LOCAL PRESS 

Djuric: Hoti’s provocations must not remain without an EU response (RTS/RTV/Politika) 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric assessed that the rudeness of the Pristina Prime Minister Avdulah Hoti has no limits, because, as he emphasized, he is now mocking the EU and Belgrade on a daily basis, stating that the topic of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is closed for him. “Although Hoti is not so arrogant in Brussels, where he is usually frightened and smaller than a poppy seed, his provocations must not remain without an EU response,” said Djuric. As the statement reads, Djuric assessed that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is unique in that one of the parties in the dialogue does not even need to justify itself for not implementing the agreement, nor does it suffer any sanctions from the mediators in the dialogue. “Pristina cannot be trusted, because the messages coming from there testify to the irreparable political lack of culture and the inability of the political structures there to adopt the most basic rules of civilized behavior, which obviously oblige everyone except them,” said Djuric. “For seven and a half years, Pristina has been refusing to allow the formation of the ZSO, and it will do so for the next seven and a half years unless someone convincingly explains to it the meaning of the word ‘obligation,” said Djuric. ZSO is Pristina’s obligation, and until it is formed with all the agreed competencies, it is impossible for me to imagine any substantial progress in the dialogue, concluded Djuric.

Komsic accuses Dacic of advocating Serb-Croat unity in fight against B&H; Dacic slams Komsic and says he is grandson of Chetnik with identity crisis (Politika)

Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Zeljko Komsic accused Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic of advocating Serb-Croat unity “in fight against B&H”. “I have read somewhere that Minister Dacic advocated some kind of a Serb-Croat unity in fight against B&H, while using the same inflammatory rhetoric from the time of Milosevic and Tudjman, which comes as no surprise knowing he is someone who sees criminal Milosevic as a role model,” Komsic said. Dacic replied by saying that Komsic is “a grandson of a Chetnik” and that he is experiencing an identity crisis. Dacic also called Komsic to give direct answers to his questions: “Where and when did I call to fight against B&H? And why should I do that, knowing that Serbia constantly calls to preservation of territorial integrity of B&H? But it does that for B&H as a state of people with equal rights and not for Islamic Jamahiriya as your Ayatollah Dzaferovic proclaims in SDA’s program”. Dacic also warned that B&H is not in danger from him, but from Komsic’s false presenting as a Croat who suits Bosniak’s needs. “This is exactly why the crisis in relations with Croatia occurred. That is why they do not want to see you in Zagreb, nor do Croats in B&H want to see you. You can only spew lies from a minaret on how Serbs and Croats are destroying B&H. Komsic, keep this in your mind, B&H will never be an Islamic state, even if it has a false Croat leader, it can only be a state of people with equal rights, including Serbs and Croats and not only Bosniaks,” Dacic concluded.

Mihajlovic: UN strong partner in gender equality (Tanjug/RTS) 

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality Zorana Mihajlovic represented Serbia at this year’s meeting on gender equality, which was held within the 75th UN General Assembly in New York. Presenting the results of Serbia and the Coordination Body, Mihajlovic pointed out that Serbia has achieved significant results in gender equality in the past few years. We have improved the legislative framework, we are working on strengthening the mechanisms for gender equality at all levels, and we are one of the few countries that has introduced gender responsible budgeting, by which we are recognised in the world as an example of good practice, she said. Also, as she added, we are the first country outside the EU to introduce the Gender Equality Index, which helps us in further creating public policies. She pointed out that Serbia, like other countries in the world, is facing violence against women and girls, and that in the last 10 years, more than 300 women have lost their lives in partner and domestic violence. She announced that in the coming period we will pay special attention to the promotion of a culture of non-violence, the fight against gender stereotypes and the strict application of gender principles in all public policies. In that process, as before, the United Nations remains our strong partner, concluded Mihajlovic.

Time To Bring The Process To An End (CorD, by Ljubica Gojgic) 

The Washington meeting covers previous dialogue agreements and topics currently under discussion in Brussels, already existing EU-financed infrastructure projects and the positions of the U.S. government…We welcome it if the commitments made at the White House mean that the U.S. will contribute financially to existing projects – Miroslav Lajčák

There is absolutely no rivalry between the U.S. and the EU regarding the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, says Miroslav Lajčak, European envoy for that process, speaking for CorD Magazine.

However, he explains that the EU wasn’t familiarised with the contents of the documents signed by Aleksandar Vučić and Avdullah Hoti in Washington, although Europeans consider the Americans as being their main partner in the Western Balkans. The dialogue on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Priština is by no means easy, because if it was then it would already have been completed, says Miroslav Lajčak, who nonetheless still believes that “a comprehensive agreement can be reached in months rather than years”. For that to happen, he says, it is necessary for both sides to “show generosity and seek compromises, so that ultimately everyone wins a little bit for the benefit of their people”.

Mr Lajčak, how would you evaluate September’s high-level meeting of leaders from Belgrade and Priština in Brussels?

Our last high-level meeting with President Vučić and Prime Minister Hoti took place on 7th September in Brussels. It was a productive meeting. We managed to achieve full progress on the elements of the comprehensive normalisation agreement that were under discussion since the last high-level meeting in July – namely missing and displaced persons and economic cooperation.

Doing so allowed us to now shift the focus of our negotiations to arrangements for the non-majority community – Association/Community – and the settlement of mutual financial claims and property, as part of the comprehensive agreement. Both topics are very complex and sensitive for both parties.

Does the atmosphere of the meeting and the messages emanating from it provide hope that the pace of the dialogue can intensify, in accordance with your wishes?

The pace has already intensified. I was very open with both parties about that from the very beginning. Between the first and second in-person highlevel meeting, the chief negotiators were in Brussels four times for intense rounds of negotiations. High Representative Borrell and I discussed with both parties how we see the Dialogue going forward, and both sides agreed to it and also publicly expressed their commitment to the EU-facilitated Dialogue, and by extension their European future, in a joint statement ahead of the meeting.

This is also why they sent their chief negotiators back to Brussels only ten days after that high-level meeting. We agreed with both chief negotiators prior to their meeting to follow-up on the initial discussions of the leaders on mutual financial claims –property. We also agreed to a follow-up discussion on the second topic: arrangements for the non-majority community – Association/Community.

The agenda of the meeting included issues related to property rights, international claims and the position of minorities. However, what happened with issues that have supposedly already been resolved, with obligations taken on under the scope of the first Brussels Agreement, but which have never been fulfilled? One of them is the formation of the Community/Association of Serb Municipalities. Do you intend to go back and address that which was agreed before you took on the role of the EU’s special envoy?

We expect past commitments to be honoured by both parties. The Association/Community of Serb municipalities has yet not been established, and that is regrettable. We expect Priština to propose a way forward to implement this agreement.

But there is another important dimension to this process that is at times forgotten: I was mandated by EU Member States to facilitate discussions on a comprehensive deal that addresses all outstanding issues between Belgrade and Priština – and not a series of technical agreements. Both parties agreed to this process and I expect them to engage constructively. So, as you can see, there is more work to be done than just implementing past agreements, even if this remains an important part of our efforts.

You stated on the eve of the resumption of dialogue that there are no time limits, which is interesting given that you’ve been quoted on several occasions as having previously mentioned the limited deadline for the completion of the dialogue. Media have reported that you told European officials on one occasion that a final agreement is a matter of weeks or months away, and not years. Could you clarify this?

Experience has taught me that it is never good to impose artificial timelines and I never set any deadlines. A comprehensive agreement naturally needs a bit of time, since – as the name suggests – it will be comprehensive, meaning that it will deal with all outstanding issues and needs to have clear provisions on how it will be implemented and monitored.

