LOCAL PRESS 

Brnabic: All messages at commemoration in Potocari, Srebrenica aimed to attack Serbia (TV Pink) 

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated for TV Pink on Monday that all messages sent at the commemoration in Potocari, Srebrenica were aimed to attack Serbia. She stated that “all Serb victims during wars in the 1990s were erased and no one goes to Bratunac or says a word about 3,000 victims in Podrinje.” She assessed that in this way, victims of Srebrenica are being annulled adding that many find that this is alright as long as there is additional humiliation of Serbia and killings of Serb old people, women and children all over again. Brnabic said: “My message and my wish to all those who send these messages today is different future, not to talk about the past but about what we can do together for this region to make it the most prosperous in Europe.” “They make comparison with Holocaust and completely forget Jasenovac and all that has happened to Serbs since the beginning of the WWII”, Brnabic said. Brnabic said that comparing events that took place in Srebrenica with Holocaust represent a denial of all Serb, Jewish and Roma victims. According to her, everyone should stop talking about the past and start talking about the future and ways to make the region more prosperous.

Vulin says no one has even tried to identify persons who attacked Vucic in Potocari (TV Pink) 

 

Serbian Minister of Interior Aleksandar Vulin has expressed his dissatisfaction over no prosecution of individuals who attacked President Aleksandar Vucic at the commemoration held six years ago in Potocari (Vulin made statement on Monday at a memorial service in Zalazje village, the RS). Vulin said that allegations that “the attempt to assassinate Aleksandar Vucic” was staged are false. Vulin added that Vucic showed personal courage and national responsibility by coming to pay respect to the pain “of another people. He came to pay respect to the victims. The response to that was the attempted assassination’’. Vucic stressed that so far “no one has apologized for that, no one has even tried to find those who organized it, those who ordered it, those who executed it. I, as the Minister of Interior, tell you we will find them. We will make all efforts to find them and inform the whole world who they are, their motives, where it started and how, who is responsible. When we get to the truth, we will inform the whole world about that, and we will do our best to bring them to justice”.

Neu: There is attempt to present it as if Serb soldiers killed innocent civilians (Politika/Tanjug) 

 

Bundestag member Alexander Neu said on Monday that there is an attempt to present Serbs as criminals who did not suffer victims because Serbia does not want to join the NATO. Neu also said that there is an attempt to present Srebrenica as if Serb soldiers killed innocent civilians there and he added: “I cannot assess whether that was genocide, war crime or something else, but it is well known that not all those who were killed there were civilians but there were also Bosniak soldiers who were killed in conflicts in battlefields and there is an attempt to hide this”. Neu pointed out that he believes that a high number of identified bodies were in fact soldiers of the Army of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) who were killed in combat. “The fact is that victims must always be Bosniaks, Croats and Albanians although there were many killed civilians in Kosovo, B&H and Croatia. Serbs are presented solely as criminals and must not be victims” Neu said and reminded that some 1,000 Serb civilians were killed in the area of Srebrenica in 1992 by “Muslim army”, which resulted in crimes in Srebrenica. Neu concluded by saying that double standards are constantly being applied, just like “when Croatians, under the leadership of (late Croatian President) Franjo Tudjman banished Serbs from Krajina. The West shut its eyes before banishing of more than 100,000 people and many casualties back then, and it also assisted by training Croatian forces. On the other hand, when Albanians were banished in Kosovo, then they argued it was a humanitarian crisis, war crime and genocide”.

Selakovic: India great friend, important partner to Serbia (RTV/Beta) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic, who on July 12 received a farewell visit from Indian Ambassador to Belgrade Subrata Bhattacharjee, said India was a great friend and important partner to Serbia and held up the decades-long tradition of friendly ties and cooperation, resting on mutual respect and understanding. According to a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry, Selakovic also expressed pleasure at exchanges of high-level visits, voicing the hope that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may soon be able to come to Serbia and noting that this would be a historic occasion. The Serbian minister thanked India for its principled stand on not recognizing the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and underscored that such a position revealed India's strong commitment to the basic tenets of international law.

