Petkovic tells Sorensen: EU assessment of Ibar Bridge does not reflect reality on the ground

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic told EU Special Representative for the Dialogue Peter Sorensen today that Belgrade had received with great concern the latest statement by an EU spokesperson who, regarding the possible opening of the main bridge over the Ibar River, stated the EU's assessment that the conditions for its opening had been met.

In a letter of protest, Petkovic stressed that such an assessment was particularly concerning because it reflected neither the actual situation on the ground nor the fact that key prerequisites previously agreed within the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue had yet to be fulfilled.

As an example, he cited the fact that the issue of the "demarcation between North and South Mitrovica" in the Suvi Do cadastral zone had not been resolved, even though its resolution was directly linked to agreements reached within the Dialogue concerning the main Ibar Bridge. He also noted that, under the Bridge Agreement of August 25, 2015, issues of freedom of movement, infrastructure works, and the opening of the bridge had been considered together with security issues of direct importance to the Serbian population in the area around the bridge, Suvi Do, and other sensitive areas.

"At the same time, the current security situation, particularly in northern Kosovo and Metohija, indicates that opening the bridge at this moment would not be safe and would further increase the Serbian population's sense of insecurity," Petkovic stressed in the letter, seen by Tanjug.

He recalled that for decades the area around the main Ibar Bridge had been one of the most sensitive security points because of numerous attacks against Serbs in North Mitrovica, as well as throughout Kosovo.

He also pointed out that additional concern arose from the fact that Kosovo Police officers themselves had been implicated as perpetrators of ethnically motivated attacks, citing recorded cases involving allegations of brutal conduct and the concealment of attacks against Serbs.

Petkovic also stressed that the EU, as facilitator of the Dialogue and guarantor of the implementation of agreements reached within it, was responsible for maintaining a neutral approach and ensuring conditions in which outstanding issues could be resolved through agreement between the parties.

"A decision to open the bridge can be made only after the obligations previously undertaken within the Dialogue have been fully implemented and a credible and sustainable security assessment has been reached that guarantees that such a step will not jeopardize the safety of the Serbian population, increase existing tensions, or trigger a new crisis in northern Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic told Sorensen.

The European Union told Kosovo Online today that all decisions concerning the Ibar Bridge should take into account the interests and concerns of all communities.

"The EU's position on the bridge has always been clear and guided by the need to ensure that it serves all communities and municipalities it connects and contributes to cooperation and good relations among them. Following the transfer of local governance in the north after the local elections, effective coordination and meaningful consultations between the municipalities concerned and institutions at the central level need to be improved," an EU spokesperson told Kosovo Online.