LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Pressure on Serbia over Kosovo and Metohija extremely high (Tanjug/RTS/RTV/B92)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday Serbia was in a specific situation when it comes to all developments regarding Kosovo and Metohija and that extreme pressure over the issue had led him to hold a meeting with Serbian Orthodox Church archbishops to hear their opinions. "That is where it will be increasingly difficult to protect our interest because the pressure will get tougher than ever. Since the day the president of Russia said what his incursion into Ukraine was based on in terms of formal law and politically, all Western powers have been working on untying the Kosovo and Metohija knot in order to deprive the Russian president of that argument," Vucic said. "Of course, the Russians have identified the mistakes they (Western countries) have made in the past and are using that for their needs, which is logical behavior, but to us that is just an additional burden and additional trouble," Vucic said. He said Serbia was under enormous pressure as the only country in Europe that had not imposed any sanctions on Russia. "That is giving us major problems, which are not small and will grow," he said.

 

Porfirije: We pray for peace

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije agreed with Vucic that the situation in the world is difficult and that the Church's position is always a prayer. "From our point of view, the conflict in Ukraine is a conflict of value systems, a conflict of civilizations, a conflict that puts us in a position to have an attitude. Our attitude, the attitude of the church is a prayer to God for peace," said Patriarch Porfirije. Patriarch pointed out that they were praying for peace to come to all the people of the world, to the territory of Ukraine, for the language of weapons to be stopped as soon as possible, and for conversation and dialogue to begin. He thanked the President for everything he does from his position, as well as for trying to make this crisis as mild as possible for the citizens of Serbia. "There are our believers in every country in the world, and as far as we are concerned, we are trying to help our people," said the Serbian Patriarch.

 

Brnabic: UN SC resolution does not apply only in Serbia's case (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday a document from a recent G7 meeting pointed to UN Security Council resolutions as the solutions to all problems in the world, while only in the case of Serbia there was no mention of the relevant UN SC resolution - Resolution 1244. "Trivia: The (Policy Paper) document from the G7 meeting points to respect of UN SC resolutions as the solutions to all problems/crises in the world. In the case of Libya, it calls for full respect of UNSCR Resolutions 2629, 2571, 2570 and 2292, and UNSCR Resolutions 2254 and 2118 in the case of Syria and Resolution 2231 in the case of Iran, etc.," Brnabic wrote in a Twitter post. "Only in the case of Serbia, there is no mention of UNSCR 1244 - because everyone in the G7 has violated it," Brnabic concluded. Brnabic said this demonstrated the complexity of the situation and the gravity of the position of Serbia, which she noted respected international law and the UN, including the "basic principles of the inviolability of the territorial integrity of internationally recognized states".

 

Growing interest of French companies in investing in Serbia (Tanjug/Politika)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked on Tuesday with French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard about current world topics, bilateral relations and new French investments in Serbia. Brnabic sent congratulations to French President Emmanuel Macron on his new mandate and underlined that his re-election to the position of head of state is of exceptional importance not only for Serbia and the Western Balkans, but for stability of the entire European continent and the EU too. She also sent congratulations to new prime minister Elisabeth Borne. She underlined that citizens of our country have special respect and emotions for France and that is why it is important to discuss all topics openly, especially bearing in mind that Paris sincerely recognizes the specific position of Belgrade in the light of current developments. In that context, Brnabic highlighted the principled position of Serbia on the need to respect international law, and recalled that Serbia unequivocally declared itself on that matter at the United Nations.

The Ambassador of France informed Brnabic on the results of the French presidency of the Council of the EU to date in changed international circumstances. He highlighted the attention which France, as the country presiding over the Council of the EU, dedicates to the Western Balkans. In that context he confirmed the holding of the EU-Western Balkans Conference at the end of the French presidency and called on the Serbian government to take an active role in its organization. Speaking about bilateral relations, Cochard underlined that good news are prevailing in that field and pointed to the increasing interest of the French Development Agency in investing in Serbia. He also spoke about good potential for cooperation in various fields, including education and energy, and about the interest of other French companies in investing in Serbia.

 

Hill, Amcham President: Washington will continue to support Serbia in improving business environment (Beta)

 

US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill and American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Serbia President Stefan Lazarevic said in a meeting on 17 May that Washington would continue to support the Serbian government in all important reform processes which would further improve the business environment. “Serbia has become a key business destination in this part of Europe. American businesses have invested more than $4 billion in Serbia and employ more than 20,000 people. There is great potential for even more expansion,” Hill said, according to a release from AmCham. The Ambassador added that he was a strong believer in AmCham’s efforts to uphold American values, including working to create a level playing field for all businesses, as well as improved transparency, rule of law, digitalization, energy diversification, and environmental protection. Lazarevic and Ambassador Hill offered their full support to regional economic cooperation through initiatives such as Open Balkans, which aims to reduce trade and travel barriers between countries of the region, says the release.

 

Vucic receives credentials from newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received credentials from the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine Volodymyr Tolkach and welcomed him to our country. Vucic expressed his sincere regret over the situation in Ukraine and informed Ambassador Tolkach about the positions of the government of the Republic of Serbia and of the Council for National Security. He stressed that Serbia is committed to respecting the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, as one of the basic principles of international law contained in the United Nations Charter, and that in that sense it respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He stressed that Serbia is also exposed to unprincipled positions held by a part of the world when it comes to the unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo, and thanked Ukraine for respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia. Vucic pointed out that Serbia has provided the best possible conditions for civilians, refugees from Ukraine, giving them residence and work permits, in accordance with the rules of the EU, even at a higher level. Vucic announced that he would soon visit Ukrainian refugees in our country together with Ambassador Tolkach. Ambassador Tolkach thanked for the humanitarian aid that Serbia provides to endangered Ukrainian civilians, as well as for the financial aid. Vucic announced that Serbia will participate in the reconstruction of cities in Ukraine. Vucic emphasized that Serbia and Ukraine have opportunities to develop cooperation in various spheres of mutual interest, and stressed the need to continue working on strengthening economic relations, as soon as the situation allows. The President reiterated that Serbia, in accordance with its consistent policy, remains committed to peaceful settlement of disputes, and in that sense supports all efforts aimed at negotiations.

 

Cadez welcomes Abazovic's statement on Open Balkans (Tanjug/Politika)

 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS) President Marko Cadez on Tuesday said new Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic's support for the Open Balkan initiative was fantastic news. "Even before assuming his position, the present Montenegrin PM was someone who understood why the initiative is important and I think we are now heading in a good direction, towards including the entire region in what three countries are already doing. The first results have become evident and we expect the first joint work permits to be issued," Cadez said at the opening of a conference titled Renewable Energy Sources - Opportunities and Possibilities for Serbia and Israel, hosted by the PKS in Belgrade. Welcoming Abazovic's statement, Cadez said he hoped they would soon be working together on the initiative.

 

Mihajlovic: Talks on gas supplies underway with Russia (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said on Tuesday talks between Srbijagas and Gazprom about a new contract on Russian gas supplies to Serbia had already begun and were underway at corporate level, and added that this meant her ministry was not involved in them. "Those are no easy talks. Our estimate is that it is not possible for the gas price to remain at 270 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters but it will certainly be much, much lower than 950 dollars, which is the current market price of gas," Mihajlovic said before a Serbian-Israeli conference on renewable energy sources, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Belgrade. She said all options were on the table - from extending an existing contract to concluding a long-term deal. "The ministry believes it is better to extend the contract, but we are putting no limits to the relationship Srbijagas will establish with the Russian side. The talks will take a while and cannot be completed quickly, because it always takes a while," Mihajlovic said.

 

Djilas expects regime change after new Belgrade elections (Nova/Beta)

 

Freedom and Justice Party leader Dragan Djilas said on 17 May that new elections in Belgrade would show even more support to the opposition and would lead to regime change in the Serbian capital. In an interview with Nova, Djilas recalled that in Belgrade the opposition had won 70,000 votes more than the Serbian Progressive Party and the Socialist Party of Serbia, despite their “phantom voters” and vote buying practice. “These are the facts which are clear to all, which some are willing to admit and some are not. In new elections, whether they are held in December or next March, I am expecting the opposition to make a bigger difference against the ruling coalition,” Djilas stressed.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dodik demands Dzaferovic’s resignation accusing him of presenting personal stances at international events (ATV) 

 

At the session of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency held in Sarajevo on Tuesday, Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik requested from Chairman and Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic to submit his resignation. Dodik requested this, claiming that Dzaferovic is presenting personal stances rather than B&H Presidency’s harmonized stances at the international events. Addressing media in front of the B&H Presidency building after the session, Dodik stated: “Dzaferovic has been presenting his private stances on behalf of the B&H Presidency and he has thus been violating the Rules of Procedures.” Dodik announced that, if Dzaferovic fails to submit his resignation until the Presidency’s next session, he will launch an initiative for his removal from the Presidency. According to Dodik, Dzaferovic directly undermined the institutional and constitutional capacities of B&H. “That practice is unacceptable,” stressed the Serb member of the Presidency. A transcript of the discussion at the session was published, showing a debate between Dodik and Dzaferovic on the matter of addressing international events without harmonized stances in the B&H Presidency. At the beginning of the session, Dodik harshly criticized Dzaferovic’s behaviour pertaining to addressing international events without the Presidency’s harmonized stances and accused him of having violated the Constitution of B&H and the Rules of Procedure of the B&H Presidency.

