LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: They will try to divide us as they try to tear down our church (B92/Tanjug)

 

They will try to divide us as they try to tear our church apart, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said during a visit to the Gymnasium in Mrkonjic Grad. "We can live in different countries, but we must not forget that we belong to the same people", Vucic said. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visits Drvar today, in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Mrkonjic Grad in Republika Srpska. Vucic said "heavy messages" were coming from Podgorica.

He said that these are regarded as "painful messages", such as the assessment of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic that the protests were "insane" and, for example, that there would be "some Orthodox church" set up in Montenegro. "These are rather tough messages for us," Vucic told reporters when asked about Djukanovic's statement, pointing out that the issue in Montenegro cannot be viewed only as a religious one, since our church is also part of our national identity. However, he does not intend to interfere with the church, especially the spiritual question, because he is not a great believer, although he is a member of the Serbian church in which he was baptized, and does not go to liturgies on a daily basis. Nevertheless, President said that the Serbian church is of great significance to the Serbian people: "In addition to spiritual life, the Serbian church has been the guardian of our national being. You can see from various sources and many state bodies that they say it is not a Serbian one, but will call it 'some Orthodox church' instead," Vucic noted. Tomorrow, he points out, they will do so in Kosovo and in Croatia, as before the Second World War, when they had the stupid idea that it would be the Croatian Orthodox Church, so they changed it, he explained. Vucic pointed out that, for example, the Serb people in Kistanje, Dobropoljci, keep surviving only because of the existence of the Krka monastery.

 

Dacic: Continuation of positive dynamics of relations with US (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday that fostering good bilateral relations with the US is one of the most important tasks of Serbian diplomacy. Dacic said to the reception marking two years since the founding of the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship that the work and activities of this congress confirm that our relations can and must be strengthened not only in the political sphere, but also in the fields of economy, but also technological, cultural and scientific cooperation. He said that Serbia has made clear that it wants to improve relations with the US on the basis of a rich history, but also a common strategic commitment to establishing a stable and secure region of the Western Balkans. According to Dacic, the current relations between Serbia and the US are characterized by positive dynamics, and in order to maintain the upward trend of bilateral cooperation, we express our constant interest in continuing regular political dialogue with US officials. Dacic said that Serbia appreciates the US support and is especially grateful for Ambassador Richard Grenell’s efforts to relaunch dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. “The support and understanding of the US can certainly play a crucial role in trying to overcome problems and open issues with Pristina, which could further lead to building trust between the Serbian and Albanian people as a whole, something that is invaluable for the entire Western Balkans region,” said Dacic. He said that Serbia would strive to clarify its positions and move them closer to those of its US partners and expressed his expectation that the US would respect Serbian interests. Serbia, as he said, with its international activities seeks to establish itself as an active, responsible and reliable partner, especially as a pillar of regional stability. At the same time, Dacic stressed that there was an open invitation from our side to visit top US officials in Serbia, including the visit of US President Donald Trump. He reminded that the US is today one of the most important foreign investors in the Serbian economy, with so far invested nearly four billion dollars and more than one billion donations through development assistance programs, for which we are particularly grateful. The establishment of the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship and its activities are welcome and very important for Serbia, as they positively influence the achievement of a common goal, which is to overcome the negative legacy from recent history and return of Serbia-US relations to the old paths of alliance and partnership, Dacic explained. He expressed the Foreign Ministry's willingness to assist in the implementation of these activities and to work together to build a comprehensive cooperation with the US based on the shared values ​​and interests of our two states and peoples.

 

Dacic: Anti-Serb policy is pursued in Montenegro (TV Prva/Beta)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the Law on Religious Freedom in Montenegro should be amended so that the clashes over the issue can end, but that he doubts the Montenegrin authorities will do that. Speaking for TV Prva, Dacic added that Serbia favors the calming down of the situation, but that a dialogue about the matter should take place in Montenegro, because this is a dispute between the Montenegrin authorities and their own citizens. He pointed out that it is necessary to openly say what the problem involves, which is that an anti-Serb policy is pursued in Montenegro. “If someone passes a law enabling the seizure of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s property, if the rights of the Serbs are being denied so that their official number is diminished…” Dacic added.  He also said that nowhere does the Montenegrin regime enjoy greater support than in Belgrade. “They have their security service networks in Belgrade that are privileged, they earn money in Serbia to mistreat the Serbs in Montenegro,” Dacic said. He also stated that he does not know whether information sought by Serbian security services about the recent beating of a young man in Podgorica had arrived. “The Ministry was not the one to ask for such information, it was the security services. We want to know whether this was an ethnically-motivated incident,” he said.

