Weekly Review // March 14 - 20 SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE Observatory The Southeastern Europe Intelligence Unit is formed by an ambitious group of young scientists which focuses on the political, economic, defense and security developments in the wider region of Southeastern Europe. Our main task is the “Southeastern Europe Observatory” to become a credible, detailed, objective and flexible “tool” of information and short analysis in the hands of the researcher and the professional who is interested in the current affairs of this sensitive and crucial part of the European continent. In each weekly review, you will find the most significant news of the previous week in the region. SPECIAL COUNTRY REPORT: Turkey Kurds clash with police at Newroz - a cultural or a political suppression? very year March 21, millions of Kurds across the world celebrate Newroz, which refers to the beginning of the New Year for the Kurdish people. Meaning ‘the new day’ in Kurdish language, Newroz represents the beginning of Spring and the starts of the New EYear. Members of the pro-Kurdish party BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) applied for permission to spread their fests to the days of 17-21 March as they have been doing in previous years. However, this year, the Ministry of the Interior denied permission for the earlier start of Newroz celebrations before the 21st, strictly prohibiting any activity on March 18. The ban arrived soon after the president of the BDP, Selahattin Demirtas declared the official celebrations shall take place on Sunday the 18th, instead of Monday 21st. Despite the bans, Newroz celebrations took place in Van, Hakkari, Siirt, Mus, Diyarbakır, Instabul and Ankara. Thousands of people gathered, danced, cheered, and shouted slogans, “Long live the leader Apo (here, referring the nick name of their leader Abdullah Ocalan)” and “The PKK is the people”. Kids, teenagers and the elder people were alltogether, dressed in traditional costumes, singing Kurdish songs within the barricades surrounded them by the policemen. Kurdish flags and the pictures of Ocalan were all over, as hundereds of riot police were tasked to stand against the demonstrators and to clash with the resisting groups. The TV showed the police driving the water vehicle onto the groups and throwing tear gas. Media reported that 120 people were arrested and 5 people got injured. Many Kurdish politicians were beaten up as the pictures showed in the newspapers the next day. Hacı Zengin, who is a Kurdish politician responsible of one of the Party’s district in Istanbul reportedly died during a police intervention and one policeman was shot dead. While all this was happening, Prime Minister Erdogan defended the ban and the police action, arguing “ironically” that otherwise the celebrations would have turned into a bloodshed. The Kurds today consist of almost 20% of the population in Turkey and have been demanding political autonomy for the eastern and southeastern districts for many years now. More than 35.000 guerillas, soldiers and civillians lost their lives, since the PKK started armfire in 1984. Even though AKP (Justice and Development party) government at first seemed moderate towards the Kurdish dispute and initiated a rather radical approach towards the Kurdish with several cultural reforms called ‘Democratic Openning’, the political climate has changed since last summer, when Erdogan was re-elected with collecting 49% of the national votes. Soon after that, the PKK broke out the ceasefire, the bloodshed restarted in the southeast and the pro-Kurdish politicians started to deliver speeches remarking they have arrived to the end of the road. Newroz celebrations have always been marked more political, than cultural, as it happens to be an opportunity for the Kurdish people to cry out loud their strive for their identity. However, the particular tension of this year’s celebrations can also be explained by the break of ties between the Kurdish representatives and the government. It is difficult to tell whether the Kurds and the Turks came to the end of the road, but the main picture drawn over the violence of the previous weekend displays clearly that the two communities do no longer walk on the same road. Deniz Dag External Scientific Associate/Turkey Liaison/Research Assistant on Defense & Security Issues 1 Weekly Review // March 14 - 20 TOP NEWS FROM THE REGION ALBANIA: On March 15, The Albanian Minister of Insurance Fund had paid BGN 6 M more for medications in Justice, Eduard Halimi was accused by the Albanian 2011, compared to 2010, when the signing of the contracts prosecutors association of breaching the principle of was under the authority of the Health Ministry. Some of the division of powers and, hence the Albanian Constitution. medications had a price that skyrocketed 10 or more times This took place after a report by the Ministry of Justice that in 2011. was leaked to the media, which claimed that problems in the work of prosecutors were discovered. The Ministry - Bulgarian delegation led by PM Boyko Borissov paid an recommended disciplinary measures and dismissals of 59 official visit to Ankara on the occasion of the first meeting of prosecutors. The prosecutors’ association stated that the the Turkish-Bulgarian High-Level Cooperation Council. report was “not true, absurd and unacceptable”. Pointing to the strong relations between Turkey and Bulgaria, said they attach great importance to Turkish- BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Zeljko Komsic has Bulgarian cooperation especially in the energy sector and resigned from all posts in the Social Democratic Party. transportation through which he noted the existing Asian- Komsic was deputy president of the SDP but also held the European connection could be consolidated. President Gul post of ethnic Croat member of the tripartite state said that the agreements signed during the Bulgarian PM’s presidency. He was also a member of the SDP presidency visit to Turkey are the best demonstration that their and a member of the Central Committee. The sudden relations are being deepened and diversified in every way, resignation of such a key member of the party is likely to declaring both countries to be “two neighbors with houses boost criticism of Lagumdzija's leadership of the party. on the same street.” Turkey and Bulgaria, he reiterated, have a responsibility to hearten the regional cooperation - Bosnia adopted a Global Fiscal Framework for 2012-14, and solidarity while improving their bilateral relations. creating a basis for the country to set a proper budget. The global fiscal framework and adoption of a budget were set - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that his as conditions by the IMF to Bosnia in order to continue country will probably withdraw from an agreement with negotiations on new loans, which the government says is Russia's state-owned nuclear company Atomstroy export to needed. Bosnia signed a standby agreement with the IMF build a nuclear power plant in the Danube coastal town of in 2008 for EUR 1.2 billion. However, Bosnia received less Belene. Bulgaria will pay for one of the ordered reactors, than a quarter of the money due to its failure to fulfill the which has already been built. conditions and pass economic reforms, mostly of which stalled owing to the lack of a budget. Without a budget, CROATIA: On March 15, it was announced that a train Bosnia could not pay off its international loans at the line connecting Moscow and Split will start operating in the beginning of 2012. summer. This announcement by Russian Railways is considered as a sign of increased interest in Croatia from - Bosnia will ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Russia, making a trip to Croatia via rail, accessible to those a new loan deal. The two regions that constitute Bosnia citizens, who cannot afford the more expensive plane estimate that there will be deficits in their respective ticket. Tourism operators are highly optimistic about this budgets this year as access to external funding has decision become increasingly difficult. Both see the IMF loan as the most favorable solution for covering budget holes while - On March 20, the three defendants in the Fimi Media keeping fiscal discipline. The IMF has repeatedly urged case, former HDZ treasurer, Mladen Barisic, former HDZ Bosnia's authorities to come up with a common strategy on accountant, Branka Pavosevic, and Fimi media company economic policymaking in order to resume talks with the owner, Nevenka Jurak, pleaded guilty in the preliminary lender. hearing. Fimi-media is one of the historically biggest scandals in Croatian history. It has involved the name of BULGARIA: Bulgarian Economy and Health ministers former Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, who allegedly resigned. Bulgarian PM Boiko Borissov has accepted the extracted money of state companies through the Fimi- resignations of Economy Minister Traicho Traikov and media agency and the party's former campaign manager, Health Minister Stefan Konstantinov. Traikov's resignation Ratko Macek. They both continue to deny all the charges. comes a day after Qatar businessmen failed to show up at In what the defendants are concerned, Barisic's counsel a much publicized in Bulgaria bilateral business forum in Ante Madunic declared, "Even though we made no plea Doha. Konstantinov is the third Health Minister in the bargain, we can't move away from such a defence given GERB cabinet has been resigned. The scandal around the that it was true and it is our most important mitigating Minister flared after it emerged that National Health circumstance." 2 Weekly Review // March 14 - 20 - On March 20, the Ministry of Finance released figures for - On March 16, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska and 2012 so far, it is depicted an increase of 6.6 percent in her Montenegrin counterpart Ivan Brajovic signed a Police revenues and a 2.5 percent decrease in expenditure Cooperation Agreement which is planned to assist the two compared to 2011.