Saturday, August 11, 2012

LSV leader announces “hot autumn in Vojvodina”

NOVI SAD -- League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) leader Nenad Čanak says the Constitutional Court's decision will cause tensions and a “hot autumn in Vojvodina”.
Nenad Čanak (Tanjug, file)
Nenad Čanak (Tanjug, file)
He told Novi Sad-based daily Dnevnik that the Constitutional Court’s decision to declare parts of the Law on Establishing Jurisdiction of Vojvodina unconstitutional had put Serbia in a difficult position and that the only way out of it was to make emergency changes to the Constitution.
According to Čanak, the changes should respect the reality, “complexness of Serbia as a state” and allow decentralization.

“All decisions of the Constitutional Court have in fact once again showed that the current elite in Belgrade does not understand Serbia or its historical needs and it will be absolutely responsible for everything that will happen,” he was quoted as saying.

The LSV leader stressed that every attempt to topple Vojvodina’s institutions could easily turn into a serious international political problem and warned that the new Serbian government was being carefully monitored by the international community which was looking for any sign that could mean the return to the 90s.

“Therefore, any violence against Vojvodina would cause big problems. On the other hand, if the Constitutional Court’s decision are ignored, regardless of the fact that I think that the Constitution is a product of unacceptable political bargains, a field for actions of the executive power will be wide open, so this is an extremely dangerous situation,” Čanak concluded.

latest news
Police from Kosovo, control the streets of The Himara Region

In 1999, The Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, suggested the albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko, to prevent any installation of refugees from Kosovo in the Himara Region, for the reason "Reserved politically"

Dressed in
uniform as the "Police of Kosovo", they performed numerous stops, in Drymades beach, but have encountered the frustration of local people.

Numerous foreign tourists, especially from Kosovo and the Balkans, who have come in Drymades, the mostly luxury tourist centers of Albania, in the Himara Region.

An agreement for the tourist season, between Albania and Kosovo government for joint patrolling, the police has engaged structures Albania - Kosovo, but without any reason, the control of police from Kosovo in Drymades, complicates the situation more in the Himara Region.

That the fact that there are many reason above all historical and geopolitical, to beat feelings of the population Himara Region, during World War Second, when the former Albanian fascist Prime, originally from Kosovo, Jafer Deva, has executed, member of the "Himara Community".

  Just in 1999, The Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, asked the albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko, suggesting to prevent any installation of Refugees from Kosovo in the Himara Region, for the reason "Reserved politically"

Friday, August 10, 2012

A geopolitical drama driven by newly discovered oil and bad debt is unfolding around the eastern Mediterranean, and it may be a game changer for Greece. Preliminary estimates indicate there are 22 billion barrels of oil offshore of Western Greece below the Ionian Sea and some 4 billion barrels of oil below the Northern Aegean Sea, according to Global Research.
Former International Monetary Fund economist and Treasury assistant secretary Charles Collyns was in Athens and Rome the last week of July, along with Treasury Secretary Timmy Geithner, as Greece's global lenders - the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank - prepared for a new audit of Greece to see if its €130 billion bailout had any positive effect (see proposed reforms). The findings, due in late August, will determine whether Greece will receive fresh loans of €31.5 billion by September, according to Yahoo! news.
August 20, Greece faces another rollover of €3.2 billion of its existing debt. The expectation is this will be just one more shuffled deck chair on the Titanic as it borrows from one member the Troika (EFSF) to pay another (ECB). I am not so sure.
The assumption is that this status quo, Nash Equilibrium, mutually assured destruction model will continue indefinitely. But Geithner and his lieutenant Collyns have been actively dialoging with the Greeks. The public message seems to be one of promises to do everything to assist Greece "if necessary" should that country return to the drachma and, by extension, exit the EU, called the Grexit.
A Grexit would offer the U.S. an opportunity to step into the geopolitical breach, and be a player in new oil and minerals discoveries off of Greek and Israeli shores. Turkey has previously stated it would consider it an act of war if Greece drilled further into the Aegean. Clearly, Greece needs backing and support, the kind that the U.S. could provide. Right after Secretary of State Clinton visited Greece to lobby on energy in 2011, the Greek government created a new government agency to run tenders for oil and gas surveys and drilling bids.
To resolve matters with Turkey, there is a proposal by both Clintons' operative Richard Morningstar to form an oil revenues deal offering Greece 20%, Turkey 20% and the U.S.-backed Noble Energy (NBL) of Houston (the company drilling in Greek and Israeli offshore waters) the lion's share of 60%.
This has upped the prospect for a geopolitical gambit by the U.S. that has several objectives:
1. To gain influence on Aegean Sea as well the Levantine oil and gas assets, and to establish a Greek Corridor of influence between Cyprus, Israel and Greece. The area off Israel and Cyprus has been the site of new oil and gas discoveries. Cyprus, too, is an insolvent EU basket case. This article from Oil Price.com discusses the "pipeline battle" between Russian and U.S. interests.
With recent confirmation of oil in the Greek Aegean and off Israel, the U.S. has stepped up its game. The strategy is to offer Greece and Cyprus carrots. After all, it's the European Troika that is the hardball creditor, not the U.S. In fact, by offering Greece "almost unqualified support in the event of a return to the drachma," the U.S. is betting on the strong likelihood of Greece becoming formally insolvent before any more bailout monies are available from Berlin-am-Brussels.

