LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Western powers want Serbia's defeat, we must resist that (Tanjug/B92/RTS/RTV)

 

Commenting on a statement by US special Western Balkans envoy Matthew Palmer, who has said the possibility of a land swap was not ruled out and that an agreement on the parameters was up to Belgrade and Pristina, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday said he himself had been advocating a Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the Kosovo issue. "I have always been saying that but I am afraid a dialogue between us on our own is not going to happen," he noted.

"Whenever there are big powers, especially big Western powers, everyone is always going to seek a defeat of Serbia. We must resist that," he added. We do not need conflicts but decades of peace, and dialogue is a must, he also said. Asked to comment on the statement by US Presidential Special Envoy Richard Grenell, that the fake news is that there is a US plan to resolve the issue of Kosovo, Vucic said that he always said we should talk first. "Whenever large Western powers interfere, everyone will look for half of Serbia. It is our duty to resist this," he said after visiting construction works at the Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases. Vucic also posed a question to reporters: "Can you imagine our situation if we decide not to conduct talks, how would the people of Kosovo survive then, is there an alternative?" Only war is an alternative and we will not do that, he said, noting that Serbia does not need conflicts. "We need decades of peace because that's the only way we would have new clinics all over Serbia. We wouldn't survive another war. After the Balkan wars, the First and Second World Wars, the wars of the 1990s ... we wouldn't survive it. We need smart policy," Vucic concluded.

 

Odalovic: This is the way to defend the Dayton agreement (RTS)

 

Secretary General in the Serbian Foreign Ministry Veljko Odalovic has told the press review of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that everything that is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is part of the campaign to revise the Dayton agreement. He says that the behavior of the Constitutional Court of B&H is the way to revise the Dayton agreement, which creates disturbance. “One doesn’t know the end of this story. If such a decision has been passed, that the land is transcribed and registered, this is cause for serious disturbance and reaction of not only the Serb member of the B&H Presidency, but also the RS parliament. Everything has been established at the tripartite activity and these institutions are in a serious problem. They need to ensure better mechanisms  so everything can function,” said Odalovic. Odalovic thinks that statements like the one by Bakir Izetbegovic that Milorad Dodik needs to be arrested right away are a matter of concern. “Imagine when all parties in B&H would bid who should be arrested. That is for internal use on the one side, and one the other it is additional pressure on international officials to revise the Dayton agreement. This revision is aimed towards reducing certain rights and jurisdictions that the RS has,” notes Odalovic. He points out that Serbia rightly reacts on what is happening since it is the guarantor of the Dayton agreement, and needs to watch over it. Commenting the messages that the behavior of the Constitutional Court is leading towards a referendum, Odalovic notes this is also the path to receive through referendum support for stands. “On the other side, this scares international officials. I think that Inzko enjoys enormous benefits with his stay in Sarajevo, but this is now threatening his position. He has a tucked, nice, well-paid job. But the RS cannot allow itself to beg Inzko, he needs to watch over the Dayton agreement,” he says. “There is a border between entities, there are crossings and services. There is an entity and jurisdictions that belong to it, and the attempt of the centralized authorities is to take away this, but to the detriment of the Serbs. Management over land means there is no development of the RS,” warns Odalovic. Wrong are all those who think that some of the Serbs need to be silent. “They are reacting in a transparent way, in parliament, they are announcing their position. This is how Dayton is defended. This needs to be stopped at the start,” notes Odalovic, adding that Serbia will always support the Serb people who are fighting for their rights.

 

Selakovic: SPC property seized in Montenegro (RTS)

 

The Serbian President‘s General Secretary Nikola Selakovic said that Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) property in Montenegro had already been seized and being used to achieve some other goal. “Undoubtedly that law touches on property rights. Under it, SPC property has already been seized because the articles of the law state that it is state property not that it will be,” Selakovic told RTS. “The political project was revealed last autumn when Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said that the forming of an Orthodox church in Montenegro, not the SPC, is a priority goal. No one’s right to national and religious identity is being disputed but we don’t want the right of the Serbs to their own church, nationality and representation in Montenegrin institutions to be disputed,” Selakovic said.

