The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) dismisses rumors on visa for Albanians

TIRANA, Aug 3 – Albanian Ambassador to FYROM, Arben Cejku and FYROM authorities dismissed the rumors that the country will introduce visa obligations for Albanian citizens, according to the FYROM Makfax news agency.
“We have an agreement that foresees scrapping visa requirements between our two countries which is not dependant on the EU visa liberalization for [FYROM], and EU will soon scrap visa obligations for Albania,” Cejku said.
An Albanian diplomat made the remarks after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister in charge of implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, Abdulaqim Ademi. He made clear visa requirements could be introduced if FYROM becomes an EU member.
Relations between FYROM and Albania are excellent and must continue being like that. This is what FYROM Deputy Prime Minister Abdulkaim Ademi and Albanian Ambassador to FYROM, Arben Cejku, stated after a meeting, a FYROM online edition wrote.
According to Ademi, cooperation between the two states must be developed in all fields as starting from education, tourism, opening new border checkpoints, road repair works, etc.
Ademi pointed out that FYROM will not impose visas as of January 2010 to Albania and Kosovo.
FYROM, together with Montenegro and Serbia, were given the green light from the European Commission for a visa-free regime starting Jan. 1 next year. Albania and Bosnia were not included and asked to do more to fulfill their road map requests.
There are fears that the strict visa regime is not helping but creating political tensions in the western Balkans. For years, visas have been a primary issue in the region. So a recent recommendation by the European Commission to scrap visas for Serbs, Montenegrins and FYROM citizens from the start of 2010 should be good news. If it takes effect, it will give people in these countries free access to the Schengen area of 25 countries, including almost all EU members plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
Before the wars of the 1990s, Yugoslavs did not need visas to travel to the rest of Europe. For years EU foreign ministers have been berated about this by their Balkan colleagues. Their answer has often been that, if it were up to them, all would be fine. But interior ministers, fearful of organized crime and drug- and people-trafficking, refuse to agree. The counter-argument has been that criminals will hardly wait in line for visas they can buy or forge, so visa rules merely punish ordinary folk and legitimate businessmen.
For Albania that meant more biometric passports and also better border management.
The work to achieve visa abolition has taken a huge amount of work, the introduction of modern biometric passports being only a first step. In the Balkans, visas and passports are not a mere technicality, but the stuff of high politics. And the commission’s decision means that Bosnians, Albanians and Kosovars feel left behind.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha has insisted that Albanians will have their visa free regime within the first year of his second mandate. Existing passports also will be considered invalid as of Jan. 1, 2011.
Albanians know that it is only a matter of time before they, too, qualify for visa-free travel.
The EC said they would reconsider Albania’s request in the middle of next year.