Can Mitrovica bridge Kosovo's gap with its ethnic Serb minority?

Mitrovica is a truss bridge in Kosovo that’s 100 metres long. Anyone can run across it within a minute. However, this small crossing over the Ibar River in the north of Kosovo has become a flashpoint of regional tensions.

The bridge is named after the Kosovo city of Mitrovica, which is divided on ethnic lines. The Albanian majority lives in the south of the city, while the north is mostly populated by the ethnic Serbs.

Earlier this week, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s visit to the town was met with protests from a few ethnic Serbs.

At least four Serb activists and politician Aleksandar Arsenijevic were arrested by the Kosovo police. One pressing issue between the two communities has to do with the use of the bridge by vehicles.

The Serb minority doesn’t want cars with Kosovo numberplates to cross the bridge, which is currently open only to pedestrians.

Tensions have been high in Mitrovica since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

During his visit to north Mitrovica, Kurti took the opportunity to talk to locals and ethnic Serb journalists about the recent developments in the polarised city.

Kurti said that Serbia's government is not helping keep peace in the city.

"We now have an agreement, and the agreement must be respected and implemented. But Belgrade does not recognise the agreement it agreed to.”

The Kosovo prime minister said the problems in the city arise because some people still believe in the “Great Serbia Ideology” even though the borders of two neighbouring states were drawn years ago.

The Belgrade and Pristina governments agreed in January to formally recognise the license plates of cars issued by each other's authorities, a move to normalise relations and end a years-long standoff.

Kosovo’s independence triggered a deadly war between ethnic Serbs and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians that led NATO member countries to deploy KFOR peacekeeping forces to stop the bloodshed.

US-led Western countries recognise Kosovo as an independent state, while other powers Russia and China back Serbia’s territorial claim over Kosovo.

Today, over a hundred countries, including Türkiye at the UN, recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

Ethnic Serbs in the divided city want Kosovo police to withdraw from the region, and some want KFOR to assume control over northern Mitrovica.

Since 2011, when ethnic Serbs set up barricades, the bridge has been closed to non-pedestrian traffic.

Geopolitical implications

Serbia, a successor state of Yugoslavia and a traditional ally of Russia has good relations with Moscow. China has also thrown its political weight behind Serbia.

On the other hand, Kosovo enjoys close security cooperation with the US and the European Union.

In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Belgrade on his first official visit, hoping to boost bilateral ties.

The Chinese president vowed to “never forget” NATO’s deadly bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

US missiles killed three Chinese journalists during a NATO aerial campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999, which Washington said was a mistake.

Serbia aims to be an EU member nation, as Belgrade has been a candidate for entry into the bloc since 2013.

On the other hand, the US has a military base in Kosovo that houses around 7,000 American soldiers in the territory.