 

Gojkovic at Summit of Western Balkans parliament speakers (Tanjug/Beta)

 

Taking part in the summit of Western Balkans’ parliament speakers and the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, the Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic stressed that the region’s clear future prospects of European integration are vital and the EU has to reaffirm its standing as a community of values through the enlargement process and strengthening of democratic institutions. At the summit dedicated to the strengthening of the parliamentary dimension of the enlargement process and empowerment of the parliaments in the region, Gojkovic said that Serbia remains committed to EU accession and fully supports the enlargement policy. “We trust that the current legislature of the European Commission would continue the policy through concrete steps. Its importance not only for our region, but for Europe as a whole has to be recognized,” Gojkovic stressed. She said that Serbia is committed to these values irrespective of the Euro-integration process and the reforms conducted on the path to the EU, even when difficult, are implemented in the interest of our citizens. “We expect the Council of Europe, EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb and the Conference on the Future of the Europe to result in significant steps forward. It is especially important that this be reflected in the new 2021-2027 EU budget cycle,” Gojkovic said adding that it is essential to set a timeline and clear methodology for the future EU negotiations which need to contribute to the quality of the EU talks and eliminate any uncertainties for all of us involved in the process. Gojkovic said that the parliament plays a key role in the accession talks by harmonizing the national legislation with the EU acquis and taking active part in the adoption of negotiating positions as well as by helping the general public become better acquainted with the EU structures and processes. “To be able to perform this important task the parliament has to have a clear overview of the path to Euro-integration”, said Gojkovic stressing that the parliament’s work has been improved thanks to, first and foremost, the recommendations of the European Commission. Gojkovic thanked the European Parliament for its active participation in the inter-party dialogue to help improve the electoral process for the coming parliamentary elections and for including a considerable number of political subjects in the debate. Gojkovic said that the parliament is about to discuss lowering the electoral threshold from 5 percent to 3 percent, which would improve its representability, give a strong impulse to the European value of pluralism and give the opportunity to include a wider spectrum of different political ideas and views into the supreme legislative body. “This means an important liberalization of regulations that contributes to the development of political life in the institutions and an important investment into the future of democracy,” said Gojkovic.

Gojkovic stressed the importance of regional cooperation under the patronage of the EU within the Berlin Process and the importance of CEFTA that enabled the creation of a free trade zone in South-East Europe, urging the CEFTA signatories to fully respect and implement what they had signed. The summit was concluded with the adoption of the Joint Declaration of the Western Balkans’ parliament speakers with the President of the European Parliament and Croatian Parliament Speaker representing the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council, reaffirming the parliaments’ key role in the promotion of the EU reform agenda and fulfilment of the Western Balkans’ European aspirations. The European Council is asked to continue to support the Western Balkans’ European prospects based on the fulfilment of accession criteria and send a clear and positive political message concerning the opening of accession talks and approval of candidate status. The Joint Declaration states that the Summit in Zagreb should play a vital role in helping the enlargement policy regain credibility and lend new, effective momentum to the process through concrete conclusions that would bring the region closer to the European Union and ensure the sustainability of the Western Balkans’ European prospects.

 

“1 Out Of 5 Million” movement to take part in elections (Tanjug/Danas/Beta)

 

The “1 Out of 5 Miillion” movement has decided to take part in the spring parliamentary elections. Valentina Rekovic, a representative of the movement, told this to journalists. As she said, it has become clear that a part of the opposition is rendering meaningless the unification of the opposition, which is the reason for the movement to participate in the elections. She added that according to the information they have, some of the parties are already heavily preparing for the voting. The movement said earlier that this is why they plan to go to the polls as well. “For this purpose, they will be joined by some members of other parties,” she said. She added that they are handing Saturday's protests in Belgrade which they organized for the past 60 weeks over to the opposition.

 

Petition submitted to Serbian government requesting a lawsuit to the ECHR (Beta)

 

The Association for the Protection of Constitutionality and Legality submitted on Tuesday to the Serbian government a petition with more than 10,000 signatures requesting that Serbia should file a lawsuit to the European Court on Human Rights against Montenegro due to adoption of the Law on Religious Freedoms Representative of the Association Savo Manojlovic said that the lawsuit should be filed because of “violations of fundamental human rights” in Montenegro, primarily the right to property and freedom of religion.

 

Government working group adopts reaction plan in case of higher inflow of migrants (Beta)

 

A Serbian government working group for solving the problems of mixed migration channels adopted a reaction plan in the event that the inflow of migrants increases in 2020 as well as a report on migration channels for 2019. At a meeting chaired by Serbian defense Minister and migration working group head Aleksandar Vulin, information on a measure called special measure number six as the future method of financing was adopted along with a report on the MADAD 2 project for financing all activities related to migrations by the international community. The Ministry said that at the meeting Vulin remarked that Serbia was one of the rare countries in Europe and, generally as a migration route, which had strived throughout the entire crisis to solve the problem within the existing system and through state institutions. The participants of the meeting said that Serbia had adequately answered all of the challenges of the migrant crisis for over seven years, but that far greater cooperation within the region was essential to find a strategic and lasting solution to the problem.

 

Some 1,000 migrants in border area with Hungary, Croatia and Romania (RTS/Beta)

 

Asylum Protection Center Director Rados Djurovic said, referring to an attempt by a group of migrants to force their way into Hungary, that, “This is nothing new, it shows how desperate those people, who are frequently returned to Serbia by force, are.” “Judging by the conditions on the ground, there is a large number of people, over 1,000, in the border area with Hungary, Croatia and Romania, mostly along the Tisa River, who are constantly trying to reach the West. Hungary has announced that only in January there were over 3,400 attempts to illegally enter that country,” Djurovic said. “A thin line is dividing the use of force and weapons, the fence that gives electrical shocks and the use of weapons against migrants. In violation of a readmission agreement, such people are constantly pushed back into our country, outside the border crossings and without informing our police. The situation is very serious and it places our country in a very difficult position,” Djurovic added. He also said that some 6,000 migrants are estimated to be in the country, and that the number of new arrivals is the same as in the previous year.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Softic: It is unlikely situation in Federation of B&H will resolve without international intervention (Dnevni avaz)

 

SDA Vice President and representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) parliament Safet Softic, who said that currently the biggest political problem in the country is the blockade in forming of the Federation of B&H government, adding that “the break that HDZ B&H pulled” is responsible for that. Softic stressed that HDZ B&H is conditioning forming of Federation of B&H authorities with changes of Election Law of B&H, which regard the interests of HDZ B&H and he deems that it is unlikely that “this entangled knot in the Federation of B&H” will be resolved without international intervention or assistance of “more significant embassies in B&H”. Softic stressed that things are not moving from the dead spot and nothing changed since the moment the talks were held under the auspices of former European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele. “There were meetings of SDA and HDZ working groups about changes of Election Law. They tried to reach the solution without public pressure, but HDZ stances have not changed and I am not certain if these talks are being held anymore. When it comes to relations between HDZ B&H and SDA, the communication exists, but I do not see some progress,” said Softic. On the other hand, Softic expressed content with work of B&H authorities, where everything, as he said, was unblocked by adoption of Program of Reforms. He said that competencies of new ministers are reason to be optimistic regarding the future work of B&H Council of Ministers. He also referred to huge issue of the migrant crisis and underlined the new approach, announced by Security Minister Fahrudin Radoncic, saying that he is glad that Radoncic’s approach is supported “from all relevant addresses”. He welcomed Radoncic’s efforts and stressed that everything needs to be done in order to solve this issue in best possible manner. Commenting the issue with appointment of B&H Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Mladjen Bozovic, Softic said that he is not optimistic this will pass, arguing that Bozovic’s appointment was not in line with the agreement. He explained that the agreement was that this Minister will be non-partisan, but Milorad Dodik allowed DNS to nominate their member.

