Montenegro’s foreign ministry said it sent a diplomatic note to Kosovo’s embassy in Podgorica on Sept. 17 after gunfire suspected to have come from Kosovo struck near the Hajla-Shtedim ski resort close to the border between the two states.
The ministry said the note followed repeated incidents reported by police in Rozaje and that Kosovo’s ambassador had been notified on Sept. 22. It asked Kosovo to identify and prosecute the perpetrators and to inform Montenegro of any measures taken.
At least two cases of damage were recorded at the ski resort, located about 1.5 km from the border. In the first incident, in July 2023, shots damaged a cabin. In the second, on Aug. 24 this year, gunfire hit another resort facility. Prosecutors in Rozaje have opened or plan to open investigations.
“We believe these isolated incidents do not reflect the clear commitment of our two states to strengthen regional cooperation and improve bilateral relations,” the ministry said in a statement to Radio Free Europe.
The ministry said it also reminded Kosovo of the importance of implementing three interstate agreements: on the demarcation of the border, the opening of a joint crossing point at Kotlovi-Kuqishte, and regulation of cross-border traffic.
Kosovo police officials in Peja told Radio Free Europe they had no information about border security incidents, saying their main focus was maintaining public order. Kosovo’s central police directorate and government have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Montenegrin media reported the ski resort is now under police protection and that a number of incidents have been recorded in recent months, the most serious on Aug. 24. The Rozaje municipal security council has also discussed the issue.
“Frankly, the Aug. 24 incident goes beyond a security incident and perhaps rises to the level of a diplomatic one,” local security chief Vladimir Delevic was quoted as saying.
Analysts link the tensions to discontent over the 2015 border demarcation agreement, which critics in Kosovo say ceded some 8,000 hectares of land, including the site of the planned ski resort. Among its opponents were former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, whose home village is near the area where shots were fired, as well as current Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has called for changes to the deal.
Montenegro ratified the border agreement in 2015, while Kosovo’s parliament approved it three years later.