LOCAL PRESS

 

Brnabic: Serbia actively contributes to preservation of world peace security (Beta)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said in Oslo, before the members of the Norwegian parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, that Serbia was actively contributing to the preservation of peace and security in the world, and that it was determined to continue cooperation with Norway in the field of defense. "Besides the excellent bilateral political relations, cooperation between Serbia and Norway in defense is highly developed. We are determined to continue cooperation in the defense field, especially in the medical corps and military education," Ana Brnabic said, as quoted by the Serbian government.

According to the statement, Norway has provided significant support to the reform of Serbia's defense system over the past seven years, with more than four million euros in various projects.

Brnabic said that Serbia was actively contributing to the preservation of peace and security in the world, with 344 of its soldiers currently participating in six missions with a U.N. mandate and four EU missions.

 

Dacic: Pacolli is a bit nervous (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has assessed that Kosovo Foreign Minister Bexhet Pacolli is a bit nervous, because things are not going as they had been promised and how much they paid. “I understand him, things are not going as they planned… This is why they are uttering stupidities and lies that I had said that I will destroy recognition of Kosovo, that the entire world is against Serbia and that we are destructive,” Dacic told Tanjug in reaction to Pacolli’s stands on Facebook. “If I am so small, you, big Pacolli, why didn’t you become members of UNESCO and Interpol, why did Suriname and Guinea Bissau revoke recognition? The more you are angry, big Pacolli, the more I am satisfied,” concluded Dacic.

 

Djuric: Belgrade’s consent needed for introducing Rice in the “game” (Blic/FoNet)

 

On the occasion of allegations that former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could be involved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has told Blic that consent of all participants in the dialogue is needed for this move. The EU is our address for talks at present. Introducing other participants requires firstly consent of all participants in that process, including Belgrade, and secondly, there always needs to be a balance in everything and absence of unilateral moves, said Djuric.

 

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Victims of political and illegal persecution to be released (Tanjug)

 

The judicial institutions and police in Kosovo and Metohija have once again, according to the obvious political dictate, arrested D.T. at the Brnjak administrative crossing. After Bogdan Mitrovic and Milanka Tepic, D.T. is the latest victim of the system whose task is the implementation of an intimidation campaign if the Serbs and creation of an atmosphere of unrest in our southern province. Arresting people based on unreliable testimonies and secret indictments and warrants is in the function of an attempt at creating an artificial balance in processing war crimes on the eve of the beginning of the work of the special court for crimes of the so-called KLA, which is impermissible both from the legal and moral stand.

The result of such hunts on people cannot be reconciliation, but only deepening of Serb-Albanian distrust in Kosovo and Metohija, and this is why we appeal once again to international organizations and institutions to seriously engage in these cases and prevent new cases of abuse of the police and judiciary in persecuting the Serbs.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija demands that the mentioned victims of political and illegal persecution be released, and in the meantime, just as for other Serbian citizens in similar situations, we have provided an attorney and funds for legal representation of D.T.

 

Mihajlovic: Serbian could become seat of the Secretariat on Transport Community (Beta/RTS)

 

Serbia could soon become the seat of the Secretariat of the Transport Community for the countries of the Western Balkans, Serbian Minister of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic said explaining the confirmation of the four contracts in parliament. She said that the ratification of the Contract on the Transport Community would enable to, on 7 December, at the meeting of the ministerial council, vote out for the seat of the Transport Community for the Western Balkans to be in Serbia. MPs of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) stated that this contract showed that the authorities had recognized the independence of Kosovo which is one of the signees of the contract under the name of Kosovo. Mihajlovic said that Kosovo was the signee of that contract, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244, and that in this as well as some other contracts it had been marked with an asterisk, which is in accordance with the agreement on the regional representation of Kosovo. “Therefore, neither has Serbia de facto and de jure accepted the independence of Kosovo, nor has Serbia, with this contract, in any way accepted the independence of Kosovo nor will it”,  Mihajlovic said.

