LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: KFOR rejects Serbia’s request to return its security forces to Kosovo and Metohija (TV Pink)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Sunday that KFOR responded negatively to our request for the return of the Serbian army and police to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1244. In a statement to TV Pink, Vucic said that KFOR, in its carefully composed letter addressed to the government of Serbia in response to its request, which he also received through the Military Cabinet, replied that they consider that there is no need for the return of the Serbian Armed Forces and police of the Republic of Serbia to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. He said that KFOR, however, stated that in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, the Serbian Armed Forces and police do have their role, but KFOR did not specify according to which part of Resolution 1244 it is possible for them not to allow their return to the province, because such a thing does not exist. They have no right to refuse that request, they knew they had nothing to refer to and then they referred to a positive norm from their point of view that they have the right and obligation to preserve order and peace and made another unintentional mistake, under quotation marks, the President pointed out. It would be good if they had given us a positive answer on Christmas Eve, then it would make sense, but not a negative one on the eve of Christmas, then you know it is not accidental, Vucic assessed. They made a mistake, with a clear political connotation, and wrote that they are carefully monitoring what is happening in the north, but just two hours before that, Serbian boys were shot at, which everyone tried to hide. According to him, it is not KFOR’s job to take care of the barricades in the north, but of the safety of all Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. We will see what our response will be, because there are several options. We will wait and point out how and in which places they did not protect Serbian population, from the boy Stefan Tomic in Klokot to other examples, he stated. Vucic said that he did not expect a different answer from KFOR, and that the question now is whether to go to the UN Security Council session or not.

Vucic: Republika Srpska must remain foundation of stability despite challenges (Tanjug/RTS)

Republika Srpska (RS) must remain a driving force of prosperity and a foundation of stability despite all challenges, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a congratulatory message to RS President Milorad Dodik on occasion of 9 January, RS Day. “I cordially congratulate you on RS Day, with best wishes for progress, peace and prosperity of all citizens,” Vucic wrote in the message. “As we also celebrate St Stephen’s Day, we are reminded that the power of a nation is measured by the strength of its unity and firmness in preservation of spirituality, language, script, identity, historical and cultural heritage, and its greatness by cherishing the highest moral and human values and ideals, as well as by its readiness to share what good it has with others. Such a RS should remain the driving force of prosperity and the pillar of stability, despite all challenges,” Vucic noted. Together, we continue to fight for peace and prosperity with work, knowledge, creativity and good will towards all who are ready to take sincerely an outreached hand of cooperation so that the entire region can take the path of progress, to the benefit of all citizens in these territories, he added. As in the past, Serbia will consistently support implementation of the provisions of the Dayton Agreement, respecting the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) as well as the integrity of RS within its constitutional frameworks, Vucic said. “In such efforts, as always in the past, Serbia will be your strongest support and stronghold because the ties that connect us as brothers that have shared the good and the bad throughout history are unbreakable and eternal. To all citizens of RS, I wish that they may always celebrate holidays in peace and in good times, that we may rejoice at togetherness and ties no one can break, and that we may look after our descendants while respecting our ancestors, and that we may continue to work on projects that connect us and build a better and a safe future for all,” Vucic noted. “Long live Srpska! Long live Serbia!” he concluded.

Brnabic: State will request additional guarantees for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said yesterday, regarding the negative reply of KFOR to Serbia’s request that members of the Serbian army and police return to the province, that what KFOR says is one thing, and the reality is another, and the reality is that Serbs are not safe in Kosovo and Metohija. In a statement for Tanjug in Dubai, Brnabic pointed out that we will seek additional guarantees for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, because these are not the conditions in which anyone in Europe should live in the 21st century. She said that she will continue to insist on respecting all previous agreements reached in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, with the expectation that the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities will be the focus of the meetings expected during the next week. Speaking about KFOR’s negative response to Belgrade’s request, the Prime Minister assessed that two things speak about the character of that response – firstly, that the response was sent on Christmas Eve, and secondly, that immediately before that response, a boy and a young man of Serbian nationality were shot at in Strpce. According to her, that attack is just the latest in a series of incidents, and that series currently includes more than 300 attacks on Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija in the last two years, for which no one has been held accountable. Then we hear that there is someone who can take care of the Serbs in the province and that the only help that is not needed is the support of the Serbian security forces, Brnabic pointed out and underlined that this is contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244. She emphasised that all those who recognised the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo violated this resolution and that they know it very well.

Albanian shoots two Serbian boys while they were carrying badnjak (Tanjug/RTS/RTV/Novosti/Politika)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated that two Serbian boys, cousins Stefan (11) and Milos Stojanovic (21) were wounded in Gotovusa near Strpce when they were shot at, without any reason, by a local Albanian from a moving vehicle. At the time of the attack, the children were walking on the side of the road and were carrying badnjak, when the attacker started shooting at them. They suffered gunshot wounds, one boy was shot in the hand and the other in the shoulder and it was only by sheer luck that they did not die or ended up in critical condition. They were transported to the Clinical Hospital Centre in Gracanica where they will receive the best possible care. The case here is an obvious attempted murder of innocent Serbian children who bothered someone only because they were carrying badnjak and thus clearly showed that they are Serbs. Although several eyewitnesses showed the license plates of the vehicle from which the shots were fired, local police let the vehicle go, according to the statement.

Serb young man beaten while returning from midnight Christmas liturgy in Kosovo (N1)

A group of Albanians beat up Serb Stefan Tomic (18) from Klokot at around 2:30 am while he and his brother were returning from the midnight Christmas liturgy in the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Klokot, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced. The young man was on his way to his aunt’s house after attending service in the church when he was attacked by a group of Albanians, some of whom he recognized as security guards at a local restaurant, the statement said. Stefan suffered injuries to his eye, arm, abdomen and legs, and he sought medical help at a health facility in Vitina. The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic spoke with the Tomic family and told them they can count on the support of the state of Serbia.

