From the annexation of Crimea through the Open Balkan Initiative to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Session
Political Sciences and Security
Description
.Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the visit of Albania’s Prime Minister to Belgrade and meeting Serbia’s President in November of the same year was considered historic for friendship and cooperation. The two leaders and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia met in Novi Sad of Serbia on 11 October 2019 to formalize a plan for an Open Balkan. They signed a declaration for cross-border free movement of people, trade, and dubbed this as the “Mini-Schengen” area to make it operational by 2021. This initiative was initially supported by the EU in terms of regional cooperation as one of the prerequisites for EU membership. In their own three states, the general public attitude towards the initiative was mixed, while in the three others (Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH, Kosovo, and Montenegro) meant to join, was not officially supported. The hidden agenda of the “Open Balkan” project unfolded once Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine. The Serb Republic threatened to secede from BiH, while Serbia supported the Serbs in northern Kosovo for violence to provoke war. These ongoing tensions will not only further delay the journey toward EU membership but also make the Western Balkans a more disintegrated and dangerous region. In this paper, we investigate the prospects, challenges, and potential consequences of geopolitics from the “Open Balkan” initiative not only as a failure but as a conspiracy for national and economic domination by Serbia and the Serbs from the recent mirrored geopolitical crisis from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Keywords:
Open Balkan, politics, economics, ethnic tensions, regional integration.
Proceedings Editor
Edmond Hajrizi
ISBN
978-9951-982-15-3
Location
UBT Kampus, Lipjan
Start Date
25-10-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
27-10-2024 6:00 PM
DOI
10.33107/ubt-ic.2024.101
Recommended Citation
Matoshi, Ruzhdi; Dauti, Bardhyl; and Mulaj, Isa, "From the annexation of Crimea through the Open Balkan Initiative to Russia's invasion of Ukraine" (2024). UBT International Conference. 15.
https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2024UBTIC/PS/15
From the annexation of Crimea through the Open Balkan Initiative to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
UBT Kampus, Lipjan
.Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the visit of Albania’s Prime Minister to Belgrade and meeting Serbia’s President in November of the same year was considered historic for friendship and cooperation. The two leaders and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia met in Novi Sad of Serbia on 11 October 2019 to formalize a plan for an Open Balkan. They signed a declaration for cross-border free movement of people, trade, and dubbed this as the “Mini-Schengen” area to make it operational by 2021. This initiative was initially supported by the EU in terms of regional cooperation as one of the prerequisites for EU membership. In their own three states, the general public attitude towards the initiative was mixed, while in the three others (Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH, Kosovo, and Montenegro) meant to join, was not officially supported. The hidden agenda of the “Open Balkan” project unfolded once Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine. The Serb Republic threatened to secede from BiH, while Serbia supported the Serbs in northern Kosovo for violence to provoke war. These ongoing tensions will not only further delay the journey toward EU membership but also make the Western Balkans a more disintegrated and dangerous region. In this paper, we investigate the prospects, challenges, and potential consequences of geopolitics from the “Open Balkan” initiative not only as a failure but as a conspiracy for national and economic domination by Serbia and the Serbs from the recent mirrored geopolitical crisis from the Russia-Ukraine war.