US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to reduce tensions, warning they were threatening hopes of joining Europe, as Serbs continued their demonstrations against Albanian mayors taking office in the north of the country.
Blinken told reporters during NATO talks in Oslo: "We call on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate action to de-escalate tensions."
"We support the Euro-Atlantic integration process for Kosovo and Serbia, but the current escalation is hindering more than helping efforts to move in that direction," he said.
The United States earlier criticized Kosovo for long backing it following Prime Minister Albin Kurti's decision to appoint Albanian mayors after Serb voters boycotted local elections in predominantly northern areas.
"We have made clear our concerns about some of the steps that have been taken, and we have said that directly to the leaders involved, including Prime Minister Kurti," Blinken said.
Blinken warned of "unilateral actions" by any party after Serbia declared a state of alert in its military and said the European future would meet "the aspirations of people in both countries."
"If any country takes steps that would rule out the possibility, it will not be in the interest of their peoples."
Meanwhile, Serb demonstrators continued their opposition to the assumption of office by Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo, which recently saw clashes with the NATO peacekeeping force.
Dozens of Serbs gathered again today near the town hall, but their numbers were smaller than in previous days, including a group of Trepca miners, an AFP correspondent reported.
Kosovo President Viosa Osmani has called on Serbia to stop its destabilizing activities and stop supporting "criminal gangs", while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conditioned the withdrawal of northern Kosovo mayors on easing tensions.
The NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo has stepped up deployments in the four municipalities where there is unrest between the Serb minority and the northern government of Pristina, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warning of the gravity of the situation.
Since May 26, Kosovo Serbs in the north of the country have been staging protests to prevent newly elected Albanian mayors from entering municipal buildings to begin their duties.
Mayors took office after winning local elections in May in four mostly Serb municipalities who largely boycotted the election, with only 4,1500 voters out of 45,<> registered voters taking part.