LOCAL PRESS

 

Odalovic: Situation on the ground needs to be presented before the UN Security Council (RTS)

 

The General Secretary of the Serbian Foreign Ministry Veljko Odalovic has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that one group of countries in the UN has done everything to remove the topic of reporting from Kosovo and Metohija from the public scene. Odalovic called the reason for postponing the UN SC session, alleged obligations of the Pristina representative Vlora Chitaku, as obstruction and said it was silly that a serious country such as Great Britain is trying to postpone the session with such frivolous arguments. Odalovic underlines that, whatever is agreed, it will have to find an epilogue before the UN SC. He says that UN Secretary General’s report is such that it touches upon serious problems, but doesn’t give us full weight and formulation. He says that the situation on the ground is more serious from what is written in the report that this needs to be stated before the UN SC. Speaking about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, Odalovic notes that there are still no election results one month since the elections, that something more is being counted and that we have masked clothing and space equipment as something that is amusing the world. However, he thinks that Pristina will have to finish this process and to open space for Albin Kurti and some who think they are still in the campaign, to stop speaking the way they are speaking. Odalovic says the mathematics are simple and that Kurti, who received most votes, will be the first to receive the mandate for government formation. However, he says it is a question whether his relation towards the obligations that Pristina is not implemented will be tolerated.

 

Highest level of cooperation, trust between Serbia, China (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo about her forthcoming visit to China and participation in the Second China International Export Fair EXPO. During her official visit to China from 3 to 7 November, Brnabic will meet with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, and will also visit Shanghai and Hangzhou. Brnabic underlined that the invitation of the President of China is a great honor for Serbia and reflects the highest level of cooperation and trust between the two countries. She expressed certainty that the participation of the Serbian delegation at the fair will give a strong impetus to the trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and that it represents a unique opportunity for Serbian businessmen to increase their presence and placement of products on the Chinese market. She pointed out that the citizens of Serbia already feel the advantages of the mutually beneficial cooperation with China, noting that the Serbian government is committed to further promoting this cooperation through joint projects in the fields of infrastructure, innovation, information technology, digital services and education. Brnabic underlined that she will use her visit to China to attract new Chinese investments in these sectors. The Chinese Ambassador said that the visit of the Serbian Prime Minister to her country is very important for the further strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries and pointed out that the Serbian-Chinese relations are progressing precisely thanks to the constant dialogue and reciprocal visits of officials of the two countries.

 

Valuable support of EP in establishing dialogue on election conditions (Beta)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke with a delegation of the European Parliament, led by the Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Stabilization and Association of Serbia to the European Union Tanja Fajon, about further forms of cooperation on Serbia's path to EU membership. Brnabic expressed her gratitude to the representatives of the European Parliament for the engagement shown by this institution in establishing a dialogue on election conditions, noting that this type of support is very important. Fajon underlined that it is important for Serbia to continue to build its path towards the European Union and expressed its readiness to assist in the process. The Prime Minister reiterated that Serbia remains committed to further implementing the necessary reforms on its path to EU membership.

 

Vucic: Peace, stability, regional cooperation are our priorities (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbia is an advocate of peace and stability in the region, and regional cooperation, strengthening of relations with neighbors and a continued policy of reconciliation are our foreign policy priorities, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Thursday at a meeting with representatives of the EU-Serbia Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC). Vucic congratulated Tanja Fajon on her election as head of the European Parliament delegation to the SAPC, and also expressed the hope the new EU institutions would continue to support the enlargement policy and Serbia's EU path. He noted that Serbia welcomed the election of Vladimir Bilcik as the new EP rapporteur for Serbia, expressing gratitude to Bilcik’s predecessor, David McAllister, for his contribution to, and active support for, Serbia’s European integration. Serbia attaches great importance to the Berlin Process, whose significance is reflected in support for the Western Balkans' European integration through specific projects and measures, Vucic said. Fajon said the EP was an advocate of the EU enlargement and that Serbia was one of the top candidate countries.