But what I said before remains valid: There is a general feeling that it is time to bring this process to an end. I believe a comprehensive agreement can be reached in months rather than years, provided both parties are willing to engage and compromise. As the facilitator, the EU will give the Dialogue the time it needs without speeding up artificially, but at the same time also without dragging it out unnecessarily.

Speaking at a recent gathering in Slovenia, you mentioned the red lines of the upcoming Dialogue between Belgrade and Priština. One of them insists that the final agreement must be in line with international law. What does that mean specifically: that any division of Kosovo is unacceptable, that UN Resolution 1244 must be respected, or something else?

As I said in Slovenia, any normalisation agreement has to be in line with international law, acceptable to the EU Member States, contribute to regional stability, deal with all outstanding issues once and for all, and contribute to their respective European paths.

As you know, the reactions to the idea of border corrections or land swaps have been very negative in EU Member States and the Western Balkans as a region, and therefore it is not in line with the principles I mentioned earlier.

You insist that any final agreement between Belgrade and Priština must be acceptable to EU member states. How can you reconcile the positions of the EU member states that have recognised independence and lobby strongly in its favour with those of the member states that do not accept the independence of Kosovo?

I am appointed and mandated by all EU Member States. All of them negotiated and agreed that I should “work on the comprehensive normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo through the conclusion of a legally binding agreement that addresses all outstanding issues between the parties, in accordance with international law, and contributes to regional stability”.

There is a strong interest among all member states in the Dialogue and the Western Balkans, I debrief them regularly and I have the full support of all member states.

Ultimately, it is up to member states whether they change or maintain their position on recognition, but I received signals from them that confirm that they are following the process very closely, also in the context of their respective national positions. Since the Dialogue aims to bring both parties closer to the European Union, it is only natural that any agreement must be acceptable to EU Member States. As President von der Leyen said in her State of the Union address: “the future of the whole region lies in the EU. We share the same history, we share the same destiny. The Western Balkans are part of Europe – and not just a stopover on the Silk Road.”. The Dialogue is an important element to make the European perspective a reality.

Speaking in a recent interview for CorD Magazine, your countryman and colleague, Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia Fedor Rosocha , stated that “recognition (of independence) per se is not mentioned anywhere, either in Chapter 35 or in the whole (EU accession) negotiation framework. Do you agree with that assessment?

I am not in the position to comment on or interpret what the Slovak Ambassador or any other Ambassador said or meant. In the Dialogue, we speak about normalisation of relations. There is a general understanding what that means, but in the end it is up to the parties to define what normalisation of relations means to them while finding a solution that is in line with international law and the EU acquis, is acceptable to EU member states, contributes to the stability of the region and, most importantly, helps them to make significant progress on their respective European paths.

You’ve stated that “EU membership isn’t given for free”, which makes the EU the most important mediator in the Belgrade- Priština dialogue. What price would have to be paid by Serbia and Kosovo respectively?

Both parties know that their respective European paths go through the Dialogue and that there is no alternative to the Dialogue. An EU-facilitated normalisation agreement will make this European perspective very tangible for both. Of course, the EU has clear accession criteria, i.e. on reforms to be met, but, the way I see it, constructive engagement in the Dialogue and a successful conclusion through a comprehensive agreement should accelerate their respective European paths.

The EU is not pre-writing an agreement and forcing the parties to sign up to it, and it cannot want the agreement more than the parties. We facilitate the process and we make sure that any agreement indeed brings both closer to the EU and doesn’t shift them further away. But in the end, the parties have to want the deal. This will not be easy. It means painful compromises for both to bring positions that are very far apart closer to each other and find common ground. If it were easy, all open issues would already have been resolved.

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti says that in the dialogue with Belgrade he is only interested in “mutual recognition”. Is such a stance in accordance with your concept of the dialogue?

Both parties have their own understanding what normalisation means to them and both parties have elements of the comprehensive agreement that are a clear priority to them.

It is now up to both of them, together with the EU, to find a common understanding.

