LOCAL PRESS

Another country decided to withdraw recognition of Kosovo’s independence (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the public from Germany. Vucic stated that the dialogue with Pristina was a key topic in all the talks, as well as our bilateral relations.

“The key topic was the dialogue with Pristina, as well as our bilateral relations, both political and economic and, of course, Serbia’s European perspective. What is important is that I think we encountered respect from the representatives of the US, Germany, France, Great Britain and Greece,” said Vucic. “The talks were good, but nothing momentous can happen. Considering all that, it is good that we came to explain our position. We were met with respect. We are in possession of yet another note on the withdrawal of recognition, but in agreement with that country, we will wait for the 23rd, 24th of February… The agreement is to wait ten days before releasing the name of the country”, said Vucic. “People in Serbia must understand that our job is to preserve peace and our national interests, and that is a very difficult job,” said Vucic. “I’m going to speak about the Community of Serb Municipalities. You can’t sign something 10 years ago and then say Vucic wants a cup of coffee but without a cup. You have to fulfill what you signed, and then we can talk further,” said Vucic. “Otherwise, that hero would have taken action,” said Vucic commenting on the statement of Ponos, then Chief of General Staff, that he did not react to the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence in 2008, because he did not receive any instructions, given that President Tadic was out of the country. “Am I anesthetizing the people with stories about gold? I feel sorry for those people. With stories about special forces? They didn’t have boots in his time, not to mention the salaries that today are two and a half times higher than they were back then. What rubbish and nonsense! Are the people that are telling me about amputation, the same who said in the election campaign that on 3 April, immediately after the election, I would introduce sanctions on Russia, and that they would never introduce them, and then on 3 April they said – let’s introduce sanctions against Russia, and Vucic, if my memory serves me correctly, has not yet introduced sanctions against Russia. So much for the truth,” said Vucic. “We have an epidemic of heroism in Serbia. These are people who participated in the worst decisions for Serbia and Kosovo. Not to mention that they melted tanks, while arrows, wasps, and guns were destroyed,” said Vucic. “The Americans were among the few who wanted to hear the Serbs’ objections when there were barricades in Kosovo. I don’t trust the authorities in Pristina,” said Vucic.

Vucic: Serbia reproached for not imposing sanctions against Russia (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Munich on Saturday that he had a “not so easy” talk with EU High Representative Josep Borrell and that Serbia was “strongly reproached” for not joining sanctions against the Russian Federation “in a very forceful way”. In a statement to TV Pink from Munich, where he was attending day two of the Munich Security Conference, Vucic said he did not want to keep anything from “our people”. He and Borrell had also discussed “preparations for potential talks” with Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti, he said. Borrell has called a high-level meeting between Vucic and Kurti for 27 February. “I said I was always willing to talk, but we know what we need to talk about, and that is the Community of Serb Municipalities. Serbia never ran from dialogue, it will not shrink from dialogue. Serbia is ready to work on everything it said it would — implementation stemming from the French-German agreement and everything else, but you know the sequence of events and how things need to go,” Vucic said. While in Munich, Vucic also met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Prime Minister of Greece and the British Foreign Minister. He also spoke with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia and State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Serbia pays special attention to improving bilateral relations with Germany (Tanjug/RTV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met on Friday with a delegation of the Parliamentary Group of the German Bundestag for Southeast Europe, with whom she discussed bilateral relations, the European path of Serbia, regional cooperation and dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. She underlined that Serbia pays special attention to improving bilateral relations with Germany, as Serbia’s leading economic partner and a country whose companies employ over 80,000 workers. She pointed out that Serbia’s priority is the preservation of peace, stability and security and that the key foreign policy goal is full membership in the EU. She informed her interlocutors about the recently completed process of judicial reform in Serbia. Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Brnabic pointed to the necessity of implementing the Brussels Agreement and the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, which is 10 years overdue. Also, the Prime Minister highlighted the continued readiness of Belgrade to continue talks on the normalisation of relations with Pristina. In an open discussion, the members of the delegation of the Bundestag Parliamentary Group for Southeast Europe expressed their views on the bilateral relations between the two countries and the situation in the region.

Serbia committed to strengthening relations with China (RTS/RTV/Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked today with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo about the continuation of development of bilateral relations in the fields of politics, the economy and foreign trade. Brnabic particularly pointed to the growth of economic cooperation and underlined that the Serbian government will continue to work with dedication on deepening relations with China on joint projects that contribute to economic development and the wellbeing of citizens of both countries. The Chinese Ambassador pointed out that the two countries are linked by strong friendly relations and by very important projects of strategic importance that bring economic prosperity.

