Western Balkan region ‘high priority for the US,’ Trump aide McMaster says
US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster met with foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the White House during which they discussed ways to deepen cooperation on fighting terrorism and combating violent extremism.
In a statement on Thursday, the White House said the talks focused on how Washington and the Western Balkan countries “could further deepen and expand coordinated efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and the rule of law across the region.”
McMaster stressed that the Western Balkan region “continues to be a high priority for the United States and underscored that the [US] administration remains fully committed to the region’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and European integration efforts.”
Meanwhile in comments made in Washington on Wednesday, FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov appeared to adopt a conciliatory tone ahead of upcoming talks between Athens and Skopje in Brussels on the lingering name dispute.
Asked about FYROM’s “red lines” in negotiations with Greece, Dimitrov said: “I prefer green lights to red lines.”
