LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic: Trumps victory wasn’t seen only by those who didn’t watch (B92/Sputnik)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic congratulated Donald Trump, assessing that one could expect cooperation between Russia and the U.S. as well as better understanding of Serbia regarding the Kosovo issue. “If the election rhetoric was false, we can expect cooperation between Russia and the U.S., better understanding of Serbia for its stand on non-recognizing independence of the so-called Kosovo, the stand on not joining sanctions against Russia,” Nikolci told Sputnik. He says that he will request the Serbian government to prepare an analysis on the impact of the victory of elected President Trump on the Serbian economy, investments, foreign debt. “We are not making additional efforts towards establishing even better friendly relations with the U.S.,” said Nikolic. He notes that only those who are going through life with closed eyes didn’t expect Trump’s victory at the elections. “The world is changing, established elites are falling, there are no longer those who are known in advance to have someone work for them, nor those who will be working for others forever. American citizens are tired of conflicts with other states and of participation in wars on foreign territories that they do not justify, which they demonstrated through elections,” said Nikolic.

Vucic congratulates Trump on great victory (Tanjug/B92)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Donald Trump on his great victory in the U.S. presidential elections. The message, posted on the Serbian government’s website, reads as follows: “I take this opportunity to express my sincere congratulations on your election success and the great victory in the presidential election. I believe you will approach your duties as the 45th president of the United States with the dedication and determination that characterized also your remarkable campaign. The leadership that you have shown on this occasion represents a strong will that is necessary not only to citizens of the United States, but also to the whole world. I sincerely hope that your victory will contribute to continuing improvement of bilateral relations between Serbia and the United States, which are already on the path of progress and development, to the mutual benefit of our two countries.”

Serbian politicians’ reactions to Trump’s victory (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)

The Leader of the United Serbia (JS) Dragan Markovic Palma has assessed that Donald Trump’s victory is a good thing since he had announced good cooperation with Serbia. “It is a big difference that he had won, and not the Clinton family. They bombed Serbia, while Trump had promised good cooperation with Serbia. We will never forget the bombardment of Serbia and killing of civilians to the Clintons for which they should be tried,” Markovic said in a written statement.

The leader of the Serbian People’s Party (SNP) Nenad Popovic is convinced that Trump’s victory will bring about a positive change in the U.S. policy towards Serbia. “Not so much over the change of the U.S. foreign policy in the Balkans, but over the fact that with Hillary Clinton’s defeat, the biggest financiers of her policy in this region, Hashim Tachi and Milo Djukanovic have also been defeated,” Popovic said. He sees Clinton’s departure to political history as the beginning of the end of the criminal regimes of Milo Djukanovic and Hashim Tachi who bought Clinton’s protection with the money from criminal deeds, trade in cigarettes, weapons, drugs and human organs.

The leader of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vojislav Seselj congratulated Donald Trump and voiced hope that the “shameful episode” in the two countries’ relations will end with his election, and that Serbia and the U.S. will launch a shining new chapter.

Scott does not expect major changes in US-Serbia relations (RTS)

The US foreign policy is based on national interests and I do not expect it to change significantly as regards Serbia, US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott said Wednesday. The relations with Serbia were not mentioned too frequently in Donald Trump’s election campaign, Scott told RTS. When asked if changes could be expected in the overall US foreign policy, Scott replied it was a logical question, but that he could not answer it. We will have to see how this period of transition from campaign promises to formal execution goes, and we also need to see whom Trump will appoint as his closest aides and department secretaries, Scott said

Clinton won at “elections” in Belgrade (Tanjug)

Hillary Clinton won with 127 votes, while Donald Trump received 117 votes at the imitation of elections held in Belgrade during the election night. The “election night” was organized by the US Embassy in Serbia and the Center for Social Dialogue and Regional Initiative at the Crown Plaza.

Davenport: New chapters expected to be opened by end of year (Tanjug)

The Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said he expected new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession talks to be opened by the end of the year. “We are looking forward to seeing the opening of further chapters before the end of this year, and I am sure that that will lead to greater momentum also in 2017,” he said at a press conference in the Serbian government building. “The European Commission has recommended to member states the opening of an additional chapter, which is Chapter 5, which relates to public procurement – a very important chapter for all sorts of reasons,” he said. “It is now for all member states, as is always the case with each chapter, to agree to the opening,” Davenport said.