 

EU: Mladic ruling touches upon some of darkest events (B92)

 

The judgment in the Mladic case touches upon some of the darkest, most tragic events of Bosnia-Herzegovina's, the Western Balkans’, Europe’s recent history. The EU said this in a statement, adding that these events "include the genocide in Srebrenica. “Delivering justice and fighting impunity for the most horrific crimes is a fundamental human obligation. Our sympathies are with those who survived and those who lost their loved ones. While we don’t comment individual judgments, we fully respect the decisions of the ICTY and support its work,” the statement said, and added: “We strongly reiterate the need for full cooperation with ICTY as well as its successor Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals. The European Union trusts that all the countries in the region are determined and committed to work towards reconciliation, regional cooperation and good neighborly relations. We expect all political leaders in the region to honor the victims by promoting and respecting these commitments.”

 

Normalization without recognition (NIN, by Rasim Ljajic, 23 November 2017)

 

It is not a secret that consent on a date in calendar is even hard to reach in Serbia, let alone the need on an internal dialogue or consensus on Kosovo. The more the society is divided, the more the need for a dialogue is emphasized. Parties without clear political legitimization and a clear stand are actually companies for collecting votes. The academic and intellectual elite don’t have that kind of political obligation, but have the moral one, to contribute to the resolution of this several-decade-long dispute.

Regardless of the fact that one side is fearfully being silent, and the other is mostly proposing old solutions in a new package, the internal dialogue is necessary, not as a means that should to lead to consensus, because this is not realistic, but as a model of debate that the Serbian society needs. If we would analyze all proposals that have thus far been presented on a solution for Kosovo, it could be said that we are in 1997 and not in 2017. I deliberately mention 1997 because one year before that Milosevic and Rugova signed the first serious agreement on education, which was at the same time the last chance for an agreeable solution to the Kosovo crisis. Two years later, 1998, while the smell of gunpowder was felt in the air, the last chance was missed for division of Kosovo, as a lasting solution, which international mediators offered according to claims of participants in these events, to Milosevic but he refused this. Wolfgang Ischinger tried to reincarnate the idea of division, but both the Serbian and Albanian sides refused talks on this topic.

If the idea on division would be back on the table, Serbia’s negotiating position would be much worse now than 20 years ago. In the past, there were numerous ideas for resolving the status of Kosovo and every new idea was a worse option for Serbia than the previous one. A solution cannot be keeping the “status quo”, because this is an option that costs Serbia 500 million Euros annually, while time in this case is also not Serbia’s ally over the constant immigration from the region of Kosovo and Metohija.

Return to the state before 1999 is also unrealistic, because the Albanians don’t want that, while Serbia also doesn’t need one non-functional state with two million people who consider this state foreign. On the other side, Kosovo can hardly ever become a state with full international subjectivity without agreement with Serbia and without the consent of Russia and China. All that indicates that a “creative” solution needs to be sought that will respect both realities that exist in Kosovo – the Albanian, over the ethnic principle that supports them, and the Serbian, historical – because unilateral and unreasonable solutions leave behind them an eternally hidden problem. Referring to reality in Serbia is usually marked as surrender and recognition of Kosovo, which is deeply wrong and harmful. The reality in the specific case means that you match the scope of your goals with real opportunities at a given moment. After all, in politics, if you don’t know what can be done, it is the same as if you don’t know what is wanted. It seems to me that Serbia in the past didn’t know how much it can do nor what it wants.

That is why I proposed for the resolution of the Kosovo issue to be conducted after the “normalization without recognition” model in three phases. The first phase would imply removal of barriers for full economic and trade cooperation, as well as free movement of people and goods, without existing administrative limitations. At this moment, we have as many as 21 identified obstacles for free flow of goods. Despite that, Serbia is placing more goods in Kosovo (over 420 million Euros) than in the US, France, Great Britain, Turkey, Greece, Spain or Switzerland. Belgrade can no longer have influence on political decision making of Pristina, but it can certainly have economic influence, which is globally completely legitimate and doesn’t threaten anyone.

