Talha Ozturk
15 March 2024•Update: 15 March 2024
BELGRADE, Serbia
Kosovo’s decision to ban the use of the Serbian dinar in its northern region is creating difficulties for local Serbs, a senior US official said Thursday.
The US Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti promised him that he would consider some of his proposals regarding the issue.
"The prime minister accepted this and promised to look at some of the proposals I presented to him today," said Escobar after meeting with Kurti in the capital Pristina.
Escobar said the central bank's decision on the dinar has caused hardship for some citizens of the country, adding the new regulation is making life difficult for Kosovo Serbs.
''We will continue to work on this issue, which is an urgent humanitarian issue that must be addressed immediately,'' he added.
On Feb. 1, Kosovo adopted the euro for cash payment transactions, despite concerns expressed by ethnic Serbs living in the country's north.
The country’s central bank announced the decision on Jan. 18, saying currencies other than the euro can only be used in Kosovo for physical safekeeping or bank accounts.
The decision triggered outrage because ethnic Serb communities in Kosovo had been using the dinar, the official currency of neighboring Serbia, at both state and commercial institutions. Many local Serbs have an attachment or even allegiance to Serbia.
Western countries including the US, France, Italy, Germany and the UK have urged Kosovo to halt implementation of the currency regulation.
Escobar meanwhile expressed hope that the Kosovo government would be flexible at a meeting to be held next week in Brussels as part of the dialogue process with Serbia.
He said Tuesday that the US has problems communicating with Kurti.
He noted that this problem is not only faced by the US but also by other partners such as the European Union, NATO, the UK, Albania and North Macedonia.
