Germany calls for Kosovo and Serbia to return to dialogue

2024-02-07 18:06:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Minister of Defense of Germany, Boris Pistorius, called for the reduction of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia and for the return of the parties to the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by the European Union.

He made these statements after a meeting he held in Belgrade with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vu?i?, on February 7.

Commenting on the decision to ban the Serbian dinar for payments in Kosovo, Pistorius said that the country's implementation "must be organized and no one should get hurt", asking for a "transition period" for the implementation of the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo .

"It is not in anyone's interest for relations to become even more tense," said the German Minister of Defense. Since February 1, a regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo has entered into force in Kosovo. This regulation provides for the euro to be the only currency for payments in Kosovo, prohibiting the use of the Serbian dinar.

Kosovo has said that the implementation of the CBK regulation for cash operations will be done through a transition period during the month of February.

Serbia pays Kosovo Serbs - through a parallel system - salaries, pensions, social benefits, and other benefits.

According to the data presented by the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vu?i?, in Kosovo his country has 31,831 employed people, 29,115 pensioners - of which 4,700 receive their pensions in hand - as well as 31,586 beneficiaries of social assistance.

The international community has called on Kosovo to postpone the implementation of the regulation, as they have argued that it entered into force without prior consultations. The United States and the European Union have expressed concern that the regulation could have a negative impact on the Serbian population living in Kosovo.

The German Minister of Defense, Pistorius, during the press conference in Belgrade, talked about the topics he discussed with the Serbian president, Vu?i?. He said that he talked about Serbia not supporting secessionist tendencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and supporting the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We proceed from the fact that Serbia will not support possible secessionist tendencies in the Republika Srpska [Serb entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina], but will support the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Pistorius said. The senior German official again called on Serbia to accept Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Asked about Russian influence, Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? said that Russia's economic influence in Serbia is incomparably smaller than that of Germany.

Meanwhile, regarding the political influence, Vu?i? said that he cannot speak for all the actors, but emphasized that maybe Russia can have an influence on some, and not on others. The Serbian leader said that only the people of Serbia have influence on the prime minister, the president, the state Parliament.

"No one can give me orders from Washington or from Moscow, from Berlin, or anywhere else. Serbia makes its own decisions without anyone's influence", he said./ Rel