Željko Komšić, a member of the Presidency of B&amp;H, talked today with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and it was concluded that the decision of the Government of Serbia regarding measures at the border will be the same for all B&amp;H citizens, regardless of which entity they live in, it was confirmed for „Avaz“.
President Komšić has just talked with President Vučić about the treatment that applies to the entry of B&amp;H citizens to Serbia! President Vučić said that the information that different treatment of citizens was introduced is not accurate. The same treatment applies to all B&amp;H citizens - it was said for "Avaz" from Komšić's cabinet.
In a conversation with Komšić, Vučić said that the measure banning B&amp;H citizens from entering Serbia would certainly be lifted.
We remind you that yesterday the Serbian Border Police Administration informed the B&amp;H Border Police that B&amp;H citizens residing in the RS entity can enter Serbia without a PCR test, but with mandatory ten-day isolation, while all other B&amp;H citizens must show a negative PCR test at the border.
This decision provoked violent reactions in B&amp;H, which is why some parties reacted today. The SDA said that this decision was discriminatory.

President Vučić said that the information that different treatment of citizens was introduced is not true, it was said for "Avaz" from Komšić's cabinet

Komšić talked to Vučić, the decision to enter Serbia is the same for all B&H citizens

Molecular biologist and one of the world's leading scientists Ivan Đikić, commenting on yesterday's information that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the "Pfizer" and "BioNTech" vaccine for use in the European Union, told "Avaz" that this is very good information.

According to him, the Drug Agency was guided exclusively by scientific data. As it was announced yesterday, the European Commission is expected to give approval and pave the way for millions of doses of vaccines that "Pfizer" will deliver in all 27 EU member states.
- It is very important that based on scientific data it is confirmed that the vaccine is effective and that there are no harmful consequences that would be dangerous for the general population. Based on that, the way for vaccination is now open all over Europe, which means that it will probably be possible for the citizens of B&amp;H, who will be able to get vaccines - says Đikić.
He claims that the "Pfizer" vaccine has shown more than 90 percent effectiveness, ie that 90 percent of those who received the vaccine and were in contact with the virus are currently protected.

- Only a small number of patients who received the vaccine could be infected, which proves the quality of the vaccine - pointed out Đikić.
As announced, vaccines will arrive in neighboring Croatia as early as this Saturday, and vaccination in all European Union countries will begin on December 27th, 28th and 29th.

It is very important that, based on scientific data, it is confirmed that the vaccine is effective and that there are no harmful consequences that would be dangerous for the general population

Ivan Đikić, world-renowned expert for "Avaz" on "Pfizer's" vaccine

Turkey's LC Waikiki opened its flagship store in Kampala, Uganda.
The fashion retailer is ​​​​​​​Europe’s fastest-growing urban fashion chain, internationally renowned for offering high-quality apparel at a great value.
As the global ambassador of Turkey, LC Waikiki opened its first store outside Turkey in 2009 and has since expanded rapidly across the world.
As part of its Africa growth strategy, the new store in Uganda is the first of its kind, located in Acacia Mall, a high profile shopping complex in Kampala and the second in East Africa.
Turkey's Ambassador to Uganda Kerem Alp who was there at the opening ceremony said that despite the challenges in doing business due to COVID-19, Ugandan and Turkish authorities are still committed to seeing that Ugandans have access to Turkey’s high-quality products.
-We have been giving many Ugandans visas to go to Turkey for garment shopping and unfortunately due to COVID-19, many may not be able to go to Turkey now or in the near future. I am glad that you can access the best of Turkey from right here- he said.
He added that Turkey is strategically located in the midst of Europe and Asia which allows it to enjoy top quality European products that are sold at cheap Asian prices.
Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Uganda in 2016, several Turkish businesses have increased their footprint into the African country.
Erdogan's visit was the first by a Turkish head of state and was mainly geared at promoting trade and tourism opportunities between Turkey and Uganda.​​​​​​​

Since 2016, several Turkish businesses have increased their footprint in East African country

