LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Serbia fully committed to preservation of peace (Beta/RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told the Summit of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Podgorica that Serbia is a military neutral country, committed to cooperating with all partners.

At the working part of the summit, Brnabic concluded that preserving international peace and security is a challenge for the whole international community, and stressed that Serbia is fully committed to the values of the United Nations when it comes to peacekeeping. She recalled that since 2003, the Serbian armed forces have been participating in peacekeeping operations around the world, and that at this moment 332 members of the Serbian Armed Forces are in peacekeeping missions, providing assistance to the most vulnerable. Serbian troops, as she said, are engaged in Congo, Liberia, Cyprus, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Mali, and according to the number of soldiers involved, Serbia ranks seventh in Europe and is 45th in the world. According to Brnabic, by participating in United Nations and European Union peacekeeping operations, Serbia confirms its commitment to cooperation with EU countries and EU institutions. The Prime Minister reiterated that Serbia is a military neutral country, but a responsible, predictable and reliable partner of the Alliance, and that it fully respects its neighbors’ commitment to their membership in NATO. Speaking about the security of the region, Brnabic recalled the migrant crisis in which Serbia is giving an active and constructive contribution, which is why it is often praised. Our country has shown that it is ready to take over its share of the burden and share its responsibility in dealing with the migrant crisis, she said, adding that the joint forces of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior engaged in securing the state border give their special contribution. Our commitment remains firmer cooperation with the countries of the region, and not isolation, Brnabic pointed out. When it comes to cooperation with neighbors, the Prime Minister pointed out that the preservation of regional peace and stability is very important, because without it there is no economic recovery and stability, and therefore no achievement of European standards and values. The continuation of economic reforms, increased competitiveness and joint infrastructure projects are our future, Brnabic said, adding that Serbia will pay the greatest attention to it in its foreign policy.

Brnabic: As it stands, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue at presidential level (Beta/Prva TV)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said in Podgorica that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue would, by the look of things, be raised to the presidential level. Brnabic told Prva TV in Podgorica, where she met, among others, with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on the margins of the Adriatic Charter Summit, that Serbia had fulfilled most of the Brussels Agreement and that it was now up to Pristina to implement what had been signed. In her words, Pristina should above all implement the Community of Serb Municipalities and Serbia agrees on that matter with the U.S. and other powers. She said that a meeting with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci had not been planned at the summit in Podgorica and that she had only greeted him in passing. Brnabic also conveyed to reporters Pence’s satisfaction with the Serbian government’s commitment to continued cooperation with the U.S. “Vice President Pence voiced his satisfaction with the recent meeting with President (of Serbia Aleksandar) Vucic and the Serbian cabinet’s general commitment to going into further cooperation and implementation of agreements on better economic, business and military security cooperation, but certainly always with respect for Serbia’s complete military neutrality,” said the prime minister.

Brnabic, Pence: Improving relations with US one of Serbia’s top priorities (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met with US Vice President Michael Pence on the sidelines of the Summit of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Podgorica. Brnabic expressed her satisfaction with the recent successful working visit of President Vucic to Washington that encouraged the further development of cooperation between the two countries. She pointed out that this speaks in favor of the fact that improvement of overall bilateral relations with the United States is one of Serbia’s foreign policy priorities. Brnabic pointed to the importance of the US support to the European integration process of Serbia, and expressed hope that in this regard, our country will also have the support of the new US administration. She emphasized that Serbia’s pre-eminent interest is preserving the peace and stability of the Western Balkan region, noting that our country has a constructive approach and that it will have the same approach in the future. She underlined that only preservation of peace and stability in the region, as well as resolution of all outstanding issues through dialogue and the search for a compromise can contribute to the progress of the region, the continuation of the reform processes and the strengthening of interconnectedness. The officials also discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of security, where it was noted that the greatest advance is seen in the area of armed forces and police was achieved in the previous period. Accordingly, Brnabic pointed to the full commitment of Serbia to the fight against international terrorism and the readiness to actively contribute to the suppression of this global problem.

Brnabic and Pence also discussed the Brussels dialogue and the implementation of the Brussels agreement, and the Prime Minister stressed the necessity of the forming of the Community of Serbian municipalities soon.

