LOCAL PRESS

 

Joksimovic: Chapters by yearend (Danas/Beta)

Serbian Minister in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic met on Nov. 2 with the Austrian Ambassador to Serbia Johannes Eigner and discussed the process of European integration and the two countries' bilateral cooperation. According to the Serbian government's statement, Joksimovic said she expected Serbia to open new chapters in the EU negotiation process, which are technically ready. Commenting on the migrant crisis, Joksimovic and

Eigner said that all EU member countries, but also candidate countries, had to be more active in the creation of conditions for finding a sustainable and lasting solution to the problem of refugees in Europe.

 

Belgrade and Pristina to discuss license plates on 16 November (Novosti)

Belgrade and Pristina delegations will continue technical talks in Brussels by discussing on 16 November the implementation of the agreement on license plates, and integrated management of administrative crossings on 17 November. The two sides should elaborate the implementation of reached agreements according to which pre-registration of all vehicles from northern Kosovo to status neutral KS plates should commence on 15 January.

 

Zubin Potok announced cessation of relations with Pristina (Politika)

Zubin Potok municipal leaders sent the last warning to the provisional Kosovo authorities before a total breakdown in relations. They stress that the Kosovo authorities, by pressuring and blackmailing, are postponing the execution of budget decrees, constantly reducing funds for capital investments, obstructing payment of funds from the Fund for North, and that around twenty members of the former civil defense, who are integrated into the Kosovo system, haven’t received salaries for a year now.

 

Kelmendi released in Belgrade (Beta)

The Serbian authorities released Hilmi Kelmendi (36) who was in custody in Belgrade under charges for war crimes committed during the war in Kosovo, Beta was confirmed by the Kosovo Interior Ministry. Routine procedure of releasing Kelmendi from custody is underway, and he will be taken over by the Kosovo Liaison Officer in Belgrade Valdet Spahiu.

 

First major joint investment of Serbia, Albania (Blic)

Belgrade-based company Hidrotehnika-Hidroenergetika and Albania’s National Electric Power Corporation (KESH) are going to set up a consortium that will build the dams and hydroelectric power plants around the world, Blic reports. All documents for the registration of the first Serbian-Albanian company are ready, so it is expected it will be officially registered by the end of this week. This business transaction is a result of an agreement reached by the Serbian and Albanian prime ministers, Aleksandar Vucic and Edi Rama, respectively; the first project in which Albanian and Serbian workers will be engaged is the construction of a hydropower plant in Albania.

 

Russian, Byelorussian paratroopers arrive for Serbia Exercise (Beta)

More than 150 Russian and about 50 Byelorussian paratroopers arrived in Serbia to take part in the Slavic Brotherhood 2016 international military exercise. The paratroopers landed at the Batajnica air base in three Ilyushin Il-76 planes and were met by Army of Serbia (VS) Special

Brigade Commander Brigadier General Zoran Velickovic, the exercise planning officer.

Velickovic said that the goal of the exercise is to upgrade operational capabilities, primarily in counter-terrorism operations. This is the third VS forces exercise conducted with Russian special forces and the first with their counterparts from Byelorus. The tactical exercise will be held on November 3 to 9 at VS airports and training grounds with the participation of 212 troops

from the Russian Armed Force Airborne Army, 56 Byelorus military personnel and 450 VS soldiers, the Serbian Defense Ministry said.

 

Dveri Movement asks Minister Djordjevic ten questions (fakti)

The leader of the Dveri Movement Bosko Obradovic and deputy leader Srdjan Nogo stated in the Serbian parliament that participation of the Serbian Army in peacekeeping operations in the EU, especially if we are conditioned with this on Serbia’s further EU path, was absolutely unacceptable. It would be better for the Serbian Army to take care about the migrant crisis that is threatening the security of our border, and not to send soldiers to peacekeeping missions. Nogo asked whether Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic was acquainted with the fact that there is a cancer epidemic 17 years after the bombardment of Serbia, as a result of the NATO bombardment, and whether the Serbian Army has a center that monitors radioactivity and its consequences. The Minister responded that such a center existed at the Military Medical Academy (VMA). Dveri will request more detailed information on the work of this center, so the public can find out what are the consequences for the Serbian population following the bombardment with NATO bombs with depleted uranium. Towards clearly defining the state-of-affairs in the Serbian Army, Dveri MPs posed a series of questions to the Defense Minister:

1. How can we be military neutral, i.e. have the same relationship towards those who bombed us and towards those who never bombed us, towards NATO and Russia?

