LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic, ambassadors discuss Kosovo and Metohija, cooperation (Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday hosted a ceremonial lunch for ambassadors of Arab and African nations accredited to Serbia on a residential basis. "An exceptional discussion with the ambassadors, to whom I presented the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the Western Balkan region, and also reviewed the most significant aspects of bilateral and economic cooperation with their countries," Vucic wrote in a post on his Instagram profile that also included photos from the meeting. "Serbia has continued a tradition of good relations with countries of the African and Asian continent, with which it is striving to strengthen and further advance cooperation in all areas of interest, as well as to intensify dialogue at all levels in terms of issues of global significance on which the voice of those countries is of the utmost importance for our country," Vucic added.

 

Borrell calls on Belgrade and Pristina to show readiness to reach agreement and consensus without delay (RTS)

 

The EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs held a meeting in Brussels on Monday. Main topics of the meeting were Ukraine, Iran and the Western Balkans with emphasis on the situation in Kosovo. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell revealed that main negotiators in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina were to arrive to the EU headquarters on Monday evening in order to continue talks on re-registration of vehicles. Borrell stated that he informed the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs about the meetings he had with representatives of Belgrade and Pristina in Paris last week. Borrell underlined that the situation is serious and that this is the most serious crisis in Kosovo since 2013. This is why Borrell called on both parties to show readiness to reach an agreement and consensus without delay. Borrell called on Pristina to show flexibility in resolving the issue of license plates and to start the process of formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) without delay. "The Kosovo side is already arriving tonight (Monday night). I am ready to convene the leaders if negotiators manage to advance towards a practical solution on the issue of license plates before the 21 November deadline. We cannot reach this date without having an agreement or we will be on the edge of a dangerous situation. You know, the withdrawal of the Serbs from the institutions, the dismissing of the police, of the judiciary, of the measures, has created a vacuum in the north of Kosovo. In this vacuum, the worst can happen. Both parties need to show more flexibility," Borrell told the media in Brussels. Borrell also spoke about the need to come up with something that he described as a structural solution for the relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Borrell pointed out that Belgrade and Pristina are at a crossroads and that they must decide whether they will go towards the EU or back to the past. "The message from the Council is clear: we need clear progress. We presented a proposal. I thank Germany and France for supporting strongly this proposal. Kosovo Serbs need to return to institutions. Kosovo authorities must show flexibility on licence plates and work on the implementation of the agreement on the ZSO without delay," Borrell underlined.

 

Dacic: By imposing sanctions to Russia and China, Serbia would not gain new friends and could lose the old ones (TV Happy/TV Una)

 

Serbia cannot impose sanctions to Russia and China since it does not gain new friends because of it and it could lose the old ones, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic stated on Monday. “It would be entirely different if we had understanding in the West. For you to say: The US, France, Great Britain as the permanent members of the Security Council will bear in mind your interests, will not push Kosovo into the UN and all the rest, you have also heard what Turkey says, they will not stop,” Dacic said for TV Happy. He spoke about the same topic on TV Una later on Monday. Serbia would not get rid of the pressure on the issue of Kosovo even if it imposed sanctions on Russia, Dacic said. Belgrade does not always like what Ukraine or Russia say, “but balance is everything in life”, he said. “You see what your interest is and how much you can do. Votes are counted, and that’s where we have a problem, because if we don’t take care of how we vote, we will lose the support not only of Russia, but also of China,” Dacic said.

 

Commitment to deepening overall relations with Slovakia (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic held a meeting yesterday with a delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Slovak parliament, led by President of that body Marian Kery, at which it was assessed that bilateral relations between the two countries are traditionally good and friendly. The necessity of deepening and further strengthening of relations in all areas of common interest, especially in the economic sphere, was highlighted in the discussion. Dacic emphasised that our country highly values Slovakia's principled support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and finding a sustainable solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. Kery expressed Slovakia's readiness to continue intensive communication and cooperation with Serbia in all fields, and particularly advocated the intensification of economic cooperation, as well as a more significant presence of Slovak businessmen on the Serbian market. He said that Slovakia remains committed to its principled position not to recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and that his country will continue to provide full support for Serbia's European integration in the future. Also, Kery expressed his satisfaction with the position and treatment that representatives of the Slovak national minority enjoy in Serbia, as well as the expectation that such quality of relations towards them will be preserved in the future.

