An agreement signed to advance the European Agenda of the Republic of Kosovo

Prishtina, 23 March – Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj and the Minister of European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, signed an agreement coordinating the advancing of the European Agenda of the Republic of Kosovo. This agreement, according to the two Ministers, aims to support the Republic of Kosovo and respectively its institutions so that the process of visa liberalization quickly becomes a reality.

“This agreement aims to support the Republic of Kosovo, and Kosovo’s institutions so that visa free travel quickly becomes a reality in the Republic of Kosovo and for this reason, our two Ministries have agreed to seek an institutional solution through our Embassy in Brussels, where diplomats will work intensively for the Ministry of European Integration, following the entire EU integration process, reporting to the Ministers and having an active, aggressive, dynamic agenda for the visa liberalization process”, said Minister Hoxhaj.

According to him, the European Union includes 500 million citizens. The Western Balkans is a region of about 50 million citizens. These 50 million citizens of the Western Balkans have the right to visa free travel, but 2 million citizens of the Republic of Kosovo are excluded from the visa liberalization process.

By this act, according to Minister Çitaku, the process of European integration, which is an internal priority of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, has now become also a priority of its foreign policy.
“Due to specific circumstances, because five EU countries have still not recognized Kosovo, we cannot have our own mission at the EU. Through this agreement, we have managed to have an official of the Ministry of European Integration accredited at our Embassy in Brussels, an official who will deal exclusively with the European Commission and the Ministry of Integration. In addition, by this agreement, all diplomatic missions of the Republic of Kosovo in EU countries will have as one of their key priorities, reporting and liaising with member states and pushing forward the European agenda of the Republic of Kosovo”, added Minister Çitaku.

With regard to visa liberalization, Minister Çitaku said that last year, Kosovo was ready to receive the visa liberalization roadmap.
“We have fulfilled all the technical criteria necessary to receive the roadmap. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Brussels where I will meet with the Commissioner for Enlargement, Mr. Fule and the Commissions of Internal Affairs and of Trade and the core aim of my visit will be precisely pushing forward Kosovo’s European agenda and receiving the visa liberalization roadmap”, stressed Minister Çitaku.

According to the Minister, after receiving the roadmap the process will be exclusively in the hands of the Kosovo institutions and it will be their commitment and dynamism which will determine how quickly our citizens will receive visas. The positive side, added Minister Çitaku, is that a series of steps toward fulfilling the criteria have already been unilaterally taken and so, she expressed the conviction that the criteria would be achieved soon after receiving the roadmap, after which Kosovo’s citizens will be able to travel freely without visas.