LOCAL PRESS

 

Mikser: Pace of negotiations will continue to depend on progress in normalizing relations with Pristina; Hahn: Future focus primarily on rule of law and normalization of relations with Kosovo (RTS/Beta)

 

Serbian Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic presented Serbia at the Seventh Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels on Monday evening at which two negotiation chapters were opened: 6 - Company Law and 30 - Economic Relations with Foreign Countries.

Joksimovic spoke at a joint news briefing with European Commissioner for the Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser and assessed that this is good news, which will benefit both the economy and the citizens of Serbia. The opening of two new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession talks is positive news, although we are not entirely satisfied as we were ready to open at least three chapters, Joksimovic said in Brussels late Monday. This is a message that the door of the EU remains open for Serbia, Joksimovic said. She noted that it is important that the dynamics of the opening of negotiation chapters continued, which shows the stability of the reform processes in Serbia, which should be accelerated, as well as the European path, because of the promises made to citizens. Serbia needs to be trusted and there is no need to doubt its European orientation. The European path also has its ups and downs, but with a greater commitment from both Serbia and the EU, Serbia has a European future, Joksimovic said. She emphasized that it is important to send a message in a concrete way to all potential investors that Serbia is a stable country and that there is a good protection mechanism for all those who want to invest in it.

Hahn welcomed Serbia’s opening of two new Chapters - 6 and 30, and stressed that Serbia’s attention in the future must be focused primarily on the rule of law and on the normalization of relations with Kosovo. The opening of these chapters shows Serbia’s serious work and that the European perspective is solid and real, Hahn stated. He said that when it comes to the rule of law and the normalization of relations with Kosovo, Serbia’s greater work on this has been noticed, but the challenges still exist. Serbia must make progress with regard to the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, the media, the rights of national minorities, the fight against corruption and organized crime, including money laundering, Hahn said. According to him, the process of joining and opening the chapters cannot be achieved without an essentially tangible focus on the rule of law and dialogue with Pristina. He said that although Serbia had prepared itself for the opening of five chapters and opened only two, he is not dissatisfied with that, adding that the opening of other chapters is in preparation, and by that time special attention should be paid on the rule of law. Speed is important, but quality is more important. This is what counts, he stressed, adding that Chapters 6 and 30 were opened on the basis of the consensus of all. Hahn congratulated Serbia and the Serbian negotiating team on success and explained that companies will have the most benefit from the opening of these chapters, which can provide new jobs for the citizens of Serbia.

Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, from the country that holds the EU presidency, said that by opening two new chapters it is clearly shown that Serbia continues to progress in accession negotiations with the EU, but noted that the pace of negotiations will continue to depend on the progress in normalizing relations with Pristina. Mikser expressed the hope that the enlargement process will run smoothly and that Serbia will soon open new chapters – 9, 13 and 33 specifically. The challenge for Serbia, he said, is the progress that our country needs to achieve at the same time in the reforms in relation to Chapters 23 and 24, which are the most important when it comes to the rule of law. The speed of accession negotiations will also continue to depend on progress in normalizing relations with Kosovo, Mikser pointed out.

He also recalled that Bulgaria will soon take over the EU presidency and concluded that Chapter 9 on financial services, Chapter 13 on fisheries and Chapter 33 on financial and budgetary regulations will be within Serbia’s reach.

 

Vucic: Russia sanctions, Kosovo recognition would make us champions (RTS/B92)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is in Paris this Tuesday for the climate change summit.

Speaking for RTS, he commented on Monday’s opening of two new two chapters in Serbia’s EU membership negotiations. Vucic sees participation in the summit as an opportunity to meet with the French President who is at the moment one of the two most important political figures in Europe and is influential in the world. In addition to supporting the European path and increasingly better economic relations, France could have an impact in preserving peace and stability in the region. “Stability and peace would be much easier to preserve if we had the support of today’s strong, reputable France which has a growing influence in Europe and the world. President Macron enjoys a huge personal reputation across all meridians, and therefore I expect that today - and it has been agreed that we have a short meeting - that we will create conditions for Macron, as he himself said in his letter, to visit Serbia,” Vucic said. The President also addressed the chapters opened yesterday in Brussels. “Two chapters - two chapters, that they wanted to open, I thank them for it and that’s that,” said Vucic. He pointed out that he would have to look at the part concerning national minorities - they should point out which model from the region and which EU members they want Serbia to look up to. “And this thing about the judiciary, I repeat, they are quite right, I have no illusions and there we will have to work a lot to completely change what we have inherited, the political impact on the judiciary, the ineffective judiciary,” he said. He pointed out, however, that if tomorrow Serbia were to introduce sanctions against Russia and recognize Kosovo - it would become a champion in defending the rights of national minorities the same day, and an efficient and independent judiciary would flourish.

 

Decision to open two chapters political – EU (Tanjug)

 

The decision to open two rather than three new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession talks is a political decision by the EU member states, Tanjug learns in Brussels. The decision is aimed at supporting Serbia’s progress in European integration while pointing out the country can do better, especially in terms of judicial reforms and the anticorruption policy.