 

Support of Germany to additional acceleration of Serbia’s EU integration (RTS/Tanjug/RTV)

 

Serbian Foreign minister Ivica Dacic and the newly appointed Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia Anke Konrad assessed yesterday that the bilateral relations of the two countries are very good and extremely developed in all areas, especially in the economic sphere. Dacic underlined that in the past year the total trade exchange of goods and services approached the figure of €8 billion, and at the same time expressed the interest of our side in the continued cooperation and further investments by the German side. Konrad pointed out that the Federal Republic of Germany is ready to continue intensive political dialogue and improvement of mutual trust with our side. She particularly highlighted the necessity of full implementation of the Brussels agreement and the agreements reached by the two sides in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Also, the Ambassador underlined Germany's support in the process of accelerating Serbia's European integration.

 

Elections for presidents of four municipalities in northern Kosovo, numerous questions without response (RTS)

 

The President of the provisional institutions in Pristina Vjosa Osmani has announced extraordinary elections for the mayors of the municipalities of Northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic for 18 December. In the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, many questions arise - where the elections will be held, who will secure them, to whom those who decide to participate will report promotional rallies, who will distribute voting materials... Elections are scheduled for 18 December, and at the consultations with Vjosa Osmani, representatives of Albanian parties and two Serb parties were in the majority. The representatives of the Serb List, whose mayors resigned, were not present at the meeting. Aleksandar Jablanovic from Leposavic and Nenad Rasic from Gracanica, the only Serbs who were at the consultations, assessed that it was not time for early elections in the north and that if elections were attempted there could be an escalation of violence on the ground.

 

Serb List not to take part in elections (Tanjug/RTV)

 

The Serb List announced today it won't participate in the elections announced by Pristina for the mayors of four municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. "Given Pristina's decision to hold extraordinary local elections in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, we would like to inform the public that the Serb List will not take part in these elections, nor will citizens who support our party, of which over 95 are in these areas," the Serb List said in a statement.

 

Giaufret: EU united on Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (FoNet)

The EU Ambassador in Belgrade said on Monday that the EU is united in its stand on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. EU Delegation Head Emanuele Giaufret said that the EU-facilitated dialogue has the support of all member states. The dialogue is the only to move forward and everything already agreed has to be implemented, he told reporters at the opening of the European Film Festival. He expressed hope that progress would be made in the dialogue to resolve the current crisis.

 

EC: Serbia has made progress on visa policy alignment (Tanjug/RTS)

 

European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said on Monday Serbia had made progress on aligning its visa policy with that of the EU. In a statement, Hipper said Serbia had aligned its visa policy on Tunisia and Burundi in October and November and was now working on aligning the visa policy further. At technical and political level, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and EC Vice President Margaritis Shinas have repeatedly urged Serbia to align the policy with the EU. Noting that the number of migrants on the Western Balkan route had increased, Hipper called for cooperation between EU member states and FRONTEX to enable the EU to provide the necessary support to the Western Balkans, as well as to preserve the Schengen Area.

 

International course for UN staff officers at Jug base near Bujanovac (Politika)

 

The Serbian Defense Ministry stated that an international course for United Nations staff officers, which is attended by members of the Serbian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and armed forces of seven foreign countries, started at the Jug military base near Bujanovac yesterday, in the organisation of the Centre for Peace Operations. During the three-week training course, participants will be trained to work on staff duties in peacekeeping operations in accordance with the procedures and standards of the United Nations. The training programme covers the basic aspects of the functioning of integrated missions of the United Nations, familiarisation with the planning process in the military component of the mission, staff functions and procedures, and a significant part of the course is devoted to considering the latest experiences from participating in current peace operations under the auspices of the United Nations. To conduct this course according to United Nations standards and procedures, the Centre for Peacekeeping Operations is certified by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support. The interest of foreign countries in sending their personnel to this course is traditionally high, which speaks of trust in the training system of the Serbian Army for participation in peace operations.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Grlic Radman calls on B&H leaders to quickly form authorities at all levels (BHT1)

 

A meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU Member States was held in Brussels on Monday. One of the topics on the agenda was the Western Balkans and the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs discussed the political situation in B&H, but also in Montenegro. When it comes to B&H, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Bogdan Aurescu said that Romania will continue to support the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans and B&H. Support for B&H was reaffirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon, who pointed out that she expects the EU candidate status for B&H to be confirmed by the end of the year. "Slovenia played a big role there, and I hope that by the end of the year the European Union will give B&H a candidate status. I have a feeling that the support is much greater than before for this step", Fajon emphasized. The EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs announced that they expect a lot from the upcoming EU-Western Balkans summit that will be held in Tirana on 6 December, especially if one takes into account the announced EU aid package for energy security that is being prepared for the countries of the Western Balkans and amounts to one billion Euros. Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman underlined that it is expected that all the countries of the Western Balkans harmonize their foreign policies with the foreign policy of the EU and introduce sanctions against Russia. Grlic Radman told reporters that political leaders in B&H are expected to rapidly form authorities at all levels in B&H, take over responsibility and implement the constitutional and electoral reforms, as well as other key reforms. He added that these are conditions that need to be met in order for the country to make progress, which is in Croatia’s interest as well.

 

USC Assembly holds inaugural session (BHT1)

 

An inaugural session of the Una-Sana Canton (USC) Assembly was held on Monday. As there is still no political agreement between the parties regarding the formation of the authorities in the USC, the inaugural session of the USC Assembly was marked by the assignment of mandates and the swearing-in of newly elected representatives. The representatives in the USC Assembly pointed out that they expect the USC government to be formed as soon as possible in order to avoid a crisis like the one that marked the previous mandate. According to the final election results, SDA and NES have won eight mandates each; SDP B&H, DF and ‘Pomak’ have won three mandates each; NiP has won two mandates; SB&H, the Labor Party of B&H, and ‘Our Party’ have one mandate each.

 

Inaugural session of Canton 10 Assembly held (BHT1/FTV)

 

An inaugural session of the Canton 10 Assembly was held on Monday. Member of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) Vlado Rogic handed over certificates on the assignment of the mandate to the newly elected representatives in the Canton 10 Assembly after which the representatives were sworn in. Caucuses of the peoples were formed, after which the Caucus of the Croat People in the Canton 10 Assembly proposed Jozo Cosic as a candidate for the position of a Speaker of the Canton 10 Assembly, while Ivan Vukadin was nominated as the Canton 10 Prime Minister-designate. FTV noted that even in this canton, there was some problem in formation of Caucuses which is why appointment of a Prime Minister-Designate and full formation of the Assembly will wait for a while.

 

SDS leadership says party will not be part of broad coalition in RS (RTRS)

 

Acting President of SDS Milan Milicevic stated on Monday that SDS will not be a part of a broad coalition in the RS. “We will never be a part of some manipulation of the so-called broad coalition in order to ensure the two-thirds majority for an individual or group for defense of own or partisan interests, using the Serb unity as an excuse,” Milicevic said. The statement comes after newly-elected RS President Milorad Dodik (SNSD) announced a meeting with parliamentary parties in the RS after taking oath in the RS parliament on Tuesday and stressed that he expects them to declare whether they want to be part of the broad coalition in order to secure the two-thirds majority in the RS parliament. Dodik expressed hope that political parties would “gather around the RS and thereby show its strength and work together to preserve national interests and create better conditions for life of our people”.

 

Vukanovic and Borenovic categorically say they will not negotiate on formation of government (BNTV)

 

BNTV carries that ‘For Justice and Order’ leader Nebojsa Vukanovic and PDP leader Branislav Borenovic stated they will not negotiate about formation of government and make any compromises with SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. In a statement for BNTV, Vukanovic said: “There is nothing to talk or negotiate about with usurpers, bullies and corrupt politicians who remain in power as servants to foreigners, who retailor the will of citizens. We remain committed to our principle and will never attend any meetings with Dodik and his varlets, and we would rather enter a concentration camp instead of entering a concentration government’’. Vukanovic went on to say that nothing can be negotiated with those who are ready to anything in order to remain in power, i.e. those “who abuse public broadcasting service and public companies, who grossly violate the will of citizens, willing to use violence to remain in power like tyrants. There is nothing to talk about with those people”. Vukanovic noted that Dodik is clearly trying to secure 56 representatives in the RS parliament in any possible way, to have four delegates in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP). “The moment he gets four delegates – if he succeeds in that, and he will not – he would immediately declare half of his associates rogues, like he did in the past,” said Vukanovic and added he expects that ‘United Srpka’, DNS, SPS “and other satellites’’ will be used and then “discarded”. Borenovic said that the PDP Presidency’s position is clear, “and I see the same is with colleagues from other opposition political parties, i.e. there will be no talks and negotiations with people who won the mandate thanks to vote rigging. Last week, the PDP Presidency adopted a conclusion that negotiations with people who got their mandates based on vote rigging are out of question. We will continue to contest election for the RS President, we do not concede (…) We do not concede election results for the RS President based on evident vote rigging”. Referring to Dodik’s behavior, Borenovic said Dodik is used to do “whatever he wants in line with the dictatorial matrix, to be a tribe chief, autocrat or a dictator, and – based on subservience and humility of ‘yes man’ people surrounding him – to simply exploit the RS, resources and budgets. That is absolutely clear. He is trying to use that to threaten and to trade in offices based on fear. That is well known and typical for him, but we will certainly not participate in that”.

