LOCAL PRESS

 

Serbian cabinet helmed by Ana Brnabic voted in (B92, Beta)

On June 29, Serbia's Parliament elected a new cabinet with 21 ministers and three without portfolio, headed by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. The new government was elected by calling each MP by name to vote yes or no. A total of 157 MPs were for her election, 55 were against and none abstained.

MPs from the ruling United Serbia party and the opposition Enough Is Enough, Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Serbian Radical Party, Democratic Party of Serbia, Dveri movement, Liberal Democratic Party, League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, MPs from the New Serbia-Movement for Serbia's Salvation caucus, and MPs from the Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak and the New Party voted against the cabinet.

The cabinet was supported by MPs from the ruling coalition gathered around the Serbian Progressive Party, Socialist Party of Serbia, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, Party for Democratic Action and opposition MP from the Green Party Goran Cabradi voted for the government. The new government's members were then sworn in, which marked the beginning of their term. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and the ministers took the following oath:

"I pledge loyalty to the Republic of Serbia and am bound by my honor to respect the Constitution and law, that I will perform the duty of being a member of the government conscientiously, responsibly and with commitment and be devoted to preserving Kosovo and Metohija within the Republic of Serbia."

The swearing in was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Vojvodina Assembly Speaker Istvan Pastor, Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali, representatives of the judiciary, Serbian Armed Forces, security services, religious communities and diplomatic representatives.

 

Dacic: EU more popular in Serbia than in some EU member-states (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says that his country will maintain its "the road toward the EU" foreign policy course. Speaking a day after Serbia's new government was elected, he said the EU integration was being carried out "for the sake of citizens, not for EU's sake." The minister took part in the opening of a conference dubbed "Multi-speed Europe - Western Balkans in reverse" via a video message, and said that the new government will keep the priorities of the previous one.

"We stand by the European road of Serbia, which means not only accession negotiations, but aligning the society with EU's values, which is even more important."

 

"Serbia's priorities will be peace and stability in the region, redefining relations with great powers such as the US and Great Britain, but also maintaining relations with China and Russia. A priority will be to foster traditional friendships that started in the Non-Aligned Movement, that is, with countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America," said Dacic. He added that the countries of the Western Balkans are influenced by all the major challenges that are taking place in the world, "such as Brexit, Trump's election, the crisis in the EU."

 

"The EU is more popular here than in some member states, we continue to see the EU as the best way of joining forces, and it is also a stabilizing factor for the countries of the Balkans, because joining the EU is being set as a common goal," Dacic said. He added that the Berlin Process is a reason to "rejoice" because it shows that big countries are keeping the Western Balkans on their agenda. Dacic said that the main topic during the meetings of the Berlin Process concerns forging economic, infrastructural, and political connections.

 

"I think there should be more political connections in order to solve past conflicts and to define common interests, and thus present us to Brussels as a more united region," the minister said. According to him, Serbia has a lot of objections to EU's attitude towards the integration process, because "every step is measured in chapter 35 - the dialogue with Pristina."

"I do not think the EU has a just standpoint, and I think it easily makes negative appraisals about Serbia, while tolerating those who contribute to the creation of tensions in the Balkans," Dacic said, adding that this "does not change the European path of Serbia." He concluded by saying that Serbia "wants to be a security factor in the region, which will also be the policy of the new government."

 

Vucic and Scott discuss visit to U.S., region and cooperation (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott, talked in Belgrade on June 29 about bilateral relations, the situation in the region, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and Vucic's visit to the U.S. on July 17.

"They discussed the topics for the forthcoming visit of the Serbian president to the U.S. on July 17, and concurred that the talks with Vice President Michael Pence and other officials of the administration in Washington D.C. would be a strong incentive for the development of Serbian-U.S. political and economic relations," read a statement released by Vucic's office.

Vucic and Scott concurred that relations between the two countries were on an upward trend and that the U.S. provided continuous support to Serbia's efforts in meeting the conditions for EU membership, strengthening the rule of law, modernizing the economy and becoming a pillar of stability in the region.