 

EP: EU needs to refocus on Western Balkans (Tanjug)

 

In its annual report on implementation of the common foreign and security policy, the European Parliament (EP) notes the need for the EU to once again place its strategic focus on the Western Balkans. The EU needs to continue with its ambitions in the region and thus give a new momentum to a credible EU enlargement policy, says the EP report, seen by Tanjug.

 

Kazakhstan firmly supports Serbia’s territorial integrity (B92)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic is on a one day working visit to Astana, where he met with his Kazakh counterpart Kairat Abdrakhmanov.  Dacic stressed that bilateral relations of the two countries are good and friendly, and that Kazakhstan is one of the most important foreign political partners of Serbia, and recalled that Kazakhstan firmly supports Serbia when it comes to our territorial integrity and sovereignty, and it is most important for us that Kazakhstan remains firmly in that position and continues to support Serbia. On the other hand, Serbia will fully support Kazakhstan, and expressed satisfaction that Kazakhstan is currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which is very significant for Serbia in this period, he stressed

 

LDP: Оpening of chapters positive, Kosovo becoming an increasing burden (Tanjug)

 

The opening of two new chapters on Serbia’s EU accession path represents a positive step towards full-fledged EU membership, the leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) Cedomir Jovanovic assessed, noting that it is clear that the open Kosovo problem poses an increasing burden for our country. He says that the message we had received in Brussels speaks that, even though two chapters were opened, there is dissatisfaction with relations that reign between Belgrade and Pristina, which is a result of a standstill in the negotiations and lack of concrete solutions.

 

Internal dialogue, open trade issues between Belgrade and Pristina (RTS/Tanjug)

 

The meeting with representatives of 90 companies within the fourth round of the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija was held today in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The Chair of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Cadez reminded of the importance of holding meetings of business people, members of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce with members of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce. “We have achieved results in resolving various problems when it comes to customs; we have resolved problems of flow of goods, but there are a series of open issues and matters that we see on the ground on a daily basis,” said Cadez while opening the gathering. Business people reminded that a 420 million Euro-surplus was achieved in the Belgrade-Pristina trade exchange, and that 90 percent of exports to Kosovo is covered by Serbian companies, but that much more needs to be done, primarily in simplifying customs procedures and amending different regulations for exporting goods to the territory of Kosovo. He reminded that the Serbian and Kosovo Chambers of Commerce, under the auspices of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce, started official meetings back in mid-2013, which were aimed at resolving issues of interests of the business community, valorization of economic potentials and interests of the population.

Today’s gathering was also attended by the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric, General Secretary of the President Nikola Selakovic, the Head of the Office for Coordination Affairs in the negotiating process with the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina Dragan Vladisavljevic, and the Secretary of the government Working group for offering support in conducting the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija Radomir Ilic.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Military Attaché of B&H Embassy to Netherlands Enes Jahic arrested for war crimes against Serb civilians (TV1)

 

Colonel Enes Jahic, Military Attaché of the B&H Embassy to the Netherlands, was arrested while crossing the border of B&H on Monday. He was handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H. Jahic is a former commander of the Special Unit of Konjic Police and he is a suspect in the ‘Bradina’ case which deals with war crimes against Serb civilians in Konjic. The Prosecutor’s Office of B&H confirmed that Jahic was interrogated and that an acting prosecutor will propose restrictive measures to be imposed against Jahic. Jahic, as well as 13 other persons arrested last week, are suspected of crimes committed against Serbs in the municipality of Konjic.

 

Dodik: Huge mistrust in Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik stated that Serbs have huge mistrust towards Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H, because these artificial institutions were created in order to try the RS and Serbs. Commenting the announcement that Prosecutor’s Office of B&H could demand abolition of acquitting verdict to Commander of B&H Army Naser Oric, because it is based on nonexistent evidence, Dodik said that he is talking about Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H, trying to dispute illegal activities. “All these previous years, I have been talking about Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in attempt to dispute their behavior and illegal activities, which are best proved by publically presented evidence on abuse of witnesses and procedures”, said Dodik. Dodik said that in the mentioned case, judges’ council was created in a way that it was inevitable to acquit Oric, because this is “about camouflaged story of two Serbs- from Sarajevo and Tuzla and military judge who was imprisoning Serbs in prison camps in Sarajevo”. He stated that the fact that Prosecutor’s Office of B&H is now trying to open certain issues, more than 20 years ago, sows that this process was extorted and that their job about trying to Serbs is done. “To try someone in the RS and acquit Naser Oric in this same court, speaks about inability of trust among Serbs into such court and the fact that it needs to be abolished”, said Dodik.

