LOCAL PRESS

Kosovo Serbs want to leave Kosovo institutions; Vucic asks them to wait for response from state for 45 days (RTS/Tanjug)

Last night, Albanian policemen entered Zubin Potok and hijacked a truck from the Serbian carrier, supposedly because it was crossing over the green line, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after the meeting with Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. Vucic added that this caused the anger of the Serb population and that they returned to their homes only after the appeal, in order to avoid additional problems.  President Vucic told that the meeting with the Kosovo Serbs was surprisingly difficult for him as the president, because there are things that happened in the last 24 hours that are not yet known. “Serbia and the Serb people are in a very difficult situation, as in 2008, 2004, at that time, the state reacted either horribly or didn’t react at all. When I say this, I’m talking about the threats that our people are receiving, about the taxes, and the representatives from Strpci talked about the situation,” said Vucic. Representatives of the Serbs requested withdrawal from all Kosovo institutions. Vucic asked them to wait for a response of at least 45 days, so that he can have consultations with important leaders, including China. In the next two days, the adoption of the new Trepca Statute will follow, leading to the blockade of its account, because Trepca was not registered under the Serbian laws, but as UNMIK Trepca, under the auspices of the UN. Kosovo Albanians want a blockade of its accounts, the destruction of Trepca, north Mitrovica all the way to Leposavic, which, as Vucic said, means that 2,400 people will be left without work. “The unification of the Northern and Southern Mitrovica is a direct threat to the people in Kosovo and Metohija and everyone says that if this happens, it can be done only by using the violence and that is the end of our people’s survival,” said Vucic. Vucic also said that the Kosovo Prime Minister is lying that there are 40 Serbs in the so-called “Kosovo Army”. “Haradinaj is lying that there are 40 in the Kosovo army and I ask him to show me these 40 Serbs. I once again urge Serbs not to go in to the army. The only thing that army can serve, is to kill the Serbs, and I call them to leave the army” said the President of Serbia. The meeting with the President was attended by more than 130 representatives of the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, led by the President of the Serb List Goran Rakic, as well as the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric.

Djuric: Not a single solution in sight (RTS)

In response to journalist’s question, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said that there is no solution of the Kosovo problem. “Not a single solution exists, not even in sight.” He says that the Kosovo Serbs requested at the meeting that Belgrade increases assistance. Djuric conveyed to Ramush Haradinaj’s private ministers from the Serb people that the doors of Serbian state institutions are closed. On the occasion of the appointment of Dijana Zivic as the new Kosovo Minister of Agriculture, Djuric says it is not acceptable for somebody who is a Serb to be working against the interests of his/her state and people, and to expect somebody to cooperate with him/her. “There will be no cooperation at any level with such individuals. Not even at the level of mayor, nor will there be cooperation at the political level or level of institutions,” said Djuric. He recalled that he has been participating in the negotiating process with the Albanians for nearly seven years, and he has been taking care directly of the Kosovo Serbs for five years, and that he has not seen for all these years that Albanian political leaders had been completely independent. “I don’t trust them at all, I am sure that had adequate political signals been sent to them when they first decided to increase taxes, they would not have behaved as they are behaving presently,” said Djuric. Asked whether now is the time for unification of the Serbs, the authorities and the opposition, Djuric says that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija had demonstrated big responsibility. “I can calmly say that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are gathered and united in protecting their fellow nationals and that they resisted the challenges of divisions,” said Djuric. They told him, says Djuric, that Albanian leaders had been approaching them and offering everything to separate several Serb MPs who would join them. Djuric says they were offered ministries, agencies and various amounts of money. “As you can see, they haven’t accepted that. The sense of awareness that they have no other homeland prevails with them,” concluded Djuric.

US wants resolution of Kosovo problem by year’s end (Srpski Telegraf)

The principal Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council John Erath and Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council William Berkley, during their two-day visit to Belgrade and the meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, had conveyed they want the Kosovo knot to be resolved in this year, Srpski Telegraf reports, citing well-informed sources.

Brnabic to Schieb: Abolition of taxes precondition for continuation of dialogue with Pristina (Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke with German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schieb, who told her that Germany will continue to insist that Pristina immediately abolish the taxes on goods. Brnabic expressed her gratitude for the consistent position of Germany on this issue, and underlined that the abolition of taxes is a precondition for the continuation of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. The press release said that they agreed that bilateral relations between the two countries are at a high level as shown by the coming visit to Serbia by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

Slovakia will not recognize Kosovo and continues to support Serbia’s EU path (RTV/Tanjug)

“The Slovak Republic will not recognize Kosovo and will continue to support Serbia on the path to the EU. Serbia is an important partner for us and we will do all in our power to support your just fight because you have been done a historic injustice,” said Lubos Blaha, Chairman of the Slovak Parliament’s European Affairs Committee, in the meeting with the members of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija. He said that no pressures would change his country’s stance because the issue in question is of national importance and contrary to international law.

Committee member Aleksandar Markovic said he was very happy to receive the guests from Slovakia, a country with which Serbia enjoys a traditional friendship marred with no outstanding issues. He thanked Slovakia for its support of Serbia’s European integration and especially for its principled stance on Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. “We are especially grateful to Slovakia for voting against so-called Kosovo’s UNESCO bid and for the excellent parliamentary cooperation which I hope will be intensified in the days to come,” said Markovic. He presented the Committee’s scope and duties, especially the results of the Working Group for the Collection of Facts and Evidence for the Investigation of Crimes Committed against Serbs and Other National Communities in Kosovo-Metohija and cooperation with the relevant state institutions, especially the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. Markovic said that the position and life of Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija is hard, especially in the enclaves where it is a cause of grave concern. However, the image of Serbs in the international community has started to change as evidence by the fact that 13 countries had revoked their recognition of Kosovo. He added that the establishment of Kosovo army is in direct violation of all international regulations, UNSCR 1244 and even the constitution of the so-called state of Kosovo. Markovic added that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has been suspended and will not be continued until the 100% customs taxes are revoked, stressing that Serbia has not imposed any reciprocal measures and again appealed to all the relevant factors in the world to denounce the act. “Serbia is committed to military neutrality, regional peace and stability. It is our wish to have a friendly relationship with the big powers – the US, Russia and China, and also become a member of the EU,” said Markovic. The meeting, also attended by Committee members Aleksandar Cotric, Mirko Krlic, Gordana Comic and Bozidar Delic, focused on the transformation of the Kosovo armed forces, Serbia’s relationship with the US and the US administration’s policy toward Serbia, the position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the future of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

The Slovak delegation also met with the members of the European Integration Committee met on Tuesday. The meeting focused on Serbia’s European integration process, its relations with the countries in the region, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the situation in the EU on the eve of the parliamentary elections scheduled for May. The Committee members headed by Nenad Canak said that Serbia has so far opened 16 negotiation chapters, two of which have been temporarily closed and two rejected by the European Parliament which is one of the reasons the European Commission’s progress report on Serbia will be delayed. Lubos Blaha, Chairman of the Slovak Parliament’s European Affairs Committee, and the delegation members asked about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and whether the 100% customs tax on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija would be revoked. Gordana Comic said that the Kosovo and Metohija issue requires a consensus solution which is why the dialogue needs to be continued. The fallout of the 100% customs tax includes violations of the CEFTA, hindered movement of capital, violation of Kosovo’s obligations to Brussels and millions of monthly losses for Serbian, Albanian and other entrepreneurs who have companies on the territory of Serbian. Answering the question how Slovakia could help Serbia along the European path, Dusica Stojkovic said that resources from the European funds would be very useful for advancing the reforms and strengthening agriculture in Serbia. She also thanked Slovakia for its support of Serbia in the Kosovo and Metohija issue adding that Serbia appreciates Slovakia’s stance that bilateral issues need to be resolved outside of the European Union. Blaha said that Slovakia will continue to support Serbia’s Euro-integration and that it is in favor of EU enlargement. He also added that Slovakia would continue to support the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and does not recognize the so-called state of Kosovo and will not recognize it in international organizations.

