LOCAL PRESS

Guterres appreciates Serbia’s cooperation with UN (Beta) 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appreciates Serbia’s cooperation with the UN, the UN said in a statement after Guterres met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. In a statement handed to Beta the UN said that Guterres and Vucic had discussed several questions related to the Western Balkans.

Brnabic: Serbia will not recognize another state in its territory (Tanjug/B92)

Serbia will not recognize the existence of another state in its territory, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Friday. Speaking at the international scientific conference “Kosovo and Metohija: Sui Generis, or a Precedent in International Relations,” Brnabic stressed that the conflict between the Serbs and the Albanians cannot be solved by supporting one side in each of its demands, however unreasonable it may be, and expect the other side to bow down and accept every imposed solution. Such a thing, the prime minister continued, would not be accepted by any mature nation – in particular the Serb nation, which in the past paid a heavy price for its freedom and the right to make its own decisions. “A solution must take into account the positions held by both peoples,” Brnabic stressed, and added that her country is ready to participate in solving the problem of Kosovo in a mature and responsible way, but would not recognize the existence of another state in its own territory. She assessed that the project that is calling itself “the Republic of Kosovo” has been, and continues to be destined to fail.  “Considering that the current situation is unsustainable, it is necessary to look for some new, perhaps unique solutions in order to establish permanent stability and peace in this part of Europe,” she emphasized.

Brnabic said that she is convinced this is possible – if there is interest among the most influential subjects in the international community to achieve such outcome.

Brnabic recalled that the decision of the parliament in Pristina to declare secession of one part of Serbia was passed without a referendum that would consult Serbian citizens, or at least the inhabitants of the province of Kosovo and Metohija. Secession was conducted against the will of the Serb people, directly violating the Serbian Constitution and in violation with the legally-binding UNSCR 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija, said Brnabic. She noted this was done during the time of peace, when Serbia was an established and respectable member of the international community, a member of the UN and the CoE and in pre-accession talks with the EU.

Dacic: Absolutely untrue that there is any ultimatum (RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that he doesn’t expect anything spectacular from today’s talks in Brussels. I can say in my name, and on behalf of the government and Vucic, that Serbia will never accept the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, said Dacic.  He says that there have been different false news over the past period, we have been reading every day some spectacular information, this famous Thursday has gone by, when it was announced that somebody from Germany will bring a proposal or ultimatum. You can read in the papers that somebody has given deadlines, that Vucic needs to accept something until June or March next year, said Dacic. He says that all this is false information, what is true is that there is something that was written in 2013, this being that it is necessary to reach some agreement – legally-binding agreement as written by Stefan Fule on normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations. He says it is not easy to talk with the Albanians, but it is even harder to talk with Vucic when he is in such a state, when he is disappointed with the relationship of the international community. “I am sure that they are lying to President Vucic because they say that at issue is not recognition, and as the late prime minister Djindjic spoke when he wrote a letter to world statesmen – that the international community, while sitting with us, is preparing and implementing the completion of Kosovo’s independence behind our backs,” said Dacic.

Speaking about the ultimatum – give us a seat for Kosovo in the UN or blocking of Serbia’s EU path, Dacic says this cannot happen. “As I have said, nobody in the EU can say what this agreement needs to contain, because there are five EU member states that didn’t recognize independence of Kosovo,” said Dacic. He reminds that Spain will not take part in any activities where Kosovo takes part. “They oppose the use of term Western Balkan Six, but speak of Western Balkans,” says Dacic, pointing out that it is absolutely untrue that there is any kind of ultimatum, but there will be pressure. “If somebody thinks that Serbia or Vucic will give in now, that all this we are doing is an introduction into recognition of Kosovo, they not only don’t know Vucic, but they also don’t know Serbia. Nothing of this will happen,” said Dacic. “You have a serious dilemma and if the question is posed in this phase of the dialogue we need to conduct dialogue and be constructive, but if this occurs I think we should behave as any other country in the world that respects its national interests,” says Dacic. He gave an example that Great Britain is quarreling with Mauritius over the Chagos Island in the Indian Ocean, and there is also the example of Catalonia. “I am in daily contact with friends who support us and we are working on that; we have India, Indonesia, Mexico,” said Dacic.

