LOCAL PRESS

France requests the postponement of decision on admission of the so-called of Kosovo in the Council of Europe (B92)

Since PM of Pristina’s temporary institutions, Albin Kurti, hasn’t taken any steps towards the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), France has asked members of the Council of Europe to postpone the decision on membership, the Albanian Post writes, citing diplomatic sources. The portal states that, although Kurti’s government has constantly claimed that Pristina has fulfilled all the conditions necessary for membership in the CoE, countries with decisive influence such as France and Italy have long informed Kurti that the start of significant steps towards the implementation of the ZSO agreement is an insurmountable condition for CoE membership.

The Albanian Post adds that the process seems to have entered a decisive phase and that the latest news for Pristina does not look pleasant at all. The portal, referring to diplomatic sources, writes that the last meeting of ambassadors is expected today in Strasbourg before the meeting of the Committee of Ministers, at which a decision on the so-called Kosovo will be made.

The Quint countries are said to have asked Kurti to make progress on the ZSO issue by sending the statute to the constitutional court for consideration. “Taking into account the fact that, despite the commitments, Kurti’s government has not taken any steps in that direction, France has sent a note to the member countries of the Council of Europe, asking for the postponement of the decision on Kosovo,” the Albanian Post says, adding that it is expected that the ambassadors of the member states will raise the issue of the membership of the so-called Kosovo not being included in the agenda of the meeting of ministers in May.

The Albanian Post assesses that, although Germany’s position has not been clear so far, it seems that that country also now takes the position that Kurti’s government must take concrete steps regarding the ZSO in order to gain membership in the CoE.

France, Germany and Italy are already of the opinion that Pristina’s membership in the CoE can be postponed until the moment when the government proves its commitment to the implementation of the ZSO by sending the draft to the constitutional court, but such an approach was not supported by Great Britain, according to which the issue of the ZSO should not be confused with the question of membership in the CoE, the portal writes.

The Albanian Post estimates that, despite the epilogue of the ambassadors’ meeting, there is a technical possibility that Pristina’s request will be on the agenda a few days before the meeting of the Committee of Ministers, but that “it is clear that this will not happen in the absence of visible progress towards the implementation of the ZSO”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a recent telephone conversation with Kurti, pointed out that, in the context of Pristina’s request for membership in the CoE, Paris attaches great importance to the progress in establishing the ZSO, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a conversation with Kurti, emphasized the importance of Pristina’s concrete steps towards the establishment of the CSM and in the context of submitting an application for CoE membership. The formation of the ZSO is, by the way, an obligation of Pristina under the Brussels Agreement, but Pristina has refused to implement it for 11 years.

On April 16, the CoE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the recommendation that Pristina become a member of the Council of Europe, and the final decision is taken by the Committee of Ministers, whose meeting should be held from May 16 to 17 in Strasbourg.

Rapporteur for the admission of the so-called Kosovo, Greek MP Dora Bakoyanni recommended admission, even though only one of the three conditions she originally demanded from Pristina was met, namely the return of the land to the Visoki Decani monastery, eight years after the constitutional court ruled that the land must be registered in the cadastre as property of the monastery. The other two conditions – the formation of the ZSO and solving the issue of land expropriation in municipalities where mostly Serbs live – Prishtina did not fulfil.

Xi Jinping ahead of his arrival in Belgrade: Steel friendship (Politika, Novosti)

On the eve of his visit to Serbia, the Chinese President wrote an author’s text in “Politika“, in which, among other things, he said that he was looking forward to his arrival in Belgrade, as well as that China and Serbia have established a steel friendship.

I look forward to meeting the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and other Serbian leaders and friends to discuss our friendship, plan cooperation and inject new vitality into the steel friendship between China and Serbia, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote. He reminded that, despite the great distance, there was an affinity between the people of China and Serbia, that strong friendship dates back to the Anti-Fascist War, and that in the midst of the ongoing transformation of the world, the mutual support of the two sides is stronger, cooperation is closer, while exchanges and mutual learning are more meaningful. “Our steel friendship is continuously strengthening, thus setting an example for cooperation between states and peoples. Our two countries have always respected and trusted each other. President Vučić and I have developed a good working relationship through our meetings, telephone conversations and exchange of letters. The two countries maintain close cooperation at all levels and in all areas”, said Xi ahead of today’s visit to Belgrade.  He added that both sides fully understand and respect the choice of their own people for the development path, stand for the principle of justice and fairness, firmly support each other’s essential interests of the greatest importance for both countries.

