LOCAL PRESS

 

Brnabic: Serbia should not look for shortcuts (RTS/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today at the opening of a plenary session of the National Convention of the European Union that Serbia should not look for shortcuts to the EU, but make essential reforms that will make the life of citizens better. Speaking at the fifth session of this body in the Serbian parliament, Brnabic said that this, just like any other government, has the capacity to make sweeping reforms on its own, but it must be open for organizations of civil society and the economy so that the country could go forward. Our EU path must be essential, not just formal. I strongly believe that there must not be shortcuts on that road. I think that that road is difficult and full of challenges, the biggest of which is to correct the generations-old drawbacks of our society. If we manage to do that, we will be able to catch up with the most developed European societies, Brnabic said. She noted that there are two things that we must not promise to citizens, and the first is that everything will be better all of a sudden, as soon as we become an EU member, that everyone will have a job with excellent salary. The EU is not a bottomless pit with money. It often represented itself as such to our neighboring countries and then they entered the EU without having made essential reforms. Then all of a sudden there is no pit with money, or there is money, but the country does not have the capacities to use it. We have to be totally open to citizens. A better life and standard of living depends only on us, and not the EU, she underlined.

 

Vucic: Reciprocal response to Croatia (Beta/RTS)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today that Belgrade would countermeasure Zagreb for its message that a Serbian minister was not welcomed in Croatia.   He said he did not understand Zagreb’s decision to deny hospitality to Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, describing it as “hasty and nervous”. “We will react with reciprocal measures which the government would decide upon on Thursday,” Vucic said. However, he added, Belgrade would continue to work on good relations with Zagreb. Speaking to reporters at the ceremony marking the Army’s Day, Vucic said the Kosovo problem would be difficult to solve because the Albanians did not want a compromise. “But that doesn’t mean that someone should have get something that never belonged to them, and that we lose what was always ours,” Vucic said.

Referring to the statement by the Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic who said he respected Serbia but loved Sandzak, Vucic said that everybody had a right to love what they want. Zvizdic actually paraphrased Vucic’s words about honoring Bosnia but loving Republika Ruska (RS). “I have to point out to him – since he is not a lawyer and thus does not understand it quite well – the constitutional and legal status of RS and Raska region, or Sandzak, what the Bosniaks call it, is neither the same nor even similar,” Vucic said. He added that Zvizdic may be sending a message that the RS should not be constitutionally and legally regulated, but that would not be a good message.

 

Dacic: Incident with the flag in Jasenovac without precedent (Tanjug)

 

The incident with the flag that says “Za dom spremni” in Jasenovac is without precedent in modern Europe, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says. “Nowhere and never has this ever happened in Europe,” says Dacic, adding we expect unconditional condemnation of the Croatian leadership. “Imagine whether it is possible during commemorations in Auschwitz or Mathauzen to have the Nazi greeting Zig Heil?! We expect unconditional condemnation of the Croatian leadership, and not relativization of the event, which in fact means relativization of crimes against the Serbs, Jews and Romas. There is no such condemnation, on the contrary, they are raising monuments to Ustashas and they are naming streets and squares with their names,” says Dacic. “Everyone needs to condemn its own evil and only this way can good-neighborly relations be built. Ban for Defense Minister Vulin to enter Croatia is also an act without precedent in Europe. Serbia will respond, but we still think that it is much better to seek joint interests of Serbia and Croatia, because our relations are of key importance for the stability of the entire region,” said Dacic.

 

Mihajlovic: No economy or development without stability of the region (RTS)

 

Serbian Minister of Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic has told the RTS morning news that the flag with the Ustasha greeting in Jasenovac is an insult for everybody, and she expects everybody to condemn it. She says there are many things that separate us, but that there is a future that is important for all citizens, and that there is no stability of the region without the economy and development. She says that the decision of the Croatian government not to allow the Serbian government member Minister Vulin to entre Croatia is completely anti-European. “If we wish to speak about the future and the region, then we really need one time-out and to return to everything that the Serbian and Croatian presidents agreed recently when Vucic visited Zagreb, and to try to build a future,” says Mihajlovic. She condemned that statement of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic who said that he wants to build a new dialogue with Serbia which it called an aggressor on Croatia. “I think that such a statement by the Croatian Prime Minister is for condemnation, but as I said let’s try to go forward. Things that have been happening lately are not good. I think that nationalism on both sides brings a step, not only backwards, but many backwards,” said Mihajlovic.

 

Belgrade expects EU to present stand on Pristina’s platform (RTS/Novosti)

 

If the Assembly in Pristina adopts the government platform that envisages talks with Belgarde to end with mutual recognition of the so-called Kosovo state and the UN seat is mentioned, Belgrade will treat this as a unilateral cessation of the dialogue and it will not be seat at the table any further, Novosti writes. The Serbian authorities see Pristina’s platform as a direct attack on the negotiations, their neutral status and all past agreements. Belgrade doesn’t want to enter deeper the trap where, behind the screen of dialogue, the UN seat for the false state is hidden, along with the silent blessing of the mediator in Brussels. “The EU needs to state what it thinks about this issue, whether it really thinks this way and if it does I really wish them lots of luck in conducting these negotiations,” says the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric. He says this issue is primarily for the mediators in the dialogue and wonders how one can negotiate if the outcome of the negotiations is known in advance. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic expects the EU to take a stand on this. He reminds that the dialogue has been neutral in status from the very beginning and that the status cannot be determined in advance. “They can adopt whatever they like, this is a paper for internal purpose, they can hang it at the entrance of the Kosovo government in Pristina as a daily newspaper. That paper has not significance and we know very well what they want from the very beginning and we are precisely saying this,” said Dacic.

 

Security strategy drafts: Kosovo, neutrality, dialogue (Tanjug/Blic)

 

Serbia will not recognize Kosovo, it is stated in the drafts of the National Security Strategy and the Defense Strategy of the Ministry of Defense. A public debate will be taking place on both drafts through May 15, where representatives of state bodies, professional public, as well as everyone interested will participate, Blic writes. The newspaper published excerpts from the documents, that state Serbia will not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, but that, in the interest of regional stability and better Serb-Albanian relations, dialogue with the provisional institutions in Pristina will continue with the mediation of the EU, until a sustainable and mutual agreement is reached. It is further stated that Serbia is committed to consistent implementation of all the agreements reached within the framework of the Brussels agreement, and that it will work actively in international organizations and through bilateral cooperation to prevent membership of Kosovo in international organizations, the UN in particular, as welll as affirmation of the unilaterally declared independence. The drafts, the daily said, state that Serbia will give full support to participation of Serbs in the work of temporary institutions in Pristina and that, in order to protect the Serb and other non-Albanian population and increase the security of all citizens in the province, all necessary measures will be taken in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244. It is pointed out that Serbia favors undiminished presence of KFOR and opposes the change of mandate and transformation of armed formations, called the Kosovo Security Forces, into an armed force, as this would destabilize the situation in the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija and undermine security in region. When it comes to EU integration, it is stated that Serbia is firmly committed to contributing to the EU's common foreign, security and defense policy as part of the accession process, and to integrating into the concepts of this European policy.

The drafts envisage continued cooperation with key international actors, primarily with permanent members of the UN Security Council, and cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in order to contribute to global stability and security, in line with the policy of military neutrality.

The documents also stress that Serbia does not intend to become a member of NATO or another military alliance, but wants to improve trust with all its partners and achieve common goals.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Urgent session of B&H HoR initiated at request of SNSD due to ‘warmongering rhetoric’ of SDA leader cancelled due to lack of quorum (TV1)

 

Urgent session of the House of Representatives (HoR) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), which was initiated at the request of SNSD representatives in B&H HoR due to “warmongering rhetoric” of B&H Presidency Chairman and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, was cancelled on Friday due to lack of quorum. Parliamentarians from SNSD, the Alliance for Changes (SzP), and HDZ B&H were present at the session, but parliamentarians from SDA and other parties boycotted the session so B&H HoR Speaker Mladen Bosic (SDS) stated that the session has to be cancelled due to lack of quorum.

Addressing the B&H HoR after the session was cancelled, Bosic said this is all part of the pre-election rhetoric and developments in B&H Parliament obviously represent ensuring the positions after the upcoming elections.

B&H HoR Deputy Speaker Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) assessed that all development in B&H Parliament are part of a scenario where all the statements and their timing represent populism and demagogy, and they are detrimental to interests of B&H and its peoples. According to Kristo, the session was necessary and she expected that parliamentarians will fight for their stance in democratic manner. She fiercely condemned SDA and the work of B&H HoR Deputy Speaker Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA).

SDA and SNSD organized separate press conferences on this issue.

SDA’s Amir Fazlic said that reasons of the SNSD Caucus in B&H HoR for calling the session and statements to which SNSD refer were not stated as part of the alleged warmongering rhetoric. He added that given Republika Srpska (RS) President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik’s statements aimed against integrity and constitutional organization of B&H, each session of B&H Parliament should start with these statements as the first item on the agenda.