Dodik: If Kosovo joins the UN, Republika Srpska will also invoke that right (RTS)

If the self-proclaimed Kosovo joins the UN, the Republika Srpska (RS) will also invoke the same right, said Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik. He believes that the Croats in B&H would certainly not miss this opportunity, to break away from B&H.

“I think that if the constellation becomes as such, the Croats will not miss the opportunity to separate themselves from B&H. Then the question would be asked who would stay there,” Dodik told RTS. He reminded that RS, immediately after Kosovo unanimously declared independence, the National Assembly of RS made the decision that, if Kosovo enters the UN, Serbs have the right to separate from B&H. “It’s written in our resolution from 10 years ago” Dodik said, adding that such a scenario – separation from B&H by the political will of the people, is imaginable without a war. At this moment Bosniaks do not want that, but in time they will understand that it is best for them to have the territory that they can prospective manage and exercise. According to him, Kosovo is a comprehensive issue. “In the state sense, this is Serbia’s issue, but in terms of national understanding and experience of that issue, it is a universal issue” Dodik said, adding that there is no Serb who doesn’t have an opinion on the Kosovo issue. “We’ll break away from B&H if the name of RS changes” B&H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said that RS would organize a referendum and break away from B&H, if the SDA’s initiative to change the name comes before the Constitutional Court of B&H. “If the initiative comes before the Constitutional Court, we agreed, both the government and the opposition, and we said that we will take measures to determine our status. There is no dilemma, we will take measures, conduct a referendum and break away from B&H” Dodik told RTS. He said that in that case there would be attacks from the West, but that there are countries that would support it. “We have calculated at least 10 countries that would support our status” Dodik said, adding that if they are asked to add something to the name of RS, only the term that can be added is “Western Serbia”. As he said, talking with the SDA does not mean accepting their policies. Speaking of cooperation with Serbia, Dodik said he respects the position of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who understands the situation in B&H and stresses that he respects the integrity of B&H and everything that is agreed between the two entities and three nations. He said, speaking about the formation of the Council of Ministers, that both Serbs and Croats had chosen their representatives, that RS had long since formed the government, that the Croats had chosen their representatives, but that the Bosniak party did not consolidate. “This is deliberately done in order to preserve the existing structure at the level of the Council of Ministers, but they must know that Parliament, the House of Peoples and the Presidency will not work in such a constellation, and that they risk blocking the entire country,” said is Dodik.

REGIONAL PRESS

Forming Council of Ministers depends only on SDA (Srna/Vecernji list)

Nebojsa Radmanovic, Deputy Chairman of the B&H House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly, believes that the formation of the Council of Ministers depends solely on the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and that the time it will be finished is debatable, but that the matter should not be brought in connection with B&H’s NATO path. “If it had been up to me, we could have finished the job back in December. Since the matter now depends solely on the SDA, the issue of when it will be done is dubious. The SNSD and HDZ, who are winners of the elections chosen by the Serbs and Croats, are ready to constitute the Council of Ministers, but for that to happen, it is necessary to get the winner from the third people,” Radmanovic told the B&H edition of Vecernji List. Radmanovic stated that stronger pressure had been put on the country to join NATO since 2005 and that around that time, the Law on Armed Forces of B&H was passed and the RS parliament, where the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) was not the majority, adopted a declaration obliging everyone to vote in favor of NATO. Under such circumstances, according to Radmanovic, the SNDS acted in accordance with the declaration, as did he himself, then a member of the B&H Presidency from RS. “In the meantime, forces in RS who said they opposed B&H’s NATO path have grown stronger,” noted Radmanovic, recalling that last year, the National Assembly adopted a declaration declaring RS’s neutrality, the reason why the SNSD changed its view on the matter. He believes the stance of politicians from RS will not automatically change if Serbia changed its mind about joining the Alliance. Radmanovic adds that Serbia changing its stance would be a huge step that could influence RS’ stance too.