 

OHR: Invest additional efforts regarding ban of genocide denial (Dnevni list/RFE)

 

Radio Free Europe contacted the OHR, asking it to comment on initiative of DF’s delegate in the B&H House of Peoples Zlatko Miletic, who wants the OHR to intervene and change the Criminal Code of B&H. The OHR replied by saying that the issue of ban of genocide denial in B&H deserves to be resolved to the benefit of all survivors and victims. The OHR further noted that on the occasion of 75th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz, one can see the importance of facing the past the right way. It went on to say that when it comes to B&H, the focus is on the parliament (of B&H) “which still has time to invest additional effort” and that local solutions are the best solutions for the country. In addition, the OHR said it never speculates about possible moves of the High Representative i.e. the OHR.

 

Summit of EP President and speakers of parliaments of Western Balkan Countries held in Brussels (BHT1)

 

A two-day Summit of the President of the European Parliament (EP) and the speakers of parliaments of the Western Balkan Countries took place in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. At the end of the Summit, participants signed a joint declaration on the EU’s support to enlargement on the Western Balkan countries. The support has also been provided to the EU path of B&H. EP President David Sassoli underscored that the policy of enlargement has always been the EU’s strategic commitment. Sassoli assessed that the present moment seeks a stronger role of national parliaments and further improvement of cooperation in the expected European processes. “It is a unique opportunity at the beginning of our mandate to agree on concrete steps to live up to citizens' expectations,” added Sassoli. EP Rapporteur on the Western Balkans Tonino Picula presented an opinion that the European perspective of B&H is evident, but reminded that the reforms the country needs to implement are binding. Speaker of the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Denis Zvizdic, who has been accompanied by speaker of the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Dragan Covic during the visit to Brussels, expressed expectation that B&H will obtain the EU candidate status during 2020. Zvizdic noted that B&H has achieved significant progress on the EU path, assessing that 2016, 2017, and 2018 were the most significant European years for B&H when a lot of issues from the European agenda were solved, including answering the European Commission (EC)’s Questionnaire. Zvizdic specified that implementation of the EC’s Opinion on the B&H’s EU Membership Application is currently underway. The B&H HoR speaker said: “What pleases us is that the Western Balkans is once again in the focus of the European institutions. That has been clearly stated in the program of the EU Presidency of Croatia. So, the perspective of enlargement remains current, and alive. That is a very important message for B&H and the whole Western Balkans.” “They are ready to help us acquire the candidate status during this year, but we should also do our part of the job, of course. As far as B&H is concerned, it is now important that we rapidly resolve several important issues referred to in the European Commission’s (EC) Opinion, several priorities such as the program of integration of B&H, adoption of a rulebook of the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee, adoption of laws in the field of judiciary, a public procurement law, a national mechanism for the prevention of torture, a strategic framework for the public administration reform etc., until the summit in Zagreb in May 2020. All these activities are at some stage of implementation. It is important to finalize them in the next few months, first at the level of the B&H Council of Ministers and then at the level of the B&H parliament.” Covic noted that the candidate status of B&H is the basis of all meetings. “In order to emphasize and bring this topic into focus again, we wanted to inform our collocutors on the situation in B&H, given the fact that there are many new people in the EU after the elections for the EP. We emphasized our new agenda and, aside from everything we want to do at home, we want to bring the EU integration into focus,” Covic stated.

 

Rangel: B&H has its special path to EU (Dnevni list)

 

Speaker of B&H House of Peoples Dragan Covic and speaker of B&H House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic met with the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for B&H Paulo Rangel in Brussels on Tuesday with whom they discussed the issue of changes to B&H Election Law, holding of elections in the City of Mostar, future of democracy in B&H and obtaining of the EU candidate status. Covic underlined that the Election Law is in the final phase of agreement and that changes of this Law will secure legal equality of constituent peoples in political representation at all authority levels. Speaking about progress in the EU integration, Covic said that B&H should not be in shadow of North Macedonia and Albania and that B&H’s European path should not be tied to any other country. Zvizdic underlined indisputable dedication of B&H citizens to European path and stressed that implementation of reforms and obligations will result in positive socioeconomic development, improving of citizens lives and establishing of contemporary European mechanisms in B&H. Rangel underlined importance of active and constant cooperation between B&H and EU representatives and confirmed the stance that B&H has its own, separate European path and should not bother with problems of other candidates or potential candidates. The officials expressed expectations that positive cooperation will continue with a goal of obtaining the candidate status. Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&H Bisera Turkovic held a meeting with Head of the EU Delegation to B&H and EU Special Representative (EUSR) in the country Johann Sattler. During the meeting, according to daily, Turkovic expressed hope that B&H will use Croatia’s current and Germany’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU to obtain positive opinion about country’s request for membership in the EU. Sattler underlined that there is sympathy in Brussels for the European path of B&H, and added that it is necessary to do everything possible for B&H to make some progress, which includes investing efforts into implementation of 14 key priorities listed in the European Commission’s Opinion.

