LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic thanks Georgia for not recognizing Kosovo (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke on Friday with Georgian parliament speaker Irakli Kobakhidze about further continuation of friendly relations between the two countries, intensification of political dialogue and improvement of economic cooperation. Brnabic assessed that Serbia and Georgia have made very close ties and expressed her gratitude on the principled position of Georgia on non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, as well as for international law. Kobakhidze expressed his readiness to further strengthen the political ties of the two countries and stressed that his country provides full support to Serbia on its European path. The interlocutors agreed that there is great potential for the development of economic relations and estimated that in the coming period focus should be placed on strengthening economic cooperation.

Dacic: Very successful visit to countries of South and Central America (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that during his highly successful visit to the countries of South and Central America, he used the opportunity to talk with officials of many countries about the state interests and problems of Serbia and how to secure the greatest possible support for our country. Dacic visited Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala and Nicaragua, he talked to 21 foreign ministers, several presidents and prime ministers and signed several interstate agreements. He also participated in two multilateral meetings – at the United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Argentina and the Conference of the Association of Caribbean Countries in Nicaragua. They are our friends, with whom we have to further develop our relations, and they will all come on return visits to Serbia, Dacic said, adding that he is very satisfied with the results of this tour. This is extremely important because Kosovo has again applied for admission to Interpol. This will be discussed at the Interpol Conference in Chile at the end of the year, and that is why we need all these votes, Dacic said. He pointed out that he also talked with many countries that recognized Kosovo’s independence about re-examining their decisions.

Framework agreement on cooperation between Serbia, Association of Caribbean States signed (B92)

Minister Dacic spoke at the eighth meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Association of Caribbean States, held in Managua with the Secretary General of the important regional initiative, June Soomer. Dacic and the ACS Secretary General concluded that Serbia’s cooperation with the organization and the member states is very good and is on the rise, and that the possibilities of cooperation in many areas are very high. Dacic and Soomer, in order to further improve Serbia’s cooperation with the Association of Caribbean States, signed the Framework Agreement on Cooperation between the Government of Serbia and the Association of Caribbean States. This document enables further improvement of cooperation and a stronger political and economic performance of the Republic of Serbia in the Caribbean region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Djuric: Only purpose of taxes is to hurt Serbia (Beta)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said that Kosovo’s taxes had one goal, and that is to hurt Serbia, and no other political ideas and principles are behind that decision by Pristina. This was Djuric’s comment on a statement by Kosovo Deputy Premier Enver Hoxhaj that the policy of taxes has borne fruit because it has caused damage to the Serbian economy. “Thus, Hoxhaj confirmed that all talk of how Pristina wanted dialogue and normalization was just empty words because all they have done has shown that they only and exclusively want to cause as much damage as possible to Serbia and the Serbs in

Kosovo and Metohija,” Djuric said.

Milivojevic: Vucic got some more time to be cooperative in terms of Kosovo (FoNet)

There is a hidden agenda behind the announcement of a snap election in Serbia, said expert in political marketing and political PR Cvijetin Milivojevic, adding that this news is made public for some different goals. Speaking for FoNet, Milivojevic said the recent talks with EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn proved that Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic “got some more time” to be cooperative in terms of Kosovo. According to him, the EU and most probably the OSCE too will turn a blind eye to the lack of the freedom of speech, and the lack of the freedom in general, in order for Vucic to be hyper-constructive and hyper-cooperative about Kosovo. “I think that in the end the Chapter 23, which refers to the judiciary and fundamental rights – which means the human rights and the press freedom as well, will be a bigger problem than Kosovo,” according to Milivojevic. Some of Serbia’s media outlets have been dealing lately with treats which were condemned by international organizations promoting media freedom and protection of journalists. The latest threats and pressure were addressed to TV N1, which prompted its management to send a note to more than 130 international organizations, media associations and EU institutions, calling them to protect N1 from the campaign led by high-ranking government and ruling coalition officials. Meanwhile, the EU-mediated talks between Belgrade and Pristina on normalization of relations have been put on hold after Pristina authorities introduced late last year the import taxes for goods from Serbia. Despite the calls of the EU and USA to lift them, Kosovo keeps the tariffs in place to date. According to Milivojevic, it seems like the authorities are more ready to give up on Kosovo with a consolation prize than to seriously approach 23^rd Chapter. He agrees with assessments that calling the snap election in Serbia also depends on Pristina’s decision to lift the taxes, or more precisely from the decision of Washington, which determines Pristina’s policy. Commenting on “nature” of the ruling SNS party’s moves, from the announcement of snap election to the announcement of April rally, Milivojevic said that these moves cannot be described either offensive or defensive. The President, according to him, noticed that something was happening in Serbia although he is diminishing the number of protesters on streets, which is why, Milivojevic added, he launched the partisan campaign the Future of Serbia. At the same time, he imposed a disqualification and criminalization of another campaign that is called the protest of citizens naming it “the campaign of gallows” and “the campaign of the chainsaw,” said the political expert. According to him, President Vucic fears the most two demands set by the opposition – free and fair electoral rules and the freedom of media. On the other hand, he continued, setting free two crucial, most popular media outlets, Radio and Television of Serbia and the most influential commercial TV station could easily influence the growth of collectivity who would not vote for Vucic. Vucic reads fantastically good the opinion polls, which say that the current President would get the support of about 60 percent of citizens who would vote in the election, said Milivojevic. “That would be all, nothing more, the others would not vote, and even if they do they would not vote him.” Commenting on current atmosphere in Serbia and “dug political trenches,” he said only one, the stronger side in Serbia actually dug a trench and that same side built a wall and wants to draw borders with the opposition. Milivojevic, who is the owner of Pragma marketing agency, deems that President Vucic is “a classic political improviser,” capable of presenting opposing stances in few days or several times in one single day.

