United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Monday 6 January 2020
LOCAL PRESS

• Vucic has decided not to visit the Serbs in the north of Montenegro on Christmas Day (Tanjug/B92)
• Dacic: Here we have had a Greater Montenegro aggression (RTS)
• Serbian Patriarch Irinej urges authorities in Montenegro to come to their senses (Kurir/Tanjug/B92)
• Drecun: Hybrid operations conducted against Serbia; Djukanovic will not stop (RTS)
• Bozovic refuses to receive protest note (Tanjug)
• Academic community pleads for solution to Montenegrin crisis (Beta)
• Vulin: Declassified British documents prove those who bombarded RS and Serbia knew Oric’s forces provoked conflict in Srebrenica (Novosti)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Dodik calls on all citizens of RS to come to Banja Luka on 9 January to celebrate Day of RS (RTRS)
• Cvijanovic: RS will last for all times, that is what people have decided (Glas Srpske)
• Salkic calls on Inzko to sanction organizers of 9 January celebration (Hayat)
• UK National Archives declassified documents show that US Administration was divided regarding approach to war in B&H (Nezavisne novine)
• Declassified document on Srebrenica denies verdicts of The Hague Tribunal and plan of leadership of RS to conquer Srebrenica, reactions (RTRS)
• B&H Presidency voices concern over latest developments in Iraq, condemning attack on US Embassy in Baghdad (N1)
• Dodik supported Vucic’s attempts to help Serbian people in Montenegro (Srna)
• B&H officials congratulate Milanovic on being elected new Croatian President (FTV)
Croatia
• Croatia presidential election: Milanovic defeats incumbent Grabar-Kitarovic (Hina)
Montenegro
• Protests against new religious law continue across Montenegro (N1)
Albania
• Cakaj condemns the attack on the Montenegrin Embassy in Belgrade (Radio Tirana)

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

• Europe’s big problems in 2020 (Politico)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Friday 3 January 2020
LOCAL PRESS

• Vucic: The Montenegrin Prime Minister is telling notorious lies (Tanjug/B92)
• Montenegrin charge d’affairs called for talks in the Serbian Foreign Ministry (Tanjug)
• Bozovic: Vucic’s visit is a strong message to Serbs (Tanjug/RTV)
• Serbian churches in Montenegro ringing bells every two hours until Nativity following adoption of anti-Church law (spc.org)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Cvijanovic: RS demonstrated capacity not only to survive but to progress as well (Srna)
Croatia
• Croatia takes over six-month rotating presidency of EU Council (Al Jazeera Balkans)
Montenegro
• President’s Cabinet: There has been no official confirmation of Vucic’s visit (CDM)
• Markovic: Uncivilized attack and terrible reaction of the Serbian authorities (CDM)
• MFA reacts to Russian MID comment (Montenegrin Foreign Ministry)
• Montenegro isn’t a threat to anyone (Pobjeda)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Zaev resigns (Republika)
• Zaev’s resignation letter submitted to the parliament (Republika)
Albania
• Albania takes over OSCE chairmanship (ADN)

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

• Patriarch Bartholomew: We will never give autocephaly to the “Montenegrin Church” (orthochristian.com)
• Western Balkans left 'betrayed' by EU over membership talks (The Guardian)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Tuesday 31 December 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Patriarch Irinej: Major events in Montenegro – this is not only a problem of Montenegro but also of Serbia (RTV/FoNet/Beta)
• Vucic: I’m ready for the highest level meeting with the authorities in Montenegro (B92/Beta)
• Djuric with Kosovo Serb representatives (Tanjug/RTS)
• Fajon doesn’t expect Serbia’s opposition back to parliament before election (Blic/Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Tegeltija: Council of Ministers will not be dealing with political issues which might block its work (Nezavisne novine)
• Izetbegovic: During political fight that caused crisis in past year, positions of Serb and Bosniak politicians were clear but HDZ B&H was ambivalent (Hayat)
• Radoncic says adoption of Program of Reforms for NATO is biggest success (Hayat)
• Dodik warns people of working age are leaving B&H, migrants without documents and with suspicious past are coming to B&H, suggests what needs to be done to solve problem (EuroBlic)
• Prosecutor's Office of B&H issues indictment against Mektic and three others for abuse of office (BN TV)
Croatia
• First presidential debate of upcoming elections held (RTL/Vecernji list)
Montenegro
• Appeal for the condemnation of attempts to jeopardize peace in Montenegro (CDM)
• DPS: Citizens must not allow themselves to be manipulated (CDM)

