Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic stated on Monday that the agreement in Brussels concerning telecommunications and energy opens Serbia’s path to the EU and demonstrates the willingness of Belgrade to solve problems in a mutually acceptable way.

Speaking about telecommunications, Ljajic told Tanjug that the draft agreement was reached on Sunday and framework was obtained which should be filled by tangible contents, which will be the task of the implementation groups that should be formed on grounds of the agreement.

This is a very important agreement which opens Serbia’s doors to the EU and shows that the problem cannot be solved without Serbia although Pristina tried to obtain an area code and solve other issues in telecommunications without Serbia’s active participation, Ljajic said.

Through the agreement, both sides took on the obligation to respect the principles and standards of the International Telecommunication Union, he said.

Ljajic explained that this means Serbia has an active and crucial role in this process, and that nothing will change in the field until 2015 as Telekom Srbija will be able to operate normally, without fear that its transmitters or base stations would be destroyed as was the case in 2010.

In other words, the current situation in terms of mobile telephony and Telekom Srbija in Kosovo-Metohija has been legalised, he said and noted that all 27 base stations would get permits for uninterrupted functioning and that in two years’ time, Telekom Srbija would take part in the tender for mobile telephony.

Ljajic said that the agreement envisages that Telekom Srbija will get the full licence for the landline telephony.

Ljajic believes that Serbia has unambiguously opened the doors to initiation of EU accession talks in January the latest. He underscored that the agreement on telecommunications and energy is an important step on the EU path.

Video link – Tanjug