“Russia’s and China’s Presence in the Western Balkans: Perceptions vs Realities – focus on Serbia” – Dimitar Bechev

Dimitar Bechev, Senior Research Fellow at the South-East Europe Programme of ELIAMEP, participated as the keynote speaker in the European Contexts event titled “Russia’s and China’s Presence in the Western Balkans: Perceptions vs Realities – focus on Serbia” which took place in Vienna and was organized by the ERSTE Foundation, Presseclub Concordia, Europe’s Futures (IWM) and Fjum.

Dr. Bechev introduced the audience to the topic by giving an overview of the current situation in the Western Balkans regarding the presence and activities of Russia and China.

Overall, the speakers addressed the issue of Chinese and Russian influence in Serbia from different angles including the public perceptions, media coverage, economic investments, and political presence.

You can watch the video of the event here (Dr. Bechev’s speech starts at 4:18”).

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