LOCAL PRESS

 

Vulin meets with Patrushev in Moscow (Tanjug/RTS/Politika/Beta)

 

Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who is on a two-day official visit to Moscow, met with the secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev on Tuesday, the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement. They noted that the cooperation between the Serbian Interior Ministry and security authorities of the Russian Federation had been advanced significantly in the past year and a half. Vulin noted that, under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia was a certain and dependable partner that was not forgetting its centuries-old friendships, and added that the Serbian president's word had high significance and value. Vulin and Patrushev said Serbia, Russia and their security forces remained committed to jointly fighting all forms of crime, in particular to fighting illegal drug trade, drug dealers, terrorism and cybercrime. They agreed there was room for further development and strengthening of Serbia-Russia security cooperation. Vulin noted that attempts of isolating Russia, the world's largest country, were wrong and futile, and that excluding Russia from international organizations, in particular organizations such as Interpol, would be a detrimental and fatal move that would merely leave room for further strengthening and development of crime. Patrushev noted that Russia highly appreciated Serbia as a dependable friend and partner in the international arena. Vulin thanked the Russian Federation for its consistent position and respect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia, the statement also said. Commenting on a statement by the European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik that "one member of the outgoing Serbian cabinet has just visited Moscow and made strong anti-European statements," the Serbian Interior Minister said that "Russia has not asked Serbia to recognize the false state of Kosovo, nor renounce Republika Srpska, nor impose sanctions against anyone, which cannot be said for the EU". "My messages are not anti-European, the messages that ask Serbia to refrain from prosecuting war criminals, murderers of Serbian children, in exchange for growing nearer to membership in the EU or acknowledge the false state of Kosovo and impose sanctions against Russia, often through history Serbia's only consistent ally, are anti-European," Vulin said.

 

Bilcik: Europe noted Vulin’s anti-EU remarks in Moscow (N1)

 

European Parliament rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik MEP said on Tuesday everyone in Europe took note of Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin’s anti-European Union remarks in Moscow. “When a member of the Serbian government sends anti-EU messages during an official visit to Moscow, everyone in Europe takes note,” Bilcik said in a Twitter post. He added that progress on Serbia’s European path “can only be based on genuine and consistent commitment to European principles, values and policies”. “This includes aligning its foreign and security policy to that of the European Union – in a progressive manner and with genuine interest in making political decisions reflecting future alignment. Serbia’s CFSP alignment has been and continues to be the lowest in the region,” he tweeted. According to Bilcik “full alignment with EU’s foreign, security and defense policy, including sanctions against Russia, as well as on the normalization of Serbia’s relations with Kosovo, will determine the pace of EU accession”. “This has been a consistent message from the European Parliament and is included in my 2021 Report on Serbia,” Bilcik wrote.

 

US Ambassador: Washington wants Serbia, Kosovo in normal relationship (N1)

 

US Ambassador Christopher Hill told N1 on Tuesday that Washington wants to see Serbia and Kosovo achieve a normal relationship without tension. “I think what we’re looking for is if Serbia and Kosovo can achieve a kind of normal relationship. That is no tension, normal trade relations, you know, there are a lot of economic issues that really need to be addressed and, while everyone focuses on the security and the political questions, they also ought to focus on the economic issues,” he said in the interview. “Everyone would like to see an eventual status where everyone calms down and everyone recognizes everyone but I think what we’re focused right now on is to achieve some kind of normal situation where people can get on with their lives,” he said and added that the people who feel threatened need to feel comfortable and that the rules are there to work for them not just against them. “So they need to be reassured and I think that’s part of the task here,” the Ambassador said. Hill said that the US perspective on UN Security Council resolution 1244 is that it was overtaken by events. “How they eventually deal with that Resolution, how they eventually deal with the status questions I think will be very much up to the dialogue process … I think everyone’s familiar with what the problems are and I hope everyone’s familiar with what needs to be done to solve this, because the elements are on the table,” he added. Asked about the fact that Serbia has not imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the ambassador said he understands that the country has a long and difficult history with sanctions, but that Serbia’s next generation has spoken. “I think Serbia wants to be a part of the West and I hope that’s something that can be moved along more quickly. I share the frustration that many people have that this process hasn’t gone as fast as it should … but I think ultimately the direction and the destination are the same and I hope the Serbian people will kind of redouble their efforts,” he said adding that Serbia should rightfully be part of the European Union. “My government and myself, we think Serbia should act like an EU member and should join the burden that many other EU members, also small and also not able to actually control what Russia does, but they do it because they believe that it is their responsibility. I would like to see Serbia do that, but I understand that’s not the issue right now for many Serbs, they would like to see that the EU is really serious about their admission. So, I understand that frustration but I think Serbia needs to understand where it wants to be in a few years and it needs to understand who its friends are and who its friends are not and frankly I don’t see a lot off evidence for the idea that Russia is any kind of friend. It has Serbia to do things for their own, that is, for Russia’s interest and I’m not sure that’s really frankly speaking in Serbia’s interest,” the Ambassador said.

 

Vulin blasts Hill over N1 interview (N1)

 

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin said he does not understand what US Ambassador Christopher Hill wanted to achieve by commenting the activities of a Minister in the government of Serbia, which is his host, said a press release of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In an interview with N1, Ambassador Hill said he does not understand what Vulin was doing in Moscow. “I find it rather confusing because I have no idea what he was doing there,” said Ambassador Hill. “I know the Serbian Ambassador to the US would never comment the activities of the ministers in Washington. Now that he has shared with us what he thinks of Serbia’s ministers, he could also tell us what the decisions that are not in our interest and that Russia is forcing us to make are,” said Vulin. “Russia is not forcing us to do anything, but Ambassador Hill thinks he can force us to do anything, like we are the Comanche on a reservation. Maybe the Ambassador will succeed in removing me from the government, but the ideas of independent Serbia that decides on its own, well you are not going to succeed in that, whether or not you know what you are doing,” the press release quoted the Minister as saying. Vulin said he does not know what Ambassador Hill is looking to achieve by persuading Serbia to recognize Kosovo, and added that he thinks even the Ambassador does not know that. “Before the next time he says that the bombing of Serbia prevented a disaster, he should kneel before the grave of Milica Rakic and explain to her parents how much her death contributed to preventing a humanitarian disaster, more or less than the lies about the mass shootings of Shqiptars at the FC Pristina stadium or the lies about the massacre in Racak,” said the Ministry press release.

 

Mihajlovic: Lavrov with his statements abusing fact that Serbia didn’t introduce sanctions (FoNet)

 

Serbian Minister of Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is abusing the fact that Serbia has not imposed sanctions on Russia, trying to show that Serbia supports Russia’s attack on Ukraine, even though Serbia voted for the UN resolution condemning the war, her cabinet announced. “Serbia has clearly decided against the war in Ukraine, and by the fact that we did not impose sanctions on Russia, as the whole of Europe did, it shows that it leads an independent policy,” Mihajlovic pointed out. She assessed that Lavrov, instead of respecting Serbia’s decision not to impose sanctions on Russia, is abusing that fact by presenting it as Serbia’s support for the Russian side in the conflict. “Even though he speaks of the friendship of two countries, this kind of behavior shows the opposite in practice,” noted Mihajlovic in a written statement.

