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Stability of the Western Balkans crucial for security of Central Europe

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

Author: by editorial staff (ob)
9.12.2023

Not only Ukraine and the Middle East - the situation in the Western Balkans largely affects the security in Europe too. "The Western Balkans tend to be omitted. The mission of Central European countries is to alert to that, including on the EU level," said Defence Minister Jana Černochová at the conclusion of the CEDC plus Western Balkans meeting. The representatives of thirteen countries met in Prague yesterday and today to discuss the security situation in the region as well as practical military and expert cooperation. In Prague, Visegrad Four Defence Ministers agreed on a joint communique to reaffirm the importance of the V4 defence cooperation.

Besides the Czech Republic, which is holding the CEDC Presidency in this year, the membership of the Central European Defence Cooperation includes Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Poland, which has the observer status. Established more than a decade ago, the CEDC format has served for Ministers to address the issues of Western Balkans region and defence cooperation within the EU. For this iteration, they were joined in Prague by representatives of six Western Balkan countries.

According to Minister Jana Černochová, the CEDC furnishes highly valued opportunities for mutual dialogue. The Western Balkans are one of the priorities of the Czech Republic's foreign policy, and the stability of the region is a key interest of the Central European countries. The meeting was also unique by bringing together the representatives of states that have uneasy relations.

Dozens of KFOR service personnel injured during unrests in Northern Kosovo in May testify to the fragile state of stability in this region of Southeast Europe. According to Minister Černochová, it is therefore necessary to carefully follow the developments there.

"The relations between Belgrade and Pristina are crucial for the stability and security of the whole Western Balkans region. (...) Russia as well as other actors are very active in the Western Balkans and act against our interests. Therefore, we have to seek ways to strengthen cooperation with our partners there. Our goal must be to offer a more attractive alternative," Minister Černochová stated.

The Czech Republic has been actively involved in that endeavour - it has continuously assigned its service members to KFOR in Kosovo and EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where their number has even increased this year. In addition, the Czech Republic deployed a Military Police unit to KFOR, supports its partners and contributes police units for the protection of their borders, especially on the so-called Balkan Route - since 2015, Czech Police officers have been involved in the provision of border security in Hungary, Slovenia and Northern Macedonia for instance. In 2023, the Czech Republic donated approximately EUR 60 thousand to Bosnia and Herzegovina to support building cyber defence capabilities. Last but not least, the Czech Republic has advocated the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU on a sustained basis.

The Czech CEDC Presidency primarily focused on strengthening practical expert cooperation: "Logistics, non-military crisis management and cadet academic training courses were held in cooperation with Austria. With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we organised a conference on the subject of facing hybrid threats in the context of the Western Balkans region. We also held a workshop to share experience from the implementation of projects funded using the European Peace Facility, which are designed for defence capacity building in partner states," Minister Černochová expanded on the activities in support of the region.

Ukraine: We have to get ready for a long run

The war in Ukraine has already lasted 653 days. Now the conflict in Gaza is ongoing. The Russian aggression carries on and continues to pose an immediate threat to the European security, Minister Černochová emphasised.

"We must not forget one war over the other, because that only plays into the hands of Putin and Russia," she said. It is obvious the war is not going to end soon and the West has to correct its excessive expectations and prepare mentally for a long run. According to Minister Černochová, slacking our support to Kiev would recoil on Allies badly: "It would send out a single signal - the West is weak. The war in Ukraine should be also regarded as a test of our resilience and perseverance," she underlined.

Conflict in Gaza Strip must not spill over into wider region

In connection with the terrorist attacks by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Minister Černochová reiterated that Israel has an undeniable right to self-defence in accordance international law and international humanitarian law. Neither political leaders nor the public should forget how the conflict started, who the aggressor is and who the victim. She also cautioned against the spreading of the conflict into the wider region of the Middle East.

"Failure to contain the conflict would have serious repercussions on Europe in terms of security, economy and migration," Minister Černochová underscored and alerted to the recent wave of antisemitism in western metropolises, which she deems completely unacceptable.

Joint communique by V4 Ministers

The aim of the V4 Defence Ministerial meeting on Thursday was to present the priorities of the Czech Presidency in the field of defence, discuss the current status of the war in Ukraine and of the conflict in Gaza. In the course of its V4 Presidency, the Czech Republic seeks to deepen practical military and expert cooperation. The agenda included the future of the Visegrad Four European Union Battle Group and the relations with the Western Balkans were naturally discussed as well.

V4 Defence Ministers agreed a joint communique, which accentuates the importance of the Visegrad Four defence cooperation, and noted their priorities including the development of the next V4 EU Battle Groups, reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on a continued provision of air defence coverage to the airspace of Slovakia and agreed on the need to strengthen the defence industry. The Ministers also fully supported the right of Israel to self-defence and its effort to eliminate Hamas. "We will keep supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia in accordance with its needs as our countries deem appropriate," the communique reads.