The State Department says, “It is in the best interest of all impacted parties” for Kosovo PM Albin Kurti to take the US position on reversing the course on the suspension of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo seriously. That is what the Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told The Pavlovic Today when asked what gives the State Department confidence that PM Kurti will take the US position seriously.
The query came as a follow up to the story The Pavlovic Today broke about the US response to Kosovo Central Bank decision to suspend Serbian dinar on February 1, 2024.
“We urge the Government of Kosovo to revisit this decision, consult with the affected communities, respond to the concerns expressed by the international community, and provide ample time for its decisions to be implemented in order to mitigate the impact those decisions will have on its citizens,” a State Department spokesperson told The Pavlovic Today on Tuesday evening.
“We are concerned that regulation adopted on December 27 will negatively impact the ethnic Serb community in Kosovo,” the State Department spokesperson added.
Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer asked Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday about the State Department’s basis for confidence in PM Kurti taking the US position seriously.
—What gives you confidence that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti will consider and take your position seriously?, The Pavlovic Today put the question in front of Principal State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.
“We believe, Ksenija, that constructive engagement and sincere good faith efforts by both Kosovo and Serbia will bring lasting benefits for its citizens including economic growth and ensure long term regional stability,” responded Patel. “We want to see progress on implementation of past Dialogue agreements. We also believe that this is in the best interest for all impacted parties.”
The State Department underscored earlier this week to The Pavlovic Today that, in accordance with Kosovo law and the commitments made under the Ahtisaari Plan, Serbia “has the right to provide financial assistance to members of the ethnic Serb community in Kosovo.”
We want to see progress on implementation of past Dialogue agreements.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel
Key Provisions of the Settlement in the Ahtisaari Plan stipulate that the “Serb-majority communities will have extensive financial autonomy and will be able to accept transparent funding from Serbia and to take part in inter-municipal partnerships and cross-boundary cooperation with Serbian institutions.”
In a firm diplomatic stance, the State Department reminded Prime Minister Albin Kurti of Kosovo’s legally binding commitments. The spokesperson urged Kosovo to fulfill its commitment to establish an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM), emphasizing that ASM is the primary mechanism for Serbia to transparently provide financial support within Kosovo’s legal framework.
