Travelers Forced to Cross Kosovo Border

As a result, travelers are being forced to cross the border over a mile to continue on the road in another bus of the same company. The Ministry of Infrastructure says the lines that have permits have no problems in motion.

Hundreds of Albanian and Serbian travelers continue to cross the Kosovo border within a day. They travel on a bus to the point of crossing the border to Merdara then descend and cross document controls and then continue on their way to another bus within Serbia's territory.

Owners of two companies contacted by Radio Kosovo, “Audio Tours” and “Erhan Tours” say that from the first week of September, the Ministry of Infrastructure has banned their buses from Kosovo to curb the flow of illegal immigrants.

Hamdi Retkoceri, from the company “Adio Tours” that holds a regular Pristina line, Belgrade has explained that the ministers of Infrastructure are obstructing their bus operation directly to Serbia. For this reason, according to Ratkozer, travelers are being forced to cross the border.

Until the border point, we travel on a bus, from the border point, travelers have to go down and walk to cross the border point, then to continue on the other bus”.

Company owner “Erhan Tours”, Erhan Elshani, has also told Kosovo Radio that they are being forced to land travellers at the border to cross the border. According to Elshan, sick old men and small children are being forced by day and by night to walk over a mile.

Both companies say they have filed a complaint at the Ministry of Infrastructure, calling this violation of freedom of movement. They say they have regular registration permits.

But, the director of the Road Transport Services Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Xheme Veselini, has said that on the part of Kosovo there is no problem with lines that have regular documents for operation.

We have about eight operators who have the right to operate in Serbia's direction, but whether they work or do not, but do not believe this job, and police at the border point know better, as far as our side is concerned, but in Serbia, they can take fair action without our consent, we cannot interfere with their policies.

According to Wessel, some of the companies have no driving permits. Radio Kosovo has also contacted police about buses that descend travellers on borders and then cross border feet. But neither has police provided any complete clarification of what is exactly happening with these bus lines to Serbia.