 

Petkovic: Kurti ready for anything but dialogue and compromise (RTS)

 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic stated that in his first address, Albin Kurti, “after once again trying to humiliate and make worthless the dialogue in Brussels, presented a series of untruths and lies, so obvious that even respected international representatives denied him, but he himself got involved in his own lies”, announced the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. Petkovic said that the only and real truth is that the Belgrade delegation led by President Aleksandar Vucic came to Brussels well prepared, with concrete, constructive and sustainable solutions for solving the crisis we are facing in the region of ​​Kosovo and Metohija, which was last night unequivocally confirmed by the US Ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill. “However, Kurti hysterically rejected every offered solution, because in his militant mind he is obviously ready for anything but dialogue and compromise,” said Petkovic. He points out that with his statement that the status-neutral “KS” plates were valid until September 2021, “Kurti showed that he doesn’t even know what he’s talking about and was caught in another big lie because those plates were illegally and unilaterally canceled by Pristina on the 17 September 2020, i.e. one year before the expiration date, after which it was planned to discuss this topic and seek a solution”. Furthermore, Petkovic adds, Kurti has no right to issue any paper to Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, be it A4 or other size. “No one can issue visas to Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija for their houses and centuries-old hearths, and Kurti knows that very well, he is just pretending to be unskilled,” notes Petkovic. According to the same principle, he acts in the case of the agreement on missing persons, which he “knowingly sabotages and conditions, because he does not want to give the families of the victims the peace they need and enable the search of potential locations, but wants to mark official Belgrade as the culprit”. “This is what his entire policy boils down to, and therein lies the reason for his refusal to form the ZSO, but he knowingly violates all the other agreements signed in Brussels. It is obvious that Kurti needed as many as six days to devise a new campaign of lies and disinformation that will try to justify his insane, unilateral, illegal actions that he wants to implement in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and thereby push the entire region into new tensions, conflicts and escalation,” Petkovic stressed. This, he emphasizes, will not sway Belgrade and President Vucic to continue to search with all their might for a peaceful and compromise solution to the current crisis, but it is also the responsibility of the international community to try to reason with Kurti, because time is running out, and his announcements of conflict and escalation of the crisis are louder.

 

State Department spokesman: Blinken won’t hesitate to help Kosovo dialogue (N1/Politika)

 

A State Department spokesman said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken doesn’t hesitate if he feels that his engagement would get things moving forward in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. “If we feel that the Secretary’s engagement over the phone or in person is the indispensable ingredient to getting something like that over the finish line, Secretary Blinken doesn’t hesitate to pick up the phone and to have those conversations,” spokesman Ned Price told a news briefing. He said that Washington is “deeply engaged” on Kosovo. “We’ve been deeply engaged as an observer to the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Just as I said last week, our understanding is that talks are ongoing. We are watching. We’re doing so in partnership with the EU. We’re encouraging both sides to use the dialogue effectively. It’s a dialogue that we very much support, and we think that it’s incumbent on both parties to use this opportunity to the fullest extent to advance their discussions on normalized relations centered on mutual recognition as well,” he said. Price confirmed reports that Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar will travel to Pristina and Belgrade “to continue to show our high-level interest and engagement in this issue”.

 

Good cooperation of Serbia with UNDP (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic today received the new Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Serbia Jakup Berisha. Selakovic pointed out that the UN is one of the most important multilateral organizations for Serbia, both in the context of preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty, and as a partner in providing the basis for sustainable development. He emphasized that Serbia participates in collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda until 2030, that is, the creation of a better and more prosperous, but also a safer and more stable world. The Minister also pointed to the fact that Serbia is investing more and more in the Green Agenda and that budget allocations for projects in the field of environmental protection are higher than ever. According to him, Serbia also positively evaluates cooperation with UNDP in the field of providing technical assistance and expertise for development projects. The Serbian Foreign Minister stated that the implementation of the UN-Serbia Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development for the period 2021-2025 is currently of priority importance. Speaking about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, Selakovic pointed to the obligation of UNDP to function in our southern province in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, while respecting the principle of status neutrality. He concluded that Serbia is trying to be the biggest promoter and guarantor of peace and stability in the region and in this way it is fighting for the continuation of its economic development.

