AMERICA CHANGING ITS APPROACH OF THE BALKANS

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 20 /SRNA/ – The United States is changing its approach to the Balkans compared with the leading countries of the EU, while the current issue of concern is the formation of a military alliance between Croatia, Albania, and self-declared Kosovo, participants at the scientific and professional conference “New Military Alliances in the Western Balkans – Between Sovereignism and Globalism” stated.

Miloš Šolaja of the Centre for Lobbying, which organised the conference, said it has become clear that global conflicts are also shaping regional processes in the Balkans. “Geopolitical ambitions that existed in the past are once again emerging in relations among major powers whose interests overlap in the Balkans. The United States is, in fact, increasing its presence in the region, particularly toward countries that have not yet become members of NATO and the European Union,” Šolaja told the press in Banja Luka before the conference began. Mitar Kovač, a deputy of Serbia’s National Assembly, stated that the formation of regional military alliances in the Balkans is the current challenge. “We see that this alliance between Croatia, Albania, and the fake NATO state of Kosovo is under the patronage of leading European countries. That brings misfortune. Military alliances have never brought peace. They are the eve of conflict,” Kovač said. Dušan Proroković of the Institute of International Politics and Economics pointed out that the balance of power in Europe is changing and that new alliances are emerging in the Balkans. “When we speak about NATO’s future role, we see a new position taken by the United States in that regard. We also see a position among European countries on the issue of Iran that differs from Washington’s. The U.S. view of the Balkans is changing, and it is now different from the views of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany,” Proroković said.