Albania
The Government expelled Iranian diplomats over the July cyberattack, Police entered the empty Iranian embassy, and NATO condemned the Iranian cyberattack on Albania. Prime Minister Rama stated, “The Government has decided with immediate effect to end diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The North Atlantic Council condemned the attack as “designed to destabilize and harm the security of an ally, and disrupt the daily lives of citizens.”
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Türkiye President Erdogan visited Sarajevo, the Government’s Economic Planning Directorate projected economic growth at 2.1% in 2022, and the Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd met Defense Minister Podzic. Erdogan stated that the Dayton Peace Agreement “could not be an agreement aiming for solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” Amherd came to familiarize herself with the security situation on the ground.
Croatia
Prime Minister Plenkovic presented a 3 million euros ($3 million) package of measures for citizens and the economy, President Milanovic and Türkiye President Erdogan shared different views on the Electoral Law reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Erdogan opened the Islamic Culture Center in the city of Sisak. The package offers mitigation in energy price rise and limitation in the price of basic food products. While Erdogan thinks Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs should agree internally, Milanovic thinks High Representative Schmidt should impose a solution. Erdogan stated, “I believe this center will become one of the major meeting and interaction places, where our friends from other religions will also spend time together.”
Kosovo
Prime Minister Kurti met with the EU envoy Lajcak, German envoy Jens Plotner, and French envoy Emmanuel Bonne in Pristina, the Serbian List warned Kurti about the Special Force’s presence in the north, and Kosovo Ministers visited Municipality Bujanovac in Serbia. Kurti reiterated that mutual recognition is the only way forward. The Serbian List stated, “By taking Serbian land and harassing our people, you are directly endangering the peace in this area, and you will never rule the north of Kosovo.” Deputy Prime Minister Besnika Bisljimija and Education Minister Arberie Nagavci met with the Albanian National Council members and Member of Serbian Parliament Saip Kamberij.
Montenegro
Ongoing Prime Minister Abazovic urged a Tobacco Smuggling probe, the jobless rate fell to 19.2% in August, and President Djukanovic sees the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) as a criminalized paramilitary structure. Abazovic urged the State Prosecutor to investigate tobacco smuggling funding political groups to further their causes. The jobless rate in July was 19.5%. Djukanovic stated that SPC is serving Serbian nationalism aiming to return sovereignty over Kosovo and influence over Montenegro.
North Macedonia
The opposition VMRO-DPMNE’s leader Hristijan Mickoski called for a referendum on the agreement with Bulgaria, annual inflation accelerated to 16% in July, and Bulgaria would export 200-megawatt hours of electricity per day until the end of March 2023. Prime Minister Kovacevski and President Pendarovski stated they would not support the proposed referendum. Kovacevski urged citizens not to mine cryptocurrencies as this activity consumes much electricity.
Serbia
President Vucic stated that Germany and France – with the US-Turkey support – proposed a “new framework” for the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, the Central Bank raised its one-week repurchase rate by half a percentage point to 3.5%, and Prime Minister Brnabic visited the north of Kosovo. Vucic stated, “Essentially, that agreement would mean, I can’t say, the recognition of Kosovo, but it would be the recognition of everything that they think is reality.” Brnabic noted, “I sincerely hope that the temporary institutions in Pristina become genuinely committed to dialogue and finding a certain compromise needed for long-term normalization of ties between Belgrade and Pristina.”