Selmanaj: France is visa blocker, has reservations that an ecstasy occurs in the region

Deputy Prime Minister Driton Selmanaj has said Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti's visit to the Elisee Palace in Paris, where he was hosted by France's President Emmanuel Macro was a reception with the highest state ceremonies.

He has said that at the meeting with the French president it has been discussed liberalising visas for Kosovars.

Selmanaj in Rubikon i n Kosovo Clan President Macro has made it clear that France does not want to block visa liberalisation, but has dilemmas due to experiences with other countries in the region.

“Like any meeting the Kosovo government has with the citizens of the European Union has decided to focus on the issue of visa liberalisation. For us as a state of Kosovo it is already meaningless what is happening. There are certain reasons why we've taken this basic right back in time, but certain political behavior has influenced this issue to be prolonged”.

We have discussed with President [Emmanuel] Mace this case. President Macron told us very clearly that the state of France is not a blocker of this process and agrees that Kosovo has met the criteria required by the European Union, slightly isolating the issue of rule of law”.

The “that creates reservations in the French state is the past experience it has had with some of the Balkan states at a time when visas have been liberalised. We were told that thousands of asylum applications are under treatment, unfortunately, most of them from Albania. There's a sense of French public opinion. They are trying to address the issue of visa liberalisation for Kosovo more carefully than in the past”.

Selmanaj has clarified that Kosovo Prime Minister and the French president have agreed to establish a team of Kosovo and France's two interior affairs ministries to identify issues that are questioning France's green framework for visas.

Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti proposed that as of the first few days -- probably from tomorrow or next week -- we set up a joint team of Kosovo and France's Ministry of Internal Affairs to identify issues the French state has its dilemmas about a evental decision. What if the decision is made tomorrow for visa liberalisation and France agrees, then what are the obstacles to the French state on technical issues of Kosovo's organisation to manage the situation of a potential mass escort? Emmanuel Macro agreed that very soon, the next few days, this issue will be consolidated”.

He has stated that this does not mean that Kosovo will have to meet new conditions for obtaining visa liberalisation.

We're not saying there are new conditions. What's obvious is that it requires the opinion and individual decision of member states on this matter. France is one of those who watches carefully because of her past experience. We need to have our approach when we are in a situation that can stay and see when member states obey that Kosovo moves away, or do we do everything possible for the process to accelerate? For the Government of Kosovo it is this second one we have to do everything to make this process happen as soon as possible”.

We can come to the conclusion of the exact dilemmas of France on a matter of weeks. What should the Kosovo Police do to control a possible ecstasy? Will Kosovo have to take additional measures to control the movement of every person coming out of Kosovo? The Kosovo government has decided not to stay at the stage-by and see when an EU member state changes its mind, but we want to be active to prove each controversial argument if they have”.

He has said Kosovo has missed the opportunity to have visa liberalisation three years ago with the issue of demarcation.

Selmanaj has praised the American president's request for the Richard Green dialogue for visa liberalisation for Kosovars as very fair.

I think that's a fair request, because Richard Green is saying it in public until other EU member states have a positive opinion that this will happen the same way they say. They have begun to feel bad about how it is possible that this process will last so long, despite having been put on exclusive and much heavier terms compared with other countries. We still await the big decision. May this happen soon. We believe and are committed that this will happen soon”.