Europe and Russia in international relations

TIRANA, Oct 5 – A seminar titled “Europe and Russia: between the Balkans and Caucasus” was organized at the Albanian Media Institute with the participation of journalists and editors from the main media outlets in the capital.
Speakers were Kastriot Islami, ex-foreign minister and Council of Europe Rapporteur on the conflict in Georgia, and Shaban Murati, Balkan affairs expert and director of the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They presented a brief analysis of the current scene in the international arena after the Cold War, stressing the unipolar nature of the situation, with the USA having the lead for the moment, while Russia and China perhaps able to provide a multipolar character of international relations in the future.
The speakers analyzed the political situation after the end of the Cold War and the new position assumed by Russia after NATO’s potential expansion to Ukraine, as well as the intervention in Georgia.
The seminar also addressed the EU stance vis-a-vis Russia, emphasizing that there is no unified position on this matter, given the different interests EU members have on Russia, as well as their dependence on Russian gas for energy.
Russia’s role in the Balkans was also analyzed by the speakers, in terms of the war on Bosnia, Kosovo’s independence, Serbia as a zone of influence, etc. Politics on energy and relations of Balkan countries with Russia from this angle was another topic discussed during the seminar.