The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, hosted the Assistant Secretary General for NATO Operations, Thomas Goffus, in a meeting on Thursday, with whom she also talked about the opening of the main bridge over the Iber River, which divides Mitrovica into the southern part, inhabited by an Albanian majority, and the northern part, inhabited by a Serbian majority, announced the Presidency.

Osmani repeated during the meeting that the Kosovar authorities should consult and coordinate with NATO in particular for the construction of a joint plan for the opening of the bridge for vehicle traffic, according to the announcement.

“President Osmani has reiterated the position for the opening of the bridge, but has emphasized the importance of maintaining communication, coordination and deepening cooperation between our institutions and our security partners, especially with NATO, for the drafting of a joint implementation plan for the opening of the bridge”, the announcement states.

Osmani described the opening of the bridge as an action “in the function of normalization and integration in the interest of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity.

The Government of Kosovo announced at the beginning of August its intentions to open the bridge over the Ibër river for vehicle traffic, as it is only open for pedestrians.

The visits of NATO officials and others to Kosovo are taking place at a time when the United States, the EU, but also the mission of the military alliance, KFOR, have opposed the intention of the Government of Kosovo to open the bridge at this time, writes Radio Free Europe.

KFOR, just like the EU, has requested that this issue be addressed in the Brussels dialogue.

A week ago, Osmani hosted NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Foreign Affairs and Security, Boris Ruge, in a meeting, who called for restraint from unilateral actions and statements, which could affect the increase in tensions.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that his Government is continuing consultations and discussions with allies regarding the opening of the main bridge over the Iber River.

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has warned several times that it will not hesitate to act to respond to security-related developments.

Italian KFOR soldiers patrol the bridge over the Ibër River, while members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby.