Two days after Kosovan police clashed with protestors opposed to Albanian mayors in ethnic Serbian communities, NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg urged Kosovo to reduce tensions with Serbia.
Norwegian NATO secretary-general Stoltenberg said he had discussed Kosovo with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
He said Pristina and Belgrade must join EU-led discussions.
“Pristina must de-escalate & not take unilateral, destabilising steps,” Stoltenberg tweeted.
Serbs, who make up most of Kosovo’s northern region, rejected Kosovo’s 2008 proclamation of independence from Serbia and still consider Belgrade their capital more than two decades after the conflict ended in 1999. Kosovo is over 90% ethnic Albanian.
Albanians won all four municipalities in April local elections with a 3.5% turnout after Serbs boycotted.
Local Serbs, backed by Belgrade, rejected the mayors as not representing them.
Police led three of four mayors into their offices on Friday. Authorities used tear gas and water cannons to disperse angry protesters who flung rocks.
Sunday was tense, with highly armed police surrounding the mayors’ offices in armored cars.
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