BELGRADE – Kosovo and Serbia were the main topics of discussion of today’s panel discussion “Western Balkans in the Global (Dis)order: Common Approach to Regional Instability and External Threats” at the Belgrade Security Conference. The participants, as well as the audience, highlighted the need for the EU and NATO to stabilize the situation in the context of the deteriorating security in the neighboring regions.
Christopher Hill, Ambassador of the United States to Serbia, stated that in the 1990s there was a sense that the Balkans was the number one issue and the crucial piece of the puzzle of European security architecture.
“Today, there are many other issues, so it is hard for people to give exclusive attention to the Balkans. Sometimes, the complexity of the issues has exceeded people’s attention”, Hill said.
He, however, added that no matter what one might think about the quality of someone’s democracy, politics is difficult and we need to understand it from a position of empathy.
“Kosovo is a difficult issue, some can say that Serbia should move on and accept its independence; I wish that was the case, but it’s more complicated”, Hill said.
He underlined the need to understand what happened during the Banjska attack on 24 September and hold people accountable, so that similar things can be prevented in the future.
He also commented on the perceived lack of criticism towards Belgrade following the event.
“I understand the role of public messaging, but I think that these problems need to be solved through traditional diplomatic channels. And we are doing it quite vigorously”, the Ambassador said.
Hill voiced his support for the Ohrid agreement, put forward earlier this year by the European Union, which should now be implemented.
Answering the question of the additional activity of NATO in the region following the crisis in the north of Kosovo, Hill said that NATO is very active on the issue, pointing out the recent visit of the commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples to Serbia. He said that there is a lot of deliberation in Brussels now of what is the appropriate level of the troops.
József Pandur, Political Advisor to the European Union Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, agreed that the Ohrid agreement is “quite good” and said that what is needed now is implementation.
“We expect Pristina to establish the Association of Serb Municipalities and in parallel to that, step by step, for Serbia to implement what is in Ohrid”, Pandur said, noting that, due to Banjska attack, the EU is once again back in crisis management mode rather than focusing on the implementing the agreement.
Manuel Sarrazin, German Federal Government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans, assessed that the region is at a standstill when it comes to reforms and busy with crises.
“At the moment we are in fear of missing a lot of opportunities and options that we will regret in a couple of years”, Sarrazin said.
He also compared the Western Balkans to other regional security challenges for the European Union and highlighted that, while the Western Balkans is “unbelievably complicated”, it is necessary for the EU to deliver to maintain its global role and its status within the Euro-Atlantic alliance.
“Despite the vast majority of citizens being against steps in Serbia and Kosovo, we need leaders who will do it because they believe it is right and have political will and capability”, Sarrazin said.
Adrian Davidoiu, Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, also stressed that there is a continuum of insecurity around the EU and that the Union does not want to see Western Balkans becoming a part of it.
Commenting on the Thessaloniki promise made by the Western Balkans in 2003, Davidoiu assessed that this window has never closed.
“There were ups and downs in the enlargement process, a lot of developments in candidate countries, positive and negative. It can be either a win-win solution or a completely lose-lose solution”, Davidoiu said.