LOCAL PRESS

Meleșcanu: Romania to continue to support Serbia’s territorial integrity (Politika)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic agreed with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Romania Teodor Meleșcanu that the two countries are linked by traditional friendship. Brnabic pointed out that Serbia is aware of the fact that the condition of stability, progress and economic development is a solid link with its neighbors, among which Romania takes a significant place, expressing gratitude to the country for its support. Meleşcanu said that Romania will continue to support Serbia’s EU integration, adding that one of the most important topics during the presidency of Romania to the EU Council in 2019 will be the enlargement of the EU to Western Balkans countries. He emphasized that Romania will also continue to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, believing that resolving the issue of Kosovo is essential for the stability of the region. Commenting Pristina’s decision to increase the tax on imports of goods from Serbia proper and B&H to 100%, Brnabic reiterated that Belgrade will not return to the dialogue until the withdrawal of this measure, which is a violation of the CEFTA agreement, but also all agreements reached by the Brussels agreement. The officials estimated that the quadrilateral meeting of Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, held in Belgrade this month, is very important for improving the cooperation of these four countries, but also for promoting stability, security and development in the region. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic also spoke with Minister Meleșcanu and thanked him for attending a joint press conference after his meeting in the Palace Serbia because he came to visit Serbia only a few days before Romania takes over the EU Council Presidency. It is important for us to make progress as fast as possible in the process of Euro-integration, and we hope that the number of chapters when Romania takes over the presidency will be greater than we have been opening so far, Dacic said. He also pointed out that the next year marks a significant jubilee, 140 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Romania. Our political relations are rising. Dacic said that Serbia highly appreciates Romania’s position on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and thanked Romania for not voting recently for Kosovo’s admission to Interpol. Meleșcanu stressed that his country fully supports the European path of Serbia and invited Serbian officials to maximize their engagement in European integration. I assure you that we will place the Western Balkans among the highest priorities of the EU presidency, Meleșcanu said. He also pointed out that the very fact that he came to Belgrade, on the eve of the takeover of the EU presidency by Romania, speaks of how much his country attaches importance to the relationship with Serbia and its Euro-integration. It is in our interest that the Western Balkans become part of the EU, he said, adding that it is important to continue the European path of the region, and that the EU remains committed to the region’s rapprochement. Romania’s Foreign Minister said that there was never a better time to carry out reforms and offer Bucharest’s technical assistance in adapting to European standards. Meleșcanu also pointed out that economic ties between Serbia and Romania are strong, that trade is almost at a record level, adding that there are opportunities for large joint infrastructure projects in transport and energy, as well as cooperation on border security.

Dacic: Dialogue will likely continue in different format (Tanjug/B92/Nedeljnik)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says that Serbia will in 2019 certainly intensively deal with the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, and probably in a different format than until now. “No one can say – we will solve Kosovo and Metohija next year, at least no serious politician in our country and abroad. As far as I am concerned, I would like to have an agreement and a solution tomorrow, but that is not realistic, many more things need to fall into place,” he told the weekly Nedeljnik. This was his reply when asked whether he expects the Kosovo issue to be resolved next year. According to excerpts from the interview Nedeljnik sent to Tanjug, reported late on Wednesday, Dacic pointed out that European negotiators have stood aside for some time – they will have elections in May, and then a few more months will pass before they put together the Commission and choose the successor to Federica Mogherini. “The United States wants to fill that vacuum and that’s good for the whole process, because we do not want to waste time. That’s why Donald Trump’s letter to President Vucic is encouraging as a good sign that America also cares for the dialogue to continue, not to lose that momentum, as has happened many times in the last five or six years, always thanks to Pristina,” said Dacic. He pointed out that, in his opinion, it would be useful to involve other large countries, such as Russia and China, along with the United States, as it would provide broad international guarantees for everything that would be agreed upon. “This would mean full international legitimacy for everything agreed upon concerning Kosovo and Metohija, and above all, it would ensure that the agreement lasts a long time, which is very much in Serbia’s interest,” he added. Dacic pointed out that the idea of delineation between Serbs and Albanians is the only one on the table, but it must be accompanied by a number of other agreements. “We are not giving up on the highest rights for the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija, from the protection of the Serb heritage, from the great amount of property that Serbia has in Kosovo and Metohija, and everyone knows that well,” said Dacic.