Brnabic, Markovic: Continuing fruitful cooperation with Montenegro (RTS)

Brnabic met on the sidelines of the Summit of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) with Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, to whom she told that a successful path of one country to the EU contributes to bringing the whole region closer to the same goal. Brnabic told her Montenegrin counterpart that Serbia wants to continue fruitful cooperation with Montenegro, adding that all outstanding issues between the two countries should be resolved by mutual dialogue in a mutually acceptable way. When it comes to the European integration process, she noted that the cooperation with Montenegro is very positive and welcomed the country’s progress on its path to EU membership. She pointed to the fact that there is a mutual interest in the implementation of joint projects, primarily in the area of transport and infrastructure. Brnabic and Markovic also discussed the issue of the position of the Serbs in Montenegro, and the Serbian Prime Minister stressed that she expects respect for the rights of Serbs, their language, identity and cultural heritage in Montenegro. She also referred to the Summit of leaders of the countries of the Western Balkans, held in Trieste on 12 July, and stressed that the results of that meeting are very important both from the economic and the political standpoint.

Brnabic, Zvizdic: B&H one of key partners of Serbia in region (RTS)

Brnabic met on the sidelines of the Summit of the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Podgorica with Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic. Brnabic pointed out that Serbia strongly supports the development of relations with B&H, which is seen as one of the key partners in the region. She added that Serbia expects further intensification of political dialogue at all levels, and hopes to continue the practice of holding joint sessions of the government of Serbia and the Council of Ministers. She underlined that Serbia is satisfied with the fact that there is mutual support in the process of European integration and regional cooperation, as well as mutual interest in strengthening mutual cooperation in that area. Brnabic added that she is satisfied that Serbia and B&H are participating and successfully cooperating in several regional initiatives within the Berlin Process. She noted that B&H is one of the most important economic partners of Serbia, emphasizing the importance of further development of economic cooperation, through the growth of trade exchange, investment cooperation, infrastructure projects and joint appearance in the third market, especially in the military and construction industries. We believe that there is a mutual interest in revitalizing the infrastructure that connects us, said Brnabic and emphasized modernization and construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo road and railroad routes, construction of the interstate bridge Ljubovija-Bratunac and further work on energy projects on the Drina River as priorities.

Vucic: Good Serb-Bosniak relations key to regional peace (Tanjug)

Good relations between Serbs and Bosniaks are key to maintaining peace and stability in the region as well as to economic progress of the Western Balkans, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic noted on Thursday in a conversation with B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic. Vucic and Ivanic met in Belgrade to discuss the situation in the region, the political and economic relations between Serbia and B&H and the geopolitical situation.

Vucic has four-hour long talk with EEAS Director (Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic talked with the director for Western Europe, the Western Balkans and Turkey at the European External Action Service, Angelina Eichhorst, about the situation in the region, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Serbia’s European integration and the relationship between Serbia and Russia. According to a statement from the president’s office, Vucic and Eichhorst said that peace and stability in the Western Balkans were the most important prerequisite for economic progress. Eichhorst said that the EU completely supported

President Vucic and Serbia in the efforts to have the country and region make headway on the European path and in legal and economic reforms, reads the statement.

In a conversation that lasted over four hours, they discussed all matters that are significant for Serbia, as well as its EU path, the presidential press office said in a statement.

Dacic: Call for dialogue is not call for recognition (RTS)

Asked to comment on the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was misunderstood when he called for a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo and that everyone thought it was a step towards Serbia accepting Kosovo as an independent country, noting Serbia will never do this. He believes that only through dialogue will Serbia and Kosovo overcome their problems. He says that nobody should interfere in the issue on the dialogue if the Serbs and Albanians support it. When asked about the US-Adriatic Charter Summit in Podgorica and how he perceived the messages sent from the Summit, Dacic corrected the RTS presenter and said that the US-Adriatic Charter Summit is no regional convention of leaders and that Serbia only stands as an observer country at this Summit. He added: “The Summit gathers countries of the Western Balkans that want to become part of NATO. That is the main difference between this Summit and other summits Serbia attended.” Dacic said that the US-Adriatic Charter Summit was raised to a higher level this year, because the host of the Summit was Montenegro, the youngest member of NATO. He added that it he respects Montenegro, but does not support the statement made by US Vice President Mike Pence that Montenegro has a key role in defending the stability of Western Balkans.