Dodik commented on the fact that Dzaferovic addressed the UN Security Council (UN SC) in New York last week, without the Presidency’s stance on his address. “I want it to be stated that, bearing in mind that the most important foreign policy issue at this time is the attitude towards the war in Ukraine, that the Presidency has not adopted any position, any conclusion that would enable B&H to join any item on the agenda. The fact that it refers to a strategy that decides on general matters, that an individual item on the agenda is nowhere to be seen in the minutes, and that B&H is trying to send a message that it has participated in that represents a political caricature. I want to state that the Presidency has never passed any act or conclusion that would give the ambassadors to the UN and other multilateral organizations the right to join the policies that have been pursued in that regard,” Dodik said. The Serb member of the Presidency warned that Dzaferovic has been changing the constitutional practice and the practice of work of the Presidency, assessing it to be unfair. The Serb member of the Presidency accused Dzaferovic of wanting to achieve “some success” by going to such international events, adding that “this is a completely other story”. RTRS carried excerpts from the transcript of the session during which Dodik stated: “What we are seeing is the collapse of the very configuration of the Presidency and the foreign policy mechanism, and that is unacceptable. I condemn it and demand responsibility for something like that.” Dzaferovic replied to Dodik by saying: “B&H is represented by the Ambassador to the (UN) Security Council and B&H is represented by the Chairman of the Presidency. Read the first item of Article 6, which talks about the competencies of the Chairman of the Presidency, the Rules of Procedure of the B&H Presidency, and you will clearly see that it says that the basic task of the Chairman of the B&H Presidency is to represent the Presidency and B&H”. Dodik replied to Dzaferovic: “You missed in everything, Mr. Dzaferovic. If you really want us to deal with norms, I expect you to be meticulous in that. Then you had to read Article 6, Paragraph B, which says that the Chairman represents the agreed positions of the Presidency. What did you represent? I must say that you violated this Rules of Procedure and acted unilaterally. Do not try to fool us here and the public with that kind of story.” Dzaferovic said: “I did not violate anything. I followed the Rules of Procedure.” Dzaferovic defends what is indefensible because Article 6, Paragraph D of the Rules of Procedure clearly states that the Chairman of the Presidency is acting on all important issues of B&H on the basis of harmonized positions, which was not the case, noted the reporter. This is why Dodik requested that Dzaferovic resigns from the position of the Chairperson of the B&H Presidency. SDA abuses the B&H Presidency and the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by Bisera Turkovic, added the reporter. According to Dodik, members of SDA act in an anti-Dayton manner and outside the Constitution. Dodik filed criminal charges against Turkovic and B&H Ambassador to the UN Sven Alkalaj for arbitrary and unconstitutional conduct with the intention of B&H joining Western sanctions against Russia. Dodik emphasized that there are no documents nor decision on sanctions against Russia. “Let them find any decision of the Presidency, competent for that, for us to join any of those initiatives, and that it says that this decision dictates that it be done so,” said Dodik. He added that it is obvious that the opposition is repeating a lie until someone starts believing it. Dodik also stated that out of all political parties, SDA is only one that has been undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement in its program and that Dzaferovic acts in line with this program. Dodik also stated that neither B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) nor the Presidency of Bi& passed single decision to join sanctions against Russia. He deems that it is better for everyone in B&H to preserve neutral status in regards to Russia, primarily due to energy policy. Addressing the media after the session on Tuesday, Dodik said: “It is unacceptable to maintain this practice. This directly undermines the Presidency, institutional and constitutional capacity of B&H, and in that regard, that practice is absolutely unacceptable. For me, as the Presidency member, it is absolutely noticeable that violation of the (B&H) Constitution and the rules of Procedure has become a regular practice of Bosniak-Muslim representatives, from the Presidency to other bodies at the level of B&H.”

 

Dzaferovic denies Dodik’s statement regarding sanctions to Russia: B&H joined EU statement on sanctions (Oslobodjenje) 

 

In statement to the daily, member of B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic commented statement of Milorad Dodik who said that B&H has not and will never introduce sanctions to Russia. Dzaferovic said that B&H joined the EU’s statement on sanctions: “Based on the strategy of foreign policy and obligations from the Stabilization and Association Agreement, B&H, via B&H Mission to the European Union, joined the EU statement on sanctions, which Commissioner Josep Borrell confirmed, but implementation of sanctions was blocked in the Council of Ministers by the Chairman and Ministers from RS, for which they have to bare full political responsibility. Image and political position of B&H in Europe should not be endangered because of their blockades,” said Dzaferovic. Dzaferovic explained that B&H, based on its foreign policy strategy and commitment under the Stabilization and Association Agreement, B&H has joined the EU's sanctions statement, as confirmed by Borrell. But when it comes to implementation of sanctions, Dzaferovic said it was blocked in the B&H CoM by the Chairman of the B&H CoM Zoran Tegeltija and Serb ministers in the B&H CoM. Dzaferovic pointed out that they must bear political responsibility for that.

 

RS ruling authorities claim B&H did not introduce sanctions against Russia; Russian Embassy to B&H says B&H is not on list of enemy countries (RTRS) 

 

The conflict in Ukraine has been going on for 83 days and for so many days, the position of RS on this issue has not changed – the RS is neutral, noted the presenter. That did not stop the RS opposition from accusing the Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik of giving consent to impose sanctions on Russia at the level of B&H. SNSD reiterated that no decision has been made against Russia, and the ambassadors of B&H, who unconstitutionally supported the statements, referred to the documents adopted by PDP members Igor Crnadak and Mladen Ivanic. The avalanche of accusations was stopped by the Russian Embassy in B&H, added the presenter. The opposition fueled the story that B&H has largely joined the sanctions with numerous decisions in the Council of Europe, stating that there are more than 20 such decisions which rigorously punish Russia. Although Dodik persistently denied these allegations, emphasizing that there is no decision in the B&H Presidency nor the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM), they accused him of talking about one thing and doing another. According to the SDS and PDP, B&H is already imposing sanctions against Russia. RTRS inquired about what is true and how the Russian Federation treats B&H. The Russian Embassy to B&H issued a statement which reads: “In accordance with the principled position of the Russian Federation, we do not consider B&H an enemy state. We hold the position that all foreign policy decisions in B&H must be made on the basis of consensus and compromise of the three constituent peoples of B&H, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the Dayton Constitution of B&H.” RTRS asked PDP leader Branislav Borenovic why the Russian Embassy emphasizes that Russia does not consider B&H an enemy state, because, as the reporter said, B&H did not impose sanctions against it. RTRS did not receive a viable answer about the unsustainable theory of the opposition, commented the reporter. Borenovic stated: “Well, I do not know. You have to ask that question to the one who gave such a stance.” And the position of the Russian Embassy is more than clear, so they sent RTRS for additional clarification and statements from the actors claiming the alleged sanctions against Russia, added the reporter. As there was no answer in the PDP, the focus was shifted first to the EU Council, and then to the Council of Europe. It seems that they are not sure which of these two institutions these decisions refer to, and they stated that there are 22 decisions, commented the reporter. Borenovic pointed out: “Dodik deliberately failed to react to the instruction that left the Presidency of B&H towards certain diplomats who, on behalf of B&H, represented B&H before the EU institutions and joined the sanctions against the Russian Federation.” The Advisor to the Serb member of the B&H Presidency Radovan Kovacevic responded to Borenovic on Twitter by saying that B&H ambassadors, who acted unconstitutionally and supported the instructions, referred the Foreign Policy Strategy adopted by Crnadak and Ivanic. While they rush to throw the stain on the RS government at any cost, the opposition forgets to harmonize its unfounded views, added the reporter. Thus, the PDP candidate for the RS President Jelena Trivic, should know what she is accusing the Government of, considering that she does not differentiate between the Council of Europe and the EU Council, said Kovacevic. SNSD Representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic said that, since there is nothing good they have done for Serbs and the Serb people, SDS and PDP are left to fight for the election victory with lies. Vulic assured that the authorities stop their intention to reduce the RS to a statistical error. Vulic stated: “When it comes to the views of (SDS leader) Mirko Sarovic and Branislav Borenovic, it is absolutely not necessary to analyze them, bearing in mind that they are foreign mercenaries and Serb traitors. Everything that Branislav Borenovic wrote on Twitter are the views of the American and the English embassy. He is indeed their PR. What is important is that the citizens of the RS know who the sincere friends of the RS are and who is defending the RS from their attempt to completely disempower it and for it to be a statistical error or a stain on the geographical map.”

