LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic tells Botsan-Kharchenko a special UN Security Council session must be held to inform the entire world of tense situation in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko on Thursday and reiterated his concern over the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which, besides threatening the lives and survival of Serbs, contributes to escalation of tensions across the region. Vucic also added that Serbia remained consistent about pursuing a responsible policy of peace and stability, the presidential press office said in a statement. Vucic told Botsan-Kharchenko he believed a special UN Security Council session must be held to inform the entire world of the tense situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the difficult position of Serbs there. Botsan-Kharchenko noted that Moscow was watching all developments and understood Serbia’s position and the delicate nature of the situation. Vucic and Botsan-Kharchenko also discussed Serbia-Russia relations, bilateral cooperation and global developments, the statement also said.

 

Vucic to Chinese Ambassador: UN SC session on Kosovo necessary (FoNet)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo that the holding of a UN Security Council session is necessary in order to inform the international public about the tensions in Kosovo and the Serbs’ difficult position. Vucic informed the Ambassador in detail about the threats that Serbs in Kosovo face and about the delicacy of the security situation, which is threatening the stability of the entire region, said the President’s media relations office. Chen Bo reiterated that China’s position on Kosovo is clear and that her country supports solutions within the framework of dialogue and UN Security Council Resolution 1244. We support Serbia’s efforts to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty. We always understand and support the Serbian side’s legitimate and rational demands, said the Chinese Ambassador. The press release said Vucic thanked Chinese friends and Ambassador Chen Bo for their personal commitment and tremendous effort invested in strengthening the relations between Serbia and China.

 

Vucic: Israeli side, despite recognising unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo, would show understanding for Serbian positions on Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/RTS/RTV/Politika)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Wednesday and expressed the expectation the Israeli side, despite recognising the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, would show understanding for Serbian positions on Kosovo and Metohija. Vucic noted that Serbia-Israel relations were based on close historical ties between Serbs and Jews, who have shared a tragic fate for centuries, especially during WWII, the presidential press office said in a statement. Cohen thanked the Serbian authorities and the people of Serbia for preserving the places of Jewish suffering and called for advancement of everyday cooperation between Serbia and Israel based on mutual respect. Vucic and Cohen reviewed fields offering the greatest possibilities for cooperation, such as science and innovation, agriculture and other fields, as present cooperation is mostly underway in the real estate construction sector, where Israeli investors have had a major presence for years now. Vucic invited Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Serbia and proposed organising a major business forum on the occasion that would also involve countries from the region and other friendly countries.

 

Brnabic: Serbia wants to further develop economic relations with Israel (RTS/RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out yesterday, in a meeting with Islraeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that the relations between the two countries are based on the historical closeness of the Serbian and Jewish peoples. She emphasised that Israel is our most important foreign trade partner in the Middle East, and the fourth most important on the Asian continent, adding that Serbia wants to continue developing and expanding its economic relations with that country, which includes increasing trade exchange. The officials discussed areas that provide the greatest opportunities for cooperation, such as innovative economy, science, education, IT sector, energy, economy, agriculture and others. Cohen, who expressed his gratitude to the Serbian authorities and people for guarding the place of suffering of Jews, expressed his desire to improve cooperation between Serbia and Israel and invited Brnabic to visit Israel.

 

Dacic: Serbia believes that Israeli government's decision to recognise “Kosovo” caused damage to relations between two countries (Politika/RTS/RTV)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen assessed yesterday that it is time for the consolidation of relations, the development of bilateral cooperation and positive agendas in many fields, from which both countries and both peoples will benefit. In a statement to journalists after the meeting with his Israeli colleague Eli Cohen, Dacic said that maximum efforts should be made for Serbia and Israel to overcome problems and remain committed to preserving traditional friendship. He pointed out that Serbia believes that the Israeli government's decision to recognise “Kosovo”, bearing in mind that for us it is a question of historical and national identity, caused damage to the relations between the two countries. We constantly compared your relationship to Jerusalem and ours to Kosovo and Metohija, Dacic said, pointing out that we should devote ourselves to a “positive agenda” and reset relations, develop cooperation in other segments. According to him, the economic cooperation is more than €100 million, but it is small in relation to the potential. As a positive thing, he highlighted the large presence of Israeli companies and investors in Serbia. Israel is a big investor and we want further development of our economic ties, Dacic said and stated that to that end, he and President Vucic discussed the initiation of business forms, which could also have a regional character, as well as the activation of a joint mixed committee and the appointment of a new ambassador. According to Dacic, many other topics of common interest were discussed, such as cooperation in the fields of science, education, culture and culture of remembrance of events and places where crimes against our peoples took place. Cohen reported that he had a fruitful meeting with Dacic, pointing out that Serbia is a friendly country and one of Israel’s strongest partners in the region. Our countries share the values of freedom, equality and democracy. Serbia and Israel are creative countries with a willingness to put innovation at the center of their economy. We agreed to open a new chapter in our relations and promote and improve economic relations, cooperation in the fields of technology, innovation, cyber security, tourism, Cohen said.

