SERBIA

DACIC: PRISTINA'S ACTIONS DESERVE TO BE CONDEMNED BY OSCE MEMBER STATES

MILAN, December 6 2018 (Beta) - On Dec. 6 Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at an OSCE ministerial meeting in Milan that "the intimidation of the Serb population" in Kosovo and Metohija and the "trade war" launched by Pristina were an open attack on the Serb population which deserved to be condemned by all members of the organization. Dacic told the gathering that he had received firm guarantees from Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati that during its chairmanship over the OSCE in 2020 Albania would honor the Organization's basic principles after Serbia voiced concerns that Tirana might promote Kosovo's independence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Serbian foreign minister further voiced his concern over the tensions between Ukraine and Russia and pointed to the Prespa Agreement, which Serbia fully supported, as an example of a solution to a frozen conflict lasting years. Dacic said that Serbia was committed to European integration and regional cooperation, as well as the dialogue with Pristina, but that to continue the dialogue it was necessary for Kosovo to lift a 100-percent tax on Serbian goods. "We strongly condemn this decision, as well as the recent public torching of Serbian goods in Kosovo and Metohija, which is an unprecedented act. The intimidation of the Serb population by special Kosovo police units, together with the 'trade war' launched by Pristina, pose an obvious attack on the Serb population, which deserves the condemnation of all participant states," Dacic said. As for the decision to have Albania chair the OSCE in 2020 Dacic said that it was known that Belgrade's and Tirana's positions on Kosovo were opposite and that Serbia had voiced its concern that Albania might use the position to promote Kosovo's independence and the inclusion of its representatives in informal segments of the OSCE's activities. Dacic voiced his concern about the deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, as well as continued obstacles to the freedom of movement, the frequent intimidation of OSCE observers, attacks on them and the organization's property. "Also, we are worried about the recent events in the Sea of Azov and call on all sides to find a solution in accordance with international law, through dialogue and cooperation," Dacic said.

STOLTENBERG URGES PRISTINA AND BELGRADE TO SHOW RESTRAINT

BELGRADE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Belgrade and Pristina on Dec. 6 to demonstrate calm and restraint and avoid provocative statements or actions. NATO stated that Stoltenberg spoke over the phone on Dec. 6 with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Premier Ramush Haradinaj. "I reminded both that the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina remains the only way to bring durable peace and stability to the region," Stoltenberg stated. He said that, in the conversation with Haradinaj, he had stressed that the plan to transform the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army came at an ill time, that it was against the advice of many NATO members and would have negative repercussions on Kosovo's prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration. He added that he had told Haradinaj that should the mandate of KSF evolve, NATO would have to examine the level of its engagement with KSF. After the conversation with Stoltenberg, Haradinaj announced that, on Dec. 14, Kosovo would make "a sovereign decision on the transformation of the Security Force into the Kosovo Armed Forces." He wrote on Facebook that he had conveyed to Stoltenberg the stand of the Kosovo institutions on the transformation of KSF into the army of Kosovo. Stoltenberg said he and Vucic had discussed the need to reduce tension, adding that NATO was dedicated to security and stability of Kosovo through the KFOR mission. The office of the Serbian president stated that Vucic and Stoltenberg had agreed to remain "in permanent direct contact," and for the Serbian Armed Forces to re-establish daily contacts with KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija, to exchange information and monitor how the situation develops. During the telephone conversation, the Serbian president "informed Secretary General Stoltenberg about the problems faced by Serbia and especially the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, because of Pristina's irrational decision to impose a 100-percent import fee on goods from central Serbia, contrary to agreements," the statement reads. Vucic expressed concern over Kosovo's intention to form a military and over the danger this step would bring to the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and the security of Serbia, and to the peace and stability in the region, and "thanked the NATO secretary general NATO for stating that now was not the time for forming the army of Kosovo." The statement added that Stoltenberg pointed out how much he appreciated Serbia's contribution to peace and stability in the region.

PRISTINA, ALBANIAN DELEGATIONS WALK OUT OF CEFTA MEETING

BELGRADE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - On Dec. 6 representatives of Kosovo and Albania walked out of a meeting of the joint CEFTA committee in Pristina, after a speech by a Serbian government representative spoke, which resulted in a lack of quorum to finish the meeting. Immediately after the meeting ended, Serbian representatives left Pristina with an UNMIK and KFOR escort due to the high security risk and headed off to central Serbia, a Serbian government press release said. The statement said that representatives of the Serbian government attended a regular meeting of the joint CEFTA committee in Pristina on Dec. 6 so as to once again send a message of peace and tolerance and show good will to try to negotiate and constructively solve the question of taxes introduced by the provisional institutions in Pristina, while honoring CEFTA procedures and mechanisms. "Despite the fact that the meeting can exclusively be chaired by UNMIK as the chair of the CEFTA agreement in 2018 which is in accordance with international agreements and U.N. Security Council resolution 1244, Serbia agreed for the meeting to be jointly opened by UNMIK and the provisional institutions in Pristina, whereby we again demonstrated good will to peacefully solve this question and use dialogue," the statement said. Serbia's representative reiterated at the start of the meeting that Belgrade expected Pristina to immediately withdraw "its radical, illegal and discriminatory measures from Nov. 6 and Nov. 21, which directly violate the CEFTA agreement and the Stabilization and Association Agreement." Immediately after the Serbian government representative's speech, representatives of the Pristina Provisional Institutions of Self-Government walked out, after which UNMIK continued to chair the meeting, which was then left by Albania's delegation, and after that there was no quorum to finish the meeting. "By leaving the meeting, both delegations directly sabotaged the attempt at peaceful negotiations to solve the problems at hand," the statement said. Earlier on U.N. Secretary General special envoy and UNMIK chief Zahir Tanin voiced his concern. As for the tariffs that were imposed on Serbian and Bosnian goods, these actions are a clear violation of the CEFTA agreement and ought to be withdrawn, Tanin said and called on the leaders of all sides to show more restraint and avoid further provocations that could jeopardize the chances of normalizing relations or potentially cause an escalation of tensions. The Republic of Serbia, it was stressed, has again shown a constructive approach to solving problems in a peaceful way through dialogue, but it encountered obstruction from the other side.

