Kosovo partially withdraws its special police officers from the northern Serb-majority municipalities

 European Union called on Pristina and Belgrade to calm the situation. Brussels made it clear that the normalization of relations between the two parties will not only serve regional peace and stability but will also serve the prospects for their future integration into the bloc of 27 countries.

On Wednesday, the Kosovo government will reduce the number of special police officers stationed outside four municipal buildings in ethnic Serb-majority areas. To defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared up again in May, new municipal elections will be held in every city.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said a quarter of the special police force would be removed from the sites "considering that the situation in the municipalities has been relatively calmer in the past two weeks," adding that "more officers will be withdrawn based on the continuous assessment of the situation."

It should be noted that no further details were made clear about the timing of the reductions or the reassignment of the officers.

The government of Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo wants the special police forces to leave the northern region, while Pristina says the number will gradually decrease.

On the other hand, ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo boycotted municipal elections in its four headquarters in April as part of a campaign to impose more autonomy. Today, they oppose ethnic Albanian mayors who were chosen at the ballot box.

For its part, the European Union called on Pristina and Belgrade to calm the situation. Brussels made it clear that the normalization of relations between the two parties will not only serve regional peace and stability but will also serve the prospects for their future integration into the bloc of 27 countries.

Serbia and its former province of Kosovo have been at odds for decades, as Belgrade refused to recognize Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, which was recognized by Washington and most European Union countries, while Russia and China expressed their support for Belgrade's claim to the region.