BELGRADE, August 1. /TASS/. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic is involved in the escalation of tensions in Kosovo and Metohija, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti said in his video address.

Petar Petkovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija under the Serbian Government, is also partly responsible for the evolved situation, Kurti noted. The administration of the unrecognized state is "democratic and progressive," he said. "Law enforcement and security agencies of our state are gathering information, monitoring the situation and will act, defending the law and nationals, territorial integrity and sovereignty," the Prime Minister said.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija deteriorated dramatically on Sunday evening after Kosovo’s police had closed the checkpoint at the border with Serbia. In response, Serbs in the north of Kosovo took to the streets and blocked key highways. Police and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, were pulled to the bridge across the Ibar River, which links Kosovska Mitrovica’s northern and southern parts.