 

All eyes on Lajcak and Escobar (RTS)

 

There are seven days left until 1 September, and for now there are no signals from the government in Pristina other than the announcement that there will be no compromise regarding their measures to issue a document that would replace Serbian ID cards. and force re-registration of vehicles with Serbian license plates to local ones. All eyes are on the activities of the US and EU envoys, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak, who are in Pristina. A statement issued by the cabinet of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani after a meeting with Gabriel Escobar, does not show that any progress had been made. Osmani said that Pristina was constructive in the dialogue and that “the decisions of the Kosovo institutions are in accordance with the Brussels agreement on freedom of movement”, reports RTS. According to Osmani, Pristina is in constant communication and coordination with international partners. The US envoy did not speak about the meeting, and refused to give a statement to the journalists gathered in front of the presidency building. Miroslav Lajcak is starting a series of talks today. Together with Escobar, he will meet with Vjosa Osmani, then with Albin Kurti. The following day, as the EU office in Pristina confirmed for RTS, they are going to Kosovska Mitrovica to meet with representatives of Serbs. Lajcak will then travel to Belgrade. For now, there is no announcement of an address to the media, however, it is not ruled that Albin Kurti will do that, as a Pristina government session is also scheduled for today, where he could report on the last round of dialogue in Brussels. Along with the shuttle diplomacy of Lajcak and Escobar, the councilors of the assemblies of four municipalities in the North will sit in Zvecan today after the announcement that Serb representatives may leave Kosovo institutions if no compromise is reached. It is calm in the north, but patrolling of KFOR soldiers and the police in armored vehicles indicates that it is not business as usual and that there is fear of rising tensions, similar to what happened at the end of July and early this month. KFOR Commander Ferenc Kajari announced last night in an interview with local media that international soldiers will not allow barricades to be set up on the roads in the north, which, he says, prevent freedom of movement and because according to him, barricades are not helping to resolve the situation. He added that KFOR has set up observation posts and technical points throughout the North. Also, KFOR soldiers have stepped up patrolling in order to be ready for any incident, he said. “If there is tension, we will act according to our mandate,” Kajari said. Therefore, all eyes are on the activities of Lajcak and Escobar and the effects of their visits to Pristina and Belgrade.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H Presidency Chairman Dzaferovic addresses online Crimean Platform Summit; Dzaferovic reiterates B&H’s official stances supporting sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemning the acts that violate sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine (N1/BHT1) 

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) addressed the online Crimean Platform Summit on Tuesday. The summit is a diplomatic initiative that gathers a large number of heads of states and governments, including all EU and NATO member states, and the initiative was launched by the Ukrainian President with an aim to annul the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. A number of officials addressed the summit and expressed full support to Ukraine, condemning the Russian aggression in this country. Dzaferovic reiterated B&H’s official stances supporting sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemning the acts that violate sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, adding that these stances remain the same regardless of internal and external pressures. He reminded in his address that on 16 March 2015 B&H joined the EU’s declaration on Crimea condemning holding the illegal and illegitimate referendum, as well as unlawful annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. He noted that the same declaration confirms firm commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Dzaferovic emphasized that the positions of B&H presented previously were adopted as a result of the decisions of institutions and international obligations, including the Stabilization and Association Agreement of B&H with the EU and other acts. Dzaferovic concluded that following the start of Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, B&H joined numerous international documents that respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Dzaferovic also said that the B&H Presidency had previously expressed the expectation that the situation in Ukraine would be resolved peacefully. He added that B&H's foreign policy towards international partners, including Ukraine, is based on openness and equality. Slovenian President Borut Pahor said in his address that the EU should launch the process of enlargement to the Western Balkans, adding that the enlargement process is an excellent tool to strengthen security. He welcomed the EU Council’s decision to ensure the EU candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova, but he stressed that B&H should be also ensured the same status.