2. The Greek Corridor can be used to transport aid to the Theatre of Operations in the Middle East. This vital corridor cannot and should not be allowed to be checked by Turkey, as it will then be vulnerable to any intervention. PPC Quantum Energy SA formally announced the launch of a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable to link up the electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus and Greece. Also, Israel has a deal with Greek Cyprus and Greece to build a gas pipeline through Cypriot waters to Greece, leaving Turkey out. The U.S. enters the equation because of the offshore Levantine discoveries in the area made by Noble Energy, for which Bill Clinton is a key lobbyist. Security for Israel's new resources will also be paramount.
IMF and EU government officials, some of them German, are pressuring Greece to sell its valuable ports and public energy companies, such as the country's oil companies, in order to reduce the country's debt. The assets would only bring the country perhaps €50 billion at best. Plans call for the Greek state-owned natural gas company, DEPA, to privatize 65% of its shares to reduce debt. The Russian firm Gazprom has shown an interest, something the U.S. strongly opposes. Buyers would likely come from outside the country, as few Greek companies are in a position, in the current crisis, to take it.
The US has other energy and security plans for Greece and Cyprus and seeing those countries crippled by overwhelming debt, reduced to begging from the EU, and doing fire sales to Europeans and Russians does fit into the plan. Therefore, I speculate that a re-default and/or restructuring will happen soon, perhaps even on August 20, with the final hit falling on the EU bag holders. A Grexit is also in the cards. For background of what a re-default means to Europe, read my article Official Sector Losses in a Greek Re-default.
This peek behind the scenes into the developing geopolitics of oil in the region, though not all encompassing, should be kept in mind when wagering on the timing of Greece's re-default.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
SP: Secret Service of '97 returned
10/08/2012


SP: Secret Service of '97 returned
The Socialist Party reacted harshly against the President’s decision to accept Prime Minister Berisha’s request to fire the Head of the Secretr Services, Bahri Shaqiri, and appoint Visho Lika, former director of the counterintelligence at the National Intelligence Service during 1993 and 1997.

“Berisha has been silent for the last two days, while yesterday, his servant Bujar Nishani proved the opposition’s suspicions. The Albanian President stopped being such yesterday, after fulfilling the old dream of Sali Berisha, to take the Secret Service under his control, same as in 1997. All Albanians recall the atrocities of Gazidede’s Secret Service, who violated, wounded and killed hundreds of innocent Albanians just for keeping Berisha in power”, declared the Socialist MP, Ermonela Felaj.

The Socialist Party rasied the concern about the lack of cooperation with the United States of America.

“How can you justify that after a two-year debate about the significance of the independence at the Intelligence Service, Berisha and his Servant, Bujar Nishani, don’t even take the advises of our bigest ally, the United States of America. This is intolerable. Today, more than ever, every Albanian must join with the opposition to give our country a real Albanian rebirth, so that the government can work for the citizens, and not for the Prime Minister’s family, where justice is kneeled down in front of the government”, Felaj declared.

