Osmani criticized Macron for saying France could revise visa-free regime for Kosovo citizens

(Patria) - Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on Wednesday criticized French President Emmanuel Macron because he said this week that Paris could reconsider the visa-free travel regime to the European Union in 2024 for Kosovo and Serbia due to their stalled normalization talks, AP reported.

President Osmani said that any suspension of visa-free travel to the European Union for the citizens of her country next year would "kill the dialogue once and for all" with Serbia.

In April, the EU gave the green light for citizens from Kosovo to travel visa-free for up to 90 days within a six-month period in the Schengen zone, comprising 27 countries, starting next year. Kosovo was the last country in the Western Balkans to not have such travel arrangements with the EU.

Macron warned on Monday that visa-free travel for both Serbia and Kosovo could be "reconsidered if both sides do not behave responsibly".

"We must be very careful in this regard, especially when the stability of the Western Balkans is threatened," Macron said.

"This would be the most effective way to kill the dialogue once and for all," Osmani said. "Such measures... are against the people," she added.