President of China pointed out that Serbia is the first free trade partner of China in Central and Eastern Europe, while last year China was the largest source of foreign investments and the second largest trade partner of Serbia. Moreover, writes President Xi, China and Serbia have always helped each other, which was especially visible during the COVID 19 pandemic, but also always learned from each other; we stand for the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the country, actively exchange experiences on the management of the country and strengthen the cooperation of political parties. “The Chinese saying says ”friends are those who think the same”, while Serbs say ”friends are the greatest treasure in life”. ”Chinese-Serbian long-term friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides fully indicate that the continuous deepening and development of relations between the two countries is in line with the historical trend and the fundamental interests of the people, contributing to the common progress of both sides,” Xi Jinping pointed out.

President of China also said that he is ready, through this visit and together with the Serbian side, to promote the Sino-Serbian steel friendship, contribute to the betterment of both nations, and promote world peace and development. He also said that the Sino-Serbian steel friendship was tempered by blood and fire and recalled the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999, when three Chinese journalists were killed. “We must never forget this. The Chinese people value peace, but they will never allow a historical tragedy to repeat itself. The friendship between China and Serbia, which is soaked in the shared blood of the two peoples, has become a common memory of the two peoples and will encourage both sides to take big steps forward together. Standing at a new historical starting point, we are ready to build a community of China and Serbia together with our Serbian friends with a common future in the new era,” Xi Jinping concluded in an article in a daily Politika, as reported by Vecernje Novosti.

Vucic’s interview with China’s CCTV: Taiwan is China. Period (Beta)

Serbia firmly supports the One China principle and maintains that Taiwan is part of China, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a May 4 interview with China’s central television CCTV ahead of a visit to Serbia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. “When you ask us a question, about Hong Kong before, and now about Taiwan, our answers are very simple. Others, on the other hand, build some great philosophy around their answer. For us, it’s all very clear – we know what the U.N. Charter is, we know how the international public order should work, and we know we have a friend. That’s why it’s always easy for us to say, Taiwan is China. Period,” Vucic declared. “We believe that President Xi will take care of Taiwan properly in the future, in the way he wants to, in the way the Chinese people want to,” Vucic said. The Chinese president will visit Serbia on May 7 and May 8 within his European tour that includes France and Hungary.

Vucic with the Chinese ambassador: We are looking forward to the visit of President Xi (RTS)

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, pointed out at the meeting with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Li Ming, that Serbia is proud of its steel partnership with China and that it is looking forward to the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Final preparations for the visit of President Xi Jinping, which is of the greatest importance for Serbia in every sense,” President Aleksandar Vucic wrote on his Instagram account. Vucic added that the honour Xi is doing to Serbia with his arrival is immeasurable for all of us, especially considering Serbia’s plans for a strong acceleration of overall development, as well as the global geopolitical context. “Proud of our steely friendship with China, we are eagerly awaiting the visit of President Xi, convinced that our hospitality will show how much Serbia values the partnership with this great country,” said President Vucic.

Vucic with Tokayev on strengthening the strategic partnership between Serbia and Kazakhstan (RTS)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, spoke with the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, about strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as about his upcoming visit to Serbia. “A good conversation with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan about strengthening our strategic partnership and his upcoming visit, during which we will discuss further directions for the development of cooperation, among other things in the field of artificial intelligence and digitalization, as well as other opportunities and potentials for deepening economic relations,” president of Serbia pointed out on his Instagram account after a telephone conversation with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

During the conversation, President Vucic expressed his regret for the heavy floods that hit Kazakhstan and offered that Serbia, within its capabilities, help in removing the consequences of this natural disaster.

Lavrov with Serbian officials: Inadmissible labeling of countries and peoples (RTS)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, spoke by phone with the President of the Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, and the Ministers of the Interior and Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic and Marko Djuric, about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija (KiM), as well as the developments in and around Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. As stated in the statement, published on the website of the Ministry, the intention of both sides was expressed to resist “malicious attempts to distort certain historical events in the Balkans”, while the interlocutors emphasized “the inadmissibility of putting politicized labels on states and peoples”. In the conversation, the issues of joint work on multilateral platforms, primarily in the United Nations system, were discussed. Unity in the need to rely on international law and the fundamental resolutions of the UN Security Council 1031 and 1244 has been established. During the talks, increased attention was paid to the situation in the Balkans, solving the problems of KiM and the situation in and around B&H. In the spirit of strategic partnership, key issues of bilateral cooperation were discussed and mutual willingness to strengthen cooperation and continue dialogue at the highest and highest level, as well as in an interdepartmental format, was confirmed. The conversation was held at the initiative of the Serbian side.

