PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — A top U.S. official has urged Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue on normalizing their ties, saying the issue has an enormous impact on their people and the broader region.

Matthew Palmer, a U.S. special representative for the Western Balkans, said during a visit to Kosovo on Friday that the dialogue would "free both Serbia and Kosovo from the legacy of hostility that drains their focus and their energies, and it will open up economic opportunities."

After the counting of the Oct. 6 snap election results is completed, Kosovo is expected to form a government led by the left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje, of Albin Kurti.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO bombing ended a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.

Its independence has not been recognized by Serbia.