Russia is actively and aggressively working against the goals of the many Western Balkan countries and it seems to prefer the chaos in the region, US Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Matthew Palmer said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Bosnian news agencies, Palmer said the US vision of the Western Balkans was the region’s Euro-Atlantic integration, peace, prosperity and stability. According to him, Russia’s vision is different and it objects the sovereign decision of the many countries in the region to take the Euro-Atlantic path.

Palmer is a senior US diplomat dealing with the situation in this part of Europe, who is paying a visit to Bosnia to take part in the talks on electoral reform in that country and to attend the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board’s session.

“We support the European Union membership for all countries of the Western Balkans as well as the NATO membership for those countries who want that, and those are all states except Serbia. We support system based on the rule of law and the international norms,” said Palmer.

Euro-Atlantic future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, added Palmer, was not the US decision but the country’s sovereign decision, which is why the US supports Bosnia’s aspirations towards the NATO membership.

Asked if there was a chance that a new ambassador in Bosnia would be appointed, given the changes in the US administration, the US diplomat said such decisions were passed by the White House.

“Certain political leaders have been talking about departure of Ambassador Maureen Cormack for more than a year. She is still here, doing her job excellently and she remains the ambassador for the foreseeable future,” concluded Palmer.

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