Interpol postpones Kosovo’s request for membership (Beta)

The International Criminal Police Organization Interpol has decided to postpone a decision on membership requests, including Kosovo’s, until a study has been carried out, the organization explained on its website. The Interpol General Assembly approved the appointment of consultants to carry out the study and make recommendations for Interpol membership. “The resolution follows a decision by the Executive Committee last June, requiring a clear and transparent process with a defined set of criteria for INTERPOL membership,” the organization reported. Hans Corell, an Interpol adviser and a former deputy to the U.N. secretary-general in charge of legal matters, will carry out the study to be presented at the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing, in 2017. “While the study is being carried out, all current and future requests for membership will be suspended, including those by Kosovo, the State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands,” Interpol clarified.

Djuric: No one has the right to tell Kosovo Serb representatives what to do (RTS/Tanjug)

No one in Kosovo wants nor should they, on behalf of the Serbs, decide where their interests lie, and no one has the right to hold lessons to the Serb representatives on whether and when they should return to the Pristina institutions, in which they have frozen their participation, after, without their agreement, the Law was passed on the Trepca mining complex, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric conveyed. “Since I can see that there are many politicians in Pristina who would wish to advise the Serb representatives and explain to them what kind of standpoint to take, we will not advise them since they have been elected by the citizens to decide what the Serb interest is,” Djuric told reporters in Kursumlija, in response to the question of whether the Serb representatives would soon begin taking part in the work of the Kosovo government and assembly. Djuric said that nobody in Kosovo would or should estimate on behalf of the Serbs where their interests lay. “If the Serbs in Kosovo have estimated that their right has been trampled by the passing of the law on Trepca and therefore decided not to take part in these temporary institutions, who can decide on their behalf that they should act differently? It would be much more useful to sit down at the table with the Serb representatives, for the Albanian politicians to show that they see them as something more than mere decor which they need only when they want to show the representatives of the international community that they have the same attitude towards the Serb representatives as the one they once complained that they enjoyed themselves,” Djuric said.

Schwendimann wants close cooperation with courts (Tanjug)

Special prosecutor of the international court for war crimes of the KLA committed in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999, David Schwendiman, who is visiting Pristina and is the due to visit Belgrade, will not discuss court proceedings during his visit and his intention is to establish close cooperation with courts, Tanjug reported, quoting its own sources. Representatives of the Prosecution in Belgrade declined to either confirm or deny this information.

REGIONAL PRESS

HR Inzko presents 50th report on PIC’s work before UN SC (N1)

High Representative Valentin Inzko presented the 50th regular report on work of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) before the UN Security Council (UN SC) in New York on Tuesday. The report refers to the period from April 16 to October 21 this year. In his report, Inzko criticized the fact that some B&H leaders speak about the European values, but at the same time they are glorifying war criminals and thus genocide. He also criticized President of Republika Srpska (RS) and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik, who openly advocates dissolution of B&H. Inzko’s report also reads that the referendum on the Day of the RS, which was held on September 25, violated two decisions of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H – the one according to which marking of the Day of the RS on January 9 is not in line with the Constitution of B&H and the one which directly orders authorities in the RS not to implement decision of the RS National Assembly (RSNA) on holding of referendum. According to him, the referendum on the Day of the RS represents serious violation of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and the rule of law. The High Representative also criticized the fact that Dodik refused to appear before the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in order to be questioned regarding the referendum. “The Constitution of B&H, which is also Annex 4 of the Peace Agreement, states explicitly that decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H, as in all other countries, are ‘final and binding’, and that the entities are bound to comply with the decisions of the state authorities. For this reason, I consider the referendum of September 25th to be a grave violation of the Peace Agreement and the rule of law. It was held against decisions of the court, including a direct order suspending the referendum,” Inzko’s report reads.

Furthermore, the High Representative pointed out that the positive diplomatic role played by neighboring Serbia and Croatia during the crisis is worth noting, reminding that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic declined to support the referendum, while Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic condemned it outright.

Commenting on this year’s local elections, Inzko stated that citizens are concerned due to the recent incident in Stolac and reminded that local elections were again not held in Mostar. He also added that it is of utmost importance that the newly-elected Head of Srebrenica works in the interests of all citizens of the Municipality. On the other hand, the High Representative commended the fact that the results of the 2013 census were published and that adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and a domestic EU Coordination Mechanism were finally agreed, as well as the fact that state and entity level authorities continue to make certain progress on economic reforms.

