TIRANA, October 17 – President Emmanuel Macron declared in Tirana on Tuesday that France has suspended the issue of visas for Kosovo.
Asked about the situation in the north of Kosovo during the joint press conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Macron said that this has to do with respecting the word given and the word is not being kept.
“I say it very clearly; we trusted them (Kosovo) on the issue of visas, but the issue has been suspended by France because it has to do with respecting the word given and the word is not being kept. I expect both parties to commit to moving forward in the coming weeks towards peace in the whole region,” said Macron.
The decision on the liberalization of visas for Kosovo, which was signed on April 19 by representatives of the European Parliament and those of the Council of the EU, was expected to enter into force on January 1, 2024, this moment when citizens of Kosovo who possess biometric passports issued by the state of Kosovo, would be able to travel without visas in what is known as the Schengen area and consists of 27 European countries.
With the publication on April 25 in the Official Gazette of the European Union, the entire process of visa liberalization for the citizens of Kosovo was also formally concluded. /argumentum.al