LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: We won’t let them steal the will of people. Elections are as clean as a tear (TV Pink)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the public on the occasion of the elections and emphasized that they were “clean as a tear”.​ Vucic commented on the research that he was the most attacked person in the campaign. He also spoke about the negative coverage of RTS. “It’s been going on for a long time, only some pretend not to see it. They were even scared when they thought the masses would take over RTS, so they report on the protest five times. Today they had reported that Belgrade is the 27th most polluted city in the world. What kind of news is it that some town is 27th in the world. It just shows that they want to make negative news. But that’s their editorial policy, and I don’t want to influence their work,” he said. “We know the motivation of the voters. Daily rolls were made and everyone knows everything. They announced in advance that they were going to create chaos,” began Vucic. “I ask them why you are silent? It was planned in advance because the elections were as clean as a tear. They knew all that. That observer who came from Austria signed that there were no irregularities at the polling station, and Schider at the meeting with me said that he saw ballots that were invalid, irregular. He saw ballots that were correct. We will not let them steal the will of the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God. We will not let them steal it.” “On the 30th of December, the elections will end and we are slowly moving towards the constitution of the parliament,” announced Vucic. “I came to the Presidency when I saw that they were performing miracles 50 meters away. There is a secret passage, but I have never seen it. I was elected by the people. I am not afraid of their threats,” the President emphasized.

Petkovic: Kurti trying to shift blame for failure of dialogue on Belgrade (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Wednesday Pristina’s PM Albin Kurti had again tried, unsuccessfully, to shift the blame for the failure of dialogue on Belgrade. Petkovic said Kurti was deceiving the public as he himself was the party violating all possible agreements reached in Brussels and thwarting all attempts of normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations. The entire international community knows very well Kurti is the one who remains unwilling to establish a Community of Serb Municipalities after as many as 11 years, and the only one who is hiding from dialogue because he knows he must meet his commitments, Petkovic said. The reached agreements clearly state who should write the Community’s statute and what it should look like, Petkovic said, noting that Kurti should write “his lists of New Year’s wishes” to someone else because, evidently, he “still believes in fairytales”. “Once he gets back to reality, he will see that the Community of Serb Municipalities needs to have clearly defined powers prescribed in the 2015 Agreement on General Principles,” Petkovic said. Kurti will also see “an unequivocal message from President Aleksandar Vucic, who has told representatives of the international community and the entire public, too, where our red lines are and that there is no recognition of the so-called Kosovo and no membership for it in the UN or UN agencies and organisations,” Petkovic noted.

Dacic: Regardless of protests Serbia’s position on state issues will be firm (TV Prva)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today that there is a synchronization between the events on the internal political scene and what Prime Minister of Pristina’s provisional institutions Albin Kurti is doing regarding the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. “For sure, they will try to cause some new incidents, to escalate. And then to try to de-escalate. And that’s how we go round and round and they constantly accuse Belgrade of obstruction. I think it should be clear to everyone that it is Belgrade that is the constructive factor in all of this,” Dacic told TV Prva. Dacic assessed that Pristina’s refusal to implement what was signed ten years ago calls into question the credibility of the European Union as an institution that should mediate in the dialogue. “We are not ready for this kind of blackmail. That is why it is important to say that Serbia, regardless of all these protests that are happening to weaken its position, will continue to have a firm position when it comes to national and state issues. There are no deviations and no giving up on our state policy,” said Dacic. He stressed that we are witnessing the fact that, when there is instability in Serbia, it is assumed that the state is not strong enough to respond to pressure it is facing. Dacic recalled that in January and February EU institutions have certain restrictions in connection to EU elections. “Probably, sometime in February, there will be a concentration of pressure on us in order to do as much as possible regarding Kosovo. Because their institutions effectively stop working after that, until the elections in the EU are over. It would be good if we go into the coming period with political stability. This means having constituted state bodies, a defined political majority, which I hope will happen at all levels,” said Dacic. Commenting on Kurti’s accusations that the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic is behind the setting up of civil protection in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, Dacic said that these are organizations that underwent transformation in order to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), that these accusations are fraudulent and that nothing will calm Pristina down unless they become members of the United Nations. “The essence is any de facto or de jure recognition and membership of Kosovo in the United Nations and other specialized agencies within the United Nations system. And that, I am certain, will not happen,” Dacic concluded.

