Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Government nullified legal effects of Priština’s law on Treča

The Serbian Government today decided to declare null and void “all and any legal effects of all and any acts or actions” of institutions in Priština regarding Trepča, stated Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said that this means that the Government largely accepted the proposals of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija with the aim of “keeping Trepča in operation.”

“Trepča is of extreme importance and we are going to guard it. I don’t understand why the Albanians did this, nor those who allowed it. The decision does not make sense. They controlled the southern part of Mitrovica since 1999 completely, even before the declaration of independence of the so-called state of Kosovo. I am sure they cannot be actually thinking about entering the flotation in the north by force. We are not going to allow any interference with the right of ownership,” Vučić said.

Vučić also said that “the Trepča issue” would not be brought before the UN Security Council.

“I refused for us to appear before the UN Security Council. It’s the only thing from the proposal of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija that I did not accept. This is a dangerous move on Priština’s part, but I don’t believe that it jeopardizes the peace.”

He also said that the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said not quite true figure when he spoke about 51 million tonnes of ore in Kosovo and Metohija.

"It is a question whether there are enough reserves, and who performed this assessment, because did none over the past three decades. In my opinion, 85 percent of these reserves are in the southern part of Mitrovica," Vučić said.

At the same time, he said that there was a lot of confusion and misinformation in the public concerning Trepča and rejected the idea that “the Trepča issue” has anything to do with the Brussels agreement.

“When I saw the Serbian Chamber of Commerce’s estimates that it is worth 200 billion euro, my reaction was to laugh. I would like to see the SCA secure even half the amount. And what they’re saying about the Brussels Agreement also shows how little they know and that people here have not even actually read the Agreement. I mean, really, it’s just a page and a half,” Vučić said.

Talking about telecommunications, Vučić said that Belgrade would continue to negotiate because it respected its signature and wanted to reach an agreement.

“We signed in Brussels that we would talk, and we are going to do so. However, I’ve always insisted that we should talk about property – which is the key point – and they never wanted to. But in the end, everything boils down to the issue of property. It is not an issue of the area code, they have had that for months now, but we ensured that the Serbs living in Mitrovica don’t have to use an area code for central Serbia. The issue concerns property – as with the Gazivode lake, which is partially in the territory of central Serbia. We cannot, we will not, and we have no right to give that up,” Vučić said.

The Serbian prime minister also said that there were not going to be any shifts in the policy and that there would be no interruptions in the negotiations with the European Union, which certain politicians called for.

“During the election campaign, I promised to continue along the path towards the EU and not impose sanctions on Russia. I wasn’t telling fairy tales. We are ready to compromise if others are, too. We are ready because we are thinking about the future, we must continue to talk to everyone, continue our path,” Vučić stated.

When asked about the statement made by President Tomislav Nikolić on “making no more concessions to the Albanians” and whether this means the negotiations would be terminated, Vučić said, “We will continue the negotiations. I understood the statement as a moral, political message sent by the president of Serbia.”

Vučić also said that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija should feel safe and secure, which is guaranteed also by NATO.

“That's all I can say to those who are wishfully thinking about going to war. Whatever do they intend to do? Break in and take money out of the account? If they are thinking about sending in the ROSA units, I kindly ask them not to do that,” Vučić said.

On the night between Friday and Saturday, the Assembly of Kosovo passed the Law on Trepča, which stipulates that the Kosovo Government owns 80 percent of the complex.