Today Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa met international experts part of the ad-hoc commission on border demarcation with Montenegro established by President Atifete Jahjaga. The meeting was confirmed by Mustafa’s advisor Bajram Gecaj. “Prime Minster Mustafa expressed the full readiness of the Government of Kosovo to provide any contribution that may be required by the commission,” Gecaj wrote on Facebook.
Villagers from the Rugova community on the border with Montenegro have said they welcome plans for a presidential commission to reassess the controversial demarcation deal between Kosovo and Montenegro.
Rrustem Selimaj, who lives in Haxhaj village, told BIRN that his community is one of the most affected by the agreement between Kosovo and Montenegro on border demarcation.
The leader of the Initiative for Kosovo, Fatmir Limaj, will attend a meeting with international members of the Commission for Demarcation, established by President Atifete Jahjaga. Limaj’s presence was confirmed by Endrit Shala from Nisma.
In a meeting with representatives of Kosovo civil society, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci spoke about the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro. “With regards to the Association, the Government of Kosovo respects the decision of the Constitutional Court which noted that certain elements of the principles for its establishment are not in line with the spirit of the Constitution.
Adriatik Kelmendi writes that after the verdict of the Constitutional Court on the establishment of the Association/Community of the Serb-majority municipalities, the 200 thousand signatures of the petition against this Association, tens of thousands of protesters, the only solution for the situation in Kosovo appears to be early elections. However, new elections would be a solution only if the five main political parties of Albanian majority reach a consensus on a several-points plan for national reconciliation.
A Montenegrin parliamentary committee has backed confirmation of the border agreement with Kosovo and a vote on the issue could take place by the end of this year.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/montenegro-to-seal-border-deal-with-kosovo-12-22-2015
The United States Embassy in Pristina announced that the U.S. State Department has reviewed the Kosovo-Montenegro border demarcation document prepared by the Kosovo State Commission for Marking and Maintenance of the State Border.
In a statement to the media, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said that it is final time for the Kosovo leadership to retract agreements on border demarcation with Montenegro and Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. The AAK said that the calling of Assembly sessions at a time when Kosovo is experiencing a deep political crisis is becoming dangerous. The party called on the President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga to urgently intervene in resolving the situation.
According to Adriatik Kelmendi, the responsibility for the very much discussed issue of the demarcation of the border between Kosovo and Montenegro belongs to greediness, corruption and minor thefts committed by some individuals during the past years. Kelmendi notes that based on the discussions with eminent geography university professors, the commission for demarcation of the borderline was mainly based on municipal border of Peja and Berane (former Ivangrad) which were set in 1931.
Kosovo Government’s commission on border demarcation with Montenegro said that it concluded its duty in accordance to the set rules and did not harm Kosovo’s interests. In a press release, the commission further stated that the recent debate on the issue should not receive political connotations because the border demarcation process was carried out based on the relevant documents provided by both Kosovo and Montenegro.