 

Fajon: No progress in media freedom (FoNet)

 

The Chair of the European Parliament (EP) Delegation to EU-Serbia Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee Tanja Fajon said on Wednesday that, as a former journalist, she was worried about the media freedom in Serbia, adding that the last European Commission (EC) report confirmed there was no progress in that area, FoNet reported.

In a meeting in the Serbian parliament, Fajon said she was sorry for seeing there was no progress in the country in that area, and she was also worried about the information on violence and intimidation of the journalists, what should not happen in the country which aspired to join the EU. She added she expected an open dialogue about the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) on 12 November and that she believed the election of its members would be independent and transparent. Violence, intimidation against journalists should not be taking place in a country aspiring to join the EU. Serbia needs pluralistic media landscape with safeguards to protect journalists. I firmly condemn any interference in the work of media, incl in the context of elections. Fajon said she was also concerned with the opposition’s boycott of the parliament, but that she hoped that before the next elections the situation would normalize and that the opposition would return to the Parliament. “We prefer dialogue and elections to a boycott, which is an extreme political option that could bring more damage than benefit,” Fajon said. She added she hoped that after the formation of Kosovo’s government, the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue would resume. Regarding Serbia’s EU future, Fajon said Belgrade had the lowest level of adjusting to the EU foreign and security policy and continued the cooperation with Russia by signing the agreement with Euro-Asian Economic Union (EAEU) on 25 October. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has formed that Union as a rival to the European common market. If Serbia is serious about its European orientation, it should make political decisions accordingly,” Fajon said, adding Belgrade would have to cancel all bilateral contracts if and when it became an EU member state. The EP is not concerned only with Serbia’s relations with Russia, but also with China which, according to Fajon, saw Serbia as a key transport corridor to the EU.

Official of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and co-chairman of Serbia’s delegation to EU-Serbia Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee Vladimir Orlic said the media situation in Serbia was better than in 2012, the year when his party and its President Aleksandar Vucic came to power. He said the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue would resume when Kosovo lifted the 100 percent import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia introduced a year ago.

Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic said it was logical that Fajon, a former journalist, was interested in the media. Joksimovic recalled that the work on the Media Strategy draft was renewed because the process credibility was questioned after some journalists’ associations left the talks. She said the process dragged on for over a year because “for us, the quality was more important than the speed.” Joksimovic added that the Serbian government did not avoid any issue, especially those concerning the election conditions. She said Belgrade was on the right course to make them better implementing the recommendation from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Commenting on Serbia’s bilateral deals with third counties, Joksimovic said Belgrade was aware that they would cease to exist when the country joined the EU.

 

Djuric: Kurti obsessed with expelling everything that is Serbian (RTS)

 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has called in a public statement Albin Kurti to publicly state that he doesn’t want to implement Pristina’s obligations towards the Serbs, because if this is the case, then we don’t have any obligations towards Pristina as well. Djuric calls Kurti to clearly and loudly state that he is not obliged by the results of the Brussels dialogue. “Residents in Kosovo and Metohija and the international community should know who destroyed any chance for Belgrade and Pristina to resolve disagreements by agreement,” said Djuric. Djuric says that Kurti is obsessively dealing with Serbia and the Serbs and that he should seek medical assistance over the obsessiveness with the idea of expelling everything that is Serbian.

 

McLeod: British interest in Western Balkans unchanged (Beta)

 

British interests in the Western Balkans remain unchanged despite Brexit because UK foreign policy does not depend on whether the country is member of the European Union or not, British Ambassador to Serbia Sian McLeod said on Thursday. She told a meeting on Brexit, the EU and the Western Balkans that the United Kingdom will continue supporting reforms and regional cooperation in the region. McLeod said that the media are ignoring British financial aid to the region, specifying that 10 million GBP has been invested into digitalization in schools and almost 40 million GBP in the Fund for Peaceful Conflict Resolution, e-administration and to strengthen freedom of the media. She said that fighting crime and corruption and reinforcing the rule of law are also important in attracting investments.

