General Secretary of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, is on a visit to Kosovo to meet with top leaders of the country and those of international presence.
Secretary Stoltenberg visit in Kosovo coincides with the heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia because of recent events. The construction of a Wall in the north of Mitrovica, the ban on former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on the basis of an Serbian arrest warrant and the 14 January when Kosovo banned the entry of a train departed from Belgrade to Mitrovica, with the inscription "Kosovo is Serbia", this raised tensions and prompted a fierce war of words between Belgrade and Pristina, but also the concerns of diplomats about increased tensions between the two countries.
In two meetings that were held on the highest level in Brussels, the parties had pledged to stop the provocative statements and to work to reduce tensions. The European Union on two occasions reminded to them the commitment, demanding to work on normalizing the relations.About 6 thousand NATO troops continue to look for security in Kosovo.
His stay in Bosnia yesterday is followed closely because of the global political developments and the growing influence of Russia in the Balkans.
The secretary Stoltenberg said yesterday in Sarajevo that "NATO is helping the governments of the Western Balkans to resist foreign political influence, especially the Russian one."
He said the Alliance was aware of reports of an increased Russian influence in the Balkans and Russia's interference in political processes in Montenegro:
"We are following this issue closely, we are working with our partners, including Montenegro, to help them to strengthen their capacity their defense institutions."
Montenegro is expected to join NATO this year, a move that Russia strongly opposes. Last year, the country's authorities accused a group of Russians and Serbs nationalist for planning a coup during the October 16 elections in order to bring power to the opposition coalition. The Russian government denied the involvement in such a plot.
"The best way to increase the readiness against any external impact or potential impact is to ensure that institutions in the Western Balkan countries to be strong, modernized and reformed," said Mr Stoltenberg.
He also encouraged the leaders of Bosnia's rival ethnic groups to reach a compromise on the future of the country and its path towards membership in NATO and the European Union.