LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Ruling coalition accepts 2 of 3 opposition demands (N1)

Speaker Ana Brnabic said that the ruling coalition agreed to 2 of the 3 demands made by the opposition at Monday’s Serbian parliament Collegium meeting. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Brnabic said that the opposition demanded a commission made up of ruling coalition, opposition and civil society representatives with the power to constantly monitor and review the electoral rolls, responsible and professional reporting by the state TV (RTS) and the same date for local elections in places where they were not held in December. Brnabic said the ruling coalition accepted the first two demands. She said the opposition set a deadline of Wednesday for the authorities to agree to third demand and added that nothing will change by that time. “Instead of discussing the ODIHR recommendations, the opposition rallied around Serbia Against Violence (SPN) brought us demands,” she said. According to Brnabic, a methodology has to be agreed for the commission to monitor and review the electoral rolls along with defined executive powers. She added that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is not happy with the RTS adding that the party wants meetings with the state TV, N1 and Nova S which she thinks are important for Belgrade. She said the demand for local elections on the same date is not acceptable “because it delves deep, deep into democratic norms and principles”. “They want to cut short or extend terms in office by force which means opening Pandora’s box…. That means no democracy, no constitution, nor even basic democratic norms and principles,” she said. Brnabic claimed that opposition MPs said “accept all three demands or we have nothing to discuss”. “That is an ultimatum and I am calling them to reconsider continue discussing ODIHR recommendations,” she said and added that 54 ODIHR recommendations were accepted by the Serbian authorities between 2019 and 2023. “Most of the people we sat down with today got recommendations from ODIHR in the 10 years they were in power and they were not interested in the least in improving election conditions,” she said.

No deal after senior parliament officials’ meeting on ODIHR recommendations (Beta)

The representatives of the Serbia Against Violence and NADA coalitions said in a press release on 1 April that no agreement had been reached in talks with representatives of the government on fulfilling ODIHR recommendations regarding election conditions and announced that the talks would resume on April 3, the deadline for accepting the conditions for a fair election. “We will not agree to new election fraud. We received some signals about what the government may accept, but we won’t agree to partial solutions, to the government picking and choosing which demands to meet,” MP Radomir Lazovic told a news conference in the hall of the Serbian parliament building. Asked what would happen if the government did not accept the terms on 3 April either, Lazovic stressed that the “situation is too serious” to say ahead of time what the opposition would do. He said the two coalitions were ready for a solution to be found, but that the government had to show the same desire and give guarantees that any agreement would be honored. Milos Jovanovic, the president of New Democratic Party of Serbia, which is allied with the Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia, said that the two coalitions were resolute and united in their demands, which were “the barest of minimums and not a whim or ultimatum”.

France remains open for dialogue with Serbian delegation to PACE (RTV/Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic spoke yesterday with Head of the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy Bertrand Bouyx. Dacic expressed his disappointment at the adoption of the draft Opinion of PACE Rapporteur Dora Bakoyanni on the request of the so-called Kosovo for membership in the Council of Europe, at the extraordinary meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, in which the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities and the solution to the issue of expropriations in the north of Kosovo and Metohija were omitted as a condition for the admission of the so-called Kosovo. He pointed out that Kosovo and Metohija is a historically important part of Serbia, recalling the centuries-old friendship between Serbia and France during both world wars, as well as the fact that they were always on the right side of history. Dacic said that he expects the French MPs in the PACE to be more understanding of our arguments at the upcoming PACE session, where the draft Opinion on the request for the admission of the so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe will be examined. Bouyx pointed out that France is a sincere friend of Serbia, as well as that it supports negotiations and dialogue regarding the request for the admission of the so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe. He said that France remains open to dialogue with the Serbian delegation to the PACE and understands the views of our side on this issue.

Petkovic: Pristina has no intention of normalising political relations (Tanjug/RTV)

Despite constantly obstructing normalisation on the ground and escalating problems, Pristina has been rewarded with prospects of Council of Europe (CoE) membership, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said at a meeting with French MP Bertrand Bouyx on Monday. Pristina has no intention of taking part in creating conditions for normalisation of political and inter-ethnic relations in the region, Petkovic said at the meeting with Bouyx, who also heads the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. At the beginning of the meeting, also attended by French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard, Petkovic noted that Pristina’s unfulfilled commitment to establish a Community of Serb Municipalities under the Brussels agreement was now 4,000 days old. “Albin Kurti‘s unreasonable, unilateral decision to abolish Serbian payment transactions and the Serbian Dinar as the legal tender – aimed at making life unbearable for Serbs in the province and, ultimately, expel the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija – points to an absence of good intentions and good will in Pristina,” Petkovic said. The 100,000 Serbs in the province who are now unable to receive their incomes – salaries, pensions and social benefits – have been pushed to the brink of a humanitarian disaster, Petkovic warned.

