Kosovo president proposes ‘mini-Schengen’ for the Balkans
Albanian president Bamir Topi is hosting a meeting on June 24 2009 with his counterparts from Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo to discuss issues including a proposal by Kosovo head of state Fatmir Sejdiu for a "mini-Schengen visa" for Balkans countries.
Kosovo daily Zeri said quoted Sejdiu as saying that it was "very important" for his initiative for countries in the region to liberalise their visa systems and do away with "excessive formalities" for citizens crossing each others’ borders.
Montenegro president Filip Vujanovic and Macedonia’s president Gjorge Ivanov will meeting Sejdiu in talks after having not invited the Kosovo president to a recent meeting of heads of state from South Eastern Europe.
The agenda of the meeting includes bilateral relations among the countries, regional co-operation and prospects for development as part of a shared Euro-Atlantic vision for the countries of the Western Balkans.
"It is a good opportunity, even though these are informal meetings, to exchange our opinions, to stimulate co-operation and to contribute so that our countries can become important partners for inter-state cooperation, and at the same time move together toward our common
ambition – Euro-Atlantic integrations," Kosovo media quoted Sejdiu as having told journalists at Pristina Airport before his departure.
Earlier in June, European Union ministers recommended that the EU liberalise its Schengen visa system for citizens from Western Balkans countries that meet the criteria. Of the countries, only Macedonia is said to meet the criteria and likely to be first to benefit from an eased visa system.
Serbia has yet to meet all requirements, and a vexed issue has developed because of the question of Kosovo, which has declared itself independent, a move that Belgrade regards as illegitimate. Serbia has said it would issue passports for people in Kosovo, whom it officially continues to regard as Serbian citizens.
Kosovo daily Zeri said quoted Sejdiu as saying that it was "very important" for his initiative for countries in the region to liberalise their visa systems and do away with "excessive formalities" for citizens crossing each others’ borders.
Montenegro president Filip Vujanovic and Macedonia’s president Gjorge Ivanov will meeting Sejdiu in talks after having not invited the Kosovo president to a recent meeting of heads of state from South Eastern Europe.
The agenda of the meeting includes bilateral relations among the countries, regional co-operation and prospects for development as part of a shared Euro-Atlantic vision for the countries of the Western Balkans.
"It is a good opportunity, even though these are informal meetings, to exchange our opinions, to stimulate co-operation and to contribute so that our countries can become important partners for inter-state cooperation, and at the same time move together toward our common
ambition – Euro-Atlantic integrations," Kosovo media quoted Sejdiu as having told journalists at Pristina Airport before his departure.
Earlier in June, European Union ministers recommended that the EU liberalise its Schengen visa system for citizens from Western Balkans countries that meet the criteria. Of the countries, only Macedonia is said to meet the criteria and likely to be first to benefit from an eased visa system.
Serbia has yet to meet all requirements, and a vexed issue has developed because of the question of Kosovo, which has declared itself independent, a move that Belgrade regards as illegitimate. Serbia has said it would issue passports for people in Kosovo, whom it officially continues to regard as Serbian citizens.