Hungarian interests in the Balkans
On 11 July 2023, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) held a roundtable discussion entitled “Hungarian Interests in the Balkans”, with the participation of Julianna Ármás and Anna Orosz, Research Fellows of HIIA, and Péter Reményi, Associate Professor of the University of Pécs, Head of the Department of Political Geography, Development and Regional Studies. The discussion was moderated by Tamás Baranyi, Strategic Director of HIIA.
The recent events in the Western Balkans have attracted a lot of attention in the Hungarian press and have brought Hungary’s Balkan policy into the focus of the domestic media. The current heightened media interest is a direct result of the insurgency in Northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serb protesters violently attacked NATO-KFOR peacekeepers–who were predominantly Hungarian by ethnicity. Although the theme of the discussion was the Hungarian interests in the Western Balkans, the evaluation of the current regional developments and affairs has been equally focal.
The roundtable discussion started with the latter, an assessment of the regional dynamics in the Western Balkans, more specifically, the increased tension that has been experienced recently. The question posed by Tamás Baranyi aimed to identify possible trends behind the current tension of the Western Balkans. As regards the events in Northern Kosovo–Serbian protests against the results of the municipal elections, which turned violent–experts confirmed that there are elements of a trend, with the exception of the attack on KFOR peacekeepers. The issue of the constitutional tension in Bosnia and Hercegovina is of a similar nature. Anna Orosz stressed that the constitutional crisis is a long-standing source of tension between Republika Srpska and the federal state, with the dispute over the interpretation and application of the law appearing to be escalating. In this respect, therefore, the outbreak of the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina was more of a trend like the events in Northern Kosovo.
At the same time, the behaviour and policies of international actors in the Balkans show a certain ambivalence. It is in this context that Péter Reményi drew attention to the willingness of Western actors to find quick and simplified solutions to the regional problems that are currently causing high tensions. The West’s present activity is determined by the evolution of world political events, the disruption of peace and security in Eastern Europe caused by Russian aggression makes the resolution of tensions in the Balkans, another key area of European security, particularly important. Conversely, experts agree that Western foreign policies that focus only on superficial solutions can only provide symptomatic treatment for the Western Balkans.
As regards of the Hungarian interests, experts highlighted Hungary’s support to the European integration of the Western Balkan states and the economic opportunities offered by the region for Hungarian OFDI, goods and services. The geographical proximity and the presence of Hungarian minorities (in Vojvodina) also provide the basis for deeper political and economic relations with the region. Péter Reményi underlined that there are numerous fields of common interests of Hungary and the Western Balkans given the interdependencies, such as the one in energy security. However, Hungarian relations have not remained impartial in the regional interactions, they have been selectively tighter with Serbia and the Republika Srpska. Moreover, Julianna Ármás argued that Hungary’s engagement and contribution to regional security with peacekeeping missions remains strong despite the recent violence against Hungarian peacekeepers.
Photos by Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA)