Kosovo’s Acting Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the municipalities of North and South Mitrovica, announcing plans to build two new bridges over the Ibar River.
Aliu reported the signing in a Facebook post, although he referred only to “the municipalities of Mitrovica and North” without specifying full official names. The memorandum was signed by Aliu, North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atiq, and South Mitrovica Deputy Mayor Arijanit Tahiri. The signing was also attended by Kosovo’s Acting Minister for Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi.
“We signed a memorandum of support for infrastructure projects between the Ministry and the two municipalities—for a more connected, functional, and livable city for all residents,” Aliu wrote.
He stated that the memorandum includes, among other provisions, the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River.
“We initiated the memorandum with a joint project to build two new bridges over the Ibar—projects that will ease mobility for residents of both municipalities and serve as infrastructure for communication and cooperation among citizens, strengthening social integration and economic development on both sides,” Aliu said.
No further details were provided about the planned locations, timeline, or design of the bridges.
As of publication, neither the mayor of North Mitrovica nor the deputy mayor of South Mitrovica have issued any public statements about the memorandum.
In contrast, Kosovo’s Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, has already welcomed the agreement, writing on Facebook: “With hard work toward new achievements.”
Joint Committee for Inter-Municipal Cooperation Formed
The memorandum follows meetings held last week between Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and officials from both North and South Mitrovica. The meetings focused on strengthening inter-municipal cooperation, which was soon formalized with the creation of a Joint Committee to oversee joint initiatives, supervised by a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to Minister Sveçla, the committee introduces a new model of cooperation aimed at improving everyday life for citizens. Among the announced areas of collaboration are infrastructure, environmental protection, and coordination on economic development.
What About the Main Bridge?
While new bridges are being announced, the main Ibar Bridge—symbolically dividing the predominantly Serb north from the predominantly Albanian south—remains closed to vehicle traffic, although it is open to pedestrians.
The current municipal leadership in North Mitrovica revived the topic of reopening the bridge after coming to power in the aftermath of the Serbian withdrawal from Kosovo institutions, including local governance, in late 2022.
The initiative was supported by Kurti’s government, which repeatedly announced plans to open the bridge last summer. Structural testing and surface repairs were even carried out, with the goal of reinforcing the bridge.
Despite these efforts, the bridge was not opened, and the issue has since faded from public discourse.
Unlike Pristina and the local authorities now in power in North Mitrovica, Serbian officials and local Serbs strongly oppose the opening of the bridge.
Last year’s announcements drew a number of reactions from international actors, most notably NATO’s KFOR mission, whose personnel continue to be stationed on the bridge 24/7.
KFOR reiterated its commitment to ensuring safety and freedom of movement, but also emphasized that no unilateral actions would be accepted. It stressed the need for coordination and respect for previous agreements reached within the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
Official Belgrade is also insisting on talks as part of the dialogue, but Pristina opposes this, claiming it is an internal matter.
Ibar Bridge Reopening Faces Local Opposition, Poll Indicates
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