Excellencies,
Distinguished audience,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you very much. My gratitude goes to our host for the splendid organization of this kind of seminar. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here, and express some views and share also some concerns about the developments in the international community.

Looking to the title of this panel, it’s a little bit pessimistic, at least from our point of view. Managing instability – maybe some stability should be a goal oriented discussion at this very important gathering we have here.

Yes, in this panel, we are discussing about both Transcaucasian Region and the Western Balkans. Romania is in the middle: a direct neighbour with the Balkans and just across the Black Sea we are in the vicinity of the Caucasus.

As a representative of a country member of NATO and EU, my position will be a little bit more positive from this point of view.

Yes, frozen conflicts mean instability for all of us. The consequences of instability are probably the most important - the unstable situations tend to lead to stagnation, especially in the trans-border economic cooperation. We can say that also people living in those regions are looking for free movement of persons, services and goods, for economic development. They have more or less the same expectations as people living in other parts of the world. Mostly, we should say that those people living in the regions which you are calling (in some theoretical way) frozen conflicts or tensioned regions where there is lack of solution, also they have the same expectations as we have with regard to their lives.

There is no simple answer or magic solution from this point of view. There are essentially two visions for solving these problems, both of them based on creating virtuous circles of economic development and political stability. One holds that post-conflict stability and economic development would eventually create the conditions for a lasting political settlement of conflicts. Conversely, the other one holds that the political solution is the precondition for economic and social welfare for the local population. The only sure thing is that the continuous outside assistance of the world is necessary in both cases.

Both visions are right to some extent, but they are also wrong. At times of severe economic crisis, it is difficult for the international community to mobilize and divert resources towards conflict areas that are far away. At the same time, there are so many global challenges that it is politically difficult to manage them in an appropriate manner simultaneously.

In our opinion, ladies and gentlemen,
what distinguishes the Western Balkans, even though there are many problems still to be solved, is what precisely has been underscored here also - the existence of a political project: in this case, the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, which might be supported by consistent assistance by the international community (the EU and NATO) in the field of reform and development. However, that “need to do list” is still an unfinished business. The last NATO Summit marked a point: peace, stability, security and development are advancing. How far we go depends on the political will.  

My country advocates this approach, seeing in the European and Euro-Atlantic perspective the guarantee for long lasting stability and security in the region as best incentive for the Western Balkans, in our opinion, to forget the differences from the past and look to the future.

There are still many challenges in the region and a real need to continue the political, economic and social reform processes in all countries of the Western Balkans. Addressing such challenges would require political will, strengthened regional ownership and continued support provided by both EU and NATO.

Kosovo is a difficult point, a difficult case. Our main concern is the full observance of the international law and maintaining the stability of the region. However, the neighbouring countries have and will continue to have an important role to play. At the same time, the EU, NATO and OSCE, will continue to ensure a safe and secure environment in the region. If EU‘s enlargement policy is pushed forward, the future of the Western Balkan countries will be stable.

I can say that Romania fully supports the European perspective of the Western Balkans, including of Serbia. This has to do with all of us, members of the EU, showing support and offering assistance for recognizing Serbia as a member of our family.

And I wonder why the Republic of Moldova can not be considered at the same level of interest for the EU, like the Balkan countries? Furthermore, a clear perspective for Turkey’s European aspiration could be a good incentive for the countries in the region and an added value for the process of enlargement itself.

The perspective of Euro-Atlantic integration plays the role of a stability catalyst in the Western Balkans, but this assumption does not apply as such in relation to protracted conflicts in South Caucasus, and I would add here the Transnistrian one. These conflicts lack a political project capable of generating consensus in the regions and outside the regions. Negative developments in recent years seemed to have pushed them even further away from such a project. No matter how many resources would be invested in the economic development of the region, and, by the way, the region has resources of its own, the chances for stabilization look slim.

Romania is neighbouring these regions and has been constantly preoccupied with the long term spill-over effects of the frozen conflicts, which have proved to be safe heavens for illegal trafficking and organized crime. Such phenomena proliferated due to a “de facto” preservation of instability.

Everyone is complaining about these asymmetrical threats, but a few concrete results either in the region, or outside the region we could underscore. Some of the countries in this area see themselves as future members of both the EU, and NATO, some only of the EU, and some simply have no desire to go in that direction. In this case, what political project could stand the chance to generate stability in the region?

The fair and good principles of democracy and rule of law are absolutely needed, but it seems that they are not enough. Lessons learned in the last years: any time something happens, suddenly the international community becomes reactive and not proactive. Either we speak about the Eastern Partnership or the Black Sea Synergy or any other initiative we need to come with a more articulated European policy.

In both regions, Caucasus and Balkans, we should agree that we have a set of norms, rules and principles stemming from international law. UN Charter, OSCE relevant documents are very clear in this respect.

Are we ready to strengthen the international law in these regions? Can we hammer out the necessary mechanisms to ensure its implementation?

I have a last question though. Is the international community gradually moving in the right direction with regard to frozen conflicts? Is it ready to make its own contribution in terms of political support and economic assistance, or do we still remain in a certain complying mood?

Let us be rationale, pragmatic and goal oriented in order to find positive answers.

Thank you very much.