Dr Dragan Dakic, advisor of the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, attended the scientific conference entitled "Poland and the Balkan States - Together in Europe".

On the eve of Poland's presidency of the European Union (EU), the adviser to the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, Dr Dragan Dakic, professor of international law, attended a scientific conference entitled "Poland and the Balkan States - together in Europe". The conference was organized by the Center for Europe University of Warsaw and the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies University of Warsaw, in co-organization with the Institute for Central Europe from Poland (Institute of Central Europe Poland), as well as universities from the region such as the University of Banja Luka, the University of Belgrade, the University of Kragujevac and others.

In addition to scientists, the conference was attended by diplomatic representatives of countries from the region and the Polish public. The aim of the conference was to provide insight into the readiness of the countries of the region to continue with the process of integration into the EU. At the same time, the expediency of EU integration in a given geopolitical moment was considered. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the advantages that countries in the region have from cooperation with other global players such as China or Russia.

 President Stevandic’s advisor spoke about the international legal aspects of the right to self-determination and its understanding by the international community based on the approach to the Yugoslav and Kosovo crises. It was pointed out how the extensive understanding of the right to self-determination, the application of which was imposed by the collective West, is manifested in the world today, as well as the fact that its potential has not been exhausted even in these areas. The general view is that regional architecture, whether understood in the context of integration or disintegration, is not finished and that its finalization must probably await a new global redistribution.

The conference was marked by a minor incident that occurred due to the short-term appearance and address of the so-called consul of Kosovo in Poland, which was not announced nor was it on the agenda of the meeting. During their presentations, the participants from Serbia and the Republic of Srpska pointed to the status of Kosovo and Metohija, to the fact that there is no "Kosovo" that can be accompanied by the attribute "independent" - which was also the title of Professor Dakic's topic, and they received an apology from the organizer of the conference.

(author's text of the adviser of the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, professor Dr Dragan Dakic)