The Commander of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Major General Ozkan Ulutas, met on Tuesday with the president of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, following this party’s opposition to the process of gradually reducing KFOR’s presence on the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica.
The meeting took place at the request of Elek at the KFOR headquarters in Camp Film City, in Pristina.
The meeting was also attended by the deputy leader of the Serbian List, Igor Simić, the party’s deputy in the Kosovo Assembly, Jovana Radosavljević, and the mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojević.
According to KFOR, the parties discussed a number of issues, including the security situation in northern Kosovo and the implementation of the announced process for optimizing KFOR’s positioning.
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The KFOR commander told the Serbian List representatives that the optimization process has been initiated as a result of the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo.
He stressed that the process will develop gradually and will be based on conditions on the ground, while troops may return if future developments affect sustainable security in Kosovo and regional stability.
KFOR said it will remain equipped and positioned to respond to any relevant developments.
“The gradual transition of KFOR’s presence from the main bridge in Mitrovica is in the initial phase,” the mission’s announcement states.
KFOR emphasized that, even after the end of the process, it will maintain a strong presence in North Mitrovica and the northern part of Kosovo.
The Serbian List had reacted against the announcement of the gradual reduction of KFOR’s presence on the bridge over the Ibar, demanding that this measure be stopped.
The largest Kosovo Serb party had requested an urgent meeting with the KFOR commander to convey the concerns of the Serb community in the north.
The Serbian List had argued that, due to the political and security situation and the tensions that have accompanied the bridge area in the past, any change in the presence of security forces should be done with caution.
She also said that the Kosovo Police does not enjoy the trust of Serbs in the north and that the presence of KFOR on the bridge is an “important stability factor.”
The main bridge over the Ibar River connects Albanian-majority South Mitrovica with Serb-majority North Mitrovica. It has been guarded by KFOR troops since the end of the war in 1999 and has been one of the most sensitive security points in northern Kosovo for years.
Currently, the bridge is open only to pedestrians.
The NATO mission emphasized that it continues to fulfill its mandate under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, contributing to maintaining a safe environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo.
KFOR said it will continue to act impartially and in coordination with the Kosovo Police and EULEX, in accordance with their respective roles in the field of security./ REL