Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has issued a warning about potential provocations on the 14th and 15th of this month, suggesting that a forced opening of the bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica could occur. Speaking from the Serbian Presidency building today, Vučić urged KFOR to prevent any unilateral actions by Pristina.
“We expect further provocations on the 14th and 15th. We anticipate a violent attempt to open the bridge,” Vučić warned.
He called on KFOR to intervene and prevent such actions, emphasizing Serbia’s respect for the peacekeeping force. “We believe KFOR will do its job,” he added.
Previously, a day before the Serbian communities in Kosovo protested against the bridge’s opening—Vučić had predicted a counter-protest and a possible „influx of Albanians,“ a claim that was quickly refuted by the Kosovo government and police.
KoSSev reached out to Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs for comment on Vučić’s claims regarding the planned reopening, as well as to the Northern Region’s police department, which declined to provide a detailed response, describing the bridge as a political matter beyond their scope.
Allegations of Foreign Interference
In his address, President Vučić also alluded to alleged Western attempts to impose new leadership on the Serbian community in Kosovo. He accused foreign agencies of trying to install new Serbian leaders who would distance themselves from Belgrade and align with Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo.
“Foreign agencies will try to impose new Serbian leaders, portraying them as courageous even though they are not. They will attempt to detach them from Belgrade and make deals with Kurti on how to serve foreign interests,” Vučić claimed, without specifying who these new leaders might be. He assured the West that such efforts would fail, stating, “Let me tell them, for the thousandth time, this will not succeed.”
Kosovo’s Plans and Local Resistance
The reopening of the bridge has been a contentious issue since it was again raised in late May of this year by the Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the Northern Region, Veton Elshani, who announced that the bridge would soon be opened and discussions were underway on how to facilitate this.
Recently, the Kosovo government has intensified its efforts, frequently announcing plans to reopen the bridge. As part of these efforts, the structure was tested this week, with four heavily loaded trucks crossing it. The Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure later stated that a report on the bridge’s load-bearing capacity would be completed soon.
While awaiting this report, workers have been conducting surface repairs on both the upper and lower parts of the bridge. Yesterday, they plastered cracked concrete sections, and earlier, Minister Xhelal Sveçla personally inspected the strength of the bridge’s railing.
Kosovo’s Minister of Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, reiterated today that there are no reasons to keep the bridge closed, confirming that all technical inspections have been completed and the results are now awaited.
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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