October 17 (SeeNews) - French president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday warned that visas for Kosovo citizens travelling in the EU may not be waived as the authorities need to work towards the normalisation of relations with Serbia.
In April, the European Parliament and the Council agreed on a proposal by the European Commission to scrap visas for Kosovar passport holders as of January 1, 2024.
France is waiting to see real commitment on the part of the Serbian and Kosovo authorities towards nornalisation of relations, as this is a prerequisite for peace in the entire region, Macron told a a press conference in Tirana, as seen in a video on the Facebook page of Albanian prime minister Edi Rama.
France expects Kosovo and Serbian authorities to ensure that stable elections are held in the four Serbian-dominated municipalities in northern Kosovo, Macron added.
Last month, a Kosovo police officer was killed in a terrorist attack involving ethnic Serbs at an Orthodox monastery in northern Kosovo. Milan Radoicic, vice president of Kosovo Serbs party Serbian List, declared himself responsible for the attack, and is still under investigation by Serbian authorities.
In May, Serbian protestors injured 30 NATO soldiers during protests against the election of ethnic Albanian mayors. Turnout in the elections stood at 3.45% after the Serbian party decided to boycott the process.