Head of the SNSD Caucus in B&H HoR Stasa Kosarac told the press conference that apart from the Bosniak political circle that is to be blamed for cancelation of the emergency session, B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic (PDP) is to be blamed in particular since he had an obligation to attend the session. Kosarac said that he is aware that Ivanic did not come to the session since he wants to get Bosniaks’ votes in the run for B&H Presidency in the general elections in October, which are the same votes owing to which he entered B&H Presidency.

 

US Embassy to B&H and OHR concerned over growing number of statements of political leader calling for divisions in B&H lately (TV1)

 

The US Embassy to B&H and the Office of the High Representative (OHR) have issued press releases on the occasion of growing number of statements of political leader calling for divisions in B&H lately. “We are very worried due to constant rhetoric of divisions in B&H, which is concerning for the public in B&H as a whole. It was difficult to establish peace in B&H. Given the recent turbulent past of B&H, mentioning of or alluding to the war is intolerable. Calls for arming or threatening with weapons are dangerous, and they should not be part of the public discourse. We call on political leaders to refrain from giving such detrimental statements”, the US Embassy said in a statement. The OHR said there is too much of counter-productive and provocative rhetoric in B&H. “All public officials should carefully choose their words. The responsibility primarily lies in elected and government officials, as the High Representative’s (HR) reports to the United Nations (UN) stressed on several occasions”, the OHR asserted in its statement.

 

US Congress marks Dodik and Covic as main culprits for situation in B&H (Hayat)

 

US Embassy to B&H stated on Friday that they are very concerned by constant rhetoric of divisions in B&H, which concerns the public all over the country. A few days ago, US Congress assessed SNSD leader Milorad Dodik’s statements as a threat to peace, in entire region. According to congressmen, main threat to peace and stability are ethnic divisions and dysfunctional authorities, which may end up in deeper crisis in case general elections are not held. Co-Founder and Senior Associate at Democratization Policy Council Kurt Bassuener stated: “The fact remains that the alliance between Dodik and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic has steadily subverted all the progress achieved in the first decade after the war with the aim of effectively carving out more secure feudal fiefdoms of absolute control, ultimately leading to state collapse – which could not be peaceful under any foreseeable circumstances.”

Founder of ‘Civic Alliance’ Reuf Bajrovic, who followed the session of the Congress, said that Covic and Dodik were marked as main culprits for the situation in B&H, and noted that the Congress called on the EU to join US’ sanctions against Dodik. Bajrovic noted that use of Bonn powers was not excluded, in order to prevent Dodik and Covic to dissolute B&H. He said that Congress clearly said that those who celebrate war criminals cannot hope that their policy for future of B&H and region will be accepted.

 

Zvizdic welcomes statements in US Congress, US is true friend of B&H (FTV)

 

Chairman of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic (SDA) commented on Friday the statements given in the US Congress on B&H, a couple of days ago. Zvizdic welcomed stances on B&H presented in the US Congress saying that such standpoints are important for progress of B&H, and added that the US is a true friend of B&H. Zvizdic argued that the US Congress is certainly right when detecting those who are responsible for problems in realization of all processes in B&H. He underlined: “I agree with them when saying that dynamics of further processes must be speeded up, but we must preserve the level of the rule of the law, i.e. international standards and respect for verdicts of international courts”.

 

B&H politicians: B&H needs US help (FTV)

 

Following statements in the US Congress on bad political situation in B&H which mention Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik and member of B&H Presidency Dragan Covic, reactions keep on coming from B&H politicians. According to B&H politicians, the US is very well familiar with circumstances in B&H and that the country needs their help. SDA MP Nermina Kapetanovic stated: “I am not sure that the authorities will solve all issues prior to the elections. In my opinion, involvement of the international community (IC) is necessary now, more than ever. I think that there are strong intentions for dissolution in B&H and attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of B&H”. MP from the Independent Bloc Senad Sepic stated that the interest of the US for B&H is clearly increasing. According to Sepic, statements coming from the US officials point to the conclusion that they are very-well informed about what is actually going on in B&H. HDZ B&H MPs said that they do are not informed about statements in the US Congress and they did not want to comment on whether Covic is responsible for delay in realization of reforms. HDZ B&H MPs underlined that B&H is a state of all the three constituent peoples and other citizens and that everyone should observe B&H in this way. Deputy Speaker of B&H HoR Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) said that international officials should observe B&H in the aforementioned way, if they are friends of B&H. Dodik also commented on statements of Director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University in Washington Sasa Toperic given to the US Congress. Commenting on the fact that Toperic called on the EU to follow sanctions that the US imposed against Dodik as one of the culprits for delay in progress of the country, he said that the EU will not impose sanctions against him. Dodik characterized Toperic as one of the rapscallions, who used to be members of NGOs in B&H and a mercenary of the international community. According to Dodik, this action is directed against the Serbs, the RS and Milorad Dodik himself.

 

US State Department’s report on human rights practices in B&H warns of problems of corruption, freedom of press and Election Law (BHT1)

 

According to the US State Department’s B&H Report on Human Rights Practices for 2017, the problem of corruption is not being solved, freedom of the press and freedom of expression are endangered, while minority groups are exposed to different kinds of attacks on a daily basis, among other problems. With regard to corruption, the Report reads that this problem is present in a number of institutions, and yet there is little demand for the prosecution of corrupt officials. The institutions at all levels of authority are lacking a transparent system, which provides opportunities for corruption, according to the Report. “The law provides criminal penalties for corruption, but the government did not implement the law effectively nor prioritize public corruption as a serious problem. The multilevel government structure gave corrupt officials multiple opportunities to demand ‘service fees,’ especially in the local government institutions.” With regard to freedom of the press, intimidation and threats against journalists continued with the same intensity as in prior years, while media coverage was dominated by ethnic and political bias. “The nationwide public broadcaster BHRT, whose content was considered to be politically neutral, remained on the verge of financial collapse. FTV continued to demonstrate political bias. The Republika Srpska (RS) Government continued directly to control RTRS, using it for promotion of the RS political establishment and to undercut political opposition,” reads the Report. The Report also refers to a number of irregularities with regard to the Election Law of B&H. “The Law provides that Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, whom the Constitution considers the ‘constituent peoples’ of the country, as well as undefined ‘Others,’ must be adequately represented at all levels. The Constitution discriminates against ‘Others,’ such as Jews and Roma, by preventing them from running for the Presidency and seats in the House of Peoples,” reads the Report. The report reads that the biggest issues in the area of human rights in B&H include limitations of expression in the media – including intimidation and threats directed against journalists, widespread corruption in government, and crime involving violence against minorities and LGBT population.

 

Dodik: I do not mind MAP activation, but RS is military neutral and we do not want alliance with either NATO or Russians (Oslobodjenje)

 

SNSD leader and RS President Milorad Dodik asked about the NATO integration process, said that former member of the B&H Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic did sign a document approving activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is something that should not be identified with NATO integration itself. “They can activate the MAP – I do not mind – but they will not be given the property they are asking for… We have said we are military neutral, we will not decide for an alliance with the Russians, nor for an alliance with NATO.”

 

Public opinion’s research: Citizens support Zvizdic, Komsic, Dodik in race for members of B&H Presidency (Hayat)

 

The International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) recently carried out the analysis titled B&H – General Elections 2018: Favoring Individuals Instead of Political Parties' and the public opinion's research in both of the entities in B&H, from April 8 - April 18, 2018. According to results, over 62 percent of interviewed citizens would support SDA’s Denis Zvizdic in the race for a member of B&H Presidency, 15 percent would support SDA’s Sefik Dzaferovic, 13 percent would support Adil Osmanovic and 10 percent would support SDA’s Safet Softic. At the same time, 62 percent of the interviewed citizens would support leader of DF Zeljko Komsic in the race for a Croat member of B&H Presidency, while 39 percent of them would support leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic. Besides, 51 percent of citizens would support leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik in the race for a Serb member of B&H Presidency, while 49 percent said that they would support PDP’s Mladen Ivanic.

 

Why are there separate Jasenovac memorial events? (T portal)

 

For the third year in a row, groups representing victims will boycott the official government commemoration for those killed at the Jasenovac concentration camp. Most of them visited Jasenovac on Saturday, while the Coordination of Jewish Municipalities held a commemorative event earlier this week. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic visited Jasenovac separately on Friday. The reason for separate commemorations this year, according to representatives of the Jewish communities, is the government's position on the Ustasha salute “For Homeland Ready.” “We demand that the government and the parliament adopt the law on the ban on the Ustasha slogan and Ustasha symbols in the shortest possible time,” said the president of the Jewish Municipality of Zagreb Ognjen Kraus, saying that the Jewish community, when it comes to totalitarianism, cannot agree with the equalization of the National Liberation Fight (partisans) and the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). The same situation occurred in 2016 and in 2017, when representatives of the Jewish and Serb minorities, members of anti-fascist associations and left-center parties ignored the state commemoration and decided to pay tribute to the victims of the Ustasha death camp separately. Data on the total number of victims killed in Jasenovac, mostly Serbs, Jews and Roma, varies from source to source. To date, 83,145 victims have been named, including more than 20,000 women and 20,101 children under the age of 14. Although the Jasenovac Memorial Area is working on determining the exact number of victims, the final number will remain unknown because many of the detainees were killed as soon as they were brought and before they were registered.