Dacic: Serbia’s stance crustal clear (Euronews/Beta/Politika)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Saturday that Belgrade’s stance in the dialogue with Pristina was “crystal clear”, stating that there would be no further talks until the Brussels agreement was fulfilled, and that Kosovo’s membership in international organizations and its international recognition were both unacceptable. Speaking for Euronews Serbia at the Munich Security Conference after a panel discussion behind closed doors on the Western Balkans, Dacic said he had told the participants that Serbia wanted peace, but that it was particularly galling to hear everyone talk about the principle of territorial integrity without including Serbia. Dacic recounted that he had said during the panel discussion that the subject was not new and had been considered ten years ago at the same conference in Munich and other similar ones, and that he had participated on behalf of Serbia “in a European project called the Brussels agreement”. On the topic of the effects of the war in Ukraine on Serbia’s position, Dacic said he had been present during a meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with EU High Representative Josep Borrell and that “they are really becoming quite unpleasant when speaking about demanding that Serbia join sanctions, that is, align its foreign policy with the EU’s”. “We’re trying not to let anyone draw us into that crisis and that is why I think it is a good thing that I called the foreign minister of Moldova right away and asked him to have the President [of Moldova Maia Sandu] reach out to President Vucic, so we don’t generate needless conflict that realistically has nothing to do with us — concerning suspicions that people from Serbia are taking part in action against the Moldovan authorities on behalf of Russia,” Dacic said.

Orlic receives Bundestag representatives (Tanjug)

Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic met with the president of the German Bundestag’s Group for Southeast Europe Josip Juratovic and Group members Boris Mijatovic and Thomas Hacker in Belgrade on Friday. The German MPs said Serbia-Germany political dialogue was regular and of good quality, and noted that a large number of German officials had visited Serbia in less than a year. They also highlighted the significance of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s attendance at the 59th Munich Security Conference. Orlic and the Bundestag representatives said bilateral relations in all areas were very good and that economic ties were excellent. “Germany is our leading economic partner, among our largest investors and our most significant bilateral donor. German companies are employing 80,000 workers in Serbia and we hope the number will reach 100,000 in the nearest possible future,” Orlic said. The Bundestag members welcomed Serbia’s progress in its judicial reform and noted that Germany supported efforts made by Serbia on its path to EU membership. “Despite significant and confirmed results, our European path remains under the burden of the issue of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, in which, in a principled manner and at all levels, we are pursuing a policy of peace and stability and seeking a compromise solution even though we face dangerous and unilateral moves by the other side, evidently aimed at destroying the dialogue completely,” Orlic said. “We want a Community of Serb Municipalities established without delay as we have been waiting for it for 10 years already, and Kurti is openly announcing he will never form it. We demand that safe living conditions be ensured to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Even children there get shot at just because they are Serbs, and when Serb political representatives in Kosovo and Metohija say life for those people is more difficult today than it has ever been before, they speak the truth,” Orlic said. The Bundestag representatives noted the significance of preserving peace and stability across the region and of continued cooperation in all relevant fields.

People’s Party: ZSO a Serbian delusion (Beta)

Attorney Vladimir Gajic and vice president of the People’s Party said on Friday that the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in Kosovo and Metohija would be on a par with a non-governmental organization or any business, with a purview limited to economic matters, education and health-care, and only where and while Serbs were a majority. Gajic told Beta that one of the greatest delusions that Serbian citizens had been led to believe when it came to resolving the Kosovo issue was the very Community of Serb Municipalities in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, “which is always played up as a big feat and even bigger concession to Serbian national and state interests”. Gajic believes the EU has proven to be an incompetent and biased mediator.

Russian Patriarch thanks SPC for supporting canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Sputnik/N1)

Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill congratulated Serbian Patriarch Porfirije on the second anniversary of his enthronement, thanking him for his “courageous and open support” for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. “Thank you for your brave and open support of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for your fatherly concern for refugees and all the victims,” said Patriarch Kirill, as reported by Sputnik. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is part of the Moscow Patriarchate, while the separate Orthodox Church of Ukraine was granted autocephaly in 2019.

