LOCAL PRESS

Serbian government committed to dialogue (RTS/Politika)

At Tuesday’s United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the Serbian government is fully committed to the EU-mediated dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, and voiced the expectation that its resumption would strengthen the foundations for the implementation of all agreements. The Serbian government has been meeting its obligations arising from the agreements reached so far, in a conscientious, coherent way, within the set deadlines, Dacic said. “Serbia has fully engaged in the dialogue with Pristina, with a sincere wish to find practical solutions that will make it possible for all citizens of the province to live normally, as part of the wider process of the region’s integration into the EU. The participation of Serbs in the political life in Kosovo and Metohija certainly contributes to that,” he said. Dacic underlined that the current scope of UNMIK’s presence is crucial for stability, and creating conditions that should lead toward a lasting and sustainable solution for the issue of Kosovo. With its constructive approach, Serbia seeks to contribute to the goal of transforming the Western Balkans into a zone of lasting peace and stability, but the recent terrorist attacks in Zvornik and Kumanovo clearly demonstrate the fragility of the region’s stability, Dacic said. It is therefore essential that everyone in the region and relevant international actors make additional efforts to maintain stability, Dacic told. He pointed out that the presence of the UN mission in the same numbers as before was vital to stability and the creation of conditions that should lead towards a lasting and sustainable resolution of the Kosovo issue. To Serbia, the key issues in Kosovo are return of internally displaced persons, position of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and property issues, said Dacic. It is not only the desecration of cultural monuments of world significance, such as the Visoki Decani monastery, but also the fact that they are being desecrated by the writing on them of messages that glorify terrorists, ISIL and a ‘future Caliphate’, that are a reason for deep concern, stressed Dacic. Dacic said that the process of reconciliation cannot be complete without trying former KLA member responsible for the persecution of the Serbs, Roma and other non-Albanians, but also their political opponents among the Kosovo Albanians, and voiced the expectation that the necessary conditions for that would be met. We attach a special importance to trying the cases arising from the findings of the EU Special Investigative Task Force concerning the inhuman treatment of people and the illegal trade in human organs in Kosovo and Metohija, and we expect the decision on the establishment of the specialist court to be adopted as soon as possible.

UNSC ambassadors urge Pristina to establish Special Court (RTS)

Member states’ ambassadors to the UN Security Council at a debate on Kosovo urged the government in Pristina to set up the Special Court for crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), welcomed the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and condemned the recent attacks in Macedonia. David Pressman, Alternate Representative of the United States to the UN, welcomed the continued progress on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and urged both sides to continue their efforts to resolve the telecommunications and energy issues.

“Kosovo must respond appropriately to allegations of serious crimes committed between 1998 and 2000” and promptly adopt the necessary legal measures to set up the Special Court, added Pressman. He also commended Belgrade and Pristina for their continued commitment to fighting terrorism, and, in that context, congratulated Serbia on hosting a successful counter-terrorism conference in April, particularly commending the country’s inclusive approach with regard to Kosovo’s participation. Pressman also proposed that the UNSC extend the reporting period for the Secretary-General to every six months, instead of the three months as is the case now.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said at a UN Security Council session on Kosovo that the Kosovo issue was still very much alive, which could be seen from the recent events in Macedonia, where people had appeared in uniforms with KLA insignia on them.

The attack on Macedonian police was carried out by members of a large group of radical fighters from Kosovo who were planning further attacks, he said. Churkin said that statements about the unification of Kosovo and Albania were a cause for deep concern. We see the dialogue in Brussels as an instrument to stabilize the situation, he said. Churkin also expressed concern about the way in which Western diplomats urge Pristina to establish a special war crimes tribunal, saying it was wrong to be encouraging Pristina to set up the court as soon as they could to avoid the job being done by the UNSC and letting the Russian influence grow that way. Suspected war criminals must be brought to justice regardless of the status of Kosovo, said Churkin.

