Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, announced today that there are no reasons to delay the opening of the bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica. Aliu confirmed that technical inspections of the bridge have been completed, and the results are now pending.
In an interview with KosovaPress, Minister Aliu emphasized that the ministry is awaiting the results of the bridge’s recent testing.
„This is a political issue in which we, as a ministry, are involved from a technical standpoint. As far as the technical aspect is concerned, the inspection of the bridge has been completed, and we are awaiting the response. I believe, speaking in advance, that there are no technical issues, but the inspections will provide the final confirmation regarding the bridge’s functionality,“ Aliu stated.
Reflecting the views of other members of the Kosovo government, Aliu asserted that „there is no reason for the bridge not to open.“ He added, „Bridges connect people.“
While awaiting the load-bearing report, workers have been conducting surface repairs on both the structure beneath and the surface of the bridge. Just yesterday, workers were plastering cracked concrete sections, and prior to that, Minister Xhelal Sveçla personally inspected the strength of the bridge’s railing.
However, opposition to the bridge’s opening has been voiced by the Serbian community in northern Kosovo. This week, during a protest near the bridge, they unanimously expressed their opposition to reopening the main bridge to traffic.
This sentiment was also reflected in a KoSSev poll on Instagram and Twitter, where the overwhelming majority of nearly a thousand respondents opposed the bridge’s opening.
Western countries, led by KFOR, have also expressed their opposition to any changes in the bridge’s current status. They emphasized that the issue should be addressed within the framework of the Brussels dialogue and the agreement on the bridge’s revitalization.
„We will not hesitate to tackle any development that may affect the security environment and regional stability, in full respect of our UN mandate,“ KFOR warned.
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