As part of the ‘Cooperation Instrument for the Western Balkans Think Tanks – THINK BALKANS’ project, between 17 and 21 January in Bratislava, RC SFPA – Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association and IDSCS – Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis“ coordinated the on-site study visit for the representatives of the WB6 Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) and the Western Balkans (WB6) researchers to the Visegrad Group (V4) capitals.
MFAs representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo* together with researchers from Albania (AIIS), North Macedonia (IDSCS) and Serbia (EminS) and their local V4 think tank host SFPA attended meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Slovak Republic (MFA SR), International Visegrad Fund (IVF), Think Visegrad representatives and members of think tank community.
The study visit was an opportunity for the WB6 MFAs representatives to meet and discuss the future establishment and the way-forward in the Think Balkans project. The purpose of this study visit to enable a discussion between the MFAs representatives on Think Balkans future political and financial support through International Visegrad Fund and Western Balkans Fund, necessary for the official establishment of the permanent mechanism for cooperation between WB6 expert community and WB6 MFAs. During the meetings, the participants and hosts of the study visit also presented the achieved goals and the implemented activities.
The participants met with Tomáš Strážay, Director of SFPA, the lead organization in the Think Visegrad Platform, Petr Mareš, Director of IVF and Marianna Neupauerová, Deputy Director of IVF. Furthermore, they have discussed the project with public officials of the SR, including Eduard Kukan, former MEP and former UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Balkans SFPA, Vladimír Bartovic, representaive of the Office of the President of the SR and former coordinator of the Think Visegrad platform in the Czech Republic, Peter Kadvan, representative of the MFA SR from the 4th Territorial Department (WB + Turkey), Gabriel Szöke, National Visegrad Coordinator from the MFA SR 2nd Territorial Department (V4/CE), Michal Hrušík from the MFA SR Department of Analysis and Planning and Ingrid Brocková, State Secretary of the MFA SR. Additionally, they have been welcomed by Vladimír Bilčík, MEP and Rapporteur for Serbia and Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee. Finally, they had the oppotunity to discuss the civil sector impact with the representatives from the think tank community Vladislava Gubalova from Globsec, Ján Cingel, the founder and CEO of Strategic Analysis and Andrea Najvirtova, Director of People in Need.
This study visit was the third of the four study visits in the Visegrad Group capitals. The final study visit will happen in Warsaw (25-29 January).
This project is financially supported by the International Visegrad Fund and implemented by IDSCS in coordination with the partners European Movement in Serbia (EMinS), Platforma CiviKos from Kosovo*, Politikon Network from Montenegro, Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) from Albania, Humanity in Action from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre for European Perspective (CEP) from Slovenia, Centre for Eastern Studies from Poland (OSW), Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade from Hungary (IFAT), the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) from Slovakia, and EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (EUROPEUM) from the Czech Republic.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