Turkish retailer LC Waikiki debuts in Uganda

Germany was hit with "unjustified" tit-for-tat sanctions by Russia Tuesday over penalties imposed by the EU for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a foreign ministry source told AFP.
Navalny fell violently ill during a flight from Siberia to Moscow in August and was hospitalised in the city of Omsk before being transported to Berlin by medical aircraft.
He has been receiving treatment in Germany since then.
The charge d'affaires at the German embassy in Moscow, Beate Grzeski, was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry and informed that "countermeasures in the form of travel bans against German state institutions have been ordered", the source said.
-While this past pattern of Russian countermeasures is known, they remain in the view of the German government unjustified- the source added.
The Navalny affair "is not a bilateral case," the German official said, but rather "remains a case of international dimensions due to the violation of international law with the use of chemical nerve agents".
-We continue to call on Russia to clarify the use of a chemical weapon on Russian territory against a Russian citizen- the source said. -Russia has shown no willingness to do so.-
The Russian foreign ministry said earlier it had "decided to expand the list of representatives of EU member states and institutions who will be denied entry to Russia" in response to "confrontational" sanctions imposed by the bloc in October.
The counter sanctions were announced after Moscow summoned senior diplomats from Germany, France and Sweden, the three countries where labs have said Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-designed nerve agent.

German official: Navalny affair "is not a bilateral case"

"While this past pattern of Russian countermeasures is known, they remain in the view of the German government unjustified," the source added

Germany hit by 'unjustified' new Russian sanctions

Mass voluntary testing for coronavirus begins in Slovenia today, it was announced from the Slovenian Ministry of Health.
Testing will be free, and those who want to be tested must bring an ID card and health card, maintain a social distance and wear a mask.
The results of rapid tests that will be used during testing from today in Slovenia are considered equivalent to the results obtained by PCR tests.
Mass testing will be available in all major Slovenian cities, and more testing sites will be provided in areas where the epidemiological situation is worst.
Mass testing will be carried out until Thursday, December 24th, Slovenian media reports.

Mass testing will be available in all major Slovenian cities

Mass testing will be conducted by Thursday

Mass testing for coronavirus begins in Slovenia

Today, 674 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Out of that, there are 463 new cases in the Federation, 180 in the Republic of Srpska, and 31 in the Brčko District of B&amp;H.
85 people died, of which 62 in FB&amp;H, 22 in RS and one in Brčko District.
2,641 samples were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 463 were positive for the virus. New cases have been registered in all cantons in the Federation of B&amp;H.
A total of 325,364 samples have been tested so far, and coronavirus has been confirmed in 69,030 cases. As of today, 49,815 patients have been cured in the Federation of B&amp;H, and in the past 24 hours, 672 patients recovered.
17,151 cases are currently active.
In the past 24 hours, 62 new deaths were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H.
During the past 24 hours, 22 deaths were reported to the RS Institute of Public Health, in which the presence of coronavirus was confirmed.
Since the last report on the epidemiological situation in RS, 635 laboratory samples have been tested, and coronavirus has been confirmed in 180 people.

674 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered

New cases have been registered in all cantons in the Federation of B&H

85 deaths were reported in B&H

Who is the winner of the local elections in Mostar, in many ways historic ones, primarily due to the fact that they were held after 12 years of stagnation, could not be determined yesterday.
According to incomplete and unofficial data after the local elections in Mostar, and based on more than 90 percent of counted ballots, the Coalition for Mostar 2020, consisting of SDA, SBB, DF, SB&amp;H and BPS, has a secure 12 seats in the Mostar City Council, which consists of 35 councilors.

