... creation of “ethnocentric states”, namely, “great” Albania, “great” Serbia, and “great” Croatia. This scenario would mean the following territorial exchange:
—
“Great” Albania
: the Republic of Albania, most of Kosovo, part of Macedonia, part of Serbia (Bujanovac and Presevo), Ulcinj part of Montenegro;
—
“Great” Serbia
: the Republic of Serbia, the Republika Srpska with access to the sea in the Herceg Novi region (Montenegro) and the Serbian communities in the north ...
... common with Kosovo. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly obvious why Spain did not recognize Catalonia’s independence.
Kosovo might prove a more relevant example and, therefore, a precedent, for Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and for the Macedonian proponents of a Greater Albania. Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik periodically threatens Washington and Brussels with a referendum on the republic’s secession from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and
cites Kosovo as a precedent
for doing so....
... or those aspiring for NATO membership, with the exception of Serbia, which maintains armed neutrality. In addition to Montenegro, there are two more countries that have chances to join the Alliance: Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Republic of Macedonia. The status of the former is still under consideration, until the authorities settle issues of ownership of certain defense facilities. As for the latter, it is unlikely to join the ranks of new members until it decides on its name with neighboring ...
... the Republic of Serbia), and a recognized public holiday in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina only. It is, thus, no surprise that the leaders of these Balkan nations (Tomislav Nikolić, Milorad Dodik, Bosnia’s Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegović and Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov) stated their unequivocal desire to attend the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, unlike their Montenegrin, Croatian and Bulgarian counterparts.
Thus, what this author has witnessed (and this has been confirmed by his Serbian ...
... Alexander Pivovarenko, Research Associate of the RAS Institute of Slavonic Studies and RIAC expert, shares his insights on the situation.
The issue of NATO enlargement through incorporating the Balkan states of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia is being discussed again. In your opinion, is this really a possibility in the short run?
Indeed, the NATO summit held in Newport on September 4-5, 2014 gave such discussions a fresh impetus. First of all, this relates to Montenegro. In May-June ...
... Montenegro’s foreign policy is more Western-oriented; and a number of large investment projects have failed.
Bosnia and Herzegovina may be called
prospective partners
, especially one of the two entities of the Federation – Republika Srpska – and Macedonia. Large Russian capital arrived relatively recently (2007-2012), but its prospects are good thanks to the countries’ geographically fortunate position (linking the “north-east – south-west” and the “north-west - ...
