Plans to open a bridge in the Kosovo town of Mitrovica to allow vehicle access had sparked controversy over fears it would exacerbate ethnic tensions.
Located in northern Kosovo, this seemingly ordinary bridge is at the heart of intense ethnic tensions. Only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, it connects two parts of the city of Mitrovica, divided between Serbs and Albanians.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti had announced plans to open the road to car traffic in early August, but changed his mind following controversy.
His decision came after a backlash from the city’s Serbian community and a meeting with CIA Director William Burns, who visited Kosovo in late August.
“We also discussed the issue of opening the central bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica, for which we had all the necessary consultations”Mr. Kurti said. “However, maintenance work is also important, such as the treatment of the preliminary design on the physical stability of the bridge”.
The Ibar River Bridge separates the northern and southern parts of Mitrovica, where the Serbian minority and the Albanian majority live respectively.
When the plan to open the bridge to vehicles was announced, the Serb community, the Belgrade government, the EU and NATO expressed concern about the escalation of ethnic tensions and the impact on the security of ethnic Serbs.
After the announcement of the project, Hundreds of people gathered to protest on the bridge, which has become a symbol of the divided city.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2011, when members of the Serbian community erected barricades there.
Serbian authorities condemned the proposal to open the bridge, saying it was an attempt by Kosovo to “to provoke a conflict”.
In 2015, EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo addressed the issue of the bridge.