LOCAL PRESS

 

Serbia prepares "ramp" for Kosovo in Interpol (Vecernje Novosti)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic explained that formally and legally Kosovo could not even apply for membership in Interpol, but that the pressures of powerful Western countries are strong, that the request for the membership will be a topic at the next session of the General Assembly of the World Police Organization.

Stefanovic told TV Pink that KiM can already cooperate with Interpol because it is a part of Serbia, and as a protectorate has access to all warrants through the UNMIK Office.

He stressed that Serbia will try to take down this item from the agenda of the Interpol General Assembly, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates, and if it does not succeed, it will try to prove in a procedure that this is bad for Interpol.

"The Great Powers use all resources and pressure, they offer countries to pay all costs only if their representatives come and vote for membership" (Kosovo), Stefanovic said.

 

The minister recalled that the last session of the General Assembly of Interpol was held in China, which did not give the Pristina authorities the opportunity to come to the gathering and to put the issue of Kosovo membership on the agenda.

 

The blockade of Pristina was also one of the topics of the meeting between the Serbian officials and Interpol head, Meng Hongwei, held in Belgrade on Monday reminded.

Hongwei met with President Aleksandar Vucic and Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, who told him that the accent of Serbian arguments would be on the Interpol resolution on clear guidelines, procedures, and criteria for membership that says only a UN member state can become a member of that international organization which deals with police cooperation.

 

Kosovo's membership application is included in the draft provisional agenda of the 87th session of the General Assembly of Interpol, to be held from 18 to 21 November in Dubai. However, this is not a guarantee that states will vote on Pristina's admission, because the final agenda of the assembly, just before the start of work, should be established by the Executive Committee, chaired by Hongwei, who is from China. The other 12 members are from Algeria, Korea, Russia, Canada, France, Belgium, Brazil, America, Moldova, Singapore, South Africa and Nigeria, of which half do not recognize the false Kosovo state.

 

The possible admission of Kosovo to Interpol would imply the danger of an international arrest warrant being issued against a large number of Serb policemen and soldiers who participated in counterterrorism operations in 1998 and 1999 and warrants which would be issued to Serbia for their arrest and extradition.

 

US wants deal reached by Belgrade and Pristina (N1 Belgrade)

Washington wants to see a comprehensive agreement reached by Belgrade and Pristina and is giving them room to negotiate the best deal that they can, State Department official Matthew Palmer said.

“What we would like to see is a comprehensive, forward leaning, locally owned agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. What we are trying to do is to give the parties themselves the space to negotiate the best deal that they can. Something that is fair, something that is durable, something that is saleable both in Serbia and Kosovo. And the leadership can talk to the people, explain, and earn a critical mass of support for it,” the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State said at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia.

 

“That is not a blank check. When we know what that agreement is, to the extent that we have concerns about it, we would be clear about those concerns and work with the parties to address any reservations that we may have about the particulars,” he said.

 

Serbia has to reconcile with Kosovo to achieve its strategic goal of membership in the European Union. “We and Serbia share a goal. That goal for Serbia is to move forward on path to the membership in EU. That is Serbia’s strategic goal and something that US strongly supports,” Palmer said.

 

Speaking about Russia’s influence in the region, Palmer said a normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations will reduce Moscow’s influence with Serbia. “I believe that if Pristina and Belgrade are able to reach an agreement on full normalization of their relationship, that will reduce the influence that Moscow has with Serbia. A big part of that is Serbian reliance on Russia to defend its Kosovo equities internationally. Normalization of the relationship will reduce that reliance. That will be good for Serbia as it moves closer to Europe,” he said.

 

Palmer said that US policy in the Western Balkans remains focused on and committed to helping the countries of the region to join the EU and, with the exception of Serbia, NATO, adding that the US wants to promote the closest possible partnership between the Alliance and Serbia. “I don’t think that it is true that Western Balkans matters less. There is always competition for time and attention but the US remains committed to this region. We remain engaged in this region. We are here, we are working closely with the governments of the Western Balkans to advance our shared objective of European integration, peace, prosperity, stability” Palmer said.

