The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kalas, assessed today that the Western Balkans are of strategic importance for the EU and added that enlargement to this region is "the most important geopolitical project" and her personal priority.
Kaja Kalas wrote on Instagram in a work report this week that she had completed her visit to the Western Balkans and that she had sent a clear message during her stay in Serbia.
"My message to the authorities in Belgrade was clear. I want to see Serbia progress towards the EU. To do that, political leaders must implement the necessary reforms and clarify their strategies. This is best done by restoring trust and remaining true to democratic principles," she wrote.
She added that she spoke "with engaged members of youth organizations and civil society."
"I heard their call and their aspirations - for justice, for responsibility. Their energy is needed to find a way forward," said Kaja Kalas.
She said for Kosovo that she encouraged all parties in Kosovo to break the political deadlock and quickly form a government.
"Leaders need to put aside divisions and prioritize the future of Kosovo," she wrote on Instagram, where she posted a series of photos taken during a visit to the Western Balkans.
A senior EU official said of North Macedonia that it is the first country in the region to join the Security and Defense Partnership with the EU, and the first to benefit from the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
Kalas added that North Macedonia's place is in the European family and that it is essential that the country continues its path towards the EU.
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