Blinken: Immediate de-escalation in northern Kosovo necessary; EU plan the best way forward

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that he had discussions with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti regarding the importance of de-escalating tensions and resuming the dialogue.

Blinken stated in a Twitter post that during his conversation with Vucic, he had welcomed the decision to release three Kosovo police officers.

"I spoke with Serbian President Vucic to underscore the importance of immediately de-escalating tensions. We welcome the release of the Kosovo police officers and continue to strongly support the EU's three-point plan as the best way forward," Blinken emphasized.

Furthermore, Blinken added that he had urged Kurti to implement the three points of the EU plan for calming the situation in northern Kosovo.

"I spoke with Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti to urge de-escalation in Kosovo's north and an immediate return to the EU-facilitated Dialogue. The EU's three-point plan is the way forward," Blinken conveyed.

According to a statement from the US State Department, Blinken reiterated to Vucic that "those responsible for the attacks on KFOR must be held accountable" and called on Serbia to immediately take steps to fulfill its obligations under the normalization agreement, while in his conversation with Kurti, Blinken stated that the mayors of municipalities in the north should carry out their functions from other locations.