“Peace, Security and Development in the Western Balkans” was the topic of the second session of the Balkan Leadership Conference being held in Prishtina.
The President of the Forum for Strategic Studies in Serbia, Neven Cvetiqanin, spoke about the role of the Western Balkans, emphasizing that countries must export stability.
“The Balkans are no longer in the strategic course, as they were at the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, because history has shifted to the east and even what is happening in Ukraine is not a strategic point… In this respect, the Balkans may be at a world crossroads in a world shelter, because we are no longer at the center of world politics… The Balkans is a natural Balkan crossroads, but this crossroads is no longer the main gunpowder power in the world, and it leaves hope for the Balkans… How to maintain stability? I had divided it into two keywords, the first key word is cooperation and the second is integration”, he said.
According to him, the “Open Balkan” is something useful for trade and co-operation. He also mentioned the continuation of the dialogue and compromises to be reached between Kosovo and Serbia.
“For us, it is important to continue the dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade, and it is particularly important to fulfill what is set out in the Brussels-Washington agreement. And the unification of Serbian municipalities and the protection of cultural heritage and the Serbian Orthodox Church and the entire historical heritage. Stability, cooperation, integration and compromise. We cannot solve all our issues and problems if one side wants to win them all, the other to lose them all. Only compromise can be a long-term solution”, he said.
In this panel, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Emilja Rexhepi said that all the countries of the Western Balkans have a serious economic situation.
In this regard, she added that without good solutions there is no concrete agreement nor peace and economic progress.
“After Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, we fear for our safety, because we are neither a member of the EU nor of the NATO, so our government is doing everything possible to be equally involved in all economic, political and military integrations in order to be a contributor to peacekeeping and rapid development”, she said.
The former ambassador of North Macedonia to NATO, Nano Ruzin said that Kosovo is the heart of the Western Balkans.
“All of us, the people of the Western Balkans, have accepted the model of liberal democracy, but the end of history has not happened in our countries. The hostility has not stopped and we get the impression that we are still experiencing 1989 and the Cold War is still going on. It has become clear to all of us that liberal democracy and the market freedom under which we have sought to regulate the Western Balkans have become utopian dreams”, he said.
At the conference of the Universal Peace Federation, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Slobodan Petrovic, said that the latest crisis and the attack on Ukraine show that Europe must be ready to invest in long-term security.
“The stability and security of the Western Balkans are important for peace and stability, not only of the Western Balkans but of the whole of Europe. The process of joining the Western Balkans in the European Union is extremely slow, and for this reason political nationalisms that endanger peace and security in the Balkans are strengthening. The only question is EU enlargement. The EU has a responsibility to take a much more serious approach, it is about peace and security. The Western Balkans are burdened with many security issues, whether in those interethnic obstacles and economic problems and the threat of security, such as crime, corruption”, he said.
According to him, the leaders of the Western Balkans should come together to solve problems, leaving aside personal and party interests.
“A few days ago, in Ohrid, we saw some Balkan leaders, we saw for the first time a call sent to Kosovo from Serbia for some kind of cooperation. So, it has made an offer for the sale of coal. I do not want to judge whether it should be accepted or not, everyone would benefit from these things after a long time. These are the right parameters for starting relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This and such initiatives should be welcomed and are encouraging”, he said.
The panel was also attended by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Arian Starova, who said that national security is essential and that the war between Russia and Ukraine shows that NATO has never been a threat to Russia.
This conference brought together eminent leaders from Balkan countries, regional institutions and European nations.
