LOC21:24
18:24 GMT
BRUSSELS, Aug 2 (KUNA) - NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg Tuesday said he spoke by phone with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti about recent tensions in the country.
"All sides must maintain calm, avoid unilateral actions and support EU-mediated dialogue. I remain in close contact with both Pristina and Belgrade," he said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
The NATO chief said he spoke with Kurti about the recent tensions in Kosovo and the continued importance of our NATO-KFOR mission.
According to media reports, tensions between Serbia and Kosovo increased Sunday before Kosovo's planned implementation of a new law making it mandatory for everyone, including Serbs living in Kosovo, to have a Kosovo ID card and license plate.
Thousands of people living in the majority Serb areas of Kosovo use car number plates issued by Serbian authorities and refuse to implement Kosovo's regulations.
Kosovo later announced that it had decided to delay the new measures until September 1.
The majority population in Kosovo are Albanians. It broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared its independence in 2008, but Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence. (end)
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