LOCAL PRESS

 

Gratitude to China’s consistent and principled stance on issue of Kosovo and Metohija (RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic yesterday received Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Serbia Chen Bo on a farewell visit. Brnabic thanked for the support and assistance provided by the People’s Republic of China to Serbia in such challenging times and underlined that the ambassador worked dedicatedly to strengthen economic and business relations. She particularly recalled the help that China sent to Serbia during the period of the coronavirus pandemic. Respecting the principles of international law is extremely important for us, and the demanding years we lived through together further strengthened the friendship of our peoples, she said. Chen Bo pointed out that during her stay in Belgrade she witnessed the best years of Serbia in the last three decades, but that she expects the coming period to be even better and that she sees a new growing point in the development of relations between Serbia and China in innovations and new technologies. Brnabic expressed her gratitude to the Ambassador for the consistent and principled stance of the People’s Republic of China on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.

 

Vucevic receives Chinese Ambassador on farewell visit (RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic thanked Chinese Ambassador Chen Bo, during her farewell visit, for her dedicated work and personal contribution to the development of cooperation and the establishment of stronger relations between our two countries. Vucevic and Chen Bo agreed that the excellent relations between the two presidents, Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping, are a confirmation of the traditional "steely" friendship between the two countries, the Ministry of Defense said. Vucevic thanked China for its support in preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and for the fact that China's position on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija has not changed. The Chinese Ambassador stressed the importance of mutual support between Serbia and China in matters of sovereignty and territorial integrity. She thanked for the hospitality and expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with Minister Vucevic, the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army during her mandate.

 

Significant space for intensifying cooperation with UK (RTV/Tanjug)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic yesterday received the newly appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Serbia Edward Ferguson.

During the meeting, it was mutually stated that there is significant room for intensifying cooperation in many areas, starting from trade, where cooperation is already recording excellent results, to cooperation in the fields of defense and internal affairs, as well as culture, education and science. It was pointed out that the affirmation of good examples of cooperation from the past can provide a boost to strengthening relations. The officials concluded that it is necessary to improve parliamentary cooperation and expressed their readiness to continue the positive trend of holding meetings at a high level, according to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Orlic receives newly-appointed UK Ambassador (RTV)

 

Serbian parliament speaker Vladimir Orlic met yesterday with the newly-appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Edward Ferguson, welcoming him to Serbia and wishing him success in his new post. He expressed his belief that during his diplomatic mandate, Ferguson will personally contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations between Serbia and the UK, as well as the additional intensification of the already dynamic interparliamentary cooperation. In that regard, Orlic conveyed the parliament's interest in furthering its connections with the UK parliament and the Parliamentary Friendship Group’s active work. Ferguson thanked Orlic for the opportunity to talk, saying that he took office proud of the two countries’ long, common history, with the desire to develop modern and positive relations with Serbia. "Serbia is a very important country with the potential to become even more significant and successful than it is now. We want to be part of your progress, to fight together for prosperity and a better future," said the Ambassador. He also stressed that there are many opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, as evidenced by the projects the two countries are successfully implementing together. Orlic said that Serbia continues to advocate for the improvement of economic, investment, infrastructural and any other cooperation with the UK, pointing to the fact that our country has had record results in these areas in previous years. He also stressed that Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, continues to pursue the policy of peace and stability and in that sense, the difficult situation in Kosovo and Metohija, created by Albin Kurti’s dangerous moves and his intentions to provoke open conflict, is particularly challenging. "We will, for our part, continue to try to preserve peace - a basic prerequisite for all the other important things we do in Serbia and will continue to do in the future. And today we can proudly talk about the historical changes we have achieved, which everyone notices – the new highways, modern railways, the important infrastructure we are building, and Belgrade, which is rapidly being built and modernised, was included by Economist magazine among the five fastest-growing cities," said Orlic. Ambassador Ferguson praised Serbia’s successes, expressing determination to deepen cooperation in numerous areas and saying that the preservation of peace and regional stability is an issue of the utmost importance.

