Head of the EU Office in Kosovo and the EU Special Representative Nataliya Apostolova said that visa liberalisation is in the hands of Kosovo politicians and called on them to fulfill the last two remaining conditions – ratification of border demarcation agreement with Montenegro and fight corruption. “European agenda needs to be implemented by the government of Kosovo. 93 out of 95 criteria have been met.
European Parliament Rapporteur for visa liberalisation for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, said today at the summit of European countries Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committees taking place in Pristina that Kosovo needs to ratify border demarcation agreement with Montenegro to pave way for visa-free travel. “I would like to offer support for demarcation. I urge the legislators not to stop processes and visa liberalisation for political interests. Utmost efforts need to be made to ratify the agreement in the coming days,” Fajon said.
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, said in an interview to RTK that there will be no visa liberalisation for Kosovo until the Assembly ratifies border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. “If ratification does not happen this month, then there would immediately be liberalisation but if this is delayed for another 2-3 years, liberalisation will also be postponed that much,” Thaci said. He called on Kosovo Assembly members to put the interests of Kosovo before party ones.
In an interview for Bota Sot daily newspaper, LDK deputy leader and Gjilan Mayor, Lutfi Haziri, said delays in ratifying the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, as a result of the actions of the opposition and certain MPs, are obstructing the political life in Kosovo. “They [the MPs] are obliged to coordinate within their party structures and as representatives of the people to play their role and conclude the process. It is unforgivable for Kosovo not to get visa liberalisation as a result of the actions of certain MPs, including some from the LDK.
Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said in an interview for the news website that, the best-case scenario for the end of this year would be if the Kosovo Assembly manages to ratify the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. “The best possible solution would be to ratify the agreement by the end of the year.
The Kosovo government is relying on the votes of the Serbian List or one part of the opposition to ratify the draft law on the border demarcation with Montenegro. Bajram Gecaj, advisor to Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, told the news website today that even if all MPs of the ruling coalition would vote in favor of demarcation, their votes would not suffice. “We currently don’t have enough votes to ratify demarcation. The votes of PDK and LDK MPs do not suffice to ratify the deal.
Kosovo Assembly MP from the Serbian List, said during an extensive interview for lajmi.net that his party does not have a stance on creation of the army of Kosovo. He considers that this issue is not a priority. “We are far from any kind of discussions and there are absolutely minor chances to have discussions regarding the army in the future.
The news website reports that according to Kosovo government officials, the agreement on the border demarcation with Montenegro will be sent back to Parliament next month. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said recently that the opposition and the Serbian List are responsible for blocking the border demarcation with Montenegro and visa liberalisation for Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Deputy Minister for Local Government, Bajram Gecaj, said in an interview for the news website that December is the final time for ratifying the border demarcation agreement between Kosovo and Montenegro. “In 2017, many EU member states will go to elections and the attention on Kosovo could be lost. This is why December is the final time when we can do something about this issue,” he said. Asked if the ruling coalition has secured the required number of votes in Parliament to ratify the border deal, Gecaj said, “we still don’t have 80 votes.
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, called on the European Union to discontinue conditioning visa liberalisation as Kosovo more progress in meeting European standards than other countries in the region. In a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council, Thaci said: “The completely unfair approach on the part of European Union towards Kosovo is preventing the citizens from travelling freely without visas. The country has made more progress than any other country in the region in the fight against corruption and organised crime.