 

Grenell denies there's a plan to quickly solve Kosovo issue (Tanjug)

 

US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Richard Grenell, denied on Twitter the existence of a US plan of a quick deal to resolve the Kosovo issue. Grenell wrote the EUobserver's claims that the United States was promoting the idea of ​​a quick deal to solve the Kosovo issue was fake news. "I am for what the parties agree to - I'm focused on economic development, not politics," the US president's special envoy wrote in response to an EUobserver report. In the article, EUobserver said that the US remains open to a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia although Germany opposes the idea.

 

Dveri kick off election boycott campaign in Cacak (Beta)

 

A Dveri movement campaign caravan for boycotting the up-coming general election called Liberation, kicked off a tour of Serbia from Cacak on Tuesday. The movement organized a petition in the city square under the slogan, “A Petition against the Authorities’ Migrants Policy”, and “Your Signature Guarantees the Safety of Your Children”. Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic told reporters that the caravan was starting its mission in Cacak and that it was part of a joint boycott campaign by the Serbian opposition. He explained that the caravan would tour the entire country with the goal of reaching each  citizen and informing them of the reasons for the boycott. Obradovic added that citizens would be acquainted with the dangers and repercussions of the on-going migrant crisis and that the petition was directed against the authorities' policy on migrants. “We are convinced that the current policy on migrants must be changed and that Serbia is not Germany and cannot accommodate and assimilate such as large number of migrants. We want nothing more than that which already exists in the EU, which is the migration policies of the Visegrad Four - Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia which firmly control their state borders and are not allowing the uncontrolled influx of migrants,” Obradovic said.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Sarovic: SDS representatives supported proposed conclusions of RS parliament as they did not want to ‘jump out of package’, but this kind of blockade means chaos in B&H (BNTV)

 

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, SDS leader Mirko Sarovic commented on Monday’s special session of the RS parliament saying that representatives of SDS supported the proposed conclusions as they did not want to “jump out of the package” because of some major issues. However, they have serious objections to the text of conclusions. At the session of representatives of the parliamentary parties and the leadership of the RS, SDS proposed different solutions with regard to the work in the joint institutions, but these solutions were not accepted, Sarovic explained. “I said: ‘Do you think it is okay to block the loans for highways or infrastructure in either the FB&H, the RS or anywhere else? I think it is crazy but, if you insist, we will not make a drama, but you should know that we think that this kind of blockade is chaos in the entire B&H. Tell us how you think we will get out of this chaos?’” Sarovic said. He assessed that they should have focused only on the latest decision of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC), which he thinks is against the interests of the RS, as well as on departure of foreign judges from this institution. In his opinion, it is irresponsible to raise other topics such as referendum and secession. “It goes beyond common sense and it is dangerous. To talk about secession while everyone who is reasonable knows that people get into a war over a house, let alone to raise such major issues! I think the case is about irresponsible adventurism that one political party is drawing us into. If not that, the case is about pre-election populism, I would say, which will probably result in giving up in a few months or it will probably last until the elections, so that all of this is used for these cheap political moves,” Sarovic assessed. He warned that B&H and the RS are getting into a crisis period and that this year is already lost in economic terms. SDS will be observing the situation over the next 60 days and then it will react in a responsible and rational manner, so that the issue of the B&H CC is resolved, Sarovic concluded.

 

Viskovic says RS and FB&H governments should form body that would deal with issue of inter-entity boundary line (N1/RTRS)

 

RS MPs on Tuesday discussed conclusions regarding the work of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H which the RS parliament adopted at its Monday's special session. According to N1, the RS parliament's conclusion related to defining of the inter-entity boundary line (IEBL) attracted a lot of attention. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic commented this conclusion, stressing that he sees nothing controversial in it. Viskovic stressed that the RS government and the FB&H Government should form a body that would deal with the issue of EIBL, noting that this is in line with Annex 2 of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Viskovic recalled that a commission that was supposed to determine the IEBL was formed after Dayton, but that it is unclear to him why and when this commission ceased to work. "We only want the RS government and the FB&H government, in accordance with the Constitution of B&H, to re-start the work of such a body," Viskovic said, adding that for the sake of B&H citizens regardless of their ethnicity or any other affiliation, this body should say where is the IEBL so that one knows where competences of the RS start or end and where competences of the FB&H start or end. At the same time, FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic said that the FB&H did not take part nor will it take part in the story about the inter-entity boundary line. Representatives of the RS deem Novalic's statement as political and anti-Dayton. Annex 2 of the DPA states that the parties will establish a joint commission to prepare a harmonized expert document that will contain a precise description of the IEBL. Secretary General of the RS government Sinisa Karan stressed that Novalic should know that the boundary line between the entities is defined by the DPA, noting that it is necessary to form a joint commission and determine the final border. Karan underlined that Novalic's statement is political in the sense that he understood that as state border.

