LOCAL PRESS 

 

Grubjesic: Brussels should ensure that the opposing positions of Belgrade and Pristina come closer (RTS)

The responsibility of Brussels in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is greater than the responsibility of the participants in the dialogue, since it should ensure that the opposing positions come closer, the vice president of the Center for Foreign Policy, Suzana Grubjesic told RTS. She also assessed that the policy of extremism and violence in Montenegro has a very small number of supporters. 

 

Suzana Grubjesic says that in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, the issue of all issues is the Union of Serbian Municipalities. "I am sure that it will be set as a request from the Serbian side again, but without any concrete answers and guarantees that it will finally be formed, is a big obstacle for the continuation of a more important political dialogue, because political dialogue should result in a comprehensive agreement on normalization of relations, but before that, a political agreement is needed, which implies a compromise solution and which would be sustainable, because the imposed solutions will be difficult to implement " Grubjesic said. 

 

She added that her impression is that the responsibility of Brussels is greater than the one of participants in the dialogue, since, as she stated, it is Brussels that should ensure that the opposing positions come closer. "So far, they have not succeeded in that intention. I hope that they used this summer break to look at things a little differently, to see who is ready to compromise and who is not ready to compromise. It is inconceivable for me to continue the political dialogue without progress in this technical dialogue and expert dialogue and to part ways like last time, with the sentence 'we did not agree on anything, there is no progress', stressed Suzana Grubjesic.  

 

She pointed out that the United States encouraged both Belgrade and Pristina to continue adhering to the Washington Agreement and the point related to Pristina's application to international organizations and Belgrade's refraining from diplomatic action to withdraw recognition of self-proclaimed independence. "If Pristina starts applying to international organizations, there is a right and an obligation from Belgrade to continue with the diplomatic action of withdrawing the recognition" Grubjesic stated. 

 

Speaking about Pristina's potential attempt to join the Council of Europe, Suzana Grubjesic said that it was unthinkable for the Council of Europe to violate the statute, which states that membership requires a candidate to be a member of the United Nations. "All European states are in the Council of Europe, except Belarus, but all are members of the UN and internationally recognized states, which Kosovo is not" Grubjesic concluded. 

 

The policy of extremism in Montenegro has very few supporters 

 

Suzana Grubjesic said that she got the impression that tensions in Montenegro began to calm down, but she believes that the policy of extremism and violence has a very small number of supporters and that Montenegrin citizens stayed at home, and that "there were a few hundred in Cetinje someone's assailants who tried to prevent Metropolitan Joanikije from becoming the 41st Metropolitan to be enthroned in the Monastery of St. Peter of Cetinje. " 

 

"Instead of one religious, conciliar, spiritual event, we had to watch the scenes of the conflict between the demonstrators and the police, and I hope that after this, without any desire to comment on the internal political situation in Montenegro, some changes must follow," Grubjesic pointed out.  

 

Patriarch Porfirije: "We know this is not true" (Tanjug)

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije assessed that even people who accuse the Serbian Orthodox Church of engaging in politics know that this is not true. In an interview with Svetigora, which was done during the patriarch's visit to Montenegro on September 4, and was published today, he stated that the Church in itself cannot be politicly affiliated, supporting one option against another. 

 

"The church brings people together, it is an organism that not only has a place for everything, but by its nature is an organism that embraces every person, and especially the one who has something against it. So, we have nothing to answer about, we know that it is not true”, he said. He assessed that there are various factors, both domestic and foreign, which see the Church as an enemy for the system of values according to which modern man lives, "which is outside of God and against God". He added that the value system imposed on us by this modern world cannot tolerate the gospel value system. "We need to simplify things and crucify ourselves with Christ, looking at His resurrection, we pray to God for every soul. We cannot agree that we are on one side and they are on the other, for us, we are all on the same side. And we cannot agree that we have enemies, no matter how they treat us", he said. 

 

He assessed that there are countless people, even in Montenegro, who unknowingly, who knows how seduced, precisely in the absence of these philanthropic, universal Christian, evangelical values ​​- go astray. 

