Can’t go neither to weddings or to funerals. With these words, Safet Temaj from Prizren explains the situation in which his family finds itself, due to the rigorous visa regime that has burdened the residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Kosovo for years.
Safet has family members in BiH whom, as he says, he cannot see “for better or for worse” due to the impossibility of obtaining visas.
“We have been waiting for days to bring our late uncle to Prizren in order to bury him here,” he says and adds that a few months ago he was excited by the announcement that he would soon be able to visit his relatives in BiH.
However, after the moves of politicians from the Republika Srpska (RS) entity, who stopped the cancellation of visas between BiH and Kosovo, he believes that the international community must react and finally solve this problem.
“I resent the representatives of the international community the most for allowing the RS to block freedom of movement,” says Safet.
On June 27th, the National Assembly of RS (NARS) stopped the adoption of the agreement on freedom of movement with identity cards in the Western Balkans.
This practically blocked the introduction of a visa-free regime between BiH and Kosovo, although this was agreed upon in November 2022 with the signing of the agreement on mobility in the Western Balkans, within the framework of the Berlin process.
Muharem Nerjovaj, a resident of Bihac originally from Kosovo, says that this is a continuation of many years of discrimination and humiliation.
“This made us not second-class, but third- or fourth-class citizens. We expected that the issue with visas would finally be resolved, but they blocked everything again for no reason. I have friends in Banja Luka and I can say that the people are not to blame, but those who rule and to whom it benefits,” he points out.
Muharem spends the Eid holidays in his native Prizren. As he says, coming to Kosovo is the only way to see his mother and son and other family members.
BiH does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, so citizens of that country can enter BiH with a visa that is granted “only in exceptional cases”. Visas are issued on a special form at the BiH embassies in Skopje, Podgorica, and Belgrade. Muharem also recalls how he was told by the Service for Affairs with Foreigners of BiH a few years ago that their visit to BiH was possible “only in case someone dies”.
Due to the rigorous and complex process of obtaining visas, they gave up coming to Bihac.
“I have a Kosovo identity card and BiH papers, but they are a problem. I once got visa for my mother and everything lasted almost five months and we had a million problems at the border. We will not even try again,” he points out.
Hard to get a visa
The abolition of the visa regime has not been allowed by RS officials for years, and the most vocal opponent is Milorad Dodik, the president of the RS and the leader of the ruling SNSD.
The new blockades were initiated a few days ago by the chairman of the BiH Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic, a member of Dodik’s SNSD, declaring the issue destructive to the vital interest of the RS entity.
Elvira Dushi was born in Pristina and has lived in Sarajevo with her family for 24 years.
As she says, her sisters have visited her in Sarajevo in recent years thanks to the fact that they have Serbian documents. She hoped that this year it will be possible to travel with identity cards, which is an obligation from the agreement signed as part of the Berlin process.
“Of course, what some representatives of the government have done is disappointing because it indicates the frivolity and discrimination of our citizens. BiH should not have such obstructions when it comes to the citizens of Kosovo, regardless of nationality,” she says.
Bearing in mind the political situation in BiH, she does not expect quick changes.
“Inevitably, we live here and we have no choice but for things to change for the better. However, everything I’ve heard in recent days says that the culture of political dialogue has not reached a level adequate for the 21st century. Hope dies last, but as things stand now I’m a little reserved,” she points out.
“We are waiting to visit the graves of our loved ones”
Senada Imamovic, who lives in Prizren in Kosovo, is also disappointed by the news that she will still not be able to go to her native Bihac without a visa.
She has not been to BiH for more than two decades. She tried to get a visa at the embassies in Tirana and Skopje, but because of the complicated procedure, she eventually gave up.
“I will still only be able to dream of my relatives and BiH. I can look at pictures of cities and my relatives, but I cannot feel the air, water, and smell of BiH in the pictures,” she says.
A few months ago, Senada retired and hoped that she would soon be able to cross the border with only an ID card, as provided for in the agreement on freedom of movement in the Western Balkans.
“And how long will we wait for someone’s mercy to allow us to go and visit our relatives, to visit the graves of our loved ones? I would like to know how those who forbid us to enter BiH would react, to forbid them to visit their loved ones, to feel our pain,” states Senada.
Muharrem Zejnullahu, from the Community of Albanians in BiH, said that the visa regime is only one of the problems that burden relations between BiH and Kosovo. He explains that BiH does not recognize any document issued in Kosovo.
“This means that it does not recognize any birth certificate, as well as other documents that are of vital importance for Albanians in BiH originating from Kosovo. This creates incredible problems for us,” he points out.
Members of his family from Pristina last visited him in Sarajevo about 15 years ago.
“At that time, my daughter was getting married and only three members of my family got a visa. Admittedly, for five days and that was the maximum. After that, they didn’t come anymore,” he points out.
Due to BiH’s rigorous visa regime for citizens of Kosovo, official Pristina retaliated with the same measures in 2014, introducing visas for BiH citizens.
Zejnullahu says that since then his family from BiH has not traveled to Kosovo.
“We see each other very rarely, only in exceptional cases. There is no possibility that someone will come to you whenever they want,” he stated.
What is the cause of this blockade?
One of the three agreements on mobility in the Western Balkans, which was signed in November 2022 as part of the Berlin process, refers to the freedom of movement with identity cards in the Western Balkans, and the other two to the recognition of university degrees and professional qualifications.
According to current regulations, international agreements must be approved by the BiH Council of Ministers and the BiH Presidency, after which they are ratified by the BiH Parliament.
However, politicians from the RS refuse ratification, even though the former chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Zoran Tegeltija, who is a member of Dodik’s party, was a signatory of that document in Berlin last year.
BiH Presidency Chairperson Zeljka Cvijanovic initiated the veto after she was outvoted at the BiH Presidency session on June 21st, when she spoke out against the conclusion on the adoption of the agreement on freedom of movement with identity cards, on the recognition of university diplomas and professional qualifications.
The conclusions on the adoption of those agreements, which were agreed upon within the framework of the Berlin process, were then supported by Denis Becirovic and Zeljko Komsic, her colleagues in the BiH Presidency.
In accordance with the Constitution, the NARS declared the veto, and after the support of the deputies, the conclusions of the Presidency were invalidated.
On June 29th, Cvijanovic stated that, unlike the one on identity cards, agreements on the recognition of university degrees and professional qualifications are not disputed.
“I will again propose the two agreements that are indisputable at the next session of the BiH Presidency so that we can have individual declarations. The agreement that refers to movement with identity cards remains subject to the veto,” she said.
Agreements on mutual recognition of identity cards, university diplomas, and professional qualifications were signed in November last year, along with BiH, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
In order for the application to begin, it is necessary for the documents to be ratified by the parliaments in those countries within 18 months, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.