Συναγερμός: 150.000 Τούρκοι στην Αλβανία - Το σχέδιο Ερντογάν - Directus

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Exclusive: Inside the extramarital affair and cash-fueled double life of Charles McGonigal, the FBI spy hunter charged with taking Russian money

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Charles McGonigal on red backdrop

Charles F. McGonigal, who held one of the FBI's most sensitive positions, now faces criminal charges for his alleged ties to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch. Michael M. Santiago, Frédéric Soltan, Kirill Kudryavtsev/GettyImages; Arif Qazi/

Insider; MS Mattathias Schwartz

Jan 27, 2023, 12:00 PM

One morning in October 2017, Allison Guerriero noticed something unusual on the floor of her boyfriend's Park Slope, Brooklyn, apartment: a bag full of cash. There it was, lying next to his shoes, near the futon, the kind of bag that liquor stores give out. Inside were bundles of bills, big denominations bound up with rubber bands. It didn't seem like something he should be carrying around. After all, her boyfriend, Charles F. McGonigal, held one of the most senior and sensitive positions in the FBI.

"Where the fuck is this from?" she asked.

"Oh, you remember that baseball game?" McGonigal replied, according to Guerriero's recollection. "I made a bet and won."

McGonigal had two high-school-age children and a wife — or "ex-wife" as he sometimes referred to her — back at home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He would return there once or twice a month. But McGonigal had led Guerriero to believe that he was either divorced or soon would be. She didn't question his story, nor did she question the story about the bag full of cash.

A few days before, Guerriero had sat on the couch with McGonigal in the one-room garden sublet to watch McGonigal's Cleveland Indians beat the Yankees. Much later — after Guerriero's cancer diagnosis, their breakup, and McGonigal's retirement from the FBI — McGonigal would be indicted on suspicion of, among other things, accepting $225,000 in cash from a former employee of Albania's intelligence agency. That total includes one $80,000 chunk that was allegedly handed over in a parked car, outside a restaurant, on October 5, 2017. October 5 and 6 also happened to be the days when the Indians beat the Yankees in the first two games of the American League Division Series. Today, Guerriero no longer believes the bag of cash contained winnings from a sports bet.

One of McGonigal's attorneys, Seth DuCharme, declined to comment.

Guerriero was 44 when they met, a former substitute kindergarten teacher who volunteered for law-enforcement causes and was working as a contractor for a security company while living at home with her father. McGonigal, then 49 years old, had just started his new job at the FBI's New York office.

Guerriero says their affair lasted for a little more than a year. McGonigal's Brooklyn sublet may have been modest, but he lived large. He courted Guerriero at high-end restaurants. He would give her gifts of cash — $500 or $1,000 — for her birthday and for Christmas. He once joked about framing his divorce papers for her, as a Christmas gift, but those papers never materialized. He took her to watch New Jersey Devils hockey games in a private box. She recalls that McGonigal once gave a hundred-dollar bill to a panhandler on the street. "I'm a little better off than him. I can spare a hundred dollars," Guerriero remembers McGonigal saying, after she expressed astonishment.

That day in October wasn't the only time that Guerriero remembers McGonigal carrying large amounts of cash. After he brushed her curiosity aside, she tempered her suspicions. She told herself it was probably "buy money" for a sting operation, or a payoff for one of McGonigal's informants. She had dated federal law-enforcement officials before. She knew not to ask too many questions about work.

"Charlie McGonigal knew everybody in the national security and law-enforcement world," Guerriero said, in an interview with Insider. "He fooled them all. So why should I feel bad that he was able to deceive me?"

The dual indictments lodged against McGonigal earlier this week in New York and Washington, DC, are the culmination of a grand-jury investigation that Insider exclusively reported on last year, and they lay out breathtaking allegations of subterfuge and corruption. But Guerriero says that McGonigal's deceptions extended beyond his duties as a counterintelligence chief and into their personal life. Two sources who knew both McGonigal and Guerriero in New York told Insider that they believed Guerriero's account of the relationship, including her claim that McGonigal had led Guerriero to believe that he was effectively single. And Guerriero's father told Insider that McGonigal would regularly drive to his house, where Guerriero lived, to pick her up.

"I was deceived about it," Guerriero's father said. "He seemed to be a straight shooter. If I'd had known he was married, I would have said something."

Federal prosecutors charged McGonigal with money laundering and making false statements in his mandatory employee disclosures to the FBI. He was also charged with taking money from a representative of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who McGonigal had once himself investigated, in violation of US economic sanctions against Russia; the indictment alleges that Deripaska paid him to investigate a rival oligarch. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

McGonigal was not an ordinary FBI agent. He led the WikiLeaks investigation into Chelsea Manning as well as a search for a Chinese mole inside the CIA. While working at FBI headquarters in Washington, he played a role in opening the investigation into the Trump campaign's Russia contacts that was later dubbed Operation Crossfire Hurricane.

But it was McGonigal's final FBI job, special agent in charge of the counterintelligence division at the FBI's New York field office, that was his most important assignment at the bureau. It was his job to find enemy spies and recruit his own.

"New York City is a global center for espionage and counterespionage," says one senior law-enforcement insider who was closely familiar with the specifics of McGonigal's role. "You have visits from foreign business elites and politicians. You have the United Nations. You have ethnic populations. Who runs the pitches to recruit spies from all those other countries? The FBI. So the access you get in that job is extraordinary. It's almost bottomless. So if you're running FBI counterintelligence in New York, you can get your hands on almost anything you want, and you don't always have to make excuses for why you're asking for it."

The impact of the McGonigal indictments is still rippling out through the law-enforcement world. The charges accuse an official at the heart of the Trump-Russia investigation of secretly selling his own access, accepting bundles of cash in surreptitious meetings with someone who had ties to Albanian intelligence. McGonigal, a top-tier member of the city's law-enforcement community, a man who had fully integrated himself into a powerful circle of trust where favors get swapped and sensitive intelligence gets circulated, is accused of himself being on the take. If the indictments are correct, McGonigal was leading a dangerous double life, right under the noses of some of the sharpest cops in America.

But what might be most striking about the case against McGonigal is how cheaply he is alleged to have rented out his law-enforcement powers. One indictment suggests that for $225,000, McGonigal's associates got him to lobby the Albanian prime minister about the awarding of oil-field drilling licenses and then open an FBI investigation connected to a US citizen who had lobbied for one of the prime minister's political opponents. Arranging a meeting for an executive from a Bosnian pharmaceutical company with a US official at the United Nations was said to be a pricier item — $500,000, one indictment claims. It is unclear whether that money ever materialized.

In September 2018, McGonigal left the FBI to work as a vice president at Brookfield Properties, a multibillion-dollar real-estate company. His salary there was most likely higher than what he made inside the government, but it wasn't anywhere near the C-suite or oligarch-scale money that courses through New York's penthouse condos and boardrooms. One law-enforcement source estimated that McGonigal stood to make roughly $300,000 to $350,000 a year, including annual bonuses. "He said he needed to make more money," said Guerriero, who was still in the relationship with McGonigal when he left the FBI. "He had two kids to put through college."

The value that McGonigal is accused of providing — his access and his pull — are clear from the indictments. One of them alleges that he arranged for the daughter of a foreign contact, a college student, to get a VIP tour from the New York City Police Department. The indictment identifies that foreign contact as "Agent-1," an agent of the Russian oligarch Deripaska, former Russian diplomat, and rumored Russian intelligence officer. That description matches Evgeny Fokin, who works for En+, a Deripaska-owned energy company, and was already linked to McGonigal and an associate in a Foreign Agents Registration Act filing from November 2021.

Agent-1's identity remains unconfirmed. Neither Fokin nor En+ responded to requests for comment. A person familiar with the NYPD's arrangement said the daughter was a guest, not an intern. She didn't have independent access to police facilities, they said, and was given no work to do.

Guerriero recalls McGonigal using the FBI's resources for their relationship. Once, they had sex in an SUV that she understood to be federal government property. After she was found to have breast cancer, Guerriero recalls, McGonigal would occasionally send a junior agent in an FBI sedan to give her rides from New Jersey to her cousin's apartment in New York. Despite the ongoing deception about his marital status, McGonigal was "caring, loving, and concerned" during the period of her illness, she says.

In late 2018, McGonigal and Guerriero broke up. She remembers receiving an anonymous and hostile note in the mail. Soon after, McGonigal told her he was still married and had no plans to divorce his wife. "I was shocked," she said. "I was very much in love with him, and I was so hurt." She started drinking heavily to cope. A few months later, Guerriero, after a bout of drinking, dashed off an angry email to William Sweeney, who was in charge of the FBI's New York City bureau, and who, she recalls, had first introduced her to McGonigal. She remembers telling Sweeney in the email that he should look into their extramarital affair, and also McGonigal's dealings in Albania. McGonigal had already befriended Albania's prime minister and traveled to the country extensively, dealings that would appear later in one of his indictments. Guerriero told Insider that she had deleted the email.

Sweeney didn't reply to a request for comment made through Sweeney's current employer, Citigroup. Insider couldn't confirm that Guerriero had sent the email or that Sweeney had received it. Regardless, by November 2021, the FBI was looking into McGonigal. Two agents showed up at Guerriero's door, she says, showed her a picture of McGonigal with the Albanian prime minister, and interviewed her about their interactions. She also received a grand-jury subpoena requesting all of her communications with McGonigal as well as information about any "payments or gifts" he may have given her.

Guerriero acknowledges that the combination of her alcohol abuse and her health problems led to some extreme behavior, including her sending hostile emails to McGonigal's family, the contents of which she says she cannot recall. "I really did go overboard," she said. "I harassed them. I'm not going to deny that. I was horrible to them."

