LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Balkans remains powder keg (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said at the opening of the OSCE Ministerial Council that the Balkans remains a powder keg that needs only a spark to explode again. “I must express my concern for the stability in the Balkans. Serbia is a stable country, but several crisis situation in the region are enough – in Macedonia, Montenegro, Pristina – for the whole region be set on fire again,” said Vucic. He noted that this message was for those who do not understand how important stability in the Balkans is, and stressed that Belgrade considers relations in the region to be among its priorities. “With the hotheads in Serbia, we will know how to deal,” Vucic said in his speech at the beginning of the big OSCE Summit in Belgrade.  The Serbian Prime Minister said that cooperation and understanding are important for the whole world. “We learned how important it is. The slightest conflict may initiate a chain reaction,” said Vucic. The instability in Kosovo, he noted, was endangering the Brussels dialogue, but Serbia will, he confirmed, continue to conduct it, because it is the only way to ensure security, its own and of the Albanians in Kosovo. “Serbia chooses life and prosperity, rather than conflict,” said Vucic, adding that the country and the region are a part of Europe and that Serbia continues on its European path, where it is grateful for the help from American colleagues and at the same time preserves its traditional friendship with Russia.  Vucic called on all guests of Belgrade to adopt joint conclusions and recommendations during the conference that would be aimed at solving many problems, a key among them being the migrant crisis. “For this problem we must have a common policy,” Vucic said. The migrant crisis, he pointed out, has shown all the weaknesses of internal organizations of states and systems, of international organizations – “but also reminded us that there is no cooperation and support without police and security cooperation”.

OSCE CiO: Trust, cooperation need to be restored (Tanjug)

A de-escalation of the Ukraine situation, joint response to other transnational security threats and restoration of trust and cooperation are the organization’s main tasks, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO), Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday at the Ministerial Council.

He underlined the importance of the Minsk agreement, the monitoring mission, and noted that the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine provided the best mechanism for dialogue. Pointing to other frozen conflicts in the OSCE area as security threats, Dacic called for a revitalization of negotiation formats to solve the conflicts. He also underscored the need for an urgent, coordinated response to other transnational treats such as terrorism, organized crime, climate change and the current migrant crisis, with the emphasis on restoring trust, solidarity and cooperation.

Zannier urges unity in everyday fight against terrorism (Tanjug/RTS)

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said Thursday that 2015 has been a year of challenges and that OSCE member states must be united in the fight against extreme radicalism and terrorism and in tackling the migrant crisis. Challenges on the global agenda have affected the region and the fight against terrorism has become a part of everyday life everywhere in the world, he said at the opening of the 22nd Ministerial Council meeting. All institutions and organisations must do everything they can to prevent terrorism, he said. We have learned that, in the fight against violent extremism, we must solve the problems in our society and encourage tolerance and dialogue, he said. To solve the issue of migrants, the initial problems that caused it – wars, climate change and poverty – must be solved, while societies must be more tolerant, he said.

Mogherini: Opening of two chapters on 14 December (Tanjug)

The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini has stated that Serbia can expect on 14 December the opening of two chapters in the EU accession negotiations – Chapters 32 and 35. “More intensive cooperation will follow, this is important both for the Serb people and the EU,” Mogherini told a joint press conference after a bilateral meeting with Vucic. She also referred to everything achieved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue over the past year. “You can count on me personally, but also on the EU, that we will guarantee to both sides the implementation of the agreement and resumption of dialogue,” said Mogherini. Serbian officials have high expectations of the intergovernmental conference on 14 December in Brussels, when the decision on opening the first negotiating chapters is expected, but also of what is coming in the future in Serbia-EU relations, said Vucic after the meeting with Mogherini. He said that they also discussed the ways of how to exit, as he put it, “not the deadlock, but changes in the dialogue” with Pristina.

She says Serbia has a partner in the EU for safety, security and prosperity of the entire region. “There are no borders here, we need each other and we need to cooperate,”’ she said. Commenting Serbia’s OSCE presidency, she assessed that Serbia has done a brilliant job. “The main OSCE message is cooperation, this is the basis of our security, joint work in the region,” said Mogherini.

Serbian officials have high expectations of the intergovernmental conference on 14 December in Brussels, when the decision on opening the first negotiating chapters is expected, but also of what is coming in the future in Serbia-EU relations, said Vucic after the meeting with Mogherini.

He said that they also discussed the ways of how to exit, as he put it, “not the deadlock, but changes in the dialogue” with Pristina. He said on behalf of Serbia that Belgrade wants the resumption of the dialogue since there are many more things and concrete problems that have impact on the lives of both the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija that need to be resolved. “We are especially interested in greater freedom of movement, we would like the planes of our most successful regional airline Air Serbia to land at the Pristina airport, we are interested in faster crossing of the administrative line, in resolving numerous problems, because it will imply economic progress of our country and better life of all our citizens,” said Vucic.

