PRISTINA (Kosovo), March 21 (SeeNews) – US ambassador to Kosovo Greg Delawie urged Kosovo members of parliament on Wednesday to endorse a border deal with Montenegro, a key condition for visa liberalization with the European Union.
“I would urge MPs to vote yes on the Border Demarcation Agreement. I encourage them to vote yes for Europe. I encourage them to vote yes for progress for Kosovo," Delawie said in a Twitter post, after opposition MPs released teargas in the parliament hall earlier on Wednesday, disrupting the vote.
"This issue has tied things up for too long now. It is time for Kosovo to move forward.”
Parliament speaker Kadri Veseli said the session will continue when the situation in chamber returns to normal, according to a live video stream from the parliament.
The border demarcation agreement with Montenegro is being opposed by Kosovo's main opposition party Vetvendosje, who say the deal is damaging and unfair for Kosovo, because it did not take into account all existing maps of the border regions.
Kosovo parliament has delayed the ratification of the border agreement reached in 2015 with Montenegro due to continuous protest and boycott from opposition parties. Montenegro has already ratified the agreement.
The ratification of the border deal with Montenegro is essential for recommending visa liberalization with Kosovo, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said during his visit to Kosovo at the end of February.
Kosovo, considered to be a potential candidate for EU membership by the European Commission, is the only country in the Western Balkans whose citizens need visas to travel to EU member states.