Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani stated on Thursday that Kosovo must ensure that the bridge in the north is opened in a way that does not provoke conflict with the country’s allies or lead to an increased presence of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR.
“The bridge must be opened, but we need to make sure that when it is opened, it remains open permanently and does not provoke a much larger NATO presence. We have no reason to be in conflict with our allies,” said Osmani.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government has insisted on opening the bridge for vehicle traffic, which divides Mitrovica into a predominantly Albanian southern part and a predominantly Serbian northern part, despite ongoing opposition from the international community and local Serbs.
QUINT countries— the U.S., the UK, France, Germany, and Italy—have called the Kurti government’s decision to open the bridge at this time unilateral. The EU has urged that the issue of the bridge be discussed in dialogue with Serbia.