EC for N1: Complaints of election irregularities need to be properly investigated (N1)

The European Commission (EC) urges for calm and dialogue, it told N1 when asked to comment on a series of events that took place in Serbia following the 17 December early elections. “While the right of peaceful demonstration is to be upheld, violence is not the solution and unacceptable. Police action must be proportionate and respect fundamental rights within the rule of law,” said the European Commission when asked to comment for N1 on the election irregularities in Serbia, attacks against international observers, protests over election fraud, violence at the protests, police brutality, opposition leader Marinika Tepic’s hunger strike and Serbia’s cooperation with the Russian intelligence services. The EC added that “complaints of election irregularities need to be properly investigated and addressed.” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi issued on 19 December a joint statement on behalf of the EU in which they concluded, “with concern”, that “the electoral process requires tangible improvement and further reform, as the proper functioning of Serbia’s democratic institutions is at the core of Serbia’s EU accession process”. As they said at the time, the EU looks forward to the final OSCE/ODIHR report and recommendations for future elections, stressing that they “should be implemented as soon as possible and well in advance of the next elections.”

CoE envoy to visit Belgrade over serious election irregularities (Beta)

After the international observers noted serious irregularities during the 17 December local and parliamentary elections in Serbia, the president of the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Congress, Marc Cools, asked Stewart Dickson, the Congress’ spokesman for electoral matters, to visit Belgrade at the start of 2024 in order to meet with the Serbian authorities. The main purpose of the visit will be to discuss improvements to the electoral process and the urgent reforms needed to combat any potential fraud, the CoE Congress announced yesterday. On 20 December, Dickson expressed concern over the serious irregularities during the parliamentary and local elections reported by the Congress’ partners in the international observer mission and called on the Serbian authorities to address all alleged cases of violations of the electoral process and to investigate. “The reported instances of intimidation and pressure on voters, including vote-buying, and credible allegations of voter migration and busing in of voters during local elections to support the ruling party, particularly in Belgrade, the inclusion of names of deceased persons on electoral lists and the misuse of administrative resources in election campaigns are very worrying allegations that could seriously infringe the citizens’ right to vote and undermine their trust in the democratic electoral process at all levels of government,” reads the Congress’ statement from 20 December. It was also stated that the simultaneous holding of early parliamentary and early local elections in a third of Serbia’s municipalities, including the capital, “following the sudden and simultaneous resignation of 65 mayors from the ruling party”, was “not conducive to an effective electoral process at the local level”.

Students hold protest, demand opening of voter registry, repeat of elections (N1)

Activists of the informal group ‘Struggle’ (‘Borba,’ formerly Students Against Violence) again assembled in central Belgrade on Wednesday, demanding the opening of the voter registry, the launching of an investigation into the events surrounding the 17 December elections and the annulment of the elections. They delivered a new request to the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, demanding that it open the voter registry for inspection, and said they would flood the Ministry with calls and written requests with just one question: “When will you start opening the voter registry?” One of the students also explained for N1 their reasons for a change of name. “We are now called Struggle, not Students Against Violence, because high schoolers and young people who are not students are also joining. This is a struggle!,” she said. After they gathered outside the Faculty of Philosophy, they set up a table in the street, inviting passersby to speak with them about the post-election crisis. The first to join them at the table was a man who said he was a member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. He disagreed with the assessment that the “elections were stolen,” but said they were “unfair.” This is not just about whether something is strictly legal or not – if someone registers at an address just to vote, that is legal, but it is unfair, he said, adding there is a need in Serbia to differentiate between the concepts of law and justice. He said the request to replace the opposition should be added to the list because they have done nothing for 10 years and that the students should take over, and added that there are quite a few people in the SNS who disagree with everything that is happening, as well as many of those who are members of the party out of self-interest. The protesters also marched down the central city street and spoke with people, inviting them to joint the protests and blockades to avoid “a repeat of the 1990s”. The students were joined by Serbia Against Violence coalition representatives Srdjan Milivojevic, Miroslav Aleksic, Zoran Lutovac, Aleksandar “Cuta” Jovanovic, Vladimir Obradovic and Biljana Stojkovic. Activist Jovan Bjelic announced a blockade of traffic at an undisclosed location in Belgrade for 24 hours on Friday, following which the students will join the ProGlas initiative protest scheduled for Saturday noon.

Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government: Voter registry is open (Beta/Politika)

Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government said Wednesday that the voter registry is open, public and accessible, Beta reported. The Ministry issued a statement saying it received requests from a Nikola Ristic, “Conscientious Citizens” and Ivan Bjelic, with an identical question: “When will you open the voter registry?” “In connection with this, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government points out, for the umpteenth time, that the unified voter register is a public record available to all citizens of the Republic of Serbia on the Ministry’s official website,” said the Ministry.

Zakharova: West attempting to “maidanize” protest in Belgrade, incompetent in solving Kosovo situation (Beta)

The spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated yesterday that the protests in Serbia were being organized in keeping with the “patterns from western textbooks” used before and that the EU and the US were incompetent in mediating in the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. “A week after the early elections for the Serbian parliament, under the pretext of alleged election fraud, an attempt was made to ‘maidanize’ the street protests in Belgrade,” she stated at a news conference. Zakharova stated that the ring-leaders, “in keeping with the usual practice”, were the so-called activists, mobilized by various structures that are financed and controlled from abroad. In her words, these people impose violence on Serbia, the Serbian people, the officers of the Interior Ministry and other organs of authority that fulfill their duty in protecting the people. Zakharova said the situation with the EU’s mediation between Serbia and Kosovo was proceeding dismally and that Brussels was delaying the reaching of a compromise between the sides. She said that, if authentic, the document that has been presented as a draft charter on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo reflected the “absolute incompetence” of the US and the EU.

So-called Kosovo police are again searching building near Leposavic (Tanjug)

The so-called Kosovo police today searched a facility in a place called Socanica near Leposavic, said their deputy director for the north Veton Elsani. According to what he told Tanjug, the so-called Kosovo police, together with customs, conducted a search after a tip-off that smuggled goods were allegedly in a warehouse inside a commercial building. The company is registered, but is being monitored for alleged smuggling, he added. “No one has been arrested,” Elsani said. The so-called Kosovo police in recent days conducted several searches of business facilities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija that are owned by Serbs, with the explanation that they are looking for “smuggled goods”.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H MPs meet with B&H CEC representatives; HDZ B&H and SNSD against SDA’s proposal of changes to B&H Election Law (N1)

Members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) met with members of the B&H parliament, namely both representatives from the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) and delegates from the B&H House of Peoples (HoP), in Sarajevo on Wednesday. The focus of the meeting was the issue of amending the Election Law of B&H, particularly the technical amendments that should contribute to the integrity of the election process. Participants of the meeting discussed SDA’s proposal of the B&H Election Law and pointed to the need to urgently amend this law. SDA’s proposal defined introduction of new provisions and introduction of new technologies in the election process. This proposal sparked opposing views among the participants of the meeting. SDA’s MP in the B&H HoR Serif Spago specified that SDA’s proposal defined a different manner of election of polling station committees. “Chairman and the deputy of the polling station committees would be elected by the CEC, and they would not be affiliated to any party”, Spago added. However, SDA’s proposal was harshly criticized by SNSD. SNSD’s MP in the B&H HoR Miroslav Vujicic noted that SNSD does not consider SDA’s proposal acceptable. Vujicic considers that it is first necessary to resolve the issue of CEC’s legitimacy, and he noted that this means that there is a need to raise the question of appointment of the CEC members. “The CEC needs to be an independent body”, Vujicic added. HDZ B&H’s delegate in the B&H HoP Zdenko Cosic pointed out that HDZ B&H does not accept “selective amendments to the Election Law”. SDP B&H’s MP in the B&H HoP Sasa Magazinovic emphasized the need to first implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings after which, as he added, everything should be easier to implement.

