Joksimovic: Quint is undivided on the Ibar Bridge issue; France understands Serbs' position

Aleksandra Joksimovic, the Director of the Center for Foreign Policy and former Serbian Ambassador to London, says that the Quint is united regarding the opening of the main bridge on the Ibar River, while France has a greater understanding of the position of the Serbs and Serbia.

"For some time now, Kurti's activities have been building distrust with the members of the Quint, who have largely supported him. However, uncoordinated actions have led to a loss of trust, and future actions are being viewed with suspicion. One such action is the complete opening of the Ibar Bridge. It is important to note that all members of the Quint believe that this is not the right time for such a move, as it could be very risky," Joksimovic told Kosovo Online.

She emphasizes that the intention to open the main bridge on the Ibar differs from previous actions by Pristina, as it could endanger the safety of KFOR members.

"KFOR has issued a statement saying it is prepared to remain on the bridge regardless of what happens, meaning that KFOR could potentially be endangered by any actions and security destabilization if Kurti insists on fully opening the bridge. In this context, it seems that several visits to Pristina have been made in an attempt to warn Kurti against any uncoordinated actions. We see that even the CIA director was there, along with the third-ranking NATO official," Joksimovic noted.

The EU and Quint are concerned that a new crisis hot spot could emerge after Ukraine, and they assess that a unilateral action to open the main bridge on the Ibar could trigger such a scenario.

"Everyone is worried about the possibility of a new security problem, and there is potential for this activity to escalate into an uncontrollable security risk. In this context, it should be said that all Quint members are realistically opposed," she clarified.

When asked how likely it is that tensions will escalate, this diplomat says that such assessments are made by Western security services.

"If these countries assess that there is a security risk, I think they likely have much more information than we can comment on. But a very important aspect is that in the event of any unrest, KFOR would be directly affected, and those involved with KFOR will certainly try to avoid this at all costs," Joksimovic emphasized.

Commenting on the recent strong statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which called on Pristina to halt unilateral actions that disrupt the lives of the Serbian community in northern Kosovo, Joksimovic says that France, compared to other Quint members, has had a greater understanding of the position of Serbs and Belgrade from the start.

"France is always the one that, in certain nuances, has more understanding for the position of Serbs and Belgrade and perhaps always has slightly stronger and more decisive statements compared to others. But it seems that the Quint is currently united in the view that any discussion about opening the Ibar Bridge for traffic at this time represents a security risk," Joksimovic assessed.

She attributes this not only to the traditional historical ties between the two countries but also to the current bilateral relations between Paris and Belgrade.

Thus, she sees the statement from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a sort of prelude to President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Serbia.

"There are historical ties with France. There is close and tight cooperation at this moment with significant economic aspects and frequent interactions. We see that President Macron is coming for his second visit. It is very significant to note that when the president of such a country comes for a second time, it carries great importance. It means that Serbia is a very important bilateral partner for him, and in this context, we can even say that this statement is a form of preparation for his visit, where they perhaps wanted to highlight that France understands certain concerns, fears, and positions of Serbia, specifically regarding the issue of the Ibar Bridge at this time," Joksimovic said.