Spain has agreed to recognize passports from Kosovo, but until now it was one of the five EU countries not to recognize or recognize Balkan countries, but Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said in January It was announced on Saturday the 6th.
“Good news continues for our people and our country,” Bislimi said in a Facebook post.
“Visa-free movement started on January 1st, but liberalization has added Spain to the Schengen countries you can travel to. Previously, the main obstacle was not having your passport approved,” Bislimi said. said. EU Dialogue Team in Kosovo.
“Kosovo nationals can now travel to Spain…The Kingdom of Spain recognizes the ordinary passport of the Republic of Kosovo from January 1, 2024,” Foreign Minister Donica Gerbara-Schwartz posted on X, formerly Twitter. .
However, Gerbala-Schwartz pointed out that “this change in no way constitutes official recognition of Kosovo as an independent state by Madrid.”
Spain’s fellow EU members Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania and Greece also do not recognize Kosovo, which has a population of 1.8 million. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which is also recognized by the other 22 EU member states.
On January 1, Madrid acted on passports after the long-awaited EU visa liberalization plan was announced, allowing Kosovo nationals to travel to European countries.
The visa-free borderless zone came into effect on Monday.
The new system will allow Kosovars to enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days out of a 180-day period.
In Pristina, the reforms are seen as another step towards full recognition and a boost to the country’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Kosovo was the last of the six countries in the Western Balkans to receive a visa exemption.
Previously, Kosovar citizens were only allowed to visit a total of 14 countries around the world without a visa.
To date, more than 100 states, including the United States, have recognized Kosovo’s statehood. However, Serbia’s allies Russia and China have not done so.
