LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: We are grateful to US delegation for insisting on implementation of agreements (RTS/Tanjug)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday he was grateful to a US delegation for insisting on implementation of reached agreements during a recent visit to Pristina. Speaking to reporters, Vucic said he had also discussed a so-called French-German proposal with the US delegation on Thursday. "We pointed to the response we have issued to that in our non-paper and to what our red lines are. We also discussed the Community of Serb Municipalities. We thank the US delegation for insisting on implementation of agreements, and a major meeting with Lajcak awaits us on the 20th," Vucic said. Vucic said his meeting with the US delegation, headed by State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet, had addressed Kosovo and Metohija, bilateral relations, approximation to a Serbia-US strategic dialogue, the region and the situation in Ukraine.

 

Chollet: Dialogue must focus on German-French proposal, Community (Tanjug/Politika/RTS/RTV)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday hosted a working luncheon for US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet, who noted that the US was pushing for focus on an agenda under which Belgrade and Pristina must turn to discussions about a so-called French-German proposal for resolving the Kosovo crisis as well as to swift establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities. The US will always back all efforts aimed at maintaining peace and stability, said Chollet, whom Vucic informed of developments in Kosovo and Metohija, the presidential press office said in a statement. Vucic noted that, as always in the past, Serbia was approaching seriously and responsibly any new escalations resulting from unilateral moves by the Pristina provisional institutions, and that it remained committed to a policy of peace, stability, dialogue and a constructive position on all open issues. Vucic added that he expected the US to recognise Serbia's efforts in that sense and use its undoubted influence to encourage Pristina to meet undertaken commitments under accepted and signed agreements, as well as to continue dialogue in the spirit of an open and sincere exchange of proposals for resolving specific challenges. Vucic and Chollet also discussed energy security, regional economic connectivity and Serbia's role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, as well as continuation of the EU-facilitated dialogue with the aim of normalising relations with Pristina. Vucic and Chollet also discussed initiatives for regional connectivity and for boosting cooperation among Western Balkan states, as well as untapped potentials in development of bilateral and economic cooperation between Serbia and the US. They agreed that stepped-up overall bilateral relations were a common strategic interest for both countries and that efforts by both sides towards even quicker and more multi-faceted strengthening of cooperation in many fields must be advanced further. Vucic said he was pleased with growing interest among US companies in investing and doing business in Serbia, as well as with the fact the US business elite had recognised the excellent potentials for investing in Serbia as well as a stable business environment in which foreign companies had been operating successfully for many years now. They agreed that firm economic ties and expansion of business cooperation in all fields of mutual interest were one of the foundations for further strengthening of the comprehensive Serbia-US partnership.

 

Chollet: No ultimatums, support for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Beta/N1)

 

State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet told reporters on Thursday evening that he was not in Belgrade to make ultimatums but to support the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. He said that he was in the Western Balkans at the request of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken because this is a key moment for Europe because of the war in Ukraine. He said he was in Belgrade to express full support to the European Union mediated dialogue and look into ways to continue it in close cooperation with the EU. He said that the forming of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is the key issue which has to be resolved. “We believe that the forming of the ZSO is in line with the Constitution of Kosovo and is not contradictory,” Beta quoted him as saying. Chollet said he believes Belgrade and Pristina can reach a compromise this year. He said that his meetings in Belgrade included civil society organization representatives who discussed freedom of the media, rule of law and the fight against corruption. The US strongly believes that free media are absolutely crucial for democracy and that is the message we are sending in Serbia and across the world, he said adding that he discussed the issue with state officials.

 

Gratitude to the US for its constructive role in preserving peace in region (Politika/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke on Thursday with Counsellor of the United States Department of State Derek Chollet, and Minister of Defence Milos Vucevic also attended the meeting. Brnabic thanked for the open and constructive approach that the US has in relation to open issues in the region, and especially for the constructive role of the US in preserving peace in the region. Brnabic expressed her hope that this year will be marked by a more stable period, unlike the previous one, which was characterised by instability and provocations caused by unilateral moves by temporary institutions in Pristina. She stressed that preserving peace and stability is Serbia's priority. Speaking about the relations between Belgrade and Pristina, she said that Serbia remains committed to peace and stability and that it will continue to have a constructive approach through dialogue as it has done so far. Brnabic and Chollet agreed that the cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence is very good, and the cooperation of the Serbian Army with the Ohio National Guard was highlighted as a good example of successful military-military cooperation. The interlocutors also discussed cooperation in the field of energy and economy, with the Prime Minister highlighting the importance of cooperation and investments by American IT companies, which represents a great potential for the overall development of our country, especially considering that the largest export of services from our country is in the US.