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

• Oppression of Serbian Orthodox Church fraught with great problems, says Russian ministry (TASS)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Monday 30 December 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Brnabic: “Serbia 2025” project (Tanjug/RTS/Beta)
• Vucic: Serbia to experience rebirth by 2025 (Tanjug/Beta/RTS)
• Vucic: A main prerequisite is to preserve peace and stability in the region (TV Prva/B92)
• Djuric: Moraca and Ostrog the same as Gracanica and Decani (RTS)
• Djuric: Gathering around five principles of national policy (Politika/RTV/Tanjug)
• Vucic: Both Sarajevo and Dodik criticized us because of Serbia’s national defense strategy (RTS)
• Vulin: I expected Sarajevo’s gratitude to Serbia’s Defense Strategy (Tanjug/Novosti)
• Fabrizi: Continuation of Kosovo negotiations top priority for EU (Blic/Beta)
• Parliament passes army act (Beta)
• Serbian parliament ends regular session with incidents (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• B&H Presidency split on Serbia's new National Security and Defense Strategy (Fena/Srna/N1)
• Dodik to ask Serbia to remove RS from their Defense Strategy (N1)
• Becirovic: Vucic revealed his true plans with adoption of Defense Strategy, he is on road that leads to The Hague (Oslobodjenje)
• Bosnian political parties slam Serbia's Defense Strategy as anti-Bosnian (N1)
• OHR spokesperson: Serbia agreed to respect B&H's sovereignty (Fena)
• Dodik: Law on Freedom of Religion and Legal Status of Religious Communities does not do credit to state which claims that it advocates rights of all its citizens (FTV)
• Gatherings of citizens held in Pale, Banja Luka and Trebinje to protest against Law on Religious Freedoms in Montenegro (O kanal)
Montenegro
• Djukanovic signs Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief (CDM)
• Parliament adopts Law on absolute freedom of use of national symbols (CDM)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Outgoing Prime Minister: The interim government must organize free and fair elections and continue working for the benefit of citizens (Republika)
• Government accepts VMRO-DPMNE’s proposal for early ratification of NATO Treaty (Republika)

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

• Freedom to plunder? Russian Church slams contentious religious law approved in Montenegro (TASS)
• Hundreds protest in Serbia against new Montenegro church law (Euronews/AP)
• Montenegrin Police Says Four Officers Injured in Clashes With Anti-Church Law Protesters (Sputnik)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Friday 27 December 2019
LOCAL PRESS

• Brnabic: Authorities working solely for benefit of Serbia and its people (Beta)
• Vucic: We are just one of guarantors of the Dayton (Novosti)
• Disputed articles in the controversial Law on Freedom of Religion (Telegraf)
• Patriarch Irinej deeply distressed over events in Montenegro (RTS)
• Police beat up Bishop Metodije (Beta/B92)
• SzS: Montenegro to declare controversial law null and void, de-escalate tensions (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Komsic on Serbia’s Strategy of Defense: Unless this document is suspended, relations between two countries will be seriously undermined (Hayat)
• Dodik: B&H Presidency did not take position on Defense and National Security Strategy of Serbia which is why Komsic cannot speak neither on behalf of B&H Presidency nor on behalf of B&H (Srna)
• Protest of opposition in RS held in Banja Luka, protestors request removal of Lukac and criticize RS authorities for failure to deliver original Program of Reforms of B&H to RS parliament (BNTV)
• Stanivukovic files criminal report against Lukac (N1)
• SDS launches initiative for removal of Lukac (BNTV)
Montenegro
• Parliament adopts the Law on Freedom of Religion (CDM/N1)
• Markovic following Law adoption: We will make sure that everything runs smoothly (RTCG)

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

• EU's broken promises in the Balkans lead to rocky road in 2020 (Deutsche Welle)