Visiting EU Commission Chief Urges Kosovo-Serbia Reconciliation
Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti (right) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Pristina on September 29.
During a visit to Pristina, the head of the European Union's executive branch called on Kosovo and Serbia to resolve their disputes through dialogue and to de-escalate recent tensions over license plates.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in Kosovo's capital on September 29 as part of her regional tour before an EU-Western Balkans summit next week.
"It is vital that Kosovo and Serbia normalize their relations," von der Leyen said at a news conference with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, describing the EU-facilitated dialogue as "the only platform to resolve the current crisis."
Both Kosovo and Serbia must improve mutual relations if they want to join the EU. Representatives of the two countries are meeting in Brussels this week, facilitated by EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak.
The renewed talks come as two border crossings between the two neighbors have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
Tensions High As Kosovo, Serbia Continue Border Standoff
1/18Kosovar special police units patrol near the border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia in Jarinje on September 28.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
2/18Ethnic Serbs walk through barricades near the Jarinje crossing on September 28.
On September 27, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti repeated an offer for both countries to lift the rule of temporary license plates. He also said he was open to talks in Brussels, but Belgrade was refusing to hold them.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
3/18NATO soldiers patrol near Jarinje on September 28, as the international community, led by the European Union, called for talks to ease tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.
NATO has led the KFOR peacekeeping force since 1999, with around 4,000 troops from 28 countries, after a 78-day bombing campaign by the military alliance ended a war that left more than 10,000 dead.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
4/18Serbian women walk past Kosovar police after crossing the border on foot in Jarinje on September 28.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned NATO that Serbia will intervene in Kosovo if Serbs there come under serious threat from the ethnic Albanian majority.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
5/18Polish soldiers from KFOR pass through barricades as they patrol near Jarinje on September 28.
KFOR is supported by the United Nations, the European Union, and other international actors. Its aim is to stave off lingering ethnic tensions between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
6/18Kosovar police secure the area as ethnic Serbs gathered on barricades near Jarinje on September 28.
Vucic has described Kosovo's recent license-plate move as a "criminal action," and he made the withdrawal of all Kosovar special police a condition of EU-mediated negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
7/18EU police officers patrol near the border at Jarinje on September 28.
European Commission spokeswoman Diana Spinant on September 27 urged both sides to "sit down together and to put an end to the verbal escalation in the region."
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
8/18Ethnic Serbs man the barricades near Jarinje on September 28.
Kosovo's declaration of independence is backed by the United States, Britain, and most EU member states, but its membership of the United Nations is blocked by Russia, Serbia's traditional ally.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
9/18Kosovar Serbs sit by a bonfire near the border crossing at Jarinje on September 28.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
10/18An ethnic Serb walks past Kosovar police securing the area near Jarinje on September 28.
The EU, NATO, and the United States have all urged Kosovo and Serbia to immediately exercise restraint and refrain from unilateral actions.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
12/18Serbian Army soldiers stand guard by their armored vehicle in the village of Rudnica, near the southern Serbian town of Raska, on September 27.
On September 26, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic visited troops at two military bases near the Kosovo border, accompanied by Russia's ambassador to Serbia.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
14/18A man passes through trucks placed by local Serbs to block the road in Jarinje on September 26.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
15/18A picture of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is seen close to a border crossing at Jarinje.
The confrontation has already boiled over into violence, with a vehicle-registration office and another Interior Ministry building in northern Kosovo being attacked on September 25, according to police.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
16/18A NATO helicopter flies over a Serbian flag in Jarinje.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
17/18A Kosovar police officer stands next to trucks blocking the road in Jarinje.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
18/18Serbian warplanes are seen flying over the border with Kosovo at Jarinje on September 26.
Two crossings on Kosovo's border with Serbia have been blocked by local Serbs since Kosovar authorities on September 20 required all drivers from Serbia entering Kosovo to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.
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The Kosovar government says the move is in retaliation for measures in force in Serbia against drivers from Kosovo since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo's independence and therefore its right to take official actions such as registering cars.
Kosovo's government has deployed special police forces to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings to impose the new rule, while Serbian military jets and helicopters have been flying close to the border in an apparent show of force. The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo has stepped up patrols on the border with Serbia.
The EU, NATO, and the United States have urged Pristina and Belgrade to exercise restraint.
Von der Leyen is visiting the six Western Balkan countries just days before the EU is set to hold a summit with Western Balkans countries on October 6.
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are at different stages on the EU membership path.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and RFE/RL's Balkan Service
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