Petkovic: Attack on Serb youths a murder attempt (Tanjug/RTS/RTV/Politika)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said Friday’s armed attack on two Kosovo Serb youths at Gotovusa, near Strpce, was “an attempt of murder” and noted that someone had “wanted to give the Serbs a bloody Christmas”. He said that, according to locals, the two had been shot at by an ethnic Albanian from a moving vehicle. “Milos and Stefan have exit wounds. They were shot at while they were carrying Yule logs. Someone wanted to give us a bloody Christmas,” Petkovic wrote in a Twitter post. In a statement, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said the attack had been unprovoked and that the two youths – who are males and relatives aged 11 and 21 – were walking by the side of the road and carrying Yule logs at the time the attacker, who is a local, shot bursts of fire at them. The Office demanded an urgent and determined reaction by the international community.

Thousands protest over armed attack of Serbs in Strpce (RTS/Tanjug)

Several thousand people gathered in Strpce to protest over the attack on Stefan and Milos Stojanovic, two local Serbs who were wounded on Friday when a local Albanian opened fire on them from a moving vehicle. The protesters demand that the safety of Serb children in Kosovo and Metohija is ensured, with the Strpce Municipal Mayor Dalibor Jevtic saying that the incident represents a final warning, but that Serbs will persevere regardless of all the challenges they are facing. Those gathered carried banners saying “We will not forgive you for the children!”, “Stefan, the heart of a Serb hero”, “A shot at Stefan and Milos is a shot at the heart of Serbia!”, “Europe, what are our children to blame for?!”, “Our children are not intended for (Albin) Kurti’s bullet!”. Among the participants was the leader of the Serb List (SL) Goran Rakic, as well as top party officials Igor Simic and Slavko Simic. “Today, we are sending a message from this place that they will not scare us. Each of us is Stefan and Milos, and the message to those who want to expel us is that they failed,” said Jevtic, as reported by RTS. He stressed that the international community must demand from Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to stop the attacks on Serb children. Rakic said that the protesters gathered inspired by the “heroic wounds of Stefan and Milos from Strpce, but also Stefan from Klokot”. “The terror of the dictatorial regime of Albin Kurti continues,“ said Rakic, adding that “Kurti is mistaken if he thinks that Serbs removed the barricades because they are afraid”. Among the speakers was also Stojan Marinkovic, the principal of the school the young boy Stefan attended. “We are sending a message that we believe in freedom and the right to life and that only in peace can we build a better future for all of us,“ he said, according to Tanjug.

Protest in Mitrovica against SL and Vucic’s high treason (KoSSev/N1)

About 200 citizens protested in Kosovska Mitrovica in front of the premises of the Serb List (SL) over what they called “high treason” by Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucic and “torture, boasting, uncontrolled enrichment, threats, blackmail” by the SL. Those present presented a banner that read “Vucic – Kosmet doesn’t want you, you betrayed us, We don’t even want your Community of Serb Municipalities, You sold us out”. Ivan Miletic, one of the organizers of the protest, addressed protesters, saying that during the time barricades were set up everyone believed that Vucic would support Serbs, but that this did not happen. He said the citizens gathered to send the message that they will not “put up with Kurti’s terror”. “Nobody will put up with this anymore. We can’t do it anymore,” said Miletic, as quoted by Kossev. He called on Kurti and the international community to withdraw all policemen from the North and close the bases of the special units. Those present repeated their previous demands. They called on the international community to intervene so that all the arrested Serbs are released and for the withdrawal of special units from the North. They demanded from the Serbian government to stop the negotiations and freeze them until these two demands are fulfilled. They called on KFOR and EULEX to “do the job they came for”. “Everything else is out of their mandate. Otherwise, it means nothing to us. If you want to do your job – it’s good, if not, then what is left for us to do?,” said one of the speakers.

Odalovic: KFOR is disgrace of international community (TV Prva/ RTV)

The President of the Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic assessed that the fact that KFOR is not doing its job in Kosovo and Metohija is the disgrace of the international community, and that they are simultaneously training the Kosovo Security Forces, whose members Azem Kurtaj wounded Serbian boys and young man in Strpce. Odalovic told TV Prva that it is absurd that KFOR, rejecting the arrival of Serbian forces according to Resolution 1244, states that it is responsible for security, because that is common knowledge.

“There has been tension in Kosovo and Metohija for a couple of months, on the verge of an incident. On Christmas, KFOR sends a message that they are the ones who will be the guarantor of security, in the days when two boys were injured and a third was beaten,” he said. Odalovic stated that the attacker Azem Kurtaj is in reserve uniforms of the NATO arsenal, that those countries, which are also behind KFOR, have trained and prepared the Kosovo Security Forces. “I understand what Albin Kurti wants, of course I don’t support it. But I don’t understand those who allow it. They become turnpikes and recorders, what Serbs from Kosovo would say, “they condemn crimes with half their mouths”, Odalovic explained. He said that Kurtaj, who shot and wounded a boy and a young man on Christmas Eve, at the age of 33, did not participate in anything that happened in the late 1990s. “His father was a terrorist. He died in the bombing of Dubrava prison, which was targeted by NATO, not Serbia. That was one of the terrible crimes,” he said. He reminded that responsibility for Dubrava was removed from the indictment against Slobodan Milosevic. “That’s NATO’s disgrace. And now a member of the Kosovo security forces, his son, is being trained by KFOR and NATO countries, so he’s attacking Serbian children,” Odalovic said.

