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Balkans: Tajani, Europe must be a protagonist
EP president told ANSA, 'worried about Kosovo and Bosnia'
27 April, 13:11
(ANSA) - TRIESTE - ''Europe must be a protagonist in such an
important region where many things can happen, let's hope in a
positive direction'', said in Trieste Antonio Tajani, president
of the European Parliament, talking at an ANSA Forum about the
current situation in the Balkans.
''Europe must be alert - Tajani added -, making it clear that it is much interested in the development of this area, which must not be left alone, under Russian, Turkish or Saudi umbrella. I am worried about what happens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where there is a growing focus on Islamic fundamentalism, and in Kosovo, which has seen the return of foreign fighters, and again in Bosnia, where we can see an attempt to change the country's Islamic community, which has always been open to dialogue with Catholics and Orthodox, into a fundamentalist one. There are too many fundamentalist and jihadist Muslims coming from outside to distort that kind of Islam. In short, they are trying to use Bosnian Islam as a bridgehead, whereas this community represents instead a positive incentive to enhance interreligious dialogue and stability in the entire area. Arms trafficking through Macedonia was recently discovered, with arrests also in Friuli Venezia Giulia''. Recalling his visit to Serbia and Montenegro with delegations of entrepreneurs, Tajani reiterated that ''we must strengthen our presence; Tusk and Juncker visited the area, we are working to ensure that Serbia and Montenegro, EU candidate countries, can get closer and closer to Europe, which must play a stabilizing regional role. This area should become a region of peace, an important interlocutor with the EU'', he underlined.
(ANSA).
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''Europe must be alert - Tajani added -, making it clear that it is much interested in the development of this area, which must not be left alone, under Russian, Turkish or Saudi umbrella. I am worried about what happens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where there is a growing focus on Islamic fundamentalism, and in Kosovo, which has seen the return of foreign fighters, and again in Bosnia, where we can see an attempt to change the country's Islamic community, which has always been open to dialogue with Catholics and Orthodox, into a fundamentalist one. There are too many fundamentalist and jihadist Muslims coming from outside to distort that kind of Islam. In short, they are trying to use Bosnian Islam as a bridgehead, whereas this community represents instead a positive incentive to enhance interreligious dialogue and stability in the entire area. Arms trafficking through Macedonia was recently discovered, with arrests also in Friuli Venezia Giulia''. Recalling his visit to Serbia and Montenegro with delegations of entrepreneurs, Tajani reiterated that ''we must strengthen our presence; Tusk and Juncker visited the area, we are working to ensure that Serbia and Montenegro, EU candidate countries, can get closer and closer to Europe, which must play a stabilizing regional role. This area should become a region of peace, an important interlocutor with the EU'', he underlined.
(ANSA).
