The membership of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina in NATO would permanently isolate the influence of Serbia and Russia in the Western Balkans.
He said this at the discussion on the Western Balkans at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University in the United States of America.
Duke University professor Albulena Kastrati said that Russia is constantly supporting Serbia in its efforts to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina and deny Kosovo’s statehood, reports KosovaPress.
“Russia consistently supports Serbia in its efforts to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina and deny Kosovo statehood. The EU and US transactional approach to Serbia – through the military deal with France, the lithium deal with Germany and the arms sale to Ukraine – has only flattered Serbia, the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Moreover, two Russian banks 2 continue to operate in Serbia, facilitating the free flow of Russian capital and transactions. The EU’s reluctance to prioritize enlargement has left the region vulnerable to Russian influence,” she said.
The membership of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina in NATO would permanently isolate the influence of Serbia and Russia in the Western Balkans.
He said this at the discussion on the Western Balkans at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University in the United States of America.
Duke University professor Albulena Kastrati said that Russia is constantly supporting Serbia in its efforts to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina and deny Kosovo’s statehood, reports KosovaPress.
“Russia consistently supports Serbia in its efforts to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina and deny Kosovo statehood. The EU and US transactional approach to Serbia – through the military deal with France, the lithium deal with Germany and the arms sale to Ukraine – has only flattered Serbia, the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Moreover, two Russian banks 2 continue to operate in Serbia, facilitating the free flow of Russian capital and transactions. The EU’s reluctance to prioritize enlargement has left the region vulnerable to Russian influence,” she said.
On the other hand, Harvard University identity politics researcher Flora Ferati-Sachsenmaier said that the Western Balkan countries are at a critical point in European geopolitics, as these countries are finding themselves caught between the EU’s wavering commitment to enlargement and the growing influence of China and Russia, the report said. KosovaPress.
“In the absence of a secure and effective EU, Moscow and Beijing have intervened, using soft power, economic leverage, and political maneuvering. Their influence is reinforced by domestic autocratic politicians like Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska’s Milorad Dodik, who serve as key partners in obstructing the region’s path to the EU,” she said.
Meanwhile, researcher of Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University, Pëllumb Çitaku, said that the growing presence of Chinese and Russian investments and financing in Republika Srpska, Serbia and Montenegro in strategic sectors such as energy, telecommunications and critical infrastructure, poses economic and geopolitical risks for the region.
