During the Kosovo police operation, NATO peacekeepers and members of the EU Police Task Force were nearby. Several dozen residents of the mostly Serbian town in northern Kosovo protested the arrest of the bank director.
Along with five branches of Bank Postovi, representative offices of the Ministry of Finance of Serbia and the National Bank of Serbia were also closed on Monday.
Action by the Kosovo Police. He arrested the director of a Serbian bank
Police said the operation was based on a report by Kosovo authorities’ financial watchdogs. “The purpose of police action is to restore order and respect for the law,” the statement added.
The move came a week after Kosovo’s central bank announced it would ban the use of the Serbian dinar for payment purposes. Employees of Serbian companies in Kosovo received salaries from Belgrade in this currency.
Dinars were used by, among others: Serbian banks in Kosovo and branches of the Serbian Post Office operating there. Pensions and annuities transferred through the Serbian Social Security System, child benefits and social benefits were also paid in Serbian currency.
Serbia Reacts to Kosovo’s Actions
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Monday called the actions of the Kosovo police in Kosovo “a barbaric act that directly threatens the survival of the Serbian nation.”
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurdi accused Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Daxic of “terrorism against the Serbian people” in Kosovo. He added that his actions “will lead to new conflicts in the Balkans with unimaginable consequences”.
Serbia lost control of Kosovo after a NATO military campaign in 1999 and refused to recognize its former province’s declared independence in 2008. The country is still inhabited by a Serbian minority, part of which is concentrated in the northern regions near the border with Serbia.
. “Hardcore internet junkie. Award-winning bacon ninja. Social media trailblazer. Subtly charming pop culture advocate. Falls down a lot.”