Authorities in Kosovo have blamed the delays to the border demarcation on “technical issues”.
“Once these technical issues are resolved, the Ministry will work to facilitate border traffic,” the government said.
Montenegro’s interior ministry said “there is not a single problem” on its side of the border.
“Over the last decade, several initiatives have been sent to Kosovo authorities through diplomatic channels for the implementation of this Agreement, but there has been no response from their side,” the ministry told BIRN.
“The reasons for the non-implementation of the Agreement lie exclusively on the Kosovo side.”
The consequences, however, are felt on both sides.
Near Velika, a village on the slopes of Cakorr/Cakor mountain near the Lim River, an old military bunker stands as a ruined reminder that this was once a stronghold of the Yugoslav People’s Army, JNA.
“The troubled days are behind us, the years lived under the shadow of watchtowers and military outposts are gone, but we need to move freely,” said 56-year-old Vuksan Vuletic, who spends every summer with his family on Cakorr/Cakor mountain. He joined the road protest last month.
“The states must make a decision on this,” Vuletic told BIRN. “It would make a huge difference if this road were reopened for the entire Lim Valley and beyond.”
In Murino, another of the mountain villages, café owner Nedzad Cecunjanin said the city of Peja/Pec in Kosovo was “like a second mother” to people like him.
“We were educated there and relied on it for many of our needs,” he said. “During the war, it was where we found safety. We have many family ties and godparent relationships there. We even have our cemeteries there.”
“But all of that has gradually been disrupted because we have been cut off from Peja/Pec since 1999.”
“We appeal to the governments of Kosovo and Montenegro, as well as the EU and foreign embassies, to help reopen this road as soon as possible,” he said.
Not everyone agrees. Some villagers on the Montenegrin side fear the reopening of the road may lead to Kosovo seeking more land.