 

Commission to overcome problems between two political blocs in the RS falls apart (BNTV)

 

Addressing a press conference, representatives of the Alliance for Changes (SzP) stressed that the commission tasked to solve the problems among the ruling and opposition parties in Republika Srpska (RS) no longer exists, as far as SzP is concerned. They explained that the commission has not convened for 14 days now, reminding that the opposition has already submitted its proposal of an agreement between the two blocs, while the ruling coalition has not proposed anything. According to SDS’ Aleksandra Pandurevic, this proves that the ruling coalition does not want to solve problems. “Over the past 11 to 12 years, they have only produced problems, instead of solving them. It is obvious that they still want to keep all institutions of the RS a hostage of their narrow political interests. They want the RS National Assembly to be the hostage of a single man, which was proven by the example of the decision on a referendum on the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office”, Pandurevic argued.

PDP’s Perica Bundalo assessed that the ruling parties do not want an agreement with the opposition; instead, they obviously want further anarchy and chaos in the RSNA. “The same things will happen all over again tomorrow, as the documents of crucial importance for the RS are once again being proposed in urgent procedure, which violates the rules of procedure, the law on the budget and the Constitution”, Bundalo explained.

NDP’s Vojislav Glisic assessed that there are three options – to leave the session of the RSNA, to obstruct the work of the RSNA or to behave as if nothing has happened.

Meanwhile, representatives of SNSD replied that they are also preparing a proposal of an agreement with the opposition, which mostly refers to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They intend to insist that no decision that concerns the RS can be made without consent from the RS.

 

Working group for preserving national identity of Serb people discusses Agreement on Special Parallel Relations of RS and Serbia (RTRS)

 

The working group for development and preservation of national identity of Serb people held a consultative meeting in Banja Luka on Monday. The working group discussed the Proposal of Annex I of the Agreement on Special Parallel Relations between Republika Srpska (RS) and Serbia. It was emphasized that with this agreement the RS and Serbia are striving to provide their “state bodies, institutions and organizations” with the means to enable material, social and political conditions for successful development, preservation and fostering of culture and national identity of Serb people.

 

FUP arrests Abdic and four more people suspected of murder of HVO General Vlado Santic (FTV)

 

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegobina Police Administration (FUP) arrested former Commander of the 502^nd Knights’ Brigade of the 5^th Corps of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina B&H Army Hamdija Abdic a.k.a. Tigar and four other persons from Bihac and Cazin on Monday morning. Abdic is currently SDA delegate in the Bihac City Council.

Spokesperson for the Una Sana Canton (USC) Prosecutor’s Office Senka Delic stated that Abdic and others are suspected of murder of former Commander of the Main Staff of the HVO in Bihac Vlado Santic in Bihac in the night between March 8 and March 9, 1995. The investigation on Santic’s death was launched in 1995 and again during 2006. FUP also arrested Dedo Karabegovic, Ramiz Bajramovic, Enver Keranovic and Jasmir Topal.

FUP arrested in Konjic on Monday two more persons with, who are charged with killing a person of Serb ethnicity in capacity of members of the Territorial Defense of Army of B&H. The arrestees will be processed at the FUP and handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton for further processing.

 

B&H Prosecutor’s Office to request court to abolish acquitting verdict in Oric case? (RTRS)

 

RTRS learns from sources close to the investigation that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office will request annulling of the acquittal of wartime (RB&H Army) commander in Srebrenica Naser Oric and his comrade Sabahudin Muhic, charged with killing three Serb prisoners of war (PoWs) in villages around Srebrenica. Two months after the first-instance acquitting verdict was rendered, the Court of B&H published its written copy on Monday. According to RTRS, the written copy violates the Law on Criminal Procedure of B&H and represents an attempt to cover up parts of the original verdict as the copy is different than the verdict read by presiding judge of the trial chamber in the Court of B&H Saban Maksumic in October. The Law on Criminal Procedure of B&H stipulates that the version read in the courtroom and the copy must be identical. The copy of the verdict in complex cases is normally published within 15 or no more than 30 days. Attorney Miodrag Stojanovic assessed for RTRS that there is obviously room for a serious appeal in this case, both due to procedural and formal reasons. Stojanovic expressed belief that the acting prosecutor will emphasize procedural and formal omissions in the appeal so that the appeals chamber can decide if this could lead to annulling of the acquittal. Attorney and former judge of B&H Constitutional Court (CC) Krstan Simic said it is unprecedented to have different versions of the verdict that was read in the courtroom and the published written copy.”That represents significant violation of provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure of B&H,” Simic warned. RTRS reporter deems that Oric and Muhic were acquitted based on non-existent evidence, and she wondered if Maksumic “as the presiding judge with suspicious Sarajevo wartime past”, took the additional time to “come up with Oric’s innocence”.

 

Dodik and Covic meet in Banja Luka to discuss current political situation in B&H and region (TV1)

 

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik met with Chairman of B&H Presidency Dragan Covic in Banja Luka on Monday. According to a press release issued by Dodik's Cabinet, Dodik and Covic discussed the current political situation in B&H and the region.

 

Croatia expects Slovenia and Hungary to stop blocking its OECD bid (T portal)

 

Croatia expects both Slovenia and Hungary to respect the decision for EU member states to support each other on their way to membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday in Paris.