2. Why are we going to peacekeeping missions throughout the world in order to learn warcraft, yet retired the majority of top and relatively young officers with military experience?

3. Will more agreements on cooperation with the NATO pact end up in joining this military alliance?

4. Do we need to send soldiers throughout the world at a time when the soaring migrant crisis in Europe requires protection of our borders, for which we do not have enough soldiers?

5. Will you side against Russia for the first time in Serbian history, as part of the harmonization with the EU foreign policy and security?

 6. Do actually interests of the NATO pact stand behind the EU missions throughout the world?

7. Is the relationship of our state with NATO and Russia equal when we have 10 joint military exercises with NATO and one with Russia?

8. Following the logic of military neutrality and equality, should we take part in the peacekeeping operations of the Russian Federation in Syria?

9. What percentage of Serbian soldiers, of the total number of active soldiers, is engaged in peacekeeping operations?

10. Why isn’t regular military service returned if more than 70 percent of Serbian citizens want this?

 

NATO leftover bomb found in western Serbia (Blic)

An aerial bomb of huge destructive power has been found in Sevarice, near the town of Pozega, in western Serbia. Blic writes that an ammunition plant is currently being built at the location.

The French-manufactured, 250-kilogram bomb is believed to be a leftover from NATO's 1999 bombing of Serbia, the daily said. Namely, an army barracks located at the Sevarice site was destroyed during the NATO aggression. The Serbian Interior Ministry’s Emergency Situations Sector has sent a team to the location. They will later in the day safely detonate the bomb at the Ponikve Airport complex.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Bosniak Caucus in RS CoP vetoes Law on RS Day (BHT1)

Bosniak Caucus in the Republika Srpska (RS) Council of Peoples (CoP) vetoed on Wednesday the Law on the RS Day. Namely, Bosniak Caucus launched the mechanism for protection of Vital National Interest (VNI) because the Law on the RS Day, recently adopted by the RS National Assembly (RSNA), stipulates continuation of marking the RS Day on January 9. The Head of Bosniak Caucus in the RS CoP Mujo Hadziomerovic emphasized that Bosniaks perceive marking of the RS Day on January 9 as unacceptable. “January 9 will always remain anti-Dayton and unconstitutional date for Bosniaks”, Hadziomerovic concluded. Croat Caucus in the RS CoP also assessed that the legal solution in question is anti-Dayton and unconstitutional. However, Croat Caucus concluded that they do not have the capacity to launch mechanism for protection of VNI. Head of Croat Caucus in the RS CoP Tomislav Tomljanovic pointed out that the RS Constitution has been harmonized with the Dayton agreement in the part on constitutionality of peoples and that there was failure to implement that part into the Law on the RS Day.

 

Ten former HVO members put into one-month detention (TV1/FTV)

The B&H Court ordered one-month detention to 10 former members of the Croat Defense Council (HVO) who were recently arrested in the area of Orasje. The arrested persons – Djuro Matuzovic, Ivo Orsolic, Tado Orsolic, Marko Dominkovic, Joso Nedic, Marko Baotic, Marko Blazanovic, Mato Zivkovic, Anto Zivkovic and Stijepo Djuric are suspected of having committed crimes against Serb civilians in the area of Orasje in 1992 and 1993. The B&H Court established that the suspects might flee the country, given the fact that all of them have dual citizenship of both B&H and Croatia. The Court of B&H also established that they might destroy, hide or forge the evidence or influence the witnesses or accomplices if at large. According to the decision, detention may last one month upon the arrest, or until November 30, 2016 or pending a new decision of the Court of B&H. Lawyers of the suspected HVO members announced they will appeal the decision of the Court of B&H, explaining that the reasons due to which the Court ordered their detention are questionable.

