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Vucic: Albin Kurti is not interested in peace or what the US thinks of him (The Pavlovic Today/B92)

 

Ahead of the confirmed meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, in an exclusive one-on-one interview with The Pavlovic Today, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic talks about the crisis in Kosovo and explains why PM Albin Kurti is “not interested in peace” or “what the United States of America thinks of him.” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has requested a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and he called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting. He exclusively disclosed to The Pavlovic Today that the NATO meeting is scheduled to occur in Brussels during the first half of the week of 17 July. The precise day and time of the meeting, while known to the President, will be publicly announced by NATO in a timely manner. Speaking from his Presidential office in Belgrade, President Aleksandar Vucic elaborated on his expectations for the forthcoming high-level encounter with NATO’s chief. “I requested a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO because, in accordance with Resolution 1244, which aligns with the United Nations Charter, NATO bears responsibility for the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija,” revealed President Vucic. “I approached Jens for the meeting, whom I consider to be a fair-minded individual and always open to hearing and considering the Serbian perspective,” he added. “I sought the meeting to bring to his attention the nearly impossible survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. They endure direct physical pressure and other forms of coercion, inevitably resulting in a diminishing Serbian population. It represents a form of ethnic cleansing occurring at the dawn of the 21st century,” stated the Serbian President. “I would like to ask NATO to fulfill its duty in accordance with Resolution 1244 before we proceed to the UN Security Council meeting, where we will present factual information on the ongoing situation,” he stated. “Since the beginning of this year, seven Serbs have been wounded in attacks by Albanians, often involving official Albanian figures like police officers or members of the so-called Kosovo Security Forces. No legal proceedings are being conducted against the responsible individuals targeting Serbs, and we have not witnessed any investigations,” stated President Aleksandar Vucic. “All these provocations,” Vucic is certain, “will continue” day in and day out. “It is crystal clear that Kurti is not going to change his politics, which is why the meeting with the NATO Secretary General is crucial,” he explained. “NATO must put an end to all these provocations,” emphasized President Vucic, highlighting them as the fundamental reasons for the meeting with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, whom President Vucic describes as “well-informed” about the intricacies on the ground. The President of Serbia stated that on behalf of the Republic of Serbia, he wants to “present all the facts” to the NATO chief. Asked if he had a chance to talk to Secretary Blinken and President Biden about the situation on the ground and the challenges faced by the Serbian population in northern Kosovo, President Vucic referred to his ongoing conversations with members of the Biden administration. “I recently had a phone conversation with Blinken. I have spoken with many officials in the American establishment who oversee Kosovo and Metohija and are responsible for the stability of the region, including Jon Finer, Chollet, and Escobar,” said Vucic. “However, we are in a difficult position because no matter how constructive and responsible we are, we always find ourselves as the ones who are not their favorite, as we do not agree with the independence of Kosovo,” he stressed. “No matter how much some political actors in Kosovo disrespect America and act against America’s vital interests, unfortunately, it sometimes seems to us that they will always have even not so vocal support from the United States.”

 

About Kurti and democracy in the so-called Kosovo

For the leader of the Albanian separatists from Kosovo and Metohija, Albin Kurti, Vucic says that he gives lectures on democracy, not just to Serbia, but to everyone. “It’s not solely about the fight in the parliament,” he clarified. “Imagine a democracy where you shoot at members of a national minority—from his perspective, not ours—and no investigation is initiated while these acts are committed by your institutions. You talk about democracy? You talk about respecting human rights? I am referring to numerous instances where your [Kosovo] parliament is frequently disrupted by smoke bombs, tear gas, fistfights, and more,” Vucic stated. “But this not only reflects personal indecency but also underscores the government’s lack of decorum,” he added. “It demonstrates someone’s failure to comprehend that they cannot behave in such a manner towards those they perceive as belonging to other nations. Rather than seeking ways and means to address the shared challenges we all face, Kurti is inclined towards creating conflicts, provoking, or even, God forbid, inciting war,” said President Aleksandar Vucic. “These are the things that need to be halted,” noted the Serbian President. “And it appears to me that an increasing number of people in the international community recognize that,” he added. “To be clear, I am not one to engage in the blame game with Albin Kurti,” he emphasized, highlighting that responsible politics “hold much more significance than indulging in such nonsensical political games.” Asked by The Pavlovic Today about his assessment of the state of democracy in Kosovo, President Vucic shared his perspective. “If an image of Pinocchio being displayed leads to tearing it up and resorting to punches—I am referring to both sides [in the Kosovo Parliament] —then that speaks volumes about the situation,” he commented on the brawl in the Kosovo Parliament. “It indicates that your democracy isn’t truly at the high level you boast about. Perhaps it would be more beneficial to concentrate on improving that aspect instead of lecturing others.” “From a perspective of responsibility, when you lead a local community, a municipality, let alone a province or a state, you must act in a responsible and rational manner. However, based on everything you have mentioned, it is evident that someone is not behaving rationally,” he assessed. “It is most challenging to deal with individuals who do not behave rationally and have goals that go beyond the usual and recognizable ones,” he noted. “You would expect Kurti’s goal is to cooperate with those who have created, as they say, Kosovo. To have the best and closest relationships with them, in which he must understand that their role is minimal, and that those who have done it, primarily the United States of America, must have the greatest respect. But, Kurti does not want to consider it from that perspective, he is interested in his own role. He is not interested in peace, he is not interested even in what the United States of America thinks of him.” Vucic explained that what Albin Kurti is interested in is to be “the successor” of Enver Hoxha, leader of Albania from 1944 and Adem Demaci. “Kurti wants to be the one who enters into conflict with Serbia because he lacks it in his resume, to be someone who can say, ‘Here I am, a war leader,’ not just Thaci or whoever. In such conditions, when someone has such an irrational approach, it is completely impossible to engage him in a rational, intelligent, and wise manner. And that is why it is not easy for Americans to talk to him either” said Vucic.

 

Clash between Clinton and Kurti

Former President Bill Clinton recently found himself in Tirana, the capital of Albania, where he was bestowed with a medal by the country’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama. Amidst this ceremonial affair, Clinton couldn’t resist the opportunity to deliver a stern message to Kosovo’s PM Albin Kurti regarding his action in northern Kosovo, proclaiming, “ Stop this foolishness.” The repercussions of Clinton’s statement were, as ever, far-reaching. When asked by The Pavlovic Today to comment on it, President Vucic mentioned the rapidly evolving conspiracy theories flooding social media in response to Clinton’s message to Kurti. “I don’t know if you noticed what happened afterward. There was a surge of bots and trolls on social media, with quasi-official officials and Kurti’s associates accusing Bill Clinton of receiving money from Edi Rama to criticize Kurti,” Vucic said in disbelief. “It’s like something out of science fiction; you can’t even comment on it,” Vucic added. “All I can say is that by doing that, he only reaffirmed what everyone else says about him.” When asked about whether Edi Rama mentioned anything about the Clinton statement during his state visit to Belgrade, Vucic disclosed a lesser-known detail without providing extensive specifics. “Edi Rama mentioned that it’s evident what everyone thinks. I don’t want to involve myself in Albanian disputes, but yes, I was informed about how Bill Clinton’s visit to Albania unfolded,” Vucic revealed.

 

Dialogue with Pristina

The Serbian President has expressed readiness to resume EU-led diplomatic dialogue with Kurti. But has Kurti gone too far one may ask. “I believe he has, and it will be difficult for him to reverse course,” responded President Vucic. “Internal problems and tensions have escalated, with parliamentary tension attributed to Besnik Bislimi,” Vucic stated. Vucic said that he views Kurti’s approach to Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue as a mere attempt to “buy time and protect his own power” without genuine interest in resolving the underlying issues. According to Vucic’s assessment, this is best illustrated by Albin Kurti’s refusal to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “The most important thing I want to tell you is that Kurti simply does not want to form an Association of Serb-majority municipalities, under any circumstances, and he will only keep inventing all possible reasons why he won’t do so,” announced Vucic. “All other matters are merely political maneuvers and formalities,” added the President. Vucic suggested that Kurti’s reluctance to implement the agreed annex in Ohrid regarding Serb-majority municipalities stems from his desire to shape his political legacy in a manner reminiscent of Enver Hoxha, portraying himself as a “victim” and “great martyr.” According to President Vucic, this approach leads to a deadlock without any progress. Kosovo PM Albin Kurti stated that the Kosovo police is a “continuation” of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In The Haque, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi, are facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out in Kosovo between 1998 and 2000. How does President Vucic assess that statement, considering the fact that the KLA was a separatist militia? “There is something more dangerous underlying all of this. A very small number of people want to point that out. And we will discuss it with Jens Stoltenberg. If the Kosovo police is the successor of the KLA, then the legal fact is, the KLA and all the groups that emerged from it are prohibited by the UN Resolution 1244,” indicated President Vucic. “So now we ask, wait, do you allow all of that? Do you actually want the KLA to be an extension of the Kosovo Police? Because, the role of KFOR was precisely to disarm them: both the KLA and the Serbian army to leave Kosovo and Metohija. So the question arises now: What is the point of what Kurti is saying? What is he priming all these people for? What does he want with this whole story? What is the point? Besides the fact that it is completely illegal,” said Vucic. “Therefore, I fear that he is preparing much more dangerous things and trying to tell people that they are preparing for conflicts that only he wants to see and only he wants to initiate. We want peace, and what he is saying indicates that he wants conflict and nothing else.” The President added that this is not something to be taken lightly. “That’s why I am so concerned.”

 

A trick against the Serbs

In the wake of Western persuasion, PM Kurti opted not for the complete withdrawal of Kosovo Police from municipalities in the north, but rather for a reduction of their presence by a mere 25%. President Vucic characterized the move as “nonsensical political games” because in Brussels “they cannot make him do anything.” Vucic believes that the 25% reduction of forces which has little discernible impact on the ground, is designed to ask Serbia “for something serious again” to do in return. Asked to quantify the percentage of Kosovo police officers that will be reduced, President Vuicic responded, “They have 40 in the municipalities, with reduction they will have 30, ” he stated. “They currently have about 600 in northern Kosovo and Metohija, and they will reduce them to 450. No change, nothing.” According to President Vucic’s opinion, the question is, “Who will control that, who will oversee it? I don’t understand.” The Special Envoy of Germany for the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin said that a 25% reduction is “not enough” and it is only the first step. “If people want to be fair, then everything is crystal clear to them. If not, it’s pointless. This 25% withdrawal means nothing,” said President Vucic. “It’s clear that this man [Kurti] doesn’t want to do anything,” he added. “When you present this as a step forward, then I don’t know what is considered a step backward.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, as confirmed by Serbian President Vucic, have devised a plan to address the matter of Albanian mayors elected on a 3.4% mandate. However, much to their dismay, the outcome did not align exactly with their expectations. “It was supposed to, according to Scholz and Macron’s plan, based on what we heard in Chisinau, that those people [ethnic Albanian mayors elected on 3.4%] resign. Kurti refused for them to resign,” revealed Vucic. “Now they are asking us to demand elections, but our people didn’t want to participate in the elections because Kurti didn’t form the Association of Serb-majorty municipalities,” he explained. “In the end, Serbs always come under great pressure, because Serbs always want to choose peace, and Kurti wants to provoke so there is no peace. And that’s the bottom line,” said Vucic. “All the time we are caught between a rock and a hard place, as Kurti simply wants to undermine peace, to make it unsustainable because that’s where he’s the most comfortable at, and it’s obvious that it’s his goal,” President Vucic stated. “We have to oppose that and try to preserve peace and explain to our partners in the West with rational arguments what this all is about”, President Vucic said.

 

Kurti wants a confrontation

President said frankly that he doesn't see the stable formula for getting out of the crisis.
“I don’t see it today,” Vucic responded, bluntly. “I could tell you fairy tales, but I’m no fan of fairy tales, I liked them until I was 5 or 6 years old. But for me, it’s important to have a conversation and for someone to understand that if we are not responsible and serious enough, this man [Kurti] will lead us into conflict,” warned President Vucic. He noted that everyone is acting now as nothing is happening while beneath the surface, a volatile situation simmers and festers. “It’s calm now, it’s calm today. Tomorrow, when he starts arresting people again, it will never be calm again,” Vucic added. “So I want to tell you, we simply have to try to explain to someone that they can’t behave the way they behave. And that someone tries to bring them into the realms of rational and, excuse me for using that word, normal behavior.” One question still remains. The Albanian mayors were elected with 3.4% of the votes in the entire territory of northern Kosovo. How did they gain legitimacy in the context of democratic deficit? “They don’t have it, and it’s clear to everyone that they don’t have it, but as Escobar said, thanks to his political power, someone who has 3% can be legitimate. Imagine if someone in Serbia received 3% of the votes and said, ‘I will rule, arrest, beat, and do everything else.’ Well, listen, we would be on all the blacklists in the world,” Vucic said. “But in this case it is allowed,” he added to emphasize the “play on words” and the politics of “double standards.”