Kovacevic: Schmidt does not have the possibility to impose anything, citizens elected their representatives, and we know what we need to do to protect their interest (RTRS)

Delegate of Serb people in the B&H House of Peoples, Radovan Kovacevic (SNSD), stated that nothing, including the Election Law, can be adopted without MPs from Republika Srpska (RS), noting that everyone is clear that this is doomed, “as we will not support it”. “In case Christian Schmidt tries to impose something, he is bringing in question the possibility of even holding the elections in B&H. RS institutions will never accept the decision “of an illegal” who came here only to work against RS interests. What can follow as an answer is for the RS parliament to adopt the Election Law and to give competence to the Election Commission to implement local elections in the RS. In case this is a path with a desire to destabilize the RS, they are horribly wrong because in this way they will only bring B&H a step closer to being completely unsustainable,” said Kovacevic. He repeated that RS officials are open to negotiate with partners from the Federation of B&H (FB&H) about the Election Law, “but not because Schmidt is exerting pressure, or because we are afraid that he will impose something”. Kovacevic repeated that if this is Schmidt’s desire, he will bring in question the very election process in B&H and reminded that Schmidt said that in case politicians fail to reach an agreement, he will impose something. However, he stressed that Schmidt is not a legitimate HR because the UN SC Resolution does not stand behind him. Secondly, Kovacevic noted, Schmidt does not have the possibility to impose anything, “citizens elected their representatives, and we know what we need to do to protect their interests”.

Dodik: RS will not nominate or appoint B&H CC judges (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik stated that the RS will neither nominate nor appoint judges for the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H. “The issue of the B&H CC became the most important issue in B&H. All majority decisions are reached against Serbs and the RS. The rational thing is not to appoint our representatives in the B&H CC and give legitimacy for enacting of decisions against us,” said Dodik. Dodik also said that there are monstrous ideas circulating to have these judges appointed by the high representative. “This only shows how ruined this system is”. Dodik noted that the RS tried to withdraw its judges earlier, but now the circumstances have been created to raise the issue of the CC as the most important political issue in B&H. He noted that the RS advocates a stance to have the Law on the B&H CC adopted and to appoint domestic judges and he suggested for three judges to be appointed by the B&H parliament, while other members would be appointed like they have been by now. Dodik repeated that “foreigners never brought anything good to this region, not to Serbs, not to Croats and not to Bosniaks”. “This was stipulated to be in force for five years after Dayton and this means that a new structure of B&H should have been made in 2000. They continued to work using then High Representatives to destroy the RS and when they saw that he can no longer do that, then they switched it to the CC. Presence of our people in the CC was motivated to cover up bad intentions and activities of the CC toward the RS,” said Dodik. Instead of three foreign judges, Dodik said that they even proposed for three domestic judges to be elected in the B&H parliament. Other judges would be appointed in the same way as before. “Of course, the Muslim structure does not want this. And that says things about their incomprehension of the processes. We can treat those matters as such”, Dodik told members of the press. The RS President added that they lead a reasonable policy. Dodik said they heard some absurd ideas, particularly the one that says, “illegal High Representative” (Christian Schmidt) will appoint two missing judges from the RS. “Maybe he will appoint Mladen Ivanic, or I do not know who, but in any case, that only says how much that system has failed. So, we will remain persistent in our policies, which we advocate”, Dodik promised. Dodik pointed out that the RS authorities refuse to give legitimacy to the B&H CC, which acts against interests of the RS, as the B&H CC is the court that ruled marking of the RS Day on 9 January unconstitutional. Dodik called on all RS citizens who accept the RS’ legitimacy to attend the marking of the RS Day in Banja Luka on 9 January. Dodik added that the RS officials will not accept any activities directed against the RS or its undermining.

