Fourth Belgrade Security Forum initiated a dialogue on resolving the crisis

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Fourth Belgrade Security Forumended with a message that the Western Balkans is able to actively participate in all debates on current issues of regional and international foreign policy, security and economy.

“OSCE chairmanship in 2015 is great opportunity for Serbia to contribute to finding solutions for current European crisis by engaging both the EU and Russia in a dialogue”, said BCSP Director Sonja Stojanovic Gajic.

During the three-day conference it was organized 19 discussions, which gathered 103 speakers. Among the panelists were Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Head of the Negotiating Team for Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union Tanja Miscevic, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of European Parliament  Elmar Brok, President of German Marshall Fund of the United States  Karen Donfrid, Member of the Board of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations Vladimir Baranovski and many others.

Academic Event

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Following the good practice of the previous three years, Forum began with Academic Event, which gathered more than a hundred young researchers and attracted largest ever attention of audience from Serbia and abroad. During three sessions, 14 speakers presented researches on the topic of  “Usable Past, Collective Memories and International Security”. Professor Iver Neumann, researcher in The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and Montague Burton Professor of International Relation at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences delivered key note speech “I Remember When Russia was a Great Power“. Neumann criticized Russia's role in Ukraine's crisis, along with the assessment that he fears for the future of Russia as a great power, because Moscow is trying to present itself as a great power beyond its borders.

During the first day of the Belgrade Security Forum it was presented the Transatlantic Trends Report 2014. US Ambassador to Republic of Serbia Michael Kirby, Head of the European Delegation in Serbia Michael Davenport, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy in Serbia Giuzeppe Manzo and Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council Goran Svilanovic pointed out that Serbia is becoming an exporter of stability and that in a positive way is joining the international community.

OSCE, EU integrations, migrations and cyber security

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After the official reception, in the evening were simultaneously held four sessions on migration trends in the EU, cyber security in the Western Balkans, the future of the OSCE and EU enlargement perspective. Discussion on the relevance of the Helsinki Accords in current circumstances attracted great attention of participants. Panelists assessed that the call for comprehensive reform of the international organization represents a great challenge. Additionally, the Ukrainian crisis brought upon a critical test for the OSCE; it revealed all weaknesses of the European security architecture. The way the situation will be handled will shape the future of the Organization. During the discussions it was pointed out the need to establish cooperation between the state, corporate and civil sector in regulating and strengthening cyber-security on a national, regional and international level. It was concluded that the EU offered no suitable immigration policy in the past because it failed to comprehend what the migration actually was, and that the future of the EU enlargement policy depends on the success in solving internal crises in the EU members countries, but also in countries which are candidates for membership.

Discussion of the EU has continued the second day of the Forum on the two panels whose topics were relations with the EU towards its periphery and a choice between transatlantic and Eurasian agenda. Participants concluded that Belgrade is not on the periphery of the European Union, but in her center, and that newly elected leaders in Brussels should again encourage the countries of the region and energetically send them a message that they belong in the EU. It was emphasized that Ukraine's crisis is not a continuation of the Cold War and that the relations between Russia, the EU and the United States are at a satisfactory level in several different areas: education, economy, crisis management, etc. Women represent more than half of the population and without their inclusion is not possible to achieve real stability, it was concluded during the panel on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security. {split}

Civilian Capacities in Peace Operations

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There have been many advantages in including civilian personnel in peace operations, but Western Balkan countries did not increase civilian capacities as they could, it was concluded during the session Civilian Capacities for Peace Operations – Case of Western Balkans. During the session were presented analyzes of civilian capacities of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Macedonia, produced within the project which BCSP implements with its regional partners. Discussants concurred that most countries have a legal framework for participating in peace operations, and the traditional culture was pointed out as obstacle in changing the role of civilians in these missions. Public still believed such missions had been in the purview of military and they are not fully grasping the importance of civilian personnel in such missions.

Simultaneously with this session was presented a report on ways to enhance cooperation between the state and civil society in the monitoring process of negotiations with the EU, human rights improving and anti-corruption measures, and there was session devoted to the future relations between Serbs and Albanians. Panelists took optimistic view that younger generation, not directly involved in conflict, will continue to develop better relations between two sides.

Doctoral seminar on methodology

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During the fourth Belgrade Security Forum, 25 students and doctoral candidates had the opportunity to participate in doctoral workshop on research methods, which was facilitated by Professor Iver Neumann. Professor Neumann delivered a lecture on the relations between researchers and their topics of interest, discussing how researcher’s own social background and situatedness in the field affect their research topics and methods chosen. Professor Neumann addressed the issue of how researchers, through their own experiences and reflexive processes, become data producers instead of data collectors and what are the methodological consequences of these cognitive processes and their effects on topics studied and, eventually, produced research.

In the second session, students and PhD candidates had the opportunity to discuss with professor Neumann their own methodological concerns related to their respective fields of research. The third session was organized in a form of method-café, where professors Jelana Subotic, Georgia State University and Ayse Zarakol, University of Cambridge, joined the discussion in an open forum with the students. During this session participants discussed various methodological approaches and were able to present their research projects in three workshops facilitated by the professors. Dejan Guzina from the Wilfrid Laurier University discussed with candidates  ways of raising funds for academic research, and Professor Zarakol stressed the importance of publishing in the early stage of career.

Regional cooperation should be improved

On the third day of the Forum during the four unofficial sessions were discussed issues of energy security, the influence of the Ukrainian crisis on Europe and beyond, challenges and incentives for further development of global civil society and the possibility of joint intervention in the crisis situation in the region. During dynamic discussion, panelists pointed out that the system of early warning of flooding in the Western Balkans is at a very low level. Insufficient and uncertain financial resources, lack of basic equipment and uniforms and old fire trucks make a bad basis for preventing and combating natural disasters. Closing plenary panel of the Forum was devoted to a discussion of the need to create a new Balkan Commission. It was pointed out that good cooperation between countries of the region creates a path to the EU and that the new Balkan Commission could contribute to spreading the message that they want to send to member states.