 

Croatia officially says Serbia’s Defence Minister not welcomed (Hina)

 

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who has announced his possible arrival to Jasenovac on Sunday, is not welcome in Croatia for the time being, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a press release on Saturday evening. In the meantime, the ministry forwarded a note to the Serbian embassy in the capital of Zagreb, condemning Vulin's statement that "it is only the Serbian Army's supreme commander Aleksandar Vucic who can decide on his travel to Croatia and that this cannot be decided by Croatian ministers". Such statement given by Vulin has made him persona non grata until further notice, the Croatian ministry said in its explanation. The ministry's note forwarded to the embassy reminds Serbia's authorities that Croatia is a sovereign country, a member of the European Union and NATO, and decisions on allowing foreign citizens to enter Croatia fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of Croatian institutions, in line with Croatian laws. Underscoring by Vulin the function of Serbian President Vucic as the army supreme commander who would decide on allowing anybody to enter Croatia is unacceptable and inappropriate attempt to negate Croatia's sovereignty, the ministry says. It also points out that Vulin's statement is another provocation made by a Serbian official following a disgraceful incident in the Serbian parliament during the 18 April visit of a Croatian parliamentary delegation to Belgrade, and definitely undermines endeavors to develop good neighborly relations. "As far as the announcement of Minister Vulin's coming to Croatia is concerned, we expect anyone coming to Croatia to respect the Croatian state, yet he has been known to make inappropriate and insulting statements during his visits and we aren't sure that at the moment this is the best solution" Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters.

 

Croatia trying to calm tensions with Serbia (Hina)

 

Croatia wants cooperation with Serbia and it has reached out, but messages such as those by Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin are harming bilateral relations, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday. Mr. Vulin is not a person who has been contributing to calming tensions, quite the contrary, Plenkovic told the press after a commemoration for the victims of the Ustasha concentration camp in Jasenovac. Vulin had announced his visit to the Jasenovac region on Sunday and said that "it is only the Serbian Army's supreme commander Aleksandar Vucic who can decide on my travel to Croatia and this cannot be decided by Croatian ministers." After that, the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry issued a statement saying that Serbian Defense Minister Vulin, who has announced his arrival in Jasenovac for Sunday, is not welcome in Croatia for the time being, condemning his statement. Such a statement given by Vulin has made him persona non grata until further notice, the Croatian ministry said in its explanation. "The message that we sent yesterday was a necessary message, a message that expresses Croatia's position and resoluteness that it will not tolerate such moves," Plenkovic said. He added that Croatia clearly condemns Ustasha crimes committed between 1941 and 1945, but that it was also turning to the future and it wanted to build new dialogue and new relations with Serbia which was the aggressor in Croatia between 1991 and 1995. "And we cannot do that if there are continuous attempts to make statements that are not helping, but on the contrary they are insulting for Croatia and harmful for bilateral relations," the Croatian prime minister said. Asked whether he expected reciprocal measures from Serbia, Plenkovic said Serbia can do whatever it thinks is necessary. "What we are doing, we are preserving the dignity of the Croatian state and our own dignity," Plenkovic said adding that Croatia wanted to reduce tensions and create room for dialogue. Plenkovic said this was the purpose of Croatian parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic's visit to Belgrade last week, but the visit was cut short following an incident caused by convicted war criminal Vojislav Seselj. Zagreb believes that the authorities in Belgrade were not clear enough in condemning Seselj’s actions. On the other hand, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was recently received in Zagreb with maximum security measures and respect, Plenkovic said. Asked if in his opinion Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic should travel to Belgrade for a return visit, Plenkovic said this question should be directed at the president. Plenkovic also said that, as far as Croatia was concerned, the latest incident did not block cooperation with Serbia. "We are talking to those who are prepared for a normal, civilized dialogue, with mutual respect," Plenkovic said.

 

Erdogan ready to visit Montenegro (CDM)

 

President of Turkey,  Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warmly congratulated Montenegro on the outcome of the presidential elections. He also expressed his readiness to visit Montenegro.

