The Minister of Finance in the Government of Kosovo, Hekuran Murati, said that Kosovo is consulted and coordinated on the issue of the Central Bank regulation that prohibits the use of the Serbian dinar.
During a press conference after the Government meeting, Murati was asked to give a stance regarding the statements of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O’Brien, who said that the United States may not treat Kosovo as a partner if it makes decisions without consulting them, following the Central Bank’s decision.
As of February 1, the Central Bank regulation came into effect, which stipulates the use of only euros for payments, regardless of the request from the U.S. and the European Union for Kosovo to postpone its implementation.
“With regard to the statements of our international partners, it must be emphasized that it is a decision that was taken by the Central Bank in December of last year. It is not a decision that was taken recently. The decision came into effect in February of this year, but it was taken earlier,” said Murati.
“We are definitely consulted, definitely coordinated, and definitely take into account all aspects regarding the purpose that the regulation of the Central Bank achieves or aims to achieve, but also many other laws that we have approved, all international partners unanimously support it. I believe you have received these through embassy statements. It means there are no dilemmas or differences regarding the purpose we want to achieve. The only difference is in the transitional period or how the transitional period is designed, which has been requested to exist,” he added.
Days ago, the Central Bank announced that there would be a transitional period for the facilitated implementation of its regulation, no longer than three months, while Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated that the state will not back down from the decision to ban the dinar for cash payments, but that it is respecting the international community’s requests on this issue.
However, O’Brien said on February 13 that Kosovo should immediately suspend the Central Bank’s decision and work as a “modern European state” to find a solution to “this specific problem”.
“People need to know how they will pay their bills. When I read the Central Bank’s statement, it does not say that the use of the dinar will be allowed. It says an alternative will be offered. This should have been done before the decision was implemented in cooperation with the affected communities and neighboring countries affected by the decision and sincerely with the European Union and with us,” O’Brien said during an interview with Voice of America.
The Serbian state allocates millions of euros for Serbs in Kosovo, paying them – through a parallel system – salaries, pensions, and additional assistance.
The regulation has been criticized by the international factor, arguing that the decision was made without prior consultations. Internationals have asked Kosovo to postpone the implementation of the regulation, saying that more time is needed for the adaptation of the Serbian community to the decision.
