Vujinovic: Ankara could play a key role in regional reconciliation, the question is whether it wants to

Security studies researcher Nikola Vujinovic stated that Turkey wants to position itself as the main regional actor and could play a key role in reconciling the peoples of the Western Balkans. However, the question is whether it genuinely wants to do so through the "Platform for Balkan Peace" initiative.

"Turkey wants to position itself as the main regional actor that talks about security and peace. This is just one in a series of its initiatives through which it tries to affirm its power in the Balkans. We are witnessing how it behaves in Syria, where it uses different methods, and at the same time we see a series of its bilateral actions towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Albania, which indicate that it simply wants to maintain its perceived role as a regional actor," Vujinovic told Kosovo Online.

However, the analyst doubts that this initiative will succeed.

"This is just one of Tayyip Erdogan’s diplomatic methods, by which he tries to place his country on a level it does not truly have. Internal political instability is being shifted to the foreign policy arena. Plus, this is one of Turkey’s initiatives that does not take into account the national interests of Balkan states, especially Serbia, but instead tries to achieve its own goal, which is unattainable," Vujinovic assessed.

He thus sees Turkey’s initiative as a "nice opportunity to visit Istanbul."

"This initiative, in essence, has no real value," he clarified.

He also claims that under different circumstances, Turkey could be a much more successful negotiator in the Western Balkans than all previous actors from the international community.
But, he emphasizes, what is needed is "goodwill" from official Ankara.

"At this moment, it does not have the goodwill to be that mediator. In essence, it is using Balkan actors, such as Kosovo Albanians or Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as instruments of its regional and broader policies. If that were to change, I believe Turkey could play a truly significant role," Vujinovic believes.

He recalls that Turkey, a century ago, contributed to Muslim loyalty to the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

"I believe that if Turkey were to apply that approach today, it would be an excellent mediator," Vujinovic concludes.