The US influence is large in the region, especially in Kosovo, and Washington sees the European Union as a kind of competition, says Aleksandar Popov, from the Center for Regionalism, who points out that the US influence in the region can be seen both directly and indirectly.
– Directly, in Kosovo is the crucial word of the US administration on many issues, and when something happens in Kosovo one should look at whether Americans are behind it. On the other hand, the refugee crisis is a result of the USA action in the Middle East. This has destabilized Europe and produced new conflicts within the EU. I have the impression that this is a result of that Europe somehow has a problem, it cannot be a rival of the US, we have had a bipolar world before, we now have a multipolar, but with two key players on the scene, the EU and the USA. The US perceives the EU as a kind of competitive force and here in these moves is some intention that the EU is not as strong as it could be – said Popov.
– I mentioned the destabilization of the EU through the refugee crisis, which has affected the region, all that happens in Europe reflects the region. Europe has no power to devote to addressing the problems in the region. We see that the German-British plan for BiH is on ice for a year or so, and you see what is happening in Kosovo. Such things wouldn’t happen if only greater attention was paid to the region. This will be very turbulent year, we have had hints of what might happen, a million more refugees waiting for us, further instability in the EU, many unresolved issues in the region, the unstable situation in almost all countries of the region. I sincerely hope that the region, if there is no global crisis, will not be destabilized to the point of endangering peace in the region – added Popov.
He also states that the Government of Serbia reacted well to situations that could lead to crisis in the region.
– It is difficult to swim in this situation, however as much I have concerns regarding the conduct of the government at the national level, that much I think that the government behaves skilfully in complex circumstances in the EU, where we from the bad guys become good guys. Not to speak about regional policy, it is good, although the biggest gaffe is that the government went to the celebration of the Day of the Republika Srpska, but the government has demonstrated a mature regional policy. We still have the uncertainty of how things will develop in Croatia, but Serbia acted in a constructive manner in regional relations. I think, it has gained considerable points in the EU, but also in key countries, in Germany particular – said Popov.
