LOCAL PRESS

 

Day of Remembrance of victims of NATO aggression observed (Beta/RTS/Tanjug/B92)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik attended on Saturday evening the Day of Remembrance of Victims of the NATO aggression at the square outside the Centre for Culture and Art in Aleksinac. Aleksinac was bombed six times during the 78 days of NATO aggression in 1999, and 11 people were killed on that occasion. Ceremony “We will forgive if we can, we will forget only if we stop existing” began symbolically, with the lights turned off and the sound of the siren for air danger. A large number of citizens gathered at the square in Aleksinac, who, just as other guests, representatives of state institutions, the Serbian government and the diplomatic corps were holding candles in honor of those killed in the bombing. Vucic said that it is 19 years since the most difficult time for our country, since the symbol of injustice was inflicted to a people that did not even think that something like that could happen. They called the air-strike campaign Merciful Angel, as if that could be defined as anything human. How is that crime called? What can we say today after they killed 2,500 of our people in exactly the same amount of attacks? One man per attack. What can I say here in Aleksinac which was bombed several times? Was someone promoted in military ranks for shedding our blood?" Vucic asked. He pointed out that throughout Serbia, people with history, wishes, dreams and hopes were killed. We were told it was a fight against dictatorship, against bad people in power. When there were no more bad people in power, then they expelled our people from Kosovo, and then separated us from Montenegro to take Kosovo from us. Another reason for which they are threatening us today is because we do not recognize what they recognize. We are right, and they know they are wrong and that they have never been right. This country was being killed without the Security Council's permission, for the first time in history, he underlined. The Serbian President stated that the victims were in Aleksinac, Varvarin, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and other cities of Serbia. They killed toddlers on their potties, the old people in the parks. Today, our victims are imaginary for them. That is why only one part of diplomatic corps is here today and we thank you for condemning the aggression. This is Serbia, a country that has its own dignity. We will never forget those who gave their lives for their country. Serbia will not be humiliated. Today we have one trump card in our hands on which those who were killing us did not count. We have the right to say what they did to us and what they are doing to us today. We have the right to say what we think and what we pass through. We will use that right until the end. We will remember the names of all our victims, the President of Serbia said. Vucic noted that every day Serbia is getting stronger and stronger economically. We managed to rise from the ashes, and we just want to be on our own and nothing else. We will continue to fight for a compromise and to repeat that our Serbia is beautiful and that every day is progressing. This is our homeland.

Dear friends, no one will be able to attack Serbia any more. We will never threaten anyone. We will keep peace and stability, but we will not allow anyone to humiliate Serbia. Let eternal glory be for all our victims. Long live free and unconquered Serbia,” Vucic concluded.

Dodik estimated that the suffering of our people in the hands of those who chose Serbia and the Serbian people as their target is being marked again. They killed our people and children. How to forgive? By no means. We will never forget, and the hardest is for those who lost their loved ones, Dodik said. He added that Serbia has managed to restore its dignity in all these difficult years. Today the Serbs want to get included in all civilizational flows. Our freedom has always meant the state. Today, Serbia can be proud of the fact that it is recovering its economy. We have to gather around what Serbia is today. President Vucic today is building a stable, strongest country in the region. Long live Serbia and Republika Srpska, Dodik concluded.

A witness of the killing in Aleksinac, doctor Bratislav Miladinovic, who lost his sister, mother and father during the NATO bombing, said that his loved ones disappeared in a moment, and that he does not accept that the death of innocent people could bring good to someone.

During that night my wife, my daughter and my son were wounded. I do not feel anything for people in NATO and their chiefs, I am indifferent. They are responsible for what they did and they will answer for their actions. As long as we exist as a nation, we will bear the memory of all our innocent victims. We have forgiven, but we have not forgotten, Miladinovic said.

The NATO aggression against Serbia was carried out without the approval of the UN Security Council, and during the 78 days, how long it lasted, about 2,500 people were killed.1,031 members of the Army and the Serbian police were killed and more than 6,000 civilians were injured and wounded, including 2,700 children.5.173 soldiers and police officers were injured and more than ten people are still missing, while the total material damage is estimated at several dozen billions of dollars. A total of 2,300 air strikes were carried out on 995 facilities throughout the country, with depleted uranium ammunition.

 

Vucic: EU told Pristina that ZSO agreement needs to be fulfilled (Beta/TV Pink/Politika)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said after the meeting in Brussels with his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci that the EU had told the Albanian side that it had to respect the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), but that he did not expect the

Albanians to do so. “The Albanians will say we will do so next week, for the 100th time. And it is not going to happen,” Vucic said in an interview for TV Pink. Vucic said that during the talks items 7 through 15 of the Brussels agreement were analyzed, and that those were the items that Serbia had met. The first six were supposed to be met by the Albanians, but they did not, and that this was not just their fault. Vucic said that he had promised to EU High Representative Federica Mogherini that Serbia would do everything it possibly could on its path to the EU, but that it was not going to annul itself. When asked to comment on the words of Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic that Serbia could form the ZSO on its own, Vucic said that there was no reason for haste, but did not say that it was impossible either. “We will wait and see, but I think the general feeling among the Serbs is that they want to get organized. There is no reason to rush things, but soon it will be five years of their non-compliance, and I really do not see an alternative,” Vucic said. The President said that a compromise for Kosovo had to be reached with the Albanians, and that many expected one before the next European elections, but that he could not say if that was possible.

 

Dacic: An ice war in the world (TV Prva)

 

“This is no longer a Cold War in the world, this is an Ice War. We expect more withdrawal of foreign diplomats, we are being asked to declare ourselves in the Skripal case; there is also the question of economic relations with China, then, regional stability. They are even announcing a boycott of the European Championship in soccer,” Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told TV Prva. He says the proposal for withdrawing the Brussels agreement is an alternative to what Pristina is saying. “If the so-called Kosovo Prime Minister says that he didn’t have time to read the Brussels agreement after its signing, this is an indicator that he doesn’t care about the Brussels agreement,” said Dacic. “The international community and the EU should know that it is not only Vucic who is behind the talks that are being conducted. Here at issue is an opinion of the entire nation, all citizens of our country,” he said. He also says that the self-declared Kosovo doesn’t have a chance of becoming a member of UNESCO. He says that an increasing number of countries is thinking about withdrawing recognitions and realizes that their decision on recognizing the self-declared independence of Kosovo was a wrong decision.

 

Serbian officials banned from entering Kosovo and Metohija (RTS/Tanjug)

 

The provisional authorities in Kosovo and Metohija had banned Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin from entering. The Kosovo police prevented Culture Minister Vladan Vukosavljevic from entering Kosovo via the administrative crossing of Jarinje. vukosavljevic was to visit Serbian medieval Orthodox Monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija this Monday, and on Tuesday.

The gathering in Kosovska Mitrovica within the internal dialogue, which was supposed to be attended by the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric and Serbian President’s General Secretary Nikola Selakovic, was postponed since they had been previously banned entrance.

 

Valentin Inzko ‘tailoring’ decisions of B&H Constitutional Court (Politika’s correspondent in Sarajevo Duska Stanisic)

 

By announcing that the final decision about constitutionality of certain provisions of the Constitution of the FB&H will be made only after High Representative Valentin Inzko provides his opinion about the issue as amicus curiae, the B&H Constitutional Court has only confirmed that those who claim that the B&H Constitutional Court is not independent might have a point, this is the assessment of the majority of legal experts in B&H. B&H Constitutional Court judges want Inzko’s opinion because they cannot or do not want to decide on constitutionality of provision of the FB&H Constitution, according to which one delegate from each of the three constituent peoples should be elected to the House of Peoples of the FB&H from each and every single canton in the FB&H. The Constitution of the FB7H, which is being differently interpreted by Croats and Bosniaks, has been imposed by one of the former high representatives in B&H, and has never been adopted in the FB&H parliament. Attorney from Banja Luka and former B&H CC judge Krstan Simic said that the B&H Constitutional Court is persistently working against its independence. In this particular case, according to Simic, there is no reason to invite someone to provide his opinion as amicus curiae, because the issue falls exclusively under the competence of the B&H Constitutional Court. Doctor of Political Sciences Slaven Kovacevic believes that the B&H Constitutional Court judges are not doing their job and that they are often making political decisions - which is why their term in the office should be limited to five years, “in order to make them feel less comfortable in passing decisions which are violating basic human rights and creating political crises in B&H”. HDZ B&H’s Borjana Kristo, who has submitted the motion for assessment of constitutionality of the provision of the FB&H Constitution, also claims that it is not a good thing to ask for High Representative’s opinion - because she believes that decisions passed by the Office of the High Representative have caused crises in B&H. “Bosniak parties are doing everything they can to obstruct decisions of the Constitutional Court, they are trying to create the national state of Bosniaks, unitary and civic B&H in which Bosniak people would be a dominant one. Such B&H is not sustainable, because B&H is a country of three constituent peoples and its citizens,” Kristo said.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dodik expresses his strong opposition to way that Foreign Policy Strategy was adopted (ATV/TV1)

 

RS President Milorad Dodik sent a letter on Friday to Serb member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic in which he expressed his strong opposition to the way that the Foreign Policy Strategy of B&H for the period 2018-2023 was adopted. He asked Ivanic to withdraw his consent to this document, which has, according to Dodik, harmed the interests of the RS. “Suddenly, we have got the Strategy of Foreign Policy of B&H that says B&H will follow the EU foreign policy. B&H is not a member of the EU, there is no candidate status and there is no need for such determination. We have to have some other policies,” said Dodik.

