A two-day international conference “Modern security paradigms and challenges: Theory and Practice” was held in Ohrid, organized by the Institute for Security, Defense and Peace, which is run from within the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje.
The Head of the Institute, Mr Oliver Bakrevski announced that the refugee crisis will be one of the main topics for discussion at the international conference.
It is a complex issue which needs to be seriously approached not only by the Institute but also by the Republic of Macedonia and its institutions. Difficulties have arisen due to the nature of this crisis faced by all countries caught up by the current state of affairs, but Macedonia did not generate the problem, nor can it be expected to solve it”, said Mr Bakrevski.
Professor Lidija Cehulic-Vukadinovic from the University of Political Sciences in Zagreb estimates that Europe has proved that they’re totally unprepared for the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent times and has occurred in a time of modern international relations.
“The crisis has shown us that in practice there is no common foreign and security policy. Union on the international stage does not act as a single actor, nor realize the provisions of the numerous human rights declarations adopted in the EU – Ms Vukadinovic stressed.
She emphasized that Europe is again divided into two main groups of countries, one of the groups which, led by Germany, stands for a faster and more humane resolution to the crisis. The other group is led by the countries of the Visegrad Group, stating openly that they did not want to take in any refugees into their countries.
Ms Vukadinovic believes that Hungary does not act as a humane democratic state should, even though they were the first country after the fall of communism to open their borders, remove the fences to allow its citizens to head for a democratic Europe.
Professor Zoran Kekovikj from the Faculty of Security, at the University of Belgrade, said that the Western Balkans are again forced to deal with problems that have been created elsewhere, and the expectations of them are work to prevent the escalation of the problem and to deal with its own security implications in the region.
“Countries that are not members of the EU are faced with numerous temptations, primarily due to their weak economic power. The problem must be addressed on a wider level, even outside the framework of the EU. If the EU’s decision required the closure of the borders,it creates a security threat on its borders, it is in the interests neither of Brussels” explained Mr Kekovikj.
He added that the problem with this crisis is political, economic, social and has security dimensions.
“There are many individuals and groups who profit from the plight of the mass refugees. Those who have experience in human trafficking networks have developed, and have skillfully adapted to the situation. Because it is a form of organized crime, we should not exclude political, economic and other elites of the Western Balkans to be involved in illegal activities”, Mr Kekovikj said.
