President of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli, said today that the presidency has decided to call a round table on the issue of border demarcation with Montenegro on 3 August. Veseli said the round table as well as the debate on the matter should have taken place much sooner but, “better late than never.” “It is in our interest to protect the territory of Kosovo,” said Veseli further. At the same time, the regular plenary session of the Assembly has been scheduled to take place a day after the debate, on 4 August.

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, said in today’s meeting of the government that the draft law for ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will not be immediately sent to the Assembly for approval in order to give more time for the issue to be discussed with MPs and the public. According to Mustafa, Kosovo is not losing territory through the agreement and the debate will confirm this.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, replied on his Facebook page to the accusations of the former Assembly President, Jakup Krasniqi, presented today in an opinion piece published in the media, regarding the Agreement on demarcation of the border with Montenegro.

Vetëvendosje MP Donika Kadaj-Bujupi said today in Pristina that the demarcation deal with Montenegro will be submitted to the Kosovo Assembly this week. “We are receiving official information that it will be submitted for ratification this week,” Kadaj-Bujupi told reporters in Pristina today. She added that the Vetëvendosje Movement will use all means to stop the ratification of the demarcation deal. Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Vjosa Osmani said calling an extraordinary session of the Assembly to ratify the deal is a hasty decision.

The Pristina-based Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) issued a media communique today saying that uncertainties surrounding the border demarcation between Kosovo and Montenegro should be clarified, before the Kosovo government sends the demarcation deal for ratification to the Assembly. The communique notes: “Nearly one year after the signing of the agreement on the border between Kosovo and Montenegro, there is a need for an open parliamentary debate on the matter. The delineation of Kosovo’s borders is important for its political future and overall security.

The Kosovo government seems determined to send the border-demarcation deal with Montenegro to the Assembly. Unnamed sources told RTV Dukagjini that the government will meet on Wednesday at 10:00 to adopt the demarcation deal and then submit it to the Assembly. According to the same sources, the Assembly will meet in an extraordinary session to ratify the deal. “The agreement with Montenegro will be submitted [to the Assembly] on Wednesday. Everything is ready.

Vetëvendosje MP Donika Kadaj-Bujupi said today that the Kosovo government would make a “provocation” if it decided to submit to the Kosovo Assembly the border-demarcation with Montenegro. Kadaj-Bujupi said the Vetëvendosje Movement will oppose the current version of the agreement and ask for a review of the document. “The border-demarcation agreement will produce new crises,” she added.

Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli said in today’s plenary session that the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro will soon be brought to the Assembly for ratification. However, he suggested that a debate with MPs and civil society takes place beforehand. “I believe they are ready to join a round table before the issue comes to the Kosovo Assembly,” said Veseli.

The Kosovo Assembly presidency decided to schedule the next plenary session on Thursday but the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will not be on the agenda, said Assembly President Kadri Veseli. Asked by reporters to comment on the recent action by Vetëvendosje MPs who set up a Kosovo sign at the border with Montenegro, Veseli said no one should take actions that could impair neighbourly relations with Montenegro. “Not an inch of our country’s land will be given to another country”, declared Veseli at the end of the Assembly presidency’s meeting.

 Five MPs of the Vetevendosje movement, Albin Kurti, Fisnik Ismaili, Donika Kadaj-Bujupi and Ismajl Kurteshi, established today the logo of the Republic of Kosovo, near the border with Montenegro.