LOCAL PRESS

Vucic responds to Ukrainian Ambassador’s statement: We will not allow pressure (FoNet/Politika)

If foreign diplomats think it is time to arrogantly exert pressure on our country, they have chosen the wrong moment, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in response to Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkach’s statement for N1 that Kiev is finding it increasingly difficult to understand Serbia’s arguments against imposing sanctions on Russia.

“We will not allow even those who are much stronger to do this. We have done nothing bad against Ukraine,” Vucic told the media, adding that Serbia has not recognized the annexation of Ukrainian regions or the referendums held by Russia. The Serbian President said he does not remember that Ukraine went out of its way in 1999 to help Yugoslavia or to suspend flights from Kiev to the countries that bombed former Yugoslavia. “They can lecture someone else. I don’t have a problem with that,” said Vucic, adding that Serbia’s situation is “clean” and that no one can put pressure on it or tell it what to do. The Serbian President noted that there can be many different interpretations, but that facts cannot be erased. “I am asking for an explanation, on the basis of what international legal act was the aggression on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia carried out, in line with what UN Security Council decision, and in line with whose decision do you have the right to refuse to recognize Resolution 1244, which we honor, just as we honor the UN Charter and, therefore, Ukraine’s territorial integrity as well,” said Vucic.

Tolkac: Increasingly difficult to understand Serbia’s decision not to join sanctions against Russia (N1/Beta/Politika)

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkac said on Monday that it’s hard for Ukraine to understand Serbia’s choice not to introduce sanctions against Russia, adding that it’s “ridiculous” to compare Kosovo with the four Ukrainian regions Russia had annexed recently. “We want to see Serbia as a friend and an ally, and it’s difficult for us to understand the arguments Serbia is offering with every soldier and every child killed in Ukraine. More than 300 children have been killed so far, and many more injured. It’s getting harder and harder to understand Serbia’s arguments,” the Ukrainian Ambassador said in an interview with N1, expecting Serbia to join the international sanctions against Russia. In a comment on the position of the Russian foreign ministry, referring to a ruling by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo as evidence that referendums were in conformity with the international law, Tolkac suggested a different angle. “The referendums held in Kosovo were monitored by international observers, and had been prepared for years, and to compare them with referendums held under threat of Russian armed forces – it’s ridiculous,” the Ukrainian diplomat said, adding that Ukraine had always supported the territorial integrity of Serbia, and will continue to do so.

Vucic: Difficult times are coming (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke from Budapest. He met with the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, and the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Karl Nehammer.

“Today we had a full-day program implemented by Viktor Orban. I am satisfied that the three of us had a long talk with the Chancellor of Austria. We talked about important issues and anticipating the growing volume of the conflict in Ukraine, I believe we will be under even more pressure, but we have to work,” Vucic said. “We agreed with Hungary and Austria to help each other on every issue. We talked about countless topics. People have no reason to worry today, but I know that difficult times are coming. The key struggle will be how to preserve the low price of electricity,” Vucic added. “They want to act as observers in the Open Balkans,” he continued. “The key question is who will survive next winter. I do not think that they will quickly overcome and defeat Russia, just as I do not believe that Russia will overcome Ukraine so quickly,” said Vucic. “Tonight, I’ve exchanged messages with the French President about it, we will see each other in Prague, and I believe that soon I will have the opportunity to see him again. I hope that he will visit Serbia again in 2023, which is very important for us,” he points out. “As for drawing mustaches, you can draw them as much as you want, but the textbooks will forever show who greeted Hitler with flowers, and who fought against him,” commented Vucic on the cover of the Croatian magazine. “If they thought it was time to do to Serbia what they did to many European countries, I have to tell them right away that they chose the wrong country. We will not allow that even to those who are much stronger, and we have never had anything against Ukraine. We have not acknowledged the splitting of parts of Ukraine, nor the results of the referendum. Unlike those who are afraid because they are able to be arrogant, I have no fear. Our situation is as clean as a tear. We are so clean that no one has anything to say to us. They cannot identify NATO, the USA, which defends them with those who invaded their country. The only thing you can never do is erase the facts. Based on which document was the aggression against Serbia carried out?,” adds Vucic. “I call on all people to be united, and to understand that for the whole world faces with the most difficult period since the Second World War. It will be a difficult time, but if we want to preserve the standard, we will have to conduct politics with filigree precision, to make difficult decisions, but the most important thing is to preserve the country, life in Serbia and not to trample on our own pride and the heroic past of our nation and endanger the future of our children,” Vucic concluded.

Vucic: We will make southern, northern Serbia more secure (Tanjug/Politika)

After a trilateral summit with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Budapest, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday evening the three countries had agreed on how to confront illegal migration, and noted that he believed the security situation in southern and northern Serbia would be improved successfully. “I am satisfied the three of us had a long conversation on our own. We also had a plenary discussion with our ministers about numerous projects. We agreed on how to confront illegal migration. I believe that, in terms of security and everything else, we will succeed in ensuring a better situation to our people in the south and the north of the country – in Presevo, Bujanovac, Kanjiza, Sombor,” Vucic explained in a statement to reporters. He said there were many technical details that needed to be worked out and that teams from the three countries would address them next week, after which political approval would be given and action taken. “We are discussing many other major issues as we wait to see the growing scale of the Ukraine conflict. I believe we will be under even bigger pressure economically and energy-wise, but we must work. Complaining will not save us – it is true that the situation is very, very difficult. When I go to Prague on Thursday, I will have meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which is important for Serbia, to see what we can do to prepare for the autumn and winter and what is expected from us,” he added. Agreements were made with Hungary and Austria that we help each other when it comes to gas, food and protecting our borders from uncontrolled incursions by illegal migrants, he said. “We discussed countless topics and made many agreements. The meetings were also attended by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and (Serbian) Finance Minister Sinisa Mali. It is important to talk about finances and to find funds… We must try even harder to preserve our stability and financial buffers,” Vucic noted. He said that, for the time being, people had no reason for concern even though much tougher times were still ahead. “I am afraid we can lose everything we have worked for hard in six months’ time, through no fault of our own, but of those who intend to fight wars and solve problems through sanctions. Our key struggle… will be to see what we can preserve – above all, low electricity and gas prices, in particular for companies, so that they do not lose their positions in the production chains,” Vucic said. “Only the strongest survive,” he noted.

Nehammer: Serbia will be helped to repatriate migrants to countries of origin (Tanjug/Politika)

After discussions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Budapest, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday his country was receiving a growing number of asylum requests from migrants, and announced that Serbia would be given assistance to repatriate illegal migrants to their countries of origin. At a joint press conference, Nehammer said Austria was equally affected by the issue despite the fact it was not on the EU’s external border. “We have received 70,000 requests from migrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with refuge already provided to 80,000 Ukrainians. This is a very important security and stability issue in our society. That is why we need to do as much as we can do together to stop illegal migration,” Nehammer said. He concluded the three countries should adopt a joint approach to migration policy, and noted that Austria was already cooperating with Serbia and Hungary in that regard. “We already have joint police patrols that are working on curbing crime, including human trafficking, and we also have long-time cooperation with Serbian police that can be said to be full of mutual trust,” Nehammer said. He said police cooperation would be expanded at upcoming meetings on technical issues that would be followed by a political conference in Belgrade. “The technical cooperation will bring Serbia support for direct repatriation of illegal migrants to the countries of origin, so that the migration pressure will be reduced already in Serbia. That will also reduce the pressure on the Serbia-North Macedonia border, and Austria will ensure technical assistance to both countries,” he said.

