The QUINT countries and NATO do not support it, Albin Kurti "stubborn" for the Ibri bridge in Mitrovica: It must be opened!

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

During a meeting on Friday in Pristina, Kurti presented to the diplomatic representatives of the QUINT and EU countries the Government's plan for the opening of the Mitrovica bridge over the Iber River, his Office announced in a press release.

"Therefore, the bridge must be opened. It is in the service of all, and is against no one. Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security, on the contrary," the announcement states.

Earlier on Friday, the American ambassador in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, said after the meeting with Kurti that the QUINT countries and NATO do not support the opening of the Ibri bridge in Mitrovica at this time.

QUINT includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy .

According to the announcement, the plan of the Government of Kurti foresees "tests for the infrastructural stability of the bridge, assessment of risk and risks from natural disasters, visual revitalization of the bridge with access to the bridge for all, discussions with citizens and interest groups as well as the information campaign comprehensive on the benefits and purposes of opening the bridge".

Lista Serbe, the main party of the Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of Belgrade, spoke earlier against the opening of the bridge over the Iber.

According to her, such an action aims at " further destabilizing the situation on the ground ".

The bridge is currently only open for pedestrians, although, as part of the dialogue, it has been agreed to open it for traffic as well.

Italian soldiers of KFOR, the NATO mission in Kosovo, are patrolling the bridge over the Iber, while members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby.

The European Union, meanwhile, has said that the issue of opening the Ibri bridge should be a topic of dialogue with Serbia.

This was opposed by the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, who declared on Thursday that " such a thing would be a serious violation of sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutionality in our country ".

In the framework of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the parties have agreed to open the bridge for traffic, but this has never been realized in practice. Only one side of it is open for pedestrians.

Discussions about the bridge have been updated in recent months, after calls to the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly for the bridge to be completely opened for traffic.

This municipality in the north of Kosovo is led by Erden Atiç from the ruling party, Vetëvendosje Movement.

The main bridge over the river Ibër since 1999 divides Mitrovica into the southern part, inhabited by an Albanian majority, and the northern part, inhabited by a Serbian majority.

Albanians in South Mitrovica and Serbs in North Mitrovica with whom Radio Free Europe spoke earlier are divided on whether the bridge should be opened.

For the Albanians, the opening of the bridge would be a " wise thing ", while for the Serbs it would be a decision that increases tensions./ REL