 

Abazovic: Maybe we should buy facilities to house embassies, from loans, because we don’t have our own money (CdM)

 

At yesterday’s cabinet meeting, PM in technical mandate Dritan Abazovic said that the costs for the diplomatic-consular network were high, and that we should think about buying facilities in countries where Montenegro would always have representative offices. “We should think about getting our facilities in those countries where we will always have representative offices there. Of course, even if we were to buy them from loans, because we don’t have our own money, it would be more profitable for us than to allocate considerable funds every year for expensive rents”, said Abazovic. He explained that that referred to the diplomatic missions of Montenegro in “world capitals and in countries that we will always have in the diplomatic network”. “If we were to buy some real estate abroad, that would be an increase in the capital of the state”, added Abazovic. Abazovic pointed out that there were countries that provided space for embassies free of charge, and that Montenegro had not done it before. “I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t provide it”, he added.

 

Djuricic: DPS about to form government in Bar with traditional coalition partners (CdM)

 

The Real Thing – Together for Bar coalition, which consists of the Democratic Party of Socialists, the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party together with the traditional coalition partner – the Social Democrats, is about to form the government in Bar for the next 4-year period, says Mladen Djuricic, head of the DPS Bar municipal committee. The long-standing traditional coalition partners have expressed a common position that Bar has always been a pillar of European and civic Montenegro, and their willingness to “after the formation of the parliamentary majority, in the next 4 years, responsibly continue managing Bar and act in the interest of all citizens”. “The support that the citizens gave to our lists in the local elections on 23 October gives us the wind at our backs and undoubtedly encourages us and at the same time obliges us to continue working in a responsible manner on the implementation of projects aimed at the further development of Bar and ensuring a better quality of life for all the residents of Bar”, Djuricic has concluded.

 

European Commission: MNE to take concrete measures to shrink grey economy (RTCG)

 

Montenegro’s made a good progress and is moderately ready for the development of a functional market economy. Following a sharp recession in 2020, the economy recorded a strong recovery in 2021 and continued to grow at a stable pace in the first half of   2022, the European Commission (EC) indicated. This is suggested in the document ‘Progress towards meeting the economic criteria for EU accession: the 2022 EC estimations’, published on the EC website. As suggested, the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have been limited so far regardless of the great contribution the two countries had provided for the Montenegrin tourism in the past. The inflation has risen sharply having in mind the increase in global prices of goods. “The government adopted an ambitious plan for fiscal reforms called ‘Europe Now’ in order to provide support to the recovery following the pandemic, at the same time providing fiscal stimulating measures to alleviate the burdens for households due to rises in the prices of energy and food. External imbalances had decreased significantly thanks to the tourism, while the situation in the labor marker started to get better even though structural problems still exist. The banking system has remained stable, while bad loans haven’t significantly increased in 2022 after the moratorium on loan repayment adopted during the coronavirus pandemic expired in 2021,” the EC says. However, there’s a need to closely monitor and solve the risks in terms of tightening the requirements for funding. The EC notes that Montenegro should implement a mid-term plan of fiscal consolidation next year in order to decrease the public debt. It should also strengthen its fiscal governance by setting up an independent fiscal supervisory body. Montenegro, as they say, has made a certain progress and is almost ready to deal with the pressure of competition and market forces within the EU.