 

Lawyers criticize amendments to Serbian constitution (Beta)

Serbian judiciary associations have criticized the proposed amendments to the Serbian constitution which the Justice Ministry published on Tuesday, saying that the changes were only cosmetic and not in line with most of the recommendations made by the Venice Commission.

 

Association of Judges President Dragana Boljevic said the draft amendments have made no fundamental changes. “We made some suggestions when the first draft appeared in April and called for the forming of a working group which would include constitutional law experts,” she said adding that she is not surprised that no fundamental changes were made.

According to Boljevic, one of the main problems is the fact that the relationship between the three branches of government has not been defined. Another problem that she listed is the increased political influence on the country’s top judiciary body, the High Judiciary Council.

Boljevic said her organization would call the government to organize a debate on the constitutional amendments with parliament forming a working group for experts to voice their objections.

 

Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights (YUCOM) Director Milan Antonijevic said the Justice Ministry was guided by a minimum of standards while drafting the amendments.

“YUCOM is concerned over the fact that the Justice Ministry did not fully respect the solutions recommended by the Venice Commission in regard to the composition of the VSS which would not give representatives of the executive authorities, who can be named to the VSS, a vote on that body which is supposed to guarantee the independence of the judiciary,” he said.

Antonijevic said that the draft amendments are also not in line with the recommendations about the accountability of the Supreme Public Prosecutor and added that the composition of the High Prosecutors’ Council does not guarantee protection from political influence on prosecutors.

 

Slovenian President says EU should postpone expansion (Beta)

The European Union has been weakened by Brexit and may need to postpone plans to expand into the Western Balkans, Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor warned at the Bled Strategic Forum conference.

Pahor is quoted saying that the EU could not hope to take on the likes of Serbia, Montenegro and Albania as new members in its current state. "A weak EU will not be able to expand to the Western Balkans,” the Slovenian president told the conference which was attended by the European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

“Everything is connected and we are going through a period in which difficult decisions have to be made”, he said.

 

The EU is eyeing up six countries in the Western Balkans - as well as Turkey - as its next new members. Negotiations have already begun with Serbia and Montenegro and the two countries could become fully-fledged EU members by 2025. The EU also hopes Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo will be well on their way to joining by then. It recalled that the southeastern Balkans countries are some of the poorest in Europe but that the EU has helped new member states improve their economies.

 

Juncker: EU should stand united on Western Balkans (N1 Belgrade)

The European Union has to take a united stand on the Western Balks or others will shape its neighborhood, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned on Wednesday.

“We must find unity when it comes to the Western Balkans – once and for all. Should we not, our immediate neighborhood will be shaped by others,” he said in his state of the union address to the European Parliament.

“The external challenges facing our continent are multiplying by the day. There can therefore be not a moment's respite in our efforts to build a more united Europe. Europe can export stability, as we have done with the successive enlargements of our Union. For me, these are and will remain success stories for we were able to reconcile Europe's history and geography,” the European Commission chief told MEPs.

 

According to Juncker, Europe is the guardian of peace. “We should be thankful we live on a peaceful continent, made possible by the EU so let us show the Union a bit more respect. Let us stop dragging its name through the mud and start defending our communal way of life more. We should embrace the kind of patriotism that is used for good, and never against others. We should reject the kind of exaggerated nationalism that projects hate and destroys all in its path. The kind of nationalism that points the finger at others instead of searching for ways to better live together,” he said.

“United, as a Union, Europe is a force to be reckoned with,” Juncker said, adding that no one should be surprised that Europe succeeds when it speaks with one voice. “When needed, Europe must act as one,” he said.

 

Serbian province's, party flag at demonstrations in Barcelona (Beta)

Apart from numerous Catalan flags, several flags of the Serbian province of Vojvodina and the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) party were spotted in Barcelona on Tuesday. The demonstration was organized on the occasion of the National Day of Catalonia.

 

From the LSV, an opposition Serbian party, Beta agency was able to confirm that their delegation led by Secretary-General Bojan Kostres was in Barcelona.  They traveled to the capital of Catalonia at the invitation of the ERC party and along with them the officials of the European Free Alliance (EFA) in the European Parliament, the LSV said.

