Albania
Prime Minister Rama commented on the upcoming elections, Facebook suspends Iranian dissidents’ accounts, and DAS Palmer reaffirmed the US-Albania partnership. Head of the Socialist Party Rama inferred that he would step down if he loses the upcoming elections. Facebook has closed over 300 accounts belonging to Mojahedin-e Khalq for “inauthentic behavior.” Palmer discussed virtually with President Meta, Rama, and Democratic Party’s Chair Basha on their roles in securing the free and fair upcoming elections.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Citizens protested in Sarajevo over the lack of COVID-19 vaccines, BH Gas filed a criminal complaint against Energoinvest, and infected migrants fled from a hosting center in Velika Kladusa. Some 1,000 people demanded the government’s resignation over the poor pandemic’s handling. The criminal complaint came as Energoinvest enabled the Republika Srpska entity’s Gas Promet Pale and Transportgas Serbia to completely change the country’s gas supply route to the new Turkish stream. Some 50 quarantined migrants fled the hosting center of Miral.
Croatia
Prime Minister Plenkovic spoke by phone with the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, migrant-related sexual assault probe, and the International Monetary Fund on a slow 2021 GDP rebound. Plenkovic received reassurance on continuing the partnership, strengthening transatlantic ties, fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, and energy cooperation. Danish Refugee Council reported a case of an Afghan woman allegedly sexually assaulted by Police officers after crossing the border. The economy should grow by 4.7%, contrary to the October projection of 6% growth.
Kosovo
The U.S. Secretary of State Blinken on dialogue with Serbia, critics on listing Serbian Orthodox Decani Monastery amongst most endangered sites in Europe by Europa Nostra, and the newly elected President Osmani met with US Ambassador Kosnett. Blinken urged officials to resume talks with Serbia as essential in its path toward the European Union. While the Abbot of Decani, Sava Janjic, welcomed this decision, President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti called it politically motivated. Osmani assured Kosnett that she would establish an open platform for the whole political spectrum dialogue, including the opposition.
Montenegro
Delay on Citizenship Law adoption, Justice Minister Leposavic refused to step down for violating the government’s position on the Srebrenica genocide, and potential Russian-related access to NATO’s information environment. The government temporarily delayed moves to pass the Law since the opposition thinks it might change the present demographic and political structure. Leposavic said the Srebrenica genocide was not “unequivocally established” as fact contradicting the Parliament’s stance ever since 2009. The Democratic Front’s Milan Knezevic, the Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee chairperson, has been perceived as a pro-Russian element endangering NATO’s information security.
North Macedonia
President Pendarovski deployed the army to the border, Justice Minister Marichikj met his Turkish counterpart, and no room for cryptocurrencies. The decision came after the government declared a crisis citing the risk of increased migrant transit and health hazard during the ongoing pandemic. Marichikj and Gul discussed cooperation in the fight against acts of terror and terrorist groups, such as FETO. As only in Europe, the country prohibits the use and investment in cryptocurrencies.
Serbia
Research has shown mostly pro-Chinese and anti-EU media sentiment in 2020, freelancers protest against new taxation law, and the Chinese company Zijin to invest in Bor and Majdenapek mining complexes. The Belgrade-based Centre for Contemporary Politics asserted that the main topics were related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the media’s differences in reporting on these topics and government representatives’ presence in their interpretation. Protesters gathered around the Association of Internet Workers are opposing the government’s plan to impose high retroactive taxes for the previous five years. The company plans to invest $408 million in production and ongoing projects on top of investing $700 million thus far.