AP: Russian influence strengthened in Balkans

A week before the elections in Bosnia, Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik was in Moscow, in the Forum 1 race and at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. In this case, according to the AP, Putin congratulated Dodik “on a major success” in the election and received the symbol of Republika Srpska, which can be seen in the footage.

As the AP writes, these images are a visible representation of Russian influence in the Balkans, one of the most sensitive regions in Europe, where the West seeks reconciliation and reforms after the 1990s wars.

Dodik, who engages in the division of Republika Srpska, has already won the election for a Bosnian Serb presidency member and is thought to strengthen Moscow's position in the Western Balkans because he is now able to block any strategic decision. Because of his views, Dodik is under US sanctions.

Russia is strongly opposed to the membership of Balkan states in NATO, while Western officials have voiced fears that Moscow in the region will use historical Slavic and Orthodox ties to undermine Western politics.

Pro-Russian forces have succeeded in elections in Latvia, where Russians make up a quarter of the population, but the winning party Harmony is likely to have difficulty forming a coalition.

The European Council for Foreign Affairs report says Russia's strategic goal is not direct control over the Balkans, but “feeding and increasing existing tensions”.

“From a Russian point of view, EU access to the Western Balkans is neither serious nor systematic, giving Moscow an opportunity to create an advantage,” says the report.

The AP says Russian allies in the Balkans are actively promoting distrust in the West, introducing the US and the EU as enemies who want to shift countries of identity and national pride through integration.

The perfect example, according to the AP, is Milorad Dodik, for whom the West and NATO are enemies, while Russia is a friend who fully respects “Slavic brothers”.

Disillusioned in her problems the euro crisis, immigration and Brexi EU has been neglecting the Balkans for years. Now some European officials fear that the region could regain conflict if it does not enter the EU soon.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently said that if a clear European perspective is not offered to the Balkans sooner or later, “what has happened in the ninety-11x1> can be repeated. That fear, according to the AP, is not unfounded, the Kosovo Press broadcasts.

Tensions are on the rise between Serbia and Kosovo, despite a dialogue in Brussels on a political solution. In Macedonia, despite US and EU hopes of soon accepting an agreement with Greece on changing the name, a referendum on the issue has failed due to poor exit.

This caused new fears of instability in a country that was on the verge of a 2001 civil war, the AP writes.

Russia denies involvement in the politics of the Balkan or Baltic states. However, according to the AP, the Russian strategy works well in Serbia, mainly because of the memory of NATO bombings in 1999. Russia, according to the AP, in exchange for Belgrade's support for Kosovo, is a loyal ally of Serbia, even though the latter is negotiating EU membership.

The AP also stresses that two Russian intelligence military officers have operated from Serbia in an alleged attempt to organise a coup in Montenegro in 2016 to prevent the country's entry into NATO.

We witnessed the referendum failure in Macedonia. We are witnesses of this in Bosnia, where Republika Srpska became a bastion of Russian interests. We testified to that in Montenegro and we are witnesses of that in Serbia. All this helps Russians to invest minimally and get almost maximum from their political influence “, political analyst Bosko Jaksic said.