Stoltenberg made a statement on social media regarding his phone call with Borrell.
Emphasizing that the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, which envisages normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, should be started immediately, Stoltenberg stated that this is the only way for peace and normalization.
“Pristina must de-escalate and not take unilateral, destabilizing steps,” Stoltenberg said. He underlined that NATO’s Kosovo Peace Force (KFOR) will continue to provide a safe environment.
TENSION IN KOSOVO
There was a clash between Kosovo Serbs and security forces, who opposed the appointment of police in the municipalities of Leposavic, Zveçan and Zubin Potok, where mostly Serbs live in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo police announced that 5 police officers were slightly injured and 4 police vehicles were damaged in the incident.
In the news on Serbian Radio and Television (RTS), it was stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered the army to “be ready” and that the members of the army moved to the border of Kosovo.
SERBIA-KOSOVO RELATIONS
Although Kosovo is recognized as an “independent state” by 117 countries, it is described as one of Europe’s frozen conflict zones due to the ongoing ethnic tensions in its north and its inability to become a member of the United Nations.
Serbia considers Kosovo, which declared its independence unilaterally in 2008, as its territory.
Serbia and Kosovo, which periodically clash, are trying to find a common way for the normalization of relations and eventually for the two countries to get to know each other, within the scope of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process initiated in 2011 under EU mediation.