 

Momirovic: New era in Serbia-Uganda relations (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Minister of Internal and External Trade Tomislav Momirovic said on Monday Serbia continued to build economic relations with Uganda based on strong friendship dating back from the time of the Non-Aligned Movement and that Sunday's signing of MoUs between the two countries marked a new era in bilateral relations. Momirovic was speaking at a Uganda-Balkans summit in Belgrade. "Serbia is proud of its history of good relations with Uganda, and the visit by the president of Uganda, as well as today's business conference, are an extremely important continuation of friendship and cooperation between our two friendly countries," he said. He said more than 100 Ugandan businesspeople had come to Serbia to showcase their products. Momirovic said that, during a visit to East Africa, he had had the great honour of meeting with the president, the PM and government ministers of Uganda in its capital, Kampala. "Today's conference is another opportunity to develop and advance our trade relations further," Momirovic said. Echoing a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that Africa was "Serbia's strategic partner for the future", Momirovic noted that Uganda occupied a special place in that cooperation. "Uganda is a state with a strong political and economic capacity in Africa and, above all, we can see that when we talk about growing trade and a growing economy," Momirovic said.

 

Ban on entry of Serbian goods to Kosovo and Metohija still in force (RTS)

 

The last ban on the entry of Serbian goods was enacted a month and a half ago, after the arrest of three members of the Kosovo police. In the meantime, they were released, but the decision to ban the import of goods was not lifted. It directly affects Serbs in Kosovo, who mostly buy Serbian goods, and indirectly also others. What is missing from Serbian goods, and what is still there. “There are still Serbian goods, certain items in larger quantities and stocks are still running. Several items have disappeared, such as certain types of water, beer, confectionery, chocolates. We’ll see how long it will last,” says trader Dragan Josifovic. Wholesalers, mostly Albanians, compensate for the lack of Serbian goods with goods from other parts of the region. “The worst thing when it comes to Kosovo, it’s simply unclear to me, how the opinion was created that we only import plasma biscuits and Coca-Cola from Serbia. If you analyze the structure of imports from Serbia, about 83 percent of imports are raw materials and repro-materials. That’s what finalizes the products made in Kosovo. In that context, if someone is harmed, then the economy of Kosovo is harmed. All this contributes to the decline of Kosovo’s exports,” explains economist Safet Grxhaliu. In terms of volume of product placement, wheat and iron are at the top. According to the data of the Agency for Statistics for June of this year, the placement of goods from Serbia proper was 13 million Euros, which is half less than in June last year. Economists point out that the ban on goods affects price competitiveness, increases inflation, and thus brings about an increase in prices felt by the entire consumer community. “One direction is the creation of further animosity between the Serb people and the government of Kosovo, mistrust between the Serb people in the north of Kosovo and the government of Kosovo. The second problem will be caused by the increase in inflation in Kosovo. The third problem is normalization of relations with Serbia and the radicalization of the situation with the countries of the Quint,” points out Dragisa Mijacic, coordinator of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35. In the package of measures to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, the international community did not emphasize the withdrawal of the decision to ban the entry of Serbian goods. The decision of the government in Pristina is verbal and not recorded anywhere, but it is implemented.

 

Djilas: Vucic deceived Belgraders, I won’t negotiate with him again (Beta)

 

