Opposition warns: If demarcation returns, we will stop it again (Lajmi)
The news website reports that according to Kosovo government officials, the agreement on the border demarcation with Montenegro will be sent back to Parliament next month. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said recently that the opposition and the Serbian List are responsible for blocking the border demarcation with Montenegro and visa liberalisation for Kosovo. The Vetevendosje Movement, the biggest opposition party in Kosovo, said the accusations are ungrounded and recalled that the government itself said that the demarcation was an unjust requirement for visa liberalisation. “We should also not forget that visa liberalisation for Kosovo has been postponed for several years now because of the failure to meet another requirement – the fight against crime and corruption. It is apparent that a government engulfed in crime and corruption cannot bring visa liberalisation or integration,” said Shkodran Hoti, a spokesman for the Vetevendosje Movement. “This is not the first time we are hearing this from the government and this just goes to show that the government is not really interested in overcoming the demarcation crisis. The government is insisting on an agreement that died on September 1, an agreement that will cost Kosovo 8,200 hectares”. Hoti also said that Vetevendosje would not change its position on the matter. “The current version of the agreement needs to be amended, the government should not barricade itself behind a wrong position, but rather make way for overcoming the crisis. We expect the government not to make the same mistake again. But if it does, we will be there to stop it”. The Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), another opposition party, said the key requirement for visa liberalisation is the fight against organised crime and corruption. NISMA Secretary Bilall Sherifi said the government is trying to blame the opposition for its own failures. “Instead of assuming the responsibility for failing to achieve the requirements, the government is trying to blame the opposition. This is a disappointing attempt by the government … The government should agree to review the agreement, and if not, it should resign so that we can go to early elections,” Sherifi added.