The Office of Kosovo’s Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has responded after the Municipal Assembly of Pljevlja adopted a declaration opposing Montenegro’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
In a statement to Televizioni E, Kurti’s Office stressed that Montenegro’s recognition of Kosovo, granted in 2008 by the country’s constitutional institutions, remains fully valid and legally binding.
According to the statement, decisions or declarations adopted by municipal authorities have no authority to alter a state’s foreign policy and do not affect the good-neighborly relations between Kosovo and Montenegro.
The Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed Kosovo’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Montenegro, describing such municipal initiatives as politically ineffective because they attempt to misrepresent the official policy of the Montenegrin government.
The statement further emphasized that relations between the two countries are based on mutual recognition, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a shared commitment to peace, regional stability, and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Kurti’s Office also recalled the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which concluded that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law.
Concluding the statement, the Prime Minister’s Office expressed the view that initiatives of this kind may reflect political influence from Belgrade, which it said has historically sought to challenge not only Kosovo’s independence but also Montenegro’s sovereign and independent political orientation.