Vucic: Blatant lie, nobody asked us to get involved in RS (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has denied that members of the Serbian Interior Ministry helped the police in the Republika Srpska (RS) on Krajina Square in Banja Luka. “This is about a blatant lie. Nobody asked that of us, nor do we get involved in the internal affairs of B&H,” he said, adding: “I’m wondering how this occurred to somebody. We are following the events in Banja Luka, we want everything to end peacefully. That’s all I can say, everything else would be interfering.”

Stefanovic: Mektic’s claim more than scandalous (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic B&H Security Minister’s claim was more than scandalous. “In addition to the fact that both the Serbian Interior Ministry and the Serbian President completely denied any participation of our officers in the events in B&H, I will recall that Mektic, as Minister of Security, has control over the border police, so he can certainly know who enters and who leaves B&H,” Stefanovic told Tanjug.  Consequently, he thinks Mektic’s behavior is completely not well-meaning toward Serbia and the citizens of Serbia. “It is obvious that this statement aims to create further instability in the region and disturb relations between the Serb people living in Serbia and the RS. As Interior Minister of the Republic of Serbia, once again I completely reject the claims that any member of the Ministry of Interior participated in events in Banja Luka, because Serbia does not interfere in the internal affairs of other states and entities,” Stefanovic said.

US aircraft monitoring Raska as well? (Novosti)

The US air force “MC-12W Liberty” aircraft, intended for reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence, landed yesterday on the airport in Pristina, and, according to the sources of Serbian security services, it took off around 1p.m.and circled above the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija. Apart from surveilling the situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija, this aircraft, as estimated, will also have the task of surveilling the position of the Serbian Army in Raska and on Mt. Kopaonik.

REGIONAL PRESS

Justice for David related issues (TV1/N1/BHT)

The District Public Prosecutor’s Office of Banja Luka reached on Wednesday a decision to release Davor Dragicevic from police custody. Dragicevic was questioned at the premises of the District Public Prosecutor’s Office of Banja Luka early Wednesday morning. RS Minister of Interior Dragan Lukac held an extraordinary press conference in Banja Luka on Wednesday on the occasion of Tuesday’s events in Banja Luka during the protest under the slogan ‘Justice for David Dragicevic’. Lukac announced that disrespect for the police and unannounced rallies will no longer be tolerated, adding that no one is against rallies of the ‘Justice for David Dragicevic – Justice for All’ Facebook group led by David Dragicevic’s father Davor Dragicevic as long as they have a proper permit for the gathering and rallies are organized in line with the law, but that this has not been the case in the past nine months of protests. He called on Dragicevic, who was arrested during the protest on Tuesday, to calm down and let the police and prosecution do their job regarding the investigation into the murder of his son. He said that he hopes that Dragicevic will distance himself from everyone from criminal and political circles who only use him for their own goals and inflict him huge damage. Lukac added that “this is an organized state and all citizens have to respect the law”, noting that everyone who tries to attack police will be sanctioned in line with the law. Lukac emphasized that he can guarantee that the RS police did not use excessive force during the protest, and that members of the RS Ministry of Interior (MoI) acted in line with the law as no one filed complains due to police actions. He reminded that five persons were arrested on Tuesday since they obstructed the state bodies in the public duties, and another five persons were arrested later due to same offense. Lukac denied the information presented by certain politicians in the RS, who said that Serbian police were present at the protest on Tuesday. Citizens of Sarajevo gathered on Wednesday night to express support to the Dragicevic family after the arrests on Tuesday. The citizens stated that they request justice for the murdered David Dragicevic and Dzenan Memic, as well as justice for all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Citizens gathered in other B&H cities as well. The rally of support also took place in Tuzla and Mostar, and it was attended by approximately 100 citizens. The rally of support also took place in Serbian capital Belgrade. Representatives of the Initiative ‘Ne davimo Beograd’ stressed that rally in Belgrade was organized on the occasion of arrest of parents of David Dragicevic. “What we saw was very great police brutality, but we also saw very great resistance and dignity of citizens and we are today telling them that they should persist in that fight” Veselinovic underlined. Veselinovic explained that they wanted to support citizens of the entire region that used to be called Yugoslavia, which turned into a number of “small, occupied and imprisoned countries”. LDP leader Cedomir Jovanovic stated that SNSD leader Milorad Dodik has shown to the public that he is willing to do anything to keep his opponents quiet.

