The United States envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Wednesday after a meeting with Kosovo\u2019s President Vjosa Osmani that Kosovo and Serbia must continue with the full implementation of the agreements reached in the European Union mediated dialogue.<\/p>\n
He dismissed President Osmani\u2019s claims that the EU is showing a lack of equal access in mediating the dialogue.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth parties must continue with the full implementation of the agreement, so it is not an unfair attempt for Kosovo alone to make those tough decisions,\u201d Escobar said.<\/p>\n
Osmani said it is crucial to fully implement the agreements reached last year between the parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, selective approach only to certain provisions of the basic agreement will not help because all articles are important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added that the commitment and role of the United States remain crucial \u201cfor a successful conclusion of the dialogue that would lead to mutual recognition, as mentioned in the latest letter from President [Joe] Biden\u201d.<\/p>\n
Through EU mediation, Kosovo and Serbia reached the Agreement on the Normalization of Relations on February 27, 2023.<\/p>\n
The normalization agreement, consisting of 11 articles, provides for a level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while requiring Pristina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.<\/p>\n
The EU has stated that the agreement, although not signed, is binding for the parties, but implementation has not yet begun.<\/p>\n
During his meeting with Osmani, Escobar also discussed security and said the United States is concerned about the events of September 24 in Banjska, Zve\u00e7an, when a group of Serbs clashed with the Kosovo Police, resulting in the death of one police officer and three attackers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a very sincere conversation about the security situation. We are very concerned about the events of September 24. We urge Serbia for all those responsible to face justice and be held accountable,\u201d Escobar said.<\/p>\n
Responsibility for that attack was claimed by Milan Radoi\u010di\u0107 \u2013 former deputy chairman of the Serb List \u2013 who spent one day in pretrial detention in Serbia and then was released pending trial, but with the condition not to leave Serbia.<\/p>\n
Osmani said Kosovo will continue to work with allies so \u201cour border is secure and such attacks are prevented\u201d.<\/p>\n
Serbian dinar issue<\/strong><\/p>\n Regarding the ban on the Serbian dinar, Escobar said he is in Kosovo to discuss ways to find a solution.<\/p>\n President Osmani reiterated that this issue must be resolved in cooperation with allies.<\/p>\n During his visit, Escobar met with the opposition and representatives of the Serbian community on the Serbian dinar issue. He will also meet Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Thursday.<\/p>\n Following the meeting with the opposition, the leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Memli Krasniqi, said that communication with strategic allies \u201cis necessary to advance Kosovo\u2019s interests\u201d.<\/p>\n He said that during the meeting with Escobar, they discussed current political developments in Kosovo and the vision \u201cfor a more prosperous future\u201d for the state.<\/p>\n \u201cKosovo has achieved every victory and success on the path to liberation, independence, and state-building with the United States, therefore, our partnership is indispensable even on the road to future Euro-Atlantic integration,\u201d Krasniqi wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, said that in the meeting he requested an increase in the level of bilateral relations between Kosovo and the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is progress, but I emphasized that it is very necessary for Kosovo\u2019s state agenda to move forward with high state and institutional responsibility towards NATO membership, and the government should fully cooperate with our strategic and enduring ally, the United States,\u201d he wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n After the meeting with the American envoy, some Serbian politicians in Kosovo said they were \u201cencouraged\u201d by the approach of the United States to the recent decisions of the Kosovo authorities, adding that they received assurances from Escobar that things will change in favor of the Serbian community.<\/p>\n The Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) began implementing a new regulation on February 1, which stipulates that only the euro is to be used for cash transactions, putting an end to the use of the Serbian dinar.<\/p>\n Escobar, during an open discussion with journalists in Brussels on Tuesday, called the decision of the Kosovo authorities to implement this regulation \u201ccatastrophic\u201d and \u201cincompetent\u201d.<\/p>\n Serbia declares that it allocates millions of euros for Serbs in Kosovo and pays them salaries, pensions, and additional aid.<\/p>\n In the absence of dinars in their settlements in Kosovo, Serbs of Kosovo traveled tens of kilometers to Serbian towns near the border with Kosovo to withdraw the funds they receive from the government of Serbia.<\/p>\n Escobar mentioned several reasons why the United States disagrees with the way the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo is implemented: the speed with which it is implemented, the lack of offering any alternative to accept the money, the affected communities have not been contacted, the international community has difficulty convincing Kosovo to provide technical assistance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government of Kosovo must work with the international community to find a solution to this decision, which I would call catastrophic and even incompetent, the implementation of the decision that has created chaos in the economy of Kosovo.\u201d<\/p>\n Escobar reiterated that the United States does not oppose the legitimacy of the decision, but has issues with the way it is implemented and its impact on the Serbian community.<\/p>\n His visit to Pristina is part of an eight-day tour of countries like Belgium, Austria, and Montenegro, which he began on March 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The United States envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Wednesday after a meeting with Kosovo\u2019s President Vjosa Osmani that Kosovo and Serbia must continue with the full implementation of the agreements reached in the European Union mediated dialogue. He dismissed President Osmani\u2019s claims that the EU is showing a lack of equal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":67731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[429,300,1929,150,243,151,430,301,5926,490],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n