Mihajlovic: Serbia, US partners in energy transition (Tanjug) 

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic spoke with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy Kurt Donnelly on Monday about bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, projects and plans in the mining sector, strategic development frameworks and diversification of natural gas suppliers. “Energy transition is a major challenge to everyone, and even though we are a small country, we want to be a partner. We are proud of the new legislative framework that we have and that complies with EU standards, in particular in environmental protection,” Mihajlovic said, adding that Serbia would by the end of the year also have a strategy on energy development until 2040 with a vision until 2050, as well as a climate and energy plan. At the same time we are aware that energy security is also important at regional level, considering Serbia’s geostrategic position, she said. According to a statement from her ministry, Mihajlovic said development of the energy sector rested upon four pillars, the newly-adopted laws being the fundamental one. “The second pillar is energy efficiency, which we must boost to reduce consumption because we are now consuming 40 more than the EU average. The third pillar is related to increasing the capacities that use renewable energy sources to generate energy, and to ways for us to become a carbon-neutral country by 2050,” she said. The fourth pillar is mining – jadarite and copper, she said, adding that the Cukaru Peki mine would start operations in the autumn, making Serbia Europe’s second-largest copper producer. “All pillars are equally important and the objective, and our vision, is to make everything sustainable and reduce negative environmental impacts. The investment plan in the energy and mining sector includes projects worth 17 billion Euros. Serbia is open to investors from the US because we want the world’s best companies,” Mihajlovic said. She said diversification of natural gas suppliers was the next step and that Serbia was also interested in the southern natural gas corridor as well as in a future Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline. Donnelly said the new US administration had set energy and the fight against climate change high on the agenda and that Serbia could count on US assistance in the process of energy transition.

Dacic expects EP representatives to offer draft conclusions on inter-party dialogue (TV Happy/Beta)  

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said on Monday that he expected "a draft version of the conclusions of the inter-party dialogue" to be offered in September, as the government-opposition talks to improve the national election process continued under the auspices of the European Parliament (EP).Dacic said in an interview with TV Happy that he expected the EP mediators to "propose to the parliament of Serbia a draft version of conclusions in the dialogue," which the legislature would circulate, pending a new round of talks on 17 and 18 September.

He said that "we are familiar with opposition parties' suggestions," because they had been forwarded to the parliament, except for Dragan Djilas' Freedom and Justice Party and Vuk Jeremic's People's Party, which had sent their proposals directly to the European Parliament. "It would be important to hold an election that would bring politics back to where it belongs, that is, back to institutions, and to correct mistakes the boycott has produced. We want to return politics to institutions, and when the next election is over, we don't want anyone to argue that something was not by the book," Dacic said.

Radic: Kosovo wants to create impression that it has armored corps (Beta) 

Aleksandar Radic, a military analyst, said on Monday that the purchase of armored vehicles for the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) was not going to shift the region's balance of power, but Pristina did send a bad message to the Serbs in Kosovo. In a comment for Beta, Radic said that a decision to buy from Turkey 14 Vuran light armored vehicles was proof that Pristina had developed a scenario as to how to expand armored warfare. "The armored forces consist of three infantry battalions, which will own light armored vehicles...Neither Kosovo has resources to buy a thicker armor, nor there is readiness to support such a plan from the outside, but the move is creating the impression that they do have some kind of armor. It's rather a symbolic message," Radic explained. As reported earlier, Kosovo planned to modernize the KSF and buy from Turkey 14 Vuran 4x4 BMC vehicles, which can carry nine people, have armored protection and solid mobility. Radic recalled that Kosovo had purchased light armored vehicles from Turkey and the United States before, but the question now is where they could be used, since they were made based on experience from wars in Iran and Afghanistan. The newest addition to the KSF is a group of transporters protecting the crew against ambush, mines and light infantry arms.

 

Stano: Vucic and Kurti to meet on 19 July (Beta) 

Peter Stano, European Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti would continue the high-level Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the normalization of relations in Brussels next Monday.

He added that Josep Borrell, the EU High Commissioner and Miroslav Lajcák, the EU special envoy would mediate the talks. Stano reiterated the dialogue’s goal was mutually acceptable consensus and compromise leading to a comprehensive agreement on the normalization of relations.

