Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that Russia supports the "Open Balkans" initiative, which he said is an initiative of Belgrade.

As reported by Serbian media, Lavrov said that "Brussels leaders did not want to confirm Russia's position on Kosovo and BiH, to express support for Belgrade's initiative for the Open Balkans and to discuss interests in improving relations between the countries of the region." .

Regarding this statement of the Russian Foreign Minister, Professor of International Relations, Dritëro Arifi, in a statement to the Telegraph said that this could be a provocation from Russia.

"Russia's statement on the 'Open Balkans', allegedly an initiative of Serbia, may be provocative, but this does not exclude Kosovo's request to be equal in any initiative," said Arifi.

He added that the West should take things more seriously in terms of all initiatives, including the "Open Balkans".

"I think that the West should take things more seriously in terms of all initiatives, not only in the Open Balkans, but if we return to this initiative, our assumptions that there may or may be pro-Russian elements in this initiative are being confirmed. for the sole fact that Serbia is not yet a pro-Western country.

"It is a country that does not respect the rules of the western world and this necessarily sends us to this statement of Russia even if it is not true," said Arifi.

The professor of international relations further added that this statement of the Russian Foreign Minister confirms in a way that Serbia is a country that is not improving and does not want to be oriented by the Western world.

"Consequently, as an Open Balkans project, it will fail, regardless of the interest of some Western countries in this project," said Arifi.

Otherwise, the Open Balkans is an initiative that is being supported by Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Meanwhile, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to reject it, with Montenegro signaling that it may join the initiative.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti days ago at the forum in Bratislava, stressed that Kosovo should not be open to northeastern and eastern interventions.

"The Western Balkans 6 is open to NATO, to the EU, to the United Kingdom, but I do not believe we should be open to any Northeastern or Eastern intervention. already, with a fresh start from Chancellor Scholz… ", said Kurti.