The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that Kosovo’s cooperation with the United States is good, but that does not mean that the two countries “agree absolutely on everything”.
Kurti said that his Government must respect the regulations of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which prohibits the use of the Serbian dinar, because it is mandated by the Constitution and law.
The United States has expressed concern over the decision of the Government of Kosovo not to allow the use of the dinar – a currency in which the Serbian community in Kosovo has accepted various payments from Serbia since the post-war period in 1999.
Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State, James O’Brien, said that Kosovo should withdraw from this decision which “calls into question the partnership with the United States”.
Similarly, the U.S. Ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, insisted that the decision regarding the dinar has already affected the relations between the two countries.
However, Kurti insisted that “the relations are very good” and that he “stands by this word”.
Speaking to journalists during the laying of the foundation stone for a factory producing doors and windows in Verbica, Gjilan, Kurti was also asked if he was invited by European Union officials to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić as part of the dialogue for the normalization of relations.
He said he would attend the meeting if invited to sign the Ohrid Agreement.
“I do this for the EU, but I also do it because we need to have normal relations with Serbia. As for me, the relations would have been normalized last year, but if it hasn’t been done in February and March 2023, it could be done in February and March 2024, why not,” said Kurti.
The agreement in question was reached tentatively last year and, among other things, requires Kosovo to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority and for Serbia to de facto recognize Kosovo.
According to Kurti, it is Vučić who refuses to sign the agreement, while Vučić himself says that what has been signed must be implemented first.
Regarding the Association, the two countries agreed in 2013, but the authorities of Kosovo have refused to establish it out of fear that it may affect the internal functionality of the state.