 

Intensification of political dialogue of Serbia, US (Tanjug/RTV)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic emphasised on Thursday, during the talks Counsellor of the United States Department of State Derek Chollet, Serbia's strategic determination to improve all forms of cooperation with the US. Dacic pointed out that we should continue reminding of the historical alliance of the two countries and peoples, with the aim of further strengthening bilateral relations. Both sides expressed their determination to intensify the political dialogue and exchange visits of high and top state officials from Serbia and the US. Dacic expressed his willingness to visit the US in the near future. On this occasion, the interlocutors exchanged opinions on regional issues and the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the possibilities for achieving progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Chollet conveyed the interest of US President Joseph Biden in achieving full regional stability and prosperity for all citizens of the Western Balkan region, and at the same time welcomed Dacic's willingness to visit Washington.

 

Dacic: I told Chollet no one in Serbia would accept independence of Kosovo (TV Prva)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Friday he had told US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet no one in Serbia would accept an independence of Kosovo and that President Aleksandar Vucic was a key guarantor of peace and stability in the region, Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija. Speaking to TV Prva, Dacic said Serbia was ready for dialogue but that the red lines were clearly defined. The red lines are that there will be no new negotiations about a Community of Serb Municipalities, that Serbia is not willing to recognise Kosovo as independent indirectly or directly, and that Serbia will not allow another pogrom of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and that KFOR is under an obligation to guarantee security, he said. “It is a positive thing when you hear a senior US official say that a Community of Serb Municipalities is Pristina’s obligation,” he said of the meeting with Chollet. When asked if the US was capable of toppling Pristina PM Albin Kurti’s government, Dacic responded: “What is it that the Americans cannot do?” He said statements by US officials suggested there was a desire in Washington for a Community of Serb Municipalities to be formed. “If the West wants to influence Pristina, it has the mechanisms to do that. They are the ones who have created Pristina,” Dacic said. He reiterated that the so-called Kosovo was not an internationally recognised state and that, following a further nine derecognitions, the number of countries that recognised it had declined to 84 out of 194 UN member states. “Realistically, they are far from becoming a state. Before our action, there were over 110 countries that recognised Kosovo. Serbia is a factor a political solution must be discussed with. The international community needs to worry about whether Pristina will implement that,” he said. Speaking about a French-German proposal for resolving the Kosovo issue, Dacic noted the significance of absolute unity of the Serbian side when it comes to argumentation and approach. “There will be no new negotiations about what has been agreed, or about the Community of Serb Municipalities. There is no recognition of Kosovo-Metohija or consent to UN membership. Safety of Kosovo Serbs must be guaranteed,” he said, adding that Kurti was the main obstacle to regional peace and stability.

 

Djuric on Vucic-Chollet meeting: Pristina doesn’t have blank support of Washington (RTS)

 

The Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric assessed that the meeting between President Aleksandar Vucic and Special Adviser at the State Department Derek Chollet in Belgrade was good for the relations between the two countries. He stated that it was an “afternoon of fighting for Serbian interests”, adding that Vucic brought forward in detail all the attacks, terror and pressure on Kosovo Serbs and ways to resolve the crisis. According to him, Vucic’s question whether since February 2022 the Serbs with Kosovo and Metohija have caused some incident or led to some crisis was met with approval. “Vucic was perceived as a credible interlocutor, because he has participated in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina for eleven years. He brought forward in detail all the attacks, terror and pressure on the Kosovo Serbs and the ways to solve the crisis,” said Djuric. He emphasizes that Serbia’s position is being carefully listened to, claiming that Pristina does not have the blank support of Washington. The conversation between Vucic and Chollet lasted two hours and 45 minutes instead of just over an hour. “It was an afternoon of fighting for the interests of Serbia,” said Djuric. According to hm, the US insists more on the formation of the ZSO than European officials. Serbia does not blackmail anyone, it demands that the situation return to before February last year, when Kurti’s regime started building illegal bases in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, that the formation of the ZSO be started without delay and that the arrested Serbs be released, stated the Serbian Ambassador in Washington. Tomorrow I will return to the US with a list of tasks, the solution of which will improve Serbia’s position in Washington. We will continue to lobby for a whole range of initiatives in order to gain more support, Djuric said. He pointed out that Pristina’s move to disobey the Washington agreement in the part that concerns refraining from promoting the recognition of independence in the US is seen as an obstacle to dialogue. On the other hand, Djuric emphasizes the success of Serbian diplomacy, which, he says, led to 19 withdrawals of the recognition of Kosovo’s independence. Although it will not change its attitude towards this issue, Serbia has a partner in the US for building peace and stability, for rational solutions and in the fight to attract American capital, which, as he assessed, transformed Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

 

Zakharova to UN: Support Serbia’s request for troops (Beta/RIA Novosti)

 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday asked the UN Secretariat why it won’t support Serbia’s request to return its security forces to Kosovo. “Why is the UN Secretariat not willing to support Belgrade’s request to send the Serbian military and police to the region in line with (UN SC) resolution,” RIA Novosti quoted her as telling reporters. Zakharova said that Resolution 1244 “is valid for everyone and just attention to be drawn to it.” KFOR refused a request from the Serbian authorities to allow the return of up to 1,000 Serbian soldiers and police to Kosovo to secure cultural and religious heritage sites under UN SC Resolution 1244.