President violating the Constitution on a daily basis

Milivojevic finds it particularly concerning that “the President violates the Constitution and behaves as the executive authority, which he is not, and dictates the state policy, although this falls under the jurisdiction of the government.” According to the political expert, “every day he does something that is subject to criminal liability,” while neither the state prosecutor nor the Constitutional Court react to. “The President of the Republic, according to the Constitution, maintains the state unity. Vucic’s behavior, let me be nice here, speaks of the lack of the home manners, even if he didn’t know much about the law and he does know a lot,” said Milivojevic. He finds it shocking that the President of Serbia changes the names and surnames of his political opponents, naming one opposition leader drug addict Trifunovic, the second one fascist Obradovic, while he calls the third one tycoon Djilas. “He sometimes calls the fourth one Qatari or Hong-Kong mercenary, while his media outlets call the fourth one the greater-Serbian nationalist and also Islamic fundamentalist because of his family background,” Milivojevic recalled. As the SNS leader, Vucic does not have to talk to anyone but as the President of Serbia he does, that is his duty, added Milivojevic. “As the SNS President, he does not have to talk to anyone, and we can see he does not talk even to his closest associates, but as the President of the country he must pursue dialogue,” he said pointing out that everything except talks would be the waste of time. All those who served in the army know, Milivojevic continued, that war happens if dialogue fails. “In order to stop a war, a talk on conditions to end the war or to capitulate is a necessity.” He believes that no one wants the situation to get radical neither in the opposition nor in the ruling coalition which, according to him, could win the election again under “relatively normal electoral conditions.”

List of media outlets as ‘proof’ of media freedom

Milivojevic finds it quite problematic that the authorities interpret the civil disobedience as radicalization, which both theory and practice deny. The list of 18 media outlets that President’s media advisor Suzana Vasiljevic mentioned as a proof of the media freedom reminds Milivojevic of a spectacular exhibition of non-censored lie made up by Milo Djukanovic’s consultant and then government of Serbia.” “That list is a brutal threat for those who think different, who write different, speak differently,” said Milivojevic, expressing concerns that this list also means a file of editors and journalists who work there and their home addresses. According to him, this is a warning that their whereabouts and work are known and that “they should think about how to behave in the future.” He assessed as inappropriate for a civil servant to present a list of media outlets.

EULEX hands war crimes cases to Kosovo courts (FoNet/RFE)

Courts in Kosovo have started taking war crimes cases from the EULEX mission, FoNet reported on Monday. The courts will process crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbs and other non-Albanian civilians and crimes committed by Serbs over Albanians.  The problem facing the courts is that many of the Serbs suspected of having committed crimes live in Serbia proper which makes investigations more difficult, Radio Free Europe reported, adding that the authorities in Pristina have been lobbying to have war crimes cases transferred to local courts since the Kosovo court war crimes section started operating.

REGIONAL PRESS

Viskovic: I am sure that we will be unified (Srna)

The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska (RS) Radovan Viskovic said that he is confident that the leaders of political parties, on the meeting with the RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic, would take a unified stance on the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) by which was denying the Law on the Day of RS – 9 January. “I cannot speak about the proposals which will be presented at the meeting, because they are still being discussed. I am sure that the stance will be unified and this can be concluded based on the statements of the leaders of political parties,” Viskovic told reporters. He repeated that RS will continue to celebrate 9 January. “The celebration will be even more magnificent. They cannot deny it, and the institutions of the RS will find a way how to celebrate and it will be in under the law,” Viskovic added. The meeting of political representatives with the President of RS Zeljka Cvijanovic should be held on Tuesday, 2 April.