 

Biden and EXPO 2027

Vucic recalled the meetings with President Biden back in 2016 and revealed whether he would host Biden again now as the President of the United States. “I hosted President Biden in 2016 as Prime Minister, and he left a very good impression on me. He is an exceptionally well-prepared individual,” Vucic said. “I do not believe I will have that opportunity again, but it would be a great honor, and I would love to host him in Belgrade and Serbia.” Looking towards the future of Serbian-American relations,, Vucic highlighted the role of Serbian expats in strengthening ties between the two countries. He acknowledged that globalization has made time and space differences insignificant and emphasized the importance of these connections with the diaspora. “Globalization is a process that dominates, absolutely. Therefore, these connections with the diaspora today, even if the state does nothing, are much stronger, much more important, and much more significant than they have ever been,” he noted. “I am grateful to every Serbian and every citizen of Serbia who is a US citizen or a US citizen of Serbian origin, who loves Serbia. Today, every positive word carries great significance,” noted Vucic. President Vucic shared with The Pavlovic Today his feelings about the great victory that Serbia waged and become the host of EXPO 2027. “I felt surprised because I expected us to be in second place, to be honest. This was a big victory and a great joy,” he said. “I hope and believe that we will be able to be the best possible hosts and leave an impression on the whole world. Through the construction of facilities, organization, and the hospitality of us being our all-encompassing host,” he said. Vucic emphasized the need to build Serbia in accordance with democratic principles and respect the rights of all minorities in the country. “I believe that we will be able to build and improve our country in the next four years, just enough to be proud of our achievements in various areas in front of the whole world,” he expressed with unwavering determination.

 

Brnabic: Government's goal to facilitate flow of goods, people for better life for citizens (RTS/Tanjug/Politika)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday that the government of Serbia, with the "Open Balkans" initiative, wants to facilitate the flow of goods, people, capital and services, in order to make everyday life and trade easier for everyone in the country, and in order to increase the standard of citizens. Brnabic visited the Open Balkans sales point – electronic toll collection, at the Presevo toll station, in the direction of North Macedonia, in the company of Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski, and the line ministers for transport, Goran Vesic and Blagoj Bocvarski. As part of the "Open Balkans" initiative, we already have important results, and when Prime Minister Dmitar Kovacevski was in Serbia, we saw a huge increase in mutual trade, Brnabic said. The Prime Minister pointed out that currently the single toll collection tag can only be used for passenger traffic, and that from Friday, 21 July, it will also be available for trucks and the economy. In 2022, the value of goods exchange was €1.48 billion. Serbia exported a little less than a billion euros, and North Macedonia a little more than €500 million. The increase was much greater on the side of North Macedonia, more than 56 percent, and on our side 16 percent. The "Open Balkans" initiative is a good thing for all parties, the Prime Minister stated. She emphasised that it is extremely important for Serbia that other countries join the project of uniform toll collection, because it will directly affect Serbia's GDP. It means economic growth. Increased salaries and pensions. It's good that now thanks to this project we are all working together to move the transit of the whole of Europe through the Balkans, she said. Brnabic announced that the "Open Balkan ID" project will start in August or September. I believe that when we open the Open Balkans, citizens from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro will want to join. I expect that slowly everyone within the Western Balkans will join this initiative. But for that we need to have as many projects as possible and to show concrete benefits for the economy and citizens, she said. The Prime Minister mentioned that railway Corridor 10, which will go from Belgrade, through Nis, Presevo to the border with North Macedonia, will go to Skopje and then to Greece. It is a project that will be financed by the EU in part from grant funds for the Western Balkans. The next huge project and significant connection between Serbia and North Macedonia. I don't believe that construction can start before 2025, when the design and technical documentation will be completed, but we are working to ensure that in the near future people from Skopje will practically travel to Budapest and later to Central and Western Europe. It will be a completely different Balkan, she concluded. Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski assessed that the electronic toll collection between North Macedonia and Serbia is the best confirmation that the "Open Balkans" initiative is producing results. If we look at the research, the "Open Balkans" initiative has huge support, and it has produced results in just three months. Serbian and Macedonian engineers have created a solution for a unified electronic toll collection, Kovacevski said. Kovacevski pointed out that the card bought in North Macedonia works perfectly in Serbia and added that by next Friday, freight traffic will also be able to use electronic toll collection. Trade exchange between the two countries has increased by more than 20 percent, and the number of tourists coming from Serbia this year compared to previous years is quite higher, Kovacevski pointed out. He announced that the establishment of a software system for the smooth movement of workers between North Macedonia and Serbia will follow. The Prime Minister of North Macedonia added that in the future they will work on increasing trade with Serbia. Ministers are working on a solution that will allow us to have only one traffic control between Serbia and North Macedonia. The "Open Balkans" initiative will connect our companies and break down barriers, Kovacevski concluded. Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic said that this project is in line with the policies of the two countries to enable the rapid flow of goods and capital. According to him, in the last ten days, more than 13,000 people in Serbia took this tag, which shows the interest in him. About 7,000 vehicles with Serbian licence plates cross into North Macedonia every day. In the first six months, we had almost 33 million cars on our highways, and we expect them to be almost 72 million by the end of the year, which is an increase of 4.6 percent, and revenues are higher by 12.5 percent, he said. Vesic pointed out that the common tag is proof that the two countries can work together. Minister of Transport of North Macedonia Blagoj Bocvarski expressed his satisfaction that the original initiative of Serbia and North Macedonia is turning into a reality, and that it can be an example not only for the region, but also for all other European countries. Bocvarski expressed satisfaction that even in North Macedonia, more than 30 percent of toll collection is already done through the electronic system and cashless payment. We will continue to work together with the Minister of Transport of Serbia for the welfare of our citizens and transport companies, Bocvarski said. The joint tag for toll collection in Serbia and North Macedonia became operational at the beginning of July, and in order for drivers to be able to use the tag device, it is necessary to reconfigure it, which is done in six steps.

 

Serbia extremely appreciates Venezuela's principled position on Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic underlined on Friday, during the talks with Minister of the People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil Pinto, that our two countries are bound by good and traditionally close relations. She said that Serbia is interested in improving cooperation with Venezuela in the fields of agriculture, tourism, health and culture, stressing that the agreements signed today are of great importance for both countries. She reiterated that Serbia extremely appreciates Venezuela's principled position on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. She especially expressed her gratitude for the fact that the government of Venezuela supported Serbia's candidacy for the organisation of the EXPO 2027 International World Exhibition in Belgrade. Pinto underlined that Serbia and Venezuela maintain friendly and firm bilateral relations, recalling that last year marked 140 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

 

Serbia, Venezuela sign agreement on abolishment of visas (Tanjug/RTV/RTS/Beta)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic received on Friday Minister of the People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil Pinto, who is on an official visit to Belgrade. At a joint press conference, after the talks with Pinto, Dacic said that Venezuela and Serbia are two extremely close countries, with traditional friendly relations spanning 140 years, which managed to preserve friendship in difficult times for both countries, despite heavy pressures. During the talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which were simultaneously treated as the Second Meeting of the Serbia-Venezuela Political Consultation Mechanism, numerous possibilities for further improvement of bilateral cooperation were discussed. Mutual willingness to strengthen political dialogue and economic ties, as well as cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, education, youth, sports and culture, was expressed. Dacic expressed immense gratitude to Venezuela for its position in relation to our biggest problem, which is the issue of our territorial integrity and sovereignty, adding that this country, with which we have no open issues, has a sincere friend in Serbia. Gil Pinto said that his country and Serbia are linked by several issues - first of all, the issue of the principles of international law, the principle of respect for the UN Charter, adding that Venezuela will always be faithful to the principle of supporting sovereignty and respecting the territorial integrity of countries, which are values that it shares with Serbia, with whom in the last ten years it has been trying to develop relations in today's increasingly complex world, in an increasingly challenging geopolitical situation. Dacic and Gil Pinto today signed the Agreement between the government of the Republic of Serbia and the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on the abolition of visas for holders of ordinary passports, which was jointly assessed as the first in a series of steps aimed at strengthening, above all, economic cooperation. According to Dacic, the procedure of making Belgrade and Caracas twin towns has been initiated.

