Belgrade based daily Vecernje Novosti reports that a comprehensive legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina should cover all outstanding issues in line with international law and EU acquis and contribute to regional stability.
Valdrin Lluka, Kosovo’s Minister of Economic Development, told N1 on Thursday he expected a final solution in Belgrade - Pristina dialogue on normalisation of relations to be reached this year and accused Serbia of not implementing deals agreed in Brussels.
Speaking at the sidelines of the “Challenges and perspectives of normalisation between Belgrade and Pristina” conference in Belgrade, Lluka said that Serbia’s refusal to implement the energy deal from 2013 caused 25 million Euros loss per year for Kosovo.
Officials in the European Union believe that changing the format of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue would not speed up the settlement of the normalization of the relations of the two sides and would only take the power away; and instead of dealing with the essence, the engagement of the negotiators, at least for some time, would be about who could be involved in the dialogue, reports today N1 quoting Beta agency.
The Presidents of Serbia and Kosovo, Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci said after their meeting in Brussels that they will continue the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue but were not optimistic about finding a solution soon, reports regional broadcaster N1.
Minister of Economic Development, Blerand Stavileci, said there is no room for panic with regards to concerns over Kosovo’s energy supply. Stavileci said relevant institutions have undertaken all necessary actions to ensure electricity supply.
Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ferat Shala, said his ministry is implementing the law on expropriation but until its full implementation, the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) should negotiate with residents on some provisional settlement.
The precedent of Telekom Srbija and protecting the company's property in Kosovo-Metohija can be used as an argument in the discussions on the energy sector and Lake Gazivode, the head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija, Marko Djuric, said on Monday.
"Those discussions will definitely not be easy," Djuric said at a press conference when asked if the agreement on telecommunications offered hope for protection of the Trepca mining complex and the Lake Gazivode accumulation system.
Economy columnist Ibrahim Rexhepi argues that Kosovo’s economic development should rely on energy produced through the coal reserves while renewable energy resources could be used as an added value in increasing the level of energy stability. One thing needs to be clear, writes Rexhepi, and that is that coal will be the primary source of energy while all other resources need to be considered as alternative.