Dodik: Property is red line that will not be crossed (RTRS)

Addressing the media after the meeting with officials and directors of RS public companies on Wednesday, RS President Milorad Dodik said that the RS and government did a successful job in this year, but “we do not want to give in to bad intentions of foreigners, to make our RS senseless.” “If property is turned into an issue, the RS is turned into the issue. We will not allow this. I call on all citizens to together celebrate 9 January, the RS birthday,” said Dodik. He noted that one can expect that illegitimate structure around Christian Schmidt will try to do something with the property: “Every such move, is a call to us to schedule the RS parliament session on the RS independence.” Dodik said that RS will not allow B&H to become a unitary state in 2024 and reduce the competencies of the RS. He pointed out that the property is a red line, and that the RS is ready to move towards the path of independence. Dodik said that RS is expecting the new attacks on its subjectivity.

Vulin appointed RS Senator (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik appointed Serbian official Aleksandar Vulin as a member of the RS Senate. Dodik’s decision reads that Vulin is appointed on the basis of the Constitution. In a statement to RTRS, Vulin thanked Dodik for the privilege of becoming a member of the RS Senate. “More importantly, I am thankful for the opportunity to become a part of the life and history of the RS”, Vulin added. Vulin thanked the President of the RS for the trust shown and emphasized that he will continue to defend the interests of the Serb people. “Being part of the free RS, the land of my ancestors, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You either use that opportunity or you do not. I hope that with the rest of my life I will prove that Dodik was right, just as I proved with my life that I am worthy of membership in the Senate of the RS. It is a great honour”, added Vulin. Vulin pointed out that being a senator of the free RS, the land of his ancestors, is a great honour, an obligation and a sign that all Serbs are one and that the Serbs world is here, that it is alive and that it is being created and developed regardless of the force that threatens it. He pointed out that the unification process has started and cannot be stopped.

SDA Presidency adopts six conclusions; Izetbegovic urges Ambassador Murphy to present proof for his recent claims on him, says Dodik must be prevented from undermining constitutional order in B&H (Klix.ba)

SDA Presidency held a session on Wednesday and adopted six conclusions. The first conclusion is related to problems caused in B&H by RS President Milorad Dodik and SDA urged the Court of B&H and OHR not to give in before Dodik’s threats and legal-political violence. SDA reminded that years of giving in before Dodik resulted in the situation in which Dodik openly advocates secession and announced that SDA Presidency will initiate filing of a criminal report against Dodik and others who are responsible for organization of the announced celebration of 9 January. The second conclusion is related to recent statements of US Ambassador to B&H Michael Murphy on SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic. SDA Presidency rejected “untruths repeated several times by US Ambassador Michael Murphy on SDA and its leadership” and noted that Ambassador Murphy never presented evidence and arguments for his claims on corruption or claims that SDA blocked the FB&H, blocked judiciary and intelligence services and undermined electoral reform. SDA claimed that the truth is quite the opposite, because it has always been on the side of positive processes and reforms in B&H and, quite often, it cooperated with partners from USA. “SDA did not change its stance toward USA, but the stance of US Embassy toward SDA changed since Ambassador Murphy arrived. His stance on processes in B&H, which resulted in a suspension of the Constitution for a day and formation of the current incapable authorities, is harmful both for B&H and reputation of USA”, the conclusion noted. SDA also argued that the thorough judicial reform is needed in order to restore the integrity of the judicial system, trust of public and consistent implementation of the principle of equality before laws: “The Court of B&H and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H have become accomplices to war criminals to avoid justice by escaping B&H”. The third conclusion noted that the latest example of inadequate work of the judiciary was the arrest and detention for President of the Court of B&H Ranko Debevec and former Director of the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) of B&H Osman Mehmedagic. SDA argued that nobody is above the laws and that everyone is innocent until proven otherwise in court, but this rule must be applied equally on everyone: “Unfortunately, instead of this, it is obvious that B&H judiciary has turned into a tool for political settling of accounts, carried out through dishonourable judges and prosecutors and accompanied with media spectacles”. The fourth conclusion urged parliamentary parties to support SDA’s proposal on changes to the Election Law of B&H with the goal to strengthen integrity and transparency of the election process, in order to fulfil one of the main requirements from the Opinion of the European Commission. The fifth conclusion commented on cancelling of the construction of the Block 7 of Coal-fired Power Plant in Tuzla and argued that SDA believes neither FB&H Prime Minister Nermin Niksic nor his government have the right to make such decision and reminded that significant amount of funds has already been invested in this project: “Such decision can be adopted only by the FB&H parliament”. The sixth conclusion was related to business operations of BHRT and need to regulate the RTV system in B&H: “The contract on collecting the RTV tax through electricity bills must urgently be extended”. Following SDA Presidency session, Izetbegovic addressed journalists and spoke about the conclusions. He said that “the first conclusion was the call to OHR and everyone in B&H not to step back before the log policy carried out by Milorad Dodik. This policy placed logs on roads before the war, now they are placing logs on the NATO path of B&H, decisions of the Constitutional Court and of the OHR”. As for statements of US Ambassador Murphy, Izetbegovic reminded that Murphy claimed that SDA blocked the FB&H and he recently claimed that he (Izetbegovic) was controlling OSA and placed his own financial interests before the state interests. “This is where a woman cannot remain a bit pregnant, either she is, or she isn’t. If this is the case, then Murphy should present proof for his claims. I think he made a mistake, and he is embarrassing himself and the great power which he represents in B&H”, Izetbegovic said and added that if Murphy’s claims are true, then he (Izetbegovic) should not remain free. Izetbegovic emphasized that a judicial reform is needed because everyone witnessed cases in which prosecutors took money and phones from case files or let criminals escape B&H. Following Dodik’s announcement that the RS will neither nominate nor appoint judges in the Constitutional Court of B&H, Izetbegovic said that Dodik is once again attacking the Constitution of B&H and he urged the international community as well as the Troika to react and confront Dodik. “He should be prevented in undermining the constitutional order”, Izetbegovic added.