The second phase includes negotiations on Serbia’s property in Kosovo, cultural heritage and formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, and the third phase negotiations on Kosovo’s membership in all international organizations, except the United Nations.

An agreement on normalization would be signed after reaching an agreement on these three phases. Then the “transition period” of five years begins where the realization of the agreements reached would be monitored. After the expiration of that period, an international conference on Kosovo would be organized, along with the participation of the EU, US and Russia, with the goal of reaching a final status of Kosovo.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Mladic’s defense starts preparations for process of appeal (RTRS)

 

A day after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted former Commander of the Main Staff of Republika Srpska (RS) Army Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment, Mladic’s defense attorneys organized a meeting and started preparations for the process of appeal. They stated that they will thoroughly analyze the verdict, when they receive a written form of the verdict, and based on the content they will decide about the right course for making of the appeal. “The defense team will know the further steps in this appeal, as soon as they receive the written form of the verdict, because we heard the short version yesterday”, said Director of the RS Research Center of War, War Crimes and Missing Persons Milorad Kojic. Family members of Ratko Mladic were allowed on Thursday to visit and speak to him.

 

Zakharova: Mladic’s verdict is biased and it will undermine reconciliation efforts in Balkans (RTRS)

 

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Thursday that Russia does not support the verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to the former Commander of the Main Staff of the RS Army Ratko Mladic. Zakharova said that this verdict is biased and it will undermine reconciliation efforts in the Balkans. She said the court "used the one-sided, anti-Serb interpretation of the tragic events of the 1990s in former Yugoslavia". She added that the ruling undermines the process of rehabilitation of mutual trust in the Balkans. “Objectively speaking, The Hague Tribunal did not fulfill the task of impartially punishing all those who committed the crimes. Moreover, it justified individuals with selective justice, despite of the existing evidence, and opened their way to the political life. The same thing was done by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), that did not see war crimes committed by war commander of the so-called RB&H Army, Naser Oric, whose fighters from Srebrenica between 1992 and 1994 attacked Serb civilians”, said Zakharova. Besides that, Zakharova also stated that ICTY did not fulfill the basic principles of respect for the right to life and providing medical assistance to those who are being prosecuted.

She said that Mladic was not allowed to travel to Russia for medical treatment, although the official Moscow provided guarantees. “The ICTY's inferiority is reflected in the fact that despite the fact that Mladic was held accountable for holding UN staff as hostages, even though he protected them from NATO bombings in that way, it ignored the fact that NATO bombing was illegally carried out through the military operations on the territory of then Yugoslavia. Many civilians and children were killed in these attacks, and nobody in the West was held accountable for this”, said Zakharova.

Chairman of Russian Duma Vyacheslav Volodin has tasked the Commission for Foreign Affairs to consider a proposal on official reaction to the verdict against Mladic. Volodin issued an order after representative Pavel Dorohin proposed to the Russian parliament to discuss the ways to react to the verdict. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev stated that the verdict against Mladic is ‘one-sided’ and subjective: “There is no equal liability for the perpetrators, nor the equal justice for the victims of violence. And where there is no equal punishment, there will also not be prevention of new crimes, as we have seen in Kosovo.”

 

Dodik and Durakovic receive death threats (Hayat)

 

After he called war commander of the Main Staff of Republika Srpska (RS) Army Ratko Mladic a hero, RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik received death threats. Dodik reported this to the police which are investigating this. Meanwhile, former Head of the Srebrenica Municipality Camil Durakovic also received death threats, after he published a photo from Potocari, where victims of Mladic's crimes were following sentencing in the case against Mladic. Durakovic received a threatening message via social media.

 

Dodik: Hypothetical answer to hypothetical question (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said that the question of the RS should be raised in case deciding on Kosovo is definitely launched in Serbia. Dodik emphasized that he is speaking hypothetically and reminded that the official stance of the RS is not to recognize the independence of Kosovo and to respect territorial integrity of Serbia. “We think that it is impossible to have two almost identical cases in relative proximity and view them in different ways as the West wants and to say that Kosovo can be independent while the RS cannot”. Commenting on his drawing maps in front of cameras during an interview given to Deutsche Welle, Dodik said that he was asked a hypothetical question with regard to long-term solutions. “What I said can be considered as some kind of my opinion, i.e. a hypothetical answer to hypothetical question. Nothing more!”, Dodik said and added that the emphasis was not on Kosovo but on the RS.