 

EU funds as ramp for the Chinese (Novosti)

 

The increasingly certain reform of the EU enlargement process could bring faster access to European funds and economic benefits for Serbia but it could also postpone full membership of Serbia and its influence on decision making in the EU indefinitely or perhaps even exclude it entirely. Namely, French President Emmanuel Macron insists on a new vision of enlargement that would stop expansion of the number of countries which have the right to vote in the EU but, at the same time, he wishes to economically tie the Western Balkans to the EU to diminish influence of Russia, China and USA while strengthening influence of France and Germany. Coordinator of National Convent of Serbia on EU for Chapters 30 (foreign trade) and 31 (foreign and security policy) Igor Novakovic said that that he believes that the enlargement process will not be abolished but only reformed. Representative of the Center for Foreign Policy Suzana Grubjesic said that the reaction of the Western Balkans countries to alternative models instead of full membership in the EU was justified and she noted that the membership was promised a long time ago. “The enlargement must not be the victims of changed circumstances in the EU,” Grubjesic added. Minister for European Integration of Serbia Jadranka Joksimovic said that Serbia already went through a change of the methodology in European integration because it was the first country which launched talks with new approach, i.e. it had to open chapters related to rule of law and normalization of relations with Pristina immediately instead of opening chapters for which it was technically prepared. The daily noted that one of options mentioned for the Western Balkans is the possibility of participation in the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) without membership in the EU and reminded that the EEA was established back in 1994 and it enables members to participate in internal market of the EU.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

RS government submits 22nd Report on B&H to UN Security Council (RTRS)

 

The Republika Srpska (RS) government defined the 22nd Report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) which on behalf of the RS, RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic submitted and which points to constant blockade of formation of authorities coming from SDA. The report reads that SDA’s rejection to implement election results paralyzed authorities at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and pushed the country into a crisis. Now, B&H can barely be considered as a democratic country, as the parties that won the elections failed to come to the power a year after. The report also criticized undermining of the Dayton Agreement and repeated that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) should be shut down. The report reads: “SDA blocks formation of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) setting a condition according to which B&H will commit to file the Annual National Program (ANP) to the NATO, which is they key step towards joining the Alliance. This party ignores calls of the EU to form the CoM without political conditioning”. The RS government reminded that the RS parliament adopted a resolution on military neutrality and that the ANP, as a condition, is just a cover for preventing implementation of election results at the level of B&H. The report stated that SDA also blocks formation of authorities in the Federation of B&H and in some Cantons, which shows that blockade of the CoM has nothing to do with the NATO. The report reads: “The RS is exercising its competences smoothly, but blockade of the new CoM has paralyzed the B&H's level. This has caused real damage not only to democratic functioning but also to citizens in B&H. Without the CoM, vital infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo highway are on hold". The report also criticizes undermining of the Dayton Agreement and reiterated that the OHR must be closed. According to the report, the Dayton Agreement is exposed to attacks of SDA, especially after adoption of extremist declaration in September which calls for abolition of the entities. The reporter noted that some elements in the international community constantly work against the Dayton principles. The report also reads that the HR used the Bonn Powers until now and the HR used the Bonn Powers for years. The only thing that the RS supports without any condition is the Dayton Agreement and the RS only demands to implement it in the right way. According to the report, the RS is also committed to progress towards the EU. The report also reads: “Although the RS does everything in its power to promote the European integration of B&H, the institutions that are out of control of the RS, unfortunately, hinder this progress. Further presence of the international HR who preempts dictatorship power and imposes laws as its heritage, are the biggest obstacles on the European path of B&H”. The report also warned that the blockade led to absurd and unconstitutional situation, mentioning the case of SDA’s Denis Zvizdic, who assumes the outgoing post of the Chairman of the B&H CoM and the post of the Speaker of the B&H House of Representatives. This violated the tripartite distribution of power this is fundamental for the ruling of the law.