“The principle is that we all should all support each other. There is a platform, a very clear political decision, and I expect that both Slovenia and Hungary will respect this decision of the EU and support Croatia on its way to the OECD membership, because this is ultimately in their interest as well, due to our mutual economic relations, trade exchange and strengthening of Croatia’s position in financial and other international organizations dealing with the economy,” said Plenkovic after talks with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria at the organization's headquarters in Paris. Slovenia and Hungary have announced they will block the Croatian bid, Slovenia due to Croatia’s refusal to recognize the border arbitration decision, and Hungary due to issues related to relations between INA and Mol, Croatian and Hungarian oil companies.

The OECD currently has 35 member states which are the most economically developed countries in the world. The organization was founded in early 1960 by 18 European countries, Canada and the United States, as an heir of an organization formed within the framework of the 1948 Marshall Plan, whose primary goal was the post-war reconstruction of Europe. In the meantime, the organization has expanded to current 35 member states. The decision on enlargement is made by the OECD Council, which consists of ambassadors of member states.

Plenkovic pointed out that Croatia wanted the OECD to help it in economic and structural reforms because it is an organization which has essential expertise in the field of economy, finance, fight against corruption, public procurement, tax policy and everything that can help Croatia implement its national reform program. “We expect that the ambitions of six countries which want to join the organization will be debated in the coming weeks at the OECD Council level. We expect that, in the process that will last for the next year and a half, we will intensify our dialogue and the accession of Croatia to various international legal documents which the OECD has, and thus gradually proceed towards membership. The position of the Secretary-General is very positive towards Croatia, and we will continue this dialogue in 2018,” Plenkovic said.

 

Commemoration held for Praljak (Novi list)

 

Numerous friends, war comrades, retired generals, politicians and other prominent public figures gathered on Monday afternoon in Zagreb for the commemoration for Slobodan Praljak, who committed suicide after the Hague Tribunal confirmed his 20-year sentence for war crimes against Muslims during the Croat-Bosniak conflict in B&H from 1993 to 1994. “Slobodan Praljak was a man full of life who did not hide his patriotism. He was an example to us until the very last moment of his life. He was a general who defended the homeland and honor of the army on whose head he stood,” said Pavao Miljavac, the president of the Croatian Generals’ Assembly, which organized the event. “Unfortunately, the trial in The Hague was not a fair fight. In such circumstances, he opted for an incredible act, worthy only of historically bravest military leaders and Croatian knights. He dismissed charges against himself to protect the honor of the people he commanded. He was not afraid to die. He took his own life in front of astonished eyes of those who cold-bloodedly did injustice to him, thinking there was no way he could defeat them, but they were wrong,” Miljavac said. “He fell for the defence of the beloved country as a warrior, soldier and general, until his very last breath. Croatia will never be able to repay the debt he has given it,” concluded Miljavac. HDZ MP Miroslav Tudjman, a son of former President Franjo Tudjman, stated that “Slobodan Praljak did not want to live a single minute as a war criminal, because he was not one.” “His final act in the Hague courtroom was not a theatrical gesture or a flight from responsibility for his acts, nor a gesture of cowardice in fear of the conviction, nor a desperate move to escape punishment. His message was crystal clear: Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject your verdict,” Tudjman said. Tudjman said that Praljak rejected the verdict because it had not confirmed the historical truth and the historical facts about the conflict between Muslims and Croats in central Bosnia. He rejected the wrongful decision with contempt. The verdict against him was an insult to any justice. It is the theatre of the absurd” Tudjman said. The verdict was a programmed manipulation by global powers and a self-deception of the international community which wrongly believed that the conviction of the political and military leaders of Croats in B&H on the basis of false truths would bring reconciliation, Tudjman concluded. The commemoration ended with a performance of the Croatian national anthem. It was attended by Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Deputy HDZ President MilijanBrkic, former speakers of parliament Vladimir Seks and Luka Bebic, convicted war criminals Dario Kordic and Mirko Norac, and many others.

 

Serbian file on attempted terrorism was created long before 16 October (Pobjeda)

 

DPS leader Milo Djukanovic said that Montenegro never made any hasty move to harm the traditional good relations with Russia and that their deterioration was caused by turmoil at the global scene. “During the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Moscow showed its friendship to Montenegro through humanitarian aid and in other ways. It was particularly emphasized during the preparations for Montenegro’s independence restoration. President VladimirPutin and I talked about that very openly and Russia was one the first countries to recognize Montenegro’s independence,” Djukanovic said. He also said that he duly informed Russian president about Montenegro’s intention to engage in Euro-Atlantic integrations. Putin asked if that was really necessary for Montenegro. Djukanovic justified it with the necessity of establishing stability throughout the Balkans. Commenting on the statements of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov that he owes something to Russia, Djukanovic was clear – he owes nothing to it. “Moscow apparently expected that I would give up my state for the sake of Russia’s interests and to bring Montenegro in that direction. My ‘debt’ to Russia is that I did not betray Montenegro,” Djukanovic said. Djukanovic said he regretted Lavrov believed at all that Montenegrin membership in NATO was a repayment of the debt to the West. “I repeat: I do not have debts either in the West or in the East! Russia and Brussels and Washington know that very well,” Djukanovic said. He also claimed that Serbian security agencies had detailed files on the plan for executing terrorist activities in Montenegro dating back to long before 16 October last year. He said that he documents contain credible information on all participants in the plans, from Serbia, Montenegro and Russia, with names.

