MUNICH – In partnership with European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP) is organizing a side event “The Russian Bear Doesn’t Hibernate: Are the Balkan the Next Conflict Zone?” at this-year Munich Security Forum on Friday.
What channels and practices are used by Russian agents of influence in the region? What are the reasons and the consequences for Russia to provoke a potential new conflict in Europe? What should the West do to prevent such development strategically and in the long term? These are some of the topics that will be discussed with high officials, experts and diplomats from the Western Balkans, the EU, the USA and Russia.
As organizers stated, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine demonstrated its brutality and unpredictability in geopolitical relations. Despite its internal challenges, the united Western response shows its resilience and determination to oppose this aggression regardless of the political, economic and social price it pays.
“However, one region of Europe is still vulnerable and subject to malign Russian influence – the Western Balkans. Some of the key political actors remain unwilling to cut ties with the Kremlin, opening up the possibility of its destructive influence potentially destabilizing the region and Europe”.