LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Serbia is tolerant enough to have a premier with Croat roots (B92/Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic says she doesn’t understand what is happening in Croatia and what the neighboring country’s leadership is up to. said this on Tuesday after Croatia’s top officials reacted to the speech made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic over the weekend, during a commemoration in Backa Palanka. “Quite honestly it’s not clear to me what is happening in Croatia and what the Croatian state leadership is doing. I listened carefully to Vucic’s speech and at no point did I hear anything problematic. It seems to me that Croatia’s top state officials are trying to completely twist the truth and prove that black is white, and vice versa,” said Brnabic.  She stressed that she did not hear any fascist statements from Vucic, but did hear them in Glina – a town in Croatia where the anniversary of Operation Storm was celebrated. Responding to journalists, Brnabic remarked that her grandfather was a Croat, not a Serb from Croatia, and that despite that she has become the head of the Serbian government.

“It shows that Serbia is open enough and that it is possible in Serbia to have a prime minister whose grandfather was a Croat. Imagine having a head of government in Croatia who has anything to do with Serbia,” Brnabic said. She also pointed out that in Croatia, the goalkeeper of the country’s national football team does not even dare to mention that he is of Serb origin.

Brnabic’s comments came after the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs assessed that comparing Croatia with the Nazi regime was a fallacy.

Vucic: There is no easy or painless solution for Kosovo and Metohija, but it is necessary as soon as possible (B92/RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has told a press conference in Belgrade that there is no easy and painless solution of the Kosovo problem. He says that Serbia has done everything since the signing of the Brussels agreement to be a reliable partner not only to Albanians, but also to the international community. “The Albanians, with silent consent, i.e. without clear opposition of the EU, has not fulfilled one single obligation, and this is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO),” said Vucic. “I will reveal one more thing. Namely, according to the Brussels agreement, the ZSO is the one that proposes the commander of the regional police for the North. The ZSO proposes four candidates, one of which is elected by Pristina. We cannot realize this today because there is no ZSO, so Pristina appoints us the commander of the regional police,” said Vucic. He says Serbia is left with two possible paths. “What are the Serbs left with to do in the future. Two possible paths. One path, after Pristina hasn’t fulfilled its obligation for more than 1930 days, is for the Serbs to assume this on their own. Not many can forbid them this. If the Serbs would do this there is danger from unilateral actions that would serve for Pristina’s final settlement with the north. That is precisely why our advice to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is to carefully monitor events, to choose moves and not to threaten the safety of citizens,” he said. Vucic says that special attention needs to be devoted to protected zones in Kosovo and Metohija. “We will resolve property issues: according to four points – private personal property of the Serbs, the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the property owned by business entities registered in Serbia outside Kosovo and Metohija and property owned by business entities registered in Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija. This issue will be one of the key and most important ones. Do we need to reach a solution, would some solution bring us good or shall we continue this way?” wondered Vucic. He says there are several reasons why a solution is necessary. “Firstly, we need lasting peace between the Serbs and Albanians. We need a solution that would mean creating safety for our citizens first of all, and let them take care of their citizens. Secondly, it is important because of our country’s economic progress, so we would not have other hindering factors that have been standing on our hands, feet and neck for a whole century. Thirdly, we would improve the arrival of foreign investments that are good, while Serbia’s image would improve. Fourthly, the demographic issue of Serbia and the Serbs, if we don’t resolve the Kosovo knot we will have one million less in 2050,” said Vucic.

If we come closer to some solution, which I doubt, I will openly speak about this and personally do everything possible to bear all consequences, regardless of how detrimental it is for the party and policy that I conduct, said Vucic. “Many hard things await us in September, but I wish to tell Serbian citizens not to worry because there will no secret decisions and there will be no solution either,” he said. Vucic says he will not pose the question at the referendum – do you support EU membership, and along the way do you support the agreement with Prisitna, but the people will have the possibility to very clearly, precisely state their opinion about the agreement that could be reached, if there is one. “It is clear that if we don’t receive the support of citizens for something, which I think is of key importance for Serbia’s future, its survival and progress, that I will pay the political price and I will bear political consequences, but the people will bring the final decision if we manage to reach some solution,” Vucic said.