Vucic: We see Kosovo as our territory (Tanjug)

Serbia treats and will continue to treat Kosovo as its integral part, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said in Tirana. He underlined at a joint news briefing with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that regardless of their diverging stances on Kosovo, Serbia and Albania should not tighten their relations, but rather come to terms with these differences and make sure that they are on the same page. Thanking the Albanian Prime Minister for the warm welcome, Vucic said that the two peoples are neighbors, which is a fact that will never change, and therefore they should solve all problems through dialogue. The fact is that we disagree about Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia treats and will continue to treat it as its integral part, while Albania treats Kosovo as an independent country. Nevertheless, I believe that these discrepancies can be mitigated through dialogue and in a peaceful manner, Vucic said. Rama underlined the importance of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, adding that its continuation is of vital importance for the entire region. However, he said that Tirana wants more to be done for the Albanians in the Presevo region in southern Serbia. They want to be treated the same as Serbs in northern Kosovo, Rama said.

Djuric: Absence of Kosovo Albanians an insult and disrespect (RTS)

The representatives of the Kosovo Albanians have not come to Tuesday’s round of the dialogue in Brussels, dedicated to the normalization of the relations of Belgrade and Pristina, so the discussion about the forming of the Union of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) was held without them, stated the Head of the Serbian delegation and the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric. The absence of Kosovo Albanians represents an insult and disrespect to the hosts, he said. Djuric has specified that instead of Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri, the provincial government has sent only the Serb representatives in the Kosovo institutions, thus trying to avoid the talks on the ZSO. He said he was still satisfied with the results of the visit to Brussels, because the experts and European bodies have listened with lot of understanding to the position of the Serbian side, regarding the future structure and competencies of the ZSO. Djuric has added that these talks will continue today.

Drecun: Vucic’s visit to Tirana is not symbolic (RTS)

The visit of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Tirana has both political and economic significance, the Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia. Having in mind the obstacle in the relations of the two countries, one cannot say that this visit is symbolic, stresses Drecun. He points to the obstacles in the relations that are created by, as he puts it, ‘Greater Albania’ pretensions, and recognition of Kosovo’s secession by Albania and disrespect of the Serb minority. Drecun says that 100,000 Serbs in Albania had been erased in the birth registers. “All this shows that the visit is not symbolic,” says Drecun. When it comes to the political achievements of Vucic’s visit to Tirana, Drecun says that it represents the completion of the process of normalization of relations between Serbia and its neighbors, but it is also significant when it comes to Serbia’s EU perspective. The visit is also significant from the economic point of view, he stresses. He recalls that Serbia has mutual exchange of goods worth around $140 million, whereby 90 percent are exports from Serbia. He also says that the talks in regard to the corridor that links Drac with the Black Sea are also important. Commenting the fact that one Russian portal reported that pressure on Vucic will lead to the fact that the Serbian Prime Minister will turn its back to Russia and head towards NATO membership, Drecun says that some Russian portals would like Serbia to head, instead towards stabilization, in some other direction. “Rama doesn’t have the capacity to exert pressure on Vucic,” says Drecun. “We opted for EU membership without anyone’s pressure, and we are fighting for the protection of territorial integrity, and establishing good-neighborly relations with everybody,” says Drecun. Members of the Pristina team didn’t show up for the talks on the Union of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in Brussels, justifying this with the formation of the special court. Drecun notes that this cannot be an excuse, because the formation of the ZSO and the special court for KLA crimes must unfold simultaneously. “Their attempt to link the KLA and ZSO cannot pass,” says Drecun. When it comes to the formation of this court, he points out that funds have not yet been determined, nor judges and the prosecution team. Drecun thinks that Thaqi’s statements on the lawsuit against Serbia for genocide are “outside the political reality” and represent an attempt of his defense from what will follow in the special court. “That is an attempt to impose on Serbia something it is not responsible for,” said Drecun. He also considers that Thaqi’s statement on employing 2,000 people in Brezovica should be taken with a grain of salt.

