LOCAL PRESS

Vucic presents preliminary draft of joint law to Dodik (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday presented to Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency, a preliminary draft of a law on protection of the Serbian language and the Cyrillic alphabet, due to be adopted by the parliaments of Serbia and the Republika Srpska (RS) on National Unity Day – 15 September. In a post on the Instagram profile buducnostsrbijeav, Vucic noted that he and Dodik had agreed the cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and RS was exceptional at all levels and that the Serbs must not and could not allow themselves to have any conflicts or return to past times. “Our togetherness and unified actions in the fields of the economy, culture, education and historical memory must never be put into question,” Vucic wrote. Vucic added that he had had “a substantial conversation with Dodik about the future of the entire region” and that they had particularly discussed the Open Balkans initiative and specific projects, such as the construction of a motorway section from Kuzmin, Serbia, to Bijeljina, RS.

Dacic: Shifts in the first track dialogue, resumption of talks with EP on 17 September (RTS)

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that the dialogue between the government and the opposition, in which the representatives of the European Parliament (EP) participate, on the second track, was on a break because the MEPs are not working in August. According to him, the representatives of the EP announced that they would send a text with their proposals around 1 September, and that text will be discussed on 17 and 18 September, when the dialogue continues. Dacic says that, when it comes to the dialogue on the first track, which is conducted between the parties that do not want the participation of foreigners, there were activities in August as well. “We had a meeting of the working group, there was also President Vucic, we had several consultative meetings, we discussed practically all issues, they presented their views, it is time to go towards constructing and proposing a solution to that agreement,” said Dacic. He pointed out that the shifts in the dialogue on the first track exist in several important issues. “The issue of that election regulation in terms of the voter list, the possibility to really check, that someone doesn’t think there are some frauds, we also talked about the census of three percent, they are interested in whether it will return to five percent, it won’t, it will remain at three percent,” Dacic said. He also reminded that on RTS and RTV there are other terms for dialogue between the government and the opposition in relation to those that were before. According to him, there is a principled commitment to complete the dialogues on both tracks within six months before the parliamentary elections, which is around the beginning of October. “The second track is significantly behind the first,” said Dacic, adding that the representatives will hardly send their text of the proposal by 1 September. He expects that the representatives of the opposition who participate in the dialogue on the second track will then declare themselves in relation to the text submitted by the MEPs. “Some of the proposals they made are unrealistic and unsustainable, I doubt they will be satisfied,” Dacic said.

Petkovic: Resumption of technical dialogue at beginning of September (Tanjug/RTV)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic told Tanjug TV that talks in Brussels should be resumed at the technical level in the first half of September, and that our delegation would insist on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities as an essential part of the Brussels agreement and full implementation of the part on the judiciary that refers to the verdict to Ivan Todosijevic. Petkovic stated that the entire state of Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian people stood by Ivan Todosijevic, the mayor of Zvecan who was sentenced to two years in prison for his statement about Racak, and that the participation of the Serb List in the local elections was directly related to further Pristina’s actions in this case. As Petkovic said, international officials, the EU and other foreign diplomats were informed that the verdict would raise tensions in Kosovo and Metohija and that it would be known what the consequences and consequences of that political verdict would be. As he said, Todosijevic’s lawyer will use the possibility of an extraordinary legal remedy before the highest legal instances of the provisional institutions in Pristina, and that the participation of the Serb List in the upcoming local elections on 17 October will depend on whether the verdict will be annulled. “The Brussels agreement has been violated and there is a chance for an extraordinary legal remedy, and on that chance, Pristina, the so-called Supreme Court of Kosovo, should correct the violation of the agreement because the Serb people will not remain silent if the agreement is violated,” Petkovic stressed.

Lajcak meets technical delegation chiefs Petkovic and Bislimi (N1)

EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Thursday that he had separate meetings with the heads of the Belgrade and Pristina technical delegations. Lajcak said that he met with Kosovo First Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic to discuss preparations for the next high-level meeting in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. According to Lajcak’s Twitter post, the meeting of chief negotiators is scheduled to take place early in September.