As for the situation in the region, the Serbian President and the U.S. ambassador said they hoped the "relations in the Western Balkans would develop in the direction of peace, stability and cooperation," and that "it is necessary for all in the region to give their contribution to that."

They also discussed the relations between Belgrade and Pristina, stressing the need to continue the dialogue and implement the Brussels agreements. Vucic asked Ambassador Scott to convey to President Donald Trump his gratitude for sending a presidential delegation to attend the ceremony of his inauguration as Serbian President. Scott congratulated Vucic on the successful ceremony on June 23, stressing that the U.S. was looking forward to cooperating with the new government which the parliament was to appoint.

 

Vucic: Continuous dialogue at all levels necessary for Serbian – Russian relations (Vecernje Novosti, Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on June 29 with MPs from Russia's parliament Sergei Zheleznyak and University of Lomonosov professor Olga Zinovieva to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and various regional and international questions.

A statement from the Presidency said that Vucic had said that a continuous dialogue at all levels was important for relations between Serbia and Russia, a dialogue that contributed to developing political relations to each side's benefit. He pointed out that Serbia, as an independent and militarily neutral country, had chosen European integration as its foreign policy priority, but that must not and would not upset good relations with Russia.

During the meeting the participants concluded that good political relations were the basis for enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries, for which there were big yet insufficiently developed opportunities.

The Serbian President voiced his thanks to Russia for sending a high-level delegation to his inauguration and reception last week, which was a testament to the importance that Russia's leadership ascribed to relations with the authorities in Belgrade.

 

Djuric: "Let's make 'Balkans for Balkan people' our slogan" (B92)

Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija head on Thursday suggested that the Balkans should adopt the slogan, "the Balkans for the Balkan people." However, he continued, "this does not mean isolationism - but instead making connections with the West and the East, to the benefit of citizens."

Speaking at a panel of the "New International Reality - Challenges and Perspectives" conference, organized by the Belgrade Strategic Dialogue Foundation, Djuric asserted that "no country is capable of solving its strategic problems alone, without intensive cooperation with others." Djuric also thinks that "everything should be done to support the initiative put forward to regional leaders by President Aleksandar Vucic, to remove all economic barriers between Balkan countries."

"If we manage to remove these barriers, we will succeed in attracting more and more investors into this area, creating new jobs, and tackling the social causes of conflicts and tensions that have marked it. If we are economically stronger, we will be more able to lead a more autonomous policy," he is convinced. According to him, the EU, as the most important economic and political factor in the Balkans, needs to more strongly support cooperation and integration processes in the region.

 

"The first principle of cooperation should be the strengthening of economic ties, we should talk about strengthening infrastructure connections, because without that we cannot talk about stronger economic integration. Serbia is ready, not only in political but also in financial terms, to support infrastructure connections between the countries the Balkans," Djuric said. He stressed that infrastructure projects are supported not only by the EU, but also by Russia, and many other countries. Djuric also assessed that the countries of the region should define strategic directions of cooperation, and said it was "important to network societies - while Serbia is ready to support cooperation of social organizations and above all of young people."

"I think that this is necessary for a better understanding and linking of states and peoples in the Balkans," Djuric said, adding that the countries of the region should "absolutely respect each other" while "relations should be based on principles of the founding acts of the UN, international law, and respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also of the rights of the people who remained outside the boundaries of their states of origin."

 

He spoke about Kosovo and Metohija to say that Serbia's orientation toward EU membership and other forms of international political and security integration did not prevent the negative act of Pristina's unilateral declaration of independence. He said that this has resulted in further deterioration of relations among the peoples in the Balkans.

"The consequence is permanently strained relations between Serbs and Albanians, which we want to overcome with the (Belgrade-Pristina) dialogue to which we are committed," Djuric said, adding that it was a fact that 16 years after the arrival of international forces to Kosovo and Metohija, there was an economic and political failure to govern there. According to the Serbian official, it is necessary to discuss new models of cooperation, "because shutting down, and creating new borders in Europe, whose nations have chosen to strive for greater cooperation, runs contrary to the principles of European integration."

