EU Foreign Ministers discuss the Western Balkans

2023-05-22 09:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

At today's meeting of the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union in Brussels, the ministers of the member countries will discuss the situation in the Western Balkan region.

They will be joined by the ministers of foreign affairs from the six countries of the Western Balkans.

According to announcements from the European Union, the main topics that will be on the agenda are the process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, regional cooperation and Russia's influence in the Western Balkans region.

The European Union is expected to repeat once again its commitment to continue aid to the region, but also to ask these countries to fulfill their obligations to implement reforms and to adapt to the European Union's foreign policy.

So far, all countries in the region, except Serbia, have supported the European Union's sanctions against Russia. Moreover, in the last year, Serbia's alignment with the EU's foreign policy stances has diminished even more.

The European Union has also expressed concern about the threats heard in Bosnia and Herzegovina for endangering the territorial integrity of this country. Such calls continue to come from the leader of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik.

As for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, it is expected that this meeting will also repeat the call for progress in the process of normalizing relations and the implementation of all the obligations that the parties have undertaken in this process.

Following the instructions given by the leaders of the EU and the Western Balkans from the summits of Berdo in 2021 and Tirana in 2022, the European Union has assisted partners to develop their capacities to face hybrid threats, especially cyber threats. and with campaigns of manipulation and interference by external factors.

The EU has also included the countries of the region in joint plans to prevent terrorist acts.

All of these will also be topics that EU ministers and their colleagues from the Western Balkan region will discuss in their joint meeting./ Rel