Post #4463175

'... Western-supported 5G networks and international financing, including a recent Eurobond issuance and US EXIM-backed support for 5G rollout. [Telekom Srbija Group] Company CEO Vladimir Lučić has also played a role in establishing the Balkan franchise of US broadcaster Newsmax. '... Moscow’s political support on Kosovo, Belgrade remains one of Moscow’s last major European partners. Russia also holds a significant stake in the country’s energy industry. Meanwhile, Serbia is one of the main European beneficiaries of [the BRI] ... although Chinese infrastructure financing, industrial investments, and preferential trade agreements have greatly expanded Chinese influence across the Balkans ... On the security front, Serbia is the only European country that deploys Chinese military technology ... Chinese companies continue to invest primarily in transport infrastructure, mining, and telecommunications. 'The Western Balkans’ connectivity with strategic spaces such as the Black Sea, the South Caucasus, and the broader Middle Corridor support Brussels’ efforts to diversify ... Ports, railways, logistics hubs, and telecom networks ... are part of the same European security equation. Serbia remains a candidate for EU membership and has deepened many of its ties with Western institutions ... With NATO forces stationed in Kosovo, and NATO members on almost all sides, Serbia occupies a critical place in the alliance’s security considerations'. https://www.gmfus.org/news/balkans-critical-infrastructure-front