Speaking about the appointment of Bolton as the National Security Advisor who was against US recognizing independence of Kosovo, Dacic says he was right when he said that, but we will see whether he thinks the same way today. He says this is a positive change, that there are positive steps in the administration. “We are proposing, if there is a meeting between Trump and Putin, that there is no better place than Serbia,” said Dacic. “We will not sacrifice national interests over the EU path,” concluded Dacic.

Dacic: I was telling Vucic that they have been lying us for years (Novosti)

I told President Vucic several times that the West has been deceiving us all these years, and that our recognition of Kosovo’s independence is the only thing that interests them. I think this is high-level insolence and hypocrisy and our state cannot accept humiliation, Dacic comments for Novosti claims that the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is the most Serbia can get in our southern province by formally or informally recognizing the false state. “How they thought up this nicely – for us to recognize Kosovo and they will give us wholeheartedly the ZSO that they can’t establish for five years. WWII ended in five years yet they are not capable of making Thaci and company implement the Brussels agreement that they signed! Not to mention the fact that with the signature of Catherine Ashton this agreement has become an obligation and integral part of the EU foreign and security policy,” said Dacic.

Mogherini: Trend of positive news from Balkans (Tanjug)

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said ahead of a Brussels summit of EU leaders on Thursday they would begin discussions on the Western Balkans and get back to the topic at a June summit. “I believe we will also have a good beginning of a discussion on the Western Balkans. We will come back to that in June, with very positive developments and news, so I think we can register a trend there that we will then continue working upon in the European Council in June to reaffirm the clear European perspective for the entire region,” she told reporters.

Vucic and Thaci to discuss normalization of relations in Brussels (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci are expected to meet in Brussels on Friday to discuss overall Belgrade-Pristina ties, implementation of existing agreements and the new stage of the dialogue on comprehensive normalization of relations.

The Brussels meeting is organized by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini. It will be the first high-level meeting in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue since the beginning of the year and the third since last year’s transition of the dialogue to presidential level. According to Tanjug’s diplomatic sources in Brussels, Vucic and Thaci are expected to meet with Mogherini late in the afternoon. A joint working dinner will be preceded by Mogherini’s bilateral meetings with Vučić and Thaci, the sources said.

MICT: Serbia ready to put SRS members on trial (Beta)

The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) confirmed that Serbia informed him to be prepared to put members of Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Petar Jojic and Vjerica Radeta on trial, since they were indicted by The Hague Tribunal for contempt of the court.

It was written in the order of Judge Aydin Sefa Akay that on 14 March, Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic informed MICT that Serbia was “ready to implement a criminal procedure” against Jojic and Radeta. Simultaneously, Akay called The Hague Prosecutor Diana Ellis to declare within 30 days whether forwarding the process against Radicals to Serbia would be “in the interest of justice and (…) honoring the rights of the indicted”. As it turned out to be, Akay would reach a decision on forwarding the process to Serbia after the decision of the Prosecutor.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ambassadors Cormack and Wigemark organize meeting with leaders of SDA, SDP B&H and DF on Election Law of B&H (FTV)

US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Maureen Cormack and Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark organized in Sarajevo on Thursday a meeting with SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic and DF leader Zeljko Komsic. The meeting focused on the issue of amending the Election Law of B&H. There was no explanation why HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic and SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic did not attend the meeting as well. In a statement to FTV before the beginning of Thursday’s meeting, Niksic stated that SDP B&H has shown readiness to cooperate and reach compromise on amending the Election Law, but it expects other parties to also show such readiness as well. Niksic assessed that adoption of a law that would allow HDZ B&H to always be a part of the authorities, regardless of their election results, does not represent a compromise.

After the meeting Cormack stated that interlocutors spoke honestly and openly. Cormack confirmed that interlocutors agreed to continue communication in the same manner, with a common interest to find a solution. Wigemark said: “We are here to hear the proposals of all representatives of political parties. However, I want to emphasize that days when the OHR and the international community (IC) gave imposed solutions are behind us. We are here to enable fair talks between political representatives, in order to reach a solution.” Leaders of SDA, SDP B&H and DF agreed that data from the 1991’s census of population should be used for amendments to the Election Law of B&H, namely when it comes to proportional representation mentioned in B&H Constitutional Court (CC)’s decision, passed at motion of Chairman of the Main Council of Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) Bozo Ljubic. Leaders of the three parties stressed that they refuse to make concessions to HDZ B&H in this regard. Izetbegovic underlined that B&H CC’s ruling on Ljubic’s motion can be implemented only the way the CC asks it and not how HDZ B&H wants it. “The minority will certainly not rule over the lives of the majority in the Federation of B&H,” Izetbegovic noted. Niksic assessed that leaders of SDA, SDP B&H and DF were invited to the meeting because their parties have close stances when it comes to amending the Election Law. Komsic said that, in case there is the agreement to apply the 1991’s census of population to the amendments, then this census should be applied to full extent.

Cavara: Whole FB&H suffering because of arbitrariness of SDA (Oslobodjenje)

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina President Marinko Cavara, commenting the most recent session of the Federation of B&H government attended by all the ministers, he said that one can say that the Government is working, but not that the Federation of B&H-level authorities are functioning, especially when the government is only convening extraordinary sessions.

“It sounds hypocritical to say that the government is functioning regularly at extraordinary sessions, as that is a simple attempt to manipulate the public,” said Cavara and underlined that the Federation of B&H Prime Minister is clearly pressuring other ministers by presenting 63 topics of the daily agenda at an extraordinary session, forcing them to adopt all of them. “The Government held over 90 telephone session which do not exist in the Rules of Procedure. That shows willingness to violate the Rules of Procedure and adapting to the interests of the Prime Minister and the interests he represents.” Asked to comment the fact that SDA representatives failed to attend the latest meeting he organized with representatives of the ruling coalition, Cavara said that if Federation of B&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic did not manage to get an agreement from HDZ B&H and SBB B&H ministers for the last session, he would not have needed to boycott the meeting. “That shows disrespect for the institutions of B&H; he probably forgot because he does not find it important that the institution of the Federation of B&H President appointed not only him, but the whole Government,” said the Federation of B&H President and pointed out that Novalic probably believes that he cannot face any consequences for his moves. Commenting the issue of parliamentary majority, he said that it is always SDA who refuses to accept any agreement or joint solutions. “SDA believes we should only deal with those problems that are in the interests of the party, and everything else including the Reform Agenda and road to stabilization of economic-social state, is less important,” said Cavara and noted that the problem might be stemming from the internal conflicts within SDA. He went on to say that the entity authorities cannot be blocked because of arbitrariness of individuals from SDA. “It is obvious we do not have majority, because if we had, and if there was an agreement, both the Government and the Houses of the Parliament of the Federation of B&H would function properly.”

Asked to comment the issue of the Law on Elections of B&H and a recent statement of US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack that all sides will have to give up something, Cavara said that the decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H is clear and must be implemented. Also, he underlined that HDZ B&H is going to continue to insist on legitimate representation of each constituent people, because it is clear that Bosniaks have ridiculed the Constitution in the past and elected Croat representatives. “We need a solution if we want to have a completely democratic and regular elections. We must adopt solutions, as everything else would mean creating new crises, new tensions and issues,” said Cavara and noted that he also fear they might face inability to implement the election results unless the amendments to the Law on Elections of B&H are adopted.

Ljubic: Bosniaks openly obstructing B&H CC’s decision related to Election Law of B&H (Srna)

Chairman of the Main Board of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) Bozo Ljubic said that Bosniak side is openly obstructing the implementation of the B&H Constitutional Court decision related to the Election Law of B&H, which should secure legitimate political representation in institutions of B&H. According to Ljubic, such obstructions are threatening to result in destabilization of B&H, with possible consequences on the region as well. Ljubic said that preservation of Bosniak dominance results in selective and disproportional distribution of financial and natural resources.

Ferguson: There is no third entity (Dnevni avaz)

UK Ambassador to B&H Edward Ferguson, asked if B&H is left to “Russian sphere of interest”, he replied by saying that B&H is a European country, which applied for the EU membership. “European future of this country is clear. And we should not exaggerate the role of Russia in B&H. We are far away from Moscow. And, although Russia has a legitimate interest in trade and cultural exchange, it is a noticeable fact that 70 percent of your export goes to the EU, compared to only one percent that goes to Russia,” stressed Ferguson.

Commenting the changes to the Law on Elections of B&H, the Ambassador said it was necessary to find a solution. He further noted that the international community does support and helps in negotiations, but that B&H leaders must take more responsibility for reaching an acceptable solution that would move B&H closer to the European standards. “If your leaders want to prove they are serious about acceleration of European integration of B&H, then the least we can expect is that you are capable of holding elections and implementing results”, he was quoted as saying. Ferguson also said that there are acceptable solutions that could be quickly adopted as soon as the parties give up on their maximalist demands and start working together towards a reasonable solution. Ferguson also warned that there was too much talk about secession, formation of new entities and abolishing of current ones. “None of that is going to happen,” he underlined. The ambassador announced an even stronger engagement of the UK in B&H. “We are already spending BAM 15 million per year in B&H, and I think this amount will increase. We support and train your Armed Forces, your judicial institutions and your law enforcement agencies, to help them become better in fight against modern security threats, from terrorism and extremism to organized crime and corruption. We invest in your economy, help B&H to be a better place for doing business, so that many more local and foreign investors can successfully do business in this country”. Ferguson emphasized he would hesitate to go back to the period of international interventions in B&H. “If B&H wants to join NATO and the EU, then it must prove to the world it is stable and functional. So, this type of conference you mention would be a retrograde step. If citizens of B&H want to change things, they have a possibility of doing that through ballot boxes. We have seen changes in Macedonia. That can happen in B&H too. And the UK will always be here to support those who work towards positive future, and not towards the past full of divisions,” Ferguson concluded.

Constitutional Court held a preliminary discussion on the motion of Kristo  (FTV)

At a plenary session held on Thursday, B&H Constitutional Court (CC) held a preliminary discussion on the motion of speaker of B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H), who requested assessment of constitutionality of a part of the Federation of B&H Constitution related to election of delegates in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP). A decision on this motion will be passed at one of the next plenary sessions. The CC announced that it will ask High Representative Valentin Inzko to provide an opinion in this case, in the capacity of amicus curiae i.e. a friend of the court. The CC postponed execution of the decision on erasing provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure of B&H that it previously ruled unconstitutional. The CC neither specified the reason for postponement nor announced a new date for declaring on this matter. Two proposals of amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure have been included in agendas of both Houses of B&H Parliament. B&H House of Representatives (HoR)’s agenda includes the proposal of the law submitted by the SDA Caucus, while B&H House of Peoples (HoP)’s agenda includes the proposal of the law in the form that was prepared by B&H Ministry of Justice. At Wednesday’s session of B&H HoR, SDA Caucus’ proposal obtained the general majority but it failed to obtain the entity majority. The HoR should hold the second round of voting on this proposal in April. The HoP’s session on the proposed Law on Criminal Procedure is scheduled to resume on 17 April.  SDS representative in B&H HoR Aleksandra Pandurevic said that SDA Caucus’ proposal contains more rigorous measures than the proposal of B&H Ministry of Justice. DF representative in B&H HoR Damir Becirovic assessed that HDZ B&H and SNSD intentionally create issues in adoption of this law and obstruct work of judiciary of B&H.

Arnaut: HR opinion regarding FB&H Constitution is not binding for B&H CC (TV1)

Representative of SBB B&H in B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Damir Arnaut, commenting on the fact that B&H Constitutional Court (CC) did not erase provisions of the Federation of B&H Constitution regarding election of delegates in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP), stated that the CC decided to continue discussing this issue. Arnaut underlined that the CC will certainly make a final word about this case and added that what happened on Thursday was not anything dramatic or unexpected. In his opinion, the fact that the CC asked for an opinion of a friend of the court (amicus curiae), High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko about this issue is not surprising. Arnaut reminded that the CC used to ask for an opinion of a HR in previous cases and added that the CC often follows democratic procedures, practice of the EU and the world, to ask for an opinion of experts. Arnaut explained that an opinion of HR Inzko in this case is not binding and added that the CC will consider all other circumstances of this case, other opinions and earlier decisions to render a final decision. Commenting on the fact that the CC also did not erase disputable provisions of B&H Law on Criminal Procedure on Thursday, Arnaut said that he was concerned about some statements given in B&H parliament, during discussions on this issue. According to Arnaut, MPs cannot know for sure whether the CC will erase the provisions or not and they can only speculate and present their opinion on this issue. Arnaut explained that the CC has three options at disposal in case of disputable provisions of B&H Law on Criminal Procedure. He added that the CC can put the provisions out of force or decide not to put the provisions out of force and postpone its decision-making process in this case. Arnaut added that finally, B&H CC can also decide that the provisions are unconstitutional but rule that a decision will not be implemented until implementation of the decision in case of the ‘Sejdic-Finci vs. B&H’. Arnaut concluded that thus, the CC has a wide-range diapason of decisions at disposal. Asked to comment on warnings coming from the international community that erasing of the provisions will mean “erasing” of B&H Prosecutor’s Office, Arnaut said that such warning is not exaggerating and that the CC is well-aware of this, which they certainly took into consideration when making Thursday’s decision. He underlined: “It is a fact that in case of erasing the provisions – which were declared unconstitutional last July – state judicial bodies will lose big tools in their fight against crime, terrorism and organized crime”. Arnaut reminded that B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) led by Chairman of B&H CoM Denis Zvizdic failed to solve this issue in the past eight months, and that one MP, who is not even a lawyer, proposed changing of the provisions at the last minute. In his opinion, the current composition of the CoM has no capacity for such comprehensive changes. Arnaut stressed: “In some way, we are hostages of bad policy of Chairman Zvizdic.

President again congratulates Putin, invites him to Croatia (Hina)

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic who congratulated him on the election victory and once again invited him to visit Croatia, the Kremlin press office said in a press release Thursday. “The heads of state discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation taking into account the results of the Croatian President’s visit to Russia in October 2017. In particular, they noted the expanding trade and economic ties” the Kremlin said. Several issues on the international agenda, including the situation in the Balkans, were also discussed. Grabar-Kitarovic confirmed her invitation for the President of Russia to visit Croatia at a time convenient to both sides, the Kremlin said. Grabar-Kitarovic visited Russia last October, which was also the first official visit of a Croatian President to the Russian Federation since 2009 and it was aimed at giving a new impetus to the relations that have been neglected for years. The visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. At their meeting which took place in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Grabar-Kitarovic invited Putin to visit Croatia in 2018.