Dacic: Maximalist goals of Pristina an obstacle for compromise (RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has told RTS morning news that the main obstacle for a compromise solution for Kosovo and Metohija is Pristina’s resolve to come up with maximalist goals. He says that Pristina thinks that a compromise is for Belgrade to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo plus to gain something over this. He says this is impossible and that it is uncertain when we can expect some framework agreement that would mark a possible solution based on which future relations would be established. Responding to allegations of those who think that now is not the time to resolve the Kosovo issue, Dacic says he doesn’t know what time can arrive that would make the Serbs a majority in Urosevac, Djakovica or Kacanik. He says we need to be realistic and look at the perspective in international relations and not live a life only with myths and reality. Speaking about division of Kosovo, he says this is his personal opinion about which he has been speaking for some ten years, pointing that he didn’t invent this and that both Dobirca Cosic and Zoran Djindjic spoke about this. “In any case, there are some who would like someone else to resolve this, for the north to be attacked and for the Serbs to be expelled and then we would resolve the Kosovo problem,” says Dacic. He says that those who oppose a solution think that a better solution would be united independence Kosovo. He says that only a blind person doesn’t see that at issue is the creation of a Greater Albania. He notes it is clear that Pristina is avoiding the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) and that it thinks that this is some lasting solution, which is ridiculous and we do not accept this. He says that nobody has ever from Belgrade’s side mentioned that he/she would recognize independent Kosovo and that it would become a UN member. “We are continuing the battle for withdrawal of recognitions, we expect this process to continue and we are working on this all-day long,” says Dacic, adding: “If somebody has some other compromise solution, let them propose”.  He also assessed that some people in Serbia, but also in the region are dissatisfied because Serbia has strengthened its international position. “In Croatia, the main problem is that someone is talking about Storm. They expect that they will be the ones to decide who will be the president of Serbia and the minister of foreign affairs, would praise Storm,” Dacic said, and recalled that in 1971 there were about 626,000 ethnic Serbs in Croatia, while there are about 186,000 today. With diplomats one speaks diplomatically, while with criminals, with whom one cannot act diplomatically, one must go for the jugular in order to reveal the truth. “Not in order to exact revenge, but because we must not allow the victims to be forgotten,” said Dacic.

REGIONAL PRESS

Zvizdic meets Minister Mektic and representatives of police agencies in B&H; Migrant crisis in focus of talk (N1)

Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic met with B&H Minister of Security Dragan Mektic and representatives of the police agencies in B&H on Monday. The main topic of the meeting was future activities for preventing illegal entry of migrants into B&H. The participants of the meeting agreed that the priority must be protection of B&H’s borders and prevention of illegal entries into B&H. Zvizdic asked the representatives of the police agencies to continue their activities in strengthening border controls, by increasing the number of police officers that protect the borders. Zvizdic also asked the participants of the meeting to urgently find a viable solution for accommodation of migrants in the Una-Sana Canton (USC). The representatives of the police agencies pointed out that the migrants stay a longer period of time in B&H, due to contempt of readmission agreements of countries from which the migrants illegally enter B&H and also due to the fact that B&H has not signed readmission agreements with countries from which the migrants originate.

