Experts in international affairs asserted that the Tirana Summit is as important for Ukraine as it is for Albania and for the Western Balkans.
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| The leaders of the countries that participated in the Southeast Europe Summit in Tirana |
This is the reason, they stated in interviews with Voice of America, why there was a call to increase cooperation and concrete support from this region for Ukraine, so that it can withstand Russian aggression, while also avoiding the risk of Russian influence in the Western Balkans as much as possible.
"From the Tirana Summit for Ukraine, it emerged again that Russia must be blocked through all possible means, especially in the economy and information, which aim to cause disturbances in the countries of the Western Balkans, as has been observed in recent years," says the director of the European Movement Study Center in Albania, Gledis Gjipali, speaking to Voice of America.
He emphasized to Voice of America that Russian influence in this region is reflected in instability as well as in increasing opportunities to escalate disturbances in these countries.
"The message of the Summit is that the war is close, the threat is significant, and we must be ready at all times to provide assistance each according to its own way in the service of peace, preparing and contributing to the ongoing fight," says Mr. Gjipali.
Meanwhile, international affairs expert Ledion Krisafi, at the Institute of International Studies, tells Voice of America that President Zelensky essentially sought cooperation for ammunition, to co-produce weapons with Albania, reintroducing the idea of restructuring the arms industry inherited from the communist regime, now destroyed, but this would take many months and perhaps several years, and the possibility for Albania to provide military support is, according to him, very small.
"Russia must not win the war in Ukraine. If this were to happen, we would have a very serious problem from Russian influence and the problems that come from Russia in the Western Balkans. This was said some time ago by President Zelensky, and it was also said today by Mr. Rama. Bosnia could be the first problematic hotspot in this regard; a Russian victory would embolden the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina to secede with the support of Russia. The scenario of Donbas and the scenario of Crimea in the north of Kosovo are very possible. Banjska at the end of last September showed that if the Kosovo police had not been vigilant and close to dealing with that event, then we could have had a Crimea scenario in the north of Kosovo," says Mr. Krisafi.
According to experts, Albania's engagement in the issue of Ukraine is of particular importance because it demonstrates that Tirana's official foreign security policy fully aligns with that of the European Union, while sending a message to other countries in the region to be equally clear and decisive in support of Ukraine.
"We are firmly committed to fully supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against aggression, but it is important for other countries in the Western Balkans, such as Serbia and Bosnia, which have not agreed with the sanctions imposed due to their economic ties, etc. This is an important message, from Tirana to these countries also within the framework of the EU accession process; there cannot be different stances, as these cause problems even when they are within the EU, and it is one of the conditions for the accession of these countries to have a policy aligned with that of the EU," says Mr. Gjipali.
On the other hand, analyst Krisafi appreciated the fact that Albania is engaged in supporting Ukraine with its initiatives during the past two years in the UN Security Council together with the USA and continuously.
"Today's event is part of the continuation of many summits, after Secretary Blinken's visit to Albania, meetings of the EU and the Western Balkans in Tirana, and these have turned Tirana into a diplomatic center of the region. This is not happening in Belgrade, not in Skopje, not in Sarajevo, but it is happening in Tirana and not by chance. This is primarily a confirmation of Tirana's foreign policy. For Ukraine, this marks a symbolic support because the region can only provide moral support. The only country that could provide military support is Serbia, but because of its policy, it is more pro-Russian than pro-European," says Mr. Krisafi.
Experts believe that Ukraine receives symbolic but significant support from the Tirana Summit, as this Summit was an assessment of Albania's foreign policy, while Kiev is aware of the minimal practical support that the Western Balkans can provide, support that Ukrainian resilience expects from the USA and the European Union.