Lucic: Telekom Srbija delegation had series of important meetings in US

BELGRADE - Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lucic says a delegation of the Serbian telecoms operator has recently had a series of important meetings in the US - including at the State Department and the EXIM bank - and announced plans for Telekom Srbija to expand to the US market this year.

In a statement to Tanjug on Monday, Lucic said the delegation had been received excellently in Washington.

"The way we are received in Brussels as well as the support from the most important financial institutions in the US and the EU are the best example of Telekom Srbija's great strength and international reputation," Lucic said.

He said the company was in talks with the EXIM bank about a partnership that would help the development of a 5G network and an international expansion of Telekom Srbija.

"Also, it would make us only the second company in the world to have such cooperation with the EXIM bank, which would be another confirmation of Telekom's strength and the maximum transparency of our operations, already proven by partnerships with the EIB, the EBRD and the World Bank," Lucic said.

He said Telekom Srbija had plans to start operations in the US this year, targeting the diaspora from the Western Balkans as its potential service subscribers.

"They will be offered mobile telephony services, media content and digital services the Serbian company is developing in collaboration with global leader Vodafone," he said, adding that Telekom Srbija had launched an expansion to Germany and Turkey in 2023 and, previously, to Switzerland and Austria, where it already has over 210,000 subscribers.

While in Washington, Lucic also addressed problems Pristina is causing to Telekom Srbija in Kosovo-Metohija.

"I will not let anyone abuse us - that is the best way to describe Pristina's treatment of MTS, our daughter company in Kosovo," he said.