Fifty-nine years of prison for 11 members of the so-called Drenica group (Tanjug)

The EULEX trial chamber of the Basic Court in Kosovska Mitrovica has convicted 11 members of the so-called “Drenica group” to the total of 59 years in prison, for the crimes against civilians during the conflict in Kosmet in 1998. The president of the trial chamber Darius Skejaliczki explained that Sami Lushtaku has been sentenced to 12 years of prison for the brutal murder of a tied civilian. Lushtaku was the mayor of Srbica and a high official of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, and in 1998 he was the commander of the so-called KLA for Drenica. Suleiman Selimi has been sentenced to 8 years of prison for the war crimes against civilians in the KLA prison camps in 1998. Selimi is a former Kosovo ambassador to Albania and the former commander of the Kosovo Security Forces, while during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija he was a commander of the KLA headquarters, also known as “Sultan”. Seven members of the group have been sentenced to the joint punishment of seven years, while another six members have been sentenced to three years each.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: Current RS government continues to work at full capacity, opposition claims are at preemie levels (Oslobodjenje)

Milorad Dodik, leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), condemned the opposition in the Republika Srpska (RS) for baselessly claiming that there is no stable parliamentary majority in the entity, saying that the RS government will remain at full capacity for the entirety of its mandate. After a meeting of leaders of the SNSD, DNS, and SP, Dodik added that those in power in the RS have not a single reason for concern. He said that the ruling majority received confirmation in the elections to form a government and parliamentary majority, and that speculation by some media and opposition that the majority is shaken doesn’t stand, noting that such opposition claims are on the level of premature babies. “They claim that there will be a new government in RS in another year, only they didn’t say which,” said Dodik, stressing that they forget that he wonders something too. Dodik says that the government and other RS institutions have implemented as outlined at the beginning of the mandate and that all affairs are regularly executed, and the RS is stable, as are its institutions. The SNSD president in a statement to reporters condemned the opposition for acting uncontrollably, like unguided missiles and that they can’t form a majority in the RS Assembly. After the meeting of governing party representatives in RS, Marko Pavic, DNS president, reiterated that the coalition is strong and that it has sufficient votes in the assembly, which will hold sessions regularly. “Once again we gave support to the government to work for the benefit of RS citizens,” says Pavic. At the meeting they also discussed the regular activities of the government, and Petar Djokic, president of the Socialist Party, says that they discussed measures to improve the lives of RS citizens.

The problems that exist, as he says, they are trying to solve.

Head of EU Delegation in B&H: We have no more time for B&H (Nezavisne)

B&H is no longer the focus of the US and the international community, as it was in the early nineties, it was said at the debate in Washington, held at the Institute “John Hopkins”, which was attended by Lars Wigemark, the Head of the EU Delegation in B&H, and Hoyt Yee, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. Yee said that the US government and other countries now focused on a lot of the world’s problems and that they are limited in resources and the time they can devote to B&H. He said it is necessary to fulfill three conditions for B&H to move forward – that politicians and citizens who elected them show willingness to make difficult decisions and reforms, that the international actors coordinate their efforts and to begin to implement key reforms before the election cycles. He added that the US supports the European approach, which puts the spotlight on social and economic reforms, but with the expectations that later lead to more serious institutional and systemic changes, without which, he says, it is not possible to achieve real progress. “The point is that the current European Initiative begins with social reform. We support it because we expect that it will lead to changes in Dayton,” said Yee. Asked whether he is aware of the Russian influence that is trying to exert influence in B&H through the political trade, Yee said he does not believe that is the case. “My experience with Russia in my many years of activity in the Balkans is that Russia is very often a positive factor. I certainly do not accept the thesis that the Russian companies in B&H come with bad intentions. Companies, whether they come from Russia, China or other countries, want to make a profit, they do not want to lose their investment. In a situation in which the Russian economy is today, I do not find that there are possibilities for the political investments,” said Yee. Wigemark said that the Europe has often been criticized for failing to properly respond to what happened in B&H, noting that the European common defense and security policy is largely developed in response to what was happening in the Western Balkans. He said that the proposal of Germany and Great Britain on the new approach, which is accepted as a European initiative, has returned B&H on European rails, but that requires the support of all political parties and actors in B&H. Responding to a question, why the focus of the EU is not a constitutional reform, Wigemark said that the experience with not implementing of the Sejdic-Finci decision, showed how difficult it is to solve even one sensitive question of Dayton, but that he expects the B&H to move from Dayton toward Brussels. At this point, he said, the focus is on social and economic reforms with the conditionality of financial assistance to B&H and with the close co-ordination with international financial institutions. “We are focused on reforms that cannot be dismissed on the pretext that they are harmful to the rights of any ethnic or any other group,” said Wigemark. Responding to a question about Russian influence through the purchase of companies in B&H, Wigemark stressed that it was the Russian ambassador has recently said to him that “no Russian company is interested in buying B&H companies that are not perspective”. He stressed that at the moment, apart from reforms, focus is on the coordination mechanisms with an emphasis on coordination, which, he explained, means that the jurisdiction of the entities are not being taken away.

