Lucic: Entry ban to Kosovo a continuation of pressure on Serbia and Telekom

Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lucic told Newsmax Balkans that the decision to ban him from entering Kosovo was a poor one and represented a continuation of pressure on Serbia and the company, adding that his legal team had filed an appeal and initiated court proceedings.

“This is a continuation of the ongoing pressure. It sends a clear message to Serbia that Serbs should leave Kosovo. Unlike previous attacks on the company, however, this was an attack on me personally,” Lucic said on Newsmax Balkans television’s Stav nedelje program.

He said that his legal team had filed an appeal and initiated court proceedings, arguing that the decision had been made in violation of laws adopted by the Kosovo institutions themselves.

“I have exhausted all available legal remedies. I am completely confident that I will prevail because something that was adopted unlawfully must, it seems to me, be set aside,” Lucic added.

He also noted that Telekom Srbija operates 29 base stations in Kosovo, but said this was insufficient, resulting in problems with the quality of mobile signals in Serbian-majority areas and with network coverage outside them.

Lucic said that the issue of a third mobile telecommunications license in Kosovo, envisaged under the Brussels Agreement, should be resolved, noting that Pristina had yet to issue a tender.

Speaking about the company’s operations, Lucic said Telekom Srbija planned to provide 5G coverage to most cities and towns in Serbia over the next year, with the goal of making high-quality 5G coverage available throughout the country within three years.

According to Lucic, Telekom Srbija expects to generate a profit of more than EUR 500 million this year, while revenue is expected to approach EUR 3 billion. The company, he said, operates in several European countries and plans to launch a mobile network in the United States in December.