And leaders in the region, as well as in Britain, fear that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will use the moment to further exploit fault lines in the former Yugoslavia.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Рolitico.
As the publication notes, representatives of the highest echelons of the British government call the Western Balkans “another hot spot,” and as the situation escalates, the British insist on the accession of all six states in the region to the EU in order to counter Russian influence.
“At this time, with war raging in Europe and Russia exerting strong influence in the region, it would be pointless to turn away from the Western Balkans, where there are still problems to be solved,” said British Foreign Secretary David Lemmy.
He stressed that Putin's interests here are to keep the region destabilized. He also said that it is in his interests to keep the countries on the border in the Western Balkans, to have a destabilized population and to wage cyber and hybrid warfare.”
All six Western Balkan states are seeking EU membership, a long process in which geopolitics may be as important as alignment goals. They face significant challenges both at home and with their neighbors. Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, has been plunged into crisis since Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of the country’s tripartite presidency, escaped arrest for his separatist policies.
At the same time, the “Japanese Vanga” gave a new prophecy about what to fear in 2025.