EU must embrace Balkans or lose them to Russia and China - Montenegro president

FILE PHOTO: Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The EU needs to integrate the Western Balkans quickly to safeguard its own future as well as protect the buffer region from Russian and Chinese influence, Montenegro's president Milo Djukanovic said on Wednesday.

Pro-European Union Djukanovic is his country's longest serving politician. He led it into NATO in 2017 and is steering its EU membership bid in the face of fierce Russian opposition.