Klosi: Shaqiri’s replacement, concerning

The former Chief of the Secret Service, Fatos Klosi, declared that the replacement of the Secret Service Chief by the President is very concerning.

In an interview for the VOA, Klosi commented the man that will replace him, whch according to him is based on Visho Ajaz Lika’s past.

“I consider as hasty the Prime Minister’s decision for removing the head of the Secret Service, and now he removed him. This is something to be very concerned about”, Klosi declared.

“The experience of today’s Director with the Secret Service led by Gazidede is one of the parameters that served to chose him for the post, that’s why I say that it is concerning. He and Berisha can do very frightening things”, he continued.

The former Chief of Secret Services declared that the fact that Lika has worked with the Secret Service that was symbolized with the elections of 1996 complicates the situation even further.

“I don’t judge, but I see his experience. The Secret Service of tat time was branded with the failed elections of 1996. It is an experience that we must never forget”, Klosi underlined.

Then he considered as very concerning the fact that Prime Minister Berisha is disregarding the appeals of the international factor for independence of the Secret Services. According to him, today more than ever Albania needs to cooperate with the international partners.

“Today we are NATO members and the consolidation with our partners is very necessary. I think that this hasty decision shows that they can never be able to interfere”, Klosi emphasized.

“This is not good, because today we are in other positions and we must be more serious” he added.

US concern for Secret Service

After meeting the President of Albania on 27 January of 2010, the US Ambassador in Tirana, John Withers, sent a confidential document to Washington in which he underlined the pressure that the Albanian government was pushing against the Secret Service.

The cable published by Wikileaks refers to the draft-law for Secret Services such as a return in Enver Hoxha’s era.

“Topi mentioned the concerns of the Ambassador for the Secret Service law by adding that the law reminds the fearful Secret Service of the communist era.

However, Topi admitted that he had received no copy of the draft and has not officially assessed of all it.


Serbian firemen to help fight fires in Greece

NIŠ -- More than 40 Serbian firefighters set out for Greece late on Thursday to help their colleagues extinguish a fire near the Serbian monastery of Hilandar.
(FoNet, file)
(FoNet, file)
This is according to City of Niš Fire and Rescue Brigade Commander Srđan Nikolić.
“Niš sent 12 firefighters in two vehicles,” he told Tanjug.

Serbian Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said in the central Serbian town of Guča on Friday that Greece had accepted the offered assistance and that Serbia would promptly send fire engines and firefighters to the endangered region.

Dačić said he had told his Greece colleagues a Russian helicopter located at the Niš airport could be utilized for the purpose.

Thursday, August 9, 2012



New Albanian Director of National Intelligence Service, Vashon Lika, is the most trusted of former chief shik, Bashkim Gazidede

Former lecturer at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, he went into the top shik after his appointment to the Bashkim Gazidede.

For five years he headed the Department of Foreign Counterintelligence, or otherwise known as the directory that was located on the fourth floor of the Foreign Ministry.

He was the compiler of the theses of the Greek plan for partition of the south with the CIA involvement in the battle against Berisha in the years 1996 to 1997.

After fleeing Bashkim Gazidede in April 1997, Vashon Lika headed de facto to his surrender to Arben Karkini successor.

After this he was employed as an officer in the external PM Berisha at the back the offices of the DP and after a few months left as political immigrants in Canada.

He returned to Albania in 2005 and was hired as an adviser to the prime minister and most recently as Deputy Minister of Innovation and Information Technology, headed by Genc Pollo.

His appointment at the head of SIS, without consultation of the American Embassy, may cause a new rift in relations with U.S. Berisha more at the top of the bottle is placed man who declared war in 1996.