 

Viskovic says RS is leader in European integration in B&H, expresses support to Open Balkans (Serb Diaspora TV/Glas Srpske) 

 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic told Serb Diaspora TV on Monday evening that the RS is committed to the European path and the only thing it is asking for is to strictly respect the Coordination Mechanism that was adopted in B&H “which, in other words, means that we do not want to enter the EU at any cost, if that would mean that we would lose our competencies on this path”. “The RS is the leader in European integration in B&H and it has been harmonizing its legislation with the legislation of the EU for the past 15 years,” Viskovic added and said that the RS only wants the constitutional organization of B&H to be appreciated and that the RS, as a comprising part of B&H, to be a member of the EU together with the other entity and not to be deprived of its competencies under the excuse of European integration. “This is not the goal of European integration but of individuals and we cannot agree with something like that,” Viskovic said. Speaking about regional infrastructural projects, Viskovic said that those are being implemented in line with the planned tempo and he added that regional cooperation is extremely important both for the RS and B&H. Viskovic also expressed the commitment of the RS to ‘Open Balkan’ regional project, which was launched by Serbia and was joined by Albania and North Macedonia. “We from the RS believe that this is more than needed for B&H as well, however, the other entity deems that B&H should not be a part of this project which, in my opinion, is not a reasonable and normal explanation. It is more like that kind of sickness that follows the principle ‘if Serbia launched it, then B&H should not participate in it’”, Viskovic stated and noted that B&H as a whole is already suffering significant loss because it is not part of the Open Balkans initiative.

 

B&H CoM fails to approve allocation of funds for General Elections/Reactions (BHT1) 

 

