Hill: Serbs return to institutions, Kosovo form Association and immediately suspend measures for plates

But Hill said Serbs should respect their commitments from dialogue and return to Kosovo institutions.

“The withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo institutions is not a solution to current disputes and has the potential to further escalate tensions on the ground. Therefore, the United States joins the EU by calling on representatives of Serbia and Kosovo Serbs to respect their commitments from dialogue and to return their duties to Kosovo institutions, including police, judiciary and local administration”, Hill told N1.

He said the US joins the EU, calling on Kosovo authorities to respect their obligations without delay, which means that the process for reregistering vehicles to postpone immediately and any punitive measures against Serbian license owners will be suspended until the parties resolve the issue of license plates within dialogue.

This also means the immediate start of negotiations for establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities, which is a binding legal obligation for Kosovo. Kosovo's continued failure to implement this obligation violates the principle of rule of law and damages Kosovo's reputation and credibility”, Hill said.

He called on both sides to choose the path of dialogue and refrain from actions that would lead to violence and confrontation”.

The United States fully supports EU efforts to continue mediating negotiations. Both sides should show that they are willing to seek solutions constructively and respect commitments made in the EU-brokered dialogue”, Hill said.