 

Vucic, Grabar-Kitarovic, Thaci to be at same table (Tanjug)

The South-East European Cooperation Process member countries is being held in Dubrovnik today, which will be attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Croatia, which chairs the South-East European Cooperation Process, hosts a meeting to conclude its presidency of this regional initiative, and a day after the Dubrovnik Summit, the traditional Dubrovnik Forum is being held. The President of Serbia will speak in Dubrovnik with President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, after which he will attend the first plenary session of the South East Europe Cooperation Process.

The President of Croatia will give the introductory speech at this meeting, after which, Tanjug learned, the situation in the region will be spoken about first by President Vucic, and then his Slovenian colleague Borut Pahor, head of the Montenegrin state Filip Vujanovic, Kosovo President Hashim Thaqi, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov , Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Turgul Turkes.

President Vucic will also attend a gala dinner on the occasion of the Dubrovnik Forum, that will be addressed, as previously announced by the president of Serbia, Vucic and his Croatian colleague Grabar-Kitarovic.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member countries of the Process will also meet in Dubrovnik, while the head of Serbian diplomacy, Ivica Dacic, is also taking part. At the meeting, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the current situation in the region and the importance of regional cooperation for the stability of the entire region will be discussed.

 

Former PM Zivkovic announces pressing charges for unauthorized publishing of his personal information (Danas, VIP)

The leader of the opposition New Party (NS) and former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic announced that he would press charges against those responsible in Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry for delivering his personal information about his military service period and carrying weapons to the head of Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) caucus Aleksandar Martinovic.

At the Parliament, on Wednesday, Martinovic said that he requested of Nis military department information about why Zivkovic did not do his military service and how and when did he get a permit to carry weapons.

 

Zivkovic claimed that Martinovic thus breached the order of Criminal Law, which, as he specified, banned “unauthorized usage, publishing and misuse in any way personal information”. “This is my personal information and I can make them public and explain my medical treatment and carrying of weapons, but no one else should make it public”, Zivkovic said and stated that it was obvious that Martinovic received information from Nis police and military departments and this was – “breach of the law”. Zivkovic said that due to a traffic accident that occurred in 1983 he was proclaimed unable to do a military service and added that he got a license for carrying weapons in 1994 for his personal safety when he was a member of the Parliamentary Security Board and that the license was later renewed, also for his personal security.

 

Previously, Martinovic made a connection between military disabilities of Zivkovic and his license for carrying weapons and requested of Interior Ministry to once again investigate this case. Defense Minister forms a commission: Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic formed a commission that should determine if there was unauthorized delivery and misuse of information from military registry of MP from NS Zivkovic, regarding his military service, the Ministry announced. It was added that Minister Djordjevic was “familiar with the alleged unauthorized delivery of information from the official registry of Defense Ministry”. As it was stated in the announcement, the commission would be led by the head of Defense Administration of Human Resources Sector Colonel Dragan Kotlaric and the findings of the commission would be brought to the public.

 

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Data Protection Rodoljub Sabic ordered a monitoring procedure at Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry. He did it because personal data of some MPs from the official documentation of these Ministries were used in a Parliamentary discussion.

“The type of personal data and a way in which they were used emphasized that the officials from Defense Ministry almost certainly and Interior Ministry very probably, by putting personal information in their possession, for purposes defined by the law, at the disposal of the third, unauthorized party and thus did violations that could be penalized”, the Commissioner’s announcement stated. However, it was added, all circumstances stated that these were actions that represented a significantly more serious breach of the law than just a violation i.e. that this was a criminal activity, which could be penalized with up to three years of imprisonment.

“So it would be not just normal and logical, but also necessary, for such events, to cause an appropriate reaction from the public prosecution way before Commissioner’s”, Commissioner Sabic emphasized.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Constitutive peoples must have proportional representation in institutions (Srna)

Constitutive peoples and members of other ethnicities have to be proportionally represented in public institutions in the whole Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and this includes the representation of Serbs in the public bodies of the Federation of B&H, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) told Srna.

