Lucic: The Telekom case shows Kurti’s goal is to expel Serbs from Kosovo

The case of Telekom Serbia demonstrates that the primary goal of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's administration is to try to expel Serbs from Kosovo, said the company’s director, Vladimir Lucic. He emphasized that he has informed partners in Brussels and Washington about all the attacks on the company’s operations in Kosovo.

Lucic recently visited the White House, where, as he stated, the main topic was the survival of Telekom Serbia in Kosovo.

“This is my fourth visit to Washington this year, and during each visit, I meet with officials in the State Department and a part of the White House where advisors for national security oversee this region or the telecommunications cybersecurity sector. My main topic is Kosovo and Metohija and the survival of our company there,” Lucic told TV Happy.

He stressed that Pristina has shown its main goal, viewing Telekom Serbia as a nuisance—a telecommunications operator providing internet, all television channels, and mobile telephony to 30,000 households.

He believes that his company is a foundation of normal life and the Serbian community’s struggle in Kosovo.

“The example of Telekom shows that Kurti’s administration’s primary goal is to try to expel Serbs from Kosovo. As long as there are connections with Telekom, a company from Serbia, they refuse to accept it,” Lucic said, pointing out that the attack on Telekom is a crude message to leave Kosovo.

He also noted that this constitutes a severe violation of the Brussels Agreement.

“It is proof that even if they accept something through an agreement, if it involves a company from Serbia, they do not want to honor it. We defended ourselves from closure in August, and now we have launched a counter-offensive to address the issue of a third license in Kosovo, allowing us to operate across the entire territory,” Lucic highlighted.

He assessed that Telekom is the most profitable operator in Kosovo.

“The fate of that Pristina-based operator, created by seizing Telekom Serbia’s equipment in 1999, is interesting. They have lost various court disputes, their accounts are blocked, and their workers are unpaid and striking,” he noted.

Lucic emphasized the importance of clearly explaining the entire situation to the ambassadors of the U.S., EU, and UK in Pristina, given their relationships with Albin Kurti’s administration.

He expressed confidence that everyone has understood the situation, interests, and operations of Telekom Serbia.

“With the allocation of 5G, Kurti’s administration wanted to covertly grant the entire 700 MHz spectrum—the best quality—to the two existing operators. We, who also applied for this spectrum, were excluded solely because we are a Serbian operator. This is a clear case of discrimination against our company solely because it is owned by the Serbian state. This approach is completely abnormal by European standards, where three operators on a territory are common practice,” Lucic explained.

He pointed out that no positive developments for the Serbian side can occur before the elections in Kosovo, as Kurti’s administration builds its image by attacking anything Serbian.

“For Kurti, the expulsion of Serbs serves as an election campaign promotion. We’ve faced countless provocations, but their biggest problem is that, as a company, we strictly adhere to the Brussels Agreement. They want to find something to accuse us of or create an incident, but unfortunately for them, they can’t,” he stated.

He thanked all company employees, calling them heroes for enduring provocations and working in the company’s interest.

“I am confident we will emerge victorious because I see no other way to resolve this cycle. We have publicly warned the two operators that if they proceed with this criminal adventure to agree on two licenses to discriminate against the third, we will sue them for damages,” said Lucic.

When asked if the international community reacts to Pristina’s actions against Telekom, Lucic recalled that the Telekom case was included in the EU’s six-month report on Kosovo. He added that the report explicitly stated that Pristina must respect the Brussels Agreement and refrain from actions aimed at shutting down Telekom.

He noted that actions from Pristina typically occur in August or late December.

“This action regarding the 5G license allocation also started in August, as they believe Western administrations are on vacation at that time. I am completely confident that Mts.doo will receive the license. I even believe it will most likely happen by the end of 2025,” Lucic predicted.

He emphasized that Telekom has the support of partners from the U.S. and EU and that the company has a strong reputation globally, in Brussels, and in Washington.

“I think Kurti’s administration has realized that we are not an easy target. We speak the truth, and that is our greatest strength. Over the past four years, we have been building a network of friends worldwide to ensure that the truth reaches the right addresses. I am certain we will prevail,” concluded Lucic.