 

Orlic informed Cohen about the extremely difficult situation in Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic met yesterday with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. In the course of the meeting, the officials confirmed that the relations between Serbia and Israel are based on a strong, historical friendship, the closeness of the two peoples, as well as their shared ordeals. Orlic reminded the guest that the parliament was the first in the world to adopt the Law on remedying the consequences of the seizure of assets of Holocaust victims with no living legal heirs and that the size of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Israel is a clear indication of the desire of MPs to maintain regular contacts and cooperation with their colleagues in the Knesset. Cohen welcomed the support and friendship Serbia has for the Jewish people, especially the attitude it shows towards its suffering throughout history. The officials said that, although economic cooperation is on the rise, there are still potentials for its intensification. They expressed their satisfaction with the record achieved in the trade exchange sector during the previous year, as well as willingness to continue to work together. Cohen also stressed that there is significant room for cooperation in the fields of energy, modern technologies, research and development. Orlic informed Cohen about the extremely difficult situation in Kosovo and Metohija, pointing to the dangerous and irresponsible moves of Albin Kurti and his intentions to lead everyone into a conflict. "The only policy he implements is the policy of trying to ethnically cleanse Kosovo and Metohija of Serbs. We cannot and will not allow that - that is why the President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic is planning a series of activities, from a meeting with the NATO command to a request for an emergency session of the UN Security Council. Now everyone must clearly point out that Kurti is the one causing problems and that the only way to continue the dialogue is to end the terror against the Serbian population, withdraw Kurti's occupation forces from the north, release the Serbs imprisoned with no fault and finally fulfil the obligations that Pristina has already had for more than ten years, in the first place is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, as it was signed", said Orlic. Orlic also used the opportunity to applaud Minister Cohen’s message that for Israel, Serbia represents the greatest ally in the region.

 

Petkovic: Just as we fought for Todosijevic, we will fight for every Serb in Kosovo; a political trial is over (Tanjug/Politika)

 

With the formal judicial end of the political persecution of the president of the provisional body of the Municipality of Zvecan Ivan Todosijevic justice has won, and one of the most respected and honorable Serbs from the north of Kosovo and Metohija and his family will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief after the torment they have been subjected to by the provisional authorities of self-government in Pristina, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said in a written statement. "President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic resolutely stood by Ivan Todosijevic from the very beginning, both because of his personal qualities, and because of the fact that the verdict by which he would be punished for expressing his position regarding Racak (case) would be a precedent, based on which every Serb in our southern province could be sent to prison for uttering a word that differs from Pristina's propaganda narratives. Through continuous political and diplomatic action, it was made known to all relevant foreign interlocutors that Serbia and the Serb people do not intend, at any cost, to agree to the situation where in the modern world, in the heart of Europe, someone is being denied the right to opinion and speech," said Petkovic. He added that President Vucic especially insisted on every occasion that the violence against Ivan Todosijevic must not be forgotten amid the onslaught of some other difficult and serious challenges being faced by the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. "Just as we fought for Ivan Todosijevic and his family, we will fight for every Serb who is targeted by Pristina today, and we will not stop fighting as long as any Serb man or Serb woman in Kosovo and Metohija is a victim of political persecution. I will remind you that Todosijevic, because of his publicly stated position regarding the events in Racak, faced organized persecution in the form of a politically instructed court marathon, because of which he personally suffered, as well as his entire family," stated Petkovic and concluded: "The only ones in Kosovo and Metohija who can today be accused of 'inciting hatred, discord and intolerance' are Albin Kurti and his politically like-minded extremists."

 

Kosovo Serb Sladjan Trajkovic indicted for war crimes (RTS)

 

The Special Prosecutor's Office in Pristina filed an indictment with the Special Department of the Basic Court against Sladjan Trajkovic, on suspicion that he allegedly committed war crimes during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija (in the late 1990s) in the area of Vucitrn. "The Special Prosecutor's Office announces that the indictment against Sladjan Trajkovic was raised on suspicion that during the war in Kosovo, in the period 1998-1999, in the region of Vucitrn, individually and in complicity with other persons, in serious violation of the rules of international law, as a member of the Serbian police and military forces, he contributed to murders, raids, beatings, mistreatment, arrests, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment of Albanian civilians," a statement reads, RTS reports. Trajkovic is further accused of allegedly "holding in slavery conditions, deporting and expelling thousands of Albanian civilians as well as looting, burning and destroying the houses of the civilian population of Albanian nationality who did not directly participate in the conflict, in which case he seriously violated the rules of international law during a war". "Through these actions, the defendant S.T., in co-perpetration with other unknown members of the aforementioned Serbian police unit and other armed and uniformed persons, committed the criminal offense of 'war crime against the civilian population', envisaged and punishable under articles 142 and 22 of the Criminal Code of the former SFRJ (Yugoslavia)," said the statement. Sladjan Trajkovic was a Kosovo police officer in the northern Kosovska Mitrovica region until late 2022, when he resigned in protest together with his other Serb colleagues. Soon after, he was arrested in Bosnjacka Mahala.

 

Von der Leyen: There is clear de-escalation plan for Kosovo (Tanjug)

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Tanjug on Wednesday there was "a very clear, dedicated plan" for de-escalation in Kosovo and Metohija - a "road map both parties worked on earlier this year". "We call on both parties to de-escalate and to follow up this road map," Von der Leyen said when asked to comment on the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and whether the EU would engage more strongly to get Pristina's PM Albin Kurti to accept an EU plan on de-escalation and a withdrawal of special forces. "This is absolutely vital to move forward in a peaceful manner and it is clear that both parties have to deliver on what has been agreed in Ohrid," she said before the start of the second day of a NATO summit in Vilnius.

 

Borrell welcomes Kosovo’s commitment to de-escalate (N1)

 

EU High Representative Josep Borrell welcomed Pristina’s commitment to an agreement to de-escalate the situation in north Kosovo. “I welcome Kosovo’s commitment to the arrangement we reached on first steps for de-escalation,” he said in a Twitter post. “We expect Kosovo to take further positive steps and continue to advance in this direction”, he wrote and added that the EU will carry on working in the EU-facilitated dialogue with the parties with envoy Miroslav Lajcak.