Freedom and Justice Party head Dragan Djilas has said that he would not negotiate with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic again after Vucic deceived Belgraders by not calling snap elections for local government, despite pledging to do so in April 2022. In an interview to Beta on 31 July, Djilas insisted that all promised deadlines for said snap elections have passed. “In April last year, following a sit-down we had at the President’s Office, [Vucic] promised Belgraders that extraordinary elections would be called by the end of the year or the following spring. He has not done so, because most Belgrade denizens are against the regime and he is aware [his party] would lose,” the Freedom and Justice Party leader stated. Asked whether he would enter into any kind of deal or negotiations with Vucic again, Djilas replied that he would not. “If I could turn back the clock, I’m not sure I’d make the same choices. I then believed it important to recognize that the opposition won the majority vote, while also reducing aggression and tensions in the society – which I also asked Vucic to do. Unfortunately, neither [that nor the elections] happened. The repercussions [of which] are visible everywhere,” he said. According to Djilas, his last conversation with Vucic occurred last year, when talks on the formation of the new Cabinet were held. In his opinion, having the Serbian Progressive Party retain power “is killing Belgrade’s soul.” “They are tearing down landmark old houses and replacing them with ugly new buildings. [They] want to move all Belgrade marketplaces indoors, to demolish the old bridge on the Sava… They’ve shut down the [original] Railway Station, are paving every possible surface and killing Belgrade’s soul. The Progressives are modifying Belgrade to suit them, while their own appearance has changed completely since they came into power. They’re getting plastic surgery, are wearing expensive brands and, just as they’ve altered themselves according to their values and esthetics, they’d like to alter Belgrade – but Belgraders won’t stand for that,” Djilas concluded.

 

Ukrainian Ambassador: Grain deal termination might be useful for Serbia (Beta)

 

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkach said in Belgrade, on 31 July, that Russia’s decision to pull out of a deal that permitted the export of Ukrainian grain, might be good for Serbia, because “Serbian grain, which is considerably more expensive that Ukraine’s, has already found its buyers.” The diplomat described Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the important UN-backed deal as “an artificially created food crisis, which has already produced price hikes and hunger in poor states already.” Tolkach underlined that even before the corridor was opened for grain exports from his war-affected country, Russia had worked on the withdrawal of Ukraine from the grain market. The Ukrainian Ambassador invited Serbia to participate in the next Crimea Platform summit and in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace plan. “As Serbia and Ukraine are on the same path to the European Union and to a new life in the European family of nations, in which human rights will be respected, our states can help each other in many areas. We can propose to Serbia to take part in major initiatives and events Ukraine is organizing,” the diplomat said.

 

Botsan-Kharchenko spreading misinformation about grain deal (Demostat/Beta)

 

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko has disseminated misinformation about the grain deal, continuing to spread the Russian narrative shifting responsibility for the global food supply crisis to the EU and the West, the Demostat research and publication center reported on 31 July. In an editorial published on the front page of the 27 July issue of Politika, Botsan-Kharchenko wrote that over 70 percent of Ukrainian grain was exported to the richest countries, including EU members, while the least developed countries have received less than three percent. United Nations figures, however, show that less than half of all grain exports went to Europe, and that the bulk went to Asian and African countries, Demostat pointed out. Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Volodymyr Tolkach told a 31 July news conference that 65 percent of Ukrainian grain was sent to the most underprivileged nations of the world, and denounced the Russian Ambassador's opinion piece as manipulation.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

US blacklists Viskovic, Stevandic, Cvijanovic and Bukejlovic (AJB)

 

