Residents and activists from Peja, Plava, Gucia and Andrijevica have announced a peaceful protest on April 25, with the main demand being the functionalization of the road and the opening of the border crossing at Çakorr, which would facilitate the connection between Kosovo and Montenegro.
The protest will be held under the slogan "Enough with isolation!" and is expected to take place in the Kotlovi - Kuçishte area, on the Çakorri mountain. The organizers are asking the central institutions in Kosovo and Montenegro to treat this issue as a priority and enable the opening of the border crossing.
In relation to this matter, Telegrafi contacted Faik Zekaj, chief of staff of the mayor of Peja, Gazmend Muhaxheri - who stressed that the municipality does not have direct competence for this project, but has been engaged in raising this request at the central level.
Photo: Faik Zekaj, Chief of Staff of the Mayor of Peja
"The Peja-Kuçishte-Çakorr road is a regional road and is within the framework of the Ministry of Infrastructure, also because it connects two countries, Kosovo and Montenegro," he said.
"This is one of the reasons that we have also requested, and it was not within our competence, the opening of this road."
Zekaj added that, according to him, the Montenegrin side was willing to open the border crossing, while there was a lack of such willingness from local institutions.
"In every meeting, we have asked both local institutions and the institutions of Montenegro. We have seen a willingness from the institutions of Montenegro to open the border, but so far only in our institutions have we not seen a willingness to open the border in Çakorr and this seems to be for political reasons," he announced.
"Enough with isolation": Protest on April 25 for the urgent opening of the border crossing in Çakorr
He emphasized that the opening of this border crossing would have a direct impact on the economic and tourist development of the region, as well as on facilitating the movement of citizens.
"The citizens are also aware that as a road, that part of the road is not within the municipality, so they have requested some support, which we have requested in every meeting to open that border point and pave the road," Zekaj declared.
"That part is the most important part for the development of tourism, especially for the Rugova mountains, also because of the easier access for Albanians from Plav and Gucia, who have easier access even when coming to the city of Peja," he concluded.
Telegrafi has also attempted to obtain a position from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, but until the publication of this news, no response has been received. /Telegrafi/
