In Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the countries with the highest tension in the Balkans, after the separatist attempts of the Serbian entity, the “9 January Republika Srpska Day” celebrations this year, despite the fact that it was against the country’s constitution, escalated the ongoing political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Continuing his separatist rhetoric, the Serbian member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Council Milorad Dodik stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina was a failed project and that they wanted to leave the country in a civilized way.
One of the important problems in the region is between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Bulgaria has announced that it will continue to block the membership process of North Macedonia, which has made an important progress on the path to membership in the European Union (EU) by overcoming the name crisis with Greece. Despite the tension between the two countries, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovachevski and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov made a mutual visit. After Petkov’s visit, Kovachevsky announced that North Macedonia would appoint an ambassador to Bulgaria after two years. It remains to be seen whether the problem between the two countries will be resolved after the talks with moderate statements.
Evaluating the rising tension in the Balkans, where different problems still exist, to the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), experts say that the region will continue to be the battleground of global powers.
ANKASAM Eurasia Expert Assoc. Prof. Nuri Korkmaz: Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina want to unite with Serbia.
Stating that the most important of the tensions in the Balkans is the political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Assoc. Prof. Nuri Korkmaz stated that the Serbian Entity wanted to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina and unite with Serbia; However, emphasizing that Serbia does not take kindly to this because of its EU membership request, he said, “If Serbia accepts such a union, its participation in various programs, especially in the EU, will be interrupted. Belgrade knows this very well.” said.
Drawing attention to the Kosovo-Serbia Problem in the region, Korkmaz said that the disagreement between the parties continues on the exchange of the region where Serbs live in the north of Kosovo and the region where Albanians live in the south of Serbia.
Referring to Bulgaria’s blocking of North Macedonia’s EU membership, Korkmaz stated that Bulgaria is acting on the example of Greece and said, “The Macedonian Question is rather than a regional issue for Bulgaria; It is a problem based on Bulgarian-Slavic nationalism. This process, which started in the middle of the 19th century, gained great momentum at the beginning of the 20th century. In the Bulgarian thesis, it is claimed that there is no Macedonian nation, and that Macedonian is actually a different version of the Bulgarian language. On the grounds of this problem, Bulgaria is trying to make as many concessions as it can and delay the EU membership of North Macedonia.” made the assessment.
Istanbul Rumeli University Rumelian Studies Application and Research Studies Center Expert Erdem Eren: Regional problems are directly related to global power struggles.
RUBASAM Expert Erdem Eren, who defines the Balkans as a region where power struggles have been experienced throughout history, drew attention to the geopolitical position of the region and stated that the Balkans have an important place in the foreign policies of the great powers. Stating that the Balkans are in a strategic position within the scope of Russia’s Eurasian goals, Eren emphasized that the ongoing Ukrainian tension between the USA and Russia is reflected in the region, and the increasing tension in the Balkans, “The enlargement process of NATO and the EU in the region regarded as a threat by Russia and the activities of Russia and China in the region, regarded as a threat by USA and EU” said. As a matter of fact, the USA continues to surround Russia by establishing a military base in Alexandroupoli and supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership process. Russia is also trying to draw the attention of the USA to new crisis areas such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Kazakhstan.” used the phrases.
Pointing out that Russia carries out an important identity policy in the Balkans, Eren said that Russia aims to increase its influence in the region by turning the uncertainty in the ongoing political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina into an opportunity. Eren said, “The developments regarding the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina will become clear after the steps to be taken by the USA and the EU towards the region.” made his comment.
Retired Ambassador Murat Bilhan: Turkey should act in accordance with its national interests in the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Referring to the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Retired Ambassador Murat Bilhan said that the troubled situation has reached the point desired by the Serbs and Serbia. Bilhan said, “A referendum in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament, which included the commemoration of 9 January as the ‘Serbian Republic Day’ in Republika Srpska, against the proposal by a Bosniak MP to commemorate 9 January as the ‘starting day of the genocide’, was accepted with 99%. Even though it is against international practices, a racist fait accompli based on hate speech was placed on the agenda of this unfortunate state and the people. Moreover, there is not much to be done in the face of this fait accompli, which is supported by most countries such as Russia which is based on Slavic and Orthodox brotherhood and its ally China.” he said.
Stating that the separatist attempts of the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not supported by Turkey and Western countries, Bilhan said, “It is inevitable for Ankara to become a party to the problem. However, this should remain at the level of discourse, at a distance that protects the interests.” made a statement.
Istinye University Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Fahri Erenel: Russia is taking advantage of the indifference of NATO and the EU in the Balkans.
Stating that the Balkans are the scene of a global power struggle, Associate Professor Fahri Erenel stated that this process continues and said, “The Balkans are going through a period like before the First World War. It’s only a matter of time before fire a gun.” made a statement.
Erenel, who suggested that it would be wrong to evaluate the solution of the problems in the region only through Russia, said that Russia took advantage of the indifference of NATO and the EU, which expanded towards the east, in the Balkans. In this context, Erenel said, “Some countries in the Balkans have been waiting for years to join NATO and some countries to join the EU. We can say that this expectation has been well evaluated by Russia and China, and that these countries have increased their influence in the region.” said.
Journalist Bayram Pomak: The problems in the region stem from the developments in international politics.
Journalist Bayram Pomak, who stated that the changing balances in the world also affected the Balkans, stated that the events in the Balkan countries were caused by the developments in international politics. Pomak said, “Because the internal policies of the Balkan states are too dependent on foreign policy, the changes that take place abroad also affect the domestic politics deeply. The event underlying the tension in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the reflection of the rivalry between the USA and Russia in Ukraine. US/NATO influence in the Balkans was limited in Serbia and Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These two regions became the strongholds of Russia. So, it became the weakness of the West. Two of the three entities in Bosnia adopted pro-Western policies; The Serbian entity is pro-Russian. Such an environment also creates political crises.” he said.
Pointing out that the ongoing political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be resolved in the near future, Pomak underlined that the crisis will only be overcome for a temporary period, and said, “The tension in the Balkans will continue due to the lack of constructive policies.” said.