Interview with Gruevski: Macedonia’s future is in NATO and EU (Kurir)

Previously, you addressed in the European Parliament in front of the Parliamentary group of EPP. You also met several MEP’s, you had a meeting with the EPP Secretary General, with the commissioner Han and with the tree MEP’s-facilitators in the dispute with SDSM. What did you talked about?

Gruevski: My addressing in front of the EPP Parliamentary group, and answering a series of questions from the members of the most powerful political group, a part of which is VMRO-DPMNE, was a good opportunity to present Macedonia, our strategies, challenges, and of course the current problems. They were very interested, and I answered many questions, very precisely. For them this was a great opportunity to get informed on many matters, especially on our views for lots of events. For me this was an opportunity to inform them, as well to fetch everything that is meaningful and that is interest of Macedonia. Although we are facing crisis in Macedonia, we should not forget that in the past 2 years Macedonia has the second highest economic growth in Europe. And one month ago the European Commission published forecast predicting that in 2015 and 2016 Macedonia will have the highest economic growth in Europe.

The meeting with Commissioner Han, and the three MEP’s facilitators, was on resolving the current political crisis in Macedonia. I can say that they have put a lot of efforts and time to help us, and that should be respected. The meetings will continue and this shows that Macedonia have friends that in the time of crisis are willing to help.

Lately, the Macedonian Euro and Euro-Atlantic integration come under suspicion. Some analyst got so far claiming that the government altered its strategic course from EU and NATO to Russia. Russian flags and t-shirts with Putin’s face were seen in the rally on 18-th of May. Russia on the other side, openly speaks about the Turkey stream, and that it could pass through Macedonia. The West is against that, but MFA Lavrov addressed many statements about Macedonia, blaming USA on the events that happened in Kumanovo. You haven’t said anything about this. What is your comment on these events?

Gruevski: It is not true that I haven’t said anything. Contrary, recently, when I spoke at the rally in front of 100.000 people and hundreds foreign media representatives and media representatives from Macedonia, I clearly said that Macedonia’s future is in NATO and EU. We have demonstrated that through our numerous participations in NATO and EU missions, such as the missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately the blockade which Macedonia is facing these 6-7 years for NATO membership and the commencement of negotiations for EU membership have done major damage to the state.

So, how did the Russian flags and the t-shirt with Putin’s face were seen on the rally?

Gruevski: I have seen the footages and, those are 2-3 people. But, the view of the party, and the strategic orientation of the country is not reflected on what kind of t-shirt would wore someone form 100.000 people on the rally, but on the messages that publicly and clearly was said by the leader of the party in his public speech. In the end, everyone could wear or drop someone with that kind of t-shirt.

Do you think that USA, Germany, France or the UK could be behind the events in Kumanovo?

Gruevski: We should have elementary evidence or even indications, for that kind of thinking. We haven’t got information that some state, or its intelligence service, including the states mention above, gave logistic or in any way encourage criminal terrorist group. And also I don’t see reason why the states that have invested in the country’s stability and development, would consider destabilizing it.

There were also speculations, that the countries mentioned above, are responsible for the tapped phone calls. What is your view on this matter?

