UK’s foreign secretary discusses Turkey, Western Balkans

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague says the new British government firmly supports the EU integration prospects of Turkey and the Western Balkans, the Spanish daily El Pais reported on Tuesday (May 18th). Hague, who was in Spain to attend the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit, added that despite the EU’s economic troubles, enlargement should continue. He insisted that failing to include these countries in the integration process would be a big mistake.

According to some British media, Hague plans to propose the appointment of a special British envoy for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In a recent article published in the Brussels-based policy journal Europe’s World, he urged the EU to put more pressure on Sarajevo to guarantee a functioning state. “There is a need for a more muscular and demanding European policy” in BiH, he said. Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik responded on Tuesday, saying The Hague acts like a “bully”. Dodik also accused the international community of meddling too much in BiH’s affairs.