Viskovic: SDA conclusions and the decision of the Constitutional Court do not lead to reconciliation (Srna)

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic assessed that the conclusions of the SDA Main Board which dealing mainly with the RS and the recent decision of the Constitutional Court by which was denying 9 January, do not lead to reconciliation in B&H, and that everything timed to form the authorities at the level of common institutions. Viskovic said it seems that only RS cares about B&H and that RS is the only one who wants B&H with the Dayton’s authorities. “Those who swear in B&H are doing everything for B&H to disappear. We wish them all the happiness on that road, but they must be aware that, if this country decays, they will be the culprits, not RS,” Viskovic told reporters. Commenting on the decisions of the SDA Main Board, that in one conclusion states that by the verdict in case of Radovan Karadzic was “confirmed the truth about the genocidal project,” Viskovic said that the allegation or the wish of the SDA is clear, but there is no justification “either in jurisprudence, neither in law nor in normal reason”. “It’s really hard to comment on something that abut on something that is not normal,” Viskovic pointed out. According to him, they are reposed now on the basis of the Viskovic’s judgment, which is a verdict to an individual and not a collective verdict to Serb people and RS. “I think that it is a bad what they, from the Federation of B&H, work. The decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H a few days ago and now the conclusions of the SDA Main Board do not lead to reconciliation in B&H,” Viskovic considered.

Cvijanovic: RS has answers on the challenges coming from Sarajevo (Srna)

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic said that RS has ready answers to every challenge which coming from Sarajevo, and so will be related to a politically motivated decision by the B&H Constitutional Court. “Behind this decision, which is so stupid, rude, cynical and arrogant, unfortunately, there is a part of the international community and political Sarajevo,” Cvijanovic said on Friday evening to reporters in Banja Luka. She stressed that this is a part of an organized and well-known campaign which is conducting against RS on all fields, with the aim of exaggerating and abolishing its identity. “The goal is clear, they want to show that the RS did not exist before Dayton”. The historical fact is that the RS was founded before the war and before Dayton. RS was verified in Dayton by an important international agreement that ultimately keeps us together in the B&H,” Cvijanovic pointed out. She noted that in B&H all processes are going back and in the wrong direction, instead of building trust and dealing with essential issues. According to her, in the situation with so many unresolved relations in B&H, started and unfinished jobs, and jobs that have not started politically, economically and financially, the Constitutional Court of B&H is concerning the issue of feriation. “The fact that foreign judges play a dominant role in the Constitutional Court of B&H demonstrates, again, the terrible deficit of B&H,” Cvijanoviće emphasized. She pointed out that no one is concerned about how to form the authority, how to increase salaries and pensions, and how can B&H authorities service the needs of citizens, helping the entities and coordinating of certain issues. “Our priority is strong and stable RS and RS will find an answer to every challenge, as before. The experience has taught us that we have to prepare,” Cvijanovic stressed. The Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik has told Srna it is pointless to give any more comments on the Constitutional Court’s politically motivated rulings related to marking RS Day.

Other reactions to the Constitutional Court ruling regarding the RS Day (Srna)

RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic said that 9 January will continue to be celebrated in the RS and announced that Parliament will soon provide an adequate answer to the decision of the B&H Constitutional Court. RS Internal Affairs Minister Dragan Lukac said that everyone should know that the people in RS will never give up 9 January – RS Day. DNS president Marko Pavic said that the decision of the B&H Constitutional Court is another political and not legal act adopted by the same people as many times before. The decision of the B&H Constitutional Court to dispute the Law on RS Day and the right of the people to celebrate 9 January as RS Day shows that the court is anti-constitutional in its essence, since it negates the constitutionality of the Serbian people, destroys the foundations of the B&H Constitution and dissolves the state of B&H, announced the SDS. The decision of the B&H Constitutional Court to dispute January 9 as RS Day is tragicomic and reflects the full devastation of the B&H legal system, Nenad Nesic, a DNS member of the B&H House of Representatives, told Srna.

