A senior NATO official warned on Saturday that by unilaterally opening a bridge between Serb and Albanian neighborhoods in the town of Mitrovica, Kosovo could risk triggering violence. Admiral Munsch highlighted that the decision to reopen the bridge needs to take place at a political level within the EU-facilitated negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Munch criticized what he called “unilateral actions” from the government of Kosovo to reopen the Ibar bridge, which connects the Serb-dominated north of Mitrovica and the Albanian-dominated south.
In a press conference, Munch stated that there is a persistent risk for tensions considering the stagnation in the EU-facilitated negotiations that attempt to normalize the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, following years of temporary rule under the UN administration, which followed the Kosovo war in 1998-1999. Since then, Serbia has rejected to recognize the independence, but has participated in the EU-facilitated dialogue. In June 2024, the attempts by the government of Kosovo to open the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica reignited tensions, leading to protests from ethnic Serbs within Kosovo.
The US Embassy in Pristina opposed the attempts to open the bridge, stating that it should be opened only after a mutual agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.
Since Kosovo’s declaration of independence, ethnic tension and violence between Serbs and Albanians has remained a threat in the region. In particular, there is a fear that the Serb minority in Albanian majority Kosovo will not have their rights protected.
In 2013, Serbian and Kosovan officials reached an agreement to establish the “Association of Serb Majority Municipalities” (ASM), aimed at providing municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo a degree of self-government. However, this agreement faced strong opposition from the opposition of Kosovo, led back then by the current Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Ultimately, the Constitutional Court ruled the agreement unconstitutional, nullifying it.
