Milenkovic: Two new bridges part of Kurti’s election campaign, they bring no benefit to citizens

The decision to build two new bridges over the Ibar River serves Albin Kurti’s election campaign and will bring no real benefit to citizens, Marko Milenkovic from the NGO “New Social Initiative” in North Mitrovica said.

“This decision is part of the pre-election campaign ahead of the local elections. There is no actual need for new bridges. It is a political move that comes at a time when the Serbian community is not participating in local government, which makes it even more problematic. The decision to build two bridges over the Ibar was made due to a lack of political results from the Self-Determination Movement and Kurti’s government. These are preparations for the local elections scheduled for October 12, and possibly for new parliamentary elections that could be combined due to the ongoing crisis in Pristina,” Milenkovic explained to RTS.

He emphasized that the two new bridges, one pedestrian and one for vehicles, will not bring any real benefit.

“There is already a main bridge that is closed to traffic. There are also two other bridges that are currently in use. The new bridges won’t improve traffic flow and are clearly part of a political campaign,” Milenkovic stressed.

He reminded that Kurti and Self-Determination have long been promoting the unification of Mitrovica into a single city.

“Just a few days ago, we again heard the message that Mitrovica should once again become a single city. In that context, Self-Determination initiated a joint committee of the two municipalities, which will be making joint decisions in the coming period,” he said.

Milenkovic said that the initiative to unify Mitrovica is unacceptable to the Serbian community.

He pointed out that Pristina has been imposing decisions unilaterally for some time now, to the detriment of the Serbian community.

As a result, he added, Serbs feel unsafe, especially following an intensified campaign of nationalism by Self-Determination.

“We have a situation in which the Serbian community has no trust in Kosovo institutions, particularly the Kosovo Police. There have also been many incidents in North Mitrovica itself,” he explained.

Milenkovic also noted that police stations are being built in northern Kosovo, which is Pristina’s main infrastructure project.

“All the investment is going into increasing police presence in the north. No one asked the Serbian community whether this is in its interest. It sends a clear political message. A heightened police presence brings nothing good to the Serbian community,” he asserted.

Regarding the international community, he said that KFOR and the EU are unable to stop Kurti’s actions.

“KFOR stopped the opening of the main bridge, but Self-Determination found an alternative. It is clear that Kurti doesn’t want to consult with the international community. After all the pompous announcements about the two new bridges, it is unlikely that the project will be halted,” he said.

Milenkovic criticized the international community for acting passively, mainly issuing statements, and therefore having little influence on political decisions in Pristina.

“The international community has lost relevance. That is clear when you see that there has been no progress in the dialogue for a long time. The EU has no real power to convince Pristina to implement already reached agreements, like the Community of Serb Municipalities, let alone influence decisions that Pristina claims are internal matters. We are witnessing the international community acting as a passive observer,” he said.

Milenkovic pointed out that when KFOR prevented the opening of the main bridge, it showed that action is possible.

“The impression is that the international community could act similarly to prevent the shutdown of Serbian institutions,” he explained, adding that internal division within the international community on the Kosovo issue is also a problem.

As for the political crisis in Pristina, he said that Kurti benefits from the situation since he lacks a majority to form a government but has retained power.

“From a position of power, he can influence decisions like the one to build the two bridges. Remaining in power in a caretaker role, Kurti is using the time to campaign and prepare for upcoming elections,” Milenkovic concluded.