Currents of History 2/2019

Jovan Čavoški

Waiting for Europe in Belgrade: Yugoslavia and the CSCE Belgrade Follow-up Meeting (1977–1978)

Abstract: This article deals with historical developments surrounding the diplomatic preparations and immediate course of the Belgrade Follow-up Meeting where the principle of CSCE continuity was strongly promoted. This historical episode is analyzed through the prism of Yugoslavia’s relations with both superpowers under the restrictive conditions of the crumbling détente, and in the light of the evolution of Yugoslavia’s non-aligned foreign policy on the European continent and Belgrade’s cooperation with the neutral and non-aligned countries. This article is primarily based on documents from Serbian and U.S. archives and its immediate goal is to make a historical evaluation of the Belgrade Follow-up Meeting.

Ever since it was decided in Helsinki in 1975 that Belgrade would host the CSCE follow-up meeting, Yugoslavia was endowed with the enormous political responsibility of organizing an event that would either guarantee the future of the whole CSCE process, or mark its imminent downfall. In fact, Yugoslavia was dealing with a very tense international situation where, as host, it has to balance between the often conflicting interests of the superpowers, at the same time gaining strong support from the European N+N countries and promoting its own political agenda, which largely pertained to the issues of security, non-violation of borders, and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries. This was the time when the superpower détente had already started crumbling, with both Washington and Moscow demonstrating rather limited interest in the continuity of the CSCE and its full implementation, thus placing a big question mark over the future of the whole process. Both sides expressed more dedication to maintaining bloc cohesion or subverting the ideological adversary than being determined to achieve diplomatic success in the Yugoslav cap ital. The only political success both superpowers were counting on at the upcoming meeting was for their competitor to succumb ultimately under intense diplomatic and propaganda pressure. In spite of a certain amount of disenchantment by the N+N countries with both blocs, Yugoslavia’s diplomatic efforts at the Belgrade Follow-up Meeting did manage to bring this event to a more-less satisfactory conclusion, where the continuity of the entire CSCE process was secured for the foreseeable future.