Gruevski: Today, when we have huge technological and telecommunication progress of the biggest intelligence super powers in the world, including the 4 states mentioned before, I think that they don’t need the suspected group in Macedonia, if they want to get those materials. So, it’s not logical that they are the ones who organized this process. It is not good to speculate without evidence about our allies. I don’t agree with that.

Does this means that you are stepping back from the thesis that foreign intelligence service is behind this scenario?

Gruevski: No. The thesis is based on three arguments. First, Zaev himself said to me, five times in a row that he got the materials from foreign intelligence service. Second, in the prime suspect’s computer were found transcripts of telephone conversations from politicians, translated in English, language used for international communications between states were English is not the official language. Those obviously were translated for foreigners. And third, the two of the suspects stated that Verushevski himself told them that the illegally tapped materials were meant for foreign intelligence service. The suspects, and for one of them there is a court verdict, admitted that for those illegal actions they received a fee. And these are the statements of his associates.

It is inevitably to ask the question about the Turkey stream, and what is Macedonia’s position on this project?

Gruevski: When Brussels and Moscow would make agreement for this project, we would be part of it, and that is our position. We are country directed to the Euro-Atlantic community and when it comes on making strategic decisions, we are guided by that goal.

And what are the other plans for gasification?

Gruevski: First of all, we haven’t used even the half of the capacities we have for using gas, and still, we are not going to use it all of it when we’ll finish the gasification of the country. For the following 10 years we are not facing any problems. Yet, the biggest problem is the high gas price, which we have inherited from the past. The Russian part explained this, on the amount of the gas. When the gas price is establishing, the key role is the amount. If you are supplying small amount, the price is higher, and vice versa. But, on long term, or building gas power plants, it requires new gas supplies. As I have said many times before, we are oriented on three sources. Two of them are building gas pipeline to Greece, where we would join their pipeline, from where we would link to the Athens port, and there is liquid gas supply. As well to the TAP pipeline, that should start building in Azerbaijan. Last year Greece gave the permission and we are working on that. The third source is the intercontinental pipeline with Bulgaria, the pipeline between Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. With Bulgaria we have agreement in principle and we hope that very soon we’ll sign agreement, and start the preparations for the investment.

Are there any developments when it comes to the name dispute with Greece?

Gruevski: Unfortunately Greece now is concentrated on their financial problem. I hope that once they overcome the critical phase of the problem, Greece would concentrate on the issue that is interest of the both sides. Meanwhile we are creating measures that would establish some level of confidence between us that would help to overcome some other issues. Unfairly Macedonia is not member of NATO. If there wasn’t dispute, we would already be NATO members, and probably we would have started and very likely finished the accession negotiations. Also a lot of the events on the region would be different.

What are the current relations with Bulgaria?

Gruevski: There are ongoing discussions of the MFA working groups, about the agreement of neighborliness. When they are finished we would sign the agreement, and I hope that that would bring new impulse between the two countries.

Albanian Prime minister Rama recently stated that Macedonia could not become NATO member, without fully implementing the Ohrid Agreement. Could this affect the integrations?

Gruevski: The citizens of Macedonia and Albania have common interest, faster integration in EU, and also Macedonia to become NATO member state, where Albania is already a member. On this matter we should cooperate and give each other support, for the benefit of the security and the prosperity of the region and the citizens of both countries. Our energy and force should be concentrated on that.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

UN envoy urges Kosovo to establish war crime court (The Associated Press, 27 May 2015)

The U.N. envoy for Kosovo is urging the government to move swiftly to establish a court to investigate crimes committed by ethnic Albanian rebels during the country’s 1998-88 war of independence from Serbia. Farid Zarif told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday he underlined the expectations of the international community and possible victims of crimes “that there be no delays in the steps required from Kosovo toward the establishment of the court.”

Lawmakers in Kosovo cleared the way to create a European Union-backed court in April 2014 but the required constitutional and legislative steps have not been completed.

