The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said on Wednesday that the opening of the main bridge over the Ibër River in Mitrovica is not against anyone and even less against Kosovo's allies, evaluating its opening as fair, necessary and beneficial for all.
He made these comments at a government meeting, after warnings about the opening of the bridge over the Ibër River for the movement of cars.
“The Government of the Republic of Kosovo and I as the Prime Minister deeply believe that freedom of movement and the rule of law on the one hand and peace and security on the other are possible together and right for the country, society and state, citizens and communities. We will continue consultations and coordination with our partners, the opening of the bridge is not against anyone”, it is.
But plans to open the bridge are opposed by members of the Serbian community and criticized by the United States and the European Union.
A day ago, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albi Kurti, discussed with the commander of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Özkan Ulutaş, about the government's intention to open the bridge.
Through a press release, the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosovo called on Tuesday to avoid unilateral statements and actions that could fuel tensions, stressing that KFOR “will not hesitate to act in response to any development of important security”.
International partners are asking Kosovo that the opening of the main bridge over the Iber, which also marks the dividing line between the two municipalities of this city, be handled within the framework of talks facilitated by the European Union.
The European Union, which has warned of increased punitive measures for Kosovo in case it acts unilaterally in the north of the country, said on Tuesday that it plans to decide the status of the bridge over the Iber River at the next Kosovo-Serbia meeting in Brussels.
The authorities in Kosovo on Tuesday also published the preliminary results of testing the stability of this bridge, where it is emphasized that the bridge over the Ibër River is stable and functional for the movement of cars.