 

"And the more you open one's heart, the more you show one love, the more it bothers one, but we cannot give up. Sooner or later love covers everything, as the apostle Paul says: the love of Christ is beyond reason," he said. 

 

He pointed out that everyone can be what they want, and to declare the list how they feel, but he also emphasized that he must accept and respect others and have that freedom. "I appeal to Orthodox Christians to behave like that, let them be what they are, let them declare themselves as they think they should declare themselves, but let them accept the other in his freedom. Only then are we Christ's" he said. He added that the feat of love through the procession showed and proved that we cannot agree to have someone take our soul. 

 

"We will never resort to violence against anyone who wants to take our soul, but simply by prayer, fasting, forgiveness, a kind word and strong arguments, we will try to show, and finally prove, that no one can take our soul and that we will never agree” he said. He added that at the same time in our Church - the Church of Christ - there is room for black and white and yellow, for all possible options, and all views of the world, only if the value system of those views of the world is not contrary to the Gospel. 

 

Patriarch also said that for him, coming to Montenegro is above all a great blessing and a gift from God because he can meet Serbs and Montenegrins and Muslims, Croats, Jews and others, and that in that diversity, he actually sees the presence of God's blessing on that holy land. 

 

He assessed that the people of Montenegro are the people of Christ and added that the mission of the blessed Metropolitan Amfilohije was that in Christ everyone can be one and that we are called to be brothers, and that Metropolitan Joanikije continues it. 

 

He described the late Metropolitan Amfilohije as one of the apostles of our time, who crucified himself with the people and built himself into the being of the people on a stone foundation called Christ. He estimated that from that cornerstone, from that seed of faith, which was sown by Amfilohije, a spiritual tree with countless fruits sprouted on the territory of Montenegro. He expressed his impression that the faith, if the faith can be compared at all with each other, is at this moment more alive and stronger among the people in Montenegro than in some other areas. "Faith is alive and active here, and that wheel cannot be turned back. It can only win new hearts, and new hearts of new people. I am sure that Montenegro will be spiritually strong, strong and fully spiritually renewed in the times to come” he said. 

 

Speaking about the acquaintance with Metropolitan Joanikije since his student days, he said that he had already met a man on whom he could completely rely. He described Joanikije as extremely honest and fair, as given by God for the position of Metropolitan. 

 

Vulin: The Serbian world is a political response to violence against Serbs (Kurir)

 

"The policy according to which Serbs living outside Serbia are left to fight for survival on their own, and the policy of apologies on behalf of Serbs for other people's crimes, was defeated at the elections in Serbia. Croatian Foreign Minister Goran Grlic Radman found no reason to condemn the savagery in Cetinje and sees no problem in violent attempts to make the Serbian Orthodox Church the only religious community in Europe that goes under the protection of long pipes to pray to God in his monastery, but sees the problem in Serbia, which will not remain silent before the violence and humiliation" said the Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandar Vulin, responding to the statement of the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs about the "Serbian world", who said that such conquest policies were defeated. 

 

"Serbian World" is not a call for conflicts, but a response to political and physical violence against Serbs, silence about the crimes in the operation Storm, mockery of the Serbs slaughtered in Podrinje. "Serbian world" is created so that the Jasenovac genocide does not happen again and that "Greater Albania" is not created without resistance, that when Serbs in Republika Srpska are forced, under the threat of slavery, to accept that they are a genocidal people, there is someone to gather and encourage them to be united, the Ministry of the Interior announced. 

 

"Serbian world" is a politically peaceful and not any other response to the attempt to seize Kosovo and Metohija, to overthrow of the Republika Srpska, to the return of the Ustasha movement to the official policy of Croatia, to the attempts to take away the church from Serbs and declare Serbs outside Serbia aggressors and occupiers. Serbs became united political people and no one can forbid them to do that" said Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin. 

