Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, spoke this morning as the keynote speaker at the panel discussion entitled “Expansion in the service of protection: removing gray areas in the European neighborhood”.
Bećirović emphasized that the geopolitical circumstances clearly suggest that the accelerated integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union (EU) and NATO is the most effective way for them to get out of the gray zone.
In this context, he emphasized that it is of great importance that the European Council in March decides to open Bosnia and Herzegovina’s negotiations with the EU.
“That would be an extremely positive signal, but also one of the concrete steps in the direction of leaving the gray zones,” said Bećirović.
Speaking about the need for the West to take concrete steps with the aim of removing gray zones in Europe, which are a constant source of instability, conflicts and wars, Bećirović pointed out that membership in NATO is the only serious guarantee of security.
The expansion of NATO, Bećirović believes, simultaneously means the suppression of gray areas.
“Slowing down the expansion of NATO can lead to a dangerous scenario in which gray zones can turn into black. That’s why the completion of the NATO expansion policy process in the Western Balkans represents an investment in collective stability and security,” Bećirović said.
On the way out of the gray zone, Bećirović sees the necessity of increased economic cooperation between the countries of Southeast and Eastern Europe.
Economic and energy security and sovereignty are not isolated issues, he believes, but are part of the overall security structure.
Bećirović emphasized that, in order to reduce exposure to Russian influence, it is necessary to diversify energy sources and delivery routes. In parallel with that, as he stated, we should work on the development of the necessary infrastructure (new gas pipelines and LNG terminals, and improvement of storage capacities).
During his address at the panel of the Munich Security Conference, Bećirović said that the European political community can also serve to strengthen the continent’s security. He emphasized that it should be complementary to the EU enlargement policy, without the risk of becoming a substitute for future EU enlargements.
“The enlargement of the EU has geopolitical significance both for the EU and for countries that are not yet part of the EU. The accelerated integration of the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as other countries in the process of enlargement, would contribute to the stability of the entire continent. At the same time, the potential for conflicts and the harmful influence of gray zones would be reduced,” concluded Bećirović in his speech.
This panel included, among others, heads of government, ministers, members of the European Parliament and other parliaments of EU member states, as well as the EU’s special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina Miroslav Lajčak, the British special envoy for the Western Balkans Stuart Peach and the high representative in BiH Christian Schimdt, it was announced from the Cabinet of the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović.
