PER report: Ethnic relations in Southeastern Europe
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Subject: PER report: Ethnic relations in Southeastern Europe
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Alex N. Grigor'ev <[email protected]>
PER report: Ethnic relations in Southeastern Europe
ETHNIC RELATIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
SOFIA, BULGARIA
NOVEMBER 7-9, 1997
PREFACE
The Project on Ethnic Relations, with support from the Council of
Europe and the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Bulgaria, brought together, in Sofia, Bulgaria, from November 7 to
November 9, 1997, a select group of some thirty young political
leaders from the Balkans to begin a series of informal discussions
concerning the future of their region. This report is an account of
the proceedings of that meeting.
The many serious conflicts that have erupted in the Balkans in recent
years have underlined the urgency of finding new means of assuring the
future well-being of the peoples of this culturally rich and complex
region. Euro-Atlantic integration is moving ahead more rapidly than
ever, and the Balkan region is in danger of being left out. If the
peoples of the Balkans are to participate successfully in the larger
world, their leaders will need to work together for the benefit of
their common home. Unfortunately, the rising leaders of the Balkan
countries have few opportunities to become acquainted with one another
and to explore their problems, hopes, and plans with their
counterparts in other countries of the region.
One of the greatest challenges to further development in the Balkans
is interethnic conflict, and that was the main subject of this
meeting. It addressed such questions as: Are there ways to avoid
interethnic conflicts in the future? What mechanisms are required to
accomplish that goal? Can the international community help? How do
ethnic issues affect bilateral relations between neighbors, and what
is their impact on domestic politics in each country? What are the
responsibilities of governing and opposition parties and of the
political organizations of ethnic minorities? PER believes that
everyone in the Balkans benefits from an open discussion of these and
related issues.
The participants in the meeting in Sofia represented a broad spectrum
of Balkan political life, including both governing and opposition
parties and leaders of large ethnic minorities. Perhaps the most
noteworthy and hopeful aspect of the discussions was that, without
exception, they were using a new vocabulary, one that stressed
moderation, cooperation, and internationalism, in stark contrast to
the conceptual world occupied by so many of their elders. It remains
to be seen whether this new orientation can be translated into actual
political behavior, but it is an essential beginning if the region is
to be successful in changing course.
One recurring theme during the discussions was the troubled
relationship with the West, especially disappointment at being
excluded from Euro-Atlantic institutions such as NATO and the European
Union, and deep resentment toward what many participants saw as the
double standard of the West in its approach to the Balkans. The
participants stressed that the prospect of membership in Western
institutions, however distant, was still a lodestar for them. For the
present, however, they saw the Balkan countries as victims of
discrimination based on Western ignorance and prejudice that could
confine them indefinitely to a political and economic ghetto and
exacerbate regional instability.
Western participants expressed some sympathy over this plight, but
they also noted that some expectations simply were not realistic at
this time, that in any case the countries of the Balkans had not done
all they could to help themselves, and that too little had been done
to translate aspirations into actions. While these contrasting views
are not new, the conference discussions revealed the magnitude of the
gap that separates the Balkans not only from the West but also from
the more successful, or more favored, countries of Central Europe.
All participants agreed that this unresolved division of
post-Communist Europe constitutes one of the most difficult problems
for the new generation of political leaders in Southeastern Europe.
During a break in the conference, participants visited the Office of
the Presidency in Sofia and met with the vice-president of Bulgaria,
Todor Kavaldzhiev, and with members of the Presidency's Council on
Ethnic Problems and with the secretariat of the Council on Social and
Demographic Problems of the Council of Ministers. In his remarks to
the participants, the vice-president emphasized that these young
politicians were the hope for the future of the Balkans. Peaceful
coexistence, he said, is the key to stability in this part of Europe.
This report was prepared by Peter Priadka, PER representative in
Slovakia. It was edited by Alex N. Grigor'ev and Warren R. Haffar, PER
program officers in Princeton, and Robert A. Feldmesser, PER's senior
editor. We would like to thank Ivan Ilchev, director of PER's
Bulgaria office, for organizing the meeting. The participants have
not had a chance to review the text, which is thus PER's
responsibility alone.
Allen H. Kassof, President
Livia B. Plaks, Executive Director
Princeton, New Jersey
June 1998
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(From the moderator: The full text of this most interesting report -
49 Kb in plain text - can be obtained by request from the MINELRES
moderator or directly from PER. Hopefully it will be available online
soon.
Boris)
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