Kosovo Landowners Face Decades-Long Isolation as Border Crossing Remains Closed

Families who have owned mountainous meadowland along the Kosovo-Montenegro border for generations cannot access their properties because a promised border crossing has not been built despite an agreement signed over a decade ago. The closure of a traditional mountain road in 1999, following NATO intervention in Kosovo, has isolated dozens of Albanian and Montenegrin landowners in the Accursed Mountains region near the Cakorr pass, which sits at approximately 1,850 metres above sea level.

A Journey That Became Impossible

Mehdi Berisha owns 23 hectares of meadowland in the Bjehulle area, property his family cultivated for generations when Kosovo and Montenegro formed part of the same Yugoslav state. Before 1999, he could travel directly from his village of Dubovik in Kosovo to his land—a journey of minutes. Today, accessing the same property requires a 110-kilometre detour through the main border crossing at Kulla, connecting the towns of Peja in Kosovo and Rozaje in Montenegro. The economic logic of such a journey, Berisha explained, makes no financial sense.

"I grew up in this part of Cakorr, just like my father and grandfather, when there was no border," the 48-year-old told regional media. "It has been 27 years, and we are still waiting for a solution regarding our property." Berisha and other campaigners are calling for the reopening of a local border crossing point at Cakorr, which would dramatically reduce travel time and enable productive use of the land.

Agreements Made, But Not Implemented

The pathway toward a solution appeared clear in 2014, when Kosovo and Montenegro agreed to open an international border crossing on the road at Kotlovi-Kucishte. The following year, the two countries signed a formal demarcation agreement covering their 79-kilometre shared border, based on the 1974 Yugoslav constitution. Kosovo's parliament ratified the agreement in 2018 as a condition for securing a European Union visa waiver. However, the physical demarcation of the border line on the ground remains unfinished, as does the construction of an additional 1.9 kilometres of road on the Kosovo side required to complete the crossing.

The delays have left the region economically disadvantaged. Local stakeholders argue that reopening the crossing would not only resolve a property access issue but could revitalise tourism and economic development in one of the Balkans' most remote mountain areas. With no timeline disclosed for completing the outstanding work, landowners continue to wait.