Dodik: I feel deep sympathy with pain of Dragicevic family (RTRS)

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik commented on the latest events related to the movement ‘Justice for David (Dragicevic)’ in Banja Luka including the arrest of David’s father Davor Dragicevic for threatening of safety, said he feels deep sympathy with the pain of Dragicevic family and expressed disappointment with the pace at which judiciary is investigating David’s death. However, Dodik noted that there is rule of law in the RS and laws must be implemented. According to Dodik, it is just an unfortunate circumstance that a father who lost his son has been arrested for violating the law. “I did not make statements yesterday (Tuesday), because I received information immediately after Davor Dragicevic’s arrest that everything was done according to law. I have also been informed that the events, which then followed and that we kept track of through the media, were a part of a police-prosecutorial operation, which I as a politician cannot and will not speak about” the B&H Presidency Chairman noted. The B&H Presidency Chairman pointed out that he saw certain politicians at the Krajina Square who like to provoke scandals and who “unfortunately, continue monstrously misusing the tragedy of Dragicevic family”. He was further quoted as saying: “I must say I am shocked by the scenes from yesterday (Tuesday) at the Krajina Square, where I saw mothers with small children. I publicly ask everyone in the RS to answer who could bring their children to the place of an evident extensive police operation.” Asked to comment on Tuesday’s statement of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H with Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark at helm on the arrests at Krajina Square, Dodik noted that diplomats should not interfere in police-prosecutorial operations. In Dodik’s opinion, such comments are undiplomatic and unacceptable “in any sovereign state”. He called on citizens of Banja Luka and the entire RS to remain calm and respect the laws. Dodik also strongly criticized Serbian opposition parties by saying that it is obvious it has neither strategy nor anything concrete to offer to Serbia so it “scavenges” on events 400 kilometers away from them “without getting acquainted with details or trying to see the overall situation”. Namely, Dodik commented on claims of certain opposition leaders in Serbia that the arrest of Dragicevic was a “shameful act” and that the authorities in Banja Luka “are criminal regime of Milorad Dodik”. Dodik added that they are trying to seize any chance in the region and exploit it to send some kind of messages to Serbia and international community “and even to urge the international community to intervene”. Meanwhile RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic called on Wednesday on the competent prosecutor’s office in the RS to clarify the ‘Dragicevic’ case as soon as possible, so that the public can finally found out the truth about this tragic event. He said that he feels deep sympathy for the loss of Dragicevic family due to the tragedy that happened to them, adding that he is very interested in finding the truth as soon as possible and in bringing the murderers of David Dragicevic to justice. “The RS Government will never protect persons involved in this tragic event” Viskovic concluded.

SC Assembly appoints new SC government (FTV)

At a session that took place in Sarajevo on Wednesday, the Sarajevo Canton (SC) Assembly adopted the proposal of a new convocation of the SC Government led by Prime Minister Edin Forto. As many as 24 delegates from the six parties that formed the parliamentary majority voted in favor of the proposal. Our Party (NS) got the post of the Prime Minister and two more ministerial posts, People and Justice (NiP) got four ministerial posts, SDP B&H three ministerial posts, SBB B&H two ministerial posts and DF one ministerial post. The Independent BH List (NBL), which is part of the ruling coalition, did not want to be part of the executive authority.