USC MoI responds to cantonal PM Rosic, explains that it has no authority to ban arrival of migrants in USC (Nezavisne)

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the Una-Sana Canton (USC) has no authority to carry out the policy of forcible limitation of movement, or to ban the arrival of migrants in the USC. According to daily, this statement is the USC MoI’s response to cantonal authorities’ call on police forces to forcibly prevent the arrival of migrants in this canton. The statement reads that the USC MoI received this request from USC Prime Minister Husein Rosic several days ago. According to the statement, Rosic called on the cantonal police forces to carry out full inspection of all vehicles suspected of transporting illegal migrants, ban them from entering the USC and send them back to where they have come from. The statement issued by the USC MoI reads that the Law on Foreigners clearly defines the competences in this field, as well as institutions which are in charge of dealing with foreigners; furthermore, the statement also reads that any additional limitation of movement in the USC would have to be regulated with changes to existing laws. The USC MoI also stated that the police have been taking all operational and tactical activities prescribed by the law, in order to mitigate the consequences of migrant crisis and adequately penalize those who fail to act in line with the laws of B&H.

There is no exact information on number of migrants in B&H (RTRS)

There is still no concrete plan presented by B&H authorities on successfully controlling the migrations. The report of the Coordination Body for Issues of Migrations in B&H states that in the first seven months of 2018, 9,548 migrants were recorded in B&H. This report was not yet discussed at the session of the B&H Council of Ministers due to absence of B&H Minister of Security Dragan Mektic, who is obliged to present this report to B&H CoM Ministers. RS Minister of Interior Dragan Lukac believes there are much more migrants in B&H than stated in this report, adding that “the B&H Ministry of Security ‘toys’ with the data and the security situation in B&H”. He added that the numbers do not add up, because the Una-Sana Canton (USC) authorities claim there are currently over 5,000 migrants in this canton and Minister Mektic claims that out of the nearly 10,000 migrants that entered B&H, 55 to 60 percent of them have already left B&H and continued their journey to the EU countries. According to RTRS reporter, he tried to get information about the current number of migrants from the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs in B&H, but its representatives were unwilling to give any information to RTRS. Minister Mektic is currently on summer vacation and unavailable for any comment.

The recently formed Coordination Body for Monitoring the Movement of Illegal Migrants in the RS will hold its first session on Tuesday and discuss further activities.

Alliance for Albanians to support name referendum: party official (MIA)

Alliance for Albanians will support the autumn name referendum, but the administration of a referendum is a luxury that will cost the country dearly, said Arben Taravari. Speaking to MIA, the secretary general of the Albanian political party elaborated the endorsement stance adding that his party would reveal its final decision in late August after the party’s central assembly meeting. “In principle, the Alliance for Albanians will vote Yes in the referendum. By not endorsing the referendum decision at a recent parliament session, our deputies wanted to point out that there was no need for such a thing. With or without a referendum, the MPs should vote once again for changes to the Constitution as envisaged in the Prespa Agreement and the obligations stemming from it. Hence, it will cost the country a lot and it is an unnecessary luxury,” stated Taravari. He said he believed that all Albanians in Macedonia would positively answer the referendum question.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Macedonian opposition set to boycott name referendum (emerging-europe.com, by Claudia Patricolo, 7 August 2018)

Several Macedonian civic associations, NGOs and political parties plan to boycott a referendum on the future of the country’s name, calling the proposed question manipulative.

The question set by the Macedonian government for the referendum, scheduled for September 30, is: “Do you support EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between Macedonia and Greece?” Political analyst Jason Miko says that a different question, along the lines of: “Do you favour changing the name of the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia and do you favour changing the constitution of the Republic of Macedonia to reflect this?” would sound better. “That would be an honest question and the answer would be a resounding no,” said Mr Miko. The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), led by Janko Becev, says the question is unacceptable due to its manipulative nature which hides the fact that the agreement with Greece erases, in their opinion, Macedonian history and identity. The UMD has also called into question the legality of the vote, which it claims has been called without taking into account the views of the opposition. “A consultative referendum is a tool of participatory democracy that serves to consult public opinion BEFORE (and not after) the signing of a bilateral or multilateral treaty,” reads a UMD statement. “As such, the announcement of a consultative instead of a binding referendum estimated to cost 3.5 million euros not only sets a precedent, but also a significant expense for the state, whose people on September 8, 1991, with a majority of 95 per cent declared sovereignty, thus solidifying the name and identity of their country.” Organisations opposed to the referendum have created a We are Macedonia campaign, which has led to the #MacedoniaBoycott hashtag going viral on Twitter. T-shirts with the Macedonian flag and #Boycott printed on them are increasingly visible on the streets of Skopje, the capital.