 

RS President Cvijanovic to meet with reps of Atlantic Council in Washington (BN TV)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic will attend National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Cvijanovic should meet with representatives of the Atlantic Council on this occasion. According to BN TV, the Atlantic Council is organization advocating the NATO integration of the Western Balkans countries. Executive Vice President of the Atlantic Council Damon Wilson stated for Voice of America that the document on cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and NATO is a road that ends with B&H’s membership in NATO. He added that this is good future for the RS, adding that stories on secession of the RS are nothing but a political game. Wilson also stated that submission of a document that B&H sent to NATO HQs (Program of Reforms of B&H) is not significant by itself, but by the fact that different political parties agreed to make a step forward. Wilson also stated that in the end, entire Western Balkans will be part of the European family. He underlined that separation of the RS or the independent RS is not the future of B&H. Wilson expressed content with the fact the Atlantic Council will host RS President Cvijanovic.

 

Lajcak will not be appointed EU Special Representative for Western Balkans (Dnevni list/N1)

 

The public in the Western Balkans countries has been speculating in past several weeks that the EU could appoint Foreign Minister of Slovakia and former High Representative Miroslav Lajcak for the Special Representative for the Western Balkans. However, according to N1’s information coming from the EU in Brussels, it will not be the case. Namely, (unnamed) source from Brussels told N1 the talk about Lajcak as the Special Representative is about pure speculations. The source added that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell will be going to Serbia and Kosovo this week, and that Borrel recently spoke with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, reiterating his personal commitment to the Western Balkans and continuation of the negotiations process on personal level. The source added that Borrel and European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi are planning to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, however date of the visit has not been determined yet.

 

Markovic invites Metropolitan Amfilohije to dialogue (CDM)

 

Prime Minister Dusko Markovic sent a letter to Metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije, inviting him to a dialogue on the Religious Freedom Law, adding that the Law came into force and the deadlines for its application are ongoing.

“We want to share with you, the clergy and the monasticism of the Orthodox Church in Montenegro, the expectation and hope that, despite challenges and controversies, and especially internal and external political interference – the adoption of the Law will not cause new divisions in the Orthodox corpus of Montenegro” it was said in a letter. The letter of PM Markovic further suggests that the Law should be seen as a legal regulation, which removes not only cultural and religious, but also the civilizational limit in which we found ourselves and as a regulation that is aligned with modern European standards. “But right now, the more important thing is the Government’s readiness to make an additional effort in order to make the Orthodox citizens of Montenegro moving to the one and common path,” the letter said. The Government is ready to start dialogue on the preparation of a basic agreement on the regulation of mutual relations, suggests Markovic’s letter to Metropolitan Amfilohije.

 

Hybrid threats to Montenegro will be intensified (RTCG)

 

As Montenegro enters a new electoral process, hybrid threats are expected to be intensified, said representative of the Defense Ministry's Directorate for Policy and Planning Ivica Ivanovic.

The impact on peace and stability in Montenegro, he said, comes from the neighboring country, adding that Montenegro will know how to defend itself. "I would like to say that this pressure will be reduced. However, given the experience of the last parliamentary elections and the fact that Montenegro enters a new electoral process, I believe that these threats will only be intensified," Ivanovic said for RTCG. The main objective of such threats, he explains, is to influence the electoral and political processes in Montenegro. "Our citizens are informed that these actions have influenced the political and electoral processes in America, France. It is beyond doubt that Montenegro, like last time, will know how to defend itself against threats, especially since we are now a NATO member" he said. He recalled the Counter-Hybrid NATO team, which supports Montenegro and was formed by the alliance to assist NATO members: "That support is important to us," he said.