 

REGIONAL PRESS 

 

Bosniak politicians demand law banning denial of genocide (ATV) 

ATV reported that Bosniak politicians demand from the outgoing High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko to impose a law banning denial of “the alleged” genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica. The reporter noted that Bosniak politicians do not waste time and they use every opportunity including marking of killings of their own people to send another political message and this time, to call the outgoing HR to use everything in his power and at his disposal to impose the law. Thus, leader of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic called on the HR to use the rest of the 20 days of his mandate and impose the law and thus, leave Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) with his head high arguing that no one will tell him a word if he makes this move. Asked to comment on this issue, Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that “only Sarajevo can do politics on graves”. Dodik said that once again, messages of Bosniak officials serve to build a myth on ethnic and national existence based on forgery of historic facts. Dodik underlined: “"It would be decent if they left the families of Bosniaks who lost their loved ones to visit the graves and join them in prayer. In that way, they draw attention to themselves, they seek support from those from the international community who gathered in order to ‘clear their conscience’ because of the wars in the former Yugoslavia.” SNSD MP Srdjan Mazalica argued that this topic is important for Bosniaks so that they can achieve their maximalist goals in terms of abolition of Republika Srpska (RS). Mazalica reminded that the only people that has experienced demographic expansion in relation to the pre-war period in B&H are Bosniaks. Mazalica stated: “No genocide was committed in Srebrenica. The only genocide that was committed was the one against Serbs in the 20th century and this cannot be the starting point for any kind of imposed constitutional changes in B&H.” The reported noted that the International Independent Commission for Research of Suffering of All Peoples in Srebrenica Area 1992-1995 also recently established that there was no genocide and this is why Serbs from Srebrenica say that they do not accept any kind of acts that impose some things. Head of Srebrenica Municipality Mladen Grujicic stated: “We do not impose or condition any Bosniak to admit that Serbs were killed. This is a moral act that each man must make for what he knows and for what was proven.” ATV added that even the opposition in the RS agrees and reminds that there were such requests before but they still remain out of the question, adding that the IC had and still has a project to declare the Serb people genocidal. Director of the RS Center for Investigation of War, War Crimes and Search for Missing Persons Milorad Kojic said that imposing of the aforementioned law would lead to a situation in which experts could not deal with this topic and prove otherwise. Speaker of the RS parliament Nedeljko Cubrilovic said that if the HR imposes the law this would not contribute to stabilization of political relations, while RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic told Inzko that bearing in mind that he comes from a country that committed genocide in the past, he should “carry the law with himself to his own country”.

Milanovic: Croat people in B&H unable to elect their member of B&H Presidency, B&H unimportant to EU (FTV) 

 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic pays a three-day visit to B&H. On Monday in Vitez, he paid his respects to eight children that died during a bombing that happened in this town 28 years ago, and the bombs came from the location of the Army of the Republic of B&H (RBiH). It was emphasized that perpetrators of this crime were not punished to this day. Milanovic also visited the Mostar University and held a lecture. He spoke with the students very openly about the current political matters in B&H and the region. He emphasized that Croatia is a co-signatory of the Dayton Peace Agreement and it will insist on its strict application, during all international talks. Milanovic said that the assessment of B&H’s progress will be presented in the NATO in two days and he announces that that report will show how things stand. “If there is no reference to the constituent peoples and the Dayton (Agreement), there will be no joint statement. There will only be a paper from the Chairman; that is nothing,” Milanovic stressed. Milanovic briefly addressed one of his past statement in which he had commented on B&H by saying that perfume comes only after using soap. In this regard, Milanovic noted that his statement about perfume and soap was misinterpreted. He did not want to comment on any of his other previous statements on B&H. When it comes to the position of Croats in B&H, Milanovic expressed hope that, at the next general elections, Croats in B&H will be able to elect their legitimate representatives in authorities. In addition, Milanovic stressed that he did not come to B&H to interfere in internal issues, that he is no nationalist, but also that he expects from others to refrain from being nationalists. As he stressed, anyone who claims otherwise is trying to fabricate his statements. Milanovic no longer advocates the idea, which he supported back in 2006, that B&H should be a civil state. Milanovic stressed that Croatia, as a signatory of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), will always point to the need for securing the Croats’ right to elect their representatives in authorities. The Croatian President announced that he will insist on mentioning the DPA and the constituent status of peoples in all international documents on B&H. Meanwhile, Milanovic assessed that high-level political Western circles and the EU are not overly interested in B&H. He concluded that the dialogue of the three sides in B&H is crucial. “Respect towards B&H, deep respect and sadness for the victims and the families, but the right to elect their member of the Presidency has been stolen from Croats. What is not clear about that? What is moral, what is right in that? So, in order to be a cosmopolitan I need to support someone else’s secular nationalism. I am not nationalist and I expect the same from others. It is the basis, and because of that I do not go deeper than that. Details of the Election Law, I am not interested in that. Should it be amended? I do not know. Why?  That needs to be made is in accordance with the B&H Constitution. Everything is clear,” said Milanovic.

