Hashim Thaci: Demarkation does not guarantee visas

State head Hashim Thaci, who was as prime minister, had appointed the Commission for the appointment of the border line with Montenegro, and as foreign affairs minister signed the Interstate Agreement, continues to believe that the agreement he signed on is fair.

In an interview for DE, Thaci has said that “Kosovo and Montenegro have reached agreement, fair and sustainable professional and responsible state”.

According to him, the problem is now not between Kosovo and Montenegro, but the problem lies with voting in the Kosovo Assembly.

So we should all focus on securing two-thirds of the votes in the Assembly to vote on the deal. This agreement is responsible institutionalally concluded by the state commission of the Republic of Kosovo, then by the other two international commissions, we also have NATO's assessment and the assessment of the American State Department, so that of all international institutional political factors this deal has received blessing”, Thaci said, conveys. Koha.net. “This is about Washington, Brussels, NATO is complete, so we have to be very alert, very responsible to fulfill our obligations of state agreements, because state agreements are not lectures of geography hours, but are of constitutional and legal responsibilities”, he has further said.

Commenting on the fact that the demarcation issue relates to visa liberalisation for Kosovars, Thaci has said he wants to reiterate that the European Union's stance is absurd and shameful in relation to Kosovo citizens and Kosovo institutions.

We have asked neither less nor more than to be treated equal as other countries in the region, rather than doubling criteria. However, of the 95 criteria for visa liberalisation, 94 of them have met, there has remained ratification of demarcation with Montenegro, and we are aware that without implementing this criterion, visa liberalisation from the EU” does not occur, Thaci said.

Thaci has voiced conviction that the “criterion has been wrongly and surprisingly placed in Kosovo by the EU”. Moreover, according to him, it has been a trap for Kosovo.

I think that more than the criterion for implementation, it has been a political trap by the European Commission to further postpone visa liberalisation for Kosovo. So I think the EU should start to change access to Kosovo. This European Commission has remained in the mandate for 17 months and I see it has no purpose and vision for Kosovo, and this has been my message to Kosovo citizens for Kosovo institutions, so happening in this situation we need to move as quickly as we can to ratify the demarcation agreement in the Kosovo Assembly”, Thaci has said.

He is not convinced that even after possible ratification of demarcation in the Kosovo Assembly, Kosovo will liberalise visas.

“Even at the moment we ratify the demarcation agreement, we will again have challenges with this composition of the European Commission with Kosovo because it does not focus on Kosovo”, Thaci has said.