 

Dodik announces that he will file a criminal report against Dzaferovic for abuse of office or official authority, because he participated in Crimean Platform Summit despite of the fact that the RS opposed this (RTRS) 

 

Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik announced on Tuesday that he will file a criminal report against the B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) on Wednesday for abuse of office or official authority, because he participated in the Crimean Platform Summit on Tuesday despite the fact that Republika Srpska (RS) opposed this. The B&H Presidency held an extraordinary session in Sarajevo on Monday, at which Dodik’s proposal that Dzaferovic skips participation at the Crimean Platform Summit in Ukraine was rejected by outvoting. The Crimean Platform Summit has gathered most of the Western leaders who condemned “Russian unlawful annexation of Crimea” with a message that Ukraine will be part of the EU with Crimea as its territory. However, Russian politicians rejected the assessments of the Western politicians in particular on unlawfulness of the annexation of Crimea, arguing that Crimea is part of the Russian territory. Addressing the online summit, Dzaferovic said that the official stances of B&H presented earlier that support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemn the acts that violate sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are not changed. Dodik commented that Dzaferovic’s stances presented at the summit are different from reality in B&H, stressing that he addressed the summit thus violating the rules of procedure and the Constitution of B&H. He told reporters that he believes that B&H’s representative should not take part at the summit, adding that Dzaferovic’s participation is completely illegitimate as the B&H Presidency has not defined its stance on this issue nor B&H has defined any stance on the Ukrainian crisis regarding the events that happened after February this year, but there are unilateral stances only.

 

Other RS politicians react to Dzaferovic’s participation in Crimean Platform Summit (ATV) 

 

B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) addressed the online Crimean Platform Summit on Tuesday. Dzaferovic’s move was commented by RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic. “Obviously, the category of agreement has a difficulty to function within B&H. We should behave in such a way that when there is agreement on certain matters, then we have the representation of B&H, but unfortunately this will be only one of many examples where we had representation from people in the B&H Presidency, without the overall agreement of all three members of the Presidency”, Cvijanovic assessed. Dzaferovic is violating the B&H Constitution as well, as he is leading foreign policy without consensus in the Presidency. Such behavior is unacceptable – that is the sum of reactions that came from the RS. “Dzaferovic and (B&H Presidency member Zeljko) Komsic constantly work against the Constitution of B&H, that is, they act without the consent of the B&H Presidency, which is in charge of foreign policy. Such behavior is unacceptable”, says deputy speaker of the RS parliament Milan Petkovic. He says that political Sarajevo is constantly working against the RS and the stances of its officials. DNS members believe that SDA has usurped the foreign policy of B&H. “The more SDA appropriates B&H, and imposes its views as the views of the entire country in an autistic manner, the weaker B&H becomes”, DNS leader Nenad Nesic was quoted as saying.

 

B&H intellectuals, activists, journalists address US officials encouraging them to support true constitutional and election reforms that would secure sustainable and democratic political culture in B&H (NAP.ba) 

 

NAP.ba carries that a letter with a proposal for resolving of political issues in B&H, signed by B&H Professors, writers, journalists, activists etc. was sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Senators and Congressmen. The letter reads that with the renewed support of Russia to separatists among B&H Serbs and Croats respectively, peace in B&H is under threat again. It was also stated in the letter: “Bosnia is faced with the possibility that RS becomes new Donbas, and that a third entity is created with the state. B&H again needs support of the USA to avoid a new conflict. However, this time ethno-nationalistic ideologies of divisions and discrimination, which have been institutionalized and strengthened thanks to Dayton, must be systematically removed from the Constitution and the election system, to oppose interference from Russia, to bring stability to the region and to secure permanent peace.” It was added that without a thorough reconstruction of the Constitution set in Dayton, a meaningful change for B&H will not be possible. They encourage the USA to initiate and support the process of creating a completely new social agreement for the 21st century and they explained: “Instead of a complicated and extremely expensive system of the management which also included the state government (the B&H Council of Ministers), two entities and ten Cantons, the manage would be transferred to Bosnian municipalities, which would result in a democratic model which is based more locally and oriented on citizens.” They also appeal on the USA to encourage the OHR that the election and constitutional reforms are implemented on the entire territory of B&H in accordance with relevant rulings of the ECHR. They also propose a thorough change of the US’ foreign policy in terms of the election reform in B&H and they oppose meeting of HDZ B&H’s demands which would in their opinion deepen ethnic divisions and result in the situation where two out of three B&H Presidency members would look for the way to undermine sovereignty of B&H. The letter also expresses encouragement to the USA to support the true constitutional and election reforms that would secure sustainable and democratic, political culture in B&H. The signatories of the letter are: Azra Zornic, Jakob Finci, Dervo Sejdic, Slaven Kovacevic, Zlatan Begic, David Pettigrew, Adil Kulenovic, Tanya Domi, Bojan Sosic, Hazim Basic, Samir Beharic, Azra Berbic, Vildana Bijedic, Sonja Biserko, Stefica Galic, Marion Kraske, Kurt Bassuener, Senadin Lavic, Carole Hodge, Satko Mujagic, Janusz Bugajski, Emir Ramic, Daniel Serwer and Aida Ibricevic.

