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Berlin Process Summit/Kurti: Kosovo will allow free movement for Bosnian citizens from January 1

Berlin Process Summit/Kurti: Kosovo will allow free movement for Bosnian

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that, starting from January 1 next year, Kosovo will unilaterally allow free movement for all holders of identity cards from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the agreements reached, the citizens of both countries, currently, must be equipped with visas to move to the respective countries. Speaking at the Berlin Process summit, Kurti said that this project has brought significant progress, but that "even more actions" are needed.

"While the Republika Srpska entity refuses to ratify the agreement on free movement with IDs - which my country was the first in the region to ratify in Parliament - I have decided to end the wait. Starting from January 1 next year, the Republic of Kosovo, unilaterally, will allow free movement for the holders of identity cards of Bosnia and Herzegovina", said Kurti.

"Connectivity is essential to the Berlin Process," he said.

Launched in 2014 by the then German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, this process marks ten years this year. The aim of its summits, which are held every year, is to gradually bring Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia closer to the EU. Of the six states in the region, only Kosovo is not an official candidate for EU membership. Speaking at the opening of the summit in Berlin, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, called on Kosovo and Serbia to engage more actively in the normalization of relations between them, promising to work personally with both countries.

"We need a new dynamic... I would say to friends from Belgrade and Pristina today: Please do not let the past stop you on the way to a peaceful and prosperous future. I am convinced that this future is in the EU and there is only one way to get there: the full implementation of the agreements reached", said Scholz during the opening speech.

"I will continue to personally engage with both countries to ensure that they take advantage of this opportunity," he added.

Scholz also said that the Berlin Process "is the best instrument not only for regional cooperation, but also for accelerating the European integration of all Western Balkan countries".

"The European Union is complete with the Western Balkans as part of it ," he said.

Scholz announced the signing of two new documents at today's summit, which, he said, will make people's lives easier. The first, according to him, has to do with a new action plan for the common regional market, while the second with a new agreement for the movement, which also includes access to higher education. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, " it is good to be in Berlin with our partners from the Western Balkans". / REL

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