Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated on Friday that it is unfortunate that the European Union has realized the importance of the Western Balkans for European security only through a severe manner, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He also mentioned that Kosovo and Serbia need to overcome their disagreements as soon as possible to prevent Russia from influencing the region.
“I must thank Russian President Vladimir Putin because, thanks to him, the European Union has understood how important it is to keep the Western Balkans close and how important the Western Balkans are for the EU,” Rama said during a discussion on the fragility of the Balkans at the Globsec Forum being held in Prague, Czech Republic.
He noted that the Balkans are in a better position than before, and apart from the economic aspect, he sees no significant difference between the Balkans and the EU.
“Even today, the Balkans would be an added value for the EU,” he said, referring to the importance of the region’s membership in the European bloc.
Asked whether Russia has made any efforts to interfere in Albania’s internal affairs, he responded that Albania is not interested in this, saying, “There is no appetite, so Russia doesn’t find many people to serve, even for money.”
“We have had some [Russian influence] but not anything massive. It is very present and can cause a lot of damage in other parts of the Balkans. That is why Kosovo and Serbia need to overcome that conflict, and we need to keep Serbia as close as possible. The more we link EU membership with NATO membership, and the more NATO is present in the Balkan countries, the better it will be.”
He mentioned that if Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina were NATO members, and Serbia later on, the situation would be entirely different.
Among the Balkan countries, only Kosovo does not yet have candidate status for EU membership, despite having applied to become a member.
Source: Botasot