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

 

HR Schmidt: Croats must be given possibility to feel represented so that everything does not end up with boycott of elections (N1)

High Representative Christian Schmidt stated during a conference called ‘Euro-Atlantic Perspectives of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)’ hosted in Germany that the B&H Election Law needs to be changed. He stressed that the election law needs to be changed in such a way to not divide B&H into three entities. O Kanal reported that around a month after he assumed the post, Schmidt pointed to the lack of representation of Croats in main institutions in B&H and he emphasized the need to change B&H Election Law. During an event held in Germany, Schmidt pointed out that strong emigration hit Croats in B&H the most and according to Schmidt, Croats feel insufficiently represented in complicated state structures. Schmidt said: “Mr. (Chairman of the B&H Presidency) Zeljko Komsic is a Croat representative in the state presidency but Bosniaks elected him more than Croats. The fact that president of Croats (leader of HDZ B&H) Dragan Covic lost from Komsic during confrontation shows how the system is complicated. Croats must be given the possibility to feel represented and not that all ends up – let us say - with some sort of boycott of the elections.” 

 

Komsic says statement of HR in context of Election Law is bad, ethnic division cannot be part of solution (O kanal)

Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Zeljko Komsic commented on the statement of High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt in the context of the B&H Election Law given during the conference in Germany. Komsic assessed the statement of Schmidt as bad and emphasized that ethnic division cannot be a part of a solution. Komsic mentioned bad assessment of Schmidt that “not pleasing the ethnic representation can lead to blockade of the election process and even jeopardizing of the territorial integrity of B&H is bad.” Komsic also said that it will take more time for Schmidt to get to know the Dayton Constitution and that three ballot boxes are anti-civilizational. 

 

“Bearing in mind that as the supreme interpreter of the Dayton Agreement and due to the Bonn Powers, Schmidt has the possibility to change our legislation, I am inviting him to impose changes to the Constitution and the Election Law in this sense and the way he thinks should be and then, to bear responsibility for consequences of such anti-European move.”  

Komsic stressed that neither Germany nor any other civilized state have separate ballot boxes for Catholics, Protestants or Muslims.  

 

Komsic was quoted as saying: “As for the question of my election, I can say that insisting on ethnic legitimacy in the context of the election law is denial of all judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Because if we start from the premise that only the one who has ethnic legitimacy is legitimate, then the Opinion of the Venice Commission and the judgments of the ECHR are also derogated. It is obvious that Mr. Schmidt will need more time in B&H to get acquainted with the Dayton Constitution, because what he is talking about does not exist in the Constitution”. 

 

Dodik: It is hypocritical from Komsic to use those who are no longer in Sarajevo for his settling accounts with Schmidt (ATV)

Participation of High Representative Christian Schmidt at the conference in Germany has drawn a lot of attention in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The reporter comments that Schmidt’s speech at the forum led to quarreling with Chairman of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic and goes on to say that Komsic seemed to be bothered with Schmidt not imposing sanctions against Republika Srpska (RS), and, in particular, with Schmidt’s statement that Komsic is more a Bosniak than Croat representative. The reporter comments that Komsic saying that Sarajevo is a multiethnic city has additionally sparked reactions in the RS.  

 

Commenting on this Komsic’s statement, Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said it is hypocritical from Komsic, “a replacement member of the B&H Presidency’’, to use those who are no longer in Sarajevo for his settling accounts with Schmidt. “Sarajevo has been ethnically cleansed and that was done by the policy that, during the war and now in peace, Komsic has belonged to and which, during the war, on the territory of the city, formed over 100 camps for Serbs. One remained open even after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA)” Dodik was quoted as saying.  

