Western nations are destabilising Balkans, says Putin

Serbia rolls out red carpet for the visiting Russian president, even as it bids to join the European Union

VLADIMIR PUTIN yesterday accused the US and the West of destabilising the Balkans with expansionist Nato policies, as Serbia prepared a hero’s welcome for the visiting Russian president. Mr Putin arrives in Serbia today for his fourth visit since 2001.

A fountain on Belgrade’s main square was lit in the colours of the Russian and Serbian flags, bookstores are displaying works about Putin, and a plaza in front of the biggest Orthodox Church in the Balkans is being hastily paved before his planned visit to the temple.

Serbia has maintained close links with Russia, even as the country formally seeks European Union membership. Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its incursion into Ukraine and has promised it will stay out of Nato.

Mr Putin told two Serbian newspapers: “The policy of the US and certain Western countries aimed to foster their dominance in the region constitutes a major destabilising factor.”

Despite strong Russian opposition, Montenegro joined Nato in 2017, while Macedonia is trying to settle its name dispute with Greece in order to join the Western military alliance. Last week, Nato foreign ministers restarted a program that could lead to Bosnia’s membership. Serbia’s four other neighbours are already members.

“In 2017, Montenegro was drawn into Nato in disregard of the opinion of half of its population,” Mr Putin said. “They did not dare to hold a relevant referendum. It is going through a period of political instability as a result.”

Two Russian military secret service operatives have been accused in Montenegro of trying to stage a coup in 2016 to stop the state from joining Nato.

Mr Putin said that in Macedonia “last year, the process of adoption of constitutional amendments, renaming of the country, and revision of fundamentals of the Macedonian national identity was launched in the Republic of Macedonia for the purpose of accelerating its inclusion in Nato”.

He said that while the West propagated the wrong policies in the Balkans, Russia “knows and understands the complexity of the Balkans and history of the region”.

Historically close ties between Russia and Serbia have been visibly revived recently after Mr Putin stepped up efforts to restore Moscow’s influence in Eastern Europe.

♦ Alexis Tsipras, the Greek Prime Minister, last night won a parliamentary vote of confidence called following a dispute over Macedonia’s name change.

Tsipras secured 151 votes in favour in the 300-seat chamber, Reuters said.