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Serbia and Kosovo must dial down Balkan tensions
The EU and Nato have crucial roles to play in stopping Russia from exploiting regional rivalries.
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Nato soldiers serving in Kosovo patrol next to a road barricade set up by ethnic Serbs near the town of Zubin Potok, on Aug 1, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
Misha Glenny
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(FINANCIAL TIMES) - It is hardly a secret that there is not much chemistry between President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti. But each was expected to receive the same tough message from Nato and the European Union on a two-day trip to Brussels starting on Wednesday: "Get over it, tone down the rhetoric and, for God's sake, negotiate, negotiate and negotiate!"
The pair were due to have separate meetings with Mr Jens Stoltenberg, Nato's secretary-general, before joint discussions yesterday with Mr Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief. Both Nato, which has 4,000 troops stationed in Kosovo, and the EU have shown signs of losing patience with the two Balkan leaders. But behind the irritation lurks a real trepidation.