Before we resumed the EU-facilitated Dialogue in July, I discussed the elements of the comprehensive agreement with President Vučić and Prime Minister Hoti. Both agreed to them in principle, so there are no surprises in terms of substance, and I also explained our methodology. Speaking from the perspective of having a long career as a mediator and facilitator, a key principle in the negotiations of such an important, yet difficult and sensitive agreement is that not everyone can always win on every single article. Both parties have to show generosity and seek compromise so that in the end everyone wins a little bit for the benefit of their people.

You aroused the interest of the public when you stated that the recent summit of leaders from Belgrade and Priština in Washington, DC was organised without any consultation with the EU. How do you interpret that?

We were informed about the meeting organised in the White House on 4th September and that it will focus on economic issues. But we did not see the two documents with commitments to the U.S., which President Vučić and Prime Minister Hoti signed ahead of time. The way I see it, it covers previous dialogue agreements and topics currently under discussion in Brussels, already existing EU-financed infrastructure projects, and positions of the U.S. government. The EU is the biggest investor, donor and commercial partner of the region. But, of course, we welcome it if the commitments made at the White House mean that the U.S. will contribute financing existing projects. And we welcome it if it means that Kosovo and Serbia will honour previous Dialogue commitments and proceed with the elements of implementation still outstanding.

At the same time, the EU expects candidate countries to progressively align their policies towards third countries with the policies and positions adopted by the European Union. In this context, any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU’s common position on Jerusalem are a matter of serious concern and regret.

At the same time, EU member states welcomed the joint statement of President Vučić and Prime Minister Hoti saying that they give the highest priority to EU integration and will continue the work on the EU-facilitated Dialogue, and that they are committed to redoubling their efforts to ensure further EU alignment in accordance with their respective obligations. But the EU member states are also watching future actions very carefully and expect both to act in line with their statement.

Is there rivalry between the EU and the U.S. when it comes to the Belgrade- Priština dialogue? 

There is absolutely no rivalry. The U.S. is our main partner in the Western Balkans. We always work best when we work hand in hand to promote the European perspective of the region.

In 2010, the UN member states, through a General Assembly resolution, welcomed the European Union as the facilitator of the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, because both are in Europe. As such, we welcome initiatives by the U.S. and others in support of the EUfacilitated Dialogue.

How would you comment on the view that a solution to relations between Belgrade and Priština shouldn’t be sought through Brussels-based dialogue, but rather at a Dayton-style international conference that would include the participation of other major world powers?

Dayton is an important agreement. It put an end to the war. But we are comparing apples with oranges here. We are speaking about the normalisation of relations, not ending a war.

Normalisation is a process. Proposed solutions have to come from the parties themselves, for them to stick to that in the long-run. And they have to be found and discussed through Dialogue and should bring both parties closer to the European Union. This is why we have a Dialogue in Brussels and not elsewhere.

REGIONAL PRESS 

 

Varhelyi presents draft Economic and Investment Plan for Western Balkans (RTRS)

EU Enlargement and Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi presented draft Economic and Investment Plan for Western Balkans at a video conference attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs and European Integration from the region. During the presentation of the plan, that should be adopted next week by the European Commission (EC) and immediately after presented, together with the report on progress, in the region, outlined the importance the EU gives to the region, noting that the plan has been developed with aim to maintain stable development of the region in the conditions of the great effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on its economic and social development.

All participants of Brussels talks satisfied with results (FTV)

Members of the B&H Presidency returned from their official visit to Brussels on Thursday evening. Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik returned on Wednesday on his own. B&H Presidency members met EU officials on Wednesday and they were urged to fulfill the 14 priorities shared in the Opinion of the European Commission in order to achieve EU candidate status in 2021. EU officials highlighted the need to implement changes to the Law on Public Procurement, Law on Conflict of Interest and the Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC). The focus has been put on the fight against corruption and respect of Rule of Law. All participants of talks in Brussels expressed satisfaction with how they concluded. Both leaders of the EU and members of the B&H Presidency expressed their optimism in regards to progress made on B&H’s EU path and said they hope this country will receive its candidate status by next year. Members of the B&H Presidency point that significant work must be done in order to fulfill all 14 key priorities of the European Commission’s (EC) Opinion. However, they are optimistic that all necessary changes will be made. Following meetings of members of the B&H Presidency with EU officials in Brussels on Wednesday, Dodik said that the EU understands the situation in B&H. Dodik added that no one expects meeting of all 14 recommendations of the European Commission (EC) but it is still certain that B&H will get the status of the EU candidate next year. Dodik stated: "There are some things there, such as elimination of foreign judges from the Constitutional Court, the departure of the OHR. All this is on the agenda. There are also difficult issues that demand transfer of competences to the level of B&H for issues towards Europe that are constantly being treated here. However, we will see. We will discuss all this. It all depends on us. I think that Europe understands that this is a difficult issue and that they are moving towards easier ones, such as public procurement, conflicts of interest, a plan of clear justice reform”. Following meetings with B&H officials in Brussels, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi assessed the meetings on the Twitter as promising. Varhelyi also expressed hope that B&H will succeed in realization of the 14 key priorities of the EC and that the country will get the candidacy status for membership in the EU already next year.

Messages coming from Brussels are encouraging (ATV)

Asked to comment on the visit to Brussels, Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija said that it is good that members of the presidency presented to European officials what B&H achieved in the past period. In his opinion, obtaining the status of the candidate on the day of signing of the Dayton Agreement would be good. He added: “If not then, then I am sure that we will meet all that it takes to get the candidacy status in spring. Messages coming from Brussels are encouraging and I think that we are supposed to hear the best messages on Tuesday when the framework plan for the Western Balkan will be presented. Then, we will see the role and the position of B&H”. Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic said on Thursday that it is final time that B&H gets the status of the EU candidate for membership in the EU. Cvijanovic said that she knows that the pro-active role of the Serb member of the B&H Presidency Miloard Dodik should contribute to better understanding of things in B&H. In her opinion, eight or nine out of the 14 priorities can be solved without any problems, while two or three will demand a serious political discussion. According to Cvijanovic, it is important to use good results achieved at meetings of members of the B&H Presidency with the EU officials. Cvijanovic hopes that the encouragement could arrive before the spring that is outlined in Brussels as a realistic deadline. “I think they should do it much sooner if they want to send that encouraging message to B&H. So, if there are seven or eight implemented priorities, it would be normal time to grant the candidate status, and then to connect a set of issues to the setting the negotiations date, and then to leave the most difficult two or three issues for the accession period’’.

Inzko: I agree with US Ambassador, B&H Constitution needs to be updated (Dnevni avaz)