“It is obvious that you (Ivanic) have tried to abolish the Resolution of the RS Assembly on the military neutrality of the RS, by voting for this Strategy and accepting provisions on NATO integration of B&H. I find it quite irresponsible that you have adopted such a document at the end of your mandate, which practically will transfer your irresponsibility and lack of seriousness to the next member of B&H Presidency from the RS, who will take your place and have to deal with your decisions,” reads a part of Dodik’s letter addressed to Ivanic.

Ivanic responded to this letter and stated that he does not believe that he has done anything detrimental to the interests of the RS and its people during his mandate. “In this mandate I have successfully worked on preservation of interests of the RS and Serb people, which is why I believe I have the chance to get the most votes on the upcoming elections for the position of the Serb member of B&H Presidency. If I do get that kind of support from voters I will work on protection of constitutional rights of Serb people and the RS, in a peaceful and wise way, and I will not pull them in a state of risk and uncertainty,” said Ivanic.

 

Opposition policy harmful for RS (Srna)

 

RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic stated on Sunday in Banja Luka that if a member of the Presidency of B&H from the RS is refusing to consult the RS authorities before voting on the Foreign Policy Strategy of B&H, then he is “either lazy, irresponsible or superficial politician who does not care what the people in the RS think”, or he is being forced to work in someone else’s interests. “When Mladen Ivanic, PDP and SDS talk about the image of the RS, I must ask them why they keep lying to the foreign media about the alleged paramilitary formations,” said Cvijanovic and noted that the policy of the Alliance for Changes is dangerous for the RS and its people.

 

Dodik: Foreigners involved in amending of Election Law striving to control upcoming elections (RTRS)

 

Addressing media in Trebinje on Sunday, RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated that foreigners are involved in the whole story about amending of the Election Law of BiH striving to control the upcoming general elections. Dodik considers that it is inappropriate to amend the election rules in the year of the elections. According to Dodik, the aim of the story about amending the Election Law of B&H is to show that the law cannot be implemented, so that elections would not be held in the end. Dodik expressed an opinion that, if the elections are held and the Election Law is not implemented, then there is a risk of declaring the elections illegitimate. The RS President claimed that there is an intention to destabilize the RS, which he referred to as the only functional entity in B&H and to prevent him (Dodik) from being elected a Serb member of B&H Presidency. The RS President went on to say that there is also an intention to keep “the obedient structure” of Alliance for Changes (SzP) a part of the authorities. “Our intention is to put things as they should be, in line with the Constitution and the Dayton agreement. That is what does not suit the British, the Americans, the OHR and many others who wish to maintain control in the future”, he added. In addition, Dodik noted that Germany and the US gave up on electronic voting. Dodik deems there is not enough time to purchase the equipment for electronic voting either.

 

US: Changes to Law on Elections absolute priority (Vecernji list/Frontal)

 

US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack and US Ambassador to Croatia Robert Kohorst, recently met with senior officials of B&H and called for adoption of changes to the Law on Elections. Ambassador Cormack told Frontal.ba that she understands Croats’ frustrations, stressing that, according to the Dayton Agreement the Croats must have equal rights. The Ambassador also noted that citizens complain about the same issues, namely corruption, economic problems, education problems and unemployment. According to the daily, Ambassador Kohorst said that changes to the Law on Elections of B&H is an absolute priority for B&H, arguing that the US supports changes that are in line with the Dayton agreement and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. “I have just returned from a trip to Sarajevo and Mostar and I am worried there is no enough progress and spirit of compromise is not more visible …”, said Ambassador Kohorst.

 

Covic says parties in Sarajevo again want to elect Croat member of B&H Presidency (TV1/BHT1)

 

