Surlic: With or without delay, the decision to ban the dinar is a direct blow to the existence of the Serbs in Kosovo

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Stefan Surlic, points out that if the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo to abolish the dinar in payment transactions in Kosovo is implemented, with or without delay, it will be a direct blow to the existence of 80,000 Serbs in Kosovo.

"If this measure announced by Pristina is indeed implemented, it will directly jeopardize the livelihoods of more than 80,000 Serbs in Kosovo who depend on the budget of Serbia and who have freely used the dinar so far. This is a severe blow to any idea of normalization of relations," Surlic said for Kosovo Online.

As he notes, this is another in a series of measures that is not surprising because it is clear that there is an agenda in Pristina to cut any direct connection between Belgrade and the Serbian community in Kosovo with concrete moves.

"It is clear that there is an agenda, and Pristina might eventually accept the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, but in a form with fewer rights for the Serbs than they currently enjoy," he adds.

Surlic believes that with or without delay, the Government in Pristina is determined to implement this regulation and declare the dinar an illegal currency in Kosovo.

As he says, if there is a delay of up to a maximum of six months, as there are some rumors, it only slightly reduces the damage that will occur.

"But the problem definitely exists," he emphasizes.

He points out that Belgrade's focus should be on finding an alternative so that the Serbs in Kosovo are not completely endangered, have stable financial income, and stop a defeatist atmosphere in which, if this decision is implemented, it means the departure of the Serbs from Kosovo.

"We need to stop such a negative perception, emphasize that Belgrade will always stand behind the Serbian community in Kosovo, and understand that this is another decision by Pristina that obviously has the support of international actors because international actors are not asking for this decision to be revoked, but only seeking its delay. However, with or without a delay, it means a direct blow to the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo," Surlic emphasizes.

The EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, who met yesterday in Pristina with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, said that during the talks with Kurti, the issue of the CBK decision had been mentioned, but he would not "be the spokesperson for the Kosovo Government", instead, the Government would announce information today regarding the CBK regulation.

Kurti said today regarding the issue that the decisions of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) were independent, and it was just doing its job. He added that the euro as the only means of payment and purchase in Kosovo was not a matter subject to negotiation.

The President of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Kosovo, Bashkim Nurboja, stated today that there was no discussion about suspending the regulation of this institution that would prohibit the Serbian community from using the Serbian dinar, but rather about delaying the implementation.