 

Konakovic: Schmidt’s statements are partially worrisome and partially true; Arnaut: Dayton Agreement did not give constituent peoples right to elect their own members of B&H Presidency (Oslobodjenje)

High Representative Christian Schmidt stated at a conference ‘in Germany that Croats need to be given the feeling that they are represented and that Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency member Zeljko Komsic was elected by mostly Bosniak votes. Commenting Schmidt’s statement, NiP leader Elmedin Konakovic stated that he is not certain that Schmidt’s statement was truthfully reported. However, if the reports are authentic, then his statements are partially worrisome, and partially true. Konakovic reminded that he himself stated that Croat member of B&H Presidency should not be elected by Bosniaks. At the same time, he underlined, it is terrible that those who do not belong to the three constituent peoples cannot be elected at all. According to Konakovic, the fact that Schmidt did not comment the blockade of state institutions initiated by SNSD leader Milorad Dodik casts a shadow of doubt on Schmidt’ actions. He underlined that Dodik and his destructive policies are the main problem in B&H at the moment. Commenting Schmidt’s comments about Croats leaving B&H because they do not feel represented, Konakovic said that B&H has a demographic problem in general, and that people of all ethnicities are leaving. However, he admitted that Croats have the biggest problem because they might soon find themselves in position that they no longer qualify for constituent status because of their low number.  

 

Our Party representative in B&H House of Representatives Damir Arnaut stated that Dayton Peace Agreement did not prescribe the right of constituent peoples to elect their own member of B&H Presidency, but rather prescribed that B&H Presidency consists of one Serb elected in Republika Srpska (RS), and one Bosniak and one Croat elected in the Federation of B&H (FB&H). He noted that the Croatian delegation at peace talks in Dayton knew very well that Bosniaks are the most numerous people and that they might easily elect both Presidency members from the FB&H, but they were focused only on status of East Slavonia and did not care about this problem. 

 

RSNA Committee on Constitutional Affairs determined no vital interest had been violated in RSNA's decisions (BHT1)

The Republika Srpska (RS) National Assembly (RSNA) Committee on Constitutional Affairs determined that no vital national interest (VNI) of any of the constituent peoples or Others had been violated based on RSNA's decisions regarding the Law on Amendments to the RS Criminal Code and the decision on its early entry into force or by the law on non-application of the decision of High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Valentin Inzko enacting the Law on Amendments to the B&H Criminal Code and the decision on its early entry into force. The responses were sent to the RS Constitutional Court. BHT1 reminded that the Bosniak Caucus in the RS Council of Peoples (CoP) initiated the procedure of protection of the VNI on August 6, claiming that the laws and decisions in question endangers the VNI of the Bosniak people. 

 

B&H Ambassador to Croatia Aleksandar Vranjes rejects accusations that he attempted to prevent Schmidt from taking part in Bled Strategic Forum (Glas Srpske)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Ambassador to Croatia Aleksandar Vranjes has rejected accusations that he attempted to prevent High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt from taking part in the Bled Strategic Forum, emphasizing that he is only guilty of complying with the regulations and reading the intentions of the Sarajevo-based Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H in time. The daily noted that bearing in mind that Republika Srpska (RS) does not recognize Schmidt as a legitimate HR in B&H, because all the necessary procedures were not carried out during the appointment, information arose in the public that this is precisely the reason why, as it was stated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H had to react at the last minute so that the German diplomat managed to be in Slovenia with his escort because, according to those claims, a blockade was ordered on the instructions of Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik.  

 

In addition, it was stated that Vranjes kept the letter for three days, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H had to inform the Croatian Ministry of Interior (MoI) about Schmidt's trip. The first instruction arrived to the embassy in Croatia and Slovenia on August 30, together with a letter from the OHR, asking Vranjes and B&H Ambassador to Ljubljana Milorad Zivkovic to announce the journey of Schmidt's security, but not Schmidt's journey, through Croatia to Slovenia.  