JOKSIMOVIC AND GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSS INTEGRATION, SITUATION IN REGION

BELGRADE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - The Serbian minister of European integration, Jadranka Joksimovic, met on Dec. 6 with a delegation of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on European Integration, and discussed Serbia's future activities in the process of accession to the EU, the reforms on that path and the situation in the region. Recalling that Serbia had opened 14 chapters, two of which have been temporarily closed, and that it would open another two on Dec. 10, the minister said special attention in the reform process had been given to chapters 23 and 24, pertaining to the rule of law, read a statement by her office. Joksimovic thanked Georgia for its support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, commenting on Pristina's decision on raising import fees on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and its announcements of forming an army: "Not only does it not contribute to building trust, it also seriously undermines the principles of the EU, primarily the freedom of movement for people, goods and capital." The chairperson of the Committee on European Integration of the Georgian Parliament, Tamar Khulordava, said Serbia's experience in European integration was precious to her country, and congratulated Belgrade on the success in reforms and the process of accession to the European Union so far.

SERBIA MUST HARMONIZE FOREIGN POLICY WITH EU OR WILL NOT JOIN

BELGRADE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - Serbia must harmonize its foreign policy with the EU more if it wants progress in Chapter 31 - that is the conclusion from the introductory addresses at the international conference titled Joint Foreign and Security Policy and Its Effects on Serbia's Process of Accession to the EU. The German ambassador to Serbia, Thomas Schieb, said the harmonization of foreign policy was a part of the EU accession process and that without it Chapter 31 would certainly not be opened. The chief of Serbia's team for negotiations with the EU, Tanja Miscevic, said that harmonization of foreign policy was currently at about 54 percent, and that it had to be complete by the time of admission. "We understand that as our obligation very well," Miscevic said. In her words, another problem is the fact that Serbia is still waiting for the screening report for Chapter 31, because it is impossible to formulate a negotiation position without that report, but that a lot of work has already been done on elements for that chapter. Ambassador Schieb said the EU foreign and security policy, and the related defense policy, were evolving and that work on them was constant. In his words, one of the existing ideas is to make it more efficient by making more decisions in that field by a qualified majority, but this will call for a lot of discussion.

ECONOMY

COUNCIL OF EUROPE HELPING REFORMS IN SERBIA

BELGRAE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Branko Ruzic talked on Dec. 6 with Council of Europe's Director General for Democracy Snezana Samardzic-Markovic about cooperation between the two institutions, which was lauded as very fruitful. On Dec. 6 Ruzic thanked the Council of Europe's representatives for their support to the further strengthening of capacities in local self-government units with an additional EUR4 million as of January next year, which was announced in a meeting between the Serbian minister and new head of the Council of Europe's Mission Tobias Flessenkemper. "Concrete support in implementing reforms means a lot to us, especially at the local level," the minister stressed, recalling that municipalities and cities faced the biggest obligations in the process of joining the EU, as well as where applying reforms of public administration was concerned. He recalled that in the previous phase 1,400 officials in local self-government units had been trained, which, he stressed, would contribute to the equal treatment of citizens regardless of where they were. Samardzic-Markovic said that there was a series of other activities that could enhance cooperation between Serbia and the Council of Europe, such as preserving cultural heritage and promoting minority policies, and that it had been arranged with the participants of the meeting to start these activities in the coming period.

NIKOLIC TALKS COOPERATION DEVELOPMENT WITH VISITING CHINESE FUJIAN PROVINCIAL DELEGATION

BELGRADE, December 6 2018 (Beta) - President of the National Council for Coordinating Cooperation with Russia and China Tomislav Nikolic met on Dec. 6 with a delegation from the Chinese province of Fujian to discuss further cooperation with China, especially in the areas of agriculture, tourism, science and education, the Council has said in a press release. The meeting in Belgrade was attended by the Fujian province's Office for Foreign Affairs Deputy Director-General Wang Tianming and representatives o Chinese companies based in the province, whom Nikolic told that the Serbian government was ready to expand cooperation with China in other areas, after joint projects in the sphere of infrastructure. "My wish is to fulfill our cooperation with investments in joint production in Serbia," Nikolic said. Wang said that he wanted the Fujian province to have a leading role in cooperating with Serbia and that the purpose of his visit was to establish cooperation with Vojvodina and find Serbian partners for cooperating with Chinese companies in this area.