Escobar warns of Russian and Chinese danger: Kremlin feeds disinformation via Serbian-language media

U.S. envoy to the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar has warned of the dangers of Russian and Chinese influence in the region.

He said that European and transatlantic integrations are crucial for the region to reduce the influence of harmful actors in this region such as Russia and China, but also corrupt local actors who aim to destabilize the region and hinder integrations, and expand their influence.

Escobar said during his testimony that Russia is expanding its influence in the region through two channels: disinformation and energy.

“Nothing more. Russia is offering no bilateral trade, no aid, no construction capacity, no support for democratic reform. Simply put, the region is being trapped by its energy dependence. So the sooner we can help the region reduce its dependence, whether through liquefied natural gas or renewable energy, the sooner we can combat russian influence in the region. Russia remains the sole supplier of natural gas to several Western Balkan countries, posing a serious threat to regional security. And as the Kremlin wages war on Ukraine, it spreads disinformation, often through serbian-language media, to sow division, mistrust, and interethnic and religious tensions. China mixes insidious narratives that undermine trust in the West with shoddy investments. “We offer alternatives to build resilience to these impacts, align partners with EU standards for critical infrastructure procurement and foreign investment, address misinformation, and develop clean, reliable, affordable, and sustainable and diverse energy sources,” Escobar said.

Here he mentioned the president of Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, who he said continues to focus on dismantling the Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian war, and the state’s constitution.

“Dodik’s continued anti-democratic actions threaten the stability, security and prosperity of the state and the entire region,” he said.

Escobar said the U.S. will continue to monitor these actions and seek accountability from anyone who harms the Dayton Agreement or threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dodik is sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom and is known for his closeness to Russia, while he frequently travels to Serbia to coordinate with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on his anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.

Escobar made his comments yesterday during a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the role of the United States in the Western Balkans.

Escobar estimated that the Western Balkans’ main problems include slow progress in democratization, corruption, dependence on russian energy sources, ethnonationalist politics, misinformation, and harmful outside influence.

He also mentioned the influence China is seeking to expand through investment.

“We offer alternatives to build resilience against these impacts,” Escobar said, among other things./The Geopost/