By her own account, Guerriero contacted one of McGonigal's children despite being prohibited from doing so by a court order, an incident that led to her spending the night in a New Jersey jail. The court order stemmed from a 2019 police report, obtained by Insider, that McGonigal's wife, Pamela, filed with the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland. The report states that McGonigal and Guerriero "had a relationship" and that Guerriero had repeatedly harassed her with unwelcome emails and phone calls — including 20 calls in one day — despite her asking Guerriero to stop.

Guerriero confirmed that her contact with the McGonigal family led to a separate restraining order issued in New Jersey. "I am ashamed and embarrassed and sorry for my actions during the time that I was drinking," she said.

Allison Guerriero and Rudy Giuliani

Allison Guerriero knew Rudy Giuliani from law-enforcement circles. Giuliani let her stay in a guest room at his residence after Guerriero's father's house caught fire in 2021. Allison Guerriero

Guerriero's troubles worsened in early 2021, when she was badly burned during a fire at her father's house. She asked friends for help through a GoFundMe. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City, whom she knew from law-enforcement circles, let her stay in a guest bedroom. Since then, Guerriero has been a frequent on-air caller for Giuliani's radio shows. She maintains that the 2020 election was marred by widespread voter fraud, a belief pushed by Giuliani that has been repeatedly debunked. "Whatever Giuliani says about the 2020 election is what I believe," she said. During her relationship with McGonigal, Guerriero says, they never talked about politics. "I thought he was apolitical," he said, "which is something I continue to believe."

The FBI declined to address the specifics of Guerriero's story. Instead, it sent a statement from Director Christopher Wray, who said the FBI holds employees to "the highest standard" and treats everyone equally, "even when it is one of our own." Insider spoke with three of McGonigal's former law-enforcement colleagues who expressed shock about the indictments. "It's heartbreaking," said one, who had worked alongside McGonigal at the FBI. "This is an incredible organization filled with truly dedicated men and women. This sets our image and reputation back."

Guerriero's father said his view of the FBI had already been tarnished by the way that McGonigal treated his daughter. "I've always had huge admiration for the FBI," he said. "I idealized the agents that I saw in the movies. I thought these people were gods, that they never did anything wrong. It was so disappointing." He did say, however, that McGonigal had called him after the relationship ended to apologize for his behavior, and that he had accepted McGonigal's apology.

Mattathias Schwartz is a senior correspondent at Insider and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. He can be reached at mschwartz@insider.com and schwartz79@protonmail.com.

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Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 Completes Training in Bizë, Albania

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24 January 2023

ADRIATIC SEA - Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 completed inland training using an Albanian range in Bizë, Albania, Jan. 15-17, 2023.

The training varied from mountain flying - a challenging and dangerous proposition for helicopters due to the thin air and high engine power requirements - to low-level tactical flying, off-airport landing, and multi-unit coordinated exercises featuring rotary-wing and fixed-wing squadrons.

The primary mission for HSC 5 is search-and-rescue for fixed-wing flight operations. Anytime fixed-wing aircraft are launching from, flying near, or landing on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), HSC 5 is airborne near the ship. However, due to the unique location of the ship’s scheduled deployment to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, and the generous cooperation from NATO Allies, HSC 5 had the rare opportunity to train in Albania.

“The Bizë range is ideally suited for overland training, and the user-friendly airspace allows robust air wing integration,” said Cmdr. Erik Gustafson, commanding officer of HSC 5. “The mountainous approach and wide open training area allows our team practice in multiple competencies in a single visit. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the Albanian land forces who enabled us to execute exquisite training in close proximity to the Adriatic operating area.”

Cooperation between the U.S. Navy and Albania allowed units from both nations to train and build capability in an environment unlike those they are accustomed to, contributing to unit readiness and increased interoperability and interchangeability in the NATO alliance.

“The geography of Bizë poses unique challenges designed to strengthen and improve the skillset of units training within it and we’re happy to work with Albania to exercise tactical air capabilities,” said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Berres, a pilot from HSC 5. “Opportunities to train and expand our capabilities are key to the success of our individual units and our integration within NATO.”

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG 10, George H.W. Bush CSG. CSG 10 is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

The ships of DESRON 26 within CSG 10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).

The squadrons of CVW 7 embarked aboard the George H.W. Bush are the “Sidewinders” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86, the “Jolly Rogers” of VFA-103, the “Knighthawks” of VFA 136, the “Pukin Dogs” of VFA 143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, the “Nightdippers” of HSC 5, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, NAVEUR-NAVAF has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

The George H.W. Bush CSG is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

Συναγερμός, 150 χειλαδες Τούρκοι, εισβάλλουν στην Αλβανία και προετοιμάζονται για μειονότητα

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Νοσοκομείο στο Φιέρι, χρηματοδοτούμενο από την τουρκική κυβέρνηση

Σταύρη Μάρκο

Δημοσιογράφος

Η ενίσχυση του Αλβανικού Στρατού και Οικονομίας από την Τουρκία δεν είναι επιχείρημα γιατί την ανέχεται η Ελλάδα, δεν εξαρτάται από αυτήν, ενώ η Αθήνα, λόγω διπλωματικής κατάρρευσης 15 ετών για την ΑΟΖ, θεωρείται ένα δουλοπρεπές και ανίκανο κράτος ως το πλησιέστερο, μέλος της ΕΕ στα Βαλκάνια, που δεν καταφέρνει να διαχειριστεί δυναμικά και να έχει υπό έλεγχο την Αλβανία, ούτε να έχει το ελάχιστο συμφέρον να εγείρει την κρατική και εθνική της εξουσία, να ενεργοποιήσει επειγόντως το θέμα της Βορείου Ηπείρου.

Σύμφωνα με έγκυρες πηγές, ο αριθμός των Τούρκων πολιτών που διαμένουν σήμερα στην Αλβανία είναι πάνω από 150.000 άτομα, οι οποίοι κατέχουν την αλβανοτουρκική επιχειρηματική αγορά, κυρίως στη βιομηχανία μαρμάρου, σε κατασκευαστικές και εμπορικές μονάδες σε  πόλεις της χώρας, όχι μόνο Τίρανα - Δυρράχιο.

Πριν από δύο χρόνια, ο πολιτικός Αλέκος Παπαδόπουλος συγκλόνισε την ελληνική κοινή γνώμη με την ανάλυσή του ότι η Αλβανία δέχεται οικονομική και στρατιωτική εισβολή από την Τουρκία και ότι η Ελλάδα αντιμετωπίζει αυτή την εξέλιξη στα σύνορά της με έντονη αδιαφορία. Φαίνεται ότι στα Τίρανα, ο ηγέτης του Έντι Ράμα, στο όνομα της βοήθειας για τη χώρα του, έχει ιδιωτικά συνάψει προσωπική φιλία με τον Ερντογάν της Τουρκίας, για να συντονίσει τα συμφέροντά τους, αντανακλώντας σε ένα συνολικό εύρος τουρκικής βοήθειας, για την Αλβανία στο μερικά πεδία. Και φυσικά η Συμφωνία για τα τουρκικά Bajraktar Drone έφτασε στο αποκορύφωμά της ότι σύμφωνα με την αιτιολόγηση της αλβανικής πλευράς θα χρησιμοποιηθούν για την παρακολούθηση και τον έλεγχο της εθνικής ασφάλειας και την καταπολέμηση των ναρκωτικών.

Εκτός όμως από τη στρατιωτικοποίηση της Αλβανίας από τον μεγάλο Τούρκο αδελφό, η επιρροή της Άγκυρας επιδιώκει να επιτύχει έναν εθνικό στόχο στο εγγύς μέλλον, τον έλεγχο της αλβανικής οικονομίας, μέσω του ανοίγματος πολλών τουρκικών εταιρειών στην Αλβανία. Όχι μόνο αυτό, στόχος της Άγκλαρας είναι να είναι παρούσα και στην Αλβανία, κάτι που δεν είχαν μέχρι τώρα. Για 25 χρόνια, η Αλβανία επέτρεπε σε Τούρκους πολίτες να εισέρχονται στην Αλβανία χωρίς βίζα και αντίστροφα, πολλοί από αυτούς έχουν πλέον χρησιμοποιήσει το αλβανικό διαβατήριο ως εφαλτήριο για να μετακομίσουν στην Ευρώπη. Το τελευταίο διάστημα οι εμπορικές συναλλαγές Τουρκίας-Αλβανίας έχουν φτάσει σε τρίτο επίπεδο, καθώς ελάχιστες αλβανικές εταιρείες συνεργάζονται με την Τουρκία, ενώ δεν συμβαίνει το αντίθετο, έρχονται οι Τούρκοι και επενδύουν στην αλβανική βιομηχανία και οικονομία.

                                             Οικονομική βοήθεια στο Δυρράχιο με πλοίο ονόματι Ερντογάν

Το σύστημα του Open Data Albania είναι γεμάτο με εκατοντάδες Τούρκους πολίτες που λειτουργούν επιχειρήσεις στην Αλβανία, καταλαμβάνοντας την πρώτη θέση, από αλλοδαπούς πολίτες που είναι ενσωματωμένοι της Αλβανίας, σε πολλούς τομείς όπως κατασκευές, τουρισμός, ξενοδοχεία κ.λπ. Όμως η ενίσχυση της αλβανικής οικονομίας με την τουρκική συνεισφορά, τα ανοιχτά σύνορα της Αλβανίας, ανέβασαν τον αριθμό τους στις 150 χιλιάδες, μια στρατηγική που λόγω της έλλειψης Αλβανών εργαζομένων, ως αποτέλεσμα της μετανάστευσης στην Ευρώπη, θα αντικατασταθεί από τον τουρισμό. κατά κάποιον τρόπο εκπληκτικό. Βασικός λόγος παραμένει επίσης εκτός από την ένταξη στο αλβανικό οικονομικό δίκτυο, παράλληλα, η εξέταση των δυνατοτήτων που παρέχουν οι αλβανικές αρχές στους Αλβανούς πολίτες. Κάποιες φωνές λένε ότι οι λίστες για την υπηκοότητα έρχονται και προστίθενται και για αρχή μπορεί ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας να δεσμευτεί να τις δώσει.