The US authorities have imposed sanctions against Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic, Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, RS National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandic and RS Justice Minister Milos Bukejlovic. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury announced that the officials were sanctioned for undermining the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), as they are directly responsible for “encouraging the adoption of the RS parliament’s law that purports to declare the decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H inapplicable in the RS”. “As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. All transactions by US persons within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited”, reads the decision. In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. US Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson stated that actions of the RS authorities threaten the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H. “This behaviour further threatens the country’s future trajectory and successful integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. We will continue to support the people of B&H in their efforts to maintain the rule of law and make sure peace and prosperity prevail”, Nelson said. US Department of State Matthew Miller stated that the US has designated four officials from B&H who facilitated the passage of a law in the RSNA that undermines the B&H Constitution, an annex of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Explaining the decision, OFAC stated that RS President Milorad Dodik sponsored the introduction of the Law on the Non-Application of the Decisions of the B&H CC in the RS parliament and has been a primary proponent of its adoption. The OFAC reminded that Dodik has already been sanctioned. The process by which laws are passed and the RS parliament website make clear that the individuals targeted in the latest action bear responsibility for requesting the 27 June special session of the RS parliament to hold the vote on the inflammatory legislation. The RS parliament credits Viskovic, Stevandic, and Cvijanovic for requesting the special session on 27 June, and Bukejlovic presented the law to the RSNA on behalf of the RS government. Consequently, these four individuals bear responsibility for encouraging the adoption of this legislation that threatens the implementation of the DPA. Stevandic publicly called for the Law on the Non-Application of the Decisions of the B&H CC to be passed and convened the session in which he voted in support of the law. Viskovic also promoted the Law on the Non-Application of the Decisions of the B&H CC, calling it a legitimate response to the B&H CC. Cvijanovic met with Dodik, and affirmed her complete unity with him concerning future decisions prior to the passage of the law. Cvijanovic publicly defended the action after the Law on the Non-Application of the Decisions of the B&H CC was passed. Cvijanovic was previously designated by the United Kingdom on 11 April 2022, for undermining the legitimacy and functionality of B&H. According to OFAC, Bukejlovic also bears responsibility for the preparation of the Law on the Non-Application of the Decisions of the B&H CC. Bukejlovic endorsed the law in a statement to the RS parliament, calling on it to adopt the law to demonstrate the “unity” of the RS.

 

Stevandic: Being on the US blacklist for democratic rights to vote for RS parliament decisions, I consider to be protection of the RS and DPA (BHT1)

 

Reacting to the news that the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced sanctions against speaker of the RS parliament Nenad Stevandic, RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, RS Minister of Justice Milos Bukejlovic and member of B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic, Stevandic wrote on his Twitter account: “Being on the US blacklist for democratic rights to vote for RSNA decisions I consider to be protection of the RS and the Dayton Agreement I consider a medal for consistency, resoluteness, and not succumbing to blackmails and threats by those who consider themselves to be all-powerful”. “The RS will outlive all sanctions, and it is up to us to fight for it to be stronger,” Stevandic said.

 

Viskovic assesses US sanctions as hypocritical, he argues that he and other officials in RS act in accordance with Dayton Peace Agreement (RTRS)

 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic stated that he was not surprised by the news that US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on him as the RS Prime Minister and the RS officials, “nor will it affect my further work and commitment to protect the position of the RS in a democratic way.” Viskovic added that these sanctions only confirm that he is doing a good job for the RS and that his priority is respect for the constitutional competences of the RS, protection of institutions as well as balanced economic development from Trebinje to Novi Grad. Viskovic assessed these sanctions as hypocritical. “I and other officials in the RS are committed to our work and act in accordance with the Dayton Peace Agreement,” Viskovic was quoted as saying.

 

Dodik: US did not elect RS officials, they cannot remove them either (Oslobodjenje)

 

RS President Milorad Dodik reacted to the news that the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced sanctions against speaker of the RS parliament Nenad Stevandic, RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, RS Minister of Justice Milos Bukejlovic and member of B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic. “US did not elect RS officials, and they will not remove them. USA believe they can discipline anyone who does not share their opinion in this way. The sanctions also show the impotence of the great global power such as the US. Regardless of everything, they want to sanction this people because we are the representatives of the people. They want to change us, to bring somebody who will be silent, nod their heads and approve. We are not concerned because of these sanctions”, said Dodik. “This will bring a lot of changes to people's lives, but it will not cause anything special to the RS... The RS was created to last, it was not created to disappear. We are the ones who will not allow it,” Dodik emphasized.

