Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has reiterated his position that the import tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods will not be lifted. During a visit to Gllogjan on Monday, Haradinaj said none of the partners in the ruling coalition should try to lift the tax without a unanimous decision among all coalition partners. “The tariff will not be lifted until there is recognition [from Serbia]. You must understand this. In this respect, I expect support from you all, I also expect support from political partners even though we may have different opinions. When we made the decision on the tariff, it was unanimous. Everyone said ‘yes’. If the decision to introduce the tariff was the most democratic decision, with the vote of every coalition partner, then it is not democratic to lift the tariff without the vote of one of the partners, in this case without the vote of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and my vote,” Haradinaj said. His remarks come one day after Kosovo Assembly President and the leader of the biggest party in the ruling coalition, the PDK, Kadri Veseli, commented on the tariff saying that the urgency of state rationality should come before emotions about the tariff on Serbian products. “There should be nothing personal in state decision-making. Therefore, this decision, just like any other decision for Kosovo, must be a state and institutional decision. We need to measure the strategic interests of our state vis-à-vis Serbia, taking into the account other factors, Russia and its allies on the one hand, and the United States of America and the European Union on the other. Kosovo is better and safer with the U.S. and EU by its side,” Veseli said. He also said that the Kosovo Assembly and Government must stand behind their common commitments with the American and European partners. Meanwhile, political commentators in Pristina argue that pressure from the U.S. and the EU to suspend the tariff has caused tremors in the ruling coalition. As a result of this pressure and Prime Minister Haradinaj’s insistence not to lift the tariff, new options are being discussed to overcome the current situation and they may include the reshuffling of the current government or the formation of a technical government.
Tremors in the ruling coalition (Radio Free Europe)
- Published: 5 years ago on 19/02/2019
- By: OSCPA F
- Last Modified: February 19, 2019 @ 9:52 am
- Filed Under: Articles from Kosovo media
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