 

RS MoI: Arrests in Orasje are result of our investigation, Ivanic: I do not understand tensions (Oslobodjenje/Dnevni avaz)

The Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior commented the arrest of ten former HVO members suspected of war crimes against Serbs in Orasje, and stated for the daily on Wednesday that the Doboj Center for Public Security had submitted a report on committed war crimes against Serbs in Orasje to the competent Prosecutor’s Office in 1993, and the report was amended on several occasions, even when it was put in the hands of state-level judiciary. “It is true that the investigation and the arrests in Orasje are a result of the work of the RS MoI, which identified persons related to the war crimes in Posavina,” stated the RS MoI. The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), which arrested the war crimes suspects, confirmed they acted in accordance with the order issued by the B&H Prosecutor’s Office, dismissing speculations they received an order from anyone else. Meanwhile, the Serb member of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic will talk today with Croat member of Presidency Dragan Covic and Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic about arrests of ten members of the Croat Defense Council (HVO) in Orasje as well as tensions the arrests triggered. In a statement for the daily Ivanic said that these are informal consultations, which will be held prior to the official session of the Presidency. He further noted he does not want to comment this case before he hears Covic’s arguments for the reasons why he initiated these consultations. “It is the fact that this case raised tensions, although I do not understand why. We used to have arrests for the crime suspects earlier too and no tension was created or raised. I think that Serb people had much more reason to raise tensions than anyone else, although I do not want to talk about that now”, he added. Ivanic also said this will be the first time that the Presidency members are discussing the war crime arrests.

 

Apprehension of HVO members sparks reactions of Croatian authorities (N1)

Croatian officials strongly reacted on Wednesday’s to arrest and decision of the Court of B&H on one-month detention to 10 former members of Croat Defense Council (HVO), who also hold Croatian citizenship. During Wednesday’s session of Croatian Parliament, members of HDZ of Croatia and ‘Most’ coalition expressed concerns for Croatian citizens in B&H, “wondering who will be next”, bearing in mind that no one guarantees them legal safety. Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier held a press conference on Wednesday and announced that Croatia will discuss this case with its partners in the EU and NATO.  Besides, Croatian officials also announced that they will launch the process of counseling with international criminal courts. Speaker of Croatian Parliament Bozo Petrov said that this country will do everything to protect Croatian citizens in B&H. At the same time, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said that she is shocked and that she did not know or expect the aforementioned developments. In her opinion, leadership of the two countries should hold a meeting as soon as possible in order to discuss this problem and thus, avoid that this case becomes an obstacle in bilateral relations and friendship, or an obstacle for B&H’s path towards EU and NATO. In her opinion, B&H should focus on much bigger problems than this one. She concluded: “This (case) can deteriorate the relations”. Croatian Prime Minister (PM) Andrej Plenkovic organized a meeting with new Croatian Ministers on Wednesday, in order to discuss this case. After the meeting, Croatian Minister of Justice Anto Sprlje announced that Plenkovic will inform the public about details of the meeting on Thursday’s government session. Croatian Ministry of Justice confirmed for N1 that they sent a request to B&H Ministry of Justice, to deliver a list of Croatian citizens who are subject of criminal proceedings for war crimes.

 

UN SC to discuss situation in B&H on 8 November (Glas Srpske)

The UN Security Council (UN SC) will discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) on Tuesday, November 8. Daily reminded that the Government of the Republika Srpska (RS) has recently sent 16th report to the UN SC, accompanied with President of the RS Milorad Dodik’s letter. The RS Government’s report reads that SDA is trying to undermine stability and functionality of B&H, and it also underlines actions taken by the RS authorities with the goal of defending RS’ constitutional and legal rights, in line with the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). According to daily, members of the UN SC will also discuss reforms necessary to be made on country’s European integration path. High Representative Valentin Inzko is also supposed to send report to the UN Security Council in the upcoming couple of days.

 

“Initiative for Stolac” stages protest in front of B&H CEC in Sarajevo (TV1)

Members of the “Initiative for Stolac” staged a protest in front of the office of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) in Sarajevo on Wednesday. They expressed dissatisfaction because of the fact that the B&H CEC still has not reached a decision on the election process in Stolac, stressing that this institution obviously supports the election fraud in this municipality. They reminded that they have already filed 50 reports but have not received any response. Therefore, they deem that certain members of the B&H CEC are protecting President of the Municipal Election Commission in Stolac Ivan Peric who was reported on a number of occasions. In their opinion, the B&H CEC is actually working upon the orders and in favor of HDZ B&H. During the protests, members of the “Initiative for Stolac” handed the list of their demands, including the local elections in Stolac until November 20, to B&H CEC President Ahmet Santic and member Suad Arnautovic. Santic and Arnautovic promised that certain information regarding the election process in Stolac will be presented in the upcoming days.

