Balkans 2016: Integration Efforts In A Time Of Uncertainty

As a Balkan country, the Balkans is a priority for Turkey not only from the political, economic, and geographical perspectives, but also due to its historical, cultural and the human ties with the region. The developments that took place over 2016 in Balkans bear importance not only from the viewpoint of relations with this region but also from the vantage point of integration efforts of the EU with the region, Turkey's EU membership target, and the overall European security. In this context, it should be kept in mind that this region which lies in the southeast of the European continent is an inseparable part of Europe and cannot be isolated from it. It is possible to state that difficulties in ensuring political stability, the efforts exerted by EU, especially by EU member Germany to integrate some of the regional countries to the EU and the migration crisis are at the center of the developments took place in 2016 in the region that carries importance for the European Union, the US, and the Russian Federation. It is observed that in the context of EU expansion a new terminology with the name of "Western Balkans "has been developed in recent years under the guidance of Germany and Austria. The said terminology created deep divisions in the geographical and historic integrity of Balkans. One can easily see this policy in the documents and in the speeches of the EU authorities. In fact, the Heads of Government, Foreign ministers, and the ministers of economy of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro Serbia were participated in the Paris "Western Balkans Summit" of 4 July 2016. After 2014 Berlin and 2015 Vienna Summit, in the Final Communique of the Paris Summit it was stressed that the future of the "Western Balkans" lies in the European integration. This approach, by parting the region from its historical past, creating division and discrimination in the region aims at to exclude the countries having historical role and influence in the region and to compete with the said countries. There are certain factors the EU must consider in its approach of gradual "partial integration" of the region to the EU by way of fragmentizing the historical and geographical integrity of Balkans. Turkey has very close relations with the region. In the international community, Turkey is considered as the voice of Muslims in the Balkans.