Borrell: Friendship with Putin and EU membership do not go together

2024-06-24 22:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Borrell: Friendship with Putin and EU membership do not go together

Josep Borrell

The European Union's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, warned that ambitions for membership in the bloc and close relations with Moscow do not go together.

"Harmonization with our common foreign and security policy is considered by the states of the Western Balkans as an expansion of their strategic choice and commitment to membership. Maintaining close relations with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's regime is not compatible with building a common future with and within the EU," said the head of European diplomacy after the end of the meeting with EU foreign ministers. which was held in Luxembourg.

As part of the ministerial meeting, the heads of European diplomacy held a working lunch with their counterparts from the Western Balkans. Adaptation to European foreign policy also includes sanctions against Russia, and this was one of the key topics discussed during this working lunch.

According to Borrell, the EU is ready to gradually deepen integration and expand support for partners from the Western Balkans. But, he said that Brussels expects these countries to stand together with the Europeans in defense of the international order and separately on the issue of Ukraine and the measures taken to oppose the Russian occupation of Ukraine.

All Western Balkan countries, except Serbia, have harmonized decisions with the EU regarding sanctions against Russia. Since the start of the invasion in 2022, the EU has imposed 14 rounds of sanctions on Russia in response to aggression against Ukraine.

In this meeting, Kosovo was represented by the chief diplomat Donika Gërvalla. She called for the further integration of the Western Balkans into the EU.

"At a time when in Europe we are facing Russian aggression against Ukraine, a stronger European Union is a better answer to respond to the challenges of today and the future," she said.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of Serbia, Marko Djuric, hinted that his country will harmonize its foreign policy when it joins the EU.

"We talked [about sanctions]. "Serbia will certainly have a common foreign and security policy when it joins the EU and will be in a position to influence the common foreign and security policy," he said.

The six states of the Western Balkans, which aspire to be at different stages on their way to membership in the European bloc.

Of these, Serbia and Montenegro are the two countries that have made the most progress towards membership in the European bloc, having opened several chapters in the membership talks. Kosovo, meanwhile, is the last on the road to the EU, as the country still does not even have the status of a candidate country./ Rel