Govedarica: We do not accept SNSD’s invitation to participate in the formation of the authority (Srna)

The main board of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) does not accept the invitation of the SNSD to participate in the formation of the authority at the level of B&H and the Council of Ministers, SDS leader Vukota Govedarica said. “The Main Board of SDS does not accept the SNSD’s offer to take part in the authority at the level of B&H, and considers that is in the best interest of the party that SDS affects as an opposition political organization to those parties that are gathered on political principles and which define from the SNSD, SDA and HDZ,” Govedarica said. He added that the Main Board clearly expressed the appropriation that SDS, as a state-based political organization, leads a responsible policy that will support all qualitative and prosperity solutions which are important to the RS. According to him, the Main Board of SDS will do everything to stopping the decisions that it considers harmful to the Republic of RS and its people.

Cvijanovic: Unprincipled stand of SDS (Srna)

SNSD Vice President Zeljka Cvijanovic told Srna that each party has the right to define its position, like SDS not to participate in the authority at the B&H level, but the stand that they will not be in arrangement with SNSD and does not accept the principles defined by SDA and HDZ is unprincipled. “Firstly, because SDS is already in authority with SDA and HDZ, and unreasonably long after the elections have been made. Secondly, the principles defined with the SDA and HDZ are now far more flexible and more general than the matrix in which SDS made the coalition with SDA and HDZ four years ago, even signing solutions that differed from what the constitutional position of the RS requires,” pointed out Cvijanovic, after she was asked to comment the decision of the SDS Main Board not to accept the SNSD’s invitation to participate in the formation of authority at the level of B&H. She emphasized that the third important thing is that it is known that a large number of SDS members wants that this party creates a common ground and appearance for the B&H level, knowing with what kind of challenges RS meets precisely coming from Sarajevo. “But, of course, as I have already said, each party has the right to define its position. As the SDS decided not to be part of a joint appearance, SNSD also estimated that it is the best for RS that its parties perform uniquely and therefore we have also offered a platform for joint appearance also to the oppositional SDS and PDP,” Cvijanovic emphasized. United Srpska President Nenad Stevandic said that the decision of SDS not to accept the SNSD’s invitation to participate in the establishment of the authority at the B&H level is a lack of courage and intent to tackle the difficult times. Stevandic points out that it is about bad assessment of the political situation. “They did not realize that the SDA Main Board at its session praised only (the Minister of Security in the Council of Ministers in the technical mandate) Dragan Mektic, so this decision is in line with that,” Stevandic told Srna.

Croatian spy affair: I was offered money to spy on Bosnians for Croatia (N1)

While driving a friend to Zagreb airport, Omer Duric from B&H was allegedly stopped twice by the Croatian spy agency who asked him to spy for them in one of the local masjids. I was driving a friend to Zagreb airport when I was first stopped at the Zupanja border crossing (western Croatia) for more than an hour and then at the airport” Omer Duric told N1. Police officers at the airport asked for his ID and called him in for questioning. He said he did not remember the plain-clothed officer’s exact function, but he remembered his first name – Ivan. “He asked why my beard was like this,” he said. According to him, the police asked about Salafis, a Sunni Muslim branch known for their strict interpretation of Islam, in a masjid in Gracanica (northern Bosnia) which is not controlled by the Islamic Community in Bosnia, and the so-called Islamic State. He told them he did not know anything about that. Duric did not report this questioning to the Bosnian police, but he is now ready to do so. Asked if “Ivan” offered him anything, Duric said yes. “He offered me money in exchange for cooperation. I was supposed to spy for them who comes and goes and what was happening in the masjid where I pray. He said Croatia was ready to pay for all my efforts, but I refused,” Duric noted. “He knew what my occupation was and he asked me how my business was doing. He knew I was into trade and he said my profits were probably slim, which is why Croatia was ready to compensate me for my cooperation.” “I said I don’t see why they should pay me for anything and added that what I told him was true and that it’s all free. I don’t need any money, this is the truth, and there are no two ways around it.’ A month later, he claims Ivan asked him to come to Zupanja for another meeting to give him some € 700. “I told him to come to Orasje (a northern-Bosnian town near the Croatian town of Zupanja), but he told me couldn’t come to Bosnia because he can’t operate outside Croatia,” Duric noted. Last week, investigative news outlet Zurnal from Bosnia published a story claiming alleged plot by the Croatian Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) to use Bosnian citizens as spies and try to make the country look like a terrorist hub. In their story, several Bosnian Muslims said the SOA agents approached them and asked to provide information for them. After they refused, they were all told to leave Croatia and were banned from entering their territory for several years. Other Bosnians who were expelled from Croatia spoke for N1 and said they were told they represent a national security risk, which is why Croatia expelled them. Zurnal’s story contained an interview with an alleged member of the Salafi movement with the initials H.C., who said he cooperated with Croatian intelligence for four months. He said they threatened to ban him from entering Croatia and even with prison time for posing a threat to Croatia’s national security. H.C. told Zurnal he refused to continue to cooperate when he was told to transport a backpack with firearms from Doboj in Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb-majority semi-autonomous entity, to masjids in central Bosnia. Bosnian Prosecution created a case on March 14, saying they “would take urgent measures to determine all the circumstances and allegations published by the media, relating to the recruitment of Salafis for the smuggling of arms into Bosnia.”

