Draft:2018 Kosovo–Serbia trade war

During the debate, held in spite of the previous opposition by a number of members of the UN Security Council, Pristina institutions were unanimously called on to abolish taxes increased by 100 percent last November on goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

And Ramush Haradinaj added that this measure was "not directed against the US, but against Serbia and Russia."

The US favors revoking these taxes, and this was the topic of a meeting in Pristina on Thursday between Kosovo officials and the US ambassador. According to Pristina media, the US diplomat left the meeting angry because Haradinaj refused to withdraw the taxes.

After meeting Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Parliament Speaker Kadri Vejseli, and the US ambassador to Pristina, Philip Kosnett, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Thursday defended the high tax imposed on Serbian imports as a "sovereign decision of the government".

This is being reported on Thursday by Prisina based Albanian language website lajmi.net.

The decision to increase by 100 percent fees on goods from central Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was made by Pristina in November, leading to a standstill in the EU-mediated Kosovo dialogue, as Belgrade is demanding the abandoning of this measure before the negotiations could continue.

The fees in question, increased by Pristina by 100 percent last November, target goods from central Serbia and from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the measure has brought the EU-mediated Kosovo dialogue to a standstill, as Belgrade insist on the removal of this trade barrier.

Kosovo's premier Ramush Haradinaj on Tuesday reinforced his message that Pristina wants negotiations on the basis of "principles of mutual recognition" with Belgrade if it is to drop its 100 per cent tariffs on Serbian goods.

 Speaker of Kosovo Parliament and chairman of Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, Kadri Veseli said the 100 percent tax imposed by Government on all imported goods from Serbia and Bosnia will not be revoked, but it may be suspended temporarily under some conditions as a good will sign towards the US and European Union, Gazeta Express reported.

This scenario is realistic, explained Haradinaj, because the Democratic Party of Kosovo, led by Kadri Veseli, who is also the president of the Assembly, could leave the government.

Haradinaj told the website syri.net that he was "not afraid of elections that would occur in that case," adding that his coalition partner Veseli "could take steps to leave the government."

The Kosovo president said in a statement to Klan Kosova broadcaster that the decision was "right and sincere," but that, as he specified, "three or four government carriers" should not be abusing it for other interests, which are detrimental to Kosovo's interests.