https://arab.news/jwzbs
A high-level meeting focusing on the Balkans took place in London on Wednesday. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted the leaders of the six Western Balkan nations — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — to discuss security, economic cooperation and mutual geopolitical concerns. Croatia, already an EU member, also participated as a partner government.
In addition to the regional leaders, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined the gathering. The meeting was part of the Berlin Process, launched in 2014 with German support, which is designed to help the countries of the Western Balkans stay on the path toward EU membership.
For Europe, there are several reasons why the Western Balkans remains an important area. The region has been the starting point for numerous flashpoints over the centuries. The First World War and the fighting in the 1990s serve as a reminder. In the 21st century, while the nature of the challenges has evolved, the region’s importance to Europe’s overall security has not diminished. What happens in the region inevitably reverberates across the rest of the continent.
