Prime Minister Robert Fico said in an interview for SITA news agency that Slovakia will not change its stance and will not recognize the independence of Kosovo. He pointed out that in the foreseeable future there is no reason to recognize the independence of Kosovo, since by proclaiming independence, Kosovo grossly violated international law. He reminded that Slovakia is a small country. "And a small country does not have any other tool to fight than international law. Slovakia does not have jet fighters or nuclear weapons to do anything it pleases in the world, as some other countries do. Slovakia can only use provisions of international law in discussions. Slovakia will closely watch the situation in Kosovo. If in the future all conditions of international law fulfilled concerning Kosovo, we can start discussing it. But for now, Kosovo is a closed issue," the Slovak Prime Minister said.
Slovakia did not recognize independent Kosovo, which means this also applies to its documents. "That would be ridiculous, since a passport is a certain signal that you come from a country," said Prime Minister. The government in Pristina started issuing Kosovar passports in July. The European Union is now debating how to deal with the problem of Kosovo passports and in particular visas for people from Kosovo. A solution should be known in autumn. The EU has an agreement with Serbia to ease the visa regime based on which its citizens pay EUR 35 for a visa and not the usual EUR 60. The agreement is linked to a readmission agreement that governs the return of illegal migrants, which can only be signed with a state.
Authorities in Kosovo started issuing passports of independent Kosovo last month. According to Serbian media, the UN administration in Kosovo ceased issuing its travel documents in July. The government of Kosovo sent a letter also to countries that did not recognize it announcing the change and requesting the recognition of the new passports.