 

Protest held over request to extend detention for Kosovo Serb (Kosovo Online/Tanjug/RTS/Politika)

 

Kosovo Serbs held a protest in North Mitrovica on Thursday over a request by Pristina's prosecution office that the detention of Serb Sladjan Trajkovic be extended by a further two months, the Kosovo Online news portal reported. Trajkovic is a former Kosovo Police officer arrested in North Mitrovica on 15 December on charges of alleged involvement in war crimes committed in Vucitrn in 1999. His lawyer Dejan Vasic said a decision on whether the detention would be extended was due on Thursday or Friday. "I insisted that his friends gather today so that the Pristina court that is to make a decision sees that picture and takes into account that criminal proceedings can be underway with a less strict measure. What we want is that Sladjan be allowed to go home and to fight the false accusations he has been charged with," Vasic said. He said Trajkovic's health condition was very complex as he had been suffering from chronic illnesses before his incarceration. Vasic said that Trajkovic's condition had deteriorated drastically due to inadequate treatment and accommodation and due to inadequacy of medical staff. "I think he would need to be transferred to the North Mitrovica hospital urgently in order to save his life. Having known Sladjan for many years and having spoken with people who have known him for a long time, I am certain he has absolutely nothing to do with the things he has been charged with," Vasic said, adding that he believed Trajkovic would be released to house arrest until the end of the investigation.

 

Two young Serb men arrested in Klokot (RTS)

 

Two Serbian young men, Dejan M. (27) and Aleksandar S. (31), were detained yesterday in Klokot, because during the Orthodox Christmas Eve celebration, several shots were heard fired in the air from the church yard. Members of the Kosovo police searched the houses of these two families, and Dejan and Aleksandar were taken into custody, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement. They have been detained for 48 hours and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija will provide them with free legal assistance and a lawyer. The families were also visited by the president of the temporary authority of the municipality of Vitina, who conveyed the support of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija to them. "It is clear that with such arrests, connected to the celebration of Christmas, as the most joyous Orthodox holiday, Serbs are made aware that they have no right to their holidays, which is best demonstrated by the terrorist attack on Christmas Eve in Gotovusa, when an Albanian, a member of the so-called of the Kosovo Security Forces, shot the boy Stefan and the young man Milos, just because they were carrying a badnjak. This puts additional pressure on the Serbs and brings fear into the Serb environment, with the clear aim of making them feel uneasy and expelling them from their homes," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

State-level coalition partners unofficially agree on distribution of 36 posts of directors of state agencies and institutions; Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs will each obtain 12 position (FTV)

 

The ruling state-level coalition held a meeting at the Administrative Center of the Republika Srpska (RS) government in Istocno Sarajevo on Thursday, prior to the Orthodox Christmas reception hosted by Chairwoman and Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic. The coalition partners at the meeting were represented by Cvijanovic, Radovan Viskovic and Zoran Tegeltija from SNSD, HDZ B&H Deputy President Borjana Kristo, People and Justice (NiP) leader Elmedin Konakovic who was accompanied by NiP officials Aljosa Campara and Denis Zvizdic, Our Party (NS) leader Edin Forto, and Nerin Dizdar from SDP B&H. Coalition partners discussed personnel solutions and distribution of 36 positions of directors of state agencies and institutions, and they unofficially agreed that Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs will each obtain 12 positions. Cvijanovic briefly assessed that the meeting was successful. Konakovic addressed media elaborating on the meeting and its conclusions. In his media address, Konakovic stated: "By assuming responsibility in the state authorities, we are taking responsibility for those people who are at the head of agencies and institutions that need to monitor the work and implement our policies. It is a completely natural political process and today we talked about it in a very good, constructive atmosphere.”

