After the demarcation, Kadri Wessel seeks consensus on other major issues

On Wednesday, it will be known who is a patriot and wants Kosovo. We have no right to keep citizens trapped. So says Kosovo Parliament Speaker Kadri Wessel, in an interview for Online Economy.

Head of the House at once The PDK, believes the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will be voted on by most MPs, at the session scheduled to be held Wednesday. This agreement, according to him, strengthens the country's sovereignty and has tremendous importance for the integration process towards the European Union; and most importantly it directly affects the free movement of citizens.

No one has the right to keep Kosovo citizens blocked”, says Wessel.

After the arrival of the wide “consensus for the demarque, Wessel expects political parties to join in some other major issues such as the formation of the Kosovo Army.

There's a lot of things we can do faster together. We are talking about meeting the criteria and standards that Kosovo strongly leads towards the European Union and NATO. There are economic reforms and the rule of law towards the European Union. And it is transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Army, which opens up prospects for Kosovo to NATO membership”.

The time is now to make decisions which are in the interest of citizens. On Wednesday, let's finish it together”

Prime Minister Veselin says he expects “reflection” and both Serbian List and Vetevendosje.

INT PLOSE ERVIS:

Online Economy: After achieving reconciliation between Prime Minister Haradinaj and LDK, it is said to add a word to the Bill for ratification of the Kosovo state border agreement -Montenegro, is its passage now safe at Wednesday's session? Once it is known that at least 80 MPs' votes, including most minorities, needed.

Kadri Wessel: There is no going back. We have reached a very broad consensus, even between position and part of the opposition. Ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro has tremendous significance for strengthening our sovereignty, has tremendous importance for the integration process towards the European Union and directly the free movement of our citizens. No one has the right to keep Kosovo citizens trapped. Kosovo is our common one, our borders are part of our sovereignty in which we are all trying to strengthen them and I am very sure that on Wednesday, we are doing all projects to have good news, what the absolute majority of our citizens expect, and what we are obliged to do as a political class in relation to the citizen.

Online Economy: Has your government partner, the Serbian List, conditioned the Demarket vote with Association? What is your position on the association of Serbian municipalities, for which the Serbs and international factors insist?

Kadri Wessel: Not at all. Never before has this conversation been opened. A fact is known that the Vetevendosje Movement, except for specific segments that have a probably individual willingness to vote the demarcation, to see on Wednesday, is also the Serbian List, which has not yet expressed its position but has never been discussed on the issue of association that is related to ratification of the border demarcation agreement. What we call on all those who love Kosovo independent and sovereign states, who are patriots of Kosovo, is that on Wednesday we must give the good news to ratify the agreement, which is border demarcation and Kosovo's perspective opens. We have to think together that our country is common, that responsibility is shared and no one has absolute right to patriotism either over borders. We have to work together to protect them, but what's important is further to advance the sovereignty of our state, part of Euro-Atlantic integrations. At the current moment, demarcation of the border demarcation with Montenegro is of utmost importance.

Online Economy: Why is the Kosovo Assembly hearing left just Wednesday? Does it relate to Brussels' visit to Kosovo?

Kadri Wessel: On Wednesday, it would be good to have done that day last Thursday, the first day we had the session. You know we're going through a process of national consensus that I'm very happy that this consensus has been reached. There's been a huge effort, I thank all political factors from both the political position and the opposition, and I'm talking about the Democratic League of Kosovo, we've reached this consensus in my office here, the assembly, this is something extraordinary which for the first time after independence we're getting together and at the same time this is a part of the consensus that we have to continue for the things that are most interested in our state. It's the army issue, it's the issue of reforms that are in the economy, the issue of rule of law, are issues that have to do directly with improving the lives of citizens, at the same time in integration into the European Union. On Wednesday is also a visit by a very high delegation of the European Union, is the president of the European Commission, which directly relates to the visa liberalisation issue. Our Western partners in the European Union are waiting for us to finish this issue on Wednesday in a way that opens up the perspective of Kosovo and our citizens for integration into the European Union, but what's most important now is the part of visa liberalisation.

Online Economy: If this government hadn't been through the demarcation, would it have been dangerous to have dropped, like that Mustafa?

Kadri Wessel: The border agreement must be passed. It is the interest of our sovereign and independent Kosovo to ratify the agreement. Unfortunately, politics has taken it as a matter in our families, as a direct problem in every Kosovo family is this issue, which is a threat, is concern. The absolute majority of people want this issue to end, the border demarcation agreement to be ratified. And that's what we're gonna do.

Online Economy: When can we expect Kosovars to travel visa-free to the Schengen zone?

Kadri Wessel: It's up to us in the first place. If we end on Wednesday, if I say we finish Wednesday is in the interest of citizens, it's patriotism, it's in the interest of Kosovo, it's in the interest of the western orientation of Kosovo, then we're sure that in June until June we'll get only the green decision signal within the mechanisms that are in the European Union, whether in Parliament or the European Commission, then we're talking to the interior ministers of the EU country. A consensus that opens perspective to our citizens that the most remote in December 2018 move freely, because it has been a deprived right, our citizens are the only ones who are currently not moving freely. It's an opportunity for intellectuals, it's an opportunity for businesses, it's an opportunity for young people to see what they want, the European Union, the West, and that means we're going to do this, I'm very confident and very optimistic. We've been working, there's been a month intensively this last part to reach this consensus. A huge step has been achieved. Outstanding steps have been taken.

Online Economy: Mr. Wessel, you said this consensus reached for Demarketing, we need it on big subjects. What are you talking about?

Kadri Wessel: There's a lot of things we can do faster together. We are talking about meeting the criteria and standards that Kosovo strongly leads towards the European Union and NATO. There are economic reforms and the rule of law towards the European Union. And it is transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Army, which opens up prospects for Kosovo to NATO membership. It's things we have to do. Once again, I call on all who are patriots, who are natives, who love Kosovo, the time is now to make decisions that are in the interest of citizens. Let's finish this together on Wednesday. I also expect positive reflection from the part of Serbian List colleagues, at the same time Vetevendosje, so that on Wednesday we can conclude this issue, which is in the interest of sovereignty, in the interest of perspective towards Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic integration.