ZAGREB /Croatia/, February 17. /TASS/. The Balkans might become a region of cooperation between Russia, the United States and the European Union and serve as a bridge between the West and the West, Russian Ambassador to Croatia Anvar Azimov told TASS on Friday.

On this day 25 years ago, Russia recognized Croatia’s independence.

"Certain instability in the Balkans is rooted in the unsettled problems, first of all, of the countries of former Yugoslavia, in the lack of coordination between Russia, the United States and the European Union. We would like to see better cooperation within this triangle so that the Balkans might turn into a region of cooperation between major players," he said.

"Of course, it would be most desirable for us to see the Balkans as a neutral region, a kind of bridge between the West and the East, but all aspirations of these countries, including of our ally Serbia, are fixed on the European Union," the diplomat noted.