Valdai Club

The most important political event at the beginning of this year in Serbia was the official visit by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the Serbian authorities’ muscle flexing, designed to show the EU, Kosovo and the opposition that Moscow loves Serbia. The Serbian authorities plan to use this situation to win the upcoming elections this spring and also to strengthen their position in relations with the EU and the United States.

The modern Balkans, while still firmly rooted in the periphery and the past in many ways, are a very dynamic region. Over the last 28 years, the number of states in the region has doubled. In 1991, there were five states in the Balkans: Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Albania. Today, there are between 7 and 11 countries based on varying estimates. The value of the Balkan Peninsula on the European scale has changed insofar as it is no longer a region entirely consumed by its own problems.