 

EUFOR closely observes situation in B&H; UK Embassy to B&H refers to joint statement of Quint countries and EUD to B&H (Hayat/O Kanal)

 

With regard to the latest political developments the EUFOR stated that it closely observes the situation and it will continue to monitor how it develops, in accordance with its mandate. “In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace, the EUFOR’s mandate implies support to a safe and stable environment in B&H. So far, these political developments have not affected the safe and stable environment,” reads a statement issued by the EUFOR. The EUFOR also stated that it is responsible to support solely the authorities in B&H while maintaining the safe and stable environment. The UK Embassy to B&H stated that its stance is an integral part of the previous joint statement of the US, UK, French, German and Italian Embassies to B&H and the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H. “Our goal is a stable, functional and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which everyone can be fulfilled and enjoy the full protection of the law. Unilateral withdrawal from institutions, or blockades of decision-making within them, are unacceptable and counter-productive from any side and would only undermine the very improvements and progress that citizens wish to see.  They bear real life consequences when it comes to B&H’s relationships with other countries and the international community. It also sends a negative sign to investors, as well as to the citizens of B&H, who are electing to leave the country,” reads the joint statement. The NATO Headquarters Sarajevo stated that “we remain committed to B&H’s progress in the reforms it chose, while competent institutions of B&H should deal with the current situation”. O Kanal Not stated – NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo issued a statement on Tuesday, noting that the HQ has been providing assistance in implementation of the reform of defense and security structures in B&H. “We remain committed to progress of B&H in reforms that it chose”, reads the statement. Asked to provide a comment on the fact that the RS parliament adopted conclusions on work of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) after the CC ruled part of the Law on Agricultural Land of the RS unconstitutional, NATO responded that those are issues that the relevant institutions of B&H should deal with.

 

Boskovic: Religion law was used to launch crusade against Montenegro (CdM/Radio Montenegro)

 

Speaking in a radio show titled ‘Interview’ of Radio Montenegro, Montenegrin Defense Minister Predrag Boskovic said that the religious freedom law is a modern, European act, endorsed by all the relevant international institutions and it does not deny anyone’s rights. “The Law on Freedom of Religion was used to launch a “crusade” against Montenegro, which would make our country not a secular, but a theocratic, Serbian state and bring it back to the Middle Ages. Montenegro will not allow it, but will deal with it in a European way, without tensions and incidents,” he said. Boskovic also assessed that relations with SRB are the worst since the restoration of independence and re-emphasized that protests which are being held twice a week have nothing to do with the Law, as it’s obvious that they intend to incorporate Serbian character in Montenegro. “The Democratic Front definitely became an unimportant political party that has no future at the political stage of Montenegro. That is why it was necessary to find a certain political subject, which will be able to generate all that energy and strength of the pro-Serbian supporters in our country, and only the Serbian Orthodox Church could do that.” The Minister noted that the govt is determined to ensure equal rights for all people in MNE regardless of their national or religious affiliation. Responding to questions in Radio Montenegro, Minister Boskovic reiterated that Montenegro was recognized as a NATO member state, which is under constant attacks by various types of special wars, from different addresses. In cooperation with partners, the Minister said that capacity building will be continued in order to combat all forms of unconventional threats.