When asked by Srna to comment on the fact that the Federation of B&H institutions do not observe equal representation of constitutive peoples, Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Jonathan Moore said that the issue of employing civil servants and state employees in the institutions of the Federation of B&H is regulated by the entity’s Constitution, as well as a series of laws guaranteeing proportional representation of constitutive peoples and others.

“The OSCE Mission to B&H cooperates will all levels of government in B&H and urges everyone to adhere to the legal regulations and Constitution of the Federation of B&H,” Moore told Srna.

Nezavisne Novine daily recently reported that the majority of Federation of B&H ministries only have one Serb each working full time, while others do not have any, which goes contrary to the Federation of B&H Constitution and the Law on Ministries and Other Administrative Bodies in the Federation of B&H. The same source said that the Federation of B&H Ministry of Transport and Communications has 29 Bosniaks, 17 Croats and no Serbs out of the total of 46 employees. The same goes for the Ministry for Issues of Veterans and Disabled Veterans of the Defensive-Liberation War, which has no Serb employees among the total of 250.

Out of the 35 full-time employees, the Ministry of Spatial Planning employs only one Serb and the same situation is in the Ministry of Education and Science. The Ministry of Displaced Persons and Refugees has two full-time Serb employees and the Ministry of Health has four. The Federation of B&H Ministry of Justice has three full-time Serb employees, and the Ministry of Culture and Sport has five.

 

Covic: Bosniak side will attempt to divide Croat electorate (Nasa TV)

Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Dragan Covic told Nasa TV that the issue of changes of the electoral legislation must be resolved by end of this year. According to Covic, if the issue is not resolved, the Bosniak side in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) will again attempt to divide the Croat electorate with “intelligence and semi-intelligence games and political marketing”. He further noted he is convinced the Law on Elections of B&H will be changed before the 2018 general elections and that the Constitutional Court of B&H will decide on the request for protection of the Bosniak vital national interest in early July. Covic noted that the Bosniak side will keep using the right to elect Croat representatives, adding that “the next step is reorganization of B&H to their liking”. “As far as the election for the Presidency of B&H, it has been completely agreed with them. Regarding the House of Peoples, mechanism of how delegates from ten cantons are to be elected is yet to be agreed upon”, stated Covic adding that any proposal that allows that Croats, as well as Bosniaks and Serbs, elect their representatives is acceptable to the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS).

 

Regional leaders to discuss different projects at Trieste Summit (Dnevni avaz)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is planning to apply for ten projects at the upcoming Trieste Summit of six Western Balkans states and the EU scheduled to take place on July 12. Out of the ten projects, seven has been submitted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of B&H led by Ismir Jusko. Those projects include continuation of construction of the Corridor 5c highway, with B&H asking for the CEF funds.

B&H became eligible for the CEF funds after the Ministry adopted the Framework Transport Strategy last year. Daily noted that the Summit should results in many agreements, as Brussels wants to send a clear message to the Western Balkans that they are becoming more and more dedicated to this part of Europe.

Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn already expressed his support for establishment of a single economic space in the region. Daily noted that the Summit will be attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and several other commissioners, as well as the Delegation of Germany that is going to plan intensify implementation of its ‘Berlin Plus’ plan. German Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel stated recently that Berlin is going to extend and strengthen EU presence in the Western Balkans. Inset ‘European media are warning of instability’ – German Der Spiegel warned on Thursday of growing instability in the Western Balkans, explaining that the region is becoming more focused on nationalism and radicalism.

 

Mogherini announces that she and Stoltenberg might visit Western Balkans in autumn (RTRS)

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that the EU and NATO are cooperating when it comes to messages they are sending to the region of Western Balkans. Mogherini announced that she might visit Western Balkans in autumn, together with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “During my last visit to the region, I have met with six partners in the Western Balkans, and I have clearly communicated the message on behalf of (the NATO) Secretary-General to some of them as well”, Mogherini said prior to the NATO meeting in Brussels.

