Istanbul, 29 May 2012 – Today, the second conference with potential investors in the PTK project was held in Istanbul, with the aim of presenting investment possibilities in the field of telecommunications in Kosovo, through the purchase of shares in Kosovo Post and Telecommunications.

This is the second conference of such nature, following the successful conference of a similar nature held in London last week. This conference served to present investment opportunities in Kosovo, the favorable fiscal environment, market potential and company profiles.

The conference was chaired by the Chairman of the Government Privatization Committee (GPC) for PTK, Minister Besim Beqaj, and attended by ministers-members of GPC Fehmi Mujota and Nenad Rasic. Also, present at the conference were PTK CEO Ejup Qerimi and Head of TRA Ekrem Hoxha.

In his speech in front of conference participants, the Chairman of the Government Privatization Committee for PTK, Minister Beqaj, guaranteed for all potential investors that this process will adhere to the highest international standards and will be based on three key premises: transparency, equal treatment of investors and competition.

Minister Beqaj also underscored that Republic of Kosovo is following all adequate steps towards full approximation of the legal infrastructure with the EU Acquis on telecommunications, with the purpose of attracting private investments and ensuring less expensive and more qualitative communication for Kosovo citizens.

At the same time, Beqaj underlined that the ongoing structural reform and introduction of private capital in key economic sectors in Kosovo, including transport, energy, telecommunications, and public services, have yielded in an economic increase of 5.3 percent in 2011. The continuation of such reforms will provide Kosovo with sustainable economic development, at a rate higher than the European average, and will provide Kosovo citizens with better living conditions.

The Head of GPC assessed that PTK is the leading company in the mobile and fixed telephony in Kosovo, both regarding the number of subscribers and quality of services. However, PTK’s added value is founded on this company’s expansion potential.

According to him, Kosovo has the youngest population in Kosovo, and the lowest penetration level in the mobile and fixed telephony market. This provides for better chances for increasing the number of subscribers and developing new products. The introduction of the private sector in PTK, Minister Beqaj said, will result in swifter development and faster transfer of know-how.

The Chief Executive Officer of PTK presented the general profile of the company to potential investors, underlining that PTK continues to lead the competition in the Kosovo market.

On the other hand, the Chairman of the Board of RTA, Hoxha, presented in brief the specifics of Kosovo’s telecommunications market, from the regulatory aspect, and presented the plan for the future provision of a regulatory service in the sphere of telecommunications, entirely based on EU principles.

Attending this conference were also Lazard Freres, the Transaction Advisor for this project. They explained that the competition procedure to be followed in this process is based on international standards.

Participating potential investors have assessed that PTK is an attractive company, and could be subject to their investments and expansions, and that the telecommunications market in Kosovo provides great opportunities for further development.

The conference was characterized with extensive participation of investors worldwide, including:

1. Aksoy Group (Turkey)
2. Albtelecom (Albania)
3. Altima (Croatia)
4. Axos Capital (Germany)
5. Bedminster Capital (England)
6. Çalık Holding (Turkey)
7. Ecolog (ND Balkan) (Germany)
8. IFC (World Bank)
9. Monaco Telecom (CWC) (Monaco, England)
10. Sousa Vieira Advogados (Portugal Telecom) (Portugal)
11. TEB (Turkey)
12. Turk Telekom/Oger Telecom (Turkey)
13. Turkcell (Turkey)
14. Unicredit Group (Croatia, Italy)