LOCAL PRESS

 

Bureau for Coordination of Security Services: All security services on full alert (Tanjug/Beta)

All police and security services are on full alert due to the migrant crisis, Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said on Wednesday after a meeting of the bureau for coordination of security services.

The bureau will recommend the president to call a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the increasingly complex security situation in the region. The alert also applies to the Serbian Armed Forces, which will be engaged under the current legislation, on which the Council and the president will decide, he added. The Minister pointed to a growing influx of economic migrants in Serbia. He underscored that Serbia would not set up walls and fences. “Serbia stays committed to the migrant policy it has pursued so far, but the protection of the country and its interest takes first place,” Selakovic said.

 

Stefanovic: Full alert of services doesn’t imply sending the army to the border (RTS)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia that Serbia cannot become a hostage of the situation in the migrant crisis over the pressure from Macedonia and Austria. Full alert of security services doesn’t imply the presence of the police at the border, says Stefanovic.

 

Stefanovic: Follow-up to Vienna meeting in Belgrade on Friday (Tanjug)

A follow-up to the Vienna meeting on migrants along the Balkan route has been scheduled to take place at the end of the week in Belgrade, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on Wednesday. “Talks will continue at the level of police directors in Belgrade on Friday. Apart from the countries that took part in the meeting, we will also invite Hungary and Greece and other countries that could contribute to a solution,” the Serbian Minister told a news conference in Vienna. Stefanovic described the deal on profiling in Macedonia as the biggest achievement of Wednesday’s conference, in an effort to stem the tide of refugees. Serbia believes a shared, comprehensive European solution is the only sustainable option, the interior minister said, noting that all the participants had agreed on that.

 

Cucic: Serbia should not follow others, but the example of Austria, Germany (RTV)

Conclusions made at the meeting in Vienna, which envisage that the countries of the Balkans route should no longer wait for a common European solution for the migrant crisis, but should take individual measures, showed that Serbia should not follow countries that do not receive migrants, but the main receiving countries of migrants, Austria and Germany, and act in accordance with them, Serbia’s Commissioner for Refugees Vladimir Cucic said. “With full respect for [the countries such as] Belgium and Slovakia, that do not receive migrants. For us, model of behavior is the one of Austria and Germany, but also of some of the Scandinavian countries, which have almost closed the borders. It will be how the people - where migrants go - decide, because we do not have the right to raise false hopes and expectations; it is better to say now that migrants will not be able to enter the country, which they are going to,” Cucic told Radio and Television of Vojvodina(RTV).

 

Serbian, Greek army chiefs discuss migrant crisis, training (Tanjug/RTS)

Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Ljubisa Dikovic, met in Belgrade with Chief of Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis. Dikovic told a press conference after the meeting that Serbia would contribute a number of its officers to EU battle groups during the current year. “Relations between Serbia and Greece are based on respect and friendship,” Dikovic said. According to him, the two countries’ armies are on a joint task that is burdening the whole region, and that is the migrant crisis. Dikovic expressed particular gratitude to his Greek counterpart for his country maintaining firmly the position of not recognizing Kosovo. Apostolakis said that the armed forces of Serbia and Greece would continue working together in all areas.

 

Elections in Pristina delaying ZSO until summer (Novosti)

If Pristina fails to elect the new Kosovo president, the slating of parliamentary elections would follow, whereby the standstill in the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) would be prolonged at least until summer. Even if Hashim Thaqi secures the necessary support for the president, there is still the possibility for him to disband the Assembly as a response to the political instability in Kosovo and Metohija. This would, again, “push” the ZSO for several more months. According to Kosovo Assembly vice-president Slobodan Petrovic, chances are big for Thaqi to be elected president, and elections are not excluded as well: “Experience tells us that we didn’t have a government with a full mandate, so elections are possible even if the president is elected, and this certainly delays the work on the ZSO.” Petrovic tells Novosti that the Serb List hasn’t yet decided whether it will have its own candidate for the Kosovo president: “It is not bad for us to have our own candidate, but the question is whether we can collect 30 MP signatures.” The Head of the Serb List Slavko Simic tells Novosti that this list’s MPs will not support any of the candidates proposed by the leading Albanian parties.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Covic after the meeting with Radoncic: Coalition is enviably stable (Klix)

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic visited last night Fahrudin Radoncic, who is in house arrest. As Covic said to the media after the meeting in Avaz Twist Tower, he wanted to personally visit Radoncic, and they also discussed the current political situation in B&H.