 

Those who elect the parliament speaker on 7 November will also constitute new government (CDM)

Negotiations on constituting a new government in Montenegro should be completed by Monday, 7 November, when Parliament’s inaugural session is to be held in Cetinje. The Democratic Party of Socialists – DPS (36 seats) is negotiating on coalition government with BS (two seats), HGI (one seat), SD (two seats) and Forca (one seat). DPS PM candidate Dusko Markovic finished the first consultation round with representatives of minority parties and the Social Democrats (SD). According to him, they did not discuss specific positions in the government and who would occupy them. After the meeting with representatives of the SD, the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) and the Albanians Resolute coalition, Markovic told reporters that the talks were not completed, but that he was satisfied. “We discussed political principles, agreement on forming a coalition government after the elections. The other things will happen when the legal requirements are met”, Markovic said, referring to the fact that the president shall officially task someone with forming the government. However, everything must be clear before the Parliament session on 7 November. “Those who elect the Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speaker on 7 November will also constitute a new government,” analyst Srdja Vukadinovic told CDM.

There are four items on the agenda:

1. State Election Commission’s report on the general elections results;

2. Electing the Speaker of Parliament;

3. Determining the number of Deputy Speakers of Parliament and their election;

4. Election of the chairman and members of the Parliament’s Administrative Committee.

As announced, MPs for the Key coalition, the Democrats and SDP will not attend this session.

“Even if the opposition boycotts the session, it will not affect forming the government or appointing Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speakers, since a simple majority of 41 MPs is needed for them to be elected,” Vukadinovic said. On the other hand, the Democratic Front (DF) appealed to the Constitutional Court against the SEC’s decision on declaring the final elections results because, as stated in the explanation, the elections were not held in conditions which allowed citizens to freely express their will.

 

Pejanovic-Djurisic and Gottemoeller: The alliance fully supports Montenegro (RTCG)

Montenegrin Defense Minister Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic met NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, who paid her first official visit to Montenegro. Gottemoeller said she was satisfied with the progress Montenegro made and that the alliance fully supported the country on its path. Pejanovic-Djurisic presented the ministry’s activities carried out within the framework of accession and integration into NATO, emphasizing Montenegro’s contribution to the alliance’s operations. Considering the fact that Montenegro shares common values ​​with NATO, the minister pointed out that the country was committed to continue the reform process and achieving NATO standards. Gottemoeller said that the alliance fully supported Montenegro on its NATO path. “She noted that NATO member states’ willingness to accept Montenegro was reflected in the good dynamic of the ratification process in the allies’ parliaments”, the Defence Ministry stated.

 

State Electoral Commission Registers 5,500 Macedonian expats to vote on upcoming elections (MIA)

So far, a total of 5,500 Macedonian nationals working or residing temporarily abroad are registered to vote in the forthcoming early elections in Macedonia by using an electronic application on the website of the State Election Commission (SEC). Of these submissions, 4,976 have been accepted, 118 are rejected and 556 are being processed, the SEC said on Wednesday. The call for registering to vote in the early parliamentary elections at the diplomatic and consular offices of the Republic of Macedonia abroad is open until November 11. The Commission is urging all Macedonian citizens working or residing abroad temporarily to register for voting in the upcoming elections. “The citizens can be registered by using the app posted on the website of the State Election Commission https://dijaspora.sec.mk,” it is said.

