On November 10th,
the Political Council and the Southeastern Europe Security Center
held a Security Forum on:
Reflections on the Western Balkans Geopolitics: a Euro-Atlantic outlook.
In his keynote speech, Fatmir Mediu, Chiarman of the Republican Party and President of SESC, highlighted the increasing military, economic, and soft power presence of Russia and China within the Balkan region in the absenteeism of EU and US presence, which he sees as a threat to democracy and the democratic values.
Mediu stressed how the rising influence of China and Russia is creating fertile ground for the establishment or consolidation of authoritarian leadership and nationalist politics within the region.
The regression of democracy is generating a wave of mass exodus from the Western Balkans,
particularly the younger population, a phenomenon which is bound to bring about major political, social and economic problems for the present and future of the region.
Following Mediu, Lord David Richards iterated the interest of the British Government on the region and called for the cessation of competition and, in turn, building of bridges between regional governments.
General Charles F. Wald called against the retrieval of American troops from Europe and the Middle East, stating that the US would be in a better position to support the Western Balkans in cases of threat, if American troops remained in these regions.
From a US perspective, Davis Phillips showed confidence in a restoration of US - Albanian cooperation and a more proactive approach to the Albanian and Kosovo issues under the Biden presidency. President Biden is known to have been previously invested in both countries and to have played a paramount role in the attack on Slobodan Milosevic in Bosnia.
Anna Bonfrisco described the potential membership of the Balkans in the EU as a natural result in accordance with the component of security in the continent.
From a UN and OSCE institutional perspective, George Tsereteli highlighted the importance of upholding human rights in the area.
General Robert Wheeler introduced a discussion on 5G, stating that the drive towards the net will become a critical infrastructure for governments, military and big corporates.
Mediu concluded this prolific forum by reiterating the role of democracy and democratic values in upholding security within the region and beyond.
You can watch the Webinar Video here
#WesternBalkans #Geopolitics #PoliticalCouncil #SESC
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