After the session of the HDZ B&H Presidency on Friday in Mostar, HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic repeated that the only interest of Croats in B&H is to get equal rights, as other two constituent peoples, of electing their own political representatives at all levels of authorities in B&H. He added that HDZ B&H will fight for that and all differences between opinions of political officials in B&H must be put aside, so that this issue is resolved once and for all. Covic stated that, as far as he is concerned, it does not matter which proposal on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H will be chosen in the end, as long as Croats get their equal right to elect their own political representatives. Covic said that agreement on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H, which will ensure unhindered elections, will have to be reached by B&H politicians. Covic stressed that those amendments will ultimately have to be adopted in B&H parliament. Covic commented on Tuesday’s meeting on the Law on Elections, which US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack and Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark had with SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic and DF leader Zeljko Komsic. In this regard, Covic noted that the structure of parties at the meeting, which he was not invited to, is interesting and it is evident that hosts of the meeting feel the need to invite interlocutors in different groups. Covic added that he spoke with Ambassador Cormack several days ago, and reiterated that HDZ B&H will keep insisting on enabling of legitimate representation of Croat people in B&H institutions. Covic noted that HDZ B&H started talks on this year’s general elections. Covic specified that HDZ B&H is investing time and energy in preparing extensive and comprehensive strategic documents that will be offered to the voters. Covic also added that those documents will aim to provide answers to all challenges that currently exist in B&H and he announced that HDZ B&H and its partners want to achieve a convincing election victory. BHT1 – Covic argued that political parties in Sarajevo again want to elect a member of B&H Presidency from the rank of the Croat people. Covic said that representatives of the US State Department will visit B&H next week, in order to discuss changes to Law on Elections.

 

Cavic denies setting ultimatum to SzP regarding post of RS Prime Minister (TV1)

 

NDP leader Dragan Cavic stated on Sunday that pensions in the RS should be urgently increased, adding that as of the beginning of 2019 if his party was in the ruling authority. Cavic also stressed that NDP has not set any kind of ultimatum to members of the Alliance for Changes (SzP), as opposed to speculations that he requested the post of the Prime Minister in case the SzP wins the upcoming elections in the RS. He explained that the post of the Prime Minister is not something one can get, reminding that it requires a majority vote at the RS Assembly after the elections. “At the same time, we absolutely have a reason to deem it necessary to know before the elections who will perform the key public functions after the elections, so that this person starts taking over responsibility as of right now,” Cavic explained.

 

B&H CC gives another chance to B&H CoM to amend Law on Criminal Procedure  (ATV)

 

Judges of B&H Constitutional Court (CC) gave another chance to B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) to amend the Law on Criminal Procedure of B&H. Namely, at its Thursday's session, B&H CC did not reach a decision to repeal provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure which it declared unconstitutional eight months ago. ATV learned that B&H CC discussed the implementation of its decision to declare certain provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure unconstitutional and that it will decide on this issue at one of its next sessions. The next session of B&H CC will be held at the end of May and B&H lawmakers have until then to solve the issue of amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure in order to avoid a collapse of cases, investigations, but also verdicts which are based on the disputed provision of the Law on Criminal Procedure. There are two proposals of amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure, including the one put forward by HDZ B&H and the one put forward by SDA. HDZ B&H's proposal should be discussed by B&H House of Peoples (HoP) on 17 April. However, according to ATV, even if HDZ B&H's proposal of amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure is adopted in B&H HoP, it is unlikely that it will be adopted in BiH House of Representatives (HoR). HDZ B&H delegate in B&H HoP Barisa Colak said that he believes that it is necessary to take into account the essence of the proposed solution, and not who is proposing it. SDA representatives stressed that they hope their proposal will be accepted by the B&H lawmakers. SDA representatives further said that they drafted the best solution to the issue of amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure. Speaking about HDZ B&H’s proposal, member of B&H HoR Collegium Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) said that proposal of B&H Ministry of Justice narrows the space for judicial institutions in B&H for an effective fight against organized crime and corruption. “Our proposal was drafted by domestic and international experts,” Dzaferovic underlined. According to ATV, it is unlikely that an agreement on amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure will be reached in the next couple of months, recalling that disputed provisions of this law are related to the rights of witnesses and special investigative actions.

 

MICT announces submitting of complaint to part of ICTY’s verdict against Mladic (FTV)

 

Office of the Prosecutor of the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) stated that it is preparing complaint to part of first-instance verdict of the ICTY in case against wartime commander of the RS Army Ratko Mladic. The complaint will refer to part of the verdict acquitting Mladic of charges for genocide committed in five municipalities in BiH (Kotor Varos, Sanski Most, Prijedor, Foca and Vlasenica). Reporter reminded that Mladic was also charged with genocide committed in Kljuc, but the complaint will not include this municipality. The Office of the Prosecutor of the UN’s MICT explained that complaint may refer to municipalities where crimes with genocidal intention were committed and it was proved in process before the ICTY. Associations of victims and families of victims of last war in B&H said that they are not surprised with the fact Prosecution of the MICT is preparing complaint to first-instance verdict in abovementioned case.

President of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide Murat Tahirovic expressed hope that final instance verdict will find Mladic guilty for genocide committed in abovementioned municipalities and for extended Joint Criminal Enterprise. The ICTY issued verdict against Mladic on 22 November 2017 and sentenced him to life in prison. Mladic was found guilty of genocide in Srebrenica, prosecution of Muslims and Croats in many parts of B&H, terrorizing citizens of Sarajevo etc. Reporter noted that lawyers of Mladic will also file complaint to the ICTY verdict.