Prime Minister and President at odds over invitation to Putin? (Hina)

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday commented on President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic‘s invitation to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to visit Croatia, saying that questions about whether the invitation was appropriate should be directed at the President. “I saw the news a little while ago. The president obviously spoke with President Putin following her visit to Moscow a few months ago. This was probably agreed then, as far as I am aware from our talks after she returned from that visit. The call was probably made on the occasion of his re-election,” Plenkovic said. Asked whether he had held consultations with Grabar-Kitarovic and whether he was aware that she was going to call Putin, Plenkovic answered, “We saw each other last night.” Asked whether the invitation for a visit was appropriate at this moment considering the recent attack with a nerve agent in England, Plenkovic said that that was something the President should be asked. “She has been developing dialogue with Russia’s President for some time now. This seems to be something that is in the context of their dialogue of the past few months and has less to do with recent events,” Plenkovic added. Asked whether an encounter between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could be held in Croatia, considering speculation that the meeting will be held on neutral territory, Plenkovic said: “Everything is possible. We hadn’t thought about that yet. I saw President Donald Trump’s statement after the telephone call a few days ago. We’ll see, there’s still time,” Plenkovic said.

Vuksanovic submitted signatures of support: She won’t give up on the candidacy (CDM)

Presidential candidate Draginja Vuksanovic (Social Democratic Party – SDP) submitted signatures of support to the State Election Commission (DIK). She said she would not give up her candidacy because she was a candidate for the civic opposition. She said her withdrawal would mean surrendering victory to the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). “I will not give up the candidacy because I am a candidate of civic Montenegro and I think citizens have the right to have their candidate. After all, my withdrawal would mean handing over the victory to DPS’s candidate and I won’t do that,” Vuksanovic said. “Our task is to replace an alienated and irresponsible party elite with a new generation of politicians who will build Montenegro on the foundations of social justice, equality and solidarity, because only in this way can we ensure that the Constitution and laws of this country will be applied equally to all,” Vuksanovic said.

Kotzias arrives in Skopje ahead of talks with top gov’t officials and party leaders (MIA)

The governmental plane carrying Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias landed Thursday at the Skopje Airport. It marks Kotzias’ first visit to Macedonia after the government renamed it into Skopje International Airport, seen as a concession in the name talks. It is the first time in 12 years that a Greek aircraft has landed at the Skopje Airport. Minister Kotzias was welcomed by a Macedonian delegation before having a working dinner with Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Dimitrov ahead of his packed agenda on Friday. He will meet with his Macedonian counterpart, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Deputy PM Bujar Osmani, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, and with political party leaders, namely Hristijan Mickoski of VMRO-DPMNE and Ali Ahmeti of DUI. Kotzias will not hold talks with President Gjorge Ivanov as ‘it hasn’t even been requested by Greece,’ Ivanov’s office has said. Talks will focus on discussing the positions of Skopje and Athens after the two administrations shared draft-agreements on settling the name issue. On Monday, Macedonian FM Dimitrov said the documents were different from each other. Reporting about Kotzias’ visit, media in Greece have been saying that name negotiations entered a key stage after the exchange of draft-agreements. The most disputed matters between Athens and Skopje are Greece’s insistence on revision of Macedonia’s constitution, the scope of use of the new name, and the identity, too. After the two-day talks in Skopje, FMs Dimitrov and Kotzias will meet again on 30 March in Vienna where they will be joined by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz.

Seven days on, Law on Languages in limbo, and waiting for Xhaferi’s “variations” (Meta)

Seven days after the Law on the Use of Languages was voted in parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, and President Gjorge Ivanov has refused to sign the Decree for its entry into force, and now it is still not clear what will happen further on. Such a situation has not been foreseen by the Constitution, which, although it says that the President should sign the second vote in Parliament, it is not clear what happens if he does not sign off on it. According to the explanation of the legislative process on the Parliament’s website, in normal conditions, the law should have been published in the Official Gazette, i.e. within 7 days of the vote. When parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi was asked what they are going to do regarding this issue, he answered in laconic manner that “there are variations”. Some experts believe that if he does not sign the decree, Ivanov will face criminal charges, and officially, the Public Prosecutor will have to process the case. According to university professor Temelko Ristovski, Ivanov’s refusal means intimidating the part of the legislative competence, which creates a duality, i.e. a conflict of competent bodies.