Vucic received an invitation (Novosti/B92/Blic/Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received an invitation to attend the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije in Cetinje, the media claim. According to Novosti, he thanked for this gesture and in the coming days, he will make a decision on whether he will appear at the solemn ceremony, taking into account, above all, the interests of the Serb people and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. “The President understands well the delicacy of the moment and the difficulty of the position of our compatriots and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, because they have been exposed to great pressure for a long time, and will make a decision accordingly when it comes to enthroning Metropolitan Joanikije,” the source said.

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Erdogan to visit B&H on Friday (FTV)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay an official visit to B&H on Friday. Erdogan is scheduled to meet with members of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic, Sefik Dzaferovic and Milorad Dodik. FTV recalled that Komsic, Dzaferovic and Dodik met with Erdogan in Ankara in mid-March when an agreement on the construction of Sarajevo-Belgrade highway was signed.

Sarovic: Dodik does not have SDS’ consent to attend meeting with Erdogan (BNTV)

SDS leader Mirko Sarovic stated for BNTV that SDS has not provided its consent to SNSD leader and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik to attend the B&H Presidency’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sarajevo on Friday amidst the Serb political representatives’ boycott of work of the B&H institutions. Sarovic confirmed that Dodik informed the leaders of the RS opposition about his intention to go to the meeting. “He called me and told me that he is going to the meeting. And that is all he did,” Sarovic noted. Sarovic added that he told Dodik that attendance at the meeting with Erdogan is solely his responsibility and that he should know he will be facing criticisms for doing so. “The nature of that visit is such that it leaves no room for thinking if some things, which might be crucial for the RS, will be discussed there,” the SDS leader assessed, specifying that he has information that this is more a private than an official visit. The SDS leader pointed out that, if he were in the same position as Dodik, he would not go to the meeting. “So, the visit is private and there should be no significant content to be discussed on that occasion. The meeting will be held with the two other Presidency members and I consider that it is necessary to attend such diplomatic meetings only if it makes sense and if key issues for us are being discussed,” he stated. In his opinion, this is a matter of manipulating the information related to the consent, while Dodik neither asked nor has he received SDS’ consent to go to the meeting. “I think he uses the opposition as some sort of an alibi. That is absolutely unnecessary and unacceptable,” concluded Sarovic.

Agreement between Dodik and Erdogan is all that is waited for (Oslobodjenje)

On the occasion of Friday’s visit and meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, B&H Minister of Transport and Communications Vojin Mitrovic met on Thursday with President of Turkish company ‘Tasyapi’ Emrullah Turanli. The officials discussed the implementation of infrastructural project of construction of highway Sarajevo- Belgrade, which is the result of the agreement between Council of Ministers and Turkish government. The article reminded of the agreed route of the highway and noted that the officials agreed that the priority is the section which is prepared for construction, the section Raca- Bijeljina- Brcko. Minister Mitrovic stressed that he expects member of B&H presidency Milorad Dodik to reach an agreement with Erdogan regarding the credit line for financing of this project, in order to launch it as soon as possible.

Covic meets with Konakovic, says broader consensus of all political parties in B&H needed for adoption of changes to B&H Election Law (FTV)

HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic met with leader of People and Justice (NiP) Elmedin Konakovic in Mostar on Thursday. Covic and Konakovic discussed the current political situation in B&H and necessary steps in the non-election year. On this occasion, Covic wrote on his Twitter account that a broader consensus of all political parties in B&H is needed for the adoption of changes to the B&H Election Law, i.e. an honest and constructive dialogue.

