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Kosovo and Serbia, no agreement on the dinar in Brussels

2024-04-04 14:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo and Serbia, no agreement on the dinar in Brussels

Kosovo and Serbia have not been able to agree on the issue of the Serbian dinar, which was banned in Kosovo on February 1, even after the third consecutive meeting on Thursday in Brussels, confirmed the chief negotiators of the two countries, who accused each other of unwillingness to find a solution.

"Unfortunately, even today we had big differences", said the chief negotiator of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, speaking to journalists after the meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Petar Petkovic, under the mediation of the EU envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

"While the Kosovar side has been discussing options for how Kosovo Serbs can receive financial support from Serbia even further, the Serbian side has been working as a lawyer for Postanska banka (Serbian Post Office Savings Bank) and all the time has been discussing how to license it" , Bislimi said.

Meanwhile, Serbia's chief negotiator, Petar Petkovic, said that Prishtina did not show "sufficient will" for an agreement and that another meeting is expected on this topic.

"We once again reiterated our position and proposal, which is balanced and implies a compromise solution. On the other hand, there was not enough will on the part of Pristina. I will not talk more about this, since there will be another meeting on this topic", he said.

The use of the dinar for cash payments in Kosovo was banned on February 1, when the Central Bank of Kosovo implemented a new regulation that designated the euro as the country's sole official currency.

In the last meeting in Brussels, Petkovic had said that the Serbian side will try to continue the operation of the bank of Serbia in Kosovo, Kursimora e Posta, so that the Serbs receive salaries, pensions and other assistance.

Bislimi accused the Serbian side of "not being concerned about the citizens", and that its main concern was how the Kosovo authorities would license the bank of Serbia in Kosovo, Kursimora e Posta.

"For the third time today, they made it clear that we are not members of the Central Bank and cannot make decisions... we also made it clear that something that is not legal in Kosovo cannot be part of the solution ", Bislimi said.

Next meeting in about two weeks

Petkovic and Bislimi emphasized that there will be a new fourth meeting on this issue in about two weeks.

Bislimi also said that the Serbian side did not accept a "consolidated" proposal of Lajcak, which "we believe is constructive and on the right path to find a solution, which mostly suits the citizens and respects the regulation of the Central Bank".

"We have to meet in two weeks, it was made clear to them that this will be the last meeting, so they must reflect or they will be officially blamed for blocking the solution," Bislimi said.

Meanwhile, Petkovic reiterated that this issue would be resolved if there was an Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.

Earlier Thursday morning, Lajcak held a bilateral meeting with Serbian chief negotiator Petkovic.

The European Union, which facilitates dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels, hoped that the differences in approach between the parties would be overcome and a solution would be reached, according to which Serbian citizens in Kosovo would be able to continue receiving benefits from the state. Serbian.

This issue, apart from angering Serbia, also provoked disagreements between the Government of Kosovo and the international community, since the Serbian community in Kosovo, for years, receives payments in dinars from the budget of Serbia.

Western diplomats asked Kosovo to suspend the regulation, to give affected citizens time to adapt to the new practice.

Today's meeting was the third in recent weeks between the chief negotiator of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, and that of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, while the fourth in general for this issue in Brussels.

In the meetings so far, according to the EU, the parties have presented their proposals for finding a practical and short-term solution for Serbian citizens in Kosovo who are paid in dinars by Serbia.

The Government of Kosovo insists that the decision of the CBK is not political, but of an independent institution. However, she expressed her readiness for a practical solution that would help the citizens, but without questioning the CBK's decision.

In an interview given to REL in March, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that proposals for the dinar that are contrary to the CBK regulation will not be accepted./ REL





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