Although the Western Balkan is a region where the de-securitization process is still accompanied with re-securitization, it is now safe to say that the region is reaching the point of no-turning back.

The year 2008 has been crucially important to the further de-securitization of the Balkans’ inter and intrastate relations. Albania and Croatia were invited to become members of NATO although unfortunately this did not happen for FYROM. Furthermore, the political map of the Western Balkans changed with the independence of Kosovo at the beginning of 2008, which despite fears, did not result to be an extra source of re-securitization of either intra or interstate relations in the region.

In order to analyze the challenges of the further de-securitization of both intra and interstate relations in the Western Balkans, the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) will on Feb 21st 2009 organize in Tirana the Conference titled "De-securitization and re-securitization of Western Balkan inter/intrastate relations". The conference will be held on the eve of two great events, the 60th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance as well as its expansion with two new Balkan members, Croatia and Albania.

The first part of the Conference will discus NATO’s role in the de-securitization of both inter and intrastate relations in the Western Balkans, the NATO contribution in the state-building process in the region, and the way the NATO presence and contribution is seen by the Balkan states. Due to the changes in the international strategic environment after the Russian-Georgian war, this section will also discuss the potential implications for the region and NATO’s future contribution herein.

In the second part, the conference will analyze the strategic environment in the Balkans one year after the independence of Kosova. From the security point of view, speakers from Kosova, neighboring countries, NATO and Western countries will discuss the achievements, failures and challenges ahead of the state-building process within Kosova, the security issues at the regional level, as well as the role of NATO and other players in this regard.

The third part of the Conference will focus on how each Western Balkan country and the region will succeed in utilizing integration for the further de-securitization of inter/ intra state relations in the Western Balkans. In this section, the speakers from Western Balkans will present and debate the local agenda, while speakers from NATO and the EU will share the outsiders’ perspective and contribution.