EU condemns armed attack near Strpce, urges investigation (Beta)

The EU has strongly condemned an armed incident near Strpce and is urging the authorities to launch an investigation, Peter Stano, a spokesman for the EU said. “The EU strongly condemns the shooting of a child and a young man in Kosovo, on Friday. It is important that the authorities will fully investigate this despicable crime and that justice is exerted,” Stano said on Twitter, adding that he wished the victims a full and speedy recovery. In the Strpce region, in the village of Drajkovce, a young man aged 21 and an 11-years-old boy, both Serbs, were shot at. After receiving immediate medical attention at the Family Medical Center in Strpce, they were transported to a hospital in Gracanica for further treatment. Their lives are not in danger. The attack was condemned by the authorities in Kosovo, several embassies in Kosovo and OSCE Mission to Kosovo.

Chollet: Campaign for derecognition of Kosovo impeding dialogue (VoA/Beta)

Derek Chollet, an adviser at the US Department of State, said on Friday that the US considered Belgrade’s campaign for the derecognition of Kosovo a distraction and that this was not in the spirit of finding a way to move forward. Chollet, slated to visit Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia this week, told the Voice of America in an interview that such a campaign was not in line with the European Union’s proposal on the dialogue that the two sides were leading. That doesn’t bring us closer to the achievement of the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of both countries, that their leaders say they want. We want to focus on that, not on distractions like this, the US official added. Speaking on expectations from his visit to the Western Balkans, Chollet said the present moment was very important for the region, especially Belgrade-Pristina relations. He said recent weeks had seen an increase in tensions between the two sides, but stressed that it was good news that the barricades in northern Kosovo had been removed and administrative line crossings had reopened.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik holds formal reception in administrative center of RS government (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik held a formal reception in the administrative center of the RS government on the occasion of 9 January, the Day of the RS, noted the presenter. Bihac-Petrovac Bishop Sergije attended the reception on behalf of the Serb Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije. Sergije congratulated the Day of the RS to all citizens of the RS. The speaker of the Serbian parliament Vladimir Orlic reminded of joint projects which have been implemented for years by the RS and Serbia. Orlic said that Serbia shows how much it loves the RS with those projects. Dodik said that the RS will not give up on celebrating the Day of the RS and that the final goal of the Serb people in B&H is free RS. Dodik reminded of the attempts to rewrite political and historical facts, and he said that Serb people will fight against that. Dodik stated: “We have been living for 31 years. This is far more than some other forms of government that existed in this area, and showed that in almost impossible circumstances for Serbs, who are used to achieving freedom in battles, that of all these 31 years, some 17-18 years in the political debates, struggles that were not favorable to us, we showed that we can preserve that too. They took a lot from us, but they did not take our soul. We stayed here, equally courageous, capable of dealing with challenges, convinced that we will reach the ultimate goal of our freedom, which is, of course, our free RS as a state”. Dodik also noted during that the RS was created on January 9, 1992, without a single bullet being shot and without human victims. Dodik added that they wanted political autonomy and offered different approaches in order to preserve peace, while some said that they are ready to sacrifice peace for B&H. Dodik said that the strength of their people is in the will to live there and to build, together with Serbia, an economically prosperous region. Dodik said that the RS and Serbia should not care about what will someone say and that the Serb people should define what they want in this century. Dodik stated that he will not give up the RS, their freedom and that he will not allow anyone to oppress and humiliate them. Dodik stated that he is proud of the generation of the politicians who created and maintained the RS. The Serb member and Chairperson of the B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic said the ceremony was an introduction to what will follow in the next few days, in order to mark the Day of the RS. Cvijanovic said that this was an opportunity to meet with their friends and people who understand the importance of the existence of the RS, and to show respect to all those who defended the RS and freedom they live in today. Cvijanovic said that they are proud that they were able to find the right path during difficult challenges and they are proud over the fact that they are ready for all future challenges. On the occasion of the Day of the RS, RS President Dodik presented meritorious citizens and institutions with decorations. Dodik said he is proud to be able to present these decorations to people who are friends of the RS, who love the RS and give support to it. Among those that received decorations was also Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Thanks to the position of President Putin, and the renewed strength of the Russian Federation, voice and stance of the RS is heard and respected, and thanks to Russia, as the guarantor of the Dayton Peace Agreement, our position was preserved under the onslaught of international interventionism, who wanted and had the intention of endangering our future”, Dodik stressed. Ambassador of the Russian Federation to B&H Igor Kalabukhov accepted this decoration on Putin’s behalf and thanked Dodik for this. “We believe this decoration is affirmation of the strategic character of our relations, aimed at strengthening the friendship between our brotherly nations”, Kalabukhov said during his address. His Holiness the Archbishop of Pec, the Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovac and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije were awarded the Order of the RS on the ribbon. Sinisa Mihajlovic, Serbian professional football player, coach, manager and sports legend, was posthumously awarded the Order of the flag of the RS with the Golden Wreath. The Order of Honor with Golden Rays was awarded to the celebrated director and actor Nikola Pejakovic. “It means a lot to me, I am really grateful to Mister President Dodik and I am grateful to the RS. I did not expect that, but really, awards are usually a formal thing, but this really means a lot to me. I am not saying this just formally”, Pejakovic said. Asked to comment on whether he is afraid of potential sanctions to due awarding Putin in the context of the war in Ukraine, Dodik said that the decision on awarding Putin was reached a long time ago, i.e. a year and a half ago. Dodik stated that Putin himself is not using a rifle to fire adding that there can be no influence on the conflict but this does not mean that the RS is giving up on those who guarantee the Dayton Peace Agreement. Dodik said that he is happy that he will be able to hand him over the award in person in a couple of months.