Russian-U.S. meeting in Belgrade (Politika/Tanjug/RTS/Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic late on Wednesday met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying it was regrettable there was no unity for now in the fight against terrorism. The Serbian foreign minister and the OSCE chairperson-in-office also condemned Turkey’s recent shooting down of a Russian bomber that was flying an anti-terrorist mission. Speaking during a joint news conference with the Lavrov – who is in Belgrade for the OSCE Ministerial Council, and whom he previously welcomed at the airport – Dacic said we must not allow those who say they are fighting against Islamic State to harm each other, as was the case with the shooting down of the Russian aircraft. Dacic expressed great satisfaction that the OSCE Ministerial Council is being held in Belgrade, noting it would be the biggest political event in this country since the Non-Aligned Summit in 1989. “Given the number of foreign ministers who came to our country, it is a great recognition for Serbia,” Dacic said, adding that 44 foreign ministers are participating in the gathering that is being held on Thursday and Friday.  Dacic stated that ministers of the most important countries are in Belgrade and will also have bilateral meetings, and that he hoped some agreements, as well as important decisions will be possible to reach during these talks. “Among the major decisions, for example, are those on migrations, the fight against terrorism, freedom of the media, a variety of other topics is on the agenda,” he said. Dacic added that he hoped Serbia managed, during its presidency of the OSCE – in a year that was not easy and which was marked by a series of conflicts – to contribute to the calming of the situation in Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov addressed the news conference to announce that representatives of Moscow at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade will on Thursday submit a request to find a solution on setting clear and firm criteria by which all OSCE institutions will work – including the Office on Freedom of the Media. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the work of the office, and asked that it secures freedom of the media without applying double standards. According to Lavrov, there are many examples of distortion of information, as well as of preventing journalists from working in a country because they represent a particular country and the institution of public information. “It is absolutely clear that the media freedom representative of the OSCE is not working adequately,” said Lavrov. When it comes to Belgrade the conference, he noted that the agenda was condensed, adding he hoped for consensus on many issues, and that all participants will put aside all differences. Lavrov praised Serbia’s presidency, saying that our Serbian friends tried to, in the spirit of OSCE documents, find a balanced approach to all dimensions of this organization. The high-ranking Russian official then pointed out that respect and defense of international law represents the foundation of the OSCE, as well as respect of sovereignty of other states and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. It is sad, he continued, that precisely Belgrade testifies to the first violation of these fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act, referring to NATO’s attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) in 1999. “That barbaric act was also carried out by OSCE participating states against another member of this organization. The consequences are still being felt,” said Lavrov, adding that Russia is committed to full and consistent respect of the Helsinki Final Act in order not to repeat what happened to Serbia in 1999. Besides being a sad symbol of the bombing, according to him, the meeting in Belgrade also has the symbolism of hope, because all OSCE participating states gathered precisely in Serbia, for the jubilee session of the OSCE – the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lavrov praised Serbia’s efforts in the Helsinki +40 process, and expressed his belief that it represents an additional opportunity to lead the OSCE out of its systemic crisis. The Russian minister thanked Dacic for the effort made to maximize the efficiency and flexibility of the organization. Lavrov also said he was ready to meet with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the Belgrade summit: “We wish to clarify the Turkish position, since they are insisting on that meeting, and to hear what the Turks wish to say, beside what they have said publicly. It will be said if they say nothing new”.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met in Belgrade with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Vucic thanked Kerry for visiting Serbia. He thanked for the U.S. support in the EU path and the increasingly better economic relations between the two states. “U.S. support is significant for us and we will know how to appreciate this. We are honored that you are here,” said Vucic. The U.S. supports Prime Minister Vucic who is creating a new Serbia, said Kerry in Belgrade prior to his meeting with Vucic. As Kerry put it, it is very important that Vucic is ready for the dialogue with Pristina. He welcomed the initiated by the Serbian Prime Minister to launch the dialogue with the Kosovo government “in order to leave the past in the past”. “We also share an interest with all countries in the region to respond together to the challenge of violent extremism, which is having a profound impact on all Europe, all of the Middle East, South Asia, and we have an obligation to work together and find ways to cooperate together in order to win this struggle for civility, for stability, and for peaceful, democratic future for the region,” said Kerry.