Lawyer Miodrag Stojanovic said that they will request abolishing of first-instance verdict, and acquitting of Mladic of charges he was found guilty of in first-instance verdict.

 

Djukanovic’s candidacy confirmed (CDM)

 

The State Election Commission (DIK) has confirmed Milo Djukanovic’s candidacy for the president of Montenegro. The DIK has previously approved candidacies of Hazbija Kalac, Vasilije Milickovic, Marko Milacic, Draginja Vuksanovic and Dobrilo Dedeic. On Sunday, the representative of a large part of the opposition Mladen Bojanic submitted his candidacy support signatures. In order to run in the election, a candidate shall collect at least 7,993 support signatures. The deadline for submitting applications expires at midnight.

 

He doesn’t mention the EU, doesn’t approve Montenegro joining NATO and will seek for referendum for all general interest issues (Pobjeda)

 

Mladen Bojanic, a presidential candidate of the majority of Montenegrin opposition, in his program does not mention the key foreign policy priority of the country- Montenegro’s accession to the European Union, EU, but he didn’t forget to reiterate he doesn’t approve Montenegro joining NATO Alliance. These positions have been published on his official website, as well as his program and planned activities. All parties which support Bojanic approve Montenegro’s accession to the EU, and as for the NATO membership, only the Civic Movement- United Reform Action, URA, formally approved Montenegro’s bid to join NATO, until the moment of holding the final vote in the parliament, when its members did not appear at all. In his program, Bojanic hasn’t mentioned anything about Montenegro becoming a member of the EU, but rather reflected on proposal to call for referendum whenever needed. “In my opinion, citizens should make a decision on all relevant issues of general interest,” said Bojanic.

 

Kotzias believes in sincere negotiations beneficial for both sides (MIA)

 

We should reach a solution that will not humiliate anyone and open the doors to the future, said Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov at Friday's joint press conference with Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias. Dimitrov said they held good talks dominated by the name issue and building of future relations. "It is in the mutual interest to find a solution to this long-standing problem. The issue has been dragged for too long, we are trying to build trust and remove existing prejudices. The other side has also demonstrated will for debate and a solution," said Dimitrov. He added a meeting with Kotzias and UN envoy Matthew Nimetz is to take place in Vienna next week. "Today we took steps towards solving the problems that we have not created but inherited. We are obliged to solve them, thus supporting the friendship between the two nations, the stability, security and development of both countries and the region in general," said Foreign Minister Kotzias. He voiced belief in sincere negotiations that would be beneficial for both sides, without any winners or losers. "Greece favors a compromise," added Kotzias.

 

Dimitrov: Blended name in Macedonian without translation not the best option (MIA)

 

A blended name in Macedonian language and without translation is not the best option for the talks, said Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on Friday. "The current reference Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia contains name Republic of Macedonia, and this is translated in the six official languages within the UN. It is difficult to tell my people that a compound name with a certain qualifier, blended with name Macedonia, is a good solution," Dimitrov told reporters at the joint press conference with visiting Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias. Asked about Greece's insistence for a constitutional revision, Kotzias sad national constitutions supersede European and international law. "That is why this issue needs to be clarified, but this is not a topic at the moment because we are in the middle of the negotiating process," said Kotzias. Regarding the draft-agreements exchanged by both sides, he said these are documents that aim to clear up the countries' positions, not make the process more difficult. "Eventually, we should receive one text that mediator Matthew Nimetz will turn into agreement and submit to the UN Security Council, confirming that the problem has been solved," stressed Kotzias. On the same question, Dimitrov explained that Macedonia favors a sustainable solution that is accepted by citizens of both countries. "It is up to us to offer and defend this. Although we represent different sides, we are trying to achieve a mutual future. History is important but cannot be changed, unlike the present and the future. We need a sustainable solution that will enable both sides to move forward," he added. In addition, Kotzias highlighted the necessity for a just solution that does not refer to the past, but the future, one that opens up the path ahead and does not generate any problems in the future.

 

Zaev: Kotzias: Time for compromise, leaders’ decisions (MIA)

 

The talks between Macedonia and Greece on settling the name dispute should be focused on the future of both countries, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Friday at a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. “We should be determined and take actions that will bring us closer to settling the only open issue between our countries. I’m certain that such approach will lead to a solution that offers sufficient number of arguments for the institutions and opposition of both countries to accept it as dignified for both Macedonia and Greece,” Zaev said. This meeting, he said, is taking place in a rather positive moment, namely when lasting solutions to name disputes in and EU prospect of the Western Balkans are expected. During the name negotiation process, both countries have been promoting one European value, namely advancing of the bilateral relations and ties of confidence, Zaev said. “We should keep working on further advancing of our relations, nourish and make them better after the name issue settlement, as the citizens of our countries, our EU friends and international community expect a solution to this matter,” Zaev said.

