Kadri Kastrati: The Bridge over the Ibar Should Not Remain a Symbol of Division; Management Could Be Entrusted to the Kosovo Police

Kadri Kastrati, a former commander of the KSF, said that the necessary security conditions now exist for the opening of the Ibar Bridge, while responsibility for its management could be entrusted to the Kosovo Police.

He referred to the position of the European Union, stressing that the statement clearly shows that the criteria have been met both politically and in terms of security.

According to Kastrati, KFOR and EULEX have also reached the same conclusion regarding the fulfillment of the conditions. For this reason, he said the bridge should no longer remain a dividing point and that the Kosovo Police is capable of administering it.

The former KSF commander praised the police’s engagement in the north, stating that its professional work and dedication had produced extraordinary results. As he put it, extremist and terrorist elements that Serbia had installed there over a long period of time have been eliminated to a certain extent.

Kastrati emphasized that the Kosovo Police had already proven that it is not an institution concerned with only one community, but provides protection for all communities living in the country.

Regarding the police presence at the bridge, he said that the deployment of special units was not necessary. According to him, stationing a vehicle or a police patrol would be sufficient to monitor the movement of people.

He also addressed a message to the citizens of Kosovo, calling for the crossing of the bridge to be carried out in accordance with European norms. Kastrati stressed that crossing with flags, horns or vehicles does not constitute patriotism, while recalling that the territory beyond the Ibar is part of Kosovo.

Kastrati also reacted to former President Vjosa Osmani’s statement on the opening of the Ibar Bridge, rejecting the description of the event as a “historic act.”

He expressed regret that the former president had described the opening in this way, saying that, in his view, it was a normal action: the opening of a bridge over the Ibar River. Kastrati reiterated that the bridge should no longer be used as a dividing line and that its management could be left to the Kosovo Police.