Pressure is again exercised on the regional countries to decide in favour of the East or West, but Serbia wants no part in it, Dacic said. At the summit of the US-Adriatic Charter once again terms from the times when Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain could be heard, Dacic told Radio Television Serbia (RTS). “What West when the Berlin Wall has fallen? Where is the East? There is no more of the Communist bloc. This is about Russia: everything is viewed through relations with Russia”, he said. Serbia does not want to decide in this way, he added. “Serbia is for itself, not for the East or the West”, Dacic said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Zvizdic addresses Adriatic Charter Summit (TV1)

Chairman of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic addressed attendees of the Adriatic Charter Summit and said that messages delivered at the Summit are very positive for B&H. Zvizdic explained that the Summit was a chance to reaffirm commitment of Western Balkan countries to implementation of projects leading them towards EU membership. According to Zvizdic, B&H will continue moving on its path of Euro-Atlantic integration. Zvizdic went on to say that the EU membership is the most important common goal of Western Balkan countries that enables them to strengthen regional cooperation in political, economic and social sense. Zvizdic added that it is also important that the messages at the Summit included mentioning of the terms regional cooperation, peace, stabilization, reconciliation, and integration into the EU and NATO. The CoM Chairman finds that these terms mean precisely everything that the Western Balkans needs when it comes to the region’s European perspective, economic development, strengthening of rule of law and improvement of living standards of citizens. Speaking about the main goals that are important for B&H’s Euro-Atlantic path, Zvizdic singled out the goal of obtaining the EU candidate status and activation of NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). In this regard, Zvizdic expressed expectation that B&H will be granted the EU candidate status next year. He referred to these two goals as “the two most important foreign policy goals of B&H that will certainly lead to stabilization of the situation in B&H”. He deems that B&H “de facto belongs in the EU” and it is up to its authorities to complete activities on the Euro-Atlantic integration path. Reflecting on the speech delivered by US Vice President Pence at the Summit, Zvizdic assessed that the speech brought new optimism and new hope bearing in mind how the US Vice President confirmed that “the Western Balkans remains in the focus of interest of the US and their European partners”. In addition, the CoM Chairman emphasized that Pence’s message gives B&H additional energy to continue fulfilling all the goals to make it part of the families of European countries as well as of NATO.

Brnabic: Serbia may introduce counter-measures for Croatia (Dnevni avaz)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated in a brief interview for the daily that her country does not rule out a possibility of introducing counter-measures to the Croatia’s decision to increase customs fees for import of agricultural products from the region. She also said that solution will be reached as soon as possible. “We are not willing to reach counter-measures. I would not go there. Serbia proved to be constructive, tolerant, and, over the past few years, flexible too”, she stressed, adding that, nevertheless, Serbia will have to protect its producers if the situation continues. Brnabic also said that official Zagreb did not even announce this new measure but that exporters faced it on borders. Asked about her plans to visit B&H, now that she was sent an official invitation, Brnabic said that a good part of the regional meetings is the fact that the Balkans prime ministers are meeting often. “The bad part is that we travel a lot and have no time for bilateral meetings and talks”, she added. Brnabic further noted that B&H is very important to Serbia and the government of Serbia. “We are committed to continue good cooperation with B&H. I talk to my colleague Denis Zvizdic and we talked about the visit. I hope it will take place soon”, she concluded.

Salkic: Dodik’s policy of disputing Bosnian language aims to destabilize B&H (TV1)

Commenting on the issue related to disputing of use of the term ‘Bosnian language’ in the RS, RS Vice President Ramiz Salkic (SDA) said that RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik conducts such policy with the aim to destabilize BiH and prevent it from making further progress. According to Salkic, Dodik’s behavior related to ‘Bosnian language’ is influenced by Serbian Academy of Science and Arts (SANU)’s conclusions according to which this language does not exist. Salkic stressed that the Serb Orthodox Church and its Patriarch also deny existence of ‘Bosnian language’ and “even in some way the statehood of B&H”. Salkic assessed that the issue of ‘Bosnian language’ is what currently brings most political points to Dodik, due to which he uses it in an attempt to keep his political popularity. Salkic believes that the RS President has nothing special to offer to the citizens in the RS “because the whole economic system and the budget are obviously in a huge crisis”. Reflecting on the fact that textbooks in ‘Bosnian language’ are being printed for Bosniaks in Serbia, Salkic reminded that Bosniaks are ethnic minority in Serbia and, on the EU path, that country has the need to show respect towards ethnic minorities. However, Salkic does not expect Serbia to help solve the issue of ‘Bosnian language’ “bearing in mind the stances” of SANU and the Serb Orthodox Church that deny Bosnian identity. “Still, it is necessary to know that relations of authorities in Serbia with authorities in the RS are not the way they used to be. It seems to me that Serbia itself is seeking a political alternative”, Salkic remarked.

