These were the words of Slovenian Euro-parliamentarian Tania Fajon on the second day of her visit in Kosovo. After meeting with Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi, Fajon said that the fact that five European Union countries have not recognized Kosovo as an independent country won’t be a problem for visa liberalization, because they are dealing with a technical process and not a political one.

“We are waiting for the European Commission (EC) to issue some clear instructions and a strategy for removing the visa regime, so Kosovo can try to achieve these criteria. This will be a long journey, which will require a lot of work, but I think it is worth it. If this will be achieved until the end of the next year, I think that Kosovo can achieve visa liberalization. Now the case is related to political issues, which are being dealt with by the responsible authorities,” said Fajon.

Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi asked the European Union (EU) more support for Kosovo, and he promised a greater commitment by the local institutions for fulfilling the required criteria.

“We have a lot of work to do, but this is one of the main priorities of the government of Kosovo. Through our capacities and with the EC’s help, we are optimistic that we will fulfill the technical criteria until the end of 2011. And of course, we expect the EU to seriously consider the case of Kosovo, so it won’t be an isolated country,” said Rexhepi.