 

Kovachevski: North Macedonia and Albania started negotiations with the EU together and have the opportunity to complete them together (All media)

 

The bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Albania have never been better and they are an example how neighboring countries can and should cooperate, PM Dimitar Kovachevski said delivering introductory speech at the joint session of the countries’ governments being held on Monday in Skopje. “Not so far away the whole Balkans was a hostage to retrograde policies. This was the vision to see the whole region as whole, the countries as part of this whole and to act together towards joint European future. What was needed was progressive leadership that could rise above personal political interests and leaders that looked forward and to tomorrow. It is more than clear that together we can always do more, that is why in a few short years, through sincere political will for progress, we have achieved much more than what could be imagined at the time. The bilateral relations between North Macedonia and the Republic of Albania have never been better. We can say that we are an example how two neighbors can and should cooperate,” Kovachevski said. He also referred to cooperation in crisis conditions as within the framework of the Open Balkans initiative and within the framework of the Berlin Process, the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in the field of defence as equal trusted partners of NATO and the USA. “Some did not believe, but together we have stepped towards European integration. On July 19, we both and on the behalf of our citizens and our countries we heard the words “we marked the negotiations as opened,” uttered by the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs. Your support and your personal support at the political table those days in Brussels is invaluable and I will forever remember and appreciate it. As they say friends are known in trouble, and you Edi and your dear colleagues from Albania have shown true and sincere friendship and unequivocal support both on the European path and during our membership in NATO. We have the same goal of full membership of both North Macedonia and Albania in the EU. As progressive governments, we have put a lot of effort and showed that progress can only be made with cooperation,” Kovachevski said, stressing the importance of the implementation of the projects for infrastructure connectivity of the two countries. In regard to the war in Ukraine, PM Kovachevski underlined that the country has placed itself clearly on the line of the EU’s foreign policy, and Albania has done the same, the two countries, he said, together stand on the line of world peace and maintain stability in the region. “It is our common interest to prevent attempts by third parties for their own purposes to drag our countries and entire Western Balkans into undesirable scenarios, scenarios that will threaten the democratic gains that we have worked so long to restore, which will block the opportunities for economic development of the states and drag the region into new isolations and tensions, that the Balkans barely overcome. Both our countries through joint work on specific solutions are investing in a secure future for the entire Balkan region, and that is already clear to everyone. As democratic governments, we know that Euro-Atlantic integrations are of strategic interest for stability and security, for the economy and the standard of living of the entire Western Balkans, and the EU has finally realized that its strategic and security interest that the Western Balkans can be and will be part of Europe and that now is the moment to ensure the rounding of the European family. We must not miss this momentum of extended hands from our friends and partners. We and the EU have so far fulfilled all our promises and will continue to do so,” PM Kovachevski said. He underscored that the opening of the negotiations and the start of the screening is a huge success for all of us, the process has finally started and now with a fully protected identity and national interests, recognized and confirmed by Europe, we are progressing in the reforms to ensure European standards and principles. “For us, for the Macedonian identity and Macedonian language, recognition from Europe was very important. The negotiations were painful and difficult, but we managed to achieve what we fought for, which is to preserve the Macedonian language and raise it to the same level as the other languages of the EU. Macedonian identity will continue to develop as a part of the complex European identity. Proof of our effort and fulfilled promise was the signing of the agreement with FRONTEX, signed by all 27 member countries in the Macedonian language without any additions or footnotes,” Kovachevski said. He also said that we have to “approach other necessary steps in the Parliament”, in order to complete the accession negotiations with the EU in a dynamic process. “There is no more room for excuses, which would block our country’s approach to European integration. Now everything is in our hands. I expect the MPs to show responsibility in the Parliament as well, in order to continue moving quickly towards the EU. As we started the negotiations together, North Macedonia and Albania have the opportunity to finish the negotiations together,” Kovachevski noted. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also delivered opening remarks at the joint session of the countries’ governments in Skopje on Monday, after which a discussion between the ministers of the two governments began. At today’s session, countries’ ministers are set to sign agreements and memoranda aimed to strengthen cooperation in several segments.

