“Putin foments old conflicts” –

“Throughout history, this region has often been a frontier between worlds. Between East and West; between North and South. But its new generations have chosen a different path. They have chosen to be part of a common European family. They have chosen to travel, trade and prosper together with their European neighbours. The current Russian leadership, living in the past, refuses to accept this simple reality. Every time there is progress towards reconciliation and regional integration in the Western Balkans, the Kremlin tries to stoke old conflicts,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her speech at the Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia.

“Russia is constantly working to sow division, within the Western Balkans and between the Western Balkans and the rest of Europe. But the vast majority of people in the Western Balkans want integration, not fragmentation. And we have to do it,” he added.