General Christopher Cavoli testified before the US Congress: the influence of Russia and Serbia is contributing to instability in the region, more forces and equipment are needed on the ground

General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of the NATO Allied Forces for Europe,  testified before the US Congress last week, saying that the situation in the Western Balkans has deteriorated, especially in the last year.

He stated that negotiations to resolve internal political and social issues have not progressed and that Russia’s malign influence is contributing to fueling tensions that are affecting regional instability.

Russia may not be alone, he said, noting that Serbia’s role in these influence operations is still open, none of which are good for the region.

He recalled the events in Banjska last autumn, the attacks on Kosovo police and the build-up of Serbian troops on the border with northern Kosovo, which represented the biggest threat of inter-state violence since the end of the war in 1999 and illustrated the worrying level of instability in the region. He recalled that in response to this escalation, NATO had sent troops from the UK and Romania to reinforce the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

The Alliance is also reviewing the position of its forces in the Kosovo peacekeeping mission to respond to the new threat.

“Having conducted a full review of KFOR, we have come to the conclusion that we need not just more forces, but a stronger force. We are in the process and countries are quite generous. We will bring more heavy equipment on the ground, as well as more people,” Cavoli stressed.

Ethnic tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina also have the potential to escalate and destabilise the Western Balkans region. Russia’s efforts to stoke tensions between ethnic Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats are aimed at weakening the country and preventing it from deepening its ties with the EU and NATO.

Ethno-nationalist policies are preventing Bosnia and Herzegovina from adopting much-needed political, legal and economic reforms that would accelerate its Euro-Atlantic integration. The majority Serb entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska, seeks to weaken state authority and relations with the EU and NATO, while maintaining close ties with Russia.

According to the General, France has sent a battalion as part of the EUFOR mission in BiH and that instead of one reserve for KFOR and EUFOR, there will be two, separate reserves for each mission.

Finally, the active operations of Russian influence in North Macedonia, Montenegro and other countries in the Western Balkans continue to pose a challenge to the unity of the Alliance, as well as to the overall stability in the region.

The narratives published by Russia are fuelling inter-ethnic tensions and degrading support for the rule of law and democracy in general./The Geopost/