EU and U.S. envoys urge Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue

EU, U.S. envoys urge Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue

Subject :IR

Section: PLACES IN NEWS

Context: The envoys of the European Union and the United States urged Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue as the only way to de-escalate the soaring tension between the two nations

More about the news:

• The European Union and the United States’ envoys have called on Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue to de-escalate the rising tension between the two nations.
• This visit comes after a recent violent incident in which nearly 30 Serb gunmen crossed into northern Kosovo, resulting in a police officer’s death and a confrontation with Kosovo police.
• The envoys emphasized the urgency of de-escalation and normalization to resolve their differences, with the goal of eventual EU membership for both countries.
• Western powers support the implementation of a 10-point plan proposed by the EU in February to address political crises.

Some facts about the Kosovo:

• Kosovo is a small landlocked region that lies to Serbia’s southwest, sharing borders with North Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro. 
• Pristina is the capital of Kosovo.
• Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it to be an integral part of Serbian territory.
• Countries such as India, China, and Russia do not recognise Kosovo as a separate country, while the US, the majority of EU countries, Japan and Australia do so.

Some facts about Serbia:

• Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country in South-eastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. 
• Countries bordering it are Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
• Belgrade is the capital of Serbia.
• The Rivers flowing through it are the Danube, Sava and Tisa etc