 

Demonstrations were organized to support political prisoners and to recognize the referendum on Catalonia's independence from Spain.  Since 2012, hundreds of thousands of citizens have been demonstrating for an independent state each year.  On October 1, Catalonia wants to decide on its independence in a referendum, which the Spanish Constitutional Court has deemed illegal in an urgent procedure.  Despite a sharp opposition from the opposition and the Spanish government, the Catalan parliament adopted a law necessary on Wednesday to hold a referendum.  The Spanish State Prosecution, with the help of the police, seeks to prevent preparations for the referendum and threatens lawsuits over disobedience, abuse of office and spending of public funds.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Americans have interfered with elections in B&H (Glas Srpske)

Head of the Republika Srpska (RS) Representative Office in Washington Obrad Kesic said that remnants of the previous US administration, which he referred to as to the ‘deep state’, still operate within the current US administration, and those people believe that they have the right to impose their will on every other state. Those persons, according to Kesic, are behind sanctions against high-ranking SNSD official Nikola Spiric, which represents direct interference with the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and the goal is to influence voters in the RS, especially those who have not decided yet whom to vote for.

 

Kesic explained that “those who are connected to the US Embassy in Sarajevo and still have a stronghold at the US Department of State and the National Security Council” are behind sanctions against Spiric. “Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has not yet managed to consolidate his authority”, said Kesic, adding that he expects attacks and sabotages to continue until the end of Trump’s term in the office - and possibly even grow stronger if Democrats win the 2018 midterm elections in the United States in two months’ time.

 

Commenting on RS President Milorad Dodik’s statement that the RS will be able to initiate the discussion about its independence during Trump’s second term in the office of the President of the United States, Kesic said that foundations of the US foreign policy are changing. He reminded of the statement given by the National Security Advisor of the United States John Bolton, who - according to Kesic - “has rejected old policy according to which it was not allowed to talk about the change of borders in the Balkans”. Kesic reiterated that decision to impose sanctions against Spiric represent an act of interfering with elections in B&H, adding that decision does not mean that the United States have some sort of evidence of Spiric’s involvement in corruptive activities.

“They would have probably given it to prosecutor in B&H, if they had it. This way, this turns out to be yet another bad and desperate move of Ambassador Maureen Cormack”, said Kesic, adding that this is yet another attempt of remnants of previous administration in the United States to manipulate with Trump’s administration.

 

Kesic confirmed that as the citizen of the United States, he cannot officially communicate with persons blacklisted by the US administration, including Spiric and Dodik. Kesic concluded that people from the previous administration in the US are preventing him from receiving a special permission - which otherwise exists in the US - to openly cooperate with the President of the RS.

 

Police will not allow any kind of disorder in streets (Srna)

Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska Dragan Lukac confirms there is information there might occur some unwanted situations in Republika Srpska during the election campaign and after the elections, vowing the police will prevent anyone who tries to do anything by force or in an inappropriate manner.

"Everybody who believes they can resolve things in the street are mistaken. They shouldn’t even think about it, let alone try anything because there are laws which have to be observed and no one can threaten anyone else’s life, property, institutions, etc. The police will not allow it. The police will react to any kind of ‘street action’ or violence and carry out measures provided for by the law, apprehend such persons and prosecute them. I don’t recommend any such attempts because they can only lead to unwanted problems for all of us in Republika Srpska, which absolutely doesn’t need them,” Lukac stated in an interview with Srna.

 

Noting that this year is specific for many things, especially for being an election year, Lukac said Republika Srpska and its people needed to show a democratic capacity and that the voters had to be allowed to vote for whomever they want, for the people they trusted would bring them a better future.

"Any disorder in the streets will not be allowed, nor will any takeover or overthrow of power in the streets. Elections are the pinnacle of democracy where citizens will have their say and choose the ones they want to be represented by,” emphasised Lukac.

 

He said the police had certain information that those dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections might try to prove that the elections were irregular, undemocratic, that votes were stolen from them or something like that, and that they might get rounded up in the streets.

