Blinken: We need to see both Kosovo and Serbia keep tensions low

“We need to see good-faith, constructive efforts by both Kosovo and Serbia to stabilize the relationship and to move down that path, keep tensions low,” said Blinken, Kossev reported.

He also called on the parties to fulfill the commitments they undertook as part of the dialogue, but also to “to increase coordination, to increase transparency with international partners,

Blinken looked back on the 1990s, stating that at that time a good part of the world's focus was directed towards the Balkans, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

“And one thing we don’t need, that Europe doesn’t need, and especially the people of the Western Balkans don’t need is a back-to-the-future moment, where we find ourselves back in the 1990s,” he stressed.

However, he noted that the Western Balkans today is taking a different path, towards the full integration with Europe.

“We share the goal of a democratic, prosperous, peaceful region integrated with the rest of Europe,” he said.