Kurti: The decision to ban the dinar will not be reversed!

(Patria) - Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti says his government will not interfere with the Central Bank of Kosovo's (CBK) decision to ban the dinar, and that the decision will not be reversed.

We remind you, America, Great Britain, and numerous other Western powers have called on Kosovo to reconsider the decision to suspend the dinar in payment transactions, expressing concern that the regulation will negatively affect the Serb community.

Kurti told the British media outlet "Bloomberg" that he advocates for a new regulation by the Central Bank of Kosovo for cash operations, Pristina media report.

He added that Serbs will be given time to adapt to the new decision.

"I cannot reverse this decision. We will not have any kind of punitive measures, we do not want to punish anyone," he said.

Speaking about the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex, Kurti said that an agreement with Serbia is needed as soon as possible and that the current tensions would not exist if there had been de facto and de jure recognition by Serbia.

Governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo Ahmet Ismaili said that the CBK Regulation on cash operations, dated December 27, 2023, which has caused concern among Kosovo citizens receiving income in dinars, was adopted to ensure the integrity and improve Kosovo's financial system.

"The regulation initially addressed the issue of the integrity of the country's financial system, it regulated that the import and export of money, cash in Kosovo, is carried out only through the Central Bank, because, according to the law, it is the only one authorized to supply the economy, or if carried out by other financial institutions, a permit must be obtained from the Central Bank. Thus, in this way, we will know how much money is entering and from which local or international bank, and also how much money is leaving," Ismailji said.

The CBK regulation did not directly ban any currency, he added, not even the dinar, which has the same status as other non-euro currencies, BHRT reports.

"If we were to ban the dinar, we would have to ban the pound, the franc, and the dollar as well. In fact, they have not been banned, it has only been defined that as a means of payment, as a payment instrument, only one single currency serves, and that is the euro. All other currencies, including the dinar, are allowed to be held.

Therefore, any Serb from Kosovo is not breaking the law when they have dinars in their pocket, it is their choice, they have the right to go and convert them at a licensed institution, whether euros to dinars, or dinars to euros, they have the right to have a savings account in a bank, if the bank offers it in dinars," he said and confirmed that none of its articles prohibit receiving funds from Serbia.