Igor FedykOn February 28, the Ukraine – South East Europe summit was held in the capital of Albania, Tirana. It was co-organized by Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The summit was also attended by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, and Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Kristo.
Here are some important conclusions about meeting in Tirana.
1. The fact that such a summit, which was called “Ukraine-South-East Europe”, but was de facto a “Ukraine-Balkans” summit (plus Moldova), is definitely positive. Until recently, Ukraine and the Balkan region were a kind of islands without any stable connection. The absence of such connection was caused, in particular, by the fact that for a long time these “islands” looked at and perceived each other through the prism imposed on them by Moscow. Hence, there have been many myths and stereotypes in Ukraine about the Balkans, and in the Balkans about Ukraine. But now they begin to crumble, and as a result, Ukraine is becoming closer and more understandable for the Balkans, and the Balkans for Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine and the countries of the Balkan region have sufficient potential for mutually beneficial cooperation. Now is the time to realize this potential.
2. According to the results of the summit, a 12-point declaration was adopted and signed by all its participants, in which, in particular, it is stated that Russian military aggression against Ukraine remains the greatest threat to European security, is a flagrant violation of international law and a crime against the Ukrainian people. Also in the document, the summit participants confirmed their support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders (as of 1991) and their commitment to providing it with the support it needs to win the war against Russia.
Other important points of the declaration:
– condemnation of Russia’s intentions to hold presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine: in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions;
– an expression of readiness to participate in the implementation of the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy;
– support for Ukraine’s right to choose its security measures, in particular, a statement that NATO members and candidate countries highly appreciate the steps taken towards its future membership in NATO and support Ukraine to become a member of the Alliance as soon as security conditions allow.;
– emphasizing the firm commitment to bring to justice those individuals responsible for the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity, and other atrocity crimes under international law committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
– an expression of commitment to participate in the post-war recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.
The declaration was also supposed to include points on the imposition of sanctions against Russia and malicious Russian influence in the region, but as the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic said before the publication of the document, they were removed at his request. The motive behind his request is quite clear and corresponds to his foreign policy strategy, which can be described as “sitting on several chairs”. Without the above-mentioned two points, the Serbian president can easily “sell” his participation in the summit to the West, which is currently putting pressure on him due to serious violations during the last elections in Serbia, as well to Moscow, which is watching such foreign policy maneuvers of its main Balkan partner with gnashing of teeth. As for the West, Vucic sends it the following message: since I am in Tirana and meeting with Zelenskyy, it means that I am on the right side of history. As for the Kremlin and pro-Russian voters, who make up a significant part of his electorate, the Serbian president offers the following: I took part in the summit with Ukraine, but on such important issues as sanctions and the malicious influence of Russia, I stood firm, defended Russian-Serbian interests and did not allow their inclusion in the final declaration.
3. During the summit, the Ukrainian side expressed an interest in increasing military-technical cooperation with the Balkan countries, especially as regards the production of ammunition. “We see problems with the supply of ammunition, which are affecting the situation on the battlefield. We are interested in co-production with you and all our partners. Our governmental team will present the details. We propose to hold a special Ukraine-Balkans Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv or one of your capitals,” the President of Ukraine said.
Ukraine’s interest in expanding military cooperation with the Balkan countries is clear: it needs weapons and is looking for various opportunities to get them, and the Balkan region has the potential to meet this need. At one time, socialist Yugoslavia was one of the ten main producers of weapons in the world. Its defense industry produced a wide range of modern weapons at the time: from pistols and ammunition to aircraft. Interestingly, Yugoslavia produced ammunition both for NATO and for the Warsaw Pact. The production facilities of the Yugoslav defense industry were spread over almost the entire territory of the country, but most of them were in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the main production of ammunition, explosives, missiles, artillery, aviation, and armored vehicles was located. Of course, at present, the capacities and capabilities of the defense industry of the former Yugoslav republics are not the same as during their socialist past, however, some enterprises have survived, they work and can produce (independently or in cooperation with Ukrainian arms producers) products in the interest of the Ukrainian army. Here we should also mention the recently signed memorandum in Kyiv between “Ukroboronprom” and the Bulgarian state holding “Terem”, which specializes in the repair, modernization, and logistical support of aircraft, armored vehicles, small arms, artillery, missile weapons, and ammunition, radar equipment, etc.
That is, Ukraine not only shows interest in defense cooperation with the countries of the Balkan region but also takes practical steps.
4. There is a rapprochement between Ukraine and Albania. During the summit, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries, according to which Ukraine and Albania will develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, and security health, media, tourism and sports. The statement on the website of the President of Ukraine states that the document will contribute to the development of cooperation with Albania and the strengthening of Ukraine’s position in the Balkan region. The Ukrainian president and the Albanian prime minister also discussed Ukraine’s urgent defense needs and further cooperation in this area, including joint production of weapons. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, after a meeting with his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hassani, wrote on the “X” platform that Albania intends to open an embassy in Kyiv “soon”.
Edi Rama’s reproach on the United States for delaying military aid to Ukraine should also be noted. At the press conference after the summit, he said that the issue of aid to Ukraine should not be used for domestic political issues in critical states.
Returning to the question of building a connection between Ukraine and the Balkans, it is obvious that this connection will not be reliable and stable if it does not rely on specific “fulcrums” in the region, that is, countries that will be reliable partners of Ukraine. The fact that the summit was held in Albania at the invitation of its prime minister, the position this country takes on supporting Ukraine in its opposition to Russian military aggression, and the signed bilateral Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation, which “will contribute to strengthening Ukraine’s position in the Balkans region”, gives reason to believe that Albania will be this fulcrum (at least one of them).