Greece, as NATO, EU member and oldest democracy in the region, bears great responsibility for resolving the (name) issue, Kotzias said. Finding a compromise that would be acceptable for both countries is a must, he added.

 

Xhaferi meets Kotzias (MIA)

 

Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi commended Friday’ the pace of the Skopje-Athens bilateral and the meetings under the UN auspices for settling the one and only issue that has been hindering both countries for a long period to advance their cooperation. Talking to Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, the Speaker hailed the contribution of the positive spirit, promoted by the Prime Ministers of both countries, to bringing Macedonia closer to joining the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU. Macedonia’s EU, NATO membership enjoys the support of vast majority of citizens, Xhaferi said, notifying that the incumbent government, parliament, although aware of the possible political consequences at the next elections, were determined to meet the necessary criteria for the country to join those organizations and to invest in advancing the relations with all neighbors. Kotzias expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share opinions with Xhaferi about matters of mutual interest of the two countries, the Speaker’s Office said in a press release. There is a need, Kotzias said, to set a broader framework that will boost the overall cooperation between the two countries, because at the moment the bilateral relations are like a ‘bird in a cage that cannot fly.’ Fortunately, the citizens of both countries share many values, traditions and demand from politicians for the excellent police, defense cooperation to expand in the spheres of education, culture and many others, Kotzias said.

 

Mickoski to Kotzias: Macedonia’s national and state interests must not be jeopardized (Republika)

 

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski met Friday with Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias. Mickoski emphasized that VMRO-DPMNE supports developing good neighborly relations, based on sincere friendship and mutual respect. Macedonia and Greece should have a common interest in enhanced cooperation in many fields of interest to the citizens of both countries, economically and politically. Mickoski pointed out that the Republic of Macedonia must continue its Euro-Atlantic agenda and the process should be unblocked. It will also contribute to the integration and stabilization of the region through enhanced cooperation within the framework of the global structures that the Republic of Macedonia naturally belongs to. Mickoski affirmed the official views and positions of VMRO-DPMNE related to the name dispute. VMRO-DPMNE expressed concern about certain steps in the Greek society that irritate and incite negative feelings towards the Republic of Macedonia, and they are not helpful to the overall process. VMRO-DPMNE also stressed that the solution negotiated by the Macedonian government should respect state and national interests, reads the statement of VMRO-DPMNE.

 

Ahmeti to Kotzias: Slavomacedonia is unacceptable solution for us (Republika)

 

Slavomacedonia is an unacceptable solution for us, DUI leader Ahmeti said after the meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Kotzias. “Our positions have been public, we do not agree with the name Slavomacedonia to be a solution in the negotiations with Greece. I personally am not part of the negotiating team, but an acceptable solution is a solution that will please both sides, “Ahmeti said. He noted that he had a productive meeting with Kotzias, where they shared common views that the Western Balkans should live in peace and stability and that these countries have the same interest, and that is progress and joining the EU and NATO.

“Our country should have good cooperation with other Balkan countries, as well as with the European Union countries. I noticed good faith in Mr. Kotzias to resolve the name dispute, confirming Stoltenberg’s statement from his visit several months ago that NATO has a place for the flag of this country,” Ahmeti said.

 

Kotzias informs Tsipras about his Skopje visit (MIA)

 

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias informed PM Alexis Tsipras about his meetings in Skopje and the course of name talks in a meeting held yesterday, media in Greece have reported. They said that Athens believed progress had been made in the negotiations. Talks in Skopje were held in a cordial climate, however, they report, differences remain over the Macedonian constitution because 'Greece isn't letting up on a revision of the Constitution, not only in terms of the name, but also in relation to irredentist claims.' The meeting wasn't announced neither by Tsipras' office nor the Foreign Ministry and there was also no official press release after the meeting, MIA reports from Athens.

 

Tsipras: Greece sets two conditions for name row settlement (MIA)

 

Greece sets two key conditions for the name row settlement – a sustainable and complex name with geographic determinant, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Friday in Brussels to a question of MIA correspondent. ‘The solution should be sustainable to establish a strong dialogue between the citizens of both countries. The name solution should have an erga omnes status, i.e. to be used at international, regional and internal level. The country cannot have a different name within the UN and keep referring to itself as Macedonia in the constitution. It is no easy to reach an agreement, which is being opposed by many Greeks. But we should take advantage of this historic opportunity,’ Tsipras told a press conference. Speaking to MIA correspondent, Tsipras said in humorous manner that the next time ‘you will not be able to use the name Macedonia, but Upper Macedonia or some other variation .’ ‘We are willing to solve this problem. However there is no pressure, as it is not an existential issue for Greece but for our neighbors,' Tsipras said.