Interview with Commander of NATO HQ Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha; NATO cares for permanent peace in the Balkans; NATO will not allow security vacuum in B&H or Western Balkans (Oslobodjenje)

Oslobodjenje carried interview with Commander of NATO HQ Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha, who first commented her mandate in B&H and expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality that people in B&H provided, underlining that during two years of her mandate, she established good relationship with representatives of all communities, which is a huge motivation and key instigator of daily activities. Secondly, McGaha stated, NATO has been working with B&H for almost 30 years, assisting the development of united Armed Forces, defense and security institutions and their managing structures. Commander McGaha noted that these institutions allow citizens to feel safe, to have sense of stability and for the country to continue to develop, but still there is a rhetoric and activities which promote divisions: “This is concerning and unacceptable trend, because it tries to undermine authority at the state level and is contrary to letter and spirit of Dayton Agreement. NATO has very strong interest to enable safe, stable and prosperous B&H and peace in the Western Balkans. During the regular meetings with officials from the entire country, I always reaffirm NATO’s resolute dedication to B&H.” Referring to statement of NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, during the visit to B&H, that the NATO wants to strengthen partnership with B&H, but there is a concern because of secessionist activities and strengthening of outside influence, author asked what will NATO do in case of any kind of riots, which some politicians even desire. Underlining of importance of the said visit, McGaha noted that this visit conveyed two important messages, first that NATO’s dedication to stability in the region is resolute and secondly, that NATO will not allow creating of any kind of security vacuum in B&H and in the Western Balkans. “NATO also expects from political leaders in B&H to act responsibly and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and actions that are of no benefit for stability and progress of the country.” Noting that she will not speculate about possible future scenarios, Commander noted that they carefully monitor evens within the country, they are focused on their mission of strengthening of own security network in B&H and their activities continue to fully support letter and spirit of the DPA. McGaha noted that they work daily with B&H Defense Ministry and Security Ministry on establishing of resilience to remove possible security threats and as examples, McGaha mentioned projects within Partnership for Peace (PfP), which include implementing of tools and training for cybernetic defense, improving of system used by civilian bodies tasked to respond in cases of natural disasters (floods and snowstorms), etc. Further on, McGaha noted that NATO HQ Sarajevo continues to provide support to Althea Operation, led by the EU in line with ‘Berlin Plus’ arrangements and their mission of preserving of safe and stable environment. She noted that she is in regular contact with EUFOR Commander, Major General Helmut Habermayer and they also welcome recent extension of EUFOR mandate by UN Security Council. Asked about impact of strengthening of NATO troops in Kosovo on B&H, McGaha noted that KFOR has concrete and stabilizing effect not only on Kosovo, but B&H and other countries in the region as well, stressing that this shows firm dedication of NATO to maintain the same course and continue to provide necessary security framework, which enables reaching of permanent political solution which respects right of all communities. This, Commander noted, reflects the fact that Western Balkans as a whole, presents the region of strategic importance for NATO and that the Alliance is fully engaged in continuation of their activities in support to permanent regional security and stability. Asked about Stoltenberg’s statements about Russian influence and B&H and calling it malignant, McGaha said that NATO Secretary General was very clear during his visit to