LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: Kurti is not in a position to force anything on me (B92/Tanjug/RTS/Politika) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the media upon ending his two-day visit to the Czech Republic, and after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister. The President thanked Babis for his hospitality and pointed out that our exports and imports rates are growing. “We talked about everything: about vaccination, what we can do for Czech companies...,” said Vucic in a conversation with the media. He added that among the topics of conversation in Prague was the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Vucic stated today that he is ready, if he is available then, to meet in Brussels with the Prime Minister of the interim institutions of Pristina Albin Kurti. Vucic told reporters in Prague, responding to Kurti’s announcements that he would meet with Vucic in mid-June in Brussels, that it was still not on the agenda because he was waiting to be informed. “I am engaged full time in politics, I have no other business, or anything else, if I am free on that day, I will go, if I am not, I would try to reschedule the meeting,” said Vucic.

He points out that he is always ready for a dialogue with Pristina because it is good for our people in the southern province. “I am not doing anything out of spite, but the crucial issue is whether we can preserve stability and peace and help our people in Kosovo and Metohija. That is my obligation,” he says. On the statement of the journalists that it seems that Pristina is doing everything out of spite, because Kurti says that it will not be a continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, but a conversation between the Prime Minister of Kosovo and the President of Serbia, and that dialogue is possible under some new circumstances, Vucic points out that Kurti is not in a position to force anything on him and adds that he will not say anything offensive about him because he does not want to compete in being rude. “For me, he is not the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, but of the interim Pristina institutions, and I respect that fact,” states Vucic. When it comes to dialogue, Vucic says that he heard the same stories that Kurti tells from the president of the interim institutions in Pristina Vjosa Osmani at the meeting within the Brdo-Brioni process on Brdo near Kranj. “I listened to it from Vjosa Osmani and everything went well until we finally put two and two together. Everything went well and in the end only she did not agree with the content of the document that was harmonized. It was the first time in I don't know how long back in modern history that Serbia should not be the culprit, but that they are to blame. Just let them continue like that,” concluded Vucic.

Selakovic: Government to discuss dismissal of Ambassador Zurovac today (TV Kurir) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic stated on Wednesday night that the Serbian government will consider the decision on the dismissal of Ambassador Nikola Zurovac on Thursday, who was urgently called from Warsaw for consultations due to a petition in connection with which he did not consult with the Ministry. “I was supposed to be in Poland today, we arranged a serious visit, but the day before that the officials started canceling the meetings when we found out that the main reason was our ambassador,” Selakovic said, emphasizing that everywhere in the world what the ambassador does is considered as an act backed by the state. The Minister says that it his move for the ambassador to be called for consultations, while the government decides on the dismissal. He emphasized that the decision he made had nothing to do with the content of the petition and that it would be the same in any case, because, he says, the ambassador did not consult, and in diplomacy every word is binding.

He added that the ambassador should have known, among other things, the attitude of the people of Poland on LGBT issues. The visit to Warsaw, as he stated, was not canceled but postponed and he already received new dates from his Polish colleagues. “Poland is extremely important for us,” Selakovic told TV Kurir, adding that it is a country whose economy ranks sixth in Europe, whose voice is important for Serbia and in UNESCO, and when it defends the sanctities in Kosovo and Metohija ... Selakovic described the apology for the bombing of Czech President Milos Zeman as a brave move “to which no member of the Serbian family could remain indifferent”. Selakovic assessed that the Brdo-Brioni summit showed that Pristina could be identified as the culprit and disruptive factor for the first time. “Those who changed our borders, who looked at us as oxen and themselves as gods, tried to portray us as a disruptive factor,” Selakovic said, quoting a Latin proverb. He also said that he did not want to comment on the ideas from Pristina to document the crimes committed by Serbs, and emphasized that they were showing how much they did not care about the dialogue. “Confirmation of that is the epilogue of the Brdo-Brioni summit and Stoltenberg’s statement, the epilogue of that are also fantastic meetings and an extraordinary visit to the Czech Republic and all that, but also the epilogue are highways, hospitals, schools, museums, the Church of Saint Sava,” Selakovic concluded.

