RAPID MILITARIZATION IN EUROPE, BALKANS RIGHTLY CONCERNED

BIJELJINA, OCTOBER 30 /SRNA/ - Europe is undergoing rapid militarization with the ultimate goal of building the strongest military power by 2030, and such trends are rightly causing great concern in the Balkans, a Security Forum held in Bijeljina heard today.

The forum, titled "Ideological Indoctrination and Violent Extremism as Threats of New War Adventures", heard that Republika Srpska and Serbia are under strong pressure from the Euro-Atlantic security concept.

Security expert Dževad Galijašević said the conference focused on ideology that needs to be recognized as a threat to life and security, reflected in political Islam, promoted in practice by the Muslim Brotherhood as an organization, and in Wahhabi teaching and practice.

As examples of this type of ideology, he cited the case of Mevlid Jašarević, who carried out a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Sarajevo, and the incident in Belgrade in which a minor attacked a gendarme outside the Israeli Embassy.

"This is not just any terrorism, it is not an incident or a random occurrence, but organized, planned violence that threatens the foundations of our lives and the stability of the state," Galijašević said.

Commenting on the US request for Jašarević's extradition, Galijašević said it is because the judiciary and prosecution in BiH have never dealt with terrorism as an organized threat backed by a serious ideology and organization.

"The Americans know who carried out the attack on their embassy, but they want to know which organization, structure and system stood behind the planning and poses a long-term threat to American interests," Galijašević said, adding that Jašarević was part of a group but was punished as an individual.

Referring to the minor who attacked the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, he said it was a repeat attack, reminding that a little over two years ago the same spot was attacked by Miloš Žujović, who had converted to Islam.

Retired Army of Republika Srpska Colonel Milan Jolović said the security challenges facing Republika Srpska and the Balkans cannot be discussed in isolation today, but must be viewed within the wider geopolitical picture and the overall European context.

"It is evident that two key security concepts, the Euro-Atlantic and the Eurasian, are clashing at the global level, and that a major conflict between these opposing visions is being prepared ahead of the end of this decade," Jolović said.

He said analyses of current global developments lead to the conclusion that warnings of an escalation of conflict are realistic and require maximum vigilance and caution.

"The Balkans have traditionally been one of Europe's key battlegrounds. History shows us that Europe cannot be stabilized unless the Balkans are stable," Jolović concluded.

The public forum was organized by the Association of Veterans of the Republika Srpska Security Services.