The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, questioned whether it is the right time to construct additional bridges over the Iber River, noting that the priority should be easing tensions rather than creating new ones.
Rohde emphasized that local elections are approaching, and the political climate is heating up. He suggested that solving traffic congestion at the entrances to Vushtrri would be more beneficial than building two new bridges over the Iber.
“When we went to Mitrovica, you know the roads. I would say it would be more important to resolve daily traffic jams around Vushtrri than to construct two bridges. This would significantly ease the flow of traffic,” he explained.
He added that the KFOR environment in the north has often been declared inappropriate for certain actions. “We all want to open the bridge, it hasn’t happened yet. But if the climate isn’t right to open one bridge, is it really appropriate to open two? We’ll see. The last thing anyone wants is more KFOR interventions in the north,” Rohde said in an interview with Info Magazine on Klan Kosova.
Rohde also spoke about the visit of Michael Reiffenstuel, Director for the Western Balkans, Turkey, the Council of Europe, and OSCE at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said the key message of the visit was that Kosovo needs to carry out its responsibilities and establish functioning institutions.
“The visit came at the right time. As we publicly stated after it, the key message was that Kosovo has been without a functional government and parliament for six months. Do your homework and do it because this ongoing constitutional crisis contradicts the will of the people. You cannot have a real partner if there is no proper majority on the other side,” Rohde concluded.