Ένας ακόμη λόγος να σκεφτούμε είναι ότι δεν παρουσιάζονται απλά χύμα από την πλευρά της εργασίας, όχι. Έρχονται οπλισμένοι με χρήματα, έτοιμοι, ίσως και με προσαρμογή της αλβανικής γλώσσας στα πρότυπα που απαιτεί η ιθαγένεια. Ας μην ξεχνάμε, η ΕΕ έχει επικρίνει την Αλβανία για τη χορήγηση 15 χιλιάδων αλβανικών υπηκοοτήτων, που χορηγήθηκαν μέσα σε αυτά τα χρόνια από πολίτες από την Ασία, ένας ακόμη συναγερμός για την κατάσταση όπου πολίτες τρίτων χωρών πληρώνουν δωροδοκίες για αλβανικά διαβατήρια. Ωστόσο, το έδαφος για την προετοιμασία μιας Τουρκικής Κοινότητας που θα είναι παρούσα στην Αλβανία, μπορεί να έχει πάρει επίσημη διαδρομή. Το μεγαλύτερο τζαμί της χώρας χρηματοδοτείται από την τουρκική κυβέρνηση, στα Τίρανα, δίπλα στο κοινοβούλιο της Αλβανίας, μια επένδυση πολλών εκατομμυρίων ευρώ.

Αλλά η τυποποίηση αυτής της στρατηγικής της Τουρκίας στην Αλβανία συνδέεται με την απόφαση της αλβανικής κυβέρνησης, ότι τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2023, το εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα στην Αλβανία θα εισάγει επίσημα την τουρκική γλώσσα. Φυσικά, δεν μπορούμε να επικρίνουμε την αλβανική κυβέρνηση γιατί αυτές οι ενέργειες είναι τόσο υπερβολικές και άτοπες, εξάλλου από ελληνικής πλευράς η Αλβανία μετατρέπεται σε Τούρκο υποτελή που επιδιώκει την ένταξη στην Ε.Ε. 

Υπενθυμίζουμε ότι τα τουρκικά σχολεία και πανεπιστήμια καθώς και μια σειρά οργανισμών στην Αλβανία, που χρηματοδοτούνται από τον αντίπαλο και εχθρό του Ερντογάν, Φετουλάχ Γκιουλέν, Αμερικανό Τούρκο, έκλεισαν σχεδόν όλα λόγω της πίεσης της τουρκικής κυβέρνησης στα Τίρανα.

Η ελληνική διπλωματία όχι μόνο μένει άναυδη στη μακρινή προσδοκία της έγκρισης της Ναυτιλιακής Συμφωνίας με την Αλβανία, η οποία φαίνεται αδύνατη, αλλά έχει σκίσει τις πύλες της με τον πιο υπερβολικό τρόπο με την Τουρκία, η οποία αύριο θα μπορούσε να αποτελέσει σοβαρή απειλή για την Ελλάδα. Αρκετά που χιλιάδες Τούρκοι, που θα λάβουν αλβανική υπηκοότητα και θα ενεργοποιηθούν δημόσια σχολεία στα τουρκικά, μπορούν να εγκατασταθούν στις περιοχές όπου ζουν οι Έλληνες της Βορείου Ηπείρου, περιβάλλοντας στρατηγικά την Ελλάδα και από τον Βορρά.

North Macedonia’s president says Russian secret services are behind rift with Bulgaria

North Macedonia’s president says Russian secret services are behind rift with Bulgaria President Stevo Pendarovski chairs a meeting of North Macedonia’s Security Council.

By Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje January 24, 2023

North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski said on January 23 that Russian intelligence services are behind an “anti-state campaign” in the country, which has caused its fragile relations with Bulgaria to deteriorate. 

Pendarovski claimed that “organised structures” from Bulgaria linked to Russian intelligence first became active in July 2022, when Bulgaria lifted its veto on North Macedonia’s EU integration. They continue to elevate tensions between the neighbouring countries at a time when the government in Skopje is trying to push through controversial changes to the constitution to enable its EU accession talks to proceed. 

Pendarovski made the comments following a Security Council meeting that tackled relations with Bulgaria and the increasingly frequent incidents between the two countries. He said that the EU agenda and bilateral relations are victims of “anachronistic nationalist and populist policies” on both sides.

“Organised structures from Bulgaria that carry out anti-state campaigns against North Macedonia are connected to the Russian intelligence service,” Pendarovski said, answering a journalist's question.

“I cannot go into details because it is a matter of sensitive issues,” he added.

In July 2022, North Macedonia accepted a bilateral protocol with Bulgaria, which opened the way to start the long-awaited EU accession talks. Before that Sofia vetoed the start of North Macedonia's EU accession process over language, cultural and history issues.

However, even though the EU negotiation process has started, for it to continue, North Macedonia has to change its constitution to include the ethnic Bulgarian minority — a condition set by Sofia for allowing the second intergovernmental conference to take place. 

This is a controversial step, not least because ethnic Bulgarians make up less than 0.2% of the total population, in the constitution. This is strongly opposed by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE and the Left party.

Security risk ahead 

Specifically, Pendarovski warned of high security risks around the public holiday marking the birthday of Goce Delcev, a revolutionary who fought for an independent Macedonia at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

“These same structures have already been mobilised, both logistically and financially, to support the organised arrival of a large number of people in Skopje on February 4, when we commemorate the birthday of Goce Delcev,” Pendarovski said.

Delcev became a stumbling block in the discussions of the Bulgaria-North Macedonia joint history commission, as Bulgarian historians claim that Delcev was a Bulgarian national. They want this to be written in North Macedonia’s history textbooks, which the Macedonian side rejected.

The Dzhambazki issue

The president also urged the Bulgarian authorities to politically isolate people who do not want good neighbourly relations.

He proposed to the government in Skopje to ban the entry of Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki and several other Bulgarian citizens to North Macedonia because of their “hostile actions” in the country.

Dzhambazki recently came to Skopje with a group of Bulgarians to mark the death of controversial historical figure Mara Buneva and publicly delivered a speech containing territorial claims.

Dzhambazki is a far-right Bulgarian MEP from the Conservatives group and a member of Bulgaria’s nationalist VMRO party. He is known in North Macedonia for his anti-Macedonian views, publicly declaring that the country is part of Bulgaria.

In the latest incident, Dzhambazki came to Skopje with a group of people and gathered downtown to mark the death of Buneva. Buneva is a controversial figure who is considered a heroine in Bulgaria because of her assassination of a Serb official back in 1928. At that time, Macedonians were fighting for independence, and the Bulgarian state wanted to use the circumstances to annex the remaining Macedonian territory and make it part of Bulgaria.

“Eternal memory of Mara Buneva and all known and unknown heroes who dedicated and gave their lives for the cause of free Bulgarian Macedonia and united Bulgaria,” Dzambaski said on January 14 in Skopje.

“Long live the united and indivisible Bulgarian nation, from Ohrid [in North Macedonia] to the Black Sea and from the Danube to the White Sea. Long live Bulgarian Macedonia! Long live Bulgaria!” Dzambaski said.

The authorities in Skopje asked Sofia to denounce Dzhambazki’s statements. Their relatively mild reaction was probably due to fears that a harsher response would worsen relations with Sofia ahead of the crucial vote in the parliament on the constitutional changes.

The Bulgarian foreign ministry said that provocations are unacceptable and counterproductive, and added that Dzhambazki’s statement does not represent the official position of the Bulgarian state.

This was not an isolated incident. Back in March 2021, in a video clip posted on Facebook as part of his general election campaign, Dzhambazki referred to North Macedonia’s authorities as “interim administrators of our, of my Macedonia”.

“Macedonia is Bulgarian and Bulgaria is above everything,” he concluded in the video, which was recorded in North Macedonia's capital Skopje and the lakeside city of Ohrid.

Beating in Ohrid 

Diplomatic tensions with Bulgaria have increased in the last few days after Hristijan Pendikov, a secretary of the Tzar Boris III Bulgarian cultural club in Ohrid, was beaten by three people in a café bar on January 19. He was seriously injured and sent to the local hospital. The day after the incident, the Bulgarian authorities sent a government plane with a medical team to Ohrid to take Pendikov for treatment in Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian authorities took the incident seriously and set the entire state apparatus in motion to deal with it. Sofia accused North Macedonia of violating the rights of ethnic Bulgarians, and there have also been threats to block EU negotiations again.

North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani visited Pendikov in Sofia in a move to show that the authorities are doing their best to maintain good relations. Osmani condemned the attack and said that the state will make sure that perpetrators face justice.

However, he mentioned the country will not allow provocateurs to spread hatred against Macedonians again, referring to the Dzhambazki incident.

A private dispute 

Bulgarian media reported that Pendikov was insulted and beaten because he was ethnic Bulgarian.

But the media in North Macedonia checked the facts and found out that the fight actually was a private matter and that Pendikov and the other participants in the fight have a history of incidents and previous misunderstandings, which have nothing to do with politics.

They also found out that Pendikov had been in trouble with the local police in Ohrid for possession and distribution of cocaine, as detailed in a police bulletin from December 17, 2022.

Pendikov’s Facebook profile clearly shows that he was once a zealous activist for North Macedonia’s opposition VMRO-DPMNE. There was a photo featuring Pendikov waving a Macedonian flag in a crowd during previous VMRO-DPMNE protests. This appeared alongside an article published by AP with the headline “Conservatives protest in Macedonia, demand early elections” in 2018. 