The B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) failed to adopt on Tuesday decisions to approve money for holding of the general elections in B&H on 2 October. Ministers from HDZ B&H opposed it arguing that this is an illegal procedure which is why the only item on the agenda of the phone session of the CoM was rejected. Ministers from SDA, SNSD and DF supported this proposal. B&H Minister of Finance and Treasury Josip Bevanda stated the decision is not in line with the law, i.e. elections cannot be financed from the proposed sources. “The Law prescribes that the CoM can adopt a decision in case of interim financing, however not from the proposed sources, i.e. accumulated revenue. It was all explicitly stated in the Opinion of the B&H Ministry of Finance and Treasury, but clearly the law and lawful conduct were not the priority when such a decision was proposed”, reads the statement by Bevanda. Bevanda emphasized that the Ministry of Finance and Treasury believes that they would do everything necessary in order to comply with what the Constitution and legislation have set before them. Bevanda was quoted as saying: “Unfortunately, we live in a society where responsibility, expertise and knowledge often lose the fight against cruel power and aggression. All this is confirmed by the unprecedented chase, subterfuge and manipulation led by the B&H CEC, instructed by its political mentors who have recently come out in the open stage sowing unprecedented amounts of lies, intrigue and, I am free to say, open hatred.” The Chairperson of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija said that he personally believes that the way of financing through the decision prepared by the CEC is not an adequate way to finance the elections, but due to the efforts of many to accuse the CoM, including him personally and RS of blocking the financing of the elections, Tegeltija decided to propose it for the session of the CoM. He said that it turned out that the decision could not get the necessary support. “I call on all those in charge to continue preparations for the elections in October 2022, and the CEC will have the money at its disposal until the moment when it is necessary for the CEC,” stated Tegeltija. Deputy Chairwoman of the B&H CoM Bisera Turkovic is of view that “all masks have fallen” and that this deprives the citizens of their democratic right. Turkovic said: “What happened is absolutely inappropriate for any democratic system in the world. Those who are obliged to enable citizens to go to the polls, to vote and express their right to elect people who will lead them, today with this decision, they have, I hope for short period of time, denied them that right”. Turkovic also said that money is not the issue at all but political will. “Of course, there are mechanisms to overcome the current situation, but this indicates a total irresponsibility of the political representatives who made this decision,” said Turkovic. SDA stated that in this mandate the HDZ B&H prevented implementation of election results and now they are trying to deny citizens their right to vote at all. SDA added that HDZ B&H’s behaviour represents direct violation of B&H Constitution. “We call on the competent authorities to establish possible criminal responsibility and we call on representatives of international community to sanction those responsible for the obstructions in line with their obligations”, SDA stated. MP of SDP Sasa Magazinovic said that HDZ B&H entered this discussion with two plans, one being the plan to stop the elections from taking place by blocking finances. He expects that HDZ B&H will eventually back down, after which the elections will be moved and HDZ B&H will implement a second plan to block the formation of the authorities to blackmail the other sides into changing the B&H Election Law. Federation of B&H (FB&H) Vice President Milan Dunovic (DF) said that with this move, HDZ B&H showed what they think about B&H citizens, especially about Croats behind whom they hide. “They want all Croats to either vote for HDZ BiH or not to have possibility to vote. Ministers from HDZ B&H not only have violated the law and Constitution, but they made a cowardly decision to be political bullies toward democracy and B&H citizens,” said Dunovic. He called on the High Representative Christian Schmidt to impose a decision on securing of funds for elections. DF also stressed that Schmidt has an obligation to impose a decision to secure necessary funds for elections. According to DF, Schmidt is the only one who can resolve this situation, otherwise, destabilization with unforeseeable consequences threatens B&H. “Today, all masks have fallen! HDZ also uses the state institutions formally with the aim of blocking holding of the elections in October this year. HR in B&H Christian Schmidt now has the obligation to impose a decision that would ensure funds for elections,” DF member Dzenan Djonlagic was quoted as saying. SBB B&H issued a statement in which the party representatives express their disappointment by the decision of the B&H Council of Ministers i.e. the expected stance of HDZ B&H Ministers not to vote for the decision which would secure necessary funds for financing of 2022 general elections. SBB stated that this means there will be no funds for elections and that elections in the end, will not be held. “In any case, for us as SBB, this is completely unacceptable, we deem the elections have to be held because nobody has a mandate to deprive citizens of their democratic right to elect and be elected regardless of all political obstacles and turbulences. In order not to get in a situation where there would be no elections, which leads our country in a form of anarchy, we expect from the international community, as a matter of fact from the OHR, to include in solving of the current issues,” reads SBB statement. US Embassy, the daily reads, deems HDZ B&H’s move to be irresponsible and unjustified and that their behavior on other issues, including objections to key reforms, is contrary to the party’s dedication to Euro-Atlantic integration. While the OSCE Mission to B&H said that it expects competent authorities to reach a decision on financing of the elections in a timely manner. “Financing of the elections is a key issue in order to secure that citizens are able to exercise their democratic rights. Responsibility to carry out the elections in a regular and timely manner, is one of the key obligations that B&H took over as an OSCE member. We welcome the move of B&H Central Election Commission, which called the elections in line with the legislation. The Council of Ministers also has a legal obligation to put on disposal the financial funds that would enable organization and implementation of elections within the prescribed deadline,” OSCE Mission stated for the daily.

 

HDZ B&H and other parties reply affirmatively to Milanovic’s inquiry whether he should resume with his activities related to B&H (FTV) 

 

FTV reminds that Croatian President Zoran Milanovic asked Croat parties in B&H to clearly say whether his political acting towards B&H is beneficial or he should stop with it. According to FTV, HDZ B&H and other parties with a Croat prefix responded affirmatively to this demand. Leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic said that he appreciates what Milanovic has been doing and that he expects harmonization of Croatia’s policies. He expressed content with the fact Milanovic demonstrated special interest for position of Croats in B&H. Leader of HSS B&H Mario Karamatic also expressed support to Milanovic. He asked Milanovic not to give up on Croats in B&H as it was done by others. Leader of Croat Republican Party Slaven Raguz stated that Milanovic did more on internationalization of problems of Croats in B&H than HDZ in Croatia did over last 20 years. HDZ 1990 also expressed support to Croatian President.

 

Plenkovic: It’s unacceptable for the “Moscow Man” in the president’s office to incite for a month (HRT1)

