Belgrade Media Report 15 September 2022

LOCAL PRESS

After 25 hours in session, Report on the negotiation process with Pristina adopted (Tanjug)

The Assembly of Serbia resumed its special session on Wednesday at 10 a.m., with the only item on the agenda - the Report on negotiation process with Pristina. After 25 hours of the session on Kosovo and Metohija - Report on the negotiation process with Pristina was adopted. The session lasted more than 14 hours and the Report on the negotiation process with Pristina was adopted with 148 votes in favor, 57 against, 2 abstained (out of 207 MPs). President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, in his final speech after a total of 25 hours of the two-day session of the Assembly on Kosovo and Metohija, clearly stated that "in no way, directly or indirectly, will the independence of Kosovo be recognized", and that "the fight will last until final victory".

President Vucic's final speech: "Difficult weeks await us"

The president points out that after the conversation with Putin, he received information from Macron, Scholz and Michel that the Russian president withdrew the argument of seizing Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia.

"I expect different initiatives regarding the Berlin process. The coming weeks will be very difficult and serious for us. I don't know if you got to see the reports from Armenia, Kyrgyzstan... It is enough to hear the words of the Belgian Prime Minister that the European economy will fall. If the European economy falls, then you can think what state our economy is in the next six, a little more than six and a half months will be the most difficult for Europe after the Second World War as a whole. For us, perhaps not the most difficult, but it will be one of the most difficult years for the citizens of Serbia since 1945. It's not easy, and I expect that pressures will become more acute. I believe that I will be able to talk more about this when I return from New York, because I have 22 bilateral meetings with heads of state and government. The days ahead of us will be rather busy and, unfortunately, the political actors did not understand it at all, and neither did our social scene. Everyone only looks at their share, I don't mean in a particularly negative sense, few people were interested in the state. I prayed that we didn't need any noise about the parade. It is easiest for everyone to blame the state". It is the state that "must meet everyone's needs," says Vucic in his final speech.

President says that, in his opinion, the Russians are waiting for a new Yalta, and the latter want to avoid it. Also, he clearly said that he will not recognize Kosovo's independence either directly or indirectly. He points out that it implies that Europe's plan would be for Serbia to agree to the so-called Kosovo joins the UN.

"We are caught between the mallet and the anvil," said the president. He pointed out that he discussed the import of oil with the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, because the European ban on the import of Russian oil also affects Serbia. "I believe that I will host him soon," says Vucic.

Although none of the Serbs have applied to Kurti for license plates, they do not want to give up the idea. "They expected two or three thousand people to sign up, and only one person signed up. They experienced a debacle and that will increase their nervousness, it will speed up their pressure, it will increase their passion to change things through violence on the ground. Whatever they do wrong, they will always have the support of their political patrons," said Vucic. He also says that "nobody likes Serbia because we lead an independent policy". "There is no magic wand and easy solutions, but we have to fight with smart, rational and serious politics. To fight until the final victory. Long live Serbia! Long live Kosovo and Metohija!" Vucic concluded.

Session on Kosovo - Vucic: It won't work. I refused to receive one paper (Tanjug)

Assembly of Serbia continued today at 10 a.m. with a special session, where the only item on the agenda is the Report on the negotiation process with Pristina. Member of Parliament Vladeta Jankovic addressed President Aleksandar Vucic and asked him to vow before the Assembly that before signing any subsequent document, he would appear before the Assembly to explain what he was signing. Answering the question of MP Vladeta Jankovic, Vucic stated that it will be possible to vote for a resolution in a month or two, in which MPs would be involved. "You are making it easier for me, but I am willing to think about it seriously," said Vucic. "You said on September 5, 2020 that on September 5, 2021, Kosovo will be a member of the United Nations. As you can see, it didn't happen. It didn't even happen in September 2022... We will be able to protect Serbia," said the President of Serbia. The President also referred to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. "I'm telling you now, they're trying to finish it by the New Year, they're going to try until March, until September, and then until another year. Knowing what they're doing and expecting, I'm telling you, it won't work. I even refused to receive one paper", Vucic explained.

Vucic: We will do our best to preserve peace

"I cannot respond to every speech, I will wait until five or ten MPs have passed, then I will try to respond," he said. "It is true that peace is the most important thing, and as I said, we will do our best to preserve that peace. It is true that not only Serbs live in Serbia, but also Albanians and Roma, Romanians, Ruthenians, and we are proud of that. We will take care of members of all other nations," said Vucic. "I am always ready to analyse the results. I will do my best and for sure during my term of office Kosovo will not be independent", repeated Vucic.

Djukanovic and Jovanovic spoke

During his address, MP Vladimir Djukanovic emphasized the importance of peace in the difficult current situation in the region and the world. He also called on all fellow MPs to vote for the report on the negotiation process with the temporary institutions in Pristina. MP Milos Jovanovic said that the International Court of Justice gave only an advisory opinion, when that body announced that the Albanians did not violate international law when they unilaterally declared independence.

Vucic: I supported border demarcation as a solution for Kosovo, but circumstances changed (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sept. 14 that he did believe that border demarcation might be a solution for Kosovo and Metohija, but that he has changed his mind, as circumstances, too, have changed. Answering a question before the Parliament of Serbia what his preferred solution would be, President Vucic said he was trying to be as realistic as possible, because the political situation had changed over the past 28 years, “not only because we wanted it to, but because the great powers wanted it to as well.” “I’m not hiding anything. I believed demarcation was a solution, but I realized it’s impossible, because you al pounced on me,” he said. Serbia’s Members of Parliament continued a session on Sept. 14 to discuss a report on negotiations with the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo. The report was presented by President Vucic on Sept. 13, defending the Government’s document before the Parliament.

Opposition: Report on Kosovo not that urgent to present, if only technical (Beta)

The Democratic whip, Zoran Lutovac, said on Sept. 14 that if a report by the Government of Serbia on Kosovo and Metohija was merely “technical”, as described by his Progressive counterpart, Milenko Jovanov, it wasn’t that urgent to present, let alone by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“If it’s a technical report, why it was necessary to call a special session of the Parliament of Serbia, and why it was the President of the Republic to present it, instead of the prime minister, as prescribed by law. Is it perhaps because we have a technical government? Well, it’s a technical report, too,” Lutovac said to reporters in the Parliament building. Going on to speak about the report and Vucic’s address to MPs, the president of the Democratic Party described the whole affair as contradictory, “just like everything else Vucic does is.” “You actually don’t know what he said yesterday, you don’t understand his messages, because Kosovo is described as a myth, and he suggests that one should accept reality. On the other hand, he swears on European integrations, while criticizing strongly those we should share the integration process with. His sentence begins with a pro-European idea, and ends with an anti-European attitude,” the Democrat leader said.

