EU, US Urge Kosovo and Serbia to Resume Dialogue Amid Rising Tensions

EU and US officials warn of repetition of violence following deadly Sept. 24 attack in northern Kosovo, pressure for implementation of 10-point plan and establishment of an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

The United States and European Union envoys have called on Kosovo and Serbia to resume their talks on normalizing relations to avoid further violence, following the deadly attack on Sept. 24 by approximately 30 armed Serbs in northern Kosovo.
Serbia and Kosovo have a fraught history, with the 1998-99 conflict resulting in over 10,000 casualties, the majority being Kosovo Albanians. The tension grew after Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia refuses to recognize.
Both Kosovo and Serbia are eager to join the EU, but they've been instructed to resolve their difference before this can happen. These tensions were highlighted when a high-ranking Serb, Milan Radoicic, was briefly arrested in Serbia following the attacks, but later released pending further proceedings.
Western powers are advocating for a 10-point plan, proposed by the EU in February, aimed at resolving the political crises in the region. This includes plans to create an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities designed to coordinate work in areas such as education, healthcare, land planning, and economic development in northern Kosovo, which predominantly houses ethnic Serbs.
Despite agreeing to the plan with some reservations, the Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has fears that such an association could pave the way for the creation of a Serb autonomous region akin to Republika Srpska in Bosnia. The EU has responded to this resistance by suspending some projects in Kosovo and halting diplomatic visits. In retaliation, Kosovo has demanded the EU sanction Serbia for the violence on Sept. 24 and increased security measures to curb the presence of Serb military forces along its border.

Washington Post

Associated Press

Reuters