“After a long time, I had an opportunity to talk to Fahrudin Radoncic or, as I prefer to say it, with my friend Fahro. Primarily I wanted to see him in private and encourage him. I also wanted to inform him about the work within the three ruling parties and about the European path of B&H,” Covic said. When asked is the coalition SDA-HDZ-SBB stable, Covic answered that he is convinced that the coalition is enviably stable. Covic did not want to comment on the problems caused by unauthorized communication between Izetbegovic and Radoncic. When asked whether he will be the mediator in communication between Radoncic and Izetbegovic, Covic said he never was a mediator and that he does not convey any messages. In the end, Covic said he will talk to Milorad Dodik these days and that the constitutional jurisdictions are very clear, regarding the Coordination mechanism. “We will not deal too much with the Coordination mechanism, but consider objections posed by Republika Srpska (RS). We have to show mutual respect and see what amends we can make,” Covic concluded.​

 

Dodik: RS will not recognize Kosovo (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik stated in Lopare that RS does not intend to recognize Kosovo. “We stand by our decision and believe that persons from the RS serving in the B&H bodies will respect it and deal with this issue accordingly,” Dodik told reporters. He has reminded that the decision on Kosovo recognition at the state level cannot be passed without the RS. “Serbia is negotiating, and will define its position on Kosovo, and that is what we will follow up. Apart from President of Albania, Bujar Nishani, asking for it, there is no other reason for it, thus our decision will not be changed,” said Dodik. Member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic, also told reporters that all decisions in the Presidency are adopted by consensus “and while I am part of the Presidency, Kosovo will not be recognized”. Albanian President Ditmir Bushati, who is paying an official visit to B&H, stated earlier that he had requested the members of the Presidency of B&H to consider the possibility of revising B&H's stand regarding the recognition of Kosovo and the documents of its citizens.

 

RS Constitutional Court: Vital national interest of Bosniaks has not been violated (Srna)

The RS Constitutional Court’s Council for Protection of Vital National Interest determined that the vital national interest of Bosniaks has not been violated by conclusions of the RS cabinet which the RS Assembly adopted on December 10 which say that by its operation in Novi Grad the B&H State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) violated the Constitution and threatened the integrity of the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs.

 

Dodik: RS has the largest concentration of competences on the EU path (Srna)

The RS President Milorad Dodik said that RS has the largest concentration of competences on the European path – almost 73%, the Federation of B&H somewhat less because of the Cantons which share the competences, and the B&H Council of Ministers, which cannot make a decision on a coordination mechanism which would oblige other structures and government levels, has the least competences.

 

Krivokapic: DPS main Montenegrin problem (RTCG)

President of the Parliament and leader of the SDP, Ranko Krivokapic, said that his party, after the termination of the coalition with the DPS, had the ambition to bring together civic opposition, which could be an alternative to the party which, as he said, governs for 70 years. Krivokapic said that the DPS is not the solution, but the main problem in Montenegro. “The country has built its security framework - NATO and European integration, but things that make the structure of society, economic and social elements, management of resources, rule of law, they reflect why the DPS is problem, not the solution,” said Krivokapic.

 

Macedonian President Ivanov: Political crisis must end (MIA)

The political crisis must finally end so that we can have a Government with full political legitimacy and institutions that can manage security challenges, said President Gjorge Ivanov on Wednesday regarding Tuesday’s agreement over the early elections. Ivanov voiced dissatisfaction from the irresponsible behavior of individuals and political parties, which only makes the situation in Macedonia even more complex, as well as the absence of the feeling of statehood in a time when the country is faced with the refugee and migrant crisis. “This crisis bears security risks and such behavior is unacceptable. Politics requires responsible behavior by all those involved in the decision-making process, in the interest of citizens,” President Ivanov told reporters during a visit to Kratovo. He cautioned that Macedonia should expect a larger refugee wave, while institutions need to work on managing security challenges. “Instead of being preoccupied with the security risks and issues, we spend our time in mutual quarreling, destructive behavior and even, let me say, hideous conduct by individuals who abuse the office given to them by the citizens,” said President Ivanov. He underlined that the political crisis had a negative effect not only on citizens, but also on the economy and the business environment.

