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By:
Valbona Bytyqi
- August 8, 2024 11:34
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The Municipal Assembly of North Mitrovica met on Thursday for a discussion with the citizens about the opening of the bridge over the Ibër River. There was a relatively small number of participants in the hall.
The mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, said in his opening speech that he is dealing with a "politically complex" municipality, but he says that he has learned a lot from the frequent meetings with the citizens.
The Deputy Director of Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, said that in terms of security, there is no reason for the bridge to be closed.
Jeta Tela, a senior adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, said that the MIA was committed to fighting crime in the northern municipalities, "but also to increasing police-community cooperation".
A Serbian citizen said that while the opening of the bridge is being talked about, he is finding it difficult to survive. He complained that he has been unemployed since 2015
And an Albanian citizen ordered the Government not to ask "neither the Serbs nor the Albanians", but to open the bridge.
The Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, has said that the argument that the opening of the bridge is a threat to tension is tendentious.
"When the bridge is opened, it will not affect the deterioration of inter-ethnic relations. The state will guarantee security", said Krasniqi.
And a representative of the Serbian Democracy party, whose leader was arrested earlier in North Mitrovica, has said that they do not support the opening of the bridge due to safety concerns.
"You, the leadership, take responsibility if any incident happens", he asked.
In addition to the opening of the bridge, it has been said that other topics will be discussed in this conversation.
The MP of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Sali Zyba, was also seen at the meeting. KFOR and EULEX forces were also present.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti yesterday invited the Serbs to participate in this conversation.
"I invite our fellow citizens of the Serbian community to participate in this joint discussion in which they will be able to be informed about the benefits of the opening of the bridge and express their concerns which will be addressed by our institutional representatives and the country's institutions . For too long, the Mitrovica Bridge over the Iber has kept us at a distance. She has been unfairly given the epithet of separation and abnormal relations. Bridges unite us, and together let's make it a symbol of normalization", Kurti wrote on Facebook.
On Wednesday (yesterday), Serbs protested on the northern side of the Ibri, speaking out against the opening of the bridge.
The Government of Kosovo is insisting on opening the Ibri Bridge for traffic. Such a decision is not being accepted by internationals, who have warned that Kosovo may lose good opportunities with "unilateral decisions".
