French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday (June 1st) called for new elections in disputed municipalities in northern Kosovo, the scene of recent clashes.

" READ ALSO – North of Kosovo: what you need to know about tensions between Serbs and Kosovars

"We have asked both parties to organise new elections in these four municipalities as soon as possible," the French head of state said after a quadripartite meeting with the Serbian and Kosovar presidents in Chisinau, Moldova, on the sidelines of a summit of the European Political Community (EPC).

According to the French President, this request implies a "commitment on the part of Kosovo" and "participation in these elections in a clear way on the part of the Serbian side".

Asked shortly afterwards on this point, the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, assured that she was "ready to consider" this possibility.

"Clear decisions" have been asked to the two leaders "for next week", insisted Emmanuel Macron, also evoking "the priority settlement and without delay of the question of the association of Serbian municipalities on the part of Kosovo".

A region under tension for several days

At the same time, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borell, will meet the ministers of the two sides on the association of these Serbian municipalities, added Emmanuel Macron.

The French head of state also deplored "the regrettable organisation of elections while guarantees of smooth running were not provided" and the election of "four mayors with less than 5% of voters, which is obviously not a condition of legitimacy".

In recent days, the situation has been very tense in the region, which has been going from crisis to crisis for years. Many members of the majority Serb community in four northern cities do not recognize Pristina's authority and are loyal to Belgrade.

The Serbs boycotted the April municipal elections in these localities, resulting in the election of Albanian mayors, with a turnout of less than 3.5%. Their inauguration last week by the Kosovar government set fire to the powder.

With AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news with you everywhere! Download the France 24 app