 

Dacic: Still no evidence against Vulin from US, and I don’t expect it to come (Politika)

 

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said that no evidence has arrived from the US for the allegations against the head of the Security Information Agency (BIA) Aleksandar Vulin, who was sanctioned by the US authorities, adding that “he does not expect it to arrive, because this is not about establishing evidence, but about politically motivated sanctions.”

“We have not received a single piece of information from America, not even an indication that there are any criminal acts involved. Of course, we will seek an explanation from the US because this is not a private matter, but a decision directed against a high-ranking government official. But, let’s put that aside, the motive for this decision is politics,” said Dacic in an interview with Politika. Speaking about why these sanctions were introduced, Dacic said it was about Vulin’s “stances towards Russia”.

 

US Treasury imposes sanctions on Serbia’s top security agency chief

“If we had imposed sanctions on Russia, there would be no sanctions against Vulin or anyone else,” said Dacic. When asked how this could affect Serbia-US relations, the minister said that Serbia “has good cooperation with the USA in the fight against all forms of organised crime”. “It is one of the most important pillars of our overall cooperation. And that is exactly why it is surprising that the American state authorities make decisions on sanctions against a high-ranking official of Serbia, with suspicions of an alleged connection with organized crime. But here we are only talking about politics, and that is the state policy of Serbia, which is implemented by all who are at the helm of the institutions,” he noted. Dacic also assessed that with this action “they want to create some artificial balance” between Belgrade and Pristina. He assessed that “after the harsh decisions of the West and America against the authorities in Pristina, it was only a matter of days when a decision against Belgrade would arrive”. “That was never a good policy, because you cannot create a balance between Pristina, which for years has continuously undermined the dialogue, used violence and does not want a solution, and Belgrade, which keeps the dialogue alive and fulfills everything that was agreed,” said Dacic.

 

Petkovic meets with Hungarian Ambassador to inform him of the difficult political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)

 

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic met with Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia Jozsef Zoltan Magyar on Friday to inform him of the difficult political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija, especially in the north of the province, which he said was threatening to jeopardise peace and stability across the region. According to a statement released by the Office, Petkovic expressed concern over groundless and illegal arrests of Serbs, violence and daily pressure on the Serb population by the Pristina regime, and said over 350 attacks on Serbs and their property, churches and cemeteries had been registered since Albin Kurti had taken office as Pristina's PM. "The fact that the Pristina authorities have been refusing since 2016 to implement their own court decisions and return 24 hectares of land to the Visoki Decani monastery, which is on the Unesco world heritage list, shows clearly that lawlessness is at work in Kosovo-Metohija and that violence on religious and ethnic grounds is being carried out at all levels," Petkovic warned. He added that Kurti's policy, reflected in constant institutional, political and physical violence against Serbs in the province, had culminated in the appointment of illegal and illegitimate mayors and deployment of special police forces in Serb municipalities in the north of the province.

 

Cochard: Serbia, France brotherly peoples, France will accelerate Serbia’s EU accession (Beta)

 

French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard said in Belgrade, on 14 July, that the traditional brotherly relations between the two states “inspire everyday actions,” and that it was with that feeling of brotherhood that France wanted to assist Serbia in the process of accession to the EU. “I know that Serbia, like France, cherishes its independence and identity, but it is precisely in the EU that Serbia and France can better defend their independence and identity,” the ambassador told journalists at a reception at the French Embassy in Belgrade. It is in the demonstration of brotherhood, he said, that this year’s French national holiday was being celebrated. “Out of that feeling of brotherhood, we want Serbia to express solidarity with the EU regarding what is happening on the European continent. We are aware of the ties between the Serbian and Russian people, the French and Russian people have their own ties too, but we want Serbia to be determined when it comes to what the Russian regime has become which leads to catastrophe,” Cochard said. The ambassador underlined that it was necessary to step up Serbia’s EU accession, which was the idea that guided the French Development Agency which wanted to help Serbia on its path to the EU. The French diplomat called for the situation in Kosovo to be normalized, as, as he said, the people of Kosovo had suffered on account of recurrent crises.

 

Serbia Against Violence protest held in Belgrade (Beta)

 

Belgrade saw another Serbia against Violence protest on 15 July, with demonstrators marching through the streets and blocking parts of a highway. The protest, which focused on the justice system, passed without incident. Democratic Party president Zoran Lutovac said the justice system in Serbia was under strong political influence and that the people would not live in a regulated and democratic state until that changed. "There can be no regulated state without an independent judiciary and independent prosecution, and sadly we have neither," Lutovac told Beta at the event. He also said the regime had deceived the people with talk of reforms of the justice system while "nothing has changed" and the justice system remained under strong political influence. According to him, the Serbia against Violence protesters are demanding to live in a state in which there is justice. Other demonstrations were elsewhere around Serbia as well.

 

Lajcak: I am working on preparing next meeting between the representatives of Belgrade and Pristina (RTV/Tanjug)

 

EU Special Envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajcak announced on Sunday that he is working on the preparation of the next meeting between representatives of Belgrade and Pristina at the technical level. "As the end of another long and productive week approaches, I reflect on the positive start I had in Croatia, where I participated in the annual Dubrovnik Forum," Lajcak said on Facebook, summing up the working week. The forum in Dubrovnik provided him, as he stated, a great opportunity to engage with key actors from the Western Balkans and beyond, reconnecting with colleagues with whom he discussed the steps necessary for deescalation in northern Kosovo and Metohija. "From Dubrovnik, I travelled to Bratislava, where I held important bilateral discussions with the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kosovo government and the Kosovo Chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi. Our conversation focused on de-escalating the situation in the north of Kosovo, in line with the EU27 statement from 3 June, and working towards implementing all Dialogue agreements. I'm glad we agreed on first steps towards this goal," Lajcak said on Facebook. He added that upon his return to Brussels, among other activities, he welcomed the president of the Democratic Party of Kosovo Memli Krasniqi for an exchange of views. Lajcak said that he is working on the preparation of a new meeting at the technical level between Belgrade and Pristina. He pointed out that before the meeting with Bislimi and Krasniqi, he met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, at the Dubrovnik Forum. Lajcak also referred to the meetings with his US and UK colleagues, Gabriel Escobar and Stuart Peach, during the forum, and thanked Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman for the invitation and organization of the event.