Bosniak leader on alleged spying affair: Attempt to destabilize B&H (N1)

The strongest Bosniak party SDA discussed on Saturday the allegations of Croatia’s attempts to recruit B&H citizens as spies. SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic assessed it as “an attempt to destabilize B&H.” It will not be possible to “sweep the truth under the rug,” said SDA leader and added that there are statements of people speaking in front of cameras proving these allegations. SDA’s senior official and current Bosniak member of B&H’s tripartite Presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, said the collective head of state would discuss the issue. “These are the serious matters and it all depends on the facts and on what is determined in the process,” said Dzaferovic. “If those facts prove to be correct, and all that we can hear in public, we can openly say that this is one unacceptable relationship of the institutions of the neighboring country towards the citizens of B&H, and that will certainly have its repercussions. Let us finish the work, determine the facts and see what is this all about,” said the Presidency member.

Serb minority leader Pupovac runs for European Parliament (Hina)

Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Milorad Pupovac said on Saturday that the participation of his party in the forthcoming European Parliament election was emancipating for the Serbs in Croatia. “Participation in the forthcoming European Parliament election is emancipating and liberating for the Serbs. In doing so, we can help change the atmosphere in Croatia, help people free themselves from fear and stereotypes, and have a greater sense of freedom. If we manage to achieve that, we will be in the European Parliament and in the European atmosphere no matter how many votes we win. And if we do win one seat, which is what we are striving for, that will be a huge achievement,” Pupovac told Croatian Radio in an interview. Asked whether he would go to Brussels if he won a seat or he would give up his seat as the leader of the MOST party, Bozo Petrov, had announced, Pupovac said he had no less obligations than Petrov. “My focus is on the success of the slate and the party and on the success of the people on the slate and less on my own success,” he added. Speaking of the reasons why the SDSS was running in the election on its own, Pupovac said: “The HNS (Croatian People’s Party) initiated talks with us to run together in a coalition, but then they changed their mind and decided that they could give us only one or two places on the slate, which we could not accept.” Pupovac said that his recent threat of leaving the ruling coalition was serious. “We reached a line we couldn’t and shouldn’t cross. The line is still here and we’re still walking on it. We don’t want to cross it and that’s what our message was about. We analyzed the political circumstances and activity of the SDSS and generally the exercise of rights by Serbs in Croatia, the state of democracy and democratic values on the one hand and the implementation of operational programmes for the minorities in Croatia, including the Serbs, on the other,” the SDSS leader said. “Attacks on constitutional and democratic values by far right, historically defeated forces in Croatia have become too strong over the past year and too widespread in the political and public sphere,” he added. Pupovac said that the problem lay in a conflict between policies aimed at restoring values that were essentially undemocratic. “The policies that were defeated in the Second World War and the policies of the war in the 1990s, and the lack of preparedness on our part as the coalition and government. I say ‘our’ on purpose because we cannot deny our responsibility for this regardless of how much we are actually involved in the government. The lack of preparedness to recognize what is going on and respond to what is going on. We as the ruling coalition and as the government should have recognized these phenomena and responded to them in time.” He explained why he supported the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. “That’s why we joined the coalition and what we were working on during the first two years in office – to remove chauvinistic phenomena and radical, exclusive historical revisionism from the public and political mainstream, especially the denial of war crimes committed by the (Nazi-allied) Ustasha movement during the Second World War.” Pupovac said that the SDSS had threatened to leave the coalition unless the policies were changed. “If we have agreed to restore electricity and water supply in areas where Serb refugees have returned, then this agreement should be strictly observed, rather than have someone at a lower level reduce the agreed amount of money,” he said. He noted that the restoration of electricity and water supply, as agreed under the operational programme, had begun last year, adding that “neither the government of Zoran Milanovic nor of Jadranka Kosor, and especially the government of Tihomir Oreskovic, paid any attention to that.” He also spoke of his attendance at a ceremony that commemorated NATO’s bombing of Serbia. “I was there to pay tribute to the people who were killed in NATO’s bombing campaign in 1999, just as I attend commemorative events elsewhere,” Pupovac said.

Croatia disputes Slovenian Foreign Minister’s border claims (Hina)

The Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said on Saturday that it was surprised by “incorrect and legally unfounded allegations” Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar made in a statement for the media last Wednesday when he said that a few days earlier, a Croatian police boat had entered deep into Slovenia’s territorial waters in Savudrija Bay, justifying it by saying that their navigation system had broken down. Cerar said that Slovenia would send Croatia a strongly-worded diplomatic note because the Croatian police boat illegally crossed the border at sea and entered Slovenian territorial waters. According to the Slovenian police, the Croatian police boat sailed “2.5 kilometers deep into Slovenian territorial waters” and “1.3 kilometers beyond the middle line in Savudrija Bay and returned to the Croatian side after a warning from the Slovenian police.” Cerar said the Croatian police’s justifying their movement by saying that their navigation system had broken down was not acceptable. The Croatian ministry said on Saturday that it entirely dismissed the allegations, adding that the events of last Sunday were about “routine daily navigation and conduct of police control in Croatia’s territorial waters in and outside Savudrija Bay, and about the unlawful navigation of a Slovenian police boat in Croatia’s territorial waters.” The ministry confirmed receipt of the diplomatic note, noting that it “makes no mention, much less provides arguments for the said event or the Slovenian Foreign Minister’s statement.” “The note is a response to an earlier note by the Croatian side and it repeats general, legally unfounded allegations about reported breaches, to which the Ministry will respond,” the Croatian ministry said, adding that there was no reason for raising tension or making untrue statements and recalling that on a number of occasions it had invited the Slovenian side to resume bilateral talks with Croatia on defining the joint state border.

Protest organizers and 39 Deputies signed Agreement on the Future (TMN)

The seventh in a series of peaceful civic protests under the slogan Odupri Se – 97000, where a significant step towards achieving the goals expressed in the Prohibition of Free Citizens, was held in Podgorica, at the Independence Square, where the opposition delegates and protest organizers signed the Agreement on the Future. Before signing, the Agreement was read by the actor Slavisa Grubisa: “We are committed to a common, consistent and enduring struggle for rooted change in the system, while respecting the principles of authority, as the first precondition for the achievement of all liberal-democratic norms. In light of the current political, social and economic situation, the underlying subject of the Agreement is the minimum conditions for maintaining the first fair and free elections in the history of the Montenegrin multiparty. Signatories express their agreement on the following issues:

1. We will jointly strive for the formation of the Government of Civil Unity, which will operate in a limited mandate and whose basic task will be to provide conditions for the maintenance of fair and free elections.
2. The government of civil unity should have the following characteristics:
3. Choice of ministers on a parity basis: one-third of the representatives of the ruling majority, parliamentary opposition, and non-party personalities.
4. In the function of the President of the Government of Civil Unity, he cannot be a member of the parties that are now in power.
5. The signatories will not participate in any one election, local, state or presidential, scheduled before the fulfillment of the basic task of the Government of Civil Unity.
6. The Government of Civil Unity will continue and, if possible, speed up the course of the negotiation process related to European integration.
7. The signatories to the Agreement shall agree on all forms of joint non-institutional action. “

The agreement also lists resignations, which we could already hear in protests under the slogan Odupri Se – 97,000, including President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic, Chief Prosecutor Milivoja Katnic, Director Agencies for the Prevention of Corruption of Sreten Radonjic and the leadership of Radio Television of Montenegro. After reading the Agreement, Grubisa urged deputies on the line to sign the Agreement on the Future and to “ensure that they will consistently strive for the fulfillment of all citizens’ goals.” The Agreement was signed by the deputies Dritan Abazovic, Budimir Aleksic, Aleksa Becic, Boris Bogdanovic, Branka Bosnjak, Strahinja Bulajic, Vera Bulatovic, Predrag Bulatovic, Anka Vukicevic, Draginja Vuksanovic, Janko Vucinic, Jovan Jole Vucurovic, Aleksandar Damjanovic, Goran Danilovic, Milutin Goran Radonjic, Mladen Pejovic, Zdenka Popovic, Goran Radonjic, Goran Radonjic, Zdenka Popovic, Marko Koprivica, Marko Koprivica, Ranko Krivokapic, Miodrag Lekic, Andrija Mandic, Nebojsa Medojevic, Valentina Minic, Danijela Pavicevic, Ljiljana Djuraskovic, Milun Zogovic, Branko Radulovic, Slaven Radunovic, Nedjeljko Rudovic and Danilo Saranovic.

Veljko Vasiljevic, Koca Pavlovic, and Dzavid Sabovic “for justified reasons” did not go out on the stage tonight, but Grubisa informed citizens that their signatures already had. Srdjan Milic did not appear on the scene, but on his behalf, the Agreement signed an authorized person.

