Serbia's Ibar River Diversion Plan Sparks Diplomatic Storm

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has announced a potential diversion of the Ibar River, a move he described as a response to perceived mistreatment of Serbs in Kosovo. The announcement, initially appearing to be for domestic political consumption, has sparked a diplomatic dispute.

The Ibar River flows from Montenegro into Serbia and then back into Kosovo. Its dam forms the Gazivode Lake, a critical resource for Kosovo. The lake provides drinking water for approximately one-third of the population and cools thermal power plants that generate about 95% of the region's electricity. Kosovo's acting president, Aljbuljena Hadžiju, stated that diverting the river would affect water, energy, ecological, and human security.

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To bi uticalo na vodnu, energetsku, ekološku i ljudsku bezbednost naše Republike. Zbog toga naše diplomate treba da upoznaju prestonice u kojima služe sa ovim izjavama, i da vlade zemalja domaćina informišu o prirodi i posledicama ove apsurdne, ali i preteće ideje.

Vučić, however, insisted he was not issuing threats but rather addressing watercourses within Serbia's territory according to its internal laws. International law, particularly concerning shared water resources, remains a significant consideration. The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube, of which the Ibar is a part, indicated that the river falls under the Danube Convention. However, they declined to comment on a hypothetical scenario, stating that any project with potential cross-border implications would require assessment by relevant authorities under the existing legal framework.

Experts have largely dismissed the feasibility of Vučić's proposal. Jovan Despotović, a retired professor of hydrology and hydro-engineering, called the idea "somnambulism," citing two main reasons: the immense technical difficulty and time required for such a project, which would involve altering mountains, and the necessity of obtaining European approval. The European Commission has advised that such statements do not contribute to normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, emphasizing that dialogue is the only path forward.

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Te izjave, uključujući i one o mogućim promenama toka reke i određenim potezima, ne doprinose cilju uspostavljanja normalnih odnosa između Kosova i Srbije. To se može postići jedino kroz dijalog.