He is sure that Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic would be a very important factor for stability in the political life of Montenegro. “I’d like to say I’m really glad that the cooperation between us is constantly developing, within historical and traditionally friendly environment between the two nations. I put great trust in the future of our relations which can serve as an example to other countries,” said Erdogan.

President of Germany, Frank- Walter Steinmeier, and President of Albania, Ilir Meta also welcomed Djukanovic as new President of Montenegro and wished him success in his ruling.

 

Zaev: Macedonia, Greece focused on name solution (MIA)

 

Focus is put on reaching a name solution, there's no focus on time-frames, now's the time to find a solution. We are working on the most subtle of details and we have to be creative in order the two parties to be protected, Zoran Zaev said Saturday. I'm confident that a settlement can be found if negotiations continue to be held in a positive spirit, Zaev said answering a journalist question at a news conference in Skopje. "I think now is the right time to find a solution, a time when all stakeholders in the country will rally around something that is important to protect our dignity and our identity all the while taking into consideration the dignity of Greece," he said adding that for Macedonia it was crucial to close the name issue in order to secure a date for the opening of accession negotiations with the EU. As regards the upcoming NATO summit, Zaev said that NATO has extended 'a conditional, automatic' membership invitation to Macedonia. As soon as the name row is solved, Macedonia will kick off the process to ratify the full-fledged membership agreement. Considering the name talks, Zaev said he hoped he would hold a meeting with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras. "A joint meeting of the countries' prime ministers would suggest that some 10% remain to be solved." "I believe that every meeting holds immense importance because it means that we are a step closer to solving the issue. It's crucial the two parties to reach an understanding," noted Zaev.

 

European Council President Tusk to visit Macedonia on 27 April (MIA)

 

European Council President Donald Tusk will travel to Tirana, Podgorica, Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje on 24-27 April.  The main purpose of the trip is to prepare for the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia on 17 May and to participate in the Brdo-Brijuni summit in Skopje, Tusk's Office said in a press release on Friday. 'The message to our friends is clear: the European Union is and will continue to be the most reliable partner for the entire region. As the biggest investor, the biggest donor, the biggest trading market and the best promise for a better future for citizens. Our summit should reaffirm the European perspective of the region. And more importantly, it should improve, in concrete terms, connections with and within the region,' Tusk said in the European Parliament two days ago. During his visit to the region Tusk will meet the Heads of Government or State of Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, and Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. All these meetings will be important occasions to prepare for the upcoming summit with EU Heads of State or Government and the Western Balkans leaders in Sofia on 17 May. It will also be an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations with the European Union. Tusk will end his trip in Skopje where he will participate in the Brdo-Brijuni summit. The main objective of the Brdo-Brioni process is to gather all the Presidents from the Western Balkans region as well as Slovenia and Croatia to strengthen political dialogue, increase the levels of trust and promote the resolution of outstanding bilateral and regional issues.

 

One ton of drugs seized in Italy, Albanian from Fier arrested (ADN)

 

A speedboat with 1 ton of drugs was caught in Italy on Sunday at the end of a joint operation between Albanian and Italian police.  The traffickers throw the drugs in the sea and tried to flee the area, but Italian police caught it on time arrested the Albanian citizen from Fieri, M.Nazeraj, 34 and declared wanted the other collaborator.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Serbia’s National Dialogue on Kosovo: Scant Consensus, Much Skepticism (BIRN, by Milan Radonjic, 22 April 2018)

 

Serbia is no closer to consensus on Kosovo nine months after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called a series of roundtable discussions on relations with the country’s former southern province. Critics are skeptical of Vucic’s soul-searching.

When Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, announced a national dialogue on Kosovo in July 2017, he vowed to spare future generations of Serbs the burden of having to resolve relations with the country’s majority-Albanian former province.

 

But 17 roundtable discussions have only served to expose the depth of disagreement within Serbian society. Critics say the initiative is a charade, an exercise in obfuscation as Serbia’s government tries to come to terms with the difficult decisions it will have to take on Kosovo if Belgrade is to make progress on the path to European Union membership. Scant media coverage of the staid, formal discussions has only heightened the sense of disconnect between what is being said in public, and what is being decided behind closed doors. “Instead of scarce news reports, we need live broadcasts,” said prominent civil society activist Borka Pavicevic, founder of the Belgrade Centre for Cultural Decontamination. “People need to hear this; there’s a gap between public and private discourse on Kosovo.” While some observers have welcomed the initiative, they caution it is undermined by the antagonistic tone frequently adopted by the Serbian government and pro-government media towards its Kosovan counterparts, and by its intolerance of critical debate. “Unfortunately, the culture of dialogue is not part of our reality,” said Sasa Jankovic, leader of the Free Citizens Movement. “Instead, we live in times of explicit political violence.” “Vucic invites the opposition to dialogue, while pro-government tabloids spread toxic lies about Albanians coming to uproot Kosovo Serbs.”

