2021

NGIC Holds First Post-COVID-19 Conference in Sarajevo on Western Balkans

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – On June 28, 2021, the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), along with partners NCAFP and the Foundation Shared Societies and Values, organized a successful post-COVID-19 conference.

The Sarajevo meeting gathered 18 speakers (1 current and 12 former heads of state and government) from 12 countries, in 9 locations besides Sarajevo. “Assessing Western Balkan – Way Forward” involved high-level officials, diplomats, civil society, and academics from the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Latvia, and Ireland.

After the forum, H.E. Šefik Džaferović met with NGIC Members and Friends Ivo Josipović, Branko Crvenkovski, Zlatko Lagumdžija, Secretary-General Rovshan Muradov, and senior secretariat members Ilaha Ibrahimli and Subhan Atakishiyev.

The Western Balkans initiative started in New York in late 2019. During the pandemic, meetings continued virtually under the Chatham House format, engaging over 50 participants. The first hybrid open forum in Sarajevo presented outcomes of these sessions and the working 3P Paper (Policy, Principle, Proposal), aimed at accelerating Euro-Atlantic integration and urging coordinated action from transatlantic officials.

Amid ongoing uncertainty and external interference in the Western Balkans, the conference brought together key experts to evaluate the path forward for the region.