There were several photos of Pendikov with VMRO-DPMNE’s leader Hristijan Mickoski, but also one with Dzhambazki from September 2022.

While Bulgaria sees a political background to the incident, in North Macedonia is unclear how Pendikov made the transition from a hardline Macedonian patriot and staunch VMRO-DPMNE supporter to a Bulgarian who activated the Bulgarian state to help him in a private matter. 

Top officials from Skopje do, however, seek an end to the provocations that have worsened relations between the neighbouring countries. 

“This vicious circle of provocations that ends in violence is something we must stop,” Osmani said in Sofia.

Bulgaria angry at 'hate crimes' in neighbor North Macedonia

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Bulgaria’s foreign minister says his country may suspend joint projects with North Macedonia over the beating of a Macedonian citizen who identifies as Bulgarian

ByThe Associated Press

January 26, 2023, 4:59 PM

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria may suspend joint projects with North Macedonia over the beating of a Macedonian citizen who identifies as Bulgarian, Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov said on Thursday. Bulgaria also recalled its ambassador to North Macedonia for consultations.

Relations between the Balkan neighbors have severely deteriorated following last week’s assault on an employee at a Bulgarian cultural center in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Officials in North Macedonia countered that ethnic minorities do not face discrimination in the country, and said there was no need for Bulgaria to recall its ambassador.

“The entire nation cannot be blamed for the actions of a few individuals,” Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said.

Bulgaria's Milkov said his country will not give up the protection of the rights of its community in North Macedonia and will alert its European Union partners about the case.

“Things cannot continue as they were, this is not a productive approach. It must be clearly understood that things have changed. We will review several components and elements of our bilateral cooperation with this neighboring country,” Milkov said in an interview with national BNT TV on Thursday. He did not specify what joint projects could be suspended.

He added that Sofia would not stop its neighbor's EU integration because North Macedonia had never formally started negotiations.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria recalled its ambassador to Skopje for consultations amid what a foreign ministry statement called a growing number of hate crimes against Bulgarians there.

“The goal of consultations is to discuss possible measures to prevent a dangerous trend of an increasing pressure on North Macedonian citizens with Bulgarian identity, as well as prospects of further development of bilateral relations,” the statement said.

The recent incident comes just weeks after Bulgaria requested that the prosecution of hate crimes against ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia become part of its accession negotiations with the EU.

Sofia’s request followed attacks on two Bulgarian cultural centers in North Macedonia, including the one in Ohrid.

Complications between the two nations have been standing in the way of their political cooperation. After blocking for two years the official start of negotiations on Skopje’s EU accession, Sofia lifted its veto in June 2022 on condition that Skopje guarantees the rights of Bulgarians in the country through constitutional changes and commits to maintaining good relations with Bulgaria.

Germany and US announce plans to send tanks to Ukraine in major sign of support for Kyiv

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By Kevin Liptak, Stephanie Halasz, Sophie Tanno and Sugam Pokharel, CNN

Updated 12:36 PM EST, Wed January 25, 2023

CNN

The leaders of the United States and Germany each announced Wednesday they will send contingents of tanks to Ukraine, reversing their longstanding trepidation at providing Kyiv with offensive armored vehicles and unleashing powerful new tools in Ukraine’s efforts to retake territory seized by Russia.

The announcement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that he will send Leopard 2 tanks was coupled with an announcement from US President Joe Biden that he was providing 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reversing the administration’s longstanding resistance to requests from Kyiv for the highly sophisticated but maintenance-heavy vehicles.

The dual announcements made for a landmark moment that followed weeks of intense pressure on Berlin from some of its NATO allies. The decisions were the result of prolonged diplomacy between Germany, the United States and other European allies, and come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for a new Russian offensive this spring.

Speaking from the White House, Biden said the tanks would “enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives” in both the near and long terms.

And while he touted the ability of the tanks to help Ukraine “counter Russia’s evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield,” Biden insisted they should not be viewed by Moscow as an “offensive threat.”

“This is not an offensive threat to Russia. There is no offensive threat to Russia if Russian troops return to Russia, where they belong,” he said.

Earlier, Scholz told lawmakers in Germany’s parliament the decision to send Leopard 2 tanks had come after consultations with western allies.

“It is right that we advanced bit by bit. That is the only principle that can work in such dangerous conditions,” he said.

The dispute over whether the Germans would send Leopards to support Ukraine threatened to show some of the first cracks in the united Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the announcement from Scholz and Biden show the US and its allies are still working in lockstep when it comes to supporting President Volodymyr Zelensky and his nation’s fight against the Russians.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “At This Hour” that the German and US decisions were “important announcements” and that he “welcomed US leadership” in making them happen.

“It will significantly strengthen their combat capabilities,” Stoltenberg said of the effect the tanks will have on Ukraine’s military.

US to send 31 Abrams tanks

The US decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine represents an abrupt about-face from its earlier stated position. While the Biden administration had never taken the possibility of shipping American tanks entirely off the table, US officials said publicly last week that it was not the right time to send the 70-ton M-1 Abrams tanks because they are costly and require a significant amount of training to operate.

The tanks, instead, were repeatedly floated as a long-term option – even as critics said it was the right time, as Ukraine braces for the possibility Russia will mobilize more troops and launch a new offensive. Zelensky has consistently asked Western allies for modern tanks as his country prepares braces for an expected major Russian counteroffensive in the spring.

Yet after an intensive bout of diplomacy with Germany, who had made clear it would only send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if the United States offered up the Abrams, Biden has given the sign-off on sending the vehicles. The 31 Abrams will form a complete Ukrainian tank battalion.

“Abrams tanks are the best in the world. This is a tremendous new capability that Ukraine will be getting to boost its long term defenses,” a senior administration official said, noting that the tanks will be procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding.

Biden spoke by phone Wednesday with Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss continued military support for Ukraine. US officials said maintaining unity among the western alliance was a critical consideration as Biden and his team came around on sending the Abrams tanks.

The Abrams tanks will take months to arrive, senior administration officials said, and will require extensive training for Ukrainian troops on how to operate and service them. The US must navigate complicated supply chains for the components required for the tanks.

The procurement process will take months, the officials said, though Germany’s Leopards will arrive in the nearer term. In the meantime, the US will begin a “comprehensive training program” for the Ukrainians on the Abrams, which will require significant maintenance once they are deployed. The training will occur outside Ukraine.

The US is also procuring eight M88 recovery vehicles, the second official said, which will help “keep the Abrams tanks up and running.”

Speaking ahead of the president’s announcement, senior US officials framed the decision as an investment in Ukraine’s “longer term capabilities,” an indication the administration sees the now 11-month-long war extending well into the future. Ukraine hopes the new tanks can help it retake territory seized by Russia, including in the Donbas. That could also include Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

“We’ve been talking about tanks internally and we certainly have been talking about tanks externally, with allies and partners, for quite some time, given what we expect will be the kinds of fighting, that will occur in weeks and months ahead,” an official said.

Still, officials acknowledged the challenges in providing Ukraine the Abrams tanks were still steep.

“There are technical aspects to the Abrams which makes it a little bit more challenging than some systems that that we have provided Ukraine in the past,” a senior official said. “It is the most capable tank in the world, but it’s also sophisticated.”

The months required to procure, build and ship the tanks will allow Ukrainian fighters time to learn how to use and maintain them, the official said.

Germans to send 14 tanks to Ukraine

The Germans’ goal is to assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, the government statement said. In a first step, Berlin will provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks, with the training of the Ukrainian crews to begin quickly in Germany. In addition to training, the package will also include logistics, ammunition and maintenance of the systems.

The German defense minister said the Leopard tanks could be operational in Ukraine in about three months. Boris Pistorius, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said training would come first, then the tanks would be sent east.

The German army has 320 Leopard 2 tanks in its possession but does not reveal how many would be battle ready, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense previously told CNN.

Germany will also allow other countries to export the battle tank, it said. Poland on Tuesday formally asked for approval from Germany to transfer some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Several European countries also own some Leopards, and Poland had led an effort to re-export those to Ukraine even if Germany was not on board.

Addressing the German parliament following the announcement, Scholz said he had spoken to Zelensky before coming to parliament.

During his speech, the German leader said Germany together with the US and UK had sent the most weapons systems to Ukraine and insisted that his country would be at the forefront of support for Ukraine.

Vadym Skibitskiy during an interview with CNN.

Ukraine wants longer range missiles as Russia learns from its mistakes

Sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine will provide Kyiv’s forces with a modern and powerful military vehicle ahead of a potential Russian spring offensive. It will also come as a blow to the Kremlin, which has seen a growing campaign to equip Ukrainian troops with high-tech fighting systems as Russia’s ground war nears the one-year mark.

Germany had initially resisted a growing drumbeat of Western pressure to ship some of the tanks to Ukraine, with new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius repeatedly calling for more time and insisting that the move would come with pros and cons for Berlin.

Allies back Berlin’s move

The UK had set the precedent for providing Ukraine with main battle tanks last week after it pledged to send Kyiv 14 of its British Army Challenger 2 tanks. The agreement crossed what had previously appeared to be a red line for the US and its European allies.

Ukrainian officials have consistently pleaded with their Western allies to provide modern battle tanks – to be used not only to defend their present positions but also to take the fight to the enemy in the coming months. Ukrainians fear that a second Russian offensive may begin within two months.

Although Ukraine has stocks of Soviet-era tanks, modern Western tanks provide a greater level of speed and agility. In particular, the Leopard’s relatively low-maintenance demands compared to other models lead experts to believe the tanks could help Ukraine quickly on the battlefield.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed Germany’s move as the “right decision” in the wake of Wednesday’s announcement.

