13/11/2014
The Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) in a joint cooperation with the Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) and Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) organized the conference entitled “EU integration process and the perspective of Albanian – Serbian Relations”. It is the seventh conference which took place in Tirana, on the 13th November 2014 under the scope of the Security Research Forum “Prishtina-Belgrade-Tirana”, a three-year project involving three civil society organizations that aims to contribute to the improvement of relations between Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. The project is supported by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The aim of the conference was to put emphasis on the role of political and social elites in upholding efforts and expectations that stem from the EU agenda, the effects of the recent dynamics on such an agenda as well as the ways for Albanians and Serbs to improve their relations.
International diplomats and Members of the Parliament of Albania, such as Arta Dade, Aldo Bumçi, Romana Vlahutin and Jan Braathu, stressed the idea that EU integration is the only way to solve the existing problems within bilateral and regional relations in the Western Balkans. They mentioned the necessity of implementation of the Brussels Agreement by Kosovo and Serbia, while underlined the idea that the EU and the Western Balkans are indivisible. According to them, the EU is a peace project based on compromise and generosity, therefore the Western Balkan countries should have in mind that the EU prosperity agenda is the only way for their progress towards economic and social development.
The first panel consisted of politicians and political analysts, respectively Paskal Milo, Dusan Janjic and Sokol Dervishaj discussed regarding EU integration and the perspective of Albania-Kosovo-Serbia relations. They pointed out that the Western Balkan countries can only be safer and move closer to the EU if political leaders free themselves of nationalistic obsessions. An important step for future cooperation among the countries of the Western Balkans was mentioned, the Berlin Summit, while as an idea of possible cooperation the need for the creation of a “Balkan Benelux” had been underlined.
The second panel centered on cooperation on security matters and the lessons learned from the recent developments in the triangle Prishtina-Belgrade-Tirana. Shpend Kursani, Sonja Stojanovic-Gajic and Arjan Dyrmishi argued that more mutual knowledge about the societies of these three countries is needed to change the perceptions. Furthermore, they pointed out that normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia should not be reserved exclusively for high politics, but has to take place at all levels of the two societies. It’s been stated that security could be the entry point for improving cooperation between the three countries, since we are all faced with the same security challenges, such as organized crime and right-wing extremism, whereas the respective governments should move forward with the stipulation and implementation of agreements on law enforcement, prosecution and intelligence.
In conclusion, it was affirmed that path of the Western Balkan countries towards EU integration has to be considered as the only option to solve the existing problems in the bilateral and regional relations in this region, ensuring hence the integration of values, consolidation of peace and economic development in the region. The conference was attended by several politicians, representatives from embassies and foreign missions accredited to Albania, representatives from state institutions dealing with security as well as analysts, academia, students and media.