Bratic: Sensitive issues such as issue of language are used for diverting of attention (TV1)

Deputy Speaker of the RS Assembly Senad Bratic (Coalition ‘Domovina’) stated in Banja Luka on Wednesday that sensitive issues such as the issue of language are used for diverting of attention from pressing social and economic problems in the RS. Bratic assessed as unacceptable to dispute the term ‘Bosnian language’ in the RS and reminded that the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H has ruled that each people has the right to call their language the way they like. Bratic pointed out that ‘Bosnian language’ has been in use for centuries and Bosniaks did not only recently decide to call their language that way. He noted that ‘Bosnian language’ is a historical fact in this area, unlike the term ‘language of Bosniak people’.

Working Group for preparation of answers to political questions from Questionnaire harmonizes 513 out of 516 questions (EuroBlic)

The Working Group for preparation of answers to political questions from the European Commission’s Questionnaire harmonized answers to 513 out of 516 questions. However, the Directorate for European Integration (DEI) of B&H did not want to reveal which three questions are problematic. B&H DEI noted that such information cannot be revealed before the working groups complete their work at the beginning of September. B&H DEI explained that, in case no agreement is reached by that time, then higher levels in the coordination system, i.e. the Commission for European Integration, ministerial conferences and Collegium for European Integration, will deal with it. B&H DEI reminded that countries in the region either did not publish partial answers to questions with the goal to protect decision making process. The Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H said that B&H DEI should be addressed for all questions, while representatives of the RS Government in the Working Group were unavailable for comment because they went on vacation.

Markovic: This is a great day for Montenegro (CDM)

Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said that this was a great day for Montenegro and that Pence’s visit had a wider significance. “Your visit to Europe is evidence of the solidity and sustainability of the transatlantic connections as well as the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans. The engagement and constructive role that the United States plays in our region are extremely important. You have continually shown that through initiatives and active role in the framework of the Adriatic Charter, which has three NATO members 14 years after it was established,” said Markovic. He said membership in NATO was not a goal itself. “Our alliance with NATO members, most of which are EU member states, is a natural, historical and civilising choice. Membership in NATO is its confirmation. It strengthens our statehood, values, culture and tradition. We have been striving towards this goal and achieved it in 11 years since the statehood restoration. Direct foreign efforts to make Montenegro give up NATO membership failed to deter us from that goal. Those are short-term attempts and our Euro-Atlantic commitment is permanent. It has no alternative,” the PM said. Markovic pointed out that our country’s membership in NATO is also the good news for the region and that Montenegro is willing to share its experience with the friends in the region and to and to help them in the integration process. “There is no free and peaceful Europe without a stable Balkans. It is the interest of everyone – Europe, the United States and us from the region,” he said.

The prime minister pointed out that we do not forget there is still a lot of work to do.

“We are ready and we are continuing key reforms with the new encouragement. Only in that way do we become part of the solution rather than a part of the problem, as it was the case in the past,” he said.

Opposition had a brief meeting with Pence (Dnevne novine)

The meeting between the US Vice President Mike Pence and leaders of five Montenegrin opposition parties lasted for 15 minutes, Dnevne novine daily learns. Leaders of SDP, URA, Democrats, SNP and Demos had very short time to voice their opinions on the situation in Montenegro. However, their press releases suggested otherwise, citing separate meetings with Pence, which DN learns to be false information. Instead of releasing a joint statement, the parties had separate press releases, based mostly on their imagination. Clearly, they did not expect that the White House would air its own statement on the meeting, leaving no doubt on the contents of the talks and the message to the opposition – stop the boycott and return to the Parliament to carry out their responsibilities as legislators and represent the voters who elected them.

The meeting was held in the US Embassy in Podgorica.