Suspected crimes include the killing of about 400 civilians, chiefly Serbs, and allegations that a handful of victims were slain specifically to harvest their organs for sale on the black market. (***)

Thousands of Kosovars mourn Albanian militants killed in Macedonia (Reuters, 26 May 2015)

PRISTINA – Thousands of people turned out in Kosovo’s capital on Tuesday to pay their respects to eight ethnic Albanian militants killed earlier this month in neighbouring Macedonia, whose government labelled them as terrorists. Eight Macedonian policemen and 10 Albanian militants, nine of them from Kosovo, were killed in a day-long battle in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo on May 9. It was the country’s most serious violence since Western diplomacy pulled it back from the brink of civil war in 2001. Eight of the Kosovo militants were buried at Pristina’s Martyrs’ cemetery. Many mourners wore the black and camouflage uniforms of the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which fought Serb forces in a 1998-99 war that led to the province breaking away from Serbia and later declaring independence. The ceremony was organised by the families and Kosovo war veterans’ associations. The Kosovo government has condemned the incidents in Macedonia and asked for an independent investigation. “I don’t know what happened in Kumanovo but I am here to pay respect to my war comrades,” said Bashkim Llugiqi, 38, wearing a camouflage uniform with KLA insignia. Little is known about the Kumanovo group’s intentions, but security officials say the governments in Kosovo and Macedonia had both long known about its existence and its intention to commit violent acts. The Macedonian government has said police wiped out “one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the Balkans”, bent on attacking police stations, shopping malls and sports events. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Zoran Radosavljevic and Mark Trevelyan)

Macedonia Will Only Join Turkish Stream amid Agreement between Russia, EU on it – Gruevski (Novinite, 27 May 2015)

Macedonia will join the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project when the European Commission and Russia reach agreement on the scheme, according to Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. In an interview for local news portal Pres 24 he says that Macedonia is a country that makes decisions of strategic importance on the basis of its Euro-Atlantic orientation. Macedonia is one of the options allowing Russia to circumvent Bulgaria in the construction of the gas pipeline meant to supply gas to central Europe and Italy, Bulgarian news portal mediapool.bg reminds. Gruevski points out that Macedonia is not hard-pressed to develop its gas infrastructure because it is not using even half of the capacity it has at present. He informs that the entire capacity will not be utilized even after the completion of the gasification of the country. Gruevski suggests that Macedonia is not expected to face any serious problems in the sphere over the next 10 years. He says, however, that the largest problem for the country now is the high price of gas. Macedonia’s Prime Minister underscores that the high gas rates have been inherited from the past, adding that Russia explains the tariff with the small quantities of gas that the country is using. He suggests that Macedonia needs new gas supplies to guarantee energy security in the long-term and to build new natural-gas-fueled power plants. Gruevski states that Macedonia relies on three sources, two of them being the construction of a gas pipeline to Greece, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and a connection to the Bulgarian section of the gas grid interconnector between Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

‘Something Needs to Give’: Macedonian Leaders Meet Over Political Crisis (Sputnik, 26 May 2015)

There is increasing speculation over the political future of Macedonia and its Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, as the country’s four main political party leaders meet for EU-US brokered talks in Skopje to try and break the impasse that has resulted in calls for Gruevski to resign.

In the third round of talks between Macedonian leaders, Gruevski will join main opposition chief Zoran Zaev, head of the junior ruling coalition party, Ali Ahmeti and Menduh Thaci, leader of the country’s ethnic Albanian party, to discuss what actions to take over the country’s volatile political situation. There have been calls for Gruevski to resign from his position following ongoing criticism from political opponents. These protests culminated in tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of the country’s capital of Skopje earlier this month to protest against the prime minister, who is alleged to be involved in the widespread surveillance of over 20,000 people.Based on recorded conversations, which were released by opposition leader Zoran Zaev, the Gruevski government has been accused of spying on large parts of the Macedonian population, instigating electoral fraud and even covering up the killing of a young man by a police officer. However Gruevski has hit back at the claims, saying the recordings had been tampered with as part of an attempt by foreign intelligence agencies to undermine his government and destabilize the country.

