Kurti: There will be no negotiations about the dinar in Brussels

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated today in North Mitrovica that there will be no negotiations tomorrow in Brussels between the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina regarding the decision of the CBK to ban the use of the dinar in Kosovo.

"There is a provision from the Central Bank, and we as a government are here to assist them. That's why Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi cannot negotiate on that provision. Only if there are any consequences that nobody wants, then we will see what we can do to ensure a better and faster transition," Kurti stated.

He said that the Government of Kosovo is "below and behind" the CBK because it is an independent institution.

"We stand below and behind the Central Bank. When there was a problem with license plates, Minister Svecla and I were at the forefront. Now we are not. I am not a prime minister who decides on the Central Bank. So, the levers of power in Kosovo are divided. We are not an autocratic state like Serbia where one person decides everything at the same time," Kurti said.

He emphasized that the issue of using the dinar was resolved when the CBK made its decision.

"In that sense, the main event has already happened. We are now in the post-factum phase, and now we need to see how to avoid any consequences," Kurti stated.

He added that the Government of Kosovo insists that official Belgrade "does not care" whether it is dinars or Euros because, as he stated, it is an artificial problem.

"There is not a single Serb in Kosovo who said, 'I don't want euros.' Because 33,000 bank accounts are held by Serbs in Kosovo, and they receive various financial assistance from our government. Not a single Serb said, 'I don't want Euros','" Kurti said.

Kurti said he has nothing against the dinar.

"It is the official currency of our neighbor Serbia. Serbia can send financial aid to Serbs in Kosovo in dinars, but the only means of payment in Kosovo is the euro because it is in accordance with Article 11 of our Constitution. Now, the decision on the new regulation was made by the Central Bank of Kosovo. That provision dates back to December 27 last year. Belgrade knew very well what was happening here," Kurti said.

He said the problem is that "Belgrade insists on cash."

"They insist on cash because there is no more Komercijalna Bank in Kosovo. So, they are dependent on cash because they pay some people who should not be paid. I have nothing against doctors, professors, teachers receiving funds, but it seems that the main concern of official Belgrade is that some other people who are neither doctors nor teachers will not be able to receive money in cash as before," Kurti emphasized.

He added that he insists on a transparent system and legalization of all financial transactions.

"We want the economy in Kosovo to become a cashless economy, and now, according to its law, the Kosovo tax administration must pay all citizens in the public sector through the bank. We are not saying that Serbs in Kosovo are now taking the new currency 'Kosova Dardan', but Euros. We adopted it from the EU from January 1, 2002. We used to have the German mark; now we have the euro. Sometimes money comes in dinars, but here, the means of payment must be the euro," Kurti said.

He added that Belgrade built exchange offices at crossings, which is evidence that "when there is a will, there are possibilities."

"But Belgrade chose the worst option. Again, cash. They insist on cash. So, Belgrade does not mind having the euro in Kosovo, but they insist on cash, and you know that we seized more than five million Euros worth of ammunition and weapons from this criminal, terrorist group of Milan Radojicic. Where were they getting that money? Where were they getting those weapons? We want to stop smuggling and any illegal financing and terrorist financing. Because when you finance terrorism, then you are a terrorist. Terrorists cannot do without that funding," Kurti emphasized.

He added that the government he leads has become the main obstacle for Belgrade precisely because of that.

"We have become the main obstacle for Belgrade not because we advocate for the euro, because you can also have savings in dinars in commercial banks, but because they like to operate only through cash," Kurti concluded.

He did not respond to the journalist's question about whether he had discussed the dinar ban with Serbs, and when asked about the social categories that suffer the most from the abolition of the dinar because they cannot receive assistance in any other way, Kurti replied that these were individual cases and that the CBK has a transition plan that will also address such cases.

"The CBK has a transition plan to deal with such cases, but to be honest, with 33,000 bank accounts, that is a huge majority of Serbs. There may be cases, but you have to admit that these cases are not common. Serbs and Albanians here trade much more with Euros," Kurti said.

He stated that the best solution would be for the issue of the dinar to be resolved at the level of the two bank governors.

"In Kosovo, there are ten commercial banks, only two are Kosovar, eight are foreign. The governor of the CBK sent a letter to the governor of the National Bank of Serbia and has not received a response yet. The best way to resolve this is between the two governors," Kurti said.

He added that this is possible because officials from Kosovo and Serbia have already met, citing earlier meetings with former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucicof Serbia. Also, he mentioned the period of the COVID pandemic when they talked to the health minister.

"Why won't they cooperate now? It's all because of cash, not because of the Republic of Kosovo, not because of independence. They have a registry that neither you nor I know about, which they finance with cash. They do not want that registry to be seen. But if all these transactions were conducted through commercial banks and with an agreement between our CBK and the Serbian National Bank, then we would have insight into who gets what," Kurti said.

He added that a bank account can be opened in one day, and in case there are any further obstacles, both the CBK and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be available.

"We want to find legal solutions to every problem, but transparency must be absolute, who sends money to whom and for what. There are no more hidden registries, lists according to which official Belgrade pays people who are neither teachers nor doctors but work for Belgrade and against Kosovo, and in the end, we have phenomena like Banjska on September 24," Kurti said.

When asked to comment on the claim by the Serbian List and the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, that he appeared in the north to provoke destabilization and that it was a provocation, Kurti said that he came to talk about how to better serve the citizens.

"We are here to talk about how to better serve the citizens regardless of their national, ethnic, religious affiliation. Because equality unites people, while privileges and discrimination divide society. We are against divisions in society, we are for equality and equity, and our institutions should foster equality in treating citizens, as well as in their access to system institutions," Kurti said.

He added that all tendencies for destabilization come from "the other side of the border."

Kurti called on the Serbian community in Kosovo to participate in large numbers in the upcoming census, explaining that this way it will be possible for them to receive much larger funds for financing local communities.

"I once again call on all Serbian citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, citizens of the Serbian community who live not only in the north but anywhere in Kosovo, to participate and register as much as possible because when making plans for subsidies, investments, education, healthcare, the healthcare system..., we need to have as comprehensive as possible a scan of the population. Therefore, this will also reflect on the budget that will be determined," Kurti said.

He said that in areas where the census is not conducted, there will be less budget.

"I am the Prime Minister of a democratic government, a parliamentary republic, who wants people to have more money, not less. And to have more money, more investments, and subsidies, it is necessary for the census to be comprehensive, so I call on people to participate. If not on the first day, when it starts, they can during the first or second week. But let's not leave this important duty of citizens for the last week, but let people register as soon as possible so that we have both a good overview and truthful budget planning," Kurti emphasized.