(VOVworld) - On Sunday, NATO and the EU called for a return to calm in Macedonia after clashes between police and an unidentified armed group left at least 22 people dead in the northern town of Kumanovo.

A police officer helps an elderly woman as she is evacuated from the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo on May 10, 2015, during clashes with unidentified gunmen. (Photo: AFP)

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General, called on all political and community leaders to cooperate, to restore calm and fully investigate the events in an objective and transparent manner.

Johannes Haln, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, expressed deep concerns over deadly clashes in Macedonia and urged warring parties to avoid any further escalation in the interest of the country’s overall stability.