Arsovski: Without Integration into NATO and the EU, the Western Balkans will become a new hotspot

Analyst from North Macedonia Petar Arsovski for told Kosovo Online that the Western Balkans will become a risky area if it does not move forward towards NATO and European integration, adding that the main message from the Washington Summit is that NATO is strong and will not allow prolonged conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine.

He assesses that this was a very important summit and a way for NATO to emerge more coordinated and stronger, given the challenges it faces, or "disunited as it has been so far."

"I think the main messages to member states are to stick to their principles, namely the two percent spending on the budget, to develop good neighborly relations, and to participate in all missions. So, the main internal message is to maintain and strengthen unity. In the world, the main message is that NATO is strong and will not allow prolonged conflicts, such as this one in Ukraine—primarily in Ukraine, because Gaza is treated as a bilateral issue," our interlocutor emphasizes.

He adds that the message for candidate countries is that there is some perspective.

"In this sense, I think NATO is trying to show that it has successfully adapted to the new challenges of the new era because we are already facing a bipolar geostrategic situation, and I think NATO's transformation is not complete. This is the end of the beginning," Arsovski states.

According to him, security in Europe depends on how unified NATO is, how much unity it can maintain on the eastern front, and most significantly, on the situation in Ukraine and Moldova.

"There is political pressure from NATO and the EU to stabilize Ukraine and Moldova as territories and to strengthen the axis that starts from Poland and ends in Turkey on NATO's eastern side, but the Western Balkans cannot be left out. NATO integration of the Western Balkans is not sufficient; it must also integrate into the EU. So, I think NATO is trying to establish connections with other international structures," Arsovski believes.

He points out that the Western Balkans is a new risky area, given that there are already crises in Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia.

"So, the Western Balkans is already becoming a potential hotspot. If it does not move forward towards European integration, it will be left alone and slide backward. Therefore, I think NATO must focus on and close this gap, but again, this is not just a matter for NATO; it is more a matter for the European Union," Arsovski concludes.