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The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, spoke with his colleagues from Serbia and Kosovo, before whom he expressed Turkey's readiness to help reduce the tension between them, Turkish private television NTV reported.

Çavuşoğlu held separate phone conversations with Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković and Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervala regarding the tension on the border between the two countries. 

The Turkish minister told his interlocutors that Turkey has always attached importance to peace and stability in the Balkans and that it is not in anyone's interest to create new tensions.

Tension and blockades on the border between Serbia and Kosovo, air raid sirens are heard

Çavuşoğlu added that common sense must prevail, and Turkey is ready to do everything possible to reduce tensions.

Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo blocked roads near two checkpoints with Serbia yesterday in protest at a decision by the Kosovo government to replace license plates and identity documents issued by Serbian authorities with ones it issued itself.

The measure was supposed to enter into force on August 1, but last night the government in Pristina said that after discussions with partners from Europe and the United States, it decided to postpone the implementation of the reciprocal measure concerning car registration plates and identity cards, BTA recalls the chronology of events .

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