Sessions: US, Balkans to boost co-operation vs. extremism

ZAGREB, Croatia – Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the United States is seeking to boost its partnership with Balkan nations in fighting extremism and organized crime.

Sessions said Thursday in Croatia that co-operation already has yielded results but more can be done. He met with law enforcement officials from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

The Balkans was ravaged by a series of wars in the 1990s which collapsed the former Yugoslavia’s security network while organized crime flourished. Tensions in the region that is a gateway to Western Europe still exist, despite international efforts at stability.

Sessions says “we continue to face serious threat from terrorism, drug traffickers, human traffickers, organized criminals and corruption.” He adds “smart criminals use borders to hide behind them. We cannot allow that to happen.”