Returning the bridge opening issue on the Iber River, LVV releases at request

LVV actor Aida Ferati-Doli said the bridge issue on Iber was discussed in the dialogue mediated by the European Union in 2015 and “this issue has closed”. According to her, the bridge issue belongs to two municipalities -- North and South Mitrovica -- as well as the Republic of Kosovo.

The decision we made last year should never be reversed. However, citizens have seen the statement and started to ask when it will be opened, and it means they are very excited and excited about the matter”, she said during the Assembly of the Municipal Assembly on May 31st.

At the session, North Mitrovica municipality Assembly Speaker Nedzad Uglanin said it is for opening the bridge, for free movement “according to European standards”. He said implementation of the bridge issue decision is binding on local authorities.

“We support each movement, the Sʹna bridge should be symbolic, but we need it for co-existence among communities”, he said.

There are demands that the North Mitrovica municipality Assembly session continue without media presence.

The European Union, mediating dialogue for normalisation of reports between Kosovo and Serbia, says the issue of the bridge over the Iber River should be resolved under dialogue in Brussels.

The bridge over the Iber River since 1999 separated Mitrovica in the southern, inhabited by Albanian majority, and in the northern part, inhabited by Serb majority.

The decision to open the bridge was taken at the North Mitrovica Assembly in April 2023, but this decision has not yet been implemented.

This municipality is led by Erden Attic, who comes from the Vetevendosje Movement évendosje party of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Against implementing the decision to open the bridge over Iber has the Serbian List -- the main party of Serbs in Kosovo enjoying Belgrade's support.

This party said that the opening of the bridge for vehicles is “absolutely unnecessary, unacceptable and an escalating movement, aimed at further destabilising the situation on the ground”.

The Serbian List, through an announcement, called on the international community that “showed Kurti that opening the bridge cannot be done without the consent of Serbs living in northern Kosovo”.

In northern Kosovo, inhabited by Serb majority, where North Mitrovica is located, tensions are high since Serbs left Kosovo institutions in November 2022.

In the following period, official Pristina has replaced members of police from the Serb community with members of other communities, mainly Albanian. Also, it has held local elections, which have been boycotted by Serbian citizens, which has enabled, then, Albanian candidates to take power.

Since then, several crises and incidents have occurred, including a group of Serbs' attack on the Kosovo Police in Zvecan Banjsk, when a police officer was killed. Three Serb attackers were also killed in the subsequent clashes.

Likewise, the local population has expressed dissatisfaction with the recent decision by Kosovo authorities, which prohibits the use of the Serbian dinar for handling cash payments. / REL