 

Kovacevic: US sanctions are shameful and scandalous (RTRS)

 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, speaker of the RS parliament Nenad Stevandic and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic were put on the US blacklist. The US also put RS Minister of Justice Milos Bukejlovic on the blacklist. In a phone statement to RTRS, Spokesperson for SNSD Radovan Kovacevic commented on the introduction of US sanctions against high-ranking officials of the RS. Kovacevic said that the inclusion of the RS officials on the US blacklist who, in accordance with the Constitution of the RS, the Constitution of B&H and the Dayton Peace Agreement, did their job and performed their tasks is, to say the least, shameful and scandalous. “Hypocrisy in their explanation that they are doing this to protect democratic processes and the Dayton Peace Agreement is especially insulting. Exactly what the RS institutions and the mentioned RS officials did was the defense of democracy and the Dayton Peace Agreement. How can you call it an attack on democracy when one democratic institution, the RS parliament, in which the democratically elected MPs say that they will not allow decisions to be imposed on them and that the decisions of a foreigner who is not mentioned in any way at all in the Constitution of B&H are respected in the RS? Or when the RS parliament says that it will not respect the decisions of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H in the future, which in an illegal, unconstitutional, unlawful, anti-Dayton way made a decision that Serbs and representatives of the RS are no longer necessary in any way to pass decisions in the Constitutional Court of B&H. All this tells us that these are only steps towards saying that Serbs and the RS no longer exist at all and that there is no place for them in B&H. What should be clear to everyone is that no sanctions, no threats will prevent us in the RS, us from SNSD and all others who are patriotic in the RS from doing our job, and our job is to protect in the first place the constitutional position of the RS, its acquired autonomy that we gained with the Dayton Peace Agreement and to fight to make the RS stronger every day and to thwart all those whose only goal is to make the RS disappear,” Kovacevic underlined. Kovacevic said that he provides full support to the officials of the RS, who were blacklisted by the US. “We continue to invite the US and all the witnesses of the Dayton Agreement to read it at least once and to understand that the only partner for the true protection of the Dayton Peace Agreement is the RS. No matter how much they continue to sanction and threaten, we will continue to protect our most sacred thing, and that is the RS,” Kovacevic concluded.

 

Vulic: By imposing sanctions, gentlemen from the US clearly said that they are working on unpacking of DPA and are helping Sarajevo to reach its desired goal - Islamic B&H (RTRS)

 

Head of SNSD Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sanja Vulic said that by imposing sanctions on the officials of RS, “the gentlemen from the US clearly said that they are working on unpacking the Dayton Agreement and are helping Sarajevo to reach its desired goal - Islamic B&H, which is why they started the war in B&H.” “The “Great Power” is spilling great power over the proud RS and its proud officials that it has sanctioned. America is used to enslaving and colonizing any country that does not work in its interest, so neither these nor any future sanctions against the Serbs and the RS are surprising,” Vulic said.

 

Dodik: RS would appreciate Serbia's position that Christian Schmidt was not appointed in accordance with procedures (RTRS)

 

RS President Milorad Dodik stated that the RS would appreciate Serbia's position that (High Representative) Christian Schmidt was not appointed in accordance with the procedures, because in that case it would have much more power. Dodik stated that the RS at the upcoming joint session of the Serbian and the RS governments wants to see if it can build a common position with Serbia, i.e. with the Serbian government, that Schmidt was not appointed in accordance with the procedures and by the signatories of Annex 10 of the Dayton Agreement. “To confirm that he was not appointed by the parties, that Serbia did not give consent, that the RS did not give consent, that he was not appointed, that he was not confirmed in the Security Council and that he does not have the legitimacy of the High Representative. This would mean a lot to our political struggle in the RS and at the level of B&H, and it would be a significant step forward for us,” Dodik pointed out.

