Sekulic: No indications that Pristina will lift the embargo on Serbian goods

Sasa Sekulic, President of the Association of Entrepreneurs from Gracanica, states that six months after the Kosovo Government banned the entry of goods produced in Serbia, there are no indications of when or if this decision will be revoked. He points out that due to this unfavorable political decision, products from central Serbia have been replaced with lower-quality and 20 to 30 percent more expensive goods arriving in Kosovo from other markets.

Both Serbian and Kosovo entrepreneurs are urging the Kosovo authorities to lift the embargo imposed on June 15, and similar messages are being conveyed by the international community, and Sekulic reminds that two months ago, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo also appealed to the government in Pristina to reconsider and annul the decision to ban Serbian goods.

"We should ask the Kosovo Government why they ignore these appeals. This is a political decision that does not benefit either Albanian or Serbian entrepreneurs. Many American companies operating in Serbia are asking for a reconsideration and repeal of that decision. We, as entrepreneurs, expect and hope that it will happen, that the government in Pristina will finally understand the appeal that all entrepreneurs are making," he states for Kosovo Online.

Sekulic emphasizes that it is contradictory to make decisions to ban the import of goods at the beginning of the 21st century while aspiring to European values.

"These two decisions do not go hand in hand. If the embargo remains in place, goods in Kosovo will be even more expensive because transportation plays a significant role in price formation. It is much cheaper to transport goods from Serbia than from Turkey or Poland," he points out.