Guerot: Opening of the Ibar Bridge should be discussed with all parties

Outgoing French Ambassador to Kosovo Olivier Guerot said that the opening of the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica to vehicular traffic should be discussed with all relevant stakeholders, describing the current security situation as calmer but still fragile, Gazeta Express reported.

Guerot said that the bridge was currently open to pedestrians and that people were already using it.

“The question of whether it should be opened to vehicles should be discussed with the relevant stakeholders. It is not as though this bridge were in the middle of nowhere. People live around it, there are elected officials, there is, of course, the police, KFOR and, as I said, it will continue to have an overall role in this area. What matters, I think, is the process leading to the decision. So, the process leading to the decision is probably more important than the decision itself, and it should be taken in consultation with all stakeholders,” Guerot told Klan Kosova.

He described the current security situation as calmer but still fragile, praising KFOR’s work over the past 26 years in creating a safe and secure environment for all people in Kosovo.

“It has now been assessed that it is possible to once again reduce or optimize the footprint, which does not mean that KFOR is withdrawing. KFOR will continue to be a key element for this country and for the security of its people. But, in fact, this is a good sign. It shows that the situation is fragile, but calmer,” outgoing French Ambassador Olivier Guerot said.

Guerot said that throughout his four-year tenure he had refrained from commenting on Kosovo’s domestic politics and did not intend to do so in the final days of his mandate, but stressed that Kosovo needed functioning institutions, particularly in order to move forward on its path toward the European Union.

“I have not made any comments on domestic politics over the past four years, and I will not do so in the final hours of my mandate here. For Kosovo to move forward, particularly toward the EU, we need partners in the institutions. We need a president, we need a parliament,” Guerot said.

The French Ambassador said that the current institutional situation was slowing Kosovo’s progress toward the EU.

“I am not blaming any party, but as a foreign diplomat, I am stating what is clear. The deadlock of the past two years has not been helpful for Kosovo on its path toward the EU,” Guerot said.

As of September 1, Jean-François Fitou will be the new French Ambassador to Kosovo.