 

Belgrade summons its Warsaw envoy for supporting Polish LGBT community (Blic/Politika/N1)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic summoned on Wednesday Serbia’s Ambassador to Poland Nikola Zurovac after signing a letter of support of the Polish LGBT community without prior consultation with Belgrade. Forty other ambassadors to Poland signed the letter, but Zurovac’s move led to the cancellation of Selakovic’s visit to Warsaw. And though the letter per se was not a problem, the Ministry statement said, since Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was an open gay, Belgrade diplomacy was unprepared for the expected adverse reaction by the Polish conservative authorities. “Zurovac signed the letter a day before Selakovic’s scheduled visit to Poland. That triggered negative reactions of the local conservative authorities, especially because Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria did not support the letter. That led to the cancellation of the visit planned for Wednesday and Thursday,” a diplomatic source told Blic.

Lutovac: Vucic deceives Serbian citizens once again (Beta) 

The leader of the Democratic Party (DS) Zoran Lutovac stated on Wednesday that Aleksandar Vucic had once again deceived the Serbian citizens, by declaring that the European Union would never receive Serbia as a full member. According to media reports, during his visit to the Czech Republic, Vucic stated in an interview to Radio Plus there that Serbia would like to become a member of the EU, but that, even if it fulfilled all the required conditions, the Union would never accept it as a full member. Lutovac told Beta that, under the rule of Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Serbia would indeed never become a member of the EU.

“Serbia will not become a part of the European family, not because the EU does not want us, but because it is not a democratic state. In Serbia, there is no media freedom, no rule of law and no fair elections. All who do not support the autocracy of Aleksandar Vucic, have their liberties and basic human rights limited,” said Lutovac, adding that corruption and crime had flooded both the state and the society.

Zeman: I advised Vucic not to yield to pressure (Tanjug) 

In an exclusive interview to Tanjug following Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Prague, Czech President Milos Zeman has said his apology to Serbia for the Czech Republic’s involvement in the 1999 NATO bombing had been personal but that he had also offered it as head of state and that the bombing had been illegal. Commenting on Serbia’s insistence on protection of its state and national interests amid efforts to solve the Kosovo problem, Zeman said he had advised Vucic not to yield to any kind of pressure and to strive to maintain good relations with all major partners. Zeman said he had also recommended that Serbia act with self-confidence in the EU accession talks, rather than in a servile manner. “My apology to Serbia is an apology by the president of the Republic for a bombing that took place without the consent of the UN Security Council and was also illegal in that sense,” Zeman responded when asked if his apology had been personal – as described by the Czech FM – and whether it also confirmed the NATO bombing had been illegal. When asked about reactions to his apology in Czech political circles, Zeman said it had been mostly well received but that it had not gone down too well with opposition parties. “I said the apology was on my own behalf since I was president of the Republic at the time and gave the consent for the bombing,” Zeman told Tanjug in the interview.

REGIONAL PRESS 

 

Tegeltija holds meeting with EU officials; Tegeltija expects B&H to get status of EU candidate country soon (RTRS) 

 

Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) Zoran Tegeltija has completed his two-day official visit to Brussels. The European path of B&H and vaccine procurement were the main topics of Tegeltija's meetings with the officials of the EU, including EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi, EP’s rapporteur on B&H Paulo Rangel and representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajcak. During the meetings with the EU officials, Tegeltija said that the status of the EU candidate country by the end of this year is the news B&H expects from Brussels. Tegeltija stressed that B&H is working on fulfilling these requirements and that most of the work has been done. "In talks with all representatives of the EU and the European Parliament (EP), it is clear that B&H is working on that, that it is very close to obtaining the candidate status, aware that most of these things that have been agreed in the previous period have been completed and that we are in the implementation phase," Tegeltija underlined. Tegeltija stressed that changes to the election legislation in B&H could be a stumbling block on the European path, reiterating that that this should not be a condition for obtaining the candidate status. "I am not entirely sure whether the changes to the election legislation will continue to be one of the conditions for obtaining the candidate status. Although we have to admit that a commission which should work on changing the election legislation has been formed in B&H and that it is very broadly set with the ruling and the opposition parties and if consent is reached there, there is no reason why we could not agree changes to the election legislation and meet that condition as well," Tegeltija pointed out. Tegeltija stressed that he expects faster delivery of the agreed quantities of vaccines from the EU. Tegeltija received a promise in Brussels that additional quantities of vaccines will be delivered to B&H during the next month. "They are of the opinion that in June, all the countries of the Western Balkans, including B&H, will receive additional quantities of vaccines through this EU vaccine procurement mechanism, aware that with these epidemiological measures that are being undertaken, the process of vaccination is the key to solving all problems in both the healthcare sector and economy," Tegeltija underlined. Commissioner Varhelyi underlined that support to the entire region will not lack. "This is another important step we are making to make this the year of the Western Balkans. We still have a lot of work to do, many challenges, but we will succeed if we all contribute to a common goal," Commissioner Varhelyi said.

