Come to Belgrade- Meet the world!

What was the topic of the discussion and how was organised?

The topic of discussion was: The importance of the accession to the EU of the countries of the region for the process of their reconciliation. The discussion proceeded in four main parts each executed in a highly interactive way where for each short lecture there was Q&A section. The opening of the discussion and the first part were dedicated to the YRAs and their introduction to the YRA program and the topic in general. The second part was dedicated to the International Organization for Migration and the Reparation of the Civilians talk by Mr Igor Cvetkovski representative of IOM, Geneva. The third part was led by Mr Robert Liddell, Head of the Political, Information and Communication section of the mission of the EU to the Republic of Macedonia and consisted of his observation on the current status of the EU integration process of Macedonia as a parallel process of reconciliation. The last but not the least important, fourth part, was dedicated to University Professor, Ms Biljana Vankovska, PhD, advocate for REKOM, columnist and an active academic. She discussed the importance of dealing with the past and the mission of REKOM.

Explain the reaction of the participants on your speech.

The participants were constantly engaged during the discussion. On the YRA’s speech they reacted very enthusiastically, were very eager to learn more about the YRA programme and share their opinion on the subject. Furthermore, they had a chance to meet some of public authorities that influence the process of the EU integration and the regional reconciliation and pose relevant questions. The young people during the discussion showed that the topic presented during the discussion is one of an utmost importance to their academic or political prospects and expressed willingness for future cooperation on similar events.

Have you notice the impact of your lecture on the participants? Explain.

What we have noticed was the participants’ inclination to dwell on the matters presented and take part in the discussion. Their questions showed us that they were all highly knowledgeable about the EU integration process and the need for regional reconciliation for building better future. We are sure that this lecture expanded their perspectives on the subject and gave them the opportunity to meet people who are also concerned about the topic and are willing to share their knowledge.

What were the questions posed by the participants and how did you react?

The questions differed from participant to participant and from topic to topic. However, the general idea we, as YRAs got is that all of the questions were very thought-provoking and included examples from other countries, regions, court cases, UNSC resolutions etc. which implies the participants were somewhat experienced in the offered topics. We, as representatives of the YRA programme and the other speakers patiently listened to each and every of the participants’ questions and answered them as thoroughly as possible without surpassing our mandates and our positions. There were some questions that were sufficiently efficient by themselves, i.e. the sole putting the question out there is a step forward to building a strong foundation for reconciliation at some point in the future.