Leaders of Netherlands and Luxembourg call on Serbia and Kosovo to reduce tensions

By Lejla Biogradlija

BELGRADE (AA) - The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg urged Serbia and Kosovo on Monday to reduce tensions "as soon as possible" and to continue their dialogue mediated by Brussels.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel held a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as part of their visit to Belgrade.

Rutte said his country is concerned about the rising tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.

"Both sides should take steps to reduce tensions and continue their dialogue under the umbrella of the European Union," he said.

Bettel, for his part, said: "We have discussed the tensions...We encouraged the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina."

The two leaders will next visit Pristina and hold talks with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Following April elections in northern Kosovo, the EU said the low turnout among local Serbs did not provide municipalities with long-term political solutions.

Ethnic Serbs in the region have been protesting the election of Albanian mayors since late May.

On May 30, NATO decided to deploy 700 more troops to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), the alliance-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, after 30 of its soldiers were injured amid unrest. A contingent of Turkish troops was among the reinforcements.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve their disputes to move forward with their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states, including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye. recognized Kosovo as a country separate from its neighbor when Pristina declared its independence 15 years ago, but Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.