 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said after a meeting of the governing coalition that the opposition initiatives related to the dissolution of Parliament were a true fiasco. Commenting statements by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, he said that "he is constantly lying,” and that this should stop. He said that Milanovic is a Moscow man who exerts unauthorized pressure on the State Attorney's Office, he falsely accuses the State Attorney’s Office and incites the police against a Minister, but also MP Hrvoje Zekanovic. “We also talked about the EC's spring forecasts, you saw that they lowered some growth forecasts, they have a more optimistic inflation rate. It is important that we move towards final decisions at the level of the Euro area and the EU regarding Croatia's membership in the Eurozone. We are also expecting final talks on joining Schengen,” said Andrej Plenkovic after the meeting of the governing coalition. He also commented on a statement by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic regarding the State Attorney's Office: “In the past month, we have witnessed incitement by a Moscow man in the president’s office against, above all, MP Hrvoje Zekanovic. He accused him of committing a crime and should be arrested. He put incredible pressure on judicial institutions, especially the State Attorney's Office and the police. Now he has started in the same tone to incite and accuse a Minister in the Government, Minister Mario Banozic, that he too should be arrested, that he should go to prison, etc. This is an impermissible pressure on the bodies of state prosecution, on the State Attorney's Office, which, as far as I know, has not reacted to either case in the past month. That's right, that's why I called the Chief State Attorney to tell her: 4 June 2020, a month before the election, and there was a case where one of the Croatian Democratic Union members was accused, that I expect the State Attorney’s Office to look at some others parts of Croatia, where there are cases of members of other parties. The State Attorney’s Office reacted to that immediately, the next day. For a month, a Moscow man in the president’s office incited an MP and a defense minister. That is unacceptable. The point of my call was to see what is going on, why someone is allowed to put pressure on the State Attorney’s Office and a member of the government and a MP, without the same body reacting,” he said. “At the same time, when there was a case in which I said something much milder, look a little in the yard and some others - there was a reaction the next day. There are no double standards. That is the point,” said Plenkovic. “Those theses on how to understand the independence of the judiciary, the legislature, the executive, the prosecuting authorities - whether it is for recall or expulsion, such an understanding of the rule of law - are for young children. I am the Prime Minister. I take care to fully respect the independence of institutions, the work of the State Attorney’s Office and the police. I am not dealing with illegal information about secret investigations,” he said, adding that an indictment has been filed against several ministers in recent months and years. “Then, in those circumstances, someone will accuse us of having an influence on the State Attorney’s Office. He is exerting impermissible pressure on the State Attorney's Office, inciting, conducting a hunt in coordination with some "whistle-blowers" who get jobs with the opposition,” said Plenkovic. Journalists asked the prime minister if he thought the State Attorney’s Office is biased. “I don't think it’s biased. I let it go to see how long it would take. Today, he insulted a member of parliament from Sibenik-Knin County. He told him to go eat carrots (in Serbian). Can't he say carrot (in Croatian)? Does this have anything to do with the fact that my envoy there was Deputy Prime Minister Anja Simpraga? I'm not saying that the State Attorney’s Office is biased, but that has been broadcast for a month - a member of parliament and a minister and continuous insults, defamation, harassment and incitement. We have to put an end to that. Well, we are not so dumb here that we will not react,” he said. Plenkovic also spoke about the reaction of the Chief State Attorney. “She took note of that information. Ask her what she said. My point was that someone could not incite the State Attorney's Office and the police for a month against a member of Parliament and a minister in the government, without the incited body responding,” said Plenkovic. “Milanovic insults and lies that my father is an udbas (member of the former Yugoslav State Secret Service), that I am an udbas. He keeps repeating the lie in order for it to take hold somewhere so that maybe somewhere someone thinks it's true. Come on, let that liar, the Russian man in the president’s office prove it, let him prove it. Enough with the lies. Not to mention the lie that I said the generals were udba members. That is another lie. We have continuous lying and distortion of information. Neither Tomo Medved nor I said at any point that the generals were members of udba. He keeps saying that we said they were members of udba. That is a lie,” said Plenkovic. “I heard today that he said that I repulsed President Franjo Tudjman. That is another lie. Let him find someone to confirm that I said that. The man is constantly lying. He has a whole agenda of lies that he keeps repeating,” said Plenkovic. He pointed out that "these lies must be stopped".

 

Croatian FM: Nobody is bypassing Croatia, they unfortunately bypass its President (RTL TV) 

 

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman commented for RTL TV on recent statements of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic (connecting NATO accession of Finland and Sweden to changes to Law on Elections of B&H). According to Grlic Radman, he is sorry that President Milanovic has not seen his earlier meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken whom he met seven or eight times. “Nobody is bypassing Croatia, they unfortunately bypass its President. Everyone who comes to Croatia, they come at invitation of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic”, said Grlic Radman. Asked if there is any progress in terms of reaching agreement in the electoral reform in B&H, the FM replied by saying the Law on Elections is not adopted in Brussels. He further noted that he told EU Foreign Ministers that Croatia is interested in a stable, secure and functional B&H, its prosperity and sovereignty. Grlic Radman added that Croatia wants to see B&H getting the status of EU candidate as soon as possible, arguing that in order to achieve it, there are 14 priorities that have to be met, including a comprehensive reform to the Law on Elections, which will eliminate discriminatory parts that would prevent outvoting of Croats.

Covic rejects claims of ‘Voice of America’ that he is pro-Russian player (Vecernji list) 

 

HDZ B&H leader and President of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) Dragan Covic visited Vitez on Tuesday, where he met with HDZ B&H officials. Speaking on the occasion, Covic stated that he expects the talks on electoral reform which will be led later during this week with European Council President Charles Michel to a strong encouragement, and that this could be an opportunity to agree on a document defining a solution for the electoral reform issue. He explained that Michel’s visit to B&H was arranged by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in order to once again attempt to solve the issue of electoral reform and legitimate representation of the three constituent peoples. Covic added that he cannot say what the topics of the meeting with Michel will be, but it is clear, based on the planned structure of the meeting, that it will focus on the current political situation and the election process. “There are indications that some kind of document will be agreed to. This act alone is encouraging enough for us”, Covic emphasized. According to him, understanding regarding the unacceptable imposing of political representatives on Croats was demonstrated during the previous rounds of talks on electoral reform, but at the same time Bosniak representatives were threatened with being declared traitors if they help Croats and allow them to be able to influence the election of their representatives in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) House of Peoples and B&H Presidency. He noted that SDA and other political parties which fought to preserve the existing Election Law inflicted a significant damage on B&H, and they can be expected to maintain their previous stances until the end of the 2022 election process. Covic also commented an article published by the Voice of America which labelled him as a Russian player working on destabilization of B&H. “I reject all insinuation you could hear there with disgust, as well as pro-Russian or similar messages. HDZ B&H, as well as HNS, fully support all stances of the EU and EU officials. We have completely harmonized he stances with representatives of the European diplomacy, with Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia who is responsible for that. We will not leave room for such speculations”, said Covic.

 

McAllister: Plenkovic takes piece of paper, draws a map and explains problem in B&H in 10-15 minutes (Vecernji list) 

 

Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) David McAllister (CDU, EPP) told a story during a round table organized in Brussels on Tuesday how he personally witnessed Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic needing 10-15 minutes to convince other European statesmen, if he has their attention, what the problem with the Croat issue and the need for electoral reform in B&H is. “I personally witnessed that Andrej likes to get a piece of paper out, draws a map and then he starts. If somebody has 10-15 minutes of time, then he/she understands. But you need these 10 to 15 minutes of time to convince the people”, said McAllister during a round table titled ‘Law on Elections of B&H: Issue of peace and stability for EU’ that was organized by Member of the European Parliament from Croatia Zeljana Zovko (HDZ). “It is legitimate that Croats, as one of three constituent peoples, have the right to elect who will represent them. Other countries have the same system, why it is not being applied in B&H”, said McAllister adding that the issue must be kept “high on the EU agenda”. “My colleagues from the left-wing in the European Parliament tell me we should stop talking about category of constituent peoples, that civic B&H should be the new concept. I am sometime amazed with these claims”, said McAllister, arguing that model similar to the one in B&H is used in Belgium, however nobody in the EP is bringing into question Belgium’s model.

 

Djukanovic on the Open Balkans initiative: We need EU membership rather than an alternative (CdM) 

 

Everything we do through the Berlin Process, we do in order to reach standards that will finally qualify us for the membership. The Open Balkans initiative does not insist on European standards and in a way, it seems to me, it’s an initiative that would represent a kind of an alternative for the Western Balkans’ membership in the EU, said Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, during a working visit to Berlin, where he talked to his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “I don’t think that we don’t need an alternative, we need a membership. It’s why I think that it’s completely natural for us to keep up with the negotiation process with the EU, by making great efforts. I believe this government will do it. In my opinion, we’ll soon unblock the negotiation talks in the area of the rule of law thus starting to close the negotiation chapters,” the President underlined, among other things. Asked whether he’s worried about the frequent reactions of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who has been supporting the Open Balkans project, Djukanovic said it was nothing new or unfamiliar to him. “When it comes to this initiative, our views differ. I’ve heard from him many times that he supports this initiative as part of his support for all other regional initiatives. In addition, I’ve already said publicly several times that I don’t think it’s an optimal initiative.” The Open Balkans, he adds, doesn’t insist on the European standards and in some way, it’s an initiative prepared to be a kind of an alternative to the membership of the WB countries in the EU. Commenting on the recent statement of the President of France Emmanuel Macron and his idea for a two-tier Europe and whether it’s discouraging for the WB countries, particularly Montenegro, the President said that it’d be important to hear a more detailed explanation of it. Following the meeting with Steinmeier, Djukanovic emphasized the importance of continued high-level dialogue between Montenegro and Germany.

 

Omeragic: We are against the Open Balkans (CdM) 

 

The Open Balkans is a big unknown for us and it will not get the blank support of the Bosniak Party either in the government or in the parliament, said the spokesman of the Bosniak Party (BS) Adel Omeragic. He said that BS is ready to "put all the issues on the table and discuss them". What is our current position is that we consider the Open Balkans a process that cannot go hand in hand with accession to the European Union, primarily because it would require some changes in legislation, I mean primarily the Law on Foreigners, the Law on Border Control, the Law on labor, a set of tax and customs laws and so on. We have already harmonized those laws with the EU legislation and any change would be a step backwards because one of the key conditions for EU accession is the harmonization of the legislation with the EU legislation," said Omeragic. According to Omeragic, the Berlin Process and CEFTA offer everything that is allegedly in the Open Balkans program and therefore, as he says, "we remain of the opinion that the best model for Montenegro and its integration path is the Berlin Process, which is under the auspices of the EU". BS is one of the components of the minority government of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic. He advocates Montenegro's accession to the Open Balkans, but - obviously - has no support for it. Milo Djukanovic, the president of Montenegro and leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), is also against joining the Open Balkans. This party supports the Government in the Parliament of Montenegro.

 

Michel with Abazovic: Montenegro has shown that it is with the EU when imposing sanctions on Russia (CdM) 

 

