Pendarovski: The Balkans are also in danger

The President of Northern Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, has warned that a possible war between Russia and Ukraine could also tension the Balkans. Returning from the Security Conference in Munich, in an interview with DW in Macedonian, Pendarovski said the situation was approaching conflict, but that there was still room for a diplomatic solution.

“In recent weeks, four lines of communication between the Western Alliance and Russia have been active: first, the high-level dialogue between Washington and Moscow, then within the OSCE and the NATO-Russia Council, and in Normandy – a format that has been revived lately. Each of them contributes to establishing dialogue as a way to defuse tensions, although the sounds of gunfire, unfortunately, are getting louder. The general assessment of our Western partners at the moment is that Russia will cause a military conflict in Ukraine, but there are different assessments and scenarios for the intensity of that military intervention and its geographical distribution,” said Pendarovski, TheGeopost reports.

In Munich, Pendarovski had special meetings with the leaders of some of the most powerful intelligence agencies – the German BND, the British MI6 and the French DGSE.

He has said that politicians from smaller countries rarely have the opportunity to meet within two days with the directors of Europe’s three most powerful agencies.

“Ukraine has been a hot topic in all debates and talks, and the figures have made no secret of their concern that Russian aggression against Ukraine, especially on a larger scale, could undermine the security infrastructure in Europe, built after the collapse of communism . Although the Western Balkans seem to be quite far from that part of the world, it can not be ruled out that in the event of such a development, tensions may increase in our region as well,” said the president of Northern Macedonia.