Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, has visited the Iber Bridge in Mitrovica for the third consecutive day.
In North Mitrovica, he attended a meeting with Serbian citizens at the Municipal Assembly, where the discussion focused on the opening of the bridge.
In his Facebook post, Krasniqi mentioned that the interest was “high” and the “questions were numerous.”
“Today, at the Municipal Assembly of North Mitrovica, we held a public discussion with citizens, local media, and civil society to discuss community security, interethnic dialogue, and the opening of the bridge, which will serve to connect and bring closer citizens of all ethnicities living in this municipality. The interest was high, and the questions were numerous. For every concern and issue raised by the citizens, civil society members, and the media, together with Mayor Atiq, Deputy Mayor Adancic, Deputy Director Elshani, and the head of the Ministry of Interior’s Cabinet, Tela, we responded, assuring that the opening of the bridge will contribute to integration, development, and rapprochement among communities. I am grateful to everyone for their contribution to this discussion,” he wrote.
Krasniqi noted that in North Mitrovica, in addition to Serbs, there are also Albanians, Egyptians, Bosniaks, Ashkali, and Turks.
“Citizens from the Bosniak neighborhood, city center, miners’ hill, doctors’ neighborhood, Suhodoll, Vinarci, etc., have different ethnic backgrounds but face the same problems and challenges. Therefore, there needs to be joint work to address them. Together, we will ensure that the bridge over the Ibar becomes a symbol of coexistence and security, not of division and unrest,” he wrote.
Krasniqi was at the Ibar Bridge on Wednesday and Tuesday as well, along with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla. This time, he was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, whose department has engaged a company currently testing the stability of the main bridge over the Ibar River.
The Municipality of Mitrovica, led by the Vetëvendosje Movement, organized a “meeting and discussion with citizens, civil society activists, and local media representatives,” which was announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
At this meeting, Krasniqi was accompanied by the head of the Ministry of Interior’s Cabinet, Jeta Tela, and the Deputy Director of Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani.
KFOR has increased its presence around the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica following warnings from the Kosovo Government about its opening.
The NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo warned on Tuesday that it would not hesitate to confront any development that might affect the security environment and regional stability, while the Kosovo Police stated they are prepared to execute any possible order to open the bridge, which has remained closed since the end of the war in 1999.
