Kosovo-Serbia talks to resume on Sunday - German govt

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo agreed at a video conference hosted by Germany and France to resume talks on normalising their ties, the German government said in a statement on Friday, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 1999 after a NATO-led bombing campaign to curtail ethnic warfare. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's independence, a precondition for Belgrade's future membership of the EU.

"President Macron and Chancellor Merkel encourage President Vucic and Prime Minister Hoti to make substantial progress in negotiations," the German government statement read, adding that EU-hosted talks would begin on Sunday.