Bulgarian Diplomatic Society
Roundtable On The European Prospects In The Western Balkans

A roundtable was held in the Central Military Club on March 25th, 2006 organised by the Diplomatic Institute of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Diplomatic Society.

Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Ambassador Zdravko Popov welcomed the participants and called on them to conduct an open dialogue on this issue, pivotal to the stability of SEE. Ambassador Dimiter Kostov, President of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Society, opened the roundtable, underscoring that it was taking place in a very crucial moment, when the negotiations on the final status of Kosovo had started, being a timely and logical stage in the development of the political processes in this part of the Western Balkans. Ambassador Kostov reminded that in July this year, the Sofia Declaration is to turn a decade. Bulgaria stands up for its principle position a just and sustainable decision on the status of Kosovo to be made.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lyubomir Kyuchoukov presented Bulgaria’s consistent policy-making related to Kosovo and the recent initiatives by the Bulgarian side after the report by Norway’s diplomat, Ambassador Kai Eide, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s special envoy to Kosovo, as well as after the Guiding Principles of the Contact Group, which were circulated later on. Bulgaria shapes its active policy through the visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivailo Kalfin to Belgrade, Pristina and Podgorica in December 2005, through the successful Bulgarian initiative to gather the ministers of culture of Bulgaria and Serbia and Kosovo in Arbanasi in December 2005, as well as through the meeting of party and state leaders from the region a month earlier in Sofia. Bulgarian efforts to initiate an active dialogue in order to solve the issue found their continuation in invitation extended to Mr. Ahtisaari to visit Sofia and the joint Bulgarian-Swiss initiative in the field of decentralization, which is pending to be held in spring 2006.

Shaping its stand on Kosovo, Bulgaria believes that the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo are a process valuable in itself. The process would grant the public opinion in Belgrade and Pristina the opportunity to better adapt to the compromises both sides will have to make.
The Bulgarian side believes that in the bilateral and multilateral talks several fundamental principles ought to be upheld:

• Belgrade and Pristina to agree upon the intercession of the international community with the Kosovo Serbians taking political part in the negotiation process about the future status;
• The decision to be of long duration and to contribute to and guarantee for the stability in the region;
• To provide unconditional support for the mandate and activity of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the settlement of future status of Kosovo, Marti Ahtisaari;
• To create benign atmosphere for finding a solution to the status by means of dialogue with the two sides showing constructiveness;
• Not to predetermine or exert pressure in favour of one or other decision;
• The decision made to be in conformity with the European criteria and principles, to include further meeting of the standards and guarantees for human rights of the people in Kosovo irregardless of their religion, language or ethnos.

The two rounds of talks of the negotiations opened in Vienna create an impression of positive and encouraging results. It is of paramount importance both sides to take active and constructive part in the negotiations process.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lyubomir Kyuchoukov stressed that a sustainable decision is pivotal both to the security of the region and the infrastructure and economy of the SEE countries. Bulgaria is keen to maintain friendly relations with both negotiating parties. European prospects for Kosovo have their profound content being a qualitative category rather than a temporal one, a modern concept and approach to the issues of regional security, of integration, rather than national closing: a society functioning in an European manner – law and order, stable institutions and European standards.

Deputy Defence Minister Simeon Nikolov in his speech said that part of the Balkans is still a region of conflicts and tension. Such a situation profoundly involves the countries from the region. The neighbouring countries ought to have active policy in line with the Kosovo issue. Such political activeness could prove to be pivotal to the course of the negotiation process and its outcome. The opinions and stands of the neighbouring countries have to be taken into consideration so as a balanced decision to be reached on the issue of the future status of Kosovo without posing a threat to the regional security.

Bulgaria has the will and readiness to contribute to the intensive course of the negotiations. Our country strives to be helpful to the process without favouring any of the parties, wishing a solution to be found, acceptable to all parties rather than allow making a hasty unilateral decision, which might have a domino effect. At the same time, not to encourage the negotiations to draw out for ever and ever. Any postponement of the decision would necessitate extending the commitment of the international community’s presence in the region. Deputy Defence Minister Simeon Nikolov stressed that endless delays with the decision would only “conserve” rather than solve the issue.

Timely and just solution to the Kosovo issue is a test of a kind of the successful work of the EU in managing crises.

The work of the roundtable on the deliberations and hearings of the stands and positions of the guests from Belgrade and Pristina on the future status of Kosovo went on in three panels:

The future status of Kosovo as a key element to regional stability, moderator Velizar Enchev; Overview of the negotiations process from the point of view of Belgrade and Pristina, moderator Georgi Gotev and The role of Bulgaria and the neighbouring countries for the integration of the Western Balkans into the Euroatlantic structures, moderator Dinko Dinkov. The participants and guests listened with interest to the statements made by the representatives of the two negotiating parties: Dusan Spasojevic, head of the coordinating committee for Southern Serbia; Boris Tadic, advisor to the Serbian president and Milorad Todorovic, deputy-head of the Serbian coordinating centre for Kosovo and Metohia, on the one hand, and Prof. Enver Hasani, advisor to the Kosovo prime minister and representatives from UNMIK and the international economic and political relations department of Kosovo, on the other.

The guests presented and stood up for the official stands of the two negotiating parties, giving rationales. Milorad Todorovic gave examples of the living conditions of the Serbs in Kosovo. The Cabinet in Belgrade backs a parallel and independent road of Kosovo to the European institutions, providing the rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo and non-change of borders.

The question was raised as to what the proposed status “more than autonomy, less than independence” means. Associate Professor Dinko Dinev elaborated on the formula: Kosovo to be part of Serbia, yet this part to undergo substantial changes, such as representation of the ethnic Albanians in the Serbian parliament, Albanians to occupy ministerial post, etc.

International community is searching for a solution by compromise and makes efforts to assure the Serbian component that their rights will be guaranteed even if Kosovo be granted a new status.

Prof. Enver Hasani reminded that the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo had already been integrated into the Republic of Serbia, yet he proposed to look to the future now and search for just and acceptable decisions. Decisions have by all means to be political and to be made with the assistance of the international community.

In his analysis of the developments in line with the situation in Kosovo, political scientist Ognian Minchev underscored that the issue concerns not the two negotiating parties alone. We all live in the region, we have interests pertaining to the way the issue would be solved and our common future depends on it to a great extent. We all are interested in the overall integration of the region into the Euroatlantic structures. While the national interests of the European countries are balanced, another mentality manifests itself in the Western Balkans and particularly in the Kosovo conflict in defiance of the European dimensions. Should the process in Kosovo fail to lead to partially overcoming that mentality, the region would continue to be unstable over the years to come and we all would suffer. Bulgaria is partial to neither of the sides in the process. The final status ought to guarantee the rights of all the communities, yet it has also to stipulate guarantees for preserving the cultural heritage. For a democracy can’t be built on the ruins of another culture, i.e. on the Orthodox culture, which is the case here, political scientist Ognian Minchev said further.

After the last panel’s session and the ensuing discussion were over, those participating in the roundtable expressed their general impression that a timely and helpful conversation had been held in line with the future status of Kosovo – a topical issue on the successful solution to which security in the Western Balkans and the European prospects for the region depend to a great extent. Satisfaction with the consistent Bulgarian policy of active cooperation for the constructive course of the negotiations was voiced.