The BCSP September School on Fruška gora: Russia’s Soft Power Under Scrutiny

 

During the four days, the conference brought together more than 35 in-person participants and 30 speakers from more than 15 countries. In the beautiful surroundings of Fruška gora, the participants discussed Russia’s influence in the Balkans while busting myths and confronting related facts. The participants had an opportunity to learn more about the Balkans and exchange knowledge that can support us in establishing further concrete steps towards a resilient, sustainable, and united Europe.

 

 

The September School was officially opened by Igor Bandović, the director of the BCSP, and Katarina Berg, the BPB programme manager for Southeastern Europe, who welcomed the participants and thanked them for taking part in the conference. During the first two days of the conference, participants engaged in panel discussions to learn more about information manipulation, spreading disinformation, the Russian foreign and security policy towards the Balkans, Serbo-Russian ties from cultural, historical, and religious standpoints, as well as Russia’s soft power in terms of energy and business interest in the Western Balkans.

 

 

The experts, professors, analysts, and former officials with great knowledge and experience expressed their readiness to contribute to a better understanding of Russia’s influence in the Balkans, as well as to open a discussion on Russia and the Ukraine situation and obstacles of EU accession. The September School participants also had a chance to visit Belgrade, go on a guided walking tour, and meet with opposition party representatives and civil society representatives. They also had a unique opportunity to get to know the Russian and Ukrainian communities in Belgrade and chat with anti-war activists.

 

 

On the final day, using a more creative approach, six parallel workshops took place in the September School, engaging participants to discuss the complex political, social, and economic challenges in Serbia, Open Balkan initiatives, and German policy towards the Western Balkans. To conclude the half-day workshops, in a short presentation, the participants who actively engaged in our interactive sessions had a chance to reflect and consolidate.

 

 

The September School was officially closed by reflecting on everything we learned in the last four days about the Russian influence in the Balkans and discussing the potential ways of joint actions in the future.