After the delegation, the agreement signed the organizers of the protest Dzemal Perovic, Dejan Pejovic, Omer Sarkic, Demir Hodzic, and Ratka Jovanovic-Vukotic. Grubisa concluded the signing by telling the gathered citizens that all of them were signatories of the Agreement.

Before joining the Association, the professor of Economic Chamber of Economy in Bar Nedjeljko Necko Djurovic addressed a group, wishing “a good night for the longest car in the Balkans.” “We are asking nothing more than free elections and the right to decide on our destiny. We have the chance to be the first generation of this karst, which will, through the democratic path, without new and tragic divisions, bring about changes.” Djurovic stressed that citizens should not miss this chance. “We have an exam that we have to pass. We want responsible power and a stable political community,” he concluded. He reminded the ruling party at their beginnings and said they now need to hear “what they have been asking thirty years – it’s enough just to leave. One of the organizers of the protest and signatory of the Agreement Demir Hodzic also addressed to the assembled. Hodzic said that with citizens “besides rage, he feels hope and faith.” “When I’m going to a store, a taxi, a state institution, and I often hear the words of support. During the hearing at the Podgorica Security Center, because I discovered the one who was illegally following the students and us, I also met police officers in understanding and supporting our struggle. And I know it will soon be up to us because this power falls.” Hodzic also stressed the importance of maintaining local authorities in those municipalities where the opposition was in power. “We are asking not to enter into coalitions or any other DPS arrangements at the local level that could jeopardize the process we all started with.” Next protest gathering within the movement Odupri Se will be held in Podgorica next Saturday, 6 April at 6 pm.

Vukovic: Protests in the capital are not civic at all (Pobjeda)

If one takes a closer look at the requests of protesters referring to deconstruction of the Montenegrin institutions, it becomes obvious that the protests are political, anti-Semitic and anti-government, said Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vukovic. In the series of anti-government protests in the capital, he added, people forget about some basic facts – that the government led by PM Dusko Markovic, was elected in October 2016 and is legitimate, and that the President of Montenegro, Mr. Milo Djukanovic, scored a landslide victory in the first round of the presidential election held last year. “This all indicates that there’s no basis for demanding shorter mandate of this government or its reconstruction; especially not for suggesting that President Djukanovic’s political engagement has ended.” Vukovic continued: “Let’s recall the reasons for protests across Podgorica – it was noted that the ruling party had used some unreported funds for financing the political campaigns ahead of the 2016 elections; people responsible for these irregularities will bear the consequences in accordance with the law, which, of course, does not justify the requests of protesters.”

Presidential candidates launch campaigns on 1 April (Republika)

Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Stevo Pendarovski and Blerim Reka will launch their campaigns for the sixth presidential elections on Monday, 1 April. Siljanovska-Davkova is the presidential candidate of VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition, Stevo Pendarovski of SDSM and the coalition, and Blerim Reka of the Alliance for Albanians and the Besa movement.

The campaign for the presidential elections will last until 19 April, followed by a 24-hour election silence, before the election day. According to announcements from the election headquarters, the candidates will visit almost all settlements, will have meetings with citizens and rallies in major cities. The promise a peaceful and fair campaign. Ahead of the official start of the presidential race the international community, state officials and the SEC urged the candidates, political parties and citizens to hold fair and regular elections. The first election round for the sixth presidential election is scheduled for April 21, and the second will be held on 5 May. Candidates for President of Macedonia Blerim Reka, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, and Stevo Pendarovski signed Code for fair and democratic elections on Sunday, a day before the official start of the campaign for the 6th presidential elections, at an event hosted by the State Election Commission. Blerim Reka, after signing the document, said that the three candidates are well-known and all are colleagues, university professors and, therefore, as he said, he does not expect that the presidential race will be a race for life and death, but it will be a race that may open a new page in election history. We are entering a new temptation for the state and I think that it is not important who will win, but it is important that the result is legal and regular, and thus provide a date for starting negotiations with the European Union, Reka said. He wished success to both his rivals and added that the best will win, but stressed that it was most important that they would fulfill the obligations of the Code they signed. Gordana Siljanovska Davkova pointed out that the upcoming presidential elections are just as important and perhaps more important than law and justice, because, she added, they will strictly adhere to them. I do not consider my opponents to be enemies, and we women respect ethics. Although I am a woman, I expect a knightly fight with arguments, and not with Byzantine games, I hope that the last word will have the citizens, said Siljanovska Davkova. Stevo Pendarovski pointed out that it is good that the signing of the Code for fair and democratic elections has finally become a practice that no one has argued. Although we have witnessed previous election processes in which one thing was signed, and another was done, on my behalf, and I am convinced that also on behalf of my formal opponents, I can guarantee that what we signed today we will practically carry out in action. It means an obligation for the political structures and the citizens who will support us. I have no dilemmas that we three will do everything to stay within the framework of a democratic fight that pertains to a country that is a de facto member of NATO and I expect soon to become a member of the EU, Pendarovski said. He wished a successful, fair, democratic and transparent election for the country, as he said, so that we can make progress in the integration, and at the same time wished success to his rivals during the election campaign and the election day.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Belgrade cannot recognize Crimea as part of Russia until Kosovo issue is resolved – Vucic (TASS, 30 March 2019)

