NATO Monitoring Reports About Increased Russian Influence in Balkan States
21:15 02.02.2017
NATO has been following the situation around the reports of growing Russian influence in the Western Balkan states, such as Montenegro, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – He added that the best way to resist foreign influence was to ensure that the democratic institutions of the regional countries were strong and able to stay unaffected by attempts to influence the processes in such states.
"We have seen several reports about increased Russian influence and presence in the Western Balkans and we've also seen the reports about both from Montenegro but also from Serbia about Russian intervention in the political process in Montenegro before the elections there last year. And of course this is something we are following very closely," Stoltenberg said, as quoted by NATO's press service, answering a question about the impact of Russia and the United States in the region.
In October 2016, Montenegro held parliamentary elections. On the same date, local authorities detained 20 people and arrested several of them for alleged coup attempt. In November, a Montenegrin prosecutor was quoted by the media as alleging that "nationalists from Russia" planned to overthrow a government. Moscow has refuted the allegations.
© Sputnik
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