Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the Serb community to take part in discussions on the opening of the bridge across the Ibar in the divided city of Mitrovica.

The Kosovo government wants the bridge opened to allow free movement between the majority-Serb north and Albanian south of Mitrovica. The bridge is under KFOR control with a permanent troop presence and patrols in the area around the bridge. KFOR said on Tuesday that it would respond to any possible deterioration of the security situation at the bridge.

Kurti said in a Facebook post that Wednesday’s protest in Mitrovica North was peaceful, adding that protests are a democratic right enjoyed by all in Kosovo.

Internal Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla said during Wednesday’s tour of the bridge that the issue of its opening was closed in 2016 and was no longer part of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

According to him, a public discussion will be organized on Thursday in Mitrovica North on „intellectual cooperation, municipal counseling for safety in the community, cooperation between institutions and civil society“. He called the Serbs to take part in the discussion to learn about the benefits of the opening of the bridge and express their concerns.

For a long time, the Mitrovica Bridge over the Ibar has kept us at a distance. Bridges unite us, and together let’s make it a symbol of normalization,” Kurti said in the post.

Earlier, the Kosovo government said the bridge would be opened following lengthy technical procedures which include testing its stability and “revitalizing” parts of it.