Kovacevic: B&H may rest on consensus, not on blackmails (Srna)

SNSD spokesman Radovan Kovacevic says it is high time Sarajevo politicians and the SDA realized B&H can only be a unity of consensuses, not a unity of blackmails in any way, and that anything that is not based on consensus of everyone in B&H cannot be on the agenda. “It is high time officials and representatives of RS started explaining in detail during all international contacts, especially during contact with representatives of Brussels and the European Commission, that B&H is an impossible and untenable community where it is still impossible to implement election results and that RS constantly suffers damage because of that,” Kovacevic told Srna. It is also necessary, he added, to make it absolutely clear that the Serb side is the one that cooperates and wants to move forward, but that Sarajevo politicians regularly turn out to be an obstacle to any kind of development or progress of RS and B&H as a whole. “It is high time RS stopped being held hostage by Sarajevo politicians and their inability to accept the reality, and that is the Dayton Agreement-based B&H,” stated Kovacevic.

Single route agreed (Srna)

A single motorway route has been agreed and will be formally presented to the Turkish authorities, Dodik stated on Tuesday following a meeting with competent ministers regarding Turkey’s offer to build a motorway network in B&H. Dodik says the route will be formally inserted into the map of B&H in the coming days so that the Presidency can uphold it as a uniform proposal, which will then be sent to Turkey for further consideration. “Thanks to everyone’s effort, we have agreed that the route go from Raca, through Bijeljina, Brcko, Loncari and onwards to Tuzla and down south to Sarajevo, through Pale, Rogatica, Visegrad, with a connection for Gorazde there,” Dodik told the press in u Istocno Sarajevo. All this will fit in well with the roads already being built in Republika Srpska, he said. “This is a huge investment. The preliminary figure we are talking about is EUR 3 million. The network will have several dozen tunnels, bridges, etc. It was necessary to define a single route,” said Dodik.  He thanked the ministers contributing to a fruitful meeting, which took place at the Seat of RS in Istocno Sarajevo. “If the route from Gradiska via Doboj stretching onwards to Sarajevo, Visegrad, Nis and Serbia were a motorway, the road from Ljubljana to Thessaloniki would be 200 kilometres shorter and that is our chance for development. We must build motorways” said Dodik. The Presidency chairman met with the competent ministers from RS, Federation of B&H and B&H caretaker Council of Ministers on Tuesday to discuss Turkey’s offer for building a network of motorways in B&H.

The Montenegrin opposition not giving up, it is seeking a technical government (RTCG)

Part of the Montenegrin opposition is not giving up on the formation of a technical government. However, the ruling DPS is against it. That part of the opposition considers it to be the only option for the preparation of the electoral legislation that would ensure next elections to be fair and free. One of the leaders of the opposition, Democratic Front, Milan Knezevic, says the formation of a technical government is the only model to overcome a serious socio-political crisis at this moment. Then, says Knezevic, they could discuss the working groups, existing or new, that would participate in the preparation of electoral legislation that would guarantee fair and free elections. He said that DF does not think about returning to the Committee for Further Reform of Electoral and other legislations. “DF is not think about returning to the Committee until the technical government is formed,” Knezevic told Pobjeda, the RTCG portal reported.

SDP President Ranko Krivokapic sent a similar message last week to the assembly. “SDP will not participate in an agreement on electoral conditions until a technical government is formed,” Krivokapic said. The Committee for Further Reform of Electoral and other legislations have not been in session since November last year, but is working at the secretariat level. Democratic Front, was the first who left this body, after the arrest of Nebojsa Medojevic (DF), then SDP and independent deputies Nedjeljko Rudovic and Miodrag Lekic.

A technical government is a helping hand for the DPS (RTCG)

The True Montenegro believes that the participation of any opposition party in the technical, caretaker or non-party government, would represent a helping hand for the Democratic Party of Socialists. The party considers that there could not be a new government, whether technical, caretaker, party or non-party, before the Government of Dusko Markovic falls. “This fall will, we are sure, follow only after the unity of the opposition is achieved, which would give further impetus to mass civil protests,” says the True Montenegro. They remind that the previous government of electoral trust did not bring absolutely any results.

