable Property used for Functioning of Public Authority. Implementation of the Law was suspended by the OHR until a final decision of the Constitutional Court is reached. Constitutional law expert Vitomir Popovic stated that instead of being the protector and guarantor of the B&H Constitution, B&H Constitutional Court has become an institution undermining it. According to him, all previous decisions of the Court are ridiculous and they are not based on the legal order. “I am sorry that the RS has not already dismantled that Constitutional Court of B&H”, said Popovic. He added that B&H Constitutional Court does not have the jurisdiction to discuss the RS Law on Immovable Property because the Law is part of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and the Constitutional Court was established based on the Dayton Agreement. Popovic emphasized that the issue of territorial demarcation of the entities was solved by the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Brcko District Final Award, stipulating that 49 percent of the territory of B&H belongs to the RS, and 51 percent to the Federation of B&H, with the exception of territory of the Brcko District.

‘Combined Effort 22’ exercise starts at Manjaca range (N1)

The exercise ‘Combined Effort 22’ officially started at the ‘Mika Bosic’ military barracks on Mount Manjaca on Monday with the formation of members of the Light Infantry Battalion Group of the Armed Forces (AF) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). This exercise is also the final evaluation of this unit, as well as the re-evaluation of the Military Police platoon and the platoon for the removal of explosive devices. During the exercise, an assessment NEL-2 will be carried out according to the NATO Concept of Operational Capabilities with the aim of verifying the achieved level of training of the members of the Battalion Group, as well as the readiness and ability to operate in a multinational environment according to NATO standards.

Chief of Joint Staff of B&H AF Senad Masovic stated that this exercise is particularly valuable, because it is the key event and crown of all activities since the formation of the BiH AF, especially of activities from the past three years. Masovic expects that the assessment will be positive and that the B&H AF unit will clearly show its readiness and commitment to carry out all of the tasks. Commander of the Light Infantry Battalion Group of the B&H AF Radovan Ilic noted: “Our soldiers are fully ready. We have eliminated all of the deficiencies. We hope that they will pass successfully.” Ilic stressed that this exercise aims to improve the process of interoperability and capability of the unit and he concluded that no foreign soldiers are participating in the exercise.

The B&H Defense Ministry informed that the exercise represents the final assessment of this unit of B&H AF, which will be performed during the next five days in line with NATO concept of operative capabilities with a goal to check the achieved level of training of B&H AF members, their readiness and capability to act in line with NATO standards in multinational environment.

Croatia 

PM Plenkovic to attend UN General Assembly, meet Croatian community in the US (Hina)

PM Andrej Plenkovic will be staying in the US from Tuesday to Friday, on the occasion of a session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he will also visit Harvard University, and in Pittsburgh he will meet representatives of the Croatian Fraternal Union, the prime minister’s office said on Monday. On Tuesday, the prime minister will attend a reception in New York for the Croatian community in the United States, and on Wednesday, he will visit Harvard University. At the Ivy League university, he will meet with representatives of Harvard Kennedy School and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, which was established in 1969 and promotes the interdisciplinary understanding of European history, politics, economy and societies. In the afternoon, PM Plenkovic will meet with Croatian students and give a speech. On Thursday, the premier will visit Pittsburgh and meet the leadership of the Croatian Fraternal Union. The Croatian prime minister will address the UN General Assembly on Friday, 23 September, and he will also meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as hold a number of bilateral meetings. This is the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, taking place from 13 to 26 September, and its main topics are the war in Ukraine, energy crisis, climate change, ending the COVID-19 pandemic and transforming education.

Croatia continues contributing troops to peacekeeping missions abroad (Hina)

The Croatian government decided on Monday to continue contributing troops to the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, the EU naval operation in Somalia and UN peacekeeping missions. Croatia has participated in the KFOR mission in Kosovo since 2009, and 1,358 Croatian personnel have served in this mission to date. The proposal is that Croatia contributes up to 60 Army personnel and up to two Air Force helicopters to KFOR in 2023 and 2024, Defence Minister Mario Banozic said at a cabinet meeting.