 

La Verita: Zaev bought Albanian votes through UCK commander whom Thaci and Ahmeti are afraid of (Republika)

 

Italian newspaper La Verita journalist Laris Gaiser continued with the publication of evidence in the 2014 voter bribery case where ex-Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is the first suspect. Zaev, along with his brother Vice and SDSM MP from Strumica Marjan Daskalovski, are accused of criminal association with a goal through offering a bribe to influence on the will of voters and thus influence on the final election result in favor of SDSM. The suspects Zoran Zaev, born 08.10.1974 in Strumica with residence on Mladinska street, Vice Zaev born on … in Strumica with residence on Miladinov Brothers street and Marjan Daskalovski, born on 04.05.1964 in Vasilevo, Strumica with residence on Marshal Tito street, created a criminal group with a goal through offering a bribe to influence on the will of voters and thus influence on the final election result in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections in favor of the SDSM political party, reads the indictment that has never been officially filed. This indictment was closed under suspicious circumstances in 2018 by Ruskoska. The Macedonian public in the 2016 parliamentary elections was stunned by the number of votes Zaev won in the districts with Albanian majority such as Aracinovo, Tetovo, Gostivar, but it is obvious that the process of buying Albanian votes started much earlier, in 2014. From what can be seen and heard from the evidence published by the Italian La Verita, Zaev bought 5,000 votes from a former UCK commander! In some excerpts of the files there is an alleged telephone conversation between Zahir Beqiri Chaush, who suggest Zaev to contact former UCK commander Isair Samiu Baci from Tetovo. According to Chaush, the guerilla commander would have the ability to bring 5,000 votes to SDSM. Chaush has direct access to the SDSM chief, as at the time he was considered one of his closest associate in the security field. His influence begins to diminish when during a search in 2016 police found around 30,000 fake documents at his home, including passports, IDs, body armor and weapons. According to what is reported in the files, Beqiri allegedly informed Zaev that Izair Samiu Baci is a person available to help him, and stressed that his presence could enable some Albanian voters to be won over DUI and DPA leaders Ali Ahmeti and Menduh Thaci, who would be intimidated by commander Baci. According to La Verita, besides Chaush and Zaev, the incumbent mayor of Centar, Sasa Bogdanovic, better known under the nickname Srpce, was also involved in the operation. Beqiri’s wife at the time was also employed in one of the municipal enterprises for parking management of Centar municipality, where the director was Srpce, and he also had direct communication with Beqiri. There is also a text message in the conversations in which Zoran Zaev sends Bogdanovic the contact of Chaush and he receives further instructions. The UCK commander, La Verita writes, participated in the 2001 Albanian uprising in Macedonia, and is considered by the US administration to be one of the most dangerous people in the Balkan region. In fact, in a long time he found himself on the US blacklist, contained in the National Emergency Act, as a dangerous for the stability of the Western Balkans because of his financial or material support to extremist movements. The first part of the scandal reveals firing of people, an unprecedented torture, how Zaev “won” in Strumica.

 

Strong criticism of Zaev’s draft law on state prosecutors during the parliament debate (Republika)

 

Criminal law professors and legal experts poured cold water on the government’s proposal for a new law on state prosecutors, that was already rejected by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, despite frenzied attempts by SDSM to push it through Parliament. During a broad debate in the Parliament, law professors, even those often friendly to SDSM, strongly criticized the draft law, which VMRO claims would give impunity to SDSM party leader Zoran Zaev for the numerous corruption scandals. One of the strongest critics of the proposal was Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova, who was the opposition’s candidate for President earlier this year. Siljanovska said that the law rudely intrudes in the competences of the Council of public prosecutors, which is supposed to maintain independence from the executive while nominating prosecutors. But possibly the strongest line of criticism came from criminal law professor Gordan Kalajdziev, who was a strong supporter of SDSM and their Colored Revolution campaign. Kalajdziev, who was passed on in favor of Katica Janeva as Special Prosecutor (to disastrous effect) called on the Public Prosecutor Ljubomir Joveski to finally reveal Janeva’s letters which were used to completely dismantle the Special Prosecutor’s Office. Janeva sent several handwritten, unstamped notes from prison, where she was detained on charges of gross abuse of office and racketeering, and this was enough for Joveski to dismantle the once trumpeted SPO.

