The municipality of Zvečan is set to receive another police substation. Just two days after laying the foundation stone for a station at the Bistrica Bridge, a new cornerstone was laid this morning in the village of Izvore.
Present at the ceremony were Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla, and Police Director Gazmend Hoxha.
“Together with Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla and Police Director Gazmend Hoxha, this morning we laid the foundation stone for a police substation in the village of Izvore in the municipality of Zvečan,” Kurti announced via social media.
Strategic Location
Kurti emphasized the substation’s strategic significance, stressing that it is located just two kilometers from the border with Serbia.
Izvore lies on the Banjska–Novi Pazar road, where a third integrated border crossing had previously been planned under the Brussels Agreement.
The Kosovan government will invest €700,000 in the facility, which will house border police tasked with safeguarding the border and preventing illegal cross-border activities.
“The value of the project is approximately €700,000. This new substation will provide suitable working conditions for police officers, enhance our border security capacities, and ensure a dignified working environment for those serving in this area,” Kurti said, wishing the construction team „successful work.“
Reinforcing Border Security
The Izvore substation follows the recent foundation-laying at Bistrica Bridge. O
n Saturday, Sveçla and Hoxha inaugurated the construction of a modern facility at the bridge, replacing an existing checkpoint established in December 2022 during a period of heightened tensions marked by barricades across northern Kosovo.
Over the past two years, this checkpoint has been expanded on several occasions.
Sveçla noted that the new Bistrica facility would enhance the operational capabilities of Kosovo’s police.
“This modern building will serve Kosovo Police officers who have been working from this location for nearly two years, combating crime, protecting our border, and ensuring the safety of the Republic of Kosovo,” he said.
A Tense Region
The Bistrica Bridge, located on the main Priština–Mitrovica–Jarinje–Raška road, is one of the most frequented routes in northern Kosovo. H
owever, the area has also been the site of several serious incidents, including shootings and protests.
In April, ethnic Serbs protested at the site after a shooting incident left a local resident injured.
The checkpoint was also the scene of yesterday’s detention of Jovana Radosavljević, director of the New Social Initiative.
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