 

Croatia

 

Arbitration: Slovenia gets three-quarters of Piran Bay (24sata.hr)

Although Croatia has said it will not accept the decision, it is certain to have political and possibly legal consequences. The Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague has announced its decision in the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. Croatia decided two years ago to leave the proceedings, but the tribunal insisted that the proceedings will go on, reports 24sata.hr.

The Arbitration Tribunal for the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia has decided that the land border in Istria follows the Dragonja river and ends in the middle of the Channel of St. Odorik.

The Court has previously announced the decision that Sveta Gera peak belongs to the Croatian territory, but also announced that it has no jurisdiction to decide on the Croatian demand that Slovenian military complex located there should be removed from the Croatian territory.

As for the maritime border, the Tribunal considers that border must follow a line between the lines suggested by the two parties. Under the 1991 agreement, that line must connect the land border at the mouth of the Dragonja River to the point at the end of the gulf, which is three times closer to Croatia then to the Slovenian side. The Tribunal thinks that this should be the border. The border in the bay will, therefore, be a straight line connecting the land and the point in the bay.

“There is currently no location where the territorial sea of ​​Slovenia is directly connected to the open sea,” said the president of the tribunal.

“The Tribunal has the duty to determine the Slovenian junction with the international waters. The Tribunal ruled that the junction between the Slovenian territorial sea and the open sea is an area where ships enjoy the same rights from Slovenia as they enjoy at the open sea. The junction will be about 2.5 nautical miles wide and will be connected to the border.

The Tribunal finds that junction means a physical location between two or more areas, and in this case the Tribunal defines this word as a link between the territorial sea of ​​Slovenia and the territories outside the territorial seas of ​​Croatia and Italy. The Tribunal also considers that a junction may be regarded as a literally geographical line or area. The Tribunal grants to Slovenia the right to use part of Croatian territorial waters in order to have unimpeded access to international waters.

 

Croatian and Slovenian Prime Ministers agree not to make unilateral moves (CN, Hina)

The Prime Ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, Andrej Plenkovic and Miro Cerar, had a telephone conversation on June 29 about the decision of the Court of Arbitration in their countries' border dispute, and agreed not to take unilateral steps, the Croatian government has announced.

"They agreed not to take unilateral steps, and to continue the talks in Ljubljana on July 12, ahead of the meeting of the Berlin Process in Trieste on July 12 and 13," reads the statement on the conversation between the two Prime Ministers.

The Croatian statement reads that the meeting in Trieste on July 12 and 13 would be attended by the heads of state or government of Germany, France, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Austria and Great Britain, and of countries of South East Europe - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday the arbitration ruling in the border dispute with Slovenia, presented , was not binding in any way and that Croatia did not intend to apply its contents, calling on political parties in Croatia to keep a uniform stand and consensus on the representation of Croatian interests internationally.

Cerar told reporters in Ljubljana on June 29 that the court had made a "historic" decision for Slovenia to be given free access to the open seas from Croatia, through a corridor two and a half nautical miles wide. Earlier, it was decided for Slovenia to be given most of the Bay of Piran, or Bay of Savudrija.

"The ruling of the Court of Arbitration is final and legally binding for the two countries - Slovenia and Croatia. This decision represents a historic moment for Slovenia," the Slovenian prime minister said at the news conference in Ljubljana.

 

Montenegro

 

No initiative for NATO bases in Montenegro (RTCG)

Montenegrin defense minister Predrag Boskovic claims that there is no initiative to set up NATO bases in Montenegro. Just before the beginning of NATO meeting in Brussels, Boskovic said that, even if Montenegro asked for them, that is currently not in the alliance’s interest.

“As far as I am informed, there is absolutely no initiative to set up NATO bases in Montenegro. Even if Montenegro wanted to ask for such a thing at this moment, it would not be in NATO’s interest. Those are rather some other hot spots,” Boskovic told reporters on the eve of the NATO ministerial meeting. As he said, Montenegro has entered the alliance to be a credible partner and to jointly agree on all future activities by consensus.

