Morina / Vërmica border crossing

42.156111111111 20.5475Coordinates: 42 ° 9 ′ 22 ″ N , 20 ° 32 ′ 51 ″ E

The Morina / Vërmica border crossing ( Albanian Vendkalimi kufitar Morina / Vërmica , Serbian Гранични прелаз Морина / Врбница Granični prelaz Morina / Vrbnica ) is located on the border between Albania and Kosovo .

geography

The border crossing from Kosovo seen before the construction of the highway in 2011

The border crossing is located in the southwest of Kosovo or northeast Albania in the valley of the White Drin between the two mountains Koritnik in the south and Pashtrik in the north in the large municipality of Prizren . The border crossing connects the Autostrada A1 in Albania and the Autostrada R 7 in Kosovo.

The border crossing is named after the villages of Vërmica in Kosovo and Morina in Albania, which are located directly on the border.

economy

Albanian side of the border crossing

With the construction of the Road of the Nation ( Albanian Rruga e Kombit ), the first high-speed road connection between Kosovo and Albania, the border crossing gained importance. Most of the goods transport between Albania and Kosovo runs via Vërmica, and most travelers cross the border here.

Kosovo War

During the Kosovo war , tens of thousands of Albanian refugees passed the border in Vërmica, some of them a day . Back then, Vërmica was the only border crossing between Kosovo and Albania. On June 13, 1999, Bundeswehr troops from Albania passed the border near Morina after NATO and Yugoslavia had agreed to withdraw Serbian troops from Kosovo.

Web links

Commons : Morina / Vërmica border crossing - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ European Commission: Reconstruction of Hani i Hotit Border Crossing Point (BCP) and Completion of Works at Morine (Kukes) BCP . 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
↑ Michael Schwarz, Gaby Neujahr, Annette Blettner: The misery of the expellees. In: Focus. April 12, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .
↑ AFP: Five refugees killed by mine. New references to mass graves. In: Der Tagesspiegel. April 18, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .
^ John Lancaster, James Rupert: Kosovo Escape Routes Closed Off Again. In: The Washington Post. April 20, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .
^ Frank Nordhausen, Norbert Mappes-Niediek: tanks, flowers, tears of joy. In: Berliner Zeitung. June 14, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .

[1] European Commission: Reconstruction of Hani i Hotit Border Crossing Point (BCP) and Completion of Works at Morine (Kukes) BCP . 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2017.

[2] Michael Schwarz, Gaby Neujahr, Annette Blettner: The misery of the expellees. In: Focus. April 12, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .

[3] AFP: Five refugees killed by mine. New references to mass graves. In: Der Tagesspiegel. April 18, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .

[4] John Lancaster, James Rupert: Kosovo Escape Routes Closed Off Again. In: The Washington Post. April 20, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .

[5] Frank Nordhausen, Norbert Mappes-Niediek: tanks, flowers, tears of joy. In: Berliner Zeitung. June 14, 1999, accessed May 20, 2017 .