Dutch and Luxembourg PMs urge Serbia and Kosovo to defuse tensions under shadow of war in Ukraine

By JOVANA GEC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg have urged Serbia and Kosovo to act to defuse recent tensions that have threatened to push the Balkan region into instability as Europe faces Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Xavier Bettel, the Luxembourg PM, spoke after meeting Monday with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital. Rutte and Bettel travel to Kosovo on Tuesday for meetings with top officials there. Serbia and its former province Kosovo have been at odds for decades, with Belgrade refusing to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. Tensions flared anew in May, raising fears of a growing conflict.