 

Djilas: The government is desperately trying to defend Vulin (Nova)

 

According to the leader of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) Dragan Djilas Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic is doing everything he can to "iron out" the issue of the country’s Security Intelligence Agency being blacklisted by the US. Djilas argued that the fact that the United States exported arms worth 138 billion dollars while Serbia exported arms worth 449 million dollars in 2021 “shows how absurd Aleksandar Vucic’s claim that America imposed sanctions on Vulin because we are competitors in the sale of arms is”. He noted that Serbia’s arms exports are worth only some 0.3% of US arms exports. He said that the ruling party, SNS, has no idea what to do at this point regarding the matter. “The fact that the day after Vucic’s statement, the Minister of Defense and Acting President of SNS Milos Vucevic informed the public that a decision had been made to introduce an embargo on the export of arms from Serbia is shown by how much more the top authorities do not know what they are doing!? By the way, according to the most relevant data source for arms trade, the Swedish SIPRI, Serbia is not among the 25 largest arms exporters in the world in the period between 2018 and 2022. America is in first place with a 40%, and Jordan is in 25th place with 0.2% in world arms exports,” he said. Djilas said that Serbia is ranked 37th in regards to global arms exports. “According to this report, we import the most from China (43%), Russia (31%) and Belarus (20%). All these data clearly show that instead of investing in economic growth, education, and healthcare, Serbia spends money on armaments. And Serbia does not defend itself with weapons but with education, changing the government that does not understand this and changing the system, so that people like Aleksandar Vulin would never again be in a position to decide on our lives,” he concluded.

 

New tranche of humanitarian aid to Ukraine (Tanjug/RTV)

 

The Serbian government has adopted several decisions concerning aid in connection with the needs to overcome the humanitarian disaster in the Kherson region of Ukraine. The new tranche of humanitarian aid to this country will include, among other things, the donation of goods and medicines from the Republic Directorate for Commodity Reserves and goods from the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration. Also, the Serbian government adopted a conclusion approving temporary protection for the reception of citizens of Ukraine affected by the situation in the Kherson region. At the same time, as an additional form of support, a sports rehabilitation camp will be organised this summer for the youth and children's teams of the Football Academy "Dinamo" from Kyiv. The Serbian government has approved funds for the organisation of the summer camp, which will cover accommodation, food, training and soccer matches.

 

Serbia gets new Green-Left party (Beta)

 

The Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own movement became the Green-Left Front party on Friday, the party’s MP Radomir Lazovic said. He told Beta that the new party adopted a statute, program and other strategic documents at its founding assembly and added that co-chairs (male and female) would be elected next autumn. He said that the new party was formed with local partner organizations across Serbia and added that its activities would be expanded. He voiced hope that the party would provide room for people to implement their political ideas. “We decided to make formal what was a dam to the willfulness of the authorities for years, the informal activist approach into something that will be a new green and left force in Serbia,” Lazovic said and added that he expects deeper relations with the pro-European opposition. He said the new party has requested membership in the European Greens party.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Law on Publishing Laws and Other Regulations in the RS will come to force on Monday (AJB)

 

On Monday, 17 July, the Law on Publishing Laws and Other Regulations in RS will come to force. The implementation of this law will mean that the decisions and implemented laws made by High Representative in B&H Christian Schmidt will not be published in the Official Gazette of the RS.  Skenderagic reports that after changes to the Law on Publishing Laws and Other Regulations in the RS was officially published in the Official Gazette of RS, members of the State Protection and Investigation Agency (SIPA) raided the headquarters of the RS Official Gazette, under a warrant issued by the B&H Prosecutor’s Office, to acquire information about the publication of the decrees of RS President Milorad Dodik on the non-implementation of HR’s and the Constitutional Court of BiH decisions on the RS territory. Director of the RS Official Gazette Milos Lukic stated that everything was done according to legal procedures. Skenderagic reports that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office already has a case against the non-implementation of HR’s and the Constitutional Court of BiH decisions on the RS territory, adding that the HR introduced changes to the B&H Criminal Code, which declare the non-implementation of his decisions a criminal offence. The HR’s decision was supported by the international community, and the US Embassy in Sarajevo called the RS parliament decisions “a thought-out attack on the Dayton Peace Agreement”. Speaker of the House of Representatives in B&H Denis Zvizdic called on NATO to deploy troops in the Brcko District to prevent a possible secession of the RS.

 

Konakovic: Cvijanovic’s one more pointless attack against work I do and against me personally (Dnevni list)

 

Dnevni list reports that B&H Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic reacted to statement of now former Chairwoman of the B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic, who stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again usurps the work of the joint institutions and goes beyond the scope of its competences. According to Konakovic, it is a case of Cvijanovic’s yet another pointless attack against his work and attack against him personally. “Mrs. Cvijanovic would have to know that there is no such thing as joint institutions, there are only institutions of B&H. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs puts the official positions of the Presidency of B&H in further procedure and does not send individual acts and letters of any member of the Presidency of B&H. Members of the Presidency can do that themselves," Konakovic stated in his post on Facebook. If the Presidency of B&H does not have an agreed position, and the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Konakovic added, he personally decides on the text he sends into the procedure, taking into account and protecting the Constitution, laws and decisions previously adopted by the institutions of B&H. "In the end, I had an insight into the content of Mrs. Cvijanovic's letter, it would be much better for her not to send such letters. Especially not to those who know very well the situation in our country, the Constitution and other regulations. It seems frivolous and she should have more common sense. She has already received an adequate response from Strasbourg. I am sure that it will soon come from other addresses as well," Konakovic pointed out. Konakovic stresses that decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H are final and binding on the entire territory of B&H, while the decisions of the RS parliament are legally unfounded and invalid.

