EU publicly criticizes FYROM’s new visa regime with Albania

TIRANA, Jan. 20 – Albanian media widely reported that in a special press statement to the Macedonian media last week, the European Commission ambassador to Skopje, Erwan Fou곩, said that FYROM must not introduce new and stricter visa regulations with Albania due to legislative obligations stemming from its process of EU integration.
Fou곩 argued FYROM should actually try to facilitate, and not impede, communications with its neighboring countries, particularly Albania.
He welcomed FYROM’s eagerness to adapt its legislation to EU integration demands, but added that could not be achieved at the cost of alienating the neighbors.
Fou곩 believed that was a misunderstanding on the part of FYROM and hoped that would be resolved through a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
Such a statement was followed with a reaction of the FYROM’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Milososki, that the Macedonian side was sticking to its original decision of new and stricter visa regulations with Albania which corresponds to European Commission recommendations and that was part of the visa facilitation conditions EU members have set for FYROM.