Lajcak: Undertaken obligations must be fulfilled (Politika)

The EU Special Envoy for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajcak said that the obligations undertaken by both sides must be fulfilled. “The EU is currently working on two tracks, in order for the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina to move forward. The first priority is for both sides to agree on the EU proposal for the normalization of relations. Secondly, we continue to work in parallel to ensure the full and immediate implementation of all elements of what has been agreed so far in the dialogue, which remain valid and binding for both parties,” Lajcak said in an interview with Politika. He stated that a large part of the First agreement, which regulates the normalization of relations from 2013, had already been implemented until recently, as he said, with the significant exception of the Community of Municipalities with a Serb majority and provisions on the supply of energy to the north of Kosovo, which, as he emphasized, was part of the same package. “Some parts of the implementation remained unnoticed by the public, but all of this was very important on the way to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and brought direct benefits to the citizens. For example, we have implemented agreements related to telecommunications and the integration of the police, judiciary and local administration, which, however, were suspended in November 2022 with the withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from institutions in the north of Kosovo,” explains Lajcak. He estimates that both sides have “a list of outstanding obligations from the 2013 package”. “The establishment of the ZSO by Kosovo is long overdue, and we expect that Kosovo will proceed with it immediately, and Serbia should facilitate the return of Kosovo Serbs to Kosovo institutions,” says Lajcak. He points out that both Pristina and Belgrade have work to do in implementing the Energy Roadmap, and the so-called Kosovo also has, as he emphasized, unfulfilled obligations related to the agreement on justice. “On both sides, we continue to work on a wide range of issues, including the establishment of the ZSO with a Serb majority, which is part of the Brussels agreement. It was also ratified by the Kosovo Assembly, making it an international legal obligation for Kosovo. We understand that this issue is sensitive for the government of Kosovo, but the obligations must be fulfilled. The position of the EU and the US and other international partners is that any further delay is unacceptable,” said Lajcak. peaking about the new EU proposal, i.e. the Franco-German non-paper, Lajcak said that it was created in circumstances when the democratic, international community is increasingly worried about the recurrence of crises regarding small, but as he said, very symbolic issues in the relations between Belgrade and Pristina. “These crises have diverted the focus of the dialogue organized by the EU from what is really important, which is the normalization of relations on the way to the EU for both sides, as well as crisis management and extinguishing artificially caused ‘fires’ almost every day,” said Lajcak and added that he could not talk about the details of the proposal.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ceremony held in Sarajevo on occasion of Kosovo’s declaration of independence (Hayat)

Declaration on independence of Kosovo was pronounced on 17 February 2008 in Kosovo parliament. Since then, 117 countries recognized Kosovo as independent country. Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is not among these countries. Association of Albanians in B&H organized ceremony on the occasion of independence of Kosovo. Honorary General Consul of Albania to B&H Muharrem Zejnullahu stated that independence of Kosovo is irreversible category. Zejnullahu called on B&H authorities to understand it and act accordingly. He emphasized that it would be beneficial for citizens of both countries. Zejnullahu underlined B&H signed an agreement at the EU-Western Balkans summit held in Berlin. He emphasized that this is first official document obliging authorities of B&H and Kosovo to provide freedom of movement, i.e. travel of citizens of Kosovo and B&H to these two countries with ID card. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti addressed participants of abovementioned ceremony via video-message. Kurti emphasized that they are committed to fast implementation of agreement on freedom of movement between two countries.

Becirovic has launched issue of border demarcation between B&H and Serbia (N1)

Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Denis Becirovic proposed that the report of the State Commission for the Border of B&H on the state demarcation between B&H and Serbia should be included and discussed at the upcoming regular session of the B&H Presidency, with a proposal for concrete conclusions. The Cabinet of the Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency stated: “One of the open bilateral issues in the relations between B&H and Serbia refers to the regulation of the interstate border, that is, the signing of the state border agreement. In this context, the issue of signing an agreement on the border between two sovereign states, in accordance with the principles of peaceful settlement of disputes according to the United Nations (UN) Charter, is a priority issue and is in the interest of both states.” Becirovic assessed that the strengthening of good neighborly relations and the development of regional cooperation is an important aspect of building stability and successfully positioning B&H on the international level.

