Internationals caution government officials not to make promises for visa liberalisation

Continued international calls against Kosovo politicians not to promise the date for visa liberalisation are seen as a wise move to save the face of local leaders and not to play with the hope of citizens.

Visa liberalisation for Kosovo is expected to be top topic in the country even during 2019.

Even though government leaders promised that visas would be removed within 2018, this did not happen.

However, the same at the beginning of the new year also received international advice to save themselves from promises of this process, as there is still no precise date when Kosovars can move freely to the states of the Schengen area.

European Parliament Vice President Rainer Wieland during his visit to Pristina on Wednesday at a news conference, along with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, has called on Kosovo politicians not to promise the date for visa removal.

I'll support you not to have any other conditions except what you've had. Unfortunately, I cannot promise you when visa liberalisation can be made, because there are some governments that are still not convinced”, the EP vice president said.

While, Prime Minister Haradinaj called on Weyland to help Kosovo in this process

that there is a possibility that the visa regime for Kosovars will be removed this year.

Pusarizi editor for the JNK Journal, says it is optimistic that liberalisation will be completed this year, not as a result of work or lobbi, but as part of the agenda of dialogue.

“liberalisation and temptation with other processes of European integration I think will be actions that will follow the process of dialogue, while the main obstacle is the electoral cycle in the EU and the Romanian chairmanship that could cause significant procrastination”, he added.

Artan Mujariri also estimates that there is a possibility that visa liberalisation will occur in 2019.

The fulfillment of all Visa Liberalisation Guide criteria on Kosovo has since made this process conditional on political structures and internal calculations in the EU. They often harm our interests because of projects that indirectlytaminate us”, he points out.

According to Muhhajarir, the delay of liberalisation is naturally assessed as a great injustice to Kosovo citizens.

Especially in relation to other countries in the region, but this is the confused political reality we find ourselves in. However, there is an opportunity for visa liberalisation to take place in 2019 if it will be part of the amount of multicompetitive compromises in the closing stage of dialogue in Brussels. Thus, obstacles from individual countries in relation to a much more important global cause” could be overcome, he concluded.

The politicians' numerous promises of free movement of Kosovo citizens do not start or end in 2018, since these same promises have been given since the 2008 Declaration of Independence. / KALLXO.com