KAS: ECC regulations talks to continue urgently

The US State Department (DASH) said talks in Brussels on Kosovo Central Bank regulation (BQK), which prohibits the use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo, “should continue urgently”.

“The dialogue mediated by the European Union is the right channel for resolving issues related to normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia”, a spokesperson said The UN, after being asked by Radio Free Europe to comment on talks that were held Tuesday on the issue of regulation.

Their mediator, the EU's envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said many political questions about the Serbian dinar issue in Kosovo remained unanswered, so “need additional meetings”.

BEC Governor Ahmet Ismaili, who led the Kosovo delegation, said it was not discussed the regulation, but rather about the opportunities it offers for the transfer of resources from other states to Kosovo.

Serbia's delegation was led by chief negotiator Petar Petkovic, who said the BEC regulation seeks political solutions.

The talks followed the empowerment of this regulation, which defines the euro as the only currency that can be used for cash payments in Kosovo.

But the regulation sparked angry reactions from official Belgrade, which financially supports the Serb community in Kosovo.

The international community also expressed concerns about its impact on the lives of Serbian citizens and called for its suspension.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien said the decision on the dinar has questioned Kosovo- USA.

“The United States has been clear in expressing concerns for the new regulation”, the spokesman said. The UN for the REL.

He said he reiterates calls for Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions and engage “serioously and urgently”, in an effort “to achieve a peaceful and productive relationship within the EU facilitated dialogue”.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti insists the CEC decision cannot be annulled. According to him, the regulation does not prohibit payments from Serbia's budget, but that they should be made in euros.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq says Kurti's goal is “the ethnic cleansing of the Serb people from Kosovo”.