 

VMRO-DPMNE’s goal for attaining 63 MP seats is a key to forming stable government (Kurir.mk)

A stable government, that will faithfully pursue plans aimed at further development of the country, can be instated with the election of 63 MPs, requested by VMRO-DPMNE, local analysts say, adding that such a stable government will be resilient to outside influences and attempts at destroying the country's integrity. Attempts, i.e. announcements leading to the illogical and anti-constitutional redefining of the state are present in the demands of SDSM leader Zoran Zaev and DUI chief Ali Ahmeti. In a struggle to attain votes, SDSM and DUI are promising all sorts of things which are not in the best interest of Macedonia. Zaev and Ahmeti want to redefine the country and in state official bilingualism, but the Macedonian public has reacted sternly by saying that it will not allow such things. What Ahmeti is offering voters, according to experts, Zaev has already put forth as an offer. Ahmeti extended an ultimatum for Macedonia's redefinition and the instatement of official bilingualism, which coincides with the offer of Zaev, who does not hide the fact that if he comes into power, Albanian will be spoken across the whole country. Political analyst Aleksandar Dastevski stated for Kurir that Zaev and Ahmeti's promises to Albanian citizens are similar. He pointed out that promises on instating official bilingualism only increase ethnic tensions in the country. “There are similarities in their promises, but Ahmeti will probably be the one who will reap the benefits on the matter. By promising the instatement of official bilingualism, they are only heightening inter-ethnic tensions and inciting radicalization, which was not the case before the issue was put forth by the opposition,” Dastevski said for Kurir. Experts say that in the battle for attaining Albanian votes, Zaev and Ahmeti are competing in who is a more devoted Albanian. “Unfortunately, there is one similarity in the interests of our opposition, which is disregarding the national and long-term interests of the citizens and the Albanian factor, whose dealings and motives are familiar since 2001,” Risto Nikovski said for Sitel TV. Nikovski added that Macedonians have the means to confront DUI's appetites and the anti-Macedonian offers of Zaev, so as to prevent being guests in their own country. According to him, these elections are key, as is Gruevski’s request for attaining 63 MP seats. “It is key. We need a stable government which will work in the interest of the people and the country as all other politicking will lead to a conflict, a Balkan one. These elections will be trying for every citizen. Each and every one should vote in elections since the future of the country and its citizens is at stake,” Nikovski stated.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbia wants economic ties with Russia to reach level of political cooperation (TASS, 3 November 2016)

SUZDAL. Serbia is not planning to join the European economic sanctions against Russia, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at the meeting of the Russian-Serbian council for bilateral trade and economic cooperation on Thursday. "Serbia is consistent (in its policy) and will not join the EU’s anti-Russian sanctions," said Dacic, who is also Serbia’s first deputy prime minister. He stressed that the bilateral economic relations should reach the level of political ties between Moscow and Belgrade. To this aim, economic cooperation needs to be advanced, Dacic said, expressing confidence that the work of the bilateral intergovernmental commission will yield the result. Serbia is tankful to Russia for its veto on the resolution on Srebrenica in the UN Security Council, and also for Moscow’s support during the voting against Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations, he added. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin noted that Russia and Serbia have been consistently developing relations within the framework of strategic partnership and traditional friendship. He recalled that Moscow and Belgrade maintain high-level contacts, also between the countries’ foreign ministries. "For Russia, Serbia is a strategic partner in the Balkan region," Rogozin said. Russia sees great prospects for developing cooperation in tourist, medical, construction, communications, humanitarian, banking and insurance sectors, and also in industrial cooperation, he said. Russia’s investments in Serbia’s energy sector reach around $3 billion, Rogozin said, stressing that Moscow plans to continue investing in the country’s economy. The special focus will be made on the projects on modernizing Serbia’s railways, which can be worth more than $940 million (as part of Russia’s state loan). During the meeting, the sides discussed particular steps for continuing work on the project.

 

Interview: Serbia puts hope in Riga summit to attract more Chinese investments: professor (Xinhua, by Nemanja Cabric, Wang Huijuan, 2 November 2016)

BELGRADE -- Improved bilateral relations between Serbia and China as well as successful projects in the past raise Serbian hopes that more investments and projects will be agreed at an upcoming summit in Riga, Latvia, Dragana Mitrovic, professor of political science at the University of Belgrade, told Xinhua here Wednesday. Mitrovic, executive director and founder of the Centre for Asian and Far East studies at the university's faculty of political science, said Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia in June 2016 "opened the door for much wider and deepened cooperation in all areas of economic and social interactions between the two countries and confirmed commitments of the two countries concerning the Belt and Road initiative," she said. She estimated that the upcoming summit and the meeting of the 16+1 mechanism of China and Central and East European (CEE) countries would result in "more specific policies and measures as well as advancement of ongoing or planned projects and initiatives."