“For the last 11 years we have been committed to comprehensive reforms, not only in the security sector, but related to overall development of Montenegrin society. What I expect is to show the unity of the alliance at meetings. It is important to reiterate our commitment to increasing the allocation for the defence sector and that the open door policy remains NATO’s policy, since it is the only way to have peace and stability in the Western Balkan region and beyond,” Boskovic added. He said that it was a great honor for Montenegro to be part of the 29 most developed countries of today adding that being NATO member is not an act against anybody, including Russia. Montenegro participates at the ministerial meeting as a NATO member for the first time.

 

fYROM

The SPO filed 17 indictments but the “Thaler” case will have to wait (Meta)

The Special Prosecutor’s Office filed 17 indictments for 18 cases, against 94 individuals and 7 legal entities, stated the chief Special Prosecutor, Katica Janeva, adding that solid evidence has been provided for all the cases. She noted that the time-frame for investigations and enquiries was not long enough for all the material to be investigated, especially considering that the SPO was established on September 15th, 2015, and has only been working for 10 months.

Janeva said that indictments were not filed for the cases “Thaler” and “Tabla”, while the cases “Target” and “Fortress” were merged into one case. She pointed out that due to the short deadline and the large workload for the “Thaler” case, no charges were filed, but that they will continue to work and expressed confidence that they will file charges in the case.

“The SPO will continue the investigation of the “Thaler” case for the illegal financing of a party. The deadlines that were given to us, do not allow us to undertake investigative action so that the investigative procedure can be completed”, said Janeva, adding that after investigating all the actions of the case, experts should determine the facts of the situation. When asked why the SPO did not open the “Monster” case, Janeva said that she expects the Council of Public Prosecutors to hand over the case to the them, so they can decide whether the SPO are responsible for the case.

“Due to lack of cooperation, we have not been able to continue work that is in our jurisdiction. There are many cases that may need to be opened. However, I determine the rhythm of the SPO. I did not decide to open “Skopje 2014”, where the rights of all citizens of Macedonia are at risk”, said Janeva.

She pointed out that July 1st does not mean an end to the work of the SPO, because the prosecutor’s mandate is five years and she emphasized that they will continue to work with the institutions on how to deal with these new cases. However, she expressed hope that Article 22 of the Law on the SPO will be terminated, which will limit the period as to when the SPO can open new investigations. Janeva stressed that all cases should be processed by some sort of urgent procedure and that there are more requests for custody, including a “leader of a political party” and added that the court will have to decide on these cases within 24 hours.

 

Gruevski: Aim is to break VMRO, to weaken Macedonia (MIA)

VMRO-DPMNE has been attacked as never before in Macedonia. The aim is to break VMRO and weaken Macedonia, but they will not succeed, said party leader Nikola Gruevski at Thursday's press conference. The statement comes after the Special Prosecutor's Office (SPO) decided to file 17 indictments in 18 cases against 94 individuals and seven legal entities, including members of the party leadership.

"Such classical political persecution has not occurred in the history of Macedonia, but also in Europe. Hundreds of individuals who are part of VMRO-DPMNE's bodies or their supporters are persecuted so that the party is destroyed or silenced", stressed Gruevski. He said the SPO is an instrument for political persecution and that is why all processes are directed against VMRO-DPMNE.

"This is a political, not legal process. SPO lost its impartiality and credibility long time ago, becoming an instrument for political persecution. SPO is not a prosecutor's office, it is a SDSM office. The biggest indicator that this is a political process is the fact that SPO takes decisions without any legal evidence. VMRO is the target, the aim is to break VMRO, its political elimination and putting it under control for higher goals of the ones who created this entire process", underlined Gruevski.

 

Albania

 

Vasili resigns as SMI head, proposes Monika Kryemadhi to take over (ATA)

Petrit Vasili has resigned Thursday as the SMI head, a request which he presented at the meeting of SMI leadership.

