Burbock calls on the EU not to leave the Balkans under the influence of Russia | News from Germany about Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for greater EU participation in solving the problems of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula. “The Russian attack on Ukraine is a watershed moment that strongly demonstrates that Europe must be ready to invest strategically in its long-term security,” she said on Wednesday, March 9, before a trip to the Balkans and Moldova. And first of all, according to her, this concerns relations with the Western Balkan countries.

“Today’s peace in the Western Balkans may not be ideal, but it is valuable,” the German Foreign Minister stressed. She acknowledged that the EU has disappointed many of these countries in recent years by neglecting them. “This open flank is being pressed by players like Russia who are not interested in a European future and are not shy about rekindling unresolved conflicts,” Burbock said, stressing that the purpose of her trip to the Western Balkans is, first of all, to hear what the locals expect , but also “to make it clear that we will not leave this region in the heart of Europe under the influence of Moscow.”

Investments planned

According to Annalena Berbock, Germany has a fundamental interest in a politically stable and economically prosperous Balkans, whose states are oriented towards Europe, and the government in Berlin will work in this direction, including through strategic investments, especially in renewable energy sources.

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