 

Dodik comments on meeting in Istocno Sarajevo: Talks were very easy and we were able to complete the first phase successfully (RTRS)

 

In the building of the administrative center of the RS government in Istocno Sarajevo, a meeting was held between delegations of parties that form the state-level coalition in B&H. SNSD, HDZ B&H and ‘The Eight’ representatives held talks on distribution of posts. They primarily spoke of distribution of posts in the security agencies of B&H. SNSD members assessed the meeting as very good and they expressed satisfaction over the reached agreement. After the meeting, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik spoke of the agreement and the cooperation with partners. He said talks were very easy and they were able to complete the first phase successfully, that is to name the candidates for all ministers and deputy ministers of the new B&H Council of Ministers (B&H CoM). Now, these candidates must pass the vetting procedures after which a session of the B&H House of Representatives (B&H HoR) will be called. Speaking about distribution of other posts, Dodik confirmed that the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) of B&H will go to the Bosniaks, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) will go to the Serbs and the B&H Border Police will go to the Croats.

 

Niksic: Future B&H CoM will be incomparably better than existing convocation (FTV)

 

SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic, commenting on the formation of authorities in B&H, noted that the number of parties gathered around SDP B&H, People and Justice (NiP) and Our Party (NS) will depend on the authority level. With regard to formation of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM), Niksic noted that the future CoM will be incomparably better than the existing convocation, and he expects that the future CoM will bring improvements. “If we manage to move the situation by ten percent to be better, that would be a huge shift, but I am sure it will be much more", said Niksic and pointed out that all the signatories of the agreement on formation of authorities – ‘The Eight’, HDZ B&H and SNSD – are ready to agree on, work and show that it can be done differently. Niksic said that in case this proves to be wrong and if blockades in the authorities happen after all, then SDP B&H and other parties can always withdraw from their positions. “No one is born to be a Minister or Prime Minister, we can withdraw from authorities”, the SDP B&H leader remarked. The SDP B&H leader added that it is evident that on the political scene there will be the willingness to talk, agree, unblock, solve everyday problems of citizens and he emphasized that HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik showed their willingness to work, cooperate and agree. "We must not ruin that opportunity. If it turns out that we are wrong, we will apologize and withdraw”, he underscored. Speaking about nomination of Sevlid Hurtic from ‘Movement for the State’ instead of Denis Sulic from SNSD as the Bosniak candidate for B&H Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, Niksic confirmed that this was a result of compromise between ‘The Eight’ and SNSD and added that they agreed for ‘Movement for the State’ to propose their candidate. Niksic inferred from this that it is possible to come to agreements when there is willingness to do so. He rejected SDA’s accusations that Hurtic does not represent Bosniak people. As for the NATO path, Niksic pointed out that the agreement on formation of authorities states that they continue to work on all integration processes in B&H - and the integration process in B&H involves cooperation with NATO. Niksic specified: "The position of both ‘The Eight’ and the HDZ B&H is very clear i.e. B&H should be a member of NATO". When it comes to the Election Law, he said that they agreed to adopt it, saying that HDZ B&H made it clear it would be acceptable to them to elect the B&H Presidency members in the parliament, while it is yet to see what the stances of the partner from RS is. Niksic repeated, when it comes to the state's agreement with the Islamic Community, that there is no political trade. Speaking about the formation of authorities at the Federation of B&H (FB&H) level, Niksic said he expects complication and added that the time will come when someone will examine how SDA gained influence in the House of Peoples (HoP). "There is a majority in the House of Representatives (HoR), there is a majority in the House of Peoples (HoP) - everywhere in the world those who prove that they have the majority have the right to appoint the representative and the government”, remarked the SDP B&H leader, who also confirmed that SDP B&H’s Vojin Mijatovic will not be the candidate for FB&H Vice-President and that SDP B&H does not have its candidate at all. Asked about his stance on the marking of the unconstitutional Day of the RS, Niksic replied that the institutions are responsible for that and that the situation cannot be expected to be resolved overnight.

 

SB&H and NES remain part of ‘The Eight’ at FB&H and cantonal levels after leaving state-level coalition (O Kanal)

 

O Kanal analysed whether SB&H and NES, which left ‘The Eight’ at the state level, will join SDA as coalition partners. Namely, ‘The Eight’ turned into ‘The Six’ after SB&H and NES left, and ‘The Six’ will thus form state authorities with HDZ B&H and SNSD if more parties do not leave the coalition. However, ‘The Eight’ will remain in its full capacity of eight parties at the level of the FB&H as well as cantonal authorities. SB&H and NES left the state-level coalition, but they say they are certainly there for the entity and the cantons. When it comes to state level, they oppose the secessionist rhetoric advocated by SNSD and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. NES leader Nermin Ogresevic confirmed that NES remains part of the agreement at the entity and cantonal levels. “We still have an agreement. We have to talk. We have the FB&H and the cantons, and I think we should be fair to the end and give the opportunity, of course, to respect that partnership and to see if there is room for further cooperation and where we can cooperate”, Ogresevic added. SBiH leader Semir Efendic assessed that the agreement for the state authorities has never been established faster and he believes that this kind of authority at the BiH level will not do anything new, which is why he does not see the point of remaining in the coalition. “The process was not conducted in a high-quality manner, it was not well prepared, and in the end, for these reasons, we withdrew from it”, Efendic noted. According to O Kanal, SDA appears to be willing to accept two new coalition partners as it would thus ensure a majority at the entity level in the FB&H. Analyst Tanja Topic assessed that it is possible that SBiH and NES could approach talks with SDA to form the FB&H-level majority after all, given that SDA is not accepting the fact that it has lost the authority at that level. Although SDA complimented the moves of SB&H and NES, Ogresevic is certain that there will be no agreement with this party. Ogresevic said that he believes it is necessary to agree on the formation of the FB&H authorities with ‘The Six’ for the sake of consistency of respecting of the signed agreement. Should there be an invitation of SDA, Ogresevic noted that there might be room for a possible agreement. The daily noted: “They are probably guided with the idea – we will join those who offer more”. Analyst Topic argued that SDA will certainly not give up and will use all possible means to stay in the authorities at least at the level of the FB&H and she concluded that “the situation is not optimistic at all”.

