Serbia

Territorial and border demarcation disputes between Serbia and the other states which
emerged following the dissolution of the SFRY vary from case to case, and the border
delimitation process has been completed with Macedonia alone.

Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro

The history of the border between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro is almost a century long. The border between the two countries was defined for the first time by The Treaty of London in 1913, with which both sides were satisfied. At some times the boundary line was not a state border as for example in the period from 1945 to 2006 when Serbia and Montenegro were republics of the same state. After Montenegro’s declaration of independence in 2006, the demarcation process became a diplomatic issue again. Serbia recognized Montenegro on 15th June 2006, 12 days after its declaration of independence and diplomatic relations were good until 2008. Relations between Montenegro and Kosovo influenced diplomatic relations between Montenegro and Serbia. When Montenegro recognized Kosovo as an independent state, the Montenegrin ambassador was declared to be persona non grata in Serbia and diplomatic relations were broken off. The Montenegrin ambassador reappointed after a year, but Kosovo remained the weakest point in diplomatic relations between the two countries. Serbia considers Kosovo to be its southern province and monitors developments in the demarcation process between Montenegro and Kosovo. The Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs could often be heard making statements that the border between Montenegro and Kosovo does not exist and that Serbia considers any talks on the issue between the two countries to be a threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The border between Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo and Metohija is 249.5 km long and control is divided into four sectors.

The process of border demarcation between Serbia and Montenegro is in progress. Both
countries created a commission for delimitation in 2008, but the body’s work body was halted when Montenegro recognized Kosovo’s independence, because Serbia did not want to take part in negotiations about borders if Kosovo was not included in the process as part of Serbia. This caused deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries and postponed the talks on delineation. Political factors will interfere with the talks between Serbia and Montenegro as long as the status of Kosovo and Metohija is left unresolved.
The first progress in negotiations between Serbia and Montenegro was made in
2011, when an Interstate Commission was assigned to negotiate on demarcation, border
crossings and cross-border traffic. At the first meeting, held on 7 March 2011, four border agreements relating to traffic were agreed – three on road traffic (Gostun – Dobrakovo,Špiljani – Dračenovac and Jabuka –Rače) and one railway agreement defining control on the railway line Beograd (Serbia) – Bar (Montenegro). Control of passengers will be performed without stopping trains and cargo traffic in Bijelo Polje (Montenegro). The agreements require ratification.

Serbia resents and does not recognize a border demarcation deal that Montenegro has with Kosovo, regarding it as a violation of its own territorial integrity.  The process of border demarcation between Serbia and Montenegro is still pending because of the Kosovo issue, despite the fact that there are actually no disputes between the two states about where the border should be. But, after Montenegro recognized Kosovo’s independence, Serbia refused to continue negotiations if Kosovo was not part of this process as a part of Serbia.

 

Territorial and Border Demarcation Disputes
in the Western Balkans
Case study: The Demarcation process between Serbia and Montenegro
Zorana Brozovic

In February 2008 the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state but rather as its Southern province. Ethnic communities on both sides of the boundary between Kosovo and Serbia are affected by the resulting political tension, insecurity, disruption and marginalisation. Between 25 and 28 July 2011 the situation escalated in Northern Kosovo, when the Government of Kosovo imposed controls on Serbian goods in response to Serbian blocks on goods in place since 2008 (due to Serbian non-recognition of Kosovan customs stamps). The deployment of Kosovan special police alongside customs officers at two border checkpoints was perceived by ethnic Serbs as a provocation. This led to violence resulting in the death of a Kosovo police officer and the destruction of a border post. The situation in Northern Kosovo remains tense.