 

Skopje: Diva Naselba trial continues (MIA)

The trial for the Diva Naselba case, concerning the events which happened on the 9th and 10th of May in Kumanovo where 8 police officers were killed, continued today. At the last hearing, which took place Tuesday, 5 witnesses from the prosecution's list were questioned- one local Kumanovo woman and four police officers from the Gosince watch tower. The media did not get the chance to hear their testimonies. Before the start of the trial, the Court announced that there is not enough room in the courtroom for all the reporters. The journalists decided that none of them would enter the courtroom to cover the trial. So far, the hearings were held in the big courtroom at the Supreme Court, yet due to renovations, the Criminal court decided to move the hearing to a smaller courtroom at the Skopje Basic Court. Yesterday evening, the Court issued an apology to the media. “Taking into consideration that there are 29 suspects in this case, together with their lawyers, and accompanied by security members from the facilities where they are being detained, there was simply no room for all media representatives in the courtroom which is of limited capacity,” the Court stated. On Thursday, as the Court announced, the journalists will report on the trial through video coverage. The first hearing was held on February 9, at which all 29 suspects pleaded not guilty.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Austria, Balkan states agree tighter border controls (World Bulletin, 25 February 2016)

Austria and its Balkan neighbors have agreed Wednesday to tighten border controls and warned they may eventually have to shut their borders entirely.

At a meeting in Vienna, ministers from European Union members Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria, joined with Balkan states Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in issuing a declaration saying, "It is not possible to process unlimited numbers of refugees and applicants for asylum" and limits must be established to protect "internal security" and "social cohesion." "The migration flow along the Western Balkans route needs to be substantially reduced," said the 19-point document, laying out ways to curb the refugee flow, including refusing entry to "refugees not in need of international protection" and persons "without travel documents, with forged or falsified documents, or refugees making wrongful statements about their nationality or identity." The declaration calls for common standards of registration and entry criteria for those with realistic chances for asylum, and urges all EU member states to refuse entry to those who do not satisfy the entry conditions. Austria has recently capped the number of asylum seekers it will accept daily at its borders to 80, and limited the number of refugees it will let pass through the country. That has led to more border restrictions being introduced further south. Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner called for "a chain reaction of reason" rather than a potentially disastrous accumulation of refugees on borders that have been fortified. "We must reduce the flow of refugees now," she said, "because the refugee question can become a question of survival for the European Union." While Austria is still in favor of a common EU solution to the refugee problem, the EU needs short-term "national measures" to staunch the flow, she said. Austrian officials said the joint declaration will be presented to a meeting of EU interior and justice ministers on February 25 in Brussels. The move to impose joint restrictions in the Balkan region follows the failure of an EU plan agreed to in September 2015 to relocate 160,000 people among EU members under mandatory quotas. Only 598 have been relocated so far, with former communist members of the bloc opposing the plan and filing legal challenges. The joint declaration provoked a denunciation from Greece, which was not invited to the meeting and which has been left with thousands of refugees stranded at its border with Macedonia because of the new restrictions. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lashed out at states that "not only erect fences on their borders but at the same time do not accept to take in a single refugee." Macedonian authorities have been turning away all Afghans and allowing only Syrians and Iraqis to cross at a very slow pace. But the influx of people reaching Greek islands from the Turkish mainland continues unabated, leaving tens of thousands of refugees stranded in Greece. "We need a larger political consensus on this issue," Tsipras said, adding that the blockades were causing a "mini-humanitarian crisis" on Greek soil. "We will not allow our country to turn into a warehouse of souls."

