Kosovo's President and Prime Minister paid a goodwill visit to the monastery of Visoki Decani on Orthodox Christmas in a fresh attempt to bridge differences between Kosovo's Albanians and Serbs.

Kosovo's new Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, called for unity between the country’s two main ethnic groups during a visit with President Atifete Jahjaga to the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Decani on Wednesday.

“We have always considered Orthodox Christmas one of our holidays, as a sign of solidarity and high religious tolerance,” Mustafa said while addressing journalists in front of the monastery in western Kosovo.

“The problems that Kosovo faces are not those of one community or one religious confession – they are our problems,” he said, insisting that the two communities “both celebrate and solve their problems together”.

It was Mustafa’s first visit to an Orthodox Christian place of worship since becoming Prime Minister a month ago.

The ethnic Albanian-led authorities in Kosovo are widely distrusted by the country's shrunken Serbian community, many of whom still look to Belgrade.

Mustafa and President Jahjaga took a tour of the monastery complex led by Father Sava Janjic, the archdeacon of the monastery and a well known figure in the Serbian community.

Decani is one of the most historic monasteries in the region. Built by Serbian monarchs in the early decades of the 14th century, it houses the remains of its founder, King Stefan Uros "Decanski".