 

Court of B&H dismisses PDP’s appeal related to fifth delegate in B&H HoP from RS (Srna/ATV)

 

The Court of B&H has dismissed PDP’s appeal related to the fifth delegate in the Serb Caucus in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) from RS, Srna unofficially learned in the Court of B&H. ATV reports that, following the Court’s decision, the decision of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) according to which SNSD has four delegates in the B&H HoP is final and legally binding, and the election of delegates in the B&H has been finalized. Ten delegates of B&H HoP from the FB&H have not been elected yet.  SDA will nominate Safet Softic and Sefik Dzaferovic. SDA will also give one seat to its partner DF. HDZ B&H and SDP have not nominated candidates their yet.

 

Stevandic: Publishing of document on Danilo Vucic’s visit proves that RS cannot rely on joint institutions (Glas Srpske)

 

RS parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic commenting the publishing of the memo sent by Serbian Embassy to B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs containing details of the visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s son Danilo Vucic proves that the RS cannot rely on the unprofessional work of the joint institutions and that it can only rely on its own institutions. He argued that if the joint state-level institutions act in an unprofessional manner, the RS should have its own institutions that do the job in a professional and responsible manner. “If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to act in this way, it should be immediately abolished, and entity services should be created. The culprit is (B&H Foreign Minister) Bisera Turkovic and the likes of her”, Stevandic stated.

 

Borenovic: Fact that B&H institutions delivered official announcement on visit of Vucic’ son to media is violation of all diplomatic and security rules (BN TV)

 

Leader of PDP Branislav Borenovic commented on the atmosphere in RS related to the announced visit of son of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He characterized the atmosphere directed at Vucic as hate. According to Borenovic, the fact that institutions of B&H delivered the official announcement on the visit of Vucic’ son to the RS to media is violation of all diplomatic and security rules and the most direct jeopardizing of safety of persons who should enjoy protection. Borenovic also said that silence of top ranked RS officials at the level of the joint institutions about this issue is concerning.

 

March in Buzim with uniforms and war flags held once again (RTRS)

 

The FB&H media often negatively comment the traditional marking of RS Day, which is held in a peaceful manner. However, they fail to comment on the radical celebration of anniversary of ‘Munja’ operation, that is held each year in Buzim. People that gather at this event in Buzim shout out ‘Allahu Akbar’ and often make offensive comments regarding Serbs and the RS. To this, Western embassies, and the Office of the High Representative (OHR) fail to react. RS associations that derive from the defense and patriotic war called on the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to react to this. War uniforms, green berets, flags of the so-called Army of the Republic of B&H (RB&H), shouts ‘Takbir’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’ – which were also said by children, offending the Serbs and calling the RS “a genocidal creation” – all this was seen during marking of the 30th anniversary of ‘Munja’ operation. It is traditionally marked in Buzim. Disturbing images from this marking strike fear into the hearts of Serbs, and this is repeated every year.

 

Franz and Rangel condemn marking of RS Day, call for sanctions vs. Dodik (Oslobodjenje)

 

Chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with B&H Romeo Franz and European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for B&H Paulo Rangel have issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning the marking of RS Day, adding that it took place again despite of the decision of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H which proclaimed this day unconstitutional. Franz and Rangel argue that ignoring of the B&H CC’s decision is a crime. They called for sanctioning of RS President Milorad Dodik. In their opinion, the decision to choose Istocno Sarajevo as the place where this year’s celebration of the RS Day will take place is another, especially cynical provocation. They also condemn the fact that Serbian officials and ministers, as well as some Montenegrin ministers attended these illegal events. They stressed that in Europe there is no room for denying of genocide and glorifying of convicted war criminals and this prevents all attempts of reconciliation and takes a risk of preserving dangerous divisions within the country. As for awarding Russian President Vladimir Putin, they said that it speaks volumes about “sense of belonging” of the RS leadership and their contempt toward fundamental, European values, as well as the participation of ‘Night Wolves’ in this year’s parade. “Several red lines have been crossed, and it is high time for the international community to move beyond strong verbal statements and take specific, targeted action against those who continue to deliberately and systematically undermine B&H’s constitutional and territorial order in words and deeds. Through his statements and actions Milorad Dodik has de facto disavowed the 12 June 2022 political agreement that he subscribed to. We reiterate the European Parliament’s call in its resolution of 6 July 2022 on the EU, its Member States and the international community ‘to follow the example set by the United States and the United Kingdom and use all available tools, namely targeted sanctions and the suspension of funds, against destabilizing actors in the country, including those threatening the territorial order of B&H, notably Milorad Dodik’ and urge swift, tangible and credible punitive action,” reads the statement.

 

Milanovic on marking of RS Day: Everyone can celebrate what they want; It is stupidity to declare something unconstitutional (Hina)

 

With regard to marking 9 January, the Day of RS, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said that everyone can celebrate what they want and that it is “stupidity” to declare something unconstitutional. He emphasized that decorating Russian President Vladimir Putin was a wrong decision but that, in this case, that matter is “of secondary importance”. “Anyone can celebrate what they want. To declare something unconstitutional, that is plain stupidity. That is the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H in which foreigners sit. When constitutional courts begin to deal with some symbolical matters, like the holidays, that never ends well”, Milanovic emphasized. The Croatian President said it is a fact that the RS exists and that it decided to mark its day on 9 January. He said the RS is part of B&H and its existence cannot be disputed. “Constitutional Court has foreigners. When Constitutional Courts deal with symbolic things, such as holidays then it is not good. They (in RS) think that this is holiday of their state within the state. They got the state within the state by the will of Croats as well, President Tudjman and our representatives in Dayton. We will not dispute its exitance. And what they chose to celebrate there, 1 March or 9 January that is a lesser issue. The problem is talking about dissolution of B&H, this is neither productive nor realistic,” said Milanovic. As for medal to Putin, Milanovic said: “I think it is wrong that Dodik awarded medal to Putin. Dodik was and can continue to be, great ally of Croats in B&H, then of Croats in Croatia as well and of the Croatia authority in their fight for their rights. But in B&H, not outside of it. Disregard the medal, it is of secondary importance. I do not see a political imperative for all Croats to live in the same country, this is impossible,” said Milanovic.

 

Plenkovic and Kallas: We continue to help Ukraine (HRT)

 

Croatia and Estonia politically supported Ukraine and sent it extensive military aid after the Russian aggression and will continue to do so, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas said on Thursday in Tallinn. “Just as Estonia did, we immediately showed political support, solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian leadership, hosted refugees in Croatia and provided large-scale military aid to Ukraine, which we will continue to do,” said Andrej Plenkovic at a joint press conference. The main topics of the conversation between the Croatian Prime Minister and the Estonian Prime Minister were the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions regime, the energy crisis, the establishment of a court that would prosecute war crimes in Ukraine, the situation in Southeast Europe, but also the digital transformation of Estonia, the European leader in digitization. “The war is far from over. Russia's strategic goals have not changed - to wipe out Ukraine and rewrite the European security architecture. We have stepped up practical and political support to Ukraine to ensure victory,” said Kaja Kallas. Emphasizing that aid must continue, she pointed out that Estonia has already increased its defense allocations from two to three percent of GDP and is strengthening NATO's eastern wing. “I again invite allies and partners to look into their warehouses and reserves and send them to Ukraine. That is the path to peace," the Prime Minister pointed out. Plenkovic, who also met with the Estonian President and parliament speaker, said that the two countries fully agree with various mechanisms at the international level, such as EU sanctions, "in order to send a strong political, economic and financial signal that aggression is unacceptable". The EU has so far adopted nine packages of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

 

Estonian measures against Russia 

Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency, said on Wednesday that the EU is ready for a long war in Ukraine and will continue to work on additional sanctions against Russia. “Making criminals accountable is also key. We need to establish a special court for the crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” said Kallas. The European Commission has proposed the establishment of a war crimes court in Ukraine, for which it is seeking broad international support. The Estonian Prime Minister emphasized that she greatly appreciates Croatia's contribution to NATO's eastern wing and said that it is important for Ukraine to become a member of NATO as soon as possible, which Hungary and Turkey are currently blocking. Estonia, which shares a 300-kilometer Baltic border with Russia, signed the biggest arms deal in its history after the Russian invasion of Ukraine - the purchase of six American advanced HIMARS missile launch systems. Delivery of the first system is scheduled for 2024. Estonian parliament declared Russia a terrorist regime in October, and Tallinn, along with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, banned Russian citizens from entering its territory last September. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic first met with parliament speaker Juri Ratas in Tallinn, and then went on a tour of the Estonian E-estonia briefing center. "It is a center that is a representation of Estonia's digitization, something that this country can be very proud of because almost 99% of state processes in Estonia are digitized,” said journalist Tamara Markovic for HTV news reporting from Tallinn. “Even though they are geographically distant, Croatia and Estonia have many common interests. Both are members of the EU, NATO and the Three Seas Initiative,” she added.

