Serbia President to Resolve Telekom Problem With Albania

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that he will talk to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama about reports that Serbian Telekom's planned investment in Albania's telecommunications company is not welcome.

"I'll talk to Rama today or tomorrow and I hope we'll solve this situation," Vucic said at a joint event with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Belgrade on Monday.

Serbia's state-owned Telekom firm in October confirmed its interest in purchasing Telekom Albania, currently owned by Deutsche Telekom.

"Telekom Srbija wishes to position itself as a regional leader in the telecommunications market in the region and has made an offer for the purchase of Telekom Albania," the Serbian company told BIRN.

Both Serbian and Albanian media have reported that Serbian investments in Albanian telecommunication are not welcome, however.

The Serbian President said on October 6 that by refusing Serbian investment and money, Albania risked sending "the wrong message".

"There are no such restrictions in our country. Whoever wants to create a positive climate can't make a difference about where the money comes from, whether it is Serbian or German or some other capital," Vucic told journalists, Serbia's news agency Tanjug reported.

The Serbian daily Danas reported that Serbian Telekom has offered 61 million euros for Albanian Telekom.

Serbia's Telecommunication Minister, Rasim Ljajic, told the Serbian daily Kurir on October 2 that the investment plans in Albania were "a good and logical move that talks about the power and potential of a domestic company to become the telecommunications leader of the Balkans".

Two days later, Ljajic said that Serbian Telekom's offer to purchase...

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