B&H and he reaffirmed that NATO allies strongly support sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H- which always has been and will continue to be NATO’s collective focus. She noted that NATO is concerned because of secessionist and divisive rhetoric, as well as outside influences, including the one from Russia, which threatens to endanger stability and prevent reforms. “We call on Russia to have more constructive role in the Western Balkans. Unfortunately, we regularly see that Russia is doing the opposite. We see hacking breeches, disinformation, intimidation and other destabilizing activities. NATO fully respects sovereign right of every state to choose its political and security arrangements. We call on Russia to do the same. This is the founding principle of European security that we all obliged to, including Russia.” McGaha stressed that political leaders should work on preserving of the unity, establishing of state institutions and achieving of reconciliation, which is crucial for stability and security of the country. “The visit of the NATO Secretary General also made it clear that NATO has been dedicated to B&H for many years. As the Secretary General said: “Your security is important for the Western Balkans, and it is important for Europe”. NATO continues its efforts to deepen political dialogue and practical cooperation with B&H and NATO HQ Sarajevo is important part of that effort,” said McGaha. Speaking about practical support of NATO to B&H, Commander noted that arrangement on the high political level is not the only one they improve, as they also spread their practical cooperation in several sectors, such as defense planning and education, good management in security forces and structures, scientific cooperation, etc. She noted that new package of establishing of defense capacities continues with support to reform efforts of B&H Armed Forces in sectors such as crisis management, cyber-defense and fight against terrorism. She speaks further about support in concrete reforms and activities, noting that all these reforms will make B&H more resilient and safer, which will benefit all citizens. In the end, McGaha commented success of B&H Armed Forces, saying that B&H can be proud of its AF.

Russian Embassy issues statement reacting to interview with NATO HQ Commander McGaha: NATO is not interested in permanent peace (Oslobodjenje)

The Russian Embassy to B&H reacted to the interview with Commander of the NATO HQ Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha, published by the daily on Wednesday (December 27). “General once again used worn-out thesis on malignant Russian influence that we have already heard from several western politicians, including the supervisor for Mrs. McGaha, NATO secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Absurd insinuations about hacking breeches, disinformation, intimidation and other destabilizing activities of Russia are being repeated without the attempt to list at least one evidence or example of such activities,” reads the statement. The Embassy claims that in today’s Europe, it is NATO that became the instrument and source of destabilization, adding that events in the last several years are proving that the Alliance, despite the statements of officials at all levels, is not interested in permanent peace and stability in Europe. They add that NATO member states, as well as the Alliance itself, have ignored numerous proposals of the Russian leadership for creating of a new, fairer security system in Europe. “We have underscored on several occasions that Russia is not trying to impose foreign-policy choice and priorities to B&H. However, when making the decision we will be starting from the in-depth analysis of objective foreign-policy situation in the Balkans and Europe in general,” reads Embassy’s statement.

Knezevic: Referendum on independence of Montenegro stolen (CdM)

The fact that the independence of Montenegro is not a finished story could be sensed in the statement made by the DNP leader Milan Knezevic in the parliament of Montenegro. During the parliamentary discussion, Knezevic said during the discussion with DPS MPS, among other things, that the referendum on the independence of Montenegro was stolen in 2006.