Dodik on war in Ukraine: We do not want to interfere in conflict of two Orthodox Christian nations which with the RS has good relations; B&H got status of EU candidate because of EU’s fear of Russia (Glas Srpske)

The daily carried an interview with RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik on the occasion of the RS Day. Asked if the RS will be able to maintain the stance that it does not wish to impose any sanctions against Russia, especially in light of the fact that due to the one-sided actions of some B&H ambassadors, B&H has already expressed support to some sanctions imposed by the EU, Dodik said that the RS’s stance is that it refuses to interfere in a conflict of two Orthodox Christian nations which with the RS has good relations. However, he noted, the cooperation with the Russian Federation is more intense, which reflects on the RS’s stance on this matter. “We experienced sanctions and the consequences they bring, we do not wish that to anyone. Especially not to those who have been demonstrating understanding for our political position based on the Dayton Peace Agreement. It is a paradox that sanctions against Russian Federation are advocated by the Federation of B&H (FB&H) politicians who have more benefit from Russian gas than the RS”, said Dodik. He emphasized that some B&H ambassadors acted against decisions of B&H Presidency and voted in favor of some resolutions aimed against Russia, and the RS reacted adequately. Dodik said that B&H got the status of EU candidate because of EU’s fear of Russia, rather than because of its wish for integration of the Western Balkans. “They had the opportunity to grant the status years ago, and they did not do it, and we have not done anything special now yet we got the status of candidate. Therefore, we are a collateral of the changed relations on the international scene. There has been pressure and there will be pressure, our job is to try and protect our interests”, said Dodik. He underlined that in the process of EU integration, the RS can strengthen its institutions and its position within B&H. He noted that complexity of B&H is not very different than complexity of some EU member states, such as Germany which also consists of several federal units. “I believe that we, in the framework of B&H and respecting B&H Constitution, can achieve the single voce to speak to the EU through the Coordination Mechanism. The RS is no exclusivity in that sense, there are several such examples within the EU”, Dodik emphasized.

Vucic congratulates RS Day (FTV)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is not mentioning unification with RS. On the contrary, Vucic is clear about where the RS belongs. Namely, as FTV noted, while RS President Milorad Dodik is sending messages about the independence of the RS and the unification of Serbs, a congratulatory message came from Serbia on the occasion of 9 January. Vucic wished long life to the RS within B&H, respecting international law and everything else. Vucic also said that they can always count on the support of Serbia. Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic also congratulated the Day of the RS.

SDA calls on PIC, OHR, EUFOR to sanctions engaged on celebration of RS Day (Hayat)

SDA issued a statement on Sunday to remind that the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) ruled marking of 9 January as the RS Day unconstitutional. SDA reflected on the reasons why 9 January cannot be the RS Day, noting: “On that day in 1992, an attack was made on the constitutional and legal order of B&H, the prelude to the aggression, ethnic cleansing, mass crimes and genocide. In addition, 9 January and the reasons why the authorities of the RS entity decided to celebrate it as RS Day is discriminatory in its essence and in the way it is celebrated. The RS entity is not, nor can it be, an entity of only one people. Despite the ruling, which is final and binding, the authorities of the RS entity continue to celebrate this day, directly violating the decisions of the CC.” According to SDA, RS thus intentionally causes tensions, which – as SDA added – is an unquestionable and flagrant anti-Dayton act. “SDA calls on the PIC, OHR and EUFOR to finally start using the mandate in full capacity and fulfil the obligations established by the Dayton Peace Agreement. In accordance with this mandate, they are obliged to sanction without any calculation or delay all those who, by organizing the celebration of the unconstitutional RS Day and militaristic parades, want to provoke incidents and disrupt stability in B&H”, concluded SDA. SDA called on the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to stop with calculations and to finally launch a criminal proceeding against those who are responsible for violation of decisions of the CC of B&H. SDA also called on B&H citizens not to fall for provocations because organizers of celebration of the RS Day have this precise goal.

B&H CEC confirms that SNSD has four delegates in B&H HoP, following decision of Court of B&H (O Kanal)

At its session held on Thursday, the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) established the results of indirect elections for the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) from RS. According to the last decision, SNSD will have four delegates in the B&H HoP, i.e. Snjezana Novakovic Bursac, Nikola Spiric, Sredoje Novic and Radovan Kovacevic, and SDS one delegate in the B&H HoP, i.e. Zelimir Neskovic. O Kanal reports that during the discussion, B&H CEC member Zeljko Bakalar said the B&H CEC acts in accordance with the decision of the Court of B&H, and reminds that the BiH CEC was ordered by the court to act in line with the decision of the Commission for Election and Appointment of the RS parliament. “I think there is no dilemma that in the country in which the rule of law exists, we will act in accordance with the court decision. When adopting two earlier decisions, we had different approaches. Each one of us analysed the court’s decisions individually. There are some issues which, I assume, we have different opinions on and in relation to the procedure itself’’, said Bakalar at the session. Bakalar also said that in its explanation, the Court of B&H had minimum reference to validity or invalidity of the disputable ballot. “The B&H CEC’s decisions were disputed more in relation to the procedure and how we established the results”, said Bakalar. O Kanal reminds that during the vote in the RS parliament, four SNSD’s lists and one SDS’ list won sufficient number of votes, and one ballot with PDP’s list was declared invalid, because instead of placing a cross within the space provided, one of the representatives crossed the space with the name of the political party. Commenting on the issue, SNSD’s Novakovic Bursac said that the developments are the result of “having political people in an institution like the B&H CEC is, instructed and with a clear task to try to implement the will of individual centers gathered around SDA, including PDP, and partially SDS”. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik also reacted by saying that members of the B&H CEC should immediately resign although they are not the people who will do that.