 

Eclipsed by events on the ground

The EU has told Serbia it must resolve its relations with Kosovo in a binding agreement before it can join the bloc, offering 2025 as a target date. But 19 years after Kosovo broke free in war, and a decade since it declared independence with the backing of the major Western powers, Serbs remain deeply divided over whether and how to come to terms with its loss. Successive Serbian governments have vowed never to recognise Kosovo as sovereign. Events on the ground only serve to harden opinions on all sides. On March 26, Vucic’s pointman on Kosovo, Marko Djuric, was arrested and handcuffed by Kosovo police for illegally entering the country, prompting the Belgrade-backed Srpska List party of Kosovo Serbs to pull out of Kosovo’s ruling coalition. Three days earlier, the European Handball Federation disqualified Serbia from the Women’s Under-20 World Championship after Serbian authorities cancelled a qualifier against Kosovo that was due to be played on the outskirts of Belgrade, citing security concerns. There is little agreement among Serbs on what the solution to Kosovo will or should be. Just under a quarter of Serbs believe Kosovo will be independent, 20 percent say it will be part of Serbia and 19 percent believe it will be split between Albania and Serbia, according to the results of a survey in February by the Belgrade Centre for Security Studies. Kosovo says it has already been decided, with more than 100 countries recognising it as sovereign. But Serbian ally Russia stands in the way of a seat at the United Nations. Of Progressive Party supporters, 35 percent favour a solution that will enhance stability but fall short of recognition. Only nine percent say they would support independence, while eight percent advocate partition. Among supporters of the Socialist Party, Vucic’s junior partner in government, and the right-wing Dveri and Democratic Party of Serbia, more than half oppose independence. Contrary to popular perception, most Serbs do not obsess over Kosovo in their daily lives, in which jobs, money and health are considered greater concerns. But it remains a galvanising issue, said Srdjan Bogosavljevic, director of the Strategic Marketing polling agency. “So when you ask a person on the street, ‘What should be done with Kosovo?’ most will tell you it’s done and dusted,” he told BIRN. “But every time something important happens regarding Kosovo, it just skyrockets up the ladder of priorities.”

 

All opinions welcome?

Many Serbs, however, are sceptical their opinions matter: “Everything has already been arranged,” said Miroslav, a worker at Belgrade’s Bajloni market. “Tito was the only one who could make a balance between East and West, and no one since,” he said, referring to the late Yugoslav leader Josip Broz. “Vucic does what he is told.” Nenad Todorovic, a theatre director, said the political elite had already decided to cut Kosovo loose, but no one wants to say it out loud. “This dialogue is only simulated,” he said. Even among Serbs in Kosovo, the national dialogue has made little impact. “Serbia has probably never been closer to the EU and, I believe, never before have freedom of speech and media been so endangered,” said Aleksandar Dundjerin of the Aquarius independent cultural centre in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica. “So it’s very difficult to imagine any true social dialogue can take place in such an atmosphere.” The government insists everyone’s voice should be heard. “We need to hear different ideas; there should be as many opinions as possible in the media,” Milovan Drecun, a senior member of Vucic’s Progressive Party and head of the parliamentary committee for Kosovo, told N1 Television. He said opinions varied, from calls for recognition of Kosovo as an independent state to its partition between Serbs and Albanians, as advocated by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialists. The roundtables have so far gathered academics, political analysts, economists, entrepreneurs, mayors, diplomats, security experts, civil society representatives, sporting associations, cultural societies and healthcare officials.

 

Church gives no ground

Aleksandra Joksimovic, director of the Centre for Foreign Policy, said the way the dialogue had been presented – as a way to face facts and find a genuine solution – was welcome. “If dialogue is the process that will give us a solution to the Kosovo problem, I see it as a real breakthrough,” Joksimovic told BIRN. But Professor Nebojsa Vladisavljevic of the Belgrade Faculty of Political Sciences said real public discussion would be difficult while the ruling Progressives kept such a tight grip on the media. “They call for dialogue while at the same time they label government critics liars, criminals and traitors,” he said. Any decisions the government takes, he told BIRN, will be based on cold political calculation and a possible tradeoff between the kudos gained abroad for taking difficult steps on Kosovo and the possible loss of support at home. The Serbian Orthodox Church shows no sign of giving ground on what it considers the cradle of the country’s Orthodox faith. “The position of the Church on Kosovo is clear,” Patriarch Irinej Gavrilovic told TV Hram on April 4. “Who is that statement who would give up a large part of his fatherland in order to join some alliance or union? That is nonsense.”

