Prompt Lajcak: Uncoordinated opening of Ibër Bridge can bring incidents

Slovak emissary Miroslav Lajcak has said the uncoordinated opening of the Ibër Bridge could lead to incidents and complicate the dialogue situation even further.

Lajcak in an interview for Kosovo Online has said the opening of the bridge is the object of agreements reached on the side of Brussels, and that the opening should be done co-ordinated and agreed. The Slovak emissary has said it is never good for partners to be surprised.

He has expressed readiness to put it on the agenda of the upcoming meeting in Brussels if Kosovo and Serbia have readiness.

“We have repeatedly called on Kosovo and Serbia to address issues in dialogue and refrain from uncoordinated actions. It's never good if international partners are surprised. In this case, the uncoordinated opening of the Ibër main bridge could lead to security incidents and further complicate the normalisation process. The opening of the bridge in Mitrovica is the object of two agreements under the EU-brokered dialogue between 2015 and 2016. Although I agree that the bridge should be opened and we've been looking for it for a long time, it should be done in a coordinated and agreed manner. Any decision regarding the bridge must first be considered and made in dialogue. If the parties are interested, I will gladly put this issue on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of chief negotiators”, Lajcak has said. /