European Union spokesman Peter Stano said that during a meeting between EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two officials agreed to take steps to reduce tensions in northern Kosovo and that  the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia should continue.
This announcement comes after tensions in northern Kosovo have recently increased.

Initially, the decision to impose the reciprocity measure on license plates from Serbia prompted local residents in northern Kosovo to block roads. Also, with protests and blockades in two municipalities in the north of Kosovo, an action of the Kosovo Police and Customs against the smuggling of goods was expected, which extended to the municipalities inhabited by Serbs. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the “continued support” of the European Union for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

During Borrell’s stay in the US, he had telephone conversations with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. According to Stanos, these talks aimed at reducing tensions and bringing the parties back to the dialogue table. He added that these talks were also held in order not to repeat the tensions and riots that were seen on October 13 in North Mitrovica and Zvecan, reports REL.

Stano was asked about a possible date for the resumption of the dialogue facilitated by the EU and he said that “work is being done in this direction”, but the EU will announce meetings only if there will be a concrete date and agenda. The EU continues to say that “there is no difference in attitudes and goals between the US and the EU regarding dialogue”. Asked to comment on the difference in reactions to the events in northern Kosovo between the US and the EU, the EU spokesman reiterated that both sides, the EU and the US, have the same goals.  And those goals, they say in the EU, are to reach an agreement through dialogue on the comprehensive normalization of relations, through which all open issues between Kosovo and Serbia would be resolved.

/Klara Ruci/