RS officials comment on HR’s report to UN SC (RTRS)

Inzko’s report sparked negative reactions among officials in Republika Srpska (RS). Namely, leader of “United Srpska” and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the RS (RSNA) Nenad Stevandic emphasized that Inzko continues to hold negative attitudes toward the RS and ignores the facts due to an accumulation of personal frustrations and disagreements with the entity’s leadership. He assessed as “unbelievable” the fact that Inzko is concerned because of “democratic expression of people’s will in the referendum”, while at the same time he is not concerned because of numerous reports according to which terrorists in European countries are linked with B&H. Vice-President of SNSD Nebojsa Radmanovic stressed that Inzko’s reports make no sense anymore, because they always contain the same assessment aimed mostly against the RS and its institutions. “In fact, that only proves how poorly the High Representative is doing his job,” Radmanovic said, adding that Inzko literally copies parts of his reports every six months, and changes only statements from certain media outlets and dates. SP RS leader Petar Djokic pointed out that Inzko’s stances are often subjective and that the CC of BiH became a political institution. Prime Minister of the RS Zeljka Cvijanovic, Vice President of SNSD and MP in the House of Representatives (HoR) of the parliament of B&H Nikola Spiric, SNSD MP in the HoR of B&H parliament Dusanka Majkic and SNSD MP in the HoR of B&H parliament Lazar Prodanovic refused to comment on the matter on Tuesday. On the other hand, Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Mladen Ivanic stressed that it is an expected continuation of international policy that is directed against the RS and which favors one side only.

Izetbegovic doubts status of B&H Croats will improve any time soon (FTV/TV1)

The Chairman of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic said in Brussels on Tuesday that he doubted that B&H would change its legislation any time soon to improve the status of the Croats in the country and implement the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case, which allows members of ethnic minorities to run in elections for the highest offices in the country. Addressing the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Izetbegovic said that B&H was facing the task of implementing the Sejdic-Finci ruling and that the future agreement on this matter could take account of some of the legitimate objections raised by the Croats in B&H. “However, I fear that despite the urgency it will be very difficult to agree on these issues because they require the support of a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the state parliament, which consist of representatives of 14 different political parties,” said Izetbegovic.

Izetbegovic also said that B&H was currently the fastest growing economy in the region and that the progress the country had made in the past 18 months was greater than in the entire previous decade. “The future of B&H lies firmly in the EU. We are confident that full integration into the EU is the best way for our country to achieve stability, security and prosperity. We have no alternative,” Izetbegovic said.

Izetbegovic stated in Brussels that B&H has no intention of disrupting its relations with Croatia. “On the contrary, we want to improve those relations, as well as the position of Croats in B&H,” Izetbegovic said, adding that politicians had no impact on the recent arrests in Orasje. He stressed that he does not understand what Zagreb’s problem is, recalling that Naser Oric, Sakib Mahmuljin and defenders of Gorazde are all being tried before the Court of B&H. “I do not know under whose influence this is being done, but Zagreb is linking this to the Bosniak policy, but there is neither basis nor logic for something like that. Acting Chief Prosecutor of B&H, who is of Croat ethnicity, launched those proceedings against Croats who allegedly committed crimes against Serbs in Orasje. Director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of B&H that carried out the arrests in Orasje is a Serb. Crimes were allegedly committed by Croats against Serbs, and I do not see Bosniaks anywhere in that story,” Izetbegovic said, adding that Croatia is B&H’s most important neighbor in terms of the European path. “Therefore, we have to do everything in our power to overcome this situation,” Izetbegovic underlined.

B&H CEC hands over certificates of election to 130 newly elected heads of municipalities and ten mayors in B&H (TV1)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H handed over certificates of election to 130 newly elected heads of municipalities and ten mayors in B&H at a ceremony held in Sarajevo on Tuesday. Six newly elected heads of municipalities from the Una-Sana Canton (USC) left Tuesday’s ceremony at the moment when Fikret Abdic, the new Head of Velika Kladusa Municipality and a convicted war criminal, was receiving his certificate. Mayor of Bihac Suhret Fazlic said that they do not only believe that Abdic should not be given a certificate of election but that he should not be the Head of Velika Kladusa Municipality. “He should not be sitting with us and he should not even be in B&H. He is a war criminal and we should not have allowed him to run for Head of Velika Kladusa Municipality,” Fazlic stressed. Meanwhile, newly elected Head of Srebrenica Municipality Mladen Grujicic also received a certificate of election. “I will do everything in my power to form authorities in Srebrenica which will work to the benefit of the citizens and which will be multiethnic, and I believe that such a team will contribute to development of Srebrenica. I think that the key to success in Srebrenica is for Serbs and Bosniaks to unite so that we can work together on ensuring a better life for the citizens of Srebrenica,” Grujicic stressed. CEC confirmed the results of local elections for 73 municipal councils, 57 municipal assemblies, 130 heads of municipalities, four city councils, six city assemblies, ten mayors and the Assembly of Brcko District.