 

Lajcak invites chief negotiators to discussions in Brussels next week (Tanjug)

 

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has invited the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina to come to Brussels next week to continue discussions on implementation of a new agreement on the path to normalisation and an annex on its implementation, an EU spokesperson said on Thursday. In a statement to Tanjug, Zoi Muletier said the parties were expected to agree on the next steps that would enable full implementation of the agreement, which she noted should begin without further delay.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

EEAS Managing Director Eichhorst visits B&H (O Kanal)

 

Managing Director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Angelina Eichhorst met with Chairwoman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) Borjana Kristo in Sarajevo on Wednesday. Eichhorst said that B&H has made progress and that the European Union (EU) is expecting reforms to continue and the Law on Conflict of Interest, the Law on B&H Courts, the Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the Law on Access to Information to be adopted. Kristo conveyed that B&H is strongly committed to regional initiatives, particularly the Berlin Process and that the focus of B&H authorities is on fulfilling the 14 priorities from the Opinion of the European Commission (EC). At the press conference held after the meeting, Eichhorst said that any unconstitutional moves by politicians in B&H are illegal and unacceptable. “In the past several months a lot has been done and the EU welcomes that. The reason for our visit to B&H is to go to Potocari and to pay respect to the victims. I would like to thank to political party leaders I met with this morning. The EU’s opinion is that it is important to listen to everyone and hear everyone’s opinion. Generally, the coalition at the level of B&H has so far worked in a constructive spirit and we want them to continue like that. However, anything that is undermining what has been done so far is unacceptable, including the unconstitutional decisions. The rule of law is crucial for B&H’s functioning. I conveyed the same message to the Republika Srpska (RS) authorities,” said Eichhorst. Kristo said Kristo said that B&H has the candidate status, and the political representatives should show credibility, and added that the focus of the B&H CoM is on fulfilling the 14 priorities from the EC’s Opinion. “That we are ready to primarily make decisions related to the rule of law, and others in the sense of issues that are our priority, primarily because of us in B&H, and also because those are things that represent our obligations from the EU, i.e. obligation on the European path,” said Kristo. After the meeting with Kristo, Eichhorst met with the B&H Presidency members and Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Johann Sattler attended the meeting. A meeting of representatives of parties which make the coalition at the state level in B&H was also held at the EU Delegation building in Sarajevo on Wednesday. The participants agreed that the three sides will submit proposals on de-escalation of crisis in B&H. The meeting was attended by SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, leader of ‘People and Justice’ (NiP) Elmedin Konakovic, SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic, NiP Vice President Denis Zvizdic, and HDZ B&H Vice President Borjana Kristo. They all attended a meeting with Head of the EU Delegation to B&H, Johann Sattler, and Managing Director for Europe at the European External Action Service (EEAS), Angelina Eichhorst.

 

Dodik addresses press after meeting with Eichhorst (FTV)

 

After the meeting of state-level officials with Managing Director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Angelina Eichhorst on Wednesday, Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik hosted a press conference in Istocno Sarajevo. On the occasion, Dodik said that B&H’s territorial integrity is not threatened, but its sovereignty is to a great extent. Dodik said his primary condition for any de-escalation is adoption of a law on the status of foreign judges in the B&H Constitutional Court (CC), noting that de-escalation implies filling vacant seats in the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM), which is not open for discussion. He also proposed a solution to overcome the current crisis, i.e. accelerating process of fulfilling the 14 priorities from the Opinion of the European Commission (EC) and if that is too much, Dodik said he will accept resolution of three priorities or three laws, i.e. the Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC), the Law on Conflict of Interest and the Law on B&H Courts. If that happens, Dodik noted the Law on Non-Implementation of the B&H CC Decisions in the RS would be recalled. RS parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic said: “For us, it is impossible to understand that Bosniaks prefer a judge to be Albanian instead of a Bosniak from Sarajevo, and we will insist on documents we adopted.” The reporter notes that Dodik once again brought into question the legitimacy of High Representative (HR) in B&H Christian Schmidt and US Ambassador to B&H Michael Murphy using insults when referring to them and underscoring that foreigners cannot create policies in B&H. He also advised the public in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) to sit down and talk about issues related to the EU that he proposed. “Now, these from ‘The Troika’ seem to us worse than SDA. SDA agreed to some solutions, although they gave up on all that at the last moment, whilst it is impossible to talk with The Troika,” said Dodik. Reporter noted that participants of abovementioned meeting agreed that by Monday the three sides will submit proposals to de-escalate political crisis in B&H. However, Dodik stated that the RS presented its proposal. He explained that this proposal stipulates confirmation of constitutional order of B&H that is made of two entities and three constituent peoples; that its territorial integrity is implied and not jeopardized by anyone, and that sovereignty should be returned to institutions. He went on to saying that de-escalation implies filling in of BiH Council of Ministers (CoM), namely appointment of Minister of Finance without any preconditions. “Some in ‘Troika’ say they will not be voting. By doing this they risk the B&H CoM to enter, it is not blockade, but inability to pass decisions. Sometimes it seems that many issues would be solved easier with SDA than with this ‘Troika’,” said Dodik. RS President stated that pressures will not force the RS authorities to give up on law on non-implementation of decisions of B&H CC in the RS. However, he proposed returning to starting positions, namely abolition of last decision of B&H CC and abolition of all decisions passed by “fake” High Representative, while the RS will put their law out of force. Dodik underlined that B&H should use extraordinary circumstances in which the EU wants certain countries - such as Ukraine - to become its members without meeting all accession conditions. “We demand to talk with the EU about a necessary package that will be given to B&H as minimum condition for it to get EU country status under circumstance that are obviously extraordinary for the EU”, said Dodik. He went on to saying that someone chose three conditions as the most important: The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of B&H, amendments related to B&H Court and regulation related to prevention of conflict of interest. “We said long time ago we will not vote for it until we see how issue of B&H CC will be solved. We proposed to put all 14 priorities to agenda and to solve them at the same time, regardless how difficult it will be. If this cannot pass, then abovementioned three issues can be discussed, but only if it will be part of same package with guarantee that regulations related to work of foreign judges will be adopted”, emphasized Dodik. RS President commented recent decision of the EU not to grant non-returnable funds to the RS. He threatened again that Serb ministers in B&H CoM will block projects in the FB&H the EU approved funds for. Dodik also stated: “To solve the problem of the Minister of Finance, the Deputy Chairperson of the CoM, to go further in an agreement about this, or all the 14 priorities immediately on the agenda or, there can also be an alternative, these three laws, plus the Law on the Constitutional Court, or the legal decision on the Constitutional Court, or anything else that solves the status of foreign judges”. However, Dodik is not optimistic that the proposal could pass. Dodik commented: “Those from this ‘Troika’ look worse to us than SDA. SDA had agreed to some solutions”. He added: “This would of course lead to a position that the law that was passed in the RS on the non-application of decisions of the Constitutional Court is going to be repealed when the issue of foreign judges is solved. It is only possible that way, otherwise it will be applied all the time. We also proposed that two issues from the so-called Berlin Process related to the mutual recognition of diplomas can be in it”. Dodik offered to withdraw the law on the non-application of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, but not the law on the non-publication of the decisions of the High Representative. Dodik stated: “If someone thinks that he is being a hero by bringing measures, let him try. This is not my threat, let him try. Maybe I would even like for something like that to happen, so that we would show our determination, and his inability to do such a thing”.

 

Niksic: Einchhorst managed to calm tensions down and 'cool heads', but not bring positions of party leaders closer with regard to burning issues (Nova BH)

 

After the meeting with Managing Director for Europe at the European External Action Service (EEAS), Angelina Eichhorst, SDP B&H President Nermin Niksic said that Einchhorst managed to calm tensions down and 'cool heads', but not bring the positions of party leaders closer with regard to burning issues that are causing the situation in B&H to be 'heated'. Niksic said that the SDP B&H expressed its position that in a situation where we have an attack on the constitutional order in B&H, we cannot make an agreement and talk about things. Niksic noted that they have agreed to continue talks at the level of teams. “We are preparing some kind of a road map of priorities”, added Niksic. Niksic also said that they requested concrete conditions B&H needs to meet to get status of the EU member country in line with favorable criteria. “We opened up some things, we realized that this is not going anywhere, and in the end we all together were looking for some relations of the international community, especially the EU, when it comes to B&H some kind of, I cannot say privileged status, but concrete conditions that we would have to fulfill in order to acquire the status of a member of the EU”. Niksic said the meeting with the EU representatives was fair and that participants of the meeting agreed to prepare an action plan for implementation of 14 key priorities.  According to Niksic, Eichhorst is satisfied because of the talks on the subject. “They were very interested in B&H and they say they believe in our country. Also, they want to continue the progress and the momentum we had at the beginning”. Talking about the current political crisis in B&H, Niksic stressed it was stated during the meeting it (crisis) “is a coup against constitutional order in B&H”. “We cannot pretend to play dead, and we cannot agree on things as if nothing is happening in B&H”, added Niksic.

 

EP adopts 2022 Commission Report on B&H, calls on B&H to accelerate reforms and fully move toward path of European integration (FTV)

 

At its plenary session held Wednesday, the European Parliament (EP) adopted the 2022 Commission Report on B&H with 530 MEPs voting in its favor, 68 against it and 33 abstaining. MEPs called on B&H to accelerate reforms and fully move toward the path of the European integration, while turning back on retrograde activities and rhetoric. During the discussion on the report held Tuesday, MEPs called on the EU to impose sanctions on RS President Milorad Dodik who they view as a serious obstacle for B&H’s integration in the EU. FTV reports that addressing the session Tuesday, Standing Rapporteur for B&H Paulo Rangel said that with a candidate status being granted and the authorities being formed, B&H has the opportunity to overcome blockades, reject destabilization, implement reforms and move forward toward the EU its citizens want. “Despite this great accomplishment, we cannot ignore the main obstacle toward the EU integration. On the day when we remember Srebrenica, when we stress the importance of unity and reconciliation, we must condemn escalation and dangerous secessionist rhetoric of (RS President) Milorad Dodik and the RS leadership. Genocide denial is unacceptable, undermining the DPA and the constitutional order is unacceptable. Awarding decoration to Putin is unacceptable,” said Rangel. FTV reports that Rangel conveyed that the European Commission (EC) must not unblock funds for the RS until democratic regression stops and that the EU Council must impose sanctions on Dodik and other actors who are destabilizing the situation. Support to mandate of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in B&H and to EUFOR has been reaffirmed. Addressing the session, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said: “We condemn recent decisions adopted by the RS National Assembly on non-implementation of the B&H Constitutional Court in B&H and the decision to suspend cooperation on the key EU projects. The EU regrets that it was necessary for the High Representative to act and revoke them. It is contrary to wishes and interests of the citizens of B&H, including those who live in the RS, who believe in joint, European future.” MEP Tineke Strik said: “Milorad Dodik takes steps toward secession of the RS from B&H, rejecting the authority of the Constitutional Court. Many people are afraid of consequences. That is why our Report is clear - Dodik must be sanctioned, and security must be guaranteed by increasing EUFOR presence’’. MEP from Croatia Zeljana Zovko defended the content of amendments she tabled for the Report, amendments in which the terms ‘constituent status of peoples’ and ‘constitutional structure of B&H’ were mentioned most often. “International community must insist on the implementation of the Constitutional Court decisions related to legitimate representation and on adoption of the Election Law that will ensure that all constituent peoples and other citizens feel equal’’. In the Report, MEPs expressed regret over failure of political actors in B&H to align the B&H Constitution and electoral framework with the European Convention of Human Right by not implementing the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

 

Dodik on Cvijanovic’s letter to Guterres: It is good that Cvijanovic raised this issue (ATV)

 

ATV reports that Serb member and Chairwoman of the B&H Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, asking him to present a very important document, i.e. resolution that says Christian Schmidt was confirmed as the High Representative in B&H by the UN Security Council (UN SC). On Wednesday, RS President Milorad Dodik commented on Cvijanovic’s letter. He said it is good that Cvijanovic raised this issue and asked for the resolution to be presented – if there is one. Dodik says there is no resolution, and Schmidt was not appointed through a relevant UN SC resolution. The High Representative in B&H does not exist, Dodik told a press conference. Dodik announced the RS’ political response if Schmidt continues to, as Dodik said, illegally impose decisions. Dodik said that he has an interesting plan, but that it does not imply any conflict. Commenting Cvijanovic’s letter, Deputy Chair of B&H House of Representatives Constitutional-Legal Affairs Commission Milan Petkovic stated that Schmidt was not appointed in line with procedures, and that is the only answer the UN can provide. “Cvijanovic made a wise and diplomatic move. In recent years, we have always been reacting to something, and this time we have an action”, said Petkovic.

 

NATO Summit Communique reiterates support to B&H and its reform processes without prejudice to a final decision on NATO membership (Nezavisne)

 

NATO Summit ended and although the Alliance leaders did touch upon the issue of B&H, they did not decide to deploy troops to B&H and did not change NATO’s security approach to B&H in any way. The NATO Summit Communique expressed strong support to B&H’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We remain committed to the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.  We continue to support reform efforts, including through the newly agreed Defense Capacity Building package, NATO HQ Sarajevo, and wide-ranging cooperative security and partnership tools, and through the country’s Reform Program with NATO.  We encourage B&H to take advantage of NATO’s support and intensify efforts to make progress on reforms in key areas, including the much-needed political, electoral, rule of law, economic, and defense reforms, without prejudice to a final decision on NATO membership”, reads the Communique. The daily notes that RS President Milorad Dodik reiterated his support to B&H’s territorial integrity on Wednesday, which may be the reason why the Communique expresses a reconciliatory tone. The daily further comments that this means that in case of further escalation of political crisis, Christian Schmidt who is not recognized as High Representative cannot count on NATO’s support for implementation of his possible decisions. The NATO Communique further declares the Western Balkan region as region of strategic significance for the Alliance. Russia is labeled as the main factor of destabilization in the Western Balkans and globally.

 

US Embassy issues statement re. visit of State Department’s delegation (Oslobodjenje)

 

US Embassy to B&H posted a statement on their Twitter: “It has been a fascinating and moving week for the US Embassy as we hosted a visiting delegation from the US State Department. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism; Ambassador Rashad Hussain, the US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom; and Desirée Cormier Smith, the Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice came to B&H to participate alongside Ambassador (Michael) Murphy in the commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica, and also to spend time with B&H leaders, officials, and citizens working to make B&H a place where everyone has a place and a voice, and where governments at all levels and communities work together on reconciliation, combatting extremism and hate speech, protecting vulnerable populations, and promoting dialogue and integration”.

 

OHR: Team of experts will work on education of B&H Prosecutors in regards to genocide denial cases (FTV)

 

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) stated on Wednesday that a team of experts on the fight against extremism, terrorism, and hate speech led by Bavarian Chief Prosecutor (Reinhard Rottle) will provide training to B&H prosecutors with regard to processing of genocide denial cases, and on that occasion an expert team and the OHR legal team met with B&H Chief Prosecutor Milanko Kajganic on Wednesday. FTV reminds that High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt talked about the importance of educating B&H prosecutors on Tuesday, underscoring that work on prevention of genocide and denial and hate speech must be done through education and not only through the culture of memory. On the occasion, Schmidt announced to amend the law imposed by former HR Valentin Inzko and that he will work on creating legislation for criminal records registry, conveying that he has concrete measures for those who committed genocide, but also for the victims. “A team of experts on the fight against extremism, terrorism, and hate speech led by Bavarian Chief Prosecutor will provide training to B&H prosecutors on processing of genocide denial cases. Together with OHR legal team, today they met with B&H Chief Prosecutor Milanko Kajganic,” reads OHR’s statement. The meeting with Kajganic was initiated in order to exchange experiences and for prosecutors, legal assistants and investigators from the B&H Prosecutor's Office to discuss legal solutions, judicial practice and prosecutorial work in the prosecution of denial, gross reduction and attempts to justify crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

 

Thirty-one years since killing of 69 Serb civilians on St. Peter’s Day marked, tribute paid to martyrs on St. Peter's Day in Bratunac, Biljaca and Sase (Srna/ATV)

 