 

Bosniak veto on RS Assembly’s resolution on military neutrality of RS to end up before RS Constitutional Court (RTRS)

 

The session of the Joint Commission of Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly and the RS Peoples Council was held on Thursday. The participants were not able to agree on the Resolution on Military Neutrality of the RS and this matter will be sent to the Constitutional Court of the RS to decide about it. The attempt to agree on this matter came after the Bosniak Caucus in the RS Peoples Council initiated a procedure for protection of the vital national interest. President of the Serb Caucus in the Joint Commission Vojislav Gligic stated that since there were no proposed amendments to the Resolution and that the Bosniak Caucus asked for this document to be rejected as a whole, they were not able to reach an agreement. “It is now up to the Constitutional Court to decide whether the Resolution is in accordance with the Constitution and whether it poses a violation of the vital national interest of the Bosniak people”, said Gligic. Mujo Hadziomerovic, a member of the Joint Commission from the Bosniak Caucus, said that the Resolution is completely unacceptable for this Caucus, that they had no amendments and that they were requested for it to be completely rejected.

 

RS to mark 9 January despite B&H CC's decision (BN TV)

 

Following Thursday's constituting session of the Board for Marking the Day of Republika Srpska (RS), Cabinet of RS President Milorad Dodik said that the program of marking 9 January – the RS’ Day in 2018 will include traditional receptions hosted by Dodik and laying of wreaths at memorials to fallen soldiers of the RS Army. The program also includes a parade at the Krajina Square in Banja Luka, a solemn academy at the 'Borik' Sports Hall in Banja Luka, as well as a solemn reception at the Administrative Center of the RS Government. The Day of the RS will be marked in all cities and municipalities of the RS and in representative offices of the RS abroad, while rich cultural and artistic program will be organized in Banja Luka on January 9, 2018.

 

SDS leader Govedarica and Serbian President Vucic meet in Belgrade to discuss Serb interest and position (BN TV)

 

SDS leader Vukota Govedarica met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Thursday. Vucic said that he fully supports the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), which means that he accepts the reality called Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Following the meeting, Govedarica said that Serbs should think about how they will live in the future and survive. "We are interested in a strong RS which is in B&H because that is our reality," Govedarica underlined. Govedarica said that Vucic called on them to raise their heads and look into the future. "Serbs have to live in the past, but they do not have to live from the past. Serbs have to think about how they should live in the future and survive in this territory," Govedarica stressed. The SDS leader further said that Vucic underlined that he does not want to interfere with internal relations in B&H and that he does not want to be anyone's tutor. "My opinion goes in the direction that Serbs in B&H really need a responsible and well thought out policy, and that does not mean leaving of institutions in any case. On the contrary, we in the B&H institutions have to defend the interests of Serbs who live on both sides of the Drina River and fight for a favorable status of all citizens of the RS," Govedarica said. Govedarica also said that he thanked Vucic for the financial assistance which Serbian Government provided to certain municipalities in the RS and the Federation of B&H, noting that he told Vucic that he is not satisfied with how the RS Government distributed those funds. Govedarica concluded that Serbia is a factor of peace and stability of the entire region, noting that stability of the region depends on good relations between B&H and Serbia.

 

Situation in B&H and RS in focus (Srna)

 

B&H Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak met with Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov on Thursday in Sarajevo, and discussed current political situation in the RS and B&H, as well as the upcoming meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), scheduled to take place in December. Crnadak and Ivantsov also discussed continuation of cooperation within the Plan for consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H and the Russian Federation for 2018-2020 period, which is expected to be harmonized and signed as soon as possible.

