NATO to increase its peacekeeping force in Kosovo if tensions escalate with Serbia. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday on the eve of negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia with the assistance of the EU, Voice of America reports..

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“Now we have a significant mission: the military presence in Kosovo is almost 4,000 troops,” Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference following talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. – If necessary, we will move troops, deploy them where necessary, and increase our presence. We have already increased our presence in the north. We are ready to do more”.

The aggravation between Kosovo and Serbia occurred after the government of Kosovo ordered Serbs living in the north of the country to change the number plates on their cars to Kosovo.

The situation returned to normal after Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, under pressure from the US and the EU, agreed to postpone the introduction of the license plate rule until September 1, and NATO peacekeepers supervised the removal of barricades set up by the Serbs.

However, Vucic told a press conference at NATO that the EU-assisted talks with Kurti on Thursday would be difficult because the two sides disagree on almost everything..

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The NATO peacekeeping mission deployed to Kosovo in 1999 after the 78-day bombing of the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by the alliance forced Belgrade to stop its repression against Albanians in Kosovo, then the southern province of Serbia.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory and accuses Pristina of violating the rights of the Serbian minority. Ethnic Serbs make up 5% of Kosovo's 1.8 million population, which is 90% ethnic Albanian.