The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg implored Serbia and Kosovo to ease recent tensions to prevent destabilizing the Balkans as Europea deals with Russia's war in Ukraine.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Monday and will meet with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Tuesday.

"We cannot both emphasize enough how important it is that both Serbia and Kosovo take steps towards de-escalation and ultimately towards normalization of their relations through the EU-led dialogue," Rutte said at a press conference after the meeting with Vucic.

"With a war raging between Russia and Ukraine on our continent, it's more important than ever that we act together. What's more, a stable relationship is essential for both countries' prospects for further EU integration and accession," he added.

The story behind Kosovo-Serbia tensions

Kosovo's northern region, home to 50,000 ethnic Serbs, has recently seen its worst tensions since Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Last month, Serbia released three Kosovar police officers that it detained earlier in June.

Serbia said the officers were deep inside Serbian territory — and Kosovo — said the men were kidnapped.

Violence erupted in late May after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in the volatile northern region of Kosovo following a local election with a turnout of only 3.5% due to Serb boycotts.

The clashes left 30 NATO peacekeepers, defending three town halls in the region, injured. Fifty-two protesters were also wounded in the violence.

Kosovo's main backers, the United States and the European Union, have pressed Prime Minister Albin Kurti to withdraw the mayors and remove the special police used to install them.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognize Pristina's independence and sees it as a breakaway state.

dvv/lo (AP, Reuters)