Vučić asks NATO to stop KFOR withdrawal from Mitrovica bridge

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he has asked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to stop the gradual reduction of KFOR, the alliance's mission in Kosovo, at the main bridge over the Ibar River in North Mitrovica.

"I just sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, demanding that KFOR, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244, stop the terror against Serbs, their persecution and arrests, the demolition of houses, as well as the opening of the bridge over the Ibar," Vučić wrote on Instagram on August 20.

"I believe his assessment will be that regional peace and stability are of great importance ," he added.

Radio Free Europe has reached out to NATO for comment regarding Vučić's request and is awaiting a response.

Mitrovica, after the 1999 war, was divided into a northern part, with a Serb majority, and a southern part, with an Albanian majority. Today, they function as two separate municipalities.

However, since the end of the war, KFOR has kept the bridge over the Ibar under surveillance, which has been a point of interethnic clashes over the years.

According to Vučić, the withdrawal of KFOR from the bridge at this moment would "create conditions for a final confrontation with the Serbian population" in northern Kosovo.

He said that the authorities in Serbia will continue the "political struggle by all possible means," not even ruling out the possibility of calling a special session of the United Nations Security Council.

Vučić also said that the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, Milan Mojsilović, had a "very difficult" and "bad" conversation with the Commander of KFOR, Major General Ozkan Ulutaš.

Ulutas also met on August 12 with representatives of the Serbian List, the main Kosovo Serb party that enjoys the support of Belgrade and which also opposes the reduction of KFOR's presence on the bridge over the Ibar.

The KFOR Commander said then that the process of optimizing the presence had been initiated as a result of the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo and that it would develop gradually.

The main bridge over the Ibar River is considered one of the most sensitive points in terms of security in northern Kosovo.

The NATO mission has emphasized that it continues to implement its mandate in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, contributing to maintaining a secure environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo.

KFOR has said that it will continue to act impartially and in coordination with the Kosovo Police and EULEX, in accordance with each's respective roles in the field of security.

The main bridge over the Ibar is currently open only to pedestrians. The Kosovo government had announced in July 2024 that it would also open it to vehicle traffic, an initiative that caused tensions and reactions from the international community.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo Government has built two more bridges near the main bridge – one for pedestrians and one for vehicles – with the aim of connecting North Mitrovica with South Mitrovica. REL