As EU leaders meet in Brussels for the European Council, the Western Balkans are not on the agenda as all focus lies on Ukraine, yet Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he’d use his speaking time to raise the issue with the US president.
“We, as Austrians, have the chance to speak to the Americans here today, and it will be about two topics: on the one hand, the war in Ukraine and, at the same time, the need not to forget the Western Balkans,” Nehammer told journalists.
“We need measures here to ensure that the Western Balkans do not become a sphere of influence of the Russian Federation or other great powers such as the People’s Republic of China,” he added.
Austria is historically heavily invested in the fate of the Western Balkans and their path into the EU. The small nation often tries to look out for the countries it’s geographically close to. Bosnia and Herzegovina especially had borne the brunt of Russia’s anger recently.
“If (Bosnia and Herzegovina) decides to be a member of any alliance, that is an internal matter. Our response is a different matter. Ukraine’s example shows what we expect. Should there be any threat, we will respond,” said the Russian ambassador Igor Kalbukhov.
In response, Nehammer told the US President and his fellow leaders that maintaining the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina was of crucial importance and to prevent “destabilising influences.” Furthermore, candidate status of the country was a priority for Austria, according to informed government sources.
The other countries in the region are Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, all of which have significant minorities in Austria.
()
