LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Silent ethnic cleansing of Serbs underway in Kosovo and Metohija; We will request convening of an emergency session of the UN Security Council (RTS)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that yesterday they had talks with the European representative in the dialogue with Pristina Miroslav Lajcak and the EU tried as much as possible to request some kind of de-escalation. “I just want to say that Serbia fulfilled everything that was asked of it. De-escalation is not happening because the regime in Pristina does not want it,” said Vucic. He says that for 11 years he has been participating in all talks and negotiations about Kosovo and Metohija. “Today, our country is in the most difficult situation, not because of our own fault, not because of our lack of seriousness, but because of the daily activities of the regime in Pristina, or those who are silent or look favorably on these actions, and who carry out what I would call silent ethnic cleansing, where Serbs have no right to live unless they swore to the regime of Albin Kurti. Fortunately, there are very few of them,” said Vucic.

 

Action of persecution of Serb well organized and planned

Vucic says that it never occurs to him to lie to his own people by lying to himself that things are not changing and that nothing is happening. “The action of pogrom, persecution and ethnic cleansing carried out by the Pristina regime against the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija is well organized, planned and substantially supported by certain circles in the international community,” Vucic points out. He says that in Pristina they made a decision to arrest, kill or remove from Kosovo and Metohija the most visible Serbs who could be a point of resistance to the Pristina regime and who could be someone who would not accept unilateral decisions on a daily basis. According to him, the second part of the action is underway in which they are trying to intimidate the additional population in the north. He stated that the so-called Kosovo police have nothing to look for and that they occupied several points in order to show that the Serbs cannot erect barricades, prevent the import of Serbian goods, in order to instill fear in every Serbian house. Vucic said that British MP Alicia Kearns, who said that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) participates in arms smuggling, is known for her anti-Serb activities. Now, the President says, along with police actions, they are introducing new elements, which is an attack on two more pillars of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, the SPC and healthcare. “Don’t worry madam, were already conducting an investigation against you, to see why you’re doing it, if the UK government doesn’t react, we’re forced to,” said Vucic. He cited several examples of police actions in which ambulances were searched and nothing was found. They are doing all this in order to destroy the healthcare system in Kosovo and Metohija, and the actions they are carrying out in the SPC are not accidental, Vucic pointed out. Vucic said that a general attack on Serbs is underway. “I want to repeat to the EU and US representatives that we will fulfill everything. We have been waiting for you to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in order to start fulfilling what we discussed in Ohrid, Brussels and Belgrade. We have been waiting to see any serious process on the matter and we have seen nothing. We were waiting to see the release of innocent people, because EULEX was so correct that it had to write that these people were beaten, that they don’t see any case and why these people were detained,” said Vucic.

 

We will request convening of an emergency session of the UN Security Council

Vucic says that Serbia is ready to continue the talks, but that it is clear that things have gotten out of control and that Serbia is backed into a corner. He says that he will ask for an urgent conversation with the Head of NATO and points out that for the first time, because of the events in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia will ask for the convening of an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. “We want to act in accordance with Resolution 1244 and in accordance with international public law norms. Bearing in mind that the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, their safety, as well as human dignity and survival are directly threatened, we will request an urgent session of the United Nations Security Council,” emphasized Vucic. He says that he did not ask for it earlier because he knows that it is the last thing that Serbia has to ask for before certain activities are undertaken, activities which, as he says, are very difficult. “We have no right to allow further pogrom, persecution and ethnic cleansing. At the session, we will demand that the Security Council, on the basis of its powers, take urgent measures to protect the lives of Serbs and the freedom of Serbs in Kosovo. This specifically means that we will demand that the Security Council order KFOR to fulfill the obligations prescribed by Articles 9 and 15 of Resolution 1244, as well as Articles 3 and 4 of Annex 2 of that Resolution,” explained Vucic. He points out that this means disabling immediately on the ground further operation of all security and other structures of provisional institutions in Pristina that threaten the lives, freedom, security, dignity and survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and demilitarize all Albanian formations in accordance with Resolution 1244. “In accordance with the answer, there will or will not be a third point. In any case, we will at least get an answer from the Security Council as to who has the duty to protect the lives of Serbs, whether it is KFOR forces or someone else is responsible for that,” he says.