CEDC pledges stronger support to Bosnia on its path to NATO and EU (HRT)

The countries of the Central European Defense Cooperation (CEDC) initiative, meeting in Sarajevo on Tuesday, pledged stronger support to B&H in the Euro-Atlantic integration processes and closer cooperation in preventing illegal migrations for the sake of stability in Southeast Europe. “If there is a migration crisis in B&H, which we discussed with our colleagues from Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro yesterday, we will be here to support you,” Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said. He noted that the Central European countries were already present in B&H as part of the EU military mission Althea and that their position was to maintain this mission in cooperation with B&H. Croatia was represented at the meeting by the Assistant Minister for Defense Policy, Nikola Brzica. B&H Defense Minister Marina Pendes said that the representatives of the six countries had also discussed security cooperation, including the fight against terrorism and all forms of organized crime. The CEDC initiative brings together the defense ministers of Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Croatian Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic cancelled his attendance on Monday. His office denied reports that the reason for the cancellation was the fact that as a Croatian army general he was suspected of war crimes committed in western B&H in 1995.

Medenica: Judges are ready for terrorism-related cases (Dnevne novine)

In an interview with Dnevne novine, the president of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica said that judges must not be caught unready for the new serious or unusual indictments for any developments classified as crimes, including terrorism. Commenting on the evidence that state prosecutors collected in relation to the preparation of a terrorist attack, Medenica pointed out that she would not talk about the case until the indictment is issued.

“I’ll be careful, because my professionalism and judicial ethics require not to comment on the case until the indictment is formed. Then I will also talk about that with a lot of caution. But I can tell you that the courts and judges must not be caught unready for a new serious or unusual indictment for any developments classified as crime. They must be ready and there is no concern about the quality of judicial decisions in any criminal matter included in a good indictment. Judges make decisions about lives, freedoms, rights, duties and property of citizens and legal persons and will always perform my honorable judge’s duty in a way that citizens recognize through court decisions that they are fully protected,” Medenica told Dnevne novine. She said that everyone should have the same task, meaning the police, special teams, security services, state prosecutors and judges because it is the only way we can be full guarantor of legal security of citizens. “The way our security services, the police, and particularly the Special State Prosecutor responded deserves praise, since citizens were reassured by it. From this perspective, it seems that a tragedy has been prevented in Montenegro. These developments, as well as those preceded them, such as hacker attacks, showed that the state must develop and improve future precautious measures and work on the education and training of all those who need to ensure the safety of all our citizens,” Medenica said.

Tensions rising at SDSM: Resignation of Kunovska credited to party’s vice president (Dnevnik.mk)

When decisions were made about candidate list positions, Vice President of SDSM Radmila Sekerinska had the final say on the matter, Dnevnik reports citing party sources. According to the newspaper, all inter-party bickering and public reactions were in fact caused by Sekerinska. After the establishment of the 6 candidate lists on Sunday, Sofija Kunovska, president of SDSM City organization, resigned because Nikola Gruevski’s former coalition partner ranked high on the lists, while she was not even considered. But after the party’s conference and in front of camera, Kunovska never revealed the reasons for her resignation. “SDSM management felt the tension and disapproval straight after the presentation of the candidate lists at the congress as they witnessed the negative reactions first hand. It was too late for a change as lists were already approved by the central and executive committees. Zaev accepted all of Sekerinska’s suggestions and because of her, Goran Sugarevski and Sofija Kunovska were replaced by Liljana Popovska and Hari Lokvenec, Dnevnik informs.

The case with Kunovska got a new dimension, when Popovska publicly announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy over the steaming reactions in the public as well as SDSM. She did not miss a chance to leave that spot open for a member of her party. However, Popovska did not discover who will replace her in the second electoral district. “I have given up positions many times, and I do not want to create divisions in the party, and will do so this time as well. DOM has an excellent staff, and those that will become part of the parliament will continue fighting for democracy with my help. In politics, a personal example is very important. I have never regretted my steps, and will not regret now. One has to stay true to the principles and think of the greater good,” Popovska said.

Apart from Kunovska and Sugarevski, the lists did not include Marjanco Nikolov and Kire Naumov, as well as other close associates of Zoran Zaev. All this, according to Dnevnik sources, will only make matters worse and some of the SDSM members also said the largest opposed party might come to an end. According to political analysts, candidate lists only show that Zaev has come to terms with the failure and it is important to him to choose people who will stay loyal in order to avoid overturn in his party. According to Vladimir Bozinovski, the leader of SDSM wants to make sure to stay in the leadership position of his party, and that is why he gave up his quality staff that can boycott his decisions, therefore choosing people who are unknown to the public. “These are Marijanco Nikolov and Goran Sugarevski, people respected where they come from. On the other hand, the second electoral district has more candidates channeling radical Islamist ideas. By doing so, SDSM wants to attract new voters, but there is a greater probability that the party will lose its traditional voters, and create more damage than benefits,” pointed Bozinovski in a statement. According to Bozinovski, a special commentary should be made for leaders of the so-called Colorful Revolution who were placed higher on the candidacy lists. This only proves that the “colorful protesters” were a mere product of SDSM. Although the initial idea was to be a civic movement that is unsatisfied with the decision of President Ivanov was immediately “kidnapped” by the SDSM. How else can be interpreted and after the withdrawal of the abolition they continued with protests and new requirements. Thus it became clear that the “colorful” are the product of SDSM, Bozinovski said.

