Kosovo said Wednesday that it will not immediately enforce a ban on the use of the Serbian dinar there after an outcry from Western governments.Western governments have lambasted the dinar ban as inflammatory, warning the regulation would likely upset local Serbs.
European leaders urged dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia after a recent spike in tensions, as a regional Balkan summit opened Monday in the Albanian capital Tirana."This is the way towards a future where Kosovo and Serbia will be part of the European Union," she said in Tirana on Sunday.
After meeting with the Russian ambassador, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has now demanded NATO take over security in northern Kosovo, days after a deadly shootout between Serbian gunmen and Kosovar police. The violent clash has raised tensions in the Balkan region, with some Russian authorities drawing parallels with another European conflict the one in Ukraine.
Serbia on Wednesday observed an official day of mourning as the country cancelled sporting events and lowered flags to half mast, with a minister calling the Serb gunmen killed in Kosovo over the weekend "martyrs".Several newspapers also hailed the gunmen, with headlines calling them "heroes" and saying the country was collectively in "tears".
The optimism that was expressed on March 21st by EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak that the new agreement represents a turning point in the process of normalization of relations may prove to be overstated.