 

This is why DF returns to parliament (CDM)

 

They were hesitating for a year and eventually decided – Democratic Front (DF) members will return to what they called Sindja’s Parliament (a reference to the cooperative witness in the coup case trial Sasa Sindjelic). Thus they will definitely end the Parliament boycott break “opposition unity”. As DF representatives said, their colleagues from the civic opposition forced them to make such a decision since most of those parties refuse to sit at the same table with DF and to discuss further joint actions. DF sent them a letter and threatened – either talks or its MPs will return to parliament. “They remain silent after all our calls – both public and private,” said DF leader Andrija Mandic at the press conference. That is why the political alliance will return to parliament in full capacity. “They did not accept our offer. We are opening a new front – the front in the parliament. Only boycotting is not enough for the authorities to respect European standards. If someone from the opposition wants to protest, we encourage them to do it,” Mandic said. He also pointed out that the civic opposition immediately rushed to talk to PM Dusko Markovic while refusing talks with DF. “We will do our best in parliament. We want to avoid the isolation that the opposition and Dusko Markovic intended for us. We act in accordance with the interests of the people we represent… Thanks for what they did wrong. Our caucus will be in Parliament at the next sitting. Our MPs will discuss everyday life issues. Whenever they want to join us we can protest,” Mandic said. As he said he hopes that the EU will also understand the DF’s decision to return to parliament.

 

Civic opposition ready for protests (CDM)

 

Meeting of the civic opposition will be held by the end of the week, and possible protests will be on the agenda. URA Civic Movement leader Dritan Abazovic will host the meeting.

As CDM learns, URA, DEMOS, the Democrats, SDP and SNP, will consider organizing protests, because it is becoming increasingly clear that the boycott does not give the desired results. “Due to the situation in the country and the atmosphere in which local elections were held, it is realistic to consider the option of protest. We are ready for this step,” CDM’s source from the civic opposition said. In addition to the protests, the presidential election will also be on the agenda. The opposition will try to harmonize attitudes on this issue, since they were not able to agree on this topic at the last meeting. The option of boycotting the election is not ruled out either. Recent local elections will also be discussed at the meeting, as well as the opposition’s actions in the upcoming elections, with a special focus on Podgorica.

 

Rogozin sent party colleagues to support Knezevic and Mandic (Pobjeda)

 

A delegation of the Russian Rodina party, which is founded by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, arrived to Podgorica to give support to DF leaders Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, Pobjeda learns. The delegation of Rodina, a member of Russia’s ruling coalition, consists of its high-ranking officials: Fyodor Biryukov, the chief ideologist of the party and the chairman of its political council, Aleksey Rileev, a member of the party’s executive committee, and Vladimir Laktushin, the president of the party’s youth.

The Democratic People’s Party (DNP) media centre confirmed to Pobjeda that the Rodina delegation is coming to Podgorica to support DF leaders at the coup case trial. The party explained that the Russian delegation was coming as DNP’s friend, since they have signed an agreement on mutual cooperation in 2016. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, when the Russian delegation members will explain the reasons for their visit to Montenegrin public.

 

Russia tries to destabilize the Western Balkans using misinformation (CDM)

 

Russia is trying to destabilize the Western Balkans and undermine democratic efforts and progress of countries in the region by using misinformation, the president of the Atlantic Council Savo Kentera said. As he added, it is to be expected that the country will continue to position itself as a geopolitical opponent to Western democracies. At the opening of the Winter Security Conference, Kentera said that democracies around the world were attacked, not by traditional weapons, but by deliberately releasing false information, which is a serious threat to democracy. According to him, the freedom of the media, speech and information has become a means of combating them. If media in a democracy are considered biased or aligned with special interests then, as Kentera said, the foundation of the democratic system becomes meaningless.

He called to mind that last year Russia was meddling in the presidential election in the US and thus attacked the integrity of the US democratic system. He added that the same thing later happened in Montenegro. Moscow’s goal, according to Kentera, is nothing but discrediting democratic governance and the existing international system. In the case of Russia, as he added, disinformation is one of the instruments for implementing strategic foreign policy interests, strengthening of Russia’s international position and protection of Russian economic interests.

Defense Minister Pregrag Boskovic said that the development of information and telecommunication technologies significantly shifted the nature of contemporary conflicts. He said that the information became a key tool for modern warfare. He added that awareness must be raised about these challenges because the possible consequences can be very dangerous in the long run. According to him, governments must be cautious when dealing with these issues and by interfering with foreign factions trying to undermine national policies and foreign policy goals. US Ambassador to Montenegro, Margaret Ann Uyehara, said Montenegro’s membership in NATO led to three positive results. “It confirms the policy of NATO’s open doors, fosters security and stability of the region, and emphasises the benefits of reforms, in particular the rule of law and good governance,” Uyehara said.