Croatia will continue its involvement in the peacekeeping operation EU NAVFOR Somalia ATALANTA in the next two years with a maximum 25 Army personnel. As for UN peacekeeping missions, up to three Croatian Army servicemen will serve in Lebanon, up to five in the Western Sahara and up to nine in India and Pakistan. Between two and five Croatian Navy servicemen will also continue participating in the activities of  the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group. They will be attached to the Italian Navy and will be operating in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Banozic said that as a responsible member of the international community Croatia attaches importance to participation in peacekeeping operations and missions abroad, thus contributing to building international peace and security and increasing its own capabilities. The decision to contribute troops to the peacekeeping missions must be approved by the Croatian Parliament.

Montenegro 

Lekic։ Big step made (Antena M)

Demos leader Miodrag Lekic, who is proposed by the old parliamentary majority as the prime minister designate for the composition of the new government, says that a big step has been taken today.

“The legality of the political system has been restored by opening the perspective of establishing a government based on electoral will. I would like to inform you that during the negotiations, I stood for patient respect for the other and for reaching an agreement and trust. If I am elected prime minister, it will be my style to look for a common denominator”, Lekic has pointed out. When asked if he has doubts about whether Milo Djukanovic will give him a mandate, he says that it is about elementary concepts of democracy and that he does not expect the president to challenge the basic principles of democracy.

URA gives its support for Lekic to be prime minister designate, but not its signatures (CDM)

The Presidency of URA has declared that it is acceptable to this party for Miodrag Lekic to be the prime minister designate for the composition of the new Government, for the Government to be divided according to the principle of “fifty – fifty” and the “golden vote” of the prime minister designate, as well as for the security sector to be covered by the cadres of the Black on White coalition. This was announced by URA General Secretary Milena Radovanic after the meeting of representatives of the 30 August 2020 parliamentary majority.

She adds that bearing in mind the inaccuracies in the Constitution of Montenegro and the possibility that the norms of the Constitution can be interpreted in different ways, the URA Presidency has concluded that no candidate except Miodrag Lekic has the support of 41 MPs and that it is clear to whom the President of the State must give a mandate.

Mandic: We’ve agreed, Lekic prime minister designate (CDM)

The parliamentary majority of 30 August 2020 has agreed and decided that the leader of DEMOS, Miodrag Lekic, would be the prime minister designate, announced one of the DF leaders, Andrija Mandic, after the meeting. “The winning parties of the 2020 elections have agreed to form a new government of Montenegro. The most important news today is that the 41 MPs of the parliamentary majority have only one candidate for the mandate, and that is Miodrag Lekic. We all gave him our support and agreed to inform the President of Montenegro to give the mandate to Lekic. And if there are any misunderstandings and if someone estimates that today is the last day, we expect Miodrag Lekic to be the new prime minister designate by midnight”, said Mandic. He has added that it was “an important day for Montenegro”.

Mandic writes to Djukanovic: I expect you to give Lekic a mandate (CDM)

The President of the New Serbian Democracy and one of the leaders of the Democratic Front, Andrija Mandic, sent a letter to the President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, in which he informed him that the parliamentary majority had reached an agreement on 30 August 2020, that Miodrag Lekic would be the prime minister designate for the composition of the new government, and that the head of state was expected to give him a mandate.

In the letter to Djukanovic, Mandic states that the political parties, winners of the 2020 elections – New Serbian Democracy, Democratic Montenegro, Democratic People’s Party, Movement for Changes, Socialist People’s Party, United Reform Action, Labour Party, United Montenegro, Real Montenegro, CIVIS and Demos, have reached a political agreement on Miodrag Lekic to be the prime minister designate for the composition of the new government.

“I expect that you will do the same as in the case of the election of the previous government and show due efficiency so that the new government could devote itself to the life priorities of Montenegro in an extremely short period of time”, Mandic has concluded.

Krapovic: We still don’t have 41 signatures, we have verbal support for Lekic (CDM)

Democrats MP Dragan Krapovic has said, after the meeting of the old parliamentary majority, that they still do not have 41 signatures for the candidacy of Miodrag Lekic for the prime minister designate of the new government, but that they have verbal support for Lekic to be the prime minister designate. However, he has brough to mind that yesterday was the deadline to nominate a prime minister designate. “President Milo Djukanovic announced that he would give a mandate to whoever is supported by 41 MPs. In this regard, we came out with this verbal position, except for our colleagues from URA and SNP, and we were all ready to put our signatures on the candidacy of Lekic to be the prime minister designate for the composition of the 44th government”, he has added. “We still don’t have 41 signatures, but we have a clear manifestation and verbal support for Lekic”, Krapovic has pointed out.

