Malaysia's visa exemption for Kosovars marks new milestone, says President Osmani
It is set to be a catalyst that not only will deepen engagements between governments and stimulate two-way trade and business activities, but also in expanding people-to-people exchanges across the multifaceted areas of culture, education, and tourism.
Kosovo's President Dr Vjosa Osmani Sadriu said the news has been warmly received by the Kosovars after her government announced that Malaysia is removing these visa restrictions for its citizens recently.
"So, this has made quite big news in our country. I am sure that a lot of people will want to visit (Malaysia) now," she told Bernama and RTM in an exclusive interview on Friday, during her official visit to Malaysia.
In an X posting on April 25, the President expressed her appreciation to Malaysia for granting visa exemptions to all citizens of the republic for stays of up to 30 days.
Osmani said Kosovo removed visa restrictions for Malaysia some time ago, allowing Malaysians to travel to Kosovo without restrictions for up to 90 days, and now Malaysia has reciprocated the move.
She said the move is timely and welcome, reflecting Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's personal commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries.
"We are looking forward to seeing more and more citizens from our country visiting Malaysia," she said.
The President also looks forward to direct flights between Kosovo and Malaysia in the future to ease communication and travel, and boost tourism between the two countries.
"Even as we speak, connections are very, very good, mostly through Istanbul, but there are also other connections as well on a daily basis. However, direct flights are always an easier way to expand communication and travel," she added.
Osmani said Kosovars mainly travel to Malaysia for tourism, while her country is actively investing in its own tourism sector — especially in highland tourism.
She noted that people-to-people ties between Kosovo and Malaysia remain strong, citing Malaysia's steadfast support during Kosovo's most difficult moments in 1999 and its early recognition of the republic's independence in 2008.
"And at that time, many countries supported us, and Malaysia was one of the first. Malaysia's support helped Kosovo reconstruct the country," she said.
Osmani said Kosovo had to rebuild the nation "from the ashes", and Malaysia played a key role in its peace-building and state-building efforts.
"So in all of these phases, Malaysia was with us, and the people of Kosovo are very grateful," she added.
Malaysia officially recognised Kosovo on Oct 30, 2008, becoming one of the first Asian countries to do so. Diplomatic relations were formally established on March 18, 2011.
In 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached RM28.55 million (US$6 million), with Malaysia's exports to Kosovo valued at RM25.92 million (US$5.5 million) and imports at RM2.63 million (US$550,000).
Key Malaysian exports include palm oil, electrical and electronic products, and manufactured goods, while imports from Kosovo mainly consist of raw materials and semi-precious stones.
The President also hoped her four-day maiden visit would spark stronger interest in Kosovo among Malaysians and help foster closer connections between both countries' citizens.
"There have been a lot of students from Kosovo who came to study in Malaysia, and they have contributed to these connections.
"And as I said lately, a lot of tourist visits are happening that are contributing to these human bonds. But we are very hopeful that more is to come, and that this human connection is going to grow even much faster from now on," she added.
During her visit, Osmani also shared Kosovo's readiness to collaborate with Malaysia in areas such as cybersecurity, counterterrorism, disaster response, and education.
She conferred Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with the Order of Independence — Kosovo's highest civilian award — in recognition of Malaysia's enduring support for Kosovo's statehood and his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.– BERNAMA
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