 

Boskovic: Montenegro supports B&H on its NATO path (CDM)

 

Montenegro appreciates B&H commitment to the values ​​of NATO and the country can count on Montenegro’s support on its path, defense minister Predrag Boskovic said at a meeting with his B&H counterpart Marina Pendes. Pendes thanked for the support Montenegro provided to B&H through the exchange of acquired knowledge and experience. The ministers emphasized the mutual interest in strengthening cooperation in the field of defense. They also pointed out the importance of joint use of the capacity of the Regional Training Centre for the helicopter pilots of the Montenegro Armed Forces and the Training Center for Peace Support Operations in Sarajevo. Boskovic also met with the commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Robert Huston. On this occasion, the minister emphasized the importance of support provided by NATO Headquarters to B&H. He said that it was important for the countries of the region to decisively move towards lasting peace and stability under the aegis of the system of collective security.

 

Thaci sees Montenegro’s accession to NATO as the best news this year (N1)

 

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci says Montenegro’s accession to NATO is one of the best news this year. “Now there are two NATO member states among Kosovo’s neighbors – Albania and Montenegro,” Thaci said. Kosovo is interested in joining the alliance as well, said Thaci.

“We still have some stages before the accession, beginning with the transformation of our security forces into multi-ethnic military forces. We should also work on becoming a part of the Partnership for Peace and on preparing Kosovo to become a member of the Euro-Atlantic alliance,” he said, adding that the ending NATO enlargement in the Western Balkans is the best guarantee of disabling old pretensions. Thaci also said he expected Serbia to finally recognize the reality of Kosovo’s independence.

 

Zaev: Talks have not reached stage of new names (Republika)

 

We have not reached a stage to talk about new names, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Tuesday regarding reports by Greek media over name proposal “New Macedonia”. “This is probably a proposal by media, we have not reached a stage to discuss new names. We believe that current talks will focus on the wish by both parties to go into the essence of the problem that Greece has with our constitutional name, Zaev told reporters at a joint press conference with Kosovo counterpart Ramush Haradinaj. He expressed hope that the mutual wish of both sides to reach a solution would be confirmed under the mediation of UN envoy Matthew Nimetz. “We have confirmed this and our negotiator has received such instructions. I hope the meeting will end positively so that we can further elaborate on possible solutions to the problem,” added Zaev. Greek TV station Star reported Monday that “New Macedonia” is the proposal to be discussed at the meeting of United Nations envoy Matthew Nimetz with the representatives of Macedonia and Greece in Brussels.

 

Zaev-Haradinaj: Diva Naselba will not affect Skopje-Pristina relations (MIA)

 

Macedonia and Kosovo foster good cooperation and are continually enhancing relations. The Diva Naselba case is a sensitive issue that should not affect bilateral relations, agreed Macedonian and Kosovo Prime Ministers, Zoran Zaev and Ramush Haradinaj respectively, at a joint press conference in Pristina on Tuesday. Both confirmed that talks also tackled the Diva Naselba case. "This issue should not affect our relations. Several police officers were killed in the incident and an international investigation will be carried out in order to come to the truth", said Zaev. Macedonia and Kosovo have positive and constructive bilateral relations and cooperation at all levels, with no open issues. The Kosovo visit is an opportunity for enhancement of relations, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. The Macedonian delegation also includes Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, Minister of Transport and Communications Goran Sugareski, Culture Minister Robert Alagjozovski, and Minister for Diaspora Edmond Ademi. This is the first official visit of a Macedonian Prime Minister to the Republic of Kosovo.

 

Ahmeti meets Palmer (MIA)

 

Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) leader Ali Ahmeti and US State Department Director for South Central European Affairs Matthew Palmer discussed Monday in Skopje about Macedonia's systemic reforms, rule of law, neighborly relations, the EU/NATO integration processes and political developments in the country and the region. The meeting was also attended by US Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily, DUI said in a press release.

Macedonia's accession to NATO is a priority and DUI has been doing its best to that effect, Ahmeti told Palmer and Baily.

 

Macedonia - NATO DPRC meeting in Brussels (MIA)

 

Macedonia and NATO Deputy Permanent Representatives Committee (DPRC) held a regular meeting Monday in Brussels, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said Monday in a press release. Macedonia's delegation, led by State Secretary at the MoFA Viktor Dimovski, also included the State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense, Dragan Nikolic, and National NATO Coordinator Stevo Pendarovski, presented the Annual National Program for NATO Membership 2017-2018, which actually kicks-off the 18th cycle of the Membership Action Plan (MAP). Dimovski reaffirmed the national support of and political consensus on NATO membership as the top priority of Macedonia's foreign policy. The reforms at home, the foreign policy activities and intensified relations with NATO are part of the government's agenda and the 3-6-9 plan, which will enable the country to become the 30th full-fledged member of the Alliance, he said. In favor of realizing its national interests, Macedonia will keep exploiting all possibilities for active, all-inclusive cooperation in the sphere of defense with its neighbors, countries in the region and partner-states, Nikolic said. At the meeting, chaired by NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy James Appathurai, members of the NATO DPRC qualified Macedonia's Annual National Program for NATO Membership 2017-2018 as a comprehensive document, which clearly presents the new government's reform plan, indicating that Macedonia is again on the right track to an accelerated accession to NATO.