SBiH and NES leave ‘The Eight (BHT1)

Representatives of SNSD and ‘The Eight’ met in Doboj on Thursday and although SNSD agreed to withdraw candidacy of Denis Sulic for a post in the Council of Ministers of B&H, NES and SBiH decided not to be a part of the ruling coalition at the state level. To remind, NES and SBiH previously threatened to leave the ruling coalition and ‘The Eight’, mainly due to the adoption of the Republika Srpska (RS) Law on immovable Property and Sulic’s candidacy. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik underlined that the issue of the state property cannot be resolved with general guidelines for the formation of the authorities. The reporter pointed out that without NES and SBiH, the ruling coalition will have 22 posts in the House of Representatives of B&H (B&H HoR) and this is a minimal number of posts to have the majority needed for the adoption of decisions and laws. Dodik said that SNSD did come up with an unofficial proposal as to Sulic’s replacement and consultations will ensue in the coming days. The reporter notes that SBiH and NES leaving ‘The Eight’ coalition at the state level has raised the issue whether the authority formation at the state level is jeopardized, and whether that can reflect on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) level. The reporter goes on to say that although candidates for the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H were not presented on Friday, ‘The Eight’ members remain optimistic. In a statement for BHT1, ‘Our Party’ member Damir Arnaut reminded of long authority formation processes in the past, and added “in the first week of January, we are heading towards the finalization of the process”. The reporter notes, whether it is a coincidence or not, independent representative in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Zlatko Miletic explained on Friday what kind of candidates for B&H CoM he will support. “Candidates for these offices must be ethical people, persons with integrity. They cannot be convicted for any criminal offense, indicted, nor currently in trial or under investigation of police or prosecutorial bodies for any criminal offense”, Miletic was quoted as saying.

NES leader Ogresevic says decision to withdraw from talks on formation of authorities with SNSD was made after adoption of Law on Immovable Property of RS and certain disputable personnel solutions (BHRT)

In an interview to BH Radio, NES leader Nermin Ogresevic spoke about formation of the authorities, personnel issues and relations within ‘The Eight’. Ogresevic and SBiH leader Semir Efendic called to termination of talks on formation of the authorities with SNSD leader Milorad Dodik as the RS Law on Immovable Property and certain personnel solutions turned out to be very important for the continuation of formation of the authorities. Ogresevic said that their reaction and decision came as a reaction to SNSD’s behaviour and adoption of the RS Law on Immovable Property, but also “lack of contents within ‘The Eight’”. Ogresevic explained that by ‘contents’ he means talks and agreements on policies on those important matters. Apart from this, Ogresevic disputed the agreement on a fourth minister that will be nominated by SNSD: “It is obvious that ‘The Troika’ agreed on something like this. This is not about whether this minister will be a Bosniak, Serb or Croat, but this is about mechanisms”. Ogresevic reminded that the laws stipulate that decisions in the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H must be adopted by a majority of votes by at least one representative of each of the constituent peoples would have to vote for it. “Therefore, this mechanism still creates the possibility for decisions we do not support to be adopted”, Ogresevic said and argued that this would mean that any decision proposed by SNSD would be adopted, regardless of stances of political parties with the seat in Sarajevo: “SNSD would have four ministers, HDZ B&H would have three, which means that they could adopt everything without us. This, in my opinion, is something that must not be allowed”. As for the formation of the FB&H authorities, Ogresevic said that everything will depend on the contents in the upcoming period of time: “First of all, we must define key projects and budgets for those projects, including road infrastructure in the context of highways and routes, projects in energy sector…We must define key policies and projects we will start working on immediately”. Ogresevic added that it will be very important to reduce contributions, increase salaries especially for workers in private sector, budget for agriculture must be secured and policies in field of energy and agriculture must be defined. “This content must be agreed for the level of the FB&H now as well”, Ogresevic stated. Asked whether individual personnel solutions must create problems at the level of the FB&H, Ogresevic said that personnel solutions have not been discussed at all when it comes to the state level: “As for NES, this was not the point of our withdrawal at all because we have not even reached that stage. We are interested in policies”. Ogresevic, however, assessed that personnel solutions will not be a problem in the FB&H. Commenting on media accusations that NES and SBiH did a favor to SDA, i.e. that they created room for SDA to again be included in talks on formation of the authorities, Ogresevic said that they deemed it would not be good to just be silent and please their partners and he also argued that this move was not made to do a favor to anyone.

Miletic strongly criticizes other political parties from ‘The Eight’, says they did favors to SNSD and changed agreement without knowledge of NES and ‘For New Generations’ (Klix.ba)

MP Zlatko Miletic (For New Generations) gave an interview and presented a number of shocking claims on events that preceded to signing of the Agreement by ‘The Eight’, HDZ B&H and SNSD. Namely, Miletic said that the guidelines that were signed clearly stated that they will fight against crimes and corruption and this is a chance to see which candidates will be nominated by political parties for ministers: “We will have no criminals at any of levels of the authorities”. Miletic claimed that the main problem between the political parties of ‘The Eight’ is lack of communication: “We had no clue about many decisions they made”. Miletic argued that ‘The Three’ received the draft agreement one day before he did “because they wanted us to have as few remarks to the agreement as possible”. Miletic reminded that a paragraph on cooperation with NATO was omitted from the agreement and it was included in it subsequently only upon his insisting. “They spoke about famous investments of RS when it comes to B&H. In the first item, someone wisely came up with the idea to state that any state level ministry can give an approval for any investment. This is obviously about natural gas pipeline, airport, ‘Buk Bijela’, whatever those from the RS have in their minds. And they indeed accepted this and stated that the Presidency and parliament of B&H are the bodies in charge of making decisions”, Miletic said and claimed that his party urged others to include several other provisions in the agreement but, as soon as changes are agreed, representatives of ‘The Troika’ met with SNSD and removed it from the document. “They removed everything, including cooperation with NATO and everything related to functioning of the state. (SDP B&H leader Nermin) Niksic signed the agreement and none of us, ‘For New Generations’, NES and others, were not even familiar with contents of that document”, Miletic said. Miletic also said that none of leaders of ‘The Troika’ reacted to the attempt of taking away of the state property by the RS. He also argued that the partnership with President of RS Milorad Dodik is illogical, especially if leaders of ‘The Troika’ have failed to warn him not to do certain things because those cannot be supported. Finally, Miletic said that some members of SDA think he is on their side and he added: “I publicly said that I have the same opinion on SDA, HDZ B&H and SNSD. Those are ethnic parties, I do not trust them and that is it”. Miletic wondered if it is necessary to have Dodik as a partner at the state level and noted: “Do we not have more competent people than (NIP leader Elmedin) Konakovic in NIP?”.

