Lucic: MTS to continue to operate in Kosovo-Metohija

BELGRADE - Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lucic said on Wednesday MTS - a Telekom Srbija subsidiary in Kosovo-Metohija - would continue to operate and provide telephony, internet and television services to some 30,000 households in the province.

Speaking to the RTS, Lucic said all subscribers should rest assured of that.

"We will grow even stronger, Telekom Srbija is a company with great international reputation and we know how to protect our interests in case we are under threat," Lucic said.

He said the company was now trying to raise the issue of Pristina's failure to award to it a third operating licence pursuant to the Brussels Agreement.

He said the licence would enable Telekom Srbija to operate across the territory of Kosovo-Metohija.

"They (Pristina) know that would make us by far the number one company there and that we would suppress their Pristina-based operators, so they are avoiding the implementation of a part of the Brussels Agreement. As part of this package, we are now trying to resolve that problem, too," he said.

He noted that Telekom Srbija had in August 2023 tackled the main problem - an attempt by Pristina to practically shut it down.

"(Pristina PM Albin) Kurti's administration has now switched to Plan B - an attempt to disintegrate us and keep us from expanding further and take away from us the cable operators we acquired in 2019 to consolidate them into a single operator in Serb enclaves," Lucic said, adding that the move was aimed at providing the Serb population with quality internet services and access to Serbian television channels.

He announced he would go to Pristina again next Monday to meet with the UK ambassador there.

Lucic said that, judging by what could be heard so far, Telekom Srbija would be given full support for further operations and noted that he was optimistic about these and other problems being resolved successfully.