The Nizami Ganjavi International Center, in partnership with the Friends of the Western Balkans, held its 36th High-Level Meeting titled “The Western Balkans in the Vortex of the New Security Geopolitics” from April 27–28 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The meeting reaffirmed its role as a leading international forum dedicated to the Western Balkans, bringing together former heads of state and government, representatives of international organizations, special envoys, politicians, and prominent experts.
President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar participated in the meeting, where she shared her views on the current situation in the Western Balkans and the future of the region.
The opening ceremony of the event was addressed by former President of Slovenia, founder of the “Friends of Western Balkans” Institute, and member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Borut Pahor, as well as other members of the Center — former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and former President of Serbia Boris Tadić — who highlighted the importance of political stability, security, and the European perspective for the Western Balkans.
The event was also attended by representatives for the Western Balkans from Austria, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany. In addition, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament participated in the meeting.
The sessions addressed the impact of new security geopolitics on the EU’s future and enlargement, the regional political, economic, and security situation, as well as the role of NATO and EU expansion in stability, and the influence of external actors including the US, Russia, China, and Türkiye in the Western Balkans.
For the first time, the event included country-specific discussions on each Western Balkan state, providing a deeper analysis of their EU accession progress and current challenges.
On the sidelines of the event, the Center’s Secretary-General held bilateral meetings with the President of Slovenia, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Slovakia, and Borut Pahor.