Everyone hinders reforms, yet they always blame others (EuroBlic) 

 

The daily reminded that it has been two years since the European Commission (EC) presented 14 key priorities which Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) needs to fulfill, followed by numerous optimistic announcements on fulfillment of the priorities. The daily added that, meanwhile, deadlines were prolonged yet priorities remained unfulfilled because B&H still has to fulfill nine major priorities. One of those is change to the Election Law of B&H. The daily argued that talks on this matter have been stuck for a while now because neither HDZ B&H nor SDA, which are carrying out the talks, want to make concessions. While HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic insists on legitimate representation of Croats, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic advocate civic concept where one man would bring one vote. Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik recently said that it is impossible to fulfill the priorities, to which Croat member of the Presidency of B&H Zeljko Komsic replied by saying that Dodik openly opposes fulfillment of the priorities. Delegate in the House of Peoples (HoP) of B&H Lazar Prodanovic (SNSD) said that politicians should spend less time blaming each other and more time trying to reach agreements in order to fulfill the priorities. Prodanovic assessed that it is unserious to label HDZ B&H and SNSD as sole culprits for the failure to fulfill the priorities and noted that SDA and DF, which are also a part of the authorities at the level of B&H, should be blamed as well. Prodanovic added that the entire executive and legislative authorities at the level of B&H are responsible for failure to fulfill obligations they take, but it is more important to find compromise and adopt at least the Public Procurement Law, Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interests and Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of B&H. Prodanovic concluded by saying that the adoption of these three laws would send a clear message to Brussels that B&H wants to join the EU. Deputy Chair of HDZ B&H-HNS Caucus in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Predrag Kozul said that his party is not the culprit for delays in fulfillment of the EC priorities and he argued that the fulfillment of priorities is of the top importance for HDZ B&H. Kozul added that obstructions of fulfilment of the priorities come from many sides and noted: “It is interesting that those who support Hamas, which was included in the EU list as a terrorist organization, are speaking about the European path”. Kozul also rejected claims that HDZ B&H wants to have the Election Law of B&H that is not in line with what the EU wants and he reminded that HDZ B&H only wants the Election Law of B&H to be harmonized with rulings of the Constitutional Court of B&H and ruling of European courts.

Inter-Agency Working Group for Electoral Reform fails to adopt RoP (FTV) 

 