Zaev: We are ready for cooperation for the countries of the region to become NATO members (Meta)

With our presence at the Summit of the Adriatic Charter countries, we said that we are ready to cooperate in the interest of the citizens of our countries and through the integration processes to bring the region to the large family of NATO, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at the opening address of the Summit of the countries members of the Adriatic Charter, to which Macedonia is a member, as is Montenegro. He said that Montenegro’s NATO membership is an encouraging message from the Alliance, that the doors are open to everyone who will rise above their own challenges and will demonstrate that they can contribute to the collective needs of their own citizens. “I express faith and readiness for action, for Macedonia to be the 30th member of NATO. Integrations into NATO and the European Union are strategic goals for our country. The new government, and I will commit myself to this forum, will determine the ways to these two organizations, in order to ensure the good lives for our citizens and the future of their children. In order to rush the process into the EU and NATO integration, we started the “3-6-9” plan for the reform priorities that will lead to professional and independent institutions, democratization of the whole society, and therefore, a quality life for all citizens”, stated Zaev. He announced that Macedonia will be increasing its defense budget and increasing its participation in NATO missions, and relations with the Adriatic Charter member countries will intensify. The Prime Minister added that with the presence of the High Representative of the United States of America, it turns out that that country is a faithful, strategic partner of Macedonia and of the region.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Pence talks tough on Russia while finding his footing abroad (The Washington Post, by Ashley Parker, 2 August 2017)

The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter’s insights

PODGORICA, Montenegro — The Eastern European countries that Vice President Pence toured this week on his 3½ -day trip through the region could be forgiven for thinking that Pence — with his throwback aesthetic of closely shorn hair and a square jaw — was just another happy Cold Warrior abroad. At nearly every stop, the vice president spoke forcefully about the specter of Russian aggression, talked of “peace through strength,” and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the North American Treaty Organization, reiterating its cornerstone pledge that an attack on one nation is an attack on all. “Under President Donald Trump, the United States of America rejects any attempt to use force, threats, intimidation, or malign influence in the Baltic states or against any of our treaty allies,” Pence said Monday, at his first news conference with Baltic leaders, in Tallinn, Estonia. “To be clear, we hope for better days, for better relations with Russia, but recent diplomatic action taken by Moscow will not deter the commitment of the United States of America to our security, the security of our allies, and the security of freedom-loving nations around the world.” Pence’s trip came in the wake of bipartisan sanctions legislation against Russia and Russia’s near immediate retaliation — including ordering the United States to reduce its staff at diplomatic missions in Moscow and elsewhere by 755 people — and his firm, no-nonsense rhetoric was the natural message of a nation that has long considered Russia a chief geopolitical foe. The only problem is that Pence’s tough-on-Russia talk doesn’t quite align with some of the previous comments from Trump, who remained mostly silent on the issue this week. Where Trump has called NATO “obsolete” and personally cut the roughly 20-word sentence from a May speech at NATO headquarters affirming his nation’s support for Article 5 — the shared defense touchstone of the treaty — Pence spoke of the United States’ commitment to both its NATO allies and to Article 5. “Our allies in Eastern Europe can be confident that the United States of America stands with them,” he said Sunday, speaking to reporters in Tallinn’s cobblestone Town Hall Square. “We are committed to NATO. We are committed to our common defense.” Later, he twice reassured Montenegro — NATO’s newest member — that “NATO is made up of large countries and small countries, but the United States of America has no small allies, and we cherish our new alliance with Montenegro through NATO.” Where Trump has long coveted a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin — repeatedly refusing to fully accept the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and agreeing to sign the sanctions legislation only under political duress — Pence spoke of a Georgian “front line compromised by Russian aggression nearly a decade ago” and promised to stand up to any Russian malfeasance throughout the region. “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s occupation of Georgia’s soil,” Pence told U.S. and Georgian troops on Tuesday in Tbilisi, Georgia. “The United States prefers a constructive relationship with Russia based on mutual cooperation and common interests. But the president and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia — a better relationship, the lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused the sanctions to be imposed in the first place. And not before.” While Pence talked up the sanctions legislation this week, Trump signed the bill on Wednesday and focused most of his statement on what he didn’t like about it — lawmakers can block him from rolling back sanctions against Russia — and took jabs at Congress. “The bill remains seriously flawed — particularly because it encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate,” Trump said in a statement. “Congress could not even negotiate a health-care bill after seven years of talking.”