 

RS politicians, analysts comment on Konakovic’s move (RTRS)

 

RTRS investigates if B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic is repaying a debt to Christian Schmidt, and if he is continuing the practice of his predecessor Bisera Turkovic. He has confirmed this several times so far, and with the last procedure he removed any dilemma – says a unanimous message from the RS.  In defiance of his powers, he refused to forward the letter of Serb member of the B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic to the Permanent Mission of B&H to the UN, addressed to the UN Secretary General, and thus brutally abused his powers. The request that the Secretary General of the United Nations informs B&H whether there is a UN Security Council resolution on the appointment of Christian Schmidt as a High Representative, which was mentioned in Cvijanovic’s letter, once again exposed the abuses of the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says professor Milan Blagojevic, adviser to the Serb member of the B&H Presidency. He says that although it is good for everyone here to finally get that answer, that is precisely what political Sarajevo, including Minister Konakovic, is afraid of. “They are all aware that if they accepted a legitimate and legally based request of Cvijanovic, it would lead to a truth that does not suit them at all, (…) namely that Christian Schmidt is not a High Representative”, Blagojevic said in a telephone statement. That is why abuses of authority follow and that is why Konakovic did not want that letter to reach New York. It should be emphasized that his obstructions are selective and he uses them only when it comes to the Serb member of the B&H Presidency. That this is so is confirmed by the fact that Konakovic forwarded (B&H Presidency member) Denis Becirovic's letter to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels. There are very radical Bosniak structures in the B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are also younger people who have been trained and who think that B&H is unitary and without entities, believes adviser to the RS President Ana Trisic Babic. Ana Trisic Babic, not wanting to justify Konakovic's actions, says that he is not actually allowed to have an opinion about all of this. Christian Schmidt is not a High Representative, because according to the Dayton Agreement he should be appointed by a resolution of the UN Security Council. That document does not exist, reminds delegate of the B&H House of Peoples (B&H HoP) Radovan Kovacevic. The practice of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the Constitutional Court of B&H, based on the principle that one institution imposes a decision, and the other confirms that it has the right to impose, says that this is where reason and the rule of law end, and the forces of evil appear, says professor Blagojevic. “That is why the illegal obstruction to address the above-mentioned question and request of Cvijanovic to the UN Secretary General is only one in a series of evidences of how much all this in B&H has turned into the erosion of the state and rights and how much it is a kind of triumph of evil over law and justice”, the professor underlined.

 

B&H CC accepts Knezevic’s request for early retirement (BHT1)

 

During a two-day plenary session, the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H accepted the request of judge and Vice-President of the CC Zlatko Knezevic for early retirement. Knezevic will continue performing his duties until 2 January 2024. The CC rejected Knezevic's proposal to abolish the decision from 19 June 2023, on amending the rules of the CC to prevent postponement of sessions. Meanwhile, the FB&H parliament is yet to appoint a judge from the FB&H, where only Marin Vukoja has been nominated. FB&H Prime Minister and SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic noted that the ‘Troika’ will support Vukoja’s appointment in the FBiH parliament. According to Niksic, politicking has delayed appointment of a CC judge in the FB&H parliament. Meanwhile, when it comes to the work of the CC, HDZ B&H demanded adoption of the Law on Courts of B&H fast and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic presented an opinion that foreign judges should be eliminated from work of the B&H CC. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik also advocates against the work of the foreign judges in the B&H CC. Dodik said that the RS is being accused of not appointing its judges to the B&H CC, while the FB&H also fails to appoint judges from that entity. SDA’s representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Semsudin Mehmedovic assessed that talks and dialogue should be the way out of the crisis, including in cases related to issues with appointment of judges. Constitutional law expert Nurko Pobric assessed that the judges in the B&H CC should no longer be appointed based on the ethnic affiliation.

 

Dodik: The RS will come out even stronger from the current political crisis in B&H and no one will defeat it (ATV)

 

RS President Milorad Dodik published a statement on his official Instagram page in which he stated: “The RS will come out even stronger from this political crisis in B&H and no one will defeat it. The RS does not recognize the intervention of foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of B&H (B&H CC) because those judges were legitimate only for the first five years after the Dayton Agreement. We will not give up on the basic interests of the RS despite threats of sanctions, and if we want to de-escalate the crisis in B&H, it is necessary that everything is withdrawn to the initial level before the decision of B&H CC.”

 

Kovacevic: The RS is not violating DPA; Being against the false HR and unconstitutional CC is not abandoning but defence of Dayton (ATV)

 

Member of the Serb Caucus in the House of Peoples of B&H (HoP B&H) Radovan Kovacevic (SNSD) posted a statement on his official Twitter in which he stated: “One of the biggest hoaxes that has been coming out of the political Sarajevo in recent days is that the RS has allegedly left Dayton. Srpska only destroyed your illusion that Dayton is the path to the disappearance of the RS. The Dayton Agreement and the Dayton Constitution of B&H are the only formula on the basis of which B&H can survive. The further B&H is from Dayton, the further Srpska is from B&H. So, don't lie to us. Christian Schmidt is not a High Representative, because the Dayton Agreement states that the High Representative is appointed by a resolution of the UN Security Council. Schmidt does not have it and cannot be the High Representative. Period. Based on the Constitution, the Constitutional Court of B&H has the obligation to protect the Constitution and therefore the constitutional structure of B&H. Instead, the Constitutional Court directly violates the Constitution and persistently tries to undermine and change the constitutional structure. Being against the false High Representative and the unconstitutional Constitutional Court is not abandoning but the defence of Dayton!”

 

Konakovic asks Szijjarto to lobby with RS politicians to end crisis in B&H (BHT1)

 

B&H Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Friday. Konakovic asked Szijjarto to lobby with the RS politicians to end the current political crisis in B&H. Konakovic invited representatives of Hungary to partake in the economy fair in Tesanj. Konakovic underlined that he does not oppose regional cooperation of any B&H entity with any part of any European country, for as long as B&H Constitution and its territorial integrity and sovereignty are respected.

 

Picula: Removal of Dodik should be condition for B&H’s EU integration (Avaz)

 

The daily carried an interview with European Parliament member Tonino Picula. Commenting the report on B&H recently adopted by the European Parliament, Picula said that despite problems highlighted in the report, it is the first positive one in many years because it contains indication that things might improve in the upcoming period. “The European Parliament is very inclined to support the current composition of the authorities, especially at the state level, and then entities as well, if they show the willingness for political change”, said Picula. Commenting the fact that the report explicitly labels RS President Milorad Dodik as source of destructive policies which hinder B&H’s path to EU integration, Picula stated that the situation escalated with the RS pariament’s adoption of Law on Non-Implementation of Decisions of B&H Constitutional Court. “Based on that, I asked the European External Action Service to show consistency. If they acted swiftly against Kosovo after violence in the north escalated, what can we say about the moves of Dodik who consistently implements the policy of destruction of B&H? I expect accountability. Will I see it -I doubt, because I think that kind of calculation towards Dodik is linked to the relations with Aleksandar Vucic”, said Picula. The European Parliament’s report also recommends deployment of EUFOR troops to Brcko District. Picula said that it is necessary to realistically assess the military and police force capacities of the side which calls for secession and its ability to cross the line. He pointed out that in his opinion, the RS does not have that capacity. “Their goal is to keep B&H in some kind of undeclared state of emergency, but they do not dare go beyond that”, he pointed out. He noted that the fact that the Director of Serbian Security-Intelligence Agency (BIA) Aleksandar Vulin has been blacklisted by the USA is also significant because it can be interpreted as a message to the EU which is failing to sanction Dodik, unlike the USA and UK. Commenting Dodik’s recently calls for acceleration of B&H’s EU integration process, Picula said that Dodik’s removal should be one of conditions, along with the 14 priorities defined by the European Commission. Picula emphasized that Dodik is not honest regarding the EU integration, and that he listens more to the geopolitical rivals of the EU – i.e. Russian President Vladimir Putin. He noted that Dodik also greatly depends on political support of Serbian President Vucic.

