Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel called on Serbia and Kosovo to take steps towards de-escalating the situation and continue the dialogue towards the normalization of relations.
They made the comments during a visit to Belgrade, where they met with President Aleksandar Vučić.
“We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for Serbia and Kosovo to take steps towards reducing tensions and ultimately normalizing their relations through a dialogue led by the EU,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
“It is important to calm down. And we know there is a roadmap that has been created by [Miroslav] Lajčák and also by High Representative [Josep] Borrell. And it is important to do things. Words are good, actions are better. And we need to move forward on these issues and also show that there is a desire to de-escalate the situation,” said Luxembourgish Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
Kosovo and Serbia are facing high tensions between them due to the situation in northern Kosovo, where Serbian citizens have been protesting for over a month against the appointment of Albanian mayors following the elections on 23 April.
Western diplomats have expressed concern about the possibility of escalating security situation at a time when neither Kosovo nor Serbia have taken steps to de-escalate the situation despite their calls.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg said that the Benelux countries are ready to help Kosovo and Serbia move forward towards the normalization of relations.
“We are not here to replace Josep Borrell. We are not here to replace [Miroslav] Lajčák. We are here just to show that as friends of the Balkans, we want to listen to each other and be helpful if there is a willingness to be helpful. But after progress has been made,” he said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the authorities in Pristina have not yet fulfilled the agreements signed in Brussels regarding the Association.
“The Brussels Agreement, which was signed ten years ago, has still not been implemented in the most important part, which is the formation or creation of the Association of Serbian Municipalities, and this was a precondition for any other obligations to be fulfilled by the Serbian side,” said President Vučić.
The Dutch Prime Minister said that the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority remains on their agenda.
“So, we will definitely discuss that, without a doubt. Of course, this is part of a broader group of proposals and ideas that are on the table, but it is certainly a part of it. So, we will certainly address it because I think it requires work from both sides,” said Prime Minister Rutte.
The establishment of the Association is also foreseen in the March agreement reached in Ohrid between Kosovo and Serbia for the normalization of relations, which did not reduce tensions.