How long do you intend to hide Katica’s letters, Mr. Joveski, Kalajdziev asked? One speaker who stuck to the SDSM side, former Communist era and post- independence Justice Minister Vlado Kambovski asked that the elections scheduled for April 12 are postponed if the Parliament can’t adopt the law by February 11, when Parliament is supposed to dissolve. This law must pass even if we have to postpone the elections by a month, Kambovski said, echoing the numerous similar calls from Zaev to cancel the early elections. Zaev cited the need to wait for Spain to ratify Macedonia’s NATO accession and other reasons why the elections should be dropped, as his SDSM party remains down in the polls compared to VMRO. Fatime Fetai, who was one of Janeva’s chief deputies, and was lionized alongside her as a brave crime fighter – until their SPO office went down amid scandal – had a memorable comment. Fetai asked that “greater care is paid” during the appointment of the next Special Prosecutor, and asked that EU officials are included in the process. it was clear jab at Janeva, whose complete lack of accomplishment and even solid grades at the Law Faculty, were overlooked by most experts, diplomats and Fetai herself, who was happy to pile praise on Janeva almost until the day of her arrest. At the start of the discussion, VMRO-DPMNE members of Parliament unfurled a sign also calling on Joveski to produce Janeva’s letters. Zaev and his Justice Minister Renata Deskoska initially claimed that Janeva’s highly illegal move resolved the problem with the SPO and allows Zaev to deliver all its powers to Joveski and his OJO service, where Zaev can count on continuing business as usual. But EU officials are asking for the adoption of a new, serious and consensual law and this is becoming a major issue as Macedonia hopes to open EU accession talks, meaning that the scandal that broke Macedonia’s judiciary likely won’t be swept under the rug after all. VMRO leader Hristijan Mickoski listed nine serious objections to the draft text and said that, if as result of the discussion the draft is amended, he will call on the VMRO members in parliament to support the new text. Mickoski’s objections also include the weakening of the position of the Council of public prosecutors in favor of the government, Zaev’s attempt to ensure Joveski remains as Public Prosecutor even if SDSM loses power in April and attempts to allow further use of unwarranted wiretaps as evidence. We conducted broad consultations with experts and our proposals will ensure that we have a truly reform oriented law, instead of the proposal that would help cover up Zoran Zaev’s crimes after 12 April, Mickoski said.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

China Buying Balkans Influence, Competing with West (BIRN, by Visar Xhambazi,  28 January 2020)

 

From debt-trap diplomacy to kickbacks, facial recognition to fossil fuels, China is buying influence in the Western Balkans.

The Western Balkans has witnessed a massive increase in Chinese investment. China has been using easy money to gain influence rapidly, taking advantage of the poor investment climate in the region by providing loans and consequently ensuring long-term political dependency. While Russia has some influence in Orthodox Christian populations in the Western Balkans and Turkey has influence among Muslims, China’s influence is arguably the more effective. China promotes itself as a neutral power and focuses on what the region desperately needs the most: capital investments. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the “Belt and Road Initiative” in 2013 as a $900 billion global project that would attempt to connect international trade routes. It started with the purchase of the Greek port of Piraeus, which was transformed into the second largest port in the Mediterranean. Piraeus sits at an important geostrategic location allowing China to transport goods into the Balkans. Under Xi, China is emerging as a significant actor in the Balkans. The country has been expanding its foreign aid, infrastructure investments, energy engagement and interconnectedness in the Balkans and beyond. China faces little resistance from small and developing Western Balkan states, especially at a time when the EU has disengaged from the region, creating a power vacuum. Its investment, however, has some significant drawbacks:

 

Economic “incentives” create political dependency

China is supporting infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans by offering large loans to their governments. The issue with loans of this nature is that they initially seem like a good investment opportunity but become a burden in the long run; countries can be saddled with overwhelming debt, paving the way for debt-trap diplomacy. When a country is not able to pay off their debt, they become susceptible to Chinese influence. A prime example of debt-trap diplomacy is the Bar-Belgrade highway project in Montenegro, the biggest in the country since independence in 2006. The highway will connect the Montenegrin coastal city of Bar with Serbia’s capital. Despite the fact that the project was deemed economically unviable by two feasibility studies, Montenegro decided to move forward with it, causing the country’s GDP-to-debt-ratio to soar over 80 percent in 2019. Montenegro currently owes China around 800 million euros for the construction of the highway, with the expected debt repayment to begin in 2021.

