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INFO RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE PRIORITY 4465
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RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 3033
RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 0704
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RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3507
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BELGRADE ALSO FOR PODGORICA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017 
TAGS: PREL NATO AL
SUBJECT: ALBANIA PERPLEXED BY MACEDONIA'S PROPOSED VISA 
REGIME 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES STEPHEN A. CRISTINA, Reasons 1.4 (B) a 
nd (D). 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  According to Albanian press reports, 
starting on March 1 Macedonia will require most Albanian 
citizens to get visas from the Macedonian Embassy in Tirana 
instead of, as is currently possible, at the border crossing. 
 Macedonia, an EU candidate country, claims the move is the 
result of pressure by the EU to harmonize its visa regime 
with EU standards.  Reaction by Albanian officials and the 
press here has been strongly negative, calling the move 
contrary to the spirit of regional free trade, Euro-Atlantic 
integration, and the Adriatic Charter.  Albanians are 
particularly concerned with the effects of this decision on 
the regular movement of people between Albanian border 
regions and the ethnic Albanian border areas of Macedonia. 
However, Macedonian Ambassador to Albania Blagorodna 
Mingova-Krepieva says that the new visa regime and a 
bilateral treaty being negotiated will have minimal impact on 
cross-border travel while helping both countries fight 
trafficking.  Separately, Deputy Foreign Minister Edith 
Harxhi told us the regime to be implemented on March 1 will, 
instead, be abrogated entirely during an upcoming visit by 
Prime Minister Berisha to Macedonia at the beginning of 
February.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C)  According to MFA sources and the Macedonian 
Ambassador to Albania, Macedonia will no longer issue visas 
to Albanian citizens at the border, but will require 
travelers to obtain visas from the Macedonian Embassy in 
Tirana.  The Albanian MFA asked its Macedonian counterpart to 
delay the planned February 1 implementation until March 1 to 
give Albania more time to study the matter.  The Macedonians 
have agreed.  According to Macedonian Ambassador to Albania 
Blagorodna Mingova-Krepieva, the new regime is the result of 
EU pressure on Macedonia, as a candidate country, to bring 
its visa regime in line with EU standards.  Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Basha on January 10 told Ambassador 
Mingova-Krepieva that the new visa regime is contrary to the 
European and Euro-Atlantic spirit of the region. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Most of Macedonia's ethnic Albanians (over 22% of 
Macedonia's population) live within 30 miles of the Albanian 
border.  According to the media, 220,000 Albanians made 
personal or tourist visits to Macedonia in 2006, spending an 
estimated 44 million euro.  With the new visa regime, these 
travelers will need to present documents such as invitations, 
financial guarantees, and hotel reservations when they apply 
for a visa.  According to MFA Chief of Cabinet Elvana Zhezha, 
if the Macedonians go forward with their new requirements, 
Albania may have to bow to popular pressure and reciprocate, 
something the MFA would prefer not to do.  Press coverage of 
the proposed new Macedonian regime has been uniformly 
critical and has implied that the new requirements are 
nothing more than the result of anti-Albanian prejudice on 
the part of the Macedonians. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Ambassador Mingova-Krepieva told Poloff that, 
while there may be some startup problems, she expects the new 
regime will be working smoothly by this summer.  She said 
that the two countries are working on a bilateral treaty that 
will ease personal and cargo cross-border traffic and allow 
border dwellers a wider area of free movement, while 
tightening control over trafficking.  The Macedonian embassy 
in Tirana currently handles about 43,000 visas per year, and 
she is adding staff to increase consular capacity.  The 
validity of multiple entry visas will be extended from three 
months to one year, and official, scientific, and cultural 
delegations will still be able to get visas at the border, as 
will those traveling for health and humanitarian reasons. 
Tour agencies will be able to get visas for their tour 
participants.  Fees will remain unchanged at five euro for 
single-entry and 20 euro for multiple-entry visas. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Deputy Foreign Minister Edith Harxhi told us on 
January 11, however, that the whole issue was a 
"badly-handled misunderstanding."  Harxhi said she had been 
negotiating with the Macedonians to drop visa requirements 
altogether, as had already been negotiated with Montenegro. 
During her absence on holiday leave, however, things got 
 
 
confused.  Now, she said, they are back in negotiations and 
Prime Minister Berisha will go to Macedonia on February 1 or 
¶2.  (Note:  This visit has apparently not been confirmed.) 
During his visit, Harxhi believes there will be an 
announcement to drop visa requirements altogether. 
 
¶6.  (C)  COMMENT:  Clearly there is a disconnect between the 
Macedonian Ambassador's claim and the reporting in the local 
media that the regime will go into effect on March 1 and 
Harxhi's understanding that it will be abolished.  We will 
try to confirm the PM's visit when Harxhi returns from travel. 
CRISTINA