The US Embassy in Kosovo has welcomed the agreement reached between Kosovo and the European Union regarding the implementation of the Law on Foreigners.
In a response to Gazeta Express, an embassy spokesperson said that changes affecting the Serbian community should be made by consulting them and obtaining their approval.
"The United States welcomes the announcement of the agreement reached regarding the implementation of the Law on Foreigners. We commend the engagement of the parties on this issue, with the aim of reaching a solution acceptable to all. Any changes affecting the Kosovo Serb community should be made in close consultation and with the approval of the Kosovo Serb community," the embassy's response states.
The Kosovo government has negotiated an agreement with the European Union on how to implement the law on foreigners and vehicles, which would affect the Serbian community in Kosovo.
The government agreed to offer temporary residence permits and recognize identity cards issued by Serbia for a 12-month period.
This agreement has also been welcomed by other foreign embassies in the country.
Full implementation of the laws began on Sunday, preceded by a period from January for an awareness campaign.
The EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen, arrived in Kosovo on Saturday to announce this agreement.
For him, the EU ambassador to the country, Aivo Orav, said that in addition to talks with Kosovo, Sorensen "has been in close contact with the Government of Serbia to find a feasible solution."
These two laws require that all those who do not have Kosovo documents be provided with a residence permit, while vehicles with foreign license plates will not be able to circulate in Kosovo for longer than three months or only on the basis of authorization.
With the latest agreement, the Serbian community will not be subject to these rules as they can obtain a 12-month temporary residence permit, as well as carry ID cards issued by Serbian authorities as a means of identification.
Following the concessions made, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the Kosovo Government will grant temporary residence permits and recognize the identity cards of Serbs who do not have Kosovo documents to register with them in the Kosovo system and provide residence permits to interested workers and students for an initial period of 12 months in order to prevent any disruption of health and educational services. /Express/
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