"We have already had such announcements but all those things about alleged irregularity of elections may be proved in court and the accountable ones, if any, can be prosecuted and brought to justice for it in line with law,” added Lukac.

 

Will Dodik overthrow sanctions with his victory? (Vecernje Novosti)

The daily argued that current Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik will be able to travel to international organizations with headquarters in the USA, such as the United Nations (UN), if he wins post of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency member in spite of being blacklisted by USA. Former Ambassador of Serbia to UN Pavle Jevremovic too said that USA has no formal grounds to prohibit Dodik’s arrival because USA has the obligation to guarantee exterritoriality to the UN. Jevremnovic reminded that even former Cuban President Fidel Castro was paying visits to New York in spite of being under US’ sanctions.

 

US has made serious accusations (Dnevni list)

Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Mladen Ivanic said that the US has made very serious accusations because of which senior SNSD official Nikola Spiric ended up on the ‘blacklist’. According to Ivanic, it is odd that US sanctions have been imposed against Spiric having in mind the fact that Republika Srpska (RS) authorities, led by SNSD, are bragging about successful cooperation with President Donald Trump’s administration.

“I think that SNSD and Spiric should provide answers to all the questions”, said Ivanic adding that RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said several months ago that she had the most successful visit to the US ever.

 

OHR: State MPs to urgently discuss Law on Criminal Procedure (Oslobodjenje)

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) issued a press statement on Wednesday and welcomed the unanimous adoption of the amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) on Tuesday.

“With effort and good will from all sides, we see this adoption as an important contribution in support to the rule of law and fight against corruption. This represents good first step, and now we call on the members of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of B&H to start moving forward, to call urgent session and adopt the amendments passed by the House of Peoples without further delay” stated the OHR.

 

Emergency session of HoR B&H set for next Monday to discuss changes to Law on Criminal Procedure (BHT1)

The MPs of the House of Representatives (HoR) Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) will hold one final session next Monday before their mandates end to discuss the Law on Criminal Procedure that was adopted by the House of Peoples (HoP) B&H on Tuesday. The agenda of the emergency session will have one item only.

 

Delegate of HoP B&H Ljilja Zovko (HDZ B&H) says that everything can be solved with this upcoming session and the MPs of HoR B&H can show that they can reach an agreement. Speaker of the DNS Caucus in HoR B&H Borislav Bojic stated that they will support the session and the changes to the Law. This means that the entity quorum of Republika Srpska (RS) is not a problem like before, when the MPs of DNS left the session together with MPs of SNSD.

MP of HoR Fehim Skaljic (SBB) stated that it would be important for all MPs to come to the final session before the end of mandates and to vote for the changes to the Law just like the HoP B&H did.

MP of HoR Damir Becirovic (DF) said that the opposition is willing to support the upcoming voting and added that the way the HoR has been working in the past four years was wrong and this proves it.

 

Dodik: Security will be raised to highest level (Srna)

President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik stated on Wednesday that security in Banja Luka will be raised to a highest level during a visit from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"That’s how it is when highest dignitaries come here even though Banja Luka is a safe city. Some streets will be closed and all the necessary measures will be carried out, like it is common everywhere else in the world,” Dodik told the press in Banja Luka.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be in Banja Luka on September 17

 

Croatia

 

Foreign Minister meets with US Secretary of State Pompeo, discusses Serbia – Kosovo issue, B&H and Macedonia (Hina)

Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic-Buric met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Wednesday, saying that the two countries had good and friendly relations which should be bolstered by more frequent contacts. Pejcinovic-Buric was on an official visit to the United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first visit of a Croatian foreign minister to the US for several years.

She said that she and Pompeo discussed bilateral relations, above all economic ones, agreements that would further improve the economic cooperation, the need to begin talks on a double taxation agreement, and lifting visa requirements. "These issues are important for citizens of Croatia as well as for the promotion of investment and trade between Croatia and the US," Pejcinovic-Buric told the press after the meeting. She described Croatian-US relations as good and friendly, stressing that they had been so for many years, but noted that it was important to have "direct communication as often as possible." She said the US was important to Croatia also because the largest Croatian emigrant community, of about one million people, lived there.