 

The daily notes that it is visible from the letter that the OHR addressed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H to inform the Croatian ministry via the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo that Schmidt's security will travel through Croatia to Slovenia. Vranjes claims that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H did not contact the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo, rather it turned the request into an instruction to B&H embassies. Vranjes stressed that he and Zivkovic were asked to announce four German citizens, holders of German diplomatic passports, who will have pistols, with 45 or about 50 bullets each. "Zivkovic and I refused to follow the instruction, because there is no legal basis according to which B/H embassies in the world can announce foreign citizens to receiving countries, there are no laws or bylaws according to which B&H ambassadors in the world are obliged to act according to the OHR's letter" Vranjes told the daily. Vranjes explained that the official announcement system is prescribed by the documents of the receiving country and that, in the case of Croatia and Slovenia, it does not provide for the right of OHR employees to travel armed across their territory. "No ambassador may, on the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, violate the laws and regulations in force in B&H, nor the laws of the receiving state. Had they acted in accordance with the law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would have informed the OHR that they had no right to announce the travel of their armed employees - foreign nationals and would have referred them to the German Embassy" Vranjes emphasized. Vranjes noted that with its instructions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H tried to make the ambassadors violate laws and regulations. "If there was order, Minister (of Foreign Affairs of B&H) Bisera Turkovic would answer to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers for this" Vranjes concluded. 

 

Salkic: Peaceful dissolution means abolition of entities; RS officials criticize claims about abolition (RTRS)

Bosniak Vice President of Republika Srpska (RS) Ramiz Salkic stated on Monday that peaceful dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) would mean the peaceful abolition entities in B&H. He posted this on his Facebook profile, saying that those who advocate the peaceful dissolution of B&H are advocating the abolition of entities because they provide arguments that the entities have too many competences.  

 

Advisor to Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milan Tegeltija answered the claims of Salkic, saying that nothing was given to the RS and the RS agreed to the transfer of certain competences to the B&H level. He added that if anyone is going to return anything, it will be B&H returning competences to the RS. Tegeltija stated that Salkic cannot abolish something he did not create and he only receives a salary from the RS. He added that people who believe in the RS live there and no one can abolish the entity.  

 

Vice President of SDS Vukota Govedarica said that the story about peaceful dissolution of B&H is another project of SNSD in order to manipulate with the people. He added that dissolution cannot be peaceful and it would bring conflict, which the Serb people do not need. Govedarica stressed that Serbs do not need any changes to the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA).  

 

President of SNSD and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that if minimal conditions for this were met now, he would declare the independence of the RS. He added that it is good to know that SDS is against this and that is their policy.  

 

SDA leader Izetbegovic says he expects pro-Montenegrin side to stop domination of Serb Orthodox Church; Dodik: Izetbegovic is last person to talk about meddling of religion into politics (EuroBlic, RTRS)

The daily argued that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic openly sided with those who wanted to prevent the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije by force and he expressed his expectation that “pro-Montenegrin side will manage to stop domination of the Serb Orthodox Church and pro-Serbian parties”. Izetbegovic told Hayat TV that pro-Montenegrin parties have an absolute support of the EU and NATO “so they will defeat the evil that lurks over Montenegro”. “When religious communities engage in politics, it is usually at the expense of human lives. The Serb Orthodox Church has been doing that persistently for almost two centuries now” Izetbegovic was quoted as saying. 

 

Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Milorad Dodik said that Izetbegovic is the last one who should talk about the meddling of religious communities into politics. He added that the party that Izetbegovic inherited from the founder of SDA Alija Izetbegovic was practically formed in a mosque and that new members are still being recruited in mosques. According to Dodik, mosques are still one of the places where party and political messages are sent by Izetbegovic and that the mosque determines the winner among the Bosniak political parties. He stressed that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in B&H always called for peace and coexistence. Dodik claims that uproar in B&H was never caused by statements of the SPC, but only because of stances of the Islamic Community in B&H. He believes that Izetbegovic is trying to curry favor among his electorate with his attacks against the SPC as he is losing support among Muslims. 