 

Covic: ANP cannot be stated as condition for authority formation and confirms HDZ B&H will not be part of state-level authorities without SNSD (TV1)

 

Speaker of the B&H House of Peoples (B&H HoP) and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic hosted an event on Wednesday titled ‘Coffee with members of the press’. Commenting the state-level blockade in B&H and the need to swiftly form the authorities on all levels, Covic said that adoption of the Annual National Program (ANP) for the NATO cannot be stated as a precondition for formation of the authorities. He also added that he would not accept an agreement on formation of state-level authorities if SNSD is not part of that process. On 7 November, a meeting between SDA and HDZ B&H delegations will be held and Covic emphasized that they will work on relaxing the relations between the two parties, thus being able to bring their stances a bit closer. The HDZ B&H leader confirms amendments to the state Election Law will be discussed during the mentioned meeting. He underlined that work of the B&H parliament will not be unblocked until the process of formation of the new convocation of the B&H Council of Ministers (B&H CoM) is concluded. Conditions that block the process, we make up on our own, Covic underlines. “No document states that we can condition the formation with anything, which also includes the ANP,” Covic told members of the press, adding only legitimate representatives of all three constituent peoples and election winners can form the new authorities. As for SDS and the possibility of formation of a new parliamentary majority, Covic assessed that everyone has the right to look for their positions, but it is unacceptable for HDZ B&H. “We insist that legitimate representatives should form new authorities. Otherwise, what is the point of elections?” he said. Asked if HDZ B&H and SNSD are blocking the process of formation of new authorities, Covic said ‘no’ and stressed that someone else is doing that. In his opinion, it is the person who set the ANP as a condition to formation of new authorities. “Let us form the B&H CoM and task this institution to solve this issue. In my opinion, our attitude towards the NATO is very important. If you can remember, if you read the document, we signed that with Mr. (former Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Lars-Gunnar) Wigemark – me, Mr. Izetbegovic and Mr. Dodik. The NATO is mentioned very precisely in terms of all relevant decisions that refer to the Alliance as a whole, which must be respected. We signed it together. We have to head further towards the NATO,” Covic explained. He stressed that B&H should also be heading towards the EU, adding that the country will certainly acquire the status of a candidate if new authorities at the level of B&H are entirely formed by the end of the year. In his opinion, Croatia will help B&H in this context as it is about to take over the Presidency of the EU soon.

 

Komsic blames Croats and HDZ BiH for failure to form authorities in Federation of B&H (Klix)

 

In an interview to Klix portal, Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic said that Croat politicians are culpable for the failure to form the authorities in the Federation of B&H and he added: “If I were a political analyst, I would have said that they are equally culpable because it is very popular to relativize everything here. However, I will be less popular and I will say that HDZ B&H is more culpable because what they are asking for is impossible at the next level”. Komsic explained that introduction of separate ballot boxes for Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and others in B&H is impossible.

 

B&H Presidency members meet with EU officials on Tuesday, present different views on NATO path (Hayat)

 

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic, Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik met with high-ranking representatives of the EU in Brussels on Tuesday evening. They discussed the process of formation of new authorities, the migrant crisis and regional issues. Formation of a new convocation of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) is still on hold as the views of participants in this process are still the same. Komsic told reporters that he and Dzaferovic deem it is necessary to discuss the Euro-Atlantic path, while Dodik deems they should only discuss the European path. “Therefore, the views are the same,” he added. Dzaferovic expressed optimism saying that the cabinets of the members of the B&H Presidency have been working for months on a document that would enable cooperation with the NATO. “It is being done together with the Quint countries, with the embassies in B&H and with the NATO. I want us to reach this agreement as soon as possible, in order to be able to proceed with formation of the B&H CoM,” Dzaferovic explained. On the other hand, Dodik stated that he is not an optimist when it comes to formation of new authorities at the level of B&H, adding that SNSD is losing its interest as more than a year has passed since the general elections. EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn informed the members of the B&H Presidency on the situation in the region, with an emphasis on the failure to reach consensus on the accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. With regard to this issue, Dzaferovic stated: “We all said here that there is no alternative to our European path, the European path of B&H. Regardless of this decision of the European Council, which is discouraging for the countries that aspire to become members of the EU, we simply have no option other than continuing the reforms that will accelerate the European path of B&H.”

