(VOVworld) – Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama sparked a flareup by Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic over the independence of Kosovo, which was a province of Serbia until 2008. The two had talked during Rama’s historic visit to Serbia in the hope of easing tensions.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama attend a news conference after their meeting in Belgrade November 10, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

Vucic got visibly angry at a press conference on Monday after Rama urged Serbia to recognize the "irreversible reality" of Kosovo's independence. He described Rama’s words as a provocation, insisting that Belgrade refuses to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Vucic said Kosovo was not on the agenda of Rama’s visit nor was it discussed by the leaders before the press conference.

Rama denied that his words were a provocation. He admitted the two sides had different positions on Kosovo but noted that Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by 108 countries.