 

Diocese of Raska-Prizren: We have information, we expect series of actions against us (Tanjug/B92)

 

The Eparchy of Raska-Prizren Diocese announced that it has confidential information that the Pristina government intends to initiate a series of actions aimed at further discrediting the Serbian Orthodox Church. As stated, they will do so by planting false evidence and further inciting ethnic and religious intolerance. In the announcement of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, among other things, it is stated that despite international appeals for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo, the release of three arrested Kosovo police officers by the Serbian authorities and yesterday's denial by KFOR, in connection with the unfounded and dangerously malicious accusations of the member of the British parliament, Mrs. Alisa Cairns, against the Serbian Orthodox Church, in connection with the alleged "arms smuggling", the Prime Minister of the so-called Kosovo, Mr. Kurti unfortunately continued to make provocative statements. "This kind of behavior openly encourages ethnic and religious intolerance against the Serb people and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, which further worsens the already extremely difficult and unstable situation," the statement said. "The Diocese of Raska-Prizren has received confidential and reliable information indicating that in the coming days and weeks, Kosovo government allegedly intends to launch a whole series of actions aimed at further discrediting the Serbian Orthodox Church. These actions may refer to the continuation of further systematic media smearing of our Church and its believers, planting false evidence, repressive actions and further inciting ethnic and religious intolerance. The Diocese will forward to leading Western embassies and KFOR in Pristina all additional information it receives, for further verification and in order to take the necessary measures to prevent further escalation of ethnically motivated violence and attacks against the Serbian Orthodox Church," claim the Diocese. According to them, Prime Minister Kurti said yesterday during the day at a press conference that the allegations against the SPC must be investigated and that the Kosovo government will give the final word on that, and then he repeated the accusations against the SPC on Twitter after meeting with a high-ranking official of the NATO alliance, stating that the weapons that were allegedly transported to Kosovo in ambulances were left in Orthodox churches, although KFOR announced in its press release yesterday morning that there is no evidence for such serious accusations. This situation shows the reality in Kosovo and Metohija, where the prime minister is the prosecutor and the final arbiter. "At the same time, we perceive the accusations of the British parliamentarian, Ms. Cairns, against the SPC, which she did not state either the position of the government in London or the NATO alliance, but, according to everything, the information she received from Mr. Kurti a few days ago during his stay in London, as dangerous abuse and gross insult. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cairns stood by her statements against the SPC in her interview yesterday, despite the KFOR mission's denials that these were baseless claims. Moreover, this is just one example of the dangerous manipulation of the SPC in Kosovo and Metohija, we remind you, was exposed years ago and which served as a reason for an attack on 150 of our sanctuaries, which were recklessly destroyed and desecrated," the announcement states and adds: "Manipulating public opinion by spreading false information is, after all, part of the political platform of Mr. Kurti's 'Self-determination' movement, which is known at least to a part of the impartial and objective public. We believe that this kind of behavior does not even have the support of many moderate Kosovar Albanians, because such a policy cannot lead to the European future of this part of the Balkans but encourages further conflicts and instability." The announcement emphasizes that our Church has a peaceful, but also determined attitude that we want a dignified and safe life for all citizens in this area. "Therefore, we feel obliged to condemn every form of violence and repression. Unfortunately, at the same time, we also see that this is exactly our position as a hindrance to what is already looming as the final goal of Mr. Kurti, who for years was and remains the fiercest opponent of the coexistence of Serbs and Albanians and an open representative of the ethnically pure Greater Albania. It is absurd that Mr. Kurti and his closest associates, who until yesterday themselves participated in the attacks on EULEX and the police (international and Kosovo), threw Molotov cocktails at the buildings of the Kosovo government and police, planted tear gas and destroyed public property, endangered people's lives and were arrested, today present themselves as the supposed defenders of the law, which they recklessly violate, ignoring all international warnings," they state. According to the knowledge of the Diocese, in the last few months alone, more than 2,000 Serbian families from the north of Kosovo were forced to leave their homes due to police repression, which continues with even greater intensity with demonstrations of force on the streets of Serbian settlements, arbitrary arrests without court orders, public targeting of prominent personalities on a national and political basis, by keeping people in captivity without clear legal grounds, all with an aggressive media campaign, especially on social networks, where they openly call for hatred and violence. With this behavior of the Kosovo authorities, the remaining Serbs are further intimidated and further expelled from this area. That is why we can rightly say that we are facing a repetition of the March 2004 pogrom, only with different methods, but with apparently the same goals. "Since the end of the armed conflict in 1999, the Serbian people have never lived in more difficult circumstances and greater legal and physical insecurity, and that is another reason for all of us to show unity and firm determination to survive together in the areas where we have lived for centuries. By doing so, we will be worthy of our ancestors who went through similar trials and atrocities for centuries," the announcement reads. The Serbian Orthodox Church remains firmly resolved to work on building peace and cooperation with all people of good will, but also to oppose all lawlessness, untruths and repression with evangelical, truthful and fearless testimony about the injustice that is being carried out against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija today."

