Kosovo has become a crisis “hot spot” in recent months, with ethnic Albanians who control the disputed province moving to suppress the Serbian minority.
In the latest action, Kosovo authorities are moving to cut off the province's Serbian minority from critical access to the news and internet.
Kosovo, once a historic Serb province that declared its independence in 2008, has revoked the business license from the sister company of Telecom Serbia.
The company is regarded as one of the largest fixed, mobile, internet, and multimedia service companies in Southeastern Europe and the main way ethnic Serbs in Kosovo communicate.
Earlier this month, Kosovo’s Ministry of Industry and Trade published a list of several companies with registered addresses that had been contested.
Included in the list was Telecom Serbia’s sister company MTS because a “management member of the company holds a passport issued by the Republic of Serbia.”
The company was formed in 2015 after the 2013 Brussels Agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, which aimed at normalizing relations.
Serbia and Kosovo have been at odds for decades. Their 1998 war left more than 10,000 dead, mostly Albanians in Kosovo.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to recognize the move. The U.S. is among the 101 United Nations members that recognize Kosovo’s independence, but many have not, including Greece, Spain, India, China, and Brazil.
The latest dustup centers around MTS appearing to be registered in North Mitrovica as an operator within the Serbian system, with the address listed as “Mitrovica, Republic of Serbia.”
The company’s headquarters are in North Mitrovica, a municipality in the northern part of Kosovo predominantly inhabited by Serbs.
MTS also operates in other Serbian-populated areas in Kosovo, including Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Graçanica, Shtërpca, and Ranilug.
Telecom Serbia contends that the decision to revoke the MTS business license is baseless and “goes against European principles, standards, and international law.”
It is appealing the decision and has pledged to “protect the interests of all citizens in Kosovo and Metohija who avail themselves of their services, as well as the welfare of more than 250 employees.”
Telecom CEO Vladimir Lucic told Radio Television Serbia that it has 30 days to file an appeal and hopes the international community will take its side.
“The basis of this decision hinges on a member of our management team possessing a passport from the Republic of Serbia,” Lucic said in a statement to Newsmax.
“It is puzzling that a respected organization, recognized as one of the prominent investors over the past decade, faces potential closure due to an alleged discrepancy in a single employee's documentation,” Lucic added, noting that “this employee also possesses an official Pristina-issued ID, duly acknowledged in MTS d.o.o.'s official records.”
Lucic argues that the Kosovo government is inflaming the situation and is “potentially threatening public safety.”
“The Brussels Agreement, upheld and guaranteed by the international community, particularly the EU and the USA, reflects the values and principles we stand for,” he said.
Telecom Serbia is not the first company to have its operating licensing revoked.
Euronews Albania said a private national television station, Klan Kosova, also reportedly had its operating license pulled for a similar reason. It listed two Kosovo cities, Peja and Gjakova, as part of Serbia in its registration documents.
The outlet contested the Ministry of Industry’s accusation of violating the Constitution of Kosovo, attributing the discrepancy to a technical error that has since been fixed.
Tensions escalated into violence in April after Serbs, who are the majority in northern Kosovo, boycotted local elections, allowing ethnic Albanian mayors to win.
As the mayors were set to take office, local Serbs took to the streets, leading to clashes with Kosovo’s police.
To help reduce tensions, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his team led a Belgrade–Pristina dialogue aimed at normalizing ties.
In June, emergency talks with Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti geared toward defusing the situation ended without producing a clear solution.
Borrell, who met with both leaders separately, determined they have “different interpretations of the causes and also the facts, consequences, and solutions.”
Belgrade’s position is that Kosovo must honor promises to give ethnic Serbs autonomy and full rights.
"All Serbs in the north think of Serbia as their country, not Kosovo. That's the reality," Vucic said in an interview with Reuters in June. "Someone needs to get a grip and organize a [new] election there."
Marisa Herman ✉
Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
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