 

Kavazovic reacts to criticism against him by RS officials: They have no right to curse genocide victims, we have the right to protect out land, our dignity and freedom (Dnevni avaz)

 

The daily carried a brief statement of Head of Islamic Community Husein Kavazovic who has been exposed to a lot of criticism coming from RS following his recent speech in Sapna where he stated that Bosniaks are going to fight for their land, dignity and freedom. On that occasion, Kavazovic also stated that Bosniaks need to be wise and remember that they shed blood to become a people and to have a state, to defend their freedom and preserve B&H. Kavazovic’s speech was met with fierce reactions of RS officials, including RS President Milorad Dodik, B&H Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Minister Stasa Kosarac and Istocno Sarajevo Mayor Ljubisa Cosic who accused him of warmongering and behaving like a radical militant leader. Commenting the reactions to his speech, Kavazovic said that some people are obviously bothered by the fact that he said that Bosniaks would fight for every inch of the land, for their freedom, dignity and equality. “Their problem is that they believe we do not deserve to be equal. That they have the right to attack us, insult us, deny our rights, destroy our mosques, physically attack our children. They do not have the right to curse the victims of genocide. They say they would repeat everything and that it is good they killed us…and that is alright for them to say, but that is their problem”, said Kavazovic. He underlined that Bosniaks, at least some of them will fight to prevent history repeating itself. “Those among us who do not see anything bad in this, well it is good that we at least know what they think”, he added. He also commented the recent public debates about Bosniaks and Bosnians. “I want to say that we have had enough of brainwashing regarding who we are. Bosniaks live in B&H. This is what our grandmothers whispered in the ears of their grandchildren for centuries. They know better who we are and what we are”, Kavazovic underlined. The daily commented that Kavazovic’s messages indicate the seriousness of the political and security crisis caused by attacks against the state, institutions and constitutional order. The daily concluded that Kavazovic is calling for unity and necessity to protect the homeland because the wounds of the past are still fresh.

 

Milatovic continues consultations on the candidate (CdM)

 

Yesterday, the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic started consultations with the political entities represented in the parliament regarding the election of the mandate holder for the composition of the 44th government of Montenegro. Milatovic will meet with representatives of the Democrats, the Bosnjak Party and the Democratic People's Party today, in continuation of the consultations. The order of meetings with political subjects is determined according to the number of mandates won in the parliament. "Accordingly, during the first day of consultations, President Milatovic spoke first with representatives of the Evropa Sad Movement, led by PES President Milojko Spajic, and representatives of Novska liste and Alternative attended the meeting. The second meeting was held by President Milatovic with Danijel Zivkovic, the acting president of the Democratic Party of Socialists, while the third meeting was held today with the leader of the New Serbian Democracy, Andrija Mandic," Milatovic's Cabinet announced yesterday. At the meetings, Milatovic expressed interest in the views of the interlocutors regarding the program priorities of the future government, its structure, model and political support for its formation in the parliament of Montenegro. "Special attention in the talks was devoted to the issue of European integration, the rule of law, economic development, foreign policy and the state's exit from the institutional crisis," the statement said.

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Zivkovic: For now, no one has support of 41 MPs to get mandate (CdM)

 

The President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic started consultations in Cetinje on the PM-Designate for the composition of the new government. After the consultations with the representatives of Europe Now Movement (PES), President Milatovic continued the consultations with acting DPS leader and the holder of the Together coalition list, Danijel Zivkovic. “Consultations were held, and we discussed the current situation, such as whether there are 41 signatures of support for obtaining the mandate. We concluded that no one has come with those signatures so far. Without it, there is no stable political government. If someone wants to experiment again, no problem. We will continue to be critically oriented”, Zivkovic told journalists. According to him, we must be serious and responsible towards what the state interests are. Zivkovic came to the meeting with President Milatovic alone.

