The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, will participate in an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council, called at the request of Serbia, where recent developments in Kosovo are expected to be discussed tonight according to local time in Kosovo.
The Prime Minister’s office announced on Thursday that Kurti has traveled to the United States along with his Foreign Minister, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz.
Meanwhile, the Serbian Presidency announced on Thursday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will speak at the session.
Serbia made the request for this session following decisions by Kosovo authorities to ban the Serbian dinar and close Serbian parallel municipalities in recent weeks.
In the request submitted, Serbia described Kosovo’s decision to ban the use of the Serbian dinar for cash payments as “illegal”, considering it “a continuation of brutal physical and institutional violence against Serbs”, and according to Belgrade, the goal is “ethnic cleansing and the eradication of the Serbian population”.
Tensions have risen again after Kosovo implemented a regulation by the Central Bank of Kosovo on February 1, according to which the euro is the only currency for payments, implying the prohibition of the use of the Serbian dinar.
The international community has called for Kosovo to postpone the implementation of the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo, expressing concern that it may have a negative impact on the Serbian community.
In the Serbian-populated areas of Kosovo, the Serbian dinar has been in circulation since the post-war period. The Serbian state pays Kosovo Serbs – through a parallel system – salaries, pensions, social assistance, and other benefits.
So far, dinars have been sent to Kosovo from Serbia through the National Bank of Serbia, which has a branch in Leposavic, a municipality in north Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Serbs.
Also, in recent days, authorities in Kosovo have announced the closure of seven parallel municipalities in the Peja and Dragash regions.
Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, has stated that the only institution Serbia will have in Kosovo will be its embassy in Pristina.
