TIRANA, Jan. 14 – The visa issue between Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be discussed with the hopes of resolving it at a high-level meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries in mid-February.
Skopje Government spokesperson Ivica Bocevski announced on Friday that Nikola Gruevski has received an invitation by his Albanian counterpart, Sali Berisha to visit Tirana.
The spokesman also said that the visa issue, co-operation between the two countries, Euro-Atlantic integration and the status of Kosova would be the focus of the meeting.
Skopje has said it will continue issuing visas to Albanians only at its embassy in Tirana.
Despite the recent outcry in both countries, Tirana has said it will not do the same.
The Albanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday insisting that free movement had always resulted in good relations in the region. It also added its willingness to continue with the consultation process to seek a solution to the visa problem.
The statement stressed that even though the two countries are trying to fulfill the standards as outlined in the Euro-Atlantic integration path, this should not narrow communication and increase barriers between Macedonia and Albania.
There have been many loud voices from Albanians.
Former Albanian Premier Aleksander Meksi said that Skopje owes a lot to Tirana which was the first to recognize it as a sovereign state after seceding from the former Yugoslavia.
Both chambers of commerce in Tirana and Skopje have spoken out, saying the visa issue would have a negative effect on the bilateral commercial exchange, more negatively affecting Macedonia.
