LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Agreement with UAE on kamikaze drone purchase due within 48 hours (Tanjug/RTV)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi Serbia would sign its first agreement to purchase UAE-made kamikaze drones within 48 hours and that the drones would be delivered soon. "Those are kamikaze drones and will be in Serbian territory soon. We also hope we will be able to have the first kamikaze drones in the Serbian Armed Forces in the next five or six months," Vucic told reporters at the IDEX 2023 international arms fair. "We must continue to work on everything else because a challenging period is ahead of us," Vucic said. "Judging by Putin's statements, it is clear he will continue the fight in Ukraine very fiercely, which, as is the case with conflict escalations, will make Serbia's position more difficult politically, militarily and in every other sense. It is what we had expected and I expect that we will see that already in a day or two or three days - major changes on the battlefield and significant changes in further political actions towards Serbia by the West and by other international factors," Vucic said. He said he had had important additional discussions with Serbian defence industry companies and that they needed to undergo reforms and introduce true corporate management and operate based on market principles, rather than sell products below cost prices. Vucic said the UAE was satisfied with development projects presented by Serbia - howitzer bullets and new calibres with a range of over 70 km. We want to achieve something that would be akin to the US HIMARS and try to do develop that in a year, meaning that we would include it in our arsenal in two years, he noted.

 

Brnabic: If Vucic was going to allow capitulation, he wouldn't be dealing with the Kosovo and Metohija issue (TV Pink/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday night that she did not understand why people protested this week against Aleksandar Vucic, since if he wanted to allow capitulation and recognize so-called Kosovo, all he should have done was not to deal with that issue, but to leave it where those he succeeded in power left it. Speaking on TV Pink, Brnabic said that she did not know who was behind the protests and the attempt to break into the Presidency, but that she was sure, knowing our security services, that she will find out in the near future.

She said that these are people who call themselves patriots, and who on Statehood Day, referring to another country and trampling on the Serbian flag, armed, went after President Vucic. "What has he done to cause such a thing? If we talk about Kosovo and Metohija, the only thing he has done in the past 10 years is that he managed to put the issue back on the agenda of the international community, which considered it closed when he came to power. The last thing he said about Kosovo and Metohija was in the Assembly, that he would not recognize so-called Kosovo and that (its) membership in the UN is considered a red line. Is that why they took to the street?," asked Brnabic, reports Tanjug. Speaking about parliamentary parties who, according to her, rationalized an attempt to kill President Vucic and violently overthrow the government, she said that they are the ones who surrendered and gave everything that could be given regarding Kosovo and Metohija, in order to appease someone else. "Not even because of Serbia, but because of their personal roles and positions, such as, for example, becoming the president of the UN Assembly. They released Albanian terrorists in order to curry favor with the West, no one asked them to do it and they said so themselves," she stressed. She recalled 2004 and the pogrom of the Serb people (in Kosovo), 2008 and the declaration of independence, as well as 2010, when the issue of Kosovo and Metohija was transferred from the UN to the EU, and 2011, when, she said, they agreed to a border, i.e. the administrative line. "If Vucic wanted to allow capitulation, all he should have done was not to deal with that issue, but to leave it where they left it. They surrendered everything that could be surrendered even what was not asked of them," said Brnabic.

 

Miscevic: Change of neutral military status not on agenda (Beta)

 

The Serbian Minister in charge of Serbia’s EU accession Tanja Miscevic said on Monday that neither the government nor the parliament of Serbia would discuss a change to Serbia’s neutral military status. Speaking to reporters after a ceremony that ended the initiative “Nordic Green Project – Sustainable Solutions for Serbia,” Miscevic said that “neither the government nor the parliament of Serbia have ever discussed any change to Serbia’s neutral military status”. Norwegian Ambassador Jorn Eugen Gjelstad said that Serbia had every right to defend its neutrality, as well as the right to decide independently whether to change its choice or not. “Serbia is now one of the most valuable partners of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Norway has developed an excellent dialogue with it. Norway’s defense minister is expected to visit to Serbia in May, when will be discussed, but there is no plan to exert any kind of pressure on Belgrade to change its stance,” the Norwegian diplomat said.

 

Serbia reliable partner in combating illegal migrations (Tanjug/Politika)

 

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic spoke yesterday in Brussels with EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson about the implementation of the EU Action Plan for the Western Balkans to solve common challenges in terms of irregular migrations, strengthening border management and improving cooperation in the field of readmission. Gasic pointed out that one of Serbia's key priorities is the suppression of irregular migrations and that the Working Group, which consists of several organisational units of the Interior Ministry, is active in suppressing irregular migrations and preserving the security of the state border, especially on the border with EU countries. Johansson praised Serbia's efforts in the previous period to align with the visa policy of the EU, which, as she pointed out, contributed to a significant reduction in illegal crossings, as well as to a reduction in the number of submitted asylum requests in the EU member states. Also, the interlocutors discussed modalities for strengthening border management, improving cooperation in the field of readmission, the fight against smuggling and human trafficking, as well as the fight against organised crime and corruption. Gasic and Johansson agreed that Serbia has so far repeatedly shown that it is a reliable partner in combating illegal migration and fighting cross-border crime. The Commissioner expressed her gratitude to Serbia for the very successful cooperation with Frontex, as well as for the steps taken in order to conclude a new agreement on the status of Serbia and the EU on operational activities that Frontex conducts in Serbia.

 

Dveri calls on patriots to unite on Kosovo, Russia issues (Beta)

 

The Serbian Dveri movement Main Board said it supports cooperation with the other patriotic opposition political parties and associations and “called on all patriots to unite against the recognition of the fake state of Kosovo and the introduction of sanctions against Russia”. “These two pressures on our country by the West, growing by the day, are the biggest foreign policy challenges this year, and they call for the creation of a broad cross-party national front that would stand up to this,” said the Dveri movement. The organization identified the NADA coalition, comprising the New Democratic Party of Serbia and The Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia, the Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija, the Serb Youth for Kosovo and Metohija and other patriotic organizations as potential partners in a new patriotic block. This bloc would be “able to prevent the damage that these new Western ultimatums would cause to Serbian national and state interests”, said the Dveri movement.

 

Kosovo NGOs to Serbian Patriarch: “We feel like lambs before slaughter” (Beta)

 

Several Kosovo NGOs addressed on Sunday evening the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Porfirije, asking to be received by him because “the people feel left alone and abandoned, like lambs before the slaughter”. The letter, signed by the leader of the Gracanica-based Serbian National Forum Momcilo Trajkovic, leader of the Kosovska Mitrovica-based Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija Nebojsa Jovic and leader of the Fatherland movement from Kosovska Mitrovica Slavisa Ristic reads that this is the second time they are writing to the Patriarch in ten days and that they had expected an answer from him, even if a negative one. “We know the Church does not engage in politics, but it has to focus on its faithful people. This is a ‘to be or not to be’ time for our people, so it is not a time for politics, but for a national struggle for the sake of national survival,” reads the letter. The NGOs said they have no one to turn to in the state structures, that they have been rejected by the state and left at the mercy of the Kosovo-Albanian authorities and corrupt Serb politicians, which is why they are very sad, afraid and concerned. “We are just sharing with you the opinion and the fears of a vast majority of Serbs in Kosovo. An absolute majority. A minority of our fellow citizens who only care about profiting from our misfortune have sided, through political engagement, with those who are against the survival of our people and our state,” said the signatories of the letter, adding that “this minority of political profiteers is becoming smaller and slimmer but, at the same time, increasingly cruel.” This minority “only increases the fear and sense of hopelessness in our people. It acts in cooperation with the Albanian persecutors of the Serbian people, Church and state”, reads the letter. “Your Holiness, we ask you to understand this address of ours as ‘the voice of one crying in the desert’. We no longer have anyone to trust and to turn to. We turn to you like a child turning to a father for help. We see fatherly love in you. We place our hope in you,” wrote the NGOs, adding that if the Patriarch cannot receive them, they at least expect a reply from him, even if a negative one.

 

NGO activist: Nearly 40,000 Serbs have left Kosovo over the past 10 years (Beta)

 

Miodrag Marinkovic of Kosovo’s Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA) said on Monday that over the past ten years the number of Serb children in Kosovo’s primary and secondary schools had dwindled by 10,000, indicating that around 40,000 Serbs had left the territory. Marinkovic said to a Beta journalist that 120,000 Serbs lived in Kosovo ten years ago, and that the size of the population dropped to around 80,000. “According to official statistics of the School Administration of the Serbian Ministry of Education, 25,000 Serb pupils attended classes in primary and secondary schools in Kosovo and Metohija. Ten years later, their number is 15,000. In a word, we have lost 10,000 pupils over the past decade,” the NGO activist said. Marinkovic explained that the Serbs had been leaving Kosovo because of a poor security situation as much as because they had failed to find employment. When asked by Beta where 900 million Euros the government of Serbia allocated for Kosovo every year could have gone, the CASA NGO activist said the money had never been invested in the return of displaced Serbs, and that the returns had never been a priority for either Belgrade or Pristina.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Bradara and Stojanovic decide Bradara will be FB&H President; Lendo says this is unconstitutional decision (BHT1)

 

