European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reassured the Western Balkan countries that the enlargement of the trade bloc remained one of its priorities.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday pledged that membership expansion would be high on the Brussels agenda, as she arrived in Albania at the start of a tour of six Balkan nations hoping to join the bloc.

Deep-rooted regional tensions and nationalist rhetoric, as displayed during the 79th UN General Assembly, continue to hinder regional cooperation in the Western Balkans as well as that with the EU. Both the EU and the United States must again prioritize reconciliation to advance regional integration and stabilize the path to EU membership for the Western Balkans.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday warned against rising Russian influence in the West Balkans, speaking at a summit of the six nations that hope one day to join the European Union.