Sekulovic: Encouraging messages from Kaja Kallas, Western Balkans welcome in the EU

It seems that the EU "wants to bring into Brussels" all the Western Balkan countries, but the question is how ready they are to cooperate in that regard. This is also the key message to the region from the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, according to Milan Sekulovic, an editor at RTV Podgorica.

“The messages coming to us from the EU are more than encouraging. Literally, the EU not only wants to accept and welcome us into the EU, but sometimes it seems like they want to just bring us into Brussels, the only question is how ready we are to cooperate in that regard. In the sense of whether we will fulfill all the tasks we are required to, the ones demanded by the Brussels administration,” Sekulovic told Kosovo Online.

Commenting on the "Balkan tour" of the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, Sekulovic emphasized that she sent a very encouraging message to Podgorica, saying that Montenegro is a regional leader in terms of European integration.

“Although there has been much talk about criticisms from Brussels aimed at parts of the current administration, primarily referring to some pro-Serbian parties, we see that despite this, the EU is cooperating very well with those parties and that they are proving to be very cooperative when it comes to European integration. If there is one cohesive factor in Montenegro among all parliamentary parties, and even those outside parliament, it is that they are all in favor of Montenegro joining the European Union,” Sekulovic stressed.

He believes that the selection of Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina as the first destinations of the new EU Commissioner sends a "geostrategic message" to the Western Balkan countries.

“Essentially, the EU is very interested in the Western Balkans, and the Western Balkans are interested in the EU. In that sense, the message is encouraging for us as countries in the region that are trying to meet all the strict criteria set before us by Brussels,” Sekulovic emphasized.

He sees the EU's desire for the region to gain full membership precisely in these "tours" that European officials undertake at the start of their mandates.

“The very fact that they always, during those tours when starting their mandates, choose the Western Balkans, shows the Western Balkans that they are welcome in the EU. It is up to the region to put in a bit more effort to take advantage of the opportunity it has been given,” Sekulovic concluded.