 

Sheikh Imran calls Muslims from Balkans to support Orthodox people in defending sanctities (In4S)

 

Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein, a world-renowned Islamic preacher, writer and philosopher specializing in Islamic eschatology, supported the struggle of believers in the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. He called on Muslims in the Balkans to stand up for Orthodox believers fighting for human rights, which the Montenegrin regime is trying to deny. “It is your duty, responsibility and obligation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and all parts of the Balkans, if you are a Muslim: to stand side by side with your Orthodox Christian brethren by supporting them unanimously and in solidarity the corruption of the Montenegrin government, which is waging war against the Orthodox Church,” said Sheikh Imran. He said yes Orthodox “they are not as arrogant as those ruling Washington, Of London and Paris”, pointing to the more recent imperialist relationship of the so-called. Western Christianity towards Venezuela and Bolivia, but also the threats that, because of their actions, have overwhelmed Russia, China, Korea and Iran. “We pray that these words will come to you … to follow God's guidance from the Koran and to accept this opportunity to stand alongside your Christian brothers, side by side, to resist the dishonorable violence of the Montenegrin government,” concluded Imran.

 

EU Council removes Montenegro from the grey list (CdM)

 

Montenegro has implemented all necessary reforms to comply with EU tax good governance principles and is thus removed from Annex II,  the so-called ‘grey list’, the Council of the EU announced. They also noted that our country met all the criteria of the Council. On this occasion, the Ministry of Defense said MNE has been committed to combating tax fraud and tax evasion and it strongly supports all international activities aimed at improving transparency and the exchange of information for countering tax evasion. As they pointed out, Montenegro pledged to meet deadlines for fulfilling criteria of the Council of the European Union, which are based on agreed international standards in the field of tax transparency, fair taxation and implementation of anti-measures for base erosion and profit shifting (anti-BEPS measures).

 

Meta accuses Rama as sole responsible for coup d'etat (ADN)

 

Albanian President Ilir Meta accused Albanian Premier Edi Rama of being the main initiator behind the coup being prepared through the illegitimate half-parliament, according to him. "I am here today to denounce new evidence of the half-parliament's attempt to take the final step of the coup. The documents clearly show from where they got the law. He will be the first responsible, before the new people and justice. The initiative to capture the Constitutional Court is from the prime minister, who is the originator of this coup. The half-parliament in its report, which is known for lies and fraud, says that this initiative, which has taken the oath in the coffee shop or on the edge of Lana River, has received the approval of the High Prosecutorial Council, High Judicial Council, Magistrates, Soros Foundation, the Ministry of Justice, etc. These are disproved, primarily by Dvorani, who says he has given no opinion in support of this state group. And I applaud him here, for acting in accordance with the law. Here we have another refutation of the half-parliament that violates the constitution and the people, as it says the magistrate's school has not given an opinion. Thank you and Mr. Sadushi for the cooperation. Now we come to the Albanian Helsinki Committee, which considers that the oath of Constitutional judges cannot be done in writing, as it is a high act of solemnity," said Meta.

 

Parliament can be dissolved by the people (ADN)

 

President of the Republic, Ilir Meta's spokesperson, Tedi Blushi announced this Tuesday that the parliament will be dissolved by people. According to Blushi, President only implements the will of the people, as he will do regarding the decree for returning the law for coup d'etat.

"Parliament will be dissolved by the people. The President will only implement people's will. And the decree on the return of the coup law will be decided by the people. The president will only sign it on people's behalf. There will be some decrees to dismantle the coup d'etat. Be patient. The decrees will be implemented by Albanian people," declared Blushi.

 

Rama ready for agreement with Basha (ADN)

 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama admitted that he is ready to reach another agreement with Chairman of Democratic Party (DP) Lulzim Basha. The Premier declared that he is ready for agreement anytime, except for 17 November, date of Tirana's Liberation, because Basha is the most failed Mayor in Tirana's history, according to him. "I am ready to make an agreement, on 17 March, 17 June, 17 October ... except 17 November, because we celebrate the Liberation of Tirana and I do not deal with the failed mayor. Snap elections? The only thing to do in a snap for me is reconstruction," Rama said.

