During the two-day conference, stakeholders and experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, the EU, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Spain and the U.S. discussed key challenges facing the Western Balkans. Participants put forward ideas to prevent future conflict, unblock the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo and make the EU enlargement process more efficient and attractive for both the EU and the Balkans.

Participants included Stevo Pendarovski, president of North Macedonia; Hashim Thaci, president of Kosovo; Albin Kurti, prime minister of Kosovo; Marko Djuric, director of the Serbian Office for Kosovo; Matthew Palmer, deputy assistant secretary and special envoy for the Balkans at the U.S. State Department; Antje Leendertse, secretary of state of the German Federal Foreign Office; Baroness Catherine Ashton, former E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; Dr. William Parker, president and CEO of the EastWest Institute; Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger; Amb. Frank Wisner; Amb. Cameron Munter; Nikola Dimitrov and many other diplomats, researchers and experts interested in maintaining peace in the Balkans.

EastWest Institute has launched the Balkan Dialogues initiative in response to the urgent need for inclusive and open, high-level dialogue concerning pressing security challenges threatening the Western Balkans, aiming to increase and deepen understanding and build trust between representatives of the various geopolitical interests present in the region today. For more information on the initiative, please click here.