High Representative Valentin Inzko asked to comment the initiative of ‘Mini Schengen’. noted that he deems this initiative to be very positive, reminiscing his memory from the childhood, when he lived in an Austrian village, close to Yugoslavian border and while Yugoslavia was not typical communist country, there were more that couple of administrative obstacles when his grandfather died in Yugoslavia and his family wanted to attend the burial. He argues that this initiative will make everything faster and cheaper, especially in terms of flow of people and goods. “Everything will be easier, but this will also be kind of an exercise for ‘Grand Schengen’. If ‘Mini Schengen’ is successful chances to access the ‘Grand Schengen’ successfully will be higher”, said Inzko.  The author recalled that EU often warned that B&H needs to undergo some form of constitutional changes and asks Inzko what he believes to be sectors which need to undergo changes. High Representative underlined that every country which joined the EU had to change its Constitution: “Constitutional changes will happen in B&H as well and I fully agree with the US Ambassador on this. Constitution, which has been written 25 years ago, needs to be adapted to the present times. It requires more functionality, efficiency, even though that does not mean more centralization”. He underlines that it is certain that Constitution will need to change in line with the rulings of the Constitutional Court of B&H and European Court of Human Rights, stressing that it is unacceptable for part of the citizens not to be able to run for certain offices. “There are numerous minorities, children from ‘mixed’ marriages and simply people who want to be only citizens. Currently, according to the Constitution, they are all discriminated. This will certainly change if B&H wants to join EU. And according to expressed intentions of B&H politicians, B&H wants that,” said Inzko. Asked about upcoming anniversary of Dayton Peace Agreement and in this regard mission of the OHR and how long it could last, Inzko noted that he does not want to speculate about the length of his mandate. “It is important to underline that my mandate is the same and unchanged as the first day and that I personally and the OHR remain fully dedicated to progress and prosperity of B&H and all its citizens,” said Inzko. He noted that the methods of the OHR have changed overtime, adding that this is no longer the time of former HR Paddy Ashdown and today there are less interventions and more need for self-responsibility, less Dayton which is still in force and more of the Brussels. “What is important now is what is ahead of B&H. International Community will assist on the path of facing the challenges and we hope that we will have energetic and engaged domestic partners in this. All processes need to be accelerated, otherwise citizens will continue to leave. And that would be a huge loss for this marvelous country. If there is a shred of hope, citizens will stay in their country. It is necessary to work on this,” ends Inzko.

 

Milanovic slams Izetbegovic over recent visit to Zagreb (HRT)

The existing election law in B&H allows Bosnian Muslims to vote in political representatives for Bosnian Croats. On Thursday President Zoran Milanovic took aim at Bakir Izetbegovic's recent statement that he refused to meet with him during his recent visit to Zagreb. Izetbegovic, the political leader of Bosnian Muslims, visited Zagreb on Monday, when he and the political leader of Bosnian Croats, Dragan Covic, were received by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The focus of discussion was on ensuring Croats equal rights in the neighboring country. After the visit, Izetbegovic said that he had been invited to visit with President Milanovic, but that he opted against doing so. Commenting on Izetbegovic’s statement, Milanovic said that the Bosnian Muslim leader's refusal to acknowledge equal rights for the Croat people in B&H would come to an end one way or another, adding that his claims after the fact were revealing: "That is disingenuous. But this won't end well. I don't mean that this will result in conflict, but it won't end well. Simply put, Croatia has the means to, in a peaceful and persistent - and if need be arrogant way, secure what absolutely belongs to each one of the constituent peoples of B&H. We've had enough of this pickpocketing." When asked to comment on the issue Prime Minister Plenkovic said: "The government's position, my position as prime minister, and that of the HDZ as a political party, is more than crystal clear. What is key, is that we return to the letter of the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement."

 

Vulin is openly promoting Greater Serbia (Dnevne novine)

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin has obviously taken on the role of the promoter of the “Serbian world” as he’s becoming more and more frequent in his public performances, presenting arguments about why it is justifiable to create the new “world” and why Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic plays ”the historic role” of uniting Serbs, Dnevne novine writes.

In an extensive interview about current affairs given for Pecat, Vulin elaborated in details Serbian politics in the forthcoming period and said that they should not defend when someone called them out on the project of “Greater Serbia”. The Serbian Minister says that the process of uniting Serbs in the region has become unstoppable after parliamentary elections in Montenegro.