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic said that neither coexistence nor building of a joint state can be expected from a man who says “Serbs are bad people” and who also says that Serb politicians “are genocidal” and who attacked and insulted the Serb Orthodox Church. “We do not expect that and they too should not expect Serbs, or Croats for that matter, to accept turning B&H into a Muslim state under the excuse of alleged functionality”, Cvijanovic said and assessed that the need of Sarajevo to take sides when it comes to other states is “a disgusting practice”. “This is how they do it when it comes to policies and politicians from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro. As soon as someone is at least a bit realistic with regard to B&H, they launch an attack. I do not think they will gain any profit from it, but I think there will be more and more of those who will start calling problems by their true names” Cvijanovic concluded. Cvijanovic said that every normal person would want to forget the events from Cetinje as soon as possible “but we are not naïve not to know that such negative development of events will leave deep scars and it will take lots of political, institutional, religious and inter-religious efforts to calm tensions down and see progress of Montenegro as well as all countries in the region”. 

 

Croatia 

 

Croatian Foreign Minister on Vulin's statement: "What should that (Serbian world) mean at all?" (Hina)

 

Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman assessed on the occasion of the statements of the Minister of the Interior Aleksandar Vulin about the "Serbian world", that such "conquest policies" were defeated. "What that (Serbian world) should mean, we would like to know. All those invasive, conquering, hegemonic policies have been defeated. There is no place for such policies here, and we will strongly defend ourselves against any of their forms" Grlic Radman said, as reported by Hina. He added that reviving such policies is not in the interest of the European Union or the international community, which is facing major challenges today. Radman Grlic described the situation in Montenegro as a "deeper story", although it is placed in the context of the Orthodox question. 

 

Montenegro 

 

Abazovic confirmed: Patriarch Porfirije was endangered in Cetinje (Nova S)

 

Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said that there was a great security threat for the patriarch. The investigation will establish details and facts about security threats during the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije in Cetinje, Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said, adding that a major security threat to the SPC leader was real, which the patriarch confirmed with his statement. He assessed that the security services passed the big exam, while on the other hand, as he says, there is a bitter taste related to the whole event. 

 

Abazovic told Nova S that there were no cases of disobedience in the security sector, but that there were cases of certain emotional fluctuations in some people. The security sector functioned flawlessly, claims the Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro. "I do not allow anyone to charge people with something they are not guilty of. Anyone who refuses any task will be suspended" Abazovic said. He pointed out that patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, is a protected person and the obligation of the police is to keep him as far away from danger as possible. 

 

"If something happened to the SPC patriarch, I tell you that no one but me would come out. I do not allow any shadow to be cast on any police officer who came out in spite of everything. We are not proud of the use of tear gas, but there is a lack of dialogue and political culture," Abazovic said. 

 

He also said that the state is not there to determine in which church someone can perform a religious rite, but that its task is to protect constitutional rights. 

 

Speaking about the relations between Montenegro and Serbia, Abazovic said that their commitment was to establish much greater trust, cooperation and more relaxed relations with Serbia than they are now. 

 

Regret the inconvenience, politicians to calm tensions (RTCG)

The Ministry of the Interior (MUP) and the Police Directorate (UP) regret that, as they stated, we all came in a situation that required mobilization of significant police forces. We did our best not to exceed the authority and to respect all actors, and we will carefully investigate every case said to have happened, the joint statement of the Minister of Internal Affairs Sergej Sekulovic and the Minister of Internal Affairs Zoran Brdjanin said. 

 

They point out that they regret the inconvenience that some citizens had and call on political leaders to work on calming tensions. They point out that the atmosphere in establishing and maintaining peace and order over the weekend was very complex. 

 

"We especially thank our fellow members of the police force who acted professionally, jointly and with dignity and resisted pressures from all sides, proving the strength of institutions working in the interest of citizens. The Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate also regret that certain media, by spreading false or insufficiently verified news, significantly raised tension and aggravated the situation. Among other things, disinformation spread that certain parts of the security sector in the chain of command refused to obey, then that a pregnant woman was injured, etc., which was later denied as untrue" Sekulovic and Brdjanin state. They call on the media to contact their services whenever there is a sensitive situation, in order to contribute to objective informing and the public interest together. 

 

"No one's life is more valuable than the life of others and we have made every effort to show it these days, respecting the different human rights of citizens, but also protecting the dignity of the profession, the constitutional and secular structure of the state. We have one state, we should all protect it and be on the same side and show tolerance, while the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Administration will continue to work in accordance with their powers and the law" Sekulovic and Brdjanin conclude. 