 

It is no secret that activists and lobbyists of Bosniak community and people who are directly working for Bosniak interests are behind letter sent to Blinken (Glas Srpske) 

 

Commenting on the latest stances of SDA, but also the letter of a group of domestic and foreign activists addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which signatories ask of him for the US to get more actively engaged in the fundamental revision of the Constitution of B&H because, as they pointed out, "the hard-won peace is under threat", professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka Milos Solaja said that nothing will come of the letters from certain political actors from B&H, but also from Bosniak lobbyists around the world, in which they demand an urgent change in the structure of the Dayton Peace Agreement because it has allegedly become an obstacle to the political survival of B&H, noting that they represent only a pre-election game. "They are probably trying to use this situation in the world. But they know that it is impossible to implement revision of the Dayton Peace Agreement without the consent of all parties. This means that the USA cannot do anything alone, because there is also Russia, as well as Serbia, as a signatory to this international agreement. They can only dream, wish and ask for all sorts of things, but the reality is different. I believe that the international community itself is not ready for such an adventure because they are aware where these unilateral moves could lead not only B&H, but also the entire region," Solaja pointed out. Head of the RS Representative Office in Washington Obrad Kesic said that it is no secret that activists and lobbyists of the Bosniak community and people who are directly working for Bosniak interests are behind the letter sent to Blinken. "For them, B&H is unitary and highly centralized, de facto a national state of Bosniaks. Everything else, including the Dayton Agreement, is unacceptable to them. Therefore, it is ironic that they call and state that B&H is jeopardize and ask for a revision of the Dayton Agreement. That revision would destroy Dayton and the common state of B&H. There is nothing new in their activism and they absolutely have no chance of success. It is just another shot in the dark," Kesic underlined. Kesic added that the US administration is aware that one cannot impose what they are asking for without the disintegration of B&H. B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic were presented in the letter as separatist leaders who exploited the concept of constituent peoples in order to create further divisions and hatred. Signatories to the letter stressed that they believe that the time has come for a fundamental revision of the Constitution of B&H so that B&H could meet the conditions for joining NATO and the European Union.

 

Minister: Croatia will not allow issuance of international arrest warrant (Hina) 

 