The session of the Inter-Agency Working Group for Electoral Reform was held on Wednesday. The session lasted for several hours, but members of this group failed to adopt the Rules of Procedures (RoP) that regulates the method of the work of the Inter-Agency Working Group, as well as the method of voting. Representatives of opposition parties claim that this is just “a directed play”, while representatives from ruling parties deem this is an attempt to end stalemate in B&H. Member of abovementioned body Branislav Borenovic (PDP) said that the ruling coalition at B&H level has 11 out of 14 members of the Inter-Agency Working Group, adding that despite of this they want to create stalemate and blockade in work of this body. Reporter noted that members of this body failed to adopt the RoP due to failure to reach agreement on the method of voting, definition of majority, the right of veto three chairmen of this working group have. Member of the Inter-Agency Working Group Damir Arnaut (Our Party) stated that the fact every member from the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) has the right of veto created problems in work of the Inter-Agency Working Group. Reporter noted that the main obstacle to adoption of the RoP was stipulation on voting in the period when there is concrete proposal of amendments of the Election Law of B&H. The current proposal reads that adoption of the proposal of amendments requires consensus or votes of two thirds of representatives from the rank of every people. This would also require consensus of three chairmen. Deputy Chair of the Inter-Agency Working Group Sredoje Novic (SNSD) stressed that the B&H HoP currently does not have equal position because there can be situations where a proposal gets adopted and does not get a single vote of members from the B&H HoP. “This means future adoption of amendments to the Election Law in the B&H HoP can be brought into question” noted Novic. Also, HDZ B&H’s Borjana Kristo opposed audio recording of sessions of the Inter-Agency Working Group as well as presence of journalists at sessions, i.e. to have sessions closed for the public. Borenovic explained that journalists are not members of this group and cannot ask questions at sessions. “Your presence is not necessary. It is your task to inform the public on time and correctly,” said Kristo. Reporter noted that it was agreed at abovementioned session that experts from the European Commission and the Venice Commission should participate in work of this body. Reporter commented that considering everything that occurred at Wednesday session of the Inter-Agency Working Group, it is hard to expect this group to prepare any concrete amendments to the Election Law of B&H.

B&H officials, analysts believe B&H should not rush with recognizing of Kosovo, they are pessimistic that internal consensus on this issue is possible (Oslobodjenje) 

 

During the working dinner, hosted by EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti asked remaining EU members to recognize Kosovo independence and stressed that this will encourage the European integration of Kosovo. The daily reminded that former President of Yugoslavian Presidency Raif Dizdarevic gave an interview to magazine Dani in 2013 and said that in this regard Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) needs to take care of its own interests, not be led by the fact that the USA recognized Kosovo so “we should as well” and should wait for Serbia to recognize this situation. Honorary President of PDP Mladen Ivanic deems that recognition of Kosovo would be a catastrophe, which would lead to “collapse of everything in B&H”. He argues that those who consider this would be working against B&H and argues that even the entire EU has not recognized Kosovo, which proves this to be a much bigger issue. Ivanic stressed that due to the position of Serb people, B&H should not open up this issue and added that B&H should wait for the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. B&H MP and Vice President of SDA Safet Softic deems that the issue of Kosovo recognition will be an issue in B&H for a long time and matter of confrontations within B&H institutions, most notably within B&H Presidency. Softic stressed that he does not think that it is possible to reach consensus on this matter and believes that issues, which are cause of such deep disagreements, should be avoided. Softic stressed that he does not believe that B&H’s stance on the matter would contribute to faster reaching the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina and stressed that what B&H needs is a clear stance that dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina cannot be brought in connection with B&H’s future. Political analyst Tanja Topic deems that the decision about recognition of Kosovo, without waiting for this to be done under EU’s instruction, would cause serious issues in B&H. Topic stressed that Brdo- Brijuni Summit made it clear that there are very opposing stances within B&H and she is not optimistic that internal consensus can be reached on this matter.

Sattler, Ambassadors of Austria, Slovenia, Netherlands and Germany open Archive of Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center (Hayat) 

 

The Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Johann Sattler, Austrian Ambassador to B&H Ulrike Hartmann, German Ambassador to B&H Margret Uebber, Slovenian Ambassador to B&H Zorica Bukinac and Dutch Ambassador to B&H Reinout Vos visited the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center on Wednesday. They honored the victims of the Srebrenica genocide at the memorial complex and stressed that no true reconciliation can be achieved without learning lessons from the past and respect for pain and suffering of survivors. The Ambassadors then opened the Archive of the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center. Addressing the reporters on this occasion, Sattler said that the EU continues to help societies and communities in the process of facing the past and in the process of healing and recovery in various manners, adding that one of the processes is also the identification of missing persons. He stressed that efforts to fight for establishing the truth are necessary, because unfortunately there are many who deny the crimes and scope of the genocide that happened in Srebrenica, and the EU condemns such behavior which is inacceptable for a country that tends to become the EU member state. Director of the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center Emir Suljagic stated that the most modern archive of its kind was opened at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center, adding that it will be fully functional by the end of June and will be a guidepost for researches, students and visitors to learn more about genocide and terrible crimes. After laying down flowers to monument for victims of genocide in Srebrenica, Sattler said that what happened in Srebrenica 26 years ago is among darkest moments in history of the Europe. He added that half century after the holocaust Europe witnessed unimaginable atrocities again although many had been claiming that similar crimes will happen never again. Sattler underlined that they feel shame due to inability to prevent terrible things that happened in this area. Sattler also stated: “I am here with colleagues from Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands and we stand here in front of you with our heads bowed, this shame we feel due to our own inability to prevent terrible events in this area will follow us throughout our lives. Looking at the experience of others, it has been shown that the legacy of war, however painful and tragic, if dealing with such things is done on the basis of truth and facts, it can be overcome in the direction of a better future for all. Experiences of other societies from across the world, and even my own, show that dealing with the past is possible regardless of how painful or divided it is. What these places have in common is respect for the facts, truth, justice, respect for victims on all sides. We in the EU are ready to help prepare the terrain, as well as to support processes which help communities and societies to gradually deal with their past and heal,” Sattler underlined. Ambassador Sattler stated that unfortunately there are still people who are denying genocide in Srebrenica and celebrating those responsible. “We have constantly condemned such behavior and we will continue to do so. It has no place in Europe or in a country that aspires to become a member of the EU,” Sattler pointed out. Following the visit to Potocari, Ambassadors met with representatives of Srebrenica Municipality, discussing economic recovery and projects that would serve the purpose. Head of Municipality Mladen Grujicic stated that their talks focused on economy and they agreed to present the projects at the donor conference, similar to the one that took place in 2015. Asked why he has not paid a visit to places of Serb sufferings, Sattler said that the EU is not dividing victims and called for accepting of the truth for the sake of brighter future in B&H.

Local elections main topic in Croatian parliament (Hina) 

Sunday's local elections were the main topic of speeches in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday morning. Dalija Oreskovic, speaking on behalf of the Civic Liberal Alliance (GLAS) and Centre group, said that the results of the vote showed that citizens were becoming aware that government could be changed. She urged the opposition in parliament to begin dialogue on the reform of the electoral legislation and administrative structure of Croatia. "We have three years ahead of us to reform electoral legislation and electoral units to make them constitutional and fair, to ensure that each vote counts equally, and to reduce the number of counties, towns and municipalities" Oreskovic said. She congratulated all new progressive forces that made it into the second round of elections, thus threatening the survival of the petrified and corrupt structures of the existing government. Andreja Maric of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) warned of double standards used by the national coronavirus response team, which allowed the opening of the borders on election day despite the epidemiological criteria in place. "What kind of message does that send to the public? How can we expect people to comply with the measures if such decisions that mock us all are made?," Maric asked. She recalled that medical professionals had warned that they expected a rise in the number of new infections in the next three weeks as a result of this decision. "The ruling parties heed only messages that suit them politically," Maric said. Silvano Hrelja of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) group drew attention to the low turnout. "Those most dissatisfied again stayed at home," he said.

Milanovic comments on outcome of local elections, sources of parties’ funding (Hina) 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said on Wednesday that he could agree with comments that the Social Democratic Party (SDP), whose member he used to be before he became the president, had experienced a fiasco in the elections for Zagreb mayor and the city assembly. When it come to the performance of the SDP and other political parties in the local elections in other cities and municipalities in Croatia, Milanovic said that there would be interesting things and that one should wait for the outcome of the second round of the voting on 30 May. As for insinuations by the Homeland Movement (DP) party that the We Can political party and its coalition partners had received financial support from abroad, Milanovc said that the claims are insane. That can be claimed by people whose whole life is focused on earning money and royalties. This is not only insulting but also insane for Croatia in the 21st century, said Milanovic. He went to on to say that the recent campaigns by political parties were much cheaper than, for instance, the campaign conducted by the deceased mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandic in 2009. Milanovic accused Bandic of having robbed the SDP which I led at the time. Millions were spent then. That was paid by private donors, clients, mobsters of every sort, and in the end the party had to settle the bills, Milanovic said. He went on to say that political parties were financed from the state budget and not by some fanatic sects or Soros, alluding to the Hungarian-born American billionaire investor George Soros who founded the Open Society Foundations and who is perceived as a supporter of progressive and liberal political causes.

