By Gzim RUSHIT
The Western Balkans, due to its geographical position, the large number of different nations and cultures that coexist in this Region, and the interest of various Regional and global actors who are interested in extending their influence in this Region, have made the Western Balkans a geopolitical battlefield for a longer period of time where Turkey, the United States of America, Russia, the European Union, China and even the Gulf Monarchies are present.
The interference of non-Western Regional and global actors in the Western Balkans Region poses a challenge to the West. The interests and activities of some non-Western actors in the Western Balkans Region are in open and direct contradiction with the strategic determination of the states of this Region to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, as well as with the reform and development processes for this Region that are promoted by Western global actors.
Russia’s activities and interference in the Western Balkans Region in recent decades, and especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, have increased significantly and are very large. Unlike other global geopolitical actors, it has openly declared and acts against Western interests in this Region and openly works to block the accession process of the Western Balkan states to NATO and the EU.
Russia possesses a large number of tools and instruments that it uses to exert and increase its influence. The most important tools and instruments that Russia has at its disposal and which it uses to exert influence in the Western Balkans Region include economic instruments, influence through energy instruments, the use of hard power, the use of soft power to achieve influence over the South Slavic nations, etc.
The Western Balkans Region is part of Russia’s strategy, a strategy that aims and aims to make Russia a global geopolitical player of the first order in the security issues of the European continent. Although the international actors and global geopolitical actors that have the greatest influence in the Western Balkans Region are NATO, the United States of America and the European Union, while Russia lags far behind them in terms of ability and capacity to influence the Western Balkans, Russia still represents an influential actor in this Region and this influence allows Russia to have a say, weight and influence on issues of great strategic importance and weight for Russia.
The Western Balkans in particular and Southeastern Europe in general are not part of the sphere that Russia considers as its privileged sphere of geopolitical interest, but through the economic, energy, political, cultural and other influences that Moscow manages to exert on the countries of the Western Balkans, it tries to increase its influence in this Region as much as possible and in the last instance to use this influence in this Region and this Region against the West in general and especially against NATO, the United States of America and the European Union in particular.
Russia’s presence and increasing influence in the Western Balkans Region creates an advantage and advantage for it in the strategic competition and competition and in the geopolitical rivalry that it has with the West and global geopolitical actors such as NATO and the United States of America and the most important international actor with the greatest influence in the Western Balkans Region, which is the European Union.
Russia’s influence and presence in the Western Balkans Region creates opportunities and increases Russia’s weight and influence in security issues on the European continent, as well as creating opportunities for it to influence very sensitive and very important issues and decisions such as the further expansion of NATO and the European Union with countries from the Western Balkans, the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, and also creates opportunities for it to influence the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The countries of the Western Balkans Region and the West in general, and especially the United States of America, NATO and the European Union, must work hard and be very careful to prevent the growth of Russia’s influence in the Western Balkans, because its presence and influence in this Region enables it to acquire the status of a great power, whose interests and influence extend very deeply into Europe and beyond, and in this way it manages to challenge the West and influence and block the Euro-Atlantic integration processes, not only of the countries of the Western Balkans Region but also beyond.