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS BRING HOPE FOR MORE CHINESE INVESTMENTS

Mitrovic said the upgrade in relations came after several successful projects were achieved or are underway -- Kostolac thermal power plant revitalization, Pupin Bridge on the Danube, which was the first of such kind built predominantly by a Chinese company in Europe, and the purchase of Smederevo Steel Plant by HeSteel. "Those examples of cooperation were mutually beneficial, especially as we look at them as the first ones supposed to open the door for more intense and coordinated cooperation," Mitrovic pointed out. She estimated that Serbian public and business communities, and especially local communities, were now expecting to see more direct Chinese investments in the real economy of Serbia as "China has become the second biggest global investor, and as it has strongly increased its investment in Europe, but primarily in Western Europe." "Strategically positioned along the Belt and Road initiative network pathway, with preferential access to the EU market and to the market of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries, as well as the Turkish one, with a qualified work force, Serbia is waiting to see more direct investments coming from state and private Chinese corporations that would push its sustainable growth and create jobs," said the professor. Mitrovic reminded that Serbia had its own traditional advantages in agricultural production, especially wheat, corn, sunflower, soybean, sugar beet, milk and dairy products and in fields like food processing, cattle breeding, as well as desalination processes and traditionally developed seeds for sunflower and wheat. "All these sectors welcome strategic partners from China. Foreign direct investments from Chinese companies would be mutually beneficial if oriented towards the state-owned companies that our government listed for sale," Mitrovic said.

MANY PROJECTS TO BE DISCUSSED IN RIGA

She stressed the hope that Hebei Iron and Steel Group would invest its modern technology of light steel in Smederevo Steel Plant so it could compete in the global automobile industry.

Mitrovic added that the expected restoration of the direct flights between China and Serbia, together with a visa-free regime for short stays of Chinese and Serbian tourists, and opening a branch of Bank of China in Serbia would help foster people to people exchange, tourist industries and cooperation. According to Mitrovic, these and other topics would be the focus of Serbia at the upcoming summit and leaders' meeting in Riga, Latvia. "At the Riga Summit, we could expect the continuation of deepening and expending framework of cooperation within the new agenda of 'One goal and six priorities' adopted in Suzhou last year that put all the elements of mid-term cooperation into a time frame of five years as it could go along with the China's 13th Five-Year Plan and the Belt and Road initiative, as well as the European Commission's Investment Plan for Europe," she said. She added that at the summit held last November in Suzhou, Latvia was given the responsibility of establishing a secretariat on logistics cooperation within 16+1 framework and organizing its first ministerial level meeting. "Pushing for more infrastructure and logistic cooperation in the area of Baltic Sea is going to be seen as one of the areas the most important for the host and China. Other Latvia's priorities are direct flights between Latvia and China and hosting of the 16+1 Business Support Organizations Conference in Riga," Mitrovic concluded.

 

Austria sends troops to Hungary-Serbia border (AFP, 3 November 2016)

Austria on Thursday sent 60 troops to Hungary's border with non-EU Serbia as Vienna's defence minister warned that the EU's migrants deal with Turkey was "showing cracks". Austria's defence ministry said that the soldiers will not be armed or be involved in intercepting people making it past Hungary's border fence with Serbia. Hungary has been criticised by rights groups and others for its alleged mistreatment of refugees and its refusal to take in some of the huge numbers of refugees who arrived in Europe in 2015. Based at Hodmezovasarhely near Szeged in south-east Hungary initially for six months, the Austrian soldiers are sappers who will help build roads and erect containers. Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said that EU countries needed to do more to protect their borders because the bloc's accord with Turkey risked unravelling. "In my opinion the cracks in this accord are starting to show," Doskozil told Oe1 public radio. "We have a time window in Europe in which to organise ourselves" before the deal collapses, he said. "Therefore it is right, and high time, that... EU member states recognise this and confront this challenge, deal with the problem themselves and be ready to act themselves." Under the EU-Turkey deal in force since March, Ankara agreed to take back migrants who made it to Greece in return for being allowed to send Syrians to the bloc in an orderly redistribution programme. However Greece has been slow to send migrants back to Turkey. Athens says this is because many have applied for asylum which means that they cannot be moved until the claims are processed. In addition Greece complains that the EU has failed to provide additional assistance as promised and to share enough of the thousands of migrants around the bloc. Athens wants to transfer some of the nearly 16,000 migrants on its islands to the mainland but faces opposition from EU partners who fear a mass resurgence of migrants heading north, Greek migration minister Yannis Mouzalas said Monday.