Belgrade cannot yet formally recognize Crimea as Russia’s territory, since that would jeopardize the resolution of the Kosovo status issue, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Rossiya 24 TV channel. According to the Serbian president, Crimea’s recognition as part of Russia could be used by Western countries as a pretext to strip Serbia of its rights to Kosovo. “If we did it today [recognized Crimea as part of Russia], they would draw a parallel with Kosovo. They would say that, in accordance with that principle, Kosovo is likewise independent, and we no longer have the right to fight for it,” he explained. Vucic stressed though that this approach did not affect relations between Belgrade and Moscow. “Our close ties with Russia are not questioned by anyone. It is a question of political strategy and tactics, which implies that we have no right to endanger our vital state and national interests,” he said. “I believe that any normal person in Russia and any other country understands that,” Vucic concluded.

Romania-Bulgaria-Greece-Serbia four-way meeting adopts joint declaration (Stiripesurse, 30 March 2019)

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed a joint statement on Friday that which was adopted at a meeting of the four-way co-operation format on Friday at Snagov Palace, Romania. According to the document released by the Romanian Government, the four countries say they agree that the EU’s enlargement policy, a prominent priority of the current Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as the former Bulgarian and Greek Presidencies remains an opportunity to demonstrate, once again, the transformative power of the EU, at a time when the Union is confronted with major challenges. “We share the view that as far as the the EU Enlargement process is concerned progress along the European path is an objective and merit-based process which depends on the concrete results achieved by each individual country, with the rule of law, justice and fundamental rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities and property rights, being an utmost priority. We decide that, one year after the publication of the 2018 EU Enlargement Package that reiterated the EU’s commitment for a credible enlargement perspective and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans, our joint efforts will aim at turning 2019 into a year of feasible results, in line with the commitments assumed and in accordance with the own merits principle. We agree that a strong, united and cohesive Europe is in the interest of both current and future Member States. In the ongoing debate on the future of the Union, we support a constructive, forward-looking perspective and a continued commitment to the enlargement process.” The future of Europe and the objective of strengthening EU’s role as a global actor are closely linked to EU’s ability to project stability and prosperity in its immediate neighbourhood. “We welcome the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness, and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, which provides a good basis for strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries. We congratulate the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of North Macedonia for the historic resolution of the name dispute through the adoption of the Prespa Agreement, an example of reconciliation for the region and of solving the problems in a European spirit. “Romania, the Republic of Bulgaria and the Hellenic Republic welcome the efforts and progress of the Serbian government in the EU accession process and encourage Serbia to continue the pace of reforms and to ensure their sustainability and irreversibility. The three EU Member States will continue to share with Serbia their own experience with regard to the accession process, and transfer know-how for a successful negotiation process. We attach great importance to continuing the development of cross-border and wider regional cooperation between our four states, with the objective of strengthening the territorial cohesion of cross-border regions, their competitiveness and their sustainability through projects of mutual benefit,” the document points out. The four dignitaries reaffirm their support for regional projects of common interest, especially in the fields of transport, energy, IT&C, as well as sports and youth, in order to promote the development and the overall connectivity of the region. “We emphasize the importance of a macro-regional approach to stimulate economic growth, and job creation including in the framework of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, the Three Seas Initiative and of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region. (…)We strongly believe that energy security should be further strengthened, at both European and regional level, as a major priority for our states and for the EU. We attach great importance to making gas interconnectors between our states, including the Vertical Corridor, Greece-Bulgaria Gas Interconnector, Bulgaria-Romania Gas Interconnector, Bulgaria-Serbia Gas Interconnector and Romania-Serbia Gas Interconnector fully operational, in order for them to become key parts of the overall European energy security infrastructure and contribute to the implementation of the Energy Union. (…)We agree to continue the work to elaborate our joint bid for future sport events, by establishing Organizing Committees and advancing technical cooperation in this format.” The meeting at Snagov was attended by Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.