Montenegrin Government to submit amendments to UN Resolution on Srebrenica; Comments of Serbian, Montenegrin officials (Novosti)

Amendments to the proposal of the Resolution on Srebrenica announced by Montenegrin Government have caused reactions. The amendments aim to individualize the guilt for the events in Srebrenica and to insist on strict compliance with the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). The first amendment tends to prevent intention to declare one nation, ethnic group of community as a whole genocidal, while the second amendment additionally affirms the existence of Republika Srpska (RS) within Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) as guarantees by the DPA and the inviolability of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H in all its provisions. It was stressed that the amendments prevent any possible manipulation to the detriment of Serbia and the Serb people in terms of any kind of legal and political repercussions, and that they also prevent a narrative and intention to declare one national genocidal. Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric stated that Montenegrin Government tries to have clean conscience in the eyes of their citizens because they do something against Serbs and Serbia as a fraternal country. He assessed that story about individualization of guilt promoted by Podgorica is a step for daily-political purpose, stressing that advocating the withdrawal of the Resolution on Srebrenica from the agenda of the UN General Assembly is priority instead of filing such amendments. Djuric explained that this is because the initiative to adopt the Resolution on Srebrenica was submitted with the UN without unanimous approval of B&H Presidency, as well as because the RS decisively opposed such an initiative and because not all war victims are included in the Resolution on Srebrenica. He said that Serbia will continue to fight for new friends among the UN member countries and will be making clear distinction when it comes to its stance on and treatment of issues that will be important for these countries in the future. Djuric said that he is not surprised by Montenegro’s shifting stance on the matter and noted that he sees the amendments as an attempt to go behind Serbia’s back to appease the pro-Serb Montenegrin public.

Lajcak in Washington, meets Escobar (N1)

European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak said on Tuesday that he had a productive meeting in Washington with his US counterpart Gabriel Escobar. “Just arrived in USA. Had a very productive meeting with US special envoy Escobar, diving into some in-depth discussions,” Lajcak wrote in an X post. He added that he is “looking forward to other enriching conversations”. Lajcak’s meeting with Escobar comes a day after the State Department denied claims by the frontliner.uk that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State was being dismissed as envoy for the Western Balkans.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Viskovic: RS must use all available diplomatic means and truth to defend itself (Glas Srpske)

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic stated that many countries understand the harmfulness of the proposed UN resolution on Srebrenica, against which the Serb people must fight with all available diplomatic means because its purpose is to label the Serb people and finally to recon with the RS. “Regardless of how small we are, we will show our power and how many freedom-loving countries there are in the world. We will fight with the truth, for the sake of the 3,500 Serb victims in the area of Srebrenica, as well as because of the one-sided approach according to which Serbs were the only culprits in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)”, said Viskovic. He reminded that the RS National Assembly recently adopted the report of the independent international commission which clearly determined that there was no genocide in Srebrenica. Viskovic underlined that this is the conclusion of the top experts in this field.

Becirovic meets with Steinmeier in Berlin, points out importance of adopting resolution on July 11 as International Day of Remembrance of Genocide in Srebrenica (BHT1)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chairman Denis Becirovic began a two-day official visit to Germany on Monday. On the first day of his visit to Germany, Becirovic met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. Becirovic pointed out that the relations between Germany and B&H are extremely good and friendly, and pointed out the importance of adopting the resolution on July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica. Becirovic said that the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica contributes to reconciliation, trust and turning towards the future. Becirovic stressed that he hopes that the President of Serbia will change his negative attitude towards the resolution and that he will vote for it. Becirovic thanked Steinmeier for Germany’s support to activities and measures in the fight against denial of genocide, hate speech and glorification of war crimes in B&H. “We want the strongest and best possible relations and to strengthen the cooperation between Germany and B&H. We want to additionally strengthen political cooperation with economic cooperation. We are breaking records when it comes to foreign trade exchange. We have very similar views on many issues,” Becirovic said. Becirovic noted that he is encouraged by the visit to Germany, stressing that the support of Germany, “the strongest economic power”, is very important for B&H. Steinmeier, on the other hand, confirmed unquestionable support to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H. Steinmeier underlined that any threat to the Dayton Peace Agreement and the constitutional order of B&H is unacceptable. During the meeting between Becirovic and Steinmeier, the importance of Germany as an active participant in the process of bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU was highlighted. Becirovic and Steinmeier specifically touched on the issue of the security of B&H and the Western Balkans in general. It was pointed out that the stability of the region is important for the stability of Europe as a whole, and that it is necessary for B&H and the Federal Republic of Germany to continue close cooperation on these issues. Becirovic will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday. The Office of the German Chancellor announced that Becirovic and Scholz will, among other things, discuss the cooperation between B&H and Germany, economic relations and B&H’s European path.

