The U.S. Department of State has reviewed the detailed delimitation line of the Kosovo-Montenegro border prepared by the Kosovo State Commission for Marking and Maintenance of the State Border. We understand the basis for the Commission’s demarcation effort was the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, which defined Kosovo’s border from the administrative borders of municipalities, which are broken into cadastral zones. This basis of delineation was also used in the 2007 Comprehensive Settlement Proposal of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and the 2008 Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.
Following a review of the maps from the 1940s to the present, including those used by the commission demarcating the border, the State Department has determined the recently-delimited border closely aligns with the border as defined by the 1974 Constitution. The borders we have depicted since 2008 match the proposed border of 2015 in detail. We note that conclusion of the border demarcation agreement is an EU condition for visa liberalization and represents an important step in Kosovo’s path toward European integration.
