LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: I am not optimistic about reaching a deal, although I am ready to talk to Pristina as soon as taxes are abolished (TV Prva/B92/Beta/Tanjug/RTS)

 

President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that he has the political courage to solve the Kosovo issue. “There will be peace as long as someone doesn’t attack physically the Serbs and starts killing them, I could not stand that,” Vucic said. Speaking for TV Prva’s morning program, Vucic said that he has taken over solving the Kosovo issue as his job, and that the Serbian government authorized him to negotiate.  Vucic added that there will probably be no solution, because there are many different goals and factors in the world that are able to launch through their agency networks whatever they want and destroy any attempt at conversation and reaching an agreement. “I am not optimistic about reaching a deal, although I am ready to talk to Pristina as soon as the taxes are abolished,” he said. He said he was very scared that this problem will remain for our children. “I will do everything so it doesn’t. I will lose a lot of reputation, because I know it's unpopular, but I will fight for an agreement,” he said. Vucic also said that it was realistic not to reach one, and that this would be his biggest mistake. He stressed that he would not politically let this problem remain unresolved, but already knows that he will be politically defeated on this issue. “I will fight with all my strength and heart, but I know 99 percent that I will not succeed. I have no problem with this in the historical sense, but I have because of the real life of our people. I am not one of those who wants everything to be ours, but rather those who are responsible, and the one managed to bring Kosovo back to the political map of the world,” Vucic said.  Asked if he had an idea about a solution, he answered affirmatively and emphasized that he would present it the same second when someone accepts it, and that should be done primarily by the Albanians. He added that he has already said some things of idea, but not some others. The frozen conflict does not exist anymore, he pointed out, because the Albanians no longer want it, they want to fully consolidate the state they created in 2008, they are nervous and are not rarely making the wrong decisions, and that is seen by Europe and in the United States, and they are in a hurry to solve it, because they see the Albanians’ nervousness and see that this could lead to a conflict.

 

Dacic: US interested in compromise more than others (RTS)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that the US is interested, more than some other partners, in reaching a lasting solution for Kosovo and Metohija and this is in connection with the change of their stand and is reflected in the fact that it is not anymore a closed issue, but an open one. He says a compromise is being sought and that any agreement would be a political plus for the US as well. On the other side, he says that Austria has voiced its support for a compromise solution even though they are not thrilled with some ideas, but they said they would support them if they are acceptable for both sides. Three months after the taxes have been introduced on Serbian goods in Kosovo and Metohija, Dacic wonders whether all European countries are interested in them being abolished. He says there is obstruction of certain European countries that are not interested in this being resolved by the end of May over the European elections, but also of some other countries that are not leading in the dialogue. Asked whether at issue are Great Britain and Germany, Dacic says that he could say that at issue are both but that there are also some other countries that don’t have this kind of influence. Speaking about the delineation idea, the Minister says that Belgrade had entered the dialogue with a clear position that Kosovo is an autonomy within Serbia. He says that Pristina is now returning to its platform that states that change of the constitution is out the question, and this is also the same opinion of some hundred countries that recognize them.

 

I haven’t heard another idea except delineation 

Dacic says that between these two positions one should look for space for compromise and say that everyone had the space within the internal dialogue to voice their ideas but that he hasn’t another idea except this one. “These two options are not acceptable for compromise, no other idea had been presented,” noted Dacic, adding that when President Vucic presented the idea on delineation a detonation of negative statements followed. He says that when he mentioned this the day before yesterday, Vuk Jeremic, Dveri, Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Nenad Popovic, but also Ramush Haradinaj, reacted. Dacic opines that this means that this idea is something that doesn’t suit Kosovo. He notes that Jeremic was the foreign minister at the time when Kosovo’s independence was declared and that 84 countries recognized independence of Kosovo at the time, that a question was created for the International Court of Justice and that a catastrophic reply followed, that the dialogue was transferred to Brussels and that other the border crossings remained in Jarinje. “They left us nothing,” said Dacic. He says that Zoran Djindjic also spoke about delineation but that nobody condemns him of treason. “Let us agree in accordance with Resolution 1244. If we can’t, then let us find some agreement,” said Dacic. He says that there had been proposals for division of Kosovo but that Serbia has not accepted the, and that nobody is offering this any longer. He says that if they expel the Serbia, we will not have even the north of Kosovo and people should know this. He says that the people, if there is some agreement, will state their opinion at a referendum. Commenting the criticism of Minister Nenad Popovic regarding the idea on delineation, Dacic wondered why is he sitting in the government if he disagrees with the President’s proposal. Asked about US Ambassador Kyle Scott’s statement that Serbia is on the wrong side of history when it comes to Venezuela, Dacic says this is a classic example of how a bog power talks with others. “This is not an appropriate manner of how one speaks with Serbia. The US, Britain, Germany, Russia or China will not determine our foreign policy. He wondered whether the US, but supporting Kosovo, is on the right side and recalls that Serbia and the US had been on the same side in both world wars. “Everybody is caring about its own interests. We do not support Maduro but anyone who is supported by the Venezuelan people and not by Washington or Moscow,” said Dacic.

 

Burundi will not change its stance on Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/Novosti)

 

Minister Dacic assessed that Burundi, with its last year’s decision to withdraw recognition of the independence of Kosovo, has contributed to a change in the balance of powers in the international arena and the position of Serbia in the negotiation process. Speaking at a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Burundi Ezechiel Nibigira, Dacic said that Burundi's decision to withdraw the recognition of Kosovo was very significant because 13 countries followed its example. Dacic also recalled that Burundi voted against Kosovo's admission to Interpol. Nibigira said that Burundi is generally opposed to secession and therefore made a decision to withdraw recognition of Kosovo's independence, pointing out that his country withdrew publicly, not secretly, the recognition of Kosovo, and that the whole world was informed about it. Dacic and Nibigira signed the first, general agreement on cooperation between Serbia and Burundi. Dacic noted that there are many areas in which cooperation could be developed - culture, education, defense, security, the fight against terrorism, as well as the economy, where there is no cooperation at the moment.

 

Venezuela’s official seeks Serbia’s support for international law (Beta)

 

The members of the Serbian Parliamentary Friendship Group with Venezuela and the Foreign Affairs Committee met with a Venezuelan delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Gil, in official visit to Serbia. Gil asked for Serbia’s support for the basic tenets of international law and dialogue with the political forces trying to illegitimately topple the government in Venezuela. Gil said that Venezuela will continue to support the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and stand by its principled stance on the self-declared Kosovo, the, as he said, unconstitutional state which was among the first to recognize the self-proclaimed President of Venezuela. He also said that no legitimate body declared a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela as some countries claim trying to interfere in the internal matters of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The Deputy Minister thanked Serbia for its support of the state’s sovereignty. He restated that the Venezuelan government is for dialogue as the only way to reach a lasting sustainable solution. The Head of the Friendship Group Djordje Komlenski said that Serbia will continue to support Venezuela, social justice and international law and is all in favor of resolving disputes peacefully, through dialogue. He also thanked Venezuela for its long-standing support of Serbia in the matter of Kosovo and Metohija. The officials agreed that the two countries share a similar history and long-standing friendship marked by mutual support on the international scene. They also spoke about the economic cooperation which they agreed could be better.

 

Obradovic: Is delineation Serbia’s official policy (Beta)

 

The leader of the Dveri movement Bosko Obradovic called on the Serbian government to say

whether demarcation with Kosovo was the government's official policy or if it was a platform of

Aleksandar Vucic and Ivica Dacic that was agreed at secret meetings. “When did they present this policy in an election? When did they adopt this platform in the Serbian parliament? How is it possible that senior government representatives are violating the Constitution? When

were the preamble and other articles of the Constitution, including the presidential oath,

changed, which clearly define Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia?” Obradovic asked in a written statement. Obradovic went on to say that delineation with Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija means the recognition of an independent Kosovo by Serbia and

the admission of this false state to the UN. “Those who plan to do that are in direct violation of

the Constitution and UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the penalty for that is at least

10 years in prison according to the current Criminal Code of Serbia,” warned Obradovic, who is one of the leaders of the opposition Alliance for Serbia.

 

Zakharova: Moscow didn’t change position on Kosovo (Beta)

 

Moscow has not changed its position on Kosovo, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “Our position has not changed,” Zakharova told

Beta when asked whether Moscow still had a negative view about the idea of demarcation between Serbia and Kosovo, and when asked to comment on Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic’s statement that delineation was Belgrade’s official position in the talks with Pristina.

“Where Kosovo is concerned, the Russian position is well known. We advocate that a solution is reached between Belgrade and Pristina that will function and be mutually acceptable, on the grounds of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.”

 

Juncker: Without membership prospect, Western Balkans risks returning to 1990s (FoNet)

 

Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission (EC), said in Brussels on Wednesday that the Western Balkan countries should have a European Union membership prospect, otherwise there was a high risk of returning to the 1990s, the FoNet news agency reported. Speaking after talks with Slovenian President Borut Pahor, Juncker said the Western Balkans’ chances of joining the bloc had to be real and that he believed “it was the matter of war or peace.” He referred to the 1991-1995 wars in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and the armed conflict in Kosovo in the late 1990s. On the brighter side, Juncker spoke about the Three Seas Initiative’s meeting in Ljubljana in June which he said he strongly supported.

The Initiative aims at strengthening the trade, infrastructural, energy and political cooperation on the territories surrounded by the Adriatic, Baltic and Black seas. The Initiative gathers 12 EU countries: Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia and Austria.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dodik: Izetbegovic to abide by official B&H policy on Kosovo (Srna)

 

The Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency, Milorad Dodik reminded SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia and that B&H did not recognize self-declared Kosovo, saying that he should abide by the official policy of B&H.

Commenting on Izetbegovic’s statement to the Voice of America that Serbia and official Belgrade are a problem for developments in Kosovo and B&H, Dodik has said that if someone is a politician and wants others to respect the territorial integrity of B&H then B&H’s policy should be to respect the territorial integrity of Serbia. “Instead of thanking Serbia, the country which considers the stability of the region as very important and which is not meddling in the internal affairs of B&H, Izetbegovic dared to redraw Serbia’s borders and speak about what Serbia will do” Dodik told reporters, adding that Izetbegovic once again demonstrated hatred of Serbia and Serbs. Dodik also says that there are no indications that Serbia will recognize Kosovo, as many Bosniaks, particularly Izetbegovic, wish. According to him, Izetbegovic’s statement does not contribute to understanding and reconciliation, but is an insult to every Serb in Republika Srpska (RS) and B&H, Serbia and RS. “To consider Serbia as the main culprit, which Izetbegovic has been doing for quite some time, is not fair or true or historically sustainable. The claim that Serbs are aggressors in B&H is not sustainable either because it simply is not true” Dodik said.

The Chairman of the B&H Presidency says that it is not politically correct to call Serbia an aggressor in its own territory or an aggressor against B&H, because this is not true.

“He (Izetbegovic) is bothered when someone says that there were 4,000 mujahedeen in B&H who fought on the side of Bosniaks, and he calls aggression the fact that there were volunteers from Serbia who helped Serbs in B&H,” Dodik says. He vehemently refuted claims that Serbia is modeling what Banja Luka does. “What RS will do in the future is the matter of our politics. He is entitled to think what he wants but is not entitled to insult anyone regarding this issue. When it comes to politics, Banja Luka is not an exponent of Belgrade, but its partner,” Dodik said. Dodik said that no one can draw any border on the Drina River, either an iron, visual or verbal border, since it does not exist. He said that it is impossible for Serbs in B&H not to perceive the issues in Serbia as their own, including the issue of Kosovo. “Kosovo, as an emotional, national and historical issue, is not merely the issue of organization of the state, but the issue of a cradle of the Serbian national culture and national being. We Serbs who live outside Serbia are entitled to take part in discussions on how this issue can and should be resolved in the future,” Dodik said.

He warned that with such statements Izetbegovic is calling into the question any arrangement that is attempted to be made in order to have the system function, such as the formation of authorities. “It would be better for us to turn to the formation of authorities in B&H, but Izetbegovic obviously does not want it,” Dodik concluded.

 

Dodik: Military neutrality remains RS’ position regardless of pressures (Srna)

 

The Serb member of the B&H Presidency, Milorad Dodik, says that military neutrality will definitely remain RS’ position, whether someone likes it or not. When asked to comment on the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the West is putting pressure on the Balkan countries to become NATO members, Dodik said there was a constant insistence on it, and that the insistence itself is a pressure, because the positions are not respected. "We receive messages on daily basis as if nothing is valid, as if we did not reach a consensus on this issue. Both the government and the opposition in RS are united around the concept of military neutrality, no dissonant chords about it," Dodik noted. He added that, however, some do not respect it, no matter for how long RS has been talking about military neutrality policy implementation. "Military neutrality definitely remains our position, whether someone likes it or not," Dodik said. When asked by the reporters whether he had talked with SDA Leader Bakir Izetbegovic about the initiative to change the name of RS, Dodik said he had asked Izetbegovic if he was serious.

 

B&H fully committed to European integration, Zvizdic says (N1)

 

B&H is fully committed to the European integration, while stability and security remain the country's top priorities, said Denis Zvizdic, head of the country's government, in a meeting with European Union's high-ranking officials on Wednesday. Zvizdic met with Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Thomas Mayr-Harting, and Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission, Christian Danielsson, to discuss the country's path to the Union. B&H's Prime Minister told the officials that Bosnian authorities are likely to deliver the answers to the European Commission's Questionnaire, as a part of the regular procedure in acquiring the candidate status, by end of next week. European integration, stability and security are the country's top priorities, he said.

“That's the basis for political, social and economic progress, and it's the fact that European and NATO integration are grounded on the rule of law and respect of the law,” added Zvizdic.

He also said B&H paid particular attention to improving the neighborly relations and that this was mirrored in B&H's participation in regional initiatives. Danielsson and Mayr-Harting also met B&H's tripartite Presidency to talk about the country's priorities. The Presidency members told the EU officials that the European Commission's possible recommendation to grant B&H a candidate status this year would mean an incentive to accelerated reform processes.

 

Cubrilovic: RS is ahead of others, but is being slowed down by formation of other authorities in B&H (Srna)

 

RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic told Srna that RS is ahead of others when it comes to the functioning of institutions, but that it is not good that governments at all levels in B&H have not yet been formed, which is why the lack of work of other structures in B&H is being felt. “There are many joint institutions which should start functioning as soon as possible. I hope that this will be done by the end of March,” Cubrilovic said and added that he is encouraged by the fact that after a meeting between political party leaders, we can hear that authorities at the level of B&H could be formed soon. He expects the B&H Council of Ministers and the House of Peoples to be formed by mid-March or by the end of March. Commenting on the fact that RS was first in B&H to meet its obligations towards the EU stemming from the European Commission’s Questionnaire, Cubrilovic has said that RS met all of its international obligations that it accepted by agreements and on the basis of agreements. “For quite some time now, RS has been implementing European practices and acquis communautaire in its legislation. Each of our laws has a clause saying whether or not it is harmonized and to what extent. It would be good for the coordination mechanism to start functioning properly and for us to meet our international obligations,” Cubrilovic has said. According to him, it would be good for everyone in B&H to avoid subjects on which they disagree, but to focus on issues to which there are joint solutions.

Regarding operations of the RS parliament in the past three months, since it was formed, Cubrilovic said that it is the only Parliament in B&H which has worked since general elections and which has been formed within a legally stipulated deadline. “We will soon schedule a third regular session. We held special sessions and two regular sessions, one of which should be completed. The Parliament did everything that was stipulated by law and I expect it to continue working successfully throughout the whole term. Having in mind the stability of a parliamentary majority, this will not be a problem,” Cubrilovic said.

 

New convocation of House of Peoples constituted (Srna)

 

The House of Peoples of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina parliament was constituted in Sarajevo after newly elected deputies took an oath, thus completing the legislative power in this entity. Suad Arnautovic, a member of the Central Election Commission of B&H, handed out certificates for 55 out of 58 deputies, since the Serb People Caucus has not yet been fully completed. In the continuation of the constitutive session of the House of Peoples, the newly elected deputies agreed to urgently review the Federation of B&H budget for this year, as proposed by the Federation of B&H Government. The budget, which was sent to the parliamentary procedure on an urgent basis at the government’s proposal, was adopted in January at the House of Representatives of Federation of B&H.

 

Izetbegovic and Radoncic held a meeting to discuss government formation (Fena)

 

Delegations of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB) of B&H led by leaders Bakir Izetbegovic and Fahrudin Radoncic held a meeting to discuss government formation. After the meeting they stated that they have discussed all the important issues, but did not confirm that they will be coalition partners for forming of the government.

 

Ivantsov and Dodik lay wreath to Churkin memorial (Srna)

 

Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov and Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik laid a wreath to the memorial honoring the former Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin in Istocno Sarajevo on Wednesday. Dodik pointed out that Churkin became a symbol for Serbs the moment when, in accordance with the Russian policy, at the UN Security Council he exercised his veto and prevented the Serb people from being qualified as genocidal. He recalled that Churkin indebted the Serbs as Russia’s permanent representative to the UN in 2015 when he thwarted a draft resolution on Srebrenica proposed by the United Kingdom, and previously, during his diplomatic activities in various places. "Churkin unequivocally executed the views of the Russian state, which did all in its power for the conflict in the former Yugoslavia to end quickly and be observed objectively. It is important that we keep the memory of his activities and his life with dignity here in Istocno Sarajevo,” Dodik told the press.

Ambassador Ivantsov stated that Churkin was a Russian diplomacy great and pointed out that a man lives as long as he is remembered by those who love and respect him. "Churkin’s deeds live on and live here in Istocno Sarajevo and that is demonstrated by this event here, which is attended by the B&H Presidency Chairman, Milorad Dodik. This is a testimony of special relations between our nations. This understanding is based on long-term historical and religious relations between the Russians and Serbs,” underlined Ivantsov. The Russians respect other peoples in B&H too, the Croats and Bosniaks, he said. "We believe that only equality of peoples, with mutual respect and willingness to overcome conflicts and reach compromise, is the basis for the future, based on the Dayton Peace Agreement which we defend” said the Russian Ambassador. He added that Ambassador Churkin had defended precisely those views at the UN Security Council.

 

Croatia and Serbia far from agreement on border (Hina)

 

A year after Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and her Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic met in Zagreb and agreed that the two countries should try to reach an agreement on the border in the next two years, there is still no agreement between Croatia and Serbia on the matter, with their positions being the farthest with regard to the border on the Danube River. In February 2018 the two presidents agreed that Croatia and Serbia would try to reach an agreement on the border in the next two years and that if they did not succeed, they would address an international tribunal. The Serbian president said at the time that Zagreb and Belgrade had opposed positions on the border. According to officials in Belgrade, even though there has been some progress with regard to the land border, Croatia and Serbia are still miles from an agreement on the border on the Danube River. A State Secretary at the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Nemanja Stevanovic, said in a recent interview with the Serbian news agency Tanjug that the biggest obstacle to the agreement were two river islands on the Danube - the Sarengrad and Vukovar islands - and that Zagreb insisted on a solution that was contrary to international law. In a comment for Hina, the Croatian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claim about the violation of international law, reiterating that the border of Croatia as a Yugoslav republic had become its state border with its declaration of independence. "The positions and demands of the Republic of Croatia are firmly founded in and are in line with international law," the Croatian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Croatia wanted a future bilateral border agreement to incorporate "the 1991 border of the former republic which on the day Croatia declared independence became an international border between Croatia and Serbia." In other words, Croatia wants the basis for an agreement to be the cadastre. "This was also confirmed in the position of the Badinter commission," it added. It noted that the border between the two republics had never been on the Danube. "The border between the two former republics, in line with both Croatia and Serbia's legislation, was defined precisely and it was not on the Danube but rather stretched, both in Srijem and in Baranja, along the outer borders of municipalities of both republics that were also the outer borders of those municipalities' cadastres in 1991," the Croatian ministry said. It also stressed that in the continuation of negotiations it expected "Serbia to abide by its general position, made public on a number of occasions, on the need to respect the borders between the former republics as one of the main principles of international law, and to apply them in defining its position for the entire border with Croatia because at present it accepts that principle for only one part of the border, in the area of Srijem." Stevanovic nonetheless notes that at a meeting of the inter-state commission for borders in 2018 certain progress was made with regard to the land border. The Croatian side underlines that the border commission held a meeting in June 2018 in Zagreb at its invitation and that a meeting of an expert working group was held at the end of 2018. "We now expect an invitation from the Serbian side to a new meeting, and we hope it will be held soon," the Croatian Foreign Ministry said.

 

Montenegro advocates for further enlargement of NATO (Pobjeda)

 

Continuous stability of the region is a precondition for its further development. Therefore, Montenegro, as NATO member, will keep ardently advocating for the enlargement of the Alliance, while staying committed to the attitude that integration of WB countries contributes to the greater stability of the region. This was stated in the Proposal Law on the Confirmation of Protocol of the North-Atlantic Agreement on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO. This Proposal Law will be the very first item of the agenda at the meeting of spring session of the Montenegrin parliament. “Montenegro became NATO Member on 5 June 2017 and, in that context, it finds its membership in the Alliance a permanent guaranteed of stability. From that aspect, it advocates for the continuation of the enlargement. Montenegro firmly supports accession of North Macedonia to NATO”, reads the explanatory note of the Proposal Law. With the conclusion of historical new name agreement with Greece, in June of 2018, integration of North Macedonia into NATO recorded a significant progress after many-year long stagnation. “During the Summit in July of 2018, North Macedonia was invited to start negotiation process with the Alliance. With the adoption of constitutional amendments and ratification of the Prespes Agreement, conditions for signing the Protocol were created”, reads the document that the government delivered to the Parliament. Article 10 of the North-Atlantic Treaty stipulates that the parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North-Atlantic area, to accede to this Treaty. “Every invited state may become a contracting party, by depositing accession instruments before the US government”. Protocol on the accession was signed by the NATO ambassador Dragana Radulovic.

 

Trump: Prespa Agreement is the most historic achievement in the Balkans since the Dayton Accords (Nezavisen vesnik)

 

On behalf of the American people, congratulations on the ratification and implementation of the Prespa Agreement. This is the most historic achievement in the Balkans since the Dayton Accords, and it is a testament to your courageous leadership, says United States President Donald Trump in a letter addressed to Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia Zoran Zaev.

“Through your efforts with Prime Minister Tsipras, you have secured a more stable and prosperous future, not only for your two countries, but for the entire region. Your country will now take its rightful place in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the Republic of North Macedonia,” says Trump. He expresses hope that the Prespa Agreement provides inspiration for other countries in the region. “It underscores the fundamental truth that, through political courage and the ability to focus on long-term benefits over short-term risks, leaders can make the tough compromises needed to put their countries on a path toward a brighter future,” reads the letter. Trump again congratulates Zaev on his leadership and commitment in seeing this process through, from negotiation to ratification to full implementation. “North Macedonia is a strong partner of the United States. We look forward to welcoming you as our 30th ally in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and continuing our work together to ensure peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans,” said Trump.

 

Sela cancelled the meeting with Zaev where they were supposed to talk about a joint presidential candidate (Meta)

 

The meeting between the President of the Alliance of the Albanians, Zijadin Sela, with the President of SDSM and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, that was supposed to happen yesterday was canceled on the request of Sela. Both party leaders were supposed to talk about the possibility of choosing a joint presidential candidate. As Portal B reports, Sela got angry because the Ministry of Education has abolished the Mayor of Gostivar, Arben Tarvari’s, authorizations. The Mayor is a member of the Alliance of the Albanians. By a decision of the Minister of Education Arber Ademi, Tarvari’s right was to select and discharging directors in the forthcoming 9 months was revoked. Ademi said that this decision wasn’t politically motivated. Before the canceled meeting with Sela, Zaev had talks with the party leaders of DUI, DPA and Alternativa, Ali Ahmeti, Menduh Tacci and Afrim Gasha about the possibility of supporting a joint, consensual candidate.

 

Authorities arrest former speaker Veljanovski and two former ministers (Nezavisen vesnik)

 

North Macedonia’s former parliamentary speaker, Trajko Veljanovski and former cabinet ministers, Spiro Ristovski and Mile Janakievski were arrested yesterday by police in Skopje.

Their arrest relates to the violent events occurred on 27 April 2017 in parliament where protesters stormed in and used violence against many of the former opposition MPs. The arrested former officials are being interrogated by a Criminal Court judge. The trial on the events taken place on 27 April is nearing its end. At the beginning of the process, the number of people who were being tried was 33. After the current government passed an amnesty in parliament, the number of defendants went down to 15.

 

OSCE: We are against any attempt to subvert democracy through violence (ADN)

 

The presence of OSCE in Albania has reacted late on Wednesday about the opposition's decision to 'burn' Parliamentary Mandates. In a press statement after the decision taken by the National Council of the Democratic Party, OSCE underlined that the decision of opposition MPs to resign from the Assembly undermines the democratic law-making process and represents an abdication of their responsibility to represent the citizens who voted for them. Essential and widely-supported reforms are being delayed. "The OSCE Presence strongly advises against any attempt to subvert democracy through violence, to change the democratic process through undemocratic pressure. Those who enable and promote violence will be held responsible for it. We regret that the warnings of so many friends and longstanding partners of Albania were not heard. Based on our longstanding support for Albania, we urge responsible behavior and a resumption of the democratic process in the Assembly, one of the achievements of modern democratic Albania. Albania has progressed significantly over the last two decades, politically, economically and socially, leaving authoritarianism behind. This progress should be continued to the benefit of all Albanian citizens, not reversed to the benefit of a few men of violence," reacted OSCE.

 

Opposition MPs resigned in Group (ADN)

 

It is official. Opposition MPs resigned from the duty and mandate on Wednesday evening.

The first who signed the resignation declaration was the leader of Democratic Party Lulzim Basha, and from the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) Monika Kryemadhi and all the other MPs of the opposition. The deputies of DP but also its allies have decided to resign from their positions as according to them, this government has manipulated the results of June 2017 parliamentary elections and is involved in criminal affairs and corruption.

Reasons of irrevocable resignation:

1. Due to the destruction of functional democracy and the rule of law
2. Due to the seizure of this Government in flagrance by stealing the votes of Albanian citizens, as evidenced by the court files published by the international media
3. Eliminating Parliament as a forum for democracy
4. Due to the capture of this Government in flagrant corrupted and criminal affairs
5. State paralysis, systematic oppression and violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of Albanians including the right of life, health and property.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Russia claims US is 'dragging' European countries into NATO, even as neighbors move to join Alliance (Newsweek, by Cristina Maza, 20 February 2019) 

 

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov slammed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Wednesday, arguing that the Western military alliance is forcing countries in the Western Balkans to join against their will. During a conference in honor of Russia’s late United Nations ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Lavrov described the NATO alliance as a bully working to spread its influence across the Balkans while ignoring the will of the people. "The West is advancing its brazen policy of dragging this region into NATO in total disregard of the countries’ people, in addition to ignoring the lessons of history or simple diplomatic courtesies," Lavrov told reporters. The comments were made even as the leaders of several Balkan countries took significant political risks in order to work towards joining NATO, and as Russia’s neighbors commit to joining the alliance. The nearly three decades-long name dispute between Greece and the country now known as North Macedonia was officially solved last week, and the newly named country has already taken steps to join the Western military alliance. Indeed, experts point out that NATO membership is an issue that unites many warring political factions across the region. “North Macedonia wasn’t pressured into joining NATO. Membership has been a matter of consensus,” Dimitar Bechev, a Balkans analyst and scholar, told Newsweek. “Indeed, [the political party] VMRO-DPMNE signed a membership action plan 20 years ago, in 1999. [Former Prime Minister Nikola] Gruevski was hoping to secure an invitation at the 2008 Bucharest Summit.” In the Balkans, only Serbia has rejected NATO membership. Nevertheless, Russia continues to view NATO as its adversary, regularly portraying it as an arm of the U.S and working to prevent countries across Eurasia from joining the alliance. During a press conference in Russia on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the autonomy of many European countries and said Washington was forcing them to host missiles within their borders. "Do you think that any of the European countries wants U.S. medium-range missiles to be deployed in Europe? Nobody wants this, but they prefer to keep quiet," Putin said. "Where is their sovereignty?" During a recent trip to the Balkans, Putin has also claimed that the U.S. and its Western allies are destabilizing the region and that Montenegro was “dragged” into NATO. But countries bordering Russia, like Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, regularly turn to the U.S. for assistance in countering Russian aggression within their borders, experts note. Poland has requested that the U.S. open a military base there, and Montenegro’s leadership actively pursued NATO membership despite Russia’s misgivings. “Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin has consistently mischaracterized NATO enlargement as a process driven by the alliance’s need to expand, when in fact the driver has been the demand from countries on Russia’s periphery for greater security,” Michael Carpenter, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense in charge of Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia and the Balkans, told Newsweek. “NATO doesn’t push membership on anyone—and many countries like Georgia, Ukraine, and, until very recently, North Macedonia have been frustrated by the slow pace of accession talks and the onerous criteria for membership,” Carpenter added. “Countries like Serbia or Azerbaijan, which are strategically located but don’t aspire to membership, are not being pushed at all.” On Tuesday, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko announced he had signed a constitutional amendment committing his country to joining both NATO and the European Union. The announcement is expected to rile Russia’s leadership, which has supported pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014 in an effort to prevent the country from further integrating with the West. Ukraine is currently commemorating the five-year anniversary of the Euromaidan, a social movement that ousted the country’s former pro-Russian president who wanted to prevent Ukraine from forming closer ties to the European Union.

 

How the Balkans solved a Balkan problem (Al Jazeera, by Katerina Kolozova, 21 February 2019)

 

The reluctance of the West to face the truth about the Macedonia name dispute stalled its resolution for years.

The Macedonia name dispute dragged on for almost three decades, becoming the longest lasting one of its kind in recent history. To an uninformed observer, it may have looked like a curiosity: Greece being so insistent that the naming of the newly formed country constituted a threat and Macedonia (or FYROM as it had to be called) being equally adamant about retaining its name.

By all accounts, that Macedonia was both a name of a country and of a region in Greece did not sound like a serious threat to anyone's security or territorial integrity. The issue was easily being dismissed as the product of the intransigence of two typically nationalistic Balkan countries.

But the truth is the dispute remained unresolved for nearly 30 years also because the Western emissaries who were supposed to mediate it simply did not want to admit what it was all about.

For years, a statement on the website of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (now taken down) made it very clear: the use of the name expresses claims on Greek cultural heritage, history, and, hence, identity and this in itself constitutes "irredentism". That is, the dispute was about history and identity, and not the territory. This was also reflected and carried in United Nations Security Council resolution 817, which recognised what it called "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" as an independent state in 1993. By way of recognising a nameless state with no national identifier, the international community was basically denying it the right to national self-determination, even if it did not intend to do so. The UNSC's resolution corresponded with the Balkan history of the "Macedonian question", a history of negation of the very reality of a distinct ethnic and national identity that would be called Macedonian by most of the neighbouring countries. For years, the UN and its special envoy, Matthew Nimetz, did not want to admit to this reality because it was embarrassing; identity disputes were not supposed to be happening in 21st century Europe. The issue would not have been solved if this simple fact had not been recognised and addressed in negotiations. But this recognition did not come from the UN or the West; it in fact came from the leadership of the two countries involved in the dispute.

Prime Ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras and their Foreign Ministers Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kozias (until Ocrtober 2018), respectively, took off the gloves of western diplomatic etiquette and addressed the issue head-on: they reached a bilateral agreement that tackled identity. The two countries had to recognise each other's concerns in order to address them. The Greek side - as laid out in the foreign ministry's statement - was convinced the name laid a claim on Greek history and identity. The Macedonian side feared that, with the change of the name of the state, the designation of the national identity and the language would be effaced. Let us note, the fear was justified: more than once, Nimetz's proposals for a resolution contained naming of nationality and language. By contesting the right to a signifier, these proposals were in fact contesting the existence of a Macedonian ethnicity/nation and Macedonian language. Article 7 of the bilateral agreement between Greece and (now) North Macedonia addressed these issues by recognising that "Macedonian" can mean two different things at the same time: for the Macedonian side, it means nationality, ethnic belonging and a South Slavic language, whereas, for the Greek side, it refers to the cultural heritage of Ancient Greece and the legacy of the Kingdom of Phillip and Alexander of Macedon. Thus, the agreement reaffirmed the principle of self-determination for the Macedonians and negotiated the inclusion of both the Slavic and Hellenic signifiers in the name. The fact that the two Balkan nations faced the "embarrassing" truth and defied the self-censorship of political correctness to address the proverbial elephant in the room speaks volumes about their pollical acumen and bravery. This is not a solution brokered by the European Union, United States or the UN, and it's not just a temporary ad hoc fix to allow North Macedonia to pursue accession to NATO and the EU. Rather, it is a resolution of a dispute between two neighbours negotiated in a way that is sensitive to their political cultures, shared history and national concerns (regardless of how inconceivable they may be to the West).

It sets a precedent in Balkan politics and can usher in a new and non-atavistic political culture that can take us beyond our nationalisms, fixation on grand historical narratives, and national complexes that we all seem to suffer from. We would not have reached this solution had the "balkanism" of the dispute not been recognised and affirmed in order to be subverted and reinvented into an instrument of empowerment. The two prime ministers, or indeed the two nations, very much deserve a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. The agreement ensures stability in Greece and North Macedonia which also guarantees the security of all of Southeast Europe and as a consequence of Europe as a whole. Both Tsipras and Zaev seem to have been acutely aware of this fact and have acted on it with much vision and sense of responsibility.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.