The BH bloc, that is, the SDP and Naša stranka, for now, have five mandates. HDZ B&amp;H has 13 seats, HRS three, and one belongs to the "Stay Here" list of SNSD and SDS.
Šerif Špago, the Coalition's coordinator, told us that these five political entities had achieved their goal of, among other things, making a major contribution so that, ultimately, the pro-Bosnian bloc would have the necessary majority in the Mostar City Council.
- At the moment, we are only not sure that the BH bloc in the West City Area will have a councilor, but votes from the diaspora will decide there. So, the Coalition for Mostar has two thirds in that pro-Bosnian part of the councilors and, although it could have been better, we are still satisfied with that result - Špago told us.
Among the numerous calculations during yesterday, it was stated that the pro-Bosnian bloc could have 19 mandates with the votes of the diaspora, but also that a stalemate could follow in the future City Council of Mostar.
It is in this calculation that the "disputed" mandate in the West City Area, which the BH bloc is seriously counting on and where the Coalition for Mostar did not have its own list, was included in the HDZ B&amp;H.
In that way, there would be 17 hands in the bloc with the Croatian sign, together with the HRS, as many as the pro-Bosnian bloc would have, and the remaining mandate of a total of 35 belonged to the Serbian list.

In such a balance of power, the 18th hand is important for the election of a mayor who, let us recall, is chosen from among the elected councilors. The mayor is elected by a two-thirds majority in the first two rounds of voting, and if that does not happen, in the third round, a majority of more than half, ie 18 councilors, is sufficient. Therefore, the question of whether new blockades will follow in Mostar dominated yesterday as well.
Professor of constitutional law Nurko Pobrić told us that he does not believe that a third option, along with HDZ B&amp;H and the Coalition for Mostar, will have its own candidates for mayor, although he does not rule out that possibility.
- It is difficult to predict whether there will be any political trade, it is possible, as are blockades. But when you take into account the fact that elections have not been held for so long, then blockades should not happen. The City Council and the mayor should be elected, but also the Statute of the City should be harmonized with the decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&amp;H. Everything else is irrational and would not be politically correct - said prof. Pobrić.

Špago referred to the accusations from the HNS and HDZ B&amp;H about election engineering before and after the election process, saying that there are competent bodies for that, such as the CEC.
Thus, yesterday, the HDZ B&amp;H stated that "overnight, after the polls closed, thousands of votes were stolen in predominantly Croatian constituencies."
After yesterday's session, the CEC announced that a new counting of votes would follow at about 70 polling stations out of a total of 150 regular ones, at the request of the City Election Commission.

The coalition for Mostar has two-thirds in that pro-Bosnian part of the council, says Špago

What will the new government look like in Mostar?

The Chairman of the Presidency of B&amp;H, Milorad Dodik, has bilateral pneumonia, and the third test for coronavirus that was performed is positive.
- Today, a council of doctors met at the University Clinical Center of RS and discussed Dodik's health condition. They found out that he has difficulty breathing and stomach pain. Bilateral pneumonia was diagnosed, and the third test for the new coronavirus was positive. Milorad Dodik's health condition is stable, he is feeling well and is receiving adequate therapy - it has been confirmed from the UCC RS.
His health condition continues to be monitored.

His health condition continues to be monitored

Dodik: His health condition continues to be monitored

Dodik positive for coronavirus

The plane with the first doses of Pfizer's vaccine landed at Belgrade's "Nikola Tesla" airport. The contingent includes 4,800 vaccines.
The airplane landed a little earlier than announced,as Blic writes. Four days ago, the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Serbia gave its consent for the import of Pfizer's vaccine.
Three days ago, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced the arrival of these vaccines, adding that "we can quickly expect a mass vaccination".
- Of course, the vaccines will be free, in the next couple of days we will get the first ones, it will not arrive as much as we expected, around 10,000 was supposed to arrive, but about 5,000 we can expect. We will first immunize citizens over the age of 75. We will provide 50,000 vaccines for free - said Vučić earlier.
EU regulators approved a coronavirus vaccine made by BioNTech and Pfizer yesterday, and at the end of the same day, the European Commission issued a marketing authorization for the vaccine, making it the first EU-approved Covid-19 vaccine.