At the cemetery in Bratunac and at the Serb killing grounds in Biljaca and Sase, a tribute was paid on Wednesday to 69 Serb civilians and soldiers, who were killed on St. Peter's Day in 1992 by Muslim forces from Srebrenica under the command of Naser Oric. Previously, a liturgy was held at the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Srebrenica, and then at the Bratunac cemetery and the killing grounds of Biljaca and Sase, members of the families of the killed, relatives, neighbors and comrades laid wreaths and lit candles for the repose of the souls of the victims. Continuing the systematic planned ethnic cleansing of Serb areas that began in April, strong Muslim forces from Srebrenica, under the command of Naser Oric, invaded several Serb villages in the municipalities of Srebrenica and Bratunac on 12 July 1992 killing, looting and burning everything in front of them. On that day, 69 Serb fighters and civilians were killed and many more wounded, and 22 were missing and captured. Remains of 10 missing Serbs were accidentally found and exhumed on June 10, 2011, from a mass grave in Zalazje, during the search for Bosniak casualties. Ten missing Serbs have not yet been found and all traces of them are being lost in the camp at the former Srebrenica police station. For these, as well as for many other mass crimes committed against Serbs from Srebrenica and central Podrinje, all perpetrators have not yet been held accountable. RS President Milorad Dodik pointed out that the municipalities of Srebrenica and Bratunac are one of the biggest Serb ossuaries, and that only stone monuments remain silent and permanent to bear witness to the most ferocious and unpunished crimes committed against the Serbs of this area in the past defense-patriotic war. Dodik told Srna that the fact that there is no justice for Serbs in B&H “should give us additional strength that for the sake of the truth and the future, for ourselves and our children's children, we constantly talk about Serb victims, wounds and suffering”. Dodik also said: “It is clear to all of us that there can be no justice for Serb victims with this kind of judiciary and that all we can do from year to year is to count St. Peter’s Days in memory of 12 July 1992 when members of criminal hordes under the command of (Srebrenica wartime commander) Naser Oric barged into Srebrenica and Bratunac villages and monstrously tortured, butchered, slaughtered and burned Serb children, women and men at their doorsteps,” Dodik said. Dodik added that even 31 years later, wounds are still fresh and images of criminal Oric are vivid as he was riding a white horse with a green flag in his hands, bandoleers over his chests while he shouted, ‘Catch living Serb bastards, do not leave a cat alive’.

 

NATO leaders do not provide Ukraine with a clear timeline for membership (HRT)

 

The two-day summit of NATO member states drew to a close in Vilnius Lithuania, on Wednesday. The focus of the summit is on NATO expansion, and support for Ukraine's future membership, which the alliance did offer, presenting a three-part plan to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance, and by agreeing to remove one of the requirements for Ukraine to join, the Membership Action Plan. However, member states did not provide any clear timeframe as to when Ukraine would join NATO. At the beginning of the summit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was critical of NATO's failure to set out a clear timeline for membership, however today, during which he held a number of bilateral meetings, Zelenskyy was much more constrained in his rhetoric. For his part the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, noted that NATO member states have provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in support to Ukraine last year alone. Concluding that NATO member states would invite Ukraine to join the alliance when it has met all of the criteria for membership. Meanwhile, G7 members are also preparing long-term security assurances for Ukraine. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the summit conclusions, noting once again that NATO expansion and a militarized and unfriendly Ukraine are among the primary reasons for Russia's decision to launch a special military operation last year, and that the G7's pledge represents an existential risk for Russia and will directly destabilize European security. Due to the ongoing bickering between President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Croatia was represented by two separate delegations in Vilnius, one led by the president and in the other by Defense Minister Mario Banozic and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman. Immediately after the summit, the president and his delegation travelled to the NATO base in Rukla, where he visited the 180 members of the Croatian Armed Forces who are participating in NATO's "Enhanced Forward Presence" mission in Lithuania. Minister Banozic and Grlic Radman visited Rukla ahead of the summit.

 

Montenegro celebrates its Statehood Day – 13 July (CdM)

 

Today, Montenegro celebrates Statehood Day, in memory of 13 July 1878, when it was recognized as an independent state at the Berlin Congress, and the same date in 1941, when the popular uprising against fascism began. That was the introduction to the War of National Liberation, in which, with important political decisions, the restoration of the statehood of Montenegro, abolished in 1918 by its annexation to Serbia, i.e., the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia, began. At the Montenegrin Anti-Fascist National Assembly, held at the end of 1944 in Kolasin, a decision was made on the status of Montenegro as one of the federal units of the future federal Yugoslavia.

 

Milatovic: All those sharing EU values should be part of new govt, I fully believe Vuksic (RTCG)

 

President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic has said after the NATO summit in Vilnius that the new Montenegrin government must be pro-European and pro-reform, and that everyone sharing European values in Montenegro should be part of the government. He has emphasized that during his talks with foreign officials there was no mention of who could and who could not be part of the government. He has expressed his belief that the election results will be announced soon, so that he could start consultations with party representatives on the formation of the government. He has stated that he is confident that he can quickly finish the consultations with the representatives of the parties, and give the mandate for the formation of the government to whoever convinces him that he can form the government in the best way. Milatovic has stressed that his adviser Dejan Vuksic was given the position based on academic and professional references, and that he has confidence in him in terms of performing his job in the right way. He has stressed that everyone who is criminally prosecuted in Montenegro should be held accountable, and that it is the only way for the country to build a society of the rule of law. He reminded that recently in Serbia, he brought the case of Svetozar Marovic, wanted by Montenegro to serve a prison sentence, before the Serbian authorities. He has said that it would be good for a joint session of the governments of Montenegro and Serbia to be held by the end of the year, and that this was discussed during his recent visit to Belgrade. When referring to the NATO Summit, Milatovic has said that Montenegro is a credible partner of the alliance, which is trying to affirm stability and democracy with a constructive role in the region. “During my presence at the Summit, I had several conversations with some heads and governments of our allies, who I informed about the situation in our country, especially in the context of the formation of a new, pro-European government”, Milatovic has stressed.

 

Milatovic to Michel: Montenegro's number one priority is full membership in the EU (CdM)

 

During the meeting with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic reiterated that the first priority of Montenegro is full membership in the EU. "During the conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, I reiterated that Montenegro's number one priority is full membership in the EU. We agreed that now is the right moment to reach that goal and that appointments to the judiciary are a necessary condition," Milatovic wrote in a post on Twitter.

