The United States punished seven senior officials from Balkan countries for corruption and criminal activities

The US government on Monday sanctioned seven leaders from Balkan countries, including former North Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, former Bosnia-Herzegovina Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadic, and former President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marovic.

The US Treasury Department specified that the rest of those sanctioned are former head of the Macedonian Security and Counterintelligence Office, Sasho Mikhalkov; Albanians Aqif Rakipi, legislator in the country's parliament, and Ylli Ndroqi, owner of media; and Bosnian deputy Asim Sarajlic.

The Treasury said in a statement that all these people have threatened “the stability of the region through corruption, criminal activities and destabilizing behavior.”

Marovic, who was president of Serbia and Montenegro between 2003 and 2006, was arrested in 2015 by the Montenegrin authorities for his alleged involvement in several large-scale corruption cases “related to construction projects in the municipality of Budva,” the text details.

For his part, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in another statement that Gruevski (prime minister of Macedonia between 2006 and 2016) allegedly used his political influence and power for his personal gain.

Specifically, “there is credible information that Gruevski abused his power to solicit and accept bribes in exchange for government contracts, to appropriate public funds and to intervene in electoral processes for his own benefit and that of his party,” Price said.

The US government accuses Tadic of “using his influence to interfere in judicial proceedings” when he was the chief prosecutor of his country, and claimed that he allegedly “manipulated cases” to protect his “political bosses” in order to prevent them from being tried.

Mikhalkov has been sanctioned by the United States for his alleged involvement in corruption and for having used his political influence for personal gain, through bribes.

As a result of the sanctions, all property that designated persons may have on U.S. territory is blocked, and U.S. citizens are prohibited from transacting with them.

Five countries of the European Union (EU) have asked the head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrell, to pay special attention to the Balkans in order to accelerate the process of their integration and increase aid to the region, in the face of the deterioration of the geopolitical environment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As reported last week by the Kosovar portal Gazeta Express, the foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia have addressed Borrell by letter requesting to discuss the Community strategy in the region this month.

More specifically, they call for the inclusion of the Western Balkans as a “region of particular importance” on the agenda of the next Council of Ministers in the light of the war in Ukraine.

“The Western Balkans are of particular importance given its strategic position as a region surrounded by EU member countries,” they indicate in the letter cited by the digital newspaper.

They affirm their conviction that the European Union must give impetus to the process of integrating the region into the Union and, in general, do everything possible to prevent harmful effects of the attack on Ukraine.

In this context, they advocate initiating accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, granting Bosnia-Herzegovina the status of candidate for accession and accelerating both negotiation with Montenegro and Serbia and the process of visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens.

They also propose to increase aid to the region so that it can cope with the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, such as rising energy prices, food and rising inflation.

(With information from EFE)

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