Croatia will use all available legal means to protect its pilots, Justice and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica said on Monday, calling the proceedings in Serbia a politically staged attempt that could be a reason for blocking Serbia's accession to the European Union. "The Croatian government has clearly stated that it will protect all its citizens, all its defenders, generals, and, in this case, pilots. Therefore, we will use all available legal means if such a moment comes," Malenica said in an interview for RTL. This means that in this case, which refers to the pilots, Croatia will not allow an international arrest warrant to be issued, the minister said. According to Malenica, this is one of the mechanisms and tools at Croatia's disposal, although it is too soon to speak of specific legal moves since Croatia has not received any information yet regarding the proceedings conducted in Serbia, and all that is being discussed is based on reports in Serbian media. "Nothing official has come from Serbia yet. For now, we only have information from Vucic's media. There is no official communication on this case," the Minister noted, adding that Croatia would do everything to protect its generals and the dignity of the Homeland War. Commenting on the statements by lawyers of the injured parties that it is a lie that the rights of the Croatian pilots were violated because they didn't have a chance to make a statement, Minister Malenica said these were "untruths". He pointed out that Croatia had conducted approximately 3,000 criminal proceedings related to war crimes and in the past year there were no unanswered subpoenas referring to Serbia. He said that with regard to legislation, Croatia had clearly aligned itself with the EU, "so the question is what Serbia is doing and whether it really wants to join the EU". Malenica added that Croatia would employ all legal mechanisms at its disposal and insist on certain issues being resolved bilaterally.

 

Abazovic: Montenegro stands with the Ukrainian people (CdM) 

 

Montenegro stands with the Ukrainian people, said Prime Minister in technical mandate Dritan Abazovic at the Second Summit of the Crimean Platform, in which he participated at the invitation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy. At the conference, which, as announced by the government, gathered over 60 statesmen and international actors from Europe and the world, Abazovic conveyed his full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, "expressing regret for the loss of life, humanitarian crisis and war destruction of the country". "Conveying solidarity with the people of Ukraine, Abazovic pointed out that Montenegro stands with the Ukrainian people and reminded that the preservation of the international order based on the principles of international law must be the basis of modern international relations," added the government. In this sense, as they state, Abazovic "condemned the invasion of Russia", assessing that war cannot be allowed in the 21st century as a continuation of politics by other means. The second summit of the Crimean Platform this year was held in an online format due to the war events in Ukraine. "The organizers, in addition to the EU and NATO partners, gathered a significant number of participants from around the world - Japan, Australia, New Zealand, but also the traditionally neutral Switzerland of international representatives such as the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE," said the Government. During the Summit, as they add, the unequivocal support for Ukraine from all actors was confirmed, with the condemnation of "Russian aggression that shook the foundations of the European security architecture". "The need for further provision of financial, medical and military aid to Ukraine was indicated, as well as plans for its reconstruction after the war were considered," concludes the government.

 

Russian Embassy reacts to Gramsh military plant incident (Euronews Albania) 

 

Responding to a query by Euronews Albania, the Russian Embassy in Tirana said they were yet to be officially informed on the incident that happened on Saturday at the Gramsh military plant. The Russian Embassy said they had learned from the media about the incident in the Albanian military facility. The Russian Embassy further said they had sent a note to the Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to seek information on the incident’s details. In addition, the Embassy sought information on the identity of the detainees, their place of detention, the procedural actions taken against them, and the possibility of the Russian consular officials meeting with them. Euronews Albania quoted on Monday the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs as responding to the Russian Embassy’s remarks, saying they have received no note or any other official documents from the Russian Federation’s diplomatic mission in Albania. In a joint press conference held on Monday, Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi and Minister of Interior Bledi Cuci commented on Saturday’s incident at the Gramsh military plant. According to Minister Peleshi, the Albanian politicians reacted excessively to the Gramsh incident, despite the fact that the institutions had properly and timely dealt with it. “The Gramsh incident is being treated seriously due the use of violence marking it, and the fact that we are dealing with foreigners of Russian nationality. We are concerned by the fact that it may have been intended to divert attention from another scenario,” he said. Minister Peleshi said that a connection between the Gramsh and Polican incidents on one hand and the cyber-attack that targeted the Albanian government websites in July could not be ruled out. Minister Cuci promised that the Gramsh incident would be duly investigated, saying that the Elbasan Prosecutor’s Office was in charge of the criminal proceedings into it. “An investigation was launched into the Gramsh incident. It is an event that we are investigating in line with its details and circumstances, regardless of the fact that the relevant military facility is a declassified one. The investigation would certainly focus on how they tried to enter this facility, the equipment they had with them and above all their assault against the guards,” said Cuci.