 

Bosnia Herzegovina for sale (balcanicaucaso.org, by Željana Grubišić, 2 November 2016)

Massive land and real estate sale to foreign nationals in the central Balkan country points to growing corruption and brings little benefit to the country

Since its post-war years Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has struggled with an unstable economy, systemic corruption, and, more recently, is beset with large-scale foreign investments that bring more worry than national net worth. Since 2011, BiH economic upsurge (an increase of 3.2% GDP in 2015, according to World Bank data) is marked by foreign national massive real estate purchases along with business venture investments, which have developed along with the growing presence of wealthy or well-to-do Middle Easterners, Turks, and other foreigners, mostly in the capital of Sarajevo, its environs, and Central Bosnia. Instead of boosting economic growth, however, foreign tycoon ventures in BiH play along ambitions of BiH political parties, their leading oligarchs, and local notaries, who more often than not show that private gain over public office is foremost on their minds. Oversized and inept state bureaucratic system, lagging in effective reforms, only feeds opportunism of local politicians from foreign investments.

Land and real estate title deeds transferred to foreign nationals in BiH often lack proper documentation and legally sound transactions. In the end, not the state or BiH citizens, only individuals benefit from burgeoning investments turned to corruption practices that threaten to plunge the country into deeper economic mire.

Investments at Any Cost

Wealthy citizens from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Middle East are buying real estate in BiH at an alarming rate. They arrive as investors or tourists for extended periods, seeking refuge from the dry Gulf summers, as they say, but end up purchasing real estate and investing in businesses that end up being a cover up for more land and real estate purchases. So far, foreign investments in BiH, especially from the Middle East and Turkey focused on prime real estate in and around the capital of Sarajevo where a number of significant buildings, like Hotel Bristol, were renovated with money from Arab investors. Sarajevo City Mall - housing a five-star hotel, commercial and office space, a shopping centre with entertainment complex, etc. - was built by the Saudi Al Shiddi Trading Establishment. Majors of the three Sarajevo municipalities of Trnovo, Hadžići and Ilidža, officials of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), are widely enthusiastic about foreign investment potential. “Our investment in the entire project will not be 10, but 30 percent gain. […] We count on Trnovo to cash in from 500 to 600 million euros for ten years; not to mention the job creation potential," says Mayor Ibro Barilo about the construction of the tourist city Buroj Ozone in Trnovo, located 20 Km outside Sarajevo. The laying of the first stone of the complex, held in September this year, took place in an official ceremony at the presence of public figures. The UAE-based Buroj Company is investing 2.3 billion euros (according to the same company, this is the largest foreign investment ever made in a single tranche in South East Europe), and Barilo is the company’s purchasing intermediary. The prospective tourist city should offer thousands of housing units, several hotels, and shopping centers sprawling across the prime real estate of the Igman and Bjelasnica mountains. In Hadžići, the Kuwaitis inaugurated in October 2015 a luxury resort, estimated at over 200 million euros. The resort is planned to include indoor and outdoor pools, sport courts, artificial lake and a hotel. Ilidža municipality mayor, Senaid Memić, also supports Arab tycoons' development. He rewards investors with discounts for purchasing infrastructure, rents state-owned land to developers for a minimum fee, and participates in the sale of nearby land for new developments. The village of Pazarić, near Sarajevo, is now a luxury community. Top price was paid for small village houses that wealthy Dubai investors turned into villas. Well-paid local and confidential appointees, responsible for the purchases, ensured the deals were reached quietly and discreetly. Most recently the sale of parcels in proximity of the nature monument “Vrelo Bosne” in the Ilidža municipality caused widespread public protest, and earned an online hashtag “NeDamoVreloBosne” [We will not give away the Vrelo Bosne]. Three cadastral parcels, protected under the World Commission Protected Areas, in early August were sold to the Kuwaiti Investment Company at a price (38 Euro per square meter according to a report by Al Jazeera Balkans ) considered by many as too low. Public condemnation is due to the sold parcels proximity to the water protected zone and low sale price per square meter. Ilidža municipality SDP officials have dismissed the public outcry over this sale, saying the resistance is politically motivated by opposition, adding that the transaction was legally sound and transparent.

