UN SC permanent members call on Pristina to delay decision on dinar ban

During a debate at the UN Security Council urgent meeting on the situation in Kosovo, called at Serbia’s request, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States has expressed concerns with Kosovo’s plan for enforcing the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulations on cash transactions making the euro the sole currency in Kosovo.

She said the US calls for the enforcement of this plan to be immediately postponed until satisfactory procedures in line with European standards and practices of good governance are in place.

Thomas-Greenfield also criticized the recent Kosovo police operations at the offices of the Serbia-supported institutions in the municipalities in western Kosovo and the NGO Center for Peace and Tolerance, noting that these actions are inconsistent with Kosovo’s efforts to create a multiethnic society.

On the other hand, the US Ambassador said her country expects Serbia to hold accountable those involved in the planning and execution and the September 24, 2023 armed incident in the village of Banjska, Kosovo.

UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN James Kariuki said Serbia and Kosovo “should honor their existing commitments and avoid unilateral actions or rhetoric that could reduce prospects for a comprehensive and sustainable normalization agreement.”

Regarding the Central Bank of Kosovo’s decisions regulating the operation of foreign currencies and banning the use of the dinar in Kosovo, Kariuki said the Kosovo government implementation of these measures shows insufficient regard for the impact on Kosovo’s minority communities.

“Kosovo’s authorities should set out a clear plan to ensure that all affected Kosovo Serbs continue to receive their incomes and that essential services can operate until a sustainable solution is found,” said Kariuki.

Like Thomas-Greenfield, Kariuki also said that the UK calls on Serbia to ensure that those responsible for the attacks in Banjska in September are held to account.

First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy accused Pristina of carrying out “anti-Serb terror” activities aimed at forcing the Kosovo Serbs out of Kosovo, and asked the UN Security Council members to stand up for the protection of Kosovo Serbs.

Polyanskiy said that harassment and arbitrary arrests of Serbs are extremely frequent and that about 40 percent of Kosovo Serbs have left the territory because of Pristina's actions, including violations of the voting rights of non-Albanian communities and confiscation of their property.

He said Pristina's decision to abolish the dinar as a means of payment created economic uncertainty for a large number of members of minority communities, adding this could trigger a new outbreak of ethnic violence.

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said Pristina’s unilateral actions do not contribute to resolving the Kosovo issue, but cause tensions that Beijing sees as “very serious.”

He said his country calls on the UN mission in Kosovo to demand the abolishment of Pristina’s “illegal and unreasonable” decisions, and on the Kosovo government to immediately abandon them.

Zhang Jun said the situation in Kosovo is affecting the stability of the Balkans and Europe, and reiterated Beijing’s position that Belgrade and Pristina should agree on a mutually acceptable solution through dialogue, within the framework of UN SC Resolution 1244, while respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.