 

Speaking of Serbia and Kosovo and the issue of changing borders, on which the State Department expressed a softer view recently, Pejcinovic-Buric said she expressed concern about possible territorial swaps "because we believe that this is not the principle on which European countries have been functioning after World War II and it would not be good to make divisions along ethnic lines, because any divisions of that kind and territorial swaps could lead to destabilization and replicate in other countries in the region and beyond." She said that dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo was very important for Croatia and that it was important to reach an agreement "that will not threaten security in the countries in the region or have wider implications."

 

Also discussed was the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the run-up to general elections on October 7 and the status of ethnic Croats in that country. "We have warned that these elections are very important and that it is essential that the election results are applied legitimately," the Croatian minister said.

 

On the subject of a referendum in Macedonia on the country's name, scheduled for September 30, Pejcinovic-Buric said Croatia hoped that the citizens "will make the right choice."

The Croatian minister is also scheduled to meet with Mira Ricardel, deputy national security adviser to the US president; Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Europe; and David Joyce and Nanette Barragan, co-chairs of the Croatian Caucus in the House of Representatives.

 

fYROM

 

Dimitrov-Mitchell: Strong support from United States to Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration (MIA)

Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic perspectives and current political developments in the country and the region were in the focus of Thursday's meeting of Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell.

FM Dimitrov highlighted the importance of U.S. further support to Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration and cooperation based on strategic partnership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

"Our deserved membership in the Alliance will significantly contribute to building a prosperous and safer Macedonia, which is also important for the entire region," said Dimitrov

Assistant Secretary Mitchell reaffirmed U.S. strong support to Macedonia's full-fledged NATO and EU membership, saluting the country's efforts on this path, especially the constructive policy with neighbors and the name solution. In this context, he expects a successful referendum and implementation of the Prespa Agreement, for the purpose of completing Macedonia's NATO and EU accession process, reads the press release.

The U.S. Department of State has expressed hope that the September 30 referendum on the Prespa Agreement would be a success, ahead of Thursday's visit of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell.

"The United States welcomes the historic Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece. Prime Ministers Zaev and Tsipras demonstrated vision, courage, and persistence in their pursuit of a mutually acceptable solution. The implementation of this agreement will allow the country to join NATO as North Macedonia and facilitate the opening of accession negotiations with the European Union, benefiting both countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity," reads the statement.

 

EU’s Mogherini to visit Macedonia on Thursday (MIA)

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is set to visit Macedonia on Thursday for meetings with the country’s top officials, the government said in a press release on Wednesday.

Mogherini is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, President Gjorge Ivanov and leader of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE Kristijan Mickoski, the press release reads. Mogherini -Zaev meeting will be followed by a press conference.

The European Commission issued a press release, reminding that Mogherini welcomed the historic agreement on the name issue reached in June and attended its signing at Lake Prespa.

‘The EU has also been supporting the country, in line with the reinforced EU engagement with the Western Balkans, outlined in the Western Balkans Strategy, and commitments made at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia,’ the press release reads.

 

DUI leader Ahmeti meets Kosovo President Thaci (MIA)

The 30 September referendum in Macedonia, developments in Balkan region, in particular the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue were subjects of discussion of DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and visiting Kosovo President Hashim Thaci.

Ahmeti briefed Thaci on the pace of the referendum campaign, notifying the significance of the implementation of the Prespa Agreement, DUI said in a press release on Wednesday.

Ahmeti and Thaci agreed that the ethnic Albanians and all generally all citizens of Macedonia should come out en masse and vote ‘FOR’ the country’s accession to NATO and EU. Joining the Euro-Atlantic institutions is the only future for the Western Balkan countries, as it ensures sustainable peace, security and stability.

 

Albania

 

Meta receives Kosovo Parliament's speaker, Kadri Veseli (ADN)

The President of the Republic, Ilir Meta, received in a meeting this Wednesday the Speaker of Kosovo's Parliament, Kadri Veseli, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister, Fatmir Lamaj and Dardan Gashi. The main topic of the discussion was the Kosovo-Serbia issue, where the Head of the State urged for internal political consensus.