Opposition proposes to Vucic to resign due to collapse of Kosovo Policy (VIP)

The continuation of the parliamentary debate on the situation in Kosovo, in addition to the usual mutual accusations of the government and the opposition, which often amounted to the most basic insults, did not bring anything new on Wednesday, except, somewhat unexpectedly, a call to President Aleksandar Vucic to resign - due to the “collapse of Kosovo policy”. The request for resignation was presented by members of the opposition Democratic Party (DS), stating that Vucic was to blame for the disastrous policy towards Kosovo and in Kosovo, and that it would be best for both Serbia and himself to resign. Vucic arrogantly retorted that he would resign when he decided to do so and then went a step further stating that the opposition would never defeat him.

By signing the Brussels Agreements, Serbia shut down its own institutions in Kosovo and in return it did not receive the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), the members of the opposition assessed during the debate and announced that they would not support the government’s report on the progress of the dialogue with Pristina. The conservative coalition HOPE announced that it would not vote for that document because they disputed the Brussels agreements with Pristina and demanded the return of dialogue to the UN, while the MP from the opposition ticket United, retired professor Vladeta Jankovic, rated the report as “unreadable, very often incomprehensible and delayed”. He called on Vucic to “clearly tell the people” whether the terms comprehensive normalization, mutually binding agreement and the model of two Germanys, which resurfaced again in the past few days, actually meant the recognition of Kosovo’s independence.

Vucic claims he will not accept the “model of two Germanys”: “I have not seen such a plan, but I am almost convinced that they think we should allow them [Kosovo] to join the UN, and I do not think they will give up on that”, Vucic answered and repeated that he would not sign no agreement that “contributed to the undermining of Serbia’s integrity and forever limited it to a much smaller territory”. Dissatisfied with the treatment of the opposition during the debate in the parliament, the MPs of DS, People’s Party and the coalition We Must organized a press conference where they accused Speaker of the parliament Vladimir Orlic from Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of denying them the right to speak at Vucic’s persuasion while Vucic was allowed to speak, answer and insult without any restrictions,

Hill welcomes Serbian Parliament's session on Kosovo (Beta)

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, has welcomed the holding of the session of the Serbian Parliament with the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the agenda, and stated that he was convinced that progress would be seen at the end of the dialogue, with every side gaining something. He has pointed out that there were many models in Europe that were similar to the Commuity of Serb Municipalities, and that Serbia and Kosovo might be unique, but that their problem was not. "It is appropriate for Europeans to be included because they know these models well," Hill told Beta, stressing that the U.S. fully supported the efforts of the European Union, which is a mediator in the dialogue.

Asked about whether Pristina was willing to implement the decision about the Community of Serb Municipalities, he replied that there would eventually "be some kind of agreement" and that all the involved knew that it had to be reached in a way in which all sides gain something. "Eventually we will see progress and the agreement of all sides," Hill said. He pointed out that the new “reinforcement grid” in the dialogue had a lot of old elements, and that one of the main issues was what would the future of the Serbs in Kosovo be like.

Vucic: They want to take our land, we won't give even an inch (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attends the event marking the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag in Bijeljina. The event was organized on the Square of King Peter I Karadjordjevic in Bijeljina, and a large number of citizens gathered. The ceremony began with the singing of the anthems of Serbia and Republika Srpska (RS).

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, at the beginning of his address, congratulated today's national holiday to all those present and thanked them for gathering in large numbers, perfectly understanding how important that is today for Serbia. He looked back on September 15, the day when the Salonica front was broken through, and pointed out that, as today, there were differences and that we needed unity then, as now. As he said, when our army started breaking through the Salonica front, there was something stronger than weapons - the unity of peasants and citizens, those who lost little and who lost everything.

"First we had to unite, so that only then we could present our differences as free. That's what I'm going to talk about today, that each of our flags has its own freedom. The challenges we face are not much smaller than those in the Great War. We can lose all that they have lost. Both freedom, and country, and lives. We must unite under our tricolor and win together. Our small differences are battles that no one can win. The essence of all freedom is the right to be different, that everyone dreams their own, not other people's dreams, and that's the only way we can stay united and together," emphasized Vucic.

"The challenges we are facing are not smaller than the ones previous generations faced. If we are not united, we can lose everything, the country, our lives in one day," said Vucic. He called for the Serbs to unite under the tricolor, and as he said, let's not allow them to turn these areas into a slaughterhouse. "They attacked our Kosovo, they want to take it from our hands. You cannot defeat law and justice, nor the determination of a people to remain free," he added.

In addition to Vucic, the state leadership of Serbia and RS, Serbian member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Milorad Dodik, as well as Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, are attending the event.

PM Brnabic: EU membership remains Serbia’s foreign policy priority (FoNet)

Full membership in the European Union (EU) remains one of Serbia’s foreign policy priorities, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told Wednesday Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret. Brnabic said she believes that support and cooperation with partners from the EU will continue to yield visible results, especially in concrete areas, such as the Green Agenda, said a government press release.

When it comes to energy security, the Prime Minister said that the deadline for the construction of the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria is next year, but that other projects in the field of energy are also planned. The press release quoted Giaufret as saying that the new gas interconnector with Bulgaria will significantly increase the amount of gas and secure a cleaner environment and that, by implementing this project, the EU will continue to support Serbia and the Western Balkans, with the aim of further improving energy infrastructure and security.

Speaking about matters related to the media and the safety of journalists, Giaufret said it was very important that the Working Group for the Safety and Protection of Journalists, as well as the entire media community, reacted quickly in the case of threats sent to the editor-in-chief and reporters of OK Radio in Vranje. Brnabic said that government’s priorities in the next mandate will be the adoption of a set of media laws, first and foremost the Law on Public Information and Media and the Law on Electronic Media, as envisaged by the Media Strategy. The Prime Minister and the Head of the EU Delegation discussed the possibilities for Serbia accelerating and increasing the effects of EU financial assistance through the IPA III program, said the press release.

Brussels: Ursula Von der Leyen's message is clear, enlargement on the EU agenda (RTS)

In her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, said that the EU would not be complete without the countries of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova. The message of yesterday's presentation by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, in the European Parliament was clear, namely that enlargement is on the agenda of the EU, said the rapporteur for Serbia in the European Parliament, Vladimir Bilcik.

"The message is that enlargement is back on the EU agenda in a very focused way. It sent a clear message to the countries of the Western Balkans, but also to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia," Bilcik told reporters. Also, he added, the President of the EC made a distinction between the candidate countries and the accession process. Bilcik explained that she also said that partnerships with countries with which the EU cooperates, which will not be part of the Union, should be strengthened. "I think the message is clear that no one questions enlargement. At the same time, she was clear when she spoke about enlargement that there are fundamental values and principles that must be respected in the process. We need strong democracies in the candidate countries," he said. Bilcik emphasized that the EU is ready to help in that process and added in this regard that the members of the European Parliament are ready to engage in Serbia and help when the Parliament is ready and the new government is established.

"The main message is that the conditions must be met and that we are ready to help in this more intensively. The pandemic is over, we can meet more intensively. There are no shortcuts on the way. Reforms, reforms, reforms are the key, and in the case of Serbia, dialogue with Pristina," Bilcik said. He welcomed that certain results had been achieved in the dialogue during the summer and added that there were many more to be achieved in the coming weeks and months. "The dominant message of the speech, as well as the presence of the wife of the President of Ukraine, was solidarity and unity in helping Ukraine and the fight against Russian aggression. We expect full solidarity from all partners in the Western Balkans, including Serbia," Bilcik emphasized. He pointed out that progress is also needed in the field of harmonization with EU policy, and Serbia's clear decision for the path to the EU.

Vucic with Orban tomorrow (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday in Belgrade, in the building of the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic.

After the meeting, President Vucic will present Prime Minister Orban with the Order of the Republic of Serbia on a large necklace for outstanding merits in developing and strengthening peaceful cooperation and friendly relations between the Republic of Serbia and Hungary.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia and Herzegovina

RSNA adopts conclusion on approving agrément to new German Ambassador to BiH at special session held Wednesday (ATV)

At its special session held on Wednesday, the Republika Srpska (RS) National Assembly (RSNA) adopted a conclusion giving a formal approval to a new German Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) (Thomas Fitschen). The reporter notes that even before the special session it was clear there would not be necessary two-third majority to confirm Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik’s veto, and reports that that representatives from PDP, SDS and DNS did not attend the session. PDP and SDS conveyed a message again on Wednesday there is no need for the RS to oppose a power like Germany is, because that is causing additional issues and it is not a political moment for a move like that.

Addressing the session, Dodik said it is important for the RSNA to “realize its mechanism’’ envisaged by the B&H Constitution and become the final instance where decisions are made for every important issue related to B&H, and that was the purpose of all RSNA special sessions held in the past. The reporter comments it seems that the opposition representatives in the RSNA did not understand such message and did not attend the special session.

During the discussion in the RSNA, hundreds of reasons and justifications from representatives of the ruling coalition, primarily SNSD, were given, because of which the German Ambassador should not receive the agrément. "Encroachment on the Dayton Peace Agreement leads directly to the abolition of the RS and I, as its representative, cannot accept the appointment of an ambassador who I know in advance is coming to implement the malicious policy of his country against the Serb people and the RS," Dodik told the RSNA. Dodik used the session of the RSNA again to point out that B&H is an impossible country, but he went one step further. "The existence of B&H ignores the fact that in today's world the Christian and Muslim populations do not manage to live together in a balanced and harmonious way anywhere. B&H precisely confirms the fact that Christian and Muslim communities cannot find coexistence," Dodik said.

After recess, there was a shift in the RSNA where 46 MPs abstained from voting on Dodik's statement that the decision to grant the agrément to the German Ambassador is contrary to the interests of the RS. PDP leader Branislav Borenovic said that this is a wrong policy which leads the RS to isolation. "We do not want to take part in that show because we believe that scheduling of this session was pointless," Borenovic underlined.

Head of SNSD Caucus in the RSNA Igor Zunic said "not the Presidency, but the RSNA decides whether he will get an agrément or not." "We will give it to him, let him stay in B&H, but let him be clear that everything that goes against the interests of the RS - we will tell him and everyone loudly," Zunic said.

RSNA adopts conclusion rejecting and condemning Resolution adopted by Bundestag (ATV)

The reporter notes that after the RSNA session on Wednesday there are no longer obstacles for the German Ambassador to come to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), and goes on to say that for Republika Srpska (RS) the Ambassador himself is not disputable, but is the fact he is coming to implement Germany’s policy, i.e. the policy of the Bundestag, and disputable Resolution adopted by the Bundestag. The Resolution is disputable, because it treats B&H as a civic state, mentions abolition of constituent status and entities, everything the RS institutions fight against.

ATV reports that, at its special session held on Wednesday, the RSNA adopted a conclusion rejecting and condemning the Resolution, and during the session it was said, among others, the Resolution was lobbied by politicians who have strong connections with Bosniak politicians in B&H. The reporter reminds that the Resolution was advocated primarily by SPD representative in the Bundestag Adis Ahmetovic, but also by a number of CDU representatives who also have strong connections with Sarajevo and Bosniak politicians, and due to that, it was said during the special session, the opposition’s behaviour is irresponsible, i.e. opposition representatives chose not to participate in the RSNA’s work in relation to such an important issue.

RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic said the Resolution adopted by the Bundestag is causing further disorder in B&H, and the RSNA must be the protector of the RS’ interests in continuity and must react with adequate majority to announced “bad moves”. Addressing the session, Cvijanovic said: “If this National Assembly, immediately after the Bundestag’s Resolution, had determined specific issues and positions and sent them to the members of the Parliament, I guarantee no one would have read that, and today, when we send a letter after this session and this discussion and present our opinions, then it will be considered with much more importance and due attention”.

ATV reports that other political leaders participating in the special session also conveyed a message the Resolution is pro-Bosniak and the RSNA must stop it, because Germany’s interference in internal relations in B&H is unacceptable. Addressing the session, SP leader Petar Djokic said: “They are trying to create such relations so that the policy in this country will depend on their position, as well as the work of local institutions. That is absolutely unacceptable and that is the most direct form of gross violation of international and diplomatic standards and rules”.

NDP leader Dragan Cavic said: “The RSNA must respond to this Resolution. It is so tendentious and it represents the basis for the Federal Republic of Germany government’s representatives’ activities in B&H, and the government’s representative, via the Foreign Minister who is an integral part of the government, will act here, and that is their authorized Ambassador”. The reporter notes that the opposition representatives, with the exception of Nebojsa Vukanovic did not attend the special session, and Vukanovic used the opportunity to cause disturbance, and goes on to say that the ruling majority conveyed a message that the opposition’s masked have come off.

Addressing the session, SNSD representative in the RSNA Vlado Djajic said: “The opposition representatives (in the RSNA) have shown they are afraid to defend the RS’ interests, and they are not here when that is the most needed. We, representatives from SNSD and the coalition are ready for all forms of fight aimed at protecting the people and the RS’ interests, of course, peacefully and legally. Our personal interest will never have the primacy over the interest of the people, like it does to them”.

ATV reports that political leaders also underscored the goal is not to start a political conflict with Germany, however it is necessary to show character that should be “a model to say what we disagree with, although sometimes we cannot prevent it, otherwise it is absolute humility that is leading us towards even more difficult position’’.

Addressing the session, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said: “We are neither big nor powerful enough to stand up to such a powerful country like Germany is, but we are also not spineless to welcome with flags and flower those who are announcing ‘settling accounts’ with the RS only because it wants everyone in B&H to act in accordance with the (B&H) Constitution and the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). Conversation with the RS is always possible and we always want to talk, but talking and deciding about us in individual parliaments and through individual resolutions, that we cannot accept. No one has consulted us, none of the government levels - neither at the joint level nor in the RS – about how they view these things, they simply adopted the Resolution. I would like to note that the Federal Republic of Germany is one of the signatories to the DPA. That role binds it to consistent application of the letter of that Agreement and respect for the Constitution arising from it, as a basic legal act for B&H’s organization. The RS that is based on the DPA is a sanctity to us and we will defend it with all available political and other means’’.

Speaking about the Bundestag resolution, Dodik said it additionally increased the divisions within B&H, and it also favors one of the constituent peoples in the country, thus directly harming the other two peoples. During his speech, Dodik said the RSNA should send letters to each of the MPs in the German Bundestag, and those letters would say that the German MPs violated the Constitution of B&H and they meddled into the country’s internal affairs. We must say that this is unacceptable for us, Dodik underlined.

Advisor to B&H Presidency member Tegeltija: Even with discussion on Bundestag’s Resolution and formal approval to German Ambassador goal was achieved, because it has become an issue that requires due attention in Germany as well (ATV)

The Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency for Constitutional and Legal Issues Milan Tegeltija, asked what Republika Srpska (RS) achieved with the special session of the RS National Assembly (RSNA) held on Wednesday and in relation to granting formal approval to the new German Ambassador to B&H, reminded that the main issue was the Resolution on B&H adopted by the Bundestag “that directly interferes with the constitutional order of B&H” as envisaged by the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), directly undermines sovereignty of B&H and “is directly contrary to the German Constitution and B&H Constitution”.

Tegeltija went on to say that the RS needed to react after being attacked by the Resolution, noting that Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik “acted responsibly and wisely by raising the issue to a higher level to draw attention that it is a problem and that the RS cannot sit idly by. Even with discussion about the Resolution and formal approval to the German Ambassador the goal was achieved, because even in the Federal Republic of Germany it has clearly become an issue that requires due attention”. He added that with the veto, Dodik succeeded in two things, i.e. drawing attention of the German and European public it is an issue the RS needs to respond to and “to affirm the RS, i.e. the RSNA as the final instance for pursuing B&H’s foreign policy”, because granting formal approval to the new German Ambassador “depends solely on the RSNA”.

Asked what effect was achieved by PDP and SDS representatives not attending the special session, Tegeltija said the opposition did something that was expected, i.e. “they do not pursue authentic Serb policy, they pursue pro-West, i.e. pro-Sarajevo policy and to such pro-West and pro-Sarajevo policy this is normal behaviour, because they cannot go against something they support#”, noting that if someone cannot discuss the Bundestag’s Resolution that endangers the RS, that states the RS as such should not exist, nor should the constituent status of peoples, “that means you accept the position of the German Parliament”.

Reporter reminded that the opposition stated the special session and the situation related to formal approval could have negative consequences for the citizens in the RS to which Tegeltija responded it is a spin and an attempt to scare the citizens of the RS, noting that, on one hand, the RS has the right to pursue its policy, and on the other hand “no one talked about cutting diplomatic ties with Germany, the issue was granting formal approval to the German Ambassador (…) The RS needed that to bring the issue of the Resolution to the level so that when it is discussed in the RS, it is heard in Germany and Europe, and today they heard it well”. Reporter reminded of Dodik’s statement that Germany’s policy towards B&H has significantly changed after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Asked to comment on that, Tegeltija said that after Merkel left the political scene Europe has been left without “any true leaders”, there have been changes in the German Parliament and the government leading to Germany having completely biased “supporter-like position’’ towards B&H and the Western Balkans. He went on to say that with arrival of the new government and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “Germany’s policy towards Serbs and the RS in B&H is extremely negative, it supports political Sarajevo, Bosniak side of B&H and that is something that every neutral observer must notice, due to which we in the RS must have adequate responses to such moves made by Germany, no longer to view them as unbiased factor of the international community, and if they want to be viewed as an unbiased international factor among Serb people – finally, Germany is the witness to the DPA - they should consider their policy and behaviour towards the RS and Serb people”.

Asked how important the discussion on the Law on amendments to the Law on Legalization of Illegally Constructed Buildings is and how important it is that the Law enters in force, Tegeltija said it is of great importance, noting the legalization is primarily beneficial for the citizens, noting that the Federation of B&H challenging the process arguing “that is not the RS’ property is ridiculous, a continuation of policy from political Sarajevo that tries to dispute the RS in its essence (…) and we will definitely not allow that”.

RSNA discusses Law on amendments to Law on Legalization of Illegally Constructed Buildings, Law on Agricultural Land and Proposal Law on Mandatory Health Insurance (AJB)

At its second special session held on Wednesday at the request of the Republika Srpska (RS) Government, the RS National Assembly (RSNA) discussed three items on the agenda, i.e. the Proposal Law on amendments to the Law on Legalization of Illegally Constructed Buildings, the Law on Agricultural Land and the Proposal Law on Mandatory Health Insurance. AJB reports that during discussion on the first two items on the agenda, the Coalition ‘Together for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)’ representatives in the RSNA expressed concern over the Law that targets simplified legalization process, especially in the part related to legalization of houses constructed on agricultural land, i.e. homes of displaced persons, refugees and families of disabled war veterans given to the families by municipalities and cities in the RS. The Coalition warned the said land is state property and special caution is necessary when any changes in the said Law, and they particularly warned about the Law on Agricultural Land, given the relevant rulings of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC), and High Representative (HR) in B&H Christian Schmidt actions in that regard. AJB reports that the procedure will not be finalized with the RSNA adopting the said law, since the RS Council of Peoples needs to provide its opinion. Addressing the session, Coalition ‘Together for B&H’ representative in the RSNA Senad Bratic said state property “that is subject of the ban by the High Representative’’ cannot be sold and bought, and reminded that the B&H CC “also resolved this issue and the mandate over this issue is of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly’, because the state continuity of B&H also represents continuity of ownership over the state property”. RS Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology Srebrenka Golic said the legalization of illegally constructed buildings is the RS’ strategic interest, and all local communities in the RS agreed to consider 2013 as a reference point. O Kanal noted that the amendments to the Law on Legalization of Illegally Constructed Buildings aim to legalize about 100,000 illegally built facilities in the period from 1990 to 2013 which were mostly built on state land. The goal is similar when it comes to the amendments to the Law on Agricultural Land which attempt to convert agricultural land into construction land.

US Government has reliable information that Russia secretly financed political parties in more than ten countries from 2014 to this day, including Dodik, more precisely his election campaign in 2018; US Embassy in B&H says Russian covert influence is major challenge for US and other democracies around world (FTV)

FTV carries that the US Government has reliable information that Russia secretly financed political parties in more than ten countries from 2014 to this day, including Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, more precisely his election campaign in 2018. Russian money also reached the Montenegrin political coalition 'Democratic Front', and the US intelligence says that is the tip of the iceberg. In an attempt to influence elections in more than twenty countries around the world, Russia allocated about USD 300 million. Allegedly, political parties covertly received funds in cash, in the form of donations, using intermediaries such as security services and oligarchs, to whom Dodik had provided lucrative jobs in Republika Srpska (RS) for years. “Intelligence community registered increase in these activities in 2014 to this day. Among the presented examples, in B&H, before 2018 elections, Konstantin Malofeev secretly assisted financing of Dodik’s presidential campaign. This example shows that Russia has not fulfilled a promise to invest in the RS economic development, but instead has enabled corruption of the ruling party and created unequal conditions for opposition parties,” a source of the 'Voice of America' has stated.

FTV noted that Malofeev is a Russian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but also to Dodik. Malofeev was labelled as the main financier of separatists in Ukraine and was among the first to be targeted by the US judiciary. Malofeev is being linked to the coup attempt in Montenegro, and in 2018, the B&H Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) declared him a threat to the national security of B&H, banning him from entering the country.

Spokesperson for the US State Department Ned Price said Tuesday that what Russia is doing around the world in terms of its election meddling is also an assault on sovereignty. "It is an effort to chip away at the ability of people around the world to choose the governments that they see best fit, to represent them to represent their interests, to represent their values," Price pointed out. The US Embassy in B&H stated that Russian covert influence is a major challenge for the United States and other democracies around the world.

FTV stressed that there will be Russian influence because Russia plans to spend additional millions to expand its influence in order to reduce the damage caused by sanctions after the aggression against Ukraine. Nova BH asked for more information on the matter from the US Embassy in B&H. In Embassy’s response to the inquiry, they stated that they would not get into concrete intelligence information, but that they clearly expressed concern due to Russia’s activities with the goal of exerting influence on democratic processes in various countries across the world, including B&H. “Our concern due to Russia’s activities in this regard does not refer to any specific country but it is in its nature a global issue, in times when we face challenges aimed against democratic societies”, the Embassy stated in its response. “Russia's covert political influence is a major challenge for the US and other democracies around the world. We have worked and are working to disclose it as soon as we discover it”. As the media reported, Washington wanted to raise awareness at the global level about the threat of Russian secret political financing, and make it clear that there are measures to respond to it. They announced that the countries that were invited to the Democracy Summit, which is more than 110 countries, will be informed about it.

Montenegrin ‘Democratic Front’ rejected these claims in their Facebook status, while SNSD told VoA that their financial reports are fully transparent.

B&H politicians react to information that Russia secretly financed Dodik (FTV)

SDS leader Mirko Sarovic said that "if SNSD is the political organization that directly received money or donations, I think that this is not allowed under our legislation and it must be held accountable for that." "And on the other hand, I think that it is completely unacceptable in a political sense," Sarovic underlined. MP in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Semsudin Mehmedovic said that Dodik is the head of a political group that is implementing the project 'Serb world', i.e. 'Russian world', which leads to a much stronger Russian influence of the Russian Federation in B&H and the Balkans. MP in the B&H HoR Sasa Magazinovic stressed that all those who think that the Balkan region is uninteresting in the geopolitical sense are wrong. "You can see that through our region, above all through B&H and Montenegro, great influences are reflected and that Russia wants to exert a significant influence on these two countries and that is a serious security issue for us, but also for Montenegro," Magazinovic emphasized. SNSD’ Srdjan Mazalica stated that this is untrue that comes from those who really do get money from foreigners thinking that everybody else is the same. Mazalica called this fake news aimed to destabilize relations. Leader of NDP Dragan Cavic stated someone is using the geopolitical situation and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Representatives of the opposition reacted by saying that someone should check the information arguing that it is a disgrace that another country finances a political party in another country. According to the opposition, this is totally unacceptable.

B&H Foreign Ministry sends demarche to Croatia in relation to Croatian President Milanovic’s statement regarding Srebrenica genocide; Croatian Ambassador to B&H Sabolic refuses to receive it (AJB)

The Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Foreign Ministry has sent a demarche to the Republic of Croatia in relation to Croatian President Zoran Milanovic’s statements in which Milanovic denied the Srebrenica genocide during a working lunch within the Brdo-Brijuni Process summit. The B&H Foreign Ministry reminded of the court rulings according to which the genocide was determined and of the European Parliament’s Resolution on Srebrenica. The Office of the Croatian President has denied the allegations stating it is a lie and that the Office does not comment on lies.

The Office of the B&H Presidency Member Sefik Dzaferovic has stated it is true “Milanovic brought the Srebrenica genocide into question”. The Cabinet of Dzaferovic told BHRT that the Croatian President "called the rulings of The Hague Tribunal on the genocide in Srebrenica in question". Cabinet of the Croatian President rejected “the alleged statement of the President of the Republic of Croatia”, noting that it is a lie that Milanovic did that. Croatian Ambassador to B&H Ivan Sabolic refused to receive the demarche from the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the explanation that the tone and content of the demarche is based solely on unsubstantiated claims.

Member of the Collegium of the B&H House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic says that Milanovic should be despised institutionally, personally and permanently after his views on Srebrenica. “If you compare Milanovic’s statement made during last year’s marking of Srebrenica genocide and yesterday’s denying of the genocide in presence of the top state officials included in work of Summit of Process Brdo-Brijuni, it will be clear that we are speaking about political Frankenstein,” said Zvizdic.

The Islamic Community in B&H also expressed concern about Milanovic's views on Srebrenica. The statement reads: "The phenomenon that the open denial of genocide is now coming from the president of a country that is a member of the EU is concerning, especially when we know that it was one of the parties in the international armed conflict and that it played a role in the adjudicated joint criminal enterprise at the territory of B&H.”

Croatia

Bosnian Foreign Ministry sends Croatia demarche over President’s genocide denial (N1)

Bosnia's Foreign Ministry sent a demarche to the Republic of Croatia Wednesday over statements made by President Zoran Milanovic denying the genocide in Srebrenica. The Ministry expressed the strongest condemnation of the statement of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, dated September 12, 2022, in which, during the working lunch at the Brdo-Brijuni summit, he denied the genocide in Srebrenica, the demarche stated.

The Ministry recalled, among other things, that on January 9, 2009, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution calling for July 11 to be marked throughout the European Union as the Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica, and that the amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) dated 22 July 2021, prohibit and punish the denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals.

“We note that the genocide in Srebrenica was established by the verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice and, therefore, any form of genocide denial must be unequivocally rejected. Convinced of the position of the Republic of Croatia in terms of respect for international law, judgments of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, respect for the highest standards of human rights and preservation of good mutual relations, we demand an immediate withdrawal of the statements, as well as an apology to the families of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica,” the demarche stated among other things.

Milanovic’s office denied the allegations in a written statement to N1, on Wednesday, but B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic’s Office confirmed the allegations reported on by all major news outlets in the region, saying that Dzaferovic and other Western Balkan presidents reacted and recalled the verdicts of international courts proving that genocide did indeed occur in Srebrenica.

Montenegro

URA hesitating for now; Mandic: We’re talking about Lekic as future prime minister designate, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed (CDM)

One of the Democratic Front (DF) leaders, Andrija Mandic, says that the DEMOS leader, Miodrag Lekic, is the one discussed as a future candidate, and that they have a high degree of agreement on that issue. He has announced this after today’s fifth consecutive meeting of representatives of the parliamentary majority of 30 August 2020. As CDM unofficially learns, URA allegedly has not accepted that proposal for the time being and requested that all options be considered. URA insists that no agreement can be reached regarding the prime minister designate until the structure of the government is agreed upon. URA is demanding 50% of the seats in the government and the entire security sector. As CDM has already announced, DF is also looking this as well. Mandic has stated that the meeting is to continue tonight because, as he says, “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.

Boskovic: Snap elections most realistic solution (MINA)

Announcing snap elections, which would be held by the end of the year, is the most realistic and cleanest solution to the political situation in Montenegro, says DPS MP Predrag Boskovic. He adds that those who formed the government after the elections held on 30 August 2020 are trying to agree on resetting relations. “However, as you can see, four meetings have already been held. There is so much mistrust among them that they cannot agree to restore those relations, and have someone from those structures at the head of that government or parliament”, Boskovic has told the MINA Agency. He has added that it is good that in the next five days, i.e. by the end of this week, we will know what the situation is, because if there is no agreement, the President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, will call for elections.

Djukanovic: The state is always stronger than any crime (RFE)

In an interview for RFE, conducted on the final day of his visit to the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic referred to many current issues.

RFE: You immediately opened up the most important issue, concerning Chapters 23 and 24 (Judiciary and Human Rights) in the negotiations with the EU. The results there, no matter how well the form was filled, are not good. For example, in the EU 2020 Progress Report, there is talk of widespread high-level corruption in Montenegro, and the incompetence or inadequate response of the judiciary. I mention 2020 as the year your party lost power.

Djukanovic: First of all, don’t be surprised that we have a deficit of European values in the Western Balkans region, and therefore a deficit in the rule of law. On the other hand, I think it is very important to emphasize the political readiness of the reform governments in our region to eliminate these deficits and to achieve membership in the EU on the basis of the implemented reforms, i.e., on merit.

RFE: It’s not about a deficit, it’s about very harsh assessments. I will quote the Strategy on the Western Balkans prepared by the European Commission for the year 2018, and it says: “The countries of the Western Balkans show clear elements of a captured state, including links with organized crime and corruption at all levels of government and administration, as well as strong public and private interference sector”.

Djukanovic: I understand it as one view.

RFE: Do you agree with this assessment?

Djukanovic: No. Absolutely not, and this is not the first time I am announcing this. I believe that such a narrative about the Western Balkans in the years you mention was largely inspired by the reluctance of the European Union to accept the countries of the Western Balkans as members.

RFE: Let’s stick to the phrase, please, “captured state”. It came from the EU institutions dealing with integration issues. This applies to all Western Balkan states, including Montenegro. So, it came from the authority, which you aspire to as a state. How can you disagree?

Djukanovic: I can freely tell you that maybe that qualification referred to Montenegro as, in the view of the EU at the time, one of the characteristic countries for such an assessment, precisely due to the fact that in the previous thirty years there had been no change of government in Montenegro.

RFE: Are you suggesting that there was some malice towards your government in that report?

Djukanovic: Of course, of course there were very one-sided and superficial evaluations.

Those one-sided and superficial evaluations, therefore, defined something like a strategy – the only important thing is to change the government, and everything will get better.

RFE: Who is the creator of such malicious evaluations? Can you give me the full name?

Djukanovic: Many, many European centers, and not only European ones.

So, you remember the evaluations from 2018, 2019 and 2020, where the question of the organization of the religious processions of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Montenegro was a question of endangered religious rights. Today, you hear from the European Parliament that the Serbian Orthodox Church is an instrument of Russian influence in the Western Balkans.

RFE: It is impossible to have this conversation, of course, without considering the current role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and Serbia, and we will come to that. But please stop at the phrase “captured state”. How can it not be used for a country where, until recently, the former president of the Supreme Court, Vesna Medenica, is currently in custody, due to suspicions of highly organized crime? She was detained thanks to the information that came from Europol, not local investigative authorities.

Djukanovic: You said it well, precisely, so we have doubts. We will see what these doubts lead to. First, they should lead to an indictment, and then possibly lead to a verdict.

RFE: It is not very often that someone who was the president of the Supreme Court ends up in custody.

Djukanovic: But it doesn’t happen for the first time. either.

RFE: Montenegro is probably one of the rare cases.

Djukanovic: It’s not the first time, either, that’s one thing. Secondly, you know, even if it is proven that what she is charged with is true, I do not think that for this reason it can be claimed that a country is a captured state.

RFE: Can it be claimed for a country where the former president of the Supreme Court is in custody, and for example nothing is proven, which neither you nor I are advocating, that this is a clear indicator of the high level of organized crime and corruption at the top judicial authorities?

Djukanovic: No. And I want to remind you that Montenegro is a country that became a member of NATO five years ago. You don’t think that blind people live in NATO, that admission to membership in the Euro-Atlantic alliance is decided by people who do not follow what is happening in the Western Balkans region with the same sensitivity as people from the EU? (…) Such sharp evaluations, in my opinion, insufficiently grounded in what the reality is, not only of Montenegro but of the Western Balkans, in that period were the consequence of an EU geopolitics”.

RFE: So, we can conclude that Vesna Medenica is a victim of geopolitics?

Djukanovic: No, I don’t mean that. It is an individual case. I am sure that no one suggested the action of the prosecutor in Montenegro in the case of Vesna Medenica. Therefore, the prosecutor came to certain knowledge on the basis of which he initiated the investigative procedure.

RFE: It’s an interesting phenomenon that if you scratch the surface of the top of the former government, I’m talking about people from the circle of power that your party gathered, you very easily find names that are mentioned in awkward combinations. Well, in that case, names from your family. I will mention the “Panama Papers” where both your name and your son’s name are mentioned. There are mentions of companies and jobs in the British Virgin Islands, Panama….

Djukanovic: Will you tell me what is illegal here?

RFE: Well, tell me what kind of business is run by your family and exists, for example, in Panama?

Djukanovic: So, you have heard about offshore businesses, offshore companies, which are registered in all countries, including Great Britain. Do you think it’s illegal?

RFE: It is not illegal, but we know very well what the phenomenon of tax havens is. Investments are made there to save on taxes. Should the President of Montenegro, who is a taxpayer in that country, invest in a country that is a tax haven?

Djukanovic: Yes.

RFE: Yes? Then advise the citizens of Montenegro to do the same.

Djukanovic: I will tell you why. I recently discussed this with one of your colleagues. I think that my obligations while I am the president of the country are to work in the interest of that country and to unconditionally respect the constitutional and legal system of that country. The moment I finish my state function, and I have given my thirty years to state functions in Montenegro, and when I decide to do business, it is my choice where I will do business.

RFE: To me, the most logical thing would be for you, as a thirty-year-old executor of the highest duties in Montenegro, to think about business in your homeland.

Djukanovic: That would be logical from your point of view.

RFE: Why don’t you do it?

Djukanovic: Why should I do what is logical to you?

RFE: Because you believe in the future of Montenegro and a healthy business environment in that country.

Djukanovic: You are not right. I have registered companies in Montenegro, companies that have been duly registered and where management rights have always been transferred to other people at the moment when I would return to state office.

But if I want to do some work outside of Montenegro, and which will not touch Montenegro in any segment, why do you think that it is not only illegal, because it is definitely not illegal, but you also think that it is immoral if I want to do that work where there are lower taxes?

RFE: This reflects your doubt that Montenegro is an ideal environment for investment, business, and work. Quite a serious assessment.

Djukanovic: I still think so. If someone carries out an investment worth €1bn in a submarine cable, if someone carries out an investment worth €1bn in a highway, if someone carries out an investment worth €800m in Porto Novi, it means that there is a good environment and that investors believe that.

RFE: I won’t hold you back on that, but I have one more question about the rule of law and meeting the criteria of the European Union. How can we talk about success in the fight against, let’s say pure crime, if the war of criminal clans has been raging in Montenegro and Serbia for 10 years, in which over 170 people lost their lives, 62 of them in Montenegro, of which only 18 cases were prosecuted? Are you surprised by what is happening between the so-called Skaljari and Kavac clans?

Djukanovic: I am not surprised because I have been following the development of that problem since the first day of its appearance.

RFE: Does this show, given the shocking inefficiency of the police and investigative bodies in both countries, that mafia clans have deeper access to the institutions of the system than those who lead those countries?

Djukanovic: You know, I would not judge the involvement of those clans in the institutions of the system based on that. I would say that this experience confirms the unscrupulousness of the clans in settling accounts with each other, where the inspiration is always money from the drug business. Both countries are waging a fierce war against that phenomenon and those people. Don’t underestimate what the effects are on that front.

RFE: How intensively do the police of Serbia and Montenegro cooperate?

Djukanovic: As far as I know, they cooperate very intensively and not only with each other but also with all European police forces.

This is a problem with which the entire European security system is struggling. Do not forget that there are major ports that are neither in Serbia nor in Montenegro, through which narcotics are transited from South America to Europe.

RFE: Do you believe that this phenomenon can be put to an end soon?

Djukanovic: I absolutely believe so. Don’t let anyone get carried away because the state is always stronger than any crime.

RFE: Given that this has been going on for 10 years, I come to the conclusion that crime is very strong, maybe even stronger than the states.

Djukanovic: It is not stronger than the state. It is strong because it is the most financially powerful crime, because billions of dollars and euros are involved in this “business” and that determines the strength of a crime. It is not easy for a small country like Montenegro to deal with this problem outside the context of the global struggle.

RFE: How would you describe your cooperation with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, in one sentence?

Djukanovic: That cooperation has been greatly reduced in recent years due to the differences in policies that Mr. Vucic and I personify.

RFE: You personify pro-European politics, so does he. It would be something that should bind you tightly, wouldn’t it?

Djukanovic: Are you referring to a verbal or an actual level?

RFE: Does this mean that you doubt his pro-European ambitions?

Djukanovic: Of course, I have my doubts and I speak about it publicly. If someone promotes a policy where the state of Serbia appears as a patron over Serbs in other countries, that is not European policy. That policy, you remember, led us to war in the 1990s.

RFE: You remember that better than I do.

Djukanovic: Of course, even then Serbia had the desire to protect the Bosnian Serbs, so we know what that led to.

RFE: Correct, but if you are going back to that time, then we have to say that you were also part of that policy.

Djukanovic: I was part of that policy, but we all know who the creators of that policy were. So, these were the key people of the larger countries in the area of the former Yugoslavia, who then tried to promote or renew the idea of creating three enlarged states in the area of the Western Balkans, and as we know, it ended with 150,000 human victims.

RFE: Does that mean, based on what you are saying, that your responsibility was less?

Djukanovic: Of course.

RFE: That’s all that matters to me. So, you are responsible, but less than other actors of that time.

Djukanovic: Of course, everyone who lived at that time must feel responsible, let alone the one who led politics at that time.

RFE: The question about Aleksandar Vucic was actually an introduction in order to return to the topic that is certainly currently the most important for political stability in Montenegro, and it concerns the issue of the church. Dritan Abazovic’s government signed the Fundamental Agreement, which is the reason why you question its survival. However, we have to take a step back and underline that we would not have reached the Fundamental Agreement if it were not for the Law on Religious Freedoms, which was a product of the government headed by you. Can we say nowadays that at that time you misjudged, that you put Montenegro in a risky situation considering the divisions that followed in society?

Djukanovic: I will remind you, I left the position of prime minister in 2016. From 2016 to 2020, there was a government that was dominated by the party I lead.

RFE: You already know how it works in the Western Balkans. You left the position of prime minister, you were president, but if you were president or prime minister, you are certainly the most influential political figure in Montenegro.

Djukanovic: Prejudice again, because it wasn’t me who retreated to the background to manage from the shadows, when I could have managed from the stage. I retired because I wanted to free myself from political obligations, after a long political career.

In the period leading up to the elections sometime in 2020, which was dominated politically by the Democratic Party of Socialists, the Law on Freedom of Religion was launched. I thought that it was the last moment to pass that law, because the previous one was passed during the time of the former Yugoslavia, that is, almost 50 years ago. After the change of government in Montenegro on 30 August 2020, that law was annulled by the new government and a new law was adopted. That law is now the work of the Government that was in power after 30 August. As a product of that Law is also the Fundamental Agreement you are talking about.

RFE: I’m not sure that I can follow what you are presenting here. Do you limit your responsibility in relation to the Law on Religious Freedoms, which was the trigger for political and social instability in Montenegro?

Djukanovic: No, I want to tell you that I think that law should have been passed, because it was unacceptable for us to live in Montenegro with a 50-year-old law, at a time when everything changed in Montenegro and in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. It is simply impossible to regulate an important area such as the issue of religious rights and freedoms, and the life of religious communities in Montenegro, based on a law from 50 years ago.

RFE: What do your calculations show, your, so to speak, resistance to the Serbian Orthodox Church, how much does it raise the rating of the Democratic Party of Socialists?

Djukanovic: I’m not sure that it raises the rating at all. So, I am not one of those people who have a populist approach to politics. As you know, I very often made moves that were not approved by the wider public. Let’s remember the year 1999, when I said that Montenegro did not want to participate in the war, so I was judged by the citizens of Montenegro as a traitor because I did not invite Montenegro to participate in the war against NATO.

The fact that the Serbian Orthodox Church is attacking the civil and secular character of Montenegro – I believe that it must be opposed at the price of I don’t know how much loss of rating.

RFE: While the process called “religious processions of the Serbian Orthodox Church” was going on, various assessments were heard, both from outside and inside, including those that Montenegro was brought to the brink of civil war. Were you afraid even for a moment that the outcome of regulating the issue of relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church could be fatal?

Djukanovic: No, because I absolutely believed in the strength of the state I was at the head of and I was absolutely sure that whoever tried to start the fire of the civil war in Montenegro would end up in prison. Therefore, the problem arises with the change of government in Montenegro, when we get a Government, a Government of believers, religious fanatics above all.

RFE: Are you referring to former Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic?

Djukanovic: Of course.

RFE: This is about the prime minister who removed from the government the minister who denied the genocide in Srebrenica. We could hardly call him a religious fanatic by that criterion. “Religious fanatic” means the worst.

Djukanovic: A religious fanatic is a man who sits in my office, as you and I are talking now, and who tells me that he is absolutely sure that mountains can be moved by the power of faith, who, unlike me, believes in the afterlife, and that he had a realistic insight into the afterlife.

RFE: It’s not like you’re not religious.

Djukanovic: Give me some confirmation of your assessment.

RFE: I didn’t mean to mention it, but you published that information on the website of the President of Montenegro and thus made it public.

You baptized your grandson in the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Djukanovic: That’s right. Because his parents, his father and mother, expressed their desire to baptize him. I attended that act, but that doesn’t mean I’m religious.

RFE: Given the circumstances provoked by the attitude of the Serbian Orthodox Church towards the events in Montenegro, that gesture was quite surprising. So, I have to ask you, why didn’t you suggest to your family members that the baptism be performed in the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (canonically unrecognized church)?

Djukanovic: Because they expressed such a desire, and I did not want to influence in any way. I simply respected their wish and attended the act together with them.

RFE: Let’s not end without an answer. Therefore, we call a religious fanatic a man who was prime minister and who removed the minister for denying the genocide in Srebrenica. It doesn’t really fit into the image of Orthodox fanaticism.

Djukanovic: You want to prove that it is particularly valuable that someone removes from their team a man who denies the genocide in which 8,000 innocent people were killed. I guess that goes without saying, it’s a matter of morality and common sense. Not merit.

RFE: And more than that. But that, and in accordance with the attitude of the Serbian Orthodox Church towards the genocide, eliminates the descriptive “religious fundamentalism”.

Djukanovic: I will tell you very clearly, my belief is that this is a government of religious fanatics, who, in choosing between their obligations to a religious community and to the state, always chose to be on the side of what is the interests of a religious community. In this case, the religious community that denies Montenegro’s right to independence, denies Montenegrins and their national and religious identity.

RFE: Will you be a DPS candidate for the president of Montenegro in the next (2023) election?

Djukanovic: We’ll see about that.

North Macedonia

Bulgarian MFA: Referendum against the Good Neighbour Agreement is not possible in Macedonia (MIA)

The referendum initiative against the Agreement with the Bulgarians will not prevent the fulfilment of the obligations undertaken by Skopje, because Talat Xhaferi rejected it as unconstitutional, said Bulgarian Deputy Minister Kostadin Kodzhabashev. From this point of view, at the moment we do not think that this issue will be relevant, because the parties Levica and VMRO-DPMNE are only contesting this decision for the time being, but from a legal point of view, it is completely unshakable, and firm, he added.

Albania

Albania among targets of covert Russian political funding, U.S. report says (Tirana Times)

Albania was among the targets of covert Russian political funding, according to a U.S. intelligence report and various officials who spoke to international media. The country's main opposition Democratic Party received half a million dollars from Russian sources in 2017, the reports noted. The Albania link is part of a larger effort that has seen Russia has secretly given more than $300 million to political parties and candidates in dozens of countries since 2014, engaging in covert political financing around the world. Other countries in the region included Bosnia and Montenegro. According to officials who spoke to the media, the U.S. intelligence community came up with a report after analysing Russia's funding in more than 24 countries over the past few years in an effort to manipulate democracies from within.

"In Albania, Russia gave about half a million dollars to the Democratic Party in 2017 through shell companies," the U.S. government sources told the AFP wire service. The accusations that the Democratic Party took $500,000 from a UK shell company with ties to Russia are not new. The money was used to pay an American lobbying firm which disclosed the data as it is obligated to, and then the ties appeared in a U.S. magazine article. The Albanian authorities opened investigations related to these payments, saying that "the money was paid by an offshore company and that the Democratic Party has not regularly reported to the Central Election Commission the money spent, thus not following legislation."

Following an investigation, Albania's prosecutors withdrew criminal charges and the court dismissed the case against three DP officials Lulzim Basha, Arben Ristan and Ilir Dervishaj, who were involved with the payments to the American lobbying firm. Basha has since resigned as head of the party, and the current leadership said it would undertake a detailed audit to make sure there is no doubt as to the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the party, indicating the blame lies with the former leader, who has denied any wrongdoing.

DP leader Sali Berisha, told media at an event in Shijak that he had seen the reports on international media about the Democratic Party, then led by Basha, receiving covert funding from Russia and that the matter requires transparency and a thorough inquiry, adding that during the years of Basha's leadership, PD was "introduced to labyrinths similar to those seen in mafia films."

However, former DP leader Basha responded on Twitter by saying: “The Democratic Party has never received foreign funding, let alone from Russia. When such claims were made public in the media, the Democratic Party publicly requested that the justice system investigate them and completely cooperated with the justice system, which denied any claim of foreign funding." Basha had previously said the money in question was from Albanian American donors. “We are proud of the steadfast partnership with our strategic ally, the United States, and determined to move forward alongside our Euro-Atlantic allies for the consolidation of Western values and the full integration of Albania into the EU,” Basha added in his statement.

Integration/ The first Albania-EU meeting for the legislation to be negotiated today (Radio Tirana)

Albania and the European Union will hold on Thursday (September 15) the first meeting for the explanatory review of the legislation that will be negotiated with the EU. Diplomatic sources from Brussels told Public Television that the meeting will be chaired for the Albanian side by chief negotiator Majlinda Dhuka, while for the European side, the heads of the General Directorate of Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

The Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations is based in Brussels with around 1,650 staff members in Brussels and in EU delegations in partner countries, working under the political authority of Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and is managed by the Acting Director General Maciej Popowski.

Meanwhile, since Monday, the Working Group of the EU Council for Enlargement and negotiating countries for EU membership - COELA, held meetings in Tirana with the highest authorities. COELA or the structure composed of diplomats from all EU member states is responsible for the enlargement process and relations with the candidate countries that are negotiating for EU membership, a mandate in which he visited Albania for the first time. COELA is chaired by the next presidency of the EU Council, currently by a diplomat of the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the EU.

The visit, which is followed in parallel in North Macedonia, follows the EU Council's decision to transfer the files of North Macedonia and Albania to the working group responsible for the countries that are in the process of negotiations with the EU.

Cyber-attacks/ Stoltenberg calls Rama: NATO offers support to Albania (Radio Tirana)

NATO is on the side of its ally, Albania, against the recent cyber-attacks by Iran. This was announced by the General Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, who held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Edi Rama. Stoltenberg made it clear that NATO will offer support to Albania and is in solidarity with its decisions regarding the punishment of cyber-attacks.

"I spoke with Prime Minister Edi Rama about the cyber-attacks against our ally, Albania, which are attributed to Iran. NATO will continue to offer support and stands in full solidarity with Albania", writes Stoltenberg.

Cyber-attacks on online public services and the TIMS system also served to disrupt diplomatic relations between Albania and Iran. Albania blamed Iran for a July 15 cyber-attack that temporarily shut down many Albanian government digital services and websites and the attack on the TIMS system that took place in recent days that targeted national police computer systems.