“The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace,” Sunak wrote on Twitter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff welcomed the news and reiterated the country needed “a lot” of Leopard tanks. Writing on Telegram, Andriy Yermak said: “The first tank step has been taken. Next up is the ‘tank coalition’. We need a lot of Leopards.”

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki praised German Chancellor Scholz for his decision. “Thank you Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger,” Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Serbian parliament to debate Kosovo, Vucic calls opposition for talks

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By Zoran Radosavljevic 

EURACTIV

Author name

Zoran Radosavljevic

Editor-in-Chief

Vučić warned on Monday that Serbia could face international isolation – as well as economic decline – if it rejects the comprehensive new Western plan for normalising relations with Pristina. 

   

President Aleksandar Vučić has called all opposition parties to brief them about the latest European plan for Serbia and Kosovo, amid growing pressure from the EU on Belgrade to acknowledge the sovereignty of its former province if it wants to keep alive its prospects of joining the EU.

At the same time, Serbia’s parliament is set to debate Kosovo “in the next 10 days”, parliament speaker Vladimir Orlić announced, according to Vreme.

Vucic, who has already made a half-hearted offer to resign over the issue of Kosovo, has said that he wants all parties to know the details of the plan, which he referred to as “Franco-German”,  and that he will seek a stronger role of the government and parliament in reaching a decision.

A significant part of opposition parties have refused to heed to call, however, Vreme reported.

Vučić warned on Monday that Serbia could face international isolation – as well as economic decline – if it rejects the comprehensive new Western plan for normalising relations with Pristina.

He said that Serbia must continue on its European path, and acknowledged that the EU is the biggest investor and donor in the Balkan country, at a time when popular support in Serbia for the EU has sunk to an all-time low.

Under the new plan, which has been leaked but not officially published, Serbia would not oppose Kosovo’s membership of international organisations, including the UN, while Kosovo would agree to establish an association of Serb municipalities in the northern part of the country.

A formal recognition is not explicitly mentioned, possibly in an attempt to sweeten the pill for Belgrade, which has vowed never to recognise Kosovo.

Air raid alerts across Ukraine, MiGs from Belarus took off; "New wave of aggression"

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The 335th day of the special military operation that Russia is conducting in Ukraine is underway.

SOURCE: B92 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023 | 09:19

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has approved the sending of "Leopard 2" tanks to Ukraine and says he will allow other countries to do the same, "Spiegel" reported.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that the members of the Alliance should not only send defensive weapons and those that will enable Kyiv to regain lost territories.

In Ukraine, there is also a fight against corruption. The authorities in Kyiv replaced the mayors of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Sumy and Kherson regions.

Among the dismissed politicians are the Deputy Minister of Defense Vyacheslav Shapovalov and the Deputy Head of the Presidential Cabinet Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

Air raid alerts were heard throughout Ukraine after taking off MiG 31K from the territory of Belarus, which carries the rockets "Dagger". These rockets cannot be intercepted and knocked down. According to Ukrainian Channel 24, three MiGs took off from the airport in Machulishchy air base.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is planning a new wave of aggression and how the beginning of that wave is already aperant in Donbas.

Serbia under Western pressure to reach deal on Kosovo, Vucic says

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Serbian president says Belgrade could face international isolation if it rejects a Western plan to normalise ties with Pristina.

Al Jazzeera

Published On 24 Jan 2023

24 Jan 2023

Serbia has been given an ultimatum from powerful Western nations to normalise ties with Kosovo or face measures that would do “great damage” to the country, the president has said.

On Monday evening, President Aleksandar Vucic said he had been presented with a proposal, as part of a Western push to solve long-simmering tensions with Kosovo, during a meeting last week with representatives of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States.

“[They] said – you must accept this plan, or you will face the interruption of the process of European integration, the halting and withdrawal of investments and comprehensive economic and political measures that will cause great damage to the Republic of Serbia,” Vucic said.

Speaking during a televised press conference, Vucic said Serbia’s parliament would have to discuss the proposal, and hinted at a possible referendum. He underlined that without the EU, Serbia would become “isolated”.

The new Western plan for normalising Serbia-Kosovo relations has not been officially made public. Vucic said in his televised address that the plan stipulates that Serbia would not object to Kosovo’s membership in international organisations, including the United Nations.

The US and EU want to push forward an EU-mediated dialogue that has been stalled for months because they fear Russia, a Serbia ally, could try to stir instability in the Balkans to divert attention from the war in Ukraine.

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“These talks were among the toughest in the past decade,” Vucic added, describing the meeting. “It was never like this.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday that the meetings in Kosovo and Serbia had focused on “discussions on the proposal on normalisation of relations. We stressed that advancing on this proposal would bring considerable benefits for both sides”.

Serbia has been a candidate to join the EU for more than a decade, and normalising ties with Kosovo has been a key condition to advance its application.

“Serbia must remain on its EU path … because we would be lost without it, economically and politically. If we were to be alone and isolated, that is not something I would accept as a president,” Vucic said.

Former FBI Counterintelligence Director Arrested for Ties to Russian Oligarch

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BY ELENA ANDREI | 23.01.2023 

Newsweek

Charles McGonigal, former director of the Counterintelligence Division of

CHARLES McGONIGAL

A former senior FBI official has been arrested and charged with four felonies over his ties to a US-sanctioned Russian oligarch.

Charles McGonigal, former director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division in New York, was arrested Saturday night, according to the Justice Department.

He faces four charges, including money laundering, for secretly providing services to oligarch Oleg Deripaska in violation of US sanctions.

Sergei Shestakov, a Russian interpreter, faces the same four charges and an additional charge of making false statements during an FBI investigation.

"As alleged, McGonigal and Shestakov, both U.S. citizens, acted on behalf of Deripaska and fraudulently used a U.S. entity to conceal their activity in violation of U.S. sanctions," said FBI Deputy Director Michael Driscoll.

"Supporting a designated threat to the United States and our allies is a crime that the FBI will continue to aggressively pursue."

Last year, McGonigal was investigated for ties to foreign governments, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, according to Business Insider.

According to the witness statement, prosecutors were looking into whether McGonigal had ties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as any "payments or gifts" made to him by the governments of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania.

Two sources told "Insider" that McGonigal was close to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

According to an email reviewed by the media company, McGonigal used his official FBI email address to try to arrange a meeting between Rama and an American firm.

NATO ships near Serbia: What is it about? They spoke up

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The ships of NATO member states, the US "James E. Williams" and the Turkish "Barbados", will sail into the Port of Bar today, the Ministry of Defense announced.

SOURCE: BLIC TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023 | 16:37

The statement said that the goal of the visit is "strengthening defense relations in the region and strengthening maritime security in the waters of NATO member states."

The U.S. ship, it is added, is the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

Vučić: I am worried; "They are looking for a conflict"

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić addressed the public and commented on the current events in Kosovo and Metohija.

SOURCE: B92 MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023 | 21:36

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said tonight that he was afraid that no one wanted to talk about the context, the circumstances and what Serbia is really facing when referring to the Franco-German plan for Kosovo and Metohija.

"We have all seen versions of the Franco-German plan. It is no longer just theirs, and we will talk about that later. When you look at a paper, you easily find objections, and there is nothing in this paper that we can be enthusiastic about. I participated in all the conversations, since the moment when Ivica Dacic was at the head of the government, and it never looked like this. The question arises why? The fact is that the geopolitical circumstances have changed, Europe is in a de facto war. There is no tolerance for discrepancies in the political sense, and on the other hand, they want that in their yard, and we are also their (European) yard, they want everything there to be as they want," he said.

As he stated, the complete European context is such that, if we look carefully, after the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, everything has become one of the biggest problems for us.

He also recalled the incidents that Albin Kurti causes in order to try to drag Serbia into the conflict.

"In Kurti's time, there have been 287 incidents so far. This year alone, 10 serious ones. The latest is today's wounding of Miljan D., who is in a stable condition and we wish him a speedy recovery," he said and explained that Kurti wants a conflict so that NATO takes his side.

He pointed out that the foreigners were more worried that Rada Trajković spent two hours sitting on the bench, than about the attack on the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.

As he stated, no one asked or consulted Serbia regarding the drafting of the Franco-German plan.

"Without any guilt. Not a single Albanian was shot. We did nothing anywhere, and they came and showed the plan... The fact that there is an obligation not to oppose the entry of the so-called Kosovo into the UN is hidden," he said and added:

"They accepted all of that and that plan de facto became a new negotiating framework for the Republic of Serbia," he said.

Vučić emphasized that it is important to discuss everything.

Three threats to Serbia

Vucic said that he was told by EU and U.S. envoys last week that he had to accept the latest EU plan, based on the Franco-German proposal, or Serbia would face an end to its EU accession talks, a stop to new and withdrawal of existing investments as well as political and other measures which would inflict damage on the country.

"It will happen in five, three months, or a year... I'm worried, I'm not going to sweep the problems under the carpet. I quoted what they said to me, and it was repeated three more times. Each time, I reacted very strongly to it," he said.

As he said, his job was to take care of the country.

"I made it clear, but don't worry, you all know what I'm talking about. We know what is unacceptable for Serbia," said Vučić.

The fight for Community of Serbian Municipalities

He pointed out that now there is a big fight for the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

The Serbian President voiced concern over what he said is a lack of any rational approach to resolving problems. “I saw that in the talks with representatives of the most powerful countries of the world. The time of reason is past – no one wants to listen to me… They have their own agenda – the defeat of Russia and everything in the way of that agenda will be swept away,” he said.

"When I tell them, we must take care of the establishment of the CSM first, they say yes, but you see, it's not realistic... We want compromise, we want dialogue, but both sides have to make concessions. But the problem is that you see that one side can do what they want and be rewarded for it," he said and added:

"First comes the obligation to form the CSM. I am worried because there is one thing, and you all know what thing I am talking about. I realized that I will not give up on that".

