Switzerland remains committed to assist Kosovo on its path towards Visa Liberalisation

On this occasion, Deputy Minister, Mr. Kasapolli informed the delegation regarding the process in which Kosovo is going through on these last few years, and on the action which the Government of Kosovo has undertaken about the Visa Liberalization process, emphasizing that SAA negotiations are being concluded. He also informed them that repatriation agreements with most of the countries of Europe have been signed and that the Government of Kosovo, both in local and central level, is committed in maximum to the sustainable reintegration of returned citizens into the society. Also, that the Government of Kosovo, with all its respective mechanisms is working intensively to obtain maximum results by fulfilling the criteria emerging from the Visa Liberalization roadmap.

Also, Mr. Kasapolli thanked the Swiss Government for the so far assistance provided to Kosovars, emphasizing the assistance in the awareness campaign for Visa Liberalization, which SDC is supporting. Deputy minister Kasapolli, also pointed out the visits to the municipalities of Kosovo, which minister Çitaku is conducting in order to closely understand the processes which the municipalities are undergoing regarding the reintegration of repatriated persons and to identify possibilities of increasing cooperation and assistance to the local level in order successfully fulfil the criteria of reintegrating the repatriated persons

Minister for Justice and Police of Switzerland, Ms. Simonetta Sommaruga, expressed her satisfaction with the commitment of the Government and institutions of Kosovo for their dedication and commitment to deal with the phenomena of irregular migration and reintegration of repatriated persons as a key point in this process. Also, Minister Sommaruga emphasized that Kosovo in general has achieved significant success regarding the fulfilment of criteria for Visa Liberalization. She was interested to know, what exactly are the actions undertaken by the Government of Kosovo in order to reduce the number of irregular migrants in the Schengen area and which are the challenges which we encounter in the process of Repatriation and Reintegration.