 

Ivanov holds to his position related to language law (MIA)

 

President Gjorge Ivanov remains on his position related to the Law on the Use of the Languages and his refusal to sign the decree for its entry into force, President’s Cabinet told MIA.

After the Law on the Use of Languages was voted in Macedonian Parliament on March 14, Ivanov had refused to sign the decree saying that the constitution and conscience did not allow him to sign it. Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi late Thursday once again called Ivanov to sign the law. The president is obliged to sign the law, because it was voted in a legal procedure, Xhaferi said. Asked whether an impeachment would be sought for the president if he acted contrary to the Constitutions, Xhaferi said that based on current circumstance, impeachment cannot be carried out because it requires a two-third majority in the parliament. He also said that the language law wraps up legal aspect of Ohrid Framework Agreement, Macedonians do not lose anything and they also do not lose the state in term of its unitary character.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Western diplomats do not come to ceremony in memory of Yugoslavia bombing - Russian envoy (TASS, by Pavel Bushuev, 25 March 2018)

 

BELGARDE, None of Western diplomats attended the mourning ceremony dedicated to the memory of the victims of NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin told Russian reporters. "I am taking part in a ceremony in memory of those killed in NATO’s aggression for the fifth time in a row. None of the Western diplomats bothered to attend this ceremony today again, that is, they show no repentance. What’s more, they believe that they did everything right. It turns out that the Serbs are not humans for them. Moreover, they continue to teach us what humaneness is," Chepurin said.

When asked by a TASS correspondent whether the recent accusations in the Serbian media over Skripal’s case against Russia are related to an anniversary of NATO’s bombing, the diplomat recalled that these accusations had appeared at the right time. "Firstly, they are totally unsubstantiated. Secondly, the time for them was chosen in such a way so as to divert people’s attention from an anniversary of the beginning of the bombing raids. No one wants any investigation," the ambassador stressed.

British Ambassador to Serbia Denis Keefe earlier noted in his article in Serbia’s Politika daily that all elements of the investigation unequivocally pointed to Russia as the culprit. In response, the Russian ambassador to Serbia advised his British counterpart to study Sherlock Holmes’ legacy. According to the Russian diplomat, the UK, which has never conquered outer space, is trying to make up for that with "space-scale lies about Moscow’s role in the Salisbury tragedy."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic earlier thanked the foreign diplomats who attended the ceremony. At the same time, US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott refused to answer any questions from Serbian journalists about Washington’s participation in bombing Yugoslavia.

 

Montenegro Honors Biden, McCain, Turner for Promoting Euro-Atlantic Integration (VOA, by Milena Djurdjic, 23 March 2018)

 

Montenegro's top diplomat has recognized a trio of current and former U.S. legislators for their work strengthening the partnership between the United States and the Balkan nation, which is NATO's newest member. Calling Podgorica's June 2017 accession to the transatlantic military alliance his nation's top foreign policy objective, Montenegro Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic personally presented medals to former U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, Ohio Representative Mike Turner and Arizona Senator John McCain, who was unable to attend the event. Their support for Montenegro's 2017 accession to NATO, along with efforts to further integrate Podgorica with the Euro-Atlantic community, Darmanovic said, has proven critical to bolstering the country's international status. Presented with the Order of the Montenegrin Great Star, Biden, who also spoke on behalf of McCain, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, called it "a genuine honor to receive the highest award that the country has to give."

"I got engaged in the Balkans very early on, as a senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, when [Josep Broz] Tito was still the president of Yugoslavia. I've always believed that until southeastern Europe is fully integrated in Europe, there will never be full peace and security in Europe," he said. "Our ability to conduct foreign policy in the world rests upon a stable, growing and democratic Europe."

Formerly part of communist Yugoslavia, a stronghold of Moscow, Montenegro became an independent republic in 2006, when its 650,000 citizens voted in a referendum to split from Serbia. With a military of only 2,000, the country is strategically positioned along the Adriatic Coast, whose deep-water ports can support naval operations in the Mediterranean.

