Kosovo passport that cannot afford world travel

Kosovo shares 96th place with Iran. The most powerful “passport” has been named Germany's, which gives citizens access to 177 countries in the world. Until the last place, the 104th, keeps Afghanistan's passports.

This is the result of an investigation by the company Henley Passport Index”, which speaks of the power of passports to the states of the world based on the freedom of the carrier's movement in various states, without having to have a visa.

Citizens surveyed by Radio Free Europe share the same view with this research. They say their passport is barely exploited, as in countries like those in the European Union, it has to be equipped with visas.

Merita Kastrati, a student at the University of Pristina, considers Kosovo's passport as an invalid passport for the fact, as she says, “cannot travel with it to any of the EU countries.

You cannot travel anywhere with Kosovo passport. I never used it. In Albania and Macedonia, where I go most often, I travel only through identification. The passport I keep in my closet is of no use at all”, she says.

Arette Sylejmani similarly says:

I have the Kosovo passport, but we are expecting visa liberalisation to be done, otherwise with my passport I cannot travel anywhere”.

Adonis Kryeziu, a citizen from Pristina, says he has been equipped with Kosovo's biometric passport since two years ago, when it was also promised that Kosovo will have visa liberalisation.

However, he says he has not used this passport for a single time.

“With this Kosovo passport, except the states of the region where you can go without visas, as in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia you cannot go anywhere. Until we, as citizens, have no opportunity to travel without visas, the leaders of institutions have received Albanian passports, with which they can travel to EU countries, but not us citizens”, he says.

A large number of state leaders -- deputies, but even highly-functioned people -- have Albanian citizenship and passports, for which the visa regime is not worth it.

Through the decree of Albania's president, during this week Albania's passport has been taken by Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and his wife, Anita.

Meanwhile, calling to the right of duality, members of the Serb community in Kosovo have used the right to supply Serbia's documents.

Similarly, Albanian citizens from Presevo Valley who live in Kosovo have acted, but own Serbia's documents.

Apart from the citizens, who say that with the Kosovo passport they cannot travel to EU countries without visas, local companies are also facing this problem.

Syleman Konushevci, owner of the company “Inter Company”, which deals with food oil production, had long told Free Europe Radio that he was obliged to employ drivers from other countries in the region that have passports, which they travel without visas.

The inability to move visa-free to EU countries has forced him to dismiss citizens from Kosovo and employ citizens from various European Union countries and the region.

All drivers we have for international transport are from the state of Macedonia and Bulgaria, and the Maunas are registered in Kosovo. So because of the lack of liberalisation, we are forced to employ citizens from different countries, who have the potential to move without visas”, Conushevci said.

Visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens is holding the default between Kosovo and Montenegro hostage.

The lack of ratification is linked to domestic objections from a part of the political spectrum, which estimates that through this agreement, Kosovo has lost over 8 thousand hectares of land.

International calls for ratification of the demarcation agreement with Montenegro date back to two years.