We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable violent attacks in the north of Kosovo this afternoon, causing dozens of KFOR/NATO soldiers and several civilians to be injured. Our thoughts are with the injured, whom we wish a speedy recovery.

We call for an immediate halt of all violence and any actions that inflame tensions. De-escalation is now urgently needed. We urge Kosovo and Serbia to engage in talks to that end without any further delay and to continue to work on the implementation of the Agreement on normalisation, reached in February and March, including for the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities.

We fully support the EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák in his efforts to reduce tensions.