The United States said that Russia is seeking to exploit inter-ethnic tensions in the Western Balkans region in order to create “instability and hinder the region’s integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions”.
“It is clear that Russia does not support the same European future for the countries of the Western Balkans region that they themselves have chosen and that the people in the region deserve,” a spokesperson for the US State Department told Radio Free Europe.
DASH said that precisely because of Russia’s intention, Washington is working with the countries of the Western Balkans to strengthen regional cooperation and advance reforms “that will reduce the possibility of Russian malign influence and bring peace, stability and prosperity to the region.” .
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine highlights the urgency and importance of these priorities”, DASH said.
In Kosovo, political leaders have recently intensified their warnings that Serbia is preparing for an attack or provocation against Kosovo. But whenever the Kosovar authorities talk about such a threat, they do not leave without mentioning Belgrade’s ally, Russia, which they say is interested in destabilizing the north of Kosovo and the region.
Experts on developments in the Balkans told REL earlier this week that Belgrade’s ally, Moscow, is aiming to distract the West from its war in Ukraine, and the major powers should send a clear message to Serbia that if he acts in the north of Kosovo, NATO will react.
Likewise, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, James O’Brien, described the north of Kosovo – inhabited by a majority of Serbs – and the threats to secede a part of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the main security risks in the Western Balkans.
In the north, tensions have been rising since last year, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, authorities in the Republika Srpska entity have threatened secession.
The DASH spokesman said the US remains concerned that local tensions could escalate into serious political tensions in the region.
“We remain concerned about the risk that local tensions turn into serious political tensions that could stagnate the states of the region, as for example in the north of Kosovo and given the threats of secession in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are continuing to work with all parties to minimize these risks,” said the DASH spokesperson.
Those familiar with developments in the Balkans have told him that the possibility of tensions in the north of Kosovo cannot be ruled out, as last year in this part of Kosovo tensions peaked after a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police, killing a sergeant.
Ivana Stradner, a senior researcher at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told REL that the threat of a possible escalation in northern Kosovo “is big and real,” because Russia — which does not recognizes the independence of Kosovo – is seeking to distract attention from the war in Ukraine.
But Stradner said that he does not believe that there will be a large-scale conflict in the Western Balkans, like the one in Ukraine. However, she claims that there are activities in the Balkans that can be considered “hybrid war”./REL
