Hovenier with a clear message on the dinar issue: We do not challenge the Constitution but we asked for time, this has affected our reports

The American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier, has spoken again about the CBK Regulation and the issue of banning the dinar. He told the media that the US does not challenge the need for Kosovo to regulate the financial sector, nor the authorities, but he reiterated that they have asked the Government of Kosovo to postpone the implementation of this regulation, as more preparatory work is needed.

“Assistant Secretary Jim O’Brien, who is the top official at the State Department for Europe, spoke directly about this [the dinar] earlier this week. His message was quite clear, my message has been clear, our ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has also been quite clear. I will reiterate, the United States has very significant concerns with how this regulation is being implemented. We have raised these concerns publicly and we have raised these concerns privately. We do not challenge the need for Kosovo to regulate its financial sector, nor do we challenge the need for Kosovo to take action to reduce the risk of financial crimes, including money laundering and terrorist financing. We do not challenge the Constitution of Kosovo, nor the authorities of the Central Bank. But we have constantly asked the Government of Kosovo to postpone the implementation of this regulation, as more preparatory work is needed, especially regarding the effect of the implementation of the regulation on vulnerable members of minority communities”, he said.

The American ambassador emphasized that they specifically requested two things from Kosovo.

“First, there must be a procedure for Serbia to transfer funds in accordance with the regulation of the Central Bank, but which meets the European standards and practices of good governance. The establishment of this procedure should be discussed in the context of the dialogue facilitated by the EU. We ask that Kosovo and Serbia engage constructively for this. Second, while working to establish this long-term process, there must be temporary provisions that allow Serbia to continue to provide funding for necessary social services, this includes payments of social benefits, such as pensions, and payments to self-supporting parents, support for the health and education system. So far, there has been no commitment or effort to do this on an interim basis,” he stressed.

Expressing concerns about this issue, Hovenier said that this situation has already affected the quality of the partnership between the two governments, and that any suggestion to the contrary reflects a fundamental misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of the importance that the US attaches to solving this issue.

I am sorry to have to draw attention to the very clear and harsh tone of Assistant Secretary O’Brien’s interview on this subject this week. He has requested partnership with the Government of Kosovo on this matter. He expressed his regret that the Kurti government has not responded to our request. And he made it clear that if Prime Minister Kurti, I quote, “does not treat us as a partner, this calls into question how much of a partner we can consider this government,” closes the quote. I am concerned that now after his interview there are public statements suggesting that the US-Kosovo partnership has not been and may not be affected by this situation. I must be clear that it is simply not true. It just isn’t like that. As Assistant Secretary O’Brien stated, this situation has already affected the quality of our partnership between our two governments. Any suggestion to the contrary reflects a fundamental misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of the importance we place on resolving this issue in a way that responds to our concerns, and most importantly, done in a way that provides ongoing support for vulnerable people from the minority communities of Kosovo”, said Hovenier.

/TheGeopost