Orban calls for new dimension of trilateral cooperation (Tanjug/Politika)

At a Hungary-Serbia-Austria summit in Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday the Russia-Ukraine war, high energy prices and sanctions had distracted attention from an increase in the number of illegal migrants, and called for a new dimension of trilateral cooperation in that regard. “This is the first in a series of meetings, we got together because of migration. We are the countries that are the hardest hit by illegal migration and we are all under threat. A lot needs to be invested to resolve those problems and we are not satisfied with the present situation at the Hungary-Serbia border,” Orban said at a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. By protecting their common border, Serbia and Hungary are also protecting the Austrian border and preventing human trafficking, he said. “We tried to work out measures. Hungary initiated this meeting and we are in the most specific situation as we have migrants coming in from two directions – over a million refugees have come from the East, from Ukraine, while, on the other hand, our southern border is under siege. We have thwarted over 180,000 attempts of illegal migration,” Orban said. “The Western Balkan route is the hardest hit – that is where the largest number of migrants are passing through and the trafficking of migrants has now been taken to a higher level and they are also using serious weapons. We are not protecting only our own borders now, but entire Europe,” he noted. It is in the interest of entire Europe to move the first barrier of defense from the Hungary-Serbia border as far to the south as possible, he said. Hungary has already helped Serbia and North Macedonia in this regard, but now a new dimension of cooperation is needed, he said. “We will hold our next meeting in Belgrade, the competent ministers will determine the future steps within a legal framework and we will clarify all tasks. The third meeting will be in Vienna,” Orban concluded.

Vucic meets with Giaufret (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret on Tuesday to discuss Serbia-EU relations, the upcoming Prague summit, ways of strengthening cooperation in fields of mutual interest, such as energy security, alignment of the visa policy with the EU with the aim of fighting illegal migration, as well as cooperation in major infrastructure projects. Vucic said Serbia was working with commitment on implementation of objectives that were in line with its European orientation, such as strong economic progress and maintaining peace and stability in the region through initiatives promoting connectivity, and noted that the country had thus demonstrated it was a serious, responsible and dependable partner of the EU, the presidential press office said in a statement. The parties also exchanged views on the upcoming Prague summit, at which a debate will be held on an initiative to establish a European Political Community as a platform for dialogue between EU member states and aspiring members. Giaufret reiterated Brussels’ predominant position on alignment of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU agenda and on imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation, and expressed readiness for cooperation with Serbia when it comes to solving open issues that were crucial for Serbia’s further progress on the European integration path. Vucic reiterated his gratitude to the European Commission for its support for the construction of energy infrastructure in Serbia, which he said was extremely important for the country, and added that Serbia was fully engaged in projects aimed at diversifying its energy sources and supply routes, the statement said.

Brnabic: New government to be formed within constitutional deadlines (TV Blic)

Candidate for the prime minister in the new government of Serbia Ana Brnabic stated that the new Cabinet will be formed in line with constitutional deadlines, adding that this process is taking place in the conditions that have not existed so far. In a televised appearance on TV Blic, Brnabic said that we are doing the things the fastest possible in the given circumstances, when we are fighting for stability every day, not only political, but energy stability too. The Prime Minister underlined that the fact that ministers are working in a caretaker government does not change their relationship toward work or responsibility, adding that everyone is working together and in team with the President of Serbia. Answering the question of whether there will be shortages, Brnabic said that the state gives its best to avoid such a scenario. According to her, the state is doing everything to avoid electricity cuts and to that end it envisaged savings measures, as well as a financial award for the citizens who save electricity. Speaking about inflation, she said that the situation is the same everywhere in the world, especially in Europe, and that a great part of inflation in Serbia is imported. We are trying and succeeding in making the growth of salaries higher than the growth of inflation percentage-wise and thus we have a real growth of salaries, Brnabic underlined and added that unemployment rate is 8.9 percent and that the average net salary in Serbia is growing continuously.

Theophylactou: Cyprus continues to be on the position on non-recognition of “Kosovo” (RTV/Tanjug)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Borko Stefanovic met on Monday at the parliament with the Ambassador of Cyprus in Serbia Demetrios Theophylactou to discuss the current political situation and relations between the two countries. Stefanovic stressed that Serbia and Cyprus are traditionally friendly countries that enjoy good diplomatic, cultural and tourist relations. He thanked Cyprus for its principled position of non-recognition of the so-called of state of Kosovo. He pointed out that at this time of great challenges and pressures, it is important to continue the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on all open issues, except for the recognition of independence, adding that a frozen conflict is a less than ideal solution. Stefanovic opined that it would be extremely important for the parliament to be involved in the negotiation process, pointing out that the UNITED – SSP, PSG, SLOGA TRADE UNION, PZP Parliamentary Group had proposed establishing a Commission made up of representatives of the parliamentary groups, as well as representatives of SANU and SPC, which would determine the platform for further negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. Theophylactou agreed that it is important to continue the negotiations and work toward normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina, adding that Cyprus stands by its position of non-recognition of so-called Kosovo. The meeting also touched on the current political situation in Europe. Stefanovic said that now is the right moment for Serbia, as an EU candidate country, to harmonize its foreign policy with the EU’s. He said he would soon propose the harmonization of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU’s to the Foreign Affairs Committee and at a plenary session. Ambassador Theophylactou opined that it is important for Serbia to be consistent in its policy, in which it would pursue its vital national interests.

Djilas: EU stand on Serbia hypocritical at times (N1)