Lidija Bradara will be the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) President, and Igor Stojanovic and Refik Lendo will be the FB&H Vice-Presidents – this was decided on Monday during a meeting between HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)’s Bradara and SDP B&H’s Stojanovic. SDA’s Lendo refused to attend this meeting, but said the reached agreement is unconstitutional and unacceptable. Lendo said an agreement could not have been reached before harmonization of stances between the party leaders. BHT1 noted that the final decision will be made by the FB&H House of Representatives (FB&H HoR). After the FB&H parliament decides, and the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH confirms that decision, then a 30-day deadline begins during which the FB&H government should be formed. Bradara and Stojanovic said that it will not take long for them to propose the FB&H Prime Minister and form the government. If blockades continue, they say some other institutions will be included in this process. SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic remains their candidate for the post of the FB&H Prime Minister. Besides holding the Prime Minister post, SDP B&H will also get four ministries in the government. HDZ B&H will get six ministerial posts. HDZ B&H members are optimistic and say, “we could get the new FB&H government by the end of the current month”. Bradara told a press conference on Monday that they made a decision on the FB&H leadership and she and Stojanovic forwarded this decision to the FB&H HoR, for further deliberation. She pointed out that Lendo did not come to the meeting, and they did not want for further problems to be created. Stojanovic said he believes the FB&H government will be formed within the set deadline. In his reaction, Lendo said it is unacceptable that an agreement on the FB&H President was reached without him. Such decision will not pass, he says, adding that it bypasses the election will of the Bosniak voters. In a short statement, the Office of the High Representative (OHR) said that they will, in line with their mandate, follow the unfolding of events in the FB&H. Bradara said: “Considering that colleague Lendo did not show up today either, we sent our decision to the HoR, House of Peoples, Central Election Commission and the Office of the High Representative (OHR). And, of course, we expect the HoR, in accordance with the Constitution and the Election Law, to schedule a session urgently, and finally decide who is the President and who are the Vice Presidents of the FB&H, so we can finally finish this story”. Stojanovic commented: “I believe that SDA is trying to wake up my vanity in one way so that I would become the president in this situation, and thus undermine the coalition agreement. I wish Mr. Lendo had come and offered that at this meeting. I also have a message for Mr. Lendo, and for all those who advocate such a scenario, that I am still a man who respects the team, first of all the agreement, that I care very much that the process is unblocked after four and a half years of technical government, that we get a government”. In order for the agreement between Bradara and Stojanovic to be confirmed, they need a simple majority in the parliament. That would be the easier part of this story, commented the reporter, because Troika and HDZ B&H have the majority. However, Lendo still has a chance for a blockade. A government cannot be formed without three signatures, and in this case, only two are secured. A long-term solution is needed for a functional FB&H, added the reporter.

 

Bradara: SDA wants to stay in power through blackmails and threats (Dnevni avaz)

 

Dnevni avaz daily reminded that after the third, unsuccessful attempt to organize a meeting of the FB&H leadership and repeated absence of SDA’s candidate for FB&H President/Vice Presidents Refik Lendo, other two candidates HDZ B&H’s Lidija Bradara and SDP’s Igor Stojanovic reached a decision on appointing of FB&H Presidents without Lendo. Speaking for the daily, Bradara explained that this was a constitutional obligation that needed to be fulfilled and that a decision on appointment of the FB&H President was submitted to both the FB&H House of Representatives and the FB&H House of Peoples, as well as the Central Election Commission. The daily reminded that Lendo earlier stated that there will be no agreement about authority formation without SDA and he called on SDA, SDP and HDZ B&H leaders to decide who will be the President of the FB&H. Bradara told the daily that the agreement can never be reached if someone does not want to reach it, adding that they initially agreed to find a date to meet that suits everyone, but in the end, they were summoned to attend the meeting on Friday. Being that that the invitation was conditioned by some other things that do not concern the candidates for the FB&H President/Vice Presidents, she and Stojanovic believed that it is the best to finish the things in this way. Bradara told the daily that she cannot remember that anyone used the methods of blackmail and threats that SDA is using to impose itself as part of the authority, underlining that it is necessary to respect the will of the voters. She noted that regardless of composition of the House of Peoples, there are numbers which are more than expressed and the signatures they collected speak a lot. She expressed regret they failed to use the positive momentum to complete the authority formation. The daily comments that the best proof how far SDA is ready to go are the statements of their officials that B&H should turn toward the East and even Russia, instead toward EU, which is what majority of B&H citizens want. “We will see in the following period how will they act. I hope they will come to realize that B&H’s future is in Europe, that we got the chance with the status of the EU candidate and that we should not waste it. One of first condition is swift authority formation,” said Bradara.