Chargé d’affaires of Czech Embassy to B&H Zrzavecky: There are many benefits of EU integration, if divisive rhetoric prevails, B&H will have a big problem (Nezavisne)

The daily carried an interview with chargé d’affaires of Czech Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Josef Zrzavecky on the occasion of 20th anniversary since Czechia’s accession to the EU. Speaking about the benefits which Czechia experienced after its EU accession, Zrzavecky emphasized economic benefits, access to the large EU market, better governance and the rule of law, and basic freedoms. He noted that the integration process in itself is a great tool for transformation and reforms, adding that he hopes that B&H will undergo this transformation as well. Zrzavecky said that Czechia used the stabilization and association process in the best possible way to align its legislation with the EU acquis. He underlined that he disagrees with the claims that the EU set the bar higher for the Western Balkan countries. “Thigs are simple: Candidates must meet requirements which stem from the EU acquis that is in force at the moment of accession. What we cannot deny is that the EU acquis has been expanded in the past 20 or 25 years compared to today”, said Zrzavecky.

Asked if the fact that Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are in the integration process makes it more difficult for the Western Balkan states, Zrzavecky said that the war in Ukraine undoubtedly changed the geopolitical circumstances in Europe. However, he added that it is not true that the EU has been neglecting the enlargement process until the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, candidate states need to honestly assess their commitment to the necessary reforms. He underlined that the EU integration process is not a sports competition, and candidates should not view each other as rivals.

Commenting the situation in B&H, Zrzavecky said that unless the formal commitment to EU integration is accompanied by actions, and if the rhetoric of division prevails over true wish to improve lives of citizens, B&H will have a real problem. He acknowledged that B&H is a specific country, but also underlined that the EU institutions and member states are determined to help B&H authorities as much as possible. He concluded that Czechia is always ready to support B&H’s EU integration and help with its expertise and experience.

Montenegro

Montenegrin minister on amendments to the UN Resolution: Podgorica is guided only by its own interests (Vijesti)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Filip Ivanovic, told his colleague from Serbia, Marko Djuric, regarding the draft of the United Nations Resolution on Srebrenica, that the official Podgorica in the conduct of foreign policy “is guided exclusively by its own interests, not those of others”. Reacting to Djuric’s statement regarding the unofficial information that the Government of Montenegro has prepared amendments to the text of the UN Resolution on Srebrenica, Ivanovic criticized Djuric’s commenting on the unofficial information in a short statement to Vijesti and called such a move – hasty. “Montenegro is guided exclusively by its own interests, not those of others, in conducting its foreign policy. Also, Montenegro will treat other countries exactly the way those countries treat Montenegro,” Ivanovic told Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Djuric. “With congratulations on taking up the important post of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, I wish Mr. Djuric successful work, although I understand that in the first days of the mandate, hasty moves can happen, as happened last night when he commented on unofficial information regarding the text of the UN Resolution about Srebrenica”, stated Ivanovic.

Pusic: If politicians are devoted to EU membership, Russia can’t prevent it (CDM)

The question of Montenegro’s accession to the EU has been become quite popular lately.  They say it might happen in the period from 2026 to 2030. Large percentage of Montenegro citizens want their country to join the European family as soon as possible. However, Montenegro’s accession to the EU depends on many factors, while one of the key are the policies the Montenegrin government plans to carry out, as well as the moves of the parliamentary majority.

