Pristina: Montenegro deal passed amid tear gas incidents

Members of the Kosovo Assembly on Wednesday ratified the demarcation agreement with Montenegro.

Before the vote could take place, the session was interrupted four times as deputies from the opposition Self-Determination Movement threw tear gas, in an attempt to prevent it.

Seven members of the Assembly from this party have been arrested, while six have been removed from its further work.

The demarcation agreement was signed two years ago in Vienna, and Wednesday's session to ratify it came after three failed attempts.

The use of tear gas in the Assembly was condemned by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, representatives of embassies in Pristina, and EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

(EPA-EFE)

Media around the world published photographs and videos of the incident.

"I strongly condemn the use of tear gas, such behavior has no place in a democracy. On this important day, Kosovo leaders must assume their responsibilities and vote the demarcation agreement," Hahn stated earlier in the day.

Their citizens can only benefit from this step with visa liberalization "on the horizon," the EU official wrote on Twitter.