Zvizdic: NES and SBiH’s decision to leave the state level authority did not disturb ‘The Eight’ (TV SA/Dnevni list)

Speaker of the B&H House of Representative Denis Zvizdic stated for TV SA that the decision of NES and SBiH to leave the state level authority did not disturb ‘The Eight’. Still, Zvizdic expressed regret since these two parties will not be a part of the coalition at the state level. He added that the time will show if this decision is good or not explaining that some big mistake cannot be made when one joins the opposition and observes the situation from distance. He also argues that such a move can be interpreted as moving to the comfort zone or running away from responsibility, as well as running away from all those promises that ‘The Eight’ including NES and SBiH gave to their voters during the election campaign. Zvizdic concluded: “Knowledge, expertise and courage are necessary for politics.” He added that this decision did not undermine existence of ‘The Eight’ at the Federation of B&H level. He added that they remain committed to goals proclaimed on all joint decisions of ‘The Eight’.

Covic: If we are wise enough, SDA will not succeed in damaging relations and destroy coalition with ‘The Eight’ (O Kanal)

HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic said he expects amendments to the B&H Election Law and the B&H Constitution to be adopted within six months, and that the solution for election of the B&H Presidency members will be found. “If we are wise enough – and I refer to our partners from ‘The Eight’ – SDA will not succeed, no matter how well organized they still are and no matter how much they want to damage those relations, in creating disharmony and destroying the coalition. That is now up to ‘The Eight’ leaders, because they need to be aware of the importance of this concept. There will be trials, and the first more serious (trial) is the Election Law. I will not sweep any of the topics under the rug, but we will now focus our work on issues we agree on, like the European Union, establishing the legal state and economic development”.

Komsic: It is concerning that ‘The Eight’ members already openly say they cannot stop Dodik (FTV)

In an interview for Fena news agency, B&H Presidency member Zeljko Komsic said that HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik “are clearly the bosses, and ‘The Eight’ guided by bare desire to be in power and the pressure from Americans, willingly fulfils the bosses’ orders”. Komsic also said it is concerning that ‘The Eight’ members already “openly say they cannot stop Dodik, and they even openly suggest citizens to close their eyes before Dodik’s attacks on the state, to make it better. I do not believe that the strategy of ignoring the issue and ignoring the undermining of the state can bring anything good”.

SDA calls on HR Schmidt to explain claims that he is preparing one-off solution to directly influence formation of FB&H authorities (O Kanal)

Following claims of certain officials of ‘The Eight’ that High Representative Christian Schmidt might intervene and amend the Law on Elections of B&H and the FB&H Constitution again, SDA called on HR Schmidt to provide clarification about these claims without delays and empty catchphrases and to explain whether or not he is preparing one-off solution to directly influence the formation of the FB&H authorities. To remind, SDA and DF together have 13 posts in Bosniak Caucus in the FB&H House of Peoples (HoP) and at the moment they are the only parties eligible to provide candidate for the post of the FB&H Vice President from the rank of Bosniaks and according to the presenter, SDA and DF are worried that another intervention of the HR could lead to their exclusion from the formation of the authorities. MP Nezir Pivic (SDA) argued that he does not expect Schmidt to intervene and work in favor of one party, coalition or peoples, especially not after publishing of the election results. MP Mahir Mesalic deems that the whole Bosniak Caucus would be left out and the will of Bosniak voters would be ignored but this would be one-off solution strictly created for this occasion and to allow ‘The Eight’ to take over the FB&H authorities.

SDA’s Mehmedovic: Our Response to Viskovic idea to abolish RS CoP will be to abolish constituent status of peoples (Dnevni list)

The SDA representative in the B&H House of Representatives Semsudin Mehmedovic, said that ‘our’ response to RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic’s announcement about abolition of the RS Council of Peoples (CoP) will be to abolish the status of constituent peoples because it is a stumbling block to B&H, just as the RS CoP is the stumbling block to the Greater Serbia project. According to Mehmedovic, the constitutions of RS, FB&H and B&H have become stumbling blocks and that the Constitution of B&H should be changed because it has become obsolete. He added by saying that with his statement, Viskovic has announced completion of genocide and ethnic cleansing by legal means.

Dacic in Zagreb: Serbia, Croatia should compete in building peace instead of hate (Hina)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in Zagreb on Jan. 6 that Serbia and Croatia should

compete in building peace and good relations rather than hate, and that they should resolve all open issues through dialogue. Dacic told a Christmas reception hosted by the Serb National Council in Croatia, whose guests included members of the Serbian government, that “the best of relations” between Serbia and Croatia were in the interest of the Serb and Croat peoples first of all, but the entire region as well. “My coming here represents a strong message about the need to talk and redefine current relations between Belgrade and Zagreb. We don’t feel the same about many matters, but we have to talk and reach agreements. That’s why we’re here today” Dacic said. He said reviving constructive dialogue between Belgrade and Zagreb, on an equal footing, “Is the only path to solving open issues that still weigh on” relations between the two states. “Serbs and Croats have many interests in common. Whatever may have happened ten or 30 years ago, we must take stock of issues that relate to the past, present and future. We should try and find common ground even when we don’t feel the same,” Dacic said. Other guests at the Council’s Christmas reception included Tanja Miscevic, Serbian minister of EU integrations, Tomislav Zigmanov, Serbian minister of human and minority rights and head of the Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina, and head of the Serbian Orthodox Church patriarch Porfirije.

