Still dilemma if votes are secured for demarcation

Despite the fact that four-time sessions for ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro have been scheduled for Tuesday, dilemmas remain if the votes necessary for its passage have been secured.

The coalition claims it has exactly 80 votes for ratification of the agreement, as much as is the lowest possible but sufficient border. But, now, concerns have also been raised if, on Tuesday, any of the MPs, especially among the parties that have been declared to support the agreement, were missing at the session, what could not ratify the agreement.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the Social Democrat Initiative, the New Kosovo Alliance and opposition political party the Democratic League of Kosovo have already reached a consensus for the demarcation vote.

But all together cannot achieve the number of 80 votes needed for ratification. Therefore, they are awaiting reflections even from deputies appointed by the Vetevendosje Movement, the Group of Independent Deputies (which has been separated from the Vetevendosje group) and those on the Serbian List.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has not reflected much optimism on whether sufficient votes have been secured for ratification of the agreement, but rather has focused on senbilisation of MPs.

Haradinaj has invited MPs to vote for ratification of the demarcation.

He said the absence of a single MP at Tuesday's session could affect the continuation of Kosovo's isolation, because the European Commission has made it clear that ratification of demarcation is the necessary condition for visa liberalisation.

The loss of an MP that day is to keep Kosovo in isolation”, Prime Minister Haradinaj stressed.

“I'm hearing a lot of MPs saying what the Government should do if the bill for demarcation is voted or voted. And I am asking the question, what those deputies who become responsible for failing to pass this law, who prohibits the isolation of the country and respects territorial integrity”, Haradinaj said.

He has also confirmed that no agreement has been reached with Serbian List deputies to vote on the demarcation agreement so far.

On the other hand, Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Dalibor Jevtic has said of Serbian media that the Serbian List has no interest in the topic of demarcation of the border between Kosovo and Montenegro. Yevtic has also stressed that there has been pressure from the international community to vote on this agreement.

Political analyst Artan Mujaziri, calling the session without securing the exact number of votes, sees it as something inconsistent.

If this happens again, if there is no vote, then it would be a terrible thing, a shameful thing. It would be a continuation of the until now game with the feelings of citizens, with their expectations, which would be absolutely unforgivable”, Mujariri said.

According to him, it is already time for Kosovo institutions to think directly about the future of citizens and the possibility of their free movement to the countries of the European Union.

The European Union's “Even limits are going towards the end, and if it is not adopted on Tuesday, there will be major procedural problems to liberalise visas this year”, Muhramir said.

During this year, in three cases the Kosovo Assembly has gathered at the plenary hearings for ratification of demarcation with Montenegro, but the issue has failed to pass on the voting procedure, because there was a lack of vote for ratification of the agreement.

The border demarcation agreement with Montenegro was signed in August 2015 in Vienna. Meanwhile, Montenegro's Assembly has ratified this agreement, but not that of Kosovo, due to lack of internal consensus.

Ratification of this agreement remains the condition set by the European Commission for abolishing the visa regime for Kosovo citizens.