Pahor: I told friends in the Western Balkans, don't underestimate Brussels' new thinking of expansion after Russian aggression.

Slovenia's former president, Borut Pahor, has said Russia's initiated aggression against Ukraine has been a game in Brussels' thinking of expanding in the Western Balkans.

For this, he indicated that before the war began in Ukraine until he was in the president's post, he told his friends in the region not to underestimate the change because he is real.

Russia's “Aggression against Ukraine was a change of thinking in Brussels over the expansion of the Western Balkans. Before aggression, I have told my friends in the region not to underestimate this change of thinking about enlargement in Brussels. This change is real and now has the political will to move forward with the expansion of the Western Balkans”.

Pahor, who had expressed his readiness to succeed Miroslav Lajcak in the post of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue mediator, said the status quo in this region is enough for lasting peace.

“The status quo for the Western Balkans is not enough for lasting peace, security and progress, but means unfinished work, especially from the view of EU enlargement. But it is good that three of the six countries are already NATO members”.

He added that after aggression against Ukraine, Brussels shows a greater political will for enlargement.

“I hope this is reflected in the work of the new European Commission. As far as enlargement strategy is concerned, I am about a combination of geopolitical approach and taking into account the progress made in meeting the” conditions.

He made those comments at forum 2 BS in Montenegro's Budve, where Lajcak was at one of the speakers' panels.

Pahor has been president of Slovenia from December 2012, until December 2022. Earlier he had also held the post of prime minister. /Express/