Edi Rama criticizes EU’s delayed recognition of Western Balkans’ importance

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized the European Union for only realizing the importance of the Western Balkans after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, Rama sarcastically thanked Vladimir Putin for making the EU aware of the region’s significance for the stability of the entire continent.

What was said

As the sole panelist in a discussion on “The Region Under Siege: The Fragility of the Western Balkans,” moderated by Steve Clemons, Prime Minister Rama expressed regret that it took a crisis to make the EU focus on the Western Balkans and support the region from Brussels. He stated, “The war in Ukraine completely shook the status quo, and the European Union began to increasingly realize how important the Western Balkans are, especially for the security of Europe.”

Rama praised the approach of the re-elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who he believes played a crucial role in the recent attention given to the region. Speaking about Russia, Rama assured that its influence in Albania is almost negligible, though it remains a significant and concerning presence in other parts of the region.

“Russia cannot find many spies or people willing to serve Russia for a bit of money in Albania,” Rama said. “Where Russia is present and very influential, and could truly be a problem, is in other parts of the Balkans. This is why we need Serbia and Kosovo to move beyond their conflict, and why we need to keep Serbia engaged.”

Rama emphasized the importance of aligning European integration with NATO integration, stating that the more countries in the Western Balkans are part of NATO, the better. He highlighted his early support for Montenegro’s NATO membership, which was initially opposed due to Russian influence but ultimately proved beneficial. “Now we have Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro in NATO, which is much better than just having Albania in the Western Balkans,” he noted. “If we then have Kosovo, Bosnia, and Serbia in NATO, it will make a huge difference.”

Rama also commented on the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, which he acknowledged is becoming increasingly difficult. He reiterated Albania’s clear stance on the issue, advocating for peace and dialogue. “Our strong belief is that we should not look to the future with the eyes of the past; we should look at the past with the eyes of the future. When you start from there, many things become clear, many obstacles become less problematic, and more steps can be taken,” said the Albanian Prime Minister.