 

Statehood Day of B&H (Vecernji list/Dnevni avaz/TV1)

 

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic congratulated citizens of B&H the Statehood Day of B&H (November 25). Covic noted that celebrations, ceremonies and manifestations are not the measure of statehood, instead it is about a clear and strong commitment to the idea of B&H built in the structure of our homeland. Chairman Covic said that equality is the main value of our society and a constitutional obligation, stressing that “if we were to give up on the values, we would give up on the statehood of B&H, which is something we must now allow ourselves”. According to him, B&H is facing a big challenge, namely B&H must key decisions ordering reform to the Law on Elections of B&H. According to Chairman Covic, ‘we’ must turn more than ever to the idea of equality of all people, in other words citizens of B&H, arguing it is the only way to leave violence, conflicts and destructive political logic behind and turn towards brighter future.

US President Donald Trump congratulated Chairman of the Presidency of B&H Dragan Covic on the Statehood Day of B&H. President Trump’s letter reads that the American people join him in congratulating Covic and people of B&H “the State Day on November 25”. The statement further reads that for decades, the US has been a steadfast friend and partner to B&H and that that commitment endures today. “We will continue to support your country’s efforts to develop a secure and prosperous state that is fully integrated into Euro-Atlantic institutions, including NATO. I wish the people of B&H my very best and I look forward to deepening our relationship in the years to come”, reads President Trump’s letter.

Federation of B&H Prime Minister (PM) Fadil Novalic congratulated citizens of B&H, on behalf of the Federation of B&H Government and personally, the Statehood Day of B&H. Novalic stated, among other issues, that ‘we’ can be proud of B&H’s past, arguing that the Statehood Day is an opportunity to turn towards the future and make sure B&H becomes more prosperous for the future generations. On the occasion of marking Statehood Day of B&H and the anniversary of the first session of the State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of B&H (ZAVNOBIH) held in Mrkonjic-Grad on November 25, 1943, SDP and DF organized solemn academy in Sarajevo on Thursday. Among other things, it was stated at this academy that 74 years after the first session of ZAVNOBIH, state of B&H exists but social-political relations in this country are still underdeveloped. EuroBlic daily papers reminded that only Bosniak politicians will celebrate November 25, the Statehood Day, this year and added that even Croat politicians intend to start ignoring this holiday as of this year. President of the Main Board of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) Bozo Ljubic said that there is still no consent on historical facts in B&H and added that he thinks there are no political preconditions to celebrate the Statehood Day.  Serb politicians assessed that marking of November 25 in joint institutions represents a violation of the Constitution of B&H because the laws did not define holidays at the state level. Deputy Speaker of the RS National Assembly (RSNA) Nenad Stevandic said that there is still no law on holidays at the state level so it is clear that marking of November 25 as the Statehood Day has grounds in neither the Constitution of B&H nor in laws. Chair of SNSD Caucus in the RSNA Radovan Viskovic shared a similar opinion and assessed that activities of Bosniak politicians contribute to B&H disappearing as soon as possible.

 

DORH to prosecute Mladic for crimes in Croatia (HRT)

 

A day after former Commander of the Main Staff of Republika Srpska (RS) Army Ratko Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment, the State Attorney’s Office of Croatia (DORH) informed the public about the steps it took in order to prosecute him for the crimes in Croatia. DORH reminded that a court in Sibenik already sentenced Mladic to 20 years in prison for war crimes back in 1992. He is also under investigations into the bombing of Djakovo and Zadar respectively, aside from the indictment that refers to his attempt to destroy the Peruca Dam.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic briefly commented the verdict to Mladic at the beginning of Croatian Government’s session, expressing regret that the verdict did not determine relation between Mladic and his crimes with then political leadership of Serbia. “Serbia, no doubt, shares responsibility”, said Plenkovic. SDP Croatia’s representative in the Croatian parliament Bojan Glavasevic warned that the verdict does not refer to the links between Mladic and those who gave him orders from official Belgrade. “These include Vojislav Seselj, Aleksandar Vucic, Tomislav Nikolic and many others”, Glavasevic said.