Lendo fails to attend meeting organized by Bradara and Stojanovic to decide who will be new FB&H President (BHT1)

BHT1 reported that the process of formation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) authorities has encountered the first obstacle, which is the election of the FB&H leadership. Namely, the list of candidates for election of President and Vice-Presidents of the FB&H, which has been verified by the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) and endorsed by both Houses of the FB&H parliament, includes three candidates, each representing one of the three constituent peoples. The list includes candidate of the Croat Caucus in the FB&H House of Peoples (HoP) Lidija Bradara from HDZ B&H, Bosniak Caucus’ candidate Refik Lendo (SDA) and Serb Caucus’ candidate Igor Stojanovic (SDP B&H). Bradara, Lendo and Stojanovic failed to agree on the election of FB&H leadership both on Thursday and Friday, because Lendo did not attend their meetings. Lendo refuses to attend the meeting on election of the FB&H leadership, claiming that it is impossible to determine who will be the President and who the Vice-Presidents before the agreement on the future FB&H Prime Minister is reached. Lendo sent a letter to leaders of SDP B&H, SDA and HDZ B&H – Nermin Niksic, Bakir Izetbegovic and Dragan Covic respectively – urging them to meet to agree on the FB&H Prime Minister before the distribution of posts within the FB&H leadership is completed. According to Lendo, these three parties – SDP B&H, SDA and HDZ B&H – are essential for the parliamentary majority in the FB&H. “There can be no election of the FB&H President until leaders of SDP B&H agree on the FB&H Prime Minister. My intention is to actually unblock rather than to block”, noted Lendo. He added that it is important to determine who will be the Prime Minister, because the President cannot come from rank of the same people as the Prime Minister. On the other hand, Bradara and Stojanovic warned that Lendo is trying to buy time on behalf of SDA and they concluded that this is the beginning of blockades. Bradara and Stojanovic stressed that the parliamentary majority in the FB&H has already been formed without SDA. Bradara noted that it is necessary to reach agreement on distribution of posts in the FBiH leadership as soon as possible. Stojanovic said: “SDA is only buying time and thus postponing and disrespecting the will of the majority.” Stojanovic also accused SDA of blocking the FB&H functioning as well as its citizens. Following the failed meeting on Friday, Bradara address the media and stated that Lendo’s behavior is a sign of blockade and expressed hope that it will end. She added that she expects that the will of caucuses of constituent peoples will be respected as well as will of the FB&H parliament. Bradara underlined that no one is preventing parliamentary parties from entering talks on formation of new the FB&H government, adding that attempts of ultimatums of some political subjects are unacceptable. Stojanovic stated that the FB&H government has been working in technical mandate for years, adding that reasons of obstruction are rather obvious. He explained that obviously SDA structures want Fadil Novalic to resume performing the duty of FB&H Prime Minister for some time. Lendo also addressed media on Friday. Bradara and Stojanovic pointed out that any delay is a kind of blockade. “We expect this blockade to stop. We can already call this a blockade or misunderstanding or something else. As I said, B&H got a historic chance. B&H expects that, and everything that you have seen so far, you saw that we have not commented on it. We all go one step at a time,” Bradara said. Stojanovic stressed that there is no deadline for selecting the FB&H President. “Given that the public knows that we have had a technical government for more than four years, we want to take responsibility and start working as soon as possible. In this way, any of the three of us can drag out the process of appointment of the President indefinitely,” Stojanovic underlined.

Zukic argues FB&H government cannot be formed without SDA, says political agreement must be reached first (Dnevni list)

Delegate in the Bosniak Caucus of the FB&H House of Peoples (HoP) Muamer Zukic (SDA) said that a political agreement should be made before the election of the FB&H President and argued that “this is not something that can be agreed along the way”. Zukic argued that a meeting on this matter must be organized in line with the Constitution and procedures and he noted that a political agreement must be reached. Zukic also claimed that the new FB&H government cannot be formed without SDA: “One cannot go without the election winner or against the Constitution, laws and procedures. The government will be formed by the President and Vice Presidents and not by any kind of signatures of representatives, because representatives do not form the government”, Zukic said and claimed that the newly-formed coalition majority already started outvoting Bosniaks. “There are decisions of the Serb Caucus and Croat Caucus that are applied at both the state level and level of the FB&H and only Bosniaks are not respected. However, we will fight against such policy”, Zukic concluded.

