EU urges Serbia, Kosovo to end mutual hostilities

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) – The EU on Sunday called on Serbia and Kosovo to avoid any “inflammatory rhetoric” and put an end to mutual hostilities.

“The recent increase of inflammatory rhetoric between officials of Kosovo and Serbia, in particular the statements about war and conflict in the Western Balkans, are of great concern," said a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The statement noted that politicians of the two countries will be held responsible for any escalation that causes increased tensions and potential violence in the Western Balkans.

“Both parties must immediately put an end to mutual hostilities and dangerous statements and act responsibly,” it added.

Pointing out the EU-facilitated dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the statement underlined that the EU expects the two leaders to discuss these challenging topics at the next high-level dialogue on Aug. 18 in Brussels.

“The EU, including through its civilian mission EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo), remains in close coordination with KFOR (NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo) and international partners, particularly the United States of America,” it added.