Thaci does not give up, asks EU leaders what Kosovo should do most to lift visas

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who attended the meeting of leaders of the Western Balkans who were held in Brussels, has indicated that visa liberalisation, the Kosovo- Serbia, as well as new EU methodology for membership.

Thaci has indicated that Kosovo has met all the conditions for visa liberalisation and that such a thing has been said at this meeting, but as he put it, seeing that Kosovo citizens are still isolated, Thaci has said he has asked EU leaders that “what should Kosovo do more to make this decision happen?”

I think it was something new, because in the past there have not been such things that all European Union leaders invite all Western Balkan leaders to a meeting like this since the beginning. It was a good, correct, constructive atmosphere. Rather, it was to hear our opinions about the future of the Western Balkans. I think what was very important was that it was clearly stressed that it is not enough to just meet and talk and hear our opinions, but it is required by the European Union to take concrete measures, concrete decisions that bring good decisions for the citizens of the Western Balkans and, first of all, for opening negotiations for Northern Macedonia and Albania, but also the necessity for what I once stressed at the meeting for Kosovo to happen visa liberalisation. We have implemented all criteria for visa liberalisation overall by 2015-2016. And my question was very clear to all three EU leaders, that “what should Kosovo do more to make this decision happen? The answer was very clear, Kosovo has fulfilled its obligations and now remains to the Council to make the political decision”, Thaci said.

President Thaci has also said he hopes the European Union and all its member states will be unique in the decision on Kosovo.

“I hope that the European Union, all member states, will be unique in this right of citizens of Kosovo, will break this unjust and punitive isolation for Kosovo citizens. In reality, we should not make other political mistakes, for even in 2016 the European Union was willing to make decisions, but then we faced internal political problems of the political and institutional spectrum at that time. I want to stress that the new European Union leadership will be more concrete and will rightly understand the demands of Kosovo citizens and the entire Western Balkans”, Thaci stressed.

The topic of discussion at this meeting was also the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, where, according to Thaci, hopes the EU will be unique and final agreement reached between the two countries.

“also discussed the possibility of continuing dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, with the possibility of reaching the final agreement. In this direction the European Union will be unique in support, I hope. Even the opportunity to appoint a special charge on the Kosovo issue and other countries in the region”, Thaci said.

According to President Thaci, in this meeting, the new methodology has also been discussed, where it revealed that it has demanded that the EU respect the criteria and standards and that it is not as he said, “for someone mother and for a stepmother”.

“Also discussed the new methodology and requested that this methodology be respected by standard criteria for all countries, rather than “for a mother and for a stepmother”, as happened in the past”, Thaci said.