Spanish PM Sanchez opens Balkan tour with visit to Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Spain’s prime minister has kicked off his tour of the Western Balkans with a visit to Serbia. He is offering his country’s support for the integration of the volatile region into the European Union. Pedro Sanchez held talks with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Friday. In the coming days he plans to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania. The Balkan nations are all in different stages of the EU accession process. EU officials have recently sought to encourage governments in the region to move on with reforms amid concerns over Russia’s efforts to boosts its influence in the Balkans.