PODGORICA – Professor at the American John Hopkins University and expert for the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, believes that Moscow will never give up Montenegro and says that it is not certain that all countries of the region will follow the footsteps of Montenegro and join NATO.

Jovo Martinovic BIRN Podgorica

Some jihadis from the Balkans who travelled to the Syrian conflict zone to support Islamic State told BIRN that they returned home because they became disenchanted with the brutality, poverty and oppression.

Hilmi, an ethnic Bosniak, travelled to Syria hoping that life in Islamic State’s‘caliphate would be an ideal religious environment - but he managed to escape 16 months later, disillusioned with what he had found there.

At the current pace of reforms, it is irresponsible to tell the people of the Balkans that they have a European perspective. No, they don’t. Their children do.

The International Relations Committee of the British Parliament has launched its inquiry into the UK and the Balkans.

Beta is reporting this on Tuesday, citing a statement published on the parliament's website that noted the inquiry would have "a particular focus on the UK's approach to the region beyond Brexit."

The announcement noted that "since the end of the conflicts of the 1990s, the Balkans has remained a region of instability on the borders of the EU - to date, most of the UK's policy towards the region has been tied up with the EU's."

A total of 44 women from Kosovo are in the ranks of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, while 60 come from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This is according to an article published by Sputnik, quoting data from the Kosovo Center for Security Studies.

The best known Albanian woman from Kosovo that has joined the terrorist group is Qamile Tahiri, who is only 23 years old.

Currently, according to Kosovo-based press, she heads the training camps for women jihadist in Syria, and is considered one of Islamic State's most radical women-fighters from this region, writes Sputnik.

Economy and European integration experts in Kosovo view the recent Western Balkans in Trieste, Italy as one of the most important events of the year for the region that aspires to join the EU. However, some believe that the idea to set up a Western Balkans economic union would be unfavourable for Kosovo.

President Aleksandar Vucic met on Thursday in Thessaloniki with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Serbia's EU integration was discussed, while Juncker "confirmed the clear and unequivocal European perspective of Serbia," said reports, citing a statement issued by the president's press office.

Vucic invited Juncker to visit Serbia during the mandate of the European Commission and stressed that since 2000, Serbia "believes in joining the European Union - but much time has passed."

Events in the Western Balkans twice cast a long shadow across Europe in the past century — first in 1914 and then in the 1990s. Both times, the forces unleashed by the carnage could not be contained within the existing international order. And in both instances, proffered solutions failed to resolve the underlying tensions that brought about the conflicts in the first place.

Declaration issued by the Italian chair on July 12, 2017

In the framework of the Western Balkans Process, Italy welcomed in Trieste on 12th July 2017 the Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers and the Ministers of Economy of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, as well as Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Slovenia, United Kingdom and representatives of the European Union and the International Financial Institutions. Western Balkans Ministers of Transport also met together with Italian and EU Institutions.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini in an interview to the European Western Balkans Portal spoke about the topics such as “Berlin Process,” new phase in a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Bosnia and Hercegovina application for the EU membership and important reforms in the Western Balkans.