Serbia Cannot Be Allowed to Become the Belarus of the Balkans – Speech to the US Congress

The Western Balkans remain unstable because Serbia has not yet accepted the Western order.

Edward Joseph, a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, which is undesirable in Russia, stated this at a hearing of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.

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"The fight of the United States and its allies against the malign influence of Russia and China in the Balkans will not succeed as long as these revisionist powers have a partner in Belgrade... When it comes to choosing partners, Serbia finds itself at a crossroads between Russia and China on the one hand, and the Euro-Atlantic community on the other," Joseph said.

He believes the US should continue to insist on the closure of the Russian-linked oil company NIS, Russian media outlets and the Russian humanitarian center in southern Serbia.

"Now is the time to show firmness and push Belgrade to make a final choice of its strategic orientation. Opting for the Euro-Atlantic path is the only reasonable option for Serbia, which cannot become the Belarus of the Balkans," Joseph urged.