PM: Croatian government pursues a policy of dialogue and defusing tensions (Hina)

The Croatian government never raises tensions with other states, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday after a Serb National Council Orthodox Christmas reception also attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Speaking to press, Plenkovic said his government was conducting “a policy of dialogue, defusing tensions and resolving outstanding issues.” “The Croatian government is never the one raising tensions,” he said, adding that the relations with Slovenia are good despite years of tensions over issues such as border demarcation. “As for the relations with Serbia, they are burdened by the recent past. We are burdened by the time of the Milosevic regime’s aggression on Croatia, when horrible crimes were committed, which are here, living with us,” Plenkovic said. “We want to go step by step towards normalisation of relations, economic cooperation, resolving outstanding issues in a way that is appropriate to the international position and status which Croatia has in the international community,” he added. He reiterated that Croatia did not raise tensions, “and when the circumstances are such that we have to respond more firmly, we always do.” Croatia has its path and its goals, which are that “Serbs in Croatia live harmoniously in Croatian society” and that the government helps them, Plenkovic said. “I think we have the political responsibility to move forward, but without ignoring some difficult topics, facts, truths which should be dealt with,” he said, adding that it was good that representatives of Croatian and Serbian authorities met informally. At the end of last year, Dacic said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had asked him to “thaw the relations with Croatia a little.” Less than a week later, through the mediation of Serb representative in Croatia Milorad Pupovac and Croat representative in Serbia Tomislav Zigmanov, he arrived in Zagreb to attend the Orthodox Christmas reception. The decision to improve relations comes not long after Serbia accused Croatia of sabotage via the JANAF oil pipeline, Serbia’s war crimes indictment against Croatian Air Force pilots, and Serbian intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin’s claim that Croatia is an “Ustasha state.” After the reception, Dacic met with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman, but neither spoke to press afterwards.

Plenkovic and Zelensky discuss strengthening Ukrainian defence (Hina)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday spoke by telephone about strengthening Ukrainian defence, mine clearance and the Croatia’s role in implementing the peace formula to end the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. “Agreed on specific decisions to strengthen Ukraine defense, as well as on holding an international conference on demining. Agreed on the role of Croatia in #PeaceFormula,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. The Ukrainian president has called for a global peace summit this winter to present his proposal to end the war. The peace plan provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine, which would mean that Russia renounces the four regions it annexed in September and Crimea it occupied in 2014. Zelenskyy congratulated Croatia on joining the eurozone and the Schengen area on 1 January, and Plenkovic reiterated that Croatia supported Ukraine’s EU integration. “In a telephone conversation with President Zelenskyy I expressed support to Ukraine and Ukrainian defenders and people, who are putting up outstanding resistance to the Russian aggression. Croatia stands in solidarity with Ukraine and supports its European path,” Plenkovic said on Twitter.

China’s Ambassador: Political actors to return stability to Montenegro (Pobjeda)

China’s Ambassador to Montenegro Fan Kun took over as Ambassador in September last year. Since then, he’s had the opportunity to see beauties of Montenegro he heard about so many times, hospitality of our people but also the turbulent political times it’s been facing, writes Pobjeda daily. In the first interview after the start of his term of office, Ambassador Fan Kun speaks about the relations between Montenegro and China, mutual respect, and also about prospects for future international cooperation. He urges the political actors in Montenegro to return stability to the country and along with China, promote further development of stable bilateral and friendly relations between the two. On the priority section of the Bar-Boljare motorway and the fact that its construction reinforced the relations between China and Montenegro, the Ambassador said: “The priority section of the Bar-Boljare motorway in Montenegro is a great achievement in practical cooperation between the two countries and is a real model of projects in the area of infrastructure within the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative and cooperation mechanisms between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Since it was opened in July this year, more than a million vehicles have passed safely through that section, which has undoubtedly greatly facilitated the travel and life of all Montenegrin citizens, thus becoming a true symbol of Chinese-Montenegrin friendship and cooperation.” Speaking about the new cooperation opportunities as well as strengthening of the existing ones, Mr Fan Kun noted: “China and Montenegro will continue to cherish their friendship through time and space and achieve cooperation without limitations. As ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Montenegro, I’ll try to fully affirm the continuation of exchange and cooperation between our countries in key areas, such as transport infrastructure and renewable energy sources, but also the continuation of deepening practical cooperation in the field of tourism, agricultural and food products, science and technology, and to contribute to the promotion of exchange in culture, education and sports, while creating a starting point for cooperation in new areas, such as high technology, environmental protection and innovation.” Asked to comment on the current political situation in Montenegro and say how the talks over the formation of a new government looked to him, being a foreign diplomat, he said that “China has always insisted that all countries are equal, regardless of their size. In addition, China insists on a mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, refraining from meddling in any country’s internal policy and respect for the right of every country to make decisions on its internal affairs on its own. Traditionally, China and Montenegro respect each other and take care of the core interests of the two”.

Sehovic: We need dialogue in order to form a govt and prepare for elections (Pobjeda)

In an interview for Pobjeda daily, the leader of Social Democrats of Montenegro Damir Sehovic, has assessed that Montenegro needs dialogue which would solve the political crisis, including the formation of a government to prepare the elections. “Dialogue, not pretending to have it, can lead us to the functional Constitutional Court and the agreement over the Judicial Council, VDT, that is, all the issues that require a qualified parliamentary majority, but also the government which would prepare elections. These are all the preconditions for snap elections and there’s no other solution to this unsustainable situation caused by the irresponsible government”. The Leader of SD believes that “our European path may not be formally halted, but in reality, it’s almost there”. “It’s enough to look at the worst EC Report on Montenegro ever or recall estimations of our Western allies who have been warning us that Brussels hears nothing from us and that we must find ourselves after losing compass in 2020. According to the announcements from both Brussels and Washington, the formation of an unconstitutional government would formally block the EU accession process”. On the fact that his immunity was lifted by the Administration Board due to the Special State Prosecutor’s Office investigation over the alleged misuse of the Housing Commission, Mr Sehovic says: “I think it’s enough to tell that this old story is still being a hot topic again only because of the pressure of the outgoing Prime Minister Driten Abazovic, who uses it to distract the public from his own, i.e. crime actions of his party, having in mind that his closest associate is accused of tobacco smuggling, while Abazovic’s involvement in correspondence among the crime gangs has become our new normal”. He continues: “I look forward to solving this issue so that we once again, this time formally, may put an end on this politically-triggered and hundreds-time-told story”.

Kovac and Damjanovic’s presence in RS fiercely criticized (CdM)

The presence of the Ministers of Justice and Finance, Marko Kovac and Aleksandar Damjanovic, respectively, at the ceremonial academy on the occasion of the unconstitutional day of the RS in Banja Luka has caused stormy reactions in Montenegro. SDP secretary general Ivan Vujovic asks if this is some new foreign and regional policy of the government that they think we should get used to. The head of the Bosniak Party (BS) caucus, Kenana Strujic Harbic, says that with the decision to be part of the celebration of the unconstitutional day of the so-called Serb Republic, Ministers Damjanovic and Kovac, in addition to not recognizing the constitutional order of B&H, sent a message that they support genocide, ethnic cleansing and other war crimes that created the so-called RS. BS MP Amer Smailovic has strongly condemned the presence of ministers at the celebration of an unconstitutional “holiday” in a neighbouring state as an undiplomatic, anti-civilization and anti-democratic act that endangers friendly and good-neighbourly relations with B&H and does not respect its constitutional order. BS deputy leader Jasmin Corovic has stressed that the presence of Damjanovic and Kovac at yesterday’s ceremonial academy in Banja Luka was a first-rate international scandal. The executive director of the Forum of Free Citizens Luca, Nebojsa Mrvaljevic has pointed out that this is a move that causes the citizens of Montenegro to feel a huge disgrace. On the occasion of this event, the leader of the Bosniak Union of Montenegro from New York, Esad Rastoder, has also reacted. He has said that “Dritan Abazovic, the prime minister who is desperately clinging to a long-broken rope, is once again irritating all Bosniaks around the world. He irritates and attacks common sense by humiliating the intelligence of all normal people and international institutions and international judgments regarding that date of the forest republic that was created as a result of the genocide against the Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other citizens who were killed, only because they were different from the makers of the genocidal creation. It is scandalous that Dritan mocks Bosniaks for the second time; he did it first during his speech in Srebrenica”. DPS spokesman and MP Milos Nikolic says that the presence of Kovac and Damjanovic at the ceremonial academy on the occasion of Serb Republic Day, which was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of B&H, is another confirmation of the anti-European character of Abazovic’s government, which endangers good neighbourly relations and the European perspective of Montenegro. Social Democrat presidency member Nihad Canovic has emphasized that it is more important for Montenegrin Minister of Justice Marko Kovac to strengthen cooperation with the pro-Russian Milorad Dodik than to foster good regional relations and respect the sovereignty of the entire B&H and its institutions. Reis of the Islamic community in Montenegro Rifat Fejzic has reacted on Twitter and condemned the presence of representatives of the government of Montenegro at the celebration of the unconstitutional RS Day.

Mickoski: Early elections in May, constitutional change is treason (MIA)

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski reiterated Saturday that the party wants early elections, expecting the parliament to dissolve by the end of January or the beginning of February, followed by a caretaker government and elections in late May. Mickoski said “a large majority of SDSM and DUI lawmakers” reflect this position but stopped short of mentioning names. “We absolutely reaffirm our demand for early elections so that the country can move forward. Let’s unite and hold these elections in mid or late May. I would not mention any names, considering the character of DUI and SDSM, the obstructed judiciary and prosecution and methods they are prepared to use in order to keep their posts. I believe we will persevere and the parliament will vote to dissolve by the end of January or the beginning of February at the latest, followed by a caretaker government in mid-February and elections in the second half of May,” Mickoski told reporters. He added that the constitutional changes amounted to treason. “This is not unity, this is treason and someone should have thought about this before agreeing on it. We did not come out at elections saying the Constitution would be revised, that we would capitulate or commit treason. The ones who signed this should have known there are no conditions to deliver it. This is a moment that brings division among the Macedonian people. But people are wise and if one looks at the recent opinion polls, more than three-quarters oppose this act. Let’s unite around sincerity towards the people, and this requires early elections,’ said Mickoski.

Rama invites ethnic Albanian party leaders from North Macedonia to a meeting (Alsat-M)

Leaders of ethnic Albanian parties in North Macedonia have been invited to a meeting with Albania’s PM, Edi Rama. According to reports from Albania, the leaders of DUI (Ali Ahmeti), Alliance for Albanians (Arben Taravari), DPA (Menduh Thaci), Alternative (Afrim Gashi), and BESA (Bilall Kasami), have been invited to the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday in Tirana. The reasons for the meeting are not disclosed in Rama’s invitation, but, as Alsat-M announces, the focus of the meeting will be on support for constitutional amendments and EU integration reforms. Media in Albania said the discussion would concern the political developments in North Macedonia and other, current issues in the region. First Deputy PM Artan Grubi says it’s about a holiday evening and cocktail reception, not about a working meeting with some determined agenda. He confirms that his party, DUI, will participate. Alternative and Alliance for Albanians, too, have confirmed they will participate, but leader of BESA, Bilal Kasami, said he does not want to sit at the same table with the first person of the DUI, Ali Ahmeti. The media reminded that the first such meeting, which took place on January 7, 2017, changed the course of Macedonian political history. The then and current Prime Minister of Albania gathered the leaders of the local Albanians to agree on the conditions under which the parties from the Albanian bloc will enter the future government. VMRO-DPMNE won the just concluded parliamentary elections, but the Albanian leaders set the fulfillment of the points in the platform, which was called ‘Tirana platform’, as a condition for entering the Government. The leader of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Gruevski refused the conditions and then had to leave first in history and then to Budapest, PlusInfo comments. In fear of a new Tirana platform, some media tried to find out why Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski was not invited to the dinner.