EMINS: Does Serbia Have a Clear Foreign Policy Concept?

EMINS, 14.10.2015.

 

DOES SERBIA HAVE A CLEAR FOREIGN POLICY CONCEPT?

 

Source Serbian: http://www.emins.org/news/srpski/article/ima-li-srbija-jasnu-spoljnopoliticku-koncepciju

Source English: http://www.emins.org/english/news/article/does-serbia-have-a-clear-foreign-policy-concept

 

The Forum for International Relations of the European Movement in Serbia, Network of European Movement in Serbia and Friedrich Ebert Foundation, on October 8th 2015, have organized a public debate in Lazarevac on the topic “Serbian relations with the major foreign policy partners”. 

 

During the debate it was openly discussed about the current position of Serbia on the international scene, the current problems that directly or indirectly have an influence on us, about the challenges on the European path, as well as about what can we be expecting in the near future.

 

Speakers during this debate were Srećko Đukić, former ambassador and a member of the Forum for International Relations, Aleksandra Joksimović, director of the Center for Foreign Policy and a member of the Forum for International Relations, Boris Varga, journalist and a member of the Forum for International Relations, and a moderator was Dragan Đukanović, Assistant Director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics and a deputy of the president of The Forum for International Relations.

 

At the beginning of the Debate, Dragan Đukanović opened the discussion and gave a short review of the current situation on the international scene, as well as on the importance of the certain actors of foreign policy in Europe and in the world, with the special accent on the Serbian foreign policy and some of the foreign policy’s priorities.
Ambassador Đukić has pointed out on the importance of the foreign policy as an extended arm of the domestic policy, and reminded that investing in the foreign policy could also be brought back into the domestic policy. He stressed out that Serbia is missing a strategic framework, and that the absence of a clear foreign policy conception, which answers to the questions where we are going to and what do we want, does not lead us anywhere.
On the other hand, Aleksandra Joksimović gave a perception about the current situation in foreign policy with a special reference on the EU, and reminded us that the success in the process of the European integration depends on the moment in which we are, as well as on the way on how implement what we promised. She has also stressed out that the dedication towards the goals brings us to the best solutions, and that new requirements slow down the process.

 

In his speech, Boris Varga has mentioned the current problems in the world as well as changes on the global level. He reminded us on the economic crisis in Greece, crisis in Ukraine and, and the most accurate one, migrant and refugee crisis. He has also underlined the importance of the open questions in the region such are relations with Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, among which, only with Kosovo there are some solution and some visible improvement.

 

The meeting was continued with the questions from the audience and discussion with the participants. Public debate has gathered more than 30 representatives of the local institutions, businesses, organizations of the civil society, academy and students, as well as journalists from the local media.

 

Forum for International Relations, from its foundation gathers the most eminent foreign policy’s analysts as its most valuable resource. Forum meets every Wednesday, following the Chatham House Rules, and with the guest speakers discusses topics relevant for foreign policy and international relations. The Forum is focused on giving its contribution to public understanding of today’s changing world, based on realistic premises, and formulating Serbia’s policy based on such an approach.