With regard to the migrant crisis, Komsic stated: “We asked for the countries of the EU, the current or the future convocation of the European Commission (EC) to help us protect our eastern border if they can, in order to reduce the pressure and influx of migrants into B&H and to adequately take care of the migrants who are already in B&H.” The good news is that the EU is ready to help when it comes to the migrant crisis, given the fact that B&H is facing a humanitarian disaster because winter is coming and there is no solution, the reporter noted.

Following the farewell dinner with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini held in Brussels on Tuesday evening and meeting with Hahn, Dodik said that he is not an optimist concerning the authority formation at B&H level. Dodik added that SNSD and coalition partners are losing interest, being that more than a year has passed since elections. In a phone statement to FTV, Dodik underscored that there is “some consensus” on the European integration of B&H. “There is certainly no consensus on the NATO integration” said Dodik, adding that he thinks the European Commission (EC) understands this.

 

Dodik to propose at RS parliament special session for Bonn powers to be dismissed as unlawful; OHR replies (Hayat)

 

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik has announced that he will propose at a special session of the RS parliament for the Bonn powers of the High Representative (HR) to be dismissed as unlawful, as well as all consequences of such behavior of the HR in B&H. He explained that the B&H Constitution does not mention any of the competences that have been transferred to the level of B&H. He stressed that this is a serious problem and that he will not give up on the constitutional position of the RS. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) replied that the status and powers of the HR are the matters that arise from the General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H and the international law, so they do not fall under the entity competences. The OHR also reminded that the Bonn powers have not been used for eight years now, but frequent attacks on the General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H justify further existence of these powers. The OHR argued that the RS does not have the right to unilaterally withdraw from reforms which were implemented within the framework of Annex 4 of the Dayton Agreement, which is B&H’s Constitution, nor to interpret Annex 10 of the agreement which treats the mandate of the HR. The OHR told N1 on Wednesday that it is not up to the RS, as the entity, to interpret the mandate of the HR. According to the OHR, parties, including the ones in the RS, had enough chances to show that they can reach an agreement about reforms, including reforms that are necessary for B&H to exit out of the international supervision on the road to accession in the EU.

 

Voice of the RS is being met with understanding in official Washington (Srna)

 

Head of the RS Representative Office in Washington Obrad Kesic said that US President Donald Trump’s statement, according to which the US foreign policy needs to be changed, means that room has been created in Washington for better and more concrete relations with the RS and Serbia. Kesic reminded that during the administration of former US President Barack Obama, the official US stance was that there can be no changes in the Balkans, that “‘so-called Kosovo” is independent and that Serbia has no other option but to accept reality and recognize the independence of Kosovo. “Now, representatives of this administration are saying that any kind of solution agreed by Belgrade and Pristina is acceptable for them, including so-called demarcation or division of territory. That is an important step forward when it comes to the US foreign policy”. According to Kesic, Trump administration’s rhetoric is completely different than rhetoric of previous US administrations. “There are no more threats and aggressiveness in their stances and one can easily see that they are not willing to get deeply involved in the Balkan issue” said Kesic. When asked to say exactly how much the RS Representative Office in Washington can influence creators of the foreign policy in Trump’s administration, with regards to preservation of constitutional position of the RS, Kesic replied by saying that the Representative Office is working on a daily basis on improvement of the image of the RS. “We are just another factor in that process, but since we are based in Washington, I would say that we are an important factor which helps that the voice of the RS is heard, and that voice is being met with more and more understanding in official Washington,” concluded Kesic.

 

Croatian PM Plenkovic presents priorities of EU Presidency of Croatia (HRT1)

 

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic held a press conference on the goals and priorities of Croatia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first six months of 2020. Croatia, under the slogan 'Strong Europe in a Challenging World', will chair the EU's rotating presidency beginning on 1 January 2020. "For the first time in its 29 years of independence, Croatia will preside over the European Union. This is a historic event for our country. It is the crowning achievement of our ongoing European path, which as you know has been far from simple. However, the Croatian people, led by their Christian roots, traditions and culture, have always expressed an attachment and belonging to the European family, which shares common values and goals, and a common future," said the prime minister. The Prime Minister underlined that Europe would indeed be faced with many challenges in the new year, including the possibility of Europe without the UK, climate change, trade wars, terrorism and illegal migration. Croatia's priorities during the six-month mandate have been divided into four categories: development, connectivity, defense and influence. He also underlined the EU's responsibility towards Southeast European countries, saying that during its presidency Croatia would advocate the EU membership prospects of countries in the region and an efficient enlargement policy, recalling that next May Zagreb would host a summit of the EU and Western Balkan countries. European Commission's Vice President-designate for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Suica, said that protecting the European way of life and giving fresh boost to European democracy were some of the priorities of the new European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen. The agenda of the new EC President includes several headline ambitions: European Green Deal; economy that works for people; Europe fit for the digital age; protecting the European way of life; stronger Europe in a changing world; and, promoting European democracy. Suica said that in the first six months of her term she intended to detect the main reasons for emigration from rural areas to urban centers throughout Europe, as well as determining the impact of demographic changes on the population. Plenkovic emphasized the responsibility of the EU towards countries in the region and announced that, during the EU Presidency, Croatia will advocate the European perspective of countries of the region and an efficient enlargement policy. The Croatian Prime Minister reminded that Zagreb will host the summit of the EU and Western Balkan countries in May 2020. “We are aware of the transformational power of the accession process. We will therefore advocate an efficient policy of enlargement,” the Prime Minister underlined.

 

Albanian President Meta continues visit to Croatia (Hina)

 

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday received Albanian President Ilir Meta and they talked about the priorities of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2020, including enlargement. Meta underlined the importance of the Croatian presidency for all of Southeast Europe, while Plenkovic reiterated that preparations for a Zagreb summit between EU member states and countries in Southeast Europe were among the priorities of the presidency, the government said in a press release. The European Council has refused to greenlight the beginning of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. Members of the European Parliament and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn called on the Council last week to correct the "historic error" before the Zagreb summit in May. Plenkovic and Meta said they were pleased with the friendly and close political relations between Croatia and Albania, and added that it was necessary to intensify economic cooperation and improve transport connectivity.

 

Djukanovic: Disappointing EU decisions won’t dash WB countries’ hopes (CDM)

 

Latest EU decisions are disappointing. Meeting with the outgoing Head of EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, echoed with statements that the same decisions have endangered the credibility of Wester Balkans (WB) countries policy, said Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, following the meeting in Brussels. Djukanovic attended the meeting of Wester Balkans leaders, organized by Federica Mogherini in Brussels. He pointed out that their talks were expected and influenced by “what has been going on in the previous weeks”. As Djukanovic said, Mogherini’s final message was that she “expects enlargement process to continue”. “Everybody in Brussels who deals with the situation in the Balkans knows that the EU needs WB countries. We are faced with a confusion in those relations now, but there are still reasons for optimism. Our future is in the EU and the EU is waiting for the WB countries,” added Djukanovic. He reminded that Montenegro “started the negotiation process seven years ago”. “We aren’t just countries of the Balkans, we are also European countries,” Djukanovic said. He added that WB countries were striving for the European quality of life. “Whatever the enlargement policy is, we’ll continue with the Europeanization of our societies. We want to see how we can keep pursuing the same policy in the changed circumstances. We want open dialogue with the EU so that we can get answers to some open questions,” Djukanovic pointed out. It was announced that this would be the last informal meeting with leaders in the region.

 

Zaev now says that he will fully implement the Prespa treaty (Republika)

 

Following his warning on Tuesday that the Prespa treaty will be impossible to implement if Macedonia doesn’t begin its EU accession talks, Prime Minister Zoran Zave flopped and said that he will fully implement the treaty. His statement comes after Greek politicians warned Zaev that failure to implement Prespa, even without the opening of EU accession talks, will only strengthen the opposition in the EU and likely renew the Greek veto. “We are definitely going ahead with the implementation of the Prespa treaty. The EU chapters are part of it. We are successfully working on the objections which arrived from the Greek side as well as those which we noted ourselves. We expect that the Greek side will also take concrete steps, such are replacing the road signs. The intent is to send an undeniable message that the Prespa treaty needs to be implemented in full, because it brings us a strategic partnership, gains for our new friend, our southern neighbor, and opens a lot of perspectives,” Zaev said. Under Zaev, Macedonia began to use the imposed name “North Macedonia” even for purely domestic purposes, despite the article in the Prespa treaty which links this concession with the opening of accession talks. The article is clearly a guarantee against a renewed Greek veto, but it is just as effective if other countries, such as France, block the accession talks. It obliges Macedonia to fully use the “new name” domestically, but only after the relevant EU chapters have been opened, and gives a five year period since the opening until “Republic of North Macedonia” fully replaces the Republic of Macedonia in the given area. When pressed further, Zaev said that the point of his comment was to send a message to the EU after France vetoed Macedonia from opening the accession talks, and not to Greece. Similarly, Zaev kept threatening EU countries that he will resign unless the accession talks begin, a move which didn’t work as France was left unimpressed at the European Council. “Our intent was to send a message to the EU, and not to the Greek people or politicians, that they need to pay attention to the need to open our accession talks as soon as possible. We amended our Constitution, the changed name is being used everywhere, is part of the daily life. I’m sorry the opposition is not using it, that sends a very serious message, that it is disobeying the Constitution and what would happen if they assume power? They will immediately provoke two, three new vetoes. God forbid that happens,” Zaev added.

 

Zaev rejects Russian joke offer to join the Eurasian Union (Republika)

 

After Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizov made a tongue in cheek offer to Macedonia and Albania to join the Eurasian Economic Union, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev rejected the offer. Ambassador Chizov was talking about the failure of European member states to approve the opening of EU accession talks with Macedonia even after the imposed name change and said that “I am sure the countries which are candidates for EU membership and have recently been put on ice by Brussels, could find more understanding in the Eurasian Economic Union”. But just to be one the safe side, Zaev was quick to reject the “offer”. “There must be some membrane, some wall around the government, so we are not receiving such offers easily. It would not cross our minds. No, we didn’t receive such an invitation and I hope we never do,” Zaev said.

 

Minister Cakaj: Albania fulfilled the conditions to open the negotiations with EU (Radio Tirana)

 

The Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Gent Cakaj underlined that the negative decision for opening the negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia is not related with these countries. During an interview, Minister Cakaj declared that the decision is connected with the internal problems of the member countries of EU. “The negotiations were not opened neither for Albania and North Macedonia, for two reasons, first the decision of the Council of Europe was not related with Albania and North Macedonia, but with the internal matters that exist between the member countries and secondly, both countries filled the conditions and as a result no decision was taken for Albania and North Macedonia,” said Cakaj. Minister Cakaj clarified that “the European Commission assesses if the aspirant countries have made enough progress in their European path, for example, there is another assessment for the opening of the negotiations and one for the closing of chapters 23 and 24”. According to him, for opening of the negotiations, the Council of Europe has delivered two reports that confirm that all the technical conditions have been fulfilled. “The primarily goals to join the EU was to fulfill the criteria set by the member countries. Despite the positive recommendations, CoE didn’t see reasonable to open the negotiations,” said Cakaj. Minister Cakaj stressed that the 9 conditions set by the Bundestag are not conditions for the matter of opening of negotiations, and the stance of Bundestag was a ‘Yes’ with conditions. In the circumstances of Albania, the ‘Yes’ of the Bundestag was more important because it was the confirmation that the process of talks is starting. Regarding the mini-Schengen in the Balkan, Cakaj declared that ‘’an initiative has begun between Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia, which is not a closed initiative between these three countries but a meeting that will try to expand in all Western Balkan, and for the moment is at a level of discussions and ideas that should be developed at a level of concrete projects”.

 

President Meta was awarded “The Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star” by President of Croatia (Radio Tirana)

 

President Ilir Meta was honored with “the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star” by the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. The Head of State stated that” the highest order of the Republic of Croatia motivates me to work tirelessly to further strengthen the excellent historical and traditional relations between our two countries and peoples in all fields. Albania and Croatia are strategic partners, side by side in every challenge,” Meta said.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Zaev fumbles after EU Enlargement let-down (New Europe, by Alec Mally, 31 October 2019)

 

Zaev calls Prespes Agreement implementation into question, then beats a hasty retreat

North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev fumbled badly this week when discussing the relationship between his country’s now-frozen EU accession bid and the standing legal requirement to fully implement the solution to the Name Dispute with Greece, the June 2018 Prespes Agreement. The Prespes Agreement includes much detail on transitional arrangements, with numerous provisions allowing for a five-year implementation period. While many implementation problems had been considered during the hectic 2018 negotiations, there seems to have been little provision made for the precise eventuality that Skopje now faces, a freeze on EU accession imposed by another EU member state (France) while the Prespes Agreement and all its obligations remain in force.

 

Once again outspoken

Zaev has a well-deserved reputation for making headlines that provoke neighbouring countries through repeated misstatements of facts, although usually this concerns the status of his countrymen, who are largely defined as “Macedonian” in the Prespes Agreement and most of the time there is an election in the offing. In this instance, Zaev allowed himself to be drawn into a debate that had emerged in Skopje before the EU Summit concerning the relationship between North Macedonia receiving a date to begin EU accession negotiations and the implementation of the Prespes deal. Zaev made the case in an interview with Euronews that EU accession and implementation of specific provisions of the Prespes Agreement were intertwined and one could not move to fully implement Prespes without specific chapters of the EU accession negotiations having been launched. Complicating this, local media outlets and some opposition politicians had been highlighting the fact that Zaev’s government had worked energetically on implementation of the Prespes Agreement deal with Greece even before the EU Summit resulted in a major disappointment both for North Macedonia and Albania, thanks to French opposition to immediate enlargement. Accordingly, claims were made that Zaev left his country overexposed vis-a-vis Greece in the event that EU accession is further delayed.

 

Athens got his attention

Although Zaev was not the first North Macedonian to raise this concern, his Euronews interview created immediate problems with Athens and concern was expressed elsewhere. NATO Headquarters reportedly asked Athens to work to keep the tones low. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias took a rather careful approach, noting on October 29 that Greece would closely monitor North Macedonian compliance with its Prespes obligations. Dendias also said “Mr. Zaev is once again taking advantage of the inherent problems of the Prespes Agreement which we knew and had already warned about. The deal has already yielded results and Northern Macedonia reaps benefits as the road to NATO integration has been opened.” Dendias also took a swipe at SYRIZA for signing last year what New Democracy has long considered a flawed agreement, while still attempting to market the Prespes Agreement as a major accomplishment.

Following Dendias’ reaction, Zaev attempted to backtrack in a press conference on October 30 stating the 2018 deal with Greece would be fully implemented. “We are definitely going ahead with the implementation of the Prespes treaty. The EU chapters are part of it. We are successfully working on the objections which arrived from the Greek side as well as those which we noted ourselves. We expect that the Greek side will also take concrete steps, such as replacing the road signs. The intent is to send an undeniable message that the Prespes treaty needs to be implemented in full, because it brings us a strategic partnership, gains for our new friend, our southern neighbor, and opens a lot of perspectives.” Zaev also explained the reasoning behind his latest pronouncements. “Our intent was to send a message to the EU, and not to the Greek people or politicians, that they need to pay attention to the need to open our accession talks as soon as possible. We amended our Constitution, the changed name is being used everywhere, is part of the daily life. I’m sorry the opposition is not using it, that sends a very serious message, that it is disobeying the Constitution and what would happen if they assume power? They will immediately provoke two, three new vetoes. God forbid that happens.”