LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: EU shyly on Rama’s statement (RTS)

Addressing reporters in Krupanj, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic qualified as positive the fact that the EU reacted to the statement by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama concerning the possibility of unification of Kosovo and Albania. “It is high time redrawing of borders in the Balkans stopped. That’s why I reacted and said it was really high time to stop with the redrawing of borders, to stop with something that will endanger both peace and stability in the Balkans. It is good that the EU had reacted in any way, although it did so shyly. We will continue working toward good relations with Albania and we will insist on it, but we will make it clear to them at all times what can and what cannot be tolerated in the Balkans,” Vucic said.
Dacic: Disputable that there are no reactions to Rama’s statement (Tanjug)

“The statement by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is not the only disputable thing, what is disputable is that few had reacted to it. How much time needs to pass for someone to give a statement that condemns this kind of statement,” said Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in response to a journalist’s question following the meeting with the OSCE delegation in Belgrade. “I simply do not see the logic of what is this all about…Why are we, on the one side, speaking so much about joint work, why is it envisaged for the prime ministers to travel to Brussels on 21 April to present to the EU our joint projects, and on the other side, we have such statements,” said Dacic. “That is why we expect a reaction from the international community. Had some Serbian official stated this in regard to some neighboring state, I think we would already have a UN Security Council session underway. I can only determine a diagnose where all of us have the syndrome where we are going one step forward and two backward. These are frivolous statements that confirm everything that Serbia had spoken about over the past years,” said Dacic, adding that Serbia had always warned that the goal of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo was the creation of a greater Albania.

Dacic: Let us not be victims of geopolitical relations between Russia and the EU (Tanjug)

All countries of the region are interested in working together to ensure energy security, that is, better supply of gas, this is the conclusion of the first ministerial conference on energy safety in Central and Eastern Europe, held in Budapest. It is not only a vital energy and economic issue, but also a matter of national interest, said after the meeting First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. According to him, Serbia must not be a victim of geopolitical relations between the West and Russia, and citizens should not pay the price. Dacic confirmed that the five countries expressed willingness to participate in gas infrastructure projects that allow the stability of supply for citizens and businesses, regardless of the fact that there is currently no reliable source of funding. We want everything to be in accordance with European rules and that our citizens are not victims of geopolitical relations, the Serbian Minister emphasized, adding that it was agreed that meetings between representatives of Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and Macedonia on this issue be resumed.

Djuric: Rama’s statement attempt to blackmail EU (B92)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has said that the statement by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about unification of Albania and Kosovo is an attempt to blackmail the EU, apart from being a blunt and brutal threat to stability and peace in the region.

That is an attempt to blackmail the EU, as it is sending the message: if you do not give us what we want, we will redraw borders and do what we like, Djuric told B92. He noted that such statements have an adverse effect on the normalization of relations, stressing that it is extremely important that all act responsibly and seriously. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija will not cause any security problems, and it is important that no one, misled by Rama’s statement, tries to jeopardize the security of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, he said. “We do not think that this is just our problem, because the map of a Greater Albania would include parts of Macedonia, Greece and Montenegro,” Djuric said, adding that the inflammatory rhetoric is also within the competence of the EU and UN as it constitutes a threat to stability.

Kocijancic: Provocations by Thaqi, Rama unacceptable (Tanjug)

Statements of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaqi on unification are unacceptable provocations and are not in line with the policy of cooperation in the region, spokesperson of the European Commission Maja Kocijancic stated. In a press release issued early Wednesday, Kocijancic reacted to the statement of Rama that he and Thaqi have discussed “a classic unification of Kosovo and Albania” if Tirana and Pristina fail to unite within the EU. We underline that the Western Balkans has clear European prospects that are determined at the highest level, Kocijancic said, adding that Brussels expects everyone in the region to pursue a policy of reconciliation and neighborly cooperation. All provocative statements deviating from this policy are unacceptable, said the spokesperson of EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H Council of Ministers completed (Srna)

The House of Representatives of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly confirmed today the appointment of Sasa Dalipagic from the HDZ B&H as the Deputy Minister of Communications and Sports, whereby the new B&H Council of Ministers has been formed. The Commission of the House of Representatives for preparing the election of the B&H Council of Minister had previously examined the received reports from the Central Election Commission (CIK) and the B&H Agency for Investigation and Protection (SIPA) and gave the recommendation for confirming Dalipagic’s appointment. Following the confirmation of the appointment, Dalipagic, who is not coming from the ranks of any of the constituent nations, gave a solemn statement.

