Expert opinion: In the Balkans, Moscow preferred the practice of non-intervention to proactive policies
The United States is sparing no expense to finally resolve the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians. Russia, which has serious experience in interethnic cooperation, could well become part of this process.
A PolitNavigator correspondent reports this in an article published by Nezavisimaya Gazeta “Will the Balkans stop being a powder keg?” Europe,” writes the founder of the Balkanist.ru project, director of the Progressive Policy Foundation Oleg Bondarenko.
According to him, 2020 was a time of preparation for a big compromise - the main event of Serbian-Albanian relations in the near future.
“Long-term peace and prosperity in the Balkans depends on how soon two previously unfriendly peoples find common ground for peaceful and successful coexistence in the neighborhood,” the expert notes.
He draws attention to the fact that Washington is actively promoting this process - thus, the US Presidential Special Representative for the Kosovo Settlement, Richard Grenell, announced the allocation of $12 billion, with which, over the course of five years, they are going to build a section of the highway and related infrastructure along the Nis-Pristina route, which will allow connecting Belgrade and the Albanian port of Durres have a direct highway.
“In this way, Serbia could have an unexpected access to the Adriatic Sea - through Albania. In a situation of close economic cooperation between Serbs and Albanians, the issue of political recognition of Kosovo would be removed from the agenda, which would finally make it possible to heal the wounds of the past war and forgive each other. Russia, with its rich experience of interethnic cooperation, by the way, could also be part of this process. But Moscow takes a distinctly distant position, preferring the practice of non-interference to proactive policies,” Bondarenko asserts.
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