Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti on August 14 defended his government's plan to open the main bridge in Mitrovica, which divides the northern city into the Albanian-majority south and the Serb-majority north, despite international criticism.
Kurti informed Western diplomats in Pristina at the beginning of August of his plans to open the bridge to vehicle traffic, a move that was opposed by members of both NATO and Quint, an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain.
The announcement sparked protests by Serbs in northern Kosovo, who expressed concerns that the move would increase ethnic tensions and impact their safety.
The U.S. ambassador to Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier has said that, while the United States believes the bridge should ultimately be open to vehicles, "this is not the time," due to security concerns.
SEE ALSO: U.S. Ambassador Says Partnership With Kosovo 'Not What We Would Hope'"We believe there's real risk associated with taking this action right now," he said in an interview with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service on August 13, citing potential violence and threats to NATO soldiers, including Americans.
NATO forces have been operating in Kosovo to maintain peace and stability since 1999, when the military alliance intervened to stop escalating violence being perpetrated by Serbian forces against ethnic Albanians.
Soldiers from NATO's mission to Kosovo, KFOR, are currently stationed on the bridge in Mitrovica, while members of the Kosovo Police patrol nearby.
KFOR commander Ozkan Ulutash held a meeting with Kurti late on August 13, and called on "all the actors to refrain from unilateral statements and actions that could create tensions."
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Proposed Bridge Opening Raises Tensions With Kosovo Serbs
But Kurti has defended the plans to open the bridge, saying that his government will continue consultations with international partners.
"The opening of the bridge is not against anyone, especially not against international partners," Kurti said during a government meeting on August 14.
He added that he and his government consider the move "to be the right, necessary, and beneficial thing for everyone."
Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement about the bridge in Brussels in 2014 and the European Union funded its revitalization worth 1.5 million euros. The bridge was supposed to open in 2017, but it is currently open only for pedestrians.
The EU has repeated its stance that the issue of opening of the bridge in Mitrovica should be resolved within the framework of official dialogue.
Kosovo's plan to open the bridge in Mitrovica comes amid rising tensions in the Serb-majority north of the country.
SEE ALSO: News Analysis: Kosovo Further Alienates Minority Serbs, Straining Status As 'Reliable Partner'Earlier in August, the Kosovar authorities closed down nine branches of the Serbian post office in the north after determining that they were operating illegally and without a license, a move that was criticized by the United States and the European Union, which has mediated Serbia-Kosovo relations for over a decade.
There are an estimated 120,000 ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo, mostly in the north, and many still receive benefits or pensions from Serbia, which has never recognized Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.