Western Balkans 'Key To Fighting Extremism'

The western Balkans is "key" to stemming extremism and terrorism, the president of the European Council said Wednesday.



Speaking at a summit to discuss EU enlargement and regional cooperation, Donald Tusk said: "The recent events in Paris, Ankara, Baghdad, Beirut, Bamako and in the Sinai or in Tunisia brutally demonstrated the growing security challenges posed by violent extremism.



"The western Balkans remains a key region also in this context.



"A comprehensive approach against terrorism must include actions to counter extremism, prevent radicalization and incitement to terrorist acts, as well as tackling the issue of foreign fighters."



U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said the region had been of "extreme interest" to the U.S. for the past 25 years.



The U.S. was involved in helping bring an end to the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.



The regional summit, held in Croatian capital Zagreb, aimed to solve problems and determine economic and infrastructure priorities for countries in the region. - Sırbistan