 

Djukanovic: In addition to preserving identity of each of our countries, it’s important to work on strengthening European one (CdM)

 

It is important that while preserving the identity of each of our countries, we work on strengthening and further profiling the European identity, said the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic during the working visit to Hungary. Djukanovic said that he went to Budapest at the invitation of the Hungarian company Foldana, which is an important investor not only in Hungary, but also in Montenegro. He emphasized that it was a pleasure for him to have a conversation and have lunch with the new president of Hungary, Katalin Novak. According to him, the political talks concerned the region of the Western Balkans and its European perspective and domestic political and economic conditions in Montenegro. “As expected, I heard words of support for the European perspective of the region, the European perspective of Montenegro. The hosts reiterated their assessment that it is very important to continue the Europeanization of the Western Balkans region, that the only good perspective for all the countries of our region is EU membership, and that the issue of preserving the specificity of each of our countries within the European family was emphasized. Agreeing with that, I said that it is very important that while preserving the identity of each of our countries, we work on strengthening and further profiling the European identity because, I would say that the entire global political scene is going through changes and of course as Europeans we are interested in Europe preserving its recognition and its competitiveness, and in order to be successful in this, it needs to further build and profile its strategic policies, above all its foreign and security policy, and thus contribute to better competitiveness of Europe on the global stage”, Djukanovic has pointed out. He recalled that Hungarian investors have been present in Montenegro for a very long time, that in a significant period Hungary was the number one country when it comes to foreign investments in Montenegro, that it is still very high and that it is very concretely interested in the implementation of certain infrastructural projects, projects related to food production and tourism, and that this is a very realistic and foreseeable perspective for the improvement of economic and overall interstate cooperation.

 

Zivkovic: It’s essential that we agree on date of snap elections and resolve Constitutional Court issue (CdM)

 

It is necessary to agree on the date of snap elections and resolve the issue of the operation of the Constitutional Court, says the head of the DPS caucus Danijel Zivkovic. He has pointed out that today Montenegro is a dysfunctional system with all blocked institutions. Montenegro, he says, is facing the necessity of organizing snap elections, and it is necessary to agree on the date of their holding. Commenting on the possibility of holding the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day, Zivkovic has pointed out that the issues regarding the presidential elections are clear and there are no dilemmas regarding the deadlines. He has announced that consultations are underway regarding the DPS candidate for the presidential election. Zivkovic has recalled that DPS announced initiatives to dismiss the speakers of local parliaments and mayors who submitted reports in the Serbian parliament. “You had the opportunity to see that condescending behavior. Those who submit reports in the parliament of another country cannot be at significant positions in Montenegro. They receive wages in Montenegro, and they say that Montenegro is not their motherland. They should not be in those positions. They should resign”, says Zivkovic. He has pointed out that the representatives of some municipalities who were in Serbia are DF members, and they were elected to those positions by the votes of their coalition partners.

 

Vuksanovic Stankovic calls on Abazovic: Propose shortening of parliament mandate urgently (CdM)

 

Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP Draginja Vuksanovic Stankovic has called on outgoing PM Dritan Abazovic to start the procedure of proposing a decision on shortening the mandate to the parliament of Montenegro without delay, CdM learns. In a letter addressed to Abazovic, Vuksanovic Stankovic has stressed that the government, which lost confidence in the parliament 5 months ago, does not have the legitimacy to govern the country. “And you are very well aware of that, so it is your basic obligation not to allow further degradation of the state’s constitutional and political system by initiating a procedure, the ultimate outcome of which is the shortening of the mandate of the parliament and, consequently, the calling of snap elections”, she has stated. As she adds, political differences as well as the political ambition to be at the head of the executive power is one thing, but the insistence that the highest office in the state is performed at any cost, without the legitimacy and support of citizens, is a classic abuse that threatens to dangerously radicalize political and social relations. According to her, trampling on the Constitution by adopting amendments to the Law on the President will ultimately not result in the election of an unconstitutional government that would formally lead Montenegro into international isolation.

