The European Union must insist on its further enlargement towards the southeast of the continent to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Balkans, Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor has said in an interview with French news agency AFP ahead of his two-day visit to France, starting on Monday.
"We must not ignore that region and believe that everything is fine just because there is peace there at the moment," Pahor said, as quoted by Slovenian media on Sunday, adding that he would bring the matter to the attention of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The region needs new incentives and the prospect of EU membership because the current peace could be at risk unless no progress is achieved on sensitive internal issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and bilateral issues between Serbia and Kosovo and between Macedonia and Greece.
Pahor also expressed support for the integration of Turkey into the EU.
