The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said today that the United States of America is not against the opening of the Ibri Bridge in Mitrovica, while she emphasized that coordination with allies is needed on this issue. According to Osmani, Kosovo should not use the same "tactics" as against Serbia.
"Is it in the interest of Kosovo that we see a conflict between the American soldier and the police, I don't believe that there is an Albanian in this land who agrees with such a thing. So let's make sure that such things do not happen to you. The allies have saved us and when the bridges are opened, they will remain open", said Osmani to the journalists after the meeting with the mayor of Vitia, Sokol Haliti.
"If we use the same tactics against a friend as against Serbia, it is unforgivable, since the friends did not turn their backs in the most difficult moments. Let's not forget, the 99th is not far away, each of us remembers where we have been and where we are today", added the head of state.
Osmani emphasized that the issue of the Ibri Bridge should be a permanent success, not "of the moment", while adding that the bridge should never have been closed and should definitely be opened.
"We have to make sure that when it opens, it should remain open, and not that when it opens, it encourages a much larger NATO presence on it", emphasized Osmani.
Meanwhile, the Government of Kosovo still does not know the date of the opening of the Ibri Bridge in Mitrovica for car traffic, while Prime Minister Albin Kurti did not mention any date at the Government meeting, but noted that "consultations with our partners will continue" .
"We will continue consultations and coordination with our partners. The opening of the bridge is not against anyone, least of all our partners. Kosovo is a normal state and its bridges should be normal, which means open", Kurti said at the Government meeting on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, said that they are waiting for the final report on the stability of this bridge.
The Kosovo government has insisted that the bridge over the Iber, which currently divides the city of Mitrovica along ethnic lines, should be fully opened. Currently, it is open to pedestrians, but not to vehicles.
However, the QUINT countries led by the United States of America (USA) have stated that at the moment it is not the right time to open the bridge.