 

Lajcak: Meeting with Vucic helped to get clarity about next steps (Tanjug)

 

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Wednesday his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade this morning had addressed the way forward in the dialogue, including the need for holding new local elections with participation of Kosovo Serbs. "We had an honest and open conversation on the way forward, including the need for new local elections with participation of Kosovo Serbs and return to the Dialogue. The meeting and the trip helped to get clarity about next steps," Lajcak wrote on his official Twitter account.

 

Dacic: Serbia rejects claims by Member of UK Parliament Alicia Kearns (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic yesterday summoned Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) Dominic Otway on the occasion of a statement by Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Alicia Kearns, who during her speech in the Parliament of the United Kingdom accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of smuggling weapons. Dacic rejected such accusations and expressed deep concern over Kearns’ claims that weapons are smuggled through administrative crossings from Serbia to Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija in ambulances. He underlined that due to the severity of the claims, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia acts with utmost seriousness and responsibility and expects more information and urgent check of these claims, both from the British side and from other relevant bodies, including the KFOR Mission. The Serbian Minister underlined that Serbia will always react to such things, protecting its state and national interests, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

 

Dacic: Accusations against SPC a part of propaganda war (TV Pink)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday a statement by British MP Alicia Kearns that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) was involved in weapons smuggling from Serbia proper to Kosovo and Metohija was a part of a propaganda war against Serbia aimed at banishing the SPC from Kosovo and Metohija. "It is a part of the narrative aimed at criminalising the north of Kosovo... For over 10 years, it has been said repeatedly that the north is criminalised, and the SPC has now been made a part of that. It is one of the obstacles for them as it is very important for the survival of our people, so they need to identify it with criminals in their accusations," Dacic told TV Pink. He said the accusations were a part of an all-out attack on Serbia and the Serbs and that Belgrade had immediately requested an explanation from London. "We have received no written response, but we have been told orally that it is not the official policy of the British government and that Kearns cannot speak on behalf of the government, and that the British government has no concrete evidence to support the statement she has made," Dacic noted. Regardless of that, Kearns has carried on, likely according to an agenda she has agreed with Kurti, Dacic said. It would be nothing new if she were an Albanian lobbyist, he said. "There is no evidence to support her statements - KFOR, too, has said that. We cannot supply the people with basic foods, let alone with weapons," Dacic said.

 

No-confidence vote to Minister Gasic fails (Beta)

 

The Serbian parliament did not pass a no-confidence vote to Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic on 5 July, with 148 MPs against and 37 in favor of the no-confidence vote. The minister was not present during the vote and the opposition MPs spread a banner reading “Serbia Against Violence.” The session on the no-confidence vote to Gasic began on June 15, with 61 opposition MPs calling for his dismissal. Gasic’s dismissal was demanded after two mass killings, on May 3 in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade, and on May 4 in the vicinity of Mladenovac. Bratislav Gasic has been interior minister since 26 October 2022 and, before that, he was the director of the Security and Information Agency and the minister of defense. He was dismissed from the post of defense minister at the start of 2016, for making sexist remarks to a female journalist.

 

Stefanovic: Minister Gasic keeper of SNS secrets (N1)

 

The only way for the government to meet the demands of the Serbia Against Violence protest is to continue exerting pressure and continue the protests, followed by some future elections, but the government first needs to create the prerequisites for elections to be held, which currently do not exist, said Serbian parliament deputy speaker and deputy leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) Borko Stefanovic. He told the N1 Behind the News show that it was expected that Internal Affairs Minister Bratislav Gasic would survive the vote of no confidence, adding that is what happens “when leading a difficult and painful struggle through institutions”. “It is always necessary to try everything, even less than that. They said they would not give Gasic up, but this parliament session helped the citizens see why the government is rotten, corrupt, why Gasic’s resignation is demanded. Why didn’t Gasic submit his resignation like Branko Ruzic, because he acts like the keeper of the coffin of the Progressives’ secrets. By doing that he is sending a message to Vucic that he controls the SNS in a way, and that Vucic cannot do away with him as he did once in the past,” said Stefanovic. He said the outcome of today’s parliamentary vote of no confidence in Minister Gasic, which he survived, will not affect the protests in Serbia. Everything the opposition does is aimed at exposing and dismantling the bad society that we live in, said Stefanovic. “We want to change the entire system,” he stressed.

