Vučić: The bridge over the Ibar was part of the dialogue, now they want to remove it

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić spoke about the bridge over the Ibar River in an interview with "RTS". Vučić said that he had written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the issue of opening the bridge over the Ibar River. 

"I believe that Rutte wants to guarantee security for all people in the Balkans and, in accordance with this, I myself demanded respect for the rights of Serbs and the implementation of the Brussels agreements. If the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities had been established, none of this would have happened. The bridge over the Ibar was part of the dialogue, and now they want to move it because it is hindered by a Serb who does not want to recognize the so-called Kosovo. It is unbelievable that someone would think that sovereign Serbia would give up part of its territory; it was important that I also used my personal integrity to warn Rutte about what is happening," Vučić said.

He said that Rutte is an intelligent man and has more information than anyone else. 

"He is smart enough that, when everyone pushes him into conflict with Trump, he does not enter into conflict. I believe that even now he will act rationally," Vucic said.

On August 10, the NATO Mission in Kosovo, KFOR, announced that it had begun the gradual transition to a permanent presence at the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica. As KFOR announced, this is taking place as the security situation in Kosovo improves, as part of the process of gradually reducing KFOR's presence.