Although conflicts within and between the Western Balkan countries are no longer primary threats to security and stability in the region, complex ethnic challenges continue to threaten the long-term stability. These challenges include corruption, organized crime, poor rule of law and Russia’s malign influence. This is what, among other things, the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Mr John Rood, said while testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services before his appointment, writes Pobjeda daily.
Commenting on the current challenges in the Balkans, Mr Rood told that the region is still facing many serious issues.
“The Western Balkans have come a long way since the war that divided Yugoslavia and the ethnic conflicts of the 1990s. Today, the three former Yugoslav countries are in NATO – Albania, Croatia and Montenegro – and with the exception of Kosovo, all the other countries are members of the NATO Partnership for Peace,” he said.
On the importance of KFOR command for the stability in the region, the U.S. official told that the aim of KFOR command is to maintain a safe environment and ensure freedom of movement across the whole Kosovo in line with the Resolution 1244 SBUN.
