Italian role in South Eastern Europe and contribution to regional security

TIRANA, May 3 – Gen. Valotto took part Thursday atn a seminar held at the Albanian Foreign Ministry organized by the Albanian Institute for International Studies and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Italian Contribution to Regional Security in the Balkans. Following are excerpts from his lecture.
In the last fifteen years Italy experienced, just few kilometers away from our borders, the concrete effects of the historical transformations that took place in the world as consequence of the political changes occurred in the amazing biennium 1989 – 1991. In this period Italy was, geographically speaking, in the front line of both dramatic and welcomed events, such as the end of authoritative regimes in Eastern Europe, the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, the start of the bloodiest civil war in Europe since WWII, the siege of Sarajevo, the genocide of Srebrenica, the Dayton peace agreement, the enlargement of NATO to former Warsaw Pact members, the Kosovo war, the fall of Milosevic, the expansion of the European Union in South Eastern Europe.
Italy had no option to choose if to get involved or not in these events because in a way they had strong links with our internal situation.
In the same years that Italy had to face these historical political changes and dramatic challenges in its unstable near abroad, our country “rediscovered” again Albania, the most proximal geographically and historically related country of the region, but the most distant and unknown in political terms.
We can say that the “rediscovery” of Albania and that of the unsolved issues related to the Albanian national question in South Eastern Europe was probably the most innovative contribution to the Italian perception of the Balkan region in recent years. In very few years Italy – both as a government and as public opinion – had to recreate its own view of Albania and of Albanians in the Balkans, to revise its national interests versus the “new neighbor” and to find immediately old and new common bilateral interests.
After this period of 15 years of conflict and transition in South Eastern Europe – sometimes characterized by an absence of a common European strategy – we can say that Italy is now aware of the new role that we must play in this part of Europe, especially concerning the solution of the pending conflicts, the economic development of the area, its democratization and integration in the European and North Atlantic structures.
And we are also conscious that it is in the interest of Italy to be the first and the most resolute advocate of the interest of the countries of Western Balkan versus the international community and western institutions.
For these reasons Italy invested extensively in the last ten years in increasing its role and presence in South Eastern Europe. Italy’s role in the region followed different but coordinated actions.
Stabilization, with the use of a reliable and professional military presence in the unstable and still disputed areas of the region (Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia);
Cooperation, with direct state cooperation for development, democratization and reconstruction (Italy was a prominent donor in Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania);
Economic growth, with the delocalization of thousand of Italian private companies in South Eastern Europe and that a creation of a strong interconnected bilateral trade;
For these reasons we believe that South Eastern Europe is a strategic meeting point between our natural “near abroad” and the area of expansion of both European Union and NATO Alliance.
The Balkan region is not yet a conflict-free area and the risk of low scale violence that could escalate into wider conflict is still present.
Today the main open issues of the Balkans are: questioned borders; issue of return of refugees and displaced persons; issue of war crime and war criminals; unsettled juridical issues from the dissolution of former Yugoslavia.
Furthermore, the risk of new low intensity conflicts is still present and the area is not entirely conflict free.
The international community will continue to promote the conditions for regional economic growth, that is the key strategic element for removing from the roots most of the threats to security.
After military intervention, peacekeeping, reconstruction and international political assistance the new frontier of security in the Balkans will be, in the next years, that of economic security and good governance of international economic cooperation.