 

Milanovic meets with Covic and other HNS representatives (FTV) 

 

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic met with representatives of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) in B&H, including leader of HNS and HDZ B&H Dragan Covic, in Veljaci near Ljubuski on Monday evening. The meeting took place at a local restaurant. Despite the fact that there was no official announcement, FTV unofficially learned that the topics of discussion included legitimate representation of peoples, the election of the B&H Presidency members, the constituent status of peoples, and assistance that Croatia is providing to Croats in B&H. Addressing media following the meeting, Milanovic said that B&H should be left to the B&H citizens to decide on it. Milanovic noted: “My friends from HNS feel they are B&H citizens.” The Croatian President stressed that B&H became independent in the first place thanks to support of Croats, who voted in the independence referendum back in 1992. Covic also addressed media after the meeting, saying that there is a need to make an agreement regarding the Election Law and reforms. “We need to understand that the policy of alibi should not be introduced in B&H. International representatives cannot adopt the decisions on the Election Law and other laws for us. We need to tackle crime in B&H” the HNS leader stressed. He concluded that the key in all solutions lies in equality. Following the meeting with Milanovic, Covic said that legitimacy of Croat people will not be obstacle for general elections 2022 in B&H.

Dzaferovic: Milanovic attempts to deal with internal issues in B&H characterized by ignorance (Hayat) 

 

Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic commented on the statement by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic. “Today’s statements of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on B&H contain vocabulary a serious diplomat should not use, particularly because Milanovic is in B&H and with these statements he behaves as a rude guest in someone else’s home” Dzaferovic was quoted as saying. Dzaferovic stressed that Milanovic does not have competence, nor he is invited to address the internal issues of B&H and his attempts to do so “are consumed with ignorance and frivolous arrogance, with which Milanovic is increasingly becoming incubator of instability, rhetoric of divisions and insults. If he respects B&H, he is also obliged to respect its Constitution and the institutions”. Dzaferovic added Milanovic should have talked with the institutions of B&H and that the two countries should finally start resolving open issues, like borders, property, respecting the right of B&H to free access to open sea, and Trgovska Gora. Commenting on the Croatian President’s claim that the EU is uninterested in B&H, the Bosniak member concluded that “with their latest decisions, the European Parliament (EP) and NATO” showed who really is least important. Dzaferovic reminded: “The Dayton Agreement does not mention that Croats elect one member (of the B&H Presidency) and that Bosniaks elect the other (member of the B&H Presidency). The Dayton Agreement only reads that one member is a Croat, the other one is a Bosniak and the European Court of Human Rights ordered to erase even this from the Constitution of B&H because all citizens have the right to be elected, not just Bosniaks and Croats. What Milanovic offers us is a path towards full ethnic division of B&H and full abolition of the civil concept.” Dzaferovic added that Milanovic’s visit started in a wrong way as he did not give priority to the official Sarajevo, noting that when he realized that no one reacts he started offending B&H. He concluded Milanovic obviously came to B&H to provoke incidents and problems.

