Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Thursday that an expert group will be established next week to examine the possibility of altering the course of the Ibar River, a proposal that has triggered concern and criticism in Kosovo and abroad.
Speaking during a visit to the village of Veliki Popović, Vučić said preliminary project documentation already exists in connection with an earlier request to build a small hydropower plant near Ribariće.
“By the way, I will remind you and give you the data. You will see that this was once requested by the Municipality of Novi Pazar and by the Bosniak council or some such organization. They had requested the construction of a small hydropower plant near Ribariće, as I have said,” Vučić said.
Asked about reactions to his proposal, including concerns expressed in Brussels, Vučić dismissed the criticism and said an expert group would examine the issue.
“They apparently always start from themselves and think that someone is doing something against someone,” he said, adding that preliminary project documentation exists and that experts would review the matter.
“This documentation exists, but soon, next week, an expert group will be formed to examine all of this and deal with the issue,” Vučić said.
The Serbian president has publicly raised the possibility of changing the Ibar’s course several times since August 9. Thursday’s statement marked the fifth time he has addressed the proposal publicly during that period.
The issue has generated strong reactions in Kosovo, Albania, the European Union and the United States, particularly because the Ibar feeds the artificial Lake Ujman, an important source of water for a significant number of people in Kosovo.
Kosovo officials have described Vučić’s statements as a serious threat and have called for an international response.
The proposal has also raised questions about its potential environmental, technical and cross-border implications, given the Ibar’s importance to water supplies and infrastructure in Kosovo.
The formation of an expert group in Serbia next week is therefore likely to bring renewed attention to the issue and to the wider dispute between Belgrade and Prishtina over water resources and security in northern Kosovo.