“I have decided to resign as the SMI head and have presented this resignation to the SMI leadership. I have decided to seek the direction of parliamentary group,” Vasili told a media briefing after the meeting of SMI leadership. Vasili proposed Monika Kryemadhi for the head of SMI describing her as a dynamic politician that has never been part of the Albanian executive before. Vasili went on saying: At the presidency meeting, I have proposed Luan Rama for Vice Chair of SMI and Erisa Xhixho for Deputy Chair of SMI. For all these decisions which require a political expression, I called the meeting of SMI Convention on July 5. Vasili took the opportunity to thank around 230 thousand voters of SMI who contributed to an incredible result of SMI voting with moral integrity.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

US Senate: Russia interfered with Montenegrin elections (Voice of America)

US Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that Russia interfered with elections in Montenegro, USA, France and Netherlands. The committee also concluded it would continue to do so and that one way of protection against such actions was strengthening cooperation between Europe and the USA. Timely caution prevented Russia from determining the final outcome of Montenegrin elections but also the planed incidents after the elections. This is something former Montenegrin ambassador to NATO and OSCE Vesko Garcevic talked about before the senators in more detail. Garcevic said that Russia was conducting anti-NATO policy, supported by Serbian nationalists. Garcevic assessed that Moscow had failed to exert influence in Montenegro but would “seek holes through other Balkan states” to influence it.

“The best way to deter such a move is EU and US activism and support for reforms in the Balkans. The EU and NATO doors must remain open,” he concluded. He also assessed imposing stricter sanctions against Russia that US Senate proposed as a good way to protect itself against interfering with democratic processes. Russia’s meddling is constant and systematic. It is conducted from a single center.

“Do you suspect that Putin himself was behind hacking?”, Richard Bur, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked the participants of the hearing.

There is no doubt that Russia influenced the US presidential elections through its hackers and false news, which was also concluded by the intelligence services. The current question is why then president Obama did not respond.

Nicholas Burns, a former diplomat and professor of international relations, said former president Barack Obama “should have acted earlier and more vigorously” against Russia. But he did take certain steps, Burns said adding that he found it “dismaying and objectionable that President Trump continues to deny the undeniable fact that Russia launched a major cyber-attack against the United States, regardless of what party he launched it against.” He suggested closer cooperation between intelligence services and treating Russia’s threats as permanent ones.

“Then, if the law is violated, those responsible must be prosecuted. And third, we need to connect with Europe and defend ourselves jointly. We are together in NATO, and this is a political alliance as much as it is a military one,” he said.

 

John McCain: Montenegro coup proves that Russia threat is serious (USA Today)

The most disturbing indication of Vladimir Putin’s violent ambitions is what happened in October 2016 in Montenegro, when Russian intelligence operatives plotted to overthrow the democratically elected government of Montenegro and murder its prime minister, US senator John McCain told USA Today. He added that Russia had viewed Montenegro’s pursuit of European Union and NATO membership as both insulting and threatening, particularly because Montenegro was once part of Russia’s traditional Slavic ally, Serbia.

“The country has long been a favorite for Russian tourists. Indeed, Russian politicians and oligarchs are reported to own as much as 40% of the real estate in Montenegro. Montenegro is also strategically located on the Adriatic Sea. Russia unsuccessfully sought a naval base in Montenegro a few years ago. But now, when Montenegro joined NATO, the entire Adriatic Sea would fall within NATO’s borders, which is one more reason for Russia’s anger,” he added. Montenegro’s election was a last chance to stop it from joining NATO and to reassert Russian influence in southeastern Europe. He said the American people must be aware of the state coup in Montenegro as well as allegations made in these indictments, which are now public.

“This heinous plot should be a warning to every American that we cannot treat Russia’s interference in our 2016 election as an isolated incident. We have to stop looking at this through the warped lens of politics and see this attack on our democracy for what it is: just one phase of Putin’s long-term campaign to weaken the United States, to destabilize Europe, to break the NATO alliance, to undermine confidence in Western values, and to erode any and all resistance to his dangerous view of the world,” McCain said.

