March 20, 2020 - 1:17 PM
TIRANA, Albania - Kosovo's prime minister said Friday his government has partially lifted a controversial 100% tariff on Serb and Bosnian goods as a goodwill gesture following pressure from the United States and the European Union.
Albin Kurti announced on social media that the punitive charge has been lifted for raw materials from Serbia.
Kosovo had initially pledged to partially lift the tariff by March 15. But it failed to after Kurti's junior government coalition partner, the Democratic League of Kosovo, asked for the tariff's full revocation as Washington and Brussels have insisted.
The tariff was imposed in a bid to pressure Serbia to stop blocking Kosovo’s recognition and preventing it from joining international organisations.
Kosovo was part of Serbia until an armed uprising by the ethnic Albanian majority population triggered a bloody Serb crackdown. This in turn prompted a NATO bombing campaign against Serbia to force its troops out of Kosovo.
Belgrade refuses to recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020