“With highland determination, Serbs in Montenegro said they would not be strangers in the country they had created. The movement of religious processions started as expression of deep disagreement, disgust at the law that envisages seizure of church property and the name of Serbian Orthodox (SPC) but which ended in changing the awareness of Serbs in Montenegro that they can have their own country and that only the sky is the limit” Minister said. He attributes credit for the election result to SPC, stating that of Serbian church in Montenegro had been abolished, that would have been beginning of an end. He promised that union of Serbs “will be peaceful”. Vulin says that the first prerequisite of political and any other union is the existence of powerful mass political organization that would gather all Serbs. In the opinion of many analysts, through the words of Minister Vulin and historians Antic and Rakovic, we are witnessing the accomplishment of goals stipulated in two memorandums of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and document in the position of Serbs in the 20th and 21st century. “The latest events related to the idea of Greater Serbia indicate that Belgrade won’t give up on that political platform. The Serbian elite and SPC are sticking to the thesis that Serbia can achieve its objectives in peacetime. The latest events indicate that great Serbian and Chethnik structure in Belgrade will not give up on their plans they set nine years ago”. All new political activities of Serbia re part of the new project of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Therefore, Vulin’s performances are not just an empty story but they are an open promotion of the official Serbian politics that does not hide anymore that “Greater Serbia” is an ongoing project.

 

Bulgaria moves to solidify its claim on Ss. Cyril and Methodius (Republika)

Acting on a proposal from a nationalist coalition partner, the Bulgarian Parliament renamed the day of Slavic literacy (24 May) into the day of Bulgarian literacy. The day honors the beginning of the proselytizing mission of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. Macedonia and Bulgaria both celebrate the two saints who spread Christianity among the Slavic nations in Macedonia and later across much of eastern Europe, laying the foundation for the Cyrillic alphabet and the great school in Ohrid. Bulgaria wants these celebrations, the main of which takes place in Rome where St. Cyril is buried, to be shared events to emphasize the joint heritage of Macedonia and Bulgaria. But renaming the holiday will be difficult for Macedonian authorities to accept.

Bulgaria currently demands additional concessions in the areas of history and national identity from Macedonia before it will allow the opening of EU accession talks. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said that the ethnic heritage of legendary VMRO leader Goce Delcev is just “one of the many issues that need to be resolved”. We insist on good neighborly relations, which is one of the criteria for EU membership, not something Bulgaria came up with, but a European condition, Zaharieva said. She blamed Macedonia for suspending the work of a joint committee of historians which Bulgaria expects to ratify various changes to the Macedonian reading of history and make it in tune with the Bulgarian reading. She insisted that Bulgaria has many written historic documents to support its positions.

 

United opposition’s proposal to SP: OSCE / ODIHR should be accepted as a mechanism for resolving disputes (Radio Tirana)

Representatives of the united opposition in the Political Council, Oerd Bylykbashi and Petrit Vasili, sent another letter to the SP asking for the OSCE / ODIHR to be accepted as a mechanism for resolving disputes. According to the united opposition, the parties have agreed on this since the 14 January agreement, when the Political Council was set up to meet one of the 15 EU conditions, the consensual electoral reform. “It is a request of the international partners that, in order to find a consensus in the Council, the disagreement on the basic issue of electoral coalitions be sent immediately and without delay to the OSCE / ODIHR,” said the opposition representatives. In a letter to Damian Gjiknur, the opposition states that the SP’s refusal so far has blocked the Council and undermined the implementation of the 14 January agreement.

MP Hajdari proposes Political Council meetings’ boycott until lists’ opening (ADN)

MP Rudina Hajdari invited Thursday her parliamentary opposition colleagues to refuse going to Political Council on Electoral Reform gatherings until their demand to fully opening electoral lists is met. She thinks the Socialist Party is insisting on a fraudulent draft, which diverts the debate on completely opening the candidates’ lists. They are struggling for their personal power, but parliamentary opposition is working for a better future for Albania, Hajdari claimed. "It is sad that the SP insists with a draft that is cheating, which diverts the debate on the opening of lists 100%. We must continue to call on the PS and anyone that it is serious about the opening of lists. We cannot negotiate with this, we will not do centimeter backwards, because it has to do with the sovereignty of people. There is no centimeter backwards. “I invite the colleagues of parliamentary opposition to refuse to go to any meeting until our request for opening 100% of the lists is accepted. Their battle is for their own personal power, while our battle is for a better future," said MP Hajdari after the Council’s meeting.