 

Open Balkans compatible with Berlin Process and should continue, say Kovachevski and Rama (All media)

 

Open Balkans and the Berlin Process are not at all contradictory, but on the contrary, they are two compatible processes because the countries that are a part of the Berlin Process are also a part of Open Balkans, which is based on the four freedoms of the EU, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Monday. “If you examine the agreements which we signed at the Berlin Process you will see they are identical to the ones our three countries have already signed and ratified. The Berlin Process is irreversible, it is a process that leads towards a full integration of the Western Balkans to the European common market. The foundations of the Open Balkans initiative are the four freedoms of the European Union. An additional indicator of the progress Albania and North Macedonia have achieved in their development, especially regarding the establishment of safety, security, stability, political relations with the neighbors is the fact that the next Western Balkan summit will be held precisely in Tirana, while the Berlin Process agreements will be deposited in North Macedonia, at the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” emphasized PM Kovachevski in response to a reporter’s question whether it is worth it to continue the Open Balkans process, which is made up of three of the six Western Balkan countries that are a part of the Berlin Process. Albanian Prime Minister Rama stressed that it is worth it to continue with the Open Balkans initiative, which, he said, is a life-long process, and compared the two processes to a locomotive and wagons. “It makes it even more worth it because it changes the position of the locomotive in relation to the wagons. The Berlin Process is a locomotive which carries the leaders of the region on a new journey. In the end, of course, that locomotive changes the relations slightly, but the process moves forward and we have nothing to expect in terms of what we have already done, which the Berlin Process only reinforces. I think that the Berlin Process is open but it is not a life-long process, whereas Open Balkans is. I think it will last longer. Still, we should keep this in mind,” said PM Edi Rama.

 

Rama: Your Constitution includes many minorities, model already familiar (Alsat-M/TV21)

 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told a joint press conference with host Dimitar Kovachevski that the Constitution of North Macedonia includes many minorities and this model is already familiar, hoping that the country would not go back to the past and “self-isolate”. “Your Constitution includes many minorities and the model is already familiar. It is not something that has been invented now and it should be upgraded. This is very simple. We have a slightly different model but the parliament has recognized a significant number of minorities, including the modest Bulgarian minority. However, I don’t believe we have made this into a threat for some other minority,” said PM Rama and added that minorities are a treasure for a country. He expressed assurance that North Macedonia would not go back to the past and self-isolate. “Everyone sees that epochal efforts have been made on the Euro-Atlantic path and this is extremely significant for all, for the economy, for the social development, for the domestic processes. Therefore, I believe it would be fatal if there is regression and entrapment in history. The past is the past and it should not be a problem of having a large number of minorities in your Constitution and no one should be left out,” said Rama.

 

Rama: The Balkans should not deal with the past! Kovacevski: 30 years ago, the sound of guns was heard in the region, today it is the sound of friendship (Radio Tirana)

 

The Western Balkans should no longer deal with the past, but countries should strengthen cooperation at a time when the future is so threatening. Rama and Kovacevski shared the same views said that this strengthening of cooperation has grown even further through the Open Balkans and the Berlin Process. While Rama said that the agreements of the Berlin Process were made earlier by the Open Balkans, he added that this initiative is exactly complementary and that it should not be seen as a threat. In the same line was the counterpart Kovacevski, who said that 30 years ago in the region the sound of the gun could be heard, today it is the sound of friendship These statements were made during the joint press conference between Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski after the meeting of the governments of the two countries in Skopje. "We are rushing to compensate the gap between our hydro capacities in relation to the needs, to create new capacities with new solar energy, hydro through Skavica and liquid gas, where we have a number of partnerships. We are convinced that more and more unity makes power and the Balkans have no reason to deal with the past while the future is threatening if we are not prepared for it. We are preparing another summit of the Open Balkans in Albania and we are pleased that other countries will join us", said Rama. Rama emphasized that both countries have moved forward, but there is still much to be done to increase the volume of cooperation both in moving forward with integration and in the field of energy and infrastructure. "The construction of a Dry Port in Struga, the Skopje-Durres railway, a new border point, the three most strategically important. The preliminary project of the Dry Port will be undertaken by the Albanian government within the framework of the agreement it has with the Dutch company that has designed the new commercial port combined with the military area of ​​Durres and the Dry Port of Pristina. Thus we believe that we created a complex infrastructure in order to increase the volume of interaction between our countries and it has been the primary goal of the Open Balkans initiative and the Berlin Process. We have the potential to further boost relations between the two countries. We are today for the first time as countries negotiating EU membership after a long period. We joined together in a pain of love for Europe and Europe's indifference towards us. Today we are in a new phase, not easy, but which has affirmed that our country is in the EU family and this affirmation has come thanks to our work and results and our determination to join the EU,” said Rama. The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, said that the two countries will be together in facing the challenges facing Europe and that this is an indicator of healthy relations between them.