In an interview, Pence said Trump is taking a “we’ll see” attitude toward Russia and said the administration hopes the sanctions will lead to an improved relationship. “We think that creates an environment where there can be a more honest dialogue about resolving differences, and finding common ground,” he said. Michael McFaul, who was the U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama, said Trump’s stance on Russia is far different from that of many in his Cabinet — a tension, he added, the vice president already has had to navigate. Recalling the Munich Security Conference in February, where Pence offered a similar message of support to NATO and U.S. allies, McFaul remembered, “Everybody liked that message, but everybody wondered: Is he actually speaking for the president of the United States?” “There’s no question that will be part of the challenge for the vice president,” he said, “to make sure the people he meets with believe him when he says, ‘This is our policy, not just the policy of the vice president’s office.’ ” But if Pence’s hard-fought diplomacy may yet be undone by a brash presidential tweet, the man on display in Eastern Europe was a confident, comfortable vice president, seeming to find his footing on the world stage on his third trip abroad. Later this month, he will head to South America, where he will visit Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Panama, against the backdrop of a crisis in Venezuela that has reached a feverish boil.

Pence began his trip by coming to the back of Air Force Two to briefly chat with reporters, proffering cupcakes to one correspondent celebrating a birthday and asking if everyone was comfortable or needed anything. His office always travels with a doctor on board, he added, in case anyone is feeling sick. He then took questions from reporters on his first day in Estonia; chatted for five minutes off the record with the press corps on the flight from Tallinn to Tbilisi; and answered more questions during a joint news conference with Georgia’s prime minister before sitting down for an interview with Fox News Channel. Before his departure, he spoke with Fox News again, and on his return flight, he had interviews with the reporters traveling with him. Pence’s effort to be accessible offered a contrast with this first trip abroad, where he largely kept the media at bay save for an off-the-record conversation on the flight home, or his second trip — a 10-day jaunt through Asia that left some reporters frustrated about his lack of accessibility. “The president sent the vice president on this trip with a very clear message about what America first means, but that’s not just a message for our foreign allies,” said Jarrod Agen, Pence’s deputy chief of staff. “The American people need to hear it too, which is why communicating that with the American media who are traveling with us is an important part of the trip.” In some ways Pence was still relying on a familiar playbook. He tied everything back to Trump, and not a day went by when he did not deliver some greeting or policy he claimed came directly from the president or remind his hosts that he was but a humble messenger for his boss. In Tallinn’s old town, as he shook hands with onlookers — many of them tourists like him — who had crowded the square to glimpse his motorcade, and often tried to offer connections to the president. When a Polish couple introduced themselves, Pence enthused, “The president was just in Warsaw,” and when a Parisian man said hello, the vice president quickly noted, “The president was just in Paris for Bastille Day.” He seemed to have talking points ready for questions he didn’t like, turning a query about the latest failed Republican heath-care vote — and what exactly he had said to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the chamber before the senator turned, flicked his thumb downward and torpedoed yet another Republican heath-care plan — into a long-winded response about the Trump White House keeping its word.  “We’ll never give up on our commitment to keep our promises, whether it be on health-care reform or getting the American economy rolling, or our promise to reengage the world,” he said. Pence — who keeps Air Force Two free of alcohol — did not so much as sip from his wine glass during a toast with the Georgian delegation Monday night, or another with the Montenegro delegation Tuesday evening. He was also unfailingly polite. While Trump appeared to shove Duško Marković, the prime minister of Monte­negro, out of his way at NATO headquarters in Brussels in May as leaders gathered for a group photo, Pence and Marković spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday together, with nary a push. “Your courage, particularly in the face of Russian pressure, inspires the world, and I commend you for it,” Pence said at a dinner with Montenegro’s leaders Tuesday night. In return for Pence’s support, his allies also stuck to script. At one point, a reporter asked Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili if he — as a leader of a country that has long dealt with Russian meddling — had any tips for the United States about Russia’s attempts to sway the 2016 presidential election. “I don’t think that Georgia is in a position to judge about Russian interference,” Kvirikashvili replied. “With our excellent intelligence capabilities, we were not able to detect any interference, and we think that the American nation has made its decision to elect a president.”  At this, one of the vice president’s top aides, who had been nodding along with Pence’s answers to questions from his seat in the front row, offered a small, appreciative chuckle.

Ashley Parker is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2017, after 11 years at The New York Times, where she covered the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns and Congress, among other things.

