State Department: Talks on the Use of Serbian Dinar in Kosovo to be Resumed Promptly

State Department (Photo: YTPrintScreen)

The U.S. State Department suggested on Feb. 28 that Belgrade and Pristina should urgently resume EU-mediated talks on the use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo.

"We welcome the discussions held on Feb. 27 within the EU-supported Dialogue regarding a new currency regulation passed by the Central Bank of Kosovo, which restricts the import and use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo," an unnamed spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told the Radio Free Europe (RFE).

The United States has been very clear in expressing its concerns about the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, the State Department’s spokesperson said, adding that the EU-supported Dialogue is "the right channel for addressing the issues related to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia." "We repeat our calls to Kosovo and Serbia to de-escalate tensions, and to seriously and urgently engage in the efforts to achieve peaceful and productive relations within the EU-facilitated Dialogue," the spokesperson added in a written response to the RFE.

The talks in Brussels mediated by EU Special Representative for the Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak were ended on Feb. 27 without concrete results. Lajcak said that the meeting between Belgrade and Pristina’s representatives was an important first step, but that additional meetings were needed as well, since many political issues remained unaddressed.