Regional plenum “Quo vadis, Balkan?” in Sarajevo: Serbia and RS’s Reliance on China and Russia a Hindrance on the EU Path
At the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo, the major plenary session “Quo vadis, Balkan?” has begun, featuring around 50 participants, including intellectuals, officials, organizations, and former politicians.
“Where is the Balkans Headed” is both the title and the key question of the conference attended by academics and politicians. The goal is to identify the key problems hindering the progress of Western Balkan countries on their path to the European Union. Participants from all Balkan countries are united in their response.
“We have identified that Serbia is trying to take a hegemonic position within the region and we believe that a positive change in Serbia would liberate the country, as Serbia, in a way, holds the entire Western Balkans captive,” says Sead Turčalo, Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo.
Balša Božović from the Academy for Democratic Development in Novi Sad points out the problem of how to democratize Serbia so that it no longer has an authoritarian government.
“A government that can behave this way towards its neighbors. And this is a question that neither the opposition in Serbia nor the pro-civic and pro-European forces in the region offer an answer to,” he adds.
Apart from the desire for homogenization, which particularly affects Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, representatives of the region’s academic community believe that Serbia’s and Republika Srpska’s reliance on China and Russia is contrary to European values and a hindrance on the EU path.
Today’s government is compared to the wartime and pre-war government, especially by those who were politically active during those years. They say that current relations are still a phase of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
“It not only influenced but still influences. This process is not yet over, and the question is when and how it will end,” emphasizes Milan Kučan, the first president of Slovenia.
Azem Vlasi, the former president of Kosovo, says that the same policy as during Slobodan Milošević’s time is in place in Serbia “regarding their pretensions and ambitions.”
The fight against the regression of democratic practices and the path to complete democratization and the European Union must continue together. Particularly, they say, activists and intellectuals must be involved to overcome the forces that pull the Balkans backward.
“We do not have enough activism among those who are intellectually superior, who are ideologically progressive, and who lead progressive policies,” adds Daliborka Uljarević from the Center for Civic Education in Podgorica.
Progressive policies are expected to strengthen in the coming period, and therefore, such gatherings where experiences, knowledge, and views can be exchanged are considered significant. Additionally, through panels and closed sessions, they will discuss the complex system of governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the impact that the results of the European parliamentary and US elections might have on the development of Western Balkan countries. Especially if the world moves to the right, and Bosnia and Herzegovina remains at a crossroads between a national and civic state.
SOURCE: N1 BIH