Other B&H politicians comment on Milanovic’s statements and his visit to B&H (N1) 

 

Commenting on the statements of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic regarding the need to amend the Election Law of B&H in a way that Croat have the right to elect their legitimate representatives in B&H Presidency, HDZ B&H’s Barisa Colak said that Milanovic’s stances are similar to a stance of the Croat politicians in the HNS, noting that the right for Croats to be able to elect their member of B&H Presidency should have been ensured long time ago. Member of the SDA Presidency Admir Mulaosmanovic commented that B&H institutions are legitimate and legal and their bodies were formed in line with the 2018 general elections, warning that Milanovic’s request represents pressure on the process of amending the Election Law of B&H. Political analyst from Berlin Bodo Weber assessed that Milanovic does not represent his political stances on B&H, but these are the stances of the official Zagreb. He explained that almost all parliamentary parties and the biggest part of the opposition in Croatia identify themselves with stances of HDZ B&H and Dragan Covic. Commenting on Milanovic’s statements, Bosniak political representatives said that Milanovic should not interfere in internal issues in B&H. SDA’s Alma Colo said that B&H politicians alone should resolve issues such as the amending the Election Law of B&H, without pressure of neighboring countries. She stressed that Milanovic should not set ultimatums before B&H, because B&H is a sovereign state. The Cabinet of member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic stated that they have no intention to comment on Milanovic’ statements, while the reporter reminded that Komsic said that he will be a president of all citizens when he officially assumed this post. The reporter noted that those who are part of the politics for a long period of time are not worried about statements of Milanovic. Commenting on the fact that Milanovic did not visit Sarajevo, leader of SDS Mirko Sarovic stated that this is Milanovic’s right to do so and that this is a matter of the Federation of B&H (FB&H). He added: “They should reach an agreement the way they want.”

Delegate of SNSD in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Sredoje Novic stated that all citizens in B&H should be equal. Novic added that it is fully legal and legitimate that Milanovic demands representation of Croats in line with the Dayton Peace Agreement wherever he can. Novic also reminded that when it comes to the election legislation, Republika Srpska (RS) is ready to implement decisions of the European Court of Human Rights like in the case of ‘Sejdic-Finci vs. B&H’ ruling. The reporter noted that even some Bosniak officials agree that the current system in the FB&H is unfair, adding that leader of the NiP Elmedin Konakovic stated that there should be an agreement reached about this issue while.

Radoncic: I agree with Konakovic, it is correct that Croats elect their legitimate representative into Presidency of B&H (Dnevni list) 

 

SBB B&H President Fahrudin Radoncic said that the date of the visit of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic to B&H was wrong, namely on 11 July when anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide is being marked, adding that it is wrong not to visit Srebrenica.  Radoncic noted he thinks it is fine that that Croatian Presidents visit Croats in B&H, also believing that the date of the visit i.e. 11 July is wrong. “He could have gone to west Herzegovina other day and that is why I think it would have been good if he had visited some institutions in Sarajevo, although he did not want to do it because of some of his reasons,” said Radoncic. “I think that politicians from the neighboring countries should not interfere in internal matters in B&H. It is our obligation how we elect the Croat member of the Presidency. I think it is correct that Croats elect their legitimate representative,” added Radoncic. The SBB B&H leader went on to say he has seen that (NiP President Elmedin) Konakovic was strongly criticized by a part of the political public for saying it is not correct that Bosniaks elect Croat member of the Presidency “and I think Konakovic was right”. “We have been trying to resolve the issue for ten years and I am convinced we will resolve it,” added Radoncic. Milanovic assessed as encouraging the fact several Bosniak politicians, such as Radoncic and Konakovic, said that it is not fair for Bosniaks to elect the Croat member of the Presidency of B&H.

Two-day session of IAWG starts on Monday; IAWG members discuss voter’s register, verification and running in elections, implementation of elections (Hayat) 

 