 

Frozen conflict

Opposition parties have on the whole refused to take part in the dialogue. Those on the right of the political spectrum accuse Vucic of trying to prepare society for the recognition of Kosovo as independent; those on the left say he is just trying to share responsibility for the failure of state policy on Kosovo. “If this dialogue had any other purpose, the intellectual elite would participate in it, instead of Progressive Party cronies and a false opposition,” Bosko Obradovic, leader of the far-right Dveri party, told BIRN. Former Serbian President Boris Tadic said the call to dialogue should have come before the previous Progressive-led government signed the 2013 Brussels Agreement, which provided for the integration of the majority Serb north of Kosovo into Kosovo’s legal system and the creation an association of majority Serb municipalities. “Now it’s just about implementing what has already been agreed or giving up on everything, which would in essence mean ending the European integration of Serbia,” Tadic told BIRN. “For months already, Vucic invites us to this dialogue, without saying anything about his own position on the issue,” he said. For some, it seems, the best change is no change: “The majority of those who took part in the process of dialogue so far think that keeping the status quo is the best way to protect our national interest in Kosovo,” Vucic said on March 31 at the 17th roundtable, this time with representatives of civil society. Stressing his opposition to a ‘frozen conflict’, he warned: “I do not think that time is on our side in this matter.”

 

EU Seeks to Turn Balkans Into 'Parking Lot for Migrants' – Serbian MP (Sputnik, 22 April 2018)

 

While the European Union leaders appear uncertain about accepting new member states into their fold, it appears that Brussels instead seeks to use the Balkans to deal with its migrant problems, according to a Serbian politician.

French President Emmanuel Macron has declared that the European Union needs to be reformed before conducting any further expansion, adding, however, that he does not want the Balkan states to turn to Moscow and Turkey. Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Serbian MP and former ambassador to Italy, told Sputnik Srbija it was that very fear of Russia’s growing influence that caused Brussels to hurry and make Bulgaria a EU member as soon as possible. She pointed out that Macron essentially reiterated a statement issued by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2009 when she insisted that there’s no reason to expand the EU further if such growth is detrimental to the union’s operations. "Today Merkel’s status in her country and in the EU wanes while Macron is a rising star. So Macron steps forward and frankly declares that the EU cannot expand further and that reforms are needed," Raskovic Ivic said. According to the politician, it could be that the EU does not rush to accept Serbia and other countries into its fold because the union wants to turn the Balkans into some sort of a “parking lot” for migrants. "The EU is no longer ready to accept large masses of migrants, so it needs some kind of filter to stem the flow of refugees; but it can’t use Turkey for this purpose because the latter could start blackmailing Brussels. Croatia is the EU border territory, located next to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. These countries are weaker so you can always threaten them or bribe them so that they do you a favor and accommodate all those people. The EU needs a parking lot for migrants," she said, adding that the EU isn’t too keen to welcome Serbia in at this time.

The views and opinions expressed by Sanda Raskovic Ivic are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

 

Djukanovic: Montenegro to improve relations with Russia (RIA Novosti, 22 April 2018)

 

The winner of the 2018 presidential elections in Montenegro and leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, Milo Djukanovic told the RIA Novosti agency he intends to improve relations between Montenegro and Russia during his presidency. “Montenegro should strive to cherish traditionally friendly ties with Russia and as a President I myself will commit to this goal. We’re a tiny Balkan country offering rich cultural and historical heritage and at the same time proud of democracy and antifascism, being core of our existence. These principles closely connect Montenegrins and Russians,” said Djukanovic. Djukanovic also hinted that Montenegro’s relationship with Russia deteriorated to the lower point over the last few years, with no reason: “Only because Montenegro opted for NATO Alliance and the EU, which Moscow itself knew from the very beginning,” explained Djukanovic. He didn’t forget to mention that such a decision was supported by majority of Montenegro’s citizens at the recently held presidential elections. “We expect everyone to respect our right to choice, esp. those we reckon as our traditional partners,” said Djukanovic.