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23 minutes agoUS Senators Visit Vucinqi, Russian and Chinese Influence
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)US foreign affairs commission senators Chris Murphy and Jeanne Shaheen, as well as Commission Senator for Armed Forces Tom Tillis, will be expected today at a meeting by Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq. According to his press office, Americans will be expected at the Serbian presidency General Secretariat building. [...]
According to his press office, Americans will be expected at the Serbian presidency General Secretariat building.
Democrat Senators Chris Murphy and Jeanne Shaheen told the Voice of America earlier that there was a bilateral interest in Washington in US engagement in the Western Balkans and providing economic support and any other kind for its European aspirations.
China and Russia's influence is one of the issues that bother American senators, so it will certainly be a topic of discussion in Belgrade.
Shaheen chairman of Europe's subcommittee for regional security told the Voice of America in February that the United States may oppose that influence in several ways, Tanjug reported.
She said there is a huge dependence on the Western Balkans on Russian energy, and that for this reason the United States should help create new opportunities for clean energy and other resources and expressed confidence that many companies in the United States will be interested in such investments and co-operation with the countries of the region in that area.
Senator Chris Murphy also stated at the time that the United States should have a strong presence in the region and drew attention to the fact that further progress is needed in the Balkans in fighting corruption and rule of law.
Many countries in the Western Balkans are going in the wrong direction. And this is no coincidence, given the fact that Europe is currently making membership of Balkan countries difficult,”, he said.
Republican Senator Tom Tillis, who heads NATO's observer group in Senate, also said in a letter to US President Joseph Biden prior to his participation at the NATO summit in Brussels last month that the United States should have a strong presence in the region.
The letter, signed by Tillis and Shaheen, as well as senators Angus King, Chris Koons, Johnny Ernst and John Barroso, said the Balkans were a region where Russia had long played a destabilising role.
“Balkan is a vulnerable area of Europe and although Ukraine should attract our immediate attention, we cannot lose sight of this region where NATO has long played a key role in preserving peace”, senators said.
