The American envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, will visit Pristina this week to talk with the leaders of the Government of Kosovo about the dialogue between it and Serbia, as well as about the suspended Serbian dinar in Kosovo, the US State Department announced on Sunday.
While they wait for that, Post Office Savings Bank has taken a proactive step to address the challenges faced by Serbs in Kosovo. The bank has set up four mobile branches near the Jarinje, Brnjak, Končulj, and Merdare crossings in central Serbia.
This strategic move aims to provide continuous access to cash withdrawals and ensure proximity to cashiers, ATMs, and other banking services
The mobile branches, located close to the border crossings, will be open every working day and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, offering a range of banking services. T
“Due to Kurti’s anti-Serbian measures, Serbs have been unable to withdraw their funds in their local branches in the region, facing shortages of dinars and having to travel hundreds of kilometers to central Serbia for basic banking services,” states the press release.
The press release emphasizes that the technical solution of setting up these temporary branches near the border crossings is aimed at facilitating easier access to dinar withdrawals, given the challenging conditions for Kosovo Serbs. However, this solution is acknowledged to be temporary until normal payment transactions can resume in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija.
“Belgrade is actively seeking sustainable solutions to resume the functioning of the Serbian payment system in Kosovo and Metohija, urgently addressing the existential issue affecting 100,000 Serbs in the region,” concludes the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
Gabriel Escobar will visit Belgium, Kosovo, Austria, and Montenegro from March 10 to 18, 2024, according to the announcement.
“His visit will re-emphasize the commitment of the United States to the countries of the Western Balkans, which aim at Euro-Atlantic integration and deeper regional cooperation,” said the State Department.
(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs)
