Ibar dispute: EU responds to Serbia, saying statements about changing the river’s course do not help normalization

The European Union has warned that statements by Serbian officials about the possibility of changing the course of the Ibar River do not contribute to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

European Union spokesperson Anita Hipper said at a press conference on August 11 that outstanding issues between the two sides can be resolved only through dialogue.

“We also recall that progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is a prerequisite for both sides to advance on their European path,” Hipper said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on August 9 that Serbian authorities were consulting experts on the possibility of changing the course of the Ibar, linking the issue to the demolition of Serbian homes and villas near Lake Ujman, in northern Kosovo.

His statement prompted strong reactions from officials in Kosovo and was followed by a public clash between officials from Albania and Serbia.

The Ibar River, approximately 270 kilometers long, rises in Montenegro, passes through Serbia and then enters Kosovo, where it feeds the artificial Lake Ujman.

About two-thirds of the lake lies within Kosovo’s territory.

Water from the Ujman and Ibar-Lepenac system supplies seven municipalities, is used for irrigation and cools the power plants in Obiliq, which produce most of Kosovo’s electricity.

Experts who previously spoke to Radio Free Europe said that diverting the course of the Ibar is technically possible, but would be extraordinarily costly and, if it caused damage to Kosovo, would violate the principles of international law governing transboundary waters.

Serbia is a signatory to the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses.

Among other things, the convention establishes the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary waters, as well as the obligation not to cause significant harm to other states.

Kosovo is not party to this convention, as it is not a member of the United Nations./RFE