Tema Online:http://www.gazetatema.net/web/2012/08/09/drejtori-i-ri-i-shish-njeriu-me-i-besuar-i-gazidedes/

Related:




Albania Replaces Secret Service Chief

By: August 9, 2012
By Besar Likmeta
The Albania president has fired the head of the State Security Agency, SHISH, replacing him with the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Visho Ajazi Lika.
Bahri Shaqiri was nominated as the head of the Albanian State Intelligence Service, SHISH, in January 2005 and was widely respected for his professionalism, particularly for ensuring that key security institutions did not fall under political influence.
Due to his fierce independence, however, he also gained enemies. The government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha repeatedly cut the agency’s funding since assuming power.
Albania
Albania
Although the government sought to replace him, former presidents Moisiu and Bamir Topi supported Shaqiri.
According to Albanian law, the head of SHISH can only be replaced at a proposal by the prime minister, which has to be approved by the president.
In 2010, Berisha tried to fire Shaqiri by amending the Secret Service Law, but faced opposition by NATO and the United States, Albania’s key ally.
After the January 2011 riots, relations between Shaqiri and the government hit rock bottom when he was accused of orchestrating a coup d’état with President Bamir Topi, the General Prosecutor and the opposition.
The government has yet to produce any evidence for the accusations.
Shakiri’s successor, Ajazi Lika, is a mathematician with a PHD from the University of Tirana and he served as diplomat in the Democratic Party run government from 1993-1997.
After 1997, he immigrated to Canada and return in 2005, initially as an adviser to Berisha, and later as deputy minister.
According to local media, he was close to Berisha’s former secret service chief, General Bashkim Gazidede, which headed the service from 1992 to 1997.
 

Archbishop Janullatos expected to visit Dhermi, in occasion of  the day of St Mary

Meantime, continues the critical situation of the Church properties, recently sold three hotels in Dhermi.

The
Pastor of Dhermi, and representatives of "Omonia", the main actors of robbery that property, in the time it was, the village council secretary

Archbishop of Durres and Tirana and all Albania, Prof. Dr Anastasios, will visit Dhermi, on the occasion of Saint Mary, next week, sources close said from the Orthodox Church.

The visit coincides with Saint Marry day, where a ceremony will be held in Saint Theodore Monastir, but thought that significance might be great, the fact that the Orthodox Church, as great owner of the land in the Himara Region, has accused high exponents of "Omonia" the Greek Minority representation, that they have collaborated with the Albanian mafia, to sell and build hotels on church properties.

But the biggest charges, shown a year ago by the Metropolitan of Argjirokaster, Demetrios, is the target to the Representatives of the church itself, in which the actualy priest of the Himara Region, has been secretary of the village Council of Dhermi, in which he has signed, the sale of church lands and properties.

Meanwhile, sources in Dhermi, say, just this month, are sold three hotels with permission granted by the representatives of "Omonia" and former chairman of the Himara Municipality, Vasil Bolanos, to the Albanian mafia..

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

2738 pensions cut in Greece
Top Channel TV


2738 pensions cut in Greece
The Greek Government is expected to cut hundreds of pensions from the Greek Agrarian Institute Entity (OGA), which pays pensions to at least 17.000 Albanian minority members.

After the recent census, which ended in July, 1738 homogenous persons from the former Soviet Union countries did not appear at the respective office. The government has also started an investigation for everyone who benefited this pension illegally.

The OGA director declared on a press release that the Greek State has lost more than 14 million EUR annually and they will make everything possible that the homogenous people from Russia, Bulgaria, Egypt and Albania will not receive the 360 EUR pension of this entity without the respective documentation,

In October the Greek government cut the pensions to 3050 members of the Greek Minority in Albania, removing more than 15 million EUR annually from the Albanian Market. It remains unknown how many of these 2738 pensions will be cut to the members of the Greek Minority in Albania.

The issue of suspect pensions in all schemes is being investigated by the Greek government for the last six months, which, according to specialists, has caused to the Greek state a damage of 120 million EUR. Specialists add that if a solution will not be found, there will be problems with the payment of the pensions of thousands of retired people, including the biggest scheme, the Social Insurance Institution, in which most of the Albanians are insured.

"Bosnia-Herzegovina is country unable to survive"

BELGRADE -- RS President Milorad Dodik on Wednesday again criticized recent foreign policy-related decisions made by Bosnia-Herzegovina officials.
Creating a foreign policy while disregarding the principle that all decisions must be made through a consensus was just another proof of that the country is dysfunctional, the leader of the Serb entity (RS) asserted.
"Bosnia-Herzegovina is in a state of permanent crisis, which proves its inability to survive. It exists only because the international community maintains an illusion of it functioning, otherwise it would not exist," Dodik told reporters in Belgrade after his meeting with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić.