 

Ministers deny possibility of government reshuffle and early elections (Jutarnji list)

 

There are growing rumors that a prominent minister will leave the government. Members of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's government said they had not heard anything about government reshuffle or the possibility that early parliamentary elections might be called, which was recently alleged by The Economist. The Economist reported that there was a possibility that the Prime Minister could soon call early parliamentary elections. “The coalition government led by the conservative HDZ is weak, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic could convene earlier elections in order to make use of the strong rating of the party. Regarding the possible reshuffle, the rumor is that Finance Minister Zdravko Maric will leave the government. His position in the cabinet was the reason for the collapse of a previous ruling coalition between HDZ and MOST earlier this year, when MOST wanted to remove him, but the Prime Minister refused. Maric is tainted by the fact that, before becoming a minister in January 2016, he worked for years as a high-ranking official in the finance department of Agrokor, Croatia’s giant whose crisis exploded at the beginning of this year and still threatens the stability of the whole economy. Maric said he did not know anything about financial irregularities which occurred while he worked for the company. According to the same rumors, Maric is supposed to be replaced by Tomislav Coric, who is now the Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy. This would be his third portfolio in just six months. Until early June, he was the Minister of Labor and Pension System. After the breakup with MOST, he became the Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy in the new HDZ-HNS government. He is supposed to be replaced by Ivan Vrdoljak, the controversial former and probably future president of HNS. He resigned his post in spring after his party initially rejected to switch sides and enter into a coalition with HDZ. He is currently the favorite to win a new term as party president. In previous SDP-led government, Vrdoljak was first Minister of Construction and Physical Planning (2011-2012), and then Minister of Economy (2012-2016).

 

Brajovic: We do not give in to blackmail (CDM)

 

Montenegrin parliament speaker Ivan Brajovic said that the government cannot give in to the unreasonable blackmail of the opposition. Speaking at the meeting with heads of resident diplomatic missions in Podgorica, Brajovic said that the blackmail was aimed at hiding the lack of readiness for dialogue. He presented the achieved results and plans related to raising the efficiency of the parliamentary service, which should respond to the challenges of the modern way of parliament operations in the 21st century. Speaking of the opposition’s boycott of Parliament, Brajovic cited numerous indicators that the ruling majority shows responsibility in attempts to achieve full parliamentary composition and goodwill toward the opposition MPs.

Italian ambassador to Montenegro Vincenzo Del Monaco pointed out that Montenegro was a respected country, a country with the support of the international community and a country worth staying. Among other things he said that he could not help saying that the current boycott of parliamentary work, either complete or selective – depending on the parties, was the reason for frequent re-examination and considering within the diplomatic corps. Speaking about the international reputation of Montenegro, the ambassador of Italy said that there was general consent and general support to the European perspective of Montenegro.

 

Montenegro does not want bad relations with Russia, let alone conflicts (CDM)

 

Montenegro does not want bad relations with Russia, Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic said at the conference NATO Enlargement to the Western Balkans organized by the Atlantic Council of Croatia in Zagreb. Answering a question of the Russian diplomat about Montenegro’s membership in NATO, Darmanovic said that Montenegro did not want bad relations with Russia, let alone conflicts. “No one would willingly enter into such a situation. I accept that Russia has the perception of opposing NATO enlargement. Montenegro has a different perception,” Darmanovic said. He called to mind that Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in 2014 had said that any NATO enlargement to the Western Balkans would be seen as a provocation. “It was new to us. We did not know that Russia was seeing us this way. However, it turned out to be true later. I do not see why such an important figure would mention that if Russia did not oppose NATO enlargement to the Western Balkans. Since then, political troubles have begun,” said Darmanovic, adding that Montenegro did not betray anyone – the country just defended its own interests.

