EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton stated Thursday that she is very concerned about violence in north Kosovo and the EU perspectives of Kosovo and Serbia.

I am very concerned about violence in the north, and I am also concerned whether the two parties will be able to make progress towards Europe, Ashton stated upon arrival at a meeting of the Council of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Ashton told journalists that she has close cooperation with both Belgrade and Pristina in an attempt to find a solution for the north.

Last week I met with Serbian President Boris Tadic, and soon I will confer with Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci, she said. According to her, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is an important stage in the efforts to reach a solution.

The dialogue is a very important as it addresses practical issues which can improve lives of people. I am glad that the dialogue will continue today as well, since the more the two parties discuss difficult issues, the more they stand a chance of finding a good peacekeeping solution, Ashton said.