Zvizdic criticizes attempts of SDA to block formation of FB&H government, says he expects High Representative to react should these blockades continue (Dnevni avaz)

In a statement to the daily, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Denis Zvizdic said that SDA is trying to block the formation of the FB&H government and it is doing this in a way which represents the start of losing of political dignity and violation of all norms of parliamentary democracy. Commenting on the open announcement of blockade of the formation of the FB&H government unless SDA is a part of it, which was presented by FB&H Vice President Refik Lendo, Zvizdic noted that Lendo said what “regime media” have been announcing for weeks “which is not true because B&H is neither the presidential democracy nor monarchy”. “The number which he keeps mentioning, that 300,000 voters support SDA in B&H, is not true. SDA won approximately 240,000 votes at the level of the FB&H and ‘The Eight’, which has the true coalition capacity, won 360,000 votes. This is a dominant difference here. If Lendo claims to have a coalition capacity, I am raising the question of whether he would have gotten the sufficient support had there been a possibility to individually vote for the FB&H President and FB&H Vice Presidents. He quite certainly would not have had it and this is the proof that SDA, at this moment, does not have the coalition capacity”, Zvizdic said. Zvizdic also warned that the blockade of the FB&H government would mean a technical mandate for the existing FB&H government for another four years, in total eight years, which would be an unrecorded case in a democratic history of any western democracy. “This is unacceptable. Should this blockade continue, I expect the High Representative (Christian Schmidt) to react, which would be completely normal and logical. I urge SDA to preserve political dignity and not to continue with these rigid blackmails that are unrecorded in democratic practice of B&H”, Zvizdic concluded.

Marinkovic-Lepic says Lendo’s behavior is form of blockade, OHR should at least be consulted (Oslobodjenje)

Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of the FB&H Mirjana Marinkovic-Lepic (Our Party) commented on refusal of SDA’s Refik Lendo to meet Lidija Bradara (HDZ B&H) and Igor Stojanovic (SDP B&H) to elect the FB&H leadership and said that such behaviour of Lendo “is a form of a blockade having in mind that he refuses to agree with the other two members of the leadership”. Marinkovic-Lepic argued that Lendo demonstrated full lack of cooperation in this process and he even presented a number of untruths to the public when it comes to the process of the appointment of the FB&H President and Vice Presidents “and he presented some of his random interpretations that were not correct at all”. Asked whether there is the possibility for the FB&H HoR to have to decide on the FB&H President and Vice Presidents and whether she expects the High Representative (Christian Schmidt) to react, Marinkovic-Lepic said that this is yet another way in which the process of appointment of the FB&H leadership can be blocked “and I would say that this process already started”. Marinkovic-Lepic added that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) should at least be consulted, having in mind that there is no deadline by which they are expected to reach an agreement. “I personally think that the FB&H Parliament might get in the situation in which it would have to appoint the FB&H President and Vice Presidents, having in mind how this process has started on Thursday”, Marinkovic-Lepic said. Asked whether she will convene a session of the FB&H HoR in case no agreement is reached, Marinkovic-Lepic said: “Yes, but we need to be officially informed first, just like the OHR and Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H, that an attempt to reach the agreement failed”.

Konakovic meets French colleague Collona, talk about France’s support to B&H on its EU path (Dnevni list)

B&H Foreign Minister (FM) Elmedin Konakovic met with Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Collona in Munich on sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, to talk about France’s support to B&H on its EU path. Minister Collona welcomed the decision to grant B&H the status of EU candidate, saying it is a completely new phase of the European path of B&H. She also said that France hopes that the newly appointed authorities will get seriously dedicated to implementation of key reforms in order for B&H to get closer to the EU, thus improving quality of life of citizens of B&H. Minister Konakovic said it is encouraging that B&H has on its side a country such as France and that one can count on the continuation of France’s support in all areas, especially on the road towards the EU.

Fajon: Slovenia offers technical support to B&H so that it can adopt 14 EU criteria (AJB)

A panel discussion on the European perspective of the Western Balkans was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. In a statement to Al Jazeera Balkans, Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon stated that it is necessary to use the current geopolitical situation to speed up the EU integration of Western Balkan countries. Fajon reminded that there were several positive movements last year, including the granting of EU candidate status of B&H. According to Fajon, new ideas regarding EU integration in the Western Balkans are not required as it is now left to work on the already existing ones. The Slovenian FM stressed that there is a need to have awareness of the existence of the Russian influence in the Western Balkans. The FM added: “We need to work on reforms that are essential for the Western Balkans, in order to bring it closer to the EU. Slovenia will support all countries, especially when it comes to B&H, which obtained the candidate status. We offer them technical support so that they can adopt all 14 criteria important for them.” She announced that Slovenia will organize a conference at the political level in March in order to seek ways to help B&H in meeting the EU criteria.