Albanian PM: Albania’s and Kosovo’s great friend did not win (ATA/CDM)

Hillary Clinton, a great friend of Albania, Kosovo, and all Albanians, did not win in the U.S. presidential elections. This is what Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama posted on Facebook on Wednesday. As he stated, the American people have made their choice, and Clinton will not become the first woman president. “Her opponent, Donald Trump, has become the 45th president of the U.S.,” Rama explains. Rama also congratulated Trump on his victory, and wished success to “the friends and partners” in the U.S. ” Our strategic relations with the United States will further strengthen based on values and mutual interests, which make Albania a precious ally of the American people and government,” Rama wrote on Facebook.

In a statement, the President of the Republic Bujar Nishani noted that Albania and the United States have an enduring and consolidated friendship. “I would like to extend my best congratulations to the American people for demonstrating highest form of democracy,” President Nishani said. According to Nishani, U.S. enters a new era that will introduce a new dimension of cooperation between U.S. and its allies, including the strengthening of cooperation with Albania. “U.S. and Albanians have an enduring and consolidated friendship. The challenge is how we will approach to the model of democracy,” Nishani said.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Don’t Expect Balkan U-Turns From Trump Presidency (BIRN, by Milan Misic, 9 November 2016)

Serbs may be rejoicing over the Republican candidate’s win, but substantial changes in US relations with the region are unlikely.

The results were declared at 11 pm, and Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by a narrow margin of 127 by 117. That was the outcome of the mock election held at the well-attended Election Night party at the Belgrade Crown Plaza hotel, organized by the US embassy here with a local NGO, the Center for Social Dialogue and Regional Initiatives. The party lasted until midnight and invitees talked about their expectations and guessed the likely result of the most brutal, divisive and at times even uncivilized campaign in modern US history. A consensus emerged that early trends – enthusiastic voting among Hispanics and women, were favoring Hillary Clinton. When guest woke up the Wednesday morning, they were greeted with the shocking news of Donald Trump’s incredible victory – a stunning upset – to quote the headlines from American news websites. But for the Balkans as a region it was mostly welcome news. It was for sure hailed most by people in Serbia and by Serbs in the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska, where the first woman to become the presidential candidate of a major party is a living symbol of their unfortunate recent history – the NATO bombing campaign of 1999 over Kosovo, ordered by her husband, the 42nd US president, Bill Clinton. Less enthusiastic about the billionaire tycoon who will soon move to the White House are Kosovo Albanians, who owe their independence (still contested by Serbia) to the Clintons. The former US president even has a boulevard named after him in Pristina, the Kosovo capital, together with a larger-than-life statue (Hillary has got only a fancy boutique named after her). Bosniaks, Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina, also felt the extension of the Democratic regime in Washington would be preferable, hoping that it would persist in trying to reopen the 1995 Dayton Agreement and curb the secessionist ideas of Republika Srpska. While Trump’s victory for sure upsets many American allies, since he gave many statements promising to rearrange US obligations, one thing is for sure: the Balkans will not be the primary focus of US foreign policy. Trump and the new Secretary of State will be busy sorting out the mess in the Middle East, relations with resurgent Russia, the rise of China and so on. Already established fundamentals of US Balkan policy will most probably stay: Kosovo’s independence will not be revoked, it is just the completion of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and it is a solution far more stable than Kosovo with uncooperative Albanians staying as part of Serbia. Serbia for itself will continue to be encouraged to proceed towards the EU, reform itself in the process and continue “normalisation” with Kosovo, fending off Moscow’s recently more bolder attempts to lure Serbia into its fold. Meanwhile, the question of Serbia’s NATO membership – a highly sensitive and divisive issue in her domestic politics – may be kept in cold storage. The rest of the region can also expect more of the same: new attempts to rearrange Bosnia’s highly dysfunctional political system, and further support to Montenegro in formalizing NATO membership and consolidating its divorce from Russia, particularly after the unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the election and arrest or even kill the Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic – details of which are still emerging. There is another fact in play in the Balkans: the role of emotions in judging both foreign friends and perceived enemies is much more felt here than elsewhere. Balkanians in general do not understand the concept of “frenemies” – that yesterday enemies can really be today’s friends – and that US foreign policy takes a lot of negotiations among its state institutions before it can be formed and that, for the same reason, it cannot be easily changed. So, no U-turns are to be expected, even with Donald Trump at the helm. Milan Misic is the former editor-in-chief of Politika (2001-2005) and was Politika’s correspondent in New Delhi, Tokyo and Washington.The opinions expressed in the comments section are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of BIRN.