 

Lendo: What Bradara and Stojanovic think they decided is not legally valid and it will most likely go to FB&H HoR (O Kanal)

 

Candidate for the FB&H President or Vice President Refik Lendo was a guest of O Kanal via video link. The reporter said that HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic accused a gentleman from SDA, which the reporter assumes is Lendo, of blocking the process of formation of the authorities by refusing to meet with the other two candidates for the FB&H President or Vice Presidents Lidija Bradara and Igor Stojanovic. When asked whether it is true that he is blocking the process, Lendo said: “There is no blockade, at least in the initial part, when I insist that I care that the processes do not stop and that they go their own way. At the last agreement, we scheduled a meeting for Friday, for the three of us to meet on Friday and to try to make an agreement”. Lendo pointed out that he took time to allow political parties to agree on who should be the FB&H Prime Minister, so that they can decide, based on that, who should be the FB&H President. The reporter pointed out that Covic announced that Bradara will become the FB&H President this week, with or without Lendo’s attendance at the meeting. When asked how he comments on these statements, Lendo said: “This was an agreement between the two of them, and from the very beginning there has been an attempt to confuse our public in the FB&H, citizens who are not up to it, really. I am trying to be realistic and that we try to respect what the constitutional provisions are. Today, when it comes to the appointment of the President and two Vice Presidents (of the FB&H), it cannot be decided with two to one”. Lendo said that it makes no sense for a representative of Serbs and Croats to negotiate without a representative of Bosniaks. Lendo pointed out that what Bradara and Stojanovic think they decided is not legally valid and it will most likely go to the FB&H House of Representatives (HoR). The reporter reminded that Lendo asked the leaders of SDA, HDZ B&H and SDP to reach an agreement. When asked whether he received a response from anyone and whether he is satisfied, Lendo said that he will be satisfied if they reach an agreement by Friday. Lendo added that appointment of the FB&H President and the FB&H Prime Minister has to be one political package. When asked whether they will allow the FB&H government to be formed without SDA, i.e. whether they will accept SDP leader Nermin Niksic as the FB&H Prime Minister, Lendo claimed that SDA was the winner in the elections, and that is why they have to be part of these processes. Lendo said that there cannot be the authority composition without him and SDA. He added that he has nothing against Niksic and he is sure that Niksic will realize the reality when it comes to politics and that Niksic will sit with Covic and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic to try to agree on what is good and useful for the FB&H. When asked whether he thinks there is a need for further action from the High Representative to B&H Christian Schmidt in the formation of the FB&H authorities, Lendo said that he thinks Schmidt should not get involved. Lendo believes that representatives of constituent peoples in B&H should agree on the processes in the FB&H, but not two against one. Lendo stated: “I think it is clear to the High Representative and he will most likely try to suggest that we come to an agreement, and we need to come to an agreement on that part”.

 

Izetbegovic sends letter to Covic and Niksic, proposing them to meet and reach political agreement which will enable formation of new FB&H government (FTV)

 

SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic sent a letter to SDP leader Nermin Niksic and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic in which he stated that the appointment of Refik Lendo, Lidija Bradara and Igor Stojanovic for the leadership of the FB&H has created the conditions for the formation of a new FB&H government. Izetbegovic said in the letter that there is no room for announcements that the blockade can continue unless unrealistic demands are made to oust, as Izetbegovic said, the winner of the election from power and ignore the will of the Bosniak Caucus in the House of Peoples. Izetbegovic’s letter reads: “Presidents and Vice Presidents from the ranks of SDA, HDZ and SDP form the top of the executive power in the FB&H, and this is a fact that cannot be changed by anything. That is why these three parties have the right, but also the obligation, to form a complete government in the FB&H. As you know, the meeting of the appointed FB&H leadership is scheduled for Friday. I suggest that before that meeting the leaders of SDA, HDZ and SDP hold a meeting in order to reach a comprehensive political agreement that will enable the formation of the FB&H government. I am ready to adjust my obligations and accept any appointment, and I suggest the meeting place at the building where the FB&H government is located”. Izetbegovic stated in case that parties other than SDA, SDP B&H and HDZ B&H try to form the authorities, that would lead to continued blockade for which those who refuse the political agreement in line with the FB&H Constitution will be responsible. Izetbegovic said that the formation of the FB&H authorities is proceeding unconstitutionally. “Such attempts will lead to the continuation of blockade for which those who reject the political agreement in accordance with the FB&H Constitution will be responsible,” Izetbegovic was quoted as saying.

 

Covic: There is no need for anyone to write any letters to us; SDA is trying to block processes (Nova BH)

 

Leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic sent a letter to leaders of SDP and HDZ B&H on Monday. In this letter he proposed that before the appointment of the FB&H President and Vice Presidents, three of them should meet to reach a political agreement that will enable formation of the new FB&H government. Reporter commented that it has been clear for some time that majority in the FB&H House of Representatives (HoR) does not want SDA to participate in formation of new the FB&H authorities. Leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic stressed that they have already lost much time in the process of formation of new authorities, adding that they will not be affected by any letters. Covic considers the formation of authorities in the FB&H to be almost complete. Covic stated: “It will be clear that a gentleman, on behalf of SDA (Covic presumably refers to Refik Lendo), wants to block the process, which SDA has been doing for the last four years, even though they constantly wanted to put it, in some way, to issue an invoice to the HDZ as such. Then it is up to the institutions of B&H to react. If one representative out of three wants to avoid an agreement, wants to come to the meeting at all to jointly agree on something, to appoint these people, to make moves. In any case, I believe that we will not come out of this week without a female president of the FB&H, that we will proceed with the further process of the proposal of the mandate holder, that is, the FB&H government. I think that we have lost enough time and that we will not fall under the influence of letters, because there is no need for anyone to write us any letters. It is part of the game we have recognized.” Covic said he sees no reason for High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt to adopt some new decisions regarding the Election Law of B&H. According to Covic, the HR did what he had to do at one stage, arguing that Schmidt should not act in any way when it comes to changing the (election) law and the Constitution of FB&H. Covic went on to say the issue of election of the FB&H President and Vice Presidents should be simply completed in the parliamentary procedure and then move to the issue of appointment of the FB&H Prime Minister-designate and Ministers, with the aim of completing the process by end of the month.

 

Kosarac threatens with blockades in FB&H if eastern interconnection is not approved; Viskovic: This is important strategic project and it is high time that individuals from the FB&H stop obstructing it (RTRS)

 

RTRS reported that the first serious test for the new parliamentary majority at the level of B&H will be obtaining the consent for signing of an agreement with Serbia on the pipeline ‘New Eastern Interconnection B&H-Serbia’. The Republika Srpska (RS) government requested to put this issue on the agenda of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) as soon as possible. Speaking about this issue, B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Stasa Kosarac stated that without signing of the agreement, there will be no decisions about anything else. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic reminded of the agreement of parties that formed the joint parliamentary majority that they will not obstruct each other’s projects. In this regard, he called on the CoM to finally sign the agreement on pipeline with Serbia ‘New Eastern Interconnection B&H-Serbia’. RTRS learns that despite of calls coming from the RS, this issue was not put on the agenda of a session of the B&H CoM scheduled for Thursday. According to Sarac, Bosniak politicians previously rejected the eastern interconnection with Serbia because in their opinion, the pipeline was supposed to bring the Russian gas, while new authorities at the level of B&H – Bosniaks – also made the same argument, induced by the West, wanting to have energy independence from Russia by showing resistance towards the project. Kosarac stated on Monday that if the proposal for concluding an international agreement with Serbia on construction of the eastern gas interconnection is not on the agenda of the B&H CoM, there could be a blockade of projects in the FB&H. Kosarac pointed out that if the B&H CoM on Thursday does not include in the agenda and adopt the item related to the construction of the eastern interconnection, the RS will respond reciprocally and block projects in the FB&H. "Why we are in a mode of waiting, waiting for something additional, that offends common sense. This decision was prepared a long time ago. The documents were prepared a long time ago," Kosarac said, adding that the policy of the RS is not to threaten or block something, but to protect its interests. Viskovic said that the conclusion of an international agreement with Serbia on the construction of the eastern gas interconnection is one of the priorities of the RS. Viskovic stressed that it is an important strategic project and it is high time that individuals from the FB&H stop obstructing it. “The obstruction must stop and this topic must not be used as a political topic, because politicizing such a project is deliberately and knowingly causing damage to the RS and its development,” Viskovic was quoted as saying. Kosarac states that the result of this project is an increase in the security of supplying consumers with natural gas and long-term energy stability in the RS. “The issue of gas and gasification, the regulations regulating this area and other foreseen procedures are fully within the jurisdiction of the entity, that is, the RS, and will remain so”, Viskovic underlines. It is clear that B&H is an important part of the stories for the eastern as well as the southern interconnection. The Southern Interconnection Project of B&H would get rid of complete dependence on Russian gas, while the Eastern Interconnection means the construction of a Russian route through the RS entity in B&H.

