LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Serbia cannot survive without gas, working on diversification of supplies (Tanjug/RTS/Politika)

 

Speaking at the Bratislava GLOBSEC 2022 Forum on Thursday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said EU membership was Serbia's priority and that the country was working on diversifying its natural gas supplies. It is true that you cannot survive without gas supplies - we have always been a hundred percent dependent on Russian gas, Vucic said at a panel on Serbia's relationship with the EU. There are also EU member states that are in the same position, but we are working on diversifying our supplies, Vucic said when asked about Serbia's new gas deal with Russia. Vucic said he had spoken at the forum with Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for inter-institutional relations and foresight, about a joint strategy on obtaining gas from the TAP and TANAP gas pipelines. Vucic noted that it was important to build gas interconnectors with Bulgaria and North Macedonia. It is only after that that we will be able to diversify our supplies - that will give us the possibility of getting gas from elsewhere, too, he added. We must survive and act rationally - I know no one wants to hear that right now, he said. Right now, we have a hysteria where everyone is saying the same thing, so it is a difficult time for rational narratives, he noted. He pointed out that Serbia and Hungary were relying on Russian gas and said he hoped Bulgaria would succeed in getting sufficient quantities of LNG, as promised by Washington, but expressed certain doubts about this being possible. There is no doubt that there is not enough gas there for us - six years ago I went to Baku and spoke with (Azerbaijani President) Ilham Aliyev, but they were unable to ensure sufficient gas quantities to us, Vucic said, noting that Serbia was now consuming three times more gas than it had in the past and that its gas consumption was growing constantly. He said EU membership was Serbia's main strategic objective and that the country needed to resolve specific issues on that path, including the Kosovo and Metohija issue. He said compromise with Pristina was important for Serbia's path towards EU membership.

 

I do not expect major decisions for W. Balkans in June, but in December

Vucic said on Thursday he expected a 23 June EU-Western Balkans summit to produce no major decisions about accelerating the region's EU integration process, but that such decisions could be made at the next summit in December, primarily by Brussels, Paris and Berlin. Responding to a question from British journalist Tim Judah about whether Serbia and countries in the region would make use of the present situation to accelerate their EU accession processes like Ukraine and Moldova had, Vucic said that, although some might find his words laughable, he, as a veteran politician, could say that he had learned well the political lessons about that issue. When we go to Brussels, and we often do, the messages are the same regardless who it is from the Western Balkans: that we must accelerate the integration process and make use of this or that possibility, he said. But the people are fed up with the stories they have been listening to for 10 or 15 years now, because nothing is happening, Vucic noted.

 

World not black-and-white, we have principles

The world is not black-and-white, as some want to portray it, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Bratislava on Thursday, noting that the 1999 NATO attack on Serbia had been a violation of the UN Charter aimed at taking away the country's territory. When asked when Serbia would be ready to face the trauma of Slobodan Milosevic - whom the asker blamed for the 1999 bombing - Vucic responded by asking how one could justify an aggression on a sovereign country, committed without UN Security Council mandate. Kosovo remains a part of Serbia for us and under our Constitution - in 1999, Kosovo was a part of Serbia for all EU member states, he said. You bombed an independent, sovereign country because something bad was going on in its territory, and it was done with the aim of taking away a part of Serbian territory, he said. Commenting on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Vucic said Serbia had maintained a clear position on it since the very beginning. We have always defended the territorial integrity of Ukraine and Serbia has never recognized the Crimea as a part of Russia - it has not happened and it never will, he said. In defending that position, we will always be stronger than EU member states because we have principles - principles that are a part of the UN Charter, Vucic said, noting that the Charter was still being violated and that no one in the West respected UN SC Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija. He agreed that Serbia needed to face the past, as well as a future in which determined decisions would be required. "But someone needs to get into the position we are in and see that it is not as easy as it seems and that the world is not black-and-white, as some are saying today," he said. Asked about sanctions against Russia, Vucic said he did not believe in sanctions. "If I was asked about that privately, I would advise something else," he said.

 

Vucic: Situation around Lavrov’s visit to Belgrade getting complicated (TV Pink/Beta)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated on 2 June that the situation around the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Belgrade was getting complicated. Asked by TV Pink in Bratislava, where he participated in the GLOBSEC 2022 forum, whether the situation regarding Lavrov's visit, which the media have announced for June 7, was getting complicated, Vucic replied: "It is, certainly, it is getting complicated. I am not yet prepared to speak about it, but – yes, it is getting complicated... the question is how he will arrive... we shall see," he said.

Asked whether it would be "bad news" if German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were not to pay a visit to Belgrade, which the media have announced for 10 June, Vucic also gave a positive reply. "It would be a tragedy... Imagine the German chancellor being scheduled to visit a country, and then saying that he does not want to or cannot visit," he replied. Asked if that might happen, Vucic replied that it might and added that he hoped it would not. "There is always a possibility, but I hope that it will not happen. We'll see... first if Lavrov comes and then we'll see... but there are also reactions from other countries," Vucic said.

 

Vucic, Lajcak discuss Brussels dialogue, situation in region (Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak in Bratislava on Thursday. "As always, an open and sincere conversation with Lajcak about the situation in the region, as well as about all topics of interest, with the aim of a constructive continuation of dialogue with Pristina," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram profile that also included a photo of him and Lajcak. He added that they had analyzed achievements and agreed that meeting the commitments from the Brussels Agreement remained the key message for any further dialogue. "I reiterated Serbia's full commitment to continuing the process and to efforts to reach a compromise solution with the aim of creating better relations between Serbs and Albanians," Vucic said. "We agreed that regional cooperation, along with the maintaining of peace and stability, is the only right path to progress of Western Balkan countries," Vucic added.

 

Vucic meets with Bilcik (Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik in Bratislava on Thursday. Vucic is in Bratislava for the GLOBSEC 2022 forum.

"A constructive exchange with Vladimir Bilcik about Serbia's European path, the present situation and regional issues," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram profile.

Vucic reiterated that Serbia was continuing its committed work on carrying out reforms, in particular on improving rule of law and strengthening the trust in institutions, which he noted was extremely important in the process of Serbia's EU accession. "I particularly noted a readiness and willingness to listen to all well-argumented proposals that would accelerate the membership talks process, which is in line with our country's strategic choice to accede to the EU," Vucic added.

 

Vucic receives Dendias (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Friday to discuss bilateral relations, regional and multilateral cooperation, European integration, the ongoing energy crisis, the most pressing geopolitical issues and the war in Ukraine. Vucic noted that Serbia attached exceptional significance to its ties with Greece, which he said were based on a firm friendship and a proven history of closeness and solidarity between the two peoples. "We hope the next meeting of the High Cooperation Council will be held soon. At the same time, we also expect further advancement of economic cooperation and an increase of trade volume with a view to it reaching 1 billion Euros, as well as even greater presence of Greek investments in the Serbian market," Vucic noted. During the meeting, Vucic and Dendias also discussed regional cooperation. Vucic said the maintaining of stability and an orientation of all countries in the region to the most intensive cooperation possible in all fields were crucial interests of Serbia because only such a region ensured sustainable development of Serbia itself. Vucic thanked Greece for its consistent position regarding the respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, as well as for the efforts it was investing during its South-East European Cooperation Process chairmanship, and added that Serbia was also highly appreciative of Greece's continued support for Serbia's European integration and of its active engagement towards accelerating the process, the presidential press office said in a statement.

 

Amendments to Public Information and Media Law among priorities (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Serbian Minister of Culture and Information Maja Gojkovic met on Thursday with members of the Working Group in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Media Strategy Action Plan, with whom they discussed the implementation of that plan and priorities for the coming period. In addition to members of the Working Group from media and journalist associations and state bodies, the meeting was also attended by Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Ambassador Jan Braathu and representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. the partners who took part in the development of the Media Strategy and the Action Plan. Brnabic expressed gratitude to all participants in the meeting, especially to representatives of media and journalist associations, for their assessments and proposals regarding further implementation of the Media Strategy and Action Plan, and once again stressed the importance of continuing dialogue, which is in the common interest. She pointed out that the priorities in the coming period must be, above all, amendments to the Public Information and Media Law, that the process should be accelerated and that consultations should continue during the caretaker government. In addition to that law, the Prime Minister singled out as a priority the continuation of work on amendments to the Criminal Code in connection with issues of criminal protection of journalists, as well as amendments to the Law on Electronic Media. She also asked for help from partners from international organization to prepare the missing analysis of the relevant media market. Gojkovic said that for the Ministry of Culture and Information, amendments to the mentioned laws remain an absolute priority, and added that these are extremely important documents that require a broad public debate. Representatives of media and journalist associations, who are members of the Working Group, agreed that part of the activities from the Action Plan have been done, but that there are delays in implementation. The common assessment is that the adoption of amendments to the Public Information and Media Law is especially late and that it is very important to speed up the process. Amendments to that law are important because of the issue of project co-financing that needs to be carefully regulated, but also because of the establishment of socio-economic dialogue for better professional and labor status of journalists and media workers. According to the representatives of media and journalist associations, the working group that worked on the amendments to the law had a large number of members, which affected its efficiency. In addition to this, it was said that the amendments to the Law on Electronic Media are being delayed. Speaking of individual activities, a good example are the projects related to the field of media literacy. The importance of the issue of trade union organization and the labor status of journalists was also highlighted in the conversation. Giaufret reiterated that freedom of the media and freedom of expression are extremely important for the EU, adding that it is very positive that the Media Strategy was adopted in an inclusive and transparent process, but that implementation has been delayed, especially with regard to important expected legislative changes. According to him, that is why it is important that the Working Group continues to monitor and direct the implementation of the Action Plan, and it is necessary to accelerate this process in order to achieve concrete positive changes. Braathu announced that the OSCE will continue to support the activities on the implementation of the strategy, as well as all activities that are jointly carried out on improving the security and protection of journalists. He pointed out that the introduction of the SOS hotline for reporting threats and endangering the safety of journalists is one of the solutions that was praised among the members of this organization. The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia also emphasized the importance of the Press Council for the improvement of the Serbian media scene, and added that the OSCE will continue to support the work of that body. It was agreed to hold a new meeting in a similar format as soon as possible, focusing on amendments to the Public Information and Media Law.

 

Serbian Constitutional Court stops Kosovo from joining ACCF (N1)

 

The Serbian Constitutional Court said on Thursday that it prevented another attempt by the Kosovo authorities to win membership in an international organization. A statement said that the Kosovo Constitutional Court requested membership in the Association of Francophone Constitutional Courts (ACCF) at the organization’s General Assembly in Dakar on 30 May-1 June. It said that Serbian Constitutional Court officials voiced the reasons why Kosovo should not be admitted to the ACCF and added that Serbian officials “were guided solely by rule of law principles, objective legal criteria and the principles of international law included in the UN Charter, not the political views of certain states”. “The Constitutional Court won the support of a majority of representatives of constitutional courts for its legal arguments and the stand that the request of the so-called Constitutional Court of Kosovo for membership in the ACCF should not be accepted,” the statement said. Belgrade has repeatedly blocked Kosovo’s requests for membership in international organizations.

 

Albanians demand for repeated voting rejected (Novosti)

 

The municipal election committee in Bujanovac has rejected the demand of the Coalition of Albanians of the Valley to repeat the voting at the polling station in Veliki Trnovac. The Coalition of Albanians of the Valley submitted an objection to parliamentary election held in Veliki Trnovac on 27 May. The Coalition said it would appeal to the Republic Election

Committee.

 

Zakharova: Lavrov to visit Serbia on 6-7 June (Tanjug/RIA Novosti)

 

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova announced on Friday Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov would be visiting Serbia on 6-7 June to speak with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other officials. At a press briefing, Zakharova said Lavrov would also meet with the Serbian Foreign Minister and the parliament speaker, as well as with the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the RIA Novosti agency reported. She said the discussion topics were expected to include bilateral political and economic cooperation, the situation in the Balkan region as well as current international affairs.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Izetbegovic: HDZ B&H’s goal was to obstruct the elections; HDZ B&H and SNSD’s plan is to bring functioning of B&H into question (Nova BH)

 

Commenting on the issue of financing the general elections 2022, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic stated that HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)’s goal was to obstruct the elections, adding that HDZ B&H and SNSD’s plan is to bring the functioning of B&H into question. However, he said that he believes that there is a new decisiveness in Europe regarding Russia, which is why HDZ B&H now changes its approach. Izetbegovic reminded that B&H Minister of Finance and Treasury Vjekoslav Bevanda (HDZ B&H) has proposed the budget, stressing that HDZ B&H will be insisting now on the budget adoption and ensuring funds to finance the elections. He said that it is hard to say if this will be realized in the next two weeks, but in case of failure to ensure funds for the elections the High Representative Christian Schmidt will need to resolve the issue and ensure some BAM 12.5 million through a decision imposed by his Bonn Powers. HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic said earlier that Izetbegovic leads the pre-election campaign and this is why he presents unfounded critics against HDZ B&H, as well as that he is against Schmidt’s interfering in this story and that he himself told Schmidt at their recent meeting that it would be disastrously wrong to impose any kind of decisions regarding the budget of B&H.

 

Komsic: Holding of general elections should not be called in question, essence in delay in providing funds for elections lies in HDZ B&H’s last attempts to carry out pressure related to Election Law (FTV)

 

Croat member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency and DF leader Zeljko Komsic, commenting on the issue of holding the general elections, which are scheduled for 2 October, stated that the holding elections should not be called in question, because the law would be violated in that case. “In our country, the issue of elections is a matter of legal automatism, not a decision of somebody. According to the law, it is an obligation to call elections. It is possible to postpone elections by about a month, but in cases that are specially prescribed by law,” underlined Komsic. Asked about the fact that the financing of elections still has not been resolved, Komsic replied that there are a lot of things that should be done at a certain time, especially when it comes to tenders for printing voting material. Komsic added: “As I was told, the technical deadline was this Monday. Elections can be postponed by 30 days, like in the case when the local elections were held in Mostar, but the reasons why they can be moved in this case will be illegal.” Presenting his opinion on the reasons for delaying the providing funds for the elections, Komsic stated that the essence lies in HDZ B&H’s last attempts to carry out pressure primarily through Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his connections in Brussels, including President of the European Council Charles Michel, “and some Brussels circles” so that a certain concession is made to HDZ B&H in terms of amending the Election Law. Elaborating on this opinion, the Croat member of the Presidency stated: “HDZ B&H has actually reduced its demands and they are now trying to get for the Election Law to define the manner of electing delegates to the House of Peoples (HoP), as it was already determined by the CEC decision in 2018, which is unconstitutional. The results of the 2013 census could not be applied, the Constitution directly prevents that.” The Croat member added that it is too late now to come to agreement on the things that are already regulated according to the existing Election Law, like in the election of representatives in parliaments at different levels of authority, or members of the B&H Presidency. In his opinion, it is still not too late to agree on election of delegates in the HoP. Asked about his opinion on why High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt has not imposed a decision to ensure funds for the elections, Komsic stated: “The postponement of the HR's decision to impose the budget was done primarily at the request of the European Commission’s Mission here in Sarajevo, i.e. the head of that mission (Head of the EU Delegation to B&H and EU Special Representative Johann Sattler) and some people in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In fact, they are afraid to make the right move, and both the SNSD and the HDZ have told them that they oppose the imposition of the HR's decisions.” Komsic added that “maybe they favor HDZ B&H a little”, where the Croat member considers that there was an opportunity to see this during the talks on changes to the Election Law. “It is a public secret”, he remarked, adding that "those solutions that suit HDZ B&H and Zagreb were preferred”. In addition, Komsic confirmed he will not give up on re-running for the post of Croat member of the B&H Presidency. Komsic stressed that no one asked him to withdraw from the election race, and he noted that SNSD and HDZ B&H are a dominant opponent in elections. According to Komsic, there is a need to confront the demands of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) for amending the Election Law while initiating talks on the third entity and federalization. He added that, regardless of who ends up winning the post of Bosniak member of the Presidency, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and SDP B&H senior official Denis Becirovic “will not fail B&H”. He is confident that “a major pro-Bosnian coalition” in Sarajevo would help confront the policy of HNS. Komsic considers that this coalition could be formed by DF, SDA, SDP B&H and Our Party (NS), but he remarked that the decision depends on those parties. Speaking about Plenkovic’s ties with HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, Komsic said he does not have information that Plenkovic or anyone else in Zagreb are renouncing Covic. Assessing the policies of Croatian leadership, Komsic warned that Plenkovic’s policy is more serious and more thorough, and it focuses on Croatia’s use of its position in the EU and NATO to enable Election Law amending based on HDZ B&H’s demands. Komsic stated: “Plenkovic is far more serious and more dangerous with what he does than Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, who keeps offending and humiliating B&H. He is trying to present Plenkovic as incapable of fighting for the rights of Croats in B&H. Milanovic is unimportant, as all of the doors to important places in Europe are closed for him.” Komsic stressed that only Russian President Vladimir Putin might try to help Milanovic in any way he needs. Meanwhile, Komsic stressed that the whole world is condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine, yet Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik has been speaking of invasion as alleged. Komsic considers that Russian Ambassador to B&H Igor Kalabukhov’s intention to address a special session of the RS parliament is “the suicide move that Dodik is doing out of spite”. Komsic stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is balancing between Russia on one side and the EU and NATO on the other. When it comes to the motion he filed to the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) regarding the Vital National Interest (VNI) protection issue, Komsic explained that the aim is to return the constitutional position pertaining to the VNI protection to the House of Peoples (HoP) of the Federation of B&H and the Council of Peoples (CoP) of the RS.

 

Session of SEECP in Athens; Kristo: Changing Election Law is the biggest challenge for B&H (Glas Srpske)

 

Deputy speaker of B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) stated in Athens that changing the B&H Election Law – based on democratic standards and advocating democratically-expressed political will of all the three constituent peoples - still represents the biggest challenge for B&H. Kristo emphasized that it is necessary that every constituent people has the right to elect its political representatives in institutions, i.e. in the B&H Presidency and in houses of peoples as the Constitution of B&H stipulates. During a plenary session of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), Kristo addressed attendees and she also mentioned the issue of safety of supply with energy sources in a situation of crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine and the Coronavirus pandemic. The session in Athens ended with adoption of the final declaration that expressed strong support to all SEECP member states that are in the process of the EU enlargement. As of 1 July, Montenegro will take over presidency over this organization.

 

Bundestag to discuss Resolution on B&H (Oslobodjenje)

 

The daily reads that Caucuses of SPD, Alliance 90/Green and Liberal-Democratic Party in Bundestag, called on the German government to provide the highest possible support to B&H, considering the increasing tensions and secessionist efforts. “Nationalistic political elite of the country, in Serb, Croat and Bosniak party, intentionally instrument the alleged ethnic differences, strengthens and exploits for self-enriching and maintaining of their own power”, reads Bundestag’s statement. Resolution especially warns of political actions of ethno-nationalistic politicians, such as member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic. “Threat to peace in Southeastern Europe is unacceptable and demands decisive, firm resistance of the EU, member states and international actors”, reads the statement. MPs call on German Government to adamantly call on B&H leadership for de-escalation and reducing of internal tensions. MPs also deem that German government should also continue to energetically advocate for EU sanctions to be directed toward persons, institutions and companies, which “undermine sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitutional order and international legal subjectivity of B&H”. It is stated that Serbian and Croatian authorities should be asked to distance themselves from ethnic separatist forces in B&H. Resolution further reads that reforms in B&H have been blocked for decades in order to maintain favorable climate for corruption and clientelism. “Denying of genocide in Srebrenica, mostly by part of leadership of Bosnian Serbs, but also glorification of convicted war criminals, is diametrically opposite to balance and reconciliation. It is especially concerning that high-school text books of history, present war criminals as heroes,” the three Caucuses warned. The Caucuses also commented the activities of the RS parliament, warning that “increasingly fiercer demands for secession of the entity, increase internal tensions”. As for the electoral reform, the Resolution reads that ethno-national divisions have to be overcome and equality of all citizens has to be guaranteed, adding that “principle of legitimate representation has to be discarded”. Caucuses noted that awarding of EU candidate status to B&H is of crucial importance and the Resolution contains 22 proposals for future steps that German Government should undertake, including continuation of advocating of sanctions. SPD’s Josip Juratovic explained to daily the ruling coalition drafted the Resolution, which they extended through working groups and caucuses. SPD’s Adis Ahmetovic stated that voting about the Resolution will take place before the summer a recess, adding that great majority stands behind this Resolution.

 

Dodik tells members of Bundestag not to interfere in B&H's internal affairs, he harshly criticizes Ahmetovic (ATV)

 

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik reacted to the announced resolution of the Bundestag on the situation in B&H. Dodik said that they should not interfere in B&H’s internal affairs if they want to help. Dodik made a post on his Twitter account in which he said that Bundestag representatives have already decided that Serbs and Croats are to blame for the situation in B&H. Dodik was quoted as saying: “Whence the right of the representatives in the Bundestag to deal with us, who gave them the mandate?”. It has long been known that everyone except Bosniaks is to blame for the bad situation in B&H, and that this story has been advocated in Germany by SPD’s member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Bundestag Adis Ahmetovic, commented the reporter. This time, Ahmetovic wants the Bundestag to mark Dodik and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic as the biggest culprits for the situation in B&H through its resolution, added the reporter. ATV carried Dodik’s post on Twitter which reads: “Ahmetovic has obviously managed to spill his fan position, which is on the side of Muslims, to other representatives. It is quite clear that Ahmetovic, whose roots are from B&H and who has anti-Serb views, does not see any problem in (SDA leader Bakir) Izetbegovic’s statements and the creation of an Islamic state in B&H”. The fact that Ahmetovic does not mention Izetbegovic among the culprits for the bad situation in B&H has created new divisions in Sarajevo, added the reporter. The parties led by the SDP resented, as the reporter said, their favorite for not including Izetbegovic in the resolution, because he is the main competition to their candidate for the position of the Bosniak member of B&H Presidency. Croats were not silent on the announced German resolution either, commented the reporter. HDZ B&H said that it is well known who is the destroyer of the Constitution and Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and why B&H is a dysfunctional country that does not guarantee legitimate rights to vote, even in an election year.

The reporter noted that this is not the first time that officials of the RS urge foreign factors not to interfere in internal matters of B&H because this only aggravates already complex situation but despite of that, mentioning Serb and Croat officials in the negative context has become present practices at the international political scene. According to Dodik, Ahmetovic advocates anti-Serb stances while at the same time, he sees nothing disputable in rhetoric Izetbegovic and creation of an Islamic state in B&H. RTRS also reported that B&H was the main topic at a congress held in Rotterdam as the gathering condemned the alleged secession activities in B&H and adopted a resolution that does not mention the term ‘legitimate representation’ which is convenient for SDA.

 

Cvijanovic accuses Germany of needlessly interfering into B&H’s affairs, not wanting to deal with its situation and problems that exist in Germany (BN TV)

 

Representatives in the German Bundestag did not discuss the situation in B&H, i.e. the request of the ruling parties for the German government to provide stronger support to B&H – given the fact that, as they say, the tensions and the secessionist policies in the country are growing. In their request, which will be further amended, the representatives of the ruling coalition in the German Bundestag have called the government to continue to “vigorously advocate” for sanctions in the EU to be directed towards persons, institutions and companies that undermine B&H’s sovereignty. They put a special emphasis on the political activities of B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik, saying that the secessionist policy of the RS government, and constant attacks on the state-level institutions, continue to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement.

This request in the German Bundestag was commented by RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic. In her statement for the media, Cvijanovic called the request “pointless”. If they are actually commenting something that is happening in the world, Cvijanovic emphasizes, then you should have a balanced approach to the matter at hand. In order to assess some situation, you must take all important elements and factors into consideration, Cvijanovic points out. “I do not believe they should even be dealing with B&H in that way; and I believe they should not take any stances,” the RS President said. Cvijanovic said, “it is enough that we have various discussions in the EU institutions” and “now, we should be commented by each member state individually”. She accused Germany of needlessly interfering into B&H’s affairs, not wanting to deal with its situation and problems that exist in Germany. She said discussions in the German Bundestag are pointless and they will not actually help B&H in any way. Cvijanovic underlines that discussions are held there and the representatives do not really know the real situation in B&H – as they could not be bothered to acquire the right information. She called German officials that come to B&H “flying envoys”, adding that they spend two or three days in the country and suddenly they believe they know everything about B&H and its internal problems. She concluded by saying she believes German institutions are serious and they should have a serious approach to certain matters. Cvijanovic was quoted as saying: “Representatives who come here spend two or three days, roaming in the region, they go and listen to someone, and in the end they find their final address in Sarajevo so that someone there can complain really well and tell them how Serbs and Croats are guilty. I think it is pointless, that it is a deception of any institution that aspires to be serious, and I really believe that German institutions are serious”. Cvijanovic argued that there were some big disagreements and that some people advocated to put in focus Bosniaks and the Bosniak elite – that is in her opinion, now in power – but as usual, different lobbyists prevented certain things.

 

Viskovic: It is illogical for t Bundestag to deal with B&H in the midst of economic crisis that is shaking Germany the most (ATV)

 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic said that it is illogical for the Bundestag to deal with B&H in the midst of the economic crisis that is shaking Germany the most. He said that they should turn to their problems, which they certainly have. Viskovic stated: “I would not deal with the Bundestag. I have to deal with RS, and I wish them all the best, let them deal with Germany, and the RS will survive without (them).” Viskovic believes Germany should work on solving its own internal issues before dealing with anything else. He gave just one example regarding the supply of gas for heating. Summer will pass, and winter will come, and they do not have enough gas to secure heating for their citizens throughout the coming winter, Viskovic points out.

 

Croatia prepares for another massive jump in fuel prices (HRT)

 

And as Croatia prepares to adopt the Euro, the price of fuel continues to skyrocket. As of next week another significant price hike is expected. The new wave of price hikes is likely to also have a knock-on effect with regard to food prices, which have already seen upward movement in recent months. Addressing the issue on Thursday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that government would discuss a new round of measures aimed at mitigating the impact on citizens’ living standard. "We have legal foundations and regulations that we've already put to use. We've intervened in margins and excise fees, and there is still room to maneuver in that regard. This afternoon the inner cabinet will discuss the situation, and based on assessments from the economy and finance ministries, we'll adopt decisions that are in the best interests of Croatian citizens. We'll do the maximum we can given the current circumstances," the Prime Minister told reporters. Over the past two years the prices of Eurosuper 95 gasoline and diesel have been rising at precipitously. From June of 2020 until today Eurosuper 95 has risen by 63%, while diesel has gone up by almost 62%. LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) has skyrocketed by almost 95%. The rising global energy prices were already in full swing before the war in Ukraine. However, with Western sanctions against Russia, which among other things targets Russian oil and gas, energy prices have been rising ever more intensely.

 

Lajcak with Djukanovic: We are continuing the conversation about the situation in Montenegro and the Western Balkans (CdM)

 

EU Special Representative for the Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak met last night with Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic in Bratislava. "I am glad to meet Djukanovic for the second time this Sunday, this time in Bratislava. We are continuing our talks on the situation in Montenegro, but also in the Western Balkans," Lajcak said on Twitter. We remind you that Djukanovic traveled to Bratislava, where, at the invitation of GLOBSEC President Robert Vass, he is participating in the 17th Global Security Forum, which will be held from 2 to 4 June.

 

State Department: The government has not taken any steps to resolve the SPC and CPC disputes (CdM)

 

The State Department's annual report on the state of religious freedom in the world states that the government has again taken no steps to resolve disputes between the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC) over ownership of 750 Orthodox buildings held by the SPC. In the part of the report on Montenegro, it is reminded that religious discrimination and hate speech are prohibited by law, and that on 26 January, amendments to the law on religious freedoms came into force, which eliminated the requirements to register existing religious groups to obtain legal status and that religious groups provide proof of ownership of certain religious property in order to retain the right to it. The SPC strongly opposed the demands, according to the State Department, adding that police clashed with individuals protesting the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije of the SPC on 5 September in Cetinje, which resulted in newspaper reports. About 50 people were slightly injured, including protesters and police. The SPC said that the protesters, who had the support of President Milo Djukanovic and key members of the political opposition in relation to the government, tried to endanger its religious rights. Opposition leaders and pro-opposition media criticized the police for excessive use of force, as well as numerous users of social borders who posted videos of the conflict, while members of the ruling coalition generally praised the police response as restrained, the report said. Religious groups continued to challenge government ownership of some religious properties and the transfer of ownership of cemeteries to municipalities or other entities. The report also recalls that at a conference on the Western Balkans in Slovakia in July, President Milo Djukanovic said he recalled the 1990s, when "the Serbian Orthodox Church arrived before the army" and that they were the same way - first the Church, then then the armies, in the end, were responsible, among other things, for the genocide in Srebrenica". The SPC said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs approved visas for the clergy who had just arrived in the country, but did not address the existing cases of clergy who were denied a residence permit by the previous government. Ahead of local elections in the town of Niksic in February, unidentified persons desecrated Hadzi-Ismail's mosque with graffiti that read "Srebrenica", "Turks" and "Niksic will be Srebrenica", pointing to the 1995 Srebrenica genocide of thousands of Muslims. The government, NGOs and other religious groups condemned the vandalism, but there were no arrests, the report said. During the year, there were incidents of vandalism of the SPC theological school and monastery, both in Cetinje, and reports of hate speech against Muslims and evangelical Christians. Private individuals have published critical comments or derogatory material on social networks about both the SPC and the CPC, for example, calling the SPC war criminals or the CPC a construct of the state, according to the State Department. The US ambassador and other embassy officials discussed the government's implementation of the amended law on religion and the general treatment of religious groups, details of religious discrimination, growing religious tensions following the SPC enthronement protests, property restitution and religious relations. They also advocated religious tolerance among the president and other government officials, including officials in the prime minister's office, the Ministry of Justice, human and minority rights, and mayors and municipal offices across the country. After the desecration of the mosque in Niksic in February, embassy representatives met with members of the Islamic Community of Montenegro (IZCG), and the US ambassador met with the IZG chief to express concern and support. The ambassador met with senior representatives of the Jewish community in April to discuss their relations with the government, as well as the Jewish community's views on anti-Semitism, according to a State Department report.

 

Democrats: Becic has expressed reservations about the foggy Open Balkans regional initiative (CdM)

 

The President of Democratic Montenegro Aleksa Becic talked with the Vice President of the EPP and the European Commissioner for Finance Johannes Hahn in Rotterdam. As it was announced from Democratic Montenegro, introducing Commissioner Hahn and Vice President of the EPP with the current political situation in Montenegro, Becic pointed out that only the European perspective guarantees Montenegro peace, stability and economic progress. "The transparent and inclusive process that enabled the formation of an independent and impartial Prosecutorial Council, during my presidency of the Parliament of Montenegro, and which the Democrats insisted on, already shows clear results in the field of rule of law, as one of the key chapters in the negotiation process," Becic pointed out. Speaking about the Open Balkans project, Becic expressed reservations about the "foggy regional initiative", reaffirming his commitment to existing initiatives such as the Berlin Process, which includes all Western Balkan countries and is run under the auspices of the European Union. "Montenegro is a small system and as such must take care of its security, competitiveness and territorial sovereignty in the short, medium and long term." Democratic Montenegro said that "there is no talk of substitutes for Montenegro's membership in the EU", and instead "we offer a faster integration path towards our European goal". "The European Union is a success story and there can be no alternative," they said in a statement. Recalling the excellent cooperation with President Becic, while performing the function of the Commissioner for Enlargement, Commissioner Hahn wished good luck to Montenegro in the continuation of its European process.

 

Osmani: Open Balkans doesn’t respect principle of inclusion (MINA)

 

The regional initiative Open Balkans does not respect the principle of inclusion and does not treat all countries equally, says the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani. In an interview for the MINA agency, Osmani says that Kosovo has analyzed the initiative from the political, but also from the expert side. “We came to the decision, which has gone through a lot of analysis, that this is not an initiative that would treat Kosovo as an equal partner. On the contrary,” Osmani says. She assesses that, with the Open Balkans initiative, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, is trying to expand his hegemonic approach in the entire region and to treat Kosovo as an unequal partner, by not recognizing its independence. According to Osmani, the big difference between the Open Balkans and other initiatives is that other initiatives, as well as their creators, treat all countries as equal. She adds that without the membership of the Western Balkans in the EU, there can be no free, unified and peaceful Europe, and there can certainly be no safety on the European continent.

 

Abazovic sends letter of support to Zelenski: We stand firmly with our Ukrainian friends (CdM)

 

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic, has sent a letter of support to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. “Dear Mr. President, in this difficult time for Ukraine and the entire European space, allow me, first of all, to express my sincere condolences on the suffering and loss of a large number of lives of innocent Ukrainian citizens”, the letter says. “Montenegro, as a candidate country for EU membership, which has advanced the most in the negotiations, is committed to accelerated accession in accordance with its merits (…) Montenegro supports the intentions and wishes of Ukraine to obtain the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, and we hope that it will succeed in that. We are available to share our practical experience in the negotiation process in a way that is most acceptable to you,” the letter says, among other things.

 

Kovacevski: Failure to open accession negotiations with the EU will not be a defeat for Macedonia, but a defeat for the EU (TV Kanal 5)

 

In an interview with TV Kanal 5, Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said that the failure to open accession negotiations with the EU will not be a defeat for Macedonia, but a defeat for the EU. It’s a defeat for the EU. I think so because the non-opening of negotiations will mean a decrease in the relevance of the EU, it will mean an increase in Euroscepticism, it will mean a decrease in the commitment of the citizens themselves to the process. Let’s not forget that we have made many sacrifices, many difficult decisions to achieve that goal, said Kovacevski. Kovacevski added that there is no deviation from the goal of EU membership as a strategic commitment because it is a commitment of the dominant part of the population in the country and stressed that he remains a rational optimist and committed to that goal of the state and citizens to achieve. Kovacevski added that from the aspect of the geopolitical moment that is happening in Europe, especially with the war in Ukraine, EU enlargement with the Western Balkans is not only a political and economic, but also a security issue, especially due to the fact that frozen conflicts and open issues, always interested third parties who have no interest in this region to be integrated into the EU.

 

Macedonia – US Strategic Dialogue begins (Republika)

 

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried opened the Strategic Dialogue between Macedonia and the United States, taking place at the State Department in Washington on Thursday. Strategic dialogue with the United States is a new chapter in our mutual relations, which will upgrade our Strategic Partnership and set a framework for further enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries. We are especially proud that Macedonia is the first country in the Western Balkans to hold this important process, which is a recognition of our regional role and a clear signal of friendship and strong alliance between the two countries, Osmani underlined. The official opening was followed by a session on regional initiatives, chaired by Minister Osmani and Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried. The focus of the discussions was the importance of regional initiatives for the reform processes as particularly important for the European integration perspectives, reconciliation and overall stability in the Western Balkans. Osmani emphasized the active participation of Macedonia in a number of regional initiatives, emphasizing the Berlin Process, the Open Balkans, the South-East European Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council and others. At the same time, he welcomed their role in the field of economic integration and regional prosperity, emphasizing that they are not a substitute for the membership of the Western Balkan countries in the EU, but support and accelerate their European integration processes.

 

Osmani signs Ottawa Agreement in Washington (Republika)

 

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani during his visit to the United States on behalf of Macedonia’s government signed the Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, National Representatives and International Staff, done at Ottawa on 20 September 1951.

The Ottawa Agreement, deposited by the United States government, provides the legal framework necessary for the functioning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and for the performance of the duties and responsibilities of the national representatives of NATO member states and the international staff of the Organization. This Agreement regulates the internal legal position, privileges and immunities of the organization, the status and privileges and immunities of the national representatives of the NATO member states and of the international staff in NATO.

 

US: Justice Reform is essential in the field of investments in Albania (Radio Tirana)

 

The US sees the Justice Reform as essential, also in terms of investment issues in our country. The US Embassy, ​​in a message on its social networks, emphasizes that Justice Reform is essential because investors need to have confidence that the rules are clear, transparent and applied equally to all. "As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations, we are celebrating record levels of trade and investment between the United States and Albania. We will continue to work closely with business leaders, government officials, and others to increase trade and investment, and throughout this process by creating more jobs, development, and equal opportunities for Americans and Albanians. Justice reform is essential to this effort, because investors need to have confidence that the rules are clear, transparent. The settlement of property rights will also attract more investments," said the message of the US Embassy in Tirana.

 

UN Security Council debate/ Human rights violations, our priority in the UN Security Council (Radio Tirana)

 

'Albania will continue its efforts to restore justice'. That was the stance of Prime Minister Edi Rama in the UN Security Council as he led the debate on accountability. Rama said that all war criminals should be held accountable and 'excluded' from this world because there is no place for them. According to him, the criminals who committed genocide should get the deserved end, end up behind bars the same as Slobodan Milosevic. "Violators should not have a place in our world, they should have a place in their country behind bars like Milosevic," Rama said. "We must say stop to crimes,' Rama said, adding that the time has come to speak with deeds and not with words, as we owe thousands of victims of the Srebrenica massacre, but also 20 thousand women raped during ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. "We must witness deeds and not just words, to say today more than ever, we owe more than ever to the thousands of victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, we owe to those who have suffered massacres and crimes against humanity. 20 thousand women brutally raped during the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo '98 -'99, we owe to the ruined lives of millions of children whose future has been stolen by aggressors," said Rama.

Citing a quote from Martin Luther King 'Injustice somewhere is a threat to justice everywhere', Rama said that by failing for 11 years to condemn the Syrian regime's crimes against its own people, space has been created for other atrocities elsewhere, referring to war in Ukraine.

Although the Syrian regime has not been convicted, Rama said that does not mean that war crimes in Ukraine should not be punished. Rama also had 'criticism' against the Security Council, where he said that the current war has violated the values ​​and norms that this council represents.

"War crimes and crimes against humanity have been seen undermining entire states, endangering peace and security. The case of the 11-year-old conflict in Syria is a tragic example. By failing to hold the Syrian regime accountable for crimes against its own people, we may have encouraged cruelty elsewhere. Not reporting violations elsewhere should not be a reason not to act anywhere. This brings me to the tragic aggression that continues in Ukraine. "This disgusting act has violated everything that this Council represents, the values, norms, laws that we respect and owe to each other," said the Prime Minister. The head of government stressed that international human rights violations are Albania's priority at the UN. The debate chaired by Prime Minister Rama marks the beginning of the implementation of the work plan of the Presidency of Albania in the Security Council. The meetings chaired by Prime Minister Rama will be followed by several other marking activities, during the month of June, at the Ministerial level. From June 1, Albania officially took over the chairmanship of the UN Security Council.

 

Xhacka: UN Security Council chaired by the Albanian Presidency, a historic moment for the country (Radio Tirana)

 

"This is a historic moment for the country," said Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka, the first session of the UN Security Council chaired by the Albanian Presidency. "A historic moment for the country in this first session of the UN Security Council dedicated to accountability and justice." "Proud of the team that worked so hard to prepare for this," Xhacka wrote in a Facebook post.

As president of the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Edi Rama led a high-level debate on international accountability, calling for the punishment of war crimes taking place in Ukraine after the Russian occupation. The debate chaired by Prime Minister Rama marked the beginning of the implementation of the work plan of the Presidency of Albania in the Security Council," said Xhacka. "A historic moment for the country in this first session of the UN Security Council dedicated to accountability and justice." As president of the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Edi Rama led a high-level debate on international accountability, calling for the punishment of war crimes taking place in Ukraine after the Russian occupation. The debate chaired by Prime Minister Rama marked the beginning of the implementation of the work plan of the Presidency of Albania in the Security Council.