 

Mandic: It is natural and normal that position of parliament speaker belongs to us, I don’t know how Spajic convinced Milatovic that he had 41 signatures (CdM)

 

“There were many questions and answers. I told the President that we expect the August majority to find the strength to reform the government. That majority now, if counted, has three fifths of MPs who could adopt the abundance of laws necessary for reform and stopping discrimination on all grounds”, announced the leader of the New Serbian Democracy Andrija Mandic after yesterday’s consultations with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic. He added that it was natural and normal for the coalition For the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG) to get the position of parliament speaker, and that Europe Now Movement (PES) could get their signatures when they come to an agreement. Mandic pointed out that he did not know how Milojko Spajic, the leader of PES and a potential PM-designate, convinced President Milatovic that he had 41 signatures of MPs to form a government. According to Mandic, if Montenegro is what it should become and if there was no external influence, no one would have the nerve to even mention the issue of security. He emphasized that Montenegro definitely needs a government that will have wider support.

 

Xhaferi to follow DUI ministers, withdraw from post (MIA)

 

Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi has told MIA he would follow the decision of the DUI-nominated ministers and withdraw from the post if VMRO-DPMNE voted for the constitutional amendments. "Why would I insist on staying if everyone else leaves," says Xhaferi. On the parliamentary elections, he says they should take place in the regular slot and there is no reason why this should not be the case. Asked if early elections would help DUI to keep more votes, the speaker says party bodies decide on this. "As far as I know, DUI is supporting the system of a four-year term. However, yesterday's statement is in the context of the outcome from the leaders' meeting between the PM and the opposition leader. The opposition's prerequisite was for DUI to exit the government, which we immediately accepted, for the purpose of adopting the constitutional amendments," says Xhaferi. On his agreement with DUI's move, the speaker says he would follow the decision if it benefited the idea.

 

Grubi: DUI resignations open path for VMRO-DPMNE endorsement of constitutional changes (MIA/T7)

 

First Deputy PM Artan Grubi says the decision for the resignation of the DUI-nominated ministers from the Government serves North Macedonia's EU integration, MIA reports from Pristina. Grubi told Kosovo TV station T7 that the decision opens the path for the opposition to vote for the constitutional changes. According to him, DUI is also giving up on the promise given at the last parliamentary elections regarding an ethnic Albanian PM in North Macedonia, "for the benefit of the citizens and the EU integration process". "If we are to go into opposition so that VMRO-DPMNE votes for the constitutional amendments, which requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, we are also prepared to give up on the caretaker government and an Albanian PM. We will give up on the political agreement of the coalition, under the condition that the Macedonian opposition votes for the constitutional changes," says Grubi. He recalled that VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski had said the party would vote for inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in the Constitution as long as "DUI and Albanians exit the government and a mono-ethnic executive is formed between VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM". "Therefore, the opposition does not mind the incorporation of Bulgarians in the Constitution but the involvement of Albanians in the government and equality between Macedonians and Albanians," says Grubi. He adds that the decision on the resignation of the ministers is not sudden, because "DUI has been committed to North Macedonia's full EU integration ever since its establishment." Grubi notes that in case of early elections, DUI does not intend to run alone, urging all other parties of ethnic Albanians that share pro-European positions to unite in a pro-European political front.

 

Osmani: Ready to meet their every demand so constitutional changes can be adopted (Telma TV)

 