 

Konakovic on Kosarac's statement: We are not ready for any blackmail; Konakovic says he was greeted by pro-Russian offensive upon returning to B&H (O Kanal)

 

B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic returned from the Turkey-Brussels tour. He claimed that the European and regional tour is just starting, which was forgotten in the previous convocation. He referred to the statements of ministers and politicians from RS about new blackmails and blockades, this time when it comes to the eastern gas interconnection project. B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Stasa Kosarac said that it is of crucial importance that the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM), at the next first session, adopts proposals for concluding international agreements on the construction of the eastern gas interconnection with Serbia and the southern interconnection with Croatia. If the B&H CoM does not put this item on the agenda, as Kosarac said, all projects from the FB&H will be blocked. Konakovic said: “When I hear a threat or a raised voice, I close up like a turtle and I am not exactly someone you can talk to like that, and if someone has proven willingness to compromise, I think that here NiP (People and Justice) and I have proven that we can step into the field of compromise where no one has ever been”. He emphasized that the expansion of Russian infrastructure in B&H is an issue that is being closely watched by the international community. Konakovic added: “We are not ready for any blackmail. We are a team that agrees and does not function in the concept of blockades. Maybe our partners are not used to it yet. I recommend that they get used to it and that we discuss it seriously.” Konakovic departs on Monday night for his first official visit to Zagreb. He confirmed that he considers the improvement of relations between the countries of the region to be the most important task, which was also the topic of the security conference in Munich. Konakovic said that upon his return to B&H, he was greeted by a ‘pro-Russian offensive’ in B&H, even from those who until now have exclusively advocated the European-Atlantic path. “I was greeted by statements from officials of the strongest party in B&H that we should look for a partner in Russia, because we are dissatisfied with some big or important decisions that came from the OHR (Office of the High Representative) and we consider OHR and the US administration the enemies of this country, towards which I see a serious offensive.” As for Kosarac's statement, Konakovic believes that there are better things to do and that the border agreements with Serbia and Croatia should be ratified first in order to respect the Constitution. “The agreement in principle was that we would solve all infrastructural issues, especially energy issues in B&H, as soon as possible in a package. Well, now, let the legal experts tell me how we and Serbia will agree on anything in an area where we do not have ratified borders, where it has not at least been outlined so that it is known what belongs to whom. So, I think it is important and I do not think we are going to waste a lot of time on that,” Konakovic underlined.

 

UN is preparing new resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine, EU and USA expect B&H to support it (Nezavisne)

 

The UN is preparing a new resolution condemning the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The resolution is expected to be on the agenda of the UN General Assembly later this week, marking the first anniversary since the beginning of the war. Although UN resolutions do not have a true legally binding character, they are considered a diplomatic symbolic gesture allowing UN member states to express their views on important international issues, notes the daily. The daily also comments that, considering the fact that the Ukraine was is the dominant topic in international relations, there are already many speculations on how different countries are going to vote. It is widely believed that majority of the UN member states will vote for the resolution, and that the countries which have a friendly attitude towards Russia will abstain from voting. However, underlines the daily, the EU and USA expect B&H to vote in favor of the resolution. According to the daily's unofficial sources, B&H will vote for the resolution, as well as all other countries in the region including Serbia. The daily notes that this is a very sensitive issue for Serbia because it needs and expects support of the EU and USA in the matter of Kosovo. The only B&H official willing to comment this topic was Milan Petrovic (United Srpska), member of B&H House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Commission. He stated that the Commission did not discuss the upcoming UN General Assembly, but the commission will convene again on Wednesday, and the issue of B&H's vote might be discussed then. Spokesperson to the EU Delegation and Office of EU Special Representative Ferdinand Koenig stated that the EU expects B&H to vote together with the EU on the resolution. “After Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 141 states voted on March 2, 2022 to most harshly condemn the Russian aggression. B&H was one of these states, joining the EU and the greatest democratic states in the world in condemnation of Russian activities in Ukraine. We expect B&H to vote in the same way at the upcoming voting. As a EU membership candidate state, B&H is expected to align with all decisions of joint foreign and security policy of the EU, and to share EU values by condemning Russia’s brutal violation of international law and basic human rights”, said Koenig. The US Embassy to B&H stated that the upcoming resolution speaks about the need for fair and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter. “The purpose of the resolution is to help end this conflict by calling for honest dialogue, and by confirming our collective support to the international principles which must be the foundation of the lasting peace. These are basic principles from the international law and international system. We call on B&H to demonstrate its dedication to those principles together with other countries, and to vote in favor of the resolution”, the US Embassy stated.

 

Croatia plans to help diversify B&H’s natural gas supply (HRT)

 

Economy Minister Davor Filipovic said on Monday that Croatia planned to build a gas pipeline to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina that would enable delivery of natural gas from Croatia’s LNG terminal to the neighbouring country. Filipovic spoke about the plan in Mostar, where he met with Dragan Covic, the president of the HDZ in B&H and the leader of the umbrella organization of Croat political parties there, the Croatian National Assembly. Filipovic said he and Covic discussed the plan. "Croatia would construct a pipeline to the border with B&H. That's something that's in our plan and something Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has talked about. We will be in close cooperation with President Covic to ensure that on the other side, B&H builds out its natural gas infrastructure so that the LNG terminal in Croatia can supply gas to B&H," said Filipovic. Under an earlier agreement between the Croatian gas operator Plinacro and B&H Gas, a branch of pipeline would be built leading from the Ionian-Adriatic gas pipeline to B&H near Imotski. This would reduce the country’s dependence on Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline. In this crisis, Croatia is becoming an energy hub in this part of Europe. We are doubling the capacity of our LNG termina and strengthening the gas pipeline network, all in order to be partners with neighbouring countries, and of course B&H included,” said Filipovic.