Crnadak: We cannot recognize Kosovo (Nezavisne)

As long the situation remains this way and as long as Serbia’s state remains this way, there is nothing from recognition of Kosovo, the B&H Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak said. He pointed out that the B&H Presidency is in charge of the foreign policy and that the B&H Foreign Ministry implements this policy. “We are prepared to make life more normal for the people who live there; to make communication in terms of travelling and any other sort of communication easier for all people. However, we will do everything carefully and in close cooperation with Serbia. Our wish is to monitor this relationship. Along with respecting Serbia’s stand, we will do everything for the life, normal, ordinary lifethat is outside high politics, to be as normal as possible for ordinary people,” said the Minister.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Sputnik in Talks with Kosovo to Ease Relations, Not to Recognize State (Sputnik, 7 April 2015)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that Serbia is ready for dialogue with Kosovo, but Belgrade is not ready for ultimatums to be imposed on Serbia.

BELGRADE — Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is negotiating with his Kosovar counterpart Isa Mustafa as Serbia looks to normalize relations with the partially recognized state, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Sputnik Serbia on Tuesday. “Currently the Serbian prime minister is in talks with Kosovo’s new prime minister. I hope we will be able to take a step forward. It is not about Kosovo’s independence but about normalizing the relationships,” Dacic said. Belgrade’s relations with Pristina have been one of the concerns regarding Serbia’s accession to the European Union. However, both sides have said that Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo should not be an obligation. “We are ready for a dialogue, but we are not ready for ultimatums to be imposed on us,” Dacic said, when asked about the accession negotiations. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by 108 UN member states, while Serbia considers Kosovo to be part of its territory. Dozens more countries, including Russia and Spain, do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

Serbia to stay out of NATO despite broader cooperation (Kazinform, 8 April 2015)

BELGRADE – Serbia has no plans to join NATO despite signing an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with the North Atlantic Alliance earlier this year, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday in an exclusive interview with Sputnik Serbia. “We are not going to join NATO, but because we are surrounded by the Alliance member states, we want partner relations [with them]. And it is important that these relations should be sincere,” Dacic said. The foreign minister added that NATO was an “important factor of stability” in the Balkans but Serbian citizens were opposed to joining the Alliance in light of the heavy NATO bombing of now-defunct Yugoslavia in 1999. Serbia, which pursues a policy of military neutrality, finalized their IPAP agreement with NATO in January. Serbia and other former Yugoslavia republics are part of the NATO Partnership for Peace program to create trust between NATO and other European states, as well as with those of the former Soviet Union, according to Sputnik International. Serbia is also an observer state in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and an associate member in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Kosovo – Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – Conversations between Harlem Désir and his counterparts (Paris, 7 April 2015)

Harlem Désir, minister of state for European affairs, will be welcoming Bekim Çollaku, the Kosovar minister for European integration, and Ana Blazeska, Macedonian state secretary for European affairs. During the meeting with Mr. Çollaku, the two ministers will review relations between the European Union and Kosovo, focusing in particular on migration issues as well as the process of normalizing relations between Pristina and Belgrade with the support of the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. With Ms. Blazeska, Mr. Désir will discuss the political situation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well as the additional efforts expected of that country as part of its rapprochement with the EU, particularly with respect to the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and media freedom.