This is a rare historic moment that will set a long-term course for the country so party and personal agendas and careers are not as important as everyone's responsibility for the country's future, Foreign Minister and vice president of DUI Bujar Osmani said in a Telma TV appearance speaking about the conditional resignations to be officially tendered by DUI ministers in response to VMRO-DPMNE demands. Osmani said the resignations would be formally offered to the prime minister at a government session Tuesday and signed individually by each of the five government ministers from the ranks of DUI. The resignations, he said, would automatically be activated as soon as parliament adopts the constitutional amendments, in line with the recent public letter from DUI's leader. "We have fulfilled all the demands of the opposition one by one," Osmani said. "They asked for guarantees. They got them from the international community. They asked for the ouster of DUI. They got it through a decision that will automatically come into effect. Everyone needs to show responsibility in these important moments," he said. Osmani said every party was expected to make sure the country remained on the European path. "Then we will go to the polls," he added. "The moment the changes are adopted to ensure the citizens' European future, we will go to the polls. We are ready to fulfil every one of their demands in order to adopt the constitutional amendments," he said. Asked about the opposition's statement that the announced resignations were just a trick, Osmani called on them to see if this was so by voting for the constitutional amendments. Then, he reiterated, the DUI ministers' and other government officials' resignations would be activated automatically. He said that he wanted to see North Macedonia enter the EU together with Albania and Montenegro, "fulfilling the citizens' dream of a better life." "Most importantly, our passport will not be less important than the passports of neighbouring countries that are in the EU. The most patriotic act you can do today is to ensure a European future for our citizens," Osmani said. He said the opposition had back-pedalled on the constitutional amendments and kept changing their minds because they could not offer any valid reasons against them. I response to a question on a possible snap election should the constitutional changes not pass by November, Osmani said he was confident the amendments would go through. "The constitutional amendments will succeed because it is the will of the citizens for EU membership. No one has managed to break that will in these 30 years, so they will not manage to do it now, either.  "We won the first battle. We reassured the citizens that there is nothing controversial in the constitutional amendments. I believe that battle after battle, we will succeed in adopting the constitutional amendments before the election," Osmani said. He again dismissed the possibility of an early election, saying it will be held in the spring. "Until then," he said, "we will work to ensure a European future for our citizens, and we will succeed because the citizens stand behind us," Osmani said.

 

Kovachevski: We protect interests, rights, language, culture of Macedonians abroad (MIA)

 

The government protects the interests and rights as well as the language and culture of Macedonians living outside of North Macedonia, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said at a meeting with Macedonians from the Golo Brdo region of Albania on Monday. According to an official press release, Kovachevski donated to the locals a construction machine and streetlight bulbs worth one million denars. The donation, in line with the government's Action Plan for Providing Support to Macedonians in Golo Brdo and Pustec, was made in response to a request from the Macedonians from the region, the release says. At the meeting, Kovachevski noted that North Macedonia's continued support to the people of Golo Brdo was part of the overall state support provided to Macedonians living abroad. "And there is no country where there are no Macedonians," he said. He said the government's Golo Brdo and Pustec action plan was developed to help improve the living conditions of Macedonians in the region. One of their requests was to solve the decades-old problem of the Trebishte – Dzhepishte border crossing. The locals have long demanded this crossing to be open 24 hours a day, he said. Kovachevski added that he had talked to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about the problem and communication was also ongoing between the countries' interior ministries, which were to work out the details. He also said the state was increasing the number of scholarships for Macedonians from Albania to study at higher education institutions in North Macedonia. "We are committed to expanding the cooperation with the competent Albanian institutions on all issues of interest to Macedonians living in Albania, including the census, local self-government organization, and other areas of daily life," Kovachevski said. He said specific projects were dedicated to improving the working conditions in schools and providing financial help to municipalities where Macedonians live. "Albania and North Macedonia's relations are at an extremely high and friendly level," he noted.

 

One Stop Shop between Albania and North Macedonia, Rama meets Kovacevski (Radio Tirana)

 

From yesterday, Albania and North Macedonia have joint border control to facilitate the flow of goods and citizens. Within the framework of the entry into force of the protocol between the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Albania and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia for the Implementation of joint border control at the joint border crossing point Qafe Thana, Prime Minister Edi Rama met on Monday with his North-Macedonian, Dimitar Kovacevski. The meeting between the two leaders took place in Qafe Thana area, where the joint border crossing point between the two respective countries was presented.

 

Begaj welcomes the new Ambassador of Germany, Bergner (Radio Tirana)

 

The President of the Republic Bajram Begaj received in a meeting the new Ambassador of Germany in Tirana Karl Bergner. Begaj appreciated that Germany has been an important supporter in Albania's integration steps and is a strong supporter of our membership in the EU. The President reiterated that "our countries have excellent relations, so we are committed to further strengthen this friendship".