 

Djukanovic: After executive power consolidation, we’ll work on reaching standards for Montenegro to be the first next EU member (CdM)

 

“Surely, after the consolidation of the executive power, we will reactivate all our potentials on reforms and on reaching the standards that will recommend us and that through the regular regatta policy, Montenegro will be the first next member of the EU. We believe that this is the only good choice for establishing more reliable stability in our region. Without reliable stability, it is not realistic to talk about either economic or democratic development, and I believe that this assumption is much easier to achieve if we move within the framework of European integration”, President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has stated during the official visit to Bulgaria. He has pointed out that this is a return visit after last year’s visit of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to Montenegro. Therefore, Djukanovic has added, first of all, the frequency of meetings, including meetings at the presidential level, “I believe sends a clear message about the quality of political and interstate relations between our two countries”. He has pointed out that Montenegro is very grateful to Bulgaria for supporting our European path. “Montenegro is a country that, after the restoration of independence, clearly declared its intention to be part of the European and Euro-Atlantic community. We achieved the first goal. Montenegro is a responsible member of the NATO alliance. On the way to the second goal, we moved ahead of other aspirants for membership by 100% harmonizing foreign and security policy with the EU for years, including the attitude towards the most current issue: Russian aggression against Ukraine, and by opening all negotiation chapters. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, the expansion policy has been at a standstill for several years”, Djukanovic has stated. He thinks that the cooperation fostered by Montenegro and Bulgaria can serve as an example and believes that it will be an incentive for other countries in our region to better focus on their European interests and to work more dynamically and qualitatively on reforms in order to achieve their goals.

 

Radev to Djukanovic: We are convinced that Montenegro will preserve its leadership role in European integration (CdM)

 

Bulgaria is convinced that Montenegro will preserve its leadership role in European integration, and we are ready to continue to provide our support and that is quite clear, announced the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev to Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria. "With the President of Montenegro, we discussed the wider range of our bilateral relations and the European agenda. Bulgaria has always strongly supported the European integration of the Western Balkans and particularly strongly supported the European path of Montenegro. We are convinced that Montenegro will preserve its leadership role in European integration, and we are ready to continue to provide our support and that is quite clear, also through official Bulgarian aid. We look forward to having a good dialogue. We can identify areas, we do this through various projects that also have their own practical implementation, and we are ready to share our experiences in the future and to provide assistance in a number of important areas that affect the process of European integration", said Radev. Of course, he added, that process requires that every country from the Western Balkans that has started its European path respects its obligations and what has been established as a criterion in the EU. "That is why it is very important that all regional formats and initiatives work to respect the principles of good neighbourliness, comprehensiveness and especially, in my opinion, respect for human rights in each individual country. I would like to congratulate Montenegro by saying that it is the chairman of the Southeast European Cooperation Process and the serious program you have, and you can count on our help to implement that program," he said. Radev emphasized that he discussed with Djukanovic a wider circle of our bilateral relations and they share the opinion that the traditional good friendship between our countries can find its expression in cooperation in the field of economy, in investments, energy, transport, tourism, cultural cooperation and in security and defense. "We believe that the main problem and challenge before us is traffic connectivity, which can open a deeper cooperation in all areas. We are convinced that we have not yet used all the possibilities in this sense, and the European mechanisms so that we can have air and land connectivity as soon as possible. We have all the necessary historical prerequisites, spiritual and cultural traditions, to have the most active cooperation in the field of education in such a way that our young people can realize themselves and stay here in our countries. In this sense, Montenegro and Bulgaria are very active in the creation of the Institute for Sustainable Development, and I think that very soon that program will enter the next phase of development", said Radev. They also considered the area of security in our region. "We condemn the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the war that led to great casualties, ruins... We support Ukraine on its legitimate path and in its struggle for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. We also share the concern about the ongoing conflict, and we believe that all diplomatic efforts must be made to put an end to that war as soon as possible in order to overcome the risk not only for our region but also for the world. We also considered possible activities in order to be able to overcome the consequences of that war, and these consequences can be seen in high inflation, the burden on our economic and social systems, problems in the field of energy, the supply of energy resources, and it is important that we work on greater energy connectivity and we see that the contribution will be on the connection of our electricity distribution networks. In this sense, the challenges that are in the area of security, we have to strengthen our partnership within NATO", stressed Radev. He welcomed the decision of Montenegro to send its contingent to the multinational group in Bulgaria. Likewise, he added, Montenegro and Bulgaria are on the way to concluding real agreements regarding military training and the development of those military trainings. "Dear Mr. President, I would like to thank you once again for your visit and for the opportunity to exchange important opinions and to give the next impulse to deepen our bilateral relations, and for that to seek partnership, dialogue and thus ensure peace and stability, and unity, not only in the region but also in the European context and in the world," concluded Radev.