"Kosovo needs an immediate internal political consensus and inclusiveness at the final stage of the dialogue with Serbia. The situation requires the ruling majority to create a more inclusive climate in relation to the opposition which should take its responsibilities at this historic moment. This important process requires much closer cooperation with our strategic partners committed to stability, security and the European future of the region," said Meta.

 

Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ruci meeting with Veseli (ADN)

The two Parliamentary Speakers of Albania and Kosovo, Gramoz Ruci and Kadri Veseli had a meeting this Wednesday and the main topic was the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

According to Ruci, all the political forces of Kosovo must be united in this situation and dialogue contributes for the stability and security in region.

"We are strongly following the situation in Kosovo and we hope for a stable solution which will guarantee the agreements reached so far. We encourage the parties for a solution in the interest of Kosovo and the Region," said Ruci. Meanwhile the Parliament Speaker of Kosovo, Veseli said that Kosovo is an independent state and its main objective is NATO and EU membership.

 

Veseli in Tirana: Our territory un-negotiable (ADN)

The Speaker of the Parliament of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli made it clear on Wednesday that the Kosovo's territory is un-negotiable. After the meeting that he had with the high officials in Albania, Veseli underlined the fact that he is against the idea of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, for a 'border correction' with Serbia.

"Kosovo is part of the dialogue to not touch the territorial integrity. There is no other option. What is obstacle Kosovo is the lack of the unity. Majority and the opposition must be together," said Veseli.

 

Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Basha meeting with Veseli (ADN)

The Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), Lulzim Basha, received in a meeting on Wednesday in his party headquarters, the Kosovo Parliament's Speaker, Kadri Veseli.

The main topic of the discussion was the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, where Basha was expressed supportive.

"I support the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, in order to normalize these relations between the two countries, and as a facilitator for the membership of all countries. We strongly believe that dialogue can only be based on the known reality," said Basha.

Meanwhile, According to Veseli, Kosovo is independent and there is nothing that the country can give.

"We will continue these relations that we have, in order to facilitate each other's integration processes. There is nothing that Kosovo can give because it is independent and has its own territory. We will be strongly engaged in protecting Albanians," said Veseli.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Putin's trusted man Zinichev to visit Serbia next month (Sputnik)

Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation Yvgeny Zinichev will visit Serbia next month, Sputnik said it has learned. He is very close to the Russian president, so his visit could be some sort of precursor in case Pussian President Vladimir Putin decides to come to Belgrade himself this fall.

According to Sputnik, Zinichev will be met by Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, and will also visit the Serbian-Russian Humanitarian Center in Nis, where Russian experts train rescuers and firefighters from Serbia and the region.

Taking into account the biography of the Zinichev, after his appointment in May this year, it was clear that there were serious plans for further development of unit training, as well as the technical equipment of the ministry, which often relies on the Ministry of Defense in its work.

 

Zinichev served in the army for a long time - in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, which is specific in many respects. He joined the KGB in 1987, and after major changes hit in the country, continued his career in FSO, the Federal Protection Service. Zinichev also held the responsible post of deputy head of the FSB, the Russian's famous anti-terror service.

From 2006 to 2015 Zinichev was a member of Putin's personal security team. He was always in his immediate vicinity, in the first ring of people who care about the safety of the president.

Zinich entered the political life of Russia at the proposal of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev two years ago, when he temporarily served as a governor of the Kaliningrad region.

 

Vucic’s ‘Great’ Milosevic evokes ghost of ‘Greater Serbia’ – Analysis (RFE RL)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic might well have offered up a gift last weekend to critics who believe the aphorism about history not repeating itself but often rhyming.

His speech to a crowd of mostly ethnic Serbs in the divided city of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, on September 9 sparked comparisons with a nationalist outpouring by former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in that same location almost 30 years ago, at least among those old enough to remember it. The resulting storm suggests that even decades later, Kosovo can still make or break a Serbian politician.

 

Vucic had been expected in Mitrovica for weeks. The town was festooned with his photograph and Serbian flags in eager anticipation of his visit. September 9 was hotly anticipated as the day when Vucic would finally announce his plan to resolve major outstanding issues with Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians and to turn the corner in relations with the former Serbian province, which declared independence in 2008.

