Escobar: Biden Administration Redoubles Commitment to Help Western Balkans

Gabriel Escobar (Photo: U.S. Embassy in Serbia)

A U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, Gabriel Escobar, has said that the U.S. aims to support the successful integration of the six Western Balkan states into European institutions, for the purpose of their membership in the European Union.

Escobar, who is also the U.S. special envoy for the Western Balkans, sent this message during a hearing at the House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs devoted to the U.S. administration's engagement in the Western Balkans, Voice of America (VoA) reported in the evening on Oct. 28.

He said that "the Biden Administration has redoubled the U.S. commitment to work with Allies and partners to help the Western Balkans advance their respective European paths."

"We are working with our EU partners to reinforce the message that accession remains a real possibility within a realistic timeframe, an incentive critical to the aspirants’ continued political will to implement difficult reforms and bolster resistance to harmful Russian and Chinese influence and activities on Europe’s doorstep," said Escobar.

He further said that he had recently traveled to Brussels to support the EU's special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak. Escobar also touched on the subject of EU accession of North Macedonia and Albania, saying that the strongest message the EU could send would be to set a date for the start of the accession talks with the two countries by the end of the year.