By Feyzullah Yarimbas and Handan Kazanci
ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye's intensive efforts successfully resolved a long-standing electricity distribution dispute in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo, which has been ongoing since the end of the 1999 war.
On Saturday, the Kosovo Electricity Distribution Company (KEDS), operated by a partnership of Türkiye’s leading holdings Limak and Calik, and the Serbian company Elektrosever, inked a contract to contribute to the resolution of the electricity distribution issue that has plagued Serb-majority municipalities for years, as well as paving the way for Kosovo and Serbia normalization.
Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, welcomed the contract signing between KEDS and Elektrosever in a statement on X.
“This is an important step in implementing the (EU) -facilitated Energy Roadmap and on the path to normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Congratulations to all who made it possible!” Lajcak said.
In a statement, KEDS also welcomed the signing of the contract for the normalization of electricity distribution in the northern Kosovo municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok after a long and delicate process and congratulated the parties involved.
- Türkiye: Important step to normalization process
Ankara also welcomed the contract between KEDS and Elektrosever, describing it as an important step that contributes to the normalization process by enabling the solution to the electricity distribution issue in the north of Kosovo, according to diplomatic sources.
Türkiye has made great efforts to reach an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on the energy issue, which is one of the most important elements of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process, the sources said.
According to the sources, Türkiye will continue to support the dialogue process with the understanding that lasting peace in the region can only be established through dialogue and reconciliation, and it will continue to make constructive contributions to the process if requested by the parties.
Since the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999, electricity bills have not been paid in the Serb-majority municipalities in the north, with the financial burden of it shouldered by the Kosovo government.
The ongoing situation that remained unresolved for nearly 24 years has incurred a total cost of €320 million (approximately $340 million) for the Kosovo government in early 2023, according to official data.
In a separate statement, Nabila Massrali, the EU's spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, praised the commercial contract signing.
“This is an important step towards the full implementation of the Energy Roadmap, which was agreed in June 2022 under EU-facilitated Dialogue, enabling the implementation of the Energy Agreements of 2013 and 2015,” it said.
“The conclusion of this contract means that Elektrosever will start supplying electricity to the four northern Kosovo-Serb majority municipalities. This will end the non-regulated current practice,” it noted.