 

It didn’t happen. Instead, Vucic appeared to take almost everyone by surprise with one brief passage of his remarks, in particular: “Milosevic was a great Serbian leader who undoubtedly had the best intentions, but the outcome [of his actions] was very poor. Not because he wanted it that way, but because our wishes were unrealistic, while we neglected and underestimated the interests and aspirations of other nations. Because of that, we paid a greater price [than others in the region]. We haven’t expanded.”

 

His praise in defense of Milosevic set off alarm bells across the region, as some interpreted it as a nod to the notion of “Greater Serbia.” Like many nationalists in Serbia, some observers complained, Vucic blames Milosevic for having lost the wars in the 1990s as opposed to having played a role in starting them.

 

Kosovo’s deputy prime minister, Enver Hoxhaj, expressed outrage at the speech in a tweet, drawing explicit parallels between Vucic’s words in Gazivoda and Milosevic’s performance in Gazimestan three decades ago. The two were “the same,” he fumed. But the apparent defense of Milosevic raised eyebrows — and attracted arguably harsher comparisons — farther afield in the Balkans, too.

 

“I have to admit that I was very surprised,” Croatian historian Tvrtko Jakovina told RFE/RL’s Balkan Service. “I feel that Vucic could have chosen his words much better. To say that ‘Milosevic had good intentions’ after the series of wars that destroyed Yugoslavia and that also cost Serbia dearly, which he referred to, is like saying that Hitler had great ideas for all Germans but, well, because they [the Germans] forgot to take into account that others also exist and may have had their own ideas, it didn’t turn out so well.”

 

Asked whether such a collation was fair, Jakovina said he “genuinely can’t think of a better comparison.”

 

“Because the man [Milosevic] was in charge of Serbia for years, and during that time was quite literally responsible for 1,001 terrible things that were done and a sequence of destructive wars,” he added. “Finally, not content with that, Milosevic was responsible for taking Serbia into war with NATO.”

 

Amid criticism from abroad, in particular, Vucic appeared to walk back some of his language from Mitrovica.

 

“Everyone who heard my speech in Kosovska Mitrovica could have no doubt that my invocation of Slobodan Milosevic was not glorification but, on the contrary, a serious and responsible critique of [Serbian] policies of that time,” Vucic said, adding that some media failed to report his speech in full.

“I said that Milosevic had the biggest support, that he was a great leader, but that the outcome of his policies had been very, very poor.”

 

Serbian essayist and writer Filip David, who founded what was arguably the first Serbian antiwar group at the outset of the Balkan wars, condemned Vucic’s Kosovo speech and suggested it risked overshadowing more positive developments in Belgrade’s relations with Pristina.

 

“Frankly, I only remember one sentence of that long-advertised ‘historic speech’ — the one about Slobodan Milosevic being a ‘great leader.’ To say something like that in Kosovo, after everything that happened, totally unmasks this government and casts serious doubt on its commitment to do something important with regard to relations with Kosovo. A lot of demagoguery and very little genuine desire [to achieve progress],” David told the magazine Danas.

 

The former Yugoslav then Serbian president, Milosevic was accused of numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity but died in a Hague prison cell in 2006, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) could reach a verdict in his case.

 

Milosevic’s template, well understood in hindsight, was to act in parallel yet seemingly contradictory ways: signing peace agreements while waging war, remaining acceptable to the generals of the Yugoslav Army and the unruly paramilitary units at the same time, and bringing together communists and anticommunists in his nationalist front. Now, by employing potentially inflammatory language seemingly crafted to stir Serbian nationalists and using subsequent clarifications to reassure critics, Vucic seems to be trying to walk a similarly fine line.

Of course, Milosevic was able to call on the support of an army that advertised itself as the fourth-largest in Europe. And in other ways the circumstances are vastly different, including the fact that Vucic is no Milosevic.

But U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel warned the Serbian President this week to “stop speaking out of both sides of his mouth” by invoking “peace and reconciliation” while “praising Slobodan Milosevic who was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands.”