Lords to ask Ambassadors for Kosovo and Albania: what is the cost of UK inaction in the Balkans?
Kosovan Ambassador His Excellency Lirim Greicevci, and Albanian Ambassador His Excellency Qirjako Qirko will give evidence to the House of Lords International Relations Committee on Wednesday 13 September as part of its inquiry 'Beyond Brexit: the UK and the Balkans'. The Committee will also hear evidence from Marko Prelec, a leading academic at the Central European University.
Marko Prelec is a professor at the Central European University's School of Public Policy. He was previously the Balkans Director for the International Crisis Group and founder and executive director of the Balkans Group, a think-tank based in Kosovo.
The evidence session will begin at 10:30am in Committee Room 1. The Committee is likely to ask questions including:
- In the aftermath of Brexit, how might the UK's role in the region might change?
- What effect are nationalist leaders and rhetoric having on the progress and political stability in the region and how can the UK respond to this?
- The engagement of the US has long been viewed as a crucial ingredient for stability in this region: is this analysis still relevant today?
- What is your assessment of the Trump administration's interest and engagement in the region and is there a particular role for the UK in encouraging US engagement in the region given our special relationship?
In the second session the Committee will explore with the Ambassadors the economic and political challenges facing their countries and how can the UK be most effective in supporting their efforts.
The evidence session will begin at 11:30am in Committee Room 1. The Committee are likely to ask questions including:
- The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue has made only limited progress. What progress might be foreseeable in the short-term? Is there a particular role the UK could usefully play, particularly post-Brexit?
- Reflecting on your individual country's progress along the EU path, is there still political and public support for EU accession? How do you judge the political commitment of the EU Member States to accession?
- There has been some evidence that Russia, China and some Gulf countries are taking a much larger interest in the region. How are such countries investing and engaging in your countries?