Four days ago, the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Serbia gave its consent for the import of Pfizer's vaccine

The plane with the first doses of Pfizer's vaccine landed at the Belgrade airport

The airplane with the first doses of Pfizer vaccines landed at the Belgrade airport

British airline easyJet, whose finances have come under severe pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, has agreed with Airbus to defer the delivery of aircraft, it said on Tuesday.European travel has been at very low levels for more than nine months, forcing easyJet to take on more debt, tap shareholders for cash and sell dozens of aircraft to boost its finances to survive until flying recovers. Last month it reported a 1.27 billion pound ($1.7 billion) loss.
The airline said the delivery of 22 aircraft will be deferred from 2022-2024 to 2027-2028.
In addition 15 delivery dates within the period 2022 to 2024 will move to more closely match forecast seasonal requirements.
EasyJet said that under the terms of its 2013 agreement with Airbus the future aggregate cash price of the aircraft subject to deferrals will increase.
The airline also had the option until Dec. 31 2020 not to take up to seven aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2022 and 2026.
It has now agreed with Airbus to reallocate the aircraft to which this option applies, to seven planes due for delivery in 2025 to 2026, with the deadline to exercise this option amended to December 2021.
The changes will result in easyJet taking no deliveries in 2021, eight in 2022, seven in 2023 and 18 in 2024.
EasyJet has also retained options to increase its deliveries in 2023 to 30 aircraft.
-In this period of uncertainty, this flexibility is even more valuable, as it will enable us to quickly flex our fleet size in response to customer demand- CEO Johan Lundgren said.
Shares in easyJet, down 47% this year, closed Monday at 757.2 pence, valuing the business at 3.47 billion pounds.

The airline said the delivery of 22 aircraft will be deferred from 2022-2024 to 2027-2028.

An Easyjet Airbus A319 plane is seen at Luton Airport, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Luton, Britain, June 4, 2020.

EasyJet defers Airbus aircraft deliveries

Two Vatican cardinals, including one who spends most of his time helping Rome’s homeless, have tested positive for the coronavirus, a Vatican source said on Tuesday.Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, 57, a Pole who manages Pope Francis’ charities and has the title of the Vatican’s almoner, was hospitalised for treatment of the onset of pneumonia.
Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, 78, the governor of Vatican City, tested positive and is believed to be in self-isolation in his home in the Vatican, the source said.
It was not immediately clear if either or both attended an event on Monday at which members of the Vatican’s central administration, known as the Curia, exchanged Christmas greetings with the pope. There was no official Vatican confirmation of the two cardinals’ test results.
Krajewski spends much of this time on the streets outside Vatican City helping Rome’s homeless population. At the request of the pope, he has set up a clinic, bathing facilities and other services for the homeless just off St. Peter’s Square.
He is also very active with Italian charities that help the poor and homeless throughout Italy.
Italy, the first Western country hit by the virus, has seen 69,214 COVID-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the highest toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world. It has also registered some 1.96 million cases to date.
In September, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino who heads the Vatican’s missionary arm, tested positive and went into isolation but is believed to be in good heath now.
During the first wave of the pandemic last spring, more than a dozen Swiss Guard tested positive as well as a person who lived in the same guest house where the pope resides.
Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health services, said earlier this month that the city-state will start vaccinated residents and staff members early in the new year.

It was not immediately clear if either or both attended an event on Monday at which members of the Vatican’s central administration

Pope Francis shakes hands with Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Papal Almoner, as he arrives to bless a car donated to The Office of Papal Charities (Elemosineria Apostolica), in Vatican, February 6, 2019.

Two Vatican cardinals, papal aides, test positive for coronavirus

The co-founder of BioNTech said Tuesday it was "highly likely" that its vaccine against the coronavirus works against the mutated strain detected in Britain, but it could also adapt the vaccine if necessary in six weeks.
-Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant- said Ugur Sahin.
But if needed, "in principle the beauty of the messenger technology is that we can directly start to engineer a vaccine which completely mimics this new mutation -- we could be able to provide a new vaccine technically within six weeks."
Sahin said the variant detected in Britain has nine mutations, rather than just one as is usually common.
Nevertheless, he voiced confidence that the vaccine developed with Pfizer would be efficient because it "contains more than 1,000 amino acids, and only nine of them have changed, so that means 99 percent of the protein is still the same".
He said tests are being run on the variant, with results expected in two weeks.
-We have scientific confidence that the vaccine might protect but we will only know it if the experiment is done... we will publish the data as soon as possible- he added.