 

Meta hosts Vujanovic (ADN)

 

Albanian President Ilir Meta was host to the Montenegrin counterpart Filip Vujanovic during his official visit to Albania on Monday. They emphasized the need to further enhance bilateral relations between two countries in the interests of safety increase in the Western Balkans.

“In spite of the fact that two countries relations are very good of course we are ambitious to further improve them. The Murriqan-Sukobine joint border-crossing point is a clear example of this excellent cooperation. However, there is room for improvement in infrastructure, to further facilitate the passage of citizens and tourists, as exchanges are growing tremendously and will grow even more with improving common infrastructure. We are also very pleased with the decisive and clear role played by Albanians in Montenegro in all the challenges related to the Montenegro’s Euro-Atlantic integration. We also believe that by further strengthening cooperation with the institutions of Montenegro they will be able to make forward steps in the aspect of their rights and the living conditions improvement,” said President Meta addressing to his interlocutor.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Brussels is back into the Balkans, if selectively (Politico, by Harry Cooper, 11 December 2017)

 

The EU picks favorites to join the club, angering the jilted.

The European Union wants to show it still cares about the Balkans, but not everyone is feeling the love. Brussels has been accused for years of not paying enough attention to the six Western Balkan countries that want to join the bloc. After taking office in 2014, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared the EU would not take in any new members during his five-year term. In recent months, though, the EU has rediscovered an interest in the Balkans, after becoming alarmed by attempts from Russia to exert influence there and by deteriorating relations between some countries in a region that was engulfed in war just a couple of decades ago. Officials from Serbia and Montenegro will be in Brussels on Monday to discuss their path to the EU. EU leaders have begun sending signals that the path to Brussels is still open. Juncker, in his State of the Union address in September, and French President Emmanuel Macron, in his big speech setting out his vision for the future of Europe, both stressed that the bloc has to be open to new members from the Western Balkans. Juncker and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani are expected to visit the region early next year, according to spokespeople for both leaders. And Bulgaria has said it wants to make helping Western Balkan countries move toward membership a priority of its six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, which starts in January. Brussels does not envisage all six Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — joining the EU at the same time, if ever. Instead, the Commission has named Serbia and Montenegro “frontrunners” and aims to have them as members by 2025, if not sooner. Both countries are expected to open new chapters in their membership negotiations in Brussels on Monday. The focus on these two countries has triggered alarm, confusion and anger among countries not included in the leading group. Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj suggested Serbia was getting preferential treatment because it had played up the possibility of moving closer to its traditional ally, Russia. “Belgrade has benefited a lot from playing the card of the alternative — and that’s Moscow, Russia … The message towards our region should be a clear one, not with double standards,” Haradinaj said in an interview during a recent visit to Brussels. Haradinaj, who said his government hoped to submit an application for EU membership in the second half of next year, declared that all Western Balkan countries should join the bloc at the same time. Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaçi has suggested the “frontrunner” strategy could be Islamophobic as it puts countries with substantial Muslim populations lower in the pecking order than two predominantly Orthodox Christian states. Other countries have been less critical but made clear the new strategy, at the very least, led to confusion. Janina Suela, Albania’s ambassador to the EU, said Juncker’s signal to the region in his State of the Union speech was “very much appreciated” but the accompanying letter setting out the frontrunner strategy “caused some concerns.” “Seeing these two documents, we asked ‘What is this about?’ What we needed was clarification,” she said. The Commission says that identifying Serbia and Montenegro as frontrunners simply reflects the fact they are the only two of the six countries to have started membership negotiations. But regional diplomats are concerned that the duo will now get the lion’s share of Brussels’ attention. The Commission’s work program for the coming year promises a strategy “for the EU accession of Serbia and Montenegro” but does not even mention the other Western Balkan aspirants. “We don’t have a problem with mentioning these two countries that have already opened negotiations. We’ll have a problem if the strategy will be concentrated only on these two countries,” Suela said. The plan even irritated one of the designated frontrunners, Montenegro. The nation of some 620,000 people sees itself far ahead of Serbia on the path to the EU and does not like the suggestion that it may have to wait for its larger neighbor to catch up. “We are in the process much longer than them and we are nearly closing the [negotiating] chapters when they are just beginning,” said Bojan Šarkić, Montenegro’s ambassador to the EU. Montenegrin officials even dislike Serbia being named first when the two countries are mentioned as frontrunners, feeling that this implies Belgrade is at the head of the queue. “Montenegro is the frontrunner,” Foreign Minister Andrija Pejović declared bluntly.