‘Don’t Hold Breath for Progress’ — Analyst

However despite the recent pressure on the government and marathon talks between the PM and Zaev in Strasbourg last week, Gruevski has refused to step down. Dr James Ker-Lindsay, researcher in Balkan studies at the London School of Economics (LSE) told Sputnik he doesn’t believe the talks will achieve anything significant, if anything at all. “I don’t think anyone is holding their breath for any progress, which is a great shame. There’s no doubt that something needs to give in the country. This is not a healthy situation at the moment. It’s highly damaging on all sorts of levels.” Dr Ker-Lindsay said he didn’t believe Gruevski would stand down from his position, but was hopeful some progress on reforms to the country’s electoral voting system would be made and proposals for greater transparency for the media would be established.

Concern Over US-EU Influence

The talks are to be overseen by US ambassador Jess Baily and EU representative Aivo Orav, which has also sparked concern from some about the potential impact that outside influences may have had on the recent Macedonian protests. Some, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have suggested the recent political discontent has been being stoked by Western actors as part of a wider geopolitical game, aimed at destabilizing the country, and subsequently scuppering any plans for Russia’s Turkish stream gas line to pass through Macedonia. “There are attempts to pressure Gruevski’s government for refusing to join in on sanctions against Russia and for backing the Turkish Stream [gas] pipeline [construction],” he said. “The Macedonian events are quite brutal and are being orchestrated from outside.” These concerns were heightened following reports that Western-backed activist groups were offering Macedonian students $1,500 come up with their best protest ideas against Gruevski’s government. Despite these claims, James Ker-Lindsay disagrees the West is playing a destabilizing role in the country for geopolitical reasons. “I certainly don’t see any reason for that [West stirring protests]. The fact of the matter is that the EU and NATO have invested a lot of time into trying to stabilize the Balkans and it just wouldn’t make sense to suppose that they’re going to act as some sort of destabilizing factor, partly because you just don’t know what the spin-off outcomes of that might be,” he said. “Political instability is not good, it raises the possibility – however small – of ethnic instability creeping in and nobody wants to see that happen.”

West ‘Arm-Twisting’ Over Reforms

However, Dr Ker-Lindsay also told Sputnik that the West would certainly be acting to push the country further towards EU and NATO membership. He pointed out that joining the groups was still part of official Macedonian government policy, but the recent Gruevski government — which has seen plans to join both the EU and NATO hindered by Greek a veto – has moved away from reforms required to by Brussels to join the bloc. “I think what we’re seeing now is quite interesting, because we’ve got Gruevski, who came to power as a reformer and was very dynamic and very forward-thinking, but because Greece blocked EU accession talks and Greece has stood in the way of NATO accession, over the past few years, he has become more and more comfortable and he’s not had to make any of these reforms for the EU. So he’s been able to hide behind this Greece veto and strengthen his position,” he said. “So what we’ve seen sadly is Gruevski, who started off as a reformer, as a positive figure, is now turning against EU and NATO membership. However this does still remain official government policy. So any form of arm-twisting that is coming in from the West is urging Macedonia to keep making reforms. However, now I think we are facing up to the fact that there’s a discrepancy between official rhetoric and official action.”

Macedonia: A pawn in the Russian geopolitical game? (Deutsche Welle, by Boris Georgievski, 26 May 2015)

The political crisis in the small Balkan country of Macedonia has caught Moscow’s attention. It might be developing into a new arena for the ongoing standoff between Russia and the West.

“Membership in the EU and NATO remains our highest priority”, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said during his party’s rally in Skopje on May 18. Some of his supporters cheered him wearing T-shirts with Russian President Putin and waving Russian flags.

