EU, US politicians call on West to put more pressure on Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia

European Parliament (EP) deputies and US senators stated in their jointly signed letters that more pressure should be put on Serbia to resolve the tension in northern Kosovo.

UK MP Alicia Kearns published the letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James Cleverly.

The letter was signed by 10 chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees and 56 parliamentarians.

"10 Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees and 56 Parliamentarians have called on the US, EU, and UK to change our approach to Kosovo and Serbia. We need deterrence diplomacy, where we ensure there is balance in our dealings, and we do not repeat the mistakes of the past," said Kerns.

According to Kerns, it is rare for so many chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees to come together to raise concerns.

The deputies also stressed that the current approach is not working and that it must be ensured that a Belgrade-centered policy for the Balkans is not adopted.

Following the April elections in northern Kosovo, the EU said the low turnout among Serbs did not provide municipalities with long-term political solutions.

Ethnic Serbs have been protesting the election of Albanian mayors since late May.

On May 30, NATO decided to send 700 more troops to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), the alliance-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, after 30 of its soldiers were injured during the unrest. A contingent of Turkish troops was among the reinforcements.

Kosovo and Serbia must reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to move forward with their integration into the EU.

When Pristina declared its independence 15 years ago, most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Türkiye, recognized it as a separate country from Serbia, but Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.