NATO approves package of assistance to defense and security system of B&H (ATV)

At the ministerial meeting of the NATO member countries on the Initiative for building defense and security capacities, the Package of assistance to the defense and security system of B&H was officially approved. RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that the B&H Presidency as the institution with constitutional competences in this field did not request assistance from NATO and he thus suggested that the Presidency should not accept the assistance that NATO approved for B&H.  Dodik stated that “B&H is sad and ridiculous country that is willing to accept help that it did not ask for.” He also added that the only authority regarding questions of military and safety is the Presidency, which did not ask for NATO help in its last two mandates. He further stated that accepting this aid would show just how divided and weak B&H is. Head of the SNSD Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic said that everything that comes from NATO “is hostile to the Serb people”.

Kristo and Kovacevski discuss intensifying of cooperation between two states and EU integration (Oslobodjenje)

Chairwoman of Council of Ministers Borjana Kristo and Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski held a meeting in the margins of 59th Munich Security Conference. The officials discussed intensifying of cooperation between two states and EU integration. Kristo underlined good and friendly relations between B&H and North Macedonia, expressing interest of two countries for improving of economic cooperation. Kristo also met with series of European officials, as well as international representatives.

Croatian PM meets HR Schmidt: Croatia continues to provide support to B&H on its European path (Hina)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference the other day. On that occasion, Plenkovic wrote on Twitter that Croatia continues to provide support to B&H on its European path, that he informed (the HR) about holding of joint session of the Croatian government and the B&H Council of Ministers and that “we expect formation of authority at all levels soon, so B&H becomes functional”.

North Macedonia, Croatia firmly committed to shared values (Hina)

The Prime Ministers of North Macedonia and Croatia Dimitar Kovacevski and Andrej Plenkovic met in Munich on Feb. 18, highlighting the commitment of the two NATO allies to promoting and sharing common values, the government of North Macedonia said in a release. At the fringe meeting during the Munich Security Conference, the two prime ministers “discussed the excellent bilateral relationship, the dynamic political dialogue and constructive cooperation in all spheres of mutual interests,” the government went on to say in the release. Kovacevski and Plenkovic underlined that as allies within NATO, their respective states were committed to promoting and sharing common values, accountability to the Alliance and contributions to international peacekeeping operations. The two prime ministers also voiced joint views and priorities in the region and at a multilateral level, especially those related to stability and the progress of the region.

Croatia PM at MSC: We continue supporting Ukraine according to our capabilities (Hina)

Croatia is, according to its capabilities, continuing to militarily assist Ukraine in its efforts to resist the Russian aggression and achieve freedom, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Munich on Saturday. Plenkovic is participating in a security conference dominated by the war in Ukraine, a few days before the anniversary of the Russian invasion on 24 February. “The Croatian government is continuing its military aid to Ukraine and we are helping within the framework and contents as much as Croatia can,” Plenkovic told reporters. He added that the sustainability of unity and the sustainability of aid to Ukraine are key issues at the moment. “It seems to me that the messages of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are on that track,” said Plenkovic. On Friday, Macron said that the West should increase the armament of Ukraine so that a counter-offensive by Kyiv could force Moscow to negotiate. Scholz called on the allies to join forces and deliver tanks to Ukraine. Asked about the possible spillover of the conflict from Ukraine to the Western Balkans, Plenkovic said that for years Croatia has considered that the region needs stability which will pull the six countries from Croatia’s neighbourhood towards the EU. “Croatia has an instrumental role in helping them on that path and creating an atmosphere for our partners to open up to enlargement,” said Plenkovic, who will take part in a panel on the Western Balkans later today. On the sidelines of the conference, he had numerous bilateral meetings, among others with the High Representative in B&H Christian Schmidt, the President of the International Red Cross, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Montenegro.

Djukanovic and Plenkovic: Presidential and parliamentary elections the top priority for Montenegro (CdM)

On the second day of the Munich Security Conference, the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic met with the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. “Djukanovic congratulated Croatia on switching to euro and joining the Schengen Zone, praising the continuous improvement of that country in reaching the European way of life,” it was said in a statement. Djukanovic pointed out that it represented a great encouragement for all of us, expressing gratitude for everything that Croatia had been doing for Montenegro and other WB countries, as a responsible neighbour which supported the European integration of the WB, and whose words meant a lot in the European society. Djukanovic also shared his views on the current situation in the region and Montenegro, assessing that return to stability was a precondition for getting back to normal circumstances and the continuation of the Euro-Atlantic coarse. Plenkovic agreed that the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections which would come soon after was the most important thing for our country. “With the assessment that the announcement of the completion of the Constitutional Court is good news, he emphasized that Montenegro’s ambition towards Europe is quite clear, that we have come a long way and that the currently slow accession process could be re-energized after the establishment of stability and with a pro-European government. The return from the current image of dysfunctionality to a reform-oriented image is what Croatia is telling Montenegro as a good neighbor,” the announcement reads. The interlocutors agreed on the excellent relations between the two countries.

US supports contribution of Montenegrin armed forces to NATO-led missions (CdM)

The war in Ukraine sent a dark message to the Western Balkans people, said the US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chair of the Subcommittee on Europe, during the meeting with the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic in Munich. “The two discussed the situation in the Western Balkans, Montenegro and the impact of third parties, as well as the possibilities for deepening collaboration between Montenegro and the United States,” it was said in a statement of the President’s cabinet. As they stated, Montenegro was fully backed on its Euro-Atlantic road and many opportunities for cooperation were recognized, particularly in the area of economic development and cyber security. The US Senator expressed support for capacities and commitment of the Montenegrin Army in NATO-led missions, while sides agreed on the continuation of communication with the aim of strengthening partnership and clear Euro-Atlantic coarse of Montenegro.

Herasymenko: We won’t forget Montenegro’s friendly gesture, Russia underestimated Ukrainians (RTCG)

The Russian Federation underestimated the Ukrainian people and the determination of international partners to support Ukraine in its struggle for freedom and independence. The Ukrainian people united, managed to resist and return about half of the territories that have been occupied since 24 February 2022. This is what Oleh Herasymenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Montenegro, points out in an interview for the RTCG portal. He says that he will not forget the friendly help of Montenegro and estimates that the year 2023 will bring a new liberation of the Ukrainian territories. He emphasizes that the Russian war against Ukraine actually began 9 years ago, on 20 February 2014. Nevertheless, he says that, without a doubt, the most difficult year for the whole period of Ukraine’s independence had passed. He says that Ukrainians have not chosen the path of war, but that they are more interested in peace than anyone else. “Nevertheless, we cannot give up our territories and come to terms with Russia’s total destruction of international law. We will not accept peace at any cost. Fortunately, our foreign partners are fully aware that, given Moscow’s imperial appetites, the issue of repelling Russian armed aggression and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine directly concerns the future of the security architecture of the entire European continent”, the ambassador adds. Montenegro allocated military-technical assistance to Ukraine in the total amount of €10m, which is 11% of the total defense budget. Despite the limited potential of Montenegro, Herasymenko assesses that this is a significant amount of aid, which has played a significant role in the defense of Ukraine against armed aggression. “The Ukrainian people will not forget this friendly gesture. Moreover, the people of Montenegro, considering their glorious history of centuries-long stubborn struggle against various stronger invaders, perfectly understand the situation in which Ukrainians find themselves now.

Democrats’ central election headquarters: Becic will run for country’s presidency (CdM)

The central election headquarters of the Democratic Montenegro suggests that the party’s management determines the proposal for the decision on the session of the main board, which proposes Aleksa Becic – the Leader of the Democrats – to run for the president of Montenegro in the forthcoming election. Such proposal of the central election headquarters came as a result of many sessions of the municipal and local boards of the Democrats across Montenegro, all of which mostly proposed Aleksa Becic as the presidential candidate. “By analysing the current political circumstances, the central HQ, on behalf of the Democrats, considers that the presidential candidate should be a person enjoying greatest popularity, while all the relevant research confirm that it’s the leader of Democrats, Aleksa Becic,” this party stressed. They also noted that every part of the campaign was “completely ready at the greatest operative level”.

Djukanovic: I still haven’t made decision on whether to take part in presidential run (DW/CdM)

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic still hasn’t decided whether he’s going to run for the country presidency on 19 March. In an interview for DW, he tells he’s going to decide on it in the next few days. “I’ve been involved in the Montenegrin political life for 30 years. I guess that a person who’s been doing one job for three decades has the right to be tired of it and the right to think that it’d better for the society to have a new candidate,” he told in Munich where he’s taking part at the security conference. “We’re discussing who’s the best candidate that can help Montenegro get back to the stable course of Euro-Atlantic development after a two-and-a-half-year wandering,” the leader of the DPS added.