Ugur Sahin: Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant

Ugur Sahin said the variant detected in Britain has nine mutations

BioNTech says can make mutation-beating vaccine in six weeks

North Macedonia will mull legalising marijuana for recreational use next year, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Monday, adding that he also plans to loosen restrictions around exporting cannabis for medical purposes.
The small Balkan state will kick off public debates around both decriminalising -- and then fully legalising -- the drug in 2021, Zaev said. 
-We will listen to the voice of the citizens, and then the parliament will act accordingly- he assured. 
-It is not fair for someone who used half a gram of natural cannabis for personal use to go to prison, in an era where all around the world this plant is becoming legal both for medical and economic purposes- Zaev added. 
Growing marijuana for medical use has been legal in North Macedonia since 2016, but the law only allows the export of tinctures, oils and other extracts.
Zaev said he hopes parliament will approve legal changes by the end of the year that would allow the export of the cannabis "flower" -- which makes up the lion's share of market demand. 
This alone "is expected (to bring) an annual income of 250 million euros and open up well-paid jobs", Zaev said.
The list of ailments that can be treated with cannabis-based products will also be expanded, he added.
When it comes to recreational use, the government will likely face tough scrutiny from opposition politicians and NGOs, some of whom worry that government-allied businesses could dominate the market.
Other problems concerning the security of growing sites have also cropped up in recent months. 
More than two tonnes of marijuana were stolen from two different growers, with only a few hundred kilogrammes intercepted near the capital Skopje.
While cannabis has become increasingly decriminalised in Europe, its sale for recreational purposes is still widely prohibited. 
Marijuana is nevertheless the most popular drug on the continent, with sales amounting to some 11.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) last year, estimates by EU's policing agency Europol show.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev: We will listen to the voice of the citizens, and then the parliament will act accordingly

Growing marijuana for medical use has been legal in North Macedonia since 2016.

N. Macedonia eyes legalising recreational marijuana

Gunmen murdered an Afghan journalist in the eastern city of Ghazni on Monday, the third reporter to be killed in the last two months in the violence-plagued country.
Rahmatullah Nekzad was shot dead with a silenced pistol by unknown gunmen near his home while he was travelling to a nearby mosque, Ghazni province police spokesman Ahmad Khan Seerat told AFP.
Targeted killings of prominent figures, including journalists, politicians and rights activists, have become more common in recent months as violence surges in Afghanistan, despite ongoing peace talks between the government and the Taliban.
No group has claimed Nekzad's murder so far, and the Taliban have denied responsibility.
Nekzad, aged in his late 40s, had contributed to the Associated Press news agency since 2007, the agency said in its report filed on his assassination.
According to the report, while working for the AP, Nekzad was arrested at various times by the United States, the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents.
He had also worked for the Al Jazeera broadcast network, the Doha-based television group said.
Al Jazeera said it was "shocked at the news of the killing of photographer Rahmatullah Nekzad, a former colleague who worked with our team in Afghanistan."
-This is a gross violation of media freedom and human rights.-
The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said Nekzad was the seventh media personnel to be killed so far this year in Afghanistan, a country rated as one of the deadliest for journalists by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
-AJSC strongly condemns the serial killing of Afghan journalists- the committee, which reports on threats to media workers in Afghanistan, said on Twitter. 
Nekzad was married and is survived by six children.

