Blace, 21 February 2025 (MIA) - First Deputy Prime Minister Izet Mexhiti, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski and his Kosovar counterpart, Xhelal Sveçla, visited Friday the Blace border crossing between the two countries to inspect preparations for the implementation of the one-stop shop system at the border crossing.

The ministers highlighted the faster flow of passengers due to joint border controls as the benefit of the system. Interior Minister Toshkovski said the necessary equipment to link the two systems has been installed, and they inspected the manner in which it will operate.

“Information that we have will be shared between the two ministries as part of one platform, in order to enable citizens of Kosovo to enter Macedonia or Macedonian citizens to enter Kosovo after controls by a police officer on only one side of the border. Each country is controlling its entry,” Toshkovski said.

Minister Toshkovski expressed gratitude to Kosovo’s Interior Minister engagement in the project. 

Kosovo’s Interior Minister Sveçla said he is satisfied with the implementation of the agreement between the two countries for the establishment of joint border controls or a one-stop shop system.

“I would like to thank both of our teams, regardless of if they are IT or members of our police forces, who have been working tirelessly to implement this decision by our governments as soon as possible so that our citizens can easily travel between the two countries. I believe that the continued communication will further promote the good relations that exist between our two countries, and I hope the pilot phase of the project will be successful and everything will be implemented as soon as possible,” Sveçla said.

Deputy PM Mexhiti congratulated the two ministers and their teams on intensifying activities for the implementation of the project.

“The pilot project will significantly contribute to the flow of passengers, because there will only be one control on entry. This was one of the items on the agenda at the joint government session, there were others on education, cooperation, energy as well. I think that with this we are demonstrating that as two neighboring countries and governments we have excellent cooperation and I hope we will have similar implementation in other projects as well,” Mexhiti said. 

In answer to a journalist’s question, Interior Minister Toshkovski said the system would officially be launched by April 2025 at the latest.

“We will do everything we can to try to do it by the middle of March. The IT experts said they would do everything they can, to launch it as soon as we can. I would be happiest if we could launch it tomorrow. But the public will be notified when we launch this project that we believe will improve the communication between our citizens in the future,” Toshkovski said.

Photo: MoI