 

Some people don't want good bilateral ties with Bulgaria and EU-integrated region, Kovachevski says (MIA)

 

Both in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, there are individuals and groups, even political parties, financed and encouraged, unfortunately, by third states, who do not want to see the region integrated into the EU; this is clear to everyone by now, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told MIA in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “It is now up to both Bulgaria and North Macedonia to continue communication at the level of official institutions to maintain the dignity of both countries’ institutions and citizens,” Prime Minister Kovachevski said. “If we do this, we will have relations with neighboring Bulgaria just like the ones we have with neighbouring Serbia, Greece and Albania.” He noted that ties with Bulgaria were also economic and strategic. “Let's not forget that amid the greatest economic and energy crisis, together with the Bulgarian authorities, we managed to increase the capacity of the only interconnector we currently have so we could liberalize the country's gas supply,” the prime minister said. “These issues are important for our country’s citizens as is bilateral cooperation. “If we work on issues and projects that bring citizens together, I believe the relations between the two countries will be at a level that befits two neighboring countries that are NATO members and partners and that will be partners in the EU soon, too,” he said. Asked why he did not meet Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Munich, Kovachevski said they had not been scheduled to meet there. “I did not have a meeting with President Radev because it was not on my schedule. That does not mean we will not see each other at some other conference. On Friday, I was in parliament where the reconstruction of the government is underway, so I could not be here for the opening. On Saturday, other meetings were already scheduled,” he said. Considering Bulgaria’s early parliamentary elections in April, Kovachevski said he did not want to comment on Bulgarian politicians’ statements given to attract and rally voters. “When Bulgaria had a political government — Prime Minister [Kiril] Petkov’s government - relations with Bulgaria were raised to an extremely high level. Topics related to the future were being discussed. Our working groups that were discussing infrastructure, European integration, education and culture. As a result of those talks and the atmosphere we created, we managed to reach an agreement with all 27 EU member states and start the negotiations,” the PM said. He highlighted that, after 17 years of waiting, North Macedonia had started negotiations for membership in the European Union and was not negotiating with Bulgaria but with the EU. “These negotiations have started, like all other countries’ negotiations, with the screening phase. We have already started the bilateral screening during which our legislation is being reviewed chapter by chapter, sector by sector, portfolio by portfolio. “The screening process itself is moving toward completion as planned, sometime before the end of this year. Positive signals are coming from Brussels, from our negotiation teams, that the process will end in the best way possible. “This means that at the end we will receive a report pointing to the exact areas we need to improve, laws to make, and reforms to carry out,” Kovachevski said in the MIA interview.

 

Kovachevski: No alternative to international security cooperation (MIA)

 

North Macedonia has a clear foreign policy position: there is no alternative to international cooperation on security issues, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told MIA in Munich, where he took part in the 59th Munich Security Conference. Prime Minister Kovachevski said North Macedonia participates in NATO and UN peacekeeping missions and chairs the OSCE in 2023, focusing on the protection and security of people. “Our key priority is Ukraine but also other areas where there is a need to promote peace and security,” he said. He also said this year's Munich Conference is taking place at pivotal moment for security and will focus on Europe in light of the war in Ukraine. Later in the day, the prime minister spoke at a panel discussion dedicated to the security of the Western Balkans and the region’s European integration. Panelists l also discussed energy and cyber security, protection against cyber-attacks and the promotion of regional security cooperation, MIA’s reporter from Munich writes. Earlier, Kovachevski held his first bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He also met with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and other top officials.

 

Osmani visits Turkiye (Republika)

 

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani alongside Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the OSCE paid a visit to Turkiye on Monday.

During the visit, Osmani had a working meeting with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu. The visit takes place during a difficult situation in Turkiye, after a series of devastating earthquakes in which tens of thousands of people lost their lives, hundreds of thousands were injured, and in the affected areas the infrastructure was completely destroyed, which leads to additional difficulties for the delivery of humanitarian aid, food and water for the survivors. The visit of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Osmani, is aimed at supporting the efforts to increase the humanitarian aid from the participating countries and the OSCE funds that are for this purpose.