Pljevlja Municipal Assembly adopts Declaration on Non-Recognition of Kosovo's Independence

The Municipal Assembly (MA) of Pljevlja adopted a Declaration of Non-Recognition of the Decision to Recognize the Unilaterally Proclaimed Independence of Kosovo with 18 votes.

The document was proposed by the Democratic People's Party (DNP), and the same was previously adopted by the Zeta Municipal Assembly.

The document, which contains six points, does not explicitly state "recognition" of Kosovo in either Zeta or Pljevlja. However, it states that the Pljevlja parliament "remains committed... to the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, based on international law and the UN Security Council Resolution..."

Point one of the declaration states that the Pljevlja Municipal Council "notes with particular concern that the position of Montenegrins and Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is deteriorating daily under the temporary Pristina institutions."

The second states that the Pljevlja Municipal Assembly "regrets that all previous governments of Montenegro, since gaining independence (2006), have ignored the majority position of the citizens of Montenegro that Kosovo and Metohija are an integral part of the Republic of Serbia."

Point three states that the Pljevlja Municipal Assembly calls on the Government of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić (PES) to pursue a "balanced foreign policy" and not to vote for decisions in international institutions and organizations "that are directed against the interests of the majority Montenegro and the neighboring and brotherly state of Serbia."

"The Pljevlja Municipal Assembly, in solidarity with the suffering Montenegrin and Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, issues this declaration as a form of support and efforts to resolve the crisis caused by the unilateral declaration of independence peacefully; the Pljevlja Municipal Assembly remains committed to respecting the UN Charter, the inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, based on international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1244," it is stated in points four and five of the declaration.

After the former Democratic Front (DF), consisting of the DNP and NSD, unsuccessfully tried to adopt a declaration on "recognition" of Kosovo in the Zeta parliament three years ago, Knežević announced in mid-April that he would raise the issue - this time in other municipalities where the DNP is part of the government, but also at the state level.

The initiative to adopt the declaration was launched by DNP MP Vladislav Bojović, explaining that the local parliament should take a position on, as he stated, "the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo."

The initiative was put on the agenda by 19 councilors - all ten councilors of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD), two representatives of the DNP, independent councilor Ratko Pejović, two representatives of the Movement for Pljevlja Novice Stanić, three of the four councilors of Democratic Montenegro, and United Montenegro councilor Dejana Petrić. At least 18 "hands" are needed to adopt the document.

The only Democratic councilor who did not support the initiative is Milojica Tešović, who believes that the local parliament should not discuss foreign policy issues because they are within the jurisdiction of state institutions, i.e. the Government.

Independent councilor Miomir Drobnjak also previously announced that he would not support the adoption of the declaration for the same reasons.