DIK didn’t approve of Spajic’s presidential run (CdM)

The State Election Commission, DIK, didn’t accept presidential run of the Leader of the Europe Now Movement, Milojko Spajic. Three members of DIK voted in favour, four against, while four abstained. The President of the State Election Commission, Nikola Mugosa, said that Spajic collected enough signatures to run for the country’s presidency. During the session, DIK received new documentation from Serbia. Mugosa noted it was about the documents from Belgrade police, suggesting that Spajic renounced his residence in Zvezdara on 15 February 2023, because he wanted to move to another country. The second document was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, telling that Spajic submitted request to give up on the Serbian citizenship. DIK didn’t approve of Spajic’s candidacy for president of Montenegro. DIK members who voted against were Natasa Pesic, Vera Mijatovic, Nikola Dedejic and Aleksandar Jovicevic. The President of DIK Nikola Mugosa, as well as Vladimir Cadjenovic and Damir Suljevic voted in favor. Milos Giljen, Natasa Prelevic, Milisav Coric and Haris Mekic abstained.

The government pushes for constitutional amendments, the opposition calls for early elections (Republika)

Through Deputy Prime Minister of European Affairs, Bojan Maricic, the government called the opposition to talks on the constitutional amendments, which are a condition for continuing the EU path. VMRO-DPMNE expressly refused and replied that the only thing that could be discussed was early parliamentary elections. “I think it’s time to talk with VMRO-DPMNE, whether in public or out of the public eye, anyway, to start a substantive discussion about the constitutional amendments, why it is a problem to include the Bulgarians in the Constitution, how it is a problem for us, the Macedonians, how it can endanger us. If we enter into such a discussion, I believe that we will come to reasonable arguments, that it is really tragic to block our own country on the way to the EU because of this issue” said Maricic. He clarified that with the inclusion of the Bulgarians as an ethnic community in the Constitution, a clear distinction is made between the Macedonian people, the Macedonians, the majority people in Macedonia, and the Bulgarians as an ethnic community in the state and as a minority, according to the conventions. To Maricic’s call for dialogue, the opposition VMRO-DPMNE responded that he does not have a mandate or authorization from the citizens to discuss something that is not approved by the citizens. Instead of wasting energy on that, let Maricic start dealing with solving problems, as well as with the acute incompetence of the government. It comes to light that the government does not have a majority for constitutional amendments, contrary to the campaign that has been pushing for a whole year that they are on the threshold, said VMR0-DPMNE. The party points out that the only thing that can be discussed with the government is the need for early parliamentary elections. Macedonia, according to the framework for negotiations with the EU, must change the Constitution and include the Bulgarians, if it wants to continue the European integration process. In order to make such a constitutional amendment, it is necessary to secure a two-thirds majority of votes from the total number of deputies in the parliament. According to the current parliamentary composition, the parliamentary majority also needs votes and support from the opposition, for which there is currently no readiness. On the other hand, the government refuses early parliamentary elections and is determined that they will be held in the regular term in 2024.

Rama at the Security Conference in Munich (Radio Tirana)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama participated in the 2023 Security Conference in Munich, meeting some of important officials of European politics, such as Mitsotakis, Johann Dadephul, Miroslav Lajcak, Christian Schmidt, Sebastian Kurz. Through a post on Facebook, the Prime Minister has published moments from the meetings. “With the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the member of the Bundestag and friend of Albania, Johann Wadephul, the EU special envoy for the Kosova-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, the special envoy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt and the former Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz,” says the post. He also held meetings with the chairman of the subcommittee for Europe in the US Senate, Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Chris Van Hollen.

Rama meets Commissioner Timmermans, increasing support for the Western Balkans (Radio Tirana)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama met with the European Commissioner for the European Green Agreement Frans Timmermans in Munich. The news was announced by Prime Minister Rama in a post on social networks, where he also shared moments from the meeting. According to Prime Minister Rama, they focused on the need to increase support to the Western Balkans. The Munich Security Conference, one of the most important political events in the world, has been held since 1963 and year after year, it gathers the most important people from the world of politics to discuss security issues. Leaders of around 45 countries and organizations gathered at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel to debate over issues, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the challenges they are all facing, being the most important one.

Xhacka: Albania, a worthy ally for security in the region and beyond (Radio Tirana)

Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka participated in the Security Conference in Munich as part of the Albanian delegation headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama. After two days of the conference, Xhacka shared pictures from the meetings with allies and partners on social networks. “Two intense days at the Security Conference in Munich. Meetings with allies and partners of Albania, not only as a worthy ally for security in the region and beyond, but also as a strong voice in support of the principles on which our European and global security is built,” said Xhacka. Xhacka shared a photo with the ministers of foreign affairs of several countries. Xhacka also held a meeting in Munich with the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly.