The Municipal Assembly of Nikšić has rejected an initiative by the Democratic People’s Party (DNP) calling for the adoption of a declaration demanding the “withdrawal of recognition” of Kosovo, arguing that local authorities have no legal authority over such matters.
The initiative was submitted by the DNP, led by Milan Knežević, whose local councilors proposed that the Nikšić Municipal Assembly adopt a declaration calling on Montenegro to revoke its recognition of Kosovo.
In its proposal, the DNP described Montenegro’s decision to recognize Kosovo in 2008 as a move made “against the will of the majority of citizens,” while referring to Kosovo as an “inseparable part of Serbia.”
However, the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) party, which is part of the local government, opposed the initiative, stating that the recognition or withdrawal of recognition of a state falls exclusively under the authority of central institutions and not local governments.
NSD recalled that it had taken the same position in 2012, when it opposed a similar initiative that, according to the party, attempted to link local political agreements with the issue of Kosovo’s recognition.
“We said then, as we say today, that this is not within the competence of local self-government. Those who believe that municipalities recognized Kosovo and that they should now withdraw that recognition may continue with such initiatives, but this will not happen in Nikšić,” NSD stated.
Meanwhile, according to the Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, European Union officials have informally conveyed concerns to Montenegrin authorities regarding initiatives aimed at withdrawing recognition of Kosovo.
According to the report, EU officials warned that such a move could negatively affect Montenegro’s European integration process. However, no official statement from the European Union confirming these claims has been made public so far.
The case in Nikšić highlights divisions within Montenegro’s pro-Serbian political spectrum over how to approach the Kosovo issue, despite the generally similar positions of these political forces regarding Kosovo’s status.