Commenting on the vote by the Bosnia-Herzegovina representative in the UN regarding a resolution on Syria - which was not coordinated with RS officials - Dodik pointed out that Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdžija had violated the Constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the inter-party agreement made when the Council of Ministers was formed.

Dodik said he would use his party's parliamentary group in the Bosnia-Herzegovina parliament to request that Lagumdžija be sacked, stressing that no one could decide on behalf of the Serb Republic (RS), except its legitimately elected officials.

When asked by a reporter what the answer to the latest political crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina was, Dodik said an answer was "making itself obvious".

Tuesday, August 7, 2012


New NGO established in Himara: "The Boys of Spyro Milos"
 
American citizen Constantine Gjoka is the president of the association

The
news is unexpected continue to be in the Himara Region. An american citizen, Constantine Gjoka, has established in the Court of Vlora, the NGO, under the name "The Boys of Spyro Milos"
The news has spread in some Albanian media, in which, say that the association created, with members mainly from the United States, which shall cooperate with all non-governmental organizations in Himara Region.

Of course, the news has to do with a community organization in the range of the Himara Region in November, to organize a mass protest in memory of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Himara Region, from Ottoman empire.

The "Boys of Spyro Milos" announced as a partner, The Himara Community

Serbs block EULEX and KFOR in northern Kosovo

LEPOSAVIĆ, KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Serbs at the Zupče barricade in northern Kosovo have blocked several trucks belonging to the EU mission in the province, EULEX.
(Tanjug, file)
(Tanjug, file)
The vehicles have been prevented from traveling toward the administrative line crossing of Brnjak.
The trucks are loaded with large concrete blocks. The locals fear that they will be used to block some alternative roads in the north.

Soon after the citizens - who are keeping around the clock watch at Zupče - blocked the EULEX vehicles, several armored transporters and KFOR troops arrived at the scene, also blocking this road, leading from Kosovska Mitrovica to Ribariće.

This created a traffic jam.

KFOR soldiers are also deployed in the nearby village of Jagnjenica, and at a checkpoint in Zupče - on the road that leads to the ethnic Albanian village of Čabra.

Earlier in the day, reports said that members of the NATO troops in Kosovo, KFOR, had withdrawn from an alternative road that runs via Tresava in northern Kosovo.

They in this way unblocked the road after ten days, allowing trucks and other large vehicles through.

Leposavić Mayor Dragiša Vasić told Beta news agency that the traffic was unobstructed in that area now, and that Serbs had removed the blockade they had set up between the administrative crossing of Jarinje and a police checkpoint of Rudnica.

He explained that Serbs were previously blocking one lane of the road and did not allow passage to trucks.

"The traffic is unimpeded for passenger vehicles, buses and vans," said Vasić.

Trucks are still traveling along the so-called alternative roads - which local Serbs use in order to avoid paying "customs fees" to the Kosovo Albanian authorities.

Serbs still keep watch at two locations on the road running to Leposavić in order to thwart the ambitions of Kosovo customs officers to reach Kosovo's far north, Tanjug is reporting.

Serbs are a majority north of the Ibar River in Kosovo. They reject the authority of the government in Priština, and the ethnic Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Berisha announces referendum for immunity
06/08/2012

In the last Parliamentary session for this season, after failing to vote the lifting of the immunity, Prime Minister Berisha declared that there will be a popular referendum for this issue.

“Tomorrow we will address to the people for a civil referendum about the immunity lifting. It will be a plebiscite voting against the wall of shame”, Berisha declared.

The PM accused the opposition MPs of violating the basic interests of their voters by refusing to lift immunity.

“Today more than ever, the lawmakers should have shown more respect for the citizens, the institutions and the European future of the country. But the opposition MPs raised the blocking wall and unanimously declared that they will block the voting. The opposition MPs will go against the interests of their electors”, Berisha declared.

The Prime Minister added that the only goal of the opposition is to block the EU candidate status, as they did, according to him, with the Stabilization Association Agreement and the country’s NATO membership.

“You did the same for blocking the SAA and the NATO membership. This is a typical scheme of the communist party. You leader believed that he would be the next Prime Minister, and he cant see himself on that post without immunity”, Berisha declared.