In the meantime, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi stressed that the President is obliged to sign off on the law, because it was voted in a legal procedure. The idea was put forward if Ivanov refuses to approve the law for so long, so it could be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia in order to be put into force, Xhaferi will be able to sign the decree, as second in rank – after the president of the state.

EU PSC Ambassadors voice support for Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration (MIA)

Ambassadors of the EU Political and Security Committee (PSC) at a meeting Thursday in Skopje with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev voiced support for Macedonia’s bid to join the Euro-Atlantic institutions. They commended the government’s activities to implement the reform plan ‘3-6-9’ for building independent state institutions, as well as to advance the relations with Macedonia’s neighbors. Macedonia’s future is within the European Union and NATO, Zaev said.

“We are building the institutional capacities in the spheres of judiciary, secret services, public administration and media. We have been building good relations with our neighbors and after signing a bilateral agreement with Bulgaria, we are working on settling the long-standing dispute with Greece. Therefore I expect for Macedonia to advance on its road to the EU, NATO membership” Zaev said. The meeting was also attended by Vice-Premier for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, the Defense, Foreign and Interior Ministers, Radmila Sekerinska, Nikola Dimitrov and Oliver Spasovski respectively.

Zaharieva meets Macedonian parliamentary delegation (MIA)

Bulgaria’s Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva met Thursday in Sofia with a delegation of Macedonian MPs – members of the Macedonia-Bulgaria Friendship Group -led by the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Frosina Tasevska-Remenski. The meeting was also attended by the Bulgaria-Macedonia Friendship Group chairman, Boris Vangelov and Macedonian Ambassador to Bulgaria Marjan Gjorcev. “Since the signing of the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighborliness and Cooperation, many historic developments have happened in the relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia. We are doing well in our efforts to build a new kind of sincere, friendly relations based on the European values,” Zaharieva said. This treaty, she said, has already yielded results in various areas of the bilateral cooperation, namely a hike of trade exchange and the number of Bulgarian tourists visiting Macedonia for 11 and 10 percent respectively. According to a survey by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, following the signing of the bilateral treaty the number of Bulgarian companies wishing to invest in Macedonia has doubled compared to 2016. Zaharieva reaffirmed her country’s commitment to supporting the European prospect of its neighbors. She expressed hope for Macedonia to meet the necessary EU membership criteria and commence the accession talks in the course of Bulgaria’s EU Presidency. Macedonia considers Bulgaria to be its sincere friend, Tasevska-Remenski said, notifying that the bilateral treaty signed last year enjoys the support of 75 per cent of citizens. Macedonia, she added, expects Bulgaria’s assistance in the EU pre-accession process.

Xhafaj meets high officials in Washington (ADN)

The Interior Minister of Albania, Fatmir Xhafaj, held some important meetings on Thursday, with American State Department, FBI and DEA Officials in Washington. “I am currently in Washington for an official visit. I was invited by our American colleagues and friends. At Congress initially, was developed a very constructive meeting with Congressman Robert B. Anderholt and then a meeting with another friend of Albania, Congressman Steve King. Assessments and strong support from them,” said Xhafaj. He added that he was also met with some personalities that are known for their experience in the field of security and diplomacy.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

European Council conclusions on the Western Balkans and actions by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea (Press Release, 22 March 2018)

Western Balkans

8. Against the background of the Commission Communication of 6 February 2018, the European Council:

• looks forward to the EU-Western Balkans Summit to be held in Sofia on 17 May 2018, which is expected to focus on reaffirming the European perspective of the region, launching concrete and visible initiatives to improve the physical and human connectivity within the region and with the EU, and addressing how to better engage together on shared challenges such as security and migration;
• confirms that enlargement will be addressed by the Council in June.