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Romania does not believe visas for Kosovo residents would be lifted (BETA)

Romania expressed doubts the EU would soon lift visas for the Kosovo residents, given disputable decisions that Pristina authorities undertook lately, BETA news agency reports. It includes the introduction of punitive measures on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as intention to establish Kosovo armed forces. Presenting the programme of his country, that would take over the EU presidency for the next six months, Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu noted that many EU member-states are concerned over Pristina’s acts. “Such acts create new problems instead of resolving the existing ones,” Melescanu said at a gathering in an institute in Brussels. He also added, Romania invited heads of diplomacy from the Western Balkans at the meeting of EU Foreign Policy Council on 31 January in Brussels. “If there would be a consent in the EU to undertake steps in direction of lifting visas for Kosovo residents, Romania would not be an obstacle, but I doubt it,” he said. According to him, Romania would pay particular attention to encourage the accession process of the Western Balkans states to the EU. He noted that Macedonia and Albania should get “the green light” to start the accession process by the end of June, while Serbia and Montenegro should open new negotiation chapters. When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country should resolve its internal matters related to the readiness to start the negotiations, he noted.