A two-day session of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) for changes in the B&H Election Law commenced on Monday. Hayat reports that on the first day, the IAWG members discussed amendments related to voter’s register, verification and running in the elections and the implementation of the elections. After the session IAWG member Damir Arnaut said for three consecutive sessions attempts were made to “delegate what we consider as truly important. I think that the most important issue in regard to the Election Law is increasing integrity of the elections, which was discussed by (US Special Representative for the Western Balkans Matthew) Palmer, US Ambassador (Eric Nelson), the EU Ambassador (Johann Sattler) and numerous other international officials. I concretely refer to the electronic scanning of ballots to avoid all electoral manipulations”.  Chair of the IAWG Alma Colo said: “When we finalize the work I will know if it has been futile. If there is political will, we can discuss here all the issues that for you are of less importance, but are important for the country. I would say, as someone who knows the Election Law, that nothing in the Election Law is insignificant and nothing is technical issue only”.  Member of the IAWG Nenad Stevandic said that the aim of the IAWG is “to make elections, faster, more just and adequate, but also to interest the people, because only high turnout of over 50 per cent and more guarantees credibility of the elected people”. Deputy Chair of the IAWG Barisa Colak said the solution is not only in the IAWG, “I think it is of great importance and necessary to simultaneously have political talks among political parties' leaders. It especially concerns the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and equally the decisions of the B&H Constitutional Court”. Deputy Chairperson of the IAWG Sredoje Novic (SNSD) warned that there are issues that, without the political support, the IAWG will be unable to take a stance on. Novic specified that these issues are election of the B&H Presidency members, election of the B&H House of Peoples (HoP), election of the Federation of B&H (FB&H) HoP “and some other issues”. Stevandic once again expressed opposing to the idea of engaging the Central Election Commission (CEC) into the IAWG’s work, noting that the CEC’s proposals lack quality. “I see no reason why we should have CEC as a supervisory body of this group” he remarked. Member of the IAWG Sasa Magazinovic (SDP B&H) welcomed the reaching of quorum, which he assessed to be “some kind of progress”. According to Magazinovic, that is refreshing after “so much of the empty stories that have nothing to do with the Election Law”. Arnaut stressed that all of the issues discussed during this session were “of theoretical nature”. Arnaut pointed out that 11 representatives of B&H authorities are part of the IAWG work, and only three members are from the opposition. “They came up with this quorum, ‘10 + 2 + 2 + 1’, which is an impossible quorum, and it is the reason why we could not achieve it for three weeks. If it were not for Matt (US Special Representative for the Western Balkans Matthew) Palmer’s visit, we would not have had it on that day as well” Arnaut emphasized. Stevandic said he believes a golden middle solution will be found. He said all participants of the process have shown good will for finally resolving this issue, and they have their legal experts to back them up and make some recommendations. Colo reminds that B&H received the opinion of the Council of Europe’s Monitoring Committee that recommends B&H to implement all rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) by 1 September. I am not an optimist that we will complete that task by 1 September, Colo says. She said it would be great if the country was able to get a new Election Law by the end of 2021. The opposition claims that the SNSD-SDA-HDZ B&H ruling coalition deliberately delays the process so that nothing is done by the end of the year and the 2022 General Elections are held under old rules. For the opposition, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process is the most important issue. Arnaut said: “I concretely refer to the electronic scanning of ballots to avoid all electoral manipulations and to regain the trust of the voters in the electoral process. Large number of people do not vote because they fear that their vote, not that it will not be counted, but that it will be stolen, redirected to another political party”. With regard to initiatives on rationalization of the FB&H, Colo said that this is a proposal of SDP B&H which she did not have a chance to see. “It would be good to rationalize the high number of cantonal ministries, governments. I am not for the abolition of the FB&H at all, as HDZ B&H proposed. This would not be good because, in comparison to Republika Srpska, there would be no matching entity,” Colo added.

 

Montenegro celebrates Statehood Day – 13 July (CdM) 

Today, Montenegrins all over the world celebrate Statehood Day in memory of 13 July 1878, when the Congress of Berlin recognized Montenegro as an independent country and when the July 13 uprising against fascism in 1941 happened. It represented an introduction to the National Liberation Fight, in which, with important political decisions, the restoration of Montenegrin statehood began, previously abolished in 1918 by its accession to Serbia, i.e. the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that later became Yugoslavia. At the Montenegrin Anti-Fascist National Assembly, held at the end of 1944 in the town of Kolasin, a decision was made on the status of Montenegro as one of the federal units of the future federal Yugoslavia. President of the United States of America Joseph Biden has congratulated President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic and the citizens of Montenegro on 13July – Statehood Day.