Opposition leader Dragan Djilas told N1 on Monday that the EU’s attitude towards Serbia was hypocritical in many cases. He said the EU looked away from events in Serbia even though they were about the values the Union is based on. “Ending the negotiations is not punishment for the authorities but for us the citizens because it takes us further away and increases the number of people opposed to EU membership,” he told N1. “Do not punish Serbia and the people living in it who want to live like people in the EU,” he said, adding that his Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) thinks an end to the accession talks is a disaster. He warned that the authorities are formally advocating EU membership but added that it’s clear from campaign statements that the majority in power wants to continue the same policies that have been in place for 20 years. “We have a stagnation in integration and someone in Brussels is pretending not to see it.” Djilas said that he has no understanding for the authorities who caused problems for themselves and Serbia. “We chose to give the people concrete solutions for price control, agriculture, education and we them to vote for us and not against Vucic,” he said.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H CEC updates preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results of general elections: Becirovic, Komsic and Cvijanovic elected B&H Presidency members (BHT1)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) updated on Monday at 17:00 hours the preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results of the general elections, which were held in B&H on Sunday. The voter turnout in the elections of 2022 was 50 percent, which is by four percent less than in 2018. When it comes to the B&H Presidency, the current results for the Bosniak member of the Presidency show that Denis Becirovic (SDP B&H) won 57.2 percent, Bakir Izetbegovic (SDA) 37.6 percent, and Mirsad Hadzikadic (Platform for Progress) 5.2 percent of votes. As for the Croat member of the Presidency, Zeljko Komsic (DF) is in the lead with 54.2 percent, while his opponent Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) won 45.8 percent. Zeljka Cvijanovic (SNSD) is in the lead for the Serb member of the Presidency, followed by Mirko Sarovic (SDS) with 35.9 percent, and Nenad Nesic (DNS) with 5.6 percent. Although both candidates for the Republika Srpska (RS) President declared their victory in the election night, the updated results show that Milorad Dodik (SNSD) is in the lead with 48.4 percent, while Jelena Trivic (PDP) won 43.3 percent. Senad Bratic (Coalition ‘Domovina’) won 1.71 percent of votes for the RS Vice-President from rank of Bosniak people, while independent candidate Camil Durakovic won 1.38 percent. As for the RS Vice-President from the rank of Croat people, both candidates – Davor Pranjic from parties gathered around the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) and independent candidate Ivan Begic won 0.26 percent. The results of the elections for the B&H parliament, which are based on nearly 84 percent of processed polling stations, show that the parliament will be formed by Federation of B&H (FB&H)-based parties that won the following percentages of votes: SDA with 25.1 percent, HDZ B&H 16 percent, SDP B&H 13.1 percent, DF 9.9 percent, People and Justice (NiP) 8.2 percent, Our Party (NS) 4.7 percent. The last party that passed the threshold for the B&H Parliament is HDZ 1990. As for the RS territory, RS-based parties that passed the threshold for the B&H Parliament are: SNSD 42.1 percent, SDS 18.6 percent, PDP 11.7 percent, List ‘For Justice and Order’ 5.4 percent, DEMOS 5.2 percent, United Srpska 4.1 percent, SP RS 3.8 percent, SDA 3.7 percent, and DNS 3.5 percent. The parties that passed the threshold to win mandates in the FB&H parliament are SDA, HDZ B&H, SDP B&H, DF, Coalition ‘Povjerenje’ (‘Trust’), NS, NES, SB&H, and HDZ B&H. According to BHT1, it is interesting that SBB B&H and PDA did not pass the election threshold. The parties that won mandates in the RS National Assembly (RSNA) are SNSD, SDS, PDP, SP RS, DEMOS, United Srpska, List ‘For Justice and Order’, DNS, Movement ‘For the State’, NPS, and SPS. The transport of ballots to the Main Vote Counting Center of the CEC in Sarajevo continued on Monday and it still has not been completed. Coordinator of the Main Vote Counting Center Adi Agic described the procedures from the center, noting that the center works 24/7 in three shifts. He confirmed that the ballots from the diplomatic consular offices where the B&H citizens living abroad voted are yet to be delivered by mail.

Dodik elected new RS President: I am proud to be the RS President (RTRS)

According to the latest preliminary election results published by the B&H CEC, Milorad Dodik has been elected the next RS President. According to the B&H CEC data, based on 90.04 per cent counted votes, Dodik has won against PDP candidate Jelena Trivic with close to 30,000 votes difference. Addressing the press conference Sunday night, Dodik said elections were fair and minor excesses cannot bring into questions the electoral process. “I am proud to be the candidate and that I am, as confirmed now, the RS President. I will do everything for the RS to continue to be stable and pursue own policy, to cooperate with our important partners like Serbia, Russia, Hungary. I will continue to work with Zeljka Cvijanovic so that China understands us sufficiently as well as our other friends, and we will ensure the dialogue with all others across Europe and the world so that our policies are adequately presented and implemented”, said Dodik. Dodik has thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on extending his congratulation for the victory in election for the RS President. Dodik said that, in a telephone conversation, Orban also congratulated on Zeljka Cvijanovic and SNSD’s victory. “The meeting, we agreed to be held in near future, will be an excellent opportunity to continue talks about possibilities and modalities to further strengthen and deepen cooperation between the RS and Hungary”, wrote Dodik on his Twitter account.

Cvijanovic elected new Serb member of B&H Presidency: I will invoke protection of vital interest of the RS whenever it is threatened (RTRS)

According to the latest preliminary election results published by the B&H CEC, Zeljka Cvijanovic is the next Serb member of the B&H Presidency. According to the B&H CEC data, Cvijanovic has won 94,932 votes more than SDS candidate Mirko Sarovic. Cvijanovic thanked the citizens, noting she will represent RS’ positions in the B&H Presidency and act in accordance with the B&H Constitution, and will invoke protection of vital interest of the RS whenever it is threatened. “My concern is to act in accordance with the Constitution, and the Constitution states we need to adopt decisions there with consensus. And every time we fail to reach agreement and the Serb member of the B&H Presidency is outvoted in relation to vital issues, they can declare a decision damaging to the vital national interest and go to the RS National Assembly to ask for confirmation of the veto”, said Cvijanovic. Asked about other two members of future convocation of B&H Presidency, Cvijanovic said that in general she does not care too much about them. Cvijanovic emphasized that she was elected on territory of the RS to defend interests of the RS and represent the RS in the Presidency. Also, SNSD in Istocno Sarajevo called on Sarovic to resign to all political functions, because voters stated he should be politically retired. “Firstly, I would like to thank the citizens of the RS on clearly big support for me as the Serb member of the B&H Presidency. I can promise that I will work in their interest, in the interest of the RS and I will not betray those interests, and my future work will be based on that”, said Cvijanovic.

SNSD leads in race for B&H HoR and RS parliament (ATV)

According to preliminary results of General Elections 2022 for B&H House of Representatives (HoR), SNSD dominates in this race in RS. According to the B&H CEC and on the ground of 87 percent of counted ballots, SNSD won 220,000 votes. It is followed by SDS (97,000 won votes) and PDP (60,000). When it comes to individual votes in race for B&H HoR, Radovan Viskovic holds first position with some 31,000 votes. SNSD’s Zoran Tegeltija, Nebojsa Radmanovic, Milorad Kojic and Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac won most votes in electorate one. They are followed by PDP’s Branislav Borenovic and SDS’ Miladin Stanic. PDP is second ranked party in this electorate in regard to number of won votes. Third one is SDS. SNSD won most votes in electorate two. Obren Petrovic won most votes, and he is followed by SDS’ Mladen Bosic and Cedomir Stojanovic (DEMOS). Absolute winner in electorate three is also SNSD. Radovan Viskovic won most votes, and he is followed by SNSD’s Miroslav Vujicic, SDS’ Darko Babalj and Aleksandra Pandurevic and by Nenad Grkovic (Nebojsa Vukanovic’s list for justice and order). According to B&H CEC’s preliminary results for the RS parliament, SNSD won some 183,000 votes in race for the RSNA (35.2 percent). Far behind it is SDS with some 80,000 votes, PDP, SP RS, NDP-NSP, DEMOS, United Srpska, List for justice and order, DNS, Pokret za Drzavu, NPS-Darko Banjac and SPS-Goran Selak. ATV reports that when it comes to number of individual votes won by candidates for the RSNA, it is interesting that list leader of SNSD in electorate three Vlado Dzajic won more votes than list leader of PDP and Mayor of Banja Luka Drasko Stanivukovic. Namely, Stanivukovic won some 19,230 votes, while Dzajic won 20,000 votes.