Milanovic recalled that the We Can party won seats in the parliament in the 2020 elections, and this (the state budget) was the source of "legal and abundant financing", the President elaborated adding that any other source of financing of political parties is suspicious.

Inzko: Instead of ‘Greater’ Serbia, B&H and Croatia, organize things like in Tyrol (Vecernji list) 

 

High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko proposed solution to problems in former Yugoslavia, foremost in B&H, by proposing that solutions should be sought in the model of the Tyrol region, which exists as a single region despite the fact it is divided between two countries, namely Austria and Italy. “I am Austrian, so I take the example of Tyrol. This region consists of three parts: North Tyrol with its capital city Innsbruck, South Tyrol with Bolzano, and East Tyrol with Lienz. It is a single region, but we did not have to change the borders to make it exist. So, I tell those who want a Greater Serbia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia or whatever it is, just create your entity, your brotherhood, but without changing the borders, and do it within our common European home. Collaborations are welcome between Mostar and Split, Banja Luka and Belgrade, Sarajevo and Novi Pazar, or all possible combinations, investments from neighboring countries are welcome, but without changing the maps. Nor does it need to be remembered that changing borders is prohibited by the Dayton agreements”.

 

Djukanovic: I did not talk to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (CdM) 

 

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has stated that he did not talk to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Slovenia. “There was no initiative for a bilateral meeting, on either side. I do not see any special interest in initiating a conversation with President Vucic. He doesn’t have that interest, either. If this changes, we will talk as responsible people,” Djukanovic said.

Djukanovic won’t sign prosecutorial laws (CdM) 

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic has announced that he will not sign the amendments to the Law on the State Prosecutor’s Office, which were adopted by parliament last week.

“I will return the prosecutorial laws to parliament for re-decision,” Djukanovic has stated at the annual press conference in Cetinje. He has stressed that the constitutional and legal system of Montenegro is endangered by these laws. “The Constitution provides for a divided system of Government, but it does not provide for control over the judiciary. Fundamental democratic principles are being destroyed, partnership with the EU is being destroyed” he has pointed out. He has recalled that, on two occasions, the Venice Commission (VC) clearly stated its remarks on the intention offered by the two prosecutorial laws. “The last VC opinion says what is unacceptable – that the prosecutor is elected outside the prosecutor’s organization. All this is brutally ignored by the ruling coalition because it does not believe that there is anyone who is ready to take over the party whip which it is trying to push into their hands,” Djukanovic has stressed. He believes that the new majority wants to find someone who will continue with brutal revanchism, and that is not good for Montenegro.

 

Bulgaria formally protests move by Milanovic to side with Macedonia in the historic dispute (Republika) 

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry summoned the Croatian Ambassador to deliver her a protest note regarding the comments Croatian President Zoran Milanovic made on the dispute with Macedonia. During a recent conference of Balkan leaders in Slovenia, Milanovic strongly condemned Bulgaria for its blockade of Macedonia’s EU integration. Milanovic said that Bulgaria is interfering in Macedonia’s “personal space”. “The demands that a candidate country redefines its national genesis in its history books, based on claims from a neighboring country, that is intrusion in one’s personal space. I will openly resist that,” Milanovic said. Bulgaria demands that Macedonia makes major concessions on issues of national identity and national history before it will lift its veto for Macedonia’s EU accession talks.