“The referendum was stolen. If it wasn’t for Lajcak and Lipka, the referendum would never have been declared. I respect the independence of Montenegro, we will not review that independence. Montenegro was independent before 2006, just don’t make part of us who voted for the common state the citizens of the second order”, Knezevic said, addressing DPS MPs. Knezevic said he would insist on the amendments to the Constitution so that the Serbian language would become an official language in addition to the Montenegrin language. He also claimed that linguistic engineering was made.

Kovachevski: Political parties to meet legal requirements over caretaker government (MIA)

All political parties should meet requirements in accordance with the laws on government and elections, so as not to leave a stain on the electoral process, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Wednesday. “The SDSM Central Board took the required decisions regarding its participation in the caretaker government. We have already decided on our candidates for ministers, deputy-ministers, additional deputy ministers, and parliament speaker, completing our part of the procedure prior to the parliament vote on the caretaker government,” PM Kovachevski told reporters. He added that the meeting with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski on the caretaker government composition will take place and the date will be made public once scheduled by the parties’ offices.

Xhaferi: New parliament speaker by 20 January (MIA)

Formal procedures for the election of a caretaker government that will be tasked with administering the 8 May elections will begin in mid-January. The first coordination meeting among whips will take place on 9 January, whereas the new speaker should be elected by 20 January, parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi tells MIA. Xhaferi, who has been nominated as caretaker PM, will be replaced by Jovan Mitreski of SDSM, followed by the election of the caretaker government on 28 January. “These are specific situations that go beyond the Parliament’s Rules of Procedures over regular offices and procedures. Separate sessions will be held for the election of a speaker and government, since I cannot serve as speaker and PM-designate at the same time,” says Xhaferi.

Xhaferi: SEC in charge of administering elections, will have my full support (MIA)

Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi, the nominee for caretaker PM in the government set to be elected on 28 January, tells MIA that the State Election Commission (SEC) is in charge of administering the elections and adds that he would provide full support and assistance in the process. “The Electoral Code stipulates all competences of SEC regarding the electoral process. They are fully in charge of organization, administration and implementation. The government I am set to lead will provide full support over any needs they might have,” says Xhaferi. Regarding his relationship with the opposition and the mistrust on their part regarding his election to the post of caretaker PM, Xhaferi says he has been working for quite a while with the opposition, but also when they had been in power, saying their statements are used for daily politics. According to him, it is still too early to discuss the composition of the caretaker government and does not know the names of the potential ministers nominated by the opposition.

Balluku: The national strategy for combating money laundering will be ready within the first half of 2024 (Radio Tirana)

The Albanian government will draft a national strategy in the field of preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing, within the first 6 months of 2024.

Deputy Prime Minister, Belinda Balluku stated during the annual meeting of the Anti-Money Laundering Coordination Committee that this strategy will be a guide for a series of evaluation processes, and the increase of this Committee efficiency. Balluku, among other things, underscored that the year 2023 has been undoubtedly a successful year in Albania in terms of preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing, not only in terms of the very positive assessment of Albania’s exit from the gray list of FATF (Financial Action Task Force), but also for the alignment of Albanian legislation with that of the EU. “This positive moment for Albania has come as a result of a great deal of work by all institutions, the consolidation and implementation of the reform in Justice system has played a very important role, as well as the new institutions created such as SPAK Special Anti-corruption Structure), institutions which have supported the work of traditional law-enforcement institutions, making possible for Albania to exit from the FATF gray list,” she pointed out. The national risk assessment and the respective action plan were approved during the meeting. These documents, according to Deputy Prime Minister Balluku, are of great importance, not only to fulfill the international recommendations, but also for a more accurate prediction of the risks we will face, in order to focus more resources at disposal. “This assessment was carried out after a long work of all institutions, using the methodology of the Council of Europe, under the coordination of the Financial Intelligence Agency and with the help of international experts. Pursuing the objectives according to the action plan will be of primary importance for all of us,” said Balluku. During the meeting, there were also determined several areas where the work of this Committee will be focused during 2024.