Covic: We have achieved best result in history; Kristo: I am moral winner of elections (AJB)

Commenting results of General Elections 2022, leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic said that his party achieved the best result in history. He underlined that they will resume to insist on principles to select their partners among those political parties that achieved best results within Bosniak and Serb election corps. HDZ B&H’s candidate for member of B&H Presidency from rank of Croats Borjana Kristo considers herself a moral winner of elections, because she won most votes in areas where Croats make majority of population. HDZ B&H claims that the fact Zeljko Komsic who won most of his votes in areas where Bosniaks make majority of population will become member of B&H Presidency from rank of Croats represents defeat for B&H. Parties gathered around the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) have achieved an election result due to which, as they say, it will not be possible to form authorities without them. At the same time, parties gathered around HNS are ignoring Komsic’s victory in the race for Croat member of the B&H Presidency. Covic commented on the election results on his Twitter account. “We, as HDZ B&H and HNS, convincingly and plebiscitary won the elections within B&H and the Croat people and achieved the best result ever,” Covic tweeted. Covic wrote on Twitter, among other issues, that B&H cannot function as a normal, European state without Croats, as a constituent people who will be represented by legitimate representatives. He also thanked Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic for “immeasurable historic contribution” “We know that we entered this election race according to the same election rules and procedures where the Bosniak people can elect or usurp the position of Croat member of the Presidency, so I can say that I feel like the winner of the Croat people. If the results are different, the biggest loser could be B&H,” Kristo said Sunday night.

Komsic: HDZ is true winner of elections (N1)

The real winner of the 2022 general elections in B&H is the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ B&H) as their position in the government has become cemented by the High Representative for B&H Christian Schmidt’s Sunday decision regarding the Election Law, B&H Presidency member Zeljko Komsic told N1 in his first interview after the reelection for the office. Speaking about his election campaign and the vote, he said he was always certain he would win and when the votes from the BiH diaspora come in he expects his lead over his opponent Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) to grow even further. According to the B&H election watchdog’s preliminary results, after counting some 85 percent of the vote, Komsic won 53.61 percent while Kristo won 46.39 percent of the vote. “In 2018 the HDZ B&H announced everything it was doing to ensure the victory of (party leader) Dragan Covic, so to speak. This year they did not publish anything, but they worked in the same way. The HDZ B&H has won many votes, and Mrs. Kristo got about the same number of votes as Covic.” Komsic pointed out that the real winner of the General Election is actually HDZ B&H, which is even encouraged by the Sunday decision of High Representative Christian Schmidt who imposed a set of changes aimed at improving the functioning of the government in Federation of B&H (FB&H). The package includes amendments to the Election Law and the FB&H Constitution, and only relates to the post-election establishment of indirectly elected bodies. It was also emphasized that the decisions do no treat the court decisions regarding the rights of Others (Sejdic-Finci, Zornic, and other cases) “as doing so is ultra vires, or outside the jurisdiction of the High Representative.” “Actually, the real winner of these elections is the HDZ B&H, let’s not lie to ourselves. They are additionally cemented a bit more by Schmidt’s decision. In the situation, as it is in Sarajevo, the HDZ B&H will be in a situation to choose between the Democratic Action Party (SDA) on one side and this troika or whatever it is called (the SDA’s opposition) on the other. The price for whoever the HDZ B&H chooses will be high. It will be the Electoral Law, a continuation of what the HDZ asked for, to organize the future Presidency in the way they want,” Komsic said. Speaking about Election Law reform, Komsic said it will most certainly happen. “It will certainly happen because there will be a lot of trade in this regard. Regardless of all the finesse of the talks and negotiations and what was promised in previous negotiations, HDZ B&H will no longer be naive on this matter,” the Croat Presidency member said. Asked how he commented on the victory of Denis Becirovic for the position of the Bosniak Presidency member, Komsic said that he thought the difference between him, and Democratic Action Party’s (SDA) Bakir Izetbegovic would be smaller. “Actually, the odium that exists towards Izetbegovic was obvious, especially in Sarajevo. I thought there would be a smaller difference, honestly, but here are the results. Unbelievably, SDA has an excellent result, but the party leader does not follow the party. This means that a large part of the SDA is dissatisfied with Izetbegovic. A similar thing happened to Sulejman Tihic (the former party leader). Whether he admits it or not, that’s how it is for him. One should learn from these messages that the people send you during the elections, and if one is wise, one will follow that flow. It’s still 2:1 for B&H (in the Presidency)”.The Serb Presidency member will be Zeljka Cvijanovic from the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the ruling party in  Republika Srpska (RS). He noted that he hopes Cvijanovic will lead a different policy than that of her Party leader and incumbent Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik. “As I said last night, I hope that there won’t be the arrogance and primitivism that we have seen for (the past) four years. It was painful to watch, and then you catch yourself being ashamed of what he’s doing.” Asked if he and his party will change course in the next mandate, he said no. “I will certainly not bow to HDZ B&H’s demands. If that means I’m not going to power, I’m not going to power. Knowing what I know now, and in this situation, I would rather choose the opposition. But don’t take my word for it, because I stress, I’m saying this with regard to the present situation,” Komsic concluded.

Becirovic, Izetbegovic, Cudic comment on election results (RTRS)

The reporter notes that historic defeat of SDA candidate for the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic and Zeljko Komsic winning another mandate in the B&H Presidency are the main characteristic of elections in the FB&H, and goes on to say that Croats expect (High Representative) Christian Schmidt to annul Komsic’s victory, SDA representatives are satisfied, because they remain the strongest political party in the FB&H despite Izetbegovic’s defeat, however the fact remains that the current the FB&H government was not elected after the elections in 2014 and the question is if amendments to the B&H Election Law imposed by Schmidt in the election night will unblock the FB&H or lead it too even deeper political crisis. The reporter notes that by electing Denis Becirovic, a joint candidate of 11 political parties, Bosniak voters have conveyed a message they “are fed up’’ with Izetbegovic and SDA and goes on to say that defeat in the race for the B&H Presidency has jeopardized Izetbegovic’s position as SDA leader and he is looking for someone to blame in foreign embassies. Addressing the press conference Sunday night, Izetbegovic said: “How to expect to win against 11 united political parties supported by – it is an open secret – by some foreign embassies. I am at disposal of people in my political party so they can analyze that”. The reporter notes that Bosniak turned to a heterogeneous coalition of the co-called civic, regional and centrist political parties and elected alleged social democrat whose earlier strict positions on Serbia and the RS border with radicalism. Addressing the press conference Sunday night, Becirovic said: “I would like to convey a message to the European Union, i.e. for the first time in the history of multi-party elections, elected B&H Presidency member from the ranks of Bosniak people is a social democrat”. The reporter comments that for the fourth consecutive time, Croats in B&H will need to “swallow the bitter pill” of Komsic being elected with votes from Bosniaks, and goes on to say that is possible, because there are five times as many Bosniaks in the FB&H than Croats. Addressing the press conference Sunday night, Komsic said: “Traditional HDZ voters did not vote for HDZ candidate in these elections. HDZ has lost any argument to object anyone in regard to legitimate representation.”