Trump Triumph Celebrated and Mourned in Balkans (BIRN Team, 9 November 2016)

While many Serbs, Macedonians and Montenegrins hailed the victory of Donald Trump, many Albanians and Bosniaks are lamenting the defeat of Hillary Clinton.

Serbia – end of ‘Clinton era’ welcomed: Like most other Balkan presidents and premiers, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his surprise victory in the 2016 US presidential elections on Wednesday. “Leadership, which you have showed during campaign, represents the strong will that is necessary not only for the citizens of the US but the whole world,” Vucic’s office cited his message as reading. Vucic, who has been struggling to balance growing cooperation with the EU and US with historic links to Russia, said he hoped that Serbia would continue to develop its relationship with the US.

Serbian right-wing parties celebrated Trump’s victory more openly as a win also for their icon, Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Like many other people in Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro, they have bitter memories of American military involvement in the bombings of Bosnian Serb positions in Bosnia in 1995 and of Serbian positions in 1999. These all took place during the presidency of Bill Clinton, for which many people in the Balkans still resent Hillary, seeing her as the custodian of her husband’s legacy. The ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, SRS, celebrated Trump’s win as a foretaste of what could happen in Serbia. “Last night you saw that it can happen in America, it can happen also in Serbia,” SRS chief Vojislav Seselj said, promoting his bid for the Serbian presidency in 2017.  He mocked the reaction of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who said he regretted that “the great friend of Kosovo and Albanians [Hillary Clinton] did not make it.” “F..k it, our (friend – Trump) did,” Seselj said. Bosko Obradovic, leader of the pro-Russian Dveri movement, told BIRN that Trump’s election opened up a new era in relations between the US and Serbia, and in the whole world. “This is an end of an era in which the US had a negative role in world history. This is the beginning of a trend on the global scene, the next is France, then Austria and hopefully, next year in the presidential elections, in Serbia,” he said, anticipating that right-wing candidates will keep on winning. Parties on the centre or the left of the political spectrum in Serbia were more guarded. But philosophy Professor Jovo Bakic told BIRN that it was predictable that right-wing parties in Serbia were upbeat. “Hillary Clinton is hated in Serbia,” he said. “Similar parties are also cheering their counterparts in the US. However, whether Trump will change US politics towards the Balkans or not remains in question,” he said. When it comes to Trump’s foreign policy towards the Balkans, everything was hanging in the air, he noted. “There is only a slim chance that something huge will change. Big powers do not make U-turns so easily. However, if the relationship between US and Russia progresses, the whole world would benefit,” Bakic concluded. Montenegro – pro-Russian forces heartened: Similar celebrations took place in neighbouring Montenegro, where internal divisions are sharp between pro-Western and pro-Russian forces, and which recently received an invitation to join NATO. Pro-Serbian and pro-Russian groups and media celebrated Trump’s victory as a win against the odds. In a post on social networks, one of the leaders of the pro-Russian opposition Democratic Front, Slaven Radunovic, said Trump had won against all odds and had defeated the establishment, the liberal media, analysts, surveys and even some Republicans. “That is why, far from the US, in tiny Montenegro, he had the support of the Democratic Front. Because we know what it’s like,” Radunovic wrote. Marko Milacic, leader of the Montenegrin Movement for Independence, said that he was pleased not so much by Trump’s victory as by the defeat of his opponents, the American establishment and Clinton. “It is paradoxical but Trump is hope, no matter how hopeless he may look,” Milacic said. After the results of the election were announced, the US ambassador, Margaret Ann Uyehara, at an election breakfast in the capital, Podgorica, said that regardless who won, relations between Montenegro and the US would continue to deepen. “Democracy is about recognizing the results of the election and coming together to work for the best interests of the country,” she said.  Romania – worried about future of NATO: As a staunch NATO and EU member, Romania is worried about a possible change of US policy towards the EU, NATO and Russia under Trump. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday sent a letter of congratulations to Trump, stressing that Romania and the US have a solid relationship and that their partnership is a key element in defining Romania’s role as a member of NATO and the European Union. “Romania remains committed to deepening the bilateral cooperation in the security sector and to acting as an ally and strategic partner of the US,” Iohannis said. Many analysts spoke out in less guarded terms about Trump’s victory. “We are unlikely to see a change in US foreign policy in the short term but it is worrying that Trump and his team could loosen US involvement in NATO or its support for the EU’s policy towards Russia,” political analyst Andrei Tanea said. On the other hand, analysts doubt a major economic impact. “The national currency could be influenced by the situation on international markets and could plunge, but the depreciation – if any – will be most likely minor and short term. Otherwise, Romania’s business will be not affected as exports to the US are only 2 per cent of Romania’s total exports,” economic analyst Florin Sinca said. Croatia – concerns about US isolationism:  In Croatia, Cody McClain Brown, a US professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Political Sciences, told BIRN that Trump’s victory probably “won’t change much on a bilateral level between the US and Croatia. “Where I am a bit nervous is if you look at Trump’s view of Europe and especially NATO – he’s been very disparaging of NATO; that could allow other regional influences, whatever Russian or maybe Turkish, into the Balkans. That could destabilise the region,” he said. Noting Russia’s alleged attempts to influence elections in Montenegro, he said: “In order to counter strong Russian influence in the region, a strong relationship between Europe and US must exist.” He added: “His supporters are a lot of far-right nationalists; a Ku Klux Klan newspaper ‘The Crusader’ endorsed him; he’s the first presidential candidate since World War Two to win [the elections] with the endorsement of the KKK,” he further explained. But Brown added that Trump would have to change his position once when he becomes US President and “sees the realities of the world”. He concluded that while Trump’s call for fewer US military interventions might be a good thing, it could also lead to “a sort of American isolationism”, which would be “bad for both US and the world at this moment”. Bulgaria – too busy with elections to care:  Bulgarian politicians seemed too preoccupied with the runoff of the presidential elections on November 13 to comment immediately on Trump’s victory. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Wednesday just said:  “Let’s congratulate each other on the new American President.” Some MPs said no serious consequences for Bulgaria could be expected from the shift in power in the US. “The US is the most democratic country and I am convinced that neither his [Trump’s] headquarters, nor his staff, nor his experts … will sharply change the course of the United states,” Bulgarian National Radio quoted Tsvetan Tsvetanov, vice-president of Borissov’s centre-right GERB party, as saying in parliament. He added that the US would remain the key factor in NATO and the transatlantic partnership with Europe. Socialist MP and former foreign minister Kristian Vigenin said he expected relations between the US and Russia to improve, which could benefit for Bulgaria, which also finds itself caught between its current and former ally.  Macedonia – no change in policy on the cards: The US ambassador to Macedonia, Jess Baily, said that American policy towards the divided country will not change. Speaking in Skopje, Baily said that the US would remain committed to Macedonia’s stability and EU path. Macedonian politicians preparing for a battle of their own in the December 11 general elections congratulated the new US president. “I can’t say that I am not sorry that a woman did not win. But the US elections have shown that even big media support is not enough when citizens want changes,” the vice-president of the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, Radmila Shekerinska, said. “Everybody was predicting Clinton’s victory but the opposite happened. That reflects the democratic will of the citizens, same as will happen in December 11 in Macedonia,” she added.  Albanian: support for Clinton now a liability: Many Albanians were strongly rooting for Hilary Clinton, mostly due to the involvement of her husband, President Bill Clinton, in resolving the war for independence in neighbouring Kosovo in the 1990s. They strongly supported Hillary during her presidential campaign, which has now turned into an embarrassment. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was broadly commended by the international media in April when he told an interview on CNN that “God forbid” Trump became the next US President. “It would harm America very much, and it would harm very much the democratic world,” Rama said on that occasion. On Wednesday, Rama had to congratulate Trump – albeit through social networks – stressing that he was sure the Albania relationship with the US would only grow stronger. But he also admitted he was sorry for Clinton’s defeat. “A great friend of Albania, Kosovo and all Albanians, Hillary Clinton couldn’t make it to be elected as the first US female president,” he wrote. On the other hand, opposition leader Lulzim Basha said the Trump victory sent an important message about democracy. For all their sympathy and support for Clinton, analysts believe that a Trump presidency will not directly affect Albania. However, Lutfi Dervishi, a media professor and analyst, told BIRN that “a Trump victory will indirectly affect American foreign policy in the region and especially towards NATO”. Kosovo – hopes linger that US alliance is unchanged:

