Kosovo, the government closes 6 banks used by Serbs. Belgrade protests: “The terror against us continues, there is the risk of new wars”

Kosovo police have closed six branches of Postal Savings Bank, a Serbian credit institution operating in the northern regions of the small Balkan nation. The move, motivated as recalled by Euractiv by the fact that the branches were operating “illegally”, is destined to increase tensions in the country. The Serbian minority, equal to 10% of the […]

The police of Kosovo closed six branches of the Postal Savings Banka credit institution Serbian operating in the northern regions of the small Balkan nation. The move, motivated as recalled by Euractiv by the fact that the branches were operating “illegally”, is destined to increase the tensions in the country. The Serbian minority, equal to 10% of the population and concentrated in the northern regions, complains of discrimination by the authorities Prishtina and is very tied to Belgrade. Parts of the minority use, for example, the dinar Serbian for transactions and trade even though the official currency of Kosovo is theEUR. Last February 1, the Central Bank implemented the provision that defines the euro, unilaterally adopted by local authorities in 2002, as the only currency for transactions and this decision has created problems for all those Serb-Kosovars who use the dinar. The prime minister Albin Kurti he clarified that the dinar has not been banned (it can continue to be used in informal transactions) and encouraged Kosovar Serbs to join the state banking system. Belgradehowever, has a completely different opinion because he spends approx 120 million euros per year to finance a system of “parallel” institutions intended to provide services to Kosovar Serbs and obtain their loyalty.

Serbia has not recognized the independence of Prishtina, proclaimed unilaterally in 2008 and is at the forefront in protecting the interests of Serbs residing in the Balkan nation. The latter have never integrated with the Albanian majority and live a life separate from the rest of the nation. Belgrade intervenes in every dispute concerning the Kosovar Serbs and this state of affairs prevents normalization of the diplomatic relations with Prishtina. The Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dadic condemned the closure of the branches and stated, as reported by Euractiv, that Kurti “continues to terrorize the Serbs in Kosovo” and that “if the international community does not intervene this could lead to new wars in the Balkans with unpredictable consequences”. Dadic’s threats are in line with the ideology nationalist of the Serbian executive and speak to the belly of a nation that does not fully accept Prishtina’s demise.

The tensions linked to the currency issue follow the so-called “battle of the plaques”, a dispute that lasted over two years which risked causing a definitive break between Belgrade and Prishtina. It all started with the decision, taken by the Kurti government, to impose the change of license plates on Serbian vehicles entering Kosovar territory but the harsh reaction of the Belgrade authorities and the Kosovar Serb minority had brought the country to the brink of civil war . The situation was then resolved thanks to the long mediation carried out by the European Union but it is an example of the continuous disagreements that exist between the two nations. The violent conflict, which broke out in 1999 between the Albanian separatists of the KLA and the Serbian army and which ended with the intervention of the Atlantic Alliance alongside the Kosovar population, left deep wounds in the two nations and is too recent to be forgotten.

The only thing that seems to unite Kosovo and Serbia is the aspiration to join the European Union but, paradoxically, this can only happen when bilateral relations are normalized. This is a difficult goal to achieve for several reasons. Belgrade cannot afford to recognize theindependence of Kosovo because it would displease a large part of its population, it would betray the cause of Serbian nationalism and it would antagonize the Russian Federation, one of the most important partners of the Balkan nation. Moscow has close economic, political, cultural and military ties with Belgrade and has supported its ally’s battle against Kosovo’s independence. The issue is also complex in Prishtina because the current executive is led by the left-wing nationalist party Vetvendosje! and because the local authorities cannot concede much to the needs of the Serbian minority without losing credibility.