Rediscovering the Greek voice in the Balkans

Recently, I had the chance to join a number of leading Greek and regional experts on the Balkans at a seminar in Thessaloniki organized by the British Embassy in conjunction with the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and SEESOX, Oxford University's research center on Southeast Europe.

It was an extremely welcome and enlightening event. Over the course of the day, we heard a range of views on how the Western Balkans is changing. There were excellent presentations on the challenges the region faces - both in terms of the domestic politics in the various countries, as well as from growing outside influences. We also heard valuable ideas about what can be done to build a more prosperous, secure and democratically stable neighborhood.

The initiative was born as part of an effort by the British government to engage with policymakers,...