O'Brien: Kosovo withdraws from the decision on the dinar

2024-02-13 19:08:37, Kosova & Bota CNA

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien says that the United States is very concerned with the decision of the Kosovo government not to allow the use of the dinar. In an interview for the Head of the Albanian Service of the Voice of America Arben Xixho, Mr. O'Brien says that with this attitude, the government of Kosovo has questioned the partnership with the United States. "I don't make vague threats in public. I would say that if we are not treated as a partner, we will not treat the government of Kosovo as a partner either".

Kosovo should withdraw from the decision on the dinar, says the senior American official. Although the United States had advised the Kosovo government against such action, it decided to implement it, without considering the advice of key partners, Mr. O'Brien says. Modern European countries, Mr. O'Brien says, resolve these issues with preliminary dialogue and inform residents in time. The American official said that he had several contacts with Prime Minister Kurti before the announcement of the decision and only a brief exchange after it was announced.

Asked about Kosovo-Serbia relations after the Ohrid agreements, Mr. O'Brien said that their implementation belongs to each party to undertake its own actions, unconditionally from the other party. Serbia, he said, has taken two important steps towards the de-facto recognition of Kosovo, such as the issue of license plates and customs documents. Asked whether Belgrade was behind the attack by the Serbian armed group in Banjska, Mr O'Brien said Serbia had replaced the intelligence chief who was involved in it, pulled troops close to the border with Kosovo and that Washington expected Serbia to prosecute the responsible persons.

Voice of America: Mr. O'Brien, the recent decision of the Government of Kosovo to remove the Serbian dinar from circulation is the latest irritation in relations between
Kosovo and Serbia. The government in Pristina says it wants to implement its own laws, its own Constitution, to allow only the Euro as the sole currency. The United States and the European Union are saying otherwise. Can you tell us why you think so?

Jim O'Brien: This is a matter of partnership and governance. All the problems that have been encountered since this decision was announced were identified in the first 5-10 minutes after we learned about it. However, the government proceeded with its implementation without warning and has left a number of its citizens confused about how to pay for bread, rent and electricity, which some of them have only just started paying. This is not a form of effective governance. We are very concerned, as this shows the government's inability to serve its citizens, but also for the partnership. Being part of Europe today means solving issues through dialogue with effective planning and warning. This decision has been announced hastily, without warning and without an attempt to use the existing mechanisms to find answers to all the problems that could arise.

Voice of America: It seems that the Government of Kosovo understood this even after the pressure on it and the Central Bank announced a three-month postponement. Is this enough time, in your opinion?

Jim O'Brien: People need to know how they're going to pay their bills. When I read the statement of the Central Bank, it does not say that the use of the dinar will be allowed. Says an alternative will be offered. This had to be done before implementing the decision in cooperation with the affected communities and the neighbors affected by the decision and frankly with the European Union and us. So no, they should immediately stop this and then work towards solving the concrete problem that they want to solve, just as modern European states do.

VOA: Have you talked to the Prime Minister about your concerns and about this suggestion?

Jim O'Brien: We had several conversations in the period before the decision was announced and a brief exchange afterward.

VOA: And how does he expect your assessment?

Jim O'Brien: He understood the concerns, promised to work on them, but clearly decided to approve the decision. If he does not treat us as a partner, it raises the question of whether we can consider this government as a partner.

Voice of America: Mr. O'Brien, the European Union has imposed some restrictive measures on Kosovo, without calling them sanctions. Does the United States plan to do the same, if Pristina insists on its position?

Jim O'Brien: I don't make vague threats publicly. I would say that if we are not treated as a partner, we will not treat the government of Kosovo as a partner either.

Voice of America: Do you see the dinar issue related to the Association?

Jim O'Brien: The question is what problem is the new ruling trying to solve. It is the right of Kosovo to decide what currency is being sent to its jurisdiction. The association would solve this problem by clarifying the issue of the money being sent and the purposes for which it would be used. There are other ways to ensure this clarity, including through dialogue, through informal consultations, as modern states respond to these issues. Not announcing decisions in the middle of the night after your closest partners tell you it's a bad idea and poor governance.

Voice of America: Mr. Kurti's government has agreed to the association, which would solve the dinar issue, but considers it a big concession made to Belgrade in exchange for the de facto recognition of Kosovo, or at least for Belgrade to sign the agreements agreed upon by the parties. Is Mr. Kurti right? Should the de facto recognition occur in parallel with the creation of the Association?

Jim O'Brien: Last spring, in Ohrid, the two sides agreed on a series of actions that they should take one after the other, each regardless of the actions of the other side. And now circumstances have been created that allow both sides to blame each other instead of working for their residents to be free and more advanced.
I want to emphasize that since October, Serbia has taken two important steps towards the normalization or de facto recognition of Kosovo, through the implementation of car license plates and customs documents. These are goals that have been sought for a long time and were realized and I believe that there are other things that will happen in this aspect, if we return to the dialogue instead of acting outside it, as the (Kosovo) government decided to do ).

Voice of America: But according to a letter that the Prime Minister of Serbia Brnabic has sent to the officials of the European Union, she really rejects the content of those agreements.

Jim O'Brien: I think the first version of the letter, which rejected (the deal), has been withdrawn. What I look at are actions, de facto recognition. The normalization in these two key components was done in the last months and there are discussions about other things that can be done, if we work the way modern European states work.

VOA: I want to ask you about the incident in Banjska, which seems to have slightly changed the West's approach to Serbia. Do you think Belgrade is behind him?

Jim O'Brien: After the Banjska incident, we made it clear that KFOR protects all the people of Kosovo, including those in the northern part. We have called on both governments to be transparent and open with KFOR, and I want to emphasize that Serbia replaced the head of the intelligence service, who was involved in it. They have arrested and agreed to prosecute the people directly responsible for the incident in Banjska, and Serbian troops have withdrawn from the area near the border. All these steps have been taken and then, after Banjska, steps were taken towards de facto familiarization with customs and license plates.

These are important steps that came as a result of the response and commitment to dialogue. So, we want commitment to work towards a practical solution to these problems, not to take unilateral measures for personal gain that worry your partners as much as your citizens./ VOA