In a statement for the CDM portal, former head of Croatian diplomacy, Vesna Pusic, says the Montenegrin public still strongly supports EU membership, to the extent that it’s no good to be against that policy for any party, particularly publicly. Nevertheless, she warns that the earlier political positions, as well as some current political moves, clearly signal that there’s resistance to that goal in the ruling coalition.

“I won’t mention other moves and details, just point out to the latest one – their position towards the UN Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide. I will ignore for a moment two important facts: the moral aspect of this Resolution and the fact that neither Serbia, nor the Serbs, nor any other people are mentioned in it. Seen coldly politically, from the aspect of Montenegro’s interests: sponsors of the Resolution are more than half of the EU member states, and of the two largest, Germany is the proposer, while France is the sponsor. The Montenegrin leadership has been struggling for weeks with expressing its position on how it will vote in the UN,” she emphasizes.

She also underlines that the Montenegrin ruling majority now has come up with the new idea, suggesting amendments that most likely won’t result in anything, but will be used as an excuse. When it comes to EU membership, she mentioned that in late 2019, it looked like Montenegro was close to it, while the EU expected it could have happened until 2022. “But Montenegro’s policy has changed, slowing down the EU accession. The decisive factor for Montenegro’s EU membership would be the country’s political leadership,” she underlines.

North Macedonia

Election silence begins ahead of Wednesday’s vote (MIA)

Election silence is in place in North Macedonia as of Monday midnight, ahead of the second round of the presidential elections and the parliamentary elections on May 8. The silence will remain in place until the closing of ballots at 7 pm on May 8. There are 1.814.317 eligible voters for the second round of the presidential elections on May 8, while 1.815.350 citizens can vote in the parliamentary elections on the same day. The difference of 1033 voters is mainly due to citizens who are coming of age. The vote will be held in 3480 polling stations. Voters will be allowed to enter a polling station and vote only once during the day.  A day before the vote, on Tuesday, the first to vote at the elections will be the infirm, inmates, persons in retirement homes, as well as nationals registered to vote in the diaspora who are only eligible to vote in the presidential elections.

In a press release earlier on Monday, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU) reminded that the election campaign for the second round of the 2024 presidential elections and the parliamentary elections is set to end at midnight with the beginning of election silence. “During the election silence, the media will continue to report about the electoral process, but all forms of electoral media promotion of the participants in the campaign are suspended,” underlined the Agency. The Agency reminded that under the Electoral Code, violation of the election silence is considered the broadcasting of any information, photographs, audio and audiovisual materials in connection to or those that include participants in the elections; any forms of media coverage openly or in disguise in the service of an election campaign, which could influence the decision of voters; data that reveal the identity of the political subjects and/or individuals involved in incidents or other irregularities on election days, as well as statements by candidates in the election process, by election campaign participants, by political party officials and by office holders in governmental bodies.

Albania

Begaj received in a special audience by Pope Francis (Radio Tirana)

President Bajram Begaj was received in a special audience at the Vatican by His Holiness, Pope Francis. This is the second time President Begaj has been received in audience by His Holiness, following his first visit to the Vatican in December 2022. The Head of State sincerely thanked Pope Francis for this reception, expressing heartfelt congratulations to him for his strong commitment to spreading peace through direct messages to end wars, especially in conflict hotspots such as Ukraine and the Middle East. The President of the Republic confirmed Albania’s stance in support of Western allies for a solution through dialogue, as the only guarantee for stability and sustainable development in the Balkans and beyond. President Begaj gifted to His Holiness a painting of the Church of the Assembly of Rubik, an icon of Albanian Christianity and one of the oldest churches in the Balkans. President Begaj was also received in a meeting by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin.

PM Edi Rama to gather deputies and ministers at the Chairmanship of the Assembly on Tuesday (Radio Tirana)

The Prime Minister and the government cabinet will attend the meeting of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party May 7 at the Parliament. The news is announced by RTSH journalist Denada Shkodrani, who reports that the head of the government is expected to address issues requiring solutions at this meeting. The meeting is expected to take place at 10:00, with Socialist Party deputies also present. This is a second meeting, as a few weeks ago, the head of the Socialist Party joined the socialist parliamentary group. Shkodrani also informs that afterwards, Rama is expected to embark on a two-day working visit to Germany, and right after that, on May 12, he will begin what is considered the diaspora tour. The Albanian Prime Minister will travel to four countries where the majority of Albanian citizens live, starting with Athens and continuing with Munich, Milan, and London.