Kosovo and Serbia must de-escalate a tense situation in the region, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday after Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked major roads for a second day on Sunday.

According to Reuters, Borrell said that the EU Foreign Ministries will discuss today the latest developments in the north of Kosovo, while he emphasized that the tension of the situation does not help in reaching an agreement.

“I know both parts are ready to de-escalate and I urge both to do so. They must return to dialogue, they must overcome this tendency to fight in the streets,” Borrell said as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The latest protests were sparked by the arrest of a former police officer on Saturday. He was part of a mass resignation of Serbs from the force last month, after Pristina said it would ask Serbs to remove Serbian license plates dating back to before the 1998-99 Kosovo War that led to independence.

For the second day on Sunday, trucks and other heavy vehicles blocked several main roads leading to two border points with Serbia. Both crossings were closed to traffic.

EULEX, the European Union mission tasked with patrolling northern Kosovo, said a stun grenade was thrown into one of its armored vehicles on Saturday evening, but no one was injured. Borrell said this was unacceptable.

/a.p/