The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has insisted on the opening of the Ibar bridge in Mitrovica, despite the opposition from the QUINT countries.

During a meeting on Friday in Pristina, Kurti presented the government’s plan for the opening of the Mitrovica bridge over the Ibar river to the diplomatic representatives of the QUINT states and the EU, his Office announced in a press release.

“Therefore, the bridge must be opened. It serves everyone and is against no one. Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security; on the contrary,” the statement reads.

According to the announcement, Kurti’s government plan envisions “tests for the infrastructural stability of the bridge, risk assessment and hazards from natural disasters, visual revitalisation of the bridge with access for everyone, discussions with citizens and interest groups, as well as a comprehensive information campaign about the benefits and objectives of opening the bridge”.

Earlier, the United States Ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that the QUINT countries and NATO do not support the opening of the Ibar bridge in Mitrovica at this time.

“The representatives of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, together with the EU Ambassador to Kosovo, met today with Prime Minister Kurti to inform him that our governments, in consultation with NATO, cannot support any change in the current status of the Mitrovica bridge at this time,” Hovenier told reporters after the meeting.

The Serb List – the main party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of Belgrade – has previously expressed opposition to the opening of the bridge over the Ibar.

According to them, such an action aims to “further destabilise the situation on the ground”.

The bridge is currently open only for pedestrians, although it was agreed as part of the dialogue that it would also be opened for traffic.

Italian KFOR soldiers, part of NATO’s mission in Kosovo, patrol the bridge over the Ibar, and members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby.

The civil sector in Kosovo says that a key factor in opening the bridge is, in fact, KFOR, as it must move its soldiers or give its consent.

Meanwhile, the European Union has said that the issue of opening the Ibar bridge should be a topic of dialogue with Serbia.

This has been opposed by the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, who stated on Thursday that “such a thing would be a serious violation of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutionality in our country”.

“[Serbian President Aleksandar] Vučić has no say in when bridges will be opened for traffic in the Republic of Kosovo. The only dialogue that should take place is within Kosovo, between our institutions and our security partners [especially with NATO],” Osmani said.

As part of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the parties agreed that the bridge would be opened for traffic, but this has never been implemented in practice. Only one side of it is open for pedestrians.

Discussions about the bridge have been brought to the forefront in recent months, following calls in the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly for the bridge to be fully opened for traffic. This municipality in northern Kosovo is led by Erden Atiq from the ruling party, Vetëvendosje.

The President of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, Nexhat Ugljanin, stated that the implementation of the decision on the bridge issue belongs to the central authorities and security institutions.

Officials from this Assembly have even stated that the opening of the bridge is also under the jurisdiction of South Mitrovica and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, warned in May that the bridge “will be opened soon”, and that discussions are being held with superiors on how to accomplish this.

The international factor, on the other hand, is continually calling for coordination among all affected parties to prevent an escalation of the situation.

Since 1999, the main bridge over the Ibar river has divided Mitrovica into the southern part, populated mainly by Albanians, and the northern part, populated mainly by Serbs.

Albanians in South Mitrovica and Serbs in North Mitrovica are divided on whether the bridge should be opened.

For the Albanians, opening the bridge would be “a wise thing”, while for the Serbs, it is a decision that increases tensions.