According to many observers, this contradiction between Gruevski’s words and the pro-Russian folklore among his supporters reflects the current divisions in Macedonian society after months of deep political crisis and following a serious security incident in the city of Kumanovo that claimed 18 lives. But what looked like a typical internal Balkan conflict might be developing into a new chapter in the standoff between Russia and the West. At least that is what Moscow is saying these days. “The events in Macedonia are being orchestrated from the outside quite blatantly”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on May 20. At the same time, he acknowledged Moscow’s support for the conservative government in Skopje. This is the last of a series of statements made by the Russian official, which surprised many people in the poor Balkan country with two million inhabitants. Since the end of the civil unrest between Macedonian security forces and Albanian guerillas in 2001, there has hardly been any comment from Moscow on the political situation in the country. Unlike its neighbors, Serbia and Greece, which have close historical and cultural ties to Russia, Macedonia has never managed to catch Moscow’s attention in the past. “Macedonia is not and never was a vital part of Russian foreign policy”, Julija Brsakoska-Bazerkoska, professor of international relations in Skopje, told DW.

The ‘Turkish Stream’ pipeline

According to Lavrov, Gruevski’s refusal to join the European sanctions against Russia and his willingness to cooperate in the construction of the “Turkish Stream” gas pipeline were behind the disturbances allegedly provoked by the West. “If you look at the geography of the region, Macedonia is the best place for constructing the extension of the newest energy infrastructure project in the region, the so-called Turkish Stream,” Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian ambassador to the EU, told Bloomberg TV last week. But some analysts doubt that the pipeline will be built at all. As Nikola Kjurchiski from the Russian Presidential Academy in Moscow told DW, there are many reasons to believe that this project will end in Turkey, because otherwise it would have to comply with the EU’s internal market rules. Furthermore, as Kjurchiski explains, Russia already has enough pipelines to transport its gas to Europe – and sells less and less gas every year. “The ‘Turkish Stream’ is a very expensive and unprofitable project,” Kjurchiski said, adding that such a pipeline should not be built at all. Since Macedonia’s political crisis shows no signs of ending anytime soon, Russia’s meddling is increasingly seen as an attempt to assert its influence in the Balkans – with or without the promised projects for the energy-hungry region. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in February that a number of European countries – including Macedonia – were “in the line of fire” when it came to relations between Washington and Moscow.

Gruevski under increasing pressure

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gruevski finds himself under huge pressure from the opposition in the country. There is evidence that he lost European and American support because of the wiretapping scandal and the violence in Kumanovo. His nine-year hold on power is often criticized as authoritarian by domestic and Western media and politicians. Such views are strengthened by the fact that pro-government media and analysts in Macedonia have shown a fascination for Putin’s style of ruling. Although opinion polls in the small Balkan country reflect strong support for the goal of Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership, some analysts believe Gruevski is welcoming the Russian support, trying to position himself in a much bigger geopolitical game. “Since losing ´the support of the EU and USA, Gruevski is desperately looking for support from a global power, and that is why he is turning to Russia. He has no choice,” Kjurchiski said. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Moscow has significantly increased staff numbers at its embassy in Skopje. At the same time, there is an upsurge in news from and about Macedonia in the leading Russian media outlets.

Balkan leaders wary of Macedonia crisis fallout (AP, by Llazar Semini, 26 May 2015)

TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s president and other Balkan leaders expressed concern Tuesday that the ongoing crisis in Macedonia could be a setback for the region’s efforts to add new members to the European Union. President Bujar Nishani told regional leaders meeting in Tirana that the Macedonia crisis showed the “fragility of stability in the region.” Macedonia is grappling with a political crisis triggered by wiretapping allegations against the government, while tension has been stoked by a shootout this month between police and suspected ethnic Albanian militants that left 18 dead. The leaders were meeting as part of the 13-nation South-East European Cooperation Process. Five of its members are in the EU, while five others are candidates. “We must preserve a stable region to promote integration,” Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta told a news conference. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said the crisis in Macedonia demonstrated the “need to reaffirm our support for the independence and the territorial integrity of the country.” The summit brought together representatives of west Balkan countries with long-troubled relations, including Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. It was held a day ahead of the landmark visit to Tirana by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, the first to Albania by a Serbian premier. Countries at the summit reaffirmed a commitment to support each other’s EU membership drives, and cooperate with a global coalition against violent extremism and terrorism. Tuesday’s meeting marked the end of Albania’s one-year presidency of the regional body, which passed to Bulgaria.

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