Serb List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo backed by Belgrade, initiated a petition today in North Mitrovica against the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River. The foundation stones for these bridges were laid on July 1st, with the presence of Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
Kosovo’s Vision vs. Serb Opposition
The Government of Kosovo has allocated approximately three million euros for the construction of these two bridges – one for pedestrians and another for traffic – with completion expected by autumn. Acting Prime Minister Kurti stated that the project aims to connect North Mitrovica, which has a Serb majority population, with South Mitrovica, predominantly Albanian. He emphasized the government’s commitment to “greater communication, circulation, cooperation, and exchange between North and South.”
Serb List’s Stance and International Appeal
Conversely, the head of Serb List, Zlatan Elek, told Radio Television of Serbia that the petition’s purpose is to “demonstrate a unified stance of the Serb people that they do not accept unilateral decisions on projects to the detriment of the Serb community.” He added that the petition would be open for signatures for two days before being submitted to the international community.
The European Union previously told Radio Free Europe that any decision on infrastructure construction along the Ibar River should be made carefully and comprehensively, ensuring the full involvement of all affected communities.
Existing Bridge History and Tensions
These new bridges are planned near the main Ibar River bridge, which is part of the Agreement on Freedom of Movement within the dialogue for normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This main bridge is continuously guarded by NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission due to its history of ethnic conflicts in the post-war period and its closure to vehicular traffic. Currently, it is open only to pedestrians.
Last summer, the Kosovo Government’s warning about potentially opening the main bridge for traffic heightened tensions and drew reactions from the international community. Acting Prime Minister Kurti affirmed that his government would never give up on opening the main bridge. While some Serb community members from North Mitrovica expressed concerns that opening the main bridge would increase tensions, Albanians from South Mitrovica believe it would contribute to coexistence and freedom of movement.
In 2014, Kosovo and Serbia agreed to open the main bridge for traffic as part of the normalization dialogue. The so-called revitalization of the bridge was planned with the aim of removing all barricades set up by local Serbs and functionalizing the bridge. A new implementation plan was approved in 2016 to overcome disagreements on previous interpretations, with full opening planned for January 2017. However, revitalization work only concluded in June 2018, and the bridge, which saw €1.5 million invested, was never fully opened for vehicles, only for pedestrians.
