France and Germany urged today Thursday the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to organize new municipal elections, as soon as possible, in those areas where there have been riots in recent days, French President Emmanuel Macron announced, while Pristina insists on its decision on the placement of Albanian mayors.

The presidents of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Vijosa Osmani had an “informal meeting” earlier today with Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit being held in Bulboza of Moldavia.

The French president said that his country and Germany they ask for clarification the electoral regulations of Kosovo.

Earlier, the presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted they wanted the crisis in northern Kosovo to be de-escalated, but gave no indication they might back down from their opposing positions. Upon their arrival at the summit, Vucic and Osmani didn’t even greet each other, despite standing a few meters apart on the red carpet.

For his part, the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate steps to reduce tensions, warning that the current situation “obstructs proceedings Euro-Atlantic integration of both countries”.

Speaking after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Blinken made it clear that many allies expressed concern about tensions in northern Kosovo after Albanian mayors took office in Serb-majority areas following April elections in which Serbs refused to participate.