HR Schmidt says main goal of his latest decision re electoral reform was to prevent blocking of FB&H (O Kanal)

Guest of the central news magazine was High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt. Commenting on the election process and an incident that happened at a polling station in Republika Srpska (RS) on the election day on Sunday when an OSCE observer was attacked, Schmidt stated that the most important thing is that voters in B&H had an opportunity to express their will and their choice was quite interesting. He assessed that respect towards voters in the election process was improved as the election theft and other irregularities are being investigated, stressing that he is very grateful for the fact that state prosecutors were immediately engaged to investigate the aforementioned incident and that police closed the relevant polling station, which is a sign of developing democratic culture in the country. Commenting on his latest intervention regarding the Election Law of B&H and the FB&H Constitution and its reflections on future FB&H House of Peoples (HoP), Schmidt said that the main goal of his decision was to prevent blocking of the FB&H given that it is impossible to explain through normal democratic principles that the FB&H authorities have not been formed since the 2018 general elections according to the election results, as well as because of the issue of appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court (CC) of the FB&H. He reminded that he found out that politicians who advocated for the electoral reform have not adopted any decisions or concrete solutions, which is why he had to act by imposing the most necessary changes – not some substantial changes that would be seen as a major electoral reform. According to Schmidt, there is a lot more room for work on the electoral reform, for instance the implementation of the ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case and other issues at the state-level in B&H in terms of prevention of discrimination are the topics that still need to be addressed by others. As for the timing of his intervention, Schmidt reminded that he decided back in July to hold consultations with officials and critics, but not in order to pass a decision regarding the electoral reform that would be used by some of the political candidates to win the elections. He stated that his decision imposed on the election day shows respect for democracy when it comes to addressing this important issue, adding that on one side he did not want to influence the elections and the election results, while on the other such a decision needed to be imposed before the publication of the election results in order to prevent speculations on possible channeling the election results. Schmidt expressed expectation that his decision will lead to the timely formation of authorities in the FB&H and the FB&H CC, as well as that it will bring more transparency to the FB&H HoP, higher number of the delegates from the rank of Others and more of democratic debates. He reminded that one more problem he was unable to address is how to represents the canton regions that have not been sufficiently represented in the legislative authority so far. He added that this is a future task for B&H politicians. Schmidt assessed that a step towards Europe and B&H’s capability to become the EU member state was made by his decision. Commenting on reactions of political parties to his decision, Schmidt stated that whoever accepts his decision should call on him to keep his word and remind him that he has invited B&H political leaders for talks on the electoral reform and that the debate on this issue should be held. He stressed that he is ready for constructive debate and exchange of opinions, but that he believes that all political parties now have other concerns and work to do instead of dealing only with such issues. Schmidt said that young people should be also given a chance to take part in the electoral reform process and that the will be actively involved in this in the upcoming period. He concluded that it is better to deal with this topic and to see what could be done in order to make young people stay in B&H instead of leaving the country.

US Department of the Treasury blacklists FB&H Prime Minister Novalic (N1)

The US Department of the Treasury has blacklisted FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic and businessman and owner of ‘Integral Inzenjering’ Slobodan Stankovic. The reporter comments that, although Novalic has been involved in one of the biggest scandals in the past several years, i.e. ‘Respirators’ affair, he has not been blacklisted for his illegal activities in relation to that, instead, he has been blacklisted for writing letters. N1 reports that, in 2018, Novalic sent letters to pensioners in the FB&H, using their personal information acquired from the FB&H Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, and the US Department of the Treasury stated the said action constitutes “undermining democratic process”, given the fact that personal information could not be used in such manner. The US has also blacklisted Stankovic, a close associate of SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, whose company was engaged in construction of the RS Government building and implementation of numerous infrastructural projects in Republika Srpska (RS). N1 reports that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a press release, stating that in the past period, Dodik has been creating parallel institutions in B&H and Stankovic provided technical, financial and other assistance in that process. The reporter noted that at the inquiry on the issue, SDA and SNSD failed to respond, although Novalic and Stankovic are not the first members of the said political parties who have been blacklisted, and according to the first reactions, they will not be the last B&H citizens blacklisted by the US.

Covic: If we want to enter process of EU integration, if we want candidate status, first thing we need to do is amend Election Law and Constitution (HRT1)

Guest of HRT1 central news was HDZ B&H leader and President of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) of B&H Dragan Covic. Covic confirmed that according to the preliminary results of the B&H general elections which were held on Sunday, HNS’s candidate for the position of Croat member of the B&H Presidency Borjana Kristo won 165,000 votes. “Four years ago, I received about 155,000 votes and we thought that it was unattainable. In my opinion, Borjana will have about 180,000 votes which means that she received the plebiscite support of the Croat people in the elections,” Covic underlined. Asked how HDZ B&H and HNS managed to mobilize the Croat election machinery like that, Covic said that they ran the campaign differently than before. “We primarily got the unity of HNS. Eleven parties supported Mrs. Kristo which is a big change compared to before. It is true that this was a problem as well because we actually went with one candidate to show that the Croats do not elect the Croat member of the B&H Presidency, but the Bosniaks, through two Bosniak members of the Presidency. Our voters, sympathizers and our people understood that as a message. We had a campaign that talked about the future, about the problems of the people, about economic and social issues, legal security. We guaranteed that we will solve problems by legal and political means, including the problem of election of Croat member of the Presidency, and I believe we got a positive reaction,” Covic said. Commenting on the fact that Zeljko Komsic (DF) was reelected as the Croat member of the B&H Presidency, Covic said that he believes Kristo would not have won even if she got 200,000 votes. “On the other side, you have a policy that has decided to elect on behalf of Croats people to positions where collective rights of the constituent peoples are decided and those are the Presidency and the houses of peoples,” Covic said, adding that instructions were sent to family, even by the Islamic Community, with clear messages about how many votes should go to the Izetbegovic family and how many to Komsic. “We achieved what we wanted – for our people to send a clear message that they want to have their legitimate representatives, and do not doubt that we will achieve it,” Covic emphasized. Speaking about the High Representative Christian Schmidt‘s decision on amendments to the B&H Election Law related to the structure and functioning of the House of Peoples (HoP) of the FB&H, Covic said that Schmidt called him Sunday about an hour before he announced his decision. “He assured me that he wants to send a message that we can immediately start implementing the election results when it comes to the houses of peoples, that is, that his key idea is to unblock the processes,” Covic said, adding that he will comment on Schmidt’s decision in more detail after he thoroughly reads it. Covic pointed out that he had repeatedly called on Schmidt to come up with a comprehensive solution. “Of course, I regret the fact that this was not done for Croat member of the Presidency,” Covic said. Asked with whom HDZ B&H will form a coalition after the elections, Covic said that HDZ B&H will have absolute majorities in five cantons in the FB&H, and at the B&H level, he is sure that the result guarantees full involvement in the executive authorities. “However, there is no predetermined partner, partnership is born from a legitimate result with the Bosniaks, with the Serb people, and we will decide on our next moves based on that. We have to do that quickly. We want to very clearly point out, primarily with the representatives of the international community, that what the Bosniak people are doing – electing someone to the Presidency, where foreign policy, security policy and monetary policy is being decided, on behalf of us, I am sure that they made a mistake. That is why we will conduct talks very seriously.  If we want to enter the process of EU integration, if we want the candidate status which was indicated for us by Christmas this year, the first thing we need to do is amend the Election Law and the Constitution. We have to do it, so that no one imposes it on us anymore. Let us thank Mr. Schmidt, a step forward has been made, but we have to finish it now,” Covic concluded.

