Political scientist: “Russia still has the right to vote in the Balkans”
The Balkan region, especially its western part, is a place for Moscow to participate in European security issues.”
This opinion is conveyed by PolitNavigator correspondent, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Dmitry Suslov, who noted that there are now strong religious ties and intensive energy cooperation between Russia and the Balkan countries.
“Moscow has many energy projects in Serbia, Belgrade is considered an important client for Russian energy. The Western Balkans are not covered by NATO; Russia still has some say. So the Balkans are an opportunity for Moscow to participate in European security issues,” the expert said.
However, he adds that Russian influence in the region should not be exaggerated, since, according to him, Serbia does not consider Moscow as a geopolitical alternative.
“Russia understands that Belgrade will move towards integration with the EU, and will not try to prevent this,” Suslov concluded.
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