 

Abazovic meets Quint and EU ambassadors: Montenegro has no time to wait, it needs stability (CdM)

 

Outgoing PM Dritan Abazovic has met yesterday with the ambassadors of Quint and the EU in Montenegro. “It was a meaningful and open conversation with the Quint and EU ambassadors. The government urges all political entities to show maturity and responsibility when electing judges of the Constitutional Court. Montenegro no longer has time to wait. It needs stability, predictability, economic progress and a European future”, Abazovic has stated on Telegram after the meeting.

 

Ukraine remains OSCE priority, aggression must stop (Libertas)

 

North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani presented to the OSCE's permanent council in Vienna on 12 January his country's program for presiding over the world's largest regional security organization. Under the slogan "It's About the People," North Macedonia's chairmanship of the OSCE in 2023 will focus on the people "who will be the force that guides us in the year ahead of us," Osmani said. The North Macedonian Foreign Ministry said that Osmani had stressed that the country's chairmanship would strive to strengthen work on the ground, which was an important precondition for improving the lives of people who were the end users of the OSCE's activities. North Macedonia will promote, support and strengthen the OSCE's work on the ground, invest efforts in improving coordination and shared responsibility in conducting the activities needed to achieve positive change, Osmani said. He also said that a priority would be human security in an era of regional and global uncertainties and instabilities, with a stress on the situation in Ukraine. "Ukraine will remain our main priority. The aggression must stop. The devastation and killing of the civilian population is unacceptable. It is unsettling to watch people suffer. The consequences and price of this war for the OSCE region and beyond are sad and unbearable," Osmani said.

 

Pendarovski: International community’s priority is stability, not integration of region (Libertas)

 

President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski stated on 12 January that, due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the stability of the Western Balkans was once again, after more than 20 years, the priority of the international community, and not the region’s integration. During a round table discussion on the topic “Western Balkans Between the West and the East: North Macedonia – EU Member by 2030?” organized by the Council of Ambassadors in Skopje, Pendarovski said that, previously, the stability of the Western Balkans was the priority at the time of signing of the Kumanovo Agreement (1999) and the Ohrid Agreement (2001), stated the president’s office. “After the start of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, Europe is once again the focus of U.S. foreign policy and, consequently, the Western Balkans as its segment. Experts, politicians and diplomats have assessed that, if Russia is attempting to draw the attention of the entire western alliance, which is helping Ukraine be liberated, it will do that more easily in the Balkans than in the Baltic,” Pendarovski said. Commenting on regional initiatives, primarily the Open Balkans and the Berlin Process, the president of North Macedonia urged Brussels to “prioritize between these two things”. Regarding the subject of the round table discussion, Pendarovski said that North Macedonia’s membership in the EU by 2030 was possible, providing that a national consensus was reached and sustained, and that Brussels kept its attention on the region.

 

Begaj hosts Ali Ahmeti: Albanians, an important role for the stability of North Macedonia (Radio Tirana)

 

The President of the Republic Bajram Begaj hosted the Chairman of the Party of the Democratic Union for Integration Ali Ahmeti, as well as the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Political System and Inter-Community Relations of North Macedonia Artan Grubi. In this meeting, Begaj welcomed the important role of Albanians and Albanian political parties for the stability of North Macedonia. Begaj also appreciated the positive developments that have taken place in inter-ethnic relations between Albanians and Macedonians. "It is very important that the Albanian political factor in the neighboring country continues to contribute in this direction. Only by everyone contributing in this direction, it will be possible to better address all the problems faced by Albanians in North Macedonia", said Begaj in a post on social networks.

 

30 years of Albania-Ukraine diplomatic relations / Xhacka: Albania, proud of the support it gives Kiev in the fight for freedom (Radio Tirana)

 

On the 30th anniversary since of Albania-Ukraine diplomatic relations establishment, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka has once again announced that Albania is expected to open an embassy in Kiev very soon. Xhacka writes on Facebook that Albania is proud of the support it gives Kiev in the fight for freedom against the Russian invaders. "30 years have passed since Albania and Ukraine established diplomatic relations as two countries that emerged from tyranny into the free world. Today we are proud to stand by Ukraine as true friends on the right side of history. Ukraine's heroic resistance is a fight for freedom and a refusal to return to the tyranny from which we both emerged long ago. This is why Albania will support Ukraine and its people to the best of its ability until it triumphs against Russia's illegal war of aggression. Albania and Ukraine belong to the family of free and democratic nations, and both have a future in the Euro-Atlantic family. On the occasion of this 30th anniversary, I am happy to announce that Albania will increase its level of representation in Kiev by opening its embassy in Ukraine. I look forward with pleasure to the continuation of the cooperation with my friend and colleague Dmytro Kuleba to advance and strengthen our cooperation even further in the future", writes Xhacka.

 

 

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