Amid claims of Russian meddling in the country, where officials accuse Russian spies of orchestrating an attempted coup to derail the NATO accession process in 2016 — a charge the Kremlin resolutely denies — both McCain and Biden have called for greater U.S. and E.U. engagement. "Today, just 12 years after declaring independence, Montenegro is a full member of NATO, bound and protected by — and I emphasize this — Article 5 of the NATO treaty," Biden said. "It is a sacred commitment that the U.S. has made to any member, large or small, of NATO, and it does not go unnoticed in other parts of the world. Particular among our Russian brethren, it is critically important." By undertaking comprehensive defense and intelligence sector reforms to meet NATO standards, Biden said, Montenegro has also ensured a better life for its ethnically diverse population. "You lose elections in United States, you still get a pension. When you lose in Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, you lose so much more," he said. "It took enormous courage for Montenegrins to say, 'I want freedom, I want the right to choose whatever destiny I want.' And this is a multiethnic country — small, but large in significance." Turner, chairman of the U.S. delegation to NATO's parliamentary assembly, said his work to build congressional support for Montenegro's NATO accession wouldn't have been possible without McCain's and Biden's leadership. "Having Montenegro as a democratic ally is greatly important as NATO continues to combat Russian aggression, especially in the Balkan region," Turner said. "I would like to thank Montenegro for their partnership and look forward to continuing our countries' bilateral and the alliance's multilateral relations."

This story originated in VOA's Serbian service

 

How far from EU admission standards are western Balkan states? (Financial Times, by Valentina Romei, 26 March 2018)

 

Region is poorer than bloc’s members but there is time to make up some of the GDP per capita gap

EU enlargement is a divisive issue — misgivings over the process played a part in the 2016 Brexit referendum in Britain and in national elections in France, Austria and elsewhere.

Now the bloc is moving ahead towards one of its most controversial expansions to date, setting out plans to absorb the six countries of the western Balkans, a region battered by war in the 1990s and still afflicted by many territorial disputes. An EU strategy in February set a target date of 2025 for the accession of Serbia and Montenegro — the two most advanced countries in the process — and for Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This would be the biggest EU enlargement in terms of the number of countries since the 2004 big bang that took in 10 mainly ex-communist states. So what difference will it make to the bloc? And how far do the sometimes troubled countries of the region have to go to meet the bloc’s admission standards?

 

Not so big . . .

The combined population of the western Balkans is about 18m. That is fewer than the 20m inhabitants of Romania (which joined the EU in 2007, along with Bulgaria). Wars and poverty led to high emigration from the region in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, according to World Bank figures, about one in four people from the western Balkans lives outside their native country.

Nor are the economies of the western Balkan countries particularly large. Their output is the equivalent of 1 per cent of EU gross domestic product. At present levels, five out of the six countries would be among the eight smallest EU economies. The exception is Serbia, the region’s biggest economy, which has a larger GDP than EU members Croatia and Lithuania.

 

A long way to catch up

The lag between the economies of the western Balkan countries and those of the EU has caused considerable concern. Overall, the region’s GDP per capita is only about one-third that of the average of the bloc’s 28 members. But with seven years to go before the target accession date, there is time to make up some of the gap. Seven years before they joined, Bulgaria and Romania had lower levels of GDP per capita relative to the EU average than Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia have today. According to a recent blog post by Marek Dabrowski and Yana Myachenk of the Bruegel think-tank, the western Balkan countries made headway in converging with the rest of the EU in the years before the 2007-08 financial crisis. That improvement made a difference to some of the poorest people in the region. In the early 2000s, roughly one in three people in the western Balkans lived on less than $5 per day, but the proportion dropped to one in five in 2008, according to the World Bank. The convergence lost steam with the financial crisis and has slowed over the past decade.

 

Strong ties with the EU

On average, 70 per cent of the region’s goods exports go to the EU, a proportion that has been rising in the past decade. Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy supremo, recently hailed “economic ties . . . as strong as they have ever been”. Investment by EU companies has created more than 240,000 jobs in the western Balkans since 2003. That is nearly 60 per cent of all jobs created by foreign investment in the region. The region already receives EU money. It is scheduled to get €1.07bn in “pre-accession” funds this year, on top of almost €9bn over the past 10 years.

 

How tough are the conditions?

Ms Mogherini emphasises that the western Balkan accession is far from a done deal, since “the process is merit-based and depends on the pace and the success of negotiations and reforms”. None of the countries yet meets the entry criteria. The big priority, according to the European Commission, is strengthening the rule of law. In a February report it said the six counties “show clear elements of state capture, including links with organised crime and corruption at all levels of government and administration”. All rank at the bottom for perceptions of corruption in Europe. The EU paper adds that none of the countries “can currently be considered a functioning market economy” but contends that the perspective of joining the union has helped them make significant progress. The World Bank concludes that all of the countries have become easier places to do business in the past decade, with Macedonia scoring the best.

Geographical disputes remain another unresolved issue, a legacy of the region’s war-torn past. “There are many border disputes in the west Balkans and they must be resolved before we can go a step further,” Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, told the annual Munich Security Conference.

Finally, the countries have to want to join the EU. As the commission notes, membership requires “political and societal consensus and the support of the hearts and minds of the people” — something that has not always been the case in the past.