Serbia is in for a sea change
On January 28, the central bank of Pristina announced last week that from February 1, Kosovo will only authorize the use of euros for cash and electronic payments, according to AFP.
New rules for Pristina,The joint statement of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States stressed that the decision of the Bank of Kosovo raises "concerns about the impact on Serb-majority communities".
The report quoted the joint statement as saying: "We are concerned about the impact of this regulation, especially on schools and hospitals, becauseThere does not seem to be any other viable alternative program at this time.
The statement added: ".The regulation will also have a direct impact on the daily lives of the vast majority of Kosovo Serbs- in terms of their access to Serbian financial aid and the collection of payments. ”
Five NATO members also said they had "communicated" with Kosovo leader Albin Kurti.
The five countries "called for the suspension of the entry into force of the regulation in order to allow for a sufficiently long transition period and for clear and effective communication with the public".
In other words, the joint pressure of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States on Kosovo is not a seismic change for Serbia.
Kosovo is an autonomous province of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was entrusted to the United Nations after the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999. In February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared "independence". Although Kosovo is recognized by the United States and some of its allies, about 90 countries, including Serbia and Russia, do not recognize Kosovo's "independence."
Kosovo has always been a small fight, but when Serbia in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, against the will of the United States, did not sanction Russian energy, on the contrary, Serbia also signed a low-cost energy agreement with Russia, which directly angered the United States and Western countries. In September 2022, the Serbian government saidSerbia Vučić received a joint letter from France's Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, calling for an accelerated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and calling on Serbian leader Vučić to "show the utmost determination and willingness to make difficult decisions in order to advance the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia under the auspices of the European Union." ”
The letter also informed that the Franco-German and EU envoys would visit Serbia. In other words, the United States, NATO, and the 57 countries of the European Union are all putting pressure on Serbia.
Serbia has been able to go from being pressured to putting pressure on Kosovo by the five countries, one is because of Vučić's unremitting "struggle," and the other is because Vučić has expanded economic and trade cooperation with China and Russia, and at the same time has expanded its own military strength, so that the United States and Western countries dare not be presumptuous anymore.
As long as the United States does not cause chaos and does not add firewood to the fire, Serbia will be able to maintain peace and stability for a long time. As long as Serbia takes a firm position, China, Russia and Serbia can achieve a win-win situation.