Changes to Election Law blocked, and maybe elections too (Glas Srpke, by Darko Momic)

Representatives of the RS in the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) for electoral reform will not participate in work of the IAWG until the crisis caused by former High Representative Valentin Inzko’s decision to impose amendments to B&H Criminal Code prohibiting genocide denial is resolved. The last session of the IAWG was held on 23 July, the same day when Inzko announced his decision. IAWG member Sredoje Novic said that as long as conclusions of the RS parliament on boycott of state institutions remain in force, RS representatives will not participate in work of any permanent or interim working groups or commissions either. Novic said that those who lobbied for Inzko’s decision are equally responsible for the present crisis as Inzko himself. “They need to find a solution to this crisis. As far as RS representatives in the IAWG are concerned, I am sure that they will all stick to the conclusions of the RS parliament, and this means that there will be no changes to B&H Election Law,” said Novic. He added that this also means that the next election is questionable too. IAWG member and United Srpska leader Nenad Stevandic stated that if B&H enters the election year without new Election Law, there is the existing Election Law which can be implemented. “Those who created the circus by illegally appointing the Central Election Commission and trying to achieve different kinds of party or anti-Serb interests through the IAWG should provide explanation on why they brought us to this situation,” said Stevandic. The daily notes that although it met several times, the IAWG failed to bring closer different stances on electoral reform. The RS insists that Serb member of B&H Presidency must be elected directly. The main disputable issues remain election of B&H Presidency members and members of FB&H House of Peoples.

Lukac: Inzko’s law will not be implemented on RS territory (Glas Srpske)

Speaking for Russian Federal News Agency, RS Minister of Interior Dragan Lukac stated that the decision of Valentin Inzko is unacceptable and that Law adopted by the RS parliament will be applied on the RS territory. “He returned B&H in the past, to the end of war, quarter century ago. In 12 years of his stay here, Inzko achieved almost nothing in B&H. And now, leaving the post, he created huge issues. I trust that he returned B&H which will be very difficult to overcome in adequate manner,” said Lukac. He further reminded that in response to this, the RS parliament adopted two important laws. First which declares Inzko’s as invalid in the RS territory and second, which declares that everyone who insult the RS, its flag, coat of arms, anthem or “refer to the Serb entity as product of genocide and its people genocidal”, can be sentenced to jail. “This law will be applied at the RS territory”, said Lukac.

FB&H government defines criteria for distribution of BAM 200 million to Cantons from arrangement with IMF (BHT1)

According to BHT1, the FB&H government reached on Thursday a decision on defining of criteria for distribution of funds defined in the FB&H Budget for 2021 so that the FB&H Ministry of Finance can carry out distribution of the current transfers to other levels of power and funds and the money comes from an arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The money in the amount of BAM 200 million will be distributed to the Cantons for implementation of structural reforms. The FB&H government also adopted a program of spending of funds of capital transfer to public companies for improvement of air transport of the FB&H and thus, the airport in Bihac received BAM 25 million.

 

Press release from 35th Cabinet session (gov.me)

The Montenegrin Cabinet, at its 35th session held on 26 August 2021, chaired by Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, adopted a Decree amending the Decree on the minimum amount of professional liability insurance in the field of construction. The minimum amount of insurance that the manager provides is at least 10 percent of the amount determined by the contract on drafting the planning document. The Decision on appointing a police representative to work at the headquarters of the European Police Office (EUROPOL) was adopted. The liaison officer is appointed to work at EUROPOL headquarters in order to achieve police cooperation at the operational level with international organizations or police and other organisations of a foreign country, in accordance with the Agreement on Operational Strategic Cooperation of Montenegro and the European Police Office (EUROPOL). The Cabinet adopted the Information on the wildfires in Montenegro. The Information on the implementation of the Project "Construction of the Prison for the Northern Region of Montenegro in Mojkovac" was adopted. The total value of the project is EUR 16,200,000.00, of which EUR 15,000,000.00 will be financed by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and a grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) in the amount of EUR 1,200,000.00. The Cabinet adopted the Semi-Annual Report on the Work of the Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2021. At today's session, the Cabinet, among other things, gave its consent to the General Hospital "Blazo Orlandic" Bar to initiate the procedure of building an oxygen substation. In order to provide the best possible conditions in the fight against COVID-19, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the United States Embassy, provided equipment for the central oxygen supply at Bar General Hospital. In order to put this system into operation, it is necessary to build an oxygen substation.