Experts: Bulgaria expands Trans-Balkan line in bid for TurkStream’s second line (Daily Sabah/Anadolu Agency, 6 August 2018)

Bulgaria’s decision to increase the capacity of the Trans-Balkan pipeline shows the country’s intent to capture the entire gas volume of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project’s second line, according to Jonathan Stern, founder of the Natural Gas Research Program at Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Stern said on Friday that Bulgaria is not necessarily the most powerful candidate for TurkStream’s second line to transfer gas to Europe. The line will have the capacity to carry 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum. Turkey and Bulgaria officially launched the new Lozenets-Nedyalsko pipeline Friday, paving the way for natural gas exports to Bulgaria and natural gas flow to Europe via Turkey. The new line will increase the current Trans-Balkan pipeline’s capacity from 14 billion cubic meters to 15.75 billion cubic meters. The new 20-kilometer Lozenets-Nedyalsko pipeline will allow reverse flows between the two countries. The opening ceremony was held with the attendance of Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez and Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova. Turkey, which aims to become a natural gas exporter, has implemented major projects in natural gas supply. It launched the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) in June and aims to complete the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project by 2019. TurkStream is a gas pipeline project stretching across the Black Sea, from Russia to Turkey and farther to its western border. The first line of the pipeline intends to supply gas to Turkish consumers, while the second line is designated for consumers in southern and southeastern Europe. Each line will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. “This looks like a move from Bulgaria to try to capture the entire volume of gas from TurkStream 2,” Stern noted. However, Stern explained the decision that TurkStream operator Gazprom will take on the line’s transfer route depends on which European markets Gazprom will find more profitable. Gazprom has two candidate transfer countries for the second line of the giant pipeline, Stern explained, adding, “If Gazprom believes that the ultimate market for TurkStream 2’s gas is Italy – then Greece is a better option. If Gazprom believes that the ultimate market for TurkStream 2’s gas in Central Europe – then Bulgaria is a better option.” Russia is currently negotiating plans for TurkStream’s second line with Greece and Bulgaria. John Roberts, a senior fellow at Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center said that based on the launch of this Bulgarian-Turkey Lozenets-Nedyalsko pipeline, Gazprom is at least assessing the prospect of sending some TurkStream gas to Bulgaria. “But we need to know more about Gazprom’s willingness to use existing lines in the Balkans, such as the Trans-Balkan line, or to invest in building new infrastructure in the Balkans before we can judge how serious they are,” he said. He argued that Gazprom might look at sending some gas to Balkan customers via Bulgaria and some via Greece. However, he said the big issue, which this pipeline does not resolve, is how Gazprom can deliver gas via the TurkStream 2 to customers in Central or Western Europe. Meanwhile, speaking at the opening ceremony on Friday, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez said that the pipeline will carry natural gas to Europe – which will both contribute to natural gas supply security of Turkey and Bulgaria and boost the importance of both countries in the European natural gas market. Pointing to investments that Turkey has made in strong natural gas infrastructure, the minister noted, “Turkey is taking firm steps not only toward satisfying its own demand, but also responding to regional energy requirements.” The Turkish minister noted that the pipeline would also enable reverse flow gas transmission from Turkey to Bulgaria with the possibility of Bulgaria receiving Russian gas through the TurkStream natural gas pipeline. Indicating that Turkey plays a significant part in bringing Middle Eastern and Caucasian resources to the global markets, the energy and natural resources minister said, “With its strong economic infrastructure and predictable markets, our country is the first destination and indispensable partner of international energy projects.”