Under the title “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?”, the second in a series of BSC Leaders Meetings events took place in Skopje on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

The speakers at the panel discussion were Stevo Pendarovski, President of the Republic of North Macedonia; Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia; Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and Goran Buldioski, Director of Programs for Open Society–Europe and Central Asia. Srdjan Cvijić, the President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, moderated the discussion.

Igor Bandović, the Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, made opening remarks by saying that a new era has come to our region where a change in the style of governance and a change in leadership goes hand in hand. “Only this will give a new breath of fresh air and new energy to our dying and exhausted Balkans,” he stated.

The main topics of the BSC Leaders Meetings panel discussion in Skopje were Russian propaganda in the region, EU membership, the bilateral dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and many more.

While discussing the effects of Russian propaganda in the Western Balkans, the President of President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, pointed out that it has won the hearts and minds of people in the region and that being a member of NATO helps to cope with cyber-attacks and endless propaganda.

Vessela Tcherneva described the media environment as polluted, partly due to Russian propaganda but also the consequence of narratives filled with fear and anxiety – the narratives people tend to accept in times of crisis.

Regarding relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Goran Buldioski said bilateral disputes in the EU integration process are part of political reality and should be resolved as such. “The EU can show examples that North Macedonia can learn from, such as the issue of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia or German-French relations,” he explained.

Deputy Prime Minister Slavica Grkovska said there are many challenges and issues to resolve, but also there is a strong political will to do that. “It is not easy to deinstall the system of the captured state, but the current government is reform-oriented, and it has done a lot.”

The panelists concluded that EU membership is still a strategic goal of North Macedonia.

Following the panel discussion, at the beginning of the Chatham House debate, the BSCP researchers Luka Šterić and Ivana Ranković presented a report on Hungary’s role in the Western Balkans, followed by a discussion of international and regional experts.

The BSC Leaders Meetings events, with the distinguished panel of international and domestic speakers, are planned to continue in the coming months in other capitals of the Western Balkans.

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The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) is honoured to invite you to the BSC Leaders Meetings discussion under the title “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?”, which will take place on 17 May 2023 at 14:00 CET, at Marriott Hotel, Skopje.

The BSC Leaders Meetings present a series of half-day events organised throughout the Western Balkans. They are part of the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) – a high-level international policy event organised by the BCSP each October. The BSC Leaders Meetings aim to gather policy-makers and experts who will discuss significant foreign and security challenges facing the region, geopolitical events and trends affecting it and to assess the future of democratic reforms, regional cooperation and the place of the Western Balkans in global politics.

Each BSC Leaders Meetings event includes a public discussion and a Chatham House debate. The BCSP research on the role and strategies of different geopolitical actors in the Western Balkans will be presented and discussed. On this occasion, the Hungarian influence in the Western Balkans will be discussed under the Chatham House rules. The primary impulse for debate will be provided by the BCSP researchers Luka Šterić and Ivana Ranković, who will be presenting BCSP new research report on the Hungarian role in the Western Balkans.

Agenda:

13:30 – 14:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee

14:00 – 14:05 Opening remarks

Igor Bandović, Director, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

14:05 – 15:00 Panel discussion

• Stevo Pendarovski, President of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations
• Goran Buldioski, Director of Programs for Open Society–Europe and Central Asia

Moderator: Srdjan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

15:00 – 15:30 Q&A

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break

Please click below to complete the mandatory registration for in-person participation:

Register here 

The post BSC Leaders Meetings Skopje: “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?” appeared first on BELGRADE SECURITY CONFERENCE 2024.