“On behalf of the American people, I congratulate you and the people of Montenegro on Statehood Day – 13 July. Our shared values, commitment to democratic institutions, and our enduring ties as family, friends, and cooperation make Montenegro a respected ally and partner of the United States. We will be happy to continue to provide strong support to the people of Montenegro in the progress on your Euro-Atlantic path and the implementation of the reforms needed to join the European Union” Biden has said. He also congratulated President Djukanovic on the 4th anniversary of Montenegro’s membership in NATO. “The United States stands by Montenegro as we deepen our bilateral ties and together, we face new challenges, from the pandemic to cyber-attacks, building our resilience on the values we share and our commitment to democracy,” Biden has concluded. In a message of congratulations on the occasion of Montenegro’s Statehood Day, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, notes that a tolerant and inclusive Montenegro, deeply rooted in Euro-Atlantic community, will contribute to a more prosperous and safer future for the Montenegrin people. This year, Blinken points out, while we’re celebrating 15 years of strong bilateral relations and 4 years since Montenegro joined NATO Alliance, the US backs all those who are committed to implementing reforms needed to accelerate Montenegro’s accession to the European Union, EU. The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, sent congratulations to President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic on the occasion of 13 July – Statehood Day. “On the occasion of Montenegro’s Statehood Day, I extend my cordial greetings to Your Excellency and your people. With prayers for everyone in Montenegro to live forever in peace and prosperity, I invoke the endless blessings of Almighty God” the Pope has stated.

Bugajski: Krivokapic took Vuksic to London to convince them that ANB won’t cooperate with Moscow (Pobjeda) 

“The promise that Montenegro wants to stay on the path to EU membership may not have impressed the Brexit government in London. The most important thing for the British is that Montenegro remains committed to NATO and that it will be protected from the subversive policies of Moscow and Beijing. It is clear that NATO allies are worried that the current government in Montenegro wants to turn the country into a mini-Serbia and achieve close relations with Moscow” says American analyst Janusz Bugajski in an interview for Pobjeda.

“The longer this diverse coalition has control and undermines the identity and sovereignty of Montenegro, the more vulnerable Montenegro will be to pressure from Belgrade and (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic’s program for the Greater Serbia. Serbia and Russia rely on divisions and weaknesses in countries in the region. It is time for the Montenegrin majority committed to independence to become louder and more active, whether in the media, social networks, civic organizations and politically inside and outside Parliament. Many patriotic Montenegrins voted in favor of the coalition, believing it would eradicate corruption and enable faster EU entry. But their disappointment should not turn into apathy, but into support for those politicians, parties and coalitions that are determined to defend Montenegro,” he points out.

Djenovic: There are two versions of Fundamental Agreement (Pobjeda) 

It is obvious that there are currently at least two versions of the Fundamental Agreement. It is possible that the Agreement will not be signed, but that is bad for both the state and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Drasko Djenovic, a military analyst, has told Pobjeda. Some media reported the day before that PM Zdravko Krivokapic sent a proposal for a new Fundamental Agreement to Metropolitan Joanikije and Patriarch Porfirije, which, as they say, is unacceptable for the SPC. One of the Democratic Front leaders, Andrija Mandic, said that he learned from the media that there was allegedly some kind of new Fundamental Agreement, which was offered to the SPC and that it differed significantly from the Agreement previously agreed between the Montenegrin government and the SPC. Mandic said that he was convinced that “a new government will come that will not run away from the obligation to sign the agreed Agreement”. Djenovic points out that at this moment it is difficult to say how many versions of the Fundamental Agreement there are.

 

Dimovski: No change in Bulgaria’s position toward Macedonia at least until October (Republika) 

VMRO-DPMNE official Ilija Dimovski predicts that there will be no meaningful changes in Bulgaria’s position toward Macedonia after the second inconclusive election in a row. The voters yesterday delivered more or less the same Parliament they did in the April elections, and forming a new Government seems to be a difficult task with no clear winner. Nothing will happen until the Bulgarian presidential elections in October. Macedonia can expect to see no change in the Bulgarian position toward us. There will be no concentrated political power and will to make concessions and compromise with us until the elections. There will be constant recriminations and allegations of corruption and crime, which, in a future phase, may affect certain politicians in Macedonia. What Macedonia should now do is to declare that no-one, including Bulgaria, has the right to interfere in our identity and in the building of our consciousness for the historic, territorial and temporal continuity of the Macedonian people in the Balkans, Dimovski said. According to Dimovski, Borisov’s GERB party can be considered a winner, after it won the most votes, even though neck and neck with Slavi Trifonov’s ITN party. Dimovski believes that ITN is the biggest loser of the election, because of its failure to surpass GERB, and that the showman’s movement has reached its peak after which it will begin to deflate. The list of winners, according to Dimovski, also includes the socialist BSP party, which may become indispensable in future coalition negotiations, while the losers include Karakacanov’s nationalist VMRO-BND party, which again failed to enter the parliament.

