„This is an urgent humanitarian issue that we need to address immediately and I hope that the government is prepared to be flexible in these discussions on the dialogue on Tuesday,“ Gabriel Escobar said after meeting with the Kosovo Prime Minister in Pristina.
Escobar addressed the CBK’s decision on the currency which entered into force on February 1st and which essentially banned the use of the Serbian dinar. As a result, dinar payments in Kosovo have become significantly more difficult to achieve. Moreover, around 100,000 recipients of Serbian wages and social benefits are being prevented from being paid regularly or without interruption.
The US envoy for the Western Balkans has been in Kosovo for several days now in an attempt to sway the Kosovo government to be more flexible, following the concerns that the international community has been expressing for months regarding the treatment of the Kosovo Serb population by Kosovo authorities.
Although the meeting between the Kosovo PM and the high-ranking US official was long, Escobar described it as “a very good conversation”.
„We had a very good conversation, and I made it very clear that no one can hear stories from some of the most vulnerable members of this community – which are the disabled, retired, and students, without being moved by these stories of how this decision has affected them. The Prime Minister acknowledged that and he did promise that he will look into some of the proposals I made,” said Escobar in response to the question of whether there will be a review of the procedures in the implementation of the CBK currency regulation.
At the same time, he praised the Kosovo Prime Minister for his decision to register the monastery land.
„It was difficult but it was the right decision,“ Escobar stressed, emphasizing the fact that it was a decision of the Constitutional Court.
Escobar has confirmed on several occasions so far that he was moved by the testimonies of beneficiaries of wages and income from Serbia – both during the press conference before his arrival in Kosovo, as well as immediately before today’s meeting with Kurti.
He visited Pec and Gorazdevac, where he spoke to local Serbs, including returnees.
„I wanted to come to this town, to hear first-hand people’s stories about how they are affected by the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo. It is difficult to hear these stories and not be moved by them. The community here is really suffering. The people are facing real problems due to the lack of possibility to receive pensions,“ Escobar told Radio Gorazdevac.
Asked whether the US has an unbalanced approach towards the Serbs, Escobar replied: It isn’t unbalanced because everything we did was for Kosovo.
During a press conference after the meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Escobar was also asked by journalists in Pristina about the fact that „there is a lot of criticism regarding the fact that the US has an unbalanced approach“ towards the Serbs, to which Escobar replied:
„Everything we have done over the years has been in favor of Kosovo. Immediately after Ohrid, we supported your candidacy for the Council of Europe. We supported your democratic processes, including the elections in the north. We stood by you after the September 24 attack and made the decision to provide you with javelins. So explain to me how that is an unbalanced approach. It really isn’t: Everything we have done has been for Kosovo and we will continue to do that. In the meantime, we do hope that Kosovo can hear our concerns. It shouldn’t be too hard, because these are citizens of Kosovo“.
Escobar is leaving Kosovo today.
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