Kosovo politicians put a brave face on the defeat of Kosovo’s firm US ally, Clinton. Behgjet Bacolli, head of the New Kosovo Alliance, said:”I believe that Albanians regardless of the winner will be behind the will of the American people. Congratulations!” he wrote. President Hashim Thaci formally congratulated Trump on behalf of Kosovo’s institutions and its people. “Being aware of the leading role of the United States in the international arena, I am convinced that the newly elected president, with the highest responsibility, will globally address the many challenges,” he wrote. “Everlasting friendship between our countries and peoples is the foundation upon which we will continue deepening bilateral cooperation,” Thaci added. The head of the opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, Ramush Haradinaj, said he was convinced that the US would remain a strategic partner for Kosovo and the Balkans. Zenun Halili, professor of international relations at the University of Pristina, told BIRN that people in Kosovo had supported Hillary Clinton regardless of political ideologies. But he added that the US would likely keep on supporting Kosovo, as an area of US geopolitical interests.  He also noted that Trump cannot simply dictate policy. “Power in the US is also separated and balanced so President Trump cannot take decisions only upon his own initiative but is obliged to cooperate with Congress and others in politics for each step,” he stated. Bosnia – Serbs joyful, Bosniaks more guarded: The Chairman of the Bosnian Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, congratulated Trump on Wednesday, expressing hopes that cooperation between Bosnia and the US would continue. “We are allies and they [the Americans] supported us strongly in establishing peace, stabilization and our path towards NATO membership,” media quoted Izetbegovic as saying from Brussels, where he was meeting NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, to discuss Bosnia’s moves towards NATO membership. Meanwhile, in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, analysts said that Trump’s election would relieve international pressure on Serbs generally. Military and political analyst Gostimir Popovic and political scientist Srdjan Kesar said on TC that Serbs needed to see the positive side of the Trump win and lobby hard in Washington to ensure a positive change in Washington’s attitude to Serbs in Republika Srpska and Serbia. Serbs generally have a better relationship with Republicans than Democrats, Kesar said. Meanwhile, many some Bosnians living in the US lamented that they would rather move back to Bosnia than live in the US with Trump as president. A user going by Ahmed Lizalovic, from Bosnia, tweeted: “As a Muslim immigrant, I am truly disappointed in the ‘friends’ who voted for Trump & supported his platform based on bigotry and xenophobia.” A Twitter user going by the name of Emina Musinovic tweeted a picture of a Google search for air ticket sales alongside the words: “When you find out Trump is ahead in the election”.

Albania Opposition Criticised for Obstructing EU Progress (BIRN, by Fatjona Mejdini, 9 November 2016)

The Albanian opposition’s attempts to prevent a date being set for the opening of EU accession negotiations is politically-motivated and will damage the country’s chances of progress towards membership, analysts said.

Analysts have criticised Albania’s opposition Democratic Party for seeking to block the setting of a date for the opening of EU accession negotiations. The Democrats have insisted that the government must first implement a law that seeks to oust people with criminal pasts from politics, and must also hold free and fair elections next year. Most Albanian opposition MPs on the EU-Albania Parliamentary Committee for Stabilisation and Association voted on Tuesday against a resolution that suggested that the EU Commission and Council should open the accession talks. Taulant Balla, an MP from the governing Socialist Party who is also the vice chairman of EU-Albania Parliamentary Committee, said however that the resolution passed anyway. “The opposition could not spoil the good news that Albania is expected on Wednesday to have a positive recommendation from the Commission for opening accession negotiations with the EU,” Balla wrote on Facebook. On Monday, the opposition group asked for its two main conditions to be included in the resolution. “These are also the EU’s conditions for Albania,” the leader of the opposition, Lulzim Basha, told journalists in Tirana on Tuesday.

The EU Commission however has five conditions for Albania to implement in order for the country to open the accession talks. These concern public administration reforms, efforts to fight corruption and crime and protecting human rights, as well as the drafting and implementation of judiciary reform. Analysts said the opposition’s move was not surprising because Albania’s political parties have always prioritised their own interests over the future of the country.

Afrim Krasniqi, director of the Albanian Institute for Political Studies, told BIRN that for years now, the two main political parties have been supporting EU integration processes while in power but impeding them while in opposition in order to undermine the governing administration. “This is one of the biggest mistakes, it is irresponsible and doesn’t make any sense. Parties say that there is a consensus when it comes to integration, but the truth is that they want to gain electoral credit from the process,” he said. Krasniqi said that this reflects the poor state of democracy and political party culture in Albania. Skender Minxhozi, editor-in-chief of the Java News portal and a political analyst, told BIRN that opposition is taking a big risk in trying to impede the country’s progress towards the EU. “This is an utter political myopia and it is going to create side-effects for the opposition,” he said. Minxhozi said that the closer Albania gets to the EU, the better the chances of improving its democracy – and vice versa. “If the country is isolated, there are more changes for corruption to increase and the government to grow authoritarian. So the opposition has just miscalculated its actions,” he said. Gjergji Vurmo, an EU integration expert at Albania’s Institute for Democracy told BIRN that the two main parties, the Socialists and Democrats, have both tried to block the integration process for political reasons. “Is a pity that Albania has been taken hostage by irresponsible political elites,” he said.