Russia’s trying to deter WB from Euro-Atlantic aspirations (Pobjeda)

NATO Alliance has been fully committed to freedom, democracy and collective security. Countries such as North Macedonia and Montenegro, that have been sharing and supporting these values, show success and not growing tensions, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Pobjeda daily. When asked about North Macedonia’s inclusion into NATO which might sparkle tensions between the West and Russia (as was the case when Montenegro joined the Alliance), Pahon told that the USA have been worried about Russia’s meddling in the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Western Balkans. He continued: “North Macedonia greatly contributes to the NATO missions as well as to the regional initiatives for fostering cooperation and security in the Western Balkans. Russia seeks to derail Euro-Atlantic perspective of the countries such as North Macedonia and Montenegro through the aggressive approach and deterrence.” Pentagon spokesman added that the USA clearly see North Macedonia and Montenegro are willing to choose freedom and success and everything that the West can offer.

Coalition partners clash instead of choosing a consensual presidential candidate (Meta)

There are no plenary sessions at the parliament scheduled for the last two days after the quarrel that erupted on Sunday when the President of the Parliament, Talat Xhaferi stopped the session before the voting session for abolishing the immunity of the former President of the Parliament Trajko Veljanovski who is one of the suspects for the attacks on the parliament on the 27th of April 2017. The last session was spent on cross-party quarrels among the MPs from the ruling coalition. The government partners, SDSM and DUI were accusing each other through the media and were showing impatience. SDSM has requested an answer from Xhaferi why did he stop the session. SDSM and the coalition’s coordinator Jovan Mitrevski said that there was a quorum for voting and that the MPs from the majority were ready to make a decision that would have allowed the court to continue with its processes without any obstacles. Xhaferi explained that he has stopped the session because of the SDSM’s Muhamed Zekiri’s rude behavior and because the time for voting has expired. Zekiri rejected these claims and said there wasn’t any behavior or situation that resembled of a need to stop the session. “The question is whether Talat has been working on purpose in favor of VMRO-DPMNE and Veljanovski not to face justice,” said Zekiri. The President of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Mandatory – Immunity Issues Pavle Bogoevski wrote on his Facebook profile that Talat Xhaferi, the President of the Parliament, has made a fool of everyone by misusing the parliament and by protecting the organizer of the attacks on the 27th of April from custody. The clash between the coalition partners is happening at the same time as the talks for finding an adequate joint presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections.

Government spokesmen insist everything is fine after tensions develop between SDSM and DUI (Republika)

Government spokesmen Mile Bosnjakovski and Muhamet Hoxha, who come from the SDSM and DUI parties, insisted that the government is working normally and that the session was productive. The comments come after the major spat which developed on Monday between SDSM and DUI members of parliament, after the legislative body failed to strip former speaker Trajko Veljanoski from his immunity. Several SDSM officials from the party’s ethnic Albanian wing like Muhamed Zeqiri said that the government could be re-composed without DUI if necessary, hinting that the troubles in the ruling coalition are deep and expanding ahead of the presidential elections. The two party leaders, Zoran Zaev and Ali Ahmeti, also failed to appoint a joint presidential nominee even though it was expected to happen by the end of last week.

DUI has no concept of domestic reforms, has no concept of basic responsibility, doesn’t want to know that it is where it is in order to help develop the entire country and improve the lives of all citizens. The words economy and development are foreign to them, said Mersel Bilali, an ethnic Albanian adviser to Zoran Zaev, in a statement for the Zurnal news site. Zaev’s SDSM made major inroads in the traditionally DUI controlled ethnic Albanian voting bloc in the 2016 elections, and the two parties have since been at odds despite their coalition, with DUI feeling that SDSM is intruding in its turf. The Albanian party had no such issues when in coalition with VMRO-DPMNE, which dominates among ethnic Macedonian voters. In his comments aimed at DUI, Zeqiri evoked the Muslim prophet Muhamed, while Bilali was at odds which metaphor to use to describe the dire situation. A foreign diplomat tells me that he sees DUI like a Satanic cult which exists only for itself, impoverishes its people, forcing us to separate from our children who travel abroad in search for work. Many diplomats will not tell you that DUI is now a cancer which is spreading like a virus, said Bilali. Bilali speculated that DUI could be split or pushed into opposition and oblivion, comments which the Albanian media outlets see as coming from Zaev, given that Bilali advises the Prime Minister.