Stano: Kosovo’s long-standing obligation to form ZSO must be urgently delivered (N1)

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is Kosovo’s long-standing obligation that needs to be delivered on urgently. “This was repeated several times by the EU at the highest level, at the level of the European leaders. If Kosovo does not manage to deliver on this then it will not be seen as a positive sign of willingness to proceed on the path of normalization, which is now linked to Kosovo’s progress on its EU accession path,” said Stano. He said the meeting of chief negotiators due to be held on Thursday in Brussels will be focused on other issues. “This is mostly linked to the issues that were discussed last week and the week before in Brussels, to solve mainly the issue of implications or consequences of the decision of the Kosovo Central Bank regarding the use of the Dinar. The ZSO as such is not really one of the main topics, but this is omnipresent, it is present in every meeting, in all our interactions with Kosovo partners because this is one of the conditions that is really urgent to fulfill without any further delay,” said Stano.

SNS to run parliament’s defense committee, SPS given economy, urban planning (Beta)

The Assembly of Serbia’s Committee on Defense and Interior Affairs will be run by Sandra Bozic, elected on the “Aleksandar Vucic – Serbia Must Not Stop” ticket. Ten members of the Committee voted in favor of the appointment on 1 April, while six were against. The Committee on Urban Planning, Transportation, Infrastructure and Telecommunications has been established as well, and it will be led by a Socialist Party of Serbia MP, Ugljesa Markovic, who chaired the committee in the previous parliamentary convocation. The new chair of the Committee on Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy is Snezana Paunovic of the Socialist Party of Serbia. Dragan Stanojevic, elected as a candidate nominated by the We, The Voice of the People group, will be running the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, while the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality will be headed by Aleksandar Markovic of the Aleksandar Vucic – Serbia Must Not Stop coalition.

Danijela Vujicic elected Chair of parliamentary committee for Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTS)

Danijela Vujicic from the Aleksandar Vucic – Serbia Must Not Stop electoral list was on Tuesday elected Chair of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija.

Vujicic succeeds longtime chairman Milovan Drecun. Aleksandar Pavic from the We, A Voice from the People – Branimir Nestorovic list was elected deputy chair of the Committee.

Thanking all those who had supported her candidacy, Vujicic said she viewed the Kosovo issue in a pragmatic way as she lived in the territory. Previously, opposition MP Srdjan Milivojevic said the events in Banjska needed to be discussed and Freedom and Justice Party MP Borko Stefanovic said the Committee should debate many things, including the situation at the Council of Europe and the talks process. Vujicic said it hurt her to see Kosovo Serbs criminalised in one way or another by Pristina or the Serbian opposition. “You will not hear ethnic Albanians condemn a ROSU attack in the north of the province or criticise Kurti for shots fired at a child in Strpce,” Vujicic said.

NDSS: Opposition parties won’t run in elections unless their demands are met (N1/Beta)

New Democratic Party of Serbia leader Milos Jovanovic has once again said that in line with an agreement signed with the non-partisan ProGlas initiative, the opposition parties will not run in the upcoming elections unless the opposition demands have been fulfilled and conditions have been changed to ensure fair voting. Speaking to TV N1, Jovanovic said that in talks with the regime representatives, the opposition presented three conditions, noting that the most problematic was the one demanding that all local elections be held on the same day. “I do not know why it is such a problem for them. It is extremely important for two reasons. Firstly, it would reduce the possibility of abusing the right of residence, and secondly, it would motivate citizens to go to the polls,” Jovanovic explained. He added that the opposition had provided a solution facilitating holding local elections on the same day. “Adoption of lex specialis or amendments to the Law on public administration and local self-government, which can be done quickly. We have provided a ready-made solution,” Jovanovic specified. He noted that things would be much clearer on 3 April, the last day for scheduling local elections in Belgrade.

Oath-Keepers to run for Belgrade elections in coalition with SNS, SPS (Tv Pink/Beta)

Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, the president of the Oath Keepers party, said on 1 April that the party leadership had decided to run in a coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Serbian Progressive Party for the upcoming Belgrade election. She told TV Pink that the three parties would initiate a project of rallying nation-building forces and work on national consolidation. Djurdjevic Stamenkovski said the election in the capital should be held in the legally prescribed time frame and that Belgraders should vote for the future of the capital and for the accomplishment of significant projects.