Civic bloc of parties led by SDP B&H reach agreement on principles of distribution of posts in Tuzla Canton (FTV)

The civic bloc of parties led by SDP B&H reached an agreement on the principles of distribution of posts in the Tuzla Canton (TC), at a meeting that took place in Tuzla on Wednesday. DF’s Mahir Mesalic is most likely to be elected the TC Assembly Speaker, while SDP B&H’s Vedrana Petrovic and Sladjan Ilic will be elected the Deputy Speakers. Mesalic stated that citizens of Tuzla will finally be able to “breathe” thanks to new authorities that could correct everything that used to be done in a wrong way. The civic bloc also agreed to give SDP B&H the post of the TC Prime Minister. Chair of SDP B&H Cantonal Board in the TC Enver Bijedic stated: “In accordance with this principle, SDP B&H will nominate a Prime Minister and at least six of 12 ministers, while the remaining six ministerial posts will be given to our coalition partners”. Bijedic noted that SDP B&H will get the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Sports and Youth. He did not want to rule out the possibility that he will be nominated the TC Prime Minister-Designate. The civic bloc will also nominate six delegates for the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP) – three from SDP B&H, two from DF and one from Our Party (NS). At the same time, SDA and PDA will each nominate one delegate for the Federation of B&H HoP. A new convocation of the TC Government is expected to be formed at the beginning of February.

Russian Ambassador to B&H Ivantsov: NATO is violating Dayton principles (Glas Srpske)

Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov said that B&H’s accession to NATO would create additional borders in Europe and would in no way contribute to increase of the level of stability in the region. According to Ivantsov, expansion of NATO in the region of Balkans is a military goal which has nothing to do with establishing of democratic values, attraction of investments and extinguishing of forest fires, as it is portrayed by some of Russia’s partners in the West. “We are currently witnessing intensification of efforts to ‘push’ B&H into this alliance. And this undoubtedly represents not only interference with internal matters of B&H, but it also violates the Dayton principles of equality of three peoples in the process of making foreign policy decisions, as there is no consensus in B&H about this issue, which is clearly confirmed by the Declaration on Military Neutrality, which was adopted by the RS parliament. This Declaration is the best reflection of what political parties in RS, but also the majority of citizens, think about this membership in NATO. In other words, almost half of B&H is against membership in this military bloc,” said Ivantsov.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Putin comments on upcoming visit to Serbia (TASS, 26 December 2018)

MOSCOW, The Russian president’s upcoming visit to Serbia will strengthen the relationship between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in New Year’s greetings to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday. “I am convinced that our scheduled meeting in Belgrade will further cement our mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide range of fields,” Vucic’s press service said citing the Russian president’s greetings. “I wish happiness, good health and success to you, your family and friends, and well-being and prosperity to the Serbian fraternal nation,” says a message handed to the Serbian president by Russia’s Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Chepurin. Putin pointed out that the current relations with Serbia “are dynamically developing in the spirit of a strategic partnership.”

Marinelli: Serbia-NATO partnership is getting stronger in all areas (EWB, by Vukasin Zivkovic, 22 December 2018)

Interview with Brigadier General Cesare Marinelli, Chief of NATO Military Liaison Office in Belgrade.

European Western Balkans (EWB): How do you see the partnership between Serbia and NATO? What do you see as the main benefits of Serbia-NATO cooperation for both sides?

CM: I am happy to say that NATO and Serbia are deepening our practical cooperation and our partnership is getting stronger in all areas. NATO and Serbia have good relations, with extensive practical work and a growing political dialogue that fully respects Serbian policy of military neutrality. We are working together to mutual benefit and our cooperation helps ensure security in the Balkans and in the wider international context.

EWB: What were the most successful forms of cooperation? What do you see as the main areas where this cooperation can be further improved?

CM: NATO – Serbia relationship is mutually beneficial and successful in all areas of cooperation. Of course, like everywhere, there is always room for improvement. The year 2018 was very successful. This October saw the EADRCC consequence management field exercise “SRBIJA 2018”, the largest exercise of this kind ever organized by NATO. The aim of the exercise was to improve interoperability in international disaster response operations and I think we fulfilled our goal.

Recently you could see REGEX, a NATO‐supported opportunity for a Partner country to plan an exercise from beginning to end according to its training requirements. The REGEX initiative involves one Partner nation inviting neighbouring Partners to a national exercise, while NATO provides support to exercise-planning workshops. The latest available data show that Serbia and NATO have more than 150 joint activities per year.