 

Growing economic cooperation, history of agreements between Albania and North Macedonia (Radio Tirana)

 

The 21 cooperation agreements were signed at the joint meeting of the two governments of Albania and North Macedonia in Skopje. The history of their agreements in recent years includes major fields. Albania has demonstrated a well-known spirit of economic cooperation with its neighbor North Macedonia. The history of agreements and cooperation is indicative of this spirit that exists between the two countries. The most important deals are the ones that are currently active. Thus, the parliament of Albania has ratified the agreement between Albania and North Macedonia on the establishment of common border crossing points between the two countries. The agreement creates an instrument that has greatly facilitated the passage of citizens between the two countries, as well as goods and services, bringing them in line with EU standards. The agreement was signed on 10 June 2021. Another important agreement between the Macedonian government and the Albanian government is the one for avoiding double taxation, related to taxes on income and on capital as well as for the prevention of fiscal evasion. Or even the agreement between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Macedonia on social protection, approved in 2015. Relations with North Macedonia have had very positive developments in recent years, made possible by the efforts of both parties. An indicator of the very good cooperation between the two countries is the exchange of high-level bilateral visits and not only, the cooperation agreements and memorandums signed between the two countries, as well as the cooperation within the framework of regional organizations and the "Open Balkans" initiative. Trade links have expanded and the volume of trade has increased, despite the fact that we are still far from using the full potential. The authorities say that further intensification of commercial, touristic, educational and cultural exchanges is needed. The second joint meeting between the two governments seems to be continuing to deepen the new phase of bilateral relations, through the work started and commitments undertaken within the framework of regional cooperation, such as joint cross-border projects, interconnection, measures for the Economic Zone Regional, as well as corridor VIII. Albania was one of the first countries to recognize North Macedonia after it seceded from the former FRY, while diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 24 December.

 

EC report: Albania's economy will recover in 2024, public debt will decrease to 66.4% of GDP (Radio Tirana)

 

The European Commission has published the latest report regarding the current economic situation and future forecasts for member countries and those who claim to receive the status of a member country in the European Union. The report states that the Albanian economy has been resilient during the first half of 2022. Economic growth is mainly attributed to domestic demand and growing tourism. Both of these factors coupled with the increase in goods exports to 3.2% in 2022, electricity prices and the appreciation of the local currency have managed to keep the inflation rate below the double-digit value for this year as well. Meanwhile, the situation for 2023 seems not to be very favorable, which is expected to bring a weakening of consumption and private investments. The latter, in the face of uncertainty from rising prices, is expected to slow growth to 2.6% in 2023. The report explains that the Albanian economy grew by 8.5% last year and continued to expand by 4.4% during the first half of 2022, driven by increased consumption and exports. The report assesses as key factors the overall tourist season that exceeded expectations, the increase in exports of goods, construction materials and textiles, which benefited from price advantages and tight supply chains. However, consumption is expected to weaken in the second half of the year, the report predicts. The main reason for the latter is the increase in price uncertainty, which is expected to slow down the expansion of private investments. Subsidizing electricity for households has been a heavy burden on public finances, which, coupled with the tightening of financing conditions, will lead to a reduction in public investment. Finally, slowing domestic demand will moderate imports, resulting in a negative contribution to net exports and a projected real growth of 3.2%. The year 2023 and 2024 is expected to be affected by uncertainty if the government increases the price of electricity, the EU report points out. In addition, household consumption in 2023 is expected to be affected by the negative effects of high food and transportation prices, which account for about half of household budgets. On the other hand, the tightening of external financing conditions and the need for increased subsidies and social support are expected to limit the possibilities for fiscal incentives. The report follows the slowdown in domestic demand, which is expected to reduce imports, resulting in less positive net exports. However, aided by moderate growth in the export of services and tourism, Albania seems to remain relatively cheap and attractive. As for economic growth, it is predicted to fall to 2.6% in 2023 and 3.4% in 2024, writes the EC report. Meanwhile, as far as the labor market is concerned, throughout 2023 and 2024 the unemployment rate is expected to decrease gradually to around 10.5%. The report explains that increased services exports and remittances are expected to help gradually reduce the current account deficit to 7.4% in 2024. For 2023, inflation is expected to decrease to 4.1% before approaching the target in 2024. Finally, the balance for 2024 is predicted to be more positive than 2023, as public finances will benefit from higher revenues, which as a result of tax measures and new fiscal adjustments will reduce public debt to 66.4% of GDP in 2024.