United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Thursday 27 June 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to resume at end of this or start of next year (Beta)
• German Ambassador: Dialogue isn’t dead (RTV)
• Stefanovic: Pristina claims regarding Interpol false (Tanjug)
• Drecun: Pristina wants to create conflict with Serbs (Pink TV)
• Food supplies for north Kosovo (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• B&H HoR discusses situation in judiciary and migrant crisis; SNSD and its coalition partners absent from session (N1)
• Dodik: Republika Srpska will form gendarmerie (RTRS)
• Zvizdic, Wigemark attend meeting in Brussels (FTV)
Croatia
• Croatia’s Foreign Minister named Council of Europe Secretary-General (HRT)
Montenegro
• PM: Vucic hasn’t read, but comments on Religious Freedom Draft Law (TMN)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Zaev withdraws from the post of finance minister (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Berlin will make the “right decision” over the date (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Borissov: I expect Bulgaria and North Macedonia to maintain good-neighborly relations (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Budapest court refuses to extradite Nikola Gruevski (Nezavisen vesnik)
Albania
• President invites Rama and Basha for talks; Rama refuses (ADN)
• Mayor Veliaj: Hundreds of OSCE observers in Tirana for the June 30 local elections (Radio Tirana)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Illumination of Serbia, Hungarian Style (BIRN)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Wednesday 26 June 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Djuric: Serbia will find a way to supply Serbs in north Kosovo (Pink TV)
• Three messages that Macron will deliver to Serbia (RTS)
• Vucic: Serbia will stay militarily neutral (RTS)
• The Serbian Parliament formed a parliamentary friendship group with Albania (Vecernje novosti)
• SzS Excludes possibility of stopping boycott of parliament prior to fulfillment of opposition’s requests (Danas)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Dodik: OSA puts several media outlets from B&H and region under surveillance, Bosniak side obstructs formation of B&H CoM insisting on NATO (RTRS)
• Covic: Kristo has revoked her motion to B&H CC regarding process of appointment of delegates in Federation of B&H HoP (BHT1)
• Norwegian FM Soreide pays visit to B&H (Oslobodjenje)
• RS President meets Maryland officials Wobensmith, Jones and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Cooper (ATV)
• United States has decided to finance modernization of armies in region (Nezavisne)
Croatia
• Grabar-Kitarovic: Croatia was exposed to the Great Serbian aggression (Hina)
• State Department: Croatia faced with rise in religious intolerance (Hina)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Pendarovski: Our Plan B is start of accession negotiations by the year-end (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Stoltenberg: Would be great if ratification of NATO’s protocol could finish by December
• (Nezavisen vesnik)
Albania
• Political crisis in Albania deepens as Electoral College turns down presidential decree (Radio Tirana)
• President Meta comments on the decision of the Electoral College, no elections in June 30 (Radio Tirana)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• A new approach to Serbia and Kosovo (Emerging Europe, by Ben Hodges)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Tuesday 25 June 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Norway's Foreign Minister visits Serbia (Beta)
• Gojkovic thanks El-Sisi for not voting against Serbian interests (RTS)
• Venice Commission: Church property seizures only with court ruling (Beta)
• Dacic: We expect Montenegro to respect Serbs’ rights (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Dodik: Thaci was not invited to SEECP summit as Kosovo President but rather as representative of Pristina, Kosovo remains unrecognized (ATV)
• RS MoI announces withdrawal of proposal on establishing reserve police unit; RS PM Viskovic: If we cannot have reserve unit, we will create gendarmerie (ATV)
• B&H HoP’s urgent session not held due to lack of quorum since SNSD and HDZ B&H delegates failed to come (Hayat)
Croatia
• Analysts comment on two announced presidential candidates (Hina)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Visegrad Group offers strong support to North Macedonia (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Greek PM Tsipras: Our neighbor meets the required criteria for starting the accession process (Nezavisen vesnik)
• Postponing start of accession negotiations was unfair, says Hungarian FM Szijjarto (Nezavisen vesnik)
• French Ambassador Thimonier bluntly lists areas where Macedonia falls short (Republika)
Albania
• President: Only Constitutional Court can turn down my decree (ADN)
• Electoral college adjudicates the complaint of NUP party to be deregistered from elections (Radio Tirana)

United Nations Office in Belgrade

Daily Media Highlights

Monday 24 June 2019

LOCAL PRESS

• Vucic: U.S. wants main role in Belgrade Pristina mediation (Beta)
• Dacic: U.S. sees Paris meeting delay as proof that it's indispensable (Pink TV)
• Dacic: not realistic to expect only US to join in dialogue (RTS, Beta)
• Djuric: Representatives of Pristina acted arrogantly towards the host in Berlin (RTS)
• Jeremic: Move to cancel meeting in Paris is a circus show directed by Belgrade and Pristina (Danas)
• Vucic: Medvedev told me Russia would protect Serbia’s territorial integrity (Beta)
• Russian Ambassador: Russia has not and will not trade with Kosovo issue (Politika)
• State Department: Belgrade and Pristina must remove obstacles and return to negotiations (Beta)
• US Ambassador: The US will not lead the Belgrade-Pristina process (FoNet)
• Canak would solve Kosovo issue by recognizing Kosovo (Blic)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Covic says there are no more obstacles to formation of state-level authority; Dodik says he is not optimistic; Izetbegovic: It is necessary to find compromise (BHT1)
• Komsic: Contesting of ANP by political representatives from RS is absolutely unnecessary (Fena)
• Commander of NATO Bissel welcomes B&H’s aspirations to become member of EU and NATO, says delivery of ANP could help strengthen cooperation with NATO (Oslobodjenje)
Croatia
• Miroslav Skoro announces presidential run (HRT)
• Slovenian President: Border arbitration ruling will be implemented (Hina)
Montenegro
• Ambassador Reinke: Montenegro has the right to its own choices (Dan)
• Chepurin: Djukanovic will end up as Poroshenko (N1)
• PM Markovic: Venice Commission confirmed our freedom and independence (CDM)
• Brajovic: Montenegro will be first new EU member state (CDM)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Tevdovski out, Zaev names himself Finance Minister (Republika)
Albania
• United opposition held its 9th national protest (Radio Tirana)
• Zaharieva: Historical mistake if accession negotiations won’t kick off with Albania and North Macedonia (Radio Tirana)

LOCAL PRESS

• Serbian, Kosovo representatives hold meeting in Berlin (Beta)
• Djuric says hazardous chemicals stored in Kosovo Serb village (Beta)
• Kosovo justice minister visits Bujanovac in southern Serbia (Beta)

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Slovakian FM and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Lajcak pays official visit to B&H (FTV)
• Lajcak: Other regional countries are in focus of EU more than B&H, Brussels feels B&H can wait (Dnevni avaz)
• Covic claims new convocation of B&H CoM could be appointed within next seven days (TV1)
• Dodik and Roumas discuss improvement of cooperation between B&H and Belarus (ATV)
Croatia
• Prime minister and president tipped as candidates for top EU positions (HRT)
Montenegro
• Serious accusations against president are groundless and unacceptable (CDM)
Republic of North Macedonia
• Zaev and Rama warn of bad things to come in the Balkans if they are not given a date to open EU accession talks (Republika)
• Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov says Macedonia will have to mature before it gets the EU accession date (Republika)
• Koumoutsakos says Macedonia and Albania will be evaluated separately (Republika)