Milo keeps silent (Vijesti)

President of Montenegro did not comment on the mandate for the composition of the Government, after he was informed that the leader of Demos, Miodrag Lekic, has the support of the parliamentary majority. Milo Djukanovic was informed about this by the leader of the New Serbian Democracy, Andrija Mandic, in a letter that he sent to him immediately after the “old majority” reached agreement on Lekic and the “package of actions” in his government, which was the request of GP URA from the beginning of negotiations.

Vijesti was told that Djukanovic, who was in Great Britain yesterday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, will not be making any haste moves. According to the Constitution of Montenegro, the president nominates prime minister-designate 30 days after the constitution of the Assembly, in this case from the dismissal of the Government of Dritan Abazovic, which took place on August 19.

Krivokapic: Geopolitical stage significantly shaken with war in Ukraine, it’s a threat to small countries (CDM)

Foreign Affairs Minister of Montenegro, Ranko Krivokapic, took part at the meeting devoted to the violation of human rights and international humanitarian right by the Russian Federation on Ukraine, on the invitation of Ezra Zeya, the US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights. The meeting, organized in New York, focused on defining and mapping the responsibility mechanisms for crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, particularly forced deportation involving Ukrainians. Krivokapic had talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives and the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr Abdulla Shahid. It was noted that the geopolitical stage had been significantly staggered and additionally shaken by the war in Ukraine, which represented a threat to small countries.

North Macedonia 

Vucic: Macedonians can also count on Serbian gas this winter (Republika)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, at yesterday’s press conference in which Serbia’s reserves of food and energy were disclosed, emphasized that Macedonians can also count on Serbian gas for this winter. “We also solve the problems of the Macedonians because they have a gas plant (referring to Te-To), which can produce gas electricity. That is 5-7 percent of the electricity for winter consumption” said Vucic. This is just one of a series of cases of help from the Republic of Serbia and President Vucic for our country.

Albania 

UN General Assembly / Rama and Xhacka travel to the USA (Radio Tirana)

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka have travelled to New York in the USA. Rama will head the Albanian delegation to the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. During her stay in New York, Minister Xhacka will hold several bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan, India, Finland, etc., as well as participate in several high-level events such as the Adriatic Charter – USA Partnership Commission meeting; Ministerial meeting of the Feminist Group for Foreign Policy; symposium Women, Peace and Leadership: Achieving Sustainable Peace and Security through Gender Responsive Leadership”.

Borrell gathers the leaders of the Western Balkans in New York (Radio Tirana)

At the invitation of the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, on September 20 the leaders of the Western Balkan countries will meet in New York. According to Radio Free Europe this meeting has already become a tradition. During the week of the annual session of the UN General Assembly which takes place in New York in September, the high representative for Foreign Policy and Security, gather the leaders of the countries of the Western Balkans in such a meeting”. These sources have said that they do not know which country will be represented at which level, but they are confident that all countries will participate. During the week of meetings at the UN General Assembly in New York, Kosovo will be represented by the president, Vjosa Osmani.

The sources have also said that there will be a discussion about the global situation, which has changed dramatically after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also about the current situation in the Western Balkans region. Precisely the war in Ukraine has been mentioned several times as one of the additional reasons that the remaining problems in this region should be solved as soon as possible, in order to prevent the increase of tensions.

There are a number of developments expected to take place in the coming weeks and months in the EU’s relations with the Western Balkans, including a summit expected to take place in early October in Prague. For the first time, the creation of a European Political Community will be discussed. Western Balkans and the need to continue the cooperation between the United States of America and the European Union is expected to be the focus of a trans-Atlantic meeting at the level of foreign ministers, which will be organized by the American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. Borrell will also participate in this meeting. The EU and the US have pledged to cooperate in the future in joint efforts to maintain the stability of the Western Balkans region and to resolve the remaining problems.