 

Cakaj: Kosovo-Albania border should be removed and a joint political platform should be created (Radio Tirana)

 

Albania’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj  stated that there should be no Kosovo-Albania  borders for the citizens of both countries, and a joint political platform should be created. Cakaj issued this statement in a joint press conference with his Kosovo counterpart, Glauk Konjufca  in Pristina. “The border between the two countries should not exist at all, should be removed immediately and our countries to enjoy unlimited freedom of movement and opportunity for economic interaction,” said Mr. Cakaj. “Kosovo and Albania should move towards enhanced cooperation. To create a common political platform. The policies of Kosovo and Albania should have an approach with complementary goals. So far the cooperation has been intense, but from now on we should have a maximum cooperation,” said Cakaj adding that he had proposed two agreements to the Kosovo Foreign Minister. “The first agreement is for the allocation of expenses and duties in a campaign to lobby for recognition of Kosovo. We are ready to sign this agreement. The second agreement is for the transmission of experiences in the screening process, regarding the negotiation process,” said Cakaj.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

US still open to Kosovo-Serbia land swap (EUobserver, by Ekrem Krasniqi and Andrew Rettman, 18 February 2020)

 

The US has declined to rule out a land swap between Kosovo and Serbia - despite German opposition to the idea. "It's up to the parties to establish the parameters of the dialogue," the US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, told EUobserver in Brussels on Monday (17 February) when asked about the controversial plan. "What we support is the parties finding a way to return to the negotiating table, putting the issues of concern on the negotiating table, and finding a path toward the normalisation of their relationship, ideally with mutual recognition as the centrepiece," he added. "We'd like to see mutual recognition between Serbia and Kosovo as the outcome of the [negotiation] process," he also said. Palmer declined to answer further questions on whether the US position went against Germany, which has said a land-swap deal could destabilise the region. The idea that Serbia should take majority-Serbian parts of north Kosovo in return for giving Kosovo a majority-Albanian area called the Presevo Valley first surfaced in mid-2018 in EU-brokered talks between Serb president Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo president Hashim Thaci. "The US policy is that if the two parties can work it out between themselves and reach agreement, we don't exclude territorial adjustments," the then White House security advisor, John Bolton, said at the time. EU institutions echoed Bolton, even though Germany, the main EU protagonist in the Western Balkans, said the idea could cause friction in a region where changing borders on ethnic lines led to wars 20 years ago. "The territorial integrity of the states of the Western Balkans ... is inviolable," German chancellor Angela Merkel said at the time. Kosovo split from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. It has been recognised by all but five EU countries plus the US, but not by Serbia, Russia, or China. The EU-brokered talks on normalising relations broke down in late 2018 amid a dispute on punitive trade tariffs. But the land-swap plan remained popular in US circles, with a US special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia talks, Richard Grenell, continuing to promote the idea of a "quick deal" on recognition last year. And Palmer's Bolton-type remarks, made at an EU conference for Albania earthquake relief in Brussels on Monday, indicated it will stay on the agenda this year, even as German-US relations continue to hit new lows.

 

Cold feet

For his part, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has made Western Balkans integration a top priority and travelled to Pristina in January. But some EU countries, led by France, have put enlargement on hold on grounds the current method of preparing countries for membership must be reformed. The EU cold feet come at a time of heightened tension, with Republika Srpska, the ethnic-Serbian entity in Bosnia, threatening, last Saturday, to hold a referendum on independence, and with the Serbian Orthodox church organising street protests against the pro-EU government in Montenegro. "We are like lovers that wait to get married and then the other side doesn't show up," Albanian prime minister Edi Rama told press in Brussels on Monday, after the EU declined to open Albania accession talks last year.

 

Tensions take center stage as Western Balkans gets under the spotlight in Munich (EWB, 18 February 2020)

 

