Serbia Steps Up At A Critical Time

Serbia's recent donation of $5.4 million to the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, where thousands of Muslims were killed in the Yugoslav Wars, is a clear sign that the Serbian Government wants to do what they can to improve relationships with countries in the region. Mending these relationships is especially important as the Balkans are on the front lines of the refugee crisis. As of the beginning of November, the same month that President Vucic announced this large donation, over 300,000 refugees had flowed through the country since the beginning of the year. Most refugees are fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and travelling to Europe to seek asylum. Serbia is doing their part to process and protect these people. In October alone, 180,307 refugees were processed compared to 51,048 in September because of Serbia's commitment to improving capacity.

It is critical for countries in the region to work together to process the influx of refugees while ensuring the safety of their own countries and the world. The Balkans are a transit region making it important for all the countries to have an open line of communication in order to ensure the ordered, safe, and peaceful flow of people and is especially important for bordering countries.

Serbia's gesture to Bosnia is hopefully a signal of relationships on the mend at this very tense time in the world. While the importance of Balkan countries working together cannot be underemphasized, it is also of utmost importance for all freedom-loving countries throughout the world to work together to fight ISIS, a big factor in the flow of migrants and a threat to our way of life, in which all lives are cherished. Every country must do their part. We must all come together and obliterate this scourge on our world.

As co-chair of the Congressional Serbian Caucus, I commend the Serbian Government for all that they have done to mend their relationships in the region and for their leadership during this incredibly trying time.

And that's just the way it is.