Kerry in Pristina: I guarantee that nothing agreed in Brussels will harm Kosovo’s independence (Beta)

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry has stated in Pristina that the U.S. is satisfied with the resoluteness of the Kosovo leaders to continue the dialogue with Serbia. He added that he guarantees that nothing agreed in Brussels harms Kosovo’s independence. “Kosovo made great progress towards full Euro-Atlantic integration. The recent signing of the SAA with the EU represents one of the key steps forward. This gain is a direct result of Kosovo’s readiness to progress in the dialogue with Serbia mediated with the EU,” Kerry said in Pristina today within his European tour. Kerry said that the U.S. is aware that it was not easy to reach agreements that Kosovo signed in Brussels and that they were not against Kosovo’s independence. “Do not make a mistake: we wouldn’t have supported any agreement that endangers sovereignty, safety or independence of Kosovo. We invested together very much into the Kosovo future in order to expose this to risk,” said Kerry. He promised that the U.S. would continue to support Kosovo in efforts for building a modern state.

Russian and Turkish FMs to meet in Belgrade (Tanjug)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu will meet in Belgrade on Thursday afternoon, it has been reported. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council conference that both officials are attending. Russia’s RIA agency said earlier in the day, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, that the meeting would take place in Belgrade today, Reuters reported.  The agency also quoted an unnamed Turkish MFA official who said the meeting – the first since Turkey shot down a Russian bomber last month near the Syria-Turkey border – was planned for 15:30 CET. Addressing reporters in Belgrade late on Wednesday, Lavrov said he was ready to meet his Turkish counterpart, and added: “We wish to clarify the Turkish position, since they are insisting on that meeting, and to hear what the Turks wish to say, beside what they have said publicly. It will be sad if they say nothing new.”

REGIONAL PRESS

United in the fight against terrorism: All B&H agencies gathering in one body (Vijesti)

Work meeting of the Task Force for the fight against terrorism was held yesterday at the premises of the B&H Prosecutor’s Office. The main topic were the current activities in fight against terrorism, monitoring and prevention of activities related to terrorism, as well as the need for strengthening capacities of the  Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and the appointment of prosecutors in the Department of Terrorism, in which only one prosecutor currently works in full capacity. Minister of Security of B&H Dragan Mektic said that a mechanism is soon to be created, under which all security and intelligence agencies in B&H will become one body that will fight the terrorism. “Determination and trust is the key. I believe we have definitely created a possibility to fight against terrorism and any kind of endangering B&H with terrorism as one body. We will establish an operational group and we need strong prosecution and strong operational group, since nearly 60 cases related to terrorism are currently being treated in the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H and security agencies,” Mektic said. He highlighted that the key is in making the operational group functional within the next 10 to 15 days, and invited the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (VSTV) to as soon as possible appoint a certain number of prosecutors in order to start dealing with 60 cases related to terrorism. “The operational group will not be exclusively in service of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H, but in service of all prosecutions where criminal cases of terrorism are being processed. Moreover, we will create a database on potential terrorists in order to make information available to all agencies. We will lower the fight against terrorism from the highest agencies towards the lowest local levels, thus including every police officer,” Mektic said. He said that the change of political framework has also been considered at the meeting, and that it has to be decided whether the changes will be done within the existing laws or a new law should be passed, giving greater authority to the agencies and the police. Spokesman of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H Boris Grubesic said that in the past period this judicial institution has brought charges against 20 persons for terrorism regarding the departures to Syria and other foreign battlefields, and that investigation is being conducted against 20 more persons for criminal offenses of terrorism and terrorist activities connected with Syria.

Man dies of electrocution, as migrants and refugees clash (Srna/Tanjug)

One man died of electrocution while two others were injured on the Greece-Macedonia border as migrants and refugees clashed there on Thursday. Macedonian authorities are allowing only refugees from war-affected Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq to enter the country, on their way to western and northern Europe. The victim, believed to be a Moroccan citizen, died when he climbed “onto a carriage of a stationary train near the border and touching a high-tension cable overhead,” local police spokesman Petros Tanos has been quoted as telling AFP. According to the agency, a group of Moroccan men then “advanced towards the border crossing with cries of “Allahu akbar”, but were pushed back by Greek police who fired tear gas. Migrants, who are not allowed to enter Macedonia, protested on Wednesday by blocking the road and preventing anyone from passing. Groups of mostly Iranians and Pakistanis have been clashing with Afghans, throwing rocks at each other. This resulted in two men suffering head injuries. Greek riot police have been deployed at the border and have formed cordons to protect refugees who are waiting to enter Macedonia in a field on the Greek side.  Macedonian police have been using tear gas to push back Pakistani, Moroccan, and Iranian demonstrators, who have used tools to cut through Macedonia’s border fence.  More than 5,000 people of various nationalities are now located in the border area near Idomeni in Greece – a country under European pressure to limit the inflow of migrants arriving to Greek islands from Turkey.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Montenegro: We can play a disproportionately large role in NATO (EurActiv, by Matthew Tempest, 2 December 2015)

On the day NATO invited the Western Balkan country of Montenegro to join the military alliance, EurActiv spoke to its Defence Minister, Milica Pejanović-Đurišić, in Brussels.

