Continued Western appeals for restraint to prevent the outbreak of conflict in Kosovo, and the Kosovo authorities tried to calm the situation by releasing a Serbian policeman, and closed Adam Yasari airport in the capital, Pristina, after receiving a report of the presence of a bomb.

The peacekeeping force of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) appealed to all parties in Kosovo to refrain from provocation and seek to ensure security, and confirmed its support for dialogue to reach an agreement to end tensions.

Meanwhile, the US State Department and the European Union expressed their concern about the continuing tension in northern Kosovo, and a joint statement stated that the two sides are working with all parties to find a political solution to defuse the tension and agree on a roadmap in favor of stability in the region.

The joint US-European statement also called on Kosovo and Serbia to strengthen what it called an environment conducive to reconciliation, in addition to calling on all parties to exercise restraint and take immediate measures to calm the situation and refrain from any provocations or threats.

For its part, the German Foreign Ministry expressed its concern about the tension between Serbia and Kosovo, and said that diplomatic efforts are currently focused on removing barriers erected by protesters in northern Kosovo.

The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the British House of Commons, Alicia Cairns, warned of the danger of escalating tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, and said in a tweet on Twitter that the escalation and continued aggressions from Serbia on Kosovo is dangerous and unacceptable.

Cairns urged the British Foreign Office - urgently - to put more focus and effort on the current events in the Western Balkans, particularly Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Western accusations against Moscow of fueling tension in the Balkans, and said, "Serbia is a sovereign country, and it is wrong to look for Russia's destructive influence there."

The Russian spokesman stressed that Moscow is closely following developments between Kosovo and Serbia, adding, "We are following developments on how to protect the rights of Serbs, and we support Belgrade in its steps."


Tension and trying to calm down

On the other hand, the authorities in Kosovo decided to release a Serbian policeman whose arrest raised tension in northern Kosovo, and put him under house arrest at his home.

According to a statement by the Kosovo police - today, Wednesday - that it had received a notification this morning of the presence of a bomb inside Adam Yasari Airport in the capital, Pristina, and as a result the police took the necessary measures, according to the statement.

The police stated that the airport was closed temporarily, amid continuing inspection and investigation work on the incident.

Earlier today, Kosovo announced the closure of the main crossing on the border with Serbia, which is the third border crossing to be closed since the tenth of December, and there are still 3 other crossing points open.

The rapid developments come against the backdrop of the continuous protests of the Serb minority in Kosovo, where the Serbs continue to block the roads leading to their villages with trucks and barriers.

About 50,000 Serbs live in the northern parts of Kosovo with a Muslim Albanian majority, and they refuse to recognize the state of Kosovo or its government, and they consider Serbia their homeland, and Belgrade supports them in that, which has not recognized Kosovo's independence since 2008.

Serbian alert

And Serbian President Aleksander Vucic ordered - last Monday - to put the army on high alert, after news of Pristina's intention to launch an attack on the northern regions where the Serb minority is demonstrating, accusing the West and Kosovo Albanians of conspiring to target the Serb population in Kosovo.

Vucic pointed to the continuation of their talks with the European Union's special representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, and the US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and said, "We are doing our best to maintain peace, and we will continue to search for consensual solutions."

The Serbian Chief of Staff said that the President issued an order to go to the border area with Kosovo, pointing out that the situation there is difficult and complex.

Last Monday, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said, "There is no reason to panic, but there is reason to worry."

For its part, the Serbian Interior Ministry said that all units of the Internal Security Forces will be placed immediately under the command of the Chief of the General Staff.

The Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic warned last week that the situation in Kosovo is on the brink of "armed conflict".