New bridge over the Ibar opened

This morning, the new bridge over the Ibar River between South and North Mitrovica was opened for traffic.

The first person to cross the bridge by car was Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Hysen Durmishi, while the Minister of Interior in a caretaker capacity, Xhelal Svecla, was also present.

Yesterday, local Albanian-language media reported that the bridge would undergo testing in the coming days before being opened to traffic, but this morning it was put into use.

On the bridge itself, about a dozen Albanians were taking photos, while several police officers were stationed on both sides of the bridge. As we observed on the ground, vehicles are now moving in both directions.

The foundation stone for the construction of two new bridges, located near the main bridge over the Ibar, was laid on July 1 by Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who at the time announced that the completion deadline was September 1.

At the beginning of July, the Serbian community in Kosovo, organized by the Serb List, submitted a petition against the construction of the bridges, claiming they represented a major security risk and a provocation. After collecting signatures, the petition was delivered to representatives of international institutions.

The issue also prompted reactions from the international community. German Ambassador Jorn Rohde stated that there are more important traffic problems to resolve, while warning that the announcement of two new bridges carried the risk of escalation.

“Situations are always different, but you have a mayor in the north who does not represent the people. You cannot say that a mayor elected with two percent of the vote represents the population,” Rohde said in mid-August for Klan Kosova.

“If the climate is not suitable for opening one bridge, is it right to talk about opening two new ones? The last thing anyone wants to see is additional KFOR action in the north,” he added.