Professor Milica Pejanović-Đurišić is the Defence Minister of Montenegro.

Pejanović-Đurišić spoke to Matthew Tempest.

My first question shouldn’t even really be a question in 2015, but you’re a defence minister, and a woman. Does that have advantages? Or disadvantages?

Well, I’m not the type to make a difference between the genders – I don’t have that perspective at all.

You don’t think it works in good ways, or in bad ways.

No, it’s not an issue for me.

France and Italy have also had female defence ministers.

There is a number of them.

You don’t see yourself as a feminist, or a trailblazer in your region, through your gender and your job?

Not at all. Gender is not an issue. The issue is knowledge, competence and professionalism.

Tell me about what happened this morning, and the stage you’re at in negotiations with NATO. Is there now a smooth course ahead to Montenegro joining NATO, or could there still be obstacles?

No, it’s a clean slate for joining NATO, it’s the standard procedure. This phase of Membership Action Plan, or MAP, which lasted for years, including the intensified and focused dialogue which was in place last year after the last NATO summit held in Cardiff, were intended to prepare Montenegro in the best way when it comes to criteria and principles between the members of the NATO alliance.

Once assessed positively, we were qualified for this round, which is getting the invitation, to join NATO. So, it’s an invitation for membership. It’s a kind of effectuation of the NATO ‘open door’ policy. So, we had the open door, and now we passed the threshold and we entered.

By entering, we are now supposed to … to do the final tunings and the visitations. That will be a kind of technical negotiation, between us and NATO, where we have to draft together that essential protocol.

After doing that, it will be treated in a way that it’s got positive ratification in all 28-member countries. And that’s it.

And do you have a date in mind when you can say ‘Montenegro is now a member of NATO’?

It could be between a year, and a year and a half. Probably. But on the other hand, I don’t like to talk about the dates, because what matters are the processes, and the result we get in the process. And then once you are effective, the date always comes in time.

Do you foresee any objections?

No. I feel it will be an easier phase than the previous ones. It’s all about NATO and ourselves. So if in this phase 28 member countries put forward their position – and in NATO, it is always full consensus, and full agreement that Montenegro is ready – I expect that this kind of positive cooperation we are having between ourselves will continue.

You must have seen the comments of Sergei Lavrov [Russia’s foreign minister], who said it would be a ‘provocation’ for you to join NATO. I think another Russian MP said it might make you a target of Russian missiles. Does that worry you?

No. They didn’t say ‘missiles’. Where did you find that?

I saw that before I came to the interview – but I can’t remember the name of the MP [Editor’s note: it was Mikhail Degtyarev, a nationalist member of the Duma, who said in 2014 Montenegro would become “a legitimate target of Russian missiles” if it joined NATO.]

There was a number of messages from Russia on that issue, but it’s a standard way. Russia is reacting to what is a NATO enlargement policy. That is something that the other countries experienced, which have become NATO members after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

There were protests in Podgorica, against you joining NATO. Do you think Moscow had any hand in those?

The protests originally weren’t about NATO. They were normal protests of (the) opposition, who were concerned with certain issues of our electoral environment. Fom that point, we started procedures to build the confidence of all political actors in Montenegro for further improving all the legislation in this field.

At one point, of course, there were some interpretations that this might be also related with NATO. And of course, if understood like that, then it’s nothing new, since in Montenegro, for years now, we are having very intensive campaigning, pro-NATO campaigning, and on the other side also parts of society which are anti-NATO.

Montenegro is a democratic country, where everything has to be done in a normal democratic way. I don’t see that it is of any concern for anyone. We will be handling these issues, as in every democratic country.

Do you feel confident that other NATO members would step up to the plate and protect Montenegro if Russia…

There is no threat like that.

What can Montenegro bring to NATO? It’s a very small country, obviously.

28 member states deciding to invite Montenegro understood what Montenegro can bring to NATO. And Montenegro can bring a lot of things, in complete disproportion with its size.

Montenegro is already a country which has hugely contributed to the security and stability of the region, and beyond.

On the other side, as well, we are contributing to global peace and security through our participation in a number of different missions, including peacekeeping missions. On the other side, developing our capabilities might be useful for the global alliance.

Does Montenegro see NATO membership as a natural stepping stone towards joining the EU?

Definitely. We do see those processes as complimentary ones – and that’s not only our perception, it’s really like that, because we are deeply into negotiations in the EU process. And if you see closely what is the latest progress report from the European Commission, then you will see there are a number of issues which are overlapping when it comes to rule-of-law, the fight against organised crime, government corruption, freedom of media, freedom of speech.

All these political criteria are important from a democratic point of view, and are also considered deeply, and in detail, by the European Commission. The same thing is very relevant for adopting the principles of the North Atlantic Organisation. This complementariness is something that is very important.