Vučić said that we have to start a discussion within our society.

"Could I have said: 'Get out, we will not discuss anything'. I could have. But they would withdraw investments, change the visa regime".

As he said, Serbia must talk, must participate in dialogue, it must continue its European path.

"Economically and politically, we would have been lost without it. I was strong enough to say in the face of the big five what it is that I will take on. Our plan is to work much more, much stronger, to work on reforms of our legal and media system as well, to try to be the best... A difficult period is ahead of us, we will need much more effort, much more work and energy," he said.

He added that he will protect the citizens of Serbia and the state of Serbia, and as he said, he believes that this is the only possible way.

"If the choice is that, on the one hand, we have sanctions and isolation or, on the other hand, we are going to say we accept everything, immediately, which means Kosovo in the UN, I am in favor of the path of compromise as much as possible".

Compromise, compromise and only compromise

President of Serbia said that we have not signed anything, but that "we have to look for a compromise solution".

“Nothing is going to happen today, tomorrow, not in a month or three but when we are faced with final demands Parliament and the people will decide on them,” he said and added that he would invite political parties to tell them of the details of his meetings with the EU, French, German, Italian and US envoys.

Vučić added that "it is important to show that we want peace in the region and to show what we expect in the future and to fight for it".

He recalled the role of Western countries in creating the so-called Kosovo and pointed out that it is not strange that they see the so-called Kosovo as a country.

"When we passionately and strongly disagree with something, we still have to understand what their strength is, what our strength is".

"It is up to us to try to compromise and reach the normalization of relations so that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija can live normally, that no one harasses them every day and that we protect the state of Serbia and its integrity and unity. It will be very difficult and that is why I am afraid", he said and announced difficult days in the second half of this year.

As he said, "he knows what he will decide", but "not on behalf of Serbia".

"Other competent state bodies and, eventually, citizens will decide on behalf of Serbia," said Vučić.

He added that he has nothing against convening a special session of the National Assembly on these issues.

Resignation?

Speaking about the possible resignation, President of Serbia said that there is no doubt that the war in Ukraine has brought us great misfortune in every sense.

"I think the question is what they can offer, what I was facing two days ago was just a bludgeon. We have to be fair and say that the EU is the biggest investor and donor in Serbia. They came with a bludgeon, and I believe that there will be better news in the future. I asked for support and help from the EU. We will see," he said.

He added that everything will go as he said, until we get to the moment when we have to make a statement and declare our position.

"As for the resignation, this is certainly my last mandate. If there is a need to save the state in any way, I would not hesitate. It is not this moment, but I have no problem with it. I live for the state and I am a soldier of the state. Whatever is in the state's interest, I will do it," said Vučić.

"We won't stand in the way of Poland"

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Germany will not stand in the way of Poland sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock.

SOURCE: INDEX.HR MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023 

Asked in an interview with French television LCI what would happen if Poland sent its Leopard 2 tanks without Germany's approval, Baerbock answered: "For now, that question has not been asked, but if they asked us, we would not stand in their way."

There is strong diplomatic pressure on Berlin to send its tanks or at least allow the countries that bought them from Germany to send them to Ukraine.

As the manufacturer of Leopard tanks, Berlin has veto power over their transfer. At a special international summit on Friday at the US military base in Ramstein, southwest Germany, Berlin refused to make a decision on whether to give Ukraine Leopard 2 tanks, leading to growing frustration of Kyiv and its allies.

Η εθνική και η βαλκανική σημασία της ελληνικής μειονότητας στην Αλβανία

SManalysis

την 1/22/2023 06:50:00 μ.μ.

του Γιώργου Κυριακού

Η θερμή υποδοχή που επεφύλαξαν οι Έλληνες της Βόρειας Ηπείρου στον πρωθυπουργό της Ελλάδας εξέφραζε χαρά και, προς στιγμήν, δικαίωση. Ο ενθουσιασμός ήταν μεγάλος, αφού η πραγματοποίηση της επίσκεψης διέλυσε κάθε δικαιολογημένη αμφιβολία και απογοήτευση. Ο «Κούλης», που ανέβαλε την επίσκεψη λόγω «καιρικών συνθηκών», μέσα σε δύο εβδομάδες έγινε ο «λαοπρόβλητος πρωθυπουργός». Στο παιχνίδι των συμβολισμών, η επίσκεψη Μητσοτάκη πέτυχε, καθώς μαζί του ήταν ο βουλευτής του ΠΑΣΟΚ, Χιμαριώτης ολυμπιονίκης Πύρρος Δήμας, του οποίου η παρουσία έδωσε μια ενωτική διάσταση – που την έχει ανάγκη ο τόπος. Θα μπορούσαμε ωστόσο να συμπληρώσουμε ότι από μια μάχη των συμβόλων δεν θα έπρεπε να λείπει η επίσκεψη σε κάποιο ελληνικό χωριό του Αυλώνα, του Δέλβινου ή σε κάποιο βλαχοχώρι της Κορυτσάς. Οι συμβολισμοί όμως έχουν ένα τέλος στο περιβάλλον των διακρατικών σχέσεων και της μεταφοράς του ουκρανικού μετώπου στα Βαλκάνια…

α) Την προηγούμενη ημέρα της επίσκεψης, οι δηλώσεις του πρωθυπουργού Ράμα για τη «σωστή πλευρά της Ιστορίας, με την Τουρκία» θα έπρεπε να αποτρέψουν τους χαριεντισμούς μεταξύ των δύο πρωθυπουργών στη Δερβιτσάνη. Είχε προηγηθεί η προκλητική απαίτηση του Αλβανού προέδρου να κατεβούν οι ελληνικές σημαίες από το δημαρχείο Φοινίκης κι από το μνημείο των μαρτύρων στο Αλύκου, που θύμισε τον αγώνα του Κατσίφα για ανάρτηση ελληνικών σημαιών στα εδάφη της ελληνικής μειονότητας. Όπως λένε κάποιοι: «Προσπαθούμε να τον ξεχάσουμε, αλλά δεν μας αφήνουν».

β) Η εθνική ελληνική μειονότητα αποκαλείται «γέφυρα» αντίστοιχη αυτής των Αλβανών μεταναστών στην Ελλάδα. Αυτό όμως σημαίνει ότι δεν αποτελούν τα δικαιώματά της προϋπόθεση για τις καλές σχέσεις με την Αλβανία αλλά, αντίθετα, εξαρτώνται από το αν θα υπάρχουν καλές σχέσεις – ειδικά όταν συγχέεται η ολιγοπληθής (σήμερα) αυτόχθων παρουσία της στην Αλβανία με την πολυπληθή κοινότητα Αλβανών μεταναστών στην Ελλάδα. Η εθνική ελληνική μειονότητα δεν είναι γέφυρα: είναι ο ευάλωτος κρίκος σύνδεσης.

γ) Η σύντομη επίσκεψη σε τρεις περιοχές της Βορείου Ηπείρου ήταν πυκνή σε συμβολισμούς, αλλά όχι δεσμευτική για όλα τα φλέγοντα ζητήματα. Η μονόπλευρη πολιτική που στήθηκε γύρω από το επίδομα των Βορειοηπειρωτών υποκρύπτει αυτοπαγίδευση[1]. Η επίσκεψη ευνόησε δύο πρόσωπα: τον Μητσοτάκη για την εξαργύρωση των συμβολισμών, και τον Έντι Ράμα ως οικοδεσπότη της μειονότητας. Η δήλωση του Σαλί Μπερίσα, ότι η Χιμάρα είναι αλβανική στην οποία μιλούν ελληνικά και αλβανικά, δείχνει και το συμπαγές της αλβανικής πολιτικής[2]. Οι εκ των υστέρων αναλαμπές του κ. Τσίπρα, που δήθεν αρνήθηκε να επισκεφτεί τη Βόρεια Ήπειρο λόγω έλλειψης δεσμεύσεων της Αλβανίας, δείχνει την υποκρισία που χαρακτηρίζει το σύνολο της ελλαδικής ελίτ.

δ) Το άστρο του πατέρα δεν θα λάμπει διαρκώς, ακόμα κι αν μετονομαστεί η κεντρική πλατεία της Δερβιτσάνης σε «πλατεία Κωνσταντίνου Μητσοτάκη», όπως εξήγγειλε ο κ. Ράμα[3]. Κι αυτό διότι απαίτηση του ευρωπαϊκού διευθυντηρίου είναι η πάση θυσία ένταξη της Αλβανίας στην Ε.Ε. για την πρόληψη της διείσδυσης των λεγόμενων Τρίτων Παραγόντων[4], π.χ. Τουρκία, της οποίας η Αλβανία αποτελεί παρακολούθημα. Η Ελλάδα, σε αυτήν την προοπτική, δεν αποτελεί βασικό μοχλό πίεσης –ως θα όφειλε– αλλά κατευνασμού της αλβανικής πλευράς, η οποία έχει μια διφορούμενη σχέση με την Ελλάδα και πιέζει ασφυκτικά την εθνική ελληνική μειονότητα. Αρκεί να θυμηθούμε την εξίσωση των δικαιωμάτων των Αλβανών του Κοσόβου με τα δικαιώματα των Βορειοηπειρωτών, που είχε θέσει το 1993 ο Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης ως όρο για την ένταξη της Αλβανίας. Ο σημερινός πόλεμος και η σερβοκοσοβάρικη κρίση τον καθιστούν επίκαιρο.

ε) Ο πόλεμος είναι κοντά, και το σύνολο των βαλκανικών ελίτ ασχολείται με τα κέρδη από τις νέες πολεμικές επενδύσεις, τις υποσχέσεις για το αμερικανικό υγροποιημένο αέριο, τις επενδύσεις για την ευρωπαϊκή «πράσινη-ψηφιακή ανάπτυξη» – αδιαφορώντας για το εάν καταστρέφονται οι ίδιες τους οι χώρες. Το Κόσοβο βρίσκεται σε κατάσταση σοβαρής κρίσης και η προβοκατόρικη στάση του πρωθυπουργού του, κατά παράβαση του ψηφίσματος 1244 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ και της ευρωπαϊκής συμφωνίας για την Ένωση Σερβικών Δήμων, μπορεί να προκαλέσει πόλεμο. Μέσα σε μια κλιμάκωση για τη στρατολόγηση στη «σωστή πλευρά», η προστασία των ομογενών μας στην Αλβανία θα μπορούσε να λειτουργεί ως βαλκανικό υπόδειγμα ειρήνης, δημοκρατίας και σταθερότητας. Όμως το γιορτινό διάλειμμα της επίσκεψης στη Βόρεια Ήπειρο μοιάζει να τελειώνει στα γραφεία με τους φτωχούς συγγενείς «απ’ έκει» να συνωστίζονται για κάποια ψίχουλα πατρίδας. Ο πρώην πρόεδρος της ΔΕΕΕΜ Ομόνοια, Λ. Παππάς, σε μια καίρια παρέμβασή του, δήλωσε ότι «οι Βορειοηπειρώτες που σκέπτονται να γυρίσουν στον τόπο τους, και αυτοί που μένουν ήδη, θα πρέπει να επιβραβεύονται από το ελληνικό κράτος, κι όχι να τιμωρούνται». Όμως οι Βορειοηπειρώτες που γιόρτασαν την επίσκεψη του πρωθυπουργού μπορούν και να διαδηλώνουν εναντίον αυτής της πολιτικής. Με τις ίδιες σημαίες και τα ίδια συνθήματα.

[1] Οι υπερήλικοι Βορειοηπειρώτες οφείλουν να δηλώσουν ΑΜΚΑ και μόνιμη κατοικία στην Ελλάδα προκειμένου να τους καταβληθεί το συγκεκριμένο επίδομα. Στην ουσία, τους ζητούν να απομακρυνθούν από τα χωριά τους, που με την παρουσία τους τα κρατούν ζωντανά.

[2] Η Αλβανίδα ΥΠΕΞ Όλτα Τζάτσκα πρόσφατα αναφέρθηκε εκ νέου (εμμέσως πλην σαφώς) στο αποκαλούμενο «τσάμικο ζήτημα», δηλώνοντας ότι οι διμερείς σχέσεις δεν αφορούν «μόνο την οριοθέτηση του θαλάσσιου χώρου»…

[3] Η κεντρική πλατεία της Δερβιτσάνης μετονομάστηκε σε «πλατεία Κωνσταντίνου Μητσοτάκη» το 1993 από τη Δημογεροντία. Η πράξη αυτή μεταξύ άλλων ενσωματώθηκε στο κατηγορητήριο περί προδοσίας της χώρας, στη διαβόητη δίκη των Τιράνων το 1994. Οι τότε συλληφθέντες Ηρακλής Σύρμος και Κώστας Κυριακού βασανίστηκαν. Ο τελευταίος κατηγορούνταν ότι «έγινε Δημογέροντας στη Δερβιτσάνη και, βάσει οδηγιών πού τούς έδινε η Ελληνική Ασφάλεια, έδωσαν σε διάφορα κέντρα, πλατείες και οδούς ελληνικές ονομασίες, με σκοπό την ελληνοποίηση του Αλβανικού χώρου». Σύμφωνα με τον Κώστα Κυριακού, το πρωτόκολλο του 1993 με αυτές τις ομόφωνες αποφάσεις της Δημογεροντίας έχει εξαφανιστεί.

[4] Η Αλβανία και οι Κίνα εξετάζουν την απελευθέρωση της βίζας και στις δύο χώρες κατά παράβαση των… ευρωπαϊκών οδηγιών.

/ edromos.gr

Η μεταφορά του ουκρανικού μετώπου στα Βαλκάνια

SManalysis

Από Ερρίκος Φινάλης 

Οι ρατσιστικές «εξυπνάδες» των Δυτικοευρωπαίων πολιτικών ηγετών για τα Βαλκάνια περίσσευαν στο πρόσφατο παρελθόν. Από τεμπέληδες έως αιμοδιψείς, οι λαοί των Βαλκανίων έχουν φιλοδωρηθεί τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες με κάθε είδους κοσμητικά επίθετα. Σήμερα όμως όλα αυτά έχουν «ξεχαστεί» λόγω της προσπάθειας πολιτικής ενσωμάτωσής τους στον ευρωπαϊκό χώρο ως χρήσιμης δύναμης κατά της Ρωσίας. Ωστόσο κάποιες μερίδες των ντόπιων ελίτ, που προετοιμάζουν τις χώρες τους να γίνουν οικόπεδα μαχών, συνεχίζουν να επιβεβαιώνουν αρκετούς από τους παλιότερους χαρακτηρισμούς. Χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα είναι η πρόεδρος του Κοσόβου Βιόσα Οσμάνι που με στολή παραλλαγής à la Ζελένσκι επιθεώρησε, κατά τη διάρκεια της τελευταίας κρίσης με τη σερβική μειονότητα, τις λεγόμενες Δυνάμεις Ασφαλείας του εν λόγω κρατικού μορφώματος…

Ο συμβολισμός ενόχλησε τους διεθνείς παράγοντες της «σωστής πλευράς της Ιστορίας». Διότι ένα νέο Ρατσάκ* σήμερα μπορεί να ανάψει το φιτίλι, με πρότυπο τη διαχείριση του πολέμου στην Ουκρανία. Κατά τα άλλα, βέβαια, οι Δυτικοί αδιαφόρησαν για την ουσία, που ήταν η παράνομη ανάπτυξη και ενίσχυση των κοσοβάρικων ενόπλων δυνάμεων στα εδάφη της σερβικής μειονότητας. Αντίθετα, εκδήλωσαν την «ανησυχία» τους λόγω των «πληροφοριών» ότι οι Σέρβοι που είχαν συγκεντρωθεί στα οδοφράγματα έριξαν πυροβολισμούς…

Δυτική ανοχή στις προβοκάτσιες του Κούρτι

Γεγονός είναι ότι το Κόσοβο βρίσκεται διαρκώς σε εντάσεις με τη Σερβία, τις οποίες καλλιεργεί ο σημερινός πρωθυπουργός του Άλμπιν Κούρτι, καλυπτόμενος πίσω από την ανεπαρκή πολιτική των ΗΠΑ και της Ε.Ε. να εγγυηθούν τα αναγνωρισμένα –διεθνώς– δικαιώματα της σερβικής μειονότητας. Πρόκειται για τη στρατηγική των ίσων αποστάσεων, οι οποίες αδικούν τους Σέρβους, και μεθοδολογικά επιδιώκουν να έχουν και την πίτα ολάκερη και τον σκύλο χορτάτο. Οι ΗΠΑ και η Ε.Ε. επιθυμούν, πρώτον, η Σερβία να απομακρυνθεί από τη ρωσική επιρροή, δηλαδή από τη μοναδική δύναμη η οποία υπενθυμίζει: α) το ψήφισμα 1244 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ (που ορίζει πως το Κόσοβο αποτελεί αναπόσπαστο τμήμα της Σερβίας**), β) την ίδρυση της Ένωσης Σερβικών Δήμων που προβλέπει η Ευρωπαϊκή Συμφωνία του 2013, καθώς και την προστασία των Ορθόδοξων μοναστηριών στα Μετόχια.

Δεύτερον, οι ΗΠΑ και η Ε.Ε. πιέζουν τη Σερβία να αναγνωρίσει την αυτοδιάθεση του Κοσόβου, και μάλιστα όταν αυτό κυβερνάται από μια ηγεσία που διεθνώς και προκλητικά διακηρύσσει την «ένωση όλων των αλβανικών εδαφών», δηλαδή μια Μεγάλη Αλβανία που θα συμπεριλάβει το Κόσοβο, τμήμα των Σκοπίων κ.λπ. Διότι, παρόλο που ο Δυτικός παράγοντας επιθυμεί την ειρήνευση κι όχι να ανοίξει ένα μέτωπο στα Βαλκάνια, οι σημερινοί διαχειριστές του μορφώματος που κατασκεύασαν οι Δυτικοί στο Κόσοβο υποδαυλίζουν τις τάσεις επέκτασης του πολέμου και στα Βαλκάνια. Και το κάνουν ανοιχτά, αφού θεωρούν ότι η αιματηρή σύρραξη στην Ουκρανία αλλάζει τους συσχετισμούς δυνάμεων και δίνει την ευκαιρία για αλλαγές συνόρων και για ανατροπές των συμπεφωνημένων

Η απόσυρση των οδοφραγμάτων που είχε στήσει η σερβική μειονότητα στα εδάφη της, όπως και η λήξη του πολεμικού συναγερμού στο έδαφος της Σερβίας (με την εγγύηση των ΗΠΑ), ίσως δίνουν λίγο χρόνο για διπλωματικές ενέργειες. Οι οποίες όμως καταλήγουν και πάλι στις ίσες αποστάσεις και στη φθορά των μη απόλυτα υπάκουων κυβερνήσεων, έτσι ώστε να καλλιεργηθεί ένα πολιτικό κλίμα ευνοϊκό για τους επιθυμητούς από τις ΗΠΑ αναδασμούς εδαφών. Σαφώς, το κύριο βάρος της ευθύνης γέρνει προς την πλευρά του προβοκάτορα πρωθυπουργού Κούρτι, ο οποίος φαίνεται ότι επιθυμεί την αντίδραση του σερβικού στρατού –του πιο ισχυρού στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια– προκειμένου να συμβεί μια αναπότρεπτη διεθνής εμπλοκή…