PACE session on Kosovo on 16 April instead of 18 April (Beta)

A session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to consider the report on Kosovo of the Committee on Political Affairs, initially announced for 18 April, will take place on 16 April, media outlets in Pristina reported. The agenda will include an opinion by rapporteur for Kosovo Dora Bakoyannis, adopted at a session of the Committee on Political Affairs on 23 March. If the report with the recommendation is adopted, which would require a two-thirds majority of PACE members, the next step would be consideration by the CoE Committee of Ministers. The rapporteur’s opinion states that the asterisk after the name of Kosovo, used in every report or communication about and with Kosovo since 2008, can be dropped. The document also recommends Kosovo be invited as a state, according to Article 4 of the CoE Statute, not as a country, per Article 5.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: EUFOR Major General Sticz confirms situation in B&H is stable, nevertheless US imposition of solution in form of Schmidt’s latest illegal intervention has disrupted relations in B&H (ATV)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik posted on the social media X on Monday that the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is stable and the security situation is not threatened, which was confirmed by EUFOR Major General Laszlo Sticz, nevertheless, – as ATV quoted Dodik – “the US imposition of a solution in the form of the latest illegal intervention by Christian Schmidt” disrupted relations in B&H and led to a halt in the functioning of B&H. Dodik wrote that the Bosniak factor does not show willingness to give up on pleasing foreigners. “The US, the UK and Germany have their own view of B&H, which is anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional, and no one in the RS will allow such a colonial perspective of B&H to become a reality.” Dodik points out that collapse of the agreement in B&H suits Bosniaks and Americans. “They threaten not only with sanctions but also with military actions with an aim to raise tensions and plant a seed of fear among people that the US will again demonstrate its power unless we become better. It is worrying to see silence of foreign officials on statements of Bosniaks who had wartime connections with radical Islamists, although some of them still have these connections active”, Dodik said. Dodik posted that RS is stable despite numerous pressures it is exposed to. He noted that none of representatives of institutions will allow agreeing to pressures and blackmails: “It is a shame for Serbs that some Sarovics, Borenovic, Trivics, Vukanovics, Milicevic and people like them, exist, who do not see how important it is for Serb factor to be united and gathered around the most important issues for survival of Serb people.”  He stressed this speaks about them, their ambitions and lack of care for their own people and the state. Dodik underlined that institutional will continue to carry out responsible national and state politics, not arbitrary will of Americans. He concluded that RS has its own path, its policies and will not be carrying out America’s.

Nesic responds to Zvizdic: RS has never been security threat; Goganovic answers Zvizdic: NATO will not be deploying their soldiers in B&H  (RTRS/Srna)

B&H Security Minister Nenad Nesic posted on X a response to Facebook post of B&H HoR deputy speaker Denis Zvizdic who once again called on NATO to deploy troops in Brcko District and EUFOR to strengthen presence in returnees’ settlements. Nesic underlined that RS has never been a threat to security of B&H or others, while unfortunately, according to numerous reports of the Department of State and EU member countries, certain groups in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) were labeled as the threat for global security because of their connections with terrorist organization ‘Islamic State’. Nesic told Zvizdic that he should call for presence of NATO troops in Maoca, when he already called for their deployment in Brcko. “Denis has never paid a visit to Brcko, I would advise him to go and talk to people. In Brcko, if he is willing, he can learn how Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats live together and live peacefully, respecting each other. Their children go to the same schools, and they do not have two schools under one roof, as it is the case in the FB&H,” said Nesic. He further noted that it is sad to see a politician, who spent majority of his life as a part of authority, to speak about the war, 30 years after the war instead of talking about future, investments and jobs. “I did not hear Denis’ call to the West: “Come and invest here!”. On the contrary, with this message he told them things are not safe here and capital is fleeing to places which are not safe. He obviously does not care how people live, because he if well off being on the budget,” Nesic wrote. Speaking about security of returnees, Nesic said that if Zvizdic was reading security reports, as he should for the salary of BAM 8,000, he would know that all incidents in the RS have been solved unlike in the FB&H. “Should we Denis call on EUFOR to protect Serb returnees in Vozuca, Tumare, Mostar, Zenica? Perhaps they solve the attacks that happened there. Perhaps it would be wise to ask EUFOR to patrol streets of Sarajevo, where Zvizdic’s NiP is in authority and where security was never worse and citizens can frequently witness shootings, murders, torching of vehicles and mafia clashes,” ends Nesic. Meanwhile, deputy B&H Minister of Defense, Aleksandar Goganovic, reacted to earlier statement of deputy speaker of the B&H House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic who called on NATO to deploy their troops in Brcko District and for EUFOR to strengthen their presence. Goganovic said that NATO will not be deploying their troops in B&H, especially not in the Brcko District. In a statement Srna, Goganovic reminded Zvizdic that only EUFOR has a mandate to assess a security situation in B&H and that during the recent meeting in B&H Defense Ministry, EUFOR Commander (Major General Laszlo Sticz) repeated there are no higher-level challenges. “Unfortunately, with such statements Denis Zvizdic is only spreading fear and panic among B&H citizens, especially of the Brcko District which is prohibited by the law. Politicians should refrain from assessments of the security situation in B&H, and leave this job to competent bodies, especially EUFOR,” said Goganovic.