 

Kim: Position on Meta is the official Washington one (Tirana Times) 

Asked about the pre-electoral confrontational exchanges with President Ilir Meta, US Ambassador in Albania Yuri Kim declared that her positions on Meta is the official position of the United States. Pressed to clarify whether her tweet two days prior to elections, condemning Meta’s violence incitement remarks was also an official position Kim said “Absolutely” and added that “I can only do my job which is to express the position and to clarify the point of view of the government of the United States.” The declarations were made in an interview which explored important political topics such as elections, justice reform as well as the ongoing major military exercise ‘Defender 21’.” Kim reiterated the preliminary ODHIR findings about an electoral process which went mostly according to the proper standards and confirmed she had congratulated the winning side and was looking forward to working with them. According to the Ambassador the candidates’ lists this year were better than in the past. “It is very important that a person designated for corruption by the US is not part of the parliament,” Kim said referring to Tom Doshi. A large part of the conversation focused on the justice reform and its progress. Ambassador Kim admitted that “the reform would not be quick or easy or even perfect but what you are seeing is progress-moving forward” and then commended SPAK for its work. The military exercise ‘Defender 21’ shows Albania’s strategic importance as a NATO member according to the US Ambassador. Finally, the Ambassador elaborated on the three priorities of the US in Albania: democracy, defense and business. “We want to have progress in all of them because they are interrelated,” Ambassador Kim said.

Soreca about elections and accusations of electoral crimes (Radio Tirana) 

EU Ambassador to Tirana Luigi Soreca spoke about the 25 April elections and accusations of electoral crimes. The European chief diplomat said that the election administration and justice institutions should investigate the irregularities, in order, according to him, to find out what worked and what did not on 25 April. "The reasons for the tour are related to hear the voice of the communities not been heard before. I also want to hear about the elections, what worked and what didn't, to make the local elections better. It is a good appreciation of the participation of young people who voted for the first time. This is very positive and young people have the opportunity to be heard. We have ongoing projects with young people. The OSCE / ODIHR spoke and said that the elections were regular and without problems. What we have seen is that in the polling stations there have been improvements compared to the previous elections. It is also very important to follow all the irregularities, to investigate and look at them. It is important for us to look at the irregularities from the election administration and judicial institutions. The SPAK also has a broader mandate to investigate electoral crimes. We are following the issues closely. We, together with the central and local government will be your voice," said Ambassador Soreca.

Sali Berisha and family blacklisted by US State Department (Tirana Times) 

The United States of America has designated former Albanian President and Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his immediate family as “non-grata” for entry into the US with the argumentation that their corrupted acts have undermined Albanian democracy. “Former president of Albania Sali Berisha’s corrupt acts undermined democracy in Albania. I am publicly designating Berisha and his immediate family members as ineligible for entry into the United States. We remain united against corruption with our partners in Albania,” Anthony Blinken’s tweet reads.  The full-length statement on the page of the State Department declares that the designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021. In the past the same designation has been used to blacklist former MPs Tom Doshi, former Durres mayor Vangjush Dako and former Attorney general Adriatik Llala.

DP’s Chair seeks transparency on documents related to Berisha’s US ban (ADN) 

 

Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP) Lulzim Basha has called Wednesday for complete transparency regarding the facts and documents on which is based US decision announced by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken to publicly designate Former President and Prime Minister of Albania, as well as former head of DP Sali Berisha. Expressing regret for the decision in question, Basha highlighted that Berisha is undoubtedly the Albanian leader who has made the most valuable contribution to the development of the country and the strengthening of democracy, and led Albania's friendship and strategic alliance with the United States to the highest levels. Despite the negative decision on the former DP head, the current leader assured they continue to consider the US as the most important strategic ally for Albania, and the fight against organized crime and corruption as an absolute national priority. “During the time that Mr. Berisha was prime minister, Albania completed all the necessary reforms for NATO membership, as well as obtaining the status of candidate country for the European Union, where the fight against corruption and organized crime were key conditions. In all these achievements, the key partner of the Albanian government was the United States of America. Unfortunately, something different has happened in these 8 years, where due to massive corruption in every sector and power links with organized crime, Albania has remained in the standstill in implementing the reforms that the country needs, as a NATO member and aspirant for a member state of the European Union. “The decision of the Secretary of State does not affect the major achievements of Albania under the leadership of Sali Berisha, his major contribution to the democratization of Albania and the reforms that brought the country closer to our Euro-Atlantic partners, much less the excellent relationship of the Democratic Party with the United States of America,” underlined Basha among other things.