 

Xhacka: Slovenia, commitment to the integration of the Western Balkans (Radio Tirana) 

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka held a conversation with Gasper Dovzan, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. Minister Xhacka praised Slovenia's commitment to supporting the integration of the Western Balkans.

"Very good exchange with Gasper Dovzan, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. Best wishes to Slovenia for its EU Presidency" stressed Xhacka. "I highly appreciate Slovenia's commitment to the integration of the Western Balkans" Xhacka said. "We look forward to seeing their Presidency in action and working closely together to advance cooperation between the Western Balkans and the European Union," said Minister Xhacka.

Slovenian Ambassador to Albania Peter Japelj expresses optimism that Balkans will move towards the opening of negotiations (Radio Tirana) 

Slovenian Ambassador to Albania Peter Japelj has listed some of the main priorities of the EU presidency. In an interview with journalist Marsela Karapanco, he said that they are working on a project with Portugal and Germany aimed at the recovery of Europe after Covid-19 which will be the slogan of the presidency. "Slovenia is building the work together with Portugal and Germany. We will work on a joint program and hope that this program will help us all in the future. The slogan of the presidency will be "Recover Europe together" which is built on 4 pillars:

-Recovery of the strategic autonomy of the EU

-European Arms Conference

-Living in the EU

-Security policies

Asked whether Slovenia will help countries in need to get out of the Covid crisis, he said that this is not Slovenia's task. "It is not Slovenia's duty to do so. What Slovenia will do is find the right solutions. Recovery is not just for Covid, but we must give Europe the opportunity to face a possible pandemic in the future and a cyber-attack that will include the Western Balkans. In September we will have a forum where leaders from all over the world will gather," said Japelj.

Asked why Albania is still standing at the door of the EU and failed to get a positive answer, Japelj expressed optimism that it will move towards the opening of negotiations, citing the words of Mrs. Merkel that the Balkans is the geostrategic interest of the EU. "This is not a simple question. It is a very long exchange of discussions. When I came to Albania in 2019 I thought that negotiations would be opened then and now in the middle of my term I am a modest optimist. I assure you that Slovenia will do whatever possible. We are stuck and therefore it is necessary to move towards the opening of negotiations. This process is not just about getting EU legislation. Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that the Western Balkans is the EU's geostrategic interest," the ambassador added.

Network of smuggling Albanians to US, UK dismantled (ADN) 

 

Network of traffickers, who smuggled Albanian illegal immigrants to Great Britain and the United States has been cracked down on, has announced Monday the EUROPOL. Investigations started in 2019 when an increase in the use of certain types of documents forged by immigrants from the Western Balkans was noted. So far at least 46 have been arrested, more than 400 migrants identified at various airports and a thousand fake documents seized. The latest operation took place two weeks ago in Spain, in cooperation with the Albanian police and security forces and immigration authorities of 7 European countries, including those of Kosovo, as well as US authorities. At least 18 people ended up in handcuffs, while forged documents, financial data and data on illegal activities, or electronic devices, money and various types of drugs were seized. Initially, a group operating in the Caribbean islands was hit, which helped the passage of Albanian citizens to the United States, with false documents. Then in December 2020, the couriers distributing false documents in Albania and Kosovo were arrested, while in March 2021, 4 premises where forged documents were printed were blocked in Kosovo. Investigations also led to the crackdown on a criminal network in the UK and Ireland that dealt with flights and the reception of migrants in these two countries. While the information sent by the American authorities made it possible to identify a high-level person who with his associates offered fake French identity cards through which immigrants entered from the airports of Spain and Portugal.

According to EUROPOL, the operation in Europe is related to three ongoing investigations in the United States.