Hyseni: Kurti, Osmani and Vetevendosje main culprits why visa process drags on

Hyseni said this decision has come late and has been unjustly stalled.

He said in a proposal for Klankosova.tv that failure to sign demarcation with Montenegro became a cause for stalling the visa liberalisation process.

According to him, the main blame for this is Albin Kurti and Vetevendosje Movement, as well as Vjosa Osmani.

It's good news today's visa decision. Although, delayed and unjustly dragged on, especially since 2016, when European Commissioner Avramopolos himself, after a meeting he had with me as interior minister in Brussels, we had jointly declared at a news conference that Kosovo had fulfilled all the criteria and therefore was recommended to make the decision. As you know, the Kosovo Assembly then did not ratify the border agreement with Montenegro, and this was found as the reason for the European Commission to put the whole process on hold. For the sake of truth, it must be said here that the main culprits for failing to ratify the demarcation were Albin Kurti and VV, Vjosa Osmani, and a group of other MPs from the parties in the country that gave the EU an alibi for crawling”, Hyseni said.

The former Kosovo diplomat stressed that in this process there is no going back and could be considered finished.

He considers introduction of E program TIAS is unfair.

After today's decision, there is no going back, I believe, and the remaining procedures will naturally flow”.

It's unfair! There was no rational reason for connecting the beginning of the journey with the implementation of ETIAS. I need to correct you here! E TIAS has not been introduced only for Kosovo, but for all countries outside Schengen, who enjoy visa-free travel rights!”

“Yes, I believe we can finally state that this process is complete!”

Skender Hyseni added that the visas have not always been linked to dialogue.

This issue is not always about dialog. However, developments in recent days are indicator that there is strong interest in the EU for these two issues to be linked”, Hyseni said.

Today, ambassadors of European Union member states have agreed Wednesday to grant the European Council mandate to negotiate the visa liberalisation process for Kosovo with the European Parliament.

The text is compiled by Chechia, who has the current leadership of the EU Council, following several meetings of working groups and bilateral discussions with countries that have had remarks.

According to the document, the visa-free movement for Kosovo citizens will be possible when the European travel system goes into effect, E TIAS, and the date for that is November 1st, 2023.

But, if there is delays for this system, visa liberalisation for Kosovo will enter into force no later than on January 1st 2024.