Atanasovski: The Western Balkans was not randomly chosen as a “training ground” for the US and NATO exercise

Political analyst from Skopje, Blagojce Atanasovski, stated that the large military exercise Defender Europe 25 serves as a kind of political message from NATO about its unity, and that the Western Balkans being chosen as one of the “training grounds” for these maneuvers was no coincidence.

“This military exercise simply represents a form of diplomatic message that the alliance is stable in the face of Russian military aggression in Ukraine, or the ongoing three-and-a-half-year-long Russo-Ukrainian war, for which no end is in sight,” Atanasovski told Kosovo Online.

He explained that regardless of the policies of the new US president, the United States continues to organize military exercises on the European continent to reaffirm the transatlantic partnership.

“In this way, a message is conveyed to the public about the traditional partnership between allies — NATO members from both Europe and the American continent — including Kosovo, which is not a NATO member but is part of the Western segment of the security architecture,” Atanasovski clarified.

He is convinced that the Western Balkans region was not randomly chosen as the “training ground” for the second part of the exercise.

“Just 30 years ago, the Western Balkans witnessed the bloody dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. There were heavy military operations. In the Western Balkans, there are still flashpoints considered unresolved territorial disputes. Countries such as Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are still under pressure from Western allies and the alliance to reach solutions through negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. The status of Bosnia and Herzegovina unfortunately remains problematic, and I believe that NATO’s presence in the Western Balkans gives the impression that stability, prosperity, and peace in this part of Europe are key priorities for the NATO alliance,” the analyst emphasized.

At the same time, Atanasovski is convinced that NATO is also sending a clear message that it will not tolerate destabilization in the region and that the Balkans are viewed as part of the NATO alliance.

“A message is being sent to all those forces or structures that might be working on unconventional, hybrid threats to destabilize the countries in the region. After the military actions 30 years ago, the region itself, through the NATO membership of Western Balkan countries — starting from Croatia, through to North Macedonia, Albania, and the remaining non-member countries — Kosovo, Bosnia, and Serbia — simply wants to send the message that the future of the Western Balkans lies within the NATO alliance,” the analyst concluded.