Press release from Defense and Security Council's session (gov.me)

The Defense and Security Council held a session today, chaired by President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic. Members of the Council, President of the Parliament Aleksa Becic and Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, as well as Minister of Defense Olivera Injac, Minister of the Interior Sergej Sekulovic and Director of the National Security Agency Dejan Vuksic took part in the session. On the occasion of security challenges caused by the announced enthronement of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, the Council calls on all socio-political actors to peace, restraint, tolerance, understanding, mutual respect and appreciation, as well as respect for the Constitution and laws. The Council expects the competent state bodies to carry out all necessary activities to ensure the peace, security and safety of every citizen, as well as respect for human rights and religious freedoms. The Council expects the National Security Council to continue to coordinate and direct the intelligence and security sector, review the security situation, and issue conclusions and guidelines regarding the work of the intelligence and security sector and the Bureau for Operational Coordination. The members of the Council discussed the wildfires in Montenegro and reached a conclusion on the need for further capacity strengthening, professional training and development of personnel, as well as investment in modernization of equipment and resources in the protection and rescue system. The Defense and Security Council established the Rules of engagement of members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro and national restrictions in the KFOR mission in the Republic of Kosovo. At today's session, the Defense and Security Council discussed other issues within its competence and, at the proposal of the Minister of Defense, made decisions on dismissal and appointment of officers of the Armed Forces of Montenegro.

URA: Metropolitanate should give up on Joanikije’s enthronement in Cetinje (CdM)

URA Civic Movement has called on the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral to give up on Joanikije’s enthronement in Cetinje, scheduled for 5 September. “URA is a party that protects the interests of all Montenegrin citizens equally and since its establishment it has been seeking to eliminate deep-rooted divisions in Montenegrin society that undoubtedly harm its development. Therefore, in the context of organizing the announced enthronement of Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral planned for Cetinje on 5September, it calls for reason”. This is one of the messages from the session of URA’s steering committee held last night. The party has stressed that the state is obliged to guarantee peace and the rights and freedoms of all citizens, and once again called on the competent authorities to thoroughly analyze the security situation on the occasion of the planned gathering in Cetinje.

 

Osmani: For now, we will shelter 750 Afghans, but that number fluctuates (Republika)

So far the number of sheltering Afghan civilians is 750, that number fluctuates but it is always within the possibilities that the government estimates that we can temporarily take care of those people until their documents for their final destination are processed, Bujar Osmani said on Thursday. The first figures we communicated with were requests from international organizations, our partners for temporary sheltering of Afghan civilians, women, children, people who have been in our mission for 20 years in Afghanistan, a mission we are proud to be together with our partners in this period. How is the number of requests increasing? or we do not confirm the requests. As the number of requests increases, the group within the government makes assessments by taking into account all aspects and logistics, and safety and health and all possible aspects within the competencies of the institutions that are present in the group and based on that we confirmed or we do not confirm the requests, Osmani said.

 

US ambassador Yuri Kim thanked Albania for the hospitality shown towards the Afghan refugees (Radio Tirana)

US Ambassador Yuri Kim, who was present at Rinas Airport in the early hours of Friday morning to receive the first group of 121 Afghans to arrive in Albania, thanked Albania for its decision to host them. In a Twitter post, Kim writes that Albania once again offered hospitality and protection to those in greatest need. "We are proud to call you a friend and ally," said Yuri Kim, among others. "Minister Olta Xhaçka and I welcomed the first group of Afghans seeking temporary shelter in Albania. As they have always done, the people of Albania once again offer hospitality and protection to those in greatest need. We are proud to call you a friend and ally. Thank you ", wrote Ambassador Yuri Kim on the social network Twitter.