EWB: What are your expectations regarding the new IPAP between Serbia and NATO? What do you think will be the differences from the previous one?

CM: As you know, the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) concluded in January 2015 is a jointly agreed framework in which a partner nation lays out its reform goals and the areas where NATO can provide assistance to achieve those goals. It helps to organize bilateral cooperation, ensuring that NATO and individual Allies can provide support to Serbia in achieving its reform goals.

The IPAP offers an important step forward in the relationship, allowing NATO and Serbia to deepen both their political consultations and practical cooperation. In previous years, IPAP allowed our cooperation to prosper in many fields and we hope that it will continue in the same manner.

EWB: Relations between Serbia and NATO were somewhat strained due to the latest incidents in Kosovo and different interpretations of the role of KFOR. Where do these misunderstandings come from?

CM: KFOR’s mission is CLEAR and that is to maintain a safe and secure environment for all people and all communities in Kosovo in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. In addition to KFOR, other professional, multi-ethnic security forces stand ready to deal with possible security incidents in Kosovo. They were created with the support of the international community and play an important role in any crisis situation. KFOR is the third security responder in Kosovo, after the Kosovo Police and EULEX.

When it comes to the latest development in Kosovo, we regret that the Kosovo Parliament adopted three laws initiating the process of transition of the Kosovo Security Force. This decision was made despite the concerns expressed by NATO. While the transition of the Kosovo Security Force is in principle a matter for Kosovo to decide, we have made clear that this move is ill-timed. NATO supports the development of the Kosovo Security Force under its current mandate. With the change of mandate, the North Atlantic Council will now have to re-examine the level of NATO’s engagement with the Kosovo Security Force.

NATO remains committed through KFOR to a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and to stability in the wider Western Balkans. However, all sides must ensure that this decision will not further increase tensions in the region. All responsible political actors in the region need to focus on progress with reforms, and on dialogue. Let me also stress the importance of continued communication between KFOR and the Serbian Armed Forces, as attested by the recent meeting between KFOR Commander Major General Lorenzo D’Addario and Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Milan Mojsilović.

EWB: The questions concerning the consequences of the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia are still one of the greatest challenges to Serbia-NATO cooperation and public support for it. In May this year, a Parliamentary commission was formed in Serbia, which is researching consequences of the NATO bombing on public health in Serbia and Kosovo. What is NATO’s position on the work of this commission

CM: NATO takes matters of health and the environment very seriously. After the 1999 air campaign, we established a NATO committee to understand as fully as possible the implications of depleted uranium. To date, none of the NATO nations or partner nations deployed in Kosovo reported finding a link between the health complaints of the personnel employed in the Balkans and depleted uranium, nor have we found any threat of radioactivity to human health on the sites we tested there.

I would like to remind you that depleted uranium munitions were used almost exclusively in western and southern Kosovo, and only at a few locations in southern Serbia. I would also like to refer you to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports on depleted uranium in the region, which showed that the risks of exposure of NATO personnel to depleted uranium are “negligible.”

EWB: German chancellor Merkel and French president Macron recently announced an initiative to form a “European Army”. What do you think its establishment would mean for the security architecture of the Western Balkans and the role of NATO in the region?

CM: Projects such as military mobility, European Defense Fund, PESCO, all of that can contribute to fairer burden-sharing within NATO. It can complement NATO, help to develop new NATO capabilities, and address the fragmentation of the European defence market. So this is something that the Secretary General has welcomed many times.

But the Secretary General has been equally clear about the fact that EU efforts must not compete with NATO, must not duplicate NATO, because NATO remains the bedrock of European security. We have to remember that after Brexit 80% of NATO’s defence expenditure will come from non-EU NATO Allies. And three of the four battle groups we have deployed in the eastern part of the Alliance, in the Baltic countries and Poland, will be led by non-EU Allies.

Also, geography matters. Norway in the north, Turkey in the south, and Canada, USA and UK in the west are important for European security. So geography and money, these are facts which we cannot ignore.