Djuric: Construction of two new bridges a provocation – Serbia will not allow forced rewriting of reality in Kosovo

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, stated that the laying of the foundation stones for two new bridges over the Ibar River constitutes a provocation and a direct violation of the Brussels Agreement, adding that Serbia will not allow the forced rewriting of reality in Kosovo. He called on international stakeholders to intervene and halt the project.

“The Government of Serbia strongly condemns the latest unilateral and politically motivated act by Albin Kurti’s regime — marked by yesterday’s ceremony laying the foundation stones for the construction of two new bridges in North Mitrovica. This act is a blatant provocation carried out in direct violation of the Brussels Agreement and in total disregard for the will and safety of the local Serbian population,” Djuric wrote on social media platform “X”.

Djuric emphasized that instead of fostering trust and dialogue, Albin Kurti has once again chosen confrontation, using infrastructure projects to deepen divisions, inflame ethnic tensions, and score political points ahead of local elections.

“This announcement is no coincidence — it comes at a politically convenient moment, while the north of Kosovo and Metohija remains under administrative pressure and a de facto state of occupation. Let’s be absolutely clear: this area has suffered over two decades of violence, and the existing bridge that these new structures attempt to overshadow remains a symbol of the unresolved conflict — guarded around the clock by KFOR due to hundreds of ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs. Proceeding with new construction under these conditions, without dialogue or consent, is not urban development — it is political coercion,” Djuric stressed.

He warned that this move constitutes yet another flagrant breach of obligations assumed in Brussels, and another step away from peace and normalization.

“It exposes the real agenda of Kurti’s administration: to marginalize and ultimately remove Serbian presence from the north of Kosovo and Metohija through pressure, intimidation, and demographic engineering disguised as ‘infrastructure’,” Djuric added.

He called on the European Union, NATO, and all relevant international stakeholders to immediately intervene and halt this dangerous action.

“Failure to respond to such violations not only discredits the dialogue process but also encourages radicalism on the ground. Serbia will not permit the forced redrawing of reality in Kosovo and Metohija. We remain committed to dialogue — but not to the normalization of ethnic discrimination and institutional violence masked as development,” Djuric concluded.