 

Kovachevski at North Atlantic Council meeting: Unequivocal support for Ukraine continues (MIA)

 

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski participated Wednesday in the third session of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government and NATO partner states, as part of the second day of the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Kovachevski heads a government delegation which includes Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani. According to MIA’s special reporter in Vilnius, 31 NATO member states and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, participated in the third session of the North Atlantic Council. “At the third session, the NATO allies decided to continue the unequivocal and firm support for Ukraine and its right to defend itself and its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. NATO already adopted a decision in 2008 that Ukraine should become a full-fledged member of the Alliance. The NATO-Ukraine Council was established at the Summit and an upgraded package for long-term support for Ukraine, support for the reforms and the transformation of their armed forces in line with NATO standards was adopted as well,” said the government in a press release. Additionally, at the Summit, the G7 countries issued a joint declaration on Ukraine.

 

Osmani – Valtonen: OSCE to continue to provide stability and security in Europe (MIA)

 

The cooperation between North Macedonia and Finland within OSCE, with a special emphasis on the activities and challenges faced by the Chairpersonship, and the joint participation in the OSCE Troika, were in the focus of the meeting Wednesday between Minister of Foreign Affairs and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Bujar Osmani, and the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, held at the NATO Summit in Vilnius. According to the MFA, at the meeting the ministers voiced satisfaction with the cooperation and exchanged opinions over the activities and ways in which the priorities of the current Chairpersonship are being implemented, as well as the preparations, activities and the ways in which the Organization will function until Finland assumes the Chairpersonship. “Osmani placed special emphasis on the latest initiative he presented in his role as OSCE Chairperson – the establishment of the Ohrid Center for Peace and Mediation, as a new tool within OSCE meant to strengthen the Organization’s role in the promotion of the culture of dialogue, reconciliation policies, compromise etc.,” said the Ministry in a press release. Apart from the activities of North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship, Osmani and Valtonen also spoke about the challenges related to other important issues for the work of the Organization and their possible solutions. The two ministers voiced satisfaction with OSCE’s current role in providing long-term stability and security in Europe, and underscored the necessity of investing added political efforts in order for the Organization to maintain its role in the future.

 

Osmani meets Gerapetritis in Vilnius, strong Greek support for North Macedonia's EU membership (MIA)

 

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani met for the first time with newly appointed Greek Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis on the sidelines of the NATO Vilnius Summit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral relations and stronger sectoral cooperation of the two neighboring states and partners, highlighting cooperation in energy and gas connection. Regarding the European future of North Macedonia and of the Western Balkan region, Minister Gerapetritis reaffirmed the support and clear positions of official Athens. "Greece continues to be a solid partner of our country and the region in our efforts to successfully complete our accession process to the European Union as soon as possible," Minister Osmani is quoted as saying in the release. The two ministers also stressed the importance of the Prespa Agreement for bilateral ties, the need of boosting cooperation in line with the accompanying action plan as well as the need of ratifying remaining documents signed between the two states. According to MIA's Athens correspondent, the Greek MFA via Twitter said Gerapetritis and Osmani had a "fruitful discussion on strengthening bilateral relations, including the full and consistent implementation of the Prespa Agreement, and the Western Balkans' EU perspective". his was Osmani's first meeting with Gerapetritis, who recently became the head of diplomacy in the new Greek government. The two ministers had a telephone conversation last week.

 

Kovachevski: Meeting with Mitsotakis confirms excellent bilateral ties (MIA)

 

Greece is one of the strongest supporters of North Macedonia's European integration, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Thursday in Vilnius after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. According to Kovachevski, his meeting with Mitsotakis confirmed the excellent relations between the two countries. "The Prespa Agreement — which has been singled out by the State Department and other international organizations as an example for solving identity issues and for finding sustainable solutions, and based on which we became a NATO member state — confirmed that solving such a bilateral issue leads to relations between two countries moving in an extremely positive direction," he told a press conference. Speaking about the Prespa Agreement, Kovachevski said much of it had already been implemented, with only a few documents remaining to be ratified in the Greek parliament and some obligations remaining for North Macedonia to implement in the area of tax policies. He added that the authorities in both countries were working on the implementation of these obligations. As an example of the dedication of the Greek institutions he pointed out the official founding of a Macedonian Language Center in Greece, which had been objected to – but then a Greek court made a clear ruling in favor of its registration. At the Vilnius meeting, the two prime ministers also discussed larger infrastructure projects related to energy. "We talked about the gas pipeline and other large facilities being built in the region," Kovachevski said, adding that he had also met other state leaders at the summit and mostly discussed topics related to the economy.

 

Government to review constitutional changes by end of July (MIA)

 

The proposed constitutional changes have been submitted to the government and it will review them at one of its next sessions this month before submitting it to parliament, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told a press conference in Vilnius, where he is participating in the NATO Summit. Prime Minister Kovachevski said the amendments were not being made under any "dictation" but were part of the obligations specified in the negotiating framework with the EU that Parliament had unanimously adopted in July 2022. Commenting on opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski's recent statements that he was withdrawing from talks related to the constitutional changes, Kovachevski said that "anyone has the right to isolate themselves, but not to isolate the state." He said the talks should continue as this was a pivotal decision for the state. "The constitutional amendments are a vote for the EU and for remaining on the European path. For the first time, we are facing a situation in which the veto does not come from outside, but from within," the prime minister said. "Their rhetoric, so loud over the past year, stopped on the day of our leadership meeting. We accepted all the conditions set by the opposition leader. Then, probably under some sort of pressure, internal or I don't know where from, he backpedaled." Opposition leader Hristijan Mickovski said a few days ago he would not attend any meetings with the government regarding the constitutional changes. The only thing he was willing to discuss, he said, was calling a snap election in the fall.

