Only cooperation and integration keep peace in the Western Balkans
“Peace, security and development in the Western Balkans” was the theme of the second session of the Balkan Leaders’ Conference held in Prishtina.
President of the Strategic Studies Forum of Serbia Neven Cvetiqanin spoke about the role of the Western Balkans, emphasizing that countries must export stability.
“The Balkans are no longer on a strategic trajectory, as they were at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, because history has moved eastward and even what is happening in Ukraine is not a strategic point… In this regard, the Balkans may be at a crossroads in a global refuge, because we are no longer at the center of world politics… The Balkans. are a natural Balkan crossroads, but this crossroads is no longer the main gunpowder power in the world, and this leaves hope for the Balkans… How to maintain stability? keywords, the first keyword is cooperation and the second is integration,” he said. According to him, “the opening of the Balkans” is something useful for trade and cooperation. He also spoke of the continuation of dialogue and the compromises to be found between Kosovo and Serbia. “For us it is important to continue the dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade, and it is particularly important to respect what is provided for in the Brussels-Washington agreement. As well as the unification of Serbian municipalities and the protection of cultural heritage and of Serbian Orthodoxy. “The Church and the entire historical heritage. Stability, cooperation, integration and compromise. We can’t solve all our problems if one wants to win them all and the other wants to lose them. Only compromise can be a long-term solution”, he said. During this panel, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Emilja Rexhepi, said that all Western Balkan countries are in a serious economic situation. In this regard, she added that without good solutions there is no concrete agreement, nor peace and economic progress “After the Russian aggression in Ukraine, we fear for our security, because we are neither. member of the EU or NATO. Our government is therefore doing everything possible to be involved on an equal footing in all economic, political and military integrations in order to be a contributor to the maintenance of peace and rapid development,” she said. North Macedonia’s former ambassador 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 the. History did not take place in our countries. The hostility has not stopped and we feel like we are still living in 1989 and the Cold War continues. It has become clear to all of us that the liberal democracy and free markets within which we sought to regulate the Western Balkans have become utopian dreams,” he said. At the Federation for universal peace, 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 accession process of the Western Balkans to the European Union is extremely slow, and it is for this reason that political nationalisms Threats to peace and security in the Balkans are growing. The only question is the enlargement of the EU. The EU has a responsibility to take a much more serious approach, as the Western Balkans face many security challenges. these inter-ethnic obstacles and economic problems as well as security threats, such as crime and corruption”, he said. According to him, the leaders of the Western Balkans should unite to solve the problems, leaving aside personal and partisan interests “A few days ago, in Ohrid, we saw leaders of the Balkans, we saw for the first time an appeal sent from Serbia to Kosovo for some kind of cooperation. So, she made an offer for the sale of coal. I don’t know. If we want to judge whether it should be accepted or not, everyone will benefit after a long time. These are the right parameters to start relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This and such initiatives should be welcomed and encouraging,” he said. Also attending the panel was former Foreign Minister 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 prominent leaders from Balkan countries, regional institutions and European nations.