Hungary, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey sign Declaration on Energy Cooperation (Associated Press Agency, 7 April 2015)

Baku. A pentalateral ministerial meeting initiated by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry was held in Budapest, on the issue of the future energy supply of the Central and South-East European region, APA reports quoting Hungary Today. The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Serbia, Greece and Macedonia and the Minister for EU Affairs of Turkey were welcomed by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán on Tuesday morning in the Parliament. After the ministerial talks the sides have signed a joint declaration on strengthening the energy cooperation in the region. The representatives of the participating states – Volkan Bozkır, Ivica Dačić, Nikos Kotzias, Nikola Poposki and Péter Szijjártó – have agreed that cooperation in ensuring energy supply security contributes to the good neighbourly relations between their countries and to the welfare of the citizens. “Taking into consideration the role of European funds to develop infrastructure projects in Central and South Eastern Europe in reaching a Western European level of diversification, which would in turn make a significant contribution to the overall energy security of Europe and must therefore be a common responsibility of the European Union”, the declaration claims. The sides have declared their political intention to increase the interconnections between the natural gas systems of their countries. The five ministers also expressed their support “to create a commercially viable option of route and source diversification for delivering natural gas from the Republic of Turkey through the territories of their countries to the countries of Central and South Eastern Europe as well as other countries.” Furthermore, the representatives of the participating states have agreed (1) to support the energy markets of Turkey, the European Union and the Contracting Parties of the Energy Community through the Southern Gas Corridor; (2) to work on new possibilities for creating regional economic development via interconnecting the natural gas infrastructures of our countries with European Union financial assistance; (3) to welcome in cooperative spirit other willing countries of the region to participate in these efforts; and (4) to complement the operation of gas storage facilities with the aim of facilitating trading, providing seasonal balancing and increasing the security of supply in case of disruption of gas supplies.

Arrest Made in Attack on Bosnian Jewish Leader (jpupdates.com, by Eliyahu Berkowitz, 8 April 2015)

An arrest has been made in connection with the attack on Bosnian Jewish leader Eli Tauber, local media reported. Tauber was attacked on March 21 at a café in Sarajevo by a man wielding a weighted chain. The incident occurred in front of several witnesses while Tauber was being interviewed by journalists from National Geographic magazine about the status of Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tauber asserts that the assailant, Ahmet Fočak, intended to kill him. Tauber is an adviser on culture and religious affairs for the Jewish Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The attack was widely covered in the local media, in which many expressed concern that Tauber was attacked because he was a prominent member of the Jewish community.

Jakob Finci, president of the Jewish Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, told dalje.com: “If he was attacked because he is Jewish and because as such he is present in our media, just because he is doing his job, then it would be a very bad sign both for Sarajevo and for Bosnia and Herzegovina.” He noted that if that was indeed the case, it would be the first racially motivated attack in Sarajevo against a Jew in 70 years. It would be especially disturbing if it is revealed that the attack was perpetrated by a Muslim and was racially motivated. In the course of his work, Tauber also strongly advocates the truth about the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially about the suffering of citizens of Sarajevo during a siege. In his public statements, he compared the suffering of the country’s Muslims during the war with the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust. An attack against him could signal the beginnings of radical Islam in a country whose Muslims are more closely connected to Turkey than to Saudi Arabia. Many consider the Muslim population of Sarajevo to be moderate, and free of the influence of Radical Islam. Nonetheless, Islam is the largest religion in Bosnia, comprising 40% of the population and the effort to rebuild mosques destroyed in the war was funded by Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirate. Almost all of Bosnia’s 14,000 Jews live in Sarajevo.

UN support for Croatia bill to compensate war rape victims (New Europe, 8 April 2015)

Croatia has received support from the UN’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, after introducing a bill to compensate victims of rape during the war for independence, two decades ago. The bill,would give victims a one-off payment of up to €20,000 according to the severity of the crime and a monthly payment of €30, health care, rehabilitation, psychological counseling and free legal aid. It is estimated 2,500 people could qualify for the support. Bangura said, “I commend the Government for its recognition of the need to provide holistic care for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and the important step it has taken to address the injustice perpetrated against thousands of women, men and children. “The Government’s leadership on this issue sends a message to survivors that they are not forgotten and that their pain and suffering will not go unacknowledged or unaddressed.” The Special Representative concluded, “This bill will help the country heal the wounds of war and can serve as an example for other countries dealing with the debilitating legacy of wartime rape.”

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ. The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.