US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar stated that the US wants the Western Balkan countries to become members of the European Union, according to the EWB.

“Many look at the Western Balkans through the prism of the 1990s, while Washington does so through the prism of the 21st century,” he said.

“One of the biggest challenges and disappointments is that local politicians have not evolved in their thinking since the 1990s,” he said in a video message to the Security Forum in Belgrade.

Escobar stressed that “the US desire is for the six countries of the Western Balkans to become members of the European Union.”

“These are European countries, some of which have made tremendous progress, and their EU membership would not be a risk to existing members of the Union, but a great opportunity,” Escobar said.

According to Escobar, the US administration “wants to resolve the currently unresolved issues in the Balkans”, adding that “the Western Balkans has great potential for continued economic growth”.

“Serbia’s economy has grown sevenfold since 2000 and the economies of Montenegro and Kosovo have experienced double-digit growth in the context of the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.

“We welcome the economic integration of the countries of the region. “Balkans are able to go anywhere and we want them to be successful in the Balkans as well.”

/Klara Ruci/