 

Obradovic says he asked Vucic to call early elections a long time ago (Nova/Beta)

 

The Serbian Dveri Movement’s leader Bosko Obradovic said yesterday that his party requested President Aleksandar Vucic and the government of Serbia to resign, and that early elections be called on all levels. “We have been requesting the same ever since 27 February, when Vucic accepted in Brussels to implement the anti-constitutional Franco-German agreement providing for the recognition of a false state of Kosovo,” Obradovic said in an interview with the Nova paper, following President Vucic’s promise that elections would take place as soon as anyone from the opposition asked. Obradovic said that his Dveri “wouldn’t mind if the existing electoral threshold has been increased”, which Vucic had suggested earlier, but that an election reform in democracies should require a consensus between the authorities and the opposition, and that it’s wrong to conduct it right ahead of a vote. Instead, it should skip the first polls, and apply to the next, Obradovic explained. The Dveri leader believes that “the patriotic opposition should run united in the next nationwide polls, creating a single pre-election bloc to win between 15 percent and 20 percent of the vote. The birth of such a coalition alone would make it the strongest opposition political force and the second largest political group in Serbia”.

 

Osmani presents plan for northern Kosovo to CoE Committee of Ministers (Beta)

 

The chairman of the OSCE Bujar Osmani presented his plan for the normalization of the situation in Kosovo to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg on 5 July. Osmani said the nine-point plan was a roadmap for a gradual resolution that would lead to long-term stability and peace. “The nine-point plan that goes in the direction of de-escalation of recent tensions in Kosovo will secure further normalization,” said the chairman, who is also the foreign minister of North Macedonia. He stressed that, in all its plans, the OSCE Chairpersonship placed people and the improvement of their daily life to the forefront. While presenting the results of his chairmanship in the first half of the year to the CoE Committee of Ministers, Osmani pointed out as crucial the visits he made to Ukraine, Moldova and South Caucasus, as well as to Serbia and Kosovo, and underscored the OSCE’s continued work in these key regions for the organization.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

EU earmarks EUR 303 million for four projects in B&H, none of projects is from RS (BHT1)

 

The EU has earmarked EUR 303 million in non-reimbursable funds for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) for four significant projects aimed at better transport infrastructure, energy efficiency and environmental protection. There are no projects in the Republika Srpska (RS) territory in the funding announcements. The presenter wondered whether this represents silent sanctions of the EU because of the latest moves of the RS authorities or whether projects from the RS were simply not nominated for financing. The total value of projects that will be co-financed by the EU in B&H amounts to EUR 788 million and those include the completion of the construction of the highway on Corridor 5c on the part that passes through the Federation of B&H (FB&H), the improvement of the water system in the area of Sarajevo, and the rehabilitation of the Capljina hydro-electric power plant. The EU Delegation to B&H said that a small number of projects from the RS were applied for this funding package and that they did not meet the criteria for funding. The EU Delegation to B&H also reminded that a response to the political crisis in February last year was the suspension of funds intended for projects on Corridor 5c worth EUR 600 million. Spokesperson for the EU Delegation to B&H Ferdinand Koenig said that “unfortunately, the recent escalation of the situation by representatives of the RS is similar to the model of activities which undermine competencies of the state level and institutions, which resulted in the suspension of financing of two infrastructural models last year”. RS President Milorad Dodik criticized the latest decision of the European Union, to grant EUR  303 million for four infrastructure projects in FB&H, without doing any projects in RS. Dodik stated that by making arrogant decisions like this one, the EU is dividing B&H. He also posed the question: “How does the EU plan to implement their decision, without approval from joint B&H institutions in Sarajevo? Do they believe that anyone from RS will accept this humiliating relationship towards RS? By suspending a part of the funds for RS, until RS changes its stances, meaning that Schmidt is imposed on us and that we have to accept his decisions, despite him being illegitimate, which we will not do. They have to understand that this people here feel that choosing money over character is humiliating, and that they will not accept to sell their freedom, values and character for any amount of money, given to them via ‘donations’. My question is: How do they plan to implement their decisions from yesterday, without approval of joint institutions in Sarajevo?” Dodik commented this and said that the EU, primarily the administration in Brussels, is closing, in this way, possible realization of their wishes. He does not know how this will look like, but Dodik points out that he wants to see realization of projects on the entire B&H territory. That is not disputable, he says, adding that message from the EU is “very unfair” and will not change stances of the RS people – as they are not willing to sell their stances and values for “a certain amount of money”. Addressing the media Wednesday, Dodik said: “Suspending portion of funds for the RS allegedly until the RS changes its opinion, and that means imposing on us to accept (High Representative Christian) Schmidt who is illegal, to accept his imposition of laws which we will certainly not do, they need to understand that sometimes offering money in exchange for selling your character is something that humiliates this people. Therefore, that is something that will not be understood in a right way.” RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic said that, if the projects in the RS are obstructed, then the projects in the FB&H will be blocked in the B&H Parliament and the B&H Presidency. “There are indications that this will happen. However, this is B&H. One cannot choose to help only Sarajevo, and not Banja Luka”, Viskovic noted. He concluded that the EU funds cannot be awarded selectively to one entity in B&H. He was adamant that there is no need to discuss the topic any further and elaborated that the project for corridor of the 5C highway in FB&H will not be approved, unless it includes the sections of 5C in RS.

 

Lead Members of European Parliament call on EU to finally introduce sanctions to Dodik: We can no longer allow brazen secessionist and his followers to systematically undermine B&H (Dnevni avaz)

 

European Parliament’s Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) David McAllister (EPP, Germany), Standing Rapporteur for B&H Paulo Rangel (EPP, Portugal) and the Chair of the Parliament’s Delegation for relations with B&H and Kosovo Romeo Franz (Greens, Germany), issued a joint statement, which reads: "We can no longer allow a brazen secessionist and his followers... to systematically undermine B&H". Statement reads: "We strongly condemn the RS parliament's adoption of legislation on the non-implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H and amending the RS Law on publishing laws and other regulations, which constituted a direct attack on B&H's constitutional order and a blatant violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. We therefore welcome the decision of the High Representative for B&H on 1 July to revoke these laws, as well as the changes to the criminal code of B&H that give the relevant law enforcement and judicial authorities the tools to properly act on attempts to undermine the constitutional order of the country. We also take note of the High Representative's statement at his press conference on 1 July that 'all options remain on the table'. However, in light of the utterly provocative reactions of President Dodik and other leading RS officials to these decisions, additional action by the EU is urgently needed. The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Council to move beyond verbal statements and take specific, targeted action against those who continue to deliberately and systematically undermine B&H's constitutional and territorial order in words and deeds. It is high time for the EU and its Member States to finally impose targeted sanctions on Milorad Dodik - who is already under US and UK sanctions - and his allies, if necessary on a bilateral level. The EU's credibility is at stake. Given the gravity of the situation in B&H, the EU cannot just verbally align with the High Representative's decisions. It needs to support him with specific own initiatives. On 16 December 2022, we welcomed the decision of the European Council to grant the status of candidate country to B&H as a significant one-off incentive that should be swiftly acted on by the authorities. Since then, we have seen the development of a new and positive momentum. Following the last elections, everything is in place for the country's authorities to continue building on this momentum, to work on the 14 key priorities as a matter of urgency and to genuinely progress on its EU integration path. We can no longer allow a brazen secessionist and his followers, including in the entity parliament, to systematically undermine the country and its future within Europe and put at risk peace and stability. We owe it to B&H, its citizens, the region and ourselves."

 

Becirovic: Sunak expressed strong support to B&H, international community must not allow destabilization of B&H (Dnevni avaz)

 

The daily carries a brief interview with B&H Presidency member Denis Becirovic about his visit to the UK where he met with several high-ranking UK officials. Speaking about his meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Becirovic stated that Sunak expressed great interest in the current security situation in B&H. He noted that Sunak is very well informed about the situation in B&H, and he is fully committed to supporting democratic forces which advocate independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H. Becirovic emphasized that Sunak told him that the UK and its allies will not allow destruction of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), and that the UK is ready to undertake decisive steps to protect it. Sunak also emphasized that UK, as a witness to the DPA, is determined to remain a factor of peace and stability in B&H. Becirovic also said that Sunak told him that preservation of peace and democratic development of B&H are key priorities for the UK. “Let us not forget, Prime Minister Sunak is one of the most influential international statesmen, and it is very important for us that he expressed strong support of the UK to B&H in his conversation with me. This was one of the most important meetings with a leader of the West which do not happen often. That is why it was important to send strategic messages and offer true information about the real situation in our country. I also told Prime Minister Sunak that it is time for concrete steps to sanction those who undermine peace and security. The international community must now be determined, and it must not allow destabilization of B&H and the region”, said Becirovic. Meanwhile, Becirovic met with Minister of State for the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom James Heappey during his working visit to the UK on Wednesday. Becirovic and Heappey talked about the security crisis in B&H, which has been caused by unconstitutional actions of the RS bodies and which threatens to cause instability in B&H and whole of Western Balkans. Becirovic stated that it is time for concrete steps in penalizing the destroyers of peace and security. Minister Heappey said the UK government will not ignore any undermining of peace, security and stability in B&H. Heappey also said that the UK is seriously considering the possibility of participating in the EUFOR Althea mission again. The daily reminds that the UK was the first NATO member state to implement the decision from the latest NATO Summit to incorporate security of B&H in security of the Alliance. The daily notes that Becirovic also attended a commemoration for Srebrenica genocide victims in London, where he thanked the UK for principled struggle to preserve the truth.

 

Cvijanovic: Enthusiasm of Albanian lobbyists in UK parliament goes so far that they are capable of lying to extent to destabilize situation in Western Balkans (RTRS)

 

B&H Presidency Chairwoman Zeljka Cvijanovic stated on Wednesday that enthusiasm of Albanian lobbyists in the UK parliament goes so far that they are capable of lying to the extent to destabilize the situation in the Western Balkans, adding that even KFOR has to deny their statements. “If Alicia Kearns is capable of presenting such lies at a meeting with Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Denis Becirovic, then one can only imagine what is in the background and it is hard to believe in someone’s good intentions”, Cvijanovic said, stressing that Kearns presented “brutal lies.” Cvijanovic’s statement comes as a reaction to the statement of UK MP and President of the parliamentary board for foreign policy Alicia Kearns (Conservative Party), who said on Tuesday that weapons from Serbia is being smuggled in ER vehicles to churches. Her statement was denied by KFOR on Wednesday.

 

Dodik: I will sign RS parliament laws related to B&H CC and HR’s decisions (BN TV)

 

RS President Milorad Dodik announced on Wednesday that he will sign the RS parliaent laws recently adopted by the RS parliament. Namely, these are the Law on Non-Implementation of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) Decisions in the RS and the law by which decisions of the High Representative (HR) will not be published in the RS Official Gazette. Dodik said that everything was simplified after the Bosniak Caucus in the RS Council of Poeples gave up on vetoing the laws.

 

Szijjarto expresses Hungary’s commitment to cooperation with B&H and its entities, especially to economic cooperation with RS (RTRS)

 

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto paid an official visit to Banja Luka on Wednesday. He presented the project of support to agricultural producers in RS and Brcko District financed by the Hungarian government in the amount of EUR 28 million in total, within which the first shipment with mechanization and equipment for agricultural producers has arrived in Banja Luka. Addressing the joint press conference with the RS officials, Szijjarto conveyed political messages of support to the RS and its leadership. He commented on calls for sanctions against the RS officials coming from the EU and the latest decisions imposed by High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt. Szijjarto reminded that RS President Milorad Dodik was elected by the RS people and that this needs to be respected, stressing that the EU should stop threatening with sanctions. He said that imposing of decisions and sanctions should not be the future of B&H, the Western Balkans or the EU, adding that questioning of one nation’s decisions of the decision imposing are non-democratic. Szijjarto assessed that he sees in the Western Balkans a chance to develop the EU, both in terms of territory and economy, warning that stability in the region cannot be expected with destabilization of the RS and B&H as a whole. He said that Budapest is ready to help realize the goal to preserve peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Dodik told the press conference that the RS will continue to conduct its policy and that non-legitimate HR Schmidt has no right to impose any decisions. He announced that he will soon sign a decree on proclamation of the law on publication of laws and other regulations of the RS removing the obligation to publish decisions of the High Representative in the Official Gazette of the RS and the law on non-implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H in the RS recently adopted in the RS parliament. Dodik said that it is absurd that official Brussels advocates for the rule of law and supports Schmidt’s decisions regardless of the fact that his appointment was not confirmed by the UN Security Council, but it violates the rule of law principles at the same time, adding that it is impossible to build a joint future in B&H in such situation. He concluded that he does not want any kind of conflict, but he only wants for the Constitution of B&H to be respected, stressing that everything apart from that is “just an intervention by someone who wants to interfere with our lives”. Addressing the press conference after the ceremony in Banja Luka, Dodik stated that the EU’s decision actually blackmails and pressures the RS to cooperate with Schmidt. He stressed that the RS will not accept any blackmails, assessing the EU’s decisions not to approve grant funds for the RS projects are arrogant and this is how the EU divides B&H given that it suspended part of the funds for the RS until the RS changes its stance. Commenting on the latest decisions imposed by Schmidt within his Bonn Powers, Szijjarto stated that it is hard for him to imagine that an official can have his rule against people’s decisions, stressing that Hungary is ready to support the RS President. Dodik stated that Hungary has the same goals as RS, which is the protection of its sovereignty and their traditional values, specifically maintaining the values of country, family and the people. Szijjarto expressed his support for Dodik, adding that Hungary and RS have very friendly and cooperative relations. Szijjarto repeated the same massages as Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his visit, mainly that the EU needs Western Balkan countries much more than they need the EU, and that Hungary is a great supporter of B&H’s EU Path.

 

Kalabukhov criticizes US Embassy for its preference of Southern Interconnection project in B&H (Glas Srpske)

 

Russian Ambassador in B&H Igor Kalabukhov said that the US Embassy in B&H is “selling smoke” by forcing the Southern Interconnection gas project, and is doing that, according to the ambassador, for the profit. He also said the US Embassy minds good relations between RS President Milorad Dodik and President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Kalabukhov claims that Russia has nothing against diversification of gas supply in B&H. “But we find it obvious that all those issues must be solved in a pragmatic way, i.e. on the market basis, exactly the way that the western mentors are giving us lessons about that. Those are hypocritical lessons, because they are choosing alone the way of a forceful imposing of a unique model – the American one,” said Kalabukhov.

 

Milatovic on an official visit to Serbia on 9 and 10 July (CdM)

 

The President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic will pay an official visit to Serbia on 9 and 10 July 2023. "On that occasion, he will meet with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the President of the parliament Vladimir Orlic," announced Milatovic's office. As part of the visit, President Milatovic is scheduled to lay a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Hero in Avala along with military honors, as well as to lay flowers in front of the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School. In honor of the visit of President Milatovic, the Embassy of Montenegro will also host a reception at the Montenegrin House in Belgrade. President Milatovic's visit to Serbia, as he announced earlier, is the first after official visits to Brussels and the institutions of the EU and NATO, with the aim of strengthening political and economic relations between the two countries and improving regional cooperation.

 

Ambassador of Spain: Montenegro should use the opportunity and continue on the path to the EU (RTCG)

 

“We encourage Montenegro, as the candidate that has advanced the most in the process, to take advantage of the opportunity and continue on the path of reforms that will enable it to become part of the EU”, says Ambassador of Spain Raul Bartolome Molina in an interview for the RTCG portal. He has praised Montenegro’s efforts in the field of justice, the rule of law and the strengthening of the judicial system. He has also assessed that the bilateral relations between Montenegro and Spain are better than ever. “We need a strong and united Europe, capable of facing the great challenges ahead. And it is a task that we must all fulfill together, including our closest allies: the future members of the Union. We encourage Montenegro, as the most advanced candidate in the process, to use this opportunity and continue on the path of reforms that will enable it to become part of the EU”, Molina has stressed. “Montenegro progressed very quickly and positioned itself as the most advanced candidate in the negotiations. Its efforts in the field of justice, rule of law and strengthening the judicial system are commendable. We are, however, encountering several years of a kind of institutional paralysis, which inevitably affected the pace at which the pending reforms are implemented. Now that the new presidential and parliamentary elections have been held, it is important to form a stable government, which will have the capacity to continue the pace of reform and focus on the path to joining the EU”, he points out. “Chapters related to the rule of law are crucial in the accession process. The EU and its members will continue to support Montenegro in implementing the necessary reforms”, Molina states.

 

Geer: Constitutional changes will be responsibility of individual members of Parliament, to look at what the national interest is (Telma TV)

 

EU Ambassador David Geer in an interview with Telma TV said that the constitutional changes will not be the last demand from the EU, but the country should focus on reforms especially in the rule of law. “The constitutional changes will not be the last demand asked to this country. We will ask this country to make reforms at every step. The important thing is that the requirements are based on reforms. Whether you make reforms in the rule of law, in the environment and in all those areas. That's where the focus should be, not bilateral demands entering the process,” Geer said. With respect to whether it is possible to adopt the constitutional change by November, Geer said that the issue of how to make a progress now is a big one. “The issue of whether the country can be united on the EU reform program, to reduce the political gap, in order to move forward decisively. When you look at other countries like Croatia or Slovenia, all those countries that recently joined the EU, their experience was that the political groups coming together even though they were very divided in many areas, on this issue they worked together to achieve a common goal – joining the EU. I think that the same should be applied here for the constitutional amendments. But that's just the beginning, because then every step of the way must be with a shared commitment to move forward,” Geer said. Whether he is an optimist that the changes in the Constitution will happen by November, Geer said that the constitutional changes will be the responsibility of the individual members of parliament. “What I would say to them is that they will have to decide for themselves. To look at the big picture, to look at what the national interest is, and decide on that basis. I think that if people look at that big question, I have optimism that we can move forward,” Geer noted. Concerning whether the inclusion of constitutional amendments in the negotiating framework, the EU indirectly influenced the deepening of the political crisis in the country, he said that what happened in July last year was a breakthrough for the country. “There was a veto for about 18 months, and a compromise was reached as a way to move forward. A compromise that, in my opinion, did not please everyone, as no compromise ever did, but it was still a possibility. An opportunity for the country to move decisively forward. You took that opportunity, started the screening process, started negotiations. I think that was a very positive development. Of course, I understand that during the debate last July there was a lot of emotion, there was a lot of confusion, even bewilderment: What does this mean for us? Will it affect our identity? Questions like that. Perhaps we should have communicated, more clearly, what the agreement itself meant. But when we look at the questions that were asked then, some from the heart, which was honest and really painful from ordinary citizens, some, I think, more cynically, and some manipulative. Let's look at those questions. The first questions that came in were: Will we lose our language? Are we going to give up our language? No, not at all. The case is exactly the opposite. The negotiating framework has the language, Macedonian language, without any qualifications in it. That is the basis on which the negotiations will advance. And after seeing the agreement such as the agreement with FRONTEX and others that were approved in the Macedonian language in the context of the EU,” Geer said. Regarding whether the history, the identity, whether these issues will be put in question, as a result of this agreement, he said that the identity is not lost on the way to the EU. “Look at all the other countries that have become members. They too often had fears about this issue, especially the smaller countries. Which as the case has proven to be the complete opposite of that. It was a very demanding and difficult debate. What was really the point is that there is a much deeper issue here, which is the general issue of polarization within the country itself, political polarization, because the EU accession process requires political parties on both sides of the political dividing line to unite on the political agenda of reforms. All of them, almost all of them, are politically committed to joining the EU, but this should be translated into an agreement across the divide, to work together to achieve that goal,” the EU Ambassador underlined. Asked whose responsibility it is that the country has been in the waiting room of the EU for too long, he said that there is responsibility on both sides. “I think there is responsibility on both sides. Of course, there is a responsibility on the side of the European Union as well. It took a long time, like I said, too long, and it affected trust. However, there is also a responsibility on the part of successive governments and authorities, because the heart of the accession process is the implementation of reforms that will make it possible for the country to become a member of the EU on an equal level with the member states. The responsibility for the implementation of these reforms rested with successive governments, and someone should ask: Why didn't we make more progress? Yes, the country has made progress, and we have reported on it in many areas, but still much more could be expected. Today we were not supposed to have extensive and difficult talks about the rule of law, the fight against corruption, all these key issues, which are still big issues some 30 years after the country was founded. Therefore, there is also a responsibility there, on the part of the authorities to make progress, because in the end that is the key to joining the EU,” Geer noted.

 

Geer: EU to deploy peer review mission of Judicial Council in Skopje

The EU is to deploy peer review mission of the Judicial Council, after a series of scandals and turbulences in the past few months, announced Geer. Geer said that this has already been proposed to the government, and he hopes it will be implemented as soon as possible, because, as he says, the work of the Judicial Council needs to be fixed. “I mean the turbulences is certainly the word for it. We followed closely with great concern. The Judicial Council has a very special role to play. It supposed to protect and promote independence, professionalism and integrity of the judiciary. That's its job. And it’s clearly not doing that. And what we have seen recently is a real…, you know, the recent developments have been very concerning indeed. So much so that we have now proposed to the government that we will deploy here a high-level peer review mission of the Judicial Council to look at ways in which we can address this issue of professionalism, integrity and independence, so that they can really do its job in the future,” Geer said. “Of course, it is an advisory group, peer review we hope to do it shortly, but I think it shows, indicates how much attention we give to the rule of law and how important we consider the role of the Judicial Council. This needs fixing,” Geer said concerning the developments in the Judicial Council.

 

Rama: We signed 13 agreements of Albania-Kosovo governments' meeting; Confirmation from Kurti expected (Radio Tirana)

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama declares that shortly after heading to Skopje, he will start his two-day visit to the capitals of the Western Balkans. In a post on Twitter, Rama states that "this morning, all 13 agreements of the meeting of the two governments signed by us were submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kosovo". "With the countersignature of the Kosovar side, they enter into force immediately. I remain hopeful that after the removal of the concern expressed publicly by Prime Minister Kurti for the citizens prevented from benefiting from the 13 agreements, we will also have confirmation of the meeting with Kurti this afternoon”, Rama writes.