Lack of Transparency, Fictitious Companies, Corruption Charges

According to the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, foreign investors enjoy the same status, rights and duties as domestic companies in BiH. Yet, registered but non-existent companies and real estate agencies are subterfuge for real estate purchases and residence permits. BiH Ministry of Security claims that Kuwaiti nationals so far own 232 registered companies, among them many inactive, suspected of being a cover up for real estate purchases. Rubina Cengić, Start media journalist, cautions about the Arab real estate trend. She says it is hard to know just how much real estate investors acquired, since they buy public and private land from financially needy, or those leaving the city. Commenting upon this phenomenon and the increasing attention Bosnian media have dedicated to it during the last months, Esad Duraković, professor of Arabic literature and philology, expressed his concern to the network N1 : "The ongoing process should be seen as a deliberate strategy whose final effects will be seen in the long run, and there is the risk that the outcomes may be acknowledged when it is already too late [...] This is not about productive investments, nor is it a matter of tourism. The fact is that the best resources of this country are being sold to foreign citizens [...] The income generated in the short term by tourism should not obscure the long-term consequences: it is not only tourists who visit the country for a few days, but foreign citizens establishing a permanent presence on their own lands in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

 

Albania Weighs Turkey’s Claim to be Gulenist Hub (BIRN, by Fatjona Mejdini, 3 November 2016)

After Turkey's Foreign Minister named Albania as the centre of 'Gulenists' in the Balkans, local experts say the country should investigate the claims with due caution.

As Turkey maintains pressure on Balkan countries to clamp down on so-called Gulenists - followers of the US-based cleirc Fethullah Gulen accused of masterminding the failed Turkish coup attempt on July 15, experts in Albania say the country must put its own interests ahead of those of Ankara. Pirro Misha, a prominent Albanian author and researcher on nationalism and culture, told BIRN that Albania should be careful when it comes to responding to pressure from Ankara, despite its traditional friendship with Turkey. "Albania should put its country interests over ... requests coming from another state, despite the strong friendship," he advised. However, Misha added that Albania might find it in its own best interest to investigate Turkish claims. "If there is proof that we have a foreign secret organization in Albania with ambitions to interfere politically, socially and religiously, then the issue become dangerous," he said. "But the government must have strong proof of this, otherwise the process might turn into a witch hunt," Misha said. Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, spoke about the alleged influence of Gulenists in the Balkans in an interview for Haberturk daily newspaper in Qatar, marking Albania as the key country in the region. “Albania seems to be the centre of Gulenists in the region; Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo were also seized by Gulenists,” Cavusoglu said on Wednesday. Ermir Gjinishi, a theologian and former secretary general of Albanian Muslim community, told BIRN that an investigation into Gulenist activity in Albania was necessary, however. "Albania is a country with a big presence of Gulenists and they have influence in every state structure. This organization doesn't represent the interests of Albanians, in some cases, it has even manipulated them. Their aim is to capture the state and this is a security issue," he claimed. Cavusoglu's statement came days after his Albanian counterpart, Ditmir Bushati, paid an official visit to Turkey, where he also met Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While the official statements released by the ministry following the visit stated the aim of meetings was improving trade and economic relationships, local media reported that Turkish officials again called on Tirana to take action against Gulen followers. Similar calls were made by Erdogan himself, even before the failed coup d'etat took place in Turkey. In May 2015, during a visit to Tirana, Erdogan urged the mainly Muslim country to expel the movement as a terrorist organization. He stated that he considered Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Bujar Nishani brothers and expressed hope that they would do the "right thing”. Albanian officials responded that they had to follow Albania law when it comes to claims about terrorist organizations acting in the country.