Ljajic denies claims by Kosovo media that EU goods are not allowed transit to Kosovo

The Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajic denied Pristina-based media’s claims that Serbia banned the transportation of goods from Europe to Kosovo and from Kosovo via the Serbian road network.

„Of course it is not true. It seems that they wished for such a turn of events so that we enter into a spiral of measures and countermeasures, in order to forget who started first and who is guiltier,“ Ljajic told Beta news agency.

He stated that Pristina’s intention is to prompt the international community to equally share the blame between the two sides regarding the events in Kosovo.

„We would be shooting ourselves in the foot with such decision. There were such proposals in public, but that would be a bad scenario for us, then we would not have a problem with Kosovo, but with the EU, with which accounts for 65% of trade. Such a decision would have a bigger impact on exporters to the EU than to those in Kosovo,“ Ljajic underlined.

Pristina-based Gazeta, however, reported today that „Serbia has made a decision banning all goods from Europe, sent to the Kosovo market and vice versa, from being transporting on its roads“.

„The decision came into force at midnight,“ the same portal claimed.

Kosovo government spokeswoman, Doneta Gashi said that they do not have official information that Serbia has banned the transportation of goods from Europe intended for the Kosovo market.

Pristina-based daily Koha also wrote that Kosovo institutions do not have information on the alleged ban on the transportation of goods from the European Union to Kosovo.