Turkey, Russia and Interesting New Balkan Geopolitics (Global Research, by F. William Engdahl, 1 August 2017)

The geopolitical template of the entire European Union is undergoing one of its most profound changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than twenty-five years ago. At the June 30 meeting in Ankara of the Turkish-Hungarian Business Forum Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary “stands by its friends” and it is on Turkey’s side in its current war of words with the European Union. The Hungarian Prime Minister also praised Turkey’s role in preventing a huge further refugee flow into the EU, noting that “Without Turkey Europe would have been flooded with many millions of immigrants,” stating that for this Turkey “deserves respect.” Behind the comments, calculated to enrage the EU and its unelected, faceless bureaucrats, stands far more than the issue of refugees and rights of national sovereignty. There’s a major tectonic shift underway not only in Hungary but also across the entire Balkans. The shift involves Erdogan’s Turkey and also Putin’s Russia. The outlines of a new Balkans geopolitics are emerging and it’s opening huge fault-lines within the EU between die-hard NATO Atlanticists and pragmatic EU states more keen on economic development and the health and safety of their countries than in defending a bankrupt declining USA Superpower.  Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán was in Turkey for no casual photo op. He was there to talk business, economic business. He brought with him half of his cabinet and around 70 business leaders to discuss areas of increased bilateral economic cooperation. Orbán also met privately with Turkish President Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Energy Hub for Southeast Europe

Though it was played down in media releases, a central issue discussed in Ankara was the prospect of Russian natural gas imports via Turkey’s Turkish Stream gas pipeline. With the legally dubious new US sanctions bill targeting European companies investing in the Russian-German Nord Stream II gas pipeline, which would bypass Ukraine, Russia is accelerating its priority to complete construction of its Turkish Stream gas pipeline from the already-built gas pumping station near Anapa in Southern Russia, going beneath the Black Sea, that will pass through Turkey to the Bulgarian and perhaps Greek borders. The latest incredibly foolish US Congressional sanctions, aiming as well at Iran and North Korea, punish German and Austrian companies investing in the northern EU Nord Stream II pipeline from near St Petersburg, claiming it’s illegal under international law for a US President to sanction companies outside their territorial jurisdiction, legally termed extra-territoriality. The announcement of new sanctions aimed at Nord Stream II has led Russia to accelerate laying of its Black Sea Turkish Stream line, currently running ahead of plan. Gazprom contractor Swiss Allseas has laid about 15 miles of the pipeline under the Black Sea since May. The first of two parallel pipelines is due to open in March 2018, the second in 1919. The annual capacity of each leg is estimated to reach 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas or a total of almost 32 bcm for both.

Here is where things get interesting.

In early July newly elected Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced that he intended to sign an agreement on transit of gas from the Russian-Turkish Turkish Stream pipeline. He also signed an agreement with neighbor Serbia, not an EU member– and not likely ever to become one because of her strong ties with Russia among other things. Under the new agreement, Serbia will ultimately receive 10 billion cubic meters of Gazprom Turkish gas. On June 29 as Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić took the office of Serbian President, Ana Brnabic became Prime Minister. She told Parliament that she would seek a “balanced foreign policy” and her government would especially seek good relations with Russia and China. Serbia’s new Defense Minister, Alexandar Vulin, was bitterly opposed by Washington among other things for his known pro-Russian orientation. Aleksandar Vučić himself met with Vladimir Putin the week before his election as President and reaffirmed the close relations between Russia and Serbia.

On July 5, Hungary’s government also signed an agreement to receive gas from Turkish stream. Earlier this year Russia’s President went to Budapest where he and Prime Minister Orbán discussed Hungarian participation in Turkish Stream as well as Russian construction of nuclear plants in Hungary. At the World Oil Congress on July 9-11 in Istanbul Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made clear that Turkey aims to become an energy hub between east and west, north and south. In short all the elements of a major new realignment are coming together between Balkan states, Russia and Turkey.

Turkish Stream

In December 2014 after the Brussels EU Commission, backed by Washington, pressured the Bulgarian government to cancel the agreement to land Gazprom gas via the South Stream pipeline to the Bulgarian port of Burgas, Russian President Putin announced that South Stream was dead. At the same time Russia began negotiations with Turkey on the Turkish Stream alternative. To avoid punitive EU laws, Gazprom’s Turkish Stream pipeline passing through Turkey will end at the Turkish-Bulgarian border, with the second possibly ending at Lüleburgaz in the Marmara region of Turkey, close to Turkey’s border with Greece. From there it would be up to the purchasing countries to contract their own pipelines and construct them for the use of the Turkish Stream. EU law forbids Gazprom from building and operating its own gas pipelines inside the EU.