Karan: Schmidt and American sanctions are entering security sphere and becoming security problem for the RS (RTRS)

RS Minister of Interior Sinisa Karan stated on Monday that Christian Schmidt and U.S. sanctions are becoming a security issue for RS and added that US sanctions represent a force that undermines international law. “We are talking here about an attack of a force not only with sanctions, but also with implementing of the Dayton Agreement,” Karan said. He added that Schmidt is the biggest sanction: “He is closing everything for us. He closes citizens’ rights to make decisions in representative democracy.  Imagine if we would ask citizens in election if Schmidt should make decisions on us. This is an unbelievable absurd.” He explained what sanctions mean in fact: “This means we will sanction everyone who do not allow a unitary B&H. We will sanction those who protect the Dayton Agreement, we will sanction all those who do not allow this to be a country of one people only. And we will sanction all those who want their voices to be heard in joint institutions of B&H.” Karan stressed that sanctions represent an attack on the RS and institutions: “Ministers, the President of the Republic, Prime Minister, RS parliament speaker and Serb member of B&H Presidency are attacked. Someone even said it, when you attack institutions, this can be terrorism.” He elaborated that a criminal act of terrorism has two components – ideological and political and the attack on institutions to do or not to do something: “This can be a form of non-typical, but possible and terrorist act for the RS.”

Milanovic says EU, US hostile towards Croats in B&H (N1)

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic stated on Monday that the EU and the USA have hostile attitude towards Croats in B&H and accused Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic of not addressing this issue as he did not want to offend the European Commission. Milanovic added that the treatment of the status of Croats in B&H “is a matter of Croatian state pride.” “It is not a matter of war or peace, and this is not something which bothers anyone in Brussels. Plenkovic and his servants had an easy task to solve it”, Milanovic stressed, noting that Plenkovic did not want to offend European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen over this issue.

Croatia marks 15 years in NATO military alliance (HRT)

Fifteen years ago, Croatia was granted membership in the NATO military alliance; achieving one of the country’s most important strategic goals since gaining independence in the 1990s. Croatia’s official accession was marked on 1 April 2009, when the instruments of ratification were officially handed over by the then Croatian Ambassador to the USA, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Croatia and Albania were jointly admitted to the Alliance as the 28th and 29th member states. Following the ratification of the accession protocol in the parliaments of the member states and in Croatian parliament on 25 March 2009, Croatia was sent an official invitation to join the Alliance just five days later. However, institutional relations between Croatia and NATO were established nearly a decade earlier in 2000 through the Partnership for Peace program and preparations for membership were initiated two years after that with the Membership Action Plan. The political decision to invite Croatia was taken at the Bucharest Summit in April 2008; and was brought to Zagreb from the Romanian capital by then US President George W. Bush. According to the latest opinion poll conducted by NATO late last year, 72 percent of Croats would vote in favour of their country’s continued NATO membership if a referendum on the issue were held. President Zoran Milanovic, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who is often critical of NATO, said on Monday the organization “at some point it stopped understanding its own purpose”. “Croatia is a loyal member of NATO but we should primarily focus on ourselves and our own problems,” added the president. Croatian military contingents are participating in NATO-led missions in Kosovo and in the Enhanced Forward Presence in Poland and Lithuania, as well as in the Enhanced Vigilance Activity in Hungary. Croatia is one of the NATO member states that has still not reached the set target of two percent of GDP for defence spending. According to an estimate for 2023, the country spent 1.75 percent of GDP on defence. The 15th anniversary of Croatia’s accession coincides with the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO. On 4 April 1949, the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs of the United States and Canada, together with the Foreign Ministers of ten European countries, signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, thus becoming the founding members of NATO. Several rounds of enlargement have taken place over the years, including the admission of several Warsaw Pact countries following the end of the Cold War. The most important section of the treaty is Article 5, which obliges each Member State to regard an armed attack against one Member State as an attack against all Member States.

