This New Wave of Tension Will Bring No Benefit to the Parties, Says Cavusoglu

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has held a phone conversation with Serbia's Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic and Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz.

“I had a phone conversation with my Serbian and Kosovo counterparts regarding the tensions at the border between Serbia and Kosovo. Turkey has always supported peace and stability in the Balkans,” Cavusoglu wrote on his Twitter page, adding that the new wave of tensions will bring no benefit to either party.

Cavusoglu stated that Turkey is ready to make efforts to reduce the tensions between the two countries.

It is noteworthy that the situation in Kosovo escalated on Sunday evening. The authorities in Kosovo have made a new decision regarding the use of Kosovo passports and state license plates for all citizens, including Serbs. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti previously announced that Serbs living in the region need to re-register their vehicles according to the unrecognized state norms by September 30.

Following this decision, Serbs living in Northern Kosovo blocked the checkpoints. After that, air raid sirens were heard in Kosovo. The police reported that shots had been fired in some areas, but there were no casualties.

Later, it was reported that the Kosovar leadership had postponed the procedure for imposing a ban on Serbian documents for one month, until September 1. The government has demanded the removal of all barricades and the establishment of full freedom of movement in Northern Kosovo.