Milanovic: I will support the self-government of Croats in B&H (Hina)

The President of Croatia Zoran Milanovic says that he will support some form of self-government for the Croats in B&H, if they decide to do so. “As long as it is possible for the Croats to be elected by someone else as a member of the Presidency of B&H, that is called a fraud. The international community is not doing anything, and Croatia is not doing enough,” Milanovic stated, as reported by the press service of the President of Croatia. Official Zagreb does not recognize Zeljko Komsic, the current member of the B&H Presidency from among the Croat people, because it believes that he was elected by the votes of Bosniaks, not Croats, reports Hina. Milanovic believes that Croatia must lead and manage this problem in B&H on its own, and not “depend on the mercy of officials”. “The fate of the Croats in B&H in the next four years depends on this. It is an untenable situation,” said the Croatian president. Milanovic points out that he previously had good relations with politicians in B&H, such as Komsic, but that he realized that they are “fraudsters and that these people cannot be trusted”, because they are there to “take advantage of the fact that there are few Croats”, Croatian media reports.

Grlic Radman: President Milanovic’s rhetoric harmed the processes in B&H (HRT)

At a press conference, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Gordan Grlic Radman referred to the elections in B&H and the intervention of the high representative of the international community in B&H, Christian Schmidt, in the B&H election law. “Our dissatisfaction with the over-voting of Croats is that it is damaging the institutional stability and future relations in B&H in the long term. For the fourth time, Mr. Komsic was elected by the votes of the Bosniak people, and he is a Croat member of the Presidency. It will continue to remain a great burden in our eyes, a stain, I would say. We are pleased with the decision of the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, to impose changes in the electoral law. This is also a great success of this government. Mr. Schmidt recognized all the arguments that Croatia was talking about. We want progress and betterment for B&H. This can only be achieved if the Dayton-Paris Agreement and the Constitution of B&H are respected. That decision will mark the way in the reforms that will follow,” pointed out Gordan Grlic Radman.

The Croatian President did a lot of damage to certain processes

“It is important to return to the political context of our work, strong diplomatic activities. We want all peoples in B&H to enjoy equal rights. There were also those who rejected our efforts. Such messages, which also came from Croatia, may have been considered messages of the Croatian state, so we distanced ourselves from them. Unfortunately, the president of the country did a lot of damage to certain processes that could have ended more favorably. His messages confused both the high representative and all actors in B&H, I think that his statements probably contributed to the radicalization of the political scene in B&H, and the fact that Mr. Komsic received several tens of thousands of votes was probably thanks to the rhetoric of President Milanovic, he emphasized. He pointed out that it is important that every Croat in B&H voted for the Croatian representative Borjana Kristo. “It is crucial that all political actors continue to talk in order to ensure the further equality of the three constituent nations. It is important here that other countries also supported the decision of the high representative, above all the USA and the United Kingdom,” he said. “We did everything to make all our allies and partners aware of the issue in B&H” he emphasized. “President Zoran Milanovic’s policy, which we could not understand, made things difficult because he conditioned the resolution of the election law by stopping the admission of Finland and Sweden into the NATO alliance. Of course, he made it difficult by insulting the high representative,” he said. “We are glad if the president of the state advocates, but then it should be a constructive approach, a civilized approach, it must be an approach where the president of the state uses the lever of power and instruments, and he has not used them even once,” he said. “We want B&H to form a Government as soon as possible, the bodies as soon as possible, so that B&H would be functional and so that it would move towards an unblocking and so that everyone would cooperate in the interest of B&H,” he concluded.

Komsic was elected according to the electoral law, but is not legitimate

Asked to comment on the MOST party’s proposal to declare Komsic persona non grata, he said that MOST representatives mostly shout and make noise. “And when they are not shouting and making noise, then they are sleeping or are nowhere to be found. Did you see them, did they do something, were they in B&H, did they support someone? They use certain terms that they have no idea what they mean. Don’t they see that Mr. Komsic has been all this all these years? Nobody talked to him, nobody accepts him as a political actor, as a relevant person to talk with. He was elected according to the electoral law, some will say that it is legal, but he is not a legitimate representative of the Croatian people. We want to see a legitimate representative of the Croatian people, if one exists. So, he advocates for some matrixes, but he uses the electoral engineering that suits him,” pointed out Minister Grlic Radman.

Schmidt’s intervention in the election law was expected

The changes introduced by the High Representative in B&H on election day are expected and confirm that the Dayton-Paris Agreement is international law,” said Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman at a presentation of the campaign on the importance of NATO in Zagreb. “I can only say that this decision was expected since opportunities for agreement between political leaders, primarily Bosniak and Croatian, were missed,” he said about the decision of the high representative of the international community in B&H, Christian Schmidt, before addressing the students. On Sunday, Schmidt used his powers and imposed unannounced changes to the electoral law related to the structure and functioning of the House of Peoples of the FB&H and the way of making decisions. These changes benefit the Croats in the neighboring country. Grlic Radman said that the Croatian leaders were ready for an agreement, but it did not materialize and therefore it was up to the High Representative’s decision to protect the Dayton-Paris Agreement. “This is a confirmation that this agreement is international law and that the equality of the three constituent nations and other citizens had to be respected in order to ensure the institutional stability, security and prosperity of B&H,” said the minister. “Schmidt’s changes are the first step,” said the Croatian head of diplomacy.