“The law against criminal assets that was requested for lifting the visa regime not only was rejected by you, but you even sent it to the Constitutional Court. On behalf of the drug traffickers, the opposition sent it to the Constitutional Court”, Berisha declared.

Rama on Twitter: Referendum for all amends

The SP leader, Edi Rama, reacted on Twitter after Prime Minister’s Berisha announcement of a referendum on the immunity lifting law.

Rama invites the government leader to vote for all Constitutional amends, and see which of the parties will be supported by the people.

“Referendum for immunity? Ready to ask people for entire justice reforms package. This would be the ideal referendum.

Since we have agreed for the immunity and for other amends, and Berisha hides, let’s confront our visions and arguments with the people.

Sali, if you have courage not to play games with the people, but to have a confrontation with the opposition in front of the people, let us do the Referendum.

Let the Albanians decide if the Constitution should be amended only for the immunity, or also for the other propositions made by the opposition.”

Majko: Lifting immunity, Berisha’s illusion

The Socialist MP, Pandeli Majko, declared that the majority’s initiative for lifting the immunity is only an illusion.

He underlined that the problem is not about the immunity that the Constitution gives to citizens, but the political immunity given by the political post.

“The government wants to feed the illusion that this law will end the corruption in Albania. The political immunity is the first to be lifted. This is the one that protects the government officials from corruption, not the Constitutional one. This is the partnership of evil, the justice that doesn’t hit but it is corrupted. This is the reality”, Majko declared.

“It seems that we have a government that is trying to convince the citizens and Brussels that they are making everything possible for fighting corruption”, he added.

Majko declared that the SP was the main protagonist in the compromise for the Constitutional amends, but this didn’t help in resolving the problems.

“The opposition’s fault is that they proposed other amends related with the election of the constitutional institutions’ leaders. The failure comes as consequence of the government’s failure to act, which failed with the implementation of the promise made since 2005 for fighting corruption and strengthening the rule of law”, Majko added.

MP Taulant Balla underlined that the problem is not the Socialist Party and what Berisha calls “its billionaires club”, but those who Majko called the government’s billionaires and the Prime Minister’s relatives.

How did the become billionaires? Three houses in Tirana, one at the Lalzi Bay. Compare the balance of your son with that of Tom Doshi. 200.000 EUR are guarantee by Shkelzen Berisha”, Balla declared.

Marathon debates in Parliament

Vulin: Priština institutions in Kosovo are parallel

BELGRADE -- Government Office for Kosovo chief Aleksandar Vulin said on Monday it was Priština's institutions in Kosovo that were illegal, rather than those of Belgrade.
Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug, file)
Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug, file)
According to Vulin, Kosovo cannot be independent until the Serbian government and people decide on this, while "the primary task of the state is to enable Serbs in the southern province to live a better and more just life".
"Serbs will never recognize Kosovo and it will never be independent without the will of Serbs. So far, Serbs from the southern province were merely observers, and that will not happen again. They have a right to be heard, and they will be, both directly and through the Office," he told the state broadcaster RTS. Vulin said the new government would change the attitude towards Kosovo Serbs, who were treated by the previous government "as a third party who needed to be sent difficult and important messages."

He added that the government would be deciding about the EU-sponsored Belgrade-Priština talks, that are expected to resume in September, and that President Tomislav Nikolić will have the main role in that decision, along with "absolute participation".

Vulin also note that there must be agreement in Serbia "that it goes without saying that Kosovo is Serbia".

To that end, he appealed for the term "parallel institutions" not to be used to describe the Serbian institutions in Kosovo, considering that they were formed in line with the Constitution and are financed from Belgrade. Those financed from Priština, i.e., the Kosovo Albanian authorities, are in fact parallel, he added.

Vulin also told RTS that the new government was "still learning" about the content of the agreements reached so far in the Kosovo dialogue, and that "we are still coming across some papers and some things that were agreed that surprise us".

"Serbia is a serious state and it respects its own regulations - there are things that we think could have been done and signed differently, but we respect the seal of Serbia," said he.

Vulin also stated that he was expecting "excellent cooperation" with PM Ivica Dačić, and described the new cabinet as "the government of national salvation".