Opposition’s protest turns violent (ADN)

The Democratic Party (DP) leader Lulzim Basha called the police during his speech on Tuesday’s protest to arrest Prime Minister Edi Rama. According to him, police should do their duty and arrest the Premier before the people do it. Opposition’s protest in front of the parliament ended after three hours. When the protesters saw that the parliamentary session was ending, they left, following the leaders of the opposition. Basha said at the end that Rama is a criminal who uses violence against his citizens. “We will be here until the end. We will win against the criminal gangs who took hostage Albania. I want to thank you all from my heart for this amazing protest realized within very few hours. Today we do not have a government anymore or police,” said Basha. The presence of OSCE in Albania reacted late on Tuesday regarding the opposition’s protest that turned violent in front of parliament headquarters. According to OSCE, violence is not the answer to the problems of Albania, as this presence condemned political inciting of violence call. “Violence is not the answer to the problems of Albania. We condemn again the political inciting of violence and call for restrain and responsibility. Protesting is democratic, but burning tyres, using firecrackers and breaking police cordons to attack a public institutions and in particular the heart of democracy is not. We equally urge police to react proportionately. We monitor with concern. We praise media for the great service that they provide to democracy through live reporting,” reacted OSCE.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

The Brief – Mapping out the Balkans? (EurActiv, by Zoran Radosavljevic, 26 February 2019)

Ever since the UN Security Council placed Kosovo under international administration, paving the way for its independence in 2008, some seasoned Western reporters roaming the Balkans were heard commenting: “This is not the end. It will have to end up with a land swap (between Kosovo and Serbia)”. and Western diplomats were just as quick to shoot these remarks down. Many said that no one in their right mind would dare re-draw the borders in a region that just emerged from a decade of warfare, particularly with Washington being clearly the patron of Kosovo’s independence. Well, something must have changed in the meantime, because talk of borders and land swaps is swirling around the region this week, after having also been raised last August. At first only the tiniest of hints, it gained more traction when a map presenting an agreement was published by the relatively unknown Independent Balkan News Agency, as well as on social media in Kosovo and Serbia. The agreement would involve southern Serbian territory, populated mainly by Albanians, and parts of Kosovo with a sizeable Serb population. The divided town of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo would get the status of ‘a free city’, while Trepča mines would also get special status, with profits shared between a joint American-French-Chinese consortium, Kosovo and Serbia. Furthermore, parts of the Preševo municipality in southern Serbia could be annexed to Kosovo and another one, Bujanovac, would become a special district similar to Brčko in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Before one had time to dismiss it as a hoax, or another piece of well-crafted fake news, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi gave it more credence on Tuesday. In an interview with Pristina-based Raport TV, Thaçi said that merging parts of southern Serbia with Kosovo could be part of an overall agreement. In his words, it would involve three Serbian municipalities. But Thaçi went a step further, saying that if the agreement envisages their annexation by Kosovo, and the Kosovo parliament rejects this, “I will resign and call a referendum”. In Serbia, Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić has publicly spoken of Serbia’s wish to have a proper demarcation of borders with Kosovo – something never done before as Kosovo had been an autonomous province inside Serbia. According to some Serbian sources, a land swap of sorts has been put on the table. Belgrade wants to reduce it to as little territory as possible, while Kosovo is paralysed by an internal struggle between Thaçi and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who has opposed such a deal, saying it is being promoted by Russia.

The EU has been pressing Serbia and Kosovo to reach an agreement and put an end to hostilities if they want to advance their prospects of joining the EU. For Serbia, everything short of a formal, explicit, recognition of Kosovo’s independence could be acceptable. But another question, on top of ‘Is this feasible?’ is: is this wise? The jury is still out. For some, it may be the only way to put behind the bloody legacy of the 1990s and move the region away from Russia and towards Brussels, now that North Macedonia is en route to joining NATO. For others, it could open the Pandora’s box of borders. The Bosnian Serb republic, whose pro-Russian leader Milorad Dodik has been waving the secession flag for years, comes immediately to mind.

Once again, the Balkans will be the testing ground of international politics and show how efficient the EU’s ‘soft power’ can really be.