During a conversation on the topic chosen by moderator Steve Clemons, “Region Under Siege: The Fragility of the Western Balkans” held in the Czech Republic, Rama spoke about the importance of integrating the Western Balkans into the EU, but also in NATO.

Rama said Kosovo, Bosnia and Serbia should become NATO members.

“There are other parts of the Balkans where Russia is present and holds sway, and that’s why Serbia and Kosovo need to get out of the conflict, so we need to keep Serbia on our side as much as possible. As you mentioned in one of your questions, which is important that the more we link European integration with NATO integration and the more NATO is present in more countries in the Western Balkans, the better it is” said Rama.

“I was one of the first to support Montenegro’s NATO membership, which met with criticism from many, saying it is under Russian influence, but it actually turned out to be quite beneficial. We already have Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro in NATO, which is much better than if we had only Albania in the Western Balkans. If we have Kosovo, Bosnia and Serbia in NATO, the membership of these countries would make a very big difference,” PM added.

/sm/