Wrote: Endrit Berisha
Through a Facebook post, a statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the Ibar Bridge issue was claimed.
The publication was made by the website "Lajme Nga Bota" on August 15. According to the claim, Kurti said that the European Union had promised Serbia that this bridge would not be opened and that he considered its opening a done deal, whether others wanted it or not.
What's wrong with this publication?
After verification by hibrid.info, it turns out that such a statement cannot be found in any credible source that would prove the claim made to be true.
The claim of "World News" on Facebook:
"The European Union has promised Serbia that the Ibar Bridge will not be opened, so now everyone has come after me, but I do not bargain with Kosovo territory, neither with Serbia nor with the EU, the Ibar Bridge is in Kosovo territory and decisions for that part are made by the Kosovo Government, and the opening of the bridge is finished as far as the Kosovo Government is concerned, whether they want it or not, declared Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti."
Publication link:
Hibrid.info has used the same script, without changes, to search online search engines. There, after searching, no information based on credible sources appears (see here).
To verify further, hibrid.info has also searched for fragments of the claim. Again, there are no results with credible sources (see here and here)
Besides the fact that the alleged publication cannot be found in any credible media outlet, another fact that makes the claim untenable is the spelling errors.
The publication is being handled because the post has received nearly 300 likes and 40 comments. Some of the comments took the content for granted. (see here)
Context:
In the second week of August, the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica was tested by Kosovo authorities who intend to reopen it to vehicle traffic, although this has been opposed by the international community and local Serbs. Following the reactions, on 14 August, Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the Government will continue consultations and coordination with partners on this issue (see here)
Analyze:
The Facebook page "Lajme Nga Bota" made a post on August 15 in which it claimed that Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the European Union had promised Serbia that the Bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica would not be opened and that this issue has ended and that it is done whether others want it or not.
After verification by hibrid.info, such information was not found in any credible source that would prove the claim to be true.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content published on Facebook by the page "Lajme Nga Bota" as "Fake News".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.