Kosovo\u2019s President Vjosa Osmani has stated that the issue of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo needs to be urgently addressed and that there is now consensus on part of the American proposal for this issue.<\/p>\n
According to her, it would be ideal if an agreement could be reached on it in Brussels on March 19, as part of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, at the level of chief negotiators.<\/p>\n
She said it is very positive \u201cthat the international community, led by the United States, agrees that the dinar should not circulate in Kosovo\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith their help, we have managed to ensure that those shipments, that financial aid coming from Serbia, arrives in euros rather than dinars, and I believe this solves a significant part of the problem we have faced in the past,\u201d Osmani said at a press conference after a visit to the city of Lipjan.<\/p>\n
Regarding the second part of the proposal, she said they are considering ways to ensure that the aid sent from Serbia to the Serbian community in Kosovo is not misused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should not fall into the hands of those who have abused, who have been corrupted and have taken the money supposedly in the name of citizens but have used it for organized crime. A plan is being drafted for that part, which will involve the authorities of Kosovo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osmani said she hopes that consensus will be reached soon on the second point as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is urgent that this issue be resolved because not only does it help citizens overcome some of the challenges they face, but at the same time, to be very honest, Kosovo has bigger problems, including security issues,\u201d she said, mentioning the need to secure the border with Serbia, which, she said, constantly analyzes ways to attack Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Since February 1, the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) has begun implementing a new regulation, which stipulates that the euro is the only currency used for cash transactions.<\/p>\n
This has prevented the use of the dinar.<\/p>\n
Serbia declares that it provides aid worth millions of euros to Serbs in Kosovo and sends them salaries, pensions, and additional assistance in its currency, the dinar.<\/p>\n
The international community has harshly reacted to Kosovo for implementing the regulation, saying that a clear plan is needed that does not harm the Serbian community, and that the deadline for its implementation has been too short.<\/p>\n
The US envoy to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, told Radio Free Europe (RFE) on March 15 that he had not managed to persuade Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti to suspend the decision to ban the Serbian currency in Kosovo until the European Union, the United States, and the government of Kosovo find a long-term solution, such as electronic transfer of euros through Kosovo\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
Partnership with the US<\/strong><\/p>\n American officials have reiterated several times in recent days that they have communication problems with the government of Kosovo due to lack of coordination.<\/p>\n Asked about the government\u2019s approach to the US, Osmani said she can only declare her approach as president with all institutions within the country, as well as with international partners.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Republic of Kosovo is a state that was born because of the sacrifice of the people of Kosovo, our liberation struggle, years of resistance, and the historical support we have received from allies… we should never forget this because it was not just support in 1999, but every step forward Kosovo has taken, it has taken together with Euro-Atlantic allies.\u201d<\/p>\n She said Kosovo has continuously done great and good deeds with its allies, and such an approach should continue.<\/p>\n Regarding the Ohrid Agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n During the press conference, Osmani was also asked about the lack of implementation of the agreement reached between Kosovo and Serbia, a year ago in Ohrid, North Macedonia.<\/p>\n At that time, the parties agreed to implement an annex to an Agreement on the normalization of relations, for which the parties had reached an understanding in February of that same year.<\/p>\n Osmani said that the actions of the parties on the ground need to be analyzed, \u201cto come to a completely objective conclusion\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSerbia has violated this agreement dozens of times, which clearly requires it not to violate the territorial integrity of Kosovo, to recognize international subjectivity and the principle of equality of parties, not to vote against Kosovo for membership in international organizations, not to use violence in interstate relations, and many other principles.\u201d<\/p>\n She said that a plan for implementing the agreement is now being developed in Brussels, as there has been no complete agreement between the parties so far, and that she herself, as president, has not agreed with a plan presented by Brussels officials because, according to her, it was envisaged that Serbia would benefit at the beginning of the implementation of the plan, while Kosovo at the end.<\/p>\n \u201cI demand equal treatment of the parties, so that the sequential implementation plan takes into account that both Kosovo and Serbia fulfill their obligations in parallel, and not that one party enjoys all the benefits at the beginning, and then Kosovo is considered only at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Kosovo and Serbia have been in dialogue in Brussels \u2013 with the mediation of the European bloc \u2013 since 2011.<\/p>\n The parties have reached a series of agreements, but not all have been implemented.<\/p>\n European foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, reiterated on Monday that international pressure will be exerted on the two countries to implement the agreements reached so far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kosovo\u2019s President Vjosa Osmani has stated that the issue of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo needs to be urgently addressed and that there is now consensus on part of the American proposal for this issue. According to her, it would be ideal if an agreement could be reached on it in Brussels on March 19, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":64053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[300,243,151,430,5926,490],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n