 

Crisis or opportunity? How European countries use refugees for political gain (theconversation.com, 25 February 2016)

Author: Heaven Crawley, Research professor, Coventry University

After no fewer than five emergency summits, a solution to Europe’s refugee crisis remains elusive. The list of failures is long and growing including the failure to deliver “hotspots”, reception centres meant to process refugees who arrive in frontline states such as Italy and Greece, and to provide humanitarian assistance for those trapped in the Balkans as a result of fences which have been hastily thrown up in an effort to stop the flow. Our research in southern Europe has led me to conclude that the so-called “migration crisis” has rather less to do with the movement of people and rather more to do with the geopolitics of the EU – and the EU’s relations with the outside world. The truth is that rather than engaging with the problem, the countries of the EU have used the issue of migration to consolidate their own political power and to challenge others. Fingers are being pointed precisely along the lines of decades-old geopolitical conflicts between European countries. The process began with Germany, which stood accused of throwing open the borders of Europe with little or no regard to the consequences for the countries through which the refugees would pass. Particular venom has been directed towards Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of Europe’s few women leaders, who has been accused of being emotional and of trying to redeem her country from the sins of its past. Then came Greece, accused of neglecting its obligations to border control. Greece has, of course, long been regarded as incompetent and the escalation of the migration crisis came just as the rest of Europe was working out how to solve its debt crisis. This crisis was attributed in large part to economic failures on the part of the Greek government. By the end of 2015, a beleaguered Greek state, reeling from an economic disaster and austerity measures that left half of under 25s unemployed, had seen 850,000 people arrive on its shores from the beaches of Turkey just 10km across the Aegean Sea.

The geopolitics of the Aegean

To understand why so many people have been able to cross from Turkey to Greece, you have to know something about the tense geopolitics that dominate the relationship between the two countries. These play out on a daily basis on the waters of the Aegean Sea. The political geography of the region is characterised by islands in the eastern part which are very close to the Turkish coast, but are in fact Greek territory. Ongoing disagreements over the sovereignty of certain Greek islands, islets and even rocks, culminated in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974 and the subsequent Turkish occupation of the northern portion of Cyprus, which continues to this day. This geopolitical context explains in large part why the Greek and Turkish authorities have refused to set up joint patrols in the Aegean even though this would save lives and reduce flows. It is also the context in which the European Union has recently agreed to give Turkey €3 billion to “solve” the migration crisis. Turkey is itself keen to join the European Union and has leveraged access to visa-free travel for Turkish citizens on the back of the deal. The recent arrival of NATO ships in the Aegean, ostensibly to monitor human trafficking rather than to send refugees and migrants back to Turkey, adds a further dimension to this already highly complex – and highly militarised – political situation.

Balkans to the rescue?

There are increasing noises from leaders that Europe may have to rely upon the Balkan States, specifically Macedonia, to save Europe from the incompetence of Greece and the failure of Turkey to stop the flows into Europe. Closing the Greek-Macedonia border would effectively turn Greece into a refugee camp. This would be very bad news for Greece but rather better news for Macedonia, which is keen to accelerate EU accession and has been in conflict with Greece since 1991, when it declared its independence from Yugoslavia. Since that time, Macedonia’s “name issue” has been used by Athens to block Macedonian membership of NATO and the EU.

This is just one aspect of the Balkan context shaping the way in which individual countries respond to the migration crisis. The Balkans is portrayed as a region of transit for people trying to reach northern Europe. But the situation is actually more complicated than that. In reality there is very significant outward migration from the region: 40% of all asylum seekers arriving in Germany in 2015 came from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. Unemployment stands at around 40% across the region but opportunities for co-operation between states are limited by the violent experience of its not-so-distant past. The sad fact is that the wounds of the Balkan wars have not yet healed – but the problems and the political divisions which mark relations between the Balkan states are being downplayed in the interests of securing EU membership.

Political impasse

Seen from a geopolitical perspective it is absolutely clear that the so-called “migration crisis” is being used as a front to further other political agendas, most notably the path to joining the EU for countries like Turkey and the Balkan states. And these old grudges and stereotypes are equally useful to displace blame for how little has been achieved to solve the problem.

Much of what is said and done in response to the crisis serves the purpose of positioning countries in relation to one another. By talking up the threat of migration for more than a decade, Europe now finds itself ill-equipped to respond in any way other than lashing out, not only at migrants and refugees but also at fellow and emerging EU member states. Everyone else is to blame. If ever there was a time that the EU needed to take a deep breath and look at how it can revitalise its relationships, both internally and with the outside world, it is now. The only solutions to this crisis are those which acknowledge the geopolitical factors that lie at its heart.