... destabilization scenario that was seen as unlikely failed to materialize in the region fully. Nevertheless, specific crisis trends that had been predicted did come true.
In the regard, the return of former members of the Islamic State (IS, banned in the Russian Federation) terrorist group to their countries of residence, in particular to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo
appears
to be a principal problem today. This already creates hotbeds of tensions in predominantly Muslim areas in the Balkans. The European Union’s
position
on the matter is no cause for optimism either.
The degradation of the political regimes in some Balkans states has also had a serious impact on destabilization tendencies in the region. In 2018–2019, a wave ...
... be wise for Moscow to include a number of questions on the agenda:
Why do the European Union and NATO tolerate
this kind
of Balkans (stagnating politically and economically, and thus combustible and living exclusively in the past)?
Why does the inclusion of the United States and the United Kingdom in the negotiations on Kosovo does not mean inclusion of Russia?
Why do both the United States and the European Union turn a blind eye to the growing tension in the region (the emerging ...
... considered to be the most rational one for the Balkan states themselves.
Ekaterina Entina, Dejan Novakovic:
Negotiations on Kosovo 2019 — Opportunities and Limitations for Russia
Long-term Scenario of a “Package” Settlement
The “spontaneous” territorial organization designed for the Balkan ... ... various actors and their configurations are holding a nonstop informal discussion in order to outline possible scenarios of the Balkans settlement in a long run.
Among the external actors, the UK is the one to be the most active supporter of the creation ...
... in the settlement of the Kosovo issue. At the same time, it was a good chance to ensure its stance and standing in the region, as a minimum, and to restart the stalled engine of European history, as a maximum.
The Reaction of International Actors on Kosovo during September-December 2018
1. Letters from Donald Trump to Hashim Thaci and Alexander Vucic — Active Return of the U.S. to the Dialogue
RIAC Longread “Russia in the Balkans”: Interests of the Leading Actors, Russia’s Presence in Southeast Europe and Russia’s New Strategy
The vacuum created by Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections in 2016 and the following gradual “departure” from Europe ...