Plenkovic: Despite Milanovic’s insults, Schmidt made right decision, thanks to arguments we presented about protection of rights of Croats in B&H, and it will facilitate formation of authorities in B&H, especially at FB&H level (HRT1)

Croatian Prime Minister and leader of HDZ of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic Sunday welcomed the changes to the B&H Election Law imposed by High Representative Christian Schmidt, noting that this ensures the political survival of Croats in B&H. After Monday’s session of the Presidency of HDZ of Croatia in Zagreb, Plenkovic additionally commented on the development of events in B&H. Plenkovic congratulated all candidates gathered around the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) of B&H, stressing that both HDZ B&H and other parties achieved a good result in the B&H general elections which were held on Sunday. However, Plenkovic regretted the fact that outvoting happened again, stressing that this is bad for the relations between the three constituent peoples in B&H. Plenkovic also commented on Schmidt’s decision, describing it as right and good. Plenkovic pointed out that Schmidt did as much as he could at this moment and that the main focus is now on equality which is guaranteed to the Croat people through the Dayton Agreement. Plenkovic pointed out that Croats definitely stand to gain through these amendments to the B&H Election Law. “This means that in a period of 20 years, from 2006 to 2022, for 16 years we nominally have a Croat member of the Presidency who was not elected by the Croats in B&H. There is no more plastic way to describe how bad and unfair it is and how harmful this practice is and does not contribute to good relations between Croats and Bosniaks as equal constituent peoples in B&H,” Plenkovic said. Plenkovic stressed that amendments to the B&H Election Law which were announced Sunday evening are only the first step towards a comprehensive reform of the election legislation in B&H. Plenkovic also commented on Most’s initiative for Zeljko Komsic to be declared a persona non grata in Croatia. Plenkovic stressed that members of Most are people who have done nothing for the position of Croats in B&H and that they want to provide themselves with political visibility with such initiatives. Plenkovic pointed out that the Croatian Government was in intensive communication with Schmidt and that their efforts in that context have borne fruit. Plenkovic also commented on Croatian President Zoran Milanovic‘s statements about the High Representative in B&H. “This once again shows the entire Croatian public that shouting, insulting, blocking and similar methods advocated by, for example, Milanovic, in foreign policy activities have absolutely no benefit, can only cause harm. Despite his insults, Schmidt made the right decision yesterday (Sunday), thanks to the arguments we presented about the protection of rights of Croats in B&H, and it will facilitate the formation of the authorities in B&H, especially at the Federation of B&H level,” Plenkovic underlined.

Boskovic: DPS will submit a new initiative for shortening the mandate to the Assembly (Gradska TV)

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will submit a new initiative, which will be signed by a third of the deputies, because we believe that this is the only way out of the crisis, said DPS deputy Predrag Boskovic. He stated that, if there is courage, the mandate of the parliament will be shortened in October. He emphasizes that the institution of the President is currently the only one in full legitimate capacity in Montenegro. “That speaks volumes for how much President Milo Djukanovic cares about the interests of Montenegro, not personal or party interests. “He was practically the only one who behaved in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and he will do so as long as he is in that position,” Boskovic assessed. He repeats that the only real solution to this kind of political crisis is the return of the mandate to the citizens and the opportunity to decide who can lead the country in the next four years. “There was enough time to show how much an unknown and ill-intentioned leadership can lead Montenegro, which was a leader in EU integration, gained independence, joined NATO, with the highest economic growth in the region, astray in just two years. They want to present Montenegro as incapable of existing within such borders in order to join the Greater Serbian project,” said Boskovic. It is for this reason, as he adds, that the DPS believes that citizens should decide how they see the future of Montenegro in the coming period. “As President Djukanovic said, the responsibility is now on the parliament, which refused to put his initiative on the agenda, and all the consequences of not shortening the mandate of the Assembly will be in the parliament’s yard. The DPS will insist that the mandate be shortened as soon as possible and that elections be held,” said Boskovic, adding that they are waiting for the Podgorica elections so that they can make decisions at the state level. “This is irresponsible behavior, because the vast majority of political entities put exclusively party interests ahead of state interests. This is a problem we have had since August 30, 2020,” said Boskovic. Because of the local elections on October 23, certain parties, as he states, either do not have the courage or are calculating due to fear of the results, endangering the future of the country due to narrow party interests. “Dritan Abazovic is here to bind Montenegro as much as possible to Serbia, to the hidden Serbian world in the form of the Open Balkans,” concluded Boskovic for Gradska RTV.

Shortening the mandate of the Assembly: DF and Demos do not believe that the initiative will pass, URA for elections (RTCG)

The Democratic Party of Socialists will submit a new initiative to shorten the mandate of the Assembly, which will be signed by a third of the deputies. Reactions have already arrived from some parties. While the URE wishes for new elections, the DF claim that none of the 41 members of the majority will stand with the DPS. Miodrag Lekic sees the new initiative as an attempt at a constitutional coup. The head of the parliament, Danijela Djurovic, did not want to comment on the new initiative to be submitted by the DPS to shorten the mandate of the parliament. But they are deputies of URA, DF and Demos. URA says that there are many unknowns in the Constitution, and that there is political overreach that further complicates the situation. “My personal opinion is that I would like the elections to be held as soon as possible, because Montenegro needs to understand that we cannot do without each other and that we can only solve common problems together,” says MP Bozena Jelusic. DF believes that DPS hopes that one of the 41 deputies of the current majority will change their mind and support their initiative this time. “I do not believe that such a thing is possible. It will be another failed initiative of the DPS, which is desperately looking for a solution to get out of the crisis, and the only democratic solution is to give the mandate to those who have an absolute majority,” says MP Slaven Radunovic. Miodrag Lekic from Demos says that the DPS wants to carry out an anti-constitutional coup, and to eliminate an important institution such as the parliament. “I don’t believe that the international community will fall for these provocations because it would violate principles,” Lekic said. For the time being, the SDP and the Democrats did not want to comment on the announced DPS initiative, until they get to know it.

Zelensky thanked Djukanovic and the presidents of eight countries for supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership (CdM)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his Montenegrin colleague Milo Djukanovic and the presidents of eight other NATO member states of Central and Eastern Europe, who together condemned the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories. “Grateful to our neighbors – the countries of Central and Eastern Europe for supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership and condemning the Russian Federation’s attempt to annex Ukrainian territories,” Zelensky said on Twitter. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Montenegro Oleh Herasymenko thanked Djukanovic and Montenegro for their trust. “A particularly strong statement of support for Ukraine and its aspirations for NATO membership at a time when the very foundations of the rules-based world order are under fierce Russian attack. Thank you, President Djukanovic. Thank you, Montenegro, for your leadership, steadfastness and trust,” Herasymenko said on Twitter.

Kovachevski and Schinas discuss dealing with migration, EU screening process (MIA)

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, alongside Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj and Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski, met Monday with Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas, for talks on boosting the country’s capacities to overcome the challenges of illegal migration, as well as the ongoing EU screening process.  “Participants in the meeting pointed out that the Republic of North Macedonia remains committed to managing all relevant aspects of external migration. Given the migration flows and their impact on demographic and socio-economic development, the Republic of North Macedonia has been tirelessly and dedicatedly working for years in order to successfully deal with the migration crisis,” the government said in a press release. Kovachevski stressed that together with European partners, as well as other Western Balkan countries, the country has managed to deal with migration in the best way it could. Since December 2015, an international joint operation has been continuously implemented on the southern border, which includes foreign police officers from eight European countries. Signing the Frontex agreement, expected to happen at the earliest possible time, will open the possibility to deploy Frontex forces on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia, which would further contribute in terms of successfully dealing with illegal migration, reads the press release.

Support expressed for next steps in EU integration process at Kovachevski – Geer meeting (MIA)

The screening process with the EU is going well, concluded Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and the Head of the EU Delegation in Skopje, David Geer, at a meeting Monday.