“It won’t be long before Putin takes interest in another American election. The victim may be a Republican. It may be a Democrat. To Putin, it won’t matter as long as he achieves his dark and divisive goals,” he added. Russia attacked America’s 2016 election, attempted to interfere in France’s 2017 election, and is expected to do the same in German and other future European elections, he said.

 

Ousted Macedonian PM risks years behind bars (BIRN)

Former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski could spend up to 27 years in jail if found guilty in all five cases raised against him by the Special Prosecution.

The head of the right-wing VMRO DPMNE party and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski could face up to 27 years in jail if he is found guilty in all five cases for which he is indicted by the special prosecution, SJO. Before the SJO’s July 1 deadline to press charges expires, it indicted Gruevski in five cases codenamed “TNT”, “Titanic”, “Traektorija” [trajectory] “Tank” and one dubbed "Shamari" [slapping]. In the first case, codenamed “TNT”, the SJO has indicted Gruevski for “misuse of office”, for which the maximum sentence is three years in jail. In this case, he is suspected of ordering the demolition of a building that was being constructed by his former political ally, Fijat Canovski, as an act of political retaliation after Canovski’s small party, the Party for European Future, PEI, quit the former ruling coalition led by Gruevski.

The second case, codenamed “Titanic”, is far more complex and indicts Gruevski and other top-ranking VMRO DPMNE officials for allegedly masterminding electoral fraud in 2013. In this case, Gruevski is charged on three accounts: criminal association, for which he is faces a jail sentence from one to five years; misuse of assets during an election campaign, for which the lowest sentence is five years; violation of the freedom of voters, for which the minimum jail sentence is three years.

In the third case, codenamed, “Traektorija”, Gruevski is indicted for receiving an award for unlawful influence for which the law envisages a jail sentence of one to three years. In this case, the SJO has indicted Gruevski and several of his associates who are believed to have broken the Public Procurement Law by awarding a 570-million-euro contract to construct two highway stretches to a preferred Chinese construction company.

In the fourth case, “Tank”, Gruevski faces an identical indictment to that in “Traektorija”, which may add another one to three years of jail time, if he is found guilty. This case centers on the purchase of a 575,000 euro luxury limousine that was allegedly obtained to satisfy Gruevski’s personal wishes.

In addition, Gruevski is already on trial in a fifth case dubbed "Shamari" where he is accused of ordering an attack on an opposition mayor and his municipality HQ in 2013. He is indicted of enticement of a criminal act against public order for which the sentence is from six months to five years in jail. By adding the maximum jail sentences in all of these cases together, theoretically, could Gruevski face up to 27 years in jail. He also remains the main suspect in at least one other large and complex investigation that the SJO launched in May 22 under the codename “Talir” [silver coin]. In this, Gruevski and ten other VMRO DPMNE members are suspected of illegally financing the former ruling party through money laundering.

Chief Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva on Thursday said the SJO would not be raising indictments in this case for now, but would continue to investigate it.

“A one-month period was simply too little to investigate all suspicions in relation to this case, which took place over an eight-year period,” Janeva said. She expressed hope that, after the SJO deadline to raise indictments expires, the case would one way or another be eventually processed in court. This could happen either through parliament extending the SJO’s deadline or by the regular prosecution, which has no deadlines for pressing indictments, taking the case over.

After Thursdays' press conference at which the SJO launched charges against 94 people in relation to 17 cases, Gruevski - whose party was in power from 2006 until this May - countered that his party was under attack by anti-patriotic forces. “This is a classic political and anti-Macedonian construction”, aimed at taking down some 100 people from the VMRO DPMNE leadership, he told a press conference. “The historic responsibility of those who are now riding on a wave of euphoria and think this petty pleasure will last forever will soon be tested,” Gruevski added, saying that his party would also stop being a cooperative opposition.