Finnish Foreign Minister Tytti Tuppurainen said at a press conference in Pristina on Monday that he believes the EU will finalize the issue of visa liberalization for Kosovo citizens in the coming months.

Tuppurainen said that Finland supports the Euro-Atlantic process of Kosovo and the Western Balkan region.

“We support visa liberalization. Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that does not have visa liberalization and it is time to move forward. We have supported the negotiations that speak in favor of Kosovo in this respect. Therefore, I can say that I am optimistic that in this the matter has progressed and I believe that we will see positive results in the coming months, perhaps this fall,” she said.

Tuppurainen is staying in Pristina together with Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne and spoke to reporters after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani also expressed optimism about visa liberalization during the Czech presidency of the European Council, which began on July 1. During her visit to Slovenia, she reiterated that her country has fulfilled all the conditions and there is no need to set additional requirements.

She also said that Kosovo is in a constructive dialogue with Serbia and that a meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić could soon take place in Brussels.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor encouraged the continuation of the dialogue and expressed his support for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic path.