BELGRADE, Serbia

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday that an emergency meeting focused on dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo will be held Monday in Brussels.

''I am convening an emergency meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue with (Kosovo) Prime Minister Albin Kurti and (Serbian) President Aleksandar Vucic,'' said Borrell.

He added that the aim of the meeting is to prevent the current crises between the two sides from becoming permanent.

''We need de-escalation of the situation, to stop going from permanent crisis management and to start advancing on normalization of relations instead,'' said Borrell.

The meeting will be facilitated by Borrell and supported by EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak.

EU spokesman Petar Stano said earlier that the crisis between the two sides is at its most difficult stage since 2013.

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have risen since ethnic Serbs in Kosovo withdrew from all central and local institutions in protest over Pristina’s decision to replace old car license plates issued by Serbian authorities with those from Kosovo.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor.