Stoltenberg: Association Proposal a constructive step for dialogue movement

Secretary - General NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, has said Kosovo and Serbia should refrain from stimulating rhetoric and not take action that could strain the situation even more.

He made that statement at a media conference before NATO foreign ministers' meetings in Brussels

Stoltenberg said the new proposal for the Association draft could be a “constructive step” to move forward the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

“We urged both Pristina and Belgrade to engage in trust in the EU facilitated dialogue. And we also believe that the proposal for the Association of Serb majority municipalities can be an important step forward to move this dialogue in a more constructive direction. My message again is to Pristina, and Belgrade is that both sides refrain from stimulating rhetoric and certainly not take any action that could increase tensions in the region”, Stoltenberg said.

He said NATO will do whatever is necessary to ensure stability in the region, repeating that this is important for NATO has history and presence in the region.

“We have just increased our presence in Kosovo, adding extra troops. We are now assessing whether to add more troops, but we are taking important steps with increasing our presence”.

The foreign ministers of NATO member states will meet from 27 November to 29 November in Brussels, and at the centre of the meeting will be Russian aggression in Ukraine and the situation in the Western Balkans.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also attend this meeting.

“Secretary Blinken will stress NATO's steadfast commitment to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, stress our support for democracy and regional stability in the Western Balkans and discuss the priorities of Washington's meeting in July 2024”, the State Department report said.