Milanovic: Remaining a loyal partner to NATO, but Croatia comes first (Hina)

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said in an 1 April comment on the 15th anniversary of Croatia’s joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that his country would continue to be a loyal and reliable partner to the Alliance, but that Croatia would always “come first.” “NATO members can count on Croatia as a loyal and reliable partner in the future, too. However, Croatia comes first, before everything else,” Milanovic declared in a Facebook post. President Milanovic recollected that, since Croatia joined NATO, “both the world order and NATO have undergone dramatic changes over which Croatia had no influence,” adding that, through all those years, Croatia had been “a loyal ally and a fair partner to the member states of the Alliance,” as the Hina agency quoted the president as saying. “For the Croatian Armed Forces, the first and foremost task is to protect Croatian land, air and sea. Croatia will behave like any sovereign state that protects its borders, its territory and its people. It’s important to note in this context that Croatia is the only member of the Alliance that defended and liberated its borders, territory and people a mere 30 years ago,” Milanovic said in his post.

Becic to the Serbian Ambassador: I believe that you will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between our countries (CdM)

The Vice President of the government of Montenegro Aleksa Becic met with the newly appointed Serbian Ambassador to Montenegro Nebojsa Rodic and emphasized that he believes that the Serbian Ambassador will contribute to the restoration of diplomatic relations and the strengthening of cooperation between our countries. Becic wished the ambassador a successful mandate in Montenegro, expressing his belief that the historical ties and friendly relations between the two countries will continue to be reflected in mutual readiness for political dialogue, with respect for the principles of sovereignty, integrity and mutual respect, which are the basis of successful mutual relations. “I believe that with your rich life, diplomatic and political experience, you will contribute to the renewal of diplomatic relations and the strengthening of cooperation between our countries on a healthy basis, with the aim of creating a better future for all our citizens. Family, tradition and friendship ties between the citizens of our countries are strong and unbreakable and have never been affected by different phases and variations in our political-diplomatic relations”, said Becic. He emphasized that he hopes that in the future the quality of mutual relations between our citizens will follow the quality of the political and diplomatic relations of the two countries and that the focus will be on topics “that unite us, on the development of the economy, infrastructure, European perspective, and not on topics that they divide us, because even when we look at certain issues differently, we must not forget that there is no alternative to mutual respect and cooperation”. Ambassador Rodic pointed out that he is honored to be in a position from which he can contribute to the improvement of relations between Montenegro and Serbia. “I am sincerely happy that, after many years of atrophy in political and diplomatic relations between our countries, with my presence in Montenegro I have the opportunity to raise our political relations to a level that corresponds to historically traditionally close and friendly ties. I am convinced that we have a successful period ahead of us, which will be the result of mutual policies and political determinations”, the Ambassador pointed out. Becic introduced the interlocutor to the key results of the new government, particularly highlighting those achieved in the security sector. “Successfully carried out actions that resulted in the daily breaking of smuggling chains, the seizure of large quantities of cigarettes and narcotics, the arrest of members of criminal groups, fugitives from justice, but also numerous police, customs and other government officials and officials, are the result of excellent cooperation between the security sector, SDT- and the competent prosecutor’s offices are the biggest proof that there are no more untouchables or privileged people in Montenegro,” he said. According to him, the rule of law and the fight against organized criminal groups is the foundation of the future of all countries and a common obligation because crime knows no borders, religion or nation, so cooperation is necessary in that direction, as well as in cases of prosecution of fugitives from justice, i.e. mutual prosecution and the extradition of persons suspected of committing criminal acts, but also of those who have been legally convicted of committing serious crimes, “such as Mr. Marovic, who by his own admission was the head of a criminal group.” “Justice must not be played, the state and institutions must be respected, everyone must be held accountable according to the law, because the rule of law must always win,” Becic pointed out, adding that these are also the steps that Montenegro is surely taking towards EU membership as soon as possible. which, along with credible NATO membership and the development of regional cooperation, represents the strategic determination of our country. He emphasized that now our capacities are maximally focused on obtaining IBAR, so that we can soon start closing numerous ready chapters. “Montenegro, as the most advanced candidate for the first next member of the EU, has a great responsibility to promote democracy, the rule of law and European values in the region, thereby helping neighboring countries on the European path, because our great desire is that Montenegro take advantage of this great opportunity and as the first next member to open the door to the new enlargement, in order to help all our neighbors and friends on the European road, because our full fulfillment will be when one day the entire Western Balkans will be together within the EU,” Becic pointed out. He cited as another significant success the achievement of the necessary consensus which, after a long series of years, enabled the unblocking of key institutions that had been in acting status for a number of years. “The established functionality of the Constitutional Court, the Judicial Council, the VDT and the Central Bank are important steps on the way to restoring functionality, and only independent and functional institutions are the guarantor of the reform and development of a society”, emphasized Becic. Rodic praised the results of the new Montenegrin government in the field of unblocking the judiciary and the fight against organized crime and corruption, stressing their importance for Montenegro’s European path. “Your results are really impressive, therefore I am convinced that you will fully justify the trust of the citizens and that during my mandate I will be a witness to historical events in Montenegro”, Ambassador Rodic concluded.