Κόσοβο, Βοσνία και Μολδαβία, δηλαδή τρεις πυριτιδαποθήκες σε έναν γεωγραφικά περιορισμένο χώρο όπως τα Βαλκάνια, είναι πολλές. Πόσο μάλλον που η περιοχή γειτνιάζει άμεσα με την εμπόλεμη Ουκρανία, αλλά και με την επεκτατική Τουρκία…

Άλλες δύο βαλκανικές πυριτιδαποθήκες

Κι αν το σερβοκοσοβάρικο μέτωπο είναι το επίσημο φλέγον ζήτημα στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια, η αποτυχία της συμφωνίας του Ντέιτον στο μόρφωμα της Βοσνίας-Ερζεγοβίνης διαρκώς υποκρύπτεται διαμέσου των επεμβάσεων του Γερμανού «ύπατου εκπροσώπου». Οι δύο αποσχιστικές τάσεις, των Σερβοβοσνίων από το συνολικό «κράτος» και των Κροατοβοσνίων από την Κροατομουσουλμανική Ομοσπονδία, μπορεί να ακούγονται στους ρεαλιστές των ευρωσαλονιών ως αλυχτίσματα για να αποσπαστούν χρηματοδοτήσεις. Αλλά μια πιθανή ανάφλεξη στα Βαλκάνια είναι δυνατόν να συμπαρασύρει «τοπικές» συμμαχίες με διεθνή ανάμιξη. Άλλωστε η Ρωσία ήταν μέλος της διεθνούς αντιπροσωπείας στην υπογραφή της συμφωνίας του Ντέιτον το 1995, και υποστηρίζει πολλαπλώς τη σερβική πλευρά.

Συνεχίζοντας, στην ανατολική μασχάλη των Βαλκανίων, άλλη μια χώρα δια των νόμιμων αντιπροσώπων της τείνει να επιθυμεί τη διάνοιξη ενός επιπλέον μετώπου, τη θυσία μιας ακόμα Ιφιγένειας ενόψει του πολέμου. Ο λόγος περί της φιλοδυτικής κυβέρνησης της Μολδαβίας, η οποία:

α) Θεωρητικά περιλαμβάνει στο έδαφός της την αποσχισμένη Υπερδνειστερία που, χάρη στον ρωσικό στρατιωτικό και ενεργειακό εφοδιασμό, υπερέχει και έχει καταστεί ντε φάκτο ανεξάρτητη.

β) Ενεργειακά καλύπτεται από το ρωσικό φυσικό αέριο και ηλεκτροδοτείται σε σημαντικό τμήμα της από την Υπερδνειστερία.

γ) Δεν έχει αποσπάσει από τη Δύση κάποια σοβαρή εγγύηση για την ασφάλειά της και την οικονομία της, πέρα από αόριστες υποσχέσεις και μικροδανεισμούς.

Παρ’ όλα αυτά, και τηρουμένων των αναλογιών της, συνεχίζει να προκαλεί εντάσεις και να αυξάνει, έτσι, τον κίνδυνο επέκτασης του πολέμου και σε μολδαβικό έδαφος. Χαρακτηριστική είναι η πρόσφατη απαγόρευση αντιπολιτευτικών καναλιών που ανήκουν στον Ίλαν Σορ*** με τον ισχυρισμό ότι είναι ρωσόφιλα, οι επιθέσεις στη μολδαβική ορθόδοξη εκκλησία επειδή δεν έχει διακόψει τις σχέσεις της με το Πατριαρχείο της Μόσχας, καθώς και οι δημόσιες εκτιμήσεις της μολδαβικής μυστικής υπηρεσίας SIS ότι «είναι θέμα χρόνου να εισβάλει η Ρωσία στη Μολδαβία» – οι οποίες προκάλεσαν κύματα ανησυχίας, για να αποσυρθούν λίγες ώρες αργότερα…

Προς ουκρανοποίηση;

Κόσοβο, Βοσνία και Μολδαβία, δηλαδή τρεις πυριτιδαποθήκες σε έναν γεωγραφικά περιορισμένο χώρο όπως τα Βαλκάνια, είναι πολλές. Πόσο μάλλον που η περιοχή γειτνιάζει άμεσα με την εμπόλεμη Ουκρανία, αλλά και με την επεκτατική Τουρκία, η οποία αυξάνει τις «δράσεις» της και την επιρροή της σε μια σειρά βαλκανικές χώρες. Επιπλέον, το ρευστό πολιτικό τοπίο στις άλλες χώρες των Βαλκανίων, όπως και οι διχασμοί και οι παλινωδίες ανάμεσα σε πολιτικές δυνάμεις που αντιμάχονται (είτε είναι φιλοδυτικές, είτε φιλικές προς τη Ρωσία, είτε ανοίγονται στους λεγόμενους «Τρίτους Παράγοντες» σαν την Τουρκία), επιτείνουν τις ανησυχίες για την ουκρανοποίηση της γειτονιάς μας. Και βέβαια επισημαίνουν με δραματικό τρόπο το κενό ενός βαλκανικού αντιπολεμικού κινήματος.

* Η «σφαγή αμάχων Κοσοβάρων» στο Ρατσάκ από Σέρβους το 1999 στην πραγματικότητα αφορούσε, σύμφωνα με τους ανεξάρτητους Φινλανδούς πραγματογνώμονες-ιατροδικαστές, το θάνατο ατόμων που έκαναν χρήση πυροβόλων όπλων. Τότε όμως χρησιμοποιήθηκε για να δικαιολογήσει προπαγανδιστικά τον διαμελισμό της Γιουγκοσλαβίας.

** Οι ΗΠΑ, όπως και η διοίκηση της KFOR, αρνήθηκαν (κατά παράβαση του ψηφίσματος 1244/1999 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ) να ενισχύσει η σερβική κυβέρνηση και με δικές της μονάδες την αποκλειστικά Δυτικής σύνθεσης «ειρηνευτική δύναμη» KFOR, που διαχρονικά παρακολουθεί άπραγη τις προκλήσεις της κοσοβάρικης διοίκησης κατά της σερβικής μειοψηφίας.

Five "tank killers" from Cyprus: A powerful helicopter is arriving in Serbia

SManalysis

Serbia is about to reach a final agreement with Cyprus on the acquisition of the Russian-made Mi-35 combat helicopters.

SOURCE: NOVOSTI, R.DRAGOVIC WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2023 | 15:55

According to the unofficial information of "Novosti", negotiations are underway for five aircraft that the Cypriot army owns in its air force. The first aircraft could arrive as early as this year. After this delivery, the fleet of flying "tank killers" in the Serbian Army will number a total of nine helicopters.

Negotiations with Cyprus on this business have been ongoing since 2021, and the purchase and sale of combat helicopters was also among the topics during the visit of the Cypriot Minister of Defense to Belgrade, in early December last year. Nicosia has "advertised" for sale 11 of these aircraft, and Belgrade is interested in taking over five, in a broader arrangement that would include a two-way exchange of military equipment. Cyprus has already bought 24 "Nora" howitzers and eight "Milos" light armored vehicles from Serbia, and they are also interested in Serbian rocket artillery, such as "Tamnava".

Leadership of the Serbian Armed Forces eagerly awaits final negotiations:

"With the acquisition of Cypriot Mi-35 aircraft, we would get a strong combat helicopter squadron. This is especially important as a support to the forces on the ground. It is a well-armored and powerfully armed aircraft, which is respected by the world's largest powers," the Serbian Army states.

The Mi-35 helicopter, however, is one of the reinforcements for the Serbian Air Force expected during this year. Commander of the Army and Defense Forces Lieutenant General Duško Žarković says that the procurement agenda planned for 2023 is well filled.

"We are expected to continue equipping transport aircraft, multipurpose helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile systems and radar equipment," says Duško Žarković.

"Also, the modernization of the MiG 29 aircraft and the P-12 and P-18 radars is in the final phase. In order to fully complete the air defense system, we have entered into the process of equipping it with radar-computer means of aerial observation and reporting," says Žarković.

This year will certainly be marked by the continuation of cooperation with the Airbus, with which it was agreed to purchase the transport aircraft "kaza" and as many as 10 multi-purpose helicopters H145M. The first aircraft for the Army of Serbia have already been completed in a factory in Germany. They will be delivered by spring, and by the beginning of next year the Air Force will have a full squadron of these aircraft at its disposal.

The most important long-term "open" project of the Serbian Air Force is the negotiations with the French Dassault Group on the acquisition of Rafale fighter jets. According to the French media, both parties have reached an agreement in principle on this deal, but no agreement on the price and delivery dynamics. The contract for the purchase of the aircraft could be concluded this year, and the army can expect the first aircraft in 2028 or 2029 at the earliest.

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced the continuation of large investments in the domestic dedicated industry. However, he asked the employees of the military-industrial complex to change their attitude towards the state.

"We are looking at how to help the special industry factories in every way and invest money, but we will not flatter the workers. I will go to Kragujevac to talk with the workers of the "Zastava Armaments", but they should also know that there is no game with the state anymore'', Aleksandar Vučić said.

No company can work successfully if, on average, 700 people are not at work every day, which is the case in Kragujevac.

According to our newspaper, France has started the delivery of the Missile Transportable Anti-aérien Léger "Mistral" missile system to the Serbian Army. This short-range tool, intended for actions against targets in the air, will have the role of protecting units and troops on the ground, especially against drones. France is also expected to deliver "Thales" ground master GM-200 and GM-400 radars. These assets will be the eyes and ears of the army, with a maximum range of up to 470 kilometers. Radars detect not only enemy planes and helicopters, but also drones, cruise missiles, and even tactical missiles.