Support was voiced at the meeting for the next steps on North Macedonia’s EU integration path allowing uninterrupted course of the negotiating process, said the government. It was concluded that a progress in the EU integration process is significant for the quality of life of the citizens of the country and the stability of the EU with focus, confidence and inclusivity of all sides being considered as key in the process. “Talks also focused on the importance of further advancement of the reforms process, mainly in the judiciary and joint expectations were voiced for results based on professional capacities, principles and integrity,” said the press release. The interlocutors also discussed other current issues involving the consequences from the Ukraine war globally and the energy challenges Europe and the world are facing and agreed that an approach of solidarity is needed when possible solutions are mulled.

Deputy PM, former Croatian chief negotiator discuss bilateral screening, Euro-integration

experiences (MIA/Telma)

The bilateral screening with the EU will begin on 7 November. All requirements and tasks identified during the screening will be part of a report for the entire cluster, based on the benchmarks for the opening of the clusters, said Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj and former Croatian chief negotiator with the EU, Vladimir Drobnjak on Monday.

Marichikj and Drobnjak held a press briefing after their meeting that focused on the explanatory screenings regarding the first cluster “Fundamentals” in Brussels and Croatia’s experiences in the Euro-integration process. The Deputy PM said the explanatory screening was launched on September 15, giving an update on EU regulations since the last explanatory screening rounds in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, the screening on the second cluster “Internal Market” will start on October 7, whereas the completion of the explanatory screening a month later will mark the start of the bilateral screening. “The topics that we heard about over the past couple of weeks – judiciary and fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security, financial control, public procurement and statistics – are part of the first cluster with the intention to cover the aspect of good governance. Besides these chapters, the cluster also incorporated public administration reform, political criteria, functioning of democratic institutions, economic criteria,” said Marichikj. He noted that during the bilateral screening, North Macedonia would explain, present, assess the degree of implementation of European standards in a certain area, but also undertake a task on the timeframe and the projected percentage for alignment with European standards. “We are expected to declare in which areas we seek a transitional period after membership and in which areas we seek interim derogation measures, namely environment, where we would need more efforts or more funds,” said Marichikj. A novelty, added Marichikj, is the accelerated membership, which goes contrary to the transitional periods, i.e. are there areas where we are fully aligned and are already prepared to take part in the European policies, in the format of EU member-states. “An example of this was the covid-certificate, where North Macedonia was the first non-EU member that joined the system,” said Marichikj. He said the explanatory screening is taking place alongside Albania, whereas the countries would be separated for the bilateral screening. Croatia’s former negotiator Drobnjak said it is important to understand the technical side and the terminology of the process for the purpose of proper communication. “In many elements, this process is identical with the one that Croatia went through but it is also very different in others. The clusters are the novelty that we did not have. Each country is an individual case. It is important to explain to the public that the negotiations are very broad and complex. The entire society takes part and that is why it is important to bring the public closer to the process, so that it understands it better but also to feel it is involved,” said Drobnjak. He said North Macedonia has an advantage in the EU accession process because it is already a NATO member, along with its 100-percent alignment with the Union’s foreign and security policy. Asked about a timeframe for the negotiations, he said this is impossible to predict. “This is mainly due to the new methodology, which is applied for the first time in your case. On one hand, this methodology makes the negotiations more difficult but on the other, it leaves room for further acceleration, something that we did not have. Therefore, it is impossible to answer this question,” underlined Drobnjak.

German Special Envoy Michael Sarrazin wraps up Albania visit (DW/ADN)

Germany’s Special Representative for the countries of the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin, who paid a visit to Albania last week, spoke to Deutsche Welle’s Albanian Section about the region’s challenges on the road to the EU and Albania’s accession negotiations in particular. He said that opening of negotiation talks with Albania was a long-awaited news and now it was time to focus on the details and see Albania progressing. According to Sarrazin, the government of Albania was following the EU integration reforms path but he called for more caution on the details. Asked about his view on the Open Balkan regional initiative, the special envoy said that the so-called Berlin Process was not against certain regional projects, but was rather aimed at pushing things forward. Sarrazin said that he would be traveling in the region ahead of Berlin Summit that is scheduled to be held on 3 November. He is confident that the Common Regional Market, solidarity in energy and the Green Agenda, as well as youth co-operation in the region will move forward in the Berlin Summit.

US Senator: US concern over Russian funding in Wester Balkans (Panorama/VoA)

United States Senator Jeanne Shaheen spoke to Voice of America’s Albanian Section about her latest visit to Albania, saying she appreciates the partnership with Albania, and that the United States should help the Western Balkan’s country to have a secure cyber-infrastructure so that it is no longer a target of cyber-attacks from Iran or any other country. The purpose of her visit, she said, was to make sure that the people of Albania and the Western Balkans know that the U.S. Senate is paying attention to what happens in this region. According to her, the U.S. is grateful for Albania’s partnership, and it very much appreciates Albania’s support to Ukraine, and the help given to resettle Afghan refugees. Moreover, she expressed concern over Russian funding and disinformation campaigns in the Balkans. Commenting on the US Congress’s bill on promotion of democracy in the Western Balkans, she said that the bill is also meant to tackle Russian disinformation campaigns in the region, and to support the reform efforts in Albania and across the region. Shaheen, described by the media as an expert on the Western Balkans, says that the agreement on foreign policy recently reached between Belgrade and Moscow goes against the long-term interests of the Serbian people. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Co-operation and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, held on Saturday her first visit to Albania, the most senior US Senator to travel to the country since former Senator John McCain in 2017. Shaheen held meetings with President of the Republic Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, and a range of representatives from the government and opposition. As reported by the media, in the meetings, she discussed the country’s European Union accession talks and the progress Albania has made on democratic reform and Euro-Atlantic integration efforts, as well as efforts to strengthen Albania’s cyber capabilities in light of recent cyber-attacks. Shaheen also met with a group of Afghan refugees who are awaiting relocation to the United States after fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country last year.

Iran threatens to attack Albania with drones (Top Channel TV/Tema)

“The threatening rhetoric of Iran towards Albania, declared an enemy country by the Official Tehran, is far from being over,” Top Channel TV reported on Sunday. “Iran’s stealth drones capable of striking MKO base in Albania: Iranian Paper,” this was the title of the editorial published on the Iranian news portal Iran Front Page, quoting from an article published on an Iranian government newspaper. As per the said media source, Iran is in possession of radar-evading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which it can use to strike the base of the Mojahedeen-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) in Albania. “Iran’s drone or missile capabilities are not limited to the geographical area of neighboring countries; rather, Iran enjoys so many capabilities in the aerospace sector, especially in the domain of drones, that it can easily target the MKO base in Tirana,” wrote the Iranian government’s official newspaper. “Iran has stealth suicide and combat drones which can travel far beyond the distance between Iran and Albania and strike the target,” the daily added. The Iranian government newspaper, citing the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, writes that the MEK opposition, sheltered in Albania, has played a role in the mass protests in the last few days in several cities in Iran.