The Albanian-American Civic League, through a statement sent to the national newspaper “Bota sot,” has commented on the latest political developments in Kosovo, particularly the closure of Serbian postal branches in Kosovo and the issue of opening the bridge over the Ibër River.
According to the Albanian-American Civic League, the criticisms and objections from some members of the European Union and the U.S. State Department are a form of appeasement toward Serbia, which has not faced any consequences for its involvement in the terrorist attack in Banjska against the Kosovo Police.
“But in the case of Kosovo, some European diplomats are helping maintain ethnic divisions by insisting on keeping the bridge closed. Kosovo must exercise its sovereignty over its entire territory and not succumb to this pressure. The Ibër Bridge should be opened and patrolled only by the Kosovo Police, putting an end once and for all to the different treatment of the north,” the statement reads.
Full Statement
Ziadeh, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, as well as the British and French embassies in Pristina, have expressed their concerns about the closure of nine Serbian postal branches in northern Kosovo and the efforts to open the Ibër Bridge, which separates the Serb-dominated north from the Albanian-dominated south of Kosovo.
Once again, the U.S. State Department, members of the European Union, and KFOR, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, have insisted that a decision to open the bridge should only be made within the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
The U.S. Embassy in Pristina has expressed its concern about the continued unilateral decisions in the north. On August 8, the British Embassy stated that “We are disappointed by the decision of the Kosovo authorities to close the Serbian postal branches in northern Kosovo without prior consultation or consideration of the impact on citizens.”
KFOR units have insisted that “they will maintain a permanent, fixed presence at the bridge and will continue to conduct regular patrols in the surrounding areas to ensure stability and security for the benefit of all communities.”
However, the request comes after Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević stated that Serbia did not agree with the Franco-German plan reached in 2022 for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and that Belgrade “will not sign anything that would confirm Kosovo’s statehood.”
On August 7, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had attempted to create an atmosphere of fear by making “false claims” that Albanians would march over the bridge to provoke a KFOR response in Mitrovica. He informed Western diplomats in advance, saying that “the bridge should be opened. It serves everyone and is against no one. Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security.” In a Facebook post on August 8, he added that “Bridges unite us, and together, let’s make it a symbol of normalization.”
On August 8, Kosovo’s Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that the opening of the Ibër Bridge would increase cooperation and understanding between communities and that this was foreseen years ago within the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo reached in Brussels in 2013.
Additionally, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, responded to the European Union’s criticism of the closure of nine branches of Serbia’s Postal Savings Bank by the Kosovo Police in the north, saying that “The actions taken by the Kosovo Police are solely in the service of protecting the rule of law, competition, and constitutionality in the country. Parallel structures and illegal activities have no place in the Republic of Kosovo. This should be supported by our international partners and allies.”
The criticisms and objections from some members of the European Union and the U.S. State Department are a form of appeasement toward Serbia, which has not faced any consequences for its involvement in the terrorist attack in Banjska against the Kosovo Police. The EU aims to remove state borders. But in the case of Kosovo, some European diplomats are helping maintain ethnic divisions by insisting on keeping the bridge closed. Kosovo must exercise its sovereignty over its entire territory and not succumb to this pressure. The Ibër Bridge should be opened and patrolled only by the Kosovo Police, putting an end once and for all to the different treatment of the north.