 

Students and NGOs in Serbia criticize the decision to give scholarships to two Sarajevo students (AJB)

 

The civil sector and NGOs of Serbia protested against the fact that two Sarajevo students, Valentina Vujicic and Sladjana Todic, received scholarships from ‘SarajevoGas’ from Istocno Sarajevo in cooperation with the Security Information Agency of Serbia, led by Aleksandar Vulin. The two Sarajevo students received full scholarships to continue their education in Belgrade, after they posted pictures of convicted war-criminal Ratko Mladic on their social media accounts on 11 July commemorated as the Day of remembering victims the Srebrenica genocide. Students of Novi Sad University protested against the fact that Vujicic and Todic received full scholarships for glorifying war criminals, when their rightfully given scholarships were taken away due to lack of funding. Several students condemned the decision of the Serbian government to fund the scholarships and cover the expenses of life in Belgrade. Glusac explains that this issue is becoming more and more apparent in Serbia, giving the example of RTS News presenter referring to the commemoration in Potocari, as the commemoration of “the events that happened in Srebrenica during July of 1995.” Representative from the Youth Initiative for Human Right Sofija Todorovic explained that this decision by Vulin to fund two students fits perfectly with his stance on the previous war as it is obvious that he does not care for the victims of the war and does not care for the convictions of war criminals. Representatives of ‘Civil Vojvodina’ published a statement regarding the situation, in which they condemned lack of awareness of the Serbian government in fighting against violence and the spread of violence. The statement further read that if the population remains silent to issues like this, very soon Serbia will be a country of idiots who cannot differentiate basic good from true evil. Glusac concludes by adding that the organizers of the ‘Serbia against violence’ should consider adding ‘stopping the glorification of war criminals’ to their list of demands, that are read at every ‘Serbia against violence’ protests.

 

State Election Commission announced final election results, SDP’s objection dropped as baseless (CdM)

 

At the session, the State Election Commission (DIK) announced the final results of the parliamentary elections held on 11 June, dropping the objection of the Social Democratic Party as baseless. The results were announced with 13 votes for and three against them.

Here are final election results:

– Bosniak Party  – 7.08%, six seats

– ‘On the Right Side of the World’ (HGI) – 0,74%  – one seat

– ‘Justice for Everyone’  – 2.77% – no seats

– ‘For You’ (SNP and Demos) – 3.13% – two seats

–  People’s Coalition ‘United and Full Stop’ – 1.2%  – no seat

– Albanian Alliance – 1.49%  – one seat

–  ‘Turnaround’ Movement – 1,6% – no seat

–  Movement for Changes – 0.66%  – no seat

–  ‘Yes, We Can Do It for Civic Montenegro’ – 0.48% – no seat

– ‘Together’ (DPS, SD, LP, DUA) – 23.22%  – 21 seats

–  ‘Europe Now’ Movement – 25.53%  – 24 seats

–  ‘For Our Home’ (SDP) – 2.98% – no seat

–  ‘Courage is What Counts’ (Democrats and URA) – 12.48% – 11 seats

–  ‘For the Future of Montenegro’ (NSD, DNP, RP) – 14.74% – 13 seats

–  Albanian Forum – 1.91% – two seats

 

For the Future of Montenegro: We’re ready for talks with Europe Now (CdM)

 

The ‘For the Future of Montenegro’ bloc welcomes yesterday’s official results of the parliamentary elections held on 11 June in our country. We once again want to express our gratitude to the citizens of Montenegro for taking part in the elections and contributing to the democratic process, the bloc stated. “Based on the final results of the election, we can state with pleasure that the 30th of August socio-political majority definitely won by a landslide. The election lists that formed the 30th of August majority, as well as those that emerged from it, won a total of 50 seats in the new convocation of the Assembly of Montenegro. We find that this is a strong contribution of the people to the democratic processes that we started together three years ago,” they noted. Having in mind that the Europe Now Movement won the first place in the election race and that their leader, Milojko Spajic, announced that talks over the formation of a new government would start soon after the announcement of the final election results, they wish to inform both the public and their colleagues, that the For the Future of Montenegro bloc is open and ready for talks with Europe now and other political actors.

 

Carapic: Negotiations over new govt next week, we’ll invite For the Future of Montenegro as well (RTCG)

 

The Europe Now Movement will invite all political groups for talks over the new government, the PES official Vasilije Carapic said in a statement for TVCG. “There’s a lot to discuss. A lot of work lies ahead, and we’ll tackle the topics both concerning parliament and government. Many things will be solved, and many negotiated. We’re ready to hold talks,” Carapic said. Economic reforms, standard of living, European path, reform of education, fight against corruption and crime are the main segments this government is going to deal with, while Europe Now says that all those sharing same goals can cooperate with them.

 

Vujovic: Constitutional Court can’t reject SDP’s appeal (MINA)

 

The Constitutional Court cannot reject the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against the decision of the State Election Commission (DIK) regarding the repetition of the election at one polling station in Kolasin, since it has already decided positively on the identical matter, according to the general secretary of that party Ivan Vujovic. On Tuesday, DIK rejected as untimely the SDP’s appeal regarding the repetition of the election at the polling station in Kolasin, for which the holder of the Justice for All list, Vladimir Leposavic, withdrew a constitutional appeal. Vujovic has told the MINA agency that they have submitted the appeal to the Constitutional Court and that he believes that this court will have a very easy task, since it has already decided positively on the identical matter regarding the repetition of elections at one polling station in Cetinje, adopting the SDP’s proposal. According to him, SDP proved that at least several hundred votes were stolen through the fabrication of so-called invalid ballots. He has said that SDP uses legal and constitutional rights and mechanisms, unlike many others who, as he claims, use various forms of abuse in the electoral process. Commenting on the accusations that electoral engineering is at work, Vujovic explains that they have been continuously coming from representatives of Europe Now Movement (PES), which until recently was a non-parliamentary party. He points out that PES, despite not being financed from the state budget, managed to spend millions of euros on election campaigns in the previous ten months.