 

North Macedonia 

 

EC: The census is an important exercise and part of the EU accession process (MIA)

 

The European Commission encourages everyone in North Macedonia to participate in the Population and Housing Census, adding that the census is part of the EU accession process, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports. European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero told MIA that Brussels was pleased with the ongoing census in North Macedonia. “This is an important exercise. Accurate data on the number and characteristics of the population are essential for the implementation of appropriate social, demographic and economic policies for the welfare of all citizens. We believe that all sections of society should positively contribute to the census operation in an inclusive and constructive way” Pisonero told MIA. 

 

Albania 

 

DP Concerned over Vucic's dreams for a 'Greater Serbia' (ADN)

Former Minister Tritan Shehu reacted this Tuesday regarding the riots in Montenegro following the ordination of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Through a Facebook post, Shehu emphasizes that the events in Montenegro showed that Serbia is still loaded with the dreams of a 'Greater Serbia'. Also, according to the former Albanian minister, these riots showed (PM Edi) Rama's return to a (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic spokesman for the New Yugoslavia, which is the culmination of Vucic taking over the leadership. 

 

"Regional cooperation is also useful in the integration process, but only when it is led and guaranteed by Brussels, when we include all countries in the region as equals, including Kosovo, when those who are EU members in the region or very close, become in a form part of it. But this cannot be realized through "projects" where the author, implementer and guarantor is Vucic, who have an objective: the region under Serbia to the East. Montenegro reaffirmed this dangerous truth. It must be stopped!" stated Shehu.  

 

US Department of State: We thank partners like Albania for making generous offers and efforts for Afghans (Radio Tirana)

 

Ambassador Yuri Kim shares a statement from the US State Department thanking allied countries for assisting the US in evacuating Afghans from Kabul. Albania is among them. The United States mobilized an unprecedented global effort through diplomatic channels to evacuate American citizens, personnel from partner countries, and endangered Afghans from Kabul. In total, the United States and its partners displaced more than 124,000 people, including 6,000 U.S. citizens. "I want to thank our allies and partners," said Secretary Blinken. Others have agreed to permanently relocate Afghan refugees, and we hope more will do so in the coming days and weeks. We are really grateful for their support. " 

 

'The United States mobilized an unprecedented global effort through our diplomatic channels to evacuate American citizens, personnel from partner countries, and Afghans at risk from Kabul. In total, the United States and our partners relocated more than 124,000 people to safety, including 6,000 U.S. citizens. 

 

With the support of partners and allies, the United States created a global network - consisting of more than 24 countries spread across four continents - with a total temporary transit capacity of 65,000 people on a mobile basis, including up to 2,000 spaces for accommodate persons in need of long-term processing. 

 

United States uses a global network of partners. We are grateful to the global network of countries that have provided critical assistance in our evacuation efforts. Partners and allies - including Bahrain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE and UK - have aided the passage of Americans or others to security. 

 

Other countries have made generous offers to help in various ways regarding evacuation efforts for Afghans at risk. These countries include Albania, Bahrain, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, India, Kuwait, Mexico, the Netherlands, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Singapore, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates. Our temporary transit locations have the capacity to accommodate approximately 37,000 people, and more than 65,000 people have already been admitted through the Gulf, bound for the United States or further processing in European countries. The temporary transit locations we have established in the US or common bases in Europe have the capacity to process at least 28,000 people continuously. 

 

The United States is working fast and accurately. We are working around the clock to ensure that American citizens, endangered Afghan civilians, and others are able to reach their final destinations safely and efficiently. Commitment to intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism, professionals from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Counterterrorism Center, and additional partners in the intelligence community are working overtime to expedite processing and verifying Afghans before they are allowed to enter the United States. This includes reviewing biographical and biometric data. Already nearly 40,000 people have left processing overseas and arrived in the United States.