The Foreign Ministers of the European Union member states have given political support for deepening cooperation with the Western Balkan countries in the field of external security and defense. In the morning session of the ministerial meeting held yesterday, May 11, the EU member states’ top diplomats met with their six counterparts from the Western Balkans. Kosovo was represented at this meeting by the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Glauk Konjufca.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, stated at the conclusion of the meeting that Brussels is ready to support the region’s countries in facing hybrid threats and disinformation, as well as through increased use of the European Peace Facility to strengthen the defense capacities of partners. However, European ministers called on the region’s countries to align with the common values of the European Union. “Member states expressed the expectation that all countries move along the European path and be fully aligned with the common foreign and security policy. In these geopolitical times, this is not just a formal fulfillment of obligations, but shows whether we see the world in the same way,” said Kallas. She emphasized that not all countries in the region are fully aligned with the EU’s sanctions policy. “We know very well that the Western Balkan countries have different positions on certain issues, which is also reflected in their level of alignment with the common foreign and security policy,” she added. The EU’s chief diplomat underlined that partnership works both ways, and thus, the region’s countries are expected to undertake further reforms, respect the rule of law, and more clearly align with the EU’s foreign policy. Of the region’s countries, Serbia, which aspires to join the European Union, has refused to join the EU’s sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, despite repeated calls from Brussels.
