The European Union should in particular focus on southeastern Europe and monitor the impact of the Ukraine war on the situation in the region, as well as the potential growth of Russian influence, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Tuesday.

“We need to follow the potential effect of a spillover of the Ukraine conflict to neighbouring areas as well as to southeastern Europe,” Jandrokovic said in his address on the second day of the conference of EU parliament speakers in Brdo Pri Kranju, Slovenia.

“I emphasise that the European Union should in particular focus on southeastern Europe,” he added.

Jandrokovic said the main challenges to stability in the region were issues stemming from the past conflicts and Russia might use “vulnerabilities to expand its influence.”

That’s why it is necessary to support the European membership prospects, sovereignty and integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the equality of all three of its constituent peoples and their legitimate representation in the country’s political institutions, he added.

Jandrokovic said that the EU should focus on southeastern Europe because otherwise other countries would spread their influence and pose “a potential threat to the EU and our values.”

“Russia is already showing an inclination towards these parts of Europe,” he noted.

Jandrokovic said that Croatia “strongly condemns” the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which began on 24 February, and that the Croatian Parliament had adopted a resolution by consensus condemning the invasion.