Over 72,000 euros in help from the diaspora during the coronary pandemic

Over 72,000 euros have been collected from aid revenues from the diaspora during this time. It has confirmed this for Radio Free Europe, through a written response, Kosovo Treasury General Director Ahmet Ismaili.

“Total of admissions to the treasury's sub-calanition thus far is 722,164.66 euros, while the state of this sub-cala is 716,773.93 euros”, it says in response.

Help from the diaspora has come after the call that former Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti made to the exiles on 12 April this year.

A month after confirming the first cases with COVID-19, the disease that causes Coronavirus, Kurti, through a video message, has asked exiles to help the government with financial means to combat the disease.

On May 22nd, Albin Kurti, while acting prime minister of Kosovo, has announced that 720 thousand euros have been collected from diaspora financial support for fighting COVID-19.

For more than two weeks at that time, more than two thousand euros have been submitted by exiles.

“in this sub-calure will continue to accept tools dedicated to open purpose, until another decision”, Ismaili said.

Minister of Finance and Transfers to Kosovo's new Government, Hykmete Bajrami, has given no comment as to when this fund will be operational.

Free Europe Radio has also attempted to speak to the former leader of this Faithful Bislim dictatorship, but the same has been peaceful.

Kosovo government allocated around 200m euros for fight COVID-19
After the outbreak of the COVIED-19 pandemic in March of this year, the past Government of Kosovo had allocated about 200m euros to help businesses hit as a result of the Coronavirus.

During April, the Kosovo government, led by former Prime Minister Albin Kurti, had adopted an emergency package worth 179m euros.

By early June, however, 12m euros had been allocated to the Fiscal Emergency Pack.

However, former Prime Minister Kurti had called on exiles to help Kosovo through this situation.

Former Prime Minister Kurti's call to the diaspora, according to organisation director COHUA, Arton Demhaje, has been meaningless.

According to him, this requirement has not had to be made, given the continued contribution the diaspora makes to Kosovo.

“Diasspora contributes so much to Kosovo's budget and economy that I don't believe it has had to or that we have to charge it with donations or other funds, so like this fund from last government Kurti. They constantly provide assistance to Kosovo, we know how much the Kosovo flows are. There are about 1 billion euros per year coming from diaspora in various ways”, Demhasaja has said, adding that authorities in Kosovo need to fight pandemic with the internal potential.

The number of Kosovo citizens living abroad, according to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency, by the end of 2018, is estimated to be over 850 thousand.

Kosovo's economy continues to have great dependence on remittances or remittances of Kosovo citizens living and working in different parts of the world.

In 2019 the value of remittances was over 800m euros.

These tools, over the years, have had an important role in Kosovo's economy, boosting economic growth and providing additional income for lower income families.

Kosovo, until June 9th, has confirmed 1,269 cases of coronarys; of them 912 have recovered and 31 have died.