“There will be no more threats of anyone occupying Valac, no more threats that any debts will be collected because that is not true. All possible services will be performed exclusively by Elektrosever and our people will not pay electricity to Pristina, as many claim, but to Elektrosever,” the head of the Kosovo Office, Petar Petkovic, said from North Mitrovica today. He stated that Elektrosever will be permanently present in Valac, stressing that it will obtain a supply license. Petkovic accused the KoSSev portal journalist of being uninformed, while the Srpska Lista chief interrupted our journalist’s question with a comment on whether he was a journalist or an analyst – because „his question is taking too long“.
In his media address from North Mitrovica today, the head of the Kosovo Office – who is currently on a two-day tour of Kosovo – highlighted the importance of the recently signed energy agreement. He argued that the benefits of the agreement „will be made obvious“ this autumn and winter, that is, during the crisis that will affect the whole of Europe.
After the Roadmap on the implementation of the energy agreements reached between Belgrade and Pristina so far was concluded last week, Petkovic has repeatedly claimed that Elektrosever had gained independence. On the other hand, Pristina alleged that „Kosovo’s sovereignty“ has been preserved. Furthermore, they stated that the license given to Elektrosever only refers to supply, confirming that the new company will not be registered as an operator for the distribution system.
The Roadmap, as well as previous agreements, mentions four distribution services that will be carried out by Elektrosever, as a company registered within the Kosovo system.
In December 2020, the north of Kosovo was separated from the EMS control area and joined with the energy block system Kosovo (KOSTT) – Albania (OST) – as envisaged by the previously reached agreements.
When asked by a KoSSev journalist why he believes that Elektrosever gained independence, while Pristina claims that it did not, and why Belgrade stopped requesting a distribution license for the new company, which it has been insisting on since 2015, Petkovic avoided answering the question. Instead, he repeatedly accused the KoSSev journalist of not reading the documents from 2013 and 2015, as well as the recently signed Roadmap – particularly, of not being informed enough about the agreed distribution services within the Roadmap.
Rakic: Are you a journalist or an analyst
The Srpska Lista chief, Goran Rakic, interrupted our journalist’s question with a comment on whether he was a journalist or an analyst. „This question is taking too long, you’re entirely out of the line.“
This is not the first time Rakic made similar comments to the questions posed by the journalists of this portal.
In October last year, on the eve of the Kosovo elections, when asked by our journalist why and when SL will stop selectively informing the public and discriminating against the journalists of our portal, this top Kosovo official replied: „I thought you had a more serious question. You get what you deserve.“
„…Because you’re saying that Elektrosever did not receive the right to distribution. I presented those documents publicly, and certainly, as a journalist, you’ve had to read all the documents that were adopted in the dialogue because based on that you could have a complete picture of what was agreed,“ said Petkovic.
Although Petkovic also criticized our journalist for allegedly claiming that Elektrosever „did not receive distribution“, the journalist actually specified that according to the Road map, as well as per previous agreements, four distribution services were confirmed, but Pristina has pointed out that this company did not receive a distribution license.
The issue of the distribution license – which Belgrade insisted on – has been one of the main stumbling blocks in the past years for the implementation of the 2015 energy agreement.
Petkovic once again highlighted the third document – a letter i.e. the guarantee of the EU representative for the BG-PR dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, that Elektrosever will be permanently present in Valac, he told media.
Read more about the Energy Agreements’ Implementation Roadmap:
Energy agreement adopted: Elektrosever receives a supply license, KEDS and KOSTT access to Valac
Petkovic on the energy agreement: We didn’t hand over Valac, we opened the door for the ASM
„Billing, collection, maintenance and physical connection of new customers. These are four important distribution services with which we actually have a complete system of independent supply of electricity to consumers in the north,“ said Petkovic.
Petkovic also told the KoSSev journalist: „I know that you talked all the time about how we have to reach an agreement. I don’t get it how now when we have an agreement you are against it.“
According to him, Elektrosever will exclusively perform all possible services.
“Our people will not pay for electricity to Pristina, as many claim, but to Elektrosever. Elektrosever will perform all services. It has a supply license, it will have everything else when it comes to import and export, so we have everything we need, we have completed our system and let’s start implementing that agreement,“ claims Petkovic.
„The agreement is good for you,“ he said, adding that it creates peace and stability.
„There will be no more threats of anyone occupying Valac, there are no more threats that any debts will be collected because that is not true. All obligations of consumers begin when a commercial contract is signed between consumers and Elektrosever,“ adds Petkovic, noting that he will oversee this process from the field.
Serb ministers turned back at the crossing, Lajcak to discuss this with Pristina
Petar Petkovic also announced today that several Serb officials, including ministers, were unable to visit Kosovo after reportedly being turned back at the crossing by Pristina. He expresses hope that Lajcak, who arrived in Kosovo today, will discuss this with the representatives of the Pristina authorities.
„It is unacceptable that after submitting a request, that is, sending an announcement as envisaged by the agreement, our ministers were banned from entering Kosovo without any explanation,“ Petkovic claims.
He underlined that Lajcak is welcome in the north of Kosovo, revealing that the representatives of SL will discuss all important issues faced by Kosovo Serbs with the EU representative – including the purportedly heightened number of attacks on Serbs.
„There have now been over 177 incidents since Kurti came to power, which is 50% more than in the period before he seized power,“ Petkovic said.
The head of the Kosovo Office reminded that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities has not been formed yet, and that without it, Serbs have „neither collective nor individual rights that are necessary for the survival of our people in Kosovo.“
A proposal for the issue of the missing
Petkovic said that Belgrade was the first to initiate an agreement on the missing. “The Serbian delegation has prepared a proposal and I hope that it will be acceptable to everyone, including Pristina,” he adds, reiterating that Belgrade does not treat the issue of the missing as a political issue, but as a humanitarian one.
„It is important that this issue is resolved as soon as possible. We have responded to all of Pristina’s requests when it comes to excavations of all the sites requested by Pristina. We’re still waiting for Pristina to do the same when it comes to our demands, considering that we are still waiting for excavations at nine locations for which we have well-founded suspicions to contain buried Serbs who are still, unfortunately, listed as missing.“
He underlined that it is necessary to find a solution and that the issue of the missing should not be politicized.
On license plates – Pristina’s unilateral moves are unacceptable
Petkovic also addressed the license plates issue, reminding of the sticker regime introduced back in September.
„Since then, until today, the sticker regime has functioned without any problems… What is important and what we all insist on is that the dialogue, when it comes to plates, must be resolved in Brussels,“ said Petkovic.
He underlined that any unilateral moves by Pristina are unacceptable.
„In fact, these unilateral moves of Pristina led to those thirteen days of crisis that we had in Jarinje and Brnjak, and it must not happen again. We need to agree and find solutions within the dialogue,“ Petkovic said, emphasizing that the protests and barricades organized at these crossings at the time were only a reaction to Pristina’s moves.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