<h2>Attack on 'freedom of expression'</h2>

His assassination drew strong condemnation.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the "terrorist attack" that killed Nekzad.
-The attack against civilians, public facilities and media workers are attacks against the freedom of expression and a crime against humanity- Ghani said in a statement.
Global rights group Amnesty International said on Twitter that the murder was a "horrific crime" and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Nekzad's death follows the assassination earlier this month of female news anchor and activist Malalai Maiwand, who was shot dead with her driver in Jalalabad in an attack claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.
Last month, Radio Liberty reporter Aliyas Dayee was killed in a car bomb attack in southern Lashkar Gah city. No group has claimed his murder so far.
A former television presenter, Yama Siawash, who had recently joined Afghanistan's central bank, was also killed in November in a bomb attack in Kabul.
Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months.
Much of it has been unleashed by the Taliban as they attempt to gain leverage in peace talks, which opened in September in Doha but are currently on a break until early January.
Ghazni province has also seen deadly violence, with the Taliban and government forces clashing regularly in the region.
Fifteen children were killed on Friday when a motorbike laden with explosives blew up near a religious gathering in a village in the province.
Officials blamed the Taliban, but the insurgents denied involvement and said it was an "unexploded ordnance" that blew up and killed the children.
Last month, 30 security personnel were killed when a suicide car bomber struck an Afghan army base near Ghazni city, the provincial capital.

This is a gross violation of media freedom and human rights

Rahmatullah Nikzad , a prominent local journalist, was shot dead by unknown assailants in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province, Dec. 21, 2020.

Reporter shot dead in Afghanistan

The Hungarian and Slovenian governments both announced Monday that they would relax their coronavirus-related restrictions in order to allow families to gather for Christmas.
A Hungarian government spokesman told a press conference that the curfew currently in force would be suspended from the evening of December 24 until the following morning and that children under 14 would not be included in the 10-person limit on gatherings. 
However the Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller cautioned that "the epidemic is still a threat" adding that "the temporary lifting of the curfew is an option which should only be used carefully".
-It's important that this opportunity shouldn't make anyone careless or endanger those suffering from serious illnesses- she said, emphasising that particular care needed to be taken around older family members. 
The government in neighbouring Slovenia also announced that restrictions on gatherings would be suspended from noon on December 24 until 8 pm on December 25.
Six adults from two households will be able to meet within that time window and the ban on travel within the country in force since November will also be temporarily lifted.

Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller: The epidemic is still a threat

The Hungarian and Slovenian governments both announced Monday that they would relax their coronavirus-related restrictions in order to allow families to gather for Christmas

Hungary and Slovenia loosen virus curbs for Christmas

The new commander of NATO forces in B&amp;H, Eric Folkestad, in his first interview for B&amp;H media talks about the Euro-Atlantic path of B&amp;H, cooperation with the Armed Forces of our country, but also about the problem of the migrant crisis.

First of all, welcome to B&amp;H! What will be your priority in acting from the position of Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo?- It is a great honor to accept this exceptional responsibility. I want to help B&amp;H build the capacity of the Armed Forces to be able to respond to a range of security challenges, from conflict resolution to natural disasters. But when you strengthen the military, you must also strengthen the system of democratic control and oversight of its activities. Another part of our Partnership for Peace activities is to make sure that the Armed Forces operate under democratic control and are transparent and accountable to the people they protect.Do you believe that B&amp;H's entry into NATO is possible and that this is the path that this country must continue to take?- We want B&amp;H to take its rightful place, as a member of the Euro-Atlantic community, and we will support B&amp;H on that path in any way we can. But it is a choice that only the citizens and elected leaders of B&amp;H can decide on. What I do know is that, one after the other, the leaders in B&amp;H have signaled a desire for Euro-Atlantic integration, but each country is cooperating with NATO in different areas and under different conditions.Recently, the media reported on the decision of the NATO alliance, which intends to strengthen its engagement in B&amp;H. Can you, at least briefly, present to us the basic findings of that decision and tell us concretely in what we will see this stronger engagement?- I assume you are thinking of just one of the proposals concerning the NATO Secretary General's initiative 2030, which aims to ensure that NATO remains a strong military alliance, becomes better politically and takes a more global approach to protect the citizens of its members and partner countries. The Secretary General will continue consultations with allies, parliamentarians, civil society, the private sector and young people before presenting his recommendations to NATO leaders at next year's meeting.

