Latest News from Bosnia and Herzegovina
One of Slovenia’s bestselling books gets sequel
Ljubljana – Goran Vojnović has written a sequel to his bestselling debut novel Čefurji Raus! after 13 years. Đorđić se Vrača (Đorđić Returns) is no longer a story about Slovenians and immigrants from the former Yugoslavia and their children, but about a world that is disappearing.
Pahor rejects “naive and dangerous” ideas of redrawing W Balkan borders
Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor rejected “naive and dangerous” ideas of redrawing borders in the Western Balkans as he addressed reporters on Friday in response to a non-paper floating the idea, arguing the EU’s accelerated enlargement to the region would best to silence such ideas.
Janša tells Džaferović there is no Slovenian non-paper
Ljubljana – Slovenian PM Janez Janša rang up Šefik Džaferović, the Bosniak member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency, on Friday to explain that there is no non-paper containing border changes or efforts to undermine Bosnia-Herzegovina’s territorial integrity that could be linked with the Slovenian government.
Transfer to Fortenova close as loan deal signed to restructure Mercator’s debt
Zagreb – The Croatian group Fortenova and Slovenian retailer Mercator have signed a contract under which the latter will get a EUR 385 million loan to restructure its debt to creditor banks, in a move that further enables the transfer of the Slovenian retailer from the bankrupt former owner Agrokor to Fortenova.
Bosnian Serb Parliament to Mull Revoking Honours for War Criminals
The Bosnian Serb parliament will discuss a request from Bosnia's international overseer, the Office of the High Representative, OHR, to revoke decorations given to convicted war criminals.
As Ukraine Conflict Intensifies, Serb Volunteers Prepare for Battle
In response, the Ukrainian defence ministry has called on reservist soldiers to attend training sessions and has conducted defensive military drills near Crimea. Kyiv says that 28 of its soldiers have already been killed this year.
"Non-paper" shook the region: New borders in the Balkans
The document, which has raised many eyebrows in the region in recent days reads about the idea for the dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the accession of the Republic of Srpska to Serbia and the unification of Kosovo with Albania, and speculates that Slovenian President Janez Jansa sent the "non-paper" to Brussels.
The main CIA man in Serbia was Iceman who betrayed Milosevic
Allegedly, the article writes about Jovica Stanisic who revealed the secrets of the Milosevic regime and the location of mass graves in Bosnia to his colleagues from the Central Intelligence Agency, but also spread gossips about Milosevic and called him "terrible, insincere and corrupt", Blic reported.
Bosnia Under Pressure to Adopt Srebrenica Genocide Denial Law
Denis Becirovic, the other lawmaker behind the proposal, said that because deputies from the main Bosnian Serb and Croat parties, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, and the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, did not back the changes, it is now time for Inzko to step in and impose a solution.
Youth and digitalisation in focus of Adriatic-Ionian conference
Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor said the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative is an important leverage of regional cooperation and European integration of Western Balkan countries as he addressed the 17th conference of parliamentary speakers from the group of 10 countries as part of Slovenia’s presidency of the initiative.
Anti-Semitism Used as Tool in Balkan Disputes: Report
Although there is a "low presence of anti-Semitism" and only a few thousand Jews remaining in Western Balkan countries, the issue is being appropriated for use in ongoing regional political disputes, says a new report published by the International Republican Institute NGO on Thursday.
Prosecution, Defence Lawyers Spar as Serbian Officials’ Retrial Concludes
The third and final day of closing arguments in the retrial of former Serbian State Security officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko 'Frenki' Simatovic at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague on Wednesday saw disputes between prosecution and defence over incidents from the 1990s.
Montenegro Parliament Urged to Probe Ex-Leader’s Srebrenica Role
Movement for Changes leader Nebojsa Medojevic in parliament in Podgorica. Photo: Parliament of Montenegro.
"There are public indications that the Montenegrin authorities supported Bosnian Serb forces, despite the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's embargo on the Bosnian Serb authorities," Medojevic said.
Controversial Report Highlights Serb Victims in Wartime Sarajevo
The report published on Tuesday by the controversial Commission for Investigating the Sufferings of Serbs in Sarajevo, which was set up by Bosnia's Serb-dominated Republika Srpska to highlight its perspective on wartime events, claimed that Serbs were forced out of the Bosnian capital by Bosniak forces during the 1992-95 war.
Acquit Serbian State Security Chiefs, Defence Tells UN Court
The defence teams of Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic urged the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague on Tuesday to acquit both men of committing crimes during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia from 1991 to 1995.