 

‘Positive competition’

Defending the EU strategy, Johannes Hahn, the European commissioner responsible for enlargement, said it stimulated a healthy rivalry among countries to carry out the reforms necessary to join the EU. “What we have is a kind of positive competition amongst them, they’re looking jealously on each other,” he told POLITICO. The Commission is also getting ready to recommend the start of accession talks with Albania and possibly Macedonia in the first half of next year, according to Hahn, although he said this would only happen if he could be sure EU governments would receive the proposals positively. EU leaders who favor enlargement argue that bringing the Western Balkan countries into the fold is in the bloc’s own interests. The six countries are surrounded by EU members to their north, west and east. The 2015 refugee crisis, during which hundreds of thousands of migrants made their way to Western Europe via the Western Balkan route, demonstrated the region’s importance to the stability of the EU.

If the Western Balkan countries adopt reforms to join the EU, the theory goes, those countries themselves will become more prosperous, more stable and more closely aligned with the EU’s interests. “If we do not somehow embrace these countries, they will feel abandoned by the EU and they will seek other allies,” said Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, whose country was the first former Yugoslav republic to join the bloc, in 2004. In his Sorbonne speech on Europe, French President Macron warned Western Balkan countries would turn toward Russia or Turkey, “or towards authoritarian powers that today do not defend our values” if they do not have a clear perspective of EU membership. Although China and the Gulf states have also become increasingly active economically in the region, it is the role of Russia that has EU governments most alarmed — even as Moscow insists it is not destabilizing the Balkans. Montenegro has accused Russian agents of being behind a failed coup last year — a claim senior Western officials believe is credible. Russia has also donated MiG fighter jets to Serbia and encouraged the separatist ambitions of the Serb region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Yet EU officials acknowledge it is hard to win support among the public for bringing relatively poor countries with a recent history of war and instability into the bloc, especially with right-wing populism still a force to be reckoned with. To many Europeans in older member countries who have struggled to absorb immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, the idea of more migration from east to west is unwelcome. “It’s not easy to sell new membership to voters in Germany,” said David McAllister, a German MEP from Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats who chairs the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. “But you can win the argument if you deliver concrete reasons why this is beneficial, not only for the country joining the EU but also to the EU in general.”

 

Welcome change

For regional governments keen to move closer to the EU, the renewed focus from Brussels is very welcome. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said “it was a very different atmosphere” back in 2014 when Juncker said the EU needed “to take a break from enlargement.” Brnabić said she could “completely understand why [the enlargement agenda] was left aside a little bit,” and argued Serbia had used that period to prove its commitment to EU accession. But officials and analysts are divided over whether Juncker’s statement was a good idea. Regional governments had less reason to adopt EU standards in areas such as fighting corruption or defending media freedom if they were not going to be joining the bloc any time soon. Macedonia, for example, became increasingly authoritarian under longtime leader Nikola Gruevski and tension between his government and its opponents led to violence in the parliament earlier this year. Gruevski eventually stood down and a coalition of Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties took charge. “We had been kept in the waiting room for several years with the doors locked … Probably to some extent this influenced the negative dynamic in the country,” said Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonia’s foreign minister. He did not lay the blame entirely on the EU, saying he didn’t “want to justify our own shortcomings.” Despite the new mood of openness toward enlargement, the challenges to bringing any of the Western Balkan six into the EU are formidable. Some are unique to each country, some apply to all of them. Macedonia’s biggest problem when it comes to getting closer to the EU — and NATO — is as fundamental as its name. Greece, which has a northern province of the same name, has blocked Macedonia starting accession talks, first recommended by the Commission back in 2009, because it believes the country’s name applies a claim on its territory and heritage. A common problem across the region is the strength of organized crime and its close links to a political elite, in which corruption is widespread. “The leaders are thoroughly corrupt and have an incentive not to go down the EU track,” said Fredrik Wesslau, a senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations. Wesslau said the EU had “a massive credibility problem” in the region, with a strong sense that it “doesn’t really care that much.” Support for EU membership is weak in a number of Western Balkan countries — most of all, ironically, in “frontrunner” Serbia, where only 26 percent of people think it would be a good thing, according to the latest annual Balkan Barometer survey. Serbia has also faced obstacles in the course of its membership talks from Croatia, its wartime foe from the 1990s and an EU member since 2013. Serbia faces another major problem — its relationship with Kosovo. Belgrade continues to regard the majority ethnic Albanian territory as its province, despite its 2008 unilateral declaration of independence.

Kosovo too faces problems linked to its legal status. Five of the EU’s own member countries do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state, making it hard for it to be accepted by the EU as a candidate for membership, let alone a member. In another legacy of the breakup of Yugoslavia, a deal that would have given Kosovars visa-free access to the EU was shelved after Kosovo’s parliament could not muster enough votes to back a border demarcation agreement with neighboring Montenegro. “We have learned our lesson,” Hahn said, referring to an unresolved border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia that rumbles on even though both countries are now EU members. “We today are absolutely clear that border conflicts have to be sorted out before EU accession.”

Andrew Gray contributed reporting.