 

Jelusic: I’m convinced that URA won’t be part of new govt. (TV Adria)

 

URA member Bozena Jelusic says for TV Adria that URA won’t be part of the new government. She adds that from the moment the Basic Agreement was signed, the attack on Dritan Abazovic started. “If the new government continues to deal with organized crime, if it continues on that path, then it is great and URA should not be in it. Everything needs to be changed and purified, but if the forces we fought against consolidate again, then we are in trouble. It is quite legitimate for the opposition to continue the fight”, says Jelusic. She does not think that the For the future of Montenegro (ZBCG) coalition will be a part of the government, but she believes that ZBCG will get management and operational positions.

 

Open Balkans future is bright, say Kovachevski and Brnabic (MIA)

 

The future of the Open Balkans initiative is bright, including current and planned projects that are important for the citizens and the economy in the region, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski and Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabic on Sunday. PM Kovachevski said the ultimate goal of the initiative is to remove borders as EU member-states. "In the past, we were the only countries that had no borders and now we are the only ones in Europe to have them. The ultimate goal and my personal pledge is for the Balkans to be a border-free area. The future of Open Balkans is bright because these countries will one day join the EU and the finale of Open Balkans will be a ceremony promoting the removal of checkpoints and ramps that separate us on both sides of the border," Kovachevski told reporters. He recalled that the initiative has ensured free movement of people, capital, services and commodities. PM Brnabic also sees a bright future for Open Balkans, expecting all regional states to join the initiative "that is exceptionally practical". "The projects offer direct benefits for citizens and economies, initiatives that ensure a bright future for the region, creating conditions that will keep young people here," underlined Brnabic.

 

No mines if citizens against it, concessions given at time of VMRO-DPMNE's government: PM (MIA)

 

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Sunday the government's position is clear - no mines will open if citizens living in the region where the concession was given are against it. The PM said the concessions for the Ilovica mine were given by the then-government of VMRO-DPMNE in 2012 and 2013, while adding that SDSM is against opening of mines. "SDSM has been against these mines since day one and the position is the same today, because people do not want them. At the next Government session, the Minister of Economy will present all documents starting from 2012, since there are many court decisions involved. Nevertheless, the position of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environment and myself as PM is clear - there will be no mines if people living in the area where such concessions had been given are against it. These concessions were given by VMRO-DPMNE and the mines did not open only because the SDSM-led government has worked against this," Kovachevski told reporters. He added that besides giving concessions for the Ilovica mine in 2012 and 2013, VMRO-DPMNE also included them in the party's election programme for the 2016 elections, while VMRO-DPMNE mayors in the municipalities of Bosilovo and Novo Selo took decisions for opening of the Ilovica mine. "These decisions by VMRO-DPMNE have resulted in court proceedings and many decisions in favor of the foreign investor that had received the concessions at the time. It is the government's intention that any decision related to the opening of mines is in accordance with the people's expectations. Namely, if the citizens of Strumica, Novo Selo, Vasilevo and Bosilovo municipalities are against the opening of mines, then mines will not open. When SDSM spoke against these mines, VMRO-DPMNE organized protests at which they said the region needed those mines because of job openings," underlined Kovachevski.

 

Bulgaria has no new conditions for North Macedonia, says country's MFA (MIA)

 

Bulgaria has no new conditions for North Macedonia, says the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) with regard to the numerous media questions on the "substance of the 2022 European compromise for the EU path of the Republic of North Macedonia". "Bulgaria has NO new conditions for North Macedonia. On the contrary, we wholeheartedly desire to witness the progress of our neighbor towards full EU membership through successes in the reform process and through efforts in building good-neighborly relations. We expect the first step on this path, in accordance with the obligations Skopje signed in July 2022 – '…the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia to include those of its citizens who live on the territory of this country and are part of other peoples, such as the Bulgarian people, according to internal procedures, including through a constitutional law for their implementation',” the Bulgarian MFA says in a press release. It adds that a fundamental principle of international law is Pacta sunt servanda - agreements must be kept, regardless of their multilateral or bilateral character. "Non-implementation of signed agreements breaches trust, coherence and predictability in the relations between states and provokes retaliatory measures. We have always relied on our friends in North Macedonia for the implementation of all mutually agreed obligations in good faith, not for misinterpretations on whether and to what extent the EU-integration requires such implementation," says the Bulgarian MFA. According to the ministry, the path of North Macedonia to EU membership has clearly layed-out parameters. "It is irresponsible and counterproductive to disturb the hard-reached agreement and delicate balance with misinterpretations diverging from clearly established criteria on this matter by the Council of the EU. Especially dangerous are the attempts for manipulative presentation of conditions, previously agreed upon and set forth in the 2022 compromise, as some new requests by the Republic of Bulgaria," says the MFA. It adds that the Negotiating Framework, which will be presented to North Macedonia following the completion of the opening phase of the accession negotiations, as agreed by the Council of the EU, specifically lays out the principles governing these negotiations. It also notes that "institutions of North Macedonia have yet to prove the seriousness, with which they plan to prosecute hate-crimes against Bulgarians in the neighboring country".

 

Balluku meets with Escobar in Washington: Ready to help solve the crises in the region (Radio Tirana)

 

Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku held a meeting with the US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar where a number of regional important issues were discussed. Referring to the situation in the north of Kosova, Balluku writes that she discussed with Escobar the role of Prime Minister Rama on the matter, who recently undertook a Balkan tour, without meeting only Prime Minister Albin Kurti. "At the State Department, I met Gabriel Escobar, the US envoy for the Western Balkans, to discuss a number of critical issues for the region, the current events of the last few days and, above all, the important role that Albania and Prime Minister Rama are playing in these crucial moments," writes Balluku. According to Balluku, Escobar remains one of the best connoisseurs of the region while adding that he and his team are ready to help solve various situations in the Western Balkans. "Escobar remains one of the best connoisseurs of the region at the State Department. He and his team are ready to help solve situations and improve reforms and life processes for the countries of the Western Balkans. I assured him [Escobar] that the Albanian Government is fully focused on fulfilling the commitments taken and above all we are aware of the important role we have to play in the region and the good example we have to set," concludes Balluku.

 

Balla assumes the position of Interior Minister; Next week to present priorities (Radio Tirana)

 

After taking the oath in the Presidency, the new Minister of Internal Affairs Taulant Balla has entered the premises of this institution for the first time, welcomed by the former minister Bledar Cuci, the highest officials of the Ministry of the Interior, the heads of the dependent institutions and other leaders. In his speech, Cuci expressed thanks to the staff of the Ministry of Interior and pointed out that the achievements in some of the institution's work priorities are the result of everyone's contributions. He expressed the highest praise for the new Minister Balla and at the same time wished him success in his new task, formally handing him an "exit-memo" file with achievements, priorities and a "road-map" for future objectives. Taulant Balla, in his first speech as Minister of the Interior, thanked Cuci for the work done and stated that at the beginning of next week he will make known to the staff and the public, the priorities he has set in the newly assumed office.