Albania-Kosovo unification - a wishful thinking of some individuals, says Aleksandar Vucic

Belgrade, 20 April 2017 (MIA) - The statements regarding a unification of Albania and Kosovo will remain only in the realm of wishful thinking of certain individuals and I urge them to refrain from presenting them publicly because it does not contribute to good relations in the region, Aleksandar Vucic has said.
"We plead with them, I repeat, we plead not to present such statements publicly, no matter what they think, because it does not contribute to good relations in the region, nor to creating an atmosphere of cooperation and joint work on important projects," the Serbian PM and President-elect told a press conference on Thursday in Belgrade, Tanjug reported.
He added that it was "clear to everyone that it (unification of Albania and Kosovo) will not happen regardless of somebody's wishes."
Vucic said that the Serbian government "does not wish to insult anyone and is not making any statements of the kind, because it is thinking only about a good and successful economy and a better standard of living."
Earlier this week, Albanian PM Edi Rama has said that unless the perspective of EU accession of Western Balkan countries continued to dwindle, it might lead to unification of Albania and Kosovo. ba/14:47
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IMF may fund Greek bailout with small amount, for one year: government
Athens, 20 April 2017 (MIA) - The International Monetary Fund may finance Greece's current bailout program with a small amount for one year, the country's government spokesman said on Thursday, adding that the issue was under discussion between Athens and its creditors.
Greece's current bailout, its third since the debt crisis broke out seven years ago, ends in 2018. The second review of its progress on reforms has dragged on for months, mainly due to a rift between the EU and the IMF over its fiscal targets.
"What is under discussion is a small IMF funding program, which will last for one year and end at the same time with the ESM (European Stability Mechanism) program, in August 2018," Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told reporters.
Greece wants to conclude the review as soon as possible to receive bailout loans to pay off debt maturing in July.
The review will also help the country qualify for inclusion in the European Central Bank's quantitative easing program, which would help its return to bond markets before its program ends.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces national elections in 2019.
But the review talks have dragged on and the IMF has not yet decided whether to join the latest bailout. The fund's participation is seen as a condition for Germany to unlock new funds to Greece.
Athens hopes to discuss the fund's participation, its post-bailout fiscal path and the prospect of further debt relief at the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund's spring Meetings in Washington this week.
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos is expected to meet the IMF's Chief Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Friday.
EU and IMF mission chiefs will return to Athens on April 25, Tzanakopoulos said, to finalize a set of reforms Greece agreed to adopt to convince the IMF to participate with funds in its current bailout.
However, the EU Commission said on Thursday that there was no date yet for the mission chiefs' return to Athens.
It is unlikely that the bailout review will be wrapped up before May 22, when euro zone finance ministers are set to meet in Brussels to discuss the Greek issue, the spokesman said.
"I don't think it is possible to make it, to conclude the bailout review before May 22," Tzanakopoulos said. lk/18:00
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Dacic: Albanians need to choose their words carefully
Belgrade, 21 April 2017 (MIA) - The EU, the US and Britain will be "directly responsible for the consequences" if they fail to react to the latest statements by Albanian politicians, says Ivica Dacic, Serbia's first deputy PM and foreign minister, referring to the statements about "unification of Albania, Kosovo and three municipalities in southern Serbia," Beta reports.
Jonuz Musliu, an ethnic Albanian politician and mayor of the Bujanovac municipality in the southern part of central Serbia, previously said that "a union of Albania and Kosovo is senseless without the Presevo valley, without Medvedja, Bujanovac and Presevo - now is a key moment for Albania and Kosovo to show Serbia that this is a part of Albania that must not be touched."
Reacting to this, Dacic said that Albanian politicians are becoming "the main threat to peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe."
"The coordinated statements of Rama, Thaci and Musliu show that a Greater Albania is the objective of all Albanians. Today Musliu added Nis (a town in southern Serbia), tomorrow it will be Skopje (in Macedonia), Ulcinj (in Montenegro), Epirus (in Greece). Will the EU, US and Great Britain say something? If they do not do so this time, when a Greater Albania has reached Nis, they will be directly responsible for the consequences," Dacic said.
He said that Albanians "need to choose their words carefully, as their protectors who bombed Serbia (in 1999) so that they could snatch Kosovo away from Serbia are not on the international scene."
"That will never happen again. Serbia is not provoking anyone, but it does not fear anyone. Luckily, all of this is mere dreaming. However, experience has taught us that the road leading from a dream to a nightmare is short," the minister said.
Earlier in the week, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama would not rule out the possibility of "a union" between his country and Kosovo if Western Balkan countries lost their chance to join the EU. This was followed by a similar sentiment expressed by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci.
Musliu joined them on Thursday, telling Albanian language agency Presheva Jone that he supported Rama's and Thaci's statements, but that "there can be no Grater Albania without Nis." ik/10:25

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Serbia to invest some budget savings in defence industry - Prime Minister
Belgrade, 20 April 2017 (MIA) - The Serbian government made budget savings of around 480 million euros ($515.95 million) in the first quarter of 2017 and wants to inject nearly 10 percent of that sum into the defence industry, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.
Vucic also said Serbia's exports of weapons and military equipment was expected to reach 550 million euros in 2017, up from an estimated 449 million euros last year, Reuters reports.
"We agreed to give big money to the defence industry ... When you have a market that is secured for a decade or so, then you invest in production," Vucic told a news conference after meeting top executives from the sector.
He said the funds would be used to develop new factories and overhaul existing ones, based on increased demand in the global weapons market.
Serbia exports small arms, artillery systems, missiles, ammunition and various equipment through 173 licensed companies to dozens of countries, including the United States, Israel, Canada, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia.
In February, Assistant Defence Minister Nenad Miloradovic said the United Arab Emirates remains a key market for Serbia's defence industry, where it has "active contracts" worth some $220 million, the B92 news portal reported.
The budget savings have been generated by structural reforms and improved tax collection. Serbia's budget deficit is seen at around 1.2 percent of GDP this year, down from 2.1 percent at the end of 2016, and economic growth is put at around 3 percent.
Vucic said Serbia's own 28,000-strong armed forces also needed new weaponry and modernisation.
Belgrade has recently procured six MiG-29 jets, 30 tanks and armoured personnel carriers from Russia as well as nine helicopters from Airbus.
Serbia's military budget for 2017 accounts for 1.39 percent of GDP, or around $503 million. The country is militarily neutral and tries to balance between NATO and Russia, its traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally. lk/17:55
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Albania opposition issues call for road blocks on Monday
Tirana, 21 April 2017 (MIA) - Albania's opposition says it will block the country's roads as part of its two-month campaign to have a caretaker Cabinet put in place to govern until the parliamentary election in June, AP reports.
Lulzim Basha, leader of the main opposition Democratic party, called on supporters to block the national roads countrywide at noon on Monday.
European Parliament negotiators are expected to arrive in the capital of Tirana that day to mediate between the governing left-wing coalition and the center-right opposition.
The opposition so far has declined to negotiate unless Prime Minister Edi Rama resigns.
The opposition alleges the sitting Cabinet will manipulate the vote and also wants to change the election date from June 18. Since mid-February, its supporters have blocked the main boulevard in Tirana and pitched a tent outside Rama's office.



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