 

Macedonia's perspective lies in EU and NATO membership, says Bulgarian PM Borissov (MIA)

 

The governments of Macedonia and Bulgaria concluded Thursday their first joint session in the eastern Macedonian city of Strumica after signing a joint declaration on improving cooperation in all spheres and by signing nine bilateral deals. Speaking at a joint news conference alongside Macedonian Premier Zoran Zaev, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov said his country supported Macedonia on its path to EU and NATO integration. Macedonia's NATO perspective, he added, is of great importance. The governments will continue to carry out practical activities, Borissov pledged. The joint declaration is based on the spirit of openness and trust, mutual respect and understanding with an emphasis on regional cooperation, seen as laying the foundation for permanent stability in Southeast Europe, according to Zaev. “Today, the government session started one of the engines that's supposed to push the whole region forward. This awareness raised by the governments about our historic responsibility of opening perspectives is vital for our bilateral ties, for the Euro-integration bid of Macedonia and the region," stressed Zaev. At the first Borissov-Zaev meeting, Bulgarian PM said, they agreed to  forget about 'great' states (Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia), and work on bringing the countries' infrastructure and citizens' living standard closer to the European ones. Zaev reaffirmed the fact that the bilateral friendship treaty was signed in both Bulgarian and Macedonian language. The treaty, he said, offers a chance to set aside the weaknesses of the past and focus on the future.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Macedonia Parks Language Law to Focus on EU Priorities (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 24 November 2017)

 

Macedonia is postponing adoption of the new language law that aims to extend the use of Albanian, after Brussels advised it to concentrate on speedier adoption of EU-backed reforms.

Macedonia has delayed adoption of a new language law, sought by the ethnic Albanian community, but it will be back on parliament's agenda before the New Year holidays, said Artan Grubi, the chair of the parliamentary committee in charge of the law, after postponing a session of the committee, set for this week. “This week is important for other reform issues, and I gave preference to them in order to prevent the public from losing focus on what is most important and urgent at this moment,” said Grubi, a member of the ethnic Albanian junior ruling party in the Social Democrat-led coalition, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI. The government bill, which has angered the main opposition VMRO DPMNE party, had been moving towards adoption. Parliament last week gave it a green light in the first reading, despite opposition from VMRO DPMNE. Had the procedure continued as planned, the bill would have returned to a plenary session for its final reading, where it would have met more than 80 proposed amendments from the opposition. The number of amendments would arguably have delayed a vote, detracting parliament from work on a tight EU-led agenda, mostly focused on the rule of law and judiciary reforms. Macedonia is rushing to adopt a set of EU-sought reforms in order to get a positive recommendation from the European Commission in February and, hopefully – if it can reach a deal with Greece over its disputed name meanwhile – a start to long overdue EU accession talks. The shift in parliament's agenda happened after Monday’s visit of the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn to Skopje. During the visit, Hahn said the language law was not among the priorities that the EU would look at when considering a positive recommendation on membership talks. Hahn said Macedonia should focus on much more urgent bills that would improve conditions in the judiciary and the rule of law. On Sunday, parliament starts a session for the election of a new Public Prosecutor. It is also set to adopt changes on the Judicial Council. It will also soon discuss changes in the Witness Protection Law that should allow the Special Prosecution, SJO, to act independently when protecting key witnesses in high-profile crime cases. All of these changes should address EU concerns about undue political influence over the Macedonian judiciary. Another bill in the pipeline is the new law on communications that should increase controls over the work of the secret police, so that its work cannot be misused for the purpose of illegal wiretapping, as happened in the past. What makes the timescale even shorter for parliament is its responsibility also to adopt next year’s budget. Parliament will start a debate on the budget on Monday. Although not priority for the EU, the adoption of the new language law was one of the main conditions that Albanian parties set to Prime Minister Zaev during the formation of the new government in May. The current law defines Albanian as an official language, but it only has official status in areas where Albanians make up over 20 per cent of the population. In the north and west of the country, where Albanians are the majority in many areas, this is not a burning issue. However, in many other parts of the country, the number of Albanians is often far lower than 20 per cent. Ethnic Albanians make up about a quarter of the population. The opposition VMRO DPMNE and some rightist ethnic Macedonian movements have expressed concern over this, accusing Zaev of excess leniency towards the Albanians. They have claimed that the move will lead to the de-facto federalization of the country and its division, which Zaev has dismissed.