In your opinion, what is the biggest security problem of B&amp;H at the moment?- It is clear to me that institutions at all levels of government in B&amp;H have been and are under strong pressure to respond to the demanding security and humanitarian challenge posed by the migrant crisis. Strong cooperation and coordination between various institutions and countries is key to responding to this challenge. That is why what NATO is doing in B&amp;H is so important. We are helping the B&amp;H Armed Forces build capabilities to work with allies to respond to international security challenges, from the migrant crisis, through returnees from foreign battlefields, to COVID. Likewise, it is clear that other security challenges have not disappeared due to COVID-19. On the contrary, we see state and non-state actors trying to use the health crisis to their advantage, even through misinformation, with the aim of provoking divisions and undermining our democracies and opportunities for action. We oppose the facts, our values and concrete activities with false narratives, which shows the readiness and solidarity of NATO. We are also working with the European Union, the United Nations, the G7 and civil society to counter this misinformation.How does NATO intend to assist B&amp;H in further developing and strengthening the BiH Armed Forces in line with Alliance standards?- The fact that B&amp;H has created a professional, cohesive armed forces that are a model of integration and cooperation is a remarkable success. First, the B&amp;H Armed Forces have been working side by side with the armed forces of the Alliance and Partner countries in Afghanistan since 2009. They are once again proving their professionalism and continue to play an important role in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, training, advising and assisting Afghan security forces and institutions. Upon their return, they are better leaders and better soldiers and, with the new skills they have acquired and perfected in these security missions, they make AFB&amp;H units more capable and efficient.

<h2>The year 2020 is a turning point</h2>

- For the AFB&amp;H, 2020 is a turning point. In September this year, a battalion group of light infantry held an exercise on Manjača. The exercise represents the final step in a process that shows the unit has reached a level of interoperability and operational capability to participate in NATO-led crisis response operations. Bringing a battalion group to exercise is not an easy task, even in normal circumstances, let alone with the additional hygienic-epidemiological measures that were needed due to the COVID pandemic.

We see state and non-state actors trying to take advantage of the health crisis to their advantage

Folkestad:  It is a great honor for me to accept this exceptional responsibility

Komšić talked to Vučić, the decision to enter Serbia is the same for all B&H citizens

Ivan Đikić, world-renowned expert for "Avaz" on "Pfizer's" vaccine

Turkish retailer LC Waikiki debuts in Uganda

Germany hit by 'unjustified' new Russian sanctions

Mass testing for coronavirus begins in Slovenia

85 deaths were reported in B&H

What will the new government look like in Mostar?

Dodik positive for coronavirus

The airplane with the first doses of Pfizer vaccines landed at the Belgrade airport

EasyJet defers Airbus aircraft deliveries

Two Vatican cardinals, papal aides, test positive for coronavirus

BioNTech says can make mutation-beating vaccine in six weeks

N. Macedonia eyes legalising recreational marijuana

Reporter shot dead in Afghanistan

Hungary and Slovenia loosen virus curbs for Christmas

General Eric Folkestad for "Avaz": We want B&H to take its place in NATO

News

Komšić talked to Vučić, the decision to enter Serbia is the same for all B&H citizens

Ivan Đikić, world-renowned expert for "Avaz" on "Pfizer's" vaccine

Turkish retailer LC Waikiki debuts in Uganda

Germany hit by 'unjustified' new Russian sanctions

Mass testing for coronavirus begins in Slovenia

85 deaths were reported in B&H

What will the new government look like in Mostar?

Dodik positive for coronavirus

The airplane with the first doses of Pfizer vaccines landed at the Belgrade airport

EasyJet defers Airbus aircraft deliveries

Two Vatican cardinals, papal aides, test positive for coronavirus

BioNTech says can make mutation-beating vaccine in six weeks

N. Macedonia eyes legalising recreational marijuana

Reporter shot dead in Afghanistan

Hungary and Slovenia loosen virus curbs for Christmas

General Eric Folkestad for "Avaz": We want B&H to take its place in NATO