LOCAL PRESS

For China, Kosovo is Serbia, and so it shall remain (Tanjug/Kurir/B92)

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang has said that as far as Beijing is concerned, Kosovo is Serbia – and that it shall remain that way. In an interview for the Belgrade-based tabloid Kurir, Li also said that the Chinese will participate in a tender for the copper mining and smelting complex RTB Bor, located in eastern Serbia, in accordance with the laws of Serbia, and announced new investments in an automotive parts factory. The Ambassador noted that that the presidents of Serbia and China, Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping, will have a meeting in China during a gathering known as the Summer Davos. “The president of Serbia will arrive at the personal invitation of the president of China. President Vucic visited China while he was prime minister, and is welcome now as he has been then, which President Xi wrote in a letter to Vucic. I am certain this will be a successful visit, as the case has always been thus far,” the Chinese diplomat said. Li described relations between our countries the golden age between Beijing and Belgrade – something that has not happened before. As for how this came about, Li said there has been traditional, stable, and friendly cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade. “Throughout history, China has never been on the side that is against Serbia, its interests and its people. We stood with Serbia in the most difficult times, the sanctions, the bombing…,” he said. As for the Serbian people, the Chinese diplomat said the situation is the same the other way around – i.e., Serbia respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. “Nobody has ever been allowed to do anything against the interests of China on Serbian soil, never! Nobody! The two nations love each other, and two governments conduct a friendly policy,” the Ambassador said. Announcing a major Chinese investment in Serbia – which Vucic also spoke about, but without revealing any details – Li said that nearly 80 percent of preparations for the project have been completed. “Initially this investment should have been worth 400 million dollars, and now it is probably twice as much. Discussions are underway, the Serbian delegation will soon go to China for talks…,” said Li, who did not want to reveal more details. He only said that this concerned production of automotive parts. Speaking about Kosovo, Li reiterated that China’s position is well known to everyone. “China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, does not recognize Kosovo. That means that we consider it to be Serbia. The Kosovo issue should be resolved on the basis of Security Council Resolution (1244) and in accordance with important international documents. We support the Belgrade-Pristina talks in order to solve this problem,” the diplomat said.

Mondoloni: Macron didn’t say Serbia should be punished (Politika)

French Ambassador to Serbia Frederic Mondoloni said that Serbia should not be discouraged by President Emmanuel Macron’s words that the EU should accept new members only after an internal reform was carried out, and that France wanted Serbia within the Union. “We repeat, that should be a choice to be made by the Serbian people and government,” the Ambassador said in an interview with Politika, adding that Macron’s goal was to reform the EU by 2022, and if he succeeded, 2025 as the accession year for Serbia is quite feasible. The Ambassador explained that his President had never said that Serbia should be punished for its effort to persuade states that had recognized Kosovo’s independence to withdraw their recognition. “I would like someone to pinpoint the moment that President Macron actually said that Serbia should be punished for its activities. At no point did he say such a thing. We are not punishing Serbia, Serbia is our first partner in the region, which can be complicated, and we consider the country a factor of stability,” Mondoloni said, adding that a decision by a state to recognize the independence of another was its sovereign decision.

Albanians from Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja authorize Pristina to represent them in Brussels (Beta)

Albanian aldermen of Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja decided at a session in Bujanovac to pass a declaration authorizing the parliament, president and government of Kosovo to add the rights of Albanians in the Presevo valley to the final talks between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels. The declaration says that without the normalization and development of Albanian rights in the Presevo valley, it is impossible to normalize relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. Albanian officials in Serbia’s three southern municipalities also want Pristina to use the talks in Brussels to insist on reciprocity between their rights and the rights of the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, while the international community was asked to continue to monitor events in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. In their initiative to secure the exercise of their rights, the Albanian representatives cited human rights standards as defined by the United Nations, the EU and the Council of Europe. The joint session was moderated by the Bujanovac and Presevo mayors, Adnan Salihu and Sami Salihu, and the declaration will be forwarded to the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina, as well as international representatives.

Lo Cascio: Intensified Belgrade-Pristina dialogue good news (Tanjug)

Italian Ambassador to Serbia Carlo Lo Cascio said Friday the confirmation of intensification of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in the new round scheduled for July 18 was good news. It is up to both sides to reach an agreement, and we reconfirm our support for efforts by Belgrade and Pristina to reach a compromise solution, the Italian diplomat said in a press release.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik warns Vucic of threatening statements by Oric (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik held a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Sunday, at which the two officials discussed infrastructural projects, education and war-related issues. Dodik informed Vucic on the “threats” that Oric has addressed against the Serb people. Dodik was quoted as saying that Serbs are both upset and united in defending the RS after Oric’s warmongering statement that the next war will come a little bit faster than the war that came to his generation. Referring to Oric as a war criminal, Dodik stressed that the RS is committed to peace but it has to defend itself by all means. Vucic stressed that the most important thing is to overcome such situations and preserve peace and stability of the region. He assessed that Oric’s statements or similar anti-Serb statements cannot contribute to something like that. “I understand the fears and concerns of President Dodik. Today, he talked for 50 minutes about the atmosphere that exists in the RS and B&H with regard to this issue. Since Serbs are afraid when they see that it keeps happening in several parts of B&H, he and many other people need to react,” Vucic said. Dodik also informed Vucic on the fact that the RS Police has identified the persons who attempted to murder him in Srebrenica. He argued that the institutions of B&H are responsible for the fact that they have not been brought to justice yet.

Oric states he has never called for new war (N1)

Commenting on the reactions sparked by his statement, former B&H Army commander Naser Oric assessed that certain political structures wrongly interpreted what he said, which they used to justify their own acts. He stressed that he only reminded of historical facts. He also sent a message for the US Embassy to B&H and the Office of the High Representative (OHR), which condemned his statements, to listen to the recording more carefully. He explained that he did not call for a war in any part of it. “I do not know why Serbs found themselves in my statement, as if I called them for a war. We cannot talk about genocide? Can someone from the US Embassy tell me if we can talk or not?” Oric argued.

RS gives negative opinion to declaration on war crimes signed in London (TV1)

The RS gave a negative opinion to parts of a declaration on war crimes and missing persons, signed at the Western Balkans Summit in London, a couple of days ago. The aforementioned negative opinion comes despite of the fact that member of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic gave his consent to signing of the declaration, after acknowledging suggestions coming from this entity.  Some institutions in the RS assessed this decision as unacceptable, while Ivanic according to TV1, only acted upon the B&H Constitution that regulates this area anyway. According to certain individuals from the RS, the declaration goes to detriment of the Serb people and should not have been signed in London, while the reporter said that provisions of the B&H Constitution say otherwise. Namely, parties signed an international agreement in London and unlike the state of B&H, the entities in B&H are not competent for this area. The entities are obliged to provide all necessary assistance and support to authorities of B&H in case of reaching international agreements.

USC Assembly holds another urgent session dedicated to issue of migrants (TV1/Nezavisne)

In an effort to point to the issue of migrants in Una-Sana Canton (USC), the USC Assembly held another urgent session on Sunday and defined the construction of a new center for accommodation of migrants and reduction of their influx as top priorities. Speaker of the USC Assembly Nijaz Husic stated that the USC authorities had to address the issue of migrant because no one else would. Husic claims that the USC authorities may not have competences over this issue and they do not want to violate any legal act adopted at higher levels of the authorities but they have to react because they are elected to work in the best interest of the citizens. USC Minister of Interior Anel Ramic said that the USC Police is up to the task but additional forces can be deployed by the FB&H Police Administration and the police of other cantons. USC Prime Minister Husein Rosic stated that USC authorities will not allow mass influx of migrants to this canton to continue. If necessary, USC authorities will send back buses carrying migrants to their place of departure. “This measure might be too strict and stepping over our jurisdiction, but it is one of the steps which we will have to implement if nothing changes. Police will have to get more involved and we will have to file reports against persons who transport migrants. We plan to set up check points where we will control all vehicles that bring in migrants,” said Rosic. He added that the key priority for local authorities is to move migrants away from urban areas of Bihac and Velika Kladusa to temporary accommodation centers which will be established soon. Rosic stated that an agreement has been reached with the European Commission to transfer a large number of women and children to ‘Sedra’ hotel which has been closed for a while and whose owner agreed with the plan. Small groups of migrants have become an everyday occurrence in Livno and other areas of Canton 10, as migrants attempt to reach the Croatian border and move further into the EU. Spokesperson of the Canton 10 Interior Ministry Ivica Vrdoljak confirmed that there have been no reported incidents, criminal acts or public disruptions by migrants. According to the reporter, the majority of migrants have come from Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria and Morocco. Most of them have already applied for asylum in B&H, but do not plan to stay. Interviewed residents of Livno said that migrants have not caused any disruptions, and deserve assistance.

Bissell says NATO HQ will continue to provide support to B&H in process of registration of prospective military property (Avaz)

In a statement to the daily, Commander of the NATO Headquarters (HQ) in Sarajevo Marti Bissell, who took over the duty on July 9, said that she was extremely glad when she was appointed to this position and noted that the primary mission of the NATO HQ is to provide assistance to B&H in its efforts related to reform of defense and security sectors and a wide spectrum of activities within NATO program Partnership for Peace. Commenting on the current role of B&H Armed Forces in the defense system, Bissell said that she plans to closely cooperate with both B&H Ministry of Defense and B&H Armed Forces in the continuation of the process of defense reform and, in wider context, she will cooperate with B&H institutions in order to support their efforts in fulfillment of comprehensive, agreed, long-term obligations from the Partnership for Peace. Asked to assess the progress on the way to membership in NATO and also asked to state which are the main problems, apart from military property issue, Bissell said that it is still too early to make such assessments having in mind she just assumed her duty, but she added that B&H has made credible reforms since 2006 when it became NATO partner. Bissel said that B&H Armed Forces’ contribution in Afghanistan under the command of NATO showed that B&H can play a significant role at the international scene together with NATO members and partners. Finally, Bissell was asked to state when the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for B&H might be activated, to which she replied by saying that this question should be addressed to the NATO HQ in Brussels but she added: “I think it is clear that the allies are actively taking in consideration the progress made with regard to the precondition set at the meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs in Talin in April 2010, which is to register all prospective military property to B&H with B&H Ministry of Defense having the right to use it”. Bissell concluded by saying that the NATO HQ in Sarajevo will continue to provide support in the process of registration of military property and it will also continue to provide assistance to allies so that they can get the most accurate data on this process.

Lutovac: Personal ties affect relations between Serbia and Montenegro (Dan)

Relations between Serbia and Montenegro should not depend on leaders of the two countries. They must be built on stable mutual cooperation regardless of personal affiliations, said the leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia and first ambassador of Serbia to Montenegro, Zoran Lutovac. In an interview for Dan daily, he told relations between the two countries could have been much better, as that was what the citizens of Serbia and Montenegro expected. “The highest officials of SRB&MNE often describe those relations as harmonious, after which we usually witness some pretty harsh words among the politicians…Therefore, we should see what is that makes those relations ‘extraordinary’ and what are the reasons for strong reactions,” believes Lutovac. Commenting on the speculations that presidents of the two states mostly contributed to strong relationship between Montenegro and Serbia, Lutovac said: “Unfortunately, such harmonious relations are based on personal ties and not on basic principles of international cooperation. Serbia-Montenegro relationship should not depend on individuals holding power in those states. This is what I claimed when I was ambassador and I underline it now as the leader of the Democratic Party,” added Lutovac. The fact Montenegro will send military personnel to join KFOR (NATO operation of Kosovo) is not a hostile act against Serbia, concluded he.

DF is planning new protests (Pobjeda)

Work of the Montenegrin parliament has been threatened again after the announcements that Nebojsa Medojevic might be prosecuted because of the discussions he had at the parliament, said in the interview for Pobjeda Milan Knezevic, President of the Democratic People’s Party and one of the leaders of Democratic Front. As he says, DF is thinking about organizing protests in fall. “Personally, if this persecution of leaders and functionaries of DF continues, and all due to the attitude we express and which is guaranteed to us by the Constitution, that we shouldn’t take part in any parliamentary or ad hoc group which would deal with changes of electoral legislation. If somebody thinks that they can terrorize us on a daily basis but play victim at the same time, then they are so wrong. I’ve said recently that every attack on DF will provoke counteroffensive reaction, and that means we’re going to use all democratic resources available to defend our political and human beliefs”, said Knezevic. Journalists asked Knezevic what the key reason for the new protests might be.  He said that it was the last activity of the Special Prosecutor’s Office to initiate criminal procedure against Nebojsa Medojevic. Not only is that violation of the Constitution, but it also represents new conflict with DF. “Milivoje Katnic “came out of coma” and now, following the instructions of Milo Djukanovic and Dusko Markovic, starts coming into conflicts with DF. That’s why we are thinking about organizing protests in fall, as means of responding to the most recent attack of criminalized parts of the regime. They must be ready for a long, political fight with our coalition,” says Knezevic.

Hahn: Croatia must not block Montenegro’s accession talks (Dan)

Commenting on the long-running dispute between Croatia and Montenegro over the ‘Boka Navy’ heritage, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, said both countries should avoid misusing open bilateral issues in the EU accession process. This is what the Commissioner answered when Marijana Petir, a member in the European Parliament, asked him to declare on Montenegro’s ‘illegal ownership’ of the ‘Boka Navy’, as it belongs to Croatia, if you ask her. The EU Commissioner said that the European Commission’s (EC) document of 6 February 2018 related to the ‘Credible enlargement perspective for the Western Balkans countries’ underlined that the rule of law, justice and fundamental rights remain the topmost priority for all countries negotiating to accede the EU, including Montenegro. As for the ‘Boka Navy’ issue, the EC noticed that, according to the international legislation, identification and protection of intangible cultural heritage belong to the state on whose territory the aforementioned intangible cultural heritage is situated. “These issues are determined by UNESCO’s Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage. Even though some its provisions are present in the EU legislation, the EU didn’t sign the Convention. Therefore, the EC cannot interfere in procedures for recognition of UNESCO’s heritage,” Hahn was adamant.

EC to launch technical part of screening process for Macedonia next week (MIA)

The 14th meeting of EU-Macedonia Stabilization and Association Council, chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, was held Friday in Brussels. The meeting was also attended by Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn as the European Commission representative, while Macedonia’s delegation, led by Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, also included the Vice-Premier for European Affairs, Bujar Osmani. All attendants of the meeting voiced satisfaction with the latest developments related to Macedonia – a start of EU accession talks in June next year, NATO membership invitation and the bilateral deals with Greece and Bulgaria. “Four weeks ago I had the honor to witness, together with Commissioner Hahn, the signature of the historic name agreement with Greece. We hope that all leaders, all political parties, all citizens will now engage constructively for the ratification and the implementation not only of the agreement signed with Greece, but also the agreement signed with Bulgaria,” Mogherini told a press conference after the EU-Macedonia SAC meeting. Hahn also called on all parties in the country to engage in a constructive dialogue and continue to deepen the current reform momentum, especially on the rule of law, the intelligence service and public administration. “I would be in Skopje on July 17, which means next Tuesday, to launch the start of the technical part of the screening process together with the government and administration. But I would also like to express, on a very personal note, my congratulations for the invitation you have received yesterday by NATO to start the accession talks. This is another positive milestone in your Euro-Atlantic path, which will benefit primarily the citizens of your country,” Hahn said. Dimitrov expressed hope for the next year EU-Macedonia SAC meeting to be held simultaneously with the first intergovernmental conference that would formally mark the start of the country’s accession talks. “Over one year ago, at the previous council, we said we would return Macedonia on the right path, the European path. Today, one year after, no one doubts that we are on the right path.  We have been encouraged by the decision of the European Council, which opens the path towards accession talks in June 2019,” Dimitrov said. Osmani extended gratitude to Mogherini and Hahn over their personal contribution to Macedonia’s progress on the road to EU membership. The SA Council recalled that the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) remains at the core of the relationship between the EU and Macedonia until the country’s accession to the EU, participants in today’s meeting said in a joint press statement. “The SA Council took note of the country’s primary objective to open accession negotiations and acknowledged the government’s strong commitment to this purpose. The SA Council welcomed the EU’s recent setting out of the path towards opening accession negotiations in June 2019 based on continued progress and tangible results, maintaining and deepening the current reform momentum. The SA Council took note of the intention of the Commission and government to begin the necessary preparatory work,” the joint statement reads.

Macedonia celebrates NATO membership invitation ahead of ‘historic’ year (MIA)

Under the slogan “Moving Ahead, Macedonia in the EU and NATO”, Macedonia on Saturday celebrated getting the invitation for talks to join NATO. The celebration, organized by the government in 15 cities across the country, including the capital Skopje, featured concerts by 40 Macedonian music artists, including rock and pop bands, pop singers, hip-hop performers, DJs, etc. “Macedonia has a reason to celebrate. We have been fulfilling our common strategic goals, our common dreams and hopes. These concerts this evening are an invitation to rally around the coveted strategic objectives of our country – EU and NATO membership – regardless of our political differences,” said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev as he was attending the celebration organized in Bitola. The achievement Macedonia has made in just one year is an accomplishment for all regardless of their political beliefs, according to him. “We have reasons to celebrate and to put ourselves above divisions. Like never before, today we have reasons to come together. Today, I call on all citizens telling them that the forces that divide us are as not as strong as the forces that unite us, i.e. date for the opening of EU talks and the invitation to join NATO. These forces open for us the future,” stated Zaev speaking to reporters. Comparing where the country had been one year ago, he said that Macedonia today was ‘a free country where the citizens are given the choice to decide on their own.’ Referring to the opposition, Zaev called for an end to spreading hate, end to division and differences for the benefit of the country and ‘the future of our generation and all generations to come.’ Deputy PM and Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska, who attended the concert held in Skopje, said that two ‘historic’ chances had been seized for the country – start for EU negotiations and an invitation to join NATO. “For years we’ve had the feeling that we were missing every chance, that bad things were happening to us… Now, we can say that when we are united, when we know what we want, we can move mountains. The feeling today across Macedonia is that the citizens want good news and they want results. We can deliver together,” noted Sekerinska. According to Nikola Dimitrov, a historic year is ahead with many crossroads on the way. “Whether we are Macedonians, whether we speak Macedonian – we have managed to close all of these questions. This is who we are. And we’ve managed to build friendships with three countries with which we are sharing delicate relations, historically speaking. Tensions were turned into friendships and as a result, the path to NATO is open and and a major breakthrough is very likely in June 2019 regarding the EU,” the Foreign Minister told reporters in Skopje. All events are financed through the national budget. The exact amount will be made public once all calculations are made, the government has announced. Concerts took place in Skopje, Bitola, Veles, Gevgelija, Gostivar, Kavadarci, Ohrid, Kumanovo, Kocani, Kicevo, Prilep, Struga, Strumica, Tetovo and Stip.

Greece parliament to pass name deal ‘without problems’, says Kotzias (MIA/Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has expressed confidence that the name agreement would get the green light from members of the Greek Parliament, including MPs from the junior coalition partner Independent Greeks. “The agreement with North Macedonia will be passed in Parliament. But, I want to make this clear – we are aiming at a majority of over 150 votes and that’s what we are going to get. It’s true that Independent Greek will not vote, but there are MPs from this party who believe that the agreement is good,” Kotzias said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The Minister in the interview also spoke about the letters of threats and packages of bullets and dirt with blood sent to him. In this context, asked whether he would go on a walk in Thessaloniki without his security detail, Kotzias said he would, but his bodyguards would never allow it. Commenting on opinion polls in Greece, which show that a majority of citizens oppose the name deal, the FM said that polls commissioned by the Greek Foreign Ministry painted a different picture. “Surveys conducted for the Foreign Ministry show that close to 55% oppose the agreement, whereas 37% are in favor. It’s a good starting point given the fact that in Parliament the agreement was supported only by the party SYRIZA,” stated Minister Kotzias.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Turkey’s accession talks ‘should end,’ Kurz tells Kathimerini (ekathimerini, by Vassilis Nedos, 15 July 2018)

The European Union should end accession negotiations with Turkey and pursue a different kind of cooperation with the country, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Kathimerini in an interview published on Sunday. “The EU-Turkey negotiations should stop immediately,” he said, adding that Turkey has steadily moved away from Europe and its values in recent years. However, he said Austria has always been in favor of an “honest” relationship with the country.

Kurz welcomed the deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the latter’s name, noting that Austria supports EU enlargement in the Western Balkans as presented by the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn. “We warmly welcome the agreement between the two sides. It shows that persistent negotiations and diplomacy work,” Kurz said. He added that for Austria, the Western Balkans is a key priority of its foreign and European policy, and also its EU presidency. Providing honest prospects and a credible path to the EU for the countries of the Western Balkans will serve the bloc’s political, economic and security interests, Kurz stressed.

Asked whether Austria would close its borders with neighboring countries to prevent the secondary movement of migrants, he said the country has made clear in the case of the border with Germany that it will not accept measures that would burden it.