The Baltic Shift

In recent months as Brussels EU policies become more and more onerous, the countries of eastern Europe, especially Hungary, Czech Republic and Bulgaria have turned their sights eastward to Eurasia and especially Russia and China and their growing infrastructure investments in OBOR and other Eurasian infrastructure networks. In February 2017 during a visit of Russian President Putin to Budapest, Hungary signed a $17 billion contract with the Rosatom Group, Russia’s state nuclear power company for construction of two reactors at Paks Nuclear Power Station, the only nuclear plant in the country. Russia also has 51% stake in a Czech project company, Nuclear Power Alliance, together with Czech Skoda JS that will bid for several planned Czech nuclear plants. The latest Czech national energy plan views nuclear electricity as a safe way to meet EU CO2 emission reduction targets as does Hungary. The Turkish government has also chosen Russia’s Rosatom to build its first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu NPP, with four reactors near the Mediterranean in southern Turkey across from Cyprus. The first unit costing $20 billion is being built by a Russian-Turkish consortium together with the Turkish construction group, Cengiz-Kalyon-Kolin (CKK). It will be operational in 2023. Today, as the USA and most of Western Europe have frozen investment in nuclear power technology and has lost qualified trained manpower, Russia emerges as the world leader in export of nuclear technology with over 60% of the global market. Areva, Europe’s largest nuclear plant producer based in France has not won a foreign contract since 2007. In the USA Westinghouse, the largest US nuclear plant provider historically, has undergone troubling times to put it mildly. The Pittsburg group’s nuclear power business was sold and today is owned by Japan’s Toshiba group. The Westinghouse nuclear group, which recently contracted to supply four new domestic US plants, their first in thirty years, is plagued by cost overruns and law suits and Westinghouse Electric has been forced to declare bankruptcy. Russia by contrast currently has contracts to build 34 reactors in 13 countries, with an estimated total value of $300 billion. The significance of these natural gas and nuclear electricity deals by Russia with Hungary, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey are creating the horror of Washington, a shift of a disillusioned Baltic region from a politically bankrupt Brussels EU and a Germany which has lost its bearings. Notable in this context is the latest confirmation by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the $2.4 billion purchase of several units of the advanced Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft defense systems, despite fierce efforts by the Trump Administration and by NATO to stop it. The advanced S-400 is considered by military experts as the most capable and lethal long-range air defense missile system on the planet, far more formidable than the US Patriot system that Washington wanted to have Turkey buy. The fact that now several nations of the Balkans are clearly upgrading their economic relations with Russia and with Turkey underscores the reality of a European Dis-union rather than the promised European Union. The foolish EU Commission decision to take Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland to EU court for rejecting mandatory Brussels refugee quotas has also widened the divide between the EU east and the west. Top-down political constructions such as today’s EU and all its anti-democratic institutions such as the EU Commission and the European Parliament which stomp on basic national sovereign rights, much like sado-masochistic personal relations, are inherently unviable. As the last quarter century of experience with Washington as the world Sole Superpower since the collapse of the Soviet Union demonstrate, Top Dog-Under-Dog is no viable model for healthy peaceful international relations. The hysterical sound of who is most loudly barking says it all.

1. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Greece Expelled From Handball Contest After Protesting Macedonia’s Name (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 2 August 2017)

The European Handball Federation, EHF, excluded the Greek women’s handball team from the championship in Skopje after Greece refused to play Macedonia amid an ongoing border disagreement. The EHF excluded Greece from competing on Wednesday and fined the country’s Handball Federation 25,000 euros after the Greek national team left Tuesday’s scheduled match, protesting that Macedonian team officials were wearing clothing with the name ‘Macedonia’ displayed. The match – part of the championship played by cadets under 17 – started after EHF officials persuaded the Greek team to enter the court despite their objections to the name Macedonia, which some Macedonian officials were wearing on their shirts. But after just 32 seconds, the Greek Handball Association withdrew its players after which Macedonia scored a technical victory of 0:10. Greece has frequently objected to the constitutional name of its neighbour, and has hindered potential NATO membership and the start of EU accession talks over the dispute. Athens insists that the name Republic of Macedonia inherently suggests territorial ambitions beyond its neighbour’s existing borders into the northern Greek province which is also named Macedonia.