 

NATO Summit/ Xhacka: Political and practical support for Ukraine (Radio Tirana)

 

Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka was part of the Albanian delegation headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama where they participated in the two-day NATO Summit in Lithuania. Xhacka stated: "We reaffirmed at the NATO Summit in Vilnius our commitment to further increase political and practical support for Ukraine as it continues to defend its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity". The Minister emphasized that at this Summit, "we decided to establish the NATO-Ukraine Council, a new joint body where the Allies and Ukraine will sit as equal members to advance political dialogue, engagement, cooperation and Ukraine's aspirations for membership in NATO". "With the Foreign Ministers of NATO, we emphasized the decisive role of cooperation between the European Union and NATO for the security and stability of the Western Balkans, in particular for Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina”, the Albanian chief diplomat declared. Xhaçka emphasized Albania's steadfast support for our partners such as Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova affected by the current security situation.

 

Peleshi in Vilnius: Albania committed to increasing defense spending (Radio Tirana)

 

The Minister of Defense, Niko Peleshi, who is at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, expressed Albania's readiness to be in unison with Albania's allies and partners for the continuation of support to Ukraine and its journey towards the Trans-Atlantic alliance. Peleshi emphasized that key decisions have been made at a critical moment for security and stressed that Albania is committed to increasing defense spending. "Vilnius, Lithuania - With our allies and partners, united in our stance to continue supporting Ukraine, to help it on its way to NATO. Key decisions at a critical moment for our security. Albania is committed and willing to increase defense spending”, Peleshi writes on the Facebook social network.

 

Rama meets with Erdogan in Vilnius: Situation in the north of Kosovo in focus (Radio Tirana)

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama held a meeting with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Vilnius, Lithuania. In a post on social networks, Rama informed that the bilateral meeting focused on the situation in the region, especially in the north of Kosovo. "Lithuania - With President Erdogan, in the bilateral meeting about the situation in our region and especially in the North of Kosovo", Rama writes.

 

EP approves the report on Albania/ Santos: We believe that the membership process will be closed by 2030 (Radio Tirana)

 

In this Wednesday's meeting, the European Parliament approved the report on Albania, which passed with 536 votes in favor, 54 against and 32 abstentions. The rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, Isabel Santos, said that Albania is completing the screening process in record time. "We believe that the conditions will be created for the EU membership process to be completed by 2030. The future of Albania is in the EU", the Rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, Isabel Santos said. The commissioner for expansion and good neighborliness, Oliver Varhelyi, said that the screening process is expected to end in November of this year. "From day one of this Commission the Western Balkans have been our priority. This common work and commitment have brought progress. Since last year's debate there is a fundamental development: nearly a year ago, we opened accession negotiations with Albania. This was a major step for the country and a clear recognition of Albania's progress in advancing on its EU reform agenda. The screening process is well on track. Delegations from Albania come well prepared and actively engage in the discussions. So, the screening is proceeding smoothly, and the Commission will present its screening report to the Council within days. The Commission took positive note that the recent local elections on 14 th May were held in a calm and transparent manner on the day of the vote. According to the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Extended Election Observation Mission, the local elections were well-administered, competitive and held with the participation of the country's key political forces. This is a significant improvement compared to the boycott of the 2019 local elections. The Commission encourages the Albanian authorities to address all outstanding recommendations from OSCE/ODIHR as well as from the Venice Commission. To this end we call for constructive and inclusive political dialogue from all sides. The Commission concluded in its last year's report that the functioning of the judiciary in Albania is moderately prepared. Albania's legislative and institutional framework on judiciary has a high level of alignment with the EU acquis and European standards. Since then, the vetting process is proceeding well, with 82% of magistrates now vetted in first instance. Following new appointments of judges, the High Court has reduced the backlog of cases and reached the quorum to make appointments to the Constitutional Court. The last vacancy at the Constitutional Court was filled in December 2022. On fundamental rights Albania maintained overall a positive direction, with an overall robust legislative framework in place. However, there is still a need to continue progress when it comes to the implementation of fundamental rights, especially in the areas of minority rights, property rights and media freedom as well as protection of personal data. Some progress has also been made on fight against organized crime and the fight against corruption. The Specialized Structure for Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Court (SPAK) delivered several important decisions affecting also high-level officials, including a former Prosecutor General. We expect continued progress, in developing a strong track record on final convictions in corruption cases, notably at high level, and in organized crime cases. Further, let me again commend Albania's continued alignment with the EU restrictive measures and sanctions, including against Russia in view of its war of aggression against Ukraine, maintaining the 100% alignment to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Albania continues to use its ongoing term in the UN Security Council to respond to the crisis along likeminded countries. This proves that Albania has shown its determination to advance on the EU path as a reliable partner. The EU has been the most important partner of Albania. Albania has received continuous financial support with the aim to boost Albania's resilience, including through the Economic and Investment Plan and lately through our Energy Support Package. Allow me a short update on the later – the Energy Support Package: between February and May 2023, the European Commission disbursed 90% of the €500 million budget support to mitigate the increase of energy costs for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and vulnerable households in the Western Balkans. In this context, Albania received € 72 million this spring to subsidize energy prices for households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to provide financial aid to vulnerable persons and to diversify energy sources through new wind and solar investments. Albania has come a long way on its path towards the EU, showing persistence in pursuing difficult reforms in the interest of the Albanian people. We would like to see the country entering the next phase of the accession process, notably we would like to have the next Intergovernmental Conference to open the first Cluster on fundamentals, still this year. Thank you very much! As announced, we are planning to finish all screening sessions by November this year and we are looking forward to the next steps. The future of this country surely belongs to the EU, and I think this is the country that has done the most in this mandate not only to catch up but also to make real progress on the ground and change the reality for the businesses and the people on the ground," Oliver Varhelyi said.