Congratulations on the strong pro-European agenda of the new government. Montenegro has shown that it is with the EU when imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation, and the EU will be with Montenegro, said the President of the European Council Charles Michel after the meeting with Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic. As it was announced from Abazovic's cabinet, during the meeting, Michel pointed out that the European Council is grateful to Montenegro for the implementation of European foreign policy and that the EU is united today more than ever due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. He called on Montenegro to continue implementing reforms, which he said were necessary not only for EU membership, but also for the well-being and prosperity of Montenegrin society. "It is necessary to preserve the stability of the Western Balkans region in the new geopolitical circumstances, and Montenegro can play a constructive role in that," Michel pointed out during the meeting with Abazovic. Abazovic said that he thought that everyone in Montenegro "should be very optimistic". Prime Minister Abazovic and Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Policy, European Integration and Regional Cooperation and Minister of European Affairs Jovana Marovic are on a working visit to Brussels, where they will have meetings at the highest level with EU officials. The Prime Minister stated that the primary foreign policy goal of the new 43rd government is significant progress on the path to full EU membership, by closing the provisional benchmarks related to Chapters 23 and 24. "Montenegro is not looking for shortcuts for membership, but expects unreserved support from the EU after the positive changes regarding justice and the rule of law in our country, which are happening and which will happen in the next few months," Abazovic emphasized. Abazovic stressed the importance of a political consensus that will result in us making at least one of the most important decisions regarding the unblocking of the system, and that Montenegro will receive final benchmarks during the Czech EU presidency, which runs from 1 July to the end of the year. The Prime Minister said that Montenegro shares the values ​​of the EU and that as a leader in European integration it strives to be an example to the countries of the Western Balkans, promoting European values ​​and advocating the integration of all countries in the region into the EU.

 

Silence is not an option, VMRO-DPMNE says as the party announces a large protest on 18 June (Republika) 

 

VMRO-DPMNE announced a large protest rally on 18 June. This is one of the decisions the party’s Executive Committee reached this evening, as it discussed its next steps in the political crisis in Macedonia. The conservative party demands early elections after the long string of failures and national humiliations by the ruling SDSM party, and is currently blocking the work of the parliament. We gave this current ruling coalition enough time to show that it can do. But we had an exceptionally difficult health crisis in which, sadly, the response was inefficient, late and led to a large number of lost lives. The measures to support private businesses and endangered categories of citizens were incomplete and as a result, many companies were lost. There were no timely and credible activities to face the energy crisis. Public debt has grown enormously. Foreign investments are at an exceptionally low level. Their inefficient and irresponsible diplomacy did not achieve the promised opening EU accession talks, said VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Timco Mucunski. Mucunski said that the Executive Committee decided to continue the active blockade of the Parliament, and to leave the door open for additional steps. The party decided to hold a large protest rally in Skopje, in front of the government building, on 18 June.

 

Borrell: Membership negotiations with Albania and NM should be opened during the French presidency (Radio Tirana) 

 

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has invited the Foreign Ministers of the six Western Balkan countries to a working lunch in Brussels. The main purpose was to take into account the concerns of the Western Balkan countries as a result of the threat posed to the region by Russian aggression in Ukraine, as well as to convey a clear message about the European integration process. During the closing press conference, Borrell was very clear about the message that the 26 foreign ministers of the European Union convey regarding the need for immediate opening of membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. "We must start membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia immediately. This is also a personal commitment of mine as the EU High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission. I hope this will happen during the French presidency. It is more than a hope and a wish. We all see that this delay is unacceptable. We cannot ask North Macedonia and Albania, which meet all the criteria, to sit down, in relation to each other, without giving them a clear European perspective. If negotiations with both countries do not open during the French presidency, I must admit that we will be in a deep crisis with the countries of the Western Balkans," Borrell said. According to him, this situation is hurting both sides and is a gift to Russia. "This situation not only hurts both countries, but it is hurting us as well. It is costing us dearly in terms of credibility and political perspective. This is a gift to Serbia.” Josep Borrell also underlined that the European Commission has presented several times the recommendation on the basis of which all the criteria for visa liberalization with Kosovo have been met and it is time for this to become a realityl. Regarding the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, Borrell recalled the need for full respect and implementation of all previous agreements, which, according to him, did not happen. "We need a constructive commitment and rapid progress in the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Both sides agree on this. But when they sit together, it's hard to advance. We need to build trust. It is essential to build a positive and constructive climate in dialogue and to avoid unilateral acts. I hope to hold a high-level round with the president of Serbia and the Prime Minister of Kosovo before the summer season," Borrell said. Meanwhile, according to the head of European diplomacy, all attempts to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not in line with the European perspective and are unacceptable. He also conveyed another message from the EU Foreign Ministers, that the countries of the Western Balkans should act more strategically when it comes to reforms and bilateral issues.

 

Pompeo: Goodwill is needed from every political spectrum to defend democracy (Radio Tirana) 

 

In his speech at the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and the United States, Pompeo said that this good friendship will continue for another 100 years, highlighting that goodwill is needed from every political spectrum to defend democracy, eradicate corruption, and protect the freedom of our peoples.

He said that Albania and the US have done a good job in the fight against terrorism, while adding that in the last 30 years real efforts have been made for the rooting of democracy. According to Pompeo, it does not matter who is in power, but it is important to eradicate corruption and consolidate freedom and democracy. "This strong relationship built between different nations, at different times, and Albania is special in the last 30 years to consolidate democracy. I see that this friendship will have another 100 years just as successful. I have served in both the opposition and with the majority, it does not matter. It just takes goodwill to root out corruption and consolidate democracy and to protect the freedom of our peoples," said Pompeo.

 

Meta receives on an official meeting with Ambassador of Bulgaria Raytchevski (Radio Tirana) 

 

President Ilir Meta received in an official meeting the Ambassador of Bulgaria Momchil Raytchevski. Meta and Raytchevski focused on the further strengthening of bilateral relations and the importance of opening negotiations between Albania and North Macedonia with the EU. "It is a pleasure to talk with the Ambassador of Bulgaria, Momchil Raytchevski. Further strengthening of bilateral relations and the importance of opening negotiations between Albania and North Macedonia with the EU were the main topics. "I thanked him for the hospitality reserved for me in Sofia, as well as for his contribution to improving the cooperation," said Meta.