Political parties to sign Declaration on fair, free and democratic elections on Wednesday (MIA)

Political parties will sign the Declaration on fair, free and democratic elections, and against hate speech on Wednesday, a day ahead of the official start of the campaign. Party leaders and youth sections will sign the Declaration at the event traditionally hosted by Institute Ohrid since 2014. The declaration signing will send a clear message to the Macedonian public that young politicians, who are the future decision-makers, have a strong will and commitment to be the next leaders, creating a different political culture and elevating political dialogue at a higher level, say the organizers.

DUI: Bosniak Democratic Union joins European Front (MIA)

DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and Bosniak Democratic Union (BDU) leader Munir Kolashinac agreed Monday over BDU’s inclusion in the European Front. DUI has said that Kolashinac will be part of the European Front’s list of MP candidates in the first election district. The European Front, initiated by DUI, has already signed coalition agreements with DPA of Menduh Thaci, Alliance of Albanians of Ziadin Sela, People’s Movement of Skender Rexhepi-Zejd, European Democratic Party of Arjanit Hoxha, Turkish Democratic Party of Bejcan Iljas, Union of Roma of Fatima Osmanovska, and Movement of Macedonian Turks for Justice and Democracy of Sulejman Baki.

Albania’s 15th anniversary in NATO, Nikolla: Honest commitment to peace (Radio Tirana)

Albanian speaker of the Assembly Lindita Nikolla pointed out that Albania is Albania and has won the trust of the US and other allies with its dedication. In a message on the 15th anniversary of NATO membership, Nikolla said that as one of the youngest members, Albania is the most typical case that proves that the contribution to the Alliance does not depend on size, wealth, or level of development, nor from the history and time as a member. But it depends on the sincere commitment to peace. “Albania has gained the trust and confidence of the US and other major NATO members, with its clear, determined commitment and without any dilemma in the implementation of the decisions of the Alliance, in defense of the peace, security and freedom of the nations,” said Nikolla. On 1 April 2009, Albania became a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO, after the ratification of the Accession Protocol by all allied countries and the deposit of the NATO accession instrument at the State Department, which is also the legal holder of the Washington Treaty. Albanian Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi commemorated the 15th anniversary of Albania’s NATO membership. Peleshi said that Albania has been part of the most important military and political Alliance in the world for 15 years. “Albania, a dignified ally in NATO, steadfast contributor to freedom and common security,” emphasized Peleshi. Peleshi also shared a video where Prime Minister Edi Rama says that “Albania’s history has been enriched with one of its most important dates. Our country’s membership in NATO undoubtedly marks one of those events that history counts for their very special history”.

15 years of Albania in NATO, US Embassy to Tirana: You are a reliable ally (Radio Tirana)

The US Embassy to Tirana congratulated Albania on its 15th anniversary as part of NATO. Albania’s NATO membership NATO was strongly supported at that time by US President George W. Bush, while the US Embassy emphasizes that Albania’s progress towards stability has been exceptional. Appraising Albania as a reliable NATO ally, the US Embassy to Tirana adds that Albania and the US are partners that stand together. “15 Years Together: Albania’s Journey with NATO.” Since joining NATO in 2009, Albania’s development into a reliable partner and ally has been truly remarkable. Today Albania has security, and stability – today Albania has NATO. Together, we stand stronger. Many more years as allies in NATO!”, writes the US Embassy to Tirana on platform X.