While this might seem a manageable amount to repay, it will likely prove very challenging for Montenegro, a country of roughly 620,000 people with an economy largely dependent on tourism.

 

Lack of transparency and perpetuation of corruption

China has been accused of requiring secret negotiations leading to non-competitive pricing on projects where bidding must go to Chinese state-owned or linked companies that charge significantly higher prices. Chinese companies also require that the bidding must be closed.

In 2015, a Chinese company was at the center of a corruption scandal in North Macedonia when leaked wiretaps appeared to feature then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his transportation minister, Mile Janakieski, discussing a 25 million euro bribe from the Chinese firm Sinohydro in exchange for awarding the company the contract to build two highway stretches. Sinohydro has been linked to corruption before and the company was suspended by the World Bank in the past for fraudulent practices.

 

Environmental degradation

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chinese companies have invested in several power plant projects, with Tuzla being the largest so far. Bosnia and Herzegovina took a 700 million-euro loan from China’s Exim Bank for the Tuzla project, making it the biggest post-war investment in the country and one of a number that has contributed to 14 per cent of Bosnia’s total foreign debt being owed to China. According to a report by Bankwatch Network, the power plant project in Tuzla is not in compliance with recent EU pollution standards and is uneconomic even at current CO2 prices. All Western Balkan countries are members of the Energy Community Treaty, which obligates countries to, among other things, improve energy efficiency, reduce pollution and develop a network energy market competition. But this has not stopped Bosnia and Herzegovina from contracting Chinese companies to build new power plant units.

 

Tax evasion and exploitation of natural resources

China took a different approach in Albania, a country relatively rich in natural resources. In 2016, a Chinese company purchased the largest oil company in Albania, Canadian Bankers Petroleum, as well as the rights to explore oil fields. In June 2019, Bankers Petroleum was fined around 120 million euros for tax evasion as a result of a two-year investigation carried out by Albania’s General Customs Directory. According to the investigation, from 2014 to 2018, Bankers Petroleum evaded $40 million in excise for raw materials, which is used for the production of crude oil. The tax evasion scandal in Albania raises fresh questions about the commitment of Chinese companies to respect the rule of law in countries where they invest.

 

Security export and surveillance network

Chinese influence is strongest in Serbia, where it has invested more than $4 billion since 2011. Serbia is expanding its relationship with China in various fields, despite its European perspective and political vision. Besides infrastructure projects, China has been growing its surveillance network in the Serbian capital. While EU countries, following the example of the United States, are discussing a potential ban on Huawei technology from their national 5G networks, Serbia is moving in the opposite direction, installing 1,000 Huawei-made facial recognition cameras in 800 different locations in Belgrade. The problem is that Huawei telecom-equipment manufacturers are Chinese companies with close ties to China’s government. Even though Huawei is a private company, Chinese laws oblige all Chinese companies to cooperate with domestic intelligence agencies. In addition, Chinese police took part last year in joint training drills and patrols in Serbia. Taken together, this potentially opens the door to Serbia sharing personal and confidential information with Chinese authorities.

 

China is here to stay

The Balkans is China’s pivot to Europe. As China’s influence rises, its relations with Europe will enter uncharted waters. Thus, China’s growing presence in the region should not be taken for granted by the EU. Chinese influence in the Balkans means greater opportunities for involvement in Europe. China has the capacity to invest time and resources in meddling in European affairs.

Consequently, the EU will be hesitant to accept new member states that are exploited by China. This works best for China’s foreign policy objectives. Less EU involvement in the Balkans means more opportunities for China.

Visar Xhambazi is a policy researcher at Democracy for Development (D4D) Institute. He holds a master’s degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University in Virginia, specializing in US foreign policy and international relations. The opinions expressed in the Comment section are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of BIRN.