MUNICH – Even though Western Balkans and EU enlargement in general did not represent an important topic at the Munich Security Conference 2020, being overshadowed by issues such as the division in the West and relations with China and Russia, the region did find itself under the spotlight, described by an US official as a “fairly robust topic” on which there is still a lot of focus. This time it was the Serbia-Kosovo conundrum and the tensions surrounding it that took center stage. Three events related to the Western Balkans were organized as side events to the Munich Security Conference 2020, one of the most important conference on international relations in the world, which was held from 14 to 16 February in the Bavarian capital. Surely the most important event related to the Western Balkans was the panel discussion held on 14 February within the Balkans Dialogue programme initiated by EastWest Institute, whose previous events took place in Berlin and Belgrade. This high-level event in Munich was held under Chatham House rules and was attended by Western Balkan leaders, high officials of the EU, member states and the US, as well as other participants of the Munich Security Conference. An unnamed US official described the high interest in this event as a “sort of a stampede”. The panel discussion was the first occasion on which the newly elected prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met with the Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić, and their meeting took all the headlines, overshadowing the presence of other topics and the presence of other high officials from the region. Even though the event was held behind closed doors using Chatham House rules, the phenomenon which Albanian prime minister Edi Rama described as “Balkan Chatham rules” inevitable occurred, with a lot of information leaked to the media. Politico reports that chairman Ischinger broke the rules himself prior to the conference by announcing there will be a meeting between Vučić and Kurti, as participants should not have been named, perhaps foreshadowing the public spectacle that the event will turn out to be. Serbian media considered to be close to the government quickly reported about a verbal clash between the Serbian president and Kosovo Prime Minister, claiming that President Vučić “silenced” and “destroyed” Kurti after the Prime Minister’s remarks that “Serbia should be liberated of Kosovo”. Serbian daily Kurir reported that Vučić told Kurti that he will not humiliate Serbia, that the Kosovo Prime Minister does not represent a state as it was not recognized by half of the world, and that Kosovo needs to respect the Brussels Agreement and form the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities. Vučić himself later told RTS that the meeting was “tough” and that he “fought for the interest of Serbia and the Serbian people” and that he invested all of his “knowledge, energy and enthusiasm”. Kurti’s speech on the panel was actually recorded and published online on the same day, with Vučić’s comments directed to him in Serbian clearly audible. This later led to the Serbian president saying that this shows “what kind of frauds we are dealing with”, and that he himself respected Chatham House rules. Speaking on the panel, Kurti expressed his opinion that Western Balkan countries should be admitted to the EU at the same time and that the “mini-Schengen” initiative should be a part of the Berlin process, with all Western Balkan countries participating and the process evolving into a “mini Marshall plan”. He also spoke of his three principles for the dialogue with Serbia, that there are “no deals without a dialogue, no dialogue with maps and no maps with presidents around”. Kosovo Prime Minister finished his speech by saying that Kosovo was occupied by Serbia and that those who have “liberated Kosovo from Serbia” should now “liberate Serbia from Kosovo”, as it represents a great burden to it. Several sources confirmed for EWB that there was indeed a verbal clash between Vučić and Kurti, and that the Serbian president reacted to Kurti’s statements very aggressively, including with remarks in Serbian which were audible on the leaked video. Serbian media presented Vučić’s behaviour in a positive light, but EWB sources described the situation as very unpleasant. This development was in a sharp contrast to the events of the same morning, when in the presence of US presidential envoy for Serbia-Kosovo negotiations Richard Grenell and the two presidents, Serbia and Kosovo signed a declaration of intent about building highway and railway lines from Belgrade to Pristina. Both presidents Vučić and Thaçi thanked ambassador Grenell and the US efforts for what international media described as a “huge diplomatic step”. However, even this event was not without controversy, as the Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti later claimed that the representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure who signed the documents were not authorized to do so and that he was not familiar with the content of the agreements. “Two agreements have been signed today in Munich by officials authorized by former Minister Pal Lekaj. The whole negotiation process was done before our government took power. Therefore, these officials have received no authorization from the new government to negotiate or sign agreements,” Kurti wrote in Facebook, reports Exit News. This development clearly shows that the question of who has the mandate to engage in the dialogue with Serbia, prime minister Kurti or president Thaçi, is likely to remain controversial and create further conflicts between Kosovo officials. The third Western Balkan related side event on the Munich Security Conference was the panel discussion “Building Societal Resilience in the European Neighbourhood”, organized in partnership with the BMW Foundation, where Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti and North Macedonia’s foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov participated alongside the director of the European